randomness...

How does time fly by so fast? It's been 2 years already since the King of Pop (a.k.a. Micheal Jackson) died! If there was no record of the date he died, I would never be able to believe it. Seriously, time seems to get swallowed up so easily, days blurring into weeks, weeks into months, months into years. I'm turning 20 in a month! Soon I might be in Japan, training and learning Japanese. Not long after that, I'll be settling down, getting married, having kids! Now that's a scary thought.

Things overall are going okay. Some things are going better, others not as well. Taking a spring course about nutrition right now. Very practical information although I already know a large percentage of the material. Makes it easier to study for the exams! Getting ready for seniors. Had a disappointing tournament last Saturday but I've now come to see it in a better light, as a warning and reminder for seniors to not lose focus. Outside of judo, my trainings are exhausting.... Just finished doing my sprints today (doing the maximum speed and incline the treadmill is capable of), and did my circuits last Friday before Kenora. I told Didi (a friend from Core), "Thank God the human is unable to remember pain, that pain is only temporary. That's the reason why I'm able to come back every week to do my circuits and sprints." But I also never feel as good as after I've completed them. So now for the psychological aspect, I'm going to start doing my scripts tonight. It's something I put aside due to fatigue and laziness, but I know how much it helps me. I also found a great book about NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming) that will be very valuable.

Have been reading a lot lately. And not reading fluffy novels, but reading great novels that make me think. Finished One flew over the cuckoo's nest by Ken Kasey. We just watched the movie yesterday as a matter of fact. Then, went on to Janet Fitch's White Oleander, and am currently reading The Book Thief. I forgot how much I liked reading. Through the years, although there have been times where I read next to nothing except textbooks, its reassuring to always be able to come back to a book and get lost in it.

Random thoughts:

• Don't need to put other people down in order to put yourself up. There's enough place in this world for everyone to be the best person they can be.

• Note to self: remember to check the natural disaster risk and history of a place before buying a house there. That is not always enough as we know now, with regions (that have previously never had any problems) experiencing tragic floods. But still, doing a bit of research beforehand can save money and lives.

Trying to improve, one step at a time

Lots of things are going on. I just came back from Belgium, where I had an okay tournament, and a good training camp. Then, had to catch up on tests and assignments, which also went pretty well.

Right now, I'm really trying to improve the way I live my life. I've realized that I'm not satisfied. My life has the potential to be very fulfilling, but I'm not really living it. It seems as if I'm always rushing to do this, worrying about what to do next, and never really enjoying the present moment, the now. I've decided to improve my life.

But how does one do that? Where do you even start? There are so many things I want to change! Well... I'm trying to live in the now, going from nowhere to now here! - taken from the Love Guru. lol. But really, it's the truth. When I'm listening to someone, I'm trying to really understand what they're telling me. I'm practicing breathing exercises in the morning. I'm fighting to override my feelings of irritability and instead, be more patient and open to the others. I'm trying to procrastinate less, and get started on the things I put off. Like my application to Tokai. Just yesterday, I felt so overwhelmed with the number of papers I need to assemble and the people I need to contact to get those papers. But now, I'm trying to take it one step at a time, tackling one thing after another. And it's like a positive feedback loop, when I procrastinate less, I'm more relaxed, and more patient towards others, etc. So that's my resolution for 2011. It's a big one that encompasses pretty much my whole life. I want to become the best I can be, in all aspects of my life, whether it be judo, eating healthy, treating others right, getting my homework down, or appreciating who I am. It's not something I'll accomplish in the near future. Rather, it's a lifelong journey. So I better get started! :)

Judo... getting stronger

Hey, haven't posted in a while. Just had the U of M tournament this weekend. Only had two fights, and came up on top, but I know I have a lot to work on. Yesterday, during the practice, I had the chance to work with Nakamura... well, more like be tossed around by him, but still, very educational. I was always told I need to move more, and up til now, I thought I needed to move my body around more. Now I see that it's the space between me and my partner that has to be moving. I have to push, then go in. If I want to go back, I need to go forward, then back. Or up and down. It's totally the action/reaction concept, so simple and basic, but somehow, I missed in my training. Or if I have a notion of it, I'm just not doing it decisely enough. Like Nakamura was like shoving me back then dropping under me like a bullet, so fast that you're landing on the ground w/out a clue of what hit you. That's the kind of judo I'm talking about, and that's the kind of judo I want to be doing. So I'm going to work hard on that for many practices until I get it. I'm not that far, I just need to not hesitate... because each time I'd push, I would not go in because it felt uncomfortable. I need to wait for that reaction, when they push on me. Also gotta watch more videos.

My mental confidence is building again. I haven't lost anything. In fact, I now have a better idea of what I need to improve on, compared to before. My body is still strong and fast, and my mind is sharp, I just need to keep practicing, keep pushing myself, and keep improving my judo. My next goals are:

- move! (using grip, pushing/pulling to open)
- work on taitoshi (improve speed, entry, combinations, setups)
- keep strengthening my knees (jump squats, goalies)
- watch more videos
- improve my ashiwaza (sweep papers, watch fighters who do ashiwaza)

Coming up: a week-long national training camp in Montréal and 3 day clinic with Gella Vandecaveye, a tournament in Belgium, and possibly a training camp at Tokai University, Japan.

Where is the Peace in Peace Gardens?

I attended the 2010 Legion Athletic Judo camp this year as an assistant coach and dorm dean. I came last year as a coach, but since the guest instructor was quite invested in me, I worked out more than most of the athletes. This year was different. Being injured, I mostly walked around, correcting techniques, taping up toes and fingers, and calling attendance.

I won't lie, it was a long week. By the second day, athletes were already banged up and tired. But things picked up on Thursday, the day of the dance. Coincidence? :P Judo had a dance off against soccer. They presented their choreographed dance to "Never say Never" by Justin Bieber (led by my brother) and showed them off.

The coaches' professionalism disappointed me. Too many late nights hanging out with the other coaches... Parents trust these coaches and place their kids under their responsibility and most of the time, it's the older athletes that are taking care of the younger ones.

By the end of the week, it felt like everyone (including me) wanted to go home. I can count on one hand the things I enjoyed about camp:

1) the DVD with JP's techniques from camp
2) the only ice cream I had from the canteen
3) the paycheck

The last one is pretty nice :P I'm not sure what will happen next year, if I'll be able to go. I might be more involved in international competitions and preparing to go to Japan. We'll see.

Argh... I don't have anything to wear!

Scenario: You have a party to go to this weekend. All your friends will be there. And a special someone might even be there too. You want to find the perfect outfit to look trendy yet casual, sensual yet sophisticated, and something that will catch his eye. And even though your wardrobe is overflowing with clothes, you don't have ANYTHING to wear!

Seem familiar to you? This happened to me just the other day. Even though I bought new clothes the other weekend, I couldn't find anything to wear. And for those who know me, that's a literally impossible feat, as my closet is jam-packed with tons of clothes. Therefore, saying that I had nothing to wear is merely a surface explanation. The real explanation? --> I couldn't find anything to wear that I thought my friends/collegues/date would like.

A lot of the time, when we're trying on various outfits before an event, we only think of others' opinions. "Will I look fat in this dress?" or "Are these pants too plain?". When do we ever think about how we feel in a certain outfit? STOP worrying about what others think of your outfit and your sense of style. Wear what makes YOU feel great, comfortable, and happy.
I promise you, suddenly you'll have too many clothes to wear, and the hardest choice will be choosing something to wear.

"It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you have."

Little Bro comes to University

My little brother came to the university with me yesterday. I wouldn't say it was a rude awakening, but when you've lived all your life in a small town of about 2,000 people, the city is veeerry different.

This was his first time taking a transit bus. He learned that you're supposed to deposit the coins in the slot... otherwise the bus driver becomes irritated. He also realized an important fact about bus drivers... they don't care about pedestrians.

Then we went to the mall to eat lunch. Then we went back to the university to sleep on the sofas upstairs, a popular area among students there. Woke up, walked to Japanese class.

Ah... Japanese class. While I was busy listening to the prof, my brother was equiped with my laptop and was busy blogging (about his own experience at the university which you can view here: http://the-power-passion-within.blogspot.com/2010/06/peek-at-university-great.html).

My Japanese teacher is quite funny... He's always mumbling away incoherently (in both Japanese and English) or speaking in a high-pitched squeaky voice... both of which my brother found equally entertaining. But then the students are all quite entertaining as well...

So that was a short recap of yesterday. Going to university is a big life experience. It's much more than just attending classes and studying. I think (and hope) that yesterday's peek at university life helped to instill some respect and understanding in my brother about what university is all about.

Book review: This perfect Day by Ira Levin

Genre: Science fiction
My rating: 4.0/5

Very short resumé: The whole world is being controlled by Unicomp. People get daily doses of drugs to prevent them from challenging the "perfect" system. Thanks to the system, people's jobs are chosen for them, the trips they're allowed to make, even the number of kids they can have is predetermined. Chip is different. He's always been different thanks to his single green eye. He begins to question things. Just before his next treatment, he starts to become more and more "alive". Then he finds other members who share the same thoughts. Together they manage to deceive the treatment machines in receiving smaller doses, which enables them to think clearer. No longer under the drugs' influence, they begin to rebel against everything they have been denied by Uni. Their lives have been full of lies. Together, they set out to challenge everything they have come to know and to once and for all destroy Uni.

My mother was the one who enticed me to read this book. An avid reader herself, this book had stayed on her mind over the years and she would often talk to me about the story. Whenever she talks about how Chip (the main character) manages to deceive UniComp and not receive his regular treatment - drugdose - and thus becoming truly alive, I always get this feeling of hope and excitedness. And I'm not usually attracted to science fiction stories.

In fact, This Perfect Day is my first science fiction novel. And I liked it! Almost loved it too, except for the fact that I personally found the last quarter of the book to be rushed. The first part of the story is well-developed, and the characters are well-grounded. Towards the end, the events become rushed (in my opinion) and the reader is given a lot to assimilate in very few pages.

But other than that, I loved the characters, I loved this whole new world (which of course has some basis in reality), and what I loved most of all I think is this feeling of waking up and fighting for what you believe in. Maybe it's Chip's rebellion that attracts me, but it's more than that. It's the hope that emanates from the pages of this book. As these characters struggle to differ from the rest of the population (who are still under the influence of the drugs), they bring hope that all is not lost and that a true fighting spirit exists inside every human being. This kind of story really makes the reader reflect on his or her life... which is a sure sign of a good book.

So to science fiction lovers who haven't read it yet, get on it! And to others, for whom science fiction is not usually your kind of genre, give it a try!