Lifestyle

I used the Amazfit T-Rex 3 for my first ultra trail marathon

Endurance tested, mountains conquered

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I’ve always been an outdoor junkie. Picture this: skinny little me, standing on my ‘mother mountain,’ as strong winds turned me into a literal paper doll swaying at its peak.

That moment lit a fire in me, realizing there’s something about the trail that gets me. From then on, mountains became my love language.

Over the years, I’ve trekked, hiked, and run through the Philippines’ breathtaking landscapes: volcanoes, ridges, mountain ranges — you name it. But 2024? Oh honey, that year had me doing the unthinkable.

First, I joined a major hike on a last-minute invite — like, a 30-minute heads-up kind of last minute — to conquer six mountains in a day. (We did it under 14 hours.)

We didn’t just hike; we ran the ridges like maniacs, ending up with only 350ml of water left for the final 10K. (Hydration? Who is she?)

 

 

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But wait, there’s more. I capped off the year with my first ultra-trail marathon at the Cordillera Mountain Ultra. It was a brutal 45KM race through the Cordillera Mountain Range that gave me grit, drama, and some questionable life choices.

I brought along the Amazfit T-Rex 3, and let me tell you, this rugged smartwatch stayed strapped to my wrist like a loyal bestie who wasn’t about to let me quit.

Skeptic to believer

Okay, confession time. When I first got the Amazfit T-Rex 3, I had major trust issues. I mean, I’m a Garmin loyalist through and through, and this was my A-race. I wasn’t just running; I was creating content, people.

My beau needed to see my Strava upload hit 26+ miles, preferably with a side of “Look at me; I’m conquering mountains!”

But here’s the plot twist: I’ve known Amazfit for years through my gig as a lifestyle journalist.

We’ve reviewed them, featured them in GadgetMatch lists, and even had our former writer rave about their models. Yet, I’d never actually tried one myself.

I’ve always been curious about it, especially seeing Spartan athletes crush races with their trusty Amazfit smartwatches.

Even my friend and three-time podium finisher, Spen Manlangit, swore by his experience training with the device, especially for his races won in Malaysia and Indonesia.

So, in a leap of faith, I strapped on the T-Rex 3 and hoped for the best.

 

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Looking tough, looking good

Let’s be honest: outdoor smartwatches often sacrifice style for durability. Not this one, though. The Amazfit T-Rex strikes the balance between being ruggedness and refinement.

Its stainless-steel bezel screams tough, yet the liquid silicone strap wrapped comfortably around my wrist without that icky, itchy feeling.

Also, its 1.5-inch AMOLED display was a chef’s kiss. Its 2,000 nits of peak brightness lit up the trail when we arrived at Itogon past midnight.

Forget my headlamp and the watch’s built-in flashlight, its display was my guiding light.

Making it to the first cutoff

Fast forward to race day: I was wearing the Amazfit T-Rex 3 on my right wrist and my trusted Garmin epix Pro (Gen 2) on my left. Yes, double-wristing it like a fitness tech psycho.

When you’re running 45KM in the mountains, you want backups for your backups.

By 3:30 a.m., adrenaline had replaced the smartwatch’s noticeable heft, and I was off — descending from Itogon, Benguet to make my way towards Mt. Ugo.

The first 10 kilometers felt like a dream. My legs were fresh even when the air was cold, and the T-Rex 3 was busy logging my every step.

The first intermediate cutoff for the Cordillera Mountain Ultra loomed at KM15, with a strict five-hour limit.

By KM13, I had already stumbled — literally — after a bad misstep on a steep downhill.

The strain on my knee was starting to catch up as I ascended to Mt. Ugo, and by KM14, I hit the runner’s wall.

Maintaining an impressive 7:00 min/km pace on the punishing terrain left me no time to refuel properly.

My pace tanked, and my knees screamed in protest. Three grueling hours of running the trails had taken their toll. The realization that I still had 32 kilometers to go hit me like a truck.

Yet somehow, I reached the first cutoff in four hours, taking a moment to refuel and reassess after the fall that had strained my knees.

Meeting my first angel

Buoyed by being ahead of schedule, I set off for the grueling 7KM ascent toward the West Summit of Mount Ugo via Tinongdan.

Temperatures dropped to a biting 5°C as I climbed. The sun offered little comfort against the icy winds.

The Amazfit T-Rex 3, however, stayed unbothered, feeding me live altitude updates and heart rate readings as I pressed through the relentless climb.

At KM18, the strain in my kneecap intensified. Still, I pressed on, telling myself I’d rest properly at the summit.

That was when I met Mike Mendoza, a fellow trail runner who seemed to be my guardian angel. Seeing my struggles, he waited for me, constantly checking so that I didn’t veer off the trail, which was a bad habit of mine. I guess I’ve always taken “the road less traveled” too seriously.

After two and a half hours of continuous climbing, we finally reached the KM21 marker at the summit. He was fine, but I was breathless and in pain.

The moment that might’ve ended it all

As we began the descent from the summit, I asked Mike to go ahead without me.

My knees were screaming with every step. The steep, rocky terrain demanded precision, but my legs were unsteady, sliding on loose soil and gravel.

Adding to the challenge was the brutal transition from freezing temperatures at the summit to blistering heat on the open trail.

The ridges offered a breathtaking view of the Cordillera Mountain Range, but the relentless descents left me dehydrated and vulnerable. My pace slowed to a cautious crawl to protect my knees.

Meanwhile, the Amazfit T-Rex 3 soldiered on, its battery barely dented even after hours of constant GPS tracking.

Its promised 42-hour battery life in GPS Accurate Mode felt like my one reliable companion.

Then came KM23 — the moment that almost ended it all. A herd of cows (yes, cows) decided that the single-track trail was their runway, and charged at me. In a panic, I veered off the path, slipped, and found myself clinging to my pole near a cliff’s edge.

My trekking pole saved me, while my knees bore my weight. For a moment, I wondered if a dramatic mountain death might actually be better than becoming a cow kebab. Somehow, I survived.

And if you’re asking, no. The T-Rex 3 didn’t record the tumble. But honestly? It’s probably for the best. It securely strapped to my wrist, even as I stumbled through one of the most terrifying moments of my life.

With no cellular reception and no working SOS signal, I was on my own.

I whistled for help for what felt like an eternity until four runners from the summit came to my aid.

Words (and hearts) of gold

April Mae, one of the trail runners who came to my aid, taped my injury. They helped me navigate past the herd of cows (who were still out for blood).

As we approach the second summit at KM3o, I told April that I was ready for a DNF (Did Not Finish). But April encouraged me to keep going, reminding me how much I had already conquered — what was the point of quitting?

Together with Mickey, we summited Mt. Ugo once more to hit the next cutoff at KM30. We reached it with an hour to spare, despite my knee screaming with every step.

Descending Mt. Ugo was pure agony. The pain was so severe that tears streamed down my face as I hobbled through the trail. April and Mickey left to rush to the medics so they can prepare everything I might need. (They were like my angels, I swear.)

Alone again, I relied on the T-Rex 3’s heart rate updates to ground me. “As long as I’m breathing well, I’ll be fine,” I told myself.

By the time I reached the medics at KM 31, both of my knees were in shambles that they had to urge me to stop and call it quits. I refused, remembering April’s words.

Literally gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this

From KM31 to KM40, I fought through the pain, tears streaming down my face as the mountains punished me with relentless descents.

The T-Rex 3, meanwhile, remained my rock: tracking my heart rate, my altitude, and, most importantly, my will to keep going.

At KM43, I met a veteran trail runner who was cruising at his own pace. He saw my struggle and shared words that stayed with me: “You’ve already won. Finishing this is just the cherry on top.”

At 13 hours and 42 minutes, with a total elevation gain of 3,500 meters, I crossed the finish line.

Emotions overwhelmed me as my fellow runners greeted me with hugs and cheers. Their pride in me shattered whatever composure I had left, and I let the tears flow freely knowing I’d earned them.

No, I didn’t land a podium finish. I didn’t even have a medal to bite and wear. But I won something far greater: the knowledge that I am relentless, that I can face unimaginable pain and still rise, and that the trail running community is one of the most supportive I’ve ever known.

And more importantly, I had proven to myself that no amount of pain or bad luck could stop me from finishing what I started.

 

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A trusty companion

The Amazfit T-Rex 3 didn’t just survive this ultra-trail marathon with me. It thrived. Its GPS, heart rate monitoring, and rugged build handled every challenge the trail threw at us. And after 13+ hours, the battery still had plenty of juice left. (Still on half battery, like, for real?)

It recorded the most important race yet in my life, while my Garmin’s activity was corrupted. Thankfully, I had the Amazfit T-Rex 3.

At that moment, it wasn’t just a piece of gear; it was a partner in adventure. It was a witness to every tear, fall, and moment of triumph.

So if you’re still looking for a smartwatch that’s built to endure — just like you — then look no more. The Amazfit T-Rex 3 is ready for you and the trails.

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Dyson’s viral portable fan arrives in the Philippines

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Dyson HushJet Mini

If there is one Dyson launch that has generated unusual levels of anticipation this year, it is the Dyson HushJet Mini Portable Fan.

The compact cooling device quickly gained a following after its international release, reportedly selling out within a day in several markets. Now, just in time for the hottest and most humid months of the year (no thanks to climate change), it is finally arriving in the Philippines.

With temperatures continuing to climb, the timing feels almost inevitable. Lightweight and designed for use on the move, the HushJet™ Mini brings Dyson’s airflow technology into a portable format that fits easily into everyday life—whether commuting through the city, attending outdoor events, traveling, or spending long days under the sun.

Its appeal extends beyond functionality. Finished in Dyson’s Stone/Blush colorway, the device combines cooling performance with a sleek aesthetic that feels at home alongside the accessories people already carry daily.

The new Dyson HushJet Mini is your new companion against heat and humidity.

The launch also marks one of the most accessible entry points into the Dyson ecosystem. Priced at PhP6,499, the HushJet Mini offers consumers a practical way to experience the brand’s engineering and design in a product built for everyday use.

Given the strong demand seen overseas, interest is expected to be high when the fan officially launches in the Philippines.

Where, when, and how to get your own Dyson HushJet

The Dyson HushJet Mini Portable Fan in Stone/Blush will be available beginning June 25, 2026 at 3 p.m. at participating Dyson stores, including Mall of Asia, Podium, Greenbelt 5, and One Bonifacio High Street.

For those hoping to get their hands on one, it may be worth keeping a close eye on Dyson Philippines’ official social media channels and Dyson.ph. If international demand is any indication, this could be one of the season’s most sought-after releases.

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Entertainment

Now Playing: Toy Story 5

What happens when a tablet enters the toy box? 

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Toy Story 5

Toy Story 5 is the funniest the series has been for me, even if it might end up being one of its more forgettable entries. Toy Story 3 is still the franchise’s most profound when it arrived 15 years after the original film and spoke directly to an audience that had grown up with Andy. It gave people the kind of nostalgia and continuity they were ready for.

So, when Pixar finds an angle through the takeover of iPads and the Roblox-ification of childhood, we are primed with a very predictable premise. The toys are no longer competing only with time or growing up. They are competing with screens that know how to keep a child looking. 

Whether that is a genuine attempt to stay relevant or simply another way of keeping the franchise alive, it is hard not to admire the idea. 

What lingers is its lens on connection and what holds us together as the world keeps changing, even in the whimsy of a child. And the end credits song, Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You,” which carries us back to her country-pop roots.

Jessie steps forward

Aside from the introduction of tech play, the first sequence already makes it clear that Jessie (Joan Cusack) is taking on a larger emotional role here. Woody (Tom Hanks) gets some time to polish his boots before eventually being pulled back into the chaos with the rest of the gang. Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) gets caught in his own strange space-age mess with the kind of high-speed toy panic this franchise loves to stage.

Bonnie ditches toys for tech play

Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) is basically the new Andy now, except her childhood has more tabs open. She still transforms the gang into unwitting characters from different genres and eras in 2D treatment when she plays. But, she’s also feeling ostracized and pressured by screen-ager friends.

Sitting nearby is Lilypad (Greta Lee), a frog-shaped smart tablet bright enough to make the toys look a little dimmer. It looks exactly like one of those iPads with a green, funky case that you see kids carrying around at family functions. It is one more thing to play with and one more little world calling her name. The toys are still there, but now they are waiting between notifications and an attempt at sabotaging batteries. 

When all these attempts go wrong, the gang’s plan is to find Bonnie a friend who can still meet her in imaginative play. 

Is the screen the villain?

What Bonnie goes through as an eight-year-old is a reality for a lot of kids whose screen time stretches beyond moderation. In some ways, it feels a notch higher than Gen Zs and Millennials spending most of the week glued to work laptops while still trying to carve out time on a Sunday to “live a life.”

The inevitability of tech play is announced like an impending doom when Bonnie spots the twins she wants to play with lolling on a couch in a bleak living room, their faces looking washed in the glow of their phones. It’s more unsettling than Sid’s vicious grin in the first film, or Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear’s refusal to redeem himself in Toy Story 3.

Bonnie’s friends even plan a sleepover just to end up on their Lilypads, not going a day without talking to each other face-to-face. It’s a room filled with excited kids slowly drained of energy by the devices in their hands. It’s strange enough that the kids packed into LAN parties and computer shops of our time, armed with the most creative trash talks, suggest a healthier version of real-world connection.

By the end, what keeps the film from becoming too preachy is that Lilypad is not treated like a Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear by-product. The toys still matter, but the tablets do too. One gives shape to touch and make-believe, and the other opens up a metaphysical escape. Parents need to understand that it’s a matter of finding the balance between enough screen to discover new worlds. And enough real life for their kids to remember how to build one themselves.

The things that raised us

I lost touch with toys years ago, so I tried to make the story’s angle make sense through my grief for the glossies and magazines that raised me. I thought about the Filbar’s and grocery newsstands I grew up nagging my parents to take me to. Now Filbar’s fully houses collectibles and toys, which is its own little irony. 

The magazines left us. At least my favorites did. Now they survive as digital flipbooks on my iPad, which surprisingly works for my tactile self. Though these devices can never recreate the wrinkling of a spine that suggests I probably loved my mags too hard. I do love the illusion of turning the pages and being able to carry it everywhere. It does act like a thread to my younger, more idealistic self. Which, for me, is an important kind of connection.

And maybe Toy Story 5 circles around the idea. That we never really lose the essence of fun and connection, even if the world changes. It is an innate thing to us. We may go to our screens to virtually meet people, then we come back to the small shared spaces where the sense of belonging is tangibly real. 

Right now, fun lives in both the AFKs and in the realms of social media—half-present, half-elsewhere, but wholeheartedly connected.

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Lifestyle

What being a Superbod looks like in 2026

Century Tuna is finally turning fitness into a community movement.

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For the longest time, the Century Tuna Superbod competition felt like something I admired from afar. As someone who spends weekends chasing finish lines, logging kilometers on Strava, and squeezing training sessions between deadlines, I always associated Superbod with fitness models, perfectly sculpted physiques, and the bright lights of a competition stage.

That perception is changing. Standing at the recent Superbod Life community run, surrounded by runners, walkers, gym-goers, and people simply trying to become healthier versions of themselves, it became clear that Century Tuna is redefining what it means to be a “Superbod” in 2026.

The focus is no longer solely on how you look. It’s about how you move and how you fuel your body. More than anything, it’s about how you show up for yourself every day.

Fitness is becoming more connected

Over the years, I’ve noticed how much fitness has become intertwined with technology, both as an athlete and as someone who covers tech for a living.

Training used to mean showing up and hoping for the best. Now most of us track our runs, monitor our recovery, analyze our workouts, and share milestones online. Fitness has become more connected, more measurable, and surprisingly more social.

Century Tuna’s recent Superbod Era Strava Challenge tapped directly into that reality. More than 58,000 Filipinos joined, turning individual workouts into a shared movement. Whether you were chasing a race goal or simply trying to hit your daily step count, everyone found a place in the challenge.

I rely on Strava myself to stay accountable, so I understand the appeal. Seeing progress on a screen sounds simple, yet it often becomes the extra push that gets you out the door for one more run.

A community beyond the competition stage

What stood out to me most is that Century Tuna is building something that extends beyond a single competition season.

The newly launched Superbod Life Community on Facebook creates a space where fitness feels more approachable. Instead of focusing solely on transformations and trophies, the community centers on three pillars: Move Super, Fuel Super, and Live Super.

Move Super encourages members to stay active through expert-led discussions and accessible workout routines. Fuel Super focuses on practical nutrition tips and healthier eating habits that fit into real schedules. Live Super highlights the importance of sustainability, recovery, and building habits that last.

As athletes, we know consistency is the hardest part of any fitness journey. Motivation comes and goes. Community is what keeps many people moving.

The first Superbod Life community run, held in partnership with Megaworld and led by brand ambassadors Atasha Muhlach and Emilio Daez, made that clear. What started as conversations and shared progress updates online became real-world connections on the road.

Fitness can feel intimidating. Seeing people of different ages, backgrounds, and fitness levels show up together was a reminder that wellness doesn’t belong to a select few.

Fueling the lifestyle

If there’s one challenge I constantly face, it’s finding enough time. Between covering events, producing content, attending meetings, and training for races, meal preparation rarely goes according to plan.

That’s where convenience becomes important. Century Tuna recently introduced the Super Bowl, a ready-to-eat tuna and rice meal designed for people who are always on the move.

Packed with protein, Vitamin B3, and Omega-3 DHA, it offers a quick option for days when cooking isn’t realistic and skipping meals isn’t an option. At PhP 29 per can, it’s an easy add to a packed schedule.

I’ve eaten countless post-run meals in cars, airports, press rooms, and race venues, so I get why products like this exist. The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is making better choices easier to sustain.

How to join the community

If this resonates, you don’t need a stage to start. The Superbod Life Community lives on Facebook, where members trade workout tips and keep each other accountable. You can find it at facebook.com/groups/superbod.life.

For those still chasing the stage, the on-ground casting call for Superbods 2026 happens at Space at One Ayala, Makati City, on June 27 to 28, from 9 AM to 5 PM. Pre-registration is open at bit.ly/2026-superbods-pre-registration, in case you’d rather skip the line.

The Superbod era looks different now

The biggest takeaway from all of this is that the Superbod journey is no longer reserved for people chasing a title. It can start with a morning walk, a first 5K, a healthier lunch, or simply deciding to move more than you did yesterday.

Technology is making fitness more accessible. Communities are making it more welcoming. Brands like Century Tuna are recognizing that wellness isn’t a destination reserved for a few. It’s a lifestyle more people can participate in.

Perhaps that’s what being a Superbod means today. Not standing under stage lights. Sometimes, it’s showing up for yourself, one workout and one healthy choice at a time.

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