Twenty two.
Man, just saying it takes my breathe away. I feel damn bloody old. Twenty two freaking years on this planet, and I still have nothing to look back to, and achieved nothing to be proud of.
Ok, this is dumb.
After watching too many episodes of dramas commenting on life, I decided I was sufficiently bored enough to buy myself a Christmas present so I can feel all miserable that I actually have to do that, and get it all wrapped up so I can feel all warm and fuzzy when I unwrap it on Christmas.
However, like all dramatic episodes go, somebody has to throw a spanner into the clockwork.
I woke up this morning feeling all excited and happy that I had a Christmas present to open (after several years of not having one), eagerly and carefully peeled back the wrapping to uncover my present, pretended to be gleefully surprised at my present, and sat down to spend the afternoon indulging in my new possession.
Only to gradually find to my horror as I thumbed through each page of the book, that I had already read it at another friend’s place two years ago, but simply did not recognise the cover at the time of purchase. Sweet.
So here’s to Christmas 2007, disgruntled and empty-handed. Merry Christmas everyone.
Had my first BJJ friendly competition today within the school, and man, I kinda sucked. Lost my first match and won my second. While I was full of nerves as I didn’t know who my opponent was, and they all seemed pretty good, I ended up grappling with two relative newbies, meaning that the win amounted to little, while the loss was nothing short of embarrassing.
The only difference in the competition compared to our normal grappling was the points system and the 5 minutes time limit. It rewards points for successful offensive positions, and forces a faster submission game, both of which are my weak points. I can typically hold my own for up to 15 minutes without submitting or getting submitted due to my strong defensive game, and honestly, because I suck at attacking. The only position I’m superbly good at, happens to be the defensive one that gets me no points. I usually launch all my submissions from guard, which means I play a long waiting game.
Phew, it’s been a long day. Up at 7.30am, back only at 5pm, with scarcely any rest and only a curry puff for breakfast to tide me through. I’m all tired out, but it’s been ages since I had such a rush.
For one, I’m finally going back to train for my two favourite martial arts, Muay Thai and BJJ. After the early morning photoshoot to help a friend’s FYP, it was back to back training, the only break being the travelling times. The rush is simply… amazing. And we’re finally training the way I want it to be. Hard and fast, no more beginners stuff.
To further shake things up, I’m finally able to compete. Muay Thai competition in Jan, BJJ next Sunday actually. Yeah, I’m probably gonna get thrashed real bad, and I’m praying I don’t get a broken nose or broken anything from Muay Thai, but the thought of competing itself is exhilarating. I hear the SMU guys are training in Thailand, so the opponents are gonna be a formidably scary bunch.
For anyone who’s never sparred before, the adrenaline rush, the pain, the intensity, it’s addictive. The feeling of being alive, your senses electrically charged, and that extreme self-awareness is something you don’t get to live out everyday.
Also, while I’m probably gonna get my ass handed to me next Sunday after a two-month break, my instructor said I’m about to get my first strip for the BJJ belt. So that’s also something to look forward to. My two goals up to Jan will be to get my first stripe, and to avoid a KO for any of my Muay Thai matches.
Ooooh yeah. Bring it on!
There are some things about people I will never understand.
In a modern age with digital technology, where communication is a breeze, and SMS saves you from even the most embarrassing phonecalls, there are still people who refuse the attempt to be personal even in the most impersonal manner.
Like when someone is going to be late, and feels guilty about saying it. An SMS allows you to do so without getting an earful or having to feel too guilty, yet some people can’t even bring themselves to do it. Or when most modern mobile phones allow you to mass-send SMS, some people still message one person and rely on others to pass the message on.
You’d think people will try to add a little personal touch given how easy it is to do now. But what do I know eh, I’m just another hermit who values human sincerity over convenience.
Nah, I’m not upset or anything, I’m just amused, very very amused. That such a thing can even happen, when it is so easy to correct and prevent. I was going to settle in for a relaxing evening of work followed by TV, but I guess that may have to change now eh.
(For those curious to see how my before and after are, click here)
Was getting bored recently, and went through some of the old photos that I have yet to edit after such a long time. Oops. Happened to see one that caught my eye, and decided to work some photoshop magic on it. Not saying the model isn’t gorgeous – she is, just that I like to play with colours. Seldom get it the way I want on the spot.
Originally I wanted to go for a washed-out, desat, slightly overexposed look, the one look I’ve been trying for ages but seem unable to achieve. Was going to try it again with some new skills I learnt.
But after playing around, I decided I liked the reds too much to just let it go the desat way. So instead, I went for a soft focus, slightly grainy, and film color look. At least, that’s the way my last roll of Fuji looked to me. They have this odd, dullish real world color that digital doesn’t do. Digital always seems brighter and more vibrant.
Anyways, it’s not a fantastic job, there are some flaws that I didn’t bother correcting, but I like the overall colour feel for this. Could be a bit brighter, maybe blowing out the background highlights might do the trick. But aiya. Lazy la. Another day maybe, hahaha.