Concussions, Crocs & Cebu dreams

it has been a week to remember…..or forget, depends on how you look at it.
where to begin….oh yes, let's start with the first 'C'.

Part 1: Concussion at the summer company mixer
for those that know me, this should come as no surprise, but i tend to enjoy staff parties. what better way to blow off a little 9-5 steam than with a few cocktails, shared with co-workers exchanging witty office banter. no harm in that.
this year, the festivities took place poolside at the Macau Hard Rock hotel. on route to the venue, via shuttle bus with my local Chinese team, i was perhaps calling my shot when i eloquently suggested it would be rude of us, while at the Hard Rock, to not 'rock hard'. i took their puzzled silence as acceptance of this challenge and we proceeded on. as per these occasions, the beverages flowed freely from the time we arrived, and i indulged in moderation. as the night carried on, the crowd dwindled and a dip in the pool seemed timely, given i would never expose myself to large crowds. perhaps the fact that, post-swim, i decided to remain bare chested should have been an early flag of the evening that was to come. skip to the lounge bar downstairs, a little hip hop on the cut, courtesy of local DJ 'Snoop'.
"another drink for the road", I said, "then i must excuse myself, as it is a Monday night."
the next part should have been simple - men's room. open door. exit back to party. instead, it went - men's room, open door into head, bleed profusely, blame DJ when others arrive. of course, a few minutes later, i did take personal responsibility for my actions…can't play Snoop like that. was i concussed? perhaps mildly. embarrassed? a little bit. bleeding? yes, although i was assured stitches wouldn't be necessary, by a total of 0 qualified doctors. so there i was…a bloody, haggard mess. with no shoes.

Part 2: Croc Rock
let's call that possible concussion back into question, given 48-hours later, I ended up buying my first pair of Crocs. the horror.....
how long until the fanny pack, minivan, and semi-detach in the burbs?
It's over….
now, to my credit, these are Croc flip-flops, not the 'other' famous shoe in the line. this makes it a little better, but the truth is, i walked into the store with no shame in my game, gazing at the rainbow palette of tool totes that hung in front of me.
i was compelled to leap into this situation for 2 reasons:
#1 - a trip to Cebu (Philippines) 2 days later
&
#2 - i lost my previous pair at the aforementioned summer party, after 'rocking hard' (hence the no shoes).
i have to say though…they are pretty damn comfortable.
@sweetlegs65 i hear ya, bro. keep on keepin' on.

bring on the beach.

Part 3: Cebu next Tuesday
Cebu is 1 of over 7,000 islands in the Philippines, all without a salad dressing to lay claim to. this sad fact aside, it's a very warm & pleasant place, in climate and in culture. typical of our recent trips, this was a quick 4-nighter jaunt, with the majority of the time spent parked on a beach chair, working on my million HKD tan. we made some time for a quick snorkel trip (no underwater camera = no pictures of fish), along with a dinner outside the cozy confines of the Shangri-La, where we dined on crispy pata and washed it down with a cold San Miguel Light. good times. the trip came to an end this afternoon, tastefully serenaded by a local Filipino band at the boarding gate, prior to flying back to the Kong.
pictures for those interested are here.

stay tuned, we go Japanese in 3-weeks.

Drafted

i'm old. i didn't foresee this admission coming so easily at the ripe age of 33, but there you have it. yes, it's true that a co-worker recently feigned surprise at this number, thinking i was closer to 31 (i credit this to a dedicated moisturizing regimen).

unfortunately, you can't moisturize a body that aches through the depths of every single muscle.
every inch of me is sore.
every time i get up to move around, i am sore.
i literally just sneezed, causing sheer agony.

what pains me even more is how I ended up this way.
of all things hardcore, can you believe this is a result of softball?
ironically pathetic, no?
now, to my credit, this wasn't just your average pick-up beer league kind of game. this was a proper tryout to join the softball league out here in Hong Kong.

yes, a tryout, and no, i'm not kidding.

the 'league' as we'll call it is made up of a bunch of guys, mostly US expats, all craving a little piece of Americana in Asia. enter the timeless game of softball…and trust me, they take the league damn seriously.
quickly recognizing this upon my arrival to the field, i knew i had to prove that Canucks can ball, soft, as well.
game on.

you may not take me as a super competitive guy, but i am, if for no reason other than a means to balance out skill deficiency. so with that in mind, i hustled my butt off to get under every fly ball. i got in front of the screaming liners. when i got to the plate, i made decent contact.
shit, i even knocked a little homerun jack.
and shit, i even struckout once, jack.

when the rubber turf pellets settled, i'd spent 3-hours in a softball gauntlet under the hot burning asian sun, with the goal of having my name called during this year's draft.
yeah, i said it. a draft. for any fantasy sports nerd like myself, this is a pretty cool concept. what's even better is that even if you get drafted in this league, you are still not guaranteed a roster spot. none of this 'everyone who shows up gets to play' crap. you either earn your playing time or you chew seeds on the bench.

so now i wait for the call email to see where i've been drafted, and gear up for the season.
things to do before said season:
1. replace golf glove with proper batting glove
2. find a drug store that carries A535
3. watch mr. baseball for inspiration
4. mention the latest freedomite, Kelly Kellie in this blog.

chicks dig the softball.