The time of our lives

‘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!