Reflecting, on working out . . ..

It's odd.

I've just had a sudden urge, a want to punch something.

Not so much a "punch-something-because-I'm-angry", mind you, but more of a "hit-something-because-it-was-routine".

I guess I just miss doing . . . what? What am I missing?

Am I missing the simple act of punching? The machismo of the act? The tactile response that I receive from my hands? Or is it the routine that surrounds itself?

It's not that I miss the whole thing altogether; sure, I've been wildly inconsistent recently, but I'm very satisfied with the Judo Dojo I've joined, and I'm going to be consistent, I swear! It's definitely not that.

Being in a reflective mood, it makes me think of several things; what it is, this "martial art" that I've been long obsessive about?

This may be a stereotypical nod that many practitioners would take (and I'm a stereotypical guy, mind you), but I don't like that term. "Martial arts". Psshhh, what a farce. A farce in that it's both a caricature of what it is and something that may be much more, at least to me.

Thinking back, I'm somewhat stuck not so much on the styles that I've taken, but more towards the relationships built around this institution that I chose to partake in, and as with everyone else that has been in any relationships; the mistakes made and the triumphs.

I've made mistakes both as an instructor, pushing the students past their limits; as a friend, being callously bigoted, or hypocritical, at times; as a mentor, crossing boundaries which, in retrospect, I was the one taking advantage of a situation and should never have taken.

What leaves me in awe is that those same people would have the quality of character and patience to put up with mistake after mistake that I make and still be there, sometimes in the dojo, sometimes socially; hell, sometimes out in a shopping mall never expecting to see each other.

I've thought about listing some of the names of instructors, mentors, students and others I've had the luck of meeting, but they know who they are; and what's significant right now, half a world away, is that I would consider them friends, and if I'm lucky enough, they would consider me theirs.

Before I go overboard and crying about puppies and flowers; I will stop - consider this, however, an apology to those who deserve it and to everyone that I met inside the dojo, a sincere thank you.

I'm out, and yeah, I can be a sappy SOB sometimes. Now I gotta punch something. For machismo.

Japan Itinerary 2009: part 1

Friday, January 23^rd 2009

11:30PM – Attempt to get some rest before going to Fukuoka, Japan (Flight: Seoul, Korea 9:30AM to Fukuoka, Japan 11:50AM). Fail.

Saturday, January 2^4th 2009

4:30AM – Get up. Attempt to get up. Try to attempt to get up.

5:03AM – Get up and head out across Seoul to get to the Airport. Intended path; take 20 min. cab ride to bus station, take shuttle bus to airport.

5:05AM – God damn it's cold.

5:12AM – Flag down a cab. Get in.

5:46AM – Get off at the bus stop. Find out that bus passed less than 5 minutes prior and have to wait ~20 minutes to catch next bus. On the sidewalk. Freeze ass off.

5:48AM – Motherfucker; is that snow?

5:59AM – Bus arrives. Can barely feel finger.

~ – Note the powdery snow is increasing in intensity. Note with half amusement/absolute horror at the other drivers driving in zero visibility; driving in between lanes, stopping/starting for no reason, going at ridiculously slow speeds, briefly think of joke about Asians and driving before having a quick prayer.

7:12AM – Arrive at Incheon Airport.

7:14AM – Leah is feeling ill from the bus driver lurching the constantly due to the terrible traffic. Fuck.

7:20AM – Leah applies for a re-entry permit. Her ticket # is . . . 198. The waiting list is . . . 104. Fuck.

7:40AM – Let Leah wait in line for her permit, go exchange Korean Won for Japanese Yen. Fuuuuuuck.

8:40AM – Wait in queue for air ticket while Leah is still waiting. She catches up, we rush, arrive at plane just in time. Awesome.

9:30AM – Plane not in air yet.

9:45AM – Plane still not in air.

~ – Pass out, wake up to note that; a.) the plane is in the air, and b.) they're serving food. Can relate to this guy.

12:30PM – Arrive in Fukuoka. Estimated weekly temperature; ~50 degrees F.

12:47PM – Get to the domestic airport/subway station; note on shuttle bus ride that all the logos/icons for industrial factories/warehouses are adorable cartoons of some sort. Awesome.

12:48PM – Motherfucker; is that snow?

12:51PM – Decide to get some food in our stomach before moving on; ordered a chili dog, get a hot dog with some kind of ketchup/salsa mix on top. Better than airplane food, not quite human food.

1:12PM – Arrive at the intended subway station/Ryokan with relative ease. Get shocked at the subway prices in Japan (Subway ticket in Seoul[capital city, gargantuan metro] for 4 stops; $0.60. Subway ticket in Fukuoka[not a capital city, relatively big metro] for 4 stops; $3.15). Brace for the worst.

1:13PM – the Ryokan is b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.; unfortunately, check-in is 3PM

1:45PM – Wander around the area; look at outside of local temple, get lost for 30 seconds, note that 7-11 in Japan is 7-and-i-incorporated (and note that it doesn't quite have the same ring, but will do anyways) find area's shopping mall and find . . . Wendy's. Delicious, delicious Wendy's.

4:15PM – Come back from mall. Crash for the rest of the day. Watch Sumo wrestling. Note to self; remind self to get one of those nifty Japanese tables.

Tokyo, Packing, and Tattoos

So, I'm changing jobs.

Why?

Well, for several reasons;

• For another, the place I work at, while filled with great staff, SUCK because they only take two holidays off a year. And no, other places do NOT do that.
  
• And it's not Christmas, New Year's Eve, nor No Pants Day - and frankly, I don't want to be associated with an organization that doesn't celebrate No Pants Day. (Not, that the new place would observe the holy day, but they have more holidays, at least)
  
• Another complication was that a few months ago, Leah's school decided, without Leah's input, that she would work the morning shift.
• Let's think about this one:
• Lil' Daniel goes from work from 3PM to 10PM (which, coincidentally, kills his chances of him joining ANY clubs/activities)
  
• Lil' Leah goes from work from 9AM to 5PM
• Leah and Daniel live/work about an hour away from each other, which means that either Leah would have to leave Daniel's place at 7:30AM to go to work or that Daniel would arrive at Leah's place at 11PM, only to see his wife go to sleep at, oh, I don't know, midnight.

Like I said, with the exception of the holidays thing, I like my job - I like my coworkers, I like my boss (well, he is very absent-minded, but I think it may be a Korean "your-boss-is-a-god-so-suck-his-cock" kind of thing), and I like where I live(d)!

Having said that, this (08/18 to 08/22) is my last week with my current employer.

And,

• My current boss, William, tells me that I can move out whenever I'd like - so, since this is my last week AND the fact that I've paid rent for all of August, I thought I'd move out next week at the end of the month, when I'm NOT working all day and when I DON'T have to travel an hour to get to/from Leah's place.

Well, that's apparently not the case.
William conveniently tells me last Thursday, that I have to move my shit out by the end of the term - meaning, this Friday (I did, however, get to convince him that I should get the last week refunded to me). Did I mention that I have to work all afternoon?

You know what, I don't think I like my boss that much.

So, I start searching for new jobs - and I interview, after interview, after interview - and you know what? Every single place tries to either dick me around, saying that they would NOT give me housing (which they do for, "full-blooded Americans"; you know, honkys), or they just tell me outright, no Korean-Americans (actually, Leah's soon-to-be former employer stated that they don't want African Americans working there; yeah, anti-discrimination laws don't exactly exist here yet) - until I go to this new place.

My god. The place is new, and I go for an interview, at which point, I'm taken aback - the owners are w.o.n.d.e.r.f.u.l human beings. I mean, wow. So, I get the job (thankfully), and I actually convince Leah to interview with them - and she loves it too! I mean, her other job kinda sucked to begin with, so there's nothing much to compare it with, but I'm looking forward to it, I tell you what.

But, having said this, I get two weeks of vacation from my previous job to getting the new job - which means I have time . . . to TRAVEL! I am excited, I tell you what; for 4~5 days, I think I'm going to hit up Tokyo, as in Tokyo, Japan.

And when in Rome . . ..

Being less ambiguous, here's a lowdown of things I want to see/do while I'm in Tokyo;

• I want to stay at a capsule hotel; yes, because I'm a nerd.
  
• I'm pretty much planning on sticking around Akihabara; yes, because I'm a nerd.
• I'm definitely going to visit the Kyokyshinkai Honbu; yes, because I'm a nerd.
• And who could forget? The Kodokan . . . and yes, because I'm a nerd.
• (While I'm in Korea, I might visit the Kukkiwon. Maybe.)
  

And, of course . . . (and this one might surprise you guys a little)

• I might get a tattoo. I don't know about this one, as it will be pricy (it IS Tokyo) and I AM flighty, but I think I'll look into it and if it's possible, then why not? I'm looking into getting a half-sleeve if possible, but we'll see what I can swing . . .. I guess this is also because I'm a nerd(?).
  

(If I missed anything, or if you have criticisms/advice, dish it out!)

Anyhow, at this time, the plans are still tentative. What with moving and changing jobs, I'd hate to leave it all to Leah willie-nilly; I'm sure she'd do great, but it'd still not be fair.

So, to sum it all up; I'm busy as hell, but I can't wait.

Daydreaming: Motorcycle of my dreams -

- The styling of the Confederate Hellcat (Standard/Cafe Racer, not a cruiser)
- The hollow-tank/frame/oil resevoir/muffler placement from Buell
- Vertically-stacked LED Headlights / Turn signals, rear lights/signals integrated to rear wheel cover
*challenge*
- a Mazda Renesis Rotary engine, scaled-down for mid-weight (500~800cc) output

One day . . ..

Motorcycles: Ongoing, pt.1

Korean cops get nice motorcycles (if you notice, the bike is a beemer).

Video guide to buying a bike.

Just a head's-up, a note for myself really, for me when I get back to the States . . ..
To continue on with my passive-obsession, this is what I've seen about the motorcycle culture in Seoul;

First of all, let me set this up - Seoul is crowded. I mean, I wouldn't want to live in a place where rush hour is four to sev . . . wait a minute, I do.

Damn.

Anyways, back to the point - In Seoul, I've seen people use motorcycles a lot more frequently than in the States - definitely more than Chicago or Bloomington, for sure.

Case in point; observe, if you will;

This was all within a 100-yard strip of an alleyway in Seoul. Now imagine every singe alleyway like this, and I think that it's a pretty accurate description of just how many of these things there are.

This is typical of most motorcycles in Seoul - Korean, lighter displacement, all over the damn place (more people ride on the sidewalk than on the road), and used as a tool for delivery - especially the red & white one. The thing that's sticking out on the back is used to hoist whatever thing they have to haul around - piping, food (did you know that in Seoul McDonalds delivers?) what have you.

Anyhow, that's that. Nothing significant. Except . . . every so often I see a group of Ducati riders around where I work. Talk about night and day - but I think that talks more about Korea's economy than anything else.

And that I'm totally envious.

So, at this juncture, what am I doing to better my motorcycling situation? Well, nothing, really. Other than this . . .




Eh.

By the way, we got Leah this:

It's called a Suzuki Choi Nori - a lil' 50cc scooter - it's pretty cool, in a I-wouldn't-be-caught-dead-admitting-that-I/my wife-own(s)-it kind of way. But, I did talk Leah into taking the MSF rider's course when we go back. Maybe I can get her a lil' Ninja 250 or a CBR125R and see how it goes from there. Totally badass.

Since it's Leah's first scooter and she's really excited about it, maybe I'll put up more of a post about it later. Maybe.

- Current bike to get when I'm back(realistic mode): an '06 Honda 599.

a non sequitur: Motorcycles

Yep. That's right. This has absolutely nothing to do with me bing in Korea.

But I can't help it - it's the onset of summer, the weather, rain notwithstanding, is gorgeous; and I miss mototrbiking! Nevermind the fact that I've been watching Long Way Round - of course Long Way Down is in queue . . ..

(To be honest, it's not that I rode much back in the States, but still - )

I'm constantly looking at motorcycles (online) - although I did see this on a vendor in Korea: it's a Confederate Hellcat

A beaut, innit?

Anyhow, yeah; I completely miss riding with Kevin (the few times we did, anyhow) and I've got to set up sometime for riding w/ Jason (hope she's treating ya well, buddy!).

90% of the bikes I've seen here are either lower displacement, Korean bred workhorses, or the rare Ducatis/Hondas mixed in . . . anyhow, scooters and motorcycles are a lot more popular here, but like I said, most are lower (250cc or lower) displacement . . ..

Current bike(s) of obsession/thinking about getting once I get back to the good ol' USA(in no particular order):
- Honda CBR600RR
- KTM Duke 690 (I [happily] blame Kevin for this development)
- Honda 599
- Kawasaki Versys
- Suzuki SV650

Considering that the Duke is a new model for this year and it almost costs $10k(msrp), realistically I'd be looking at the 599 or the SV again . . . and this is a modest dream of mine, but if I get one of those two, I'd love to chop it up to look like that Hellcat!

So, to summarize:

• my obsession with motorcycles did not waver since I got here.
• I will ride with Jason and Kevin once I get back
• Granted it depends on what job situation I get once I get back, but it'd be aweeesome to join in on one of Kev's long-term trips (I've got that adventurin' bug in my blood, no thanks to you)
• I want a bike again!

So, dear reader, I suppose you're asking, why don't I get a motorcycle here, in S. Korea?

FAAAAAAAACK YOUUUUUUUU
(Seriously, they're batshit insane here as far as traffic goes - the second video is *typical* for most riders - and I'm just not good enough of a rider to do that without maiming almost everyone - got a bicycle, though)