Disappointments

Thirty posts... w00... Well, I just got finished talking to an "aquaintance" of mine. I wrote him an e-mail about iaido, and then he IM me, and we talk every so often. Well, you know the people who left the kendo club at the nearby dojo? Well, he was one of those people. And like me, seeks more tradition in his martial arts. A way to better himself through physical exercise, something that I *try* to do, despite all the things... hampering my progress.

Well, he told me that the kendo instruction wasn't up to par, and just this moment he told me some of the details. Sufficed to say... I'm extremely disappointed. At first he told me it was a good starting point to learn kendo, though it could only take me so far... but after those details, I don't even want to start there. He told me some things about the instructor there, sounds... like it's not my type of dojo. My contact tells me that in his and others' opinions the dojo deviated from the original purpose of kendo. I said the same thing in the karate aspect. Mom keeps telling me "when life gives you lemons make lemonade" but she doesn't quite understand the martial arts philosophy, at least mine anyway. I don't want to have to go to some bad dojo, where the people have less experience, therefore the amount of learning will be less. I'm willing TO GO TO JAPAN EVEN THOUGH I HAVEN'T EVEN TAKEN THE LANGUAGE FOR A YEAR in order to lean. At least they can whack me if I do something wrong...

Well, I just don't know what I'm going to do. Mom said that we're probably going to move somewhere next summer. Don't like it here... again.

Mental Chaos

As of now... I do not know which direction my life is taking. By life I mean martial arts, it is my life. Mine is the path of the warrior, I learn to better myself and find meaning in my life.

However, as you know, my dojo is terrible. I ask someone about a particular techniqe, and the question passes along four people before reaching the 3rd degree black belt. Even she doesn't know, stops and thinks about it, then gives a probable use for it. PROBABLE? What about PRACTICAl? Or DEFINATE? And yes, I know about martial arts being practiced in secret, disguised so onlookers wouldn't notice them, but still, even disguised, they had to retain some use, right?

And in kendo, I would ask everyone if my technique was good, they would shrug and say it was fine. Everyone, that is, except for one guy, who pointed out the fifty flaws with it. My sword wasn't straight, pulled it too far back, feet too far apart, shoulders too still, grip too tight, etc. Well, I begin to think the dojo isn't well... what I was looking for. So that, coupled with school pressure, I stop for a while. I get in contact with that guy who pointed out all of my flaws, and he tells me that in his opinion, that dojo was terrible. Their swords were in horrible condition, etc. He also told me that he and several others formed another club elsewhere... very far away from me.

Suddenly my good fortune of a close dojo was shattered by the bleak reality that the dojo wanted my money, and when I came back, they'd always give me funny looks. I don't know why I keep going back there, sure my contract and all, but still. There's a quote from Musashi, he said, "Even if you practice a particular way every day, if the spirit is misguided then what you believe to be true, is not true, even though that is how you have been taught. Examine your path, and find out if it is true or untrue." Well, I've examined the path, and it's definately not true.

Well, for a mind in a state of chaos, that was a pretty quick and clear post. For once I didn't "dodge the topic" by going into the long history, just have some examples. And I don't think this is bad enough to make me go insane. But I have been looking for dojos, and I'll continue until I find the right one. And I won't go to another one unless I'm positive and get I other opinions.

The Book of Five Rings

I said it before and I'll say it again: great book. And it can be applied to things other than swords. The mindset he tells you to have, cool head. That's needed in everyday life. Posture is another thing you use in everyday life. He also says to see the truth of things, and the major principles he wants you to have, not to mention keeping a fight stance natural, and keeping your natural stance a combat one... very usefull.

Well, in the book, just about every other paragraph or so, he stresses not following an incorrect path, because if you misinterpret it incorrectly, then you can wander off the correct path. And if you are misled, then small distortions can become large distortions.

This is really making me wonder about my current dojo. I don't want to go anywhere that teaches a martial art that "misleads" in any way. But that's the problem, it's hard to find a "good" dojo these days. Not many dojos teach for real life encounters, just karate competitions. There are several places near here. One teaches a blend of Tae Kwon Do and Shotokan Karate. I don't know about the effectiveness, but they won't let anyone under 16 be a black belt, and you need to accomplish five different things before graduating to the next belt. Seems good, but if they have incopetent teachers then no. Another one is founded by one who has been through several arts. Isshinryu karate, some street oriented styles, then jujutsu to get a better understanding of grappling. His school is based on street encounters, handling pressure, multiple attackers, etc. He might also give Isshinryu lessons, he is a roku-dan.

I'll continue reading, and looking. After all, my journey will never end. I'll move on, mom said that we'll probably move next year. Nobody really likes it here in NC. Terrible. Some of the people are nice, but more bad than good.

I Need to Write Something

Haven't updated in a while. Well, earlier this morning, but that really wasn't a good post. Just when I was about to get online thirty seconds ago, my cousin called... bleh. I told him I had to get online, I'd been waiting for three hours, and he says "well I've been cutting grass for three hours." He's constantly trying to put himself in a better position than me. Whenever I talk about stuff like Miyamoto Musashi, he brags about his sword that he got. Some "Excalibur" sword... tch, I don't really CARE about how your REAL sword is better than my BOKKEN. Miyamoto Musashi used wooden swords all the time, and look how he turned out. IMO he wasted a good $200 on a sword he's never going to USE. What's the point? There isn't any...

I think that this lack of topics to write is a way that my subconscious self is telling me "get the hell off the computer and do something productive". So I think I'm going to start on the water scroll in The Book of Five Rings, then do some Japanese homework.

Working on a Play

As you know, my cousins are in town, and they are staying at my grandma's house. Well grandma got this brilliant idea for one of my cousins to make a play, featuring all the "kids". Kids meaning until you're 16... I'm 14 so... that means me too *sob*. Anyway, in the car she was writing it (my cousin) and I saw how she was writing it... bleh. So I said "gimme that" and I begin to write a script. Some stupid thing about jewel thieves. I know, everything's about jewel theives, but what can I do?

So, as I was writing it, I was saying the characters' lines as I wrote them. All of them were good, IMO, but my cousin said I should be the narrator. I'm good at being a narrator, but I'm also a good actor (at least that's what everyone said after my last performance at school) so I want to act more than narrate. I told her if she wanted to be part of it, she could, but she didn't want to (she's the current narrator). Ugh, I suppose I need to finish it within the next five minutes, because I said I would.

Advent of My Aunt

I haven't really thought about posting that much, I've been reading The Book of Five Rings... I love it. And at first, his teachings seem useless to those who don't practice in the way of the sword, though many reviewers say you can use those teachings in other things. And after reading through a certain section a second time, I realize that you CAN apply it to other things. For example, sparring at a karate dojo. You are practicing, but then you have to sit out because there's an odd number of people. You see who you're fighting next, so do as Musashi says, and find out their fighting style. They like to use kicks to hit your head. So when it's your turn to fight that kicking person, do as Musashi says again, use the wide variety of techniques you have learned (he tells you to know all the strengths of your weapons, in this case, whatever you can use to block a kick) to block those kicks and strike back. Well, that's pretty obvious, but hey, sometimes it's right in front of your face but you don't realize it. Musashi has a way of saying things that make absolutely perfect sense, though you might not have realized them before.

Well, my aunt is coming to NC today, and we're going over to my grandpa's house to cookout, celebrate, blah blah blah, meet my aunt and her kids, blah blah blah, go to pool, blah blah blah come home and... CRAP study Japanese. Totally forgot! Arrrgg.

Different Paths

Everyone has their own path in life, which only they can tread, and it is up to their own choosing, though sometimes they are thrust upon it. What is my path? My path is many things, one being the way of the sword, another being the Japanese language, and video games, and reading manga, etc. I personally do not like sports. Is there a problem with this? Well, let me explain something about me first. I am about 6 feet and one inch tall, estimated, and I've got pretty broad shoulders, and overall a strong build. Since I was a little kid, I was among the tallest in my classes. Even when I skipped up to 9th grade, I was still one of the tallest (though not THE tallest). For as long as I can remember, my mother has constantly told me to play basketball. I could play football, but my parents never liked that sport because it was so dangerous, but I could always play if I really wanted to. But I never liked the sport either, because, like them, it was dangerous.

So, I was forced into basketball one year. It was okay, it was something to do. Then my mother forced me into it AGAIN, and like the first time, it was something to do. I tried soccer for a season, then baseball, and tennis. I had a strong hit in baseball, and in tennis, but soccer had too much running, and both were out in the hot sun, which I didn't like. So, basketball was indoors, I was "made for it" and so on and so forth.

Well, we move here, and I take karate, and I see something interesting: kendo. They practiced during the same time on wed. as the late karate class would, so I saw them spar each other and do kata. It was so COOL. One day I decide to take a trial class, and it was amazing. After finding a good break in school two months later, I started. On my first day I got my shinai, bokken, and uniform. I always liked the kata, and the fighting was "fun", despite the HUGE workout and stress you got.

So, after practice, I'm leaving, when I see mom talking to some guy, around 28 or so, and he used to come here for kendo practice, and he was talking to her about it. that night I found out where my strong hit from baseball and tennis could come in: the strike to the head. He told me that I had a very strong one (despite me pulling it too far behind my head), and with more practice I could perform all of my strikes like that. Well, they tell that to everyone, right? But I knew that was true, and at that moment, I realized what I really wanted to do.

Of course, when my kendo exercises left me so drained, I wasn't able to do basketball on the same day, I'd just pass out. But that didn't sit too well with mom. She wanted me to do basketball because I was "built for it" blah blah blah. But that didn't matter, I REALLY WANTED TO DO KENDO, but she never got that I guess, it was always an argument with my mom. I was 14, I just wanted to practice kendo, but whenever I went outside, it was always "practice those layups" instead of "do some suburi" which was what I wanted to do (I was never good at those, and they are still somewhat troublesome). Then that sparked my interest in Japanese things, even the language, and now I'm learning Japanese (and to my surprise, I know more of it than I thought I did). Sure, I'll never be Japanese. I'll be in a crowd in Japan, and I'll be the tallest, so what? *walks up to an old Japanese man who proceeds to throw me across the street with his mad ninjutsu skills*. I don't care.

I'll just do whatever I feel pulled to do, it's my path, and nomatter how hard one tries, I'll never actually like basketball, or sports in general. And yes, kendo is looked at as a sport, but I for one do NOT look at it as a sport, but to better myself. And there are others like me who look at it like that also. I don't hate people who DO like sports, that's also their path. (I just hate the people who think they're better because of it *throws them across a football field with my mad jujutsu skills*) Everyone can follow their own path, but ultimately it's up to them to decide which path to follow.

No Time to Post

Well, I haven't been able to get on for what? The past day and a half? That doesn't seem like a lot, but I've had tons of stuff happening to me. Friday afternoon, my sister got her first issue of NP (nintendo power) in her renewed subscription, along with that collection of Zelda games. The games are: Legend of Zelda (the first one I think), the Adventures of Link, Majora's Mask, Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker demo, and a retrospect of all the games. I've been playing on my favorite, Majora's Mask, during my extra free time. For some reason, I just like that game more than any others. I think it's all the side quests, and the extra layer of realness that comes along. Just helping people out seems like you're fixing REAL problems and stuff.

Okay, so yesterday, dad and I went to the mall so he could buy some tools. Well on the way we stopped at Barnes&Noble and picked up.... A BOOK OF FIVE RINGS!!! It was originally by Miyamoto Musashi (the real one, not me) and translated by some western and eastern scholars for the Nihon Service Corporation. The book is.... wow. Amazing, the way he writes... you really have to hang on every word, like Musashi says.

Then later yesterday I went to Stoffer's party (short for ChriSTOPHER, which is what we started calling Christopher). Bunch of people were there, some of them were new people that are going to RLHS next year. It was pretty fun, sat around playing GCN, having some salsa, when all of a sudde, who comes in the door late, but... MIKE AND GREG! See, Mike and Greg started their own little two man band, and made a bunch of CD's, like Mike's CD, Mike's CD 1/2, Mike's CD 2, Mike's CD 2 1/2 and 2 1/3. Mostly some remakes (from their beginner's music book, lol) and several original ones. Their music isn't exactly perfect, but it's good once it gets rolling. Even Stoffer's dad started to play a little bit.

I should probably get those Triumvirate exam questions up on here, just for laughs. But I told Ben that we need to change the name to accomodate women, because "vir" in triumVIRate means "man" in latin, it basically means "three man alliance" so, we definately need to change then name.

Last night I dusted off my GBA (I usually play on my SP, but not as much room for hands) and played Fire Emblem, I kind of got motivated by A Book of Five Rings, and guess what... I beat the level I was stuck on. I just forgot about trying to level people up, and just went with what worked. Wow.

So now, I think I should go do some Japanese for my lesson tomorrow, and I might have a snack, I woke up at 11:30 today and only had some grahm crackers... hmmm...