Favorite Quotes from Theodore Roosevelt

This is some of the quotes of his that in the American Museum of Natural History...

MANHOOD

"A man's usefullness depends on living up to his ideals insofar as he can.

It is hard to fail but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.

All daring and courage, all iron endurance and misfortune, make for a finer nobler type of manhood.

Only those are fit to live who do not fear to die, and none are fit to die who have shrunk from the joy of life and the duty of life."

Victim of the Switch

I've become a Mac enthusiast once again... :) Just bought a MacBook (the cheapest one) and it's awesome. Excellent design, decent application speed, great battery life...

Installed Finale 2006d on it, works like a charm. :) At some point I'll try working with some of the GarageBand software and stuff.

PCs are still king of games, but Mac OSX... is excellent.

Fire Fart

Oh... My....

ARGH.

Installed the new Internet Explorer 7 Beta v3, but it kept crashing and crashing over and over. So after much teeth-gnashing and internet research (using Firefox... it's much more stable... ha), it turns out that Google Desktop (which I don't like all that much anyway) was conflicting with some thingamabob called mshtml.dll.

Uninstalled G-Desktop, and suddenlty everything works perfect again. Heh.

Cuteness explosion!

Cat barrage!

These are some fairly recent pictures... as you can definately see, Nabi has made a nearly full and miraculous recovery! He's subject to daily fluid injections and some pills and tonic, but other than that, he's becoming as peppy as a kitten!

Chabi, of course, is a very cute, but obese cat. No danger of that cat starving for now. :)

Back, with music video!

Sorry about the hiatus, just had a lot of stuff going on. But this is a selection from this year's JSE group. They really came through like troopers!

As far as my training goes, it had been going nicely, until the entire morning Muay Thai class caught a ringworm skin infection... I only had a tiny spot, because it was caught and treated early, but some of the other guys were not so lucky. I think it was either from one of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu players who also cross trains in Muay Thai, or it might even have come from one of the seminar attendees from last month's Ajarn Chai Sirusute seminar. As it is, I had to stop training for a week, and may or may not be cleared tonight to do stick drills. No hand to hand sparring for me, probably, just to be on the safe side.

While on hiatus, I've been sharpening up my piano skills! Mostly, concentrating on score-reading exercises out of the Morris & Ferguson book. I can now read alto and tenor clefs on sight combined with treble and bass clefs above or below them. It's tricky, but actually a fun exercise.

Famous repeated words, I know but... "will write more soon".

Hey, I adopted an internet kitten!

adopt your own virtual pet!

Try clicking the kitten and moving the mouse pointer around... hours of fun!

Ok, maybe minutes of fun....

Ok, maybe seconds... but still fun!

Good news

It is with great pride and relief to say that Nabi seems to really be a fighter. He's finally eating normally (though he has nearly 4 pounds or so to go until he gets back to his original weight). The dialysis treatment is working like a charm, as if the water was the fountain of youth or something. Apparently the incessant nausea and vomiting was caused by the kidney problems he has. With the dialysis, that nausea as since seemed to lessen, and hopefully in the future, just cease entirely.

I'm exhausted today because I went to one of the days of the 2-day Ajarn Chai Sirusute Muay Thai seminar. Let me say that while he's not a young man, he still moves like one, and is an incredibly effective, if somewhat brutal, teacher. It's like he's Guro Dan Inosanto's dark-half, the one who will say direct stuff, and is not afraid to tell it like he thinks it is. If he feels that you kick and punch like a diseased old woman, he'll tell you so. He certainly made a rather cruel example of one of the seminar attendees, somebody who was obviously more a wrestler than a striker, and was clearly out of his element. In the end, Ajarn Chai complimented him for making the effort and undergoing such stress. I learned a lot about proper muay thai form and technique, and I wish my schedule allowed me to go to both days instead of just one. Like any old man, he tends to get a bit sidetracked into telling random storys, though he does eventually wander back on point. The stories he tells offer great insight into history, technique, and personalities in Muay Thai.

Nabi update

Nabi seems to have more strength now... not enough to really run around, but he's hanging in there. The injections seems to be helping a bit. Hopefully with a little more strength, his appetite will be sparked.

A Very Difficult Time

Sorry for the absolute lack of updates... been busy doing the usual training and music thing. But it's lately been more than that...

Nabi, our beloved orange cat, has steadily been losing a lot of weight and energy. When we took him to the vet, it's been determined his kidneys were having difficulty functioning. Blood tests are still being done, so it might reveal more. The vet has given us some subcutaneous fluid injections that we are to do daily... in essence, it's like giving a cat dialysis.

Upon arriving back at our house after a 3 night stay at the vet's, Nabi has very little energy, and very laboured breathing. We're hoping he will pull through, but it's very touch-and-go. His time on our mortal plane might very widely, measuring in days, months, or years.

I have no religion. I cannot pray. I only have hope and tears. But those of you that do, that've been keeping watch on the blogs, please keep Nabi in your thoughts and prayers.

Kung Fu Rummy! 

Fainting Goats!

Concert from 2 years ago

Update 11: Plane Crash Kills 5 Ind. Music Students - Forbes.com

Update 11: Plane Crash Kills 5 Ind. Music Students - Forbes.com

This is very tragic. I briefly met one of the crash victims, Roger Samels, two years ago when he sang with my friend Ulises Solano in a small opera production called "Antigone" here in NYC. Even though I met him only for one or two days, I remember him having a beautiful deep singing voice and a humorous personality. My deepest condolences go out to all the families of the victims of this tragedy.

CNN.com - Doc's diagnosis: Nail gun caused headache - Apr 21, 2006

CNN.com - Doc's diagnosis: Nail gun caused headache - Apr 21, 2006

All I can say is.... HOLY CRAP!

Trying out some embedded video

Cool Tool: Toilet Lid Sink

Cool Tool: Toilet Lid Sink

All I can say is.... "..... WHY?"

Learn to relax, like Chabi here! 

Cool Silly Web Page of the Day

Online Conversion - Morse Code Conversion

- .... .. ... .. ... --..-- .-.. .. -.- . --..-- - .... . -.-. --- --- .-.. . ... - .--. .- --. . . ...- . .-. --- .-. -. --- - .-.-.-

Back to the beginnings...

I've been playing a bit more piano lately... it's something I haven't done in a long time. The original impetus of it was to better accompany some of my younger flute students so that they get a better sense of rhythm and harmony from the accompaniment.

It's turned into something more.

Mostly, it's a revisitation to my musical roots, to my first instrument. I've been playing some stuff from my very old piano books, now yellowing and fraying at the edges. Memories ebb and flow as oddly familiar tunes emanate from the 25 year old piano in my studio. Yet I'm seeing and hearing the old books in a new light, things I couldn't possibly have perceived when I was very young. It's amazing how fun it is when you can actually read music.

It's a new source of relaxation... it's an option, and it's how it always was meant to be for me.

YouTube - Super Mario Kill Bill

YouTube - Super Mario Kill Bill

What a way to take something originally deadly serious, and humor it up! :)

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com

Mmmmmmmmm.... beer from a faucet.

Chron.com | Great Wall now an NBA institution

Chron.com | Great Wall now an NBA institution

Yao has really been kicking ass lately... it's a joy to see.

Retrospection

Hello... just a post to keep readers updated on what's been going on...

Things have been going well for me. I have my health, I have the health of my family and friends, I have my music, and I have my martial arts. What more can a man ask for? Well, a beautiful woman, but that will probably still take a while.

I've been substitute teaching for a flute faculty member who is on sabbatical for the rest of this year, as well as taking on new students, so I've been having greatly expanded teaching duties at COS. The flute studio at COS still needs a lot of work, but I have one or two students I teach there that are finally breaking through and starting to make some very real progress. It hasn't been easy for any of the students, since my style and standards of teaching are so drastically different from that of my predecessor. But I absolutely believe that my approach is the right one, because it's 100% No Bullshit flute playing. Pure technique, with minimal dogma and based purely on ergonomics, physics,science. No gimmicks, no crap. I totally believe that if one follows my assigned progression with diligent practice, they can be competent in 1 year, great in 3 years, and incredible in 5. I'm actually starting to run out of room to put students in my schedule, so I'm going to start to become far more picky in who I'll accept and maintain in my studio, both privately and via COS.

I've lost touch with most of the old gang at the kung fu academy I used to go to. Basically it's just occasional chats with the Master's daughter on MSN, occasional contact with this nice Japanese couple, a few training sessions with another ex-student that decided to follow me to PMAA, and not so infrequent drinking sessions with my friend Ray who went with me to China on a kung fu training vacation. I do miss the training there sometimes, even occasionally pulling out a half-forgotten form now and then. But what I've lost there has been replaced by a far more fulfilling and organized experience at the current academy I train in.

It's been nearly one year since I joined PMAA. Overall, it's been a wonderful time so far. I've learned far more about real combat there in that short amount of time than all of my time spent doing kung fu. That's not to say the kung fu training was completely useless - quite the opposite actually, since it allowed me to have preexisting discipline, flexibility, and fitness to function well in the classes. Remembering pad drills and stick combinations is almost a cinch compared to remembering all those fancy forms. But what separates this school from the other are a couple of things: a central location, proper equipment and safety gear, pressure-tested techniques and concepts, variety of curriculum, and a truly dedicated head instructor and assistant instructors, who are there nearly every day, giving and teaching their all.

It's hard work done by very hard-working people, people with apparently a pretty good history and high sense of morality. Very exciting things are going to be happening at the school soon. It's being relocated and expanding from its current tiny 1100 square feet corner location to an entire 4500 square foot building. Ten years of dedicated teaching and proper school management by Sifu/Guro Nick Sacoulas have resulted in a just reward. The students are all super psyched about the move... if anything, it means more sparring partners to play with (and more room to do it in)! :)

Just a brief plug.... On March 19th, starting at 4pm at the Queensborough Performing Arts Center, COS will be having its annual Concerto Extravaganza concert. Yours truly will be assisting Sara Aomori, a young promising flutist, in playing the Cimarosa Double Flute concerto. For more info about location and tickets, go to www.childrensorch.org

Getting sleepy now. Will write/post more stuff soon.

My right bicep makes a great pillow. Ha!

Meow! 

The Art of Learning

I always tell my students this. It works in any subject...

"If you don't know something, you should say you simply don't know. That's why you cannot answer my question. Now, the question is, do you want to know? There is no shame in not knowing something, but there is ultimate shame in not having the curiosity to find the answers."

A good teacher may not even know everything at once in his subject matter, but if the teacher has the curiosity to find out, and is able to impart that curiosity to the students as well as point them towards good sources to find the answers on their own, then there is nothing in this universe than cannot become known and understood.

This about sums up the state of America nicely...

http://www.jibjab.com/swf/JibJab_205YearEnd.swf

My student Connie Lu, threatening to kidnap Chabi for herself!  

A quarterback's nightmare? A receiver's dream? :) 

It's the BASICS, man!

Fightauthority.com - Martial Arts Video Clips, Ultimate Fighting Video Clips, Street Fighting Videos, Mixed Martial Arts Videos - Sloppy Basics Make Sloppy Technique

"Mastering basics is a lifelong activity, not just repetition of the same movements done in the same way over time. You learn the outer pattern first, but then you work on trying to understand and perform the principles and methods within. Sometimes you only understand these after years of training and watching your masters. Some teachers too will first teach one level, then another and another. The secret to improving your basics is to be attentive to yourself and your movement. You can be shown something, but only you can monitor your progress. You thus become your own teacher as you incorporate what you have learned. At some point what your have learned become so ingrained into your muscular memory and reflexive action that it becomes instinctive. You can then move your focus to new goals. "

This is true, whether you're doing martial arts, or music. It is true for almost anything in life. Read the article, it's interesting.

Technokitty.

Nabi!

Severe words of wisdom and warning!

If you see a vending machine that allows debit cards, DON'T USE THE DEBIT CARD, NO MATTER HOW THIRSTY YOU ARE, AND NO MATTER HOW LITTLE CHANGE YOU HAVE.

Why? Because I did this to get a $1.25 Gatorade (debit service sponsored by Yahoo! inc.). Now all the sudden I have unauthorized debit authorizations for $1, $1, $10, and now $40! That's the potential for a $52 bottle of Gatorade as things stand right now!

So, naturally, I'm disputing this. I've also blocked my card (it's in tiny tiny pieces shredded in the trash) and waiting for UPS to ship my new one from the bank.

Grrrr, this sort of dishonest stuff pisses me off! This stuff I bet never happens in Amsterdam, where you could do the same thing even with a cell phone to vend drinkables.

Feeling a little better. And leaving.

I got a few winks of sleep. Still not feeling well though... but better than the earlier two posts showed. Being depressed and exhausted is better than full-blown psychosis. I've since deleted them because it was so dark and bleak and depressing.... full of rage and anger directed at things and people to which and whom they had no responsibility and true culpability whatsoever.

I've decided to quit training Kungfu. Temporarily? Maybe. But this feels permanent. It's something I've considered before, but recent events and contemplation have pushed my mind, body, and soul into the new direction.

I still have a lot of thinking to do, a lot of careful pondering. The decision I made changes a lot of things with me. Changes in time management. Changes in long term planning. Changes in life goals. Changes in personal relationships. Changes financially.

"You could always go back.", some would say.

But I can't. Not when I no longer am capable of performing the feats demanded there to the best of my ability. Not when I no longer believe in the system. Not when I no longer have absolute confidence in the founder, something I lost several months ago.

So... why is it still feels so difficult a decision?

.... Pondering.

Lotta Cat Love!

A whole lotta love!

Ha Ha Ha!

Subject: FW: Dictionary For Women's Personal Ads-
40-ish...........................................49
Adventurous.......................Slept with everyone
Athletic......................................No boobs
Average looking..................................Ugly
Beautiful.....................Pathological liar
Contagious Smile..................Does a lot of pills
Emotionally Secure......................On medication
Feminist..........................................Fat
Free spirit....................................Junkie
Friendship first..........................Former slut
Fun..........................................Annoying
New-Age................Body hair in the wrong places
Old-fashioned..................................No BJs
Open-minded.................................Desperate
Outgoing........................Loud and Embarrassing
Passionate...............................Sloppy drunk
Professional....................................Bitch
Voluptuous...................................Very Fat
Large frame................................Hugely Fat
Wants Soul mate...............................Stalker

DICTIONARY OF WOMEN'S ENGLISH:
1. Yes = No
2. No = Yes
3. Maybe = No
4. We need = I want..
5. I am sorry = you'll be sorry
6. We need to talk = You're in trouble
7. Sure, go ahead = You better not
8. Do what you want = You ! will pay for this later
9. I am not upset = Of course I am upset, you moron!
10. You're certainly attentive tonight = Is sex all you ever think about?

DICTIONARY OF MEN'S ENGLISH:
1. I am hungry = I am hungry
2. I am sleepy = I am sleepy
3. I am tired = I am tired
4. Nice dress = Nice cleavage!
5. I love you = Let's have sex now
6. I am bored = Do you want to have sex?
7. May I have this dance? = I'd like to have sex with you
8. Can I call you sometime? = I'd like to have sex with you
9. Do you want to go to a movie? = I'd like to have sex with you
10. Can I take you out to dinner? = I'd like to have sex with you
11. I don't think those shoes go with that outfit = I'm gay

Old

Got some nice clothes and cash and stuff. Just the bare essentials, just how I like it. :) In the end, I'm just thankful to have friends and family.

Still training. Today during class I passed by some guy and/or area that literally smelled like dog shit. Dammit, I wish people would observe basic hygiene sometimes. Ugh.

*Grumble*

Yeah yeah yeah... just turned 31 just now.... blah blah blah best years of your life just ahead blah blah blah.

Just give me some Single Malt Scotch and a friendly body to lean on , and I'll be happy.

Oh... and some fucking knee surgery too. :)

Thanks for reading. ;)

Yo.

Hey there, Ken checking in his oft-neglected blog. :)

Anyway, X-mas came and went without incident. Got some nice sweaters and jeans and various other knicknacks.... Oh. And cash. Love the cash.

Let's see... recently I've taken up a strange new habit. I picked up a nasty cold that has popped in and out of my personal radar, and I remembered back when I was a wee toddler, my mother would make warm Coke/Pepsi to help make me feel better whenever I was sick. So now I'm taking every bit of soda we had in the house (Ginger Ale, Coconut Soda, you name it) and adding BOILING WATER to the mix inside of a nice sturdy mug. I think I'll be trying to drink all my sodas in the future like this... it's rather pleasant, and helps ease up on the sugar.

I haven't tried it on beer yet. Very, very, very hesitant on that.

Still training at PMAA. It's pretty dead there right now, as most of the members are away for the holidays. It's pretty cool though... kind of like getting as semi-private lesson with Eric or Sifu Nick.

Kung fu is on hiatus... doesn't start up again until after the New Year. Hope my flexibility hasn't completely taken a nose dive by then...

Ah ha! Videooooooo!

Now you can see the cats in brilliant motion pictures. :)

http://media.putfile.com/Alls-Fair-in-Love-and-War

Enjoy!

Massive Catblog Pic post!

This ones for Ling... now he looks like a hat.


*Slurp* Yum.


Yeah, it's cheap housing... but it's free!


Happiness is a nap and a pillow.


We look so..... unenthusiastic.

Catblogging - WTFit'ssodamncold edition

Chabi makes a great footwarmer.

Iron Crotch!

Inside Bay Area - Argus - Local News

Don't try this at home... or... anywhere.

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com

One more way too much McDonald's meals can kill you....

Catbloggin' - Pre-Thanksgiving edition

Thanksgiving is for thanks to the cats

Dan Inosanto Seminar - Aftermath

The second day of the Inosanto seminar went better than the first day for me. The pace was slightly less frenetic, and I felt more in tune with what was going on. Perhaps it's just a simple resignation on my part that I wasn't meant to get everything at once all the time, but instead to take whatever I can and run with it.

Having my friend as a drill partner helped a lot throughout the second day... he pointed out one or two things I didn't know or understand, and I pointed out one or two things he didn't know or understand... and it was done, and I guess we both got a common benefit from the seminar as a result. As it should be.

Guro Nick Sacoulas was super-helpful throughout the day, helping out all his students whenever he wasn't working out with one of the other instructors at the seminar. There will be plenty to work on once we're all back in PMAA for training.

One thing I wanted to share is my observation that Guro Inosanto, despite his legendary status and skills, is also quite a warm, humble human being. Most instructors do the demonstrations on their students, lending the aura of invincibility to themselves, the appearance of being nearly untouchable. Guro Inosanto, on the other hand, let his chief assistant do all the crazy super techniques and disarms on him, often explaining the technique as the assistant continued to "finish him off" with a rapid swirl of sinawali. This is not to say Inosanto didn't have a counter, as every once in a while somebody would ask "how to counter?" and he'd just go, "Oh, like this", and the audience would "ooh and aah" as he'd dismantle the once-invincible assistant in equally impressive fashion. Like I said in my previous post, he moves much faster and is much stronger than you'd imagine a 70 year old man to be. His willingness to have his assistant do all the techniques on him for demonstration shows tremendous humility and non-concern for such archaic Chinese and Japanese need to show "face", almost as if he was saying "He's kicking ass because I taught him to do that, and I'm proud of him and sure of myself.".

A Kali demonstration can get awfully hazardous whenever there is disarms involved. Sometimes during the demonstrations the sticks and training knives get ejected so forcefully the dislodged weapons just go flying into the audience... it was a miracle nobody got hurt!

After the seminar ended, there was a brief ceremony when they handed out certificates to those who attended both days of the seminar. Everybody got to shake Guro Inosanto's hand, and it was a great honor. I'm probably going to laminate or frame the certificate to preserve it.

Afterwards, like a masochist, I went for an hour of kung fu training. I don't know why I push my body to such extremes now, but I'm liking it. And looking for more.

Dan Inosanto Seminar

I just got up about 3 hours ago from a comatose nap induced by my first martial arts seminar... I was so exhausted! Dan Inosanto is in town, and gave the first day of a 2-day seminar on JKD, Silat, and Kali. For a man that is supposed to be celebrating his 70th birthday in a few months, he sure doesn't move like his age. His eyes are still bright and his movements very sure, and seems to be the pantheon of health. I'm sure his late friend Bruce Lee would have been proud.

We started off with a little bit of light shadowboxing to get warmed up, then proceeded to work through some standard kick-punch combinations, mostly off of counters. Each of these was followed by a "blitz", which was usually 7 seconds of rapidly hammering a combination over and over as many times as possible, which I imagine served both as a way to up the cardio and keep everybody loose and alert. Each of these combinations were first demonstrated by various members of Nubreed Martial Arts, who is hosting this seminar. Their movements were crisp and efficient, and seemed to please Guro Inosanto. Of particular note were these two little girls, who were quite fast and sure with most of the combinations (some of which strung out to as many as 6 or 7 techniques long!), and this got some big applause from all of us attendees.

We then broke for lunch, and got to digest our food while enjoying some native Filipino music, the players of which mostly hailed from Mindinao and other parts of the southern Phillipines. They continued to play as Guro Inosanto brought us through a whole punch of single stick, double stick, stick and dagger, and silat exercises. It really made for an interesting effect! (We usually have hard pumping techno or hip-hop going at PMAA)

Now, a couple of notes of frustration, most of which stems from not being used to this type of thing, even though I have some modest experience in martial arts. First of all, Guro Inosanto talks fast, and goes through multiple possibilities of each technique and motion quickly as well. (Okay here we go... you can do this... I'll show it again.. you can do this. You can also do this, this, this, this, this, and this. Need to see it again? Okay, here we go...) I now know where Guro Nick Sacoulas got his style of teaching. :) I think this is because of the very fluid nature of combat, and also Guro Inosanto needs to cater to the more advanced students so they get what they pay for. However, you can see how this could utterly confuse a much less advanced student such as myself, as I'm still trying to process the first 3 techniques, as he's going on to maybe the 4th through the 7th variations. I have about 7 months of Kali under my belt... consider how bewildered somebody would be if they had zero to 2 months experience! I suppose as I grow and get more accustomed to the system, the next seminar will be more fruitful, and so all I can do is practice hard so I'll be less lost next time. Moral of the story: Seminars are most beneficial to those who have considerable experience in what they are going to the seminar for. Beginners such as myself should prepare for a bit of frustration, but I've learned that it's normal.

My other point of frustration, is how important it is to have a partner of roughly equivalent skill and a good demeanor and training ethic to work with. I found myself stuck working with somebody that... and I'm trying to be diplomatic here.... has at best sub-optimal hand-eye coordination, the attention span of a fruit fly, and the cognitive ability of a three-toed sloth. It was getting to the point of being dangerous, as I would watch his brain shut off and just random flailing ensues as he wouldn't pay attention that what the drill was (we'd often just work one or two out of the 5,6, or 7 technique variations... which is fine with me, because I'd rather get a few techniques right rather than crap all over 7 and get nothing from the seminar), and what angles and sequences he did attempt were nearly unrecognizable. I will state that this person seems like a really nice guy, and maybe there's a reason, medical or otherwise, for his shortcomings (we all have them), but I felt he was very hazardous and frustrating to train with.

A friend of mine also got stuck with a partner who obviously has much more experience in JKD/Wing Chun... which is fine. Except, my friends partner insists on sucking up valuable training time trying to re-teach the whole concept, and going full-tilt full-blast all the time. We're talking about Guro Inosanto here... there's no need to try to reteach and modify what a living legend in the art has already assigned as the drill. And full blast kicks to the knees are just damned dangerous (I should know... my knee was totally messed up from such a kick during a Kempo class some 10 years ago... it hasn't been the same since) as well as overpowered joint locks. I've had one class where I had to partner up with this guy, and I totally sympathize.

Needless to say, hopefully, my friend and I will try to get there early tomorrow and partner up to avoid the same respective situations again, so that we'll have more fun at the 2nd day of the seminar. It's an extreme honor to be in the presence of a living legend like Dan Inosanto, and I look forward to gleaning a little more from the immense wealth of experience, kindness, and dedication this man has!

Wish me luck!

*gulp*

http://www.shocknife.com/

I hope these don't start showing up in my Filipino Kali classes....

New Catblog pics!

Hai-yah!

Awww.... cute catblogging again!

It's getting cold here in NY

AP Wire | 10/27/2005 | George Takei, 'Mr. Sulu' of Star Trek fame, comes out

AP Wire | 10/27/2005 | George Takei, 'Mr. Sulu' of Star Trek fame, comes out

WTF? Whoa.

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com

They have nice robbers in Malta, apparently.

African Roots in the Martial Arts: An Interview with Kilindi Iyi

African Roots in the Martial Arts: An Interview with Kilindi Iyi

I was just surfing through the net randomly, searching for martial-arts related stuff... It's an interesting article. Go read it.

I hate the rain now...

The northeast US has been deluged with rain for almost 5 straight days now, and doesn't look to let up until Sunday....

I just realized I haven't really seen the sun clearly for about that amount of time. No wonder everybody is depressed.

The Official Ribena Website rocks!

The Official Ribena Website

... and I love how it tastes... been drinking this stuff ever since I was a wee toddler. Good for your health too!

Catblogging resumes!

Chabi makes a wonderful sleeping companion. A living teddy-cat!

Crikey!

Ouch... Kali really messes with your arms and hands... I'm so sore right now...

Today at PMAA we were practicing Heaven Six Sinawali in a variety of configurations.... standing up, moving side to side, forward and back, in a circle both directions, kneeling, sitting, lying down... We were doing this for nearly an hour straight. Took a couple of nice cracks to my lead right knuckle...

Went on a date with a beautiful and lovely woman tonight. Enjoyable conversation, and a fine taste for Japanese food. We currently are at "Friends" stage, for now and the forseeable future, if anything.

It's a bit disappointing, but I enjoy friendship as much as I enjoy loving.

In this world of chaos, there is surely a shortage of both, and it must be cherished.

Mmmmm...

I've had a good weekend these past 3 days.... Very special people out there, and I'm honored to be with them.

Oh sweet blessed internet!

It's back... it's back... YAY!

... and it turns out the outage was because some repairperson forgot to reconnect the cable while doing some routine service.... ARGH!

Incompetance... I know sometimes it can't be helped, but damn, it sure seems to be spreading like a disease.

Yarrrrrrrrr!

Yarrr! I be an internet wireless pirate!

Actually, not really. But the broadband cable in my house seems to be out of commission, robbing us of internet and cable TV. (I need my American Chopper fix! argh! Curse ye, Time Warner Cable!) You never really appreciate these things until they're taken away from you. Hopefully the cable company would get off their lazy asses and fix it. (I think it's a branch or something that knocked something loose on the pole during Saturdays' severe rainstorm).

So, if you've been trying to reach me over the past few days, that's why I've been slow in responding to e-mails. Best to reach me via cellphone, unless Cingular goes to the crapper too.

Guinness World Record for Couch Potatoism

New York City - Manhattan news

This is insane.

Here kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty!!

Meow! Return to catblogging!

Bush Is Fooling Nobody Now

Bush Is Fooling Nobody Now

Robert Scheer hits it right on the nose.

???? - QuickTime - SHINOBI

???? - QuickTime - SHINOBI

I totally want to see this movie... wish I was in Japan!

It has a song by Ayu as well! ;)

*sniff* *sniff*

I think my electric toothbrush died. :(

Ananova - Woman, 93, grabbed robber where it hurts

Ananova - Woman, 93, grabbed robber where it hurts

*snicker*..... *chortle*.... *giggle*.....

BWHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAA!

Dynasty Warriors 5

... has been my new obsession. Yes, I know it's a very odd view of old Chinese history and legend, wrapped up in a video game that has rather repetitive gameplay and odd voice acting. Yes, I know they essentially keep releasing the same game over and over with a few minor tweaks each year. But dammit, it's fun. :)

http://www.koei.com/launch/dw5/index.htm

Old Chabi pic, in style!

This was taken earlier in the summer... what a fancy cat he is!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Fun at the China Club with Magicmatchparty.com

The 'city' of Louisiana - Bloggermann - MSNBC.com

The 'city' of Louisiana - Bloggermann - MSNBC.com

An Angry 'Times-Picayune' Calls for Firing of FEMA Chief, and Others, in Open Letter to President Bush

An Angry 'Times-Picayune' Calls for Firing of FEMA Chief, and Others, in Open Letter to President Bush: "Here is the text.

***

We heard you loud and clear Friday when you visited our devastated city and the Gulf Coast and said, 'What is not working, we�re going to make it right.'

Please forgive us if we wait to see proof of your promise before believing you. But we have good reason for our skepticism.

Bienville built New Orleans where he built it for one main reason: It�s accessible. The city between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain was easy to reach in 1718.

How much easier it is to access in 2005 now that there are interstates and bridges, airports and helipads, cruise ships, barges, buses and diesel-powered trucks.

Despite the city�s multiple points of entry, our nation�s bureaucrats spent days after last week�s hurricane wringing their hands, lamenting the fact that they could neither rescue the city�s stranded victims nor bring them food, water and medical supplies.

Meanwhile there were journalists, including some who work for The Times-Picayune, going in and out of the city via the Crescent City Connection. On Thursday morning, that crew saw a caravan of 13 Wal-Mart tractor trailers headed into town to bring food, water and supplies to a dying city.

Television reporters were doing live reports from downtown New Orleans streets. Harry Connick Jr. brought in some aid Thursday, and his efforts were the focus of a 'Today' show story Friday morning.

Yet, the people trained to protect our nation, the people whose job it is to quickly bring in aid were absent. Those who should have been deploying troops were singing a sad song about how our city was impossible to reach.

Kayne West says George W Bush doesn�t care - NME.COM

Kayne West says George W Bush doesn�t care - NME.COM: "'I hate the way they treat us in the media, when you see a black family it says they're looting when you see a white family it says they're looking for food,' said West before personally targeting the President.
'George Bush doesn't care about black people,' he declared adding that America is set up 'to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off as slow as possible', Billboard reports."

Good site for political commentary and stuff

Man, I like the way this guy thinks and talks.

http://www.xoverboard.com/

In other news, I'm growing my hair back again... Shampoo and conditioner, I almost forgot what it was like.

Gasoline Rant

Okay, so I've been in and out of the country this summer, and haven't driven around much. When I left for China, gas around $2.36 for 93 octane (the only grade my car could take, I think... @#$%@# 1.8 liter Turbo Volkswagen engine). High, but manageable.

So... I fill up my car for the first time in a while.... cost me $50 bucks! Gas around my area has now skyrocketed to $4.07 for the same grade.

Public transportation is looking much more appealing now.

But hey, at least it's still cheaper than in Europe... over there, I saw prices for 97 pence per liter. So... basically that equals about 7 or 8 US Dollars per gallon.

Finally got around to it...

Photos from the England-Scotland COS tour are now up! You can access them here.