A while back, our friend Arnold started weekend badminton game sessions at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) for our Filipino group. I went to the first ever session but haven’t gone again since even though they now play at a regular weekend basis.

I really wanted to play again but Raquel and I have just been very busy with fixing up the house and catching up on other priority stuff. I kept telling Arn that I’ll probably show up next weekend and then the next and so on.

Last weekend, the MSAC became unavailable to casual badminton players because of the upcoming Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. So, as an alternate venue, Arn booked a couple of courts for 2 to 4pm at the Altona Badminton Centre located at Paisley Park, Mason Street, Altona North (Melway 55 D3), instead. With the venue being a lot closer to where I live (about 20 minutes’ drive away), it certainly made it an easy decision to play badminton that weekend.

I almost didn’t make it though. I had scheduled earlier to have a package picked up from our house in Werribee the same day but I wasn’t exactly sure when it was actually going to be picked up. So I just told Arn that I would text him if I would be playing or not. Fortunately, I got the package sent on its way before 1pm so I was still able to go.

I was out of practice and they were now following a new set of game rules so I felt like a total newbie. But it was okay. Everybody there was very friendly (it helped that I already knew most of them there). I also met new people there which is always a bonus.

As usual, I gave it my all, even to the point of looking ridiculous on the court. That’s how I usually play any game. I always like a good challenge. Unfortunately, in all the games I played in that day, I never won even once.

That’s okay though. I just deluded myself into thinking that the people I played against had all these weeks of practice playing and that I hadn’t played in a long time. If only I really believe it.

I know that the only way I’ll improve my game is to keep on going to these weekly game sessions. They tell me that they’ll be at it again next week. I’d love to go and play again. It’s fun and I get a good workout by the end of it. What’s not to like?

If you are a least bit interested in joining Arn’s weekly badminton games for Pinoys (mostly), you can let him know at the Philippines.com.au forum.

It had been a while since we’ve gone out with friends. In fact, we haven’t since last December. Since we live in Werribee, we now live close by to Milkshake, a Pinoy friend of ours. He offered to drive us around Werribee to show us places like this Filipino shop at the Woodville Park Shopping Centre (Melway 206 E3), the nearest bowling alley - the Werribee Superbowl at Riverside Avenue (Melway 205 J11), the Toyota service centre, a music instrument shop and the Medicare office along Watton Street (Melway 205 J9).

Since our vegetarian-to-be friend Irar who lives in Altona (also a Melbourne western suburb) needed help with her broadband Internet connection, we told her we’d drop by around lunch time. After Milkshake showed us the Filipino shop, we went to Irar’s place where we were offered a delicious home cooked dish called Beer Tofu with obligatory rice. There was even a “Jollibee” sauce/dip for the tofu (actually just UFC banana ketchup plus mayonnaise).

While at Irar’s, we got to see Edge again since meeting her at a general gathering last year. After figuring out that there was nothing essentially wrong with Irar’s broadband connection and having our lunch, at the spur of the moment we all decided to go to the Highpoint Shopping Centre for a little shopping.

When the mall closed at 5 pm (yeah, it’s early but we’re used to it by now), Milkshake drove us back to Altona to drop Irar and Edge home. But when we got there, we made another spur of the moment decision. This time, we decided to all go bowling in Werribee. Edge and Irar picked up their socks then we all continued our drive to Werribee.

I haven’t played bowling for some time now, too. So, it felt great to bowl again. I seemed to have lost my touch though as I didn’t score that high yesterday. But it was okay. Edge even gave me some tips to improve my game. Much appreciated.

While at the bowling alley, we also considered forming a West bowling team so that we can challenge our friends who live in the eastern suburbs. Maybe when I can bowl a bit better.

We finished bowling at around a quarter to nine. We accompanied Milkshake on the drive back to Altona to drop off Irar and Edge. On the way, I started to feel a bit ill. By the time we were driving back from Altona to Werribee, I really needed to get off the car and get some fresh air.

Raquel and I normally have dinner at around 6 pm. It was already past 9 pm and we still haven’t had our dinner. When I’m hungry, I either feel my stomach growl or I get dizzy. That time, I got dizzy. And having to go through a lot of roundabouts only made me more nauseous. I thought I could still make it back to Werribee but when halfway there Milkshake suggested we stop at Hungry Jack’s, I had to agree.

I was ready to throw up but at the same time I was very weak from hunger (and probably tired from playing bowling). I ordered a grilled chicken burger value meal but I was in no mood to eat even though I knew I had to. It was a horrible feeling. I had to eat but at the same time my body seemed to be resisting the food.

In the end, I was only able to eat three bites from the burger and maybe five French fries. I drank a paper cup full of Diet Coke though. That at least got me going until we could get home where I was able to eat a hot cup of noodles. Ahh. What a relief.

Even though the day ended on a not-so-high note, I still enjoyed it overall. I originally planned to go out again for a game of badminton with our other friends today but I just remembered all the things that’s still waiting to get done in the house. That and I’m currently sporting a very stiff neck. Maybe next time.

On today’s issue of the free Melbourne-based newspaper MX are advertisements stating that starting March of the first, people will no longer be allowed to smoke in tram, train and bus shelters as well as in “underage music/dance events” in the state of Victoria.

This is good news for us as we both couldn’t stand the smell of cigarette smoke. It just makes us feel very ill. My eyes would get all watery and I would have a hard time breathing if there is smoke present. So, on our daily commute to and from work, we had to frequently endure second-hand smoke from other passangers waiting for the train or alighting it.

Now, I don’t have anything against smokers per se but I really hate it when I get a whiff of their cigarette byproduct. Just as long as they smoke way away from me then I don’t mind at all if they smoke all day. Well, now that there’s going to be a new law in place regarding smoking, I can now at least breathe easy (metaphorically and literally) while waiting for my ride.

For further information regarding the Smoke Free advertisement, call 1300 136 775 or visit http://www.health.vic.gov.au/tobaccoreforms/.

While going around in circles at the Hedgend Maze last Saturday, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my right ear. The pain quickly subsided but what was replaced by a slight pressure that has lingered for several days. I told Gj about it and he said (and not jokingly, I may add) that perhaps an insect has gotten into my ear. We’ve seen several spiders resting in their webs in various places within the maze after all, and there was even one actually dangling across one of the paths we had to take. I didn’t take him seriously and just attributed the pressure in my ear to being in a high area. But the pressure persisted and with it came a clogging of the nose and a headache. Maybe whatever took residence there has multiplied and is now making my head its colony? Sounds like the stuff of horror movies, doesn’t it?

I thought that perhaps I’m having another bout of sinusitis and gave my GP a call. I went to her office yesterday and she asked if I’ve had hay fever before? Hmmm… I really don’t know. Although I’ve had the sniffles in the past without having a cold, it only happens when I’m exposed to cigarette smoke for more than a few minutes. Is it hay fever if there’s no hay nor pollen involved? Anyway, I didn’t want to go into too much explanation so I told her that I don’t know but didn’t think so. She then checked my blood pressure and peered into my ear and mouth as well. She quickly diagnosed the problem as hay fever, adding that since I didn’t have a cold, it can’t really be an infection. She also mentioned that Asians are more likely to get hay fever and is especially common during spring and summer season. She gave me a script for a nasal spray and quickly ushered me out. I swear, these doctors make a killing for just a few minutes of their time!

Anyway, I purchased the small bottle of nasal spray (so tiny, in fact, that the contents were measured in micrograms!) from a nearby pharmacy and nearly had a heart attack when the cashier asked for $28.95. Whoa, this spray better be effective and go a long way. The pharmacist told me I have to spray each nostril once a day for about 1-2 weeks for my symptoms to clear and the doctor also said that I may need to take it everytime I get the sniffles all through spring and summer. Wanting to start to unclog my stuffy nose straight away, I used the spray while I was in the office’s loo. I’m glad to say that although the pressure in my ear is still there (might still be a few days more before it disappears), my nose is certainly feeling a lot better after only a few minutes. Thank goodness it’s now highly unlikely that I may playing host to a colony of bugs of the crawly kind after all.

A weird thing happened last night while we were having dinner. I was just sitting down, eating, when suddenly, the toes on my right foot felt like they’ve been pricked. It felt similar to the times my foot went numb (”fell asleep”, as it is also known) except the prickling sensation was concentrated on the tip of my toes.

It went away as quickly as it came. But after maybe a minute, there they went again. This went on for maybe ten times more last night. And being the pseudo-hypocondriac that I am, I went online and tried to Google the “prickly toes” symptom.

Although there wasn’t anything definite in the first few results from Google, what I gathered was that prickly toes could be caused either diabetes or hypertension (high blood pressure). Either cause was equally bad, in my opinion.

I pray to God it isn’t any of those things. I hope that it’s just my right foot getting numb from sitting down in a bad position or something. Well, whatever the reason for my prickly toes last night, I’ll definitely cut down on the sweets. I just hope it’s not too late.

Over a year ago, I had to excruciatingly pass (yep, that’s the verb used) a kidney stone. My doctor recommended that I take in a lot of water from then on. She wanted me to drink three liters of water everyday to help keep my kidneys stone-free. That was supposed to be enough.

Being the pseudo-hypocondriac that I am, I researched kidney stones on the Internet to know more about the painful buggers. I found out that having one kidney stone episode greatly increases my chances of another painful episode! It was a horrific thought.

I’ve read kidney stone sufferers being told by their doctors to avoid high oxalate food. Apparently, oxalate helps in the formation of the dreaded kidney stones. One of these high-oxalate foods is a favorite of mine: chocolate! The anguish!

I found out that there was a chocolate substitute called carob that isn’t high in oxalate. That’s the good news. According to my friends, carob tasted nothing like chocolate. That’s the bad news.

Fortunately, when I gave carobs a go, I found that I loved them. The brand of carob I buy at least tasted good. It was almost like eating Ricoa’s Flat Tops minus the sugar (for these were No-Added Sugar Carobs or NAS Carobs). Then it happened. The grocery stopped supplying NAS Carobs like a year ago.

Then this weekend, I bought a bag of the non-NAS carobs of the same brand. I tried these carobs before but I found them too sweet. However, these new sugar-added carobs seem to be of a different mixture because they no longer tasted too sweet. They were just right. Yes!

I know the doctor didn’t real forbid me from eating chocolates or similarly oxalate-rich food but better safe than sorry. I still eat chocolates but in small amounts and only on occasion. But now that I have carobs that I like again, I could probably stand not having chocolates longer.

Right now, my back is a bit stiff, my legs are aching, my right arm is in slight pain and the soles of my feet are on the verge of having cramps. I guess it’s because of the two consecutive days I spent pushing myself while playing sports this weekend. And yes, I’m not really much of a sports person so two days in a row of playing sports would easily take its toll on me. I had bowling on Friday night and badminton on Saturday afternoon. A friend of mine would argue though that bowling isn’t really a sport.

Like I said, last Friday night, I played a couple of games’ worth of bowling with friends at the usual hangout. Not as much strikes as previous games I’ve played but I managed to score above 100 at least. Yeah, I’m still an amateur so getting a score just over 100 still means a big deal to me.

At the bowling lane, we did an advance celebration of Raquel’s birthday. It was supposed to be for both Raquel and Irar but couldn’t make it so Raquel got all the glory and the left over cake. We were all rowdy that night even without the benefit of alcohol. But our rowdiness was surpassed by the group of school girls that played in the lanes beside us.

By the time our two games were up, my right arm and fingers were already a bit stiff. Not really a problem because I usually get to rest the next day. But not this past Saturday.

This Saturday afternoon, I played badminton with friends at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC). The designated schedule was for 1:30 to 3:30 but I was late and only got in around 2 pm.

Fortunately, Arn booked three badminton courts beforehand so we didn’t have to worry about not getting any courts when we got there. Also, Cel shelled out the cash needed to pay off the three courts for two hours in advance (at $96 total). I should also thank Cel that she had an extra badminton racket to lend me when I got there. I really should drop by Rebel Sport one of these days and buy my own equipment.

When I got there, I played a doubles game with Arn, Cel, and her brother N. Even though my body was a bit stiff from the bowling the night before and they weren’t keeping score, I gave that game everything I’ve got. I’ve been jumping around like a maniac chasing after the shuttlecock (the ball used in badminton).

Thirty minutes in, I stopped being over-zealous in hitting the shuttlecock. I just let Arn hit it if I thought it was going to land anywhere near him. I also thought about taking a rest from all the jumping and running about when S in the other court was looking for somebody to play against. And he wanted to keep score.

Excellent! That’s exactly how I wanted it to be. So I scooted over to his court and did my usual trash-talk which I intended only in jest of course. Like so: “You’re going down, boy!” or “I’ll let you score first then I’ll start scoring.” In retrospect, S is not really Pinoy but a fair dinkum Australian so I’m not sure if he took any of that seriously but I believe (and hope) that he understood that I was just kidding.

Anyway, all that psychological warfare with the trash-talk didn’t work at all as I ended up losing at 15-0! I was, what we would call in Tagalog, balagoong (Pronounced: Bah-Lah-Go-Ong) — a pathetic loser. I challenged him again. I said, “best two out of three!”

Oh, he was game, indeed. According to his Pinay wife, Al, and his brother, R, he scored like 45 points in a row now after S beat R at 15-0 and Al at 15-0. S probably figured he was on a roll. Unfortunately for me, he was right. I lost again at a slightly more respectable 15-2.

Even though I was all tired and getting weak, I couldn’t accept defeat so I challenged him one more time and he obliged. Although I lost yet again, I think I scored higher than 2 that time around. Can’t really remember the score now but I’m sure I still lost by a wide margin.

He wanted to take a rest afterwards and I figured, I should, too, since I was already tired even I started playing against S. But then, Al wanted to play and keep score but nobody was seemingly interested in playing against her. Well, I just couldn’t ignore the opportunity to play a scored match so instead of resting, I went back into court hoping to get even with S a bit by beating his wife. Unfortunately, I lost to her in the two games we played.

Ah, well. I really need to get some practice and build up my endurance before I could probably win against that couple. It was great! I like a good competition. Makes me want to better myself.

When the time ran out on the court rental at about 4 pm, most of my friends went their separate ways. Chinita, SS, Arn and I decided to take a look around MSAC first before heading for home. To my delight, they also have squash courts, basketball courts and swimming pools there (it was an Aquatic centre after all) with a water slide even. I’m all excited thinking about playing a bit of squash sometime or basketball or whatever.

As I’ve said, I never really was into sports and I never got into it when I was growing up even though my Dad was really pushing me and my brother into it. I just now realised that sports is more fun if you’re playing with and against friends. Anyway, I’m sure my Dad would be proud that his son is finally getting into sports.