Adversity and resilience

On November 7, 2013, Guiuan (pronounced Gi-wan), a small coastal town on the southernmost tip of the Samar island in central Philippines was hit by a Category 5 super typhoon named Haiyan (known in the Philippines as typhoon Yolanda) – currently the deadliest typhoon on Philippine records. It caused the death of thousands of Filipinos in Samar and Leyte and affecting millions of people.

Typhoon Haiyan approaching the Philippines on November 7, 2013

One can argue that recent extreme weather conditions such as this can be attributed to global warming and man-made climate change but this is another topic for another day.

As a fellow Filipino, it pains me to see the suffering caused by the destruction of typhoon Haiyan. Although the news footage and pictures try to capture the devastation, you can just imagine the pain, suffering and confusion being felt by those affected by it – the loss of livelihood, property, and the lives of those closest to them in this terrible tragedy. The body count is piling up, as rescuers continue to find bodies amidst the ruin and Haiyan is rapidly becoming the deadliest typhoon on record. Millions who have been left homeless would need relocation and basic necessities such as food and water, clothing, and medicine need to be provided. 

Several countries and their respective governments and agencies have pledged their support to help those devastated by the event and this is sorely needed. I know for a fact that several western European countries (and Japan, USA, Australia and New Zealand) have always been at the forefront of charitable activities and always quick to lend a hand to those needing help, wherever and whenever. 

Several of my friends have initiated fund-raising drives in their workplace to help the cause - one I quite like is called “Pancit Molo (Pork Dumpling soup)for the Soul” by an old buddy of mine, Lemuel, held at a local primary school in West London, and my wife has teamed up with fellow work colleagues at a local hospital for a charity cake bake sale. I am pleased that there is an opportunity for the BJJ community to help out, as well. 

A good friend of mine and Gawakoto owner, Bong Abad, has teamed up with Seymour Yang of Meerkatsu and Matthew Benyon of Scramble to produce a fundraising t-shirt. It features the Filipino kalabaw (water buffalo) RNC’ing a typhoon demon. The Filipino proverb “Ang bayaning nasusugatan, nag-iibayo ang tapang”, loosely translated as “The patriot that gets wounded becomes more fearless” became the foundation of the text, with minor changes to reflect the theme. From these came the words “Stronger and Braver” to echo the resilience of the Filipino people in times of adversity. The popular symbols of the Philippine flag, three stars and the sun nicely round up the design. The  three artists also decided that the colour yellow signifies hope and optimism, clearly in keeping with the theme. The design and layout is amazing, as is their generosity, that I will forgive them for the erroneous spelling of the Philippines ;)

The shirt retails £15, with 100% of the profit going to the Disasters Emergency Committee. This is available for pre-order on the Gawakoto website http://store.gawakotoclothing.co.uk/Pre-Order-Fundraising-Shirt-Stronger-Braver_p_45.html

There is no pressure to buy the fundraising shirt to be able to help. There are other fundraising activities available that support the disaster-stricken Philippines.

I am as civic-minded as the next guy but I do not have skills to contribute, unlike others. But I can support causes that I think is worthwhile.

What about you?

HOW YOU CAN HELP IN OTHER WAYS

To donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee's Philippines Appeal, visit www.dec.org.uk, call the hotline on 0370 60 60 900, or go to any high street bank or Post Office. You can also donate £5 by texting the word SUPPORT to 70000. Stay up to date with developments at www.twitter.com/decappeal or at www.facebook.com/DisastersEmergencyCommittee

Winning (and losing) is a state of mind

I was reading a Kevin Randleman interview the other day and he was talking about the life of a wrestler.  Amongst other nuggets of wisdom he was sharing, based on decades of competitive wrestling, he said, “ (In wrestling), we get our butts kicked by everybody everyday. You never win in practice. Someone is always there to beat your ass. If you’re that good, then there’s someone there that good with you because you didn’t get there by yourself.”

That brought to mind my own experience in training jiu jitsu. I do get my butt kicked by everyone everyday and just last night, I got caught in a nasty arm bar from a really technical sparring partner, which compounded the arm bar I got from one of the black belts two weeks ago (I know, I know, my arm bar defense sucks big time!). Mr. Randleman says that no one wins in practice (in his case, anyway), but in my experience, I do – every time. But then my goals are most probably different from his. I don’t set out to win every time I spar. My goals are much more simple and specific to my own learning needs – to be able to assume a better position, to prevent someone from establishing a better position, or even just lasting longer than before against a very skilled partner. I may have “lost” a sparring session in a general sense, but in my mind, as long as I had those little boxes ticked in my head, I come out as a winner.

Cheesy, I know, and not very “alpha”, but in my opinion, to succeed with anything, as with life, you need to set realistic but dynamic goals. And it is MY journey, you know…

Crybaby

As my training partners fill the mats at the gym, here I am, at home, trying my best to type. One hand clutches a piece of tissue paper, trying to blot my eyes as I fight to prevent the tears from running down my cheeks. Sniffling, my nose runny, eyes raw, I squint to see the monitor in front of me. 

I have hayfever. And it sucks big time.

I have not only missed several days of training because of this, I have also been off work for several days last week. I first had hayfever last year, but it wasn't as bad as this year. Someone told me that there is a species of tree that triggers severe hay fever to those susceptible to it but fortunately, it only blooms every ten years. The last time it bloomed was 2003. Yay.

I've tried a lot of medication, believe me. Antihistamines in various forms - tablets, capsules, liquids. I've also had eye drops and nasal sprays. All of which give me temporary relief. Right now, I'm trying out this eye spray, which is £17 a pop. It is marginally better than the eye drops, and I combine it with the nasal spray and the antihistamines. Gives me enough relief on some days, but not today. 

Sniff, squint, and sneeze. Rinse and repeat.

Sigh.

Back to the grind

My countless followers (read: two) might be wondering why this blog has been quiet for nearly 6 months. Well, it was due to the fact that since the Christmas holidays last year, I haven't stepped on the mats to train BJJ. I was really busy with my old job covering other sites and then I eventually moved to a new job that was waiting for me since November last year. During this period, I must admit, I have intentionally kept myself off from the BJJ world - save from the occasional updates I get from my training partners and friends, Keith and Elliott regarding who got promoted and what comps are they doing, etc. The reason I did that was because I did not want to feel how much I truly miss BJJ and training but I have always had that at the back of my mind. The trouble for me was, the longer I am away from the mats, the more unsure I have become of whatever skills I have acquired.

Last Monday, I made way to Battersea and for the first time in nearly six months, stepped on the mats again. There are several faces that I haven't seen before but I am glad to see those familiar faces who used to choke and armbar me into oblivion. I did not see Keith but am glad that Elliott was there to ease  my way back into training. Elliott has done several comps and medalled since I last rolled with him and it shows. That man literally handed my ass to me - and he seemed to have done this effortlessly (get this guy a sponsorship already!)

And that sets the tone of my return to my BJJ journey. Good to be back.

2013: Bring it on.

You've probably read a lot of BJJ bloggers already doing a recap of how 2012 have been for their journey and whatnot. Well, this won't be much different, though I won't be dispensing of BJJ and life wisdom because I don't have any at the moment.

The year has been a roller coaster ride for me. I got promoted to blue, entered my first BJJ competition and got a medal despite sucking at it. The year has also saw me undergo a lot of trials and tribulations at work and at home but throughout it all, BJJ remained a constant in my life.

Suffice to say, BJJ kept me sane this year.

Roll on 2013.