While I did continue partying during my last week in Siargao, I must have done something right because, unbelievably, I’m back at my original weight!

Which was also originally my fat weight, I know… Shut up.

Nowadays, I’ll take what I can get and am happy to be at my normal weight.

I am also as sick as a dog.

Self-medicating this morning at my folk’s. But I also found an old prescription so will start with the heavy-duty pharmaceuticals tomorrow.

While I really still only social smoke, I may have been a tad overly social in Siargao this past month. I finally stopped smoking when I left the island last Friday and have been coughing like the devil ever since.

But what’s a bit of a cough? Or a cold? Or even a fever? It’s my first day back in Manila (- I arrived late last night) and the first thing I did this morning was go out to meet Rosan’s coach.

I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to move tomorrow, but I still hope to make it to the gym every day before I leave for Europe on September 5.

The gym has no name. It’s Francis’ passion project. He had a small space and started a gym for himself. Then family and friends joined him and, when their friends started seeing their results, they asked if they could join the gym and, now, Francis works full time coaching from 8 AM to 11 PM everyday. He knows each and every one of his clients because they’ve been referred by somebody he knows. He doesn’t have a degree in physical fitness or physiotherapy or whatever degree you need to have to be a trainer, but he takes a lot of pride in seeing results, in being able to transform someone else’s body.

I’m looking forward to the onset of muscle pain in a few hours.

Hell, I’m looking forward to the rest of the week.