The Supersized Me

Back in Manila I used to have a segment for my radio show at Jam 88.3 called "The DJ Rick Weight-loss Challenge". It was all about my quest to get back in shape. I figured that if I suffered the embarrassment of announcing my weight on air, I'd be pressured to exercise and diet. It actually worked, until I had back surgery. Then during my recovery I started gaining it all back.

Now, almost a year since my operation, I'm on the other side of the world still trying to get that weight-loss momentum back. It's tough enough that I'm not allowed to do much exercise, but what's worse is I'm in the land of milk and honey, and hamburgers, and pizza, and hot dogs, and reese's...

According to the documentary "Supersize Me", Texas is the fattest state in America. Now that I'm here, it's no wonder why. All the food is served in large portions. I'm trying my best to keep from overeating, but it's damn hard.

At least summer is just about here, and the neighborhood pool will be open. I'll be able to put in real time doing laps to try to continue, in private, my weight-loss challenge.

Unfamiliar territory

The last two weeks or so have been spent doing something I have never really done before... job hunting.

Believe it or not, I've never really had to go out and find myself jobs. A college professor recommended me for an Advertising job, even before graduation. Friends of mine helped me find work in Manila, D.C and Manila again. Then Eventually I was pirated by Joe d' Mango to help launch Jam.

I am enjoying the whole experience though. At the age of 32, I'm feeling sort of like a fresh grad again. I've written my first cover letters and I've been hard at work researching and contacting companies.

I know I've been lucky over the years, and I'm thankful for that. Hopefully I still have some of that luck left over.

What happened to "The Blend"

Over the past few weeks, since I moved here to Houston, fans of the a cappella radio show I started in Manila have been asking me (via email, chat, Multiply, & Friendster) what happened to it. So here's the story..

Hosting a special show like "The Blend" requires a lot of time and effort, so the practice at Jam is to have only one special show per DJ. Lana needed a change of pace from Jam Sessions, so she picked up Republik (a show that fits her well). The latest addition to the on-air crew, Tracy, took on Jam Sessions.

By the time my departure from the station was formalized, we still had not found a replacement to host the program. With the all the weekday slots filled and the DJs at Jam busy with special shows of their own, "The Blend" fell into limbo.

I had a few prospects for the show, but none of them panned out. One of them, Aids of The Bystanders, was willing to take on the responsibility, but still needs a lot of training.

The show has been off the air for three weeks now, and I doubt that it will be back anytime soon. That is, unless the fans of the program rally for its return. Jam is not under any pressure to find someone new (since all the weekday slots have been filled). So unless they are compelled to by the listeners, the show will never return.

I put a lot of hard work into starting and developing "The Blend". What hurts more is that over the past year, since I moved it to a more prime timeslot and stretched it to a 3-hour format, the program's following was growing quickly.

Unfortunately there's nothing I can do about it from here. I just have to wait and see what happens. Hopefully fans of "The Blend" can come out of the woodwork and convince Jam to bring the show back. Otherwise, all the effort I put into the program would go to waste.