Militaristic Karate Tradition

When the average person hears the term "martial art", the first images that come to mind are either the over-the-top fight scenes that they see in the movies or cage fights due to the rising popularity of MMA. We sometimes forget the "martial" part of it. These arts were created and developed for killing and many of the militaristic rituals and practices can still be observed when you walk into a "traditional" martial arts school.

This is especially true in the case of Shotokan karate. The best example is the pre- and post-training lineup. Students and practitioners are made to line up according to rank with the lowest on one side of the room and the highest on the other.

But there's more to this. Most karateka will notice that the way people line up may vary depending on the dojo that they go to. In some schools, the highest ranking student is on the left side of the room. In others, they're on the right side. Again, the reason has to do with a military way of thinking.

The idea is that students have to line up according to the dojo's main entrance door. Normally, the beginners line up closest to the door and the higher levels and even assistant instructors are furthest away. There are two reasons for this:

1) In case of challenge from another school
The challenger will be forced to go tire himself out by having to fight off the "weaker" students first. He will then have progressively more difficult fights as he moves up the ranks. By the time he reaches the end of the line, the challenger becomes so tired and injured that it will be "easy pickings" for the top student and the instructor if necessary.

2) In case of deadly assault on the school
The second reason is really more militaristic in nature. In case their enemies enter through the door, swords flashing and maybe even guns blazing, the first people to get killed are the beginners. Much like in war, the lower ranks are killed on the front lines, while the officers and generals stay in the back.

In both cases, the beginners are kind of treated like expendable pawns and human shields. The higher ranked students are given the time to defend themselves and/or escape so that they can preserve and pass on their knowledge of their fighting art. Definitely a very old, militaristic, and Japanese way of thinking.

Of course, these kinds of concerns are not as valid anymore, but the traditions have been kept. Except in my school, that is. In our case, the instructor has a bit of a different philosophy on the subject. The highest ranking students have the responsibility of defending the dojo. So WE line up closest to the door.

Meaning that if there's ever any trouble, I'll be the one to get killed first.

Money out of your pocket

Let's say that you get promoted and get a nice little raise. You will now have a lot more disposable income, right? Well think again.

Go to the link below to see an interesting little calculator from Revenu Québec. It basically calculates how much you'll have left of your annual earned income after the federal and provincial governments have taken their piece of the pie.

http://www.budget.finances.gouv.qc.ca/budget/2009-2010/en/calculette_en.html

Type in your annual income and you'll notice that, all of a sudden, that even with that raise that you got, the increase in your final paycheck is probably pretty negligible. But you're probably going to be working even more hours and have more stress and responsibility.

As a former student who didn't really make that much money, I was initially very much in agreement with increasing taxes as income gets higher. But now, as a working stiff, I find it annoying that a good chunk of what I worked for is being taken from me before it even reaches my pocket.

How to "Spice things up" in the kitchen

Have you ever wanted to make things "more exciting" in your kitchen? Well, here's something we found in a grocery store that could be a good way to do it.


Maybe I'll send this off to the Fail Blog.

Roma and final thoughts

Roma is definitely a much bigger city than Firenze. Former capital of the ancient Roman empire and current capital of Italy, there is more to see. Unfortunately, there are also more hordes of tourists being led around by by their multilingual guides holding up a stick/umbrella/flag/coloured paper.

Aside from all that though, we had a great time in Roma. We ended up staying at this small bed and breakfast run by this married couple. It was a different experience for sure. You get the privacy and personalized service that you get from a good hotel, but at the same time, you don

We managed to take in a good amount of the sites like the Via del Corso, the different piazzas, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. As an aside, I really still don't understand what the deal is with these steps.

We were also able to check out most of the Vatican's many museums, Saint Peter's Basilica as well as the ruins of the Roman Forum, the Palatine and of course, the Colosseum. I was a bit disappointed, because I was hoping to see this, but they told us that they weren't showing it there. At least not yet.

Our last day in the city started off with the Castel Sant'Angelo, a former fortress/castle that connects to the Vatican through a secret tunnel. The passageway was built by one of the popes in case of invasion. It's more of a museum now, with a café at the top, but it was still pretty interesting. The end of the day led us to the Pantheon. Formerly a temple to the Roman gods, it was transformed into a church. Apparently, the dome's architecture (which doubled as a sun-dial at the time) is so precise that even modern-day engineers would find it almost impossible to replicate it.

We also finally found the very charming neighbourhood of Trastevere across the river. We found this great little bar that served giant 1 litre mojitos (much like the ones at La Distillerie). We also found a couple of great gelato places and restaurants.

All in all, it was a pretty good trip. Travelling as a couple is definitely a different feel, but still was a good time.

Final thoughts:

-The food in Italy was great both in quality and in quantity. I just wonder though, how most locals don't seem to be fat. I mean, the lunch and dinner meals are served in several courses: appetizer, first plate (usually pasta), second plate (meat or fish), dessert and coffee, and digestive strong alcohol like grappa or limoncello. All this while drinking wine throughout the meal. I don't understand how people in this country aren't fat like North Americans. I know that I've probably gained about 10 lbs, even with almost 8 hours of continuous walking.

-Alcohol-wise, Italy is definitely a wine country. The local beers are crap. France is pretty similar, unless you go to a bar and specifically order Belgian beer.

-Bar/café culture is definitely different in Italy. Most people don't idly sit around in bars and cafés to have long conversations. They instead stand at the counter, take the drink quickly and leave.

-When sitting down to eat somewhere, remember that there's usually a "coperto" or extra cover charge for sitting down. That probably explains the bar/café culture.

-The amount of tourists can get a bit unbearable even if you come to a sight early enough. It really makes it difficult to see what you want or have some quiet time to get a feel for an ancient monument or a work of art. The Sistine Chapel, though still amazing, lost a bit of its "wow factor" with all the tourists crowding in, blabbing away and taking photos while the PA system is telling them not to in five different languages.

-With tourists come the annoyance of "tourist scammers", the most annoying of which is the "lucky bracelet". Guys will come up to you, follow you around and ask you to wear this free, cheap, yarn bracelet for good luck. They'll even drape it on you as you try to walk away.

-The traffic in Italy is insane. There are a lot of cars and most of all Vespas flying around in the streets. And with the really narrow sidewalks, North Americans are well-advised to watch where they're going when walking around.

-Definitely a great practice in all Italian cities is that politicians can only post their campaign posters in designated areas. It's defintely better than in Montreal where every street light, traffic light and sign post is littered with campaign posters whenever there's an election.

-And finally: gelato, gelato, gelato... yum!

Euro-trip 2.0: Firenze, Chianti, San Gimignano

Firenze really is a pretty small city that can be easily covered on foot in about a couple of days. We were able to take in a few of the main sights in Firenze (including the Accademia, which contains the original David by Michelangelo - the one in the outdoor statuary near the Palazzo Vecchio is a copy). It was a bit of a shock to see motor vehicle traffic after seeing mainly boats in Venezia.

To get away from all the hustle and bustle of the city, we decided to take the hostel-organized tour of the famous Chianti region. It did not disappoint. We went first to a wine tasting lesson given by the charismatic wine maker, signor Pier-Luigi. I am now a wine snob and I will teach what I can remember about wine tasting to whoever wants to learn.

After a few glasses of wine and some "aphrodisiac olive oil" (now there's a good way to cause some awkward situations in a tour bus full of young hostel dwellers), we then went over to a second winery where we learned about the actual process of making white, rose and red wines in the Chianti region. This was of course followed by more wine tasting and a "typical", delicious Tuscan lunch, accompanied by, you guessed it, more wine.

I should mention that I still have a small cut on my left thumb from when I slipped in front of the whole group (and the winery owner) and hit a 1500-litre wine barrel... I guess I got a little excited during the tour.

The day ended with a quick trip to San Gimignano, a small midieval, Tuscan town between Firenze and Siena. Though we didn't have much time to see the town, Maria and I managed to get some gelato from the world champion gelato making shop there. Some of the strange ice cream flavours include gorgonzola and vin santo ("holy wine").

Definitely the highlight of the trip so far... but then again, I haven't talked about Roma yet.

Ciao!

Euro-Trip 2.0: Venizia, Firenze and Other Thoughts

Coming to you live from Firenze, in the great province of Tuscany!

As we stepped off the train station and into the vaporetto (water bus), the first thought that I had when I saw the city was that it was a really old city. It was old, but not old like wine that has been aged well. It felt more like it was old and worn out. The walls on the buildings looked like they were crumbling or were defaced with ugly graffiti.

Still, the city still has some charm and I can understand why people still think it's romantic.

A bit more of a tourist city (apparently tourists outnumber residents 200 to 1), the it's definitely a change from the fast-pace and heavy motor vehicle traffic of Milan. There is, however, the heavy traffic of tourists, whether you're in a large piazza or a very narrow street.

Of course, it's always easy to avoid the crowds by simply turning onto an empty and very narrow alley and navigating your way through the maze of canals, piazzas, and tiny alleys. It definitely is a great way to see not just the "travel brochure and postcard" parts of the city like Piazza San Marco and the Ponte di Rialto. Of course, we did visit those too.

We also made a point of NOT setting foot in a single church or museum. With the city being the way it is, and the weather being nothing short of amazing, we decided to simply walk somewhat aimlessly and discover the different corners of the city. Stopping only to eat, we managed to cover pretty much all the sestieri that make up Venizia.

We left this morning and made it to Firenze by train this afternoon, although I don't think Maria really wanted to leave just yet... ah well, we'll make sure to come back. As for this city, I'm thinking that we'll be running around to a couple of monuments tomorrow and maybe take a little wine tasting tour of Chianti offered by our hostel on Wednesday. I'll let you know how it all goes.

Some random stuff:

-I thought it might be appropriate to make a comparison between Parisian and Milanese women. Though similarly attractive and well put together, what with all the expensive clothes, make-up and so on, the Parisian variety seems to have a bit more of an attitude. Just as an example, if a Parisian girl bumps into you, she acts kinda annoyed and starts sucking her teeth at you in contempt as she walks away.

-As for the Italian girls, well, I seem to remember this one instance where a particularly well-dressed and fashionable Milanese woman actually apologizing to Maria for bumping into her. Maybe there's something in the water.

-Being in a pretty Catholic country and all, I feel like there is a grave sin that I must confess. While in Italy, amid all the fine cuisine, I walked in and ate at a McDonald's. May I be forgiven.

Ciao!

Euro-trip 2.0: Milano

In Venice right now. I guess I will have to make this brief since I don t have much time.

Milan was an OK city to visit. It was very modern and business like as expected. A very fast-paced and more consumerist city. Not too much to see in terms of old buildings, except maybe the Duomo, where Maria was refused entry for wearing a skirt that was apparently inappropriately too short.

The shopping would have been very interesting, but I wasnt really interested in haute couture and even if I were, I would not have been able to afford it.

Just as a side note, there are tons of Filipinos in that city for some reason. I have never heard Tagalog spoken so much in any other European city.

Anyway, I will keep everyone posted on our adventures in Venizia, Firenze and Roma.

Ciao!

Euro-trip 2.0: The Louvre and Montmartre Revisited

I suppose that we were still a bit tired and jet-lagged as we both couldn't get out of our rooms until after 11am today. But anyway, after a mini-brunch of jambon et emmental baguette with a tarte aux fraises, we were off to the Louvre.

Coming back to the Louvre was fun as I got to play the pseudo-art expert tour guide with Maria. I guess I had forgotten from last time, but there was just a whole lot of art in that place. Some people have told me that you need about 4-5 days just to actually see everything in there. We saw as much as we could in about three and a half hours to see mostly paintings and a couple of sculptures. Needless to say that it was overwhelming just to see most of the place.

After a quick lunch of baguette and crepes, we headed off to the Montmartre area. Last year, I've heard a tour guide refer to this place as Paris' "Red Light district". I didn't understand it then because we mainly went through some nice cobble stone streets lined with restaurants, saw the Moulin Rouge and then spent most of our time in Sacre Coeur, a church on top of the hill looking over the city.

Of course, that was last year. This year, I decided that we simply wander around the neighbourhood. There weren't any scantily-clad women in glass windows like in Amsterdam, but there were enough strip-clubs and sex shops in the neighbourhood to rival downtown Montreal.

I guess with an erotic museum and several establishments with names like "Sexodrome" and "Pussy's", it does make sense to call this a red-light district. The best part of course is that above all this is that there's a church right above all this fun stuff.

Dinner and drinks were had to cap off a pretty long day of walking. 11 hours in all.

Tomorrow morning, we are off to Versailles!

Euro-trip 2.0: Going to Paris

Bonjour de Paris!

After several hours flying across the Atlantic Ocean, Maria and I have finally made it to Paris with a quick stop-over in Zurich.

The flight was smooth and the service impeccable. With complementary mini-bottles of wine available to economy-class customers, Swissair is now officially my favourite airline. As a side note, we got our first souvenir from our trip in the plane as this little 6-year-old Swiss girl sitting in front of us drew our picture sitting in a plane. Basically it's a picture of two stick figures with the same colour shirts as us and heart in between.

Just arriving a couple of hours ago and getting lost just trying to find a metro station (bows head in shame), I do feel like I missed out on a lot when I came here last year. I guess it's a great time to rediscover this city.

Our hotel/hostel is in the Levallois Perret area, though I'm not so sure that it's actually officially part of of Paris. In any case, after taking a quick walk around the neighbourhood after lunch, this is definitely a nice little area to be in. Almost an escape from the bustle and the busloads of Japanese tourists. We even found a nice little open air market where I'll definitely stop by to get some fresh cheese, baguettes, meats and some wine for tomorrow's lunch.

The only downside is that the weather isn't too nice. It's pretty cloudy and kinda cold, but we're hoping that the weather will get better.

As for tonight, we'll try to get access to the room, take a quick nap and then run through a couple of "tourist traps" later tonight.

A+

Habs Eliminated

So much for the "100 years of glory". So what went wrong? How does a team that wins last year's Eastern Conference title now ends up barely making the playoffs while losing and then proceeds to get swept in the first round of the playoffs? What went wrong?

Well, let's see, you've got injuries, no defense men that can play defense properly, potential scorers who can't handle a pass or the puck in general, inability to score on the power play, bad management / coaching decisions, an inexperienced goalie, off-ice distractions, the team being up for sale, and more injuries. But there was also what seemed to be a certain laziness about their play.

We could argue that the fans were not really being fair with their expectations. Players and coaches have expressed their dislike for being booed by their own team because of their poor performance. This is especially true for goaltenders. Maybe because of past star goalies like Vezina, Plante, Dryden and Roy, fans will put a lot of pressure and sometimes unfair blame on the goalie even if the defense is at fault. Jeers by Habs fans pushed Carey Price to pull a Patrick Roy last night.

But hey, that's Montreal hockey. Fans expect their team to perform. We want our defense to block shots, make hits and not score on their own goal. We want scorers to make plays and actually score. We want the goaltenders to dive for those pucks, make key saves and handle their rebounds.

After all, Montreal is the home of the Canadiens, not the Maple Leafs!

If the expectations were high, well, the blame is on the club not the fans. The Canadiens organization totally hyped up their marketing for the 100th season, even going on to say that the team could be a Stanley Cup contender considering last year's performance. Combine that with the ridiculously high price of a regular season, nosebleed ticket and yeah you will have fans expecting a lot.

There are 11 free agents at the end of the season and an opening for head coach. Change is definitely needed. Here's hoping that season 101 will be better than this one.