買電池 電池を買って Buying batteries

今天我去超級市場買菜的時候決定要買電池。兩個電池的包裝$1.19，降價成$1.00。八個電池的包裝$5.69，降價成$5.29。我站在那裡快五分鐘，搞不懂為什麼一次買八個電池反而比較貴，一直以為是我的算術太差。^_^;;

今日僕が電池を買いました。二つは$1.19, セールのかげで$1.00. 八つは$5.69, セールのかげで$5.29。僕が考えて、なぜ八つの電池は二つより高いました。また僕の数学が悪かったになりました。^_^;;

Today I decided to buy some batteries at the supermarket. The two battery package was $1.19, with a sale down to $1.00. The eight battery package was $5.69, with a sale down to $5.29. I stood there for about five minutes trying to figure out why the eight battery package was more expensive per battery. I kept thinking I was making math mistakes. ^_^;;

P.S. The Japanese for this post was horrid. :-p I would appreciate any feedback and corrections.

Swinging again... kinda...

I got shoulder surgery on 11/16/2007 on my left shoulder to fix my dislocating problem. I was in a harness until last Tuesday, 12/18/2007. I started physical therapy on 12/11.

It's a weird feeling. After being in the harness for just a couple of weeks, coupled with the trauma of surgery, my arm motion has become very limited. It's like my mind tells me to raise my arm, but it just doesn't quite move. :-p I am doing much better now with therapy though. My friend James, whose father is also an orthopedic surgeon, said his father used to say that physical therapists have to be willing to inflict more pain on their patients so things improve, lol. Somewhat scary, but true and logical. :-)

The other day, while doing my physical therapy wand exercises at home using my shinai, I decided to try to swing it. First it was with both hands, which was a strange feeling. I was trying to swing correctly, yet use mostly my right hand, which is completely opposite of what kendo teaches... :-p Then I got more ambitious, and was actually able to swing my shinai with only my left hand, albeit VERY slowly.

Here's to hoping I recover in time for the Detroit tournament in February...

Noma Dojo (野間道場)

The disassembly of Noma Dojo (野間道場).

I was only there once, but it still affects me greatly. I could feel my eyes tear up as I see the pictures of the ground underneath the floor. I will always remember what I learned there and the stories I have of my experience. I look forward to visiting the new hall with a heavy heart and open mind.

Illini basketball without the Chief

Last Tuesday I went to an Illini exhibition basketball game with Melvin. The game itself is nothing spectacular. We won handily (thank goodness; a lot of Div I teams have been losing to Div II teams this preseason for some reason), there were a LOT of substitutions since the players were still being evaluated, and Bruce Weber even got mad at the effort on the court at one time.

But what really stuck in my mind was halftime. Halftime without the Chief.

I never went to a basketball game at Cal, so Illinois was my only live experience for college basketball game. Although I don't have strong feelings for the Chief, it was odd to watch a game without his performance. The band started playing during halftime and I was like "Wait, why isn't the Orange Crush surrounding the court? Isn't this the Chief set?" And it was. The band played the whole set and people sang during the song, but it felt odd, empty. Not only that, but halftime felt even longer and more boring.

Melvin and I talked about how long it would last. My guess is 4 years. When the stadium is filled with students that haven't seen the Chief live, I believe the Chief will "die."

10/28/2007 Indianapolis Dojo Visit

Thoughts and learnings from 10/28/2007 Indianapolis Dojo visit. A very big thank you to Sugawara sensei (菅原先生) for taking the time to teach us and to give us this opportunity.

Seme (攻め):

• I may be applying my seme (攻め) too strongly. I may need to ease from "as much as possible" to "strong" from time to time, almost like a feint so my opponent feels like he has an opportunity to attack.
• All too often I apply seme (攻め) trying to make my opponent think I'm targeting a specific target and then hit another one. In retrospect that's stupid and what people would expect. I should consider applying seme (攻め) such that my opponent can not tell what target I will attack.
• The times that I attack and fall short, it's probably because I had shifted my balance backwards while reacting to my opponent's seme (攻め) , which slows down/shortens my attack. Also, my opponent is ready to shift back after applying seme (攻め).

Tsubazeriai (鍔ぜり合い):

• I am not approaching tsubazeriai (鍔ぜり合い) as an opportunity for ippon (一本). I am looking to back out, reset, then get ippon (一本). This is not good. I should make my efforts from tsubazeriai (鍔ぜり合い) towards scoring ippon (一本).
• I need to practice more hiki waza (引き技). Think about how many times I have practiced kihon Men (基本面), just to get to this stage.
• Backing up a step from tsubazeriai (鍔ぜり合い) is like stepping in from issoku ittou no maai (一足一刀の間合い). It is stepping in to the maai (間合い) or distance from which an attack can be made instantaneously. I need to be extra careful then.
  
• Observe your opponent practicing hiki waza (引き技) in order to better know when an opponent is about to attack/retreat. Then practice either evading/hiki waza (引き技) at the same time or counter and chase.
• New practice for hiki waza (引き技) 1: Motodachi (元立ち) does hiki Men (引き面) while shidachi (仕立ち) attempts to hit hiki Dou (引き胴) at the same time. This should help teach when your opponent is going to attempt hiki waza (引き技).
• New practice for hiki waza (引き技) 2: Motodachi (元立ち) attempts hiki Dou (引き胴). Shidachi (仕立ち) blocks and counter with hiki Men (引き面). Another variation could have motodachi (元立ち) attack other targets instead, I think.
  

Waza usage

前幾個禮拜我跟庭軒（劍道六段）在網上講話，他說在他的映像裡，我用的技（わざ）不夠。或者是我都只有用到出ばな技（でばなわざ）。說實在，我有點驚訝他會這麼說，因為我覺得我用太多応じ技（おうじわざ）。可是仔細想想，他說得有道理。我的毛病（之一）是我對不同對手用不同技（わざ）。雖然這是應該的，可是我是往不好，不平均的方向應用。跟映像比我強的對手對打的時候，我不太用応じ技（おうじわざ）。跟映像比我弱的對手的時候，我用太多応じ技（おうじわざ）。在 Champaign 這裡大部分的對手都比我弱，所以我才會覺得我用太多応じ技（おうじわざ）吧。。。

我想我會有這種形象是因為攻め（せめ）和劍道訓練的關係。強的對手的攻め（せめ）比較強。感受到他的攻め（せめ），我會經不起，而採用先攻的打法。我會先攻是因為劍道重視攻擊；攻擊比撤退安全。換句話說，我對我的応じ技（おうじわざ）信心不夠，於是我不敢讓強對手採先機。對我弱的對手我有信心我可以交架他的攻擊，於是我常用応じ技（おうじわざ）。另一個原因可能是懶吧。:-p 仔細想想，這可能是我這次在 MWKF Tournament 輸的兩場的重要原因之一。

我還不清楚我要如何克服這個現象。前一陣子我打了一下上段（じょうだん）來克服對後輩（こうはい）怕輸，太多応じ技（おうじわざ）的現象。對後輩（こうはい）我得繼續採用不同的打法，包掛攻め（攻め）、仕掛け技(しかけわざ）、応じ技（おうじわざ）。我猜對先輩（せんぱい）我得對我自己多一點信心。應用我的攻め（せめ）和応じ技（おうじわざ）、並且注意我的平常心（へいじょうしん）。

I was talking to Kenji, my cousin in Taiwan who is a rokudan (六段）in kendo, a couple of weeks ago. He said that part of his impression from our last spar back in the summer was that I didn't use many wazas (技). He felt that the only waza （技）I did were debana waza（出ばな技). I was surprised to hear him say this, since I feel that I use too much ouji waza (応じ技）. After more reflection, I think I know why he said that. One of my problems, I think, is that the types of waza （技）I use depends on my opponent. However, instead of adjusting based on openings and what would work, I am adjusting based on my opponent's strength. That is not a good sign, in my opinion. Against opponents I perceive as stronger than me, I tend to not use ouji waza （応じ技）as much, while I over-rely upon them against opponents weaker than me. Since most of the people here at UIUC are weaker than me, I tend to think I use too much ouji waza （応じ技).

I think this has a lot to do with seme (攻め）and the training we receive through kendo. An opponent stronger than me usually has strong seme（攻め), and I respond by attacking earlier and more often to try to seize the initiative. Most people would respond this way because in kendo, attacking is better/safer than defending. In other words, against a strong opponent, I tend to give up on applying my own seme (攻め), break down my opponent, and utilize ouji waza (応じ技). I am more confident when facing a weaker opponent, and then give my seme (攻め）and ouji waza (応じ技) a chance to come through. Now that I think about it, this rushing, not wanting to yield the initiative to a stronger opponent, and reluctance to utilize ouji waza (応じ技）is a pretty big part of my losses at the last MWKF tournament...

I'm not entirely sure how I can go about fixing/improving this. I did joudan (上段）for a while to make myself attack more against my kohai (後輩) instead of waiting and relying upon my ouji waza (応じ技). I need to continue to bring my full arsenal, including seme, shikaki waza, and ouji waza (攻め、仕掛け技、応じ技). I guess I need to have more confidence when facing a senpai (先輩), and try to utilize my seme and ouji waza more (攻めと応じ技). I think this is part of/indication of lack of heijyoushin (平常心).

2007 Morton Punkin Chunkin'

Last weekend we went out to the Morton Punkin Chunkin' competition with our trebuchet. I have pictures of our trebuchet, as seen in the backyard of Bob's house, and pictures of us at the competition.

Unfortunately, we didn't launch any pumpkins. :-( The wooden part of our arm broke when we tried to crank it down for a test throw. I think we didn't put in enough engineering into cranking down the arm. We just tried to brute force it. :-p

We tried to launch some pumpkins w/ just the stump of the arm, but it was no good. It was still an entertaining trip, especially watching the air cannons nail the van that was out on the range. Bob is now debating if he should go for distance or accuracy, since pelting the van w/ pumpkins is much more enjoyable. ^_~

Afterwards we visited the Hofbrau house in Peoria for some German food. I can't say authoritatively if it was better than Byern Stube at Gibson City, but it was cheaper. I had a ham shank and it was goooood...

2007 MWKF Championship Notes

October 6 was the 2007 MWKF Championship tournament. I lost in the first round of 3dan and up to Hotta sensei (yondan 四段) from Choyokan. The match lasted until enchyou (延長) but it actually wasn't that close. Hotta sensei had many men (面) strikes that might have scored. I think I am still too aggressive, attacking with insufficient seme (攻め), which allows experienced kendoka (剣道家) to perform ouji-waza (応じ技) and counter my attacks.

In team match we first faced Choyoukan E (朝陽館). I was taisho (大将). By the time it got to me we were up 3-1 in matches, so the result of my match wouldn't matter. After losing a kote (小手), I was able to score a dou (胴) going forward, then score a hiki gyaku dou (引き逆胴). I was pretty happy about being able to turn the match around. I found out later that my opponent is a nidan (二段).

In the 2nd round, we were up against Minnehaha from Minneapolis, MN. They had 2 mudansha (無段者), a nidan (二段), and two yondans (四段), who were Cochran and Narumoto (鳴本) sensei. Narumoto sensei had won the 3dan and up division for the second year in a row. I was going to enjoy the opportunity to spar against him.

By the time it got to me, both teams had won 2 matches but Minnehaha was up by one point. Therefore, I had to win my match for us to advance. I lost on 2 men (面). :-p I find it difficult to identify what happened or how I lost. The only thing I can come up with is I need to be even better at controlling the match against quick fighters.

And now, my Dennis Green impression... "They were who we thought they were!" But we didn't exactly let them off the hook. More like we couldn't capitalize and then got nuked. ^_^;;

Illini hockey

On September 28, 2007, I went to see the Illini Hockey Club Team take on the Michigan State Club Team with Bob, Aqeel, and Melvin. It was my first live hockey game. It was quite an interesting experience. I felt that the game was much easier to follow live than on TV.

I was told that we are known for taunting the visitors in a rather organized fashion, and boy did the crowd come through. The crowd was organized from the get-go, starting with the introduction of the visiting team. After each player is introduced the crowd yells "You suck!" And the coach is followed by "You suck too!" After each Illini goal, the crowd points at the goalie and yells "It's all your fault!" There were others, but those were what stuck with me.

We also decided to do the run to the Illini Inn during the break between periods. That actually worked really well. We were able to down a beer on each trip, even though the Inn was rather crowded that night. That was also when I find out that the Inn had gotten rid of their old wooden tables and replaced them with tall ceramic ones. It just doesn't quite feel the same...

College town

I am too used to the college town. :-p At U of I, there are many stores open 24 hours. Practically every supermarket is 24/7.

After kendo practice here in San Jose on Thursday (and some time drinking and chatting ^_^), around 11pm, I couldn't find a place to get some Vitamin Water!! Heck, I passed by 3, count them, *3* gas stations that had garages instead of a store. Psh, gas station with a garage, who's ever heard of that?! :-)

U of I 實在是太方便了。因為很多大學生，所以很多店都開24小時。這個星期四在 San Jose 練劍道練完後，差不多十一點左右，想找一家店買個喝的找了半天才終於找到一家。

U of I は便利すぎるです。たくさん大学生がいるから、たくさんの店が二十四時間開店です。この木曜日、私が San Jose で剣道を練習しました。十一時ぐらい終わりました。後で、なんか飲みたいから、店を探しました。全然ありませんでした。

Rush Concert: 8/26/07

Nick and I went to watch Rush in concert by Indianapolis on Saturday, 8/26/07. It was an outdoor stadium and boy was I glad it rained last week, otherwise we would've been baking. It was basically out in the middle of nowhere, so we decided to drive back to the O'Charley we passed for dinner.

While we were eating at the bar at O'Charley, the couple next to us told a waiter that they were going to the concert. The waiter told us that the lawn seats are basically party areas, with people passing around Jose Cuervo and bad acoustics. This had Nick and me concerned a bit since we thought we had lawn seats and we were not looking forward to being around a bunch of drunks. It turned out that we did have pavilion seats, not the lawn. They were also performing pat down checks at the gate, so we don't see how anyone could sneak that much liquor in. Then again, the waiter was talking about his high school graduation... ^_^;;

It was a good concert. The light show was a bit distracting to me. There were a lot of interesting animations and graphics. Neil Peart was amazing. Geddy Lee's voice was not as annoying in concert; probably lower than it used to be. They played many songs from the new album "Snakes and Arrows," which was ok.

On the trip back, Nick decided to play all of the songs I had on my iPod that were NOT played at the concert. It lasted the whole 2 and a half hour drive back to UIUC. O_O And it was like, "Wait, what's this song? They didn't play it?" I guess with 19 studio albums Rush had a lot of songs to choose from. :-)

Seme with nito (二刀の攻め)

How does one perform or visualize seme (攻め) while using nitou (二刀)? Should it be through the shyoutou (小刀), or through the tsuka (柄) of the daitou (大刀)? Or both? Or neither?

Personally, while in chudan (中段) with ittou (一刀), I now visualize seme (攻め) as starting from my feet, especially my left foot, extending through my legs, up to my abdomen or hara (腹), then through my left hand and extending to the tip of the shinai (竹刀). The tip of the shinai (竹刀) makes a convenient point of focus. In joudan (上段), I have heard that one way to visualize seme (攻め) is to use the end of the handle, the tsuka (柄). Again, it's more a convenient point of focus than anything else. But with two points of focus for nitou (二刀), what is a good way to visualize seme (攻め)? Is one better than the other? Is it desirable or possible even to simultaneously seme (攻め) through two points of focus?

In the book on nito u(二刀) from Musashikai, it gives some ideas to this question. The idea is to seme (攻め) strongly with one of the swords to capture your opponent's attention and defeat him with the other. For example, an active shyoutou (小刀) will demand your opponent's attention, and you attack with the daitou (大刀) while he's distracted. Or if he's afraid of your daitou (大刀), you outmaneuver him using the shyoutou (小刀). This idea is attractive because there is no clear analogue if one is using ittou (一刀). The closest that comes to mind would be renzoku waza (連続技), or fooling your opponent into thinking you are going after a certain target. However, this approach implies the ability to seme (攻め) through both points of focus, possibly focusing more on one than the other at a time.

Another theory of seme (攻め) I've read or heard is to seme (攻め) from the hips, or the stomach/hara (腹). I believe that may be a better way to think about seme (攻め) in general, but it doesn't have as convenient an item for a focus. Although a focus may be a crutch that should be left behind eventually, I could use a crutch for now. Especially for nitou (二刀). :-p

Stupid...

I was at the grocery store this Monday and I decided to buy some bing cherries. They were $3.99/lb. When I was at the cashier, it was rung up as cantaloupe, which are 2 for $4, so I was charged $2. I noticed this and pointed it out. My bag of cherries was weighed and it came out to around $8 instead. :-O Boy did I feel dumb... I guess you have to pay for variety. :-P

真笨

這個星期一我去買菜的時候我決定買一些櫻桃。一磅$3.99。不過付錢的時候，小姐不小心打成甜瓜。甜瓜兩個$4，所以差不多$2。我發覺後請她改。我那一袋櫻桃竟然是$8。:-O 我真蠢。

Notes from 2007 MWKF Summer Camp

稽古 Notes:

• 一足一刀の間合い is from your left foot to your opponent. Not how far your 竹刀 cross.
• 打突 is from the movement of the body, not striking with the 竹刀. If you move in correctly with proper 踏み込み, 有効打突 will naturally follow.
• 3 things to consider for each strike: 打つの前に、打ったの時、打ったの後で. (Before you strike, the moment of the strike, and after the strike.) What needs to happen at each of these 3 moments?
  
• You don't always have to coordinate 気剣体一致 by stomping with the right foot. For example, side stepping to the right while performing 表面すり上げ面. The timing of the strike can be on the right foot and move forward or on the left foot and move backwards. All depends on the situation.
• Don't let the left hand collapse during 体当たり.
• Cut down to the chin on each strike for 素振り.
• Take big steps forward and backward for はや素振り, or 跳躍素振り.
• 田川先生 kept hitting my head during 打ち込み稽古. Why? He only did it when he opened up his 小手, and hits me regardless if I hit 小手 or 小手面. He never hit me when I hit 面. I didn't miss any strikes either. Was I supposed to ignore that opening and strike 面 instead?
• Raise the 竹刀 straight up for 面返し胴. That should be more than enough to deflect your opponent's 面 strike.
• Practice your 手の内 when receiving 切り返し, but do not knock the other person's 竹刀 away. Your first priority is supposed to be receiving and allowing your opponent to practice.
  
• 斎藤先生 said the left hand shouldn't leave the centerline, 中心, while receiving 切り返し. Specifically he didn't receive by moving his 竹刀 left and right. He turned his body, kind of like 半身, to receive. A bit advanced for beginners to learn at first perhaps?
• For すりあげ面, 斎藤先生 said to raise the 竹刀 straight up while side-stepping. This will naturally create the half-moon trajectory. I was confused and unsure about this. At first I thought it would create the opposite half-moon trajectory to the one you want. Upon further reflection, I believe he's right. If you think of raising the 竹刀 FIRST and then side-step, the trajectory would be correct. If you side-step and then raise the 竹刀, then the trajectory would be wrong.
  

形 Notes:

• 合気, understanding and working with your opponent, is very important in both 稽古 and 形.
• 理合い, reasoning, is very important to 形. It is important to understand "why" (なぜ) we perform the movements.
  
• 三本目: When the 打太刀 blocks, the sword should extend to the throat, 喉, of the 仕太刀. The block should also direct the 仕太刀 sword outside the body line. It's not obvious to me how to accomplish this without adopting a 半身 stance. 山中先生 said "自然に", or "move naturally". To me it looked like it's a variant of the 半身 stance.
• 三本目: 仕太刀's block should also direct 打太刀's sword outside the body.
• 五本目: 打太刀 should cut down to the chin. For the 仕太刀, it should be a すりあげ, using the breadth of the sword, not a 払い.
• 六本目: 仕太刀 should 攻め towards 打太刀's hands from 下段. 仕太刀 should also take a large step forward when 打太刀 backs up. (スーとに) Otherwise the distance would be too far apart.
  

Other nuggets of "wisdom":

• We're not doing 突き because the moon (月, つき) isn't out.
• 演歌 (en ka) might be ドルか (dollar ka) in America.
• If you hit someone in the head by accident, say 面 instead of ごめん.
  
• 山中先生 claims to be able to get at least 30% discount from the 松勘防具 shop. He bought their most expensive set of 防具. 山中先生、斎藤先生、と菅原先生 all use 松勘防具.
• Have at least one song memorized in case called upon for singing.
  

Kendo Dummy redux

So I practiced some more with the kendo dummy tonight, since no one else showed up to practice. I actually appreciated the chance to practice with the dummy though. Gave me a chance to really focus on my 二刀流 (nito ryuu) basics without feeling bad that I'm just pounding on an opponent and not giving him a chance to practice, lol. :-D

I was pleasantly surprised by how well the dummy worked for 引き技 (hiki waza; techniques while moving backwards). Then again, what dummies have problems with usually is allowing the practitioner to go through after the hit. They usually don't have problems if the person is moving away from them. So it's not a huge surprise or plus that my dummy works for 引き技. :-p

I think my 二刀流の引き技 has improved after tonight. It's still a very basic strike though. Very big. But at least it's straight and strong, with much better 手のうち (tenouchi). I was having problems with the 手のうち because it was more difficult to control the 竹刀 (shinai) when holding it with my left hand all the way next to the 鍔 (tsuba). Then again, when I started 二刀流, I told myself that I would only do it if I approached it as if I am once again a beginner. If I am to do 二刀流, I would approach it from the basics and develop sound fundamentals. So it's probably the right stage anyways...

夏天回台練劍

不敢啦！太熱了！ ^_^ (just kidding. 再熱我也樂意練。)

仔細想一想，我好像至少四年多沒有夏天回台灣了。都是放寒假的時候回去。這也是我第一次夏天在台北練劍道。感覺完全不同。光是換衣服就流汗了。偏偏我這次帶的稽古着和袴是我最長，最厚的一套。上次特意留下來的較薄的一套卻找不到。:-( 下一次一定帶最薄，最短，最輕的一套回去練。^_~

"剣道の平常心"上已經講到體力不支的問題。真得對通常就在這種氣候下練劍的人佩服。不過，回想一下，一個小時半，跟老師稽古4次差不多啦。可能是沒有在排隊，而是坐著休息而覺得懊惱吧。以前不是在排隊就是在練。這次沒什麼排隊的需要，可能跟想像不合所以遭到特別打擊。不過在中山道館練得時候，真的有點喘不過氣來。不知道在高架下的空氣循環有沒有影響。

不過，聽到林老師跟別人在講話時，真的覺得應該再加把勁才對。他說夏天不練體力，哪時候練？日本人也說夏寒稽古的目的其中之一是克制氣候的影響。於是那晚再追了一支稽古。:-)

Practicing kendo in Taipei in the summer

No thanks! It's too hot! ^_^ (just kidding. I'd do it again no matter how hot it is.)

Now that I think about it, it has been at least four years since I've gone back to Taiwan in the summer. I've been going back during the winter. Of course, this is the first time I practiced kendo in Taipei in the summer. The feeling is completely different. I was sweating just changing clothes. Unfortunately, the keiko gi and hakama I brought with me this time are the longest and thickest set that I have. I couldn't find the lighter set I left behind last year. :-( Next time I'm definitely bringing the lightest and shortest set I have with me. ^_~

I talked about my stamina problem in "剣道の平常心". You have to be impressed with people who practice regularly under that kind of weather. Upon further reflection, in an hour and a half, practicing with sensei only 4 times is not out of the ordinary. I'm probably depressed because I was sitting down resting instead of standing in line. It used to be that if I wasn't practicing, I was standing in line waiting to practice. So in the end I would have only practiced around 4 times in that amount of time. There wasn't much need to stand in line this time, so the difference in expectations may have made the impact even more dramatic. However, I really had problems catching my breath while practicing at 中山道館. I wonder if practicing under the overpass made a significant difference on the air circulation and heat dissipation.

But when I overheard Lin sensei talking to someone else, I really felt I needed to get my butt in gear and try harder. He said, if you don't work on your stamina during the summer, when would you work on it? According to the Japanese, overcoming the effects of the weather is also part of the training in the summer and winter. So that night I forced myself to do one more practice. :-)

剣道の平常心

平常心は剣道にとって、重要の理念です。しかし、私が最近平常心の意味はなんですかと思考しました。

この水曜日（７／１１）がタイペイの中山道場で稽古しました。二時間くらいで、稽古が四回だけしました。第一回目と第三回目は六段の先生と稽古しました。第二回目は八段の先生と稽古しました。とっても疲れました。ちょっと自分に失望しました。後で考えて、どうしてそんなに疲れましたか？多分緊張すぎると思います。平常心がなくてからです。先生達の攻めが慣れませんでした。しかし、疲れたが早いけれど、各稽古が始めからいい稽古をしたと思います。それが緊張の利点と思います。自分の最高の剣道を出しました。だがそのせいで早くて疲れました。最後に、天気の影響もあると思います。タイペイは暑くて、湿気もとっても高いでした。私の体はまだ慣れませんでした。

金曜日（７／１３）の稽古は比べて楽にしました。五回の稽古をしました。第一回と第四回の稽古は高段者じゃありません。そして毎回の稽古後で、存分に休憩をしました。稽古のレベルも満足でした。日曜日の稽古は大安国中で練習しました。再度四回だけの稽古をしました。稽古のレベルはいいけれど、ちょっと苦しいと思いました。全然休憩しませんでした。だから、結論は二つがあります。新しい道場で稽古する時に、私は緊張すぎます。変更しなければなりません。そして、天気と体力をあわせて、休憩しなければなりません。もう若くないから、体力をもっと注意しなければなりません。^_^;;

だから、平常心は大切けど、時々緊張をしても悪くないと思います。テンションを上げて、いい稽古とかいい試合とかをできます。重要のポイントは体力のコントロルしなければならないと思います。

Kendo's heijyoushin

Heijyoushin is an important concept to kendo. However, recently I've been thinking what exactly does heijyoushin really mean.

This Wednesday (7/11) I practiced kendo at 中山道場 in Taipei. In 2 hours, I only practiced 4 times. The first and third time were both with rokudan sensei. The second time was with a hachidan sensei. I was a bit disappointed with myself. Afterwards, I thought about why I tired so easily. I think it was probably because I was too nervous. I was lacking heijyoushin. I wasn't used to the senseis' level of seme. However, even though I tired quickly, I felt that I played well at the beginning of each match. That's an advantage of being nervous, I think. It brings out your best kendo. Of course that also tires you out more quickly. Finally, the weather was also a factor. It is very hot in Taipei, with high humidity. My body isn't used to practicing in this environment.

On Friday (7/13) the practice seemed much easier. I practiced 5 times. The first and fourth time were not with high-ranking sensei though. I also made sure to rest sufficiently after each match. My level of kendo was also satisfactory. On Sunday I practiced at 大安國中. Again I only practiced 4 times. Although my level of kendo was ok, it felt very difficult. I barely rested at all. I think I have 2 conclusions. I am too nervous when practicing at a new dojo for the first time. I need to overcome that. Second, I need to take the weather and my body into account, and rest sufficiently during practice. I'm not young anymore so I need to keep better track of my stamina. ^_^;;

So, even though heijyoushin is important, I think being nervous from time to time isn't a bad thing. As the level of tension rises, you could actually perform better in practice or at a tournament. The important thing, I think, is to maintain control over your stamina.

(Upon further review, I only covered here how the lack of heijyoushin could affect your stamina. What this does not cover is how heijyoushin is applicable DURING your practice or match. That is probably because of the drain I felt on my physical reserves practicing here in Taipei in the summer for the first time. Mentally I wanted to practice more, but physically I couldn't. 心有餘，力不足。 I felt that my level of kendo was fairly satisfactory taking into account my relative lack of stamina. :-p I suppose I need to implement more stamina training after returning to the US.)

剣道の人形 (Kendo Dummy)

From Kendo Dummy

生きた！！！ま、そこまでじゃなくて。:-p　ピヴィシパイプを使って、六時間をかかった。目的は軽くて、簡単に運転できればの人形。木曜日の剣道練習に一人で防具、竹刀、と人形を運転した。

面と胴の練習は思ったとおりできる。小手の方もできるけど、完璧じゃない。特に小手面の練習。小手は人形の体に近すぎるだから、小手面の練習は難しいになている。そして、突きの練習もちょっと駄目だ。もし突きの練習がほしれば、ベースのデサインをもっと複雑と重いにしなければなれない。目的と違うだから、僕はもう満足です。

It's alive!!! Well... not really. :-p Using PVC pipes, it took about 6 hours to make. The goal was a light, easily transportable kendo dummy. For Thursday's kendo practice, I transported my bogu, shinai, and the dummy all by myself. (The top and bottom of the dummy disassemble)

It works well for practicing men and do. However, it's not perfect for kote. Especially kote men. The kote is too close to the body of the dummy, so practicing kote men becomes difficult. Also, the dummy is not good for practicing tsuki. If it is to be designed for tsuki practice, the design of the base will have to be heavier and more complicated. Since that contradicts the goal of the dummy, I'm satisfied to do without it.

Miss Utah 2007

I remember when I was young we used to watch the Miss America or Miss USA pageants. They were a pretty big deal. However, nowadays they've kind of faded into the background. Nonetheless, when I saw this on CNN today, you got to hope someone like her wins. (That's not the most flattering picture of her though, lol)

"Talent competition? Well... I'm a registered nurse, I went through National Guard training, I was deployed in Afghanistan... Hmm, I think I have some talent SOMEWHERE, I'm just not sure what I can do on this stage..."

The Police in concert

月曜日、７／２／０７、に僕とニックが St. Louis へいって、Police のコンサートへ行った。とってもすごいでした。楽しかった。切符はちょっと高いけど、運転が長いけど、すばらしいコンサートだから、問題じゃない。僕達がT−シャツを買った。左側は僕達のシートから取ったの写真。

(Wow... this post really shows how limited my Japanese is. :-p Anyways...)

This past Monday, 7/2/07, I went to St. Louis w/ Nick to see the Police. It was great. IT WAS AWESOME!! It was a lot of fun. The tickets were a bit expensive, and the drive was kind of long (we got back around 2AM), but since the concert was so great. it was worth it. Both Nick and I even succumbed to purchasing a T-shirt each. The pictures on the left are taken from our seats.

The concert covered all of their hits, but they definitely weren't just replaying them. Some of the new interpretations might not have gone over quite as well, but the songs were still recognizeable. They came out w/ "Message in A Bottle" and the place went nuts. After "Walking On The Moon", they then covered some of the, imo, lesser hits, which lost part of the crowd and made me realize that I'm not hard core enough of a Police fan. :-p I'm debating if I should remedy that... The section I was sitting in was disappointing, imo. The people in front of us got up for only the first and last song. :-( Meh, better view for me I guess, especially since they were "large" people. ^_~ I had a good frontal view and the screens gave good close ups plus effects. The crowd came back alive when "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" came on, all the way until "Invisible Sun". The show kind of swayed back and forth from the energetic songs to more virtuoso musical performances, I think. I definitely enjoyed both aspects.

When the trio exited the stage after "Can't Stand Losing You", Nick's comment was "Geez, I wonder what 2 songs are left?" (end sarcasm) They came back and proceeded w/ "Roxanne", and followed with another FOUR songs that were just pumped with energy. The crowd went wild for the whole time. It was almost like the break was for them to catch their breath and ready themselves for the final push. They are 50+ after all. XD

Andy Summers had some great guitar solos, and although he's no David Lee Roth, attempted the splits at the beginning and was hopping across the floor on one of the songs. Pretty good for a 65 year old. Sting played the front man, interacting with the crowd. There were times I almost wished his vocals were softer so I can better hear the intricacies of the instrumentals. There was an occasional display of bass skills (speaking of the bass, it looked like it was so old and banged up it was back from when the Police first started. You can see a picture here ) and the vocals were what you would expect of Sting. Stewart Copeland though I think stole the show. His energy, clambering back and forth between the sets, discarding used drumsticks (how many does he go through in a concert anways?! @_@) just screamed of a man really getting into it and enjoying the show. It looked like he almost stumbled off the stage bowing at the end.

All in all I really enjoyed the show. Despite my lack of rock show experiences I must say this must be close to as good as it gets.

The Headlights

This Wednesday I went to see the Headlights in concert at Mike n Molly with Joyce. Joyce frequently puts up lyrics to songs as away messages, and I always read other people's away messages, so I'm frequently poking fun at her because I don't listen to the music she does. Yes, I'm weird like that. :-p

Anyways, I remember the Headlights as one of Joyce's favorite bands, so I figured "why not?" But first I still did some research. Afterall, the last concert I went to w/ Ian turned out to be a dud for me. Well, hurray for iTunes!! (Although I find it funny that almost every band/record on iTunes has a 4-5 star review, because only fans would visit their bands on iTunes imo, LOL :-) The official blurb about them disturbed and confused me. "90's American noise pop," what's that? I suppose "indie pop" makes some sense to me (and doesn't surprise me) but still doesn't fill me w/ confidence. Being a 70's and 80's rock and JPOP/JROCK fan, I never understood indie rock or emo. But after taking a listen to the exerpts, I felt good enough about the sound to give them a try. Joyce and I agreed on "pop rock" as the more appropriate description.

The concert itself was pretty good. The acoustics weren't great (small mostly brick room) but the energy was good. I think that's what got me the most. The songs weren't feeling down and sorry for themselves. Even if the lyrics aren't happy-happy-sunshine, the beat, the rhythm, and the melodies flowed and moved you. Now that I think about it, very similar to Nene and 99 Luftballons or 99 Red Balloons. They had some problems getting the reverb to work right at first for one of the songs but laughed it off and tried again. I liked that while they tried different things, they're mostly brief interludes and the majority of their sound is a fairly rocking pop sound. Yes, I'm not a deep thinker/listener. :-p Even the bit with the accordian worked well imo.

I decided that I should support bands continuing to put out sound that I appreciate, so I went on to iTunes and picked up their album that night. The odd thing is, during the concert I felt that they lacked polish, which could have been partially due to the acoustics and live setting, but listening to their albums I felt the polish took away some of the pop energy I enjoyed at the concert and made them seem more "indie", if that made any sense.

Finally, check out the "TV" video, featuring settings of Champaign-Urbana!! LOL ^_^ (Yes, the Headlights originate from CU.)

劍道：不要只打小手

昨天晚上我覺得二刀流開始有點順手。尤其是打對方的小手的時候。不過我想，這不一定是一件好事。因為，劍道的基本打法是面。有一個說法是假如你打得到面，其他的目標也會自然而然的呈現。小手雖然開始的時候比較簡單，不過假如往打小手就可以的想法繼續下去，我的劍道就不會進展。所以昨天我打了幾次小手以後我就逼我自己打其他的目標。

不過，二刀流的後退打（引き技）還是、全然だめ（完全不行）。LOL XD

Kendo: Don't just hit kote

Last night I felt that I was becoming more comfortable w/ nito. Especially when hitting my opponent's kote. However, I felt that this is not entirely a good thing. The basic target in kendo is men. There is a saying that if you can hit the men, all of the other targets will open up. Even though kote is an easier target at the beginning, if you continue to think hitting the kote is sufficient, your kendo would not grow and advance. Therefore yesterday after hitting the kote a couple of times, I forced myself to hit other targets.

However, my hiki waza in nito still sucks. LOL XD

今日の剣道練習

今日の剣道練習はちょっと失望でした。みんあはぜんぜんこなかった。:-( ただ僕と二人の初心者。僕は厳しすぎるのか？ま、初心者達に集中するも悪くない。

でも、薙刀と稽古したから、面白かった。二刀と一刀もやった。二刀の方が一刀より対薙刀で攻防一体のやり方容易と思った。

後で、仕事が今忙しいだから、自分でもっと二刀流を練習ができなかった。:-( この夏、剣道練習のためにの人形がつなければなれないな。。。

I was a bit disappointed wth the kendo practice today. Nobody came. :-( Only me and two other beginners. Am I too strict? Mah, it's not a bad thing to be able to concentrate on beginners.

However, I sparred against naginata, which was interesting. I did both nito and itto. I felt that against naginata, nito was easier to attack and defend at the same time than ito.

Afterwards, because I am busy with work (paper submission due Mon), I was unable to practice more nito by myself. :-( I need to build a kendo practice dummy this summer.

Romantic Relationships and Expectations

Tonight I watched 台北二一, a Taiwanese movie, with some friends. A thank you to Siraya for putting together these viewings of Taiwanese movies.

I won't go into details about the movie or what it meant, since I'm sure others can do a much better job of it than me. And I usually like be entertained by movies than to be made to think and analyze. However, for me personally, what really struck me about this movie is the various romantic relationships. I say romantic relationships instead of love because I think love is too general a term. Romantic relationships can come about and continue for many reasons beyond love, such as expectations, duty, lust, attraction, respect, loneliness, fear, and more. Many romantic relationships come to be and end in this movie for a variety of reasons. And based on the stories of in the movie and what I've seen in real life and my own experience, I would like to offer the theory that expectations form a big part to romantic relationships.

What I mean is that why, how, and when a romantic relationship comes to be is not as important as the person's expectations of a romantic relationship. Or maybe it is encapsulated in that person's expectations. I believe that everyone has some personal expectation of a romantic relationship. One that may not be possible to express. However, when those expectations are met, a romantic relationship will occur. Sometimes, someone may even fulfill a set of expectations completely different and unknown, and yet that fulfillment may spark the requirements for a romantic relationship. Timing is important, but timing could also just be the state of your expectations. In order for a romantic relationship to be successful then, is for you to be in a situation with another person that fulfills your romantic expectations and the others as well. And when the situations no longer fulfills one of the person's expectations, the romantic relationship withers.

However, our expectations are not static. Our understanding of such things also evolve. This evolution could be more forgiving, or more self serving. Our emotions and desires are not guaranteed to evolve in a manner that benefits us and others. We might lower our expectations, or rerank the priorities of our expectations. The female lead complained about difficulties in communicating with her boyfriend. Yet in the end, I don't think their communication has improved. Rather, they both grew to better accept each other's expectations of a romantic relationship.

In conclusion, I don't have one. ^_^ Except maybe to offer my own interpretations. Try to determine your expectations. If you are in a relationship, try to also take into account your partner's expectations. If you are single and want a relationship, think about how to make those expectations come true. Even if one of those expectations is that love should come spontaneously and by surprise, you can increase your odds by putting yourself out there so that there is a better chance that that particular expecation can become fulfilled. And finally, be honest about which ones of your expectations are truly important and necessary, and those that are icing on the cake.

男士們，你覺得誰比教會剪你的頭髮？

我昨天去理髮廳剪頭髮。我現在居然會事先預約理髮師。:-O 大概是因為頭髮比較少所以才會比較注意吧。^_^;;

我預約的理髮師有兩位。兩位都是男士。我這幾年來發覺，男士替我剪的頭髮都比女士剪的好。我不知道為什麼。:-/ 我的頭有點怪。腦後的頭髮非常不聽話，常常往上翹。可是，男士剪的頭髮就比較沒有這個問題。也是這個原因我才會事先預約我喜歡的理髮師。:-)

當然囉，讓女士剪頭也有其他的好處。不過我寧願有個好料理，好看的頭髮，然後再去想搭訕和約會的事情。^_~

Men, who do you think is better at cutting your hair?

Yesterday I went to get a haircut. Nowadays I actually call in ahead of time. :-O I guess I pay more attention now that I have less hair. ^_^;;

I ask for one of two barbers, both of which are men. I find that guys tend to give me better haircut than women. I don't know why. :-/ My head is kind of weird. The hair at the back of my head is very disobedient and sticks up quite often. However, when a guy cuts my hair, this problem is not as evident. That's why I make sure I call ahead for my barber nowadays. :-)

Of course, there are other advantages to having a girl cut your hair. But I would rather have an easy to take care of, good looking head of hair, and worry about flirting and dating stuff later. ^_~

4th 二刀流 practice

Last night was the 4th 二刀流 practice. Not too much insight gained, I think. At least I didn't jam my left thumb... except out side of practice, lol. XD It feels SO SLOW to attack when you're using only one hand to propel the 太刀. A smoother, well disguised transition is needed, I think.

It was also really hot. Low 90's, very humid, and no air conditioning. My ぎ was drenched by the end. Many 後輩 didn't last the whole practice, mostly because of feet problems. Am I just crazy or lucky w/ my body? Or is it a matter of training length?

二刀流の練習：第三目

今晩は第三回の二刀流練習をした。二刀流の切り返しがどんどんに慣れるが、片手で太刀の左右面はまだちょっときつい。

あい面の時左手の親指が相手の拳をあったて。痛いだ。多分左手で押しの動作があるすぎだ。手首をもっと使って、切るの感じしなければならないと思う。

今晩は出ばな技に強調した。出ばな面、出ばな小手、と抜き胴を練習した。片手で太刀を動くは難しくて、おそいな。。。^_^;;

Tonight was the third nito practice. I am becoming more used to doing kirikaeshi while doing nito, but sayuumen with one hand on the long sword is still difficult.

When aimen happened tonight, my left thumb hit my opponent's fist. I jammed it a bit. I think it's because I have too much of a pushing motion in my left hand. I should be using my wrist to produce more of a rotational, cutting motion, I think.

We put special emphasis on debana techniques tonight. We practiced debana men, debana kote, and nuki doh. It was difficult and slow to attack with one hand on the long sword... ^_^;;

The Godfather... kind of

昨天晚上我終於看了教父(The Godfather). 只是，我看到的不是真正的。:p 看起來，為了電視轉播，他們把第一部跟第二部連起來，然後把一些鏡頭切掉。第一部的前一半被剪掉，所以出名的馬頭鏡頭沒看到。:( 第二部的回想(flashback)也都被剪掉。我這是根據網上上面寫的概要(?synopsis?). 看來以後我還得再看一次。不過我要可以快速轉接(?fast foward?)才行。^_~

2nd 二刀流 practice

Last night was my 2nd practice using 二刀流 in 剣道. Not sure if it went better or worse than the first one. In some ways I think I was more fatigued due to the 素振り I did Monday night. :p 弱いな...

I am still uncertain how to best control my opponent's 竹刀 while performing my strike. I recall how Arnold used to take my 竹刀 out of play with his 小刀 as he attacked with his 大刀. All I remember from his explanation is attacking with both at the same time. It's going to take time for me to figure that out, I'm afraid. Right now I'm having problems positioning my 小刀 effectively, I think.

One other thing to investigate is how I'm holding the 小刀. I could hold it straight down the middle, similar to 型 or I could hold it more diagonally, like in the 十字構え. I suppose it will be a combination of which one is easier to be hit by the opponent and which one offers better flexibility of usage. I am tempted to go with the later for now.

One final thing I realized was that I have been unable to effectively 攻め and seemlessly transition into my attack before or as my opponent reacts. This is true when doing 一刀流 as well. I think it is those types of attacks that feel so dominating. I will have to remember to work on that more.

One more blip in the sea of blogs

So I've finally succumbed to the phenomenon known as blogging.

I shall justify it as a way for me to document my experiments w/ 二刀流 in 剣道 and to force me to practice typing in both Chinese and Japanese. So be forewarned that if I am able to keep up my promise, you will need to understand English, Chinese, AND Japanese to understand all of the posts. Maybe that would distinguish this (however minutely) from all of the other blogs out there... ^_^