Adam’s Cerebral Spillage

Yesterday we gathered students from all three of the different schools in the county currently training under our Kwan’s banner and got together for a big training session. It was the first steps toward the European championships being held this spring, and it was to give us a chance to have a look at what categories we might want to compete in. It was an early start for a Sunday morning, I’d normally be tucked up snoozing at 7.30, but instead I was in the kitchen ironing my dobok and making some sandwiches. It was absolutely perishingly cold too, there was ice outside and just after we got to the dojang in Falmouth it started pouring with snow. Conversely the dojang was really warm inside thanks to the central heating, a blessing which soon turned into a curse once we started exercising, it wasn’t long before I was dryer than a <insert dubious metaphor here> and gasping (although having a cold didn’t help my cause any).

The day was a great success, we all mixed and worked with people we wouldn’t normally train with or speak to, and everyone got on well. Everyone got a taste of competition style performing, being marked and feeling what it was like to perform in front of a crowd of people, and I think it was a bit of an eye-opener for some. While the first half of the day was entirely forms-based, the afternoon saw the stark contrast of sparring. After some tough strength-building exercises things got moving and everyone got to feel what it was like to throw, and more importantly take a punch or kick. We organised a mini-tournament towards the end of the day and stood out (as seniors) to referee and take charge of the teams. It was really encouraging to see how into it everyone was getting, so much so that the fighters couldn’t hear us screaming ’stop!!’ when we wanted to award points. Seeing and talking to some of the junior students afterwards, for many of whom this was their first taste of proper sparring, it was a real flashback to my own first tastes of it. Everyone was buzzing and grinning and saying they wanted to get back in and go again, which is always a good sign. Sure, there are going to be some bumps and bruises today, and at least one black eye, but that’s all part of it. Six-and-a-half hours after we started and a few of us trundled down to the local pub for a quick pint and a natter.

Actually it would be remiss of me to not mention the other thing that happened before the end of the session while I’m at it. Everyone was asked to sit, and then I was told to stand, walk to the front and turn to face everyone. In all of the excitement of the day I forgot that I was due to have my black (blue) belt presented to me. Sadly I’ve seen enough of these presentations to not know what was coming next, the legendary ‘Chilli powder test’. Lots of martial arts clubs like to take their newly promoted students down a peg or two to make sure ego doesn’t get the better of them, for some it’s a run down the line as the rest whip them with their belts as they go, for us it’s the chilli powder test. ‘Chilli powder’ is a bit of a misnomer, as times and tastes have changed, so just plain chilli powder doesn’t cut it any more. No, today our instructor likes to mix things up with his own concoctions, and it wasn’t until after that I found out what was in mine. A spoonful of the ’stuff’ was pushed into my mouth and then I was told to do twenty good pushups in front of the assembled mass without swallowing any or spitting any out, with everyone counting them out for me (and don’t think I didn’t notice those of you who tried to reset the count partway through!). I took my trusty old red belt off and had my new one tied around me, and then made a hasty retreat to the kitchen to rinse my mouth out! It turns out that my own personal blend of heat was a mixture of chillies, chilli sauce, rehydrated chillies that you’re not supposed to touch with bare hands(!), a tub of wasabi paste and to top it off, a sachet of the sauce from a Bombay Bad Boy pot noodle. Nice.

I’m enormously proud of what I’ve achieved, and it was made all that more special by having it presented to me in front of the rest of the students. It still hasn’t sunk in yet really, maybe once it does I’ll have more to post, but I think I’m going to be kept pretty busy in the meantime now. Here’s what my 1st Dan certificate looks like (it feels good writing that).

My 1st Dan certificate - this one's going in a frame!

Technorati Tags 1st Dan, belt presentation, chilli test, sparring, tang soo do, training

It’s no secret that I still love games, and still play and buy them regularly, but recently I’m up to my neck in them. First up was Darksiders which I wrote about in a previous entry, and it really is a fantastic game, but I’m stuck at a save point where I have a tricky fight before I can get any further, and after dying umpteen times it’s been relegated to the games shelves until I can be bothered to try again.

I picked up Forza Motorsport 3 on the cheap at the end of an online January sale and got stuck into it, and it’s a great racing game. I’ve always like the Forza series, they seem to find a great balance between realism and fun, and 3 is no different. There are an enormous number of cars to choose from as your career progresses, and as always with Forza, an insane amount of customisation options. As well as being able to change and tweak every part of the internal workings and chassis, there are the famous aesthetics options too. The Forza car editor has no equal when it comes to custom decals and paint jobs, and the inclusion of the storefront (which enables players to buy and sell customised cars and paint jobs) means that everyone has access to them. I’ve still got a long way to go in the career mode, but it’s a gorgeous looking game and I’m so pleased they managed to keep it all running at a silky-smooth 60FPS. If you can pick it up for under thirty quid (easily done online) then do it if you’re at all into racing games.

A friend of mine has been singing the praises of the next game for months, and I finally gave in and decided to have a look at what all the fuss was about. Tatsunoko Vs Capcom is the latest in the ‘Vs’ series from Capcom, which now that I think back has been going for years, and includes some cracking games. Marvel Vs Capcom 1 & 2, SNK Vs Capcom 1, 2 and Chaos, X-Men Vs Streetfighter to name but a few, but new on the scene is Tatsunoko Vs Capcom. Tatsunoko is the Japanese cartoon house which won’t be overly familiar to most people, unless they’re old enough to remember the ‘Battle Of The Planets’ cartoons in the early 80s. In Japan it was known as Kagaku Ninja Tai Gacchaman (Science Ninja Team Gatchaman), and was a far different cartoon (violence and transgenderism being common themes), but it still provides some of the characters for the game, along with other less well-known series. Surprisingly it’s a Wii-only release, but I kinda like that, it’s a reason to use my dust-collecting console at the very least. The gameplay is excellent, proper ‘Vs’ style fighting with over the top super moves, tag play and all manner of intricacies to work out. There’s a decent roster of characters with both sides well-represented, just don’t let the fact that you may not know many of the Tatsunoko cast put you off. Capcom have covered all bases with characters ranging from the stalwarts (Ryu, Chun Li) right through to some you might not to expect to see (Frank West from Dead Rising and a giant mech from Lost Planet spring to mind). It’s well worth a buy for anyone fond of Capcom 2D fighters, but even moreso if you like the ‘Vs’ games. It’s out today, although I luckily got mine yesterday after nattering to the guys working in a local indy games shop and them telling me they were breaking the release date. I was weak, I bought it, and I’m very glad I did. You should do the same.

Tatsunoko wasn’t the only game I was surprised to be playing yesterday. Some time ago I wrote about the beta of MAG and how I enjoyed it, so much so in fact that I pre-ordered the game. Shopto had both the normal and collectors editions of the game, but I didn’t want to pay the extra five pounds for an extra outfit in the game and some themes, so I stuck with the cheaper option. The game’s released today, but Shopto being the efficient little elves they are, they got it to me yesterday (in fact the postman needed a signature, so signed it himself and wrote ’signed for it, hope that’s ok, Postie’ on it – I have a great postman!). I opened it up and found the steelbook collectors edition inside too, ideal! I didn’t want to pay extra for it, but if they’re going to give it to me for free then who am I to argue?! I’ve only had time to play one mission so far, but initial impressions are good, it feels far snappier and more inclined to hit the person I’m aiming at, rather than the lagfest the beta could be at times.

I need to get these games out of my system before April when the clocks go forward and I get my evenings out with the dog back again, and there are still a few more to come before then too.

Technorati Tags 360, capcom, Darksiders, Forza, games, MAG, PS3, shopto, Tatsunoko, Wii

This last week or so has been the first time I’ve been back in proper training since before Christmas, and it’s kicking my ass so far. Our instructor is determined to get us back in shape and strong again after a festive break of decadence and not working hard, and despite the pain and panting it’s causing so far, I’m very glad.  We’ve been focusing on strength work which is always a good thing, and on top of that I have new things to learn, for the first time in ages.

There’s quite a gap between 1st Dan and 2nd, and with good reason, there’s a lot to take on board. I’ve started learning the first on the new forms I need to know, namely Naihanchi Ee Dan (Tekki nidan). The Naihanchi hyung have always seemed strange to me, very different to any other that we practice, and I hope that as I progress further I’ll start to understand more. I find it interesting that traditionally it was always seen as a really important kata/hyung, and yet it employs so few of the ‘basic’ moves that we as Tang Soo Do practitioners understand as staples of the art.

As well as the practical applications of any form, I’ve always found myself drawn to learn the origins wherever possible. Naihanchi is a nice form from that point of view, as the history is largely well-known and seldom disputed. I’ve known for a long time that the Japanese name for the form is Tekki, which translates as ‘Iron Horse’, but what I didn’t know was a) how recently it got that name, and b) that it was almost inadvertently a return to tradition. Let me try to explain a little more clearly. Naihanchi is now taught as three separate forms, but originally was brought (from China naturally) as one, longer form. This longer form was named Nifanchin, which (apparently, my Japanese isn’t great these days!) also translates as Iron Horse, but it was that stalwart and lynchpin of modern karate, Gichin Funakoshi who renamed it Tekki. He renamed it in honour of his teacher (and creator of the Pyung Ahn/Pinan/Heian forms), Anko Itosu. Between the two it became Naihanchi, which means ‘Internal divided conflict’, and that’s where it stuck as far as Tang Soo Do is concerned.

Although anecdotal, I think for once the Chinese origins of the forms might actually be explained quite well too..

In the 1960’s a kung fu practitioner, Daichi Kaneko, studied a form of Taiwanese White Crane Boxing, known as Dan Qiu Ban Bai He Quan (Half Hillock, Half White Crane Boxing). Kaneko, an acupuncturist who lived in Yonabaru, Okinawa, taught a form called Neixi (inside knee) in Mandarin. This form includes the same sweeping action found in the nami-gaeshi (returning wave) technique of Naihanchi. Neixi is pronounced Nohanchi in Fuzhou dialect, which could indicate Neixi is the forerunner to Naihanchi.

The fact that it was called Inside Knee sounds right for me, especially with the movements contained in Naihanchi Cho Dan, as anyone who has learned the form will recognise.

The fact that those three short forms are considered so important in karate, even to the extent that not so long ago teachers were teaching them to students with the understanding that they contain everything they need to know, is strange to me. That’s probably just a result of the way the arts have changed though, and the changes in training and teaching in the last hundred years. I’d love to be a fly on the wall in one of those old Okinawan dojos to see just how it was taught, practised and applied in those days.

Technorati Tags hyung, naihanchi, tang soo do, tekki, training

I’ve tried to think of a clever title for this entry for ages, but I’ve failed each and every time. It’s one I’d always hoped I’d have to write at some point, I just hadn’t expected to creep up on me so quickly. In a nutshell, I passed my 1st Dan (Black Belt) grading.

Seeing it written down like that is strange, and if I’m honest it still hasn’t sunk in yet. I don’t think that’ll happen until I’m actually presented with the belt and certificate, which hopefully will be around the end of the month, and I imagine it’ll start to hit home then. Perhaps fittingly, I found out I passed on the 4th, which was exactly four years to the day since my very first lesson. Four years, wow.

This isn’t going to turn into a misty-eyed retrospective, I’ve done that far too often in the past on here, but it’s nice to have a little bit of reflection and to get it down on paper (well, recorded in bits and bytes at least). The grading tests themselves were tough, and for different reasons; the physical was obviously very demanding, the written test gave my brain a bashing, and the essay made me take a good look at myself. It’s done now though, and although I didn’t do as well as I’d like to (isn’t that always the case?) I did well enough to earn my belt. There’ll probably be a few people out there who’d find it strange when I say that I won’t be getting a black belt, but rather a midnight blue one, but it’s essentially the same thing. Tang Soo Do traditionally uses midnight blue, as this is what the founder chose. The reasons for choosing it are a matter of debate for some, but it’s the same thing.

The strangest feeling for me is that there isn’t the sense of completion that I’d anticipated when I first started training. Some people (most I’d imagine) look on the black belt as being quite final, the end of a journey, but it’s perfectly apparent to me now that this isn’t the case. I’m very proud of myself for seeing it through this far, because I’m a serial starter-of-things-I’ll-never-see-through, but I can genuinely see how this is far from the end of something, it’s just the start of something new, a continuation of what I’m already doing. After all, it’s only 1st Dan right, there’s still another 9 to work toward .

I’d also just like to take the time here and now to thank everyone involved in my progress one way or another up until now. My instructors, my fellow students and everyone who showed me some support along the way. It was all appreciated, from people telling me I could do it, to people kicking my ass all over the dojang.

Onwards and upwards.

Technorati Tags 1st Dan, black belt, grading, tang soo do

It snowed more than it has down this way for a long time over the last week or so, which meant I had to take a couple of days off from work. My car got completely iced up – even the locks, I couldn’t get my key in – and the roads were like an ice rink, there’s no way I’m risking it for the sake of work. Luckily, I found a great way to spend the time off. Once the house was thoroughly cleaned and tidied that is…

Games. Lots of games. Or more accurately, a lot of time spent playing them. First up was the Beta version of MAG for the PS3. The game’s been in closed beta for a long time, and last week was the developer’s chance to stress test it with a free download for anyone who wanted it. MAG stands for Massive Action Game in this case and is a 1st-Person shooter, but with one departure from the norm with its scale. Battles in MAG go up to 128 vs 128 based on huge maps, and I have to say, it does it pretty well. I wasn’t too sure what to expect, FPS games are everywhere now and for every decent one there’s a ton of average ones, but I’m impressed with this one. The teams are split into platoons, which are in turn split into squads of eight people. Each squad has a leader who can issue orders, and they in turn get their orders from the platoon leaders and so on. It’s a proper chain of command and works well.

Players have a fair amount of customisation options, and each loadout is customisable too, so it’s easy to make a few setups of snipers, heavies, medics, engineers etc. The levelling works well, although it feels like a bit of an uphill battle to start with. Once you hit level 10 (on the beta) at least, new game types are unlocked, and at 15 you get your first leadership qualifications. I was trying to remember what it reminds me of for ages, and I’ve realised now that it was Battlefield 1942/Vietnam/2 for the PC. It’s a decent game, I think I’ll definitely get the full thing once it’s released, but I can see it being one of those where you need to invest a lot of time to get the most out of. As a FPS it’s not spectacular, it doesn’t do anything new, but the marriage of RPG-style character progression and the sense of ‘team’ is brilliant.

On top of that I also managed to snag myself the first new game on release day since Modern Warfare 2 I think, and treated myself to Darksiders. I’ll confess I didn’t really know anything about it up until about a month ago, but my friend’s constant rambling and eulogising meant I took notice and got excited about it too. The first time I saw video of it I was pretty unimpressed, it just looked like any other generic hack’n’slash, and I had my fears about it right until I started playing. The premise this time is that as War (capital W, one of the Four Horsemen) you’re duped into thinking the final battle between Heaven and Hell has started, and start kicking-off on Earth. The long and short of it is that you piss off the powers that be (sorry, ‘The Council’) and get banished to Earth, sans powers, to put things right and find out what’s going on.

The game is gorgeous both aurally and to look at, and the presentation just ooozes (yeah, three ‘o’s) class and attention to detail. If I had to give it a label I think I’d go with God Of War meets Zelda. Free-flowing combat involving big blades and the softer parts of enemies is the order of the day, combined with proper, old-fashioned, Zelda-style dungeons. I say dungeons, but as anyone who’s played a Zelda game knows, it doesn’t necessarily mean dank, dripping stone walls underground. I’m about five hours in so far and I’m loving every minute. I love some of the stats it gives you, such as total amount of demon blood spilled so far measured in gallons – classy. If you like the brawling and slashing you get from something like God Of War or Devil May Cry, and the exploration-with-inevitable-boss-encounter style of the Zelda series, I can’t recommend it enough. There’s a teeny bit of screen-tear with the 360 version I have, which apparently isn’t present in the PS3 one, but it’s nothing like enough to detract from the game.

Technorati Tags Darksiders, MAG, snow

Happy New Year everyone. If you’re finding it hard getting back into the swing of things with getting up early for work, you have my sympathies, I’m not managing very well either.

The Christmas break was very welcome, although I’m feeling the effects of it now. I shudder to think how much I ate and drank over the ten days off, but as if by some miraculous coincidence most of my clothes seem to have shrunk over the last month. I’m beginning to suspect alien involvement! Christmas Day was the first time I’ve ever cooked the main meal, and with twelve to cook for I was apprehensive to say the least. Usually Christmas morning for me is spent with a glass of orange juice while we open our presents, so it was a bit strange to find myself in the kitchen at 7:30 brushing molten butter onto three turkey crowns. It was worth it though, even just for the delicious smell permeating the house through the day. I think the meal went well, the turkey was well cooked (probably a tiny bit overdone if I’m being critical), and noone could complain of not having enough to eat. The plates were piled high with meat and veg, and with the addition of a small table we comfortably sat all twelve which was really nice. It felt good once it was all done and out of the way and I could properly relax, and as always happens when I get the festive period off, my sleeping pattern slipped drastically. Going to bed between 1am and 3am is strange to me now, but I enjoyed not even waking up before 9, and then having a good lie-in.

Like the rest of the western world I’m starting the new year with a bit more of a healthy eating kick, mostly to lose the holiday weight, but also because I found myself really missing it. I remember craving fruit and veg, and I feel a lot better for having got back on the wagon so far. I already know I can do it, I proved it to myself last year, so I don’t feel any pressure. Murphy is next in line for getting back in shape after a couple of weeks of no agility, eating a huge amount of turkey and gammon, and joining me in my sleep patterns. He loves being lazy, it’s a nightmare getting him up in the morning to go next door and stay in with their dog while we’re at work.

I’m currently loving Valkyria Chronicles on the PS3, it’s a great mix of old-school tactics games and a regluar 1st/3rd person shooter. Adding the third dimension to a turn based strategy game has added a huge amount to it, and the characters and presentation are real top-drawer stuff. I’ve got Metal Gear Solid 4 too (bought during the same cheap game mission), but I’m struggling with finding the patience for ’stealth’. Modern Warfare 2 is still getting a large amount of my free time too, but the BBC Iplayer channel is such an unexpected bonus, I love it.

Some pretty big non-Christmas, non-game based news coming soon.

Technorati Tags Christmas, Happy New Year, MGS4, Valkyria Chronicles

Another year done. All that remains is to see what happens with my Dan grading, I finished the last of the three parts this weekend and am just waiting to find out how I did now. As a whole, I think the grading went pretty well, by which I mean that I didn’t come in too far below my own expectations. Time will tell though, and when I know, it’ll be all over here.

I’ve also got the less-than-exciting prospect of the beach training on the 27th to look forward to. I really enjoy going down and doing it, but with the weather as it is at the moment (i.e. literally freezing, everything is covered in ice) it’s going to be a chilly couple of hours. The dip in the sea is always bracing, and that’s the part I’m looking forward to most.

There’s not really much more I can think to say at the moment. I’ve already had far too much to drink at various parties, far too much to eat, and I see no signs of abating in the coming week or two. I think everyone should watch the New Years Day concert from Vienna on BBC2 though, it’s a little tradition for me now. What better way to spend a hungover morning than watching and listening to some lovely classical – even if it is hideously Austrian biased. Fans of Strauss are in for a treat.

Happy Christmas/Kwanza/Hanukah/Whatever it is you do with yours. Relax, eat and drink well and enjoy a few days peace and relaxation. I can’t see me getting the motivation to update this from home next week, so I’ll probably see you all in 2010. Watch out for big black rectangular monoliths .

Technorati Tags 2010, Concert from Vienna, monolith, New Year

Friday night saw the inaugral ISK Awards Night. The club as a whole has grown steadily over the last couple of years, and we’re at a state now where we can start recognising the effort some people are putting in to their training and teaching. It’s also a really good excuse to meet up with the other guys and girls we wouldn’t normally see, and to knock back a few beers together. We hired a local cafe/social place for the evening, got suited and booted and had a lovely curry. The main reason for being there was for the presentation of the awards, and despite a few nerves it went really well. Plenty of people took a certificate home with them, and we all got to know one another a little better.

We only had the place until eleven, and after a few ales noone wanted to go home then! The Falmouth crew jumped back in their minibus and cars and headed for the bright lights of the town’s fantastic nightlife (ahem) and the rest of us made our way down to the mighty Corn Exchange. We weren’t even sure it’d be open as the parent company is now in administration or receivership or something, but not only was it open, it was free. I was pretty ‘merry’ at this point so hadn’t even thought about what kind of music we might be treated to, so you can imagine my absolute amazement when we walked in on an 80s night!! I love 80s music, I was in heaven. We ran into an old training friend who’s been serving in Afghanistan and after a few hugs and manly handshakes the beer started flowing again. I don’t remember much of the rest of the night. I remember seeing a table covered in full bottles of Corona, drinking from two of them at the same time, dancing the dance to ‘Prince Charming’ (and being the only person doing it!) and some amazing music. That’s it though, the rest of the night turned to a blur of laughing and some of the finest dancing ever witnessed (probably).

The year’s in wind-down mode now, and it’s one of my favourite times. Training slows down and all those nagging little injuries get a couple of weeks to heal, there’s a few days to forget about the stress at work and some time to relax with friends and family. I’ve still got the final part of my Dan test to take, but once that’s done I can get cracking with organising and cooking Christmas dinner for twelve(!). There’s still a couple of weeks to go yet though, and if today’s anything to go by it’s going to be very busy.

I can’t youtube from here, so I suggest you head over there now and search for “Adam Ant Prince Charming”. Seriously. Do it now.

Technorati Tags adam ant, awards night, Christmas dinner, drunk, ISK, Prince Charming

After years of trying, we finally made it to Germany. This time we went by train the whole way, which actually took about the same time as it would have done to fly, by the time you allow for check-ins and suchlike. Actually, that’s not entirely true. It should have taken the same amount of time, but on the way there we had an unexpected stop….

The day started early – a 5am alarm – so that we got to the train station for a 6am train to London. No problems there, we rolled into Paddington with plenty of time to spare and caught the tube across to St Pancras, which looks fantastic after its recent renovations. A quick bite to eat in a disgustingly overpriced cafe and we checked in for Eurostar. It’s quite weird going through passport control and not getting on a plane afterward. Eurostar is pretty plush, the train runs really quietly and is very comfortable, but going through the channel tunnel is quite an anticlimax. In fact on the way there I didn’t even realise we’d gone through until I noticed cars driving on the other side of the road. We rolled into Brussells in the early evening with about fifty minutes to spare, and it’s a good job too, because Brussells Midi is a massive, massive train station. After a lot of confusion and running around we finally got on the DB ICE, a high speed international service to Germany. I thought Eurostar was nice, but it’s got nothing on the ICE. That train is more like first class on an airplane, wood paneling everywhere, private booths with curved glass doors, hi-tech displays. Unfortunately the luxury didn’t last long.

About twenty minutes out of Brussells there was a big thump noise under the train and it immediately braked to a halt. Noone seemed to know what was going on, but I could see the train staff outside with torches, and about quarter of an hour later the police arrived. After an hour and a half a small train straight out of the 1970s pulled up alongside and we have a very pidgin English announcement explaining that we had to transfer. It turns out that someone (possibly a passenger) had decided to go under the train while it was doing about 120mph. Not the most pleasant end, or the best way to start a holiday. Several small Belgian railways later, a bus to Aachen, and a further train we arrived in Cologne, four hours later than intended. Boy was it worth the wait. This was the first thing I saw as I stepped out of the station.

Cologne Cathedral at night

The Dom (cathedral) in Cologne is famous, and rightly so. It’s an absolute ziggurat of a building. It took over six-hundred years to finish and the only way to get a sense of scale is to stand next to it. There’s not a square inch of the building – inside or out – that isn’t covered in carvings or decorations of some kind. Here are a few pictures to get the idea.

The front of Cologne cathedral

The ornate carvings over the main doors

Huge stained windows

The main aisle and pillars

The Dom also contains a large gold shrine which is said to contain the bones of the three Magi from the story of Christmas. It was opened in the 19th century and actually contains bones and clothing dated at about 2,000 years old.

The gold shrine containing the relics of the three Magi

The main reason we were in the city in the first place was for the Weihnachtsmarkts (Christmas markets). Europe does these markets better than anywhere else, and Cologne’s are regarded as some of the best, and I can see why now. There are seven main markets, I managed to get to six of them, including a middle-ages one (which is directly outside of the chocolate museum! A beautiful bow-fronted glass building with some amazing chocolate inside). For the first few days we didn’t actually buy very much at all, mostly just gluhwein to collect the mugs, a LOT of rostbratwusrt and pretzels, and being in Cologne, plenty of Kolsch. Kolsch is the local beer which can only be brewed within the city, and they drink it like it was water out there.

See, I told you!

It’s a beautiful city during the day, modern, busy, but in no way too hassled or hurried. It’s like having all the best bits of somewhere like London, but just winding it down a bit. At night is when it comes alove though, and that’s when it starts to look really pretty, especially at this time of year.

Christmas ornaments and traditional Rauchmann (smoking men)

The market in the Altstadt (old town)

Gingerbread hearts. Very traditional, but a bit overpriced.

The entrance to the Altmarkt, all lit up

One of the many stalls serving hot Gluhwein

Hand-painted candle lanterns

It was such a nice break and I was able to test out my German (which is actually pretty good!), relax and soak up the festive atmosphere. It also helped me to not freak out about my Dan grading, a grading I had to take the day after I got back. I’d thoroughly recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxing break, some good shopping (although some of the markets are really overpriced for tourists), and a lot of really interesting architecture. Aside from the Dom itself there are a lot of Roman churches, a castle, and a full roman excavation going on in the middle of the town. The train rides back were much, much better, far smoother and very efficient. Even including a break for an hour and a half in Paddington, it was still only 11 hours door-to-door.

Prost!

Technorati Tags cathedral, Christmas markets, Cologne, Dom, Koln, Kolsch, Weihnachtsmarkt

I used to love The Eagle comics when I was a kid, and Dan Dare was always the cover comic. This is one of my more tenuous post titles. What a busy chap I’ve been. Obviously I was out of the country last week on my trip to Cologne to see the city and the Christmas markets, but I’ll go over that later this week once I remember to get the photos off of the camera. The thing which is fresher in my mind is what I went through on the Saturday after I got back, and that’s mostly because of the constant painful reminders I have.

Those of you who know me and have known me for any length of time will know that I started training in Tang Soo Do around four years ago. This blog has been home to my attempts to chronicle my journey so far, and at each milestone I’ve made an effort to update here as a reminder for myself. This past weekend I took the first part of my grading for First Dan.

It seems incredible to me that I could be at a stage where I’d be grading for black belt (ok, so techincally I’m grading for midnight blue), especially when my first lesson is still so fresh in my mind. But sure enough on Saturday afternoon after a long day of travelling the day before, I made my way over the the academy with a head full of refreshed forms to see what waited for me. Dan gradings in TSD are very personal and always done behind closed doors. I remember thinking when I first started that maybe the whole ‘behind closed doors’ thing was a bit of pomp and ceremony, but now I understand exactly why it’s done that way. I won’t go into what happens on the day, that would defeat the whole purpose, suffice to say that even today, two days after I’m still in a lot of pain. I don’t see it disappearing any time soon either, it feels like I’ve been run over.

I’ve still got a couple more parts to the grading to do, namely a written essay and a test, so it won’t be for a while that I learn how well I did or didn’t do. I only hope I don’t have to retake the phyiscal part again. It’s quite a reflective time really, having to face and work through everything you’ve learned (and then some more), especially with it being just a few weeks until I’ve been training for four years. I have a newfound respect for anyone who’s been through the black belt testing, it’s easily the most physically (and mentally for that matter) demanding thing I’ve ever been through.

This is quite a rubbish update. If and when I make it to First Dan, I’m sure I can come up with something better. Pretty pictures and something more interesting soon, promise.

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