koko & everything else

koko & everything else

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

I Came, I Ran, I was limping but Survived Outbreak BGC



I grew up loving zombie movies, and just recently I got so hooked with watching Walking Dead that I ended up watching the two whole seasons twice! I couldn’t imagine how life would be if a real outbreak does happen in real life, and soon my curiosity and wonder if I would survive an actual outbreak got the best of me. I then took up all the courage and signed up for one!

Eating light dinner just before the run
Trying to scare the zombies away!
Goofing around instead of stretching LOL

Well of course, it wasn’t a real one, but it was close enough. Last July 28, 2012, I came and ran at the Outbreak Manila – BGC with my cousin, Pegs! Although it was encouraged to come in costumes, my cousin and I decided to dress casually and comfortably. I mean, c’mon, if we were in a real outbreak, would we really want to dress up first? Would you?

We were in the 17th wave and it was already dark by then (8:30ish PM?). And to make things worse and more challenging, the rain started pouring in as our wave was called in for the briefing. Well, for me, I didn’t mind the rain although I did have a hard time since I was wearing contacts. I also forgot to do some stretching and warm ups (but then it’s alright coz it was a real test if I will survive an outbreak – no one stretches and warms up in the Walking Dead right?).

My heart was pounding with excitement and fear. For one, I was terribly frightened by the zombies (even though I know they weren’t really real) and second, the dark made it scarier! But hey, if it were a real outbreak, chances are I would be really running in the dark right? But then we came prepared and brought with us LED flashlights, which I think was a smart move since it helped me big time throughout the course.

With the sound of the alarm, everyone started running. We tried to stick with our plan of not going separate ways but as soon as the first zombie showed up, I was running mindlessly, little did I know that Pegs already got pushed and had a few bruises. But good thing, she quickly got up and get on with it.

When things cleared up, I slowed down a bit and waited to see if Pegs was anywhere near. But it was a bit hard to wait because every now and then, zombies showed up chasing the crap out of us. Soon, I noticed Pegs and we started to run together again.

That didn’t last long though as more zombies blocked our way. We were dodging and moving left and right, making sure the zombies wouldn’t get even a single life flag. But as I was running, I bumped into a hooded girl whom I thought was one of the runners. Then I felt it like a knife on my gut (well not exactly but my heart was pounding like it was), the hooded girl turned out to be a zombie and she quickly grabbed my life flag. If I were in a real outbreak, I consider that moment as the moment I dropped half of my bullets. And now I am running with just a gun and an axe (in my imagination).

It went on for quite a while, but before even reaching the second kilometer, I got into a terrible accident. A zombie was running after me and I sprinted as fast as I could, which I think I did awesomely coz the girl behind me got caught while I outran the walker. But the intensity of the run (and someone accidentally hitting my thigh with his knee) got me injured. It hurt so much that I was limping towards the water station (safe zone) out of breath! Pegs was already there when I arrived and she was also having a hard time running because of her bruises from the early attack.

I gulped down two cups of water and rested for a while. But since I felt that staying there would just be a waste of time, I started to get back on the course, limping, hopping and running. But I wasn’t able to get too far when a swarm of zombies came and soon, my thigh got so bad that I had to go to the medic.

The guys who rescued me were nice and applied a liniment on my thigh (though it didn’t help much, I’m sorry to say that). I rested again for a bit and stretched my legs, hoping it would get better. After a few minutes wasted, I decided to get back on track, but I tried to take it a little slower this time.
Then here’s the great part. I think zombies still had a little humanity left in their hearts. When they saw me limping alone in the street, most of them turned the other way instead of chasing after me. Some even pretended not to see me. I guess the whole injury was able to help me survive it. I was able to safely walk a few kilometers safely, without losing anything but my thigh, I guess.

But don’t get me wrong; even though there were fewer zombies, the walk with a hurting leg was a great challenge. I had to go to another medic to help me stretch it so that I can manage to walk. There were so many obstacles and walking alone in the dark surely got me terrified. The medics wanted me to just hop in to the ambulance, but I kept insisting on finishing it. If this were a real outbreak, there’s not gonna be an easy way out so I might as well push my luck.

Survival against the zombies wasn’t the only challenge; it was also the walk down the dark and slippery road on an injured leg. As painful as it was, I continued to walk the haunted path until I came across a maze. Oh my god, of all things why do they had to build a maze. I am so bad with direction and I have always feared getting stuck in a maze. But I had no other option and there weren’t anyone to be with. So with all the courage that I had with me, I got into the maze alone.

I came across a few dead ends but luckily, there weren’t any walkers around. I slowly walked so that no one could sense I was there. I tried to walk against the walls of the maze, so that I could feel if anyone was near where I was. Soon, I finally saw the exit and hurriedly got back on the course.

After the maze, I felt a sense of hope that I could survive this outbreak. Until I reached the latter zone of the course…  more than fifteen zombies blocked the road and several abandoned scattered the street. This was the perfect version of my dooms day!

I tried to walk slowly. Other runners were running and already panicking. I tried to lay low so that the zombies wouldn’t see me walking alone on the other side of the road. I almost got out of the horde of zombies, until one walker noticed me. She was indeed very hungry for flags and she totally lost her humanity, she quickly grabbed my flag and I hurriedly limped my way out of there.
Finally! I reached the safe zone. And guess what?! I managed to get out with two flags left. One red flag and a white one that I got from Juice.ph and Eyp.Ph. The extra white flag could be a lifesaver, if things got out of hand. And as I walked down the safe path towards the finish line, I was so happy to see Pegs, still alive! She even managed to survive with three flags (although she lost a flag right there at the finish line coz things were getting crazy with the scanning of bibs and stuff).

King of Pop and I
Real great stuff from the artists at the Outbreak
Thumbs Up for the Awesome Time!
Survived!!! Wooohooooo!!!!
I'm cold!!!
And that’s my story on how I came, ran and survived Outbreak Manila. If it were a real outbreak, I may have ended up with no weapon and a broken leg, but then the important thing was I SURVIVED… alone! Yes, for me it gave me a sense of hope that in case a real zombie outbreak happens, I would probably have a higher chance of surviving and not turning into a walker.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Music + Fashion = URBAN ATHLETICS Pulse Saturday: We Got Dibs 2




I am a virgin when it comes to hip hop music and fashion. So forgive me if I mix up the performers and the songs and all the little details of the night… but one thing’s for sure… I had a blast at the Urban Athletics’ Pulse Saturday event.


Urban Athletics on Regular Days
Urban Athletics on Pulse Saturday

I have to be honest, the moment I walked in the Urban Athletics store… I was shock! Not in a bad way though, I just got surprised with the total make-over. I mean, I’ve seen the place on a regular day, though I know the place’s cool and all… for this night… it’s a total party haven!

The music was also pumping! I mean, yes, I may not know every single song on the playlist and I only heard it a few times on the radio, but when you’re there, you get to enjoy it… and really, I never thought I would appreciate the hip hop scene until that night.

Ooohhh before I forget, I did enjoy browsing the store’s shoe displays… I love the brands that I saw like Reef, Sanuk, Converse, among others. But I did love the other stuff too like the shirts and all… That’s why I couldn’t wait to see the new product lines and brands to be launched that night like SUPRA, Empire X Fanboy, The One, WIP Caps and Vurs. And I tell you when they presented the new releases, I didn’t thing anyone was disappointed because everything was stylish and fresh. The crowd couldn’t wait to get their hands on it.





As for the performers of the night, there was MC Dash with his new album, Kenjohns, Thyro with the beautiful and talented Kat Alano, Muriel and R&B artist, Quest. I have to admit, they made me see the other side of the music. I saw how creative, passionate and alive they are… more than their music, the way they performed and really connected to the crowd were inspiring.

And I didn’t mind seeing a few celebrities like Will de Vaughn, Gab Valenciano and even, Shirley Fuentes! The flowing beer was also a treat that I couldn’t say NO to. Mr. Toby Claudio of Urban Athletics also graced the event!


But what really got me tuned to the event was the launch of the clothing line with a purpose that’s exclusive at Urban Athletics. Vital Urban Revolutionary Standards or VURS is a line founded by Eric Villarama and Lamont Waters: a genius creation filled with simple yet powerful words and images that are socially conscious and inspirational.


In fact, it supports MTV Exit in their campaign against human trafficking by donating 15% of purchased VURS merchandise to help fund the project’s activities to fight social injustices. VURS is doing something grand and other people should start following their footsteps. This is a great example of how individual efforts is better than depending on the government too much in solving our problem coz the truth is, the government couldn’t do it on their own and they need us and companies like VURS to make a difference.


We Got DIBS 2 of Urban Athletics Pulse Saturday happened last July 7, 2012 at the Urban Athletic’s Greenbelt 3 branch. The event was hosted by Tyler and Suzie of Magic 89.9 and was made possible by Team Strata, media partners Urban Myx, Magic 89.9, JACK TV, and Clavel magazine with drink sponsors Bigshot Energy Drink, Tanduay Ice, Manila Beer and Coors Light.

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About Urban Athletics

On the street, it's not about what you've got, but what you can do with what you have.
Inspired by the raw originality of the street is a store that brings modern urban lifestyle to the forefront: Urban Athletics.

Urban Athletics bravely combines athleticism with urban fashion. As new fashion forms broke out across the globe, we saw how sportswear evolved into streetwear, and vice versa. This fashion phenomenon led us to bring together elements from skateboarding, parkour, music, street culture and everything in between to allow every urban hipster invest new styles and make a statement on the streets.

Other sports and street wear brands offered by Urban Athletic are Adidas Originals, Converse, Vans, Radii, Zoo York, Nike 6.0, Zuriick, Manhattan Portage and more, forms a cutting edge store that infuses attitude with style.
Urban Athletic is located at the 2nd level of Greenbelt 3 in Makati.

For more details, updates, and events by urbanAthletics, call (632) 501-3274. You can also visit the website, www.urbanathletics.com.ph or you can find them on Facebook or Twitter.