I did Legs & Back last night, and I'm hurting already, barely 12 hours later. I did an abbreviated version of Legs & Back, and I'll think I'll continue to do it like this. The first half of L&B is fine. Well, not fine, pretty bloody hard. It just destroys me every time. Wall squats, balance lunges, one legged wall squats, deadlift squats, all that. Plus the pull ups. Then after the short halftime break, the workout gets a bit loose, in my opinion. So I skip the Dreya's 3-way lunges, and then I skip the sneaky lunges. I do the next two exercises, then I skip the toe-roll iso lunges, do the pullups, and then skip the Groucho walk. In the past I have never done these exercises with any intensity anyway, so I may as well just skip them and make the whole ordeal shorter and more appealing. It shortens the second round by about 10 minutes. When I do it like this, I see the first round as a lot of leg exercises with some pull ups thrown in, and the second round as a lot of pullups with some leg exercises thrown in. I like it. Well, I don't like it, but you know what I mean.
Tonight I've got to squeeze in Yoga between meeting Nori and packing for Hawaii. We leave tomorrow night, Thursday night, and fly all night, and arrive in Hawaii Thursday morning. Weird.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Round 3: Day 5 - Rest
It seems that as soon as I wake to go to work recently I have a headache. It's a day to day thing now. Every Spring I get them for a month or so. It gives me the shits. I was okay on the weekend, though last night I could feel one coming on, and today it hurts. I might try to go to the doctors and seeing what he says.
I have changed my type of canned coffee. It's still Boss, but it's no-sugar. I'm reading the can. It is called "Amakunai Ore" coffee which means "not-sweet Au Lait". But amai, sweet, also means to be indulgent, or kind of spoilt. It's a pretty common word here, and according to some psychologists, the key to understanding the Japanese personality.
Anyway, the "Au Lait" in Japanese is written as "ore", which is also the male informal word for "me", or "I". So it's called "not-sweet Au Lait", but also something like "I'm no pushover".
How can the same sentence have two such different meanings?
Swans got beat on Saturday. St Kilda where just too good. Sometimes I feel that Sydney work too hard for their losses. We never get thrashed, so we always have our chances, which means we are always playing %100. We never have easy loses. Goodes played really well, and so did Grundy, and it was great to see Kennelly back, though his faceplant in the last quarter made me feel sick. Welcome back to AFL, where a guy can just smash into the back of you and ram your face hard enough into the ground to break your nose. But I feel like our second tier players, Ted Williams, Ryce Shaw, Marty Mattner, those guys, who are good when the pressure is off, are always going to give it up when it matters. They did all last year, and will this year too. I suppose there just aren't enough good players around to fill a team with them. But Geelong and St Kilda's second tier are better then ours. Bottom line.
Workouts going well. Thankfully my head was fine when I did them, or they would have sucked. I've got my rest day, and then Legs & Back tomorrow. The hotel I'm staying at in Hawaii has a sports gym apparently, so I might do a workout or two while I'm there. It's funny, I've been checking online reviews of the hotel we are staying at, the Pacific Beach Hotel, and they are so wildly varied. Some people say it's the best hotel ever, the only one they'd stay in, and others hated it, worst hotel ever. It must be infuriating to actually run one of these places. The hotel we stayed at last time was good, except the breakfast was utter shit. Stuff like donuts, pastry shit in batter, warm greasy pancakes, and everything wrapped in plastic or in polystyrene boxes. I wept for the Earth seeing the bins full of this shit every morning. "Best breakfasts ever!" someone wrote in the review of that hotel. Amazing.
Actually, one of my missions this time in Hawaii is to find a place that sells better food that Burger King, which topped the list last time. I had some awful food while I was there. We went to a buffet, and I saw they had roast beef. Roast beef! I hadn't eaten roast beef for maybe a year or so. I went over and the chef sliced me a piece of the sickest, greyest, ugliest roast beef you've ever seen, and slapped it on my plate. I took one mouthful and spat it out. "How was your meal?" asked the waiter at the end of the night. "Very ordinary" I said. He smiled, probably not listening. It cost $80 for two adults and a 3 year old kid. We'll see how we go this time.
Speaking of food, I think I cured myself of Yakiniku on Friday night. I am pretty close to vomiting now just thinking about it. We went out for dinner on Friday night for Jo-kun's birthday, and we ordered too much meat. Yakiniku is when they bring you a plate of raw meat and you cook it yourself on the griller in the middle of the table. I ate too much, and I was bringing it up all night, reflux, I think it's called. The thing is when you go to one of these places, your hair smells like meat, your clothes smell like meat, and when you eat too much you can still smell it when you go home. it turns you off severely. There is a bit of a stomach bug going around, and I've caught a bit of it, so my appetite is way down.
Are you watching Jamie Oliver in America? He's doing what he did in England about school lunches. A great show. It's amazing the resistance he's up against when all he wants to do is feed the kids better food. People look at him like he's a madman. Mind you, try telling a Japanese person that eating a bowl of rice with every meal is probably not very good for you, and they think you are crazy. Every day at lunch I order a small rice by saying "komori", but the person at the counter thinks I've said "omori" which means large size because that's what everyone says, and they start piling mounds of rice into the bowl. Every time! I have to say "KOmori!", and then as soon as they start piling the rice in I'm ready. "KOMORI!" They look up in shock, see a foreigner, which explains the anomaly of someone wanting LESS rice, and then start shoveling the rice back out of the bowl, muttering something. But you'd think it would be easier to argue that kids shouldn't be eating pizza for breakfast, but apparently not.
I have changed my type of canned coffee. It's still Boss, but it's no-sugar. I'm reading the can. It is called "Amakunai Ore" coffee which means "not-sweet Au Lait". But amai, sweet, also means to be indulgent, or kind of spoilt. It's a pretty common word here, and according to some psychologists, the key to understanding the Japanese personality.
Anyway, the "Au Lait" in Japanese is written as "ore", which is also the male informal word for "me", or "I". So it's called "not-sweet Au Lait", but also something like "I'm no pushover".
How can the same sentence have two such different meanings?
Swans got beat on Saturday. St Kilda where just too good. Sometimes I feel that Sydney work too hard for their losses. We never get thrashed, so we always have our chances, which means we are always playing %100. We never have easy loses. Goodes played really well, and so did Grundy, and it was great to see Kennelly back, though his faceplant in the last quarter made me feel sick. Welcome back to AFL, where a guy can just smash into the back of you and ram your face hard enough into the ground to break your nose. But I feel like our second tier players, Ted Williams, Ryce Shaw, Marty Mattner, those guys, who are good when the pressure is off, are always going to give it up when it matters. They did all last year, and will this year too. I suppose there just aren't enough good players around to fill a team with them. But Geelong and St Kilda's second tier are better then ours. Bottom line.
Workouts going well. Thankfully my head was fine when I did them, or they would have sucked. I've got my rest day, and then Legs & Back tomorrow. The hotel I'm staying at in Hawaii has a sports gym apparently, so I might do a workout or two while I'm there. It's funny, I've been checking online reviews of the hotel we are staying at, the Pacific Beach Hotel, and they are so wildly varied. Some people say it's the best hotel ever, the only one they'd stay in, and others hated it, worst hotel ever. It must be infuriating to actually run one of these places. The hotel we stayed at last time was good, except the breakfast was utter shit. Stuff like donuts, pastry shit in batter, warm greasy pancakes, and everything wrapped in plastic or in polystyrene boxes. I wept for the Earth seeing the bins full of this shit every morning. "Best breakfasts ever!" someone wrote in the review of that hotel. Amazing.
Actually, one of my missions this time in Hawaii is to find a place that sells better food that Burger King, which topped the list last time. I had some awful food while I was there. We went to a buffet, and I saw they had roast beef. Roast beef! I hadn't eaten roast beef for maybe a year or so. I went over and the chef sliced me a piece of the sickest, greyest, ugliest roast beef you've ever seen, and slapped it on my plate. I took one mouthful and spat it out. "How was your meal?" asked the waiter at the end of the night. "Very ordinary" I said. He smiled, probably not listening. It cost $80 for two adults and a 3 year old kid. We'll see how we go this time.
Speaking of food, I think I cured myself of Yakiniku on Friday night. I am pretty close to vomiting now just thinking about it. We went out for dinner on Friday night for Jo-kun's birthday, and we ordered too much meat. Yakiniku is when they bring you a plate of raw meat and you cook it yourself on the griller in the middle of the table. I ate too much, and I was bringing it up all night, reflux, I think it's called. The thing is when you go to one of these places, your hair smells like meat, your clothes smell like meat, and when you eat too much you can still smell it when you go home. it turns you off severely. There is a bit of a stomach bug going around, and I've caught a bit of it, so my appetite is way down.
Are you watching Jamie Oliver in America? He's doing what he did in England about school lunches. A great show. It's amazing the resistance he's up against when all he wants to do is feed the kids better food. People look at him like he's a madman. Mind you, try telling a Japanese person that eating a bowl of rice with every meal is probably not very good for you, and they think you are crazy. Every day at lunch I order a small rice by saying "komori", but the person at the counter thinks I've said "omori" which means large size because that's what everyone says, and they start piling mounds of rice into the bowl. Every time! I have to say "KOmori!", and then as soon as they start piling the rice in I'm ready. "KOMORI!" They look up in shock, see a foreigner, which explains the anomaly of someone wanting LESS rice, and then start shoveling the rice back out of the bowl, muttering something. But you'd think it would be easier to argue that kids shouldn't be eating pizza for breakfast, but apparently not.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Round 3: Day 2 - Masters Memories
The Masters holds a special place in my heart, and I always look forward to the start of April when I can turn on the telly and see the beautiful green hills of Augusta National. This Masters is extra important because Tiger is coming back (I am curious how the fans will receive him), and the last few masters have been dull as shit. I remember watching it when I was a kid, and the most outrageous stuff would happen every year. Larry Mize's chip in in '87, Hoch's missed putt in '89, Tiger's 12 shot victory in '97, the '04 Masters which was just insane, and Tiger's chip in on 16 in '05. More of that, please.
Augusta. Your dogwoods and pines... I'll be singing that all day.
Well, once again the Tigers got pumped by Carlton in the first game of the year, though according to the newspapers the Tigers were fantastic, only losing to Carlton by nine goals.
Can I tell you what a blessing the Internet, and in particular, illegal downloading is? Three years ago, I decided that I would like to watch AFL football here in Japan. I hadn't seen a game in years, and I missed it. My parents would send me a VHS tape of a game once or twice a year, but really the only footy I saw was on the news clips I could watch on-line. So I did some investigating, and it turned out that I could watch the football through the AFL website, at a special site for International members. So I paid my $60 and organised my week around the games. Of course, they were not up until a couple of days after the actual game, so I had to stay away from news sites, Facebook, etc, until they were up. And there was no pre-game or post-game analysis, no interviews, nothing. The game started with the first quarter siren, and ended thirty seconds after the final siren. Also, I watched them via streaming, meaning the quality was poor, and I couldn't actually see the ball. I just kind of knew where it was because that's where all the players were going towards. And then sometimes it would start buffering, and I would have to sit and wait for five, ten minutes. And then sometimes it would not start at all. Still, I watched a lot of games, and despite the problems, got to enjoy the majority of them. Basically it was like watching AFL football on Youtube. Youtube three years ago. (For my Australian readers, Youtube three years ago in Japan is about the same viewing experience as watching Youtube in Australia will be three years from now. If the Australian government hasn't banned it by then). I was quite happy to pay the money and go another year.
The trouble began when I went to the usual web page to watch a big game on a Monday night, chips and beer at hand, when I was redirected to another site, "Aussie Sports TV". Yes, they had sold the international streaming rights to a large European Internet sports group specializing in soccer, F1, and other sports, with AFL waaaay down the list. Don't let the name fool you. And the game wasn't up yet. It was up for Australian viewers, but not for International viewers. By Thursday night it still wasn't up, and by then I had lost my mind, and I sent them an irate mail telling them how much I hate them.
I need not have lost my mind. What I did, and what I should have done from the start, is find a bit torrent site specializing in AFL football, and download the games illegally. Free. HD. Pre-game and post game analysis. In addition, more panel shows that I can possibly keep track of. I wrote another mail to "Aussie Sports TV" telling them I had begun to illegally download the football and would not be requiring their services any longer, and gave them one last spray. Now I watch AFL games the day after they're played at home, at work, anywhere. And my providers are just people with a HDD who think other people might want to see some football. I just thank god I live in a country that does not restrict the amount of data I can access, because in a typical footy week I download over 2GB of footy.
I will pay someone who can provide me with better service, but I don't need to justify or excuse my behaviour. I just want to watch AFL football, and this is the easiest way. I would rather not break the law, but it's not like the cops are going to bash down my door. They might bash down the door of the torrent site owners, but I donate $20 every year to make myself feel better, and let them know I appreciate their efforts.
Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit went fine last night. Again, nearly got through it, but not quite.
Today is Joey Jo Jo's birthday! 1! Happy birthday my little ruff n' tumble baby boy. I love you.
Augusta. Your dogwoods and pines... I'll be singing that all day.
Well, once again the Tigers got pumped by Carlton in the first game of the year, though according to the newspapers the Tigers were fantastic, only losing to Carlton by nine goals.
Can I tell you what a blessing the Internet, and in particular, illegal downloading is? Three years ago, I decided that I would like to watch AFL football here in Japan. I hadn't seen a game in years, and I missed it. My parents would send me a VHS tape of a game once or twice a year, but really the only footy I saw was on the news clips I could watch on-line. So I did some investigating, and it turned out that I could watch the football through the AFL website, at a special site for International members. So I paid my $60 and organised my week around the games. Of course, they were not up until a couple of days after the actual game, so I had to stay away from news sites, Facebook, etc, until they were up. And there was no pre-game or post-game analysis, no interviews, nothing. The game started with the first quarter siren, and ended thirty seconds after the final siren. Also, I watched them via streaming, meaning the quality was poor, and I couldn't actually see the ball. I just kind of knew where it was because that's where all the players were going towards. And then sometimes it would start buffering, and I would have to sit and wait for five, ten minutes. And then sometimes it would not start at all. Still, I watched a lot of games, and despite the problems, got to enjoy the majority of them. Basically it was like watching AFL football on Youtube. Youtube three years ago. (For my Australian readers, Youtube three years ago in Japan is about the same viewing experience as watching Youtube in Australia will be three years from now. If the Australian government hasn't banned it by then). I was quite happy to pay the money and go another year.
The trouble began when I went to the usual web page to watch a big game on a Monday night, chips and beer at hand, when I was redirected to another site, "Aussie Sports TV". Yes, they had sold the international streaming rights to a large European Internet sports group specializing in soccer, F1, and other sports, with AFL waaaay down the list. Don't let the name fool you. And the game wasn't up yet. It was up for Australian viewers, but not for International viewers. By Thursday night it still wasn't up, and by then I had lost my mind, and I sent them an irate mail telling them how much I hate them.
I need not have lost my mind. What I did, and what I should have done from the start, is find a bit torrent site specializing in AFL football, and download the games illegally. Free. HD. Pre-game and post game analysis. In addition, more panel shows that I can possibly keep track of. I wrote another mail to "Aussie Sports TV" telling them I had begun to illegally download the football and would not be requiring their services any longer, and gave them one last spray. Now I watch AFL games the day after they're played at home, at work, anywhere. And my providers are just people with a HDD who think other people might want to see some football. I just thank god I live in a country that does not restrict the amount of data I can access, because in a typical footy week I download over 2GB of footy.
I will pay someone who can provide me with better service, but I don't need to justify or excuse my behaviour. I just want to watch AFL football, and this is the easiest way. I would rather not break the law, but it's not like the cops are going to bash down my door. They might bash down the door of the torrent site owners, but I donate $20 every year to make myself feel better, and let them know I appreciate their efforts.
Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit went fine last night. Again, nearly got through it, but not quite.
Today is Joey Jo Jo's birthday! 1! Happy birthday my little ruff n' tumble baby boy. I love you.
"Hi. Nice to see you."
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Round 3: With A Vengeance- Day 1
Springtime is here, though it has rained for three days straight here. Time for a new round. What I've done this time is broken the 90 days into three blocks. But wait. What I've done then is break up each block into two two-week long blocks. That's the genius of it. I do four days of workouts, then take a rest day. Then I do three days, then a rest. Then four days, then a rest. That's fourteen days. Repeat, and there's a block. The first fourteen days look like this.
Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit
P90X Chest & Back
One on One Killer Abs
P90X Shoulders & Arms
Rest
P90X Legs & Back
One on One Fountain Of Youth Yoga
P90 Master Cardio Intervals
Rest
P90X Chest, Shoulders & Triceps
Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance
Insanity Insane Abs
P90X Back & Biceps
Rest
That's basically the pattern for the whole three months. Not as strenuous as a normal P90X or Insanity program, but nearly. One extra rest day every two weeks, and a couple of easier days thrown in there too. This round is called "Round 3 - With A Vengeance", or just "Round 3" for short. The "With A Vengeance" is because the last two attempts I've had at Round 3 have had to be aborted because of illness. This time I'm playing to win.
Footy starts this week. Richmond and Carlton tonight. Remember last year when Carlton destroyed Richmond's season in the first half of the first game of the year? Do we dare wish the same thing happen again?
Swans, meanwhile, had their slump last year, finishing 10th or something, and this year we will be back in the finals where we belong. No dramas there.
I had my morning speech yesterday. I talked about a problem gripping the nation, much like health care has in America and racism in my home city Melbourne. The quietness of hybrid cars, and how to let pedestrians know that there's one behind them. Yes, there's a growing fear in the narrow streets of urban Japan. The hybrid. Imagine walking down the street, perhaps texting or chatting to a friend, oblivious to the world around you, only to turn around and discover a Prius waiting patiently for an opportunity to pass you. How long have they been waiting? you wonder. I have been extremely rude without even realising it. And what about the poor driver? Oh dear, what should I do? If I toot my horn, I will frighten them. I will just have to wait patiently. The best thing to do would be to roll down my window and say "excuse me," but it is cold/hot outside, and I would be uncomfortable for a moment. Oh dear.
I'm sure some company somewhere has come up with an alternative to the horn that you can put in your hybrid car that sounds a pleasant little melody to alert pedestrians. But anyway, the gist of my speech was that sometimes new technology presents problems that cannot be predicted. The boss loved it because he drives a Prius, and I don't have to do another morning speech for a month or so. You beauty.
Nori's omiai went okay, he said. The girl is plain-looking, and didn't have big tits, which disappointed him. He said that his uncle not supplying him with a photograph was a mistake, because it just built up expectations. She is a really nice girl though, he said, and they have become text friends, and he said he will probably marry her(!). His mother is putting a lot of pressure on him to get married, he said, and he wants to make her happy/shut her up. Anyway, he has a couple of months to find someone better before "crunch time" (a phrase I taught him last night) when the decision has to be made.
Look at it this way. The worst thing that can happen is that he will have a nice wife who will cook and clean for him and his mother, and bear and raise his children. That's the way it is here. Most people get married because it's expected of them, and most husbands and wives like each other, but have their own lives and hobbies, and their marriages are based more on a benefit/obligation balance. The woman keeps the home, cooks the meals, does the laundry, and gets to spend the money the man earns on shopping or coffee and cake with friends and trips without question. The man goes to work, gets the money and gives it to the wife, and gets to have their food cooked, their clothes cleaned etc, and the occasional raucous evening with friends in a bar or club, no questions asked. I would like to say things are changing, but this is Japan. And besides, is it much different in your country? Who cooks your meals? Who cleans your clothes? Who raises your children? Who pays for your coffee and cake?
Anyway, his new car is really nice. Subaru Outback. His boss is a little upset that he didn't buy a Toyota, seeing as though he works for Toyota and they are in the shit, but like Nori said, why would he? He's not crazy.
Here's a picture of the T-shirt I was taking about the other day. You be the judge.
And here's a picture of my handsome boy and his new haircut.
Go Tigers! (That's for you, Stevie and Shannon.)
Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit
P90X Chest & Back
One on One Killer Abs
P90X Shoulders & Arms
Rest
P90X Legs & Back
One on One Fountain Of Youth Yoga
P90 Master Cardio Intervals
Rest
P90X Chest, Shoulders & Triceps
Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance
Insanity Insane Abs
P90X Back & Biceps
Rest
That's basically the pattern for the whole three months. Not as strenuous as a normal P90X or Insanity program, but nearly. One extra rest day every two weeks, and a couple of easier days thrown in there too. This round is called "Round 3 - With A Vengeance", or just "Round 3" for short. The "With A Vengeance" is because the last two attempts I've had at Round 3 have had to be aborted because of illness. This time I'm playing to win.
Footy starts this week. Richmond and Carlton tonight. Remember last year when Carlton destroyed Richmond's season in the first half of the first game of the year? Do we dare wish the same thing happen again?
Swans, meanwhile, had their slump last year, finishing 10th or something, and this year we will be back in the finals where we belong. No dramas there.
I had my morning speech yesterday. I talked about a problem gripping the nation, much like health care has in America and racism in my home city Melbourne. The quietness of hybrid cars, and how to let pedestrians know that there's one behind them. Yes, there's a growing fear in the narrow streets of urban Japan. The hybrid. Imagine walking down the street, perhaps texting or chatting to a friend, oblivious to the world around you, only to turn around and discover a Prius waiting patiently for an opportunity to pass you. How long have they been waiting? you wonder. I have been extremely rude without even realising it. And what about the poor driver? Oh dear, what should I do? If I toot my horn, I will frighten them. I will just have to wait patiently. The best thing to do would be to roll down my window and say "excuse me," but it is cold/hot outside, and I would be uncomfortable for a moment. Oh dear.
I'm sure some company somewhere has come up with an alternative to the horn that you can put in your hybrid car that sounds a pleasant little melody to alert pedestrians. But anyway, the gist of my speech was that sometimes new technology presents problems that cannot be predicted. The boss loved it because he drives a Prius, and I don't have to do another morning speech for a month or so. You beauty.
Nori's omiai went okay, he said. The girl is plain-looking, and didn't have big tits, which disappointed him. He said that his uncle not supplying him with a photograph was a mistake, because it just built up expectations. She is a really nice girl though, he said, and they have become text friends, and he said he will probably marry her(!). His mother is putting a lot of pressure on him to get married, he said, and he wants to make her happy/shut her up. Anyway, he has a couple of months to find someone better before "crunch time" (a phrase I taught him last night) when the decision has to be made.
Look at it this way. The worst thing that can happen is that he will have a nice wife who will cook and clean for him and his mother, and bear and raise his children. That's the way it is here. Most people get married because it's expected of them, and most husbands and wives like each other, but have their own lives and hobbies, and their marriages are based more on a benefit/obligation balance. The woman keeps the home, cooks the meals, does the laundry, and gets to spend the money the man earns on shopping or coffee and cake with friends and trips without question. The man goes to work, gets the money and gives it to the wife, and gets to have their food cooked, their clothes cleaned etc, and the occasional raucous evening with friends in a bar or club, no questions asked. I would like to say things are changing, but this is Japan. And besides, is it much different in your country? Who cooks your meals? Who cleans your clothes? Who raises your children? Who pays for your coffee and cake?
Anyway, his new car is really nice. Subaru Outback. His boss is a little upset that he didn't buy a Toyota, seeing as though he works for Toyota and they are in the shit, but like Nori said, why would he? He's not crazy.
Here's a picture of the T-shirt I was taking about the other day. You be the judge.
And here's a picture of my handsome boy and his new haircut.
Go Tigers! (That's for you, Stevie and Shannon.)
Monday, March 22, 2010
Birthday
I had planned on posting a picture of myself on my birthday, all big and cut and stuff, but it hasn't happened. Those headaches I got last week put everything on hold. I have to stop what ever it was that was causing them or it would make life really difficult. On Friday I did X Stretch, Saturday I did Recovery 4 Results, and yesterday I took the plunge and did Back & Biceps. Everything seemed fine, but I was careful not to overdo it, because that's when the headaches start. I did go to failure a few times and felt fine, which is a god sign. I warmed up properly, which is something I wasn't doing before, drank plenty of water, and concentrated on my breathing. It's amazing how often I find myself holding my breath. I have to stop doing that. When I start my next round of workouts, my main focus is going to be on form and breathing. This might mean that the numbers will drop compared to last time, but it will mean I'm doing the exercises properly, and getting more out of them. I'm sure that there were a lot of causes of the headaches. Stress, not warming up properly, not breathing properly, too many caffeine and sugary drinks (canned coffee), too much chocolate (KitKats, actually. Being going a little crazy on the Kitkats), sinus problems. That last one is important, I think. Since that weird cold thing I had last month, and every time I get hay fever, my sinuses get messed up. They're still not perfect, but getting better slowly. I might go and get my eyes tested, because I'm sure sitting in front of a computer every day has fucked my eyes up. My neck feels a little out of place, but i just went to the chiropractor's a couple of months ago, and I'm hesitant to go again so soon. It can't be good getting everything cracked so often. But then maybe if it gets cracked again, I'll feel a million bucks. Maybe just a massage.
Speaking of my next workout round, I was wondering what I am going to do. Should I keep going with what I have been doing, a P90X/Insanity hybrid, or should I do a straight up P90X round, with Kempo and Plyo and all that? I have been thinking of another option, which is to work in units of two weeks instead of one, with more stretching and rest days. It is a huge time commitment to do a workout every day, and after a month or so I find that I just get burned out and tired. If I can get a schedule up and running that might have two resistance workouts a week, 2 cardio, a couple of rest days, and throw in there some stretching or yoga, that might be the best. Resistance, cardio, rest, stretch, with some abs in there somewhere. Basically something a little easier on the system. I'm going to do some research.
I was doing a little Spring cleaning yesterday, throwing out clothes that I never wear. I came across a T-shirt that my mother gave me for my birthday 2 years ago, my last birthday before she died. It's a shocking T-shirt. I remember unwrapping it, and thinking What the fuck is this? I have never worn it, and in fact it still has the tag on it. There is no way I would ever wear it, and no-one would call me the most fashionable man in the world. I'll post a photo of it when I get a chance.
So I put in it in the pile of clothes to be thrown away. Then afterwards I was thinking that I'll take a photo of it for my blog before I throw it away, because I've told my sister how bad it is, but she hasn't seen it yet. So I took a photo of it, and then I went to put it back in the bag of clothes to throw away. But I couldn't. It was, after all, the last birthday present I received from mum, and it does in a way represent how sick she was at the time. I refuse to believe that if she was healthy and thinking straight and not battling the cancer and all the drugs in her system from the chemo that she would have bought this T-shirt for me. Maybe she was too sick to really put any thought into a gift for me and just picked the first thing she saw hanging up in the men's section in Myer. I don't know. But I put it on a clothes hanger and hung it up again in my closet. I know now that I will have this T-shirt forever, and it'll confound me every time I see it. What was she thinking? I ask myself. Then I consider that question, and she was probably thinking, god I feel awful, where's the toilet, I'll grab this T-shirt and pay for it and hopefully not throw up before I can get to the toilet. That's probably what she was thinking. I threw away some other stuff she had given me in the years before she died, stuff I haven't worn because it would have been embarrassing, like a bright blue jumper a size too big for me from Country Road, but I could see her buying it and thinking Oh that's nice, Jim would love that, and she would be in her right mind. But she could argue that it's a nice sweater, and some people might agree. Just not me. But the difference is that this T-shirt is indefensible.
Did you see the mails Tiger sent that porn star? Holy crap. I hope he told his wife about it before they came out, or they might have put him back a bit. Can you imagine the conversation? "Anything else you want to tell me, Tiger?" "Oh yea, I did like a bit of ATM action with porn stars." If you don't know what ATM stands for, you sweet, Innocent thing, I hope you never find out. Can you imagine the humiliation and embarrassment he feels? One thing I see on the golf forums (I love to hang out on the golf forums. They're awesome!) is people saying "who are we to judge Tiger? What if we had women throwing themselves at us constantly, and all the money in world to do what we wanted?" In other words, is it only lack of opportunity that stops us mortal men from cheating? If you could have any woman you wanted, would you have her? Fair question. I'm not going to say that if I was the best golfer in the world spending weeks at a time away from home and I had women throwing themselves at me all the time that I would never cheat. But it's so weird with Tiger. If he wanted to get his end wet, why didn't he get someone to arrange a call-girl or something? I'm sure there are agencies that provide really fit women to famous or rich men, with assured confidentiality. That's the way I'd go. Why was Tiger stringing along these porn stars (and getting jealous that they do other guys? WTF?), trying to fit in a session between sponsor gigs, obviously shitting himself that someone might find out? I kind of hope that's it with the texts and phone messages and maybe videos (I'm sure there's one or two around someone), but at the same time they are really revealing.
Speaking of my next workout round, I was wondering what I am going to do. Should I keep going with what I have been doing, a P90X/Insanity hybrid, or should I do a straight up P90X round, with Kempo and Plyo and all that? I have been thinking of another option, which is to work in units of two weeks instead of one, with more stretching and rest days. It is a huge time commitment to do a workout every day, and after a month or so I find that I just get burned out and tired. If I can get a schedule up and running that might have two resistance workouts a week, 2 cardio, a couple of rest days, and throw in there some stretching or yoga, that might be the best. Resistance, cardio, rest, stretch, with some abs in there somewhere. Basically something a little easier on the system. I'm going to do some research.
I was doing a little Spring cleaning yesterday, throwing out clothes that I never wear. I came across a T-shirt that my mother gave me for my birthday 2 years ago, my last birthday before she died. It's a shocking T-shirt. I remember unwrapping it, and thinking What the fuck is this? I have never worn it, and in fact it still has the tag on it. There is no way I would ever wear it, and no-one would call me the most fashionable man in the world. I'll post a photo of it when I get a chance.
So I put in it in the pile of clothes to be thrown away. Then afterwards I was thinking that I'll take a photo of it for my blog before I throw it away, because I've told my sister how bad it is, but she hasn't seen it yet. So I took a photo of it, and then I went to put it back in the bag of clothes to throw away. But I couldn't. It was, after all, the last birthday present I received from mum, and it does in a way represent how sick she was at the time. I refuse to believe that if she was healthy and thinking straight and not battling the cancer and all the drugs in her system from the chemo that she would have bought this T-shirt for me. Maybe she was too sick to really put any thought into a gift for me and just picked the first thing she saw hanging up in the men's section in Myer. I don't know. But I put it on a clothes hanger and hung it up again in my closet. I know now that I will have this T-shirt forever, and it'll confound me every time I see it. What was she thinking? I ask myself. Then I consider that question, and she was probably thinking, god I feel awful, where's the toilet, I'll grab this T-shirt and pay for it and hopefully not throw up before I can get to the toilet. That's probably what she was thinking. I threw away some other stuff she had given me in the years before she died, stuff I haven't worn because it would have been embarrassing, like a bright blue jumper a size too big for me from Country Road, but I could see her buying it and thinking Oh that's nice, Jim would love that, and she would be in her right mind. But she could argue that it's a nice sweater, and some people might agree. Just not me. But the difference is that this T-shirt is indefensible.
Did you see the mails Tiger sent that porn star? Holy crap. I hope he told his wife about it before they came out, or they might have put him back a bit. Can you imagine the conversation? "Anything else you want to tell me, Tiger?" "Oh yea, I did like a bit of ATM action with porn stars." If you don't know what ATM stands for, you sweet, Innocent thing, I hope you never find out. Can you imagine the humiliation and embarrassment he feels? One thing I see on the golf forums (I love to hang out on the golf forums. They're awesome!) is people saying "who are we to judge Tiger? What if we had women throwing themselves at us constantly, and all the money in world to do what we wanted?" In other words, is it only lack of opportunity that stops us mortal men from cheating? If you could have any woman you wanted, would you have her? Fair question. I'm not going to say that if I was the best golfer in the world spending weeks at a time away from home and I had women throwing themselves at me all the time that I would never cheat. But it's so weird with Tiger. If he wanted to get his end wet, why didn't he get someone to arrange a call-girl or something? I'm sure there are agencies that provide really fit women to famous or rich men, with assured confidentiality. That's the way I'd go. Why was Tiger stringing along these porn stars (and getting jealous that they do other guys? WTF?), trying to fit in a session between sponsor gigs, obviously shitting himself that someone might find out? I kind of hope that's it with the texts and phone messages and maybe videos (I'm sure there's one or two around someone), but at the same time they are really revealing.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Tiger back for the Masters
Tiger's BACK! The Masters. This will be the biggest event in the history of the world. I'm a little surprised he is coming straight back for a major and not getting in some match practice beforehand. He really should have started his comeback last week at Doral, a tournament which has been really good for him, but he didn't, and Ernie Els won. I like Ernie, great player, but he's Tiger's bunny, so the victory was a little empty. They are talking about "the asterisk" that should be put besides the winner's name while Tiger has been taking these breaks. Spot on.
Will Tiger be rusty? It's not like last time when he was injured. He's been practicing like a madman for weeks, but nothing can compensate for match fitness. Can he concentrate for four days? At the Masters? On the flukiest course in the world? Doubt it. He chose the Masters because it's protected. The press and the fans won't get too close. I wonder if anyone in the crowd will risk getting thrown out of the Masters and give him some stick? I hope so. What will the hecklers say? Tiger's caddie and major asshole Steve Williams says he "will not tolerate" hecklers. Tosser. It's going to be awesome hearing what comes out of the galleries this year. The US Open, easily the rowdiest crowd in golf, will be bananas.
This is his third extended break. The first was after his dad died in 2006 and he took 9 weeks off. He came back for the US Open and missed the cut. He later said he wasn't ready emotionally. The second was last year when he had knee surgery and was out for nine months, and it took three tournaments to get back to winning form. This time it's different because he's fit, and maybe he feels unburdened and freer that he has for a long time. Maybe he feels like his life is back on track. But only a fool would say he's going to win the Masters. I'm not saying he won't, but if he does, I would be shocked, and it would probably say as much about the other pros on the tour as it does about him; ie. they all suck. My prediction? Tiger will miss the cut, which will suck but it will also diffuse the media circus shit-storm hysteria that will undoubtedly occur.
I've got a headache. Sometimes I wonder why I get headaches after I eat chocolate. Could it be that I get headaches after I eat chocolate because I eat chocolate? ...not sure. How about I don't eat chocolate? I guess I could try that. Going to tomorrow.
I rode my motorbike in to work today. It's still probably a little too cold in the mornings, but it's so much more fun and quicker that riding my bicycle to the station, catching the train, and working to work. Plus it gives me another ten or twenty minutes at home in the morning. My indicators weren't working properly, but now they seem to have healed themselves. I still find it amazing when electrical products break and then start working again.
We cut Will's hair last night. One of friends got his hair cut, so Will had to get his hair cut too. I was going to ask him what he would do if his friend jumped off a cliff and so on, but decided against it, and just cut his hair. I didn't do a bad job, except for the big chunk of hair I accidentally took out at the back of his neck trying to tidy it up. To even it out I had to keep going further up his neck and the back of his head, so it looks like the hair on the back of his head finishes around level with his ears. Who cares? He doesn't.
I did Yoga on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and took a day off yesterday. I'll do it again tonight after my lesson with Nori (still waiting to hear about the Omiai and see his new car), but I'm feeling really restless and want to start bringing it again soon, something to tide me over 'till Hawaii.
Will Tiger be rusty? It's not like last time when he was injured. He's been practicing like a madman for weeks, but nothing can compensate for match fitness. Can he concentrate for four days? At the Masters? On the flukiest course in the world? Doubt it. He chose the Masters because it's protected. The press and the fans won't get too close. I wonder if anyone in the crowd will risk getting thrown out of the Masters and give him some stick? I hope so. What will the hecklers say? Tiger's caddie and major asshole Steve Williams says he "will not tolerate" hecklers. Tosser. It's going to be awesome hearing what comes out of the galleries this year. The US Open, easily the rowdiest crowd in golf, will be bananas.
This is his third extended break. The first was after his dad died in 2006 and he took 9 weeks off. He came back for the US Open and missed the cut. He later said he wasn't ready emotionally. The second was last year when he had knee surgery and was out for nine months, and it took three tournaments to get back to winning form. This time it's different because he's fit, and maybe he feels unburdened and freer that he has for a long time. Maybe he feels like his life is back on track. But only a fool would say he's going to win the Masters. I'm not saying he won't, but if he does, I would be shocked, and it would probably say as much about the other pros on the tour as it does about him; ie. they all suck. My prediction? Tiger will miss the cut, which will suck but it will also diffuse the media circus shit-storm hysteria that will undoubtedly occur.
I've got a headache. Sometimes I wonder why I get headaches after I eat chocolate. Could it be that I get headaches after I eat chocolate because I eat chocolate? ...not sure. How about I don't eat chocolate? I guess I could try that. Going to tomorrow.
I rode my motorbike in to work today. It's still probably a little too cold in the mornings, but it's so much more fun and quicker that riding my bicycle to the station, catching the train, and working to work. Plus it gives me another ten or twenty minutes at home in the morning. My indicators weren't working properly, but now they seem to have healed themselves. I still find it amazing when electrical products break and then start working again.
We cut Will's hair last night. One of friends got his hair cut, so Will had to get his hair cut too. I was going to ask him what he would do if his friend jumped off a cliff and so on, but decided against it, and just cut his hair. I didn't do a bad job, except for the big chunk of hair I accidentally took out at the back of his neck trying to tidy it up. To even it out I had to keep going further up his neck and the back of his head, so it looks like the hair on the back of his head finishes around level with his ears. Who cares? He doesn't.
I did Yoga on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and took a day off yesterday. I'll do it again tonight after my lesson with Nori (still waiting to hear about the Omiai and see his new car), but I'm feeling really restless and want to start bringing it again soon, something to tide me over 'till Hawaii.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Yoga
I've been reading up on these exertion headaches I've been getting, and the main consensus is that they are caused by tight neck and shoulder muscles, poor hydration, and just generally overdoing it. I drink plenty of water during the day, but the other two are probably right. So over the weekend I really tried to relax and calm down, which is harder than it sounds. But I did yoga both days, really concentrating on my breathing and form, and it was great. I have kind of dropped off the yoga recently because whenever it was scheduled it was too easy to write off because I was tired or busy or whatever. I have to remember just how awesome and hard and rewarding it is, and try to do it as much as I can. I'm going to rotate the One on One with Tony Fountain of Youth yoga and Patience Hummingbird and X Stretch for a couple of weeks, then really unwind in Hawaii, and then when I get back take a couple days off, and then if I'm feeling better and stronger get stuck into another round for the Summer. Hopefully it will have sorted itself out by then.
So I had a nice weekend, lots of time with the boys. Yesterday we went to the Kariya Highway Oasis. It's a park next to an expressway. Sounds crap, but actually it's okay. Will had so much fun playing with his friend who is a girl Kurumi-chan. He threw a tantrum at the end, but later we both acknowledged that it was just because he was tired.
The Japanese lesson on Saturday was a little disappointing. The teacher talked almost the whole time. I can't really complain because he's a volunteer, but if I was a paying customer I would certainly have a word with the staff. When I was teaching I was able to do a 50 minute lesson with only about 5 minutes TTT (teacher talking time - yes, there's an acronym). My dream was to have a deck of five or ten cards I could show the students so I wouldn't have to talk at all. Stuff like "Ask him ->" and "What do you think?". I never got around to it, but I could have, easily. And the students would have left my class thinking, fuck that was hard, but boy did I talk a lot! But this guy talked for forty minutes straight, then we had a break, and then another thirty, occasionally asking questions. My theory was, I'm an English teacher in Japan. What the fuck do I know? In my prime I could walk into a room with five students, sit down, and wait patiently for them to say something. I would not say a word. One guy who I worked with used to walk into a room of Japanese students with tape over his mouth. Once it took 17 minutes for someone to ask him a question. They all just sat there. If you don't believe me, you haven't taught English in Japan. Japanese people are quite comfortable sitting in silence with other people for as long as they need to, while us Westerners shit out pants if no-one's said anything for five seconds. It's quite a skill. Often, if I'm stuck somewhere with someone, say, an elevator or a waiting room, I'll feel the pressure. Then I think, hang on, I don't have to say anything. It's cool. But my teacher for some reason feels like he has to teach us about Japan as a whole, not just the language. He's a nice guy, and what he talks about is interesting and informative, but I don't go to listen to him. I go so he can listen to me and correct me when I make mistakes. Still, I no complain. Better than nothing.
So I had a nice weekend, lots of time with the boys. Yesterday we went to the Kariya Highway Oasis. It's a park next to an expressway. Sounds crap, but actually it's okay. Will had so much fun playing with his friend who is a girl Kurumi-chan. He threw a tantrum at the end, but later we both acknowledged that it was just because he was tired.
The Japanese lesson on Saturday was a little disappointing. The teacher talked almost the whole time. I can't really complain because he's a volunteer, but if I was a paying customer I would certainly have a word with the staff. When I was teaching I was able to do a 50 minute lesson with only about 5 minutes TTT (teacher talking time - yes, there's an acronym). My dream was to have a deck of five or ten cards I could show the students so I wouldn't have to talk at all. Stuff like "Ask him ->" and "What do you think?". I never got around to it, but I could have, easily. And the students would have left my class thinking, fuck that was hard, but boy did I talk a lot! But this guy talked for forty minutes straight, then we had a break, and then another thirty, occasionally asking questions. My theory was, I'm an English teacher in Japan. What the fuck do I know? In my prime I could walk into a room with five students, sit down, and wait patiently for them to say something. I would not say a word. One guy who I worked with used to walk into a room of Japanese students with tape over his mouth. Once it took 17 minutes for someone to ask him a question. They all just sat there. If you don't believe me, you haven't taught English in Japan. Japanese people are quite comfortable sitting in silence with other people for as long as they need to, while us Westerners shit out pants if no-one's said anything for five seconds. It's quite a skill. Often, if I'm stuck somewhere with someone, say, an elevator or a waiting room, I'll feel the pressure. Then I think, hang on, I don't have to say anything. It's cool. But my teacher for some reason feels like he has to teach us about Japan as a whole, not just the language. He's a nice guy, and what he talks about is interesting and informative, but I don't go to listen to him. I go so he can listen to me and correct me when I make mistakes. Still, I no complain. Better than nothing.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Exertion headache
I got another headache last night ten minutes into Shoulders & Arms. I had to stop. The pain is intense, and pretty scary. They're called exertion headaches, and are pretty common apparently. So I'm going to ditch my workouts until I get back from Hawaii in three or so weeks. instead, I'm really going to concentrate on my food, eat as well as I possibly can. I'm going to walk a lot, and do lots of stretching and Yoga. ARX, too. No crazy cardio, no weights. Obviously my head is telling me to slow down, take it easy. I can only put it down to too much stress. I've been so busy at work for the last few weeks, and at home I haven't had much time to just chill, so that's what I'm going to do.
Friday, March 12, 2010
3Resurrection - Day 23. Insanity, ARX Crash
Last night I just crashed. I felt shit all day with hayfever. When I went home the family was grumpy. Will said he couldn't play with me because he hated me and I was stinky (which I wasn't), Joseph was sooky and crying, wife was tired and uncommunicative. The day was a right-off and I went to bed at a quarter to nine. No exercise, no Lost, nothing.
I'm watching Lost now at lunch, season 5 episode 1, and just then I was thinking, wow, look how quickly Ben changes his plans when the situation changes. He is very adaptable. That's something people like CNN keep telling us is that you have to be adaptable. Adapt to a constantly changing world, all that stuff. I thought, I wonder how adaptable I am? But then I thought, it's not about being adaptable. It's about sticking to what you know you need to do. From CNN's point of view, the world is a volatile, unpredictable, fluid place that is always challenging people to change with it. In my world, my job is dull, the work is the same, I wake up the same time, catch the same train with the same people, passed by the same cars on the way to work from the station, sit with the same people every day, and then after work catch the same train home. I'm sure it's probably the same for most people. My point is that the only thing I have to adapt to is everything being the same all the time. A lot of the changes in my life are brought about by myself, usually subconsciously. Like when I was let go by the Melbourne Institute of Chartered Accountants for "performance issues" (Oh? You're an accountant? No, I just answer the phones and get the mail out). Even though I could not afford to lose that job, it sucked ass and I hated it, and really I forced them to make the decision that I couldn't. Pretty passive/aggressive behaviour. I could easily do the same thing here with this job, but I'm not sure anyone would notice! I'm sure that if there was a big earthquake or aliens came or something then I would adapt pretty well. It's adapting to everything being the same all the time that is hard.
So, maybe a reaffirmation of my goals is in order.
Best shape of my life. I'm in good shape now, but I eat too much shit. 10 days till my birthday. "You can do anything for 10 days, right?" Stop eating shit!
N1 Japanese by July 2012. That seems like a long way away, but it isn't. And it's going to take that long to pass it. It's tough!
Australia before 40. Living where I want to live. I'm praying for a real estate crash.
If I don't keep working hard, none of these goals will happen. A couple of years ago I would have despaired looking at them, now I know I can do the work.
I'm watching Lost now at lunch, season 5 episode 1, and just then I was thinking, wow, look how quickly Ben changes his plans when the situation changes. He is very adaptable. That's something people like CNN keep telling us is that you have to be adaptable. Adapt to a constantly changing world, all that stuff. I thought, I wonder how adaptable I am? But then I thought, it's not about being adaptable. It's about sticking to what you know you need to do. From CNN's point of view, the world is a volatile, unpredictable, fluid place that is always challenging people to change with it. In my world, my job is dull, the work is the same, I wake up the same time, catch the same train with the same people, passed by the same cars on the way to work from the station, sit with the same people every day, and then after work catch the same train home. I'm sure it's probably the same for most people. My point is that the only thing I have to adapt to is everything being the same all the time. A lot of the changes in my life are brought about by myself, usually subconsciously. Like when I was let go by the Melbourne Institute of Chartered Accountants for "performance issues" (Oh? You're an accountant? No, I just answer the phones and get the mail out). Even though I could not afford to lose that job, it sucked ass and I hated it, and really I forced them to make the decision that I couldn't. Pretty passive/aggressive behaviour. I could easily do the same thing here with this job, but I'm not sure anyone would notice! I'm sure that if there was a big earthquake or aliens came or something then I would adapt pretty well. It's adapting to everything being the same all the time that is hard.
So, maybe a reaffirmation of my goals is in order.
Best shape of my life. I'm in good shape now, but I eat too much shit. 10 days till my birthday. "You can do anything for 10 days, right?" Stop eating shit!
N1 Japanese by July 2012. That seems like a long way away, but it isn't. And it's going to take that long to pass it. It's tough!
Australia before 40. Living where I want to live. I'm praying for a real estate crash.
If I don't keep working hard, none of these goals will happen. A couple of years ago I would have despaired looking at them, now I know I can do the work.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
3Resurrection - Day 24. Chest & Back
I have been smacked upside the head with hay fever today. I took a pill and now I'm all high and dry. I don't know which is worse. It's a beautiful day outside today, though. A nice change from all the grey skies and rain that we've been having lately.
Last night I did Chest & Back. I was ready to destroy it, but when I was doing my second pull up exercise I got that pain in the neck again, and it almost floored me. I hate it. It feel like I have cramp right deep inside my neck, and I get an instant headache. Maybe I had a stroke. My motor functions are fine, but if I was to lose 20% brain functionality, would I know? So I sat down for a few minutes and tried to recover. I thought about aborting the workout, but then I thought about how I'd been listening to that voice a bit too much lately, and I told it to shut up, and I would do this workout even if it was going to kill me. Pffft, the voice said, whatever. Dickhead. So I proceeded with caution and did ok in the end. But like I did the last time it happened, I'm going to have to avoid really straining to do that one more pull up, and when I feel like I'm trying too hard to eek out that last one, just drop off the bar, wait a moment, then do two more instead.
I see Corey Haim died. Hope you're not taking it too hard, Leigh.
Last night I did Chest & Back. I was ready to destroy it, but when I was doing my second pull up exercise I got that pain in the neck again, and it almost floored me. I hate it. It feel like I have cramp right deep inside my neck, and I get an instant headache. Maybe I had a stroke. My motor functions are fine, but if I was to lose 20% brain functionality, would I know? So I sat down for a few minutes and tried to recover. I thought about aborting the workout, but then I thought about how I'd been listening to that voice a bit too much lately, and I told it to shut up, and I would do this workout even if it was going to kill me. Pffft, the voice said, whatever. Dickhead. So I proceeded with caution and did ok in the end. But like I did the last time it happened, I'm going to have to avoid really straining to do that one more pull up, and when I feel like I'm trying too hard to eek out that last one, just drop off the bar, wait a moment, then do two more instead.
I see Corey Haim died. Hope you're not taking it too hard, Leigh.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Remembering the Kanji
Over the last few months I have been studying Kanji using the book "Remembering the Kanji". It's a great book. The traditional way people learn Kanji is as kids in school, when they are introduced to the Kanji, it's core meaning, how to write it (stroke order etc.), then it's Japanese pronunciation (there might be several) and it's Chinese pronunciation. For example, 月. It means moon, or month. There are four strokes that have to be learnt in a particular order. The Chinese pronunciation is "tsuki". The Japanese is "getsu" or "gatsu", depending on the other kanji around it. Now this is a pretty simple example, and is one of the first kanji Japanese kids learn in school. But still, there are quite a few things to remember. Now, consider that there are over 2,000 kanji that the Japanese government have deemed to be standard everyday use kanji, and you can see just how herculean a task it is to learn all of them. Next, think about all the time Japanese kids must spent drilling and memorising kanji instead of learning about other stuff, like the world and everything in it. But they love their kanji, that's for sure.
So a poor foreigner comes along with a life, and job, friends, hobbies, and a brain already configured for another language, and they start studying kanji like the Japanese kids do. One by one, meaning, stroke order, numerous pronunciations, then drill, drill, drill. Impossible. So what this book does is teach you the meaning and the stroke order first, and then move on to the pronunciation (that's in volume 2. I haven't done that one yet). The author, James Heisig, argues that adult foreigners don't have the time or the developing brain to be able to learn kanji like the Japanese do. So he uses "imaginative memory" to learn the meaning and stroke order, and later, the pronunciation. He argues that Japanese people use it too, only in Japan it would be considered cheating. Here's an example.
厚. It means "thick". There are three "elements" in this kanji. The upside-down "L", which we have learnt means "cliff" because it looks like a cliff. 日, which is by itself a kanji and means "sun" or "day", and 子, which again is itself a kanji, and means "child". So you have to come up with a story, an image, that you can remember that incorporates these elements and the meaning of the kanji. For this one, I use "In Sparta, they threw unwanted babies off a cliff to die under the hot sun. Only the thick-skinned babies survived." You can see the story in the Kanji. Just to be clear of the positions, I put in "children under the hot sun". There you go. Some are easy, some are really hard to conceptualize. There is an awesome website where you can manage all the kanji you are studying, and is really the reason I got into studying kanji again. The stories people come up with are hilarious.
The argument is that when someone already knows the meaning of the kanji, it is easier to remember the pronunciation. That may be true, but in any case, it is easier than trying to remember everything at once. Sometimes it's great, sometimes I feel like I'm wasting my time because I'm not learning how to actually read them, but then again the alternative of just slogging through them trying to learn everything at once would drive me nuts. If you are interested in Chinese or Japanese characters, get this book. You don't need to be able to speak Japanese or anything, and you won't learn how to with this book, but you will know what all those tattoos mean.
So a poor foreigner comes along with a life, and job, friends, hobbies, and a brain already configured for another language, and they start studying kanji like the Japanese kids do. One by one, meaning, stroke order, numerous pronunciations, then drill, drill, drill. Impossible. So what this book does is teach you the meaning and the stroke order first, and then move on to the pronunciation (that's in volume 2. I haven't done that one yet). The author, James Heisig, argues that adult foreigners don't have the time or the developing brain to be able to learn kanji like the Japanese do. So he uses "imaginative memory" to learn the meaning and stroke order, and later, the pronunciation. He argues that Japanese people use it too, only in Japan it would be considered cheating. Here's an example.
厚. It means "thick". There are three "elements" in this kanji. The upside-down "L", which we have learnt means "cliff" because it looks like a cliff. 日, which is by itself a kanji and means "sun" or "day", and 子, which again is itself a kanji, and means "child". So you have to come up with a story, an image, that you can remember that incorporates these elements and the meaning of the kanji. For this one, I use "In Sparta, they threw unwanted babies off a cliff to die under the hot sun. Only the thick-skinned babies survived." You can see the story in the Kanji. Just to be clear of the positions, I put in "children under the hot sun". There you go. Some are easy, some are really hard to conceptualize. There is an awesome website where you can manage all the kanji you are studying, and is really the reason I got into studying kanji again. The stories people come up with are hilarious.
The argument is that when someone already knows the meaning of the kanji, it is easier to remember the pronunciation. That may be true, but in any case, it is easier than trying to remember everything at once. Sometimes it's great, sometimes I feel like I'm wasting my time because I'm not learning how to actually read them, but then again the alternative of just slogging through them trying to learn everything at once would drive me nuts. If you are interested in Chinese or Japanese characters, get this book. You don't need to be able to speak Japanese or anything, and you won't learn how to with this book, but you will know what all those tattoos mean.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
3Resurrection - Day 22. Mammoth UML, ARX
Man, these weekends aren't long enough. Went out for sushi for lunch again yesterday. Great Granma's shout. It's been raining a lot here, not as much as in Melbourne, though.
I did almost all of the workouts I wanted to this weekend, including an extra X Stretch, which was awesome. Friday night I did On One Leg, a One on One with Tony workout series. It wasn't very strenuous, but interesting. All it is is just some simple weights work on one leg. It's interesting because when you do these exercises you soon forget about the exercise you're doing and start concentrating on the foot and the calf of the foot on the ground, because it's just going crazy trying to keep you balanced. The core is working hard too. So on Saturday my calves had a bit of an ache, which is a good sign. Saturday I did Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit and Ab Ripper X. Damn this workout is hard. I nearly finished it yet again, about 95%. I feel much stronger than I did a month or so ago when I started doing Insanity workouts for real, but I just can't get over them. It's mental now, I think. It's when I get to the second to last round, and I'm sweating and breathing hard, and then the next exercise starts and I think, nah, need a rest. That's when I stop for ten, twenty seconds before getting into it again. The next time I do it I'll have to commit to not doing that, no matter what. I did X Stretch too, which I needed, and then last night I did Massive UML, also from the One on One with Tony workout series.I was halfway through Mammoth UML when the video on my iPod started messing around and I had to abandon it. It's the first time I've done this workout, so I didn't know the video was crap. Ah well. I'll do it again in the next couple of days. It looks pretty good. I was doing it with Willy, too. He tried to do a push up and hit his chin in the floor and cut his lip. Not too badly, though. Anyway, a big weekend, and I'm stiff and sore today. Good times. Really good times.
This week I'm going to try a news blackout. I have downloaded a shitload of audio books to listen to to and from work, and I'm not going to look at the news websites while I'm at work. I'm sure that if the world ends someone will tell me about it. It's just too depressing. Kids being murdered, politicians refusing to face reality, pages and pages of whining and bitching. I don't need it. I don't really care about the Oscars. I watched The Hurt Locker ages ago and I thought it was just an action movie trying too hard to be loved, but no real action or message. It's hard to feel sympathetic towards a main character that won't live very much longer, and who continuously endangers the men under his command who really do want to live. I didn't like him. But I guess it doesn't have much competition this year. I haven't watched a movie since Avatar, and that was what, two months ago?
I'm getting exited about next month, though. Hawaii for a week, then The Masters. If Tiger's not back for the Masters, I don't know what's going on. And if he's back for the Masters, he has to play in a tournament before that to get a rhythm going. So that gives him a month to come back. He's practicing every day all day, I hear. Probably better than being at home with his wife. The last few Masters have been really boring. They've been toughening up the course so Tiger doesn't win it every year, which is what the golf authorities have always done when a dominant player comes along, and they've turned the Masters, usually the most exciting tournament of the year, into the US Open, the most gruelling. I kind of hope Tiger comes back and wins it, but then I would rather Ogilvy win it or someone else good, like Mickelson or Els. I would love to see Ryo Ishikawa in contention. He's massive here, but it's hard to tell how good Japanese sports stars are internationally because they are so hyped here, but he looks the goods. He played awesome in the Accenture matchplay, beating Aussie Michael Sim (the best young Australian playing) in a great first round match. Won the last three to win 2 up. He seems to have that talent Tiger has of hitting the shot when he has to. He swings it like Greg Norman, with an amazing rhythm, and spanks it. He's only 18, too. I can't wait to see how he reacts to pressure. He might be the rival Tiger needs to get his mind off the skanks and back on the game.
Also, the Japanese lesson I went to at the library on Saturday morning was great. Perfect level. The old guy who teaches is a bit of a sleazy guy. I really enjoyed it. I just wish it didn't take a whole morning, which is a quarter of my weekend now!
I did almost all of the workouts I wanted to this weekend, including an extra X Stretch, which was awesome. Friday night I did On One Leg, a One on One with Tony workout series. It wasn't very strenuous, but interesting. All it is is just some simple weights work on one leg. It's interesting because when you do these exercises you soon forget about the exercise you're doing and start concentrating on the foot and the calf of the foot on the ground, because it's just going crazy trying to keep you balanced. The core is working hard too. So on Saturday my calves had a bit of an ache, which is a good sign. Saturday I did Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit and Ab Ripper X. Damn this workout is hard. I nearly finished it yet again, about 95%. I feel much stronger than I did a month or so ago when I started doing Insanity workouts for real, but I just can't get over them. It's mental now, I think. It's when I get to the second to last round, and I'm sweating and breathing hard, and then the next exercise starts and I think, nah, need a rest. That's when I stop for ten, twenty seconds before getting into it again. The next time I do it I'll have to commit to not doing that, no matter what. I did X Stretch too, which I needed, and then last night I did Massive UML, also from the One on One with Tony workout series.I was halfway through Mammoth UML when the video on my iPod started messing around and I had to abandon it. It's the first time I've done this workout, so I didn't know the video was crap. Ah well. I'll do it again in the next couple of days. It looks pretty good. I was doing it with Willy, too. He tried to do a push up and hit his chin in the floor and cut his lip. Not too badly, though. Anyway, a big weekend, and I'm stiff and sore today. Good times. Really good times.
This week I'm going to try a news blackout. I have downloaded a shitload of audio books to listen to to and from work, and I'm not going to look at the news websites while I'm at work. I'm sure that if the world ends someone will tell me about it. It's just too depressing. Kids being murdered, politicians refusing to face reality, pages and pages of whining and bitching. I don't need it. I don't really care about the Oscars. I watched The Hurt Locker ages ago and I thought it was just an action movie trying too hard to be loved, but no real action or message. It's hard to feel sympathetic towards a main character that won't live very much longer, and who continuously endangers the men under his command who really do want to live. I didn't like him. But I guess it doesn't have much competition this year. I haven't watched a movie since Avatar, and that was what, two months ago?
I'm getting exited about next month, though. Hawaii for a week, then The Masters. If Tiger's not back for the Masters, I don't know what's going on. And if he's back for the Masters, he has to play in a tournament before that to get a rhythm going. So that gives him a month to come back. He's practicing every day all day, I hear. Probably better than being at home with his wife. The last few Masters have been really boring. They've been toughening up the course so Tiger doesn't win it every year, which is what the golf authorities have always done when a dominant player comes along, and they've turned the Masters, usually the most exciting tournament of the year, into the US Open, the most gruelling. I kind of hope Tiger comes back and wins it, but then I would rather Ogilvy win it or someone else good, like Mickelson or Els. I would love to see Ryo Ishikawa in contention. He's massive here, but it's hard to tell how good Japanese sports stars are internationally because they are so hyped here, but he looks the goods. He played awesome in the Accenture matchplay, beating Aussie Michael Sim (the best young Australian playing) in a great first round match. Won the last three to win 2 up. He seems to have that talent Tiger has of hitting the shot when he has to. He swings it like Greg Norman, with an amazing rhythm, and spanks it. He's only 18, too. I can't wait to see how he reacts to pressure. He might be the rival Tiger needs to get his mind off the skanks and back on the game.
Also, the Japanese lesson I went to at the library on Saturday morning was great. Perfect level. The old guy who teaches is a bit of a sleazy guy. I really enjoyed it. I just wish it didn't take a whole morning, which is a quarter of my weekend now!
The kids are calling it "hazing"
Thursday, March 4, 2010
3Resurrection - Day 18. Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit, ARX
I really enjoyed the 30-15 workout. It’s push ups, then pull ups, 12 times each. For the first half of the workout I did 15-8 – 15 push ups then 8 pull ups. For the second half I did 15 – 5. So that means in total I did 180 push ups and 78 pull ups. The pull ups were all I could do, but I could have done more push ups. Next time I’ll try doing 20 a set. I only did about half of what Tony does in this workout, which is just unbelievable. He’s fifty years old for god’s sake. He’s in good form in this workout, too. Funny.
I saw Nori last night. He’s excited because he picks up his new car tomorrow, a Subaru Outback, and then on Saturday he’s got an Omiai, which is like a formal meeting for a potential marriage. It’s kind of like arranged marriage, but only if the two people who are going to get married actually want to get married. An uncle of his who lives in Tokyo lives next to a woman with a daughter, and they are all coming down to Okazaki to have lunch with Nori and his mother. The pressure on people to get married here is pretty strong, especially when that person is not a weirdo pedophile cartoon loving freak. Nori has a great job at Toyota, nice guy, 35 years old, so of course he must get married. She’s 27. That’s all he knows about her. He asked his uncle to send him a picture of her, but his uncle said, looks aren’t important. It’s how you get along that’s the main thing. Not a good sign. We talked about what he should do if they don’t really get along. He said he would alright if that happens, but his uncle has to live next door to them forever, so he doesn’t want to make it tough for him. I gather that if they get along, then the odds are they would get married. Not a bad way to do things, I guess. So they are going to a nice Chinese restaurant for lunch, the five of them, and then Nori is going to take her for a drive in the mountains and have a coffee at a coffee shop up there somewhere, and get to know her. Then I think they go back to Tokyo that night, and then the phone calls begin. What did she think? What did he think? What do you think?
I saw Nori last night. He’s excited because he picks up his new car tomorrow, a Subaru Outback, and then on Saturday he’s got an Omiai, which is like a formal meeting for a potential marriage. It’s kind of like arranged marriage, but only if the two people who are going to get married actually want to get married. An uncle of his who lives in Tokyo lives next to a woman with a daughter, and they are all coming down to Okazaki to have lunch with Nori and his mother. The pressure on people to get married here is pretty strong, especially when that person is not a weirdo pedophile cartoon loving freak. Nori has a great job at Toyota, nice guy, 35 years old, so of course he must get married. She’s 27. That’s all he knows about her. He asked his uncle to send him a picture of her, but his uncle said, looks aren’t important. It’s how you get along that’s the main thing. Not a good sign. We talked about what he should do if they don’t really get along. He said he would alright if that happens, but his uncle has to live next door to them forever, so he doesn’t want to make it tough for him. I gather that if they get along, then the odds are they would get married. Not a bad way to do things, I guess. So they are going to a nice Chinese restaurant for lunch, the five of them, and then Nori is going to take her for a drive in the mountains and have a coffee at a coffee shop up there somewhere, and get to know her. Then I think they go back to Tokyo that night, and then the phone calls begin. What did she think? What did he think? What do you think?
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
3Resurrection - Day 17. 30-15
Tonight I'm going to do a workout I haven't done before. It's from Tony's One on One series, and it's called 30-15. It's a pretty simple workout. 30 pushups, 15 pullups. 20 times, I think. I don't think I'll be able to do 30-15, more like 20-8 or something. I'll do 20-8, and see how I go. I didn't do X Stretch last night, but I did do Ab Ripper X.
I was listening to a news podcast, and they were interviewing some guy about money in judicial elections in America. I wasn't really listening to it, until the guy said, "the optics aren't good". I thought he was talking about his eyesight or something at first, but then I realised he was talking about appearances, as in "it doesn't look good when judges are taking campaign contributions from large law firms". I predict that this will become the new "buzz" expression of this year. Who will be the first player, coach, or commentator in the AFL to use this expression? Got to be Craig Hutchison. My prediction is that it will take it's place amongst the greats, like "going forward", "don't have the cattle", "trust the process", and last year's champion, "tick all the boxes". The Brisbane Lions do not reprimand their troubled new recruit Brendon Fevola for making public a nude photo of star-fucker Laura Bingle. The optics aren't good. Gary Ablett stays at Geelong and also signs a million dollar endorsement with Cotton On, run by a Geelong businessman. The optics aren't good. Anyway, I'll trust the process going forward, and expect to hear this again soon.
I was listening to a news podcast, and they were interviewing some guy about money in judicial elections in America. I wasn't really listening to it, until the guy said, "the optics aren't good". I thought he was talking about his eyesight or something at first, but then I realised he was talking about appearances, as in "it doesn't look good when judges are taking campaign contributions from large law firms". I predict that this will become the new "buzz" expression of this year. Who will be the first player, coach, or commentator in the AFL to use this expression? Got to be Craig Hutchison. My prediction is that it will take it's place amongst the greats, like "going forward", "don't have the cattle", "trust the process", and last year's champion, "tick all the boxes". The Brisbane Lions do not reprimand their troubled new recruit Brendon Fevola for making public a nude photo of star-fucker Laura Bingle. The optics aren't good. Gary Ablett stays at Geelong and also signs a million dollar endorsement with Cotton On, run by a Geelong businessman. The optics aren't good. Anyway, I'll trust the process going forward, and expect to hear this again soon.
Monday, March 1, 2010
3Resurrection - Day 15. X Stretch Rest
I had a good weekend this weekend. I have been so busy at work the last couple of weeks that only on Friday did I feel like I had wrestled control over the volume of work that I have, and that's only after handing in two pretty shoddily-done reports that I hope I never see again. The problem with being busy in this job is that I am busy translating drivel that no-one will read, when I could be doing other things like studying or reading motivating blogs or writing a post myself. I get a bit down because when I'm busy it's kind of in my face that I have no interest in what I'm employed to do, and that's totally my fault. I should be trying to get into translating stuff about golf or something, only I'm not. Another thing to work on this year when I get over this hump.
I've booked in for Japanese lessons at the library starting Saturday. Will and I went down there and applied, and there were a couple of Americans hanging around the International Centre. "I love meat!" the American chick was telling everyone in the room. Living in Japan, I have come to appreciate how most Americans love life and genuinely seem interested in the people around them. I can see how when a Japanese student goes to America for a few years, they come back almost fluent in English. I'm sure it's a bit hard to take in large doses, but it seems everyone wants to talk and tell you about themselves and find out about you. I've been here ten years and all Japanese people are interested in is what Japanese food I don't like. So this American woman is all over Will, and gives him a chocolate, but it's a liquor chocolate. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" But Will loved her. "Why did she say sorry?" he asked me later as we shared the chocolate (I only gave him a little bit). "She said there's beer in the chocolate," I said, "and she knows you don't like beer." "Beer in the chocolate? That's crazy," he said, chuckling. I'm looking forward to the lessons though. I don't care how hard or easy it is, I just want to talk.
Will's kinder had it's farewell ceremony for the older kids on Saturday morning. When I walked into the community theatre where it was being held it looked like a press conference was going to happen with all the cameras on tripods that were set up. Gotta record these precious moments. GOT TO! Of course I take a few shots myself, but I like to watch my son do stuff with my own eyes and make an effort to commit them to memory. And! I want him to see me watching him, not fucking around with the white balance or something. So Will had a good time and did great on stage, but got a little tired and shirty at the end of it. Fair enough. So we went and had ramen, and Joey Jo Jo had his first taste of ice-cream. It is an amazing thing to be there when your child experiences something as simple and pleasurable as having ice cream for the very first time. He loved it, of course.
The workouts have been going gangbusters. I feel really strong, and after the Yoga workout tonight, I'm going to really concentrate on lifting my intensity this week. I've been hesitant to do so because of that cold or virus or strip throat I had, but this week I'm going to bring it!
Oh yea, we're going to Hawaii again in a month. Book a ticket and we'll meet up in Waikiki! First week of April.
I've booked in for Japanese lessons at the library starting Saturday. Will and I went down there and applied, and there were a couple of Americans hanging around the International Centre. "I love meat!" the American chick was telling everyone in the room. Living in Japan, I have come to appreciate how most Americans love life and genuinely seem interested in the people around them. I can see how when a Japanese student goes to America for a few years, they come back almost fluent in English. I'm sure it's a bit hard to take in large doses, but it seems everyone wants to talk and tell you about themselves and find out about you. I've been here ten years and all Japanese people are interested in is what Japanese food I don't like. So this American woman is all over Will, and gives him a chocolate, but it's a liquor chocolate. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" But Will loved her. "Why did she say sorry?" he asked me later as we shared the chocolate (I only gave him a little bit). "She said there's beer in the chocolate," I said, "and she knows you don't like beer." "Beer in the chocolate? That's crazy," he said, chuckling. I'm looking forward to the lessons though. I don't care how hard or easy it is, I just want to talk.
Will's kinder had it's farewell ceremony for the older kids on Saturday morning. When I walked into the community theatre where it was being held it looked like a press conference was going to happen with all the cameras on tripods that were set up. Gotta record these precious moments. GOT TO! Of course I take a few shots myself, but I like to watch my son do stuff with my own eyes and make an effort to commit them to memory. And! I want him to see me watching him, not fucking around with the white balance or something. So Will had a good time and did great on stage, but got a little tired and shirty at the end of it. Fair enough. So we went and had ramen, and Joey Jo Jo had his first taste of ice-cream. It is an amazing thing to be there when your child experiences something as simple and pleasurable as having ice cream for the very first time. He loved it, of course.
The workouts have been going gangbusters. I feel really strong, and after the Yoga workout tonight, I'm going to really concentrate on lifting my intensity this week. I've been hesitant to do so because of that cold or virus or strip throat I had, but this week I'm going to bring it!
Oh yea, we're going to Hawaii again in a month. Book a ticket and we'll meet up in Waikiki! First week of April.
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