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Aug. 5, 2015
Stopping Time
Location: Cebu City, Cebu (province), Philippines
On the Go for 9 Months
While backbacking Southeast Asia for 9 months with no reprieve, all I wanted was for time to stop so I could take a pause - perhaps catch up on things and regain perspective. I thought that was wishful thinking until I came upon Cebu. I could have, and I should have stopped. But I simply couldn't. My mind was constantly racing and I had to keep moving. There was always something to be done - a new yoga sequence to be developed, a new business proposal for a bicycle, for a hotel, for a resto, someone to meet, etc. I was still a hamster on a wheel.
Getting Sick
Since I couldn't get myself to stop, my body took matters in its own hands. It made me sick. And it did so just when I thought I was on top of my game...when I had fully regained my fitness and strength back...when I thought I was impervious to desease. I was knocked out by nothing more than the common cold which left me debilitated for a good 10 days. Yoga classes were cancelled. I could not even write a blog or pursue proposals. The things in my routine were no longer do-able.
Lee Kuan Yew
I got glued on YouTube, leisurely watching interviews on Lee Kuan Yew. Every global bigwig is in agreement that Lee has this uncanny ability to see where the world is going. He sees global dynamics between countries and almost predicts how things will take shape. World leaders take and seek his counsel. He predicts China's increasing dominance in global affairs, the emergence of India, and the continuing decline of the US. He threads at the highest level of geopolitics - making a quick stopover in the US to meet with Henry Kissinger, Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve and Robert Zoellick of the World Bank. His passing is a tragic loss to humanity.
Yoga Masters
Again in Youtube, I watched interviews by Stu Girling of iconic yoga masters - John Scott, Richard Freeman, Kino McGregor, Maty Ezraty, etc. I saw interviews and biographies of Iyengar, Krishnamacharya, etc. All these helped me understand the humanity of yoga - that it is not a divine gift of the gods but simply a cumulative human effort by wise men from a much earlier era and tradition. I further appreciated that yoga was never meant to be static, dogmatic or even ritualistic (let alone a religion), but a living discipline that evolves to meet the ever changing needs of people who wish to get established in the practice. I have a more rounded perspective of yoga now and even see how I can blueprint my yogic path given the visible landscape.
String Theory and the Multiverse
With time on my hands, I got to immerse myself more on my favorite subject matter - quantum mechanics, string theory, the Large Hadron Particle Collider and our multiverse. On TED Talks, I've listened to Brian Green, Sean Carroll, Gian Giudice - all of them taking me to the edge of my seat as they peel the layers of our reality into quantum bytes. What I find extremely fascinating is that the elegant mathematical equation they arrived at in explaining the universe, as the unified theory of everything, does not make sense in a 4-dimensional reality as we know it. It only makes sense on a reality with 11 dimensions! And with that, it implies that our universe is only one of a billion universe that's out there! Indeed, these are exciting times.
Archimedes and The Method
I kept stumbling from one interesting documentary to the next. Archimedes is known as the guy who exclaimed, "Eureka!" after finding out how to calculate the volume of a golden crown. But his real contribution is in the lost manuscript he wrote that was genius even by our present day standard. He pre-dated Calculus by 1800 years. It is widely established that if his manuscript was discovered during the Renaissance period (instead of the the 20th century), we as a race would have reached staggering heights with our accomplishments.
Ending Thoughts
I could have gone on indefinitely with this wealth of knowledge that was by the tips of my fingers but something happened. I got well. Back to my usual routine. Now, I realize that by stopping time (either the body makes you sick or you simply decide to drop everything down), you open up doors to a whole new world that was not even on your looming horizon when you're too busy to squeeze 25 hours in a day. Yes, rest is golden. Better yet, rest is actually very productive.
--- TheLoneRider
 Cebu City, Philippines
 tourist attractions
Tops - hilltop offering panoramic view of the city
Taoist Temple - temple on a hillslope in Lahug with panoramic view of the city
 hotel
 Hostel Seven Cebu - newly opened, resto/bar, central location, solo/group travellers
Juana Osmeña Street, Cebu City S Hotel & Residences - new hotel, luxury rooms, central location
827 M. Velez corner Andres Abellana St.
 resto / cafe / bar
 Fujinoya - new and refreshing twists to Western style desserts using Japanese techniques
Wilson St., Lahug, Cebu City - tel. 888.6075 Bad Boys Wingz - Buffalo Wings, unique versions of sauces! Great service, accommodating staff, bad boys vibe
Kasambagan, Cebu City | (032) 415 4811
 yoga
 Love Yoga World - yoga studio
11/fl, Skyrise 2 Tower, IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City Yoga Now - first Yoga and Wellness studio in Mactan offering daily Yoga Classes
at The Yacht Club Mactan
 mountain biking
 Cebu Mountain Bike Adventure - MTB tours, bike sales and repairs. Bed and Breakfast + Resto Cafe + wifi
1298-b V.Rama Ave, Guadalupe, Cebu City | 0942.959.7451
Currency Converter
- Camotes Islands - caves, beaches
- Cebu City - rich in culture and history, 2nd largest city in the Philippines
- Moalboal - amazing coral reef system, sardine bowl, deep drop-off for freediving
- Oslob - Butanding (whale shark) watching
- Bantayan Island - long stretch of fine white sand beach, Virgin Island for snorkeling
- Malapascua Island - divers' paradise for seeing the rare Thresher Shark
- Cantabaco Cave - Toledo
- Barile Waterfalls - Barile
- Whale Shark Tour - Oslob
- Carcar - chicharon and lechon in public market
(Aug 23, 2015) a detailed pose-by-pose articulation of a 2-hour handstand workshop....more »»
»» next Lucid Thoughts story: The Duterte Phenomenon
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