Eat Your Vegetables (#2) with Isang Litrong Liwanag

When I was a kid I didn't like to eat my vegetables. At the time I didn't see a need for them. I used to joke to my mom that I would catch up on eating all my vegetables at our next Thanksgiving dinner which of course was months away. I understand now that my mom wanted me to be healthy and vegetables are good for me. This segment is about eating your vegetables, well mentally. The vegetables that I'll be dishing out to you are for your own good. It's a dose of getting exposed to something that might be new to most of you, even outside of the usual surf culture. It's ok if you don't like it, but like my mom said, "at least give it a try before next Thanksgiving."

A bottled liter of water with a few teaspoons of bleach is proving to be a successful recipe for dwellers in the light-deprived slums of the Philippines. The simple technology is spreading sunlight in places where it has never been. Its not meant to replace a light bulb at night, it's used to save electricity during the day. Installation costs about $1 and a solar daytime running light to be installed which produces 55 Watts to 60 watts for about ten months and will work during the day for about 5 years. Please take a look at these video clips to learn more.

Isang Litrong Liwanag CDO

Isang Litrong Liwanag ADVERTISEMENT

Bringing light to the poor, one liter at a time

How to Build a Solar Bottle Bulb 2.0 

( Updated English Version)

1) Always scratch the sides of the bottle to create better grip to the sealant. The top part where the bottle meets the metal is the leak point in the build so use industrial strength sealant (epoxy or DOW Corning 791) on the top and bottom if possible.



2) Always put a protective cover over the bottle cap as the suns rays tend to make the original bottle cap brittle and a crack in the bottle cap will allow the water in the bottle to leak during evaporation.



3) Always RIVET the metal sheet holder on to the roof.



4) DON'T USE THIN METAL ROOFING SHEETS. there will be no bite on the plastic bottle and the different expansion rates will cause leaks later on. Go for thicker roof sheet.

Friday 6-22-12 Torrance Beach with the Riviera Wave Riders

Friday 6-22-12 Torrance Beach 2'-3':

Surfer: Eric Cedeno
Torrance Beach 6-22-12

I looked at the surf for a lot longer than I normally do and I almost decided not to go out at all, but I figured I'm here so might as well make the best of it. I grabbed my 6'10" and headed down the ramp at Torrance beach. I saw a few of the Riviera Wave Riders out there already in the water and I said high  to Topaz Mike (Lifeguard) before paddling out. The waves were pretty walled and most of them were closing out. I knew I would have to be picky on my wave selection. I managed to get some good ones. I even got a few big sets that held up all the way in and those Riviera Wave Riders are a pretty cool bunch of people. Three of them told me "nice wave" after I pulled into a big left and actually made it back out past the shoulder.  I paddled back out to the peak and a big right came up and the older guy on the red board let me have the wave even though he was in the right spot, that kind of made my day. One of these day I'll get a picture of me surfing on their website... One day...

My goals of surfing are (#1) to have fun, (#2) stand up on each wave, (#3) ride the wave without falling and (#4) ride bigger waves.

I usually decide not to paddle out in surf in the 10 ft (3.048 M) to 15 ft (4.572 M) range or larger. I'd like to get more comfortable in that bigger surf range, but it takes training and practice. I found a cool short video of a group of surfers on the north West coast of USA charging big waves in cold water. Maybe one day I'll be able to ride big waves like these guys (in warmer water).

GoPro Big-Wave Addicts Episode 4

6-9-12 Saturday Ave A / Knob Hill 3-5’ (6’-10’+ faces):

I could tell the tide was still pretty high from the top of the hill at Avenue A overlooking the surf. The surf was breaking a little rolly and a little close to shore. As usual I had my choice of three different boards to pick from in my car. I chose my 9’0” longboard and suited up. I figured my longboard would do well in the rolly high tide surf, plus I could always change boards. There was no one else out in the surf and I tried to pick the best break as I walked down the ramp. I headed between Ave A and knob hill to a consistent right break. The surf was a lot bigger than it looked from on top of the hill and I took my time walking over to the spot that I picked to paddle out. I put my leash on and waited for the sets to pass and then I waited for another cycle of sets to pass.  I made the paddle out look easy and I think I didn’t even get my hair wet as I timed it just right.

The sets were much bigger than it looked from shore, easily 10 foot faces, some bigger. I reminded myself as I sat alone outside that I can swim under or over any big bad wave that might try and crush me. I caught a big set and found the waves were breaking faster than I thought but paddled back out for more. A few more waves and I was feeling pretty good about being out there. A few waves later I decided to change boards and take out my 6’10” mini-log. It was a good change as I could now duck-dive and still take off on the outside sets. I picked off a few good rights and found myself in the right spot for some good lefts. I took off on a macker and felt more like I was in Hawaii than in the South Bay. I made the big drop and flew down the line. Just as I was about to make it to the shoulder my board started to pearl and I quickly over adjusted and my back foot slipped off my board. I skimmed the hard water surface with my body without penetrating to safety while my left foot stuck on my board. The wave finally grabbed me and took me down. It was a relief to be held under without my left leg getting stretched even more in the wrong direction. 

I was in the impact zone and didn’t have much time to whine about my hip socket. After two more waves passed over me I grabbed my board and headed back out to the line-up. I caught a few more waves but was very aware that my hip socket was feeling some soreness and I didn’t want to cause more injury so I got out. I survived the session with only minor discomfort and decided to take it easy for the rest of the weekend. I felt like I had made some progress at getting a little more comfortable in larger surf, it was a good day after all.

I found a video of the morning surf at Torrance beach for 6-9-12... The tide was lower and the surf was a little smaller, but at least it'll give you an idea of how it was earlier in the day.

Style Points: The goals of surfing

Here are a few examples of what not to do while surfing:

Style Evolution: Wipeout!

If you are just starting out and still learning the basics of surfing then please surf on small days in safe surroundings. Don't be this guy... 

Some guy learning to surf on the wrong day

If you are just starting out and still learning the basics of surfing then I recommend doing some homework first. Do some research about what it takes to learn how to surfing. Youtube.com is one of the easiest was to get instructional videos for free. Something like this might help you:

Trailer - 110% Surfing Techniques Volume 1

Jettygirl School of Sick Tricks: Fin First Takeoffs with Jennifer Smith

Jettygirl School of Sick Tricks: Fin First Takeoffs with Jennifer Smith

(2009) It’s time for a new edition of JettyGirl’s School of Sick Tricks and who better to provide a lesson than 2007 ASP Women’s World Longboard Champion, Jennifer Smith. It’s no surprise why Jen has achieved so much in her surfing career. Not only is she driven, but she is a masterful technician. Look at any sequence of Jen and examine how her head, shoulders and arms never move from a balanced position. In this “Sick Tricks” segment, Jen shares the secrets of the fin-first takeoff. Enjoy! Check the video too! –Chris Grant

Fin-first Takeoffs with Jennifer Smith

Fin-first takeoffs are one of my favorite “tricks” to do on a longboard. It’s the ideal move to try on a crummy day when you need a little something to stoke you out and/or just want to challenge yourself. At first this trick may seem impossible. You may be sent flying a few (or few hundred) times before you stick it. Once this maneuver is in your bag of tricks though, it will be there forever. When you are learning this move it’s best to try it on smaller, less steep faces.

The first step is getting into the wave. You want to have your fins in front, slightly out of the water …so scoot back just a bit while paddling. Once you have caught the wave and are riding with your fins out in front, you need to lean slightly in the direction you want the board to spin. As soon as the water catches the fins the board will automatically start to turn under you. I usually get pretty low and sometimes drag my hand for extra control.

When you feel the board start to spin you are basically just guiding it with your feet and body. I use my back leg to push the nose end around under me. It is a similar motion to a pop shuv-it on a skateboard. Letting the board spin under you until the nose end is facing forward, you want to adjust your stance midway through and “catch” the board with your feet. There will be a split second where only one foot is touching your board. Sometimes you come off completely as the board swings under you. As you adjust your stance and are getting ready to stick this maneuver, think about finishing with a stance you can ride away in. I usually set my front foot first then make sure my back foot plants itself far enough back to be stable and in control.

At first the main goal is to get the board around under your feet and ride away any way possible. Once you can pull the fin-first take off you can start thinking about coming out of it and riding down the line. When you are in this stage you basically just have to catch your board under your feet and set your line before the wave passes you by.

One more tip for this sick trick …the best way to be in control of this move is to keep your body positioned above your board and fully commit to pulling the maneuver. Don’t lean too far back and don’t hesitate. if anything, lean forward so your momentum will be moving forward.

Standing on the Teachers desk... And Other New Perspectives

Surfers are a lucky bunch because they often get to look at things at a different angle or perspective then the regular beach going swimmer. The best way that I can explain it is like being in grade school and standing on the teachers desk and looking around the room. I actually did stand on my teachers desk when I was in the eighth grade. Just so you know I was invited to stand up there by the teacher and I didn't hit my head on the ceiling. It was really weird being about five feet higher than I had ever been in that room. Surfing is the same way, you are about five feet (or whatever your height is) higher than you would be if you were swimming and everything looks different. So with this in mind I found a cool video clip of how the earth looks from about 350 KM up... now that's a big teachers desk. Take a look around and get a new perspective of what you consider home... Do you consider "Home" your house, your local surf break, your street, your neighborhood, your city, your country or your planet?

This is what they had to say about this video (just trying to give some credit to those who deserve it):

Time lapse sequences of photographs taken by the crew of expeditions
28 & 29 onboard the International Space Station from August to October,
2011, who to my knowledge shot these pictures at an altitude of around 350 km.
All credit goes to them.

HD, refurbished, smoothed, retimed, denoised, deflickered, cut, etc.
All in all I tried to keep the looks of the material as original as possible,
avoided adjusting the colors and the like, since in my opinion the original
footage itself already has an almost surreal and aestethical visual nature.

Music: Jan Jelinek | Do Dekor, faitiche back2001
w+p by Jan Jelinek, published by scape Publishing / Universal
janjelinek.com | faitiche.de

Image Courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory,
NASA Johnson Space Center, The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth
eol.jsc.nasa.gov

Editing: Michael König | koenigm.com

Shooting locations in order of appearance:

1. Aurora Borealis Pass over the United States at Night
2. Aurora Borealis and eastern United States at Night
3. Aurora Australis from Madagascar to southwest of Australia
4. Aurora Australis south of Australia
5. Northwest coast of United States to Central South America at Night
6. Aurora Australis from the Southern to the Northern Pacific Ocean
7. Halfway around the World
8. Night Pass over Central Africa and the Middle East
9. Evening Pass over the Sahara Desert and the Middle East
10. Pass over Canada and Central United States at Night
11. Pass over Southern California to Hudson Bay
12. Islands in the Philippine Sea at Night
13. Pass over Eastern Asia to Philippine Sea and Guam
14. Views of the Mideast at Night
15. Night Pass over Mediterranean Sea
16. Aurora Borealis and the United States at Night
17. Aurora Australis over Indian Ocean
18. Eastern Europe to Southeastern Asia at Night

Don't be greedy...Pass the Stoke

I really enjoy hand crafted things like surfboards and musical instruments. It's a skill that seems over looked by most people. Please take a moment and check out this short video called:

The Art of Making - Alma Flamenca