Strava says – Always, Arianne

From Childhood Memories to Tennis Rallies (No Score Needed)

by Arianne May 30, 2025 Comments0

This was so random but so special.

I came to celebrate Tita D’s birthday, knowing a few childhood friends would be there… but I honestly didn’t expect to see Angelica, my closest back then. We used to hang out and play as kids (and teens), but we hadn’t seen each other in maybe 10 years? We caught up, and then came the surprise: she used to play tennis!

If you’ve read this previous blog post, you know I just found out that my dad did as well. There was always a tennis racket hanging in our house, but I never asked about it until recently. Turns out, my dad also used to play with Angelica’s dad back in the day! I guess I was too busy staying in my room to notice what was going on in the world. Haha! It’s like all these little connections were sitting there quietly all this time.

So we decided to hit the court together! She hadn’t played in a decade, and I’m still a beginner (currently doing coaching sessions), but I’ve been squeezing in practice time whenever I can, with friends who play too.

Here’s a little video highlights from our game… just a fun, laid-back rally with my childhood friend. You’ll even catch me doing a few slice shots*… I’ve been watching way too many Federer matches lately eh

We didn’t keep score or anything. It was just for fun. A relaxed rally, lots of laughs…. and misses! Hahahaha. We played in the shade. So yeah, no sunburns, baby!

It’s such a nice feeling to realize I have one more person I can play tennis with now. Even better that it’s someone from way back in my childhood. Life has a funny way of reconnecting people when you least expect it.

Filed under All Posts Wellness Era

Getting into Tennis: A Personal Start

by Arianne May 13, 2025 Comments1

I didn’t grow up particularly curious about tennis. For years, there was a racquet hanging on the wall in our family home, but I never really asked about it and only realized last year, after we started playing court sports, that it was my dad’s. I think I never asked because I’ve always been a bit passive by nature, and to some extent, I still am. But somewhere along the way, I found myself drawn to tennis, just as I discovered pickleball around the same time last year. I even bought a vintage Wilson tennis racquet, which still hits beautifully, with the intention of playing withmy dad.

Pickleball quickly became a favorite. Its social, beginner-friendly vibe was a hit with my husband, fam, and friends, and we’ve been playing ever since. But tennis never left my mind. I played casually with my dad a few months ago, but our schedules didn’t match up, and he was also too busy to teach me consistently, so I decided to finally enroll in tennis coaching (here’s a quick video of my first ever session!). And I’m really loving it.

Third Session In: Feeling the Progress

I just wrapped up my third session, and wow, tennis is serious cardio. I was sweating buckets, and my heart rate even hit 193 bpm. But I had such a great time. This was the first time I got to rally longer with Coach it felt like a win! Watch how the rally went down:

Since I’ve been playing pickleball, the transition to tennis coaching wasn’t too overwhelming. It helped with my hand-eye coordination and timing, and that made it easier to apply some basics on the court. I’m still messing up a few swings, but hey, progress is progress. It feels good to last long during drills and rallies, and I’m slowly getting more confident with every hit.

In this session, I also got to try my friend Jean’s Dunlop CX 400 tennis racquet and it felt super crisp and powerful.

I’m already looking forward to the next session. Gusto ko pa ng more! Hehehe