Monday, June 23, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
The Art that keeps growing
Something that i've been wondering about.
Is there a point in your training, say around about the GM level, that you stop learning from outside sources?
Where do you stop incorporating and instead flesh out your system, maybe consider is "complete"?
If you've inherited a system, cut and dry, well that's somewhat clear (or is it). What you've got is the system and you continue to refine it with your existing experiences.
But if you've eventually created your own system, when do you stop considering and using new external sources? When/or ever are you at the level where you no longer need to be influenced?
I've heard it said "Arnis - the art that never stops growing", just like the rattan plant.
But what if you take that plant and put it in a pot. Sure it will continue to grow. But if it isn't fertilized will it not eventually become weaker?
How's that for mystikal prose Bobbe? (And no, this is definitely not directed AT Bobbe).
Is there a point in your training, say around about the GM level, that you stop learning from outside sources?
Where do you stop incorporating and instead flesh out your system, maybe consider is "complete"?
If you've inherited a system, cut and dry, well that's somewhat clear (or is it). What you've got is the system and you continue to refine it with your existing experiences.
But if you've eventually created your own system, when do you stop considering and using new external sources? When/or ever are you at the level where you no longer need to be influenced?
I've heard it said "Arnis - the art that never stops growing", just like the rattan plant.
But what if you take that plant and put it in a pot. Sure it will continue to grow. But if it isn't fertilized will it not eventually become weaker?
How's that for mystikal prose Bobbe? (And no, this is definitely not directed AT Bobbe).
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Add boy, and repeat
I really didn’t think this one was going to happen but it looks like we’ll be going to the 10th WEKAF World’s in Cebu, PI afterall. 
I was almost resigned to not going and some sponsorship just came our way.
I would be fine without going. Hey it’s great to go but at the expense, ect I’m not that hung on it. I’ve been once and that was certainly a must do, once in a life thing.
But I really wanted to take Cole.
I remember being there in 2004 and thinking about it. He had just started training a few months prior and I thought how cool it would be to bring him in 4 years when it was there again.
If you’ve been to a 3rd world country you understand. No pictures can really capture the experience and the feeling you leave with. It's not all negative, don’t get me wrong.
But going to a 3rd world country (and not a vacation place like Jamaica which I refer to as 2nd world) has a way of reshuffling your priorities and your perspective on things.
Cole is by no means privileged or covetous. Heck, he refuses to wear shirts that have any popular “in crowd” type labels. A simple hooded sweatshirt, a graphic T or even an old car show Tshirt is his preference. His tastes are already very simple and his needs not materialistic. He understands working for a purchase.
But he is also at a pivotal age of 14 where an experience like this could really shape his world view. 2yrs from now could be too late.
So I was really on a downer about not being able to give him that experience. If it were just me I would have thrown in the towel already.
But I followed some of Mushtaq’s Sufi advice and it really seems to have worked out! And I've got a way better camera this time.
Cole also spent some time with Cody (actually quite a bit) and Bobbe at the last Gathering, it’s already shown tremendous potential changes in him. They had a great affect and I really appreciate it.
I was almost resigned to not going and some sponsorship just came our way.
I would be fine without going. Hey it’s great to go but at the expense, ect I’m not that hung on it. I’ve been once and that was certainly a must do, once in a life thing.
But I really wanted to take Cole.
I remember being there in 2004 and thinking about it. He had just started training a few months prior and I thought how cool it would be to bring him in 4 years when it was there again.
If you’ve been to a 3rd world country you understand. No pictures can really capture the experience and the feeling you leave with. It's not all negative, don’t get me wrong.
But going to a 3rd world country (and not a vacation place like Jamaica which I refer to as 2nd world) has a way of reshuffling your priorities and your perspective on things.
Cole is by no means privileged or covetous. Heck, he refuses to wear shirts that have any popular “in crowd” type labels. A simple hooded sweatshirt, a graphic T or even an old car show Tshirt is his preference. His tastes are already very simple and his needs not materialistic. He understands working for a purchase.
But he is also at a pivotal age of 14 where an experience like this could really shape his world view. 2yrs from now could be too late.
So I was really on a downer about not being able to give him that experience. If it were just me I would have thrown in the towel already.
But I followed some of Mushtaq’s Sufi advice and it really seems to have worked out! And I've got a way better camera this time.
Cole also spent some time with Cody (actually quite a bit) and Bobbe at the last Gathering, it’s already shown tremendous potential changes in him. They had a great affect and I really appreciate it.
Cody is the consumate professional coach and has done tremendous things for me over the past year.
Bobbe gave Cole some great stuff to work on and also the experience of what it feels like to really be on the other end of a stick from a highly skilled fighter who's been there.
What’s even more exciting is, he really does have a very good chance to win a World Championship this time!!!
What’s even more exciting is, he really does have a very good chance to win a World Championship this time!!!
What am I looking forward to the most?
Yeah, it was that dark when I fought.
Probably this, even though I brought home a few million guests afterwards last time.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Boston
It’s no longer needed to even endure 12 weeks of abuse from a vain Brit to become a music star.
Check out Boston’s new lead singer
Tommy DeCarlo of Charlotte, N.C., dreamed of becoming a rock star, listening to his favorite band's albums and memorizing their songs.
"A Boston song would come on and I'd get fired up and I'd start singing it," said DeCarlo, 43, a father of two kids -- Talia, 19, and Tommy Jr., 17.
But dreams didn't pay the bills, so DeCarlo worked as a credit manager at a Home Depot store in Charlotte to support his.
Still, he never gave up singing along to his Boston CDs, and his daughter Talia took notice. She posted a MySpace page of DeCarlo singing karaoke to Boston songs after the band's lead singer, Brad Delp, committed suicide in March 2007. And, in an instant, DeCarlo's whole world turned upside down.
"I wanted to share [the karaoke] with ... other Boston fans," he said.
DeCarlo had to sing with the karaoke track because he had sold his keyboard in 2006, using the extra cash to buy Christmas presents for his children.
Great daughter! And he later said "People tell me I must be living a dream, honestly I never dreamed this big".
Bobbe, I think Air Supply caught you crooning to Bambang on Youtube
and they’re hoping for a comeback.
Check out Boston’s new lead singer
Tommy DeCarlo of Charlotte, N.C., dreamed of becoming a rock star, listening to his favorite band's albums and memorizing their songs.
"A Boston song would come on and I'd get fired up and I'd start singing it," said DeCarlo, 43, a father of two kids -- Talia, 19, and Tommy Jr., 17.
But dreams didn't pay the bills, so DeCarlo worked as a credit manager at a Home Depot store in Charlotte to support his.
Still, he never gave up singing along to his Boston CDs, and his daughter Talia took notice. She posted a MySpace page of DeCarlo singing karaoke to Boston songs after the band's lead singer, Brad Delp, committed suicide in March 2007. And, in an instant, DeCarlo's whole world turned upside down.
"I wanted to share [the karaoke] with ... other Boston fans," he said.
DeCarlo had to sing with the karaoke track because he had sold his keyboard in 2006, using the extra cash to buy Christmas presents for his children.
Great daughter! And he later said "People tell me I must be living a dream, honestly I never dreamed this big".
Bobbe, I think Air Supply caught you crooning to Bambang on Youtube
and they’re hoping for a comeback.
I washed my car
I finally washed a few of the cars last night.
Yep, you guessed it. Even though it wasn't supposed to for days, it rained briefly this morning.
And I mean, not a sprinkle, it came down.
However, we were rewarded with this before it was over:
not a bad trade.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Nobel material
So, how do you win the Nobel Peace Prize?
I don’t know either, but this guy should win it.
Three Cups of Tea – http://www.threecupsoftea.com/AboutBook.php
I don’t know either, but this guy should win it.
Three Cups of Tea – http://www.threecupsoftea.com/AboutBook.php
Get this book, and in the audio version, very well read.
It is at once a gripping adventure story and at the same time an autobiography of a remarkable man.
Greg Mortenson decides to climb K2 as a tribute to his disadvantaged sister who has passed away.
Having failed, he gets lost on the way down and is nursed back to health in a small Pakistani town.
After recovering he discovers this town has no school and the children are educated in a field.
The perseverance and tolerance of the people remind him of his sister and he vows to build them a school as a much better tribute to his sister.
And he does so, having no idea how and with no means of his own. He lives in his own car so that he can save all his money for expenses when he goes back.
And he doesn’t figure in his own costs to what he asks for from donors.
The end cost? $12,000 for a school that will be there forever.
What ensues is a lifelong occupation of traveling and raising money as head of the Central Asia Institute - http://www.ikat.org/
He ultimately builds fifty five schools, funds teachers and humanitarian efforts in one of the most dangerous places on earth.
Mortenson realizes that the greatest way to combat terrorism and Radical Islam is through education.
Prior to 9/11 Madrasahs are springing up all over Pakistan and Afghanistan. Run by Radical mullahs, they often offer the only option of education for people who have no prospects for their children. Offering full tuition, the Madrasah and it’s vehemence become their only purpose.
Mortensen knows that offering education, and especially to girls, it the best way to combat this and provide a future.
Already in the region when 9/11 occurs, Mortenson still travels back into Pakistan for another month as “he had projects underway to complete” despite frantic warnings from the state dept.
With one of the strongest understandings of the area and the conditions, Mortenson has a refreshing perception of the “war on Terror” and his experiences during those days.
It is at once a gripping adventure story and at the same time an autobiography of a remarkable man.
Greg Mortenson decides to climb K2 as a tribute to his disadvantaged sister who has passed away.
Having failed, he gets lost on the way down and is nursed back to health in a small Pakistani town.
After recovering he discovers this town has no school and the children are educated in a field.
The perseverance and tolerance of the people remind him of his sister and he vows to build them a school as a much better tribute to his sister.
And he does so, having no idea how and with no means of his own. He lives in his own car so that he can save all his money for expenses when he goes back.
And he doesn’t figure in his own costs to what he asks for from donors.
The end cost? $12,000 for a school that will be there forever.
What ensues is a lifelong occupation of traveling and raising money as head of the Central Asia Institute - http://www.ikat.org/
He ultimately builds fifty five schools, funds teachers and humanitarian efforts in one of the most dangerous places on earth.
Mortenson realizes that the greatest way to combat terrorism and Radical Islam is through education.
Prior to 9/11 Madrasahs are springing up all over Pakistan and Afghanistan. Run by Radical mullahs, they often offer the only option of education for people who have no prospects for their children. Offering full tuition, the Madrasah and it’s vehemence become their only purpose.
Mortensen knows that offering education, and especially to girls, it the best way to combat this and provide a future.
Already in the region when 9/11 occurs, Mortenson still travels back into Pakistan for another month as “he had projects underway to complete” despite frantic warnings from the state dept.
With one of the strongest understandings of the area and the conditions, Mortenson has a refreshing perception of the “war on Terror” and his experiences during those days.
Get this book (and how do we nominate him for the Nobel?)!
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