Movember

I am growing a moustache this year for Movember. I have decided to put down my razor for one month (November) and help raise awareness and funds for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer and depression in men.

What many people don’t appreciate is that close to 3,000 men die of prostate cancer each year in Australia and one in eight men will experience depression in their lifetime - many of whom don’t seek help. Facts like these have convinced me I should get involved and I am hoping that you will support me.

To sponsor my Mo, you can either:

• Click this link http://au.movember.com/mospace/41189/ and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account
• Write a cheque payable to ‘Movember Foundation’, referencing my Registration Number 41189 and mailing it to: Movember Foundation, PO Box 292, Prahran, VIC, 3181

Remember, all donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Movember is now in its sixth year and, to date, has achieved some pretty amazing results by working alongside The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCFA) and beyondblue: the national depression initiative. Check out further details at: http://au.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs.

If you are interested in following the progress of my Mo, click here http://au.movember.com/mospace/41189/. Also, http://au.movember.com has heaps of useful information.

Thank you.

exploring the internal/hidden aspects of aikido

like any good pursuits, martial arts in general and aikido specifically have many layers of understanding and competency. there are potentially millions of ways to get to the same point or technique, some merely different, some significantly more efficient or effective.

nonetheless, one thing that aikido is commonly renown for is its seemingly 'magical' powers of its practitioners. this is certainly how many outsiders and some beginners view their aikido teachers. intermediate practitioners however probably get to the point where they understand and are able to play with the physical aspects of the art.

being at that point of the moment, i'm beginning to oscillate back to the more metaphysical aspects of aikido again - the bit about "ki/qi/chi" and internal power. in the last few months, i have started experiencing things that are not as easily explainable based on simple [Newtonian?] physics. i am very open to the idea that there are tangible physical rationales (quantum physics etc.?) for most of the phenomenons, but that they may be beyond the reach of intellectual proletariat such as myself.

thus for my trip back to Malaysia this December, i am hoping to exploit and explore the other [internal] martial traditions while i'm there. regardless of what i discover, i am probably going to stay with aikido, but i hope that my exposure to these different arts will enrich my practice. we shall see shan't we? =)

things we prefer not to talk about

suicide, abuse, sexual assault, family violence, neglect, self-harm, rape, shame, guilt, sadness, sanity, mania, psychosis, depression, anxiety, PTSD, borderline, tension, trauma, grief, loss, death, fear, unconscious.

hmm, these are things that most people try to avoid talking or even talking about.

these are things that i think, feel and talk about with people everyday.

well, everyday as much as my workdays go anyway.

it's weird how normal these things become after a while. to a certain extent, i'm 'used' to them. yet, they are still feel very 'real'.


...


hmm, it's 5.02pm now. time to throw and get thrown.

2nd kyu grading full video

yes, i know this is a repetitive - and you're wondering "does this guy ever blog about anything else?!?". well, it is *my* blog, it's my passion, and barely anyone reads this blog anyway, so there. haha. this is my full grading video, which is split into two halves, as compared to the abbreviated one in the last post. =)

my 2nd kyu grading

warning: this video is 50MB big. watch at your own peril. as usual, comments and feedback are more than welcome.

counting down to the spring seminar

just a couple more hours to go!!

will be flying to Sydney with cP to attend the AKI Spring Seminar/Gasshuku where we'll be training on the weekend, and I'll be doing my 2nd kyu grading... hmm, exciting stuff. I'm a little worried about how it'll go because this is the first time I'll be doing a grading at the national level, AND under a new syllabus, AND with a different set of criteria and expectations for the exams! hmm, only time will tell i guess.

wish me luck!

friday afternoon

waiting for another 20 mins for my next appointment. can't wait for this week to end... had to endure a housemate who's been giving a cold shoulder the whole week and giving me the shits. sigh, i wonder how much longer that's gonna last. it gets old really fast. and worst of all, it's not particularly productive. ah, anyway, that's their issue. i'll just wait until that person ready to speak and sort stuff out.

ooh, been hooked on the second season of True Blood this past few nights. captivating stuff. ;) will probably move to Dollhouse now that we've run out of episodes to watch. hehe.

hmm, aside from tolerating the daily doldrums and aikido, not much else has been happening... i'm just waiting for Windows 7 to be released properly, pre-installed and all, and then i'll get a new computer. woo hoo. been waiting to get one for ages. not that it's a bad thing... a lousy comp leads to the inability to play any decent computer games, which leads to having a lot of spare time, which leads to obsessive aikido training. i wonder what a new, powerful computer is going to do to that pattern. hmm, we shall see.

we're still looking at flight tickets back to Msia in Dec... we should be getting it soon i reckon. look forward to catching up with mates during that time...

hmm, better go to the toilet before the next appointment. adieu.