Ride the Horse, Dont let it ride you

He liked it,
He loved it,
He desired it,
He chased it,
He had it,
He wanted more,
He kept chasing,
He was never satisfied.


Such is the nature of desires, you will never be satisfied. The many forms of desires, gluttony, lust, money, and power, I ask Allah to make us the masters of our desires and never allow them to take control of our lives. Ameen.

Desire is like a horse, ride it, dont let it ride you.

Best on your Worst Day

"You're not training to be the best in the world, you're training to be the best in the world on your worst day"

A brilliant mindset to rise to the top. This is the advice given to Ronda Rousey by her mother. Both mother and daughter were world champions in Judo and Roda Rousey continues to dominate woman's UFC. Her mother would purposely send her to tournaments with no coaches and to places where she knew the referees would be officiating against her favour.... wow! Now that's a mother who really cares about her daughter. Look where she is now..... At the top! All the thoughts of her mother punishing her when she was young make sense now.

 

Brazil Part 3 - Amazonas

Night photo from the lodge

It was a quite a sight flying over the Amazon. There was nothing but mind-bogglingly convoluted labyrinth of channels, lakes and forests. The water looked eerily dangerous and the forest lush and full of life. I entered thought the city of Manaus, which is the main launching point to enter the Amazon. From a young age, dad would always be watching wildlife documentaries and the signature voice of David Attenborough seemed to be ringing in my head throughout the whole journey! It was surreal and a blessing to finally have a chance to experience and live in such a vital area of the earth.

Gapoa

From the many tour operators offering excursions in the jungle, I chose a reputable operator beforehand (to avoid the dodgy ones at the airport) which carried out the usual activities - overnight jungle stay, wildlife spotting, canoeing, jungle trek and a few other activities. It was two-legged journey, a 3 hour  minivan ride from the hostel to a drop off point and then a boat ride of 1 and a half hours along the Urubu river 20-30 km into the Amazonas. A tiresome journey but definitely worth the wait after witnessing the beautiful jungle lodge. Set in the midst of the Amazon, the lodge was beautifully set up and maintained. It catered for large groups, families and singletons. We arrived around mid day and were shown our rooms and familiarized with the lodge surroundings. Our first night was spent in the jungle camp, around an hours walk from the lodge. After being the only one willing to sleep outside in the hammocks (the rain deterred the rest of the group) it was definitely the right choice. Witnessing the clear sky and the canopy of the trees in the midst of the night was heavenly.

The second day we trekked into the forest for a few hours and learnt about the medicinal plants and how the forest is used for survival - water, shelter and how to stay safe. The guide was extremely knowledgeable. His navigation using only the sun as a guide was simply amazing. We didn't have the chance to see much wildlife. The season and also the noise we made made the animals distance themselves from us. The rustling of the trees from the quick monkeys was all that could be seen. The most interesting part of this trek was the process of rubber tapping. The guide showed us the rubber tree (Hevea Brasiliensis) and the milky liquid that is extracted and heated to make rubber.

My catch :)

We made our way back to the jungle lodge and in the evening we enjoyed a canoe ride into the Gapoa, the flooded forest. We arrived before sunset and experienced the serenity of the forest which then turned into a whole host of weird noises in the forest, the birds, the Captain of the jungle (a bird), crickets, frogs and other creatures which Mr Attenburugh can you fill you in with!

The third day we canoed out into the vast waterways, attempting to spot dolphins, and other wildlife, albeit successfully but only at quick glances. Growing up going to zoos and watching caged animals the expectation of  the Amazon will disappoint you. It'll only be a quick glimpse or the rustling of the trees, and as was the case with the dolphins, they surfaced for a split second and only the fins and head was seen. We went fishing just before sunset and it was an interesting but unsuccessful experience for me! I caught 0 in the time we were out there. My partners caught some average size piranhas. I thought I'd caught a large one on one occasion but I realized the bait just got stuck in a log in the water. 

The little girl from the village

On the final day, due to my unsuccessful fishing expedition (literally), I had the privilege to go out on my own and catch some Piranhas!  This time I was successful. I caught three, despite only two in the photo (honest). The most difficult part was trying to neutralize them after catching them. They were wiggling about and I thought they would get a bite out of my finger. (I realized later, you're supposed to snap them at the neck... *cringes*). I came back to the lodge satisfied and relieved as I didn't want to return empty handed for the cooks in the kitchen. With the fish still not dead, I awkwardly got them in a bag and gave them to the cook and slipped out stealthily. I hope her fingers are still intact. We ended the voyage with a visit to a local family who live off the amazon. A small family not far from the lodge, they lived in a simple wooden house right off the shores of the waterway in the jungle. There were 6 in the family, all working on the small farm right outside their house. The picture of the cute girl is the one from this village. She was so sweet and innocent, looking at us all the time wondering what all these foreigners were doing in her house. They make their living from growing Manioca and trading this with other resources rather than selling it. It was a very simple and quiet life.

We headed back to the lodge and prepared for our departure. An end to what was an interesting short excursion into the Amazon. I hope to set foot on your lovely plains again Amazon!

Brazil Part 2 - Hoped for an Interview, Only Got a Picture!

One of the elite forces in the world, the Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais (BOPE), based in Rio, Brazil, are a force to be reckoned with. They have a tough selection process similar to that of elite units in the world and they are feared force amongst the organized criminals they target. I first heard of them from Chirs Ryan's elite world cops documentary quite a few years back. They were also popularized by the 'fiction' movie Tropa de Elite, a must see for anyone interested in Brazil, corruption, BOPE and all out action! Based on a book written by a former BOPE member André Batista and Rodrigo Pimentel it journeys through the drug trade in the favellas and the role of BOPE in countering this. It also addresses how corruption is weaved into the system and the years it will take to rid the country of this.

So my travels in the country demanded that I pay homage to the headquarters in Laranjeiras in Rio de Janeiro and see if I could arrange an interview with Lt.Col. René Alonso, commander of BOPE. Preparing my interview questions I wanted to focus on the World Cup 2014 and role of the BOPE in the event. As everyone is most likely familiar with, the crime rate in Brazil is high and the tourists fears need to be alleviated. Its something which worries every visitor to the country. Funnily enough, it wasn't an issue for me at all, maybe because I blended in very easily. Its a good thing to have a look at the dress sense beforehand and try to dress similarly. Everyone was speaking to me in Portuguese! As I headed off to their base, which was on top of a hill, I entered and was greeted by two BOPE guards at the front gate. I presented my media card and asked for Lt Rene Alonso and they radioed in to see if anyone was available for an interview. The problem, which I should have forseen, was there was no one who spoke English and the only person who did, Lt.Col. René Alonso, had literally just driven past me exiting the base! So a lack of preparation on my part. If I had e mailed before hand, I'm sure someone would have been available. So I left empty handed.... but not all was lost! I managed to take a picture of the front gate!!!! (which I'm sure you'll find on the internet) The writing in Portuguese reads, 'Welcome'...'No Sudden Movements'  

Brazil Part 1 - Carioca for a Month

The pope at Copacabana beach, just missed him!

"Neck aches, Caipirinhas and lots of Não Intendos"

Arriving in Rio de Janeiro at the same time as the pope, was a rude awakening. Amazing to see so many people cram onto Copacabana beach. Atmosphere was really buzzing! I didn't get a chance to meet the pope but would have loved to catch up with him. He had a busy schedule and so did I. :)

Stayed in Rio for a month and I opted out of visiting the major backpacking destinations around the country. This meant I had the time to learn the basics of Portuguese and also roll around at different BJJ clubs. I also got the chance to visit the Amazon! Growing up listening to David Attenburugh and and the miracles of the Amazon, it seemed a distant land and one which only the lucky could visit but here I was, in the midst of the mighty Amazon for over 5 days! Praise be to God!

Watch this space for BJJ clubs, Favellas, BOPE and the Amazon....

The Plumb Pudding in Danger

"The great globe itself and all which it inherit is too small to satisfy such insatiable desires" 

Some things don't change. This is a painting in the 1800s with the two great superpowers, Great Britain and France, feasting and dividing the world. The globe is carved out and shared between them. Our present day, it seems as though it is pretty much the same with the superpowers carving out the Middle East and Asia. 

In Peace and War

In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man

As modest stillness and humility,

But when the blast of war blows in our ears,

Then imitate the action of the tiger:

Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,

Disguise fair nature with hard-favored rage.

- 'Once more unto the breach' speech, from Shakespeare's Henry V, 1598

Part of a speech before soldiers prepared to scale the walls of Harfleur. Eloquent piece I picked up from a bit of reading. Almost makes me wanna slap my right hand on my heart and sing God Save the Queen. 

Debilitating Hurdle!

And there it is, a picture of a well defined upper body skeletal system ...... but... it has one fatal flaw!

Whilst training the other day I landed rather forcefully on my left shoulder. I immediately felt something was wrong, something was seriously irritating my left shoulder! I felt the error signals rush to my brain and my body switching to emergency mode. I didnt feel no pain at that specific moment. I immediately let go of my opponent, I was very close to locking his arm. My left shoulder was completely immobilized I thats when I felt my bone popping out on my left shoulder... yikes!! At first I thought it was a dislocation but after visiting the emergency ward I realized its a common sporting injury - seperated shoulder.

Due to the location of the shoulder, its vulnerable to injuries in these types of sports (grappling, wrestling, rugby). Known as a separated shoulder, the clavicular bone and the scapula are joined by some ligaments. There's various grades to the injury. Grade I being a partial tear and a slight bump on the shoulder and grade VI being a complete tear with a dislocation and whole of other nasty stuff. My one is in the middle grade III and this means that the bone popping out, seen on the scan, is my clavicle sticking out. The ligaments holding it in place have been torn hence the reason its springing upwards! I'll be out of training for a few months unitl I get full mobility. I just hope this injury doesn't keep haunting me in the future... More worrying for me is a weird new phenomenon and fetish of staring at people's shoulders! lol

I'm a believer of fate and everything has a reason for its occurrence. This incident could be a reason for me to slow down and focus on other aspects of training and life. Funnily enough, it was only last recently I was wondering when I'd find time to complete my online personal training course. This seems to be the perfect time and hopefully add another valuable qualification under my belt! I can also focus on one handed defenses and fighting at a disadvantage..... (hope its not permanent!)

Injury is definitely depressing especially since it was my schedule 5 times a week, but I guess this is part of the learning process. I've seen talented people pack their bags after injuries, some more significant than mine. In the end, it boils down to how much you want it and what hurdles you're prepared to overcome to achieve that goal. Apart from the psychological battles that one faces, this debilitating hurdle is definitely something new to me. I hope I can bounce back stronger!

Who's Pulling Whose String?

 

So what do Chechnya and Boston have in common? That'll even have some of the world's top analysts pulling their hair out. This incident raises more questions than answers. The US cannot come out of this clean and dry. They could be knee deep in this as well. After the event of 9-11 and the wiki leaks scandal, nothing can be discounted. What's puzzling is how could these two relatively average guys, whilst the older one was being watched, get hold of some serious armory in Boston. After all the gun rampages in the US, Tamerlan Tsarnaev was able to get hold of assault rifles and hand guns which held off the police for a considerable amount of time. Surely it couldn't have been that easy getting hold of these weapons. So how does the US benefit from an operation like this? See my entry on the Politics of Fear.

At the other end of the spectrum, an issue which raises questions is the history of FSB in operations like this. They've been known to employ Chechens to do their wet-work and in all-round criminality. Tsarnaevs may have not known they were working for the FSB. A case in point is that of Mehmet Ali Ağca. He attempted to assassinate the Pope John Paul II. He only realized his string was being pulled by Moscow years after the event.

What could the Kremlin have possibly capitalized from this event? Moscow has attempted to highlight the troubles in Chechnya as part of the worldwide threat of terrorism. This has so far fallen on deaf ears. However, Washington will now have to examine the threat in Russia as a worldwide terrorism threat. It seems like the Chechen cause has seen this coming and already issued a statement mentioning that 'our fight is with Russia and not with the US'. They seem to have realized that these bombings do nothing to further their cause. WHo knows what links are dug up between the Tsarnaevs and Chechen groups operating in Dagestan. 

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but everything is not what it seems. There's a lot more to significant events around the world than meets the eye and its never clear who's pulling whose string. 

Mind and Matter

" If you think you'll lose, you're lost
  for out in the world you'll find
  Success begins with a fellows will
  it's all in the state of mind"

Trying to develop the right mindset can always be worked on. I guess its always overlooked by many athletes.

Well how do you train the mind? Its similar to my earlier entry - Power of Belief.  Another way of training the mind is putting yourself in a stressful situation, a competition, a street fight (don't go picking fights) and trying to overcome the demons which whisper in your ear... "You aint going to win this", "Pull out now when you can", "You've dug yourself in a hole"...etc All these thoughts can be vanquished by constant positive thought, mental focus and end goal.

I remember a quote I heard a while back...

"Mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter " 

Stay positive guys. Ain't no hurdle big enough or to difficult to overcome

Another Intervention

So a country in Sub-Saharan Africa has been run over by 'Islamists' who are bent upon enforcing 'Sharia Law'. A term which, unfortunately, justifies foreign intervention. At the cost of millions of pounds/euros (aren't we still in a recession?) and the inevitable destruction of property and loss of lives. Do we need another war and do we need more bloodshed? In the end, its the civilians that will pay the ultimate price. There seems to be no clear strategy in foreign intervention. Egypt are now run by an 'Islamist Goverment'. Does this justify another foreign intervention? There are groups all over Sub-Sahran Africa, Boko Haram, Al-Shabab and other of the like.

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Sun Tzu