Farewell Team FUBAR

It's offical. The Michigan room is empty and my compatriots who I've worked with for the summer have scattered to the four winds. Two have gone back to school, while the other three have been reassigned to the third floor. That leaves me, the last surviving member of Team FUBAR. Today, is a sad day. However, that does mean I now have my very own cubicle. I do like new beginnings.

Broken Nose and New Respect

The international conference was better than I could have imagined. The quality of competition was absolutely amazing. The team from Jamaica just couldn't be touched when it came to the forms competition! But it doesn't really surprise me considering that most of the student there came from a Wu Shu background. I managed to grab third place in my heat, while a fellow student from my school brought home the silver.

I didn't fare so well in the Sen Shou, however. I lost my first bout via knockout at the end of the first round. The kid was just killing me with his jab and he put me on my ass with an uppercut/hook combination. I think it was the uppercut that busted my nose. The break really isn't that bad, but I was surprised at the amount of blood there was. Still, my performance (as it was) earned me a third place finish, plus some unexpected respect from our Grand Master. He said if front of an entire seminar that by getting into that ring, I proved to myself and to everyone else that I had the heart and the courage of a warrior. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I was a little embarrassed, but what he said made me feel a whole lot better about myself.

The rest of the conference was a wild and wonderful daze. We got locked out of our room, had a dance off, and other stuff I'm too embarrassed to share with the rest of the world. I haven't drank so much and had so much fun since college. Apparently my merriment didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the participants, so I'm officialy known as "the drunk guy" to some of the younger sidis. It's not exactly the impression that I wanted to leave my first time out there, but it's not all bad, I guess. When I wasn't drinking, I was either in the pool, the hot tub, or taking in the various sights of Orlando. The Ripley's museum was really cool, but I got sea sick on the casino cruise.

But all and all, it was all great fun. I'm already looking forward to next year.

I Feel. . .

You represent... hope.
You're quite a daydreamer and can be a hopeless
romantic. You enjoy being creative and don't
mind being alone at times. You have goals, and
know what you want in life... even if they are
a little far fetched.


What feeling do you represent?
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Dear God, Why?

It turns out now that I have to help compose a rap for the conference "talent show." Really,it's just a reason for drunken martial artists to get on stage and make fools of themselves. Well, this talent show was supposed to be for sifus only, but since our sifu is only one going from our school, he sure as hell isn't performing alone. I gotta be the whitest Filipino out there and now I have to get on stage and do this. Well, if anything else, this will be very interesting. Not sure which type of interesting, but interesting.

It's been awhile...

So I'll give you the reader's digest version.

1)I have a job now as a proof reader at a big insurance company. It's only a temporary assignment (although I have been at it for nearly three months now). It's not particularly exciting. But it pays well and has allowed me to catch up on my Harry Potter reading. Dumbledore dead!? I kinda saw it coming, but not in that way.

2)My girlfriend came home from her summerstock gig in Massachusetts for a couple of weeks. While I would have liked to spend more time with her, she had to turn around and leave for an internship in Utah right away. Besides, with all those goings on, her stress levels were at an all time high, and I've found that's it's best (for her sanity and mine) to stick to the sidelines and just try and offer quiet assistance. I wish I could be more help to her; more of a comfort. But sometimes you just have to knuckle up, grit your teeth, and deal.

3)I'm gearing up for a big traveling week. This weekend I'm planning on driving home and visiting my folks. It's my grandma's birthday and there are some relatives flying in to help celebrate. Despite my general reluctance to travel, I'm looking forward to being home, even if it is just for the weekend.

4)The week after that, I'm headed to Florida to compete in our International Conference and tournament. I'm entered myself in two events, Sen Shou and Forms. I've been busting my hump to get ready, and I'm confident that I'll do well. I may not win, but I'll certainly make a good go of it.

Well, that's it for me so far. I must make more of an effort to keep this thing updated.