Way of the hand and foot : Taekwondo

hi people.

when i was seven, i was the smallest kid in the class until i wonder what the other girls ate until they grew so tall. too much eggs maybe?

everyone seems to be underestimating me because of my physical attribute. that is, until i became the first girl to be the class monitor, a record which stretched until i reached standard four before turning into a prefect for the next two years, who slapped boys around as if they were some kind of leaves dangling from the trees. i must admit, i slapped a lot of boys during my primary school years. had i entered co-ed secondary school, i might be known as the slap-giver and people will cower at my feet muahahah! but noooo, i entered all girls school where the most interesting fight that could happened was a sissy tell-tale and some name callings. eww. sissy much. that was the reason i don't really gave a damn about the student's affairs because gossiping is too mainstream. i listened and forget them the next moment. i mean, it wasn't like i'm in Gossip Girl or High School Musical kind of school, dude.

see, i ramble too much.

fast forward to three years later since my monitor-hood moment, my father discovered a Taekwondo night class conducted at my very own primary school so as i am full-packed with the potential of slapping each and everyone of the boys because if i slap girls they will cry boo hoo hoo in my school, father sent me to the class, handling my disciplinary training under the guidance of a great teacher/instructor/mentor, Master Yusri. from the first day of my white belt until the last day of my black belt, Master Yusri is the only Master that i would break every planks for. not only did he taught me all those awesome kick ass move and skills, he train me to develop a sense of discipline and control because when i kick, i kick like a boss. he always remind me not to kick so hard when it comes to sparring because i would turn into a gorilla and gnash the opponent like a king kong. truly, i loveeee sparring. usually we have to wear all the head gears and stuff but i refuse to do so because they kind of limiting my movement. besides, one or two scratch and a few bruises are always a good treat during sparring. it makes me feel powerful and strong whenever i hit the target (body, hand, head) during a fight. besides, my Taekwondo pals used to say i had this kind of devilish stare whenever i look at them during sparring so they dare not spar with me. duhhh its a fight what else should i do? hahahah! 

i quickly developed an intense love and passion for Taekwondo. i've loved it since day one and it became my most beloved class, after English lesson. how i look forward for the class on Saturday night. so much so that whenever the class was canceled due to some reason, i would weep with frustration in bed. really, Taekwondo is my biggest passion! you can take me out of Taekwondo but you can never take Taekwondo out of me. i will remember the lessons until the day i die.

printed at the back of the uniform.

of course, when you do something that you're passionate about, you will give your very best every single time and the result will be positively promising. i received a double promotion (no stripe except for the compulsory red stripe black) every single time i took the grading test and always put up a very, err, passionate fight in the sparring session and eventually caught the attention of the club's president, Master Ong Siong Wee. he always told my father that he look forward to my performance every time i took the test and he was more than happy to award me with double promotion.

 

 i managed until first dan only. sigh... 

the grading test for colored belt will be held three times per year and the test consists of  : 

•  patterns (two patterns for ever kup/grade)
  
• sparring (two to three opponents depending on grade)
  
•  breaking (planks, tiles, punchbag for small children)
  
•  three steps sparring and one step sparring for green belt and above
  
•  fitness (push up, sit up, jumping etc)
  
•  writing test for black belt (questions on the history and theories of Taekwondo) 

 usually, the grader will be the black belt holder from third dan and above because they are consider as senior and the more knowledgeable ones. 

there are a slight difference between the dubok (uniform) of the coloured belt and the black belt.

 

coloured belt. white to red stripe black. 

  

black belt holders. i can't remember where i put mine. ==''

basically, there are so many Taekwondo body but the famous ones are the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) and World Taekwondo Federation (WTF yeah!). i joined the ITF because it is not as complicated as WTF. 

 

official logo. 

 

so, the dynamics went on until i received my red belt during Standard Six but i took a break after that to focus on my UPSR which means intense focus on math. duhhh. after i passed my examination with those bunch of As, i continue with my Taekwondo class right on where i left them and immeresed in the glorious moments of kicking people, being kicked, punching, playing with sticks and knife, breaking planks, teaching juniors and enduring all sorts of disciplinary punishment (the heaviest is periods of half-sitting which could make your thigh feel like a plank) yet at the same time controlling and training my body to tolerate the pain and learn to control the energy and increase discipline. the pain was good, the pleasure was good. i played around and delayed my test until i feel satisfied with my performance and stamina before i sat for my test in Form Two and get that haughty black stripe adorning my red belt. then i took a year off again to focus on PMR and....math. damn i despise math! 

i scored, burden off and back into the game. this time i no longer play around because i was busy preparing for my black belt. yes, you need to have a year interval in order to take the test. by the end of Form 5, i took the black belt grading test in Batu Pahat Chinese Hall (or something like that) and was a proud, if not bigger, disciple of Taekwondo with my name embroidered upon the black belt in gold. that was the greatest day in my life, the day my dream came true. i'm proud of myself for never ever thinking of quitting Taekwondo despite all the obstacles and pain that i went through. perhaps, in my little world, holding a black belt after seven years of hard work was my my highest recognition and appreciation. 

you see, everything is possible in life if you dare to go for it. i was very small and fragile when i first started but i did achieved my dream. Taekwondo taught me the importance of hard work, discipline, diligence, perseverance, passion and most important, optimistic determination. i learn to control my temper, i learn to be alert towards my surrounding, i learn to be responsive and protective, appreciate and cherish and most of all, i learn to be calm and understand every pain that i went through. 

i might have stopped practicing seriously ever since i entered IPG but i never stop living with the wisdom and upholding the principle. every time i feel like bursting out my temper, a tiny voice inside my head will remind me that i am a disciple of Taekwondo's discipline. it would be a waste of time and energy working so hard for that black belt if i can't even control my emotion at the slightest provoke. in a way, i might stop learning Taekwondo but Taekwondo teachings never leave me.

Master Yusri's words are always with me : 

'You have the power, now you have the responsibility' 

before every grading test, we would take an oath to use our Taekwondo knowledge for the betterment of the world. i've taken the oath  seven times so my commitment for that oath must be seven times more in my effort. sometimes, i would do sit ups and push ups in my room when i'm alone and practice all the defensive skills that i've learned. truly, it feels good to have some knowledge in martial arts. 

for those family with hyperactive/hyper-energetic children, send them to Taekwondo class. they will learn how to discipline themselves when word from parents fail to teach them. for those with fragile/timid children, Taekwondo will help them boost up their confidence and self-respect. i've been there so i can say that learning martial arts is a good investment for oneself. 

 

i don't know why i can't turn this picture around. ==''

toodles. 

 

 

Movie review : The Lady

hi people.




I don’t think there’s anyone with adequate expose to the media who did not recognized or heard of the symbol of Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi ( pronounce as Aung San Shu Chee). Now that there’s a film about her, it would be exceptionally vain to say one is ignorant of her dire battle against the junta regime of the country. Personally, I find the movie somewhat lacking in depth mainly because I read the book first so it is wise to say that this is not a political movie as a whole.

 I had the opportunity to watch the movie entitled The Lady starring our very own Dato’ Michelle Yeoh as the lady herself and David Thewlis, who if you’re a big fan of Harry Potter might remember his nonchalant role as Professor Remus James Lupin a.k.a the werewolf pal of Harry’s dad, who portray the character of Michael Aris, Suu Kyi’s foreign husband cum her biggest strength next to her father, Aung San. 

It is important to note that this movie is told through the eye of Michael Aris as he share his side of story in the center of his wife fight for democracy in Burma (now is known as Myanmar). Therefore, the story focus greatly on the love life of the couple, together with their two sons, Alex and Kim. The story show us how one cozy family face separation, bitter emotional heartache and deprived normal life due to the fact that Suu Kyi is the daughter of Burma’s independent hero and therefore she is oblige to follow in the steps of her father in continuing the effort to obtain democracy from the military rulers. 

The movie focus on the role of Michael Aris as the husband, father of their sons and Suu Kyi greatest supporter in her political involvement. Despite being a very affectionate couple, Michael willingly sacrifice his own benefits for the sake of his wife. All the difficulties that they had to endure only strengthen the love between them as Michael and his sons travel back and forth from Oxford to Rangoon in a short visits to Suu Kyi, as well as handling the house all by himself with the help of a few close friends, at the same time firmly holding on to his resolution to never allow Suu Kyi visiting him in Oxford because he knew that if Suu Kyi ever leave Burma, she will never be allowed to come back and that will make all the hard work turn to a waste of time and energy. Michael did all this with determination while at the same time battling cancer. Perhaps, his profession as a lecturer is the reason why he could understand and accept his wife political situation. He is, in fact, one of the rarest individuals who studied the Bhutan structural system and its tradition and culture immensely. 

One thing that attract me to regard The Lady as an interesting movie is the fact that it is capable of displaying a high level of emotion and intimacy WITHOUT the need to have a bawdy sex scene. Even the kissing scenes are very mild and shows a promise of a very loving couple who respect each other and live on due to each other’s existence. Great romance, I’d say. Therefore, it is safe to say that the actors are successful in portraying their respective parts. 

The sorrow and hardship are clearly visible in the movie and it depicted the real story with great similarities if not originality. Despite the depressing tone of the storyline, there’s still a hint of humour in it. One such example is when Suu Kyi plays her piano during her house arrest, and the tune carries the sound until it reach the hearing of the guards guarding outside her house. The funny thing is, the guard could not decipher what is that melodious sound is and to the amusement of Michael, who is reading outside, he told them “that is music” and the guards nod in amazement. Truly, it might seem a bit stupendous of them but that is the sad reality during the junta regime in Burma. The people are deprived from entertainment and music under the military rule and it does not come as a surprise as the people are busy fighting for democracy and their lives. 

Overall, the movie hit the target with its theme and acting. However, I find the plot a bit shaky due to the great effort focus on the character building and emotion displayed. Perhaps, the movie would turn out better if the storyline is not so confusing in the manner of time because it does not really show the many years struggle that passed for the country. One moment Suu Kyi becomes the head of the party but the next moment she’s lifted from her house arrest and gathering her people together again. Alas, it is a movie which focus greatly on love and sacrifices rather than the political agenda behind it. Worth watching for inspiration and humanity lesson. 

Toodles.

Bina Insan Guru.

hi people.

so, let's rant about my BIG experience. well, there were a whole darn mountain of experiences but not the kind that i expected. it was unexpected, actually so i think there's room for some thinking here, okay?

so, due to some unexpected problem, my BIG camp was brought forward a week earlier which was on 11-15 March, at Teluk Gorek Bay, Mersing. basically it was a normal camping program with skin-tanning-energy-draining-tummy-growling-sleep-deprived all crashing upon us.

it was exactly that way for my fellow BIG friends, but not for me. unfortunately, i only did a few activities like setting up the tent which was my favourite part, swimming lesson where i felt like a dolphin with a bright orange buoyancy aid in the water, and on-the-spot sketch during the Kebudayaan night where i crash down and rolled on the floor like a dough. jahat Aqil bully me! hahahah.

before disembarking!
so we gather at Gerko's and bundle up all the stuff we're bringing where everyone worked hard passing the utilities because all the lecturer were, like, so damn stern and look at you like they will shout at you anytime. they did shout a little. normal lahhh....

packing and all, we throw them all in the bus and gee up with the spirit. well, we were darn happy gonna be away from assignments and slow wifi and packed classes yaw! that is, until.....

Mr Razali scold us big time because some of us forgot to wear the whistle. so yeah, soaring spirit crashed down and died. but then like i said, it was normal lahhh...

Teluk Gorek hayhayhay!
i don't remember much about the whole journey because the bus was so damn comfortable! i sat with Teng Teng and she pretty much doze off fifteen minutes into the journey. so fast liao!

 see! see! see! love!

we had a super quick briefing, were given tags, were given instruction, were given food, and off to setting up the tent! 

 i'm really short. haizz..

 lecturers present.

our uber cool camp commander, Mr Latif. he was, asdfghjkl-some!

 awe-the-highest-of-the-lot-some!

next, we proceed on setting up our tent, where the lecturers (especially Encik Din) were so helpful! encik Din was supposed to guide us on how to set up the tent but he ended up setting the tent for some of us. no fuss some more. he said " saya malas la nak tunjuk banyak kali. " so he set the tent up himself. hahaha!

 don't you hear the water callingggg??? :D

 rolling on the sand is....heaven.

Mr Latif displaying some skill with the ropes. i still remember one of the rope technique was ikatan butterfly. lolz. Ati and Awa was so damn good at preparing the ropes and all. i was...too short to reach so i do most part of the tent. *knock head* too bad i did not have the chance to sleep in the tent. it would be amazing to wake up to the sound of wave lapping on the shore and the breeze dancing on my cheek. sad.

my leng lui mates. 

so here are some of the activities which were the best part of the camping. despite watching (and not watching most of the time), i could feel the excitement too. watching them doing these activities made me reminisce about my previous camping experiences in high school.

 rakit. seriously, i wanna try this so bad! :(

 sketch. 

Mr Nahar decided to change our Kebudayaan night's theme at the very last minute so we were all dumbstruck don't know what to do for the night. but our hero, Latif the great rakit builder, proposed a sketch but he refuse to let us know what it was all about. all he said was "just listen and do what i said". i knew it must be some sorts of Charlie Chaplin-like sketch with lots of intention to make the audience rolling with laughter. and they did! yay! we were performing this sketch which i, myself, am still blur about up to this day. i was one of the character post-BIG with a transformation in the level of height. grrr i know i'm short lahh. so, Aqil was the culprit for my part. he asked us to fall on the floor, rolling apart, and roll back together and ended up in a hug. this sounds so lame and stale but the actual sketch was a funny scene! i saw Encik Nahar laughing while holding his tummy. hahaha! we got third place hoyeah! 

 the rakit. i would like to congratulate my teammate for doing such a splendid job building the rakit. (what is rakit in english hahahah). feel so frustrated because i could only watch them from afar. :(

 Encik Nahar (who make Zahin splash into the water!)
Zahin ( who fill up my hungry tummy with his delicious nasi hujan panas) 

can Honey cook them for me too? hiks. 

 kak awa practicing her MC script with Puan Khalidah. 

 the Spartan during their kembara activity. 

i didn't join them, too. :( 

all of us with the lecturers. 

thanks for the memories!

next, the sick part. 

 this was on the third day. 

a better day than the previous two.

i don't know if it is a wise decision to blog about this but i might as well go for it without divulging too much. 

well, i was sick after the swimming lesson where i tumble around like a dolphin hahahah! so the lecturers took me in and attend to my sickly condition as best as they could. in fact, they did a really damn amazingly brilliant job taking care of me! standing ovation for my Gerko lecturers especially Puan Khalidah and Encik Razali. 

what i get from this part of the camping was......my lecturer are all so effing awesome! like, high-five up stars awesome! when i was sick, all the lecturers paid great attention to me because i was literally like a sotong kering with pale face and puffy eyes. when i was taken to the hospital, my tutor, Mr Shaifol, Mr Razali, and Puan Khalidah was all eyebrow-knitted-hyper-concern because they were afraid i might get worse, which i actually did considering the kind of sickness that i had. later on, both Mr Nahar and Mr Latif came to the hospital to pick me up. Mr Latif even let me wear his slippers because i didn't wore my shoes. 

even in the next trips for treatments, all the lecturer were really kind and understanding towards my condition, something which i myself feel bad about in the first place because i had to trouble them with my sickness. all the time i'm out from camp base for my treatment, the lecturers were very attentive towards me. even the slightest hint of possible blackout was noticed. truly, i feel like a weak ikan kering most of the time but seeing the lecturers response and attention, it made me wanted to be strong and fight the sickness. i mean, they were all so very kind i feel like crying right at this moment. whenever i reminisce about the whole thing, tears will surely fall down my cheek. 

on the other part, my team mate and all my friends had been so good and so caring towards me. whenever they passed by me, they will stop and ask whether i'm okay or not, or can they get anything for me and stuff. makes me all the more touched to the core. my teammates said without me joining the activities, they felt something is missing. not so much excitement. thanks, Jenny, you're so good to me. Awa and Aty even tone down their level of brutality with me hehehe. Amrina kept watching me as if i'm about to faint anytime soon! hahaha. 

so, despite being horribly sick, i still feel like i'm the healthiest girl alive because the people around me are from the kindest species on Earth. its not easy to find friends who stick by your side through your moment of pain but i am so lucky to have such angels around me. even Ah Pang is an angel because he wouldn't let me do all the heavy task (according to him lahh). even Latif told me to sit down and eat because he said i'm so pale like zombie. when i was given permission to join my team for the sketch, i was so happy i cry! 

thank you to Puan Khalidah for advicing me and making me stop crying. thank you to Madam Yeoh for accompanying me all the time without any complain and dragging me by the hand to sit with her and Encik Latif and Encik Ismail, singing all night long. thank you to Encik Nahar for all those brilliant imitation of me. thank you to Encik Shaifol for taking me on a ride with his super red coupe. thank you to Encik Azlan for hearing out my ramblings. thank you to Encik Latif for the slippers and great karaoke session. but above all, a million thanks to Encik Razali for helping me right from the start of my sickly moment, bringing me for treatment, sharing his experience, and always keep a very sharp eye on me all the time i was at Teluk Gorek.

truly, i had a great time at the camp despite what happened to me. 

thank you everyone. 

*sobs*

toodles.