On weekend modelling

Well, just a couple here.

More images here. Hope Martynka is OK after that freezing Sunday ;-)

A few from Paris...

Of course we did not go sightseeing. We went for a seminar. Still, it was not aikido only - we had some time to hang around. A few pics. Yeah, I know - boring... Postcards... Well, lets hope Indonesia will go better ;-)

More can be found here.

Family pic

On touching the devil

Me and Bynio. Errr... Correction: Bynio and me ;-)

On age

This month it is 21 years since i started aikido.

Recent passing away of Murashige sensei made me question what this is all about.

I am in no way any good at this. But thanks to Piotr I was lucky enough to have been exposed to some truly amazing experiences, pinnacle of which was being one of the last uchi-deshi in San Diego dojo. And more and more I feel aikido is not about becoming kick-ass killa. Its about passing this fleeting, subtle feelings and impressions I collected over the years. Passing on to younger kids who were not lucky enough to have met TKC or Murashinge. Too bad I am so flawed and crappy at passing it on. Too bad I was too thick to gain more from exposure to really iconic and legendary teachers... I knew then that it was important for me, now it downs on me it was not for me at all, I was just the messenger. Now I begin to see the responsibility that came with it and I am afraid I am failing dramatically.

Oh well, after all - all I can do is try the best within my (admittedly) limited abilities...

Book recommendation

Neil Stephenson 'Cryptonomicon'

Really everything you can expect from a book. See, I read a lot. Really a lot. And only a few make impression. This one did.

On sex, love and Sartre

I read Sartre when I was at the University, then I read all the other existentialists. And then I became a buddhist. And then, in last couple of years some things happened to me that i tried to make heads and tails out of any of these things like love, sex, relationship, truth, lies and so on.

I still consider myself a buddhist.

But recently I revised Existentialism, and while this one does not contradict Buddhism, it somehow focuses on smaller picture. It's like Newtonian physics is a subset of General Relativity. Or something like that.

Anyway - what I wanted to say is that whatever you do - you are alone in this. And all responsibility falls on you for whatever you do.

No, this is not a bad thing. Just let these scales fall off your eyes and stop blaming others or the world for your fuck-ups.

Oh yeah, right. How does sex and love fall into this? Well, to make long story short - these are just smoke and mirrors. Illusions and chess games. But - please - do your own research. Study, experience and draw your own conclusions. I do not want to give you easy answers. All I am saying - it is not as easy as it seems. Or better even - it's easier than you think.

And yes, Karmapa-chenno, motherfucker ;-)

On movie weekend

OK, so one by one.

Going postal - if you have not read Terry Pratchett's book - skip this one as you will miss half of the inside jokes. Very nicely done movie, but as mentioned - only for the genre fans.

Then there was World's End. Well, this one reminds me of From Dusk Till Dawn, where halfway through the move you actually realize you got the genre all wrong. My recommendation - do not read any recommendations, reviews or anything, just watch it. Hilarous!

And then there was After Earth, which, while still not bad, still was just mediocre. Oh, no, do not get me wrong. A good movie. Just... not in the same league as the first one here ;-)

Ugh... perhaps I am somehow biased towards Pratchett ;-)

On story of my life

No, it's not about women.

It's about watches.

I wear pretty decent Omega (this one, to be exact). But once I found a watch i really like it has to cost arm and leg. Funny thing is I can see myself spending 10K US$ for this piece of jewellery. There is something liberating in spending outrageous amount of money for something you totally do not need. I am talking here about this:

I guess I will buy a fake copy next time I am in Bangkok, wear it for some time to see how it feels and then... Well, if I like it - you never know...

On Italy

So well, Venice...

I am happy it's over. I'd prefer to live in the Dolomities ;-)

On biking

When I got my beemer a friend told me that I will fall down. I tried to argue and he clearly stated that it's not a question of if but a question of when. Well, here it is:

and after stitching:

Yup, rthe bike is OK ;-)

On history

I just finished audiobook Area 51 - An Uncensored History Of Americas Top Secret Military Base. The book did not answer convincingly any of the big questions, but that is not the point.

What was funny is how often the author is wrong about the history of WW2. I mean... the same facts look so differently from the other side of the Atlantic. And we do have more facts here than they see from over there. This is interesting how the point from which you are viewing the situation affects your perception.

Reminds me a bit of how Bartek was raving about his Kenyan history teacher in Nairobi. All facts wrong. Wrong? Well, perhaps not, but skewed and distorted. This is fun for me to listen, but if this is what is being taught at the best school in Kenya...

Yeah, dont get me started...

On Beemer

So I changed the steering bar, the old one was bent at the accident. I also got new front suspension (telelever) axle, the old one was broken. Will replace it on Sunday. Generally I love my bike, the R1150R.

On hair

So there was this period of my life when I thought I was a martial artist. Well, generally an artist. So I grew long hair, I wore samurai ponytail and felt dope and cool. And then brutal reality touched me and I realized that I was no artist. I am nobody... And I remembered that brute force is not afraid of no technique. So I cut the damn hair. Screw all that...

On my swords

I still want a wakizashi...

That's my rifle, That's my wife...

Tool of trade: HK 416 with 10" barrel, Aimpoint Micro T1, Magpul RVG and, of course, Noveske KX3:

Ouch

It seems like Piotr broke something in my wrist. I guess no pushups for some time. I hope the spring comes soon, at least I would go running...

On magical moments

I do not have a lot of those lately, but...
Tonight i got home pretty run down after aikido and in the twilight i opened the beer and started cleaning the sword while listening to the ubiquitous music... And I forgot what I had put in my playlist. And there was Jan Grabarek with his Officium Novum. I was blown away...
Small things sometimes make moments count...

Yup, I still miss her...

On being old...

I just hate being old.
I was sitting in front of my computer on the floor on my foot and now my ankle has been sore for two days. I am OK with that, I get it. Then I was doing my daily workout and now my wrist hurts. I am fine with that, perhaps I pushed myself a bit too far.
But then I was putting on my shoes and something cracked in my back and the pain was like white hot iron rod was driven between vertebrae and I had a hard time walking down the stairs and getting into my Merc.
But do you get it? Aikido is fine, workout is fine, knife throwing is just perfect, all these crazy ninja stuff I can do no problem. It is the treacherous daily tasks that pose the biggest danger, like tying your laces or something... Expecting the unexpected and all that shit. I hate being old...