The Cold...

Coming from a country whose coldest spot is found inside a mall, I guess I've never really gotten accustomed to the cold weather here in New York, and that's after living here for almost 13 years. Yea you read that right...13 freakin years and I still haven't adapted to the cold weather. If I was a species of animal, I would already be extinct. I'd be that Dodo bird in Antarctica getting pushed out of the iceberg by an evil penguin armed with a heavy smirk, tapping his happy feet for a victory dance.

I just plainly despise the cold. I hate it. I have never taken cold showers; the water always has to be warm. And even in the summer heat, I sleep with a blanket on. I'm definitely not a fan nor am I an AC. Haha. I mean I've survived winters with just a T-shirt and a hoodie underneath my light jacket. But to think, I got through all of those winters. And if you ask me how I survived, I can't tell you a better reason than..."hey, luck was just on my side." That or "I was shivering loudly, running from shelter to shelter til I reached home." It's just that I wasted the money I was supposed to buy a winter coat for...on other things...like food and fun times. But don't let that fool you. It's all just lack of discipline. The old me. But I really do hate the cold.

And now, I have to train outside while it's snowing, barely able to breathe through the Under Armour face mask I bought last December. That right there was definitely a good investment. (A big thank you to Amazon for the free shipping)

But what can I do?

I could continue to complain about the cold and just leave my training for when it does get warmer.

But I signed up for this. And I have to follow through. Like the jumpshot I talked about. In order to make that basket, I need to follow through. I have to put in the training necessary so I won't look like a fool come March when I have to run 13.1 freakin miles. Every time I feel reluctant to step outside the door, outside my comfort zone, I have to constantly remind myself that this whole thing is not only for me, it's for the people that I will be helping when I do raise money for Gawad Kalinga. If that doesn't motivate me, then I might as well quit now...instead of wasting all this time trying.

But when you have so many people to think about counting on you, it suddenly makes you feel stronger. I feel that... then I suddenly feel good about myself...like I'm on T.I.'s swagger level...and that's near overdose. I can't reach the Kanye levels. That's just cockiness. I can't have that. I'm all about being that silent guy...that Smooth Operator Sade longs for.

Then, lap after lap circling around the park in front of my apartment building, it gradually becomes warmer. I sense a rhythm developing to the swaying motions of my arms and legs as I run with the beats and lyrics that exit my iPod. They're the only sounds I hear in this silent night. I see no pedestrian in my vicinity with a car passing by on ocassion. Lap after lap, it gets warmer and warmer. And all of a sudden, I no longer feel cold. It's 25 degrees out and it's snowing...yet it feels like the heater's on. Is it June already? Am I graduated? If so, where's my diploma? Or did I pull a Hiro Nakamura and teleport my way to Florida? This just feels...good. Hah.

So you see...the more laps I run, the more warmth I feel. Now that's motivation.

Fuck the cold weather.

And now, it's time to sleep.