4

初段
準初段 (black)
１級
２級 (brown)
３級
４級 (green)
５級
６級 (yellow)
７級
８級 (orange)
９級
１０級 (blue)

Nature's Candy

Pardon the cliché, but I've been taking careful steps to watch what I eat. After reading Michael Pollen's In Defense of Food, borrowed from Dave, I took a look at some of the standard foods I've been keeping in my apartment.

Let's examine my morning staple: cereal. Turns out, the crap I was eating (up until a few weeks ago) read more like a list for a chemical experiment than it did for ingredients. I switched to a much more basic cereal with six ingredients, down from the 20+ I found in my original cereal (and if you give the book a read, you'll find he recommends keeping ingredient lists shorts, under five if possible). I definitely didn't need all the sugar they were pouring into it.

There are times when it's necessary (yes, required!) to eat something outside of the realm of mostly healthy. My after-karate bakery item is a good example. Since I only do that three times a week, it's not bad. But what about times when I'm feeling hungry and seem to have no other choices besides fast food or convenience store items?

The key: cherry tomatoes. They're sweet, they're delicious, and they're healthy. I bought a pack of them a few days ago before sitting down with friends at Mr. Donuts (rest assured, you'll get some stares). I just ate a pack a few minutes ago, prompting me to make this post. So the next time you're wondering what to have for a snack, why not reach for something more natural. You'll enjoy it and your body will thank you for the natural ingredients.

One of Those Weekends

Lying in my slightly old apartment, the I can hear the wind howling outside. It sneaks through the small gaps in the windows and whistles from time to time. The rain is also coming down pretty steadily, nothing violent, just constant. But being Okinawa, the weather doesn't really get cold, it just gets colder than normal.

And so I'm here, not really wanting to do anything today. And it's a great feeling.

I can remember some of my most relaxing days in Chicago were of the very same sort - bad weather, warm blanket, a cup of tea, and a good book (these days, good Japanese material). The tea has been upgraded and I tend to drink more of it now. The reading is a little slower, but not all of it. I can remember a time when 「日本人の知らない日本語：なるほど爆笑の日本語”再発見”コミックエッセイ」 would have taken me a long time to look up, then pronounce, then finally understand. Now, it's easy (and it means "Japanese (language) that Japanese (people) don't know: a comic essay on the rediscovery of hilarious "Oh, I see." Japanese"). It's a good book, too.

But now I'm feeling hungry, so Cliff and I are going to head to my second favorite type of spot - a small breakfast cafe in Nago. I'm not sure what I'll have, but a cup of coffee and a relaxing morning are going to be part of that order.

Slow and Steady

The results are in: I'm not perfect.

The advancement test on Wednesday went well, but not perfectly. There were several instances during the kata (a series of moves designed to teach basics, as well as continuity) where I made a mistake. Not severe, more of a detail issue, partly due to nerves, party due to not regularly performing the kata, as I should be doing.

Taira-sensei's words were encouraging, though. And for me, taking a simple look back at where I started over two years ago, I'm content with the progress I've made - stronger, faster, more comfortable. There is still so very far to go, however, and even achieving a status of 初段 しょだん black belt, is really only the beginning.

As Taira-sensei likes to tell us, 空手 からて karate is a life-long activity. Proof? Just ask Taira-sensei's sensei, Nakamura-sensei. He's 84 (at least?) and still strong.

Present

Been busy.

Also, trying to keep the title of this post as my state of mind.

空手昇進級審査 (karate advancement test) on Wednesday. Not so present, but hey, that's not my fault.

Ride Out the Storm

A few days ago, Typhoon #18 passed between the mainland of Okinawa and the outlying Daito islands*. It was apparently a pretty wicked storm, but I think a lot of luck was had (at least from the mainland Okinawan perspective) when it traveled over mostly ocean.

The whole experience was made a little more interesting because I've got a friend from the US in town right now. She's borrowing my car during the days so she can get around the island, while I'm using my bike to get back and forth from school. Most days, the bike is great - it's small, it's fast, and it saves gas. But on a pre-typhoon day, things get interesting.

Of greatest effect was the wind. Strong gusts from the side would hit me and the bike. I lowered my speed to keep any surprise gusts from blowing me and my bike into the woods or the sea or oncoming traffic. Combine that wind with sea water, however, and you get some wicked waves. Waves big enough to crash over the sea barriers placed along the coast, making roads slick and helmet visors hard to see through. Both of these caused me to take an inland route back to my house on Tuesday. But the typhoon winds even made life hard there, when I came across a tree that had been blown over and was obstructing my lane (thank you, emergency braking practice!). Having passed that obstacle, random debris and rain slowed me down the rest of the ride.

I made it home just fine, but I definitely wouldn't have tried it if the typhoon was any closer.

And lest you think it was all bad, not so! Today, the skies are clear, the wind is pleasant, and I had a great ride to work, though I suppose I can start worrying about the weather getting too cold to ride now. Maybe it's time to invest in a "winter" jacket.

*I want to put up a link to Google Maps or something similar, but the connection here is so slow, it's timing out. If you want, copy and past the following Japanese into the search bar to see where the islands are: 沖縄県北大東島

First Steps

Thursday, after Japanese class, I stopped by Nazca, a salsa-dancing bar in Nago. A few of my friends have been going there for quite a while now, and my interest was piqued enough to check the place out for myself.

I first visited Nazca about a month ago, to meet Cliff, who was hanging out there for a night. There were several people practicing for an upcoming (and now passed) salsa-dancing event. As I watched them practice, I would notice things that were similar to swing-dancing; the step is not similar at all, but basic moves, such as turns and passes, looked familiar.

A few weeks after that first visit, Cliff, David and I tagged along with a few ladies to the aforementioned salsa-dancing event. Eight groups performed that night, amidst an open floor for those in attendance. While I was not at all in the mood to step on to the floor without knowing how to dance, I was convinced after practically being shamed for resisting.

So last night, I had my first lesson, given by none other than the owner (he's a good dancer) of the bar. We practiced three basic steps and the two basic turns - right and left. I also got a chance to practice the moves with an ALT friend of mine who was there. I'm happy to announce I can lead two simple turns and have a good feel for the bachatta, a simple left-right step. I'm heading to another lesson on Sunday and I feel good about it, knowing what to expect.