Rest and Repair Day

Day 55

Here I am sitting at my desk updating this blog for today. Another R&R day for my weary body.  Thats the bad news. The good news is that I was looking through my closet for something comfortable to wear and I managed to dig out a whole bunch of shorts and singlets and tees which I have not seen since my regular gym days. I got fitted into the most comfortable pair of black shorts and white singlet I can find and went downstairs.

Well..not only was I pleasantly surprised at how nicely and loose the clothes feel, I got a little ooh and ahh from my kids as well!! :P LOL

Eirian was actually flustered at how much better aka "macho" I looked in my sexy shorts and singlet wakaka... sigh.. kids grow up so fast..  now I am actually starting to worried how they will start looking at boys..  urgh

Came upstairs looked at myself.. guess I need a little more work on my tummy area so my tummy will look more sculpted.

My calves are threatening to cramp up again, both my hamstrings are so tight they are randomly firing little quivers of mini-"cramps" every now and then when I exert too hard, my arms are still feeling sore from the new workout routine I started on Monday....it was supposed to be alternate day workouts, but I guess I can use 2 day breaks for this first week.. heh heh.  My core muscles conditioning is good for now... I guess.

So here I sit, typing on a computer when I should be starting my daily 2.5 hour routine at SKA. Oh well, somedays are just not as good as others. Tomorrow will be better because I can get to put in some maintenance work on weights, do a little light run or brisk walk to ease my fatigue muscles back into action, and get my core conditioning back on track..  then I get to go to swim a little on my flexibility (YES.. the pool at RTC is opened again after renovation work) and steam/sauna some to get latic acid outta my system...  then I will be a neeeeeew man. :P

Meow!
CJ

Day 54

Day 54

Bad day for workout..  woke up 6.10am with a cramp in my left calf. Went to SKA and ended up with a cramp on my right calf. Sianz..

Ended up all dressed up with nothing to do.. I decided my body was trying to telling me something today and decided not to push any further unless I also want to end up with a body cramp or wirst tear something massive in my upper body.

I ended up creating the excel format of the championship forms for Mr Wong. Went home..kissed the wife and kids..  played cabalsea for 10 mins.. slept the entire afternoon away.  Feeling like crap... probably a mild burnout.. but its important to take note what your body is telling you.

I guess I might be taking the day off exercise tomorrow as well, let the body heal itself and take a break from routine.  I will have the morning to myself.. thinking of re-arranging the rooms a little. We'll see. :P

**CJ**

Rest and Repair Day

Day 48

Don't think my body can take much more of the stress I have been pumping it during this past 47 days.. lol.

Finally I feel its effect hard enough to decide ok.. one day of R&R is in order to recharge.

My neck muscles are screaming in pain...
my left shoulder hurts...
my back is sore...
both my hamstrings are threatening to cramp up on me...
my right calf is currently in such a bad state, I am limping...
my right ankle is under unnecessary stress and swelling after every workout session...

BUT I FEEL GREAT!!!!  Wakakaka!!

Took carbs today to fuel my repairs..but the brighter side of the day is that the most integral part of my weightloss plan arrived in the mail today...ahhhh...  yessss... :P

Tomorrow will be another day.. another workout to look forward to! :P

In the meantime, please enjoy this youtube video..


~CJ

Brings a tear to my eye

Day 46

Just heard this on TV featuring the latest Jay Chou's concert...

I found the original version I remember and loved... I have plenty of memories attached to this song. Try listening to this song at night with all the lights turned off. (Well... all love songs are best listed with lights turned off, alone in a cold room or windy place with eyes closed.)

Enjoy this version by Jacky Wu and Landy Wen.

~CJ

Unusually melancholy tonight:)

Shitoryu Karate & Judo

Day 45

I am now officially a striker and a grappler!! :P

Shitō-ryū (糸東流^?) is a form of karate that was founded in 1931 by Kenwa Mabuni (摩文仁 賢和 Mabuni Kenwa^?).  Kenwa Mabuni was born in Shuri, a district of Naha, Okinawa in 1889. Mabuni was a 17th generation descendant of the famous warrior Oni Ufugusuku Kenyu.^[1] Perhaps because of his weak constitution, he began his instruction in his home town in the art of Shuri-te (首里手^?) at the age of 13, under the tutelage of the legendary Ankō Itosu (糸州 安恒 Itosu Ankō^?) (1813–1915). He trained diligently for several years, learning many kata from this great master. It was Itosu who first developed the Pinan kata, which were most probably derived from the "Kusanku" form.

One of his close friends, Chōjun Miyagi (宮城 長順 Miyagi Chōjun^?) (co-founder of Gojū-ryū Karate) introduced Mabuni to another great of that period, Kanryō Higaonna (東恩納 寛量 Higaonna Kanryō^?). Mabuni began to learn Naha-te (那覇手^?) under him. While both Itosu and Higaonna taught a "hard-soft" style of Okinawan "Te", their methods and emphases were quite distinct: the Itosu syllabus included straight and powerful techniques as exemplified in the Naifanchi and Bassai kata; the Higaonna syllabus stressed circular motion and shorter fighting methods as seen in the kata Seipai and Kururunfa. Shitō-ryū focuses on both hard and soft techniques to this day.

By 1929, Mabuni had moved to Osaka on the mainland, to become a full-time karate instructor of a style he originally called Goju-ryū, or "half-hard style". The name of the style changed to Shitō-ryū, in honor of its main influences. Mabuni derived the name for his new style from the first kanji character in their names, Itosu and Higaonna.

-Source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shito-ryu)

Judo or Jūdō (柔道 jūdō^?, meaning "gentle way") is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Kano Jigoro. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an opponent to submit by joint locking or by executing a strangle hold or choke. Strikes and thrusts by hands and feet as well as weapons defences are a part of judo, but only in pre-arranged forms (kata) and are not allowed in judo competition or free practice (randori).

The philosophy and subsequent pedagogy developed for judo became the model for other modern Japanese martial arts that developed from koryū (古流^?, traditional schools). The worldwide spread of judo has led to the development of a number of offshoots such as Sambo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Practitioners of judo are called jūdōka.

-Source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo)

Its been so long since I was a white belt, learning new things all over again.  Oooh!! It was so exciting to be back at the learning stage, to be humbled, to look up to a new group of seniors to get the techniques right.  I found myself once again, keenly watching with an eagle eye, every move, every step, hanging on every word the senseis and senpais said.  Being guided when I did something wrong, feeling all excited when I did the falls and techniques right.

Once more I feel Mr Wong has done the corrrect thing by assigning a senior black belt to guide the training of new white belts in the dojo. As a white belt on my first day, I can't help feeling lost and strange in a new place with everyone being s familiar with the routine but me!.. lol. Now I have a new appreciation when a new white belt steps into SKA for the very first time..  and SKA is at least twice as big as the SJC and the group twice as big.  But I reckon the problem is, SKA has less friendlier people. well not less friendlier, but SEEM less approachable.  When I was at SJC today, all the trainees did their best to accomodate me and I thank them here for their hospitality which made me feel less clumsy and more inclined to come for my next training..which happens to be Tuesday night..  wahaha!

Karate will always be my first love and nothing will ever come in-between me and her.. except maybe my belly.. :(  Judo supplements my training for grappling, break-falling and most importantly.. I can handle myself in standup fights..  now.. I am preparing myself for ground work.. and boy am I looking forward to my training... wish me luck! :P

~CJ

aka The Determined One

Day of reckoning draws near...

Day 43

Almost there....

Best Workout Music

Day 33

To each his own. This is the best work out music I have found that suits me just fine.
Drowning Pool - "Bodies" Enjoy.


Can you hear me coming up behind you... I am almost back.. *grin

~CJ

My thoughts on my training so far

Day 31

This week has been fun! I was able to push through every exercise barrier I erected and did more.. yay! It wasn't easy though.. I had to push myself through the mental barriers.

Physically my body was able to cope. Mentally, it was sooo easy to give up, but I chose not to, and push for just that little bit more. Heh.. I am happy with my progress so far.. but I have to confess, it WAS much easier when I was doing this 4 years back...  hope I don't have to go through this again, ageing sucks :(

Right on day 30, I started my gym routine. I have already started focusing on my obliques early this time around, hopefully it will give me a better tummy shape all for vanity sake lol.

Oh oh, got my bones reset on Wednesday. Feeling a lot better in feeling that not all my joints  feel "locked" in place at a certain angle now..  good. This is going to help my come back :P

I have never completed my training in karate. I wonder if this time I can make good and finish up my training? I fear I might have veered too much in to mixed martial arts and is hard to turn back, but I believe I can make the change and stay the course.

This would be my legacy. I have so much in my head and heart to pass on what I have learnt and experienced, but I have no one to pass it on to.

Same issue as the previous time, everytime Mr Wong sees me with a junior talking, he would start getting agitated, and especially when I start giving pointers or coaching them, I can feel the disturbance in the force...   He would be extremely defensive.  Just like the other day, Mindy and Vicky came to training in the middle of my exercise routine... so when I finished my stuff, they were still going at it doing Ura Mashi Geri.

Anyone with a coaching experience and enough skills sitting by the side watching, would be very tempted to butt in and offer a little advice to the training couple.  And so especially me.. My limbs was so itchy watching them train, I wish I was fit enough right now to jump in with them at that moment.. but NO. My time will come. It will come soon.  However, I thought I can offer them a tip of two to improve their training techniques.

Guess what, Mr Wong saw, and he wasn't happy. Trust me la, he has been my teacher and father for over 23 years.. how can I not know his temperament? Staight away I can feel the disturbance in the force.

Why like that leh??? I have been good enough to fight, teach and win medals in my prime for the club, now I have karate leprosy ah?  I can prove it man, I still have the coverted "Instructor" chop on my membership card.. and that was back in the days when me and my gang have to fight every eligible fighter to prove ourselves, every tournament got a few selection tournaments to get to where we want to go HORRRRRRR...

Anyway, I have decided to let fate decide on who I pass on my knowledge to. My 2 kids don't seem too keen on martial arts or karate, so that is out, my juniors all think they can fly, so I can save my breath on them, my batch is equally good if not better, so who can I pass on my knowledge?

I know, I will become better then anyone in SKA or KUS at this point in time. Then I will let nature takes its course and lead me to the person for me to teach, otherwise I will take it to my grave lor.. simple :P  Its karate's loss, not mine :P

To those who like to poke fun at me and "motivate" me through tough love, I appreciate all that you guys have taken the trouble to put me through. I am on my way back to fight fitness, and when I am back on top, I won't forget your kindness, make sure you stick for my thank you. Oh.. just remember, don't kiss my fists. :P

The determined one.
~CJ