I am just a biker!

I'm a biker.  Just a biker, plain and simple!

I don't call myself a mountain biker albeit I go and bike to the mountains and trails.  Nor, a road biker despite I also ride on the paved road.

I shun races and other competitive biking.  I don't do stunts or tricks, like, jumps, wheelies, bunny hops, manuals, endos, stoppies, etc.  Though, when I was new to biking, I tried practicing these tricks but didn't pick them up.

I'm a weekend warrior.  I ride late, usually at around 8:00 am, and ride for a duration of 6 to 10 hours.  My average speed is 15 kph only.

Most of the time, I ride solo or with my son.  If I join a group ride, it will be a small group only.

Currently, my 2 bikes are On One 29er and a Dahon Speed Uno folding.  Both are single speed and rigid.  I christened them SStellaR (Single Speed, Steel, Rigid) and DaSSie (Dahon Single Speed), respectively.

On weekends or holidays, I usually ride SStellaR for a longer ride.  DaSSie is mostly used for weekday rides, for errands and for bike commute to work.

Brew, brew, my world is brewed . . .

I just picked my order of whole coffee beans from my supplier.  It's a kilo of medium roast Bukidnon origin.    And, the beans were freshly roasted - yesterday only.

Most of the time, especially during this pandemic, I purchase my coffee beans online, mainly from AELI Brews. It offers ten origins, both imported and local.  Currently, I only buy the 3 least expensive - the other 2 are Brazil and Colombia.

My orders are either delivered or picked up.  I usually do the latter to save on the delivery cost of P100.  But, how much is my pick-up cost?  It's practically free, because I do the pick up riding my bike, which is about 1 hour and 15 minutes away from our place in Novaliches.

Milling the beans with my manual grinder is fun and a little bit of exercise, which I do every 2 days, while watching a movie or listening to an audio book or doing something else.

I consume 67 grams daily, give or take a few grams = 13.5 g x 2 for espresso + 15 g for pour over + 25 g for cold brew,  Thus, a kilo lasts for 2 weeks.

I brew and drink my 1st espresso when I wake up in the morning, and the 2nd as my nightcap.  The black pour over and the ice cold brew, any time in between.  Mostly, the ice cold brew is my energy drink during my bike ride.

My next project is to buy green beans and roast them.  And, who knows, I may be planting, growing and harvesting my own coffee someday.

My Calendar - September 2021

2nd - Luigi's birthday;

11th - Michelle's birthday;

13th - Ryan's 40th day;

29th - Ram's birthday.

Joke - Was Jonah really swallowed by a whale?

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.

The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.

Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.

The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah".

The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?"

The little girl replied, "Then you ask him".

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Losing (Private) Rhyan

Rhyan was a beloved nephew!  Unfortunately, we lost him just recently due to Covid 19. 

He was my closest nephew, perhaps, due to geography.  We're located in the same city (Quezon City), while my other nephews and nieces are either in up north in Isabela or down under in Australia.

On our wedding day, he was our ring bearer.  He just turned 2 then and his Mama, the ring bearer's bearer, guided him during the march toward the altar.

Thereafter, we sometimes borrowed him from his mother on weekends and went places as if he was our firstborn.

Reciprocally, on their wedding day, I was one of their principal sponsors.  At first, when he offered it to me, I didn't accept.  I jokingly told him I wanted to be the ring bearer too just like he was to our wedding.

Rhyan had also worked abroad.  But, when he's back home, we found ways to see each other and bond through family gathering and outings.

I also influenced him to try mountain biking.  And, last year, he bought his bike and we had been planning of biking together.  The plans,however, never left the drawing board.

In the past 2 months, we had been together with our families 3 times celebrating 4 occasions.  First, in June at Sun Sea Moon Resort, Morong, Bataan for the joint celebrations of my birthday and their wedding anniversary.  Second, same month, in their place in Angeles City for her daughter's graduation as Salutatorian. (Obviously, she inherited her mother's intelligence.  But, I whispered to him, if she got yours, she could have been a Valedictorian, I mean, Balik-torian).  Last, in July, at Bale Matua, Angeles City for my wife's birthday.  As usual, he was the life of the party.  He'd never run out of jokes.  Also, we were good drinking buddies.  With him, the drinks kept on flowing and the "pulutan" too.  As in "like father like son, we're "like uncle like nephew".

Then, after a few days, came the devastating news of his confinement and, shortly, of his shocking demise.  My family, especially my wife, was in utter disbelief!  So soon!  He's only 43 years old

Due to the stricter quarantine status, his funeral service was held online.  Hence, relatives and friends, who could not make it physically due to movement restrictions and, particularly, those from abroad and remote places, had the opportunity to join too.

We are just waiting for the right and safe time for his final inurnment and say our last farewell!

I wish the title of this blog was "Saving Beloved Rhyan"!

Happy MECQ Sunday!

It's another Sunday, which is the 4th in August!

Effective yesterday, the quarantine status in Metro Manila, as well as in other areas, has been deescalated from the 2-week ECQ down to MECQ until the end of the month.

It's now less strict as, for one, outdoor exercises are allowed from 6:00 am to 9:00 am but within the general area of residence only.  Thus, I have my bike prepared even for a shorter but daily ride.

I thought liquor ban would be lifted in Quezon City, but I was wrong.  But, that's just fine with me, as I still have some stocks to drink moderately alone inside the safety of our home.

Also, there's a wedding in Nasugbu, Batangas that we should attend next Sunday, where my wife and I are among the godparents.  The reception is in a hotel in Tagaytay City, where the MECQ has been declared till end of the month too.  However, with the ongoing and unrelenting pandemic, I already informed the couple of our inability to attend for safety reason.  We have to avoid traveling, to keep away from hassles at checkpoints, and crowded places.

Despite the more than 1 and half year of the havoc it's been wreaking, I'm still wishing that this pandemic will be over soonest.  We just need a better governance and strict discipline to attain this.

Posting again!

It's been exactly 8 years and 1 day since I last posted in and visited this blog!

I still have no intention of resuming this blog.  But, I just got curious, logged in and see if the fire I had before will re-ignite.  I have several dormant blogs, including my biking blog "Tom D' Biker and, should I decide to continue blogging, I will maintain this only.

Well! To restart, I changed the theme - to have a new look, re-oriented myself, and tried to compose this short post.  And, I checked my Adsense earnings.  There is still a pending amount of US$18.92.

Actually, I missed blogging.  However, I don't have the time and energy to do so albeit I'm working from home as a result of this lingering and unrelenting pandemic and the ensuing variants.

I hope I can write some more posts, even short only, in the future and try to reconnect with my old blogger friends.

WISH ME LUCK!