Concrete Jungle where Dreams are made

New York. One month. Jiu Jitsu? I’m gonna learn... Jiu Jitsu? 

Flight, taxi, hostel, Tanja and Katherina and Flavio and Phillipe. Alone, jet lagged, settling in, wandering around, getting my bearings. I’m not in Kansas any more. Superbowl, sleepiness, bewilderment. Sleep. Jen, Jiu Jitsu, Vitor and Loro, Gabriel and Tete and too many others to name you all, my jiu jitsu family. Blues, purples, browns and blacks, oh my! Side control, collar choke, tap tap tap.

This is the end...

Happy Christmas everybody, and a Messy New Year!

So the year is rolling to a close. Almost everyone seems to have switched off for Christmas, taking it easy until the New Year rolls around before attempting once again to take things by the scruff of the neck. But, hey, why wait? Life’s about momentum. Finish 2010 in style, and starting 2011 with a bang will be that much easier.

My friend R___  mentioned that instead of waiting for January to make a big push, when everyone is in the gym, he always makes an effort to get his work done in December, when everyone else is winding down. That way, when the New Year arrives, he is already in shape and ready to start the year running.

Kung Fu Hustle

Just watching the fantastic Kung Fu Hustle. If you've never seen it, I highly recommend it. To be honest, it's absolutely bonkers. I grew up watching lots of kung fu movies, and Stephen Chow movies in particular. He's got a crazy style of comedy known as 'mo lei tau', which loosely translates to 'no sense' or 'no head', a style of comedy that comes across as very slapstick and not a little bit Looney Toons in nature.

 Why is this move so awesome? Well, it manages to marry several different sensibilities, seamlessly stringing together classic Hong Kong kung fu action with the humour of Chow's earlier work. It throws together endless movie pastiches in irreverent but affectionate fashion.