A Leap of Faith

So its been a few months since I've penned down anything and a lot has changed since then! I'm now out of the UK and into the Middle East starting a new career in.......... Teaching.

The feeling of homesickness always gets to you and I can't really pin down what it is I'm actually missing - family, friends, London or just the routine of my previous job.

But I guess with anything in life you need to move on and try something new and this is the best way to go about it! Just take a calculated risk and step into the unknown ..... a leap of faith.

Work on your "A" Game

As I've learnt in BJJ, learning new techniques and trying to build on your knowledge base is key to progressing in your game, but with anything in life its sometimes all about the basics. Working on techniques that you know will work and are comfortable in applying both in competitons and on the mat. Perfect your "A" Game.   

And such is the case with life. Sometimes, we try to do too much and surpass and do good deeds which are not sustainable. Lets try to stick to the basics and work on them regularly, that way we'll get further i.A.

Martial Arts and lessons in life - They are indeed linked!

Walk Alone

"The man who follows the crowd, will usually go no further then the crowd. The man who walks alone, is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been before"

Be unconventional and let the creativity and strangeness inside you show you new places in the world. Buy a house, make money, be normal - no thanks, peace is with me and this is strangeness to you. :)

Fait Accompli

As the bombardment of pro-Gadaffi forces continues, debates are now being held in the House of Commons as to whether UN Resolution 1973 should have been implemented. Our Government has made this decision to protect the Libyan people (It seems as though they needed foreign assistance), what was the real reason for such a hasty made decision to bombard? A question which should have been raised in the House of Commons rather than a Fait Accompli

Fragility

The fragility of a crystal is not a weakness but a finesse

How often do you notice something being so fragile and you think it is weak and incapable.... whether it is human or a simple object? You only notice how it is able to perform and show its inner power or strength after you've seen it being tested. That's when it truly shines. What is more amazing is the refining that it goes through to reach that level. Like the cupellation of gold, it is refined and heated at high temperatures and finally gold remains.

Live to Serve

Those that don't live to serve don't deserve to live. Because in the world of crime you earn respect and power but I'm tired of seeing the end of that film.

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From the Favellas of Rio De Janeiro.

Sign on

When you sign on to be a wife, you are signing on to be a widow, possibly. The implication is unsettling; the reaper will claim us all, yet to live is to pretend otherwise; to love is to imagine forever. Indeed the objective of life may be to remain ignorant of death for as long possible. The lesson of loss will come soon enough, and always as a shock.

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Just something I picked up from The Economist the other day. Never thought of marriage as such...... :-)

Always Something To Learn

A few weeks ago I went to Lisbon as a competitor for the European BJJ competition. The tiresome evenings, the strict diet regime and the injuries were all for this competition. 3 months + of a complete change in routine culminated in my confidence shooting through the roof.

Arriving at the location, it was a unlike my previous UK comps, I felt that I had prepared well. One thing that was lingering in my head was my weight. Its the first time I decided to cut weight and enter for the Pena weight class, Featherweight. It was set at a strict 70kg, not a kilo over. The night before I was still at 71kg hoping to drop that vital kg throughout the night with the aid of a some laxatives bought from Boots ;)

After all the warming up and the necessary preparation, my Gi was being checked, length material and all the other formalities. That's when the first blow hit me, before the fight! My Gi was too short! argh! I began to frantically chase my instructor to take his Gi. And now, this is when the adrenaline began to kick in, heart began to beat faster and breath slower, pre fight nerves coupled with the thought of not entering was now worrying me. Changing in to the new Gi, I sprinted back to the pre-fight area. Everything was in check, all that was left was the weigh-in. I stepped onto the scales......70.8! not even a few minor grams but .8 over.  I was relying on the laxatives to knock off a few pounds and they hadn't really kicked in and that meant I wasn't able to fight.....

Watching the fights and fighters from all over the world, I noticed the level and determination some fighters had, and to be honest I would have paid to come and watch this in any case. It was really motivating and interesting watching the fighters

A firm believer of Fate, There's Always Something To Learn.... and  it was a worthwhile trip . I'll be back better prepared next year and nothing short of a return with a Gold Medal ;)

Finally

Nice way to start a new blog with the words final. No way an indication of where its heading :)

Blogging and its power can seen be seen through the lens of the revolutions sweeping the Middle East. News organisations are following them, not vice versa! Now that is something that would not have been expected a few years ago. Al-Jazeera had regular pod bulletins/summaries when Mubarak was on the verge of being toppled where they gauged updates from bloggers... and in the words of the presenter 'a blogger we've been following regularly, "Tahrir Square....."

So here I am joining this blogging world....

Viva la Bloggers!