Karate Sparring

The instructor decided to have a sparring class today which was pretty cool. I had to sit out the last one because I was close to a kettlebell meet. I didn't compete at the meet, but that is another story.

Get in, do your thing, get out. I need to learn to close a bigger gap quicker. Try using California blitz.

I worked on incorporating some black belt kicks. The alternate round kick is something that I will be able to use effectively. It allows me to land in an upright stance facing my opponent. The switch round causes me to land with my back turned.

Another point is that sparring sometimes becomes I take my turn then you take your turn then I take my turn etc etc. While this maybe polite, it also very predictable. One needs to attack while the other person is recovering and at other unexpected times. Essentially, vary the timing.

Jab, Jab Punch

I have thrown innumerable jabs in karate, but I learned something new about it at tonight's class. My natural fighting position is more turned sideways as opposed to a boxer's stance. It is a habit built over years of defending against and throwing kicks.

The problem with a sideways stance is that the jab ends up like a back fist - quick and snappy, but lacking any real power. The key is to square up my shoulders prior to throwing the jab. This stance allows the jab to come out straighter and puts more of the weight of my body behind the jab.

Tonight's class consisted of bag work - jab, jab punch, jab punch lead hand inverted punch. There is just something cathartic about punching a bag and my skinned knuckles are evidence of it.

New Heights Karate Academy

Congradulations to our three new black belts: Audrey, Aleah and Jesse. Thank you to Jordan and Austin for helping out on the test. Being recent black belts themselves, they were able to sympathize with the testers.

After the main portion of the test was over, the three candidates participated in the Christmas show. As a finale, they each easily broke two bricks.

Even though these three tested as part of the program at Wauseon, they are now lifelong members of our dojo. They are welcome to continue their training and help out in classes.

Working on my bicycle

There is a great bike shop in the Bowling Green area called Cycle Werks http://shopcyclewerks.com/. They have shops in both Maumee and BG, but the shop in BG is definitely larger and better stocked.

I purchased my Trek Navigator a few years back from a shop in the Sylvania area called Bikeworks http://thebikeworks.com/. A shop in the Perrysburg area called Road Racer http://www.roadracer.com/ fitted the bike for me a year or two later.

I purchased my first road bike a Trek 1.2 WSD from Cycle Werks in 2008. I put about 800 miles on it this last season and would like to do more this coming season. Aaron at Cyclewerks is extending the handlebars on the 1.2 WSD. The part should come in sometime next week and he will install it for me. I would also like to have SPD pedals installed on my Navigator and a tune up done on a third, different bicycle. It's the cold season in this area of the country.

Microsoft Virtual PC

In my Microsoft Admin 1 class, I used a nifty application called Microsoft Virtual PC. It gave me the ability to run the same build of Windows Server 2008 on the classroom computers as my computer at home.

I had to upgrade the ram in my home computer which runs Windows XP with Media Center Version 2002 SP3. It came with 2GB and I upgraded it to 4GB. If you do not like clicking Right Alt + Ctrl to move the mouse from Virtual PC to your desktop, I recommend installing Virtual Machine Additions from the file menu.

MV SUPER JUNIOR - SORRY,SORRY

My dad used to play Korean music. Not himself, but he would play it from a cassette, I believe. I now realize that it was Korean folk music.

Amazingly, ITunes does not carry a decent selection of newer Korean music. Here is a selection from SuJu, a very popular Korean boy band. If you know of any other good Korean bands, I would love to hear suggestions. Enjoy.

2010 Planner

How is it that there are only about three weeks left in 2009? I remember selecting the planner that I have been using for 2008, and it is already time for a new one.

I have always loved empty journals/notebooks with their unique covers and empty pages just waiting for inspiration. There is so much potential in those pages, so much life to be lived and so many experiences to be recounted. Funny thing is that I will buy or be given journals and then not use them. It seems like such a waste. What, you ask, does this speech have to do with a 2010 planner? I'm glad that you asked.

One type of journal that I have been intrigued about is the moleskin journal. I like the fact that they seem thin and efficiently designed. At the local Barnes & Noble, the Weekly Notebook Planner comes in both red and black. While $20 seems like a lot to pay for a planner, it does have blank pages to jot down ideas and stickers to customize the pages. I will probably use those pages to jot down blog ideas while I am away from my computer Unexpectedly, the back cover is made in such a way that there is a pocket where receipts etc can be stashed. Time will tell, but I think that this planner will work.

Korean Restaurant and Farmer's Market

We visited one of the many Korean restaurants around Duluth, GA with my brother who is a PhD candidate at Georgia Tech.  The name of the restaurant is Abaee at 2476 Pleasant Hill Rd. Suite 104.  I ordered sun du bu which is a soup made of soft tofu with seafood and beef added.  I spoke to a Korean lady at a farmer's market later who said that the soup can be made with seafood only, beef only or oysters only in addition to the soft tofu.  It was a good soup, but could be a little spicy for some tastes.  My brother and a friend both ordered Bi Bim Bap.  One ordered Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap while the other ordered straight Bi Bim Bap.  I was confused because both dishes appeared to be cooked, but the same Korean lady said that the straight Bi Bim Bap ordered by my brother appeared to be cooked because it was served over rice.  Often the rice is served on the side in that dish and the vegetables are only cooked once instead of twice as they are in Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap.  He appeared to enjoy it given the emptiness of the bowl when he was finished. 

We also visited a very large Korean Farmer's Market called Nam de Mun si jang aka Gwinnet Int'l Farmers Market on Pineland Road.  Imagine a place where you can buy any ingredient that you would ever need to prepare a korean dish and this place would come close to that idea.  I imagine that some of the Korean restaurants in the area do their shopping at this market.  There is a place to sit down and order prepared food in the rear of the market.  Also, there are live fish swimming in tanks that appeared to be available for purchase for that night's dinner.  Many varieties of produce are available with cucumbers for example piled a couple feet high.  I purchased some candy to take home for Christmas and some Korean red pepper spice.  I have heard that it is different from the red pepper spice that one might buy at a normal supermarket, but I suppose that the proof is in the pudding as it were.