‘You only live once’
Based on that principle, we
should all try to make the most out of our lives, and live it to the fullest
extent. To live, you first have to be alive. And to be fully alive, I have to
be awake!
I’m impressed that I’ve managed
to keep waking up early to go out on outings with my friends. Every time I gain
consciousness, I don’t want to open my eyes. And even when I open my eyes, I
don’t feel like getting out of bed! The overwhelming urge to lie down and keep
my eyes closed is so strong, I let it take over for a while. But then, common
sense came to me. I knew it was now or never. It is either I keep sleeping or
to get out of bed that instant. Right now, before I lose the motivation and
willpower to stay awake.
Waking up in the mornings
has always been a big challenge and one of my bad habits that I can’t seem to
get rid of. But slowly, with good reason, when there is purpose and meaning
behind my action, I take to it. I wake up because I know I will regret if I don’t.
Whether the outcome is good or bad (satisfactory or unsatisfactory) at the end
of the day, it is still worth it to get up early because no one owes me
anything to start a new day. Once I understood that, it was easier to motivate
myself to not dawdle too long and get up for good measure, to do it for myself regardless
of the occasion of the day, whom I am spending it with, simply because it is
the start of a brand new day and another day lived in life.
Although criticism is a blow
to one’s ego, I am learning every day. I hope to get grow and get stronger both
mentally (more disciplined mindset and having a better composure to deal with
things) and physically (my techniques) through karate. I love karate and all
the aspects involved in karate including the fierceness/intensity of sparring
and the calming spiritual effects (body, mind and soul) of the art of karate,
but ironically, I hate repetition. Somehow, it is entirely and completely essential
for the purpose of training and perfection of the techniques. You don’t get
very far if you don’t learn and do it the proper way, the way the technique is
supposed to be executed. Only when you can execute the technique properly and
correctly (as flawlessly as possible), then you can be considered as having
mastered the technique.
‘You’ll never grow if you don’t take risks’
At this stage, I have
learned many techniques and blocks but I don’t think I have truly mastered any
of them. Paul just commented on my punches (correcting my fist and knuckles
positioning) while Sensei Victor corrected my maigeri (how the knee should be
raised higher and the kick reaching longer). Talking about karate the whole day
and training again at night is so unexpectedly fun and enjoyable! My first road
trip with Anastasia turned out to be a karate trip, with Tutu alongside as
well, makes it even more fun! And the fact that there was only the three of us
in another car, I am so glad, it is beyond words to express my gratitude at how
things turned out.
I might have exaggerated
myself at times and made myself believe I was in more pain and sorrow than I
really was, when perhaps all I needed was a change of pace, a change of company
and a change of environment/atmosphere. Even if it is a brief period of time, I
never would have thought that I ended up as a people person, with such nice
friends who got my back covered. I mean, each and every one of them has a busy
life, and they can’t afford to be with me a lot of the time, but it is when
there are with me, the short happy period makes up for everything they’ve
missed, and the fact that they still concern themselves with me. Getting
companionship, a listening ear, a caring heart makes me treasure the moments
even more because I know that is not’s often that we can come into contact. No
one would totally, at a whim, go out of their way for something that wasn’t
convenient, and I don’t expect them to, but I felt like, in a short time, I
manage to develop that chemistry with people (although the bond is not really
deep and I don’t know them well completely). We don’t always talk about
ourselves, but we discover ourselves and our friends’ quirks, traits,
uniqueness, personalities, habits, attitudes, preferences even more when we
hang out together. It doesn’t happen frequently so every time I get to hang out
with a friend, I feel privileged that they take time off their schedules for
me.
Of course, there’s always
on-and-offs and intervals where I just get annoyed at a person or don’t see eye
to eye with them. I then either distance myself and keep them at arm’s length,
phase them out nearly completely or let things be natural and get in touch with
them again when they’re ready.
If there’s anything that I
learnt today (there are a number of things actually) is to: accept criticism
with a positive attitude, really listen and tune in to what the sempais are
telling me, and only go on road trips with people you can click with. It’s a
lot easier when you have common ground to start with, and then branch out to
other random things to chat about. And also about the approachability of the
person and the way they communicate to others. I was really, truly happy about
today’s group that went, as the session was intimate enough yet still humorous,
witty, captivating, exciting and relaxing all at once. Morning shopping and
munching on snacks in the car, sips of wine and coffee for breakfast
overlooking the valleys, scenic drive through the meadows filled with sheep and
lambs, western lunch with a cute waiter and good food (lamb soup). Not one
thing was out of place! The smoothest trip I’ve ever taken in ages with any
friends/acquaintances! Also, in small groups like this (especially with nice
people like Anna and Sensei Sarven), I find that I can express myself better,
keep up and contribute to the conversation- which went amazingly well! And it
was so interesting that I couldn’t stop interrupting to voice out my relevant
opinions and ask heaps of questions about karate, it was really enlightening
and wonderful to listen to them sharing their experiences!
I have the best sensei in
the world, osu, I’m honoured! And also really thankful that I ended up in
shito-ryu karate (the best of all styles) without even knowing it! After seeing how Paul turned out to be such a
good student, I think the goal is not
to impress sensei (although I bristle with pride every time I receive a praise
or approval from sensei/sempai), but instead,
to maintain an excellent standard of practice for myself. As Sensei Victor
said, to push myself more and train harder, because our body is capable and (the
muscle is) only able to develop when we train it properly. To put it in a
nutshell, (unless you’re at risk of putting strain or injury to the
muscles/body), always do what you’re supposed to do and don’t be lazy. Also,
keep a calm mind, relax! Don’t tense too much and overthink, follow it through
with the movements of your body. Do it with a focused intent, carry the
technique with strength and power, clear out confusion, really listen to sensei’s
instructions instead of blurrily staring at the sempais. And I should be
alrightJ
Besides, Simon is back again! Hurray! Another higher rank to train with, to
make the kumite appear as realistic as possible, that’s awesome! I honestly
thought I would never see him again if he’s out of karate for good, so I’m so,
so, glad that he’s back! His smile lights up the dojo, and it’s always a
pleasure to train with him although he always go full power, full strength! He
was hilarious to watch when he was trying to go full speed against Paul!
Today has been one of the
most rewarding days of training! Really didn’t expect to end up where I am
right now! Had no idea what was in store when I first joined karate! But yes, I
am glad I did. Although some days of training are duller than the others, I
will persevere. I guess the word ‘boring’ should be thrown out of the window as
the only reason why I would think it is boring is because I didn’t get worked
hard enough. If I really concentrate on doing the techniques accurately instead
of just lazily going through it for the sake of the warm-up, I reckon I would
get more out of it (and gain more control over mind discipline and focus). Not
entirely pleasant (as you can’t entirely avoid those embarrassing mistakes,
minor flaws, critique and criticism), but it has been a worthwhile journey so
far. Embrace it and work on it! Osu!
