Pick Ourselves Back Up!!

I have started Kendo again, sorta... To avoid infections, etc, I still haven't put on my men during practice. Thus, so far I have only been able to practice kata, basics and limited wazas. I think my form is still OK, although I think there's still a lot of things I need to work on, including my footwork, kamae, etc.
I noticed that I am still leaning back in my chudan position and I think my footwork is a bit sloppy.
The next practice is scheduled to be this coming Friday, and perhaps it'll be the last intense sessions before our tournament next week.
In the meantime, I went to the gym again today after my almost passing out fiasco last Thursday. I noticed that even though I didn't pass out, I have lost a lot of strength and endurance. My trainer commented that perhaps I haven't fully recovered from my sickness yet, thus my physical decline.
Taking the opportunity of this weeklong holiday, I will be trying to work out to get back into shape, rest... and do Kendo at the end of the week.
Plus, I think I have a couple of reports due next week for work as well.

Not There Yet...

So, right after I got off the plane from Sumatra, I immediately went off to the gym to start doing work out again. It has been 3 weeks since I've done any kind of work out at all.
I thought to start my first week back with light work outs, just to get myself going again. However, it looks like my body had other plans...
While I was doing OK with light weights and high reps work out, after about 30-45 minutes... I started to feel nauseous and light headed. I couldn't stand and wanted to throw up. So I sat down and ask for the trainers' help... They brought me some warm sweet tea to wake me up a bit. After I was able to stand up, I hit the showers and called it a day. The trainers thought that perhaps due to my illness and lack of full recovery, my blood sugar level was a wreck when I tried to work out. They told me to eat a full meal tonight and take a rest...
I did just that and I felt better already...
Am I going to work tomorrow? Hmm... let's see... HELL YEAH!!

London Dreams

I don’t remember how I have known Freaky K. We were introduced by a mutual friend a long while ago when I was still in Bandung. At the time she was a med student, gee… to think it about, it must have been perhaps around five years ago. It’s scary how time flies…

Well, we don’t really stay in contact for the last few years now, especially after my move to Jakarta (again) and my job in Sumatra. From what I gathered, she has graduated her General Practice program and was deciding whether she was going to continue her studies or whatever else she was thinking of doing. She dreamed of going to London for no reason and due to her circumstances at the time, was wandering aimlessly in life.

Imagine my surprise a couple of weeks ago when I heard that she has moved to Jakarta and gotten a job at a Japanese clinic as an in house physician.

While she still retains her feisty demeanor, I for one think that this move shows a step in the right direction for her. She decided to get a job instead of staying unemployed in Bandung, and starting to plan for her future. At this point, she’s still getting used to the idea of living by herself in Jakarta and working her way through traffic and other aspects of Jakarta lifestyle.

In this case, I am proud of Freaky K’s decision to risk it all for something positive in her life. I for one believe due to the economic slump in Bandung, it has become sort of a ‘dead’ town… Everyone is affected and has become embittered and negative in their outlook in life. This is part of the reason why I avoid going to Bandung or interacting with too many people from my own hometown. I feel that I need to keep positive within my own journey and endeavors, even if it means temporarily distancing myself from people I knew.

As for Freaky K’s London dreams… She thinks it will have to wait for a while. London is always going to be there… unless the events depicted in the 28 Weeks Later movie truly do happen…

Fighting the Flab

So, today marks the third week that I haven't done any real work since I got the chicken pox. I have started work again this week and have been going out of the house since last weekend. Mostly due to the boredom, but there's also so much work to be done anticipating the upcoming holiday season in Indonesia.
I have however, refrained myself from working out. Mainly due to my health status, the fact that my body is still not 100% recovering from the disease. Also, even though it is getting better by the day, I do look like I just got the chicken pox. Not wanting to spread the disease and having people commenting, I tend to avoid places where I may be recognized.
I know for a fact that I haven't gained on my waist line, but I have lost a lot of muscle... With a major Kendo tournament coming in the second week of October, I think will/want to start training right after I go back to Jakarta this Thursday.
I will start of with some light-medium cardio and light basic lifting, then it's Kendo on the weekend. Depends on the my facial scar situation, if I feel it has healed enough, I will put on my men. Otherwise, I will not and practice basics and kata instead.

Patience, Grasshopper...

So now I am back in Jakarta, starting to resume my daily routines again...
Whatever 'feelings' I had during my sickness exile in Bandung kinda subsides by itself.
I was chatting with my friend Zen the other day, he mostly agrees with my decisions so far, however he also advised me to be patient and not to rush anything, especially when it comes to relationship.
I spent some time with BellyDancer over the weekend, dinner and stuff... let's just say that I have kinda cooled down a little, and from what I saw, so did she. Perhaps it's stress from work, or in my case stress from not working, but things kinda died down a little bit, at least at my end.
I am not sure why, I think Zen is right that I should rush things... perhaps, I got caught up at my activities also that I have since I came back to Jakarta.
In any case, that's all I have for now...

Walking Pleague

Well, I've been out and about for a couple of days... Not too extensively, but just enough to cure my boredom at the mall, groceries, buying DVDs, etc.
Although, I still advise my friends who has never gotten chicken pox or who has children at home to stay the hell away from me, because I may pass the virus to them or their family members.
Anyways, due to the preparation for the Indonesian holiday season, I will have to take care of some work administration stuff at the home office in Jakarta, as well as overseeing the preparation for the holiday at the plantation site in Sumatra this coming week.
I guess my break time is over, I am wondering if I should start doing some workout again tomorrow though... I am feeling a bit flabby after 2 weeks of lying down and eating.

Unexpected

Well, amidst all these things going on around me... While I am still grounded here at home, something unexpected did came about.
BellyDancer and I grew close... I know that we don't see each other, because she's working in Jakarta and I am grounded here in Bandung, but she and I grew close... Closer than what I expected. I don't know what's happening, it's not that I did anything any differently... but something did happen.
I knew that EvenStar has been a dream for a while now, but I began to wonder if it's merely an escape from the bleak prospect that is my life. In fact, I began to wonder if the signs I read were true or not... She's coming back next month, with no guarantee if she's staying or not. Even if she's staying, I don't know if she feels the same... In fact, I don't even know what I feel anymore!

What I definitely don't want is to pass up something that's right in front of me, while I'm out there chasing for 'nothing'... You know?

Well, in any case... nothing is definite at this point. In fact, the way I feel now, even if BellyDancer turns out to be a 'hoax', I ain't gonna beat myself down over that either.

Round Two

It's been a long time coming for a while now...
Queen of Diamonds tried to contact me a few times for like the past month or something, for seemingly no reason. So, before I got sick, to return the favor (she sent me some cakes) I took her out to lunch. After the usual pleasantries, I got down to business and asked her what is it that she wanted from me. She said something like she wants to be friends and hang out, etc... I politely declined, I told her the reason being for my own protection. I also did told her that I wish her the best and that she will find her way in her life.
The truth is, if she was sincere, honest and perhaps apologized, I probably would have considered the chance of getting back together with her. However, seeing her at her current state, I have a feeling that if we get back together, it'd probably end up the same again.

Well, related to that, I got a surprising news yesterday. She seem to have broken up with her current/last boyfriend... Well, I wouldn't say it's totally a surprise, but I was feeling a bit well... strange...
For a while, I thought the reason that I couldn't get back together with her was because if this dude. Then again, I realize that it's not him, it never was... Whatever it is, maybe she and I really wasn't meant to be or she just didn't want a committed relationship (with me). After that I came to the realization that this isn't my problem, it's not my break up!! I sent her a message of my concerns and that's that...

I don't see this as a competition, on who's 'winning' or who has the upper hand... If this was a competition, then I already lost.
I lost my girlfriend last year.

Heeeere's Johnny!!!

Let me tell ya...
This boredom thing is setting in real fast and REAL now. I haven't had fever or headache for a few days now. Thanks to the doctor and my family, who's been takin' care of me. However, doing nothing at home takes its toll on me. However, I still look like ground zero and I heard I am especially contagious in this next few weeks as well.
I am missing my cousin's wedding this weekend, and I don't think I should meet my pregnant sister for the next few months or something.
Anyways, perhaps this virus has been inside of me all these time just waiting to come out. That's why I've been feeling weak and weird for the the past few months now with no apparent reason sometimes. I guess I am glad that it came out when it did. Now, it's just healing time... waiting for my face to go back to normal.
Seriously now, I think I may go ape shit in a couple of days if it goes on like this Right now, I am starting to understand how Jack Nicholson feels in the Shining!! Having nothing to do at home seriously sucks. I think I am ready to start doing some work at home next week... Maybe that'll help a little.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Well for a few days there I thought I was going to die, seriously... Feverish, headaches, sore throats and my scalp stings like crazy...
I went to another doctor for a second opinion, a specialist this time, he concurred that I indeed got chicken pox, but he pointed out the fact that the medication the first doctor gave me just wasn't enough. You see, to get chicken pox as an adult is indeed terrible... a lot worse than if you get it when you were a kid.
So, now my fever is over, I hope... but I still look like a mutant from George Romero's script... It looks like I will be sidelined here in Bandung for like 3 weeks or something. Damn man... So many things to do as well, my work, my Kendo, work out... maybe it's a good time for me to do some thinking...
I wish I could just sleep it off.

Breakout

I would never have seen it coming...
Yes, I was feeling exhausted over the past week, but I thought it was due to my work schedule, etc. I came back home to Bandung on Friday to visit my father who is feeling under the weather, from stress mostly... As I arrived in Bandung, I started to feel discomfort myself. I got pains all over my body and I was feverish too... Lo and behold, I was diagnosed with chicken pox.
I never had it when I was younger, even when all the other kids at school had them, I somehow never caught chicken pox. It's just rather unexpected for me to have them right now. I hate being sick and feeling helpless like this... Now I will have to rest at home for a while or something...
DAMN...

Fool's Gold

I went to a wedding in Bandung this past weekend. It was a distant friend of mine, his name is Ben. After practically years of no news what so ever, suddenly there's this wedding.
Ben's family is a gold trader in the West Java area, so they are probably quite loaded since they are pretty well known in their hometown. He is however, not the fastest cat around... he is quite stiff and acts like a simpleton.
Thus to our surprise, suddenly he's getting married... To the information I gathered at the wedding, the girl (dunno her name) is only 24, while Ben is 34. They were introduced by their respective family 3 months ago and decided to get married...

As funny as this love story is, the wedding itself is another story...
I knew that weddings in Bandung is kinda funny, thus I didn't dress all out, just a shirt and some khakis. The women were all decked out of course, but a lot of the men were just dressed in polo shirts, jeans and sandals.
The couple barely made it onto the podium and started their thank you speech when I heard some rumblings behind me. Apparently the other guests decided they were not gonna wait any longer before they start attacking the wedding buffet. They didn't even stop when it came to prayers time... I thought I've seen some weddings in my lifetime, but this was indeed something else.
Not wanting to resort to physical violence to get food, we decided to bail the wedding all together. After congratulating Ben, we bolted for a restaurant and decided to have a nice calm dinner instead...

The End of Wednesday Night Fight Club

The news came to me last week while I was still working in Sumatra. It seems like The Man has finally decided to keep us down, again...
It looks the management of Skyline Building has decided not to rent out the space for our dojo, and opt to look for other office type tenants.
Right now, the space is shared between Jakarta Japan Club, and other arts organization affiliated with it, such as Kendo, Iaido, Karate, Aikido and Taiko Drumming. Of course such kind of rental does not generate enough revenue considering the cheap fee we pay for the space.
At this moment, it looks like we may still have the space until the end of 2008, or March 2009 at the most. If no further development, we may loose our downtown training space.