1194 2x Dream Groupset

I keep jumping back and forth between 1x and 2x for my "dream groupset." While I like the simplicity of a 1x groupset, I do sometimes think about the smoothness of shifting using a cassette that doesn't have relatively extreme jumps in the number of teeth between gears.

This I think is the biggest advantage of a 2x system over a 1x. So if you go for, lets say, a 46/29T chainring with an 11-34T cassette, you'd get a 1:4.18 ratio for speed and 1:0.85 ratio for climbs. Now imagine trying to achieve this with a 1x, you'd need a 46T chainring and 11-54T cassette. If you had a 10-speed bike then the jumps in number of teeth to get from 11 to 54 would be a lot more jarring than going from 11 to 34.

Anyway I'm just theorycrafting here. Considering groupsets for a bike I'll probably never own. Hell, I don't even ride a bike anymore. But if I were to find a huge sum of money I'd probably get the Microshift Sword groupset. Sure, I like Sensah's groupset but then again I think Microshift is an upgrade over Sensah and other components I could buy from Shopee.

So without further ado these are the Microshift sword parts I'd get.

• Sword 2x Rear Derailleur 9/10 speed. I was originally thinking of getting the 1x RD so I could have even bigger gears for the cassette, but then knowing it's a 2x I already have a ratio of 1:0.85 and I think that's more than enough.
• Sword Front Derailleur 2x10. Probably a band clamp, but depends on what frame I'll be mounting it on.
• Sword Left Drop Bar Shifter 2x10 and Sword Right Drop Bar Shifter 2x10. I have no idea if the other Microshift drop bar shifters are compatible with the Sword Derailleurs so stick to Sword it is.
• H-Series 10-Speed Cassette 11-34. The cassette featured on the Sword page is an 11-38T cassette, and with a 29T smaller chainring that would be a ratio of 1:0.75, maybe something I won't need.
• Sword 2x 46/29 Crankset. Then I'd try the 165mm crank arms. Right now I believe the crank arms on my bike are 170mm.

So you may be wondering why I didn't consider Shimano, SRAM, or Campagnolo. Well, they're expensive is the plain and simple reason. Sensah or L-TWOO groupsets don't feel like upgrades, more like lateral movement. So Microshift Sword it is.

Out.

1193 My Adjusted Exercise Plan

My back is feeling a lot better, however there are still moments when I plant either of my feet in a certain way that I will feel some tweaks on my back.

This means that I guess this coming week instead of going on my usual interval jogs, I will be walking instead. And I have no issue with this. While I do believe I should rest my back, I also feel like I'll be wasting whatever progress I had with all my jogging activities so the next best thing to do is just walk to get my heart rate up.

I'll be doing this for this week unless my back starts feeling even better. If it does then I shall be trying to do my interval jogs again, with a twist. I increased the jog duration from 3 minutes to 4 minutes.

Out.

1192 My Back

I hurt my lower back last Wednesday morning. I was loading my wife's stuff in the van and since there were dog droppings on the ground I maneuvered my right leg and planted it I guess in an awkward angle to avoid the poo. The pain was instantaneous, and stabbing.

I could walk, but at a limp. Planting my right leg sent pain through my lower back. Fortunately it wasn't so bad that I needed to go to the hospital. I took pain meds and added a hot plaster strip on my lower back. I was in pain the whole day.

Thursday morning I was feeling better, but my lower back felt tight. I still got sudden surges of stabbing back pain depending on how I moved my body. I still took pain meds. By the afternoon I was feeling good enough to go out for a nearly 3 km walk. I know I won't be jogging any time soon in case I accidentally re-aggravate my injury. Plus I need to bring my daughter to an important event on Saturday so I need to be physically ready.

Today is Friday morning. My back is still tight, not as bad as yesterday. I'll be resting until maybe Monday and if I feel good enough, I may just go jogging. Or doing kettlebell core / lower back exercises.

I have no idea if it's a flexibility thing or a weak lower back thing, but I want to avoid experiencing this kind of pain again if possible.

Out.

1191 My 2025-2026 ESPN NBA Fantasy League Team

Last Saturday the NBA fantasy league I've been a member of for over a decade held it's fantasy draft. I had the first pick since my keeper, Alperen Sengun, had the lowest player ranking among all keepers. 

Here's my team based on draft order.

1. (Keeper) Alperen Sengun, HOU
2. Jalen Williams, OKC
3. Desmond Bane, ORL
4. Austin Reaves, LAL
5. Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC
6. Toumani Camara, POR
7. Reed Sheppard, HOU
8. Jaden McDaaniels, MIN
9. Egor Demin, BKN
10. Mitchell Robinson, NYK

This year I tried (emphasis on tried) a build that would focus on assists first since you can get quality rebounders late in the draft. In hindsight I think I screwed my draft up trying to draft players who average (roughly) 10 ppg 5 rpg 5 apg. I have no idea if these guys can propel my team to a decent standing.

I was originally planning to draft LeBron James but because of his sciatica I thought it would be too risky. James Harden was also an option, but his FG%, 3P%, and TO were just too glaring for me to risk him. Hopefully Jalen Williams can provide 70% of what Bron or Harden brings.

Then I decided to draft 3-and-D guys early, meaning Bane and Reaves. I'm hoping this season that I won't be dead fucking last in 3-pointers made and in 3P%, as is tradition with teams I build in our fantasy league.

Hartenstein was my fifth pick and a good go-to big man. Last year he averaged a double double of points and rebounds with a decent amount of assists and blocks as well. Camara is a semi-risky pick since I have no idea if he's starting and how many minutes he'll get. Based on his Basketball Reference page, Camara does seem like an up-and-coming 3-and-D stretch 4.

Sheppard is another risky pick. During the group call we had while drafting we were all joking how no one wanted to draft Sheppard despite his high ranking in ESPN. I finally bit the bullet and got him, hoping he'll see more playing time and contribute more in Houston this season with Fred VanVleet out with an injury. Jaden McDaniels is Minnesota's primary defender and from what I saw of his stats last season he should be a decent source of rebounds and a good source of stocks (steals and blocks).

Demin is another risky pick, someone I would consider expendable if he doesn't put up numbers with the Nets. Robinson is my new Lamar Odom, someone I always draft because I'm a fan. However since I'm trying to be more serious with my league this season, the Blockness Monster may be a drop candidate if I can find another big man who'll give better numbers. I'm sticking with him at the moment since I still have no idea what role, how many minutes, and what numbers he'll have with the new look Knicks.

At the moment my top three drop candidates are Sheppard, Demin, and Robinson. I most likely will give them a week or two to see how they're doing before I start adding and dropping players, unless I there's someone on the waiver wire that goes supernova with numbers early on. We shall see.

Out.

1190 Wigo in Hindsight

This isn't going to be a negative blog, these are just the things I would probably do differently before we purchased our 2024 Toyota Wigo G.

1. License plate ending number. It was shocking when it was announced there would be an odd-even scheme along EDSA as it got refurbished. Unfortunately the ending number I picked wasn't "efficient" (for a lack of a better term). Let's just say instead of being able to pass by EDSA for 3 of 6 odd-even days, I could only pass it for 2 days since one of the days I could pass the Wigo was under number coding. So in hindsight I would have chosen a different end number. Fortunately the refurbishment of EDSA was put on hold so I have no idea if this odd-even scheme for EDSA will ever be implemented.
2. The color. This is our Wigo, and I did ask my family what color they liked which is why we picked the gray metallic paint scheme. Except I really liked the orange color. The yellow wasn't bad either but I found it too desaturated as a yellow color. It is challenging checking the side mirrors during low visibility situations but so far I can cope. I drive slow and carefully anyway. Plus it would have been so much easier to find the Wigo with the orange color since that would also make it stand out a bit more.
3. The tint. I chose the lightest tint possible as a freebie. I probably should not have chosen any tint. Again this has to do with visibility during low visibility situations. I've experienced opening the window fully during a really strong downpour of rain just so I could back the car safely up the garage. Which made the interior of the car wet.

Come to think about it, getting an orange Wigo with no tint would have made things so much easier for me with regards to visibility. Maybe I should have just decided for myself and let my family live with the consequences. Oh well.

Out.

1189 Chibo Okonomiyaki, Mitsukoshi BGC

I met up with some friends from high school yesterday. One of them came back here from the States on a short vacation, and we all agreed to meet up in BGC. We decided to eat in the "food court" of Mitsukoshi BGC, and I chose to eat at Chibo Okonomiyaki.

I ordered the Doutonbori Okonomiyaki. It was great. It was cheesy, it was tasty, and I wolfed it down in a fit of ravenous hunger.

How was the price? Honestly if you ask me it's a bit pricey, but worth it if you plan on eating once in a while. I spent a little under PhP500 for the okonomiyaki and a bottle of water.

I was actually looking around for something else to eat but decided to just eat the okonomiyaki because I've been gaining weight recently. I do think it's enough for a decent meal.

Would I eat there again? Sure. I might even try the other okonomiyakis.

Out.

1188 - Of EVs and Hybrids

A few days ago as I was driving my daughter to her school I saw a Dongfeng Nanobox EV driving along EDSA. I saw it a few years or months ago as we were on the way home from SM Mall of Asia, and the car truly is eye catching.

I don't know why but I like how it looks. It looks like the ideal city car EV for me. It's about the same size as our 2024 Toyota Wigo and also BYD's Seagull. It seems to have a positive review from one of our local automotive websites (that I trust).

EVs and hybrids are really becoming a more common sight on the roads. It's hard to miss most of them, specially because their license plates have the font in green instead of black. This most likely signifies they are either EVs or hybrids, and thus exempted from the number coding scheme here in Metro Manila.

Even if I am intrigued by some EVs and hybrids, like the MG 3 Hybrid+, the Dongfeng Nanobox EV, the BYD eMax7, and BYD's Sea Gull I still don't know if I can honestly choose to purchase an EV or hybrid from brands that haven't been around the Philippines for a long time. I'd still prefer getting Toyota hybrids, like the Corolla Cross HEV, Yaris Cross HEV, and the just-launched Ativ HEV. Heck I wouldn't even mind trying the hybrid offerings from Hyundai.

I guess since these brands have been around for quite some time, I'm pretty confident they won't be leaving the country any time soon. Unlike some brands recently managed by AC Mobility, who seem to be going all-in on BYD. For context, AC Mobility has severed ties with both Volkswagen and some local Honda dealers they managed.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that I'm not too keen on getting a car from an Ayala managed brand should they suddenly decide to stop being the dealer of that brand here. Specially for EVs. As for the other brands I mentioned, MG is relatively known but Dongfeng is a relative unknown for me, even if they apparently have a joint venture with Renault. Still too many unknowns including parts availability.

So while I am still curious about EVs and hybrids, I guess I still want to play it safe by getting from a trusted brand. Not that I can (currently) afford one.

Out.

1187 Car Buying

I've recently been seeing a lot of posts on Facebook by local automotive publications that are showing the latest releases of new vehicles here in the Philippines.

While most of these new vehicles are interesting with regards to features and powertrains and looks, I always wonder what other people consider when buying a car.

Think about it, if you can only afford one vehicle with your hard earned money, what would you consider? Would you try one of the newer brands here that have hybrid or EV powertrains? Would you go with a practical, tried-and-tested brand? Or would you go crazy and bury yourself in debt to get one of the flashy, hot sports cars?

The reason I decided to write this blog is because one of the Facebook posts I saw called one of the Chinese hybrid cars an econobox despite the fact that the car was over PhP1 million. That's nuts for me. Anything over a million isn't something I'd consider an econobox. My Wigo? Now that's an econobox. Less than a million, very basic, very practical. But a hybrid car with a lot more features that sells for maybe over three-hundred thousand pesos more than my car isn't an econobox.

Or maybe everything is relative depending on your income and needs. I guess this is it.

Out.