Aiki Jinja Festival at Iwama

It has been a little over 3 months since I arrived in Japan and I have made it a point to participate in as many aikido and related events. So far it has been as schedule except for that one time were I unbelievably missed out on one event..my heart still aches thinking about it. But it has come to past and there is nothing I can do about it. Back to the event. I was fortunate enough to get a ride from a new aikido friend and the 4 of us set out on a 2 hour journey from Tokyo to Ibaraki. The company was good and conversation was jovial and candid. It gave me much food for thought about my training, especially in the area of taking ukemi.

When we arrived the shrine was already packed with people. We registered our names and gave our donation, after which we received a bento box, programme sheets and drink vouchers. As I watched the ceremony, I frankly do not comprehend most of what is going on but I understand the essence of the proceedings. There were 2 instances during the programme where the public were chanted prayers in unison. As I listened to the chanting, a breeze started blowing and I looked up to the sky. The weather was wonderful; warm and sunny. As the breeze blew, the sunlight flickered from the stream of falling leaves. I felt a sense a serenity in that moment of time and thoroughly savoured it.

The proceedings ended with an enbu performed by Waka sensei and Doshu respectively. Thereafter everyone adjourned to the vicinity of the Iwama dojo to partake lunch. I made new friends and met old ones. It was such much fun mingling around. I then went to the Hombu corner. Doshu was making his rounds and everyone was waiting to take a picture with him. I was part of the Hombu group picture but is now at pains trying to recalled whose camera it was that was used. I also took the opportunity to take pictures with some of the senseis but unfortunately the pictures came out a little out of focus. But I am glad I got to take the pictures with them. 

The Iwama Dojo was damaged in the 311 earthquake last year but thanks to assistance from all over, it was restored. After taking a picture in the dojo, it was then time to go back.

I feel fortunate to be able to make the trip to Iwama to see the training ground of O sensei. As I walked around the vicinity, I try to conjure up a picture of how O sensei and his students would train and meditate day after day in pursuit of one's self journey to enlightenment. A journey that I too, am embarking upon.

In memoriam

I woke up today with a tinge of sadness. This is the third year that you are no longer around. Memories of you flooded my mind today. I do think of you time to time, but then when it comes to this day thoughts of you overwhelms me. 

I thought of all those things that we did when I was a child. They somehow stopped when I grew up. I remember how you were a man of few words; when you speak, I listen. I used to think that you were just being old fashioned, but on hindsight it was perfectly logical, given the community I used to live in. I also remember all the stories about that were told after you left us. It made me regret that I didn't get to know you more. I feared you, your silence and your solemness. However, I realized that if I pushed you a little more it would have been a whole different story. Just like how I pushed you to play mahjong during Chinese New Year. You said you didn't want to but when I pushed your wheelchair to the mahjong table and you started playing, it was evident that you have wanted to play it all along. In fact, when we stopped playing to attend to other matters, I saw you playing with the tiles by yourself for a little while before you stopped. You played so well! So well...

Still waters run deep. That is the kind of person you were. In my memory of you, you never bragged about anything. In fact I knew what I knew about you because grandma would tell me stories about you. About how you started with literally nothing, working in the drains and eventually to being a class AAA licensed contractor. How you provided for your family so abundantly and put all each of your 9 children through as high an education as he/she can attain. How you wouldn't ask for much, but to have your children bring you for dim sum breakfast every Sunday morning. How I saw and heard how you really felt when I was alone with you in RIPAS that day. Your tears, your anguish and your frustration. How, in the medic plane, I held your hands and told you that I love you it is all going to be OK. 

How I held your hands when you came out of the operating theatre. 

How tightly you held my hand even when you were heavily sedated with morphine. How you wouldn't let go eventhough I had to go. How you convulsed in pain when your aneurism took on. How you were in great pain had your left hand up the air, just hoping that someone would come for you when the doctor told all of us to stay out of the room. How I stroked your soft hair and spoke to you for the last time. How you waited for me to leave before you breathed your last.

All that is now left is my memory of you. 

I wanted to just live the memory a bit, so I myself some doughnuts and made a cup of milo. Your usual afternoon tea. I know that it is silly of me. You are in the best place now and we will meet again. But it is just so human to relive memories, isn't it?

I hope you did all you wanted to in your lifetime. I hope that you had no regrets. I hope that you were happy. I hope that you had love.

Until we meet again, you will forever be in my heart.

The 2012 departure

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

I had waited almost 4 years for this day and finally the day has come. My desire to live in a Japan was seeded when I attended the 10th International Aikido Federation's Congress and Seminar held in Tanabe, Japan. I started training in aikido a year before and HH sensei encouraged us to attend the seminar because it was held only once every 4 years (makes it sound like Aikido Olympics huh?), and also because it would be very good exposure for an infant aikido organization in our country.

We had a few hiccups here and there but we finally made it to Tanabe. There were 3 of us from Brunei and 2 from Aikikai Malaysia. I was very excited to be at the seminar as it was the 10th anniversary and the federation decided to hold the seminar in the birthplace of O'sensei, Ueshiba Morihei.

I was in awe when I went for my first session in the morning. Coming from an infantile and very small aikido community, it was an aikido heaven for me.

See what I mean? My cousin commented that it looked a United Nations meeting for aikido! The rest, they say, is history.

In the meantime, I took the liberty of attending as many seminars overseas as I could and it only fuelled my desire to come to Japan, to learn from the source.

My departure made many people feel sad, particularly my family. But I felt very much at peace after reaching the decision.

I am here now, and enjoying every moment of it.

Starting up

Time sure flies when you are having fun. It has been 2 months since I set foot on Japan. On paper I am a student in a Japanese language school. But really? I am here for aikido. Hahahaha! But then it is the best of both worlds really. I have always had a healthy interest in languages. Since taking up aikido my collateral interest in Japan and what is in and about her has also correspondingly increased. 

Simply put, it is wonderful, really.

I have just about gotten into a routine although somehow I seem to always not have enough time! I felt that way when I was working back at home and thought that it will change when I go back to student life. But alas, student life has its own set of time consuming activities.

This is just to let you know that I have taken a long enough break and will be back to some finger action.

Have a great weekend!

Lunar New Year 2012 greetings

Preliminary Announcement from Malaysian Aikido Association

Preliminary Announcement: Hombu Shihan Seminar 2012

Hombu Shihan Seminar 2012
Shoji SEKI Shihan

Dates: 
23rd March to 25th March 2012

Venue:
SPORTS ARENA @ SENTOSA
JALAN SERI SENTOSA 2A
TAMAN SRI SENTOSA
58000 KUALA LUMPUR

Programme: 
To be announced

Seminar Fees: 
To be announced

All Aikikai Aikido practitioners are welcome.

A night to remember

Life is just full of surprises. One surprise was that work has been quite loaded causing me to miss out on my evening aikido training sessions for the past 2 weeks. I didn't like it one bit considering that we only have 2 training sessions a week. Well it is a little bit unfair to say that it is a surprise judging from the line of work that I am in..*snort snort*.

But what happened last night was a surprise and simply amazing. Something that we hadn't done in a while now. After dinner ma, moo and I were just lounging in the living room and talking about our upcoming trip to Melbourne for moo's graduation ceremony. There were talks of where to bring pa to eat, where to eat and when to eat. In other words we were planning our NomFest. I only see my pa once a year so I am always very excited to see him, although it does come with other famously celebrated issues (which don't really matter anymore).

Ma had a thing or two to say about the trip but somehow when the conversation starting revolving around pa I thought up the idea of sending him to this seminar and see what would become of him. Relying on our memories of pa's favourite reactions and terms of endearment, three of us cracked up talking about how he would react in various scenarios. One thing led to another and soon enough we, or rather I, ended up rolling around on the laughing like a hyena. Ma and moo had a blast as well laughing at the jokes..and at me laughing. We were all worn out after but that was a wonderful and warm way to end the night. I love looking at ma's face, wrinkles and all, beaming from the amusement.

It might be just another crazy BS joking day but these are one of the family times I cherish the most.

I love you my family. Love you.

Drawing circles

After a rather long break for the Eid holidays it was training as usual at the dojo. Last night was my first session with session since the break. Things are different now and I have mixed feelings about it. What happened last year is still vivid in my mind and everytime I look at sensei moving on the mat I can't help but feel a sense of loss and sadness. But I must not disgress. What I want to write about in this post is about the training. I was truly glad to be back in sensei's class after the break. We, the few seniors now have sensei all to ourselves as the dojo agreed to split the classes into beginners and seniors. To top is off, there were only the 2 of us for this class. I can see a big workout coming..yaaaaay.

One of the differences I noticed in the senior's class is that we don't have our normal exercise that we used to do for the general class: tai sabaki, ukemi, shikko etc. I can only assume that where we are now we should be reasonably proficient with these movements therefore practice of them is dispensed with and we are expected to refine them in our own time.

Sensei started with the ikkyo movement, stopping after entry has been made. What he wanted was to draw the circle for ikkyo in a different way from how we would usually do it, which forwards. The circle is drawn to the side to to speak is achieves the same goal as the other circle, which is kuzushi. Sensei was talking about drawing circles, how you draw them and where you draw them. I was training with a man who is taller and much stronger than I am. Having been training from another (now defuncted) dojo, he still retains the trappings of his past training despite sensei's instruction there for over a 1 year before the dojo closed. I am familiar with his movements and tried my best to adjust to his movements which were heavily dependant on the muscular power of his arms. At times I feel a very strong re-coil from his entry and my re-action would manifest itself through the medium of certain sounds (insert laughter here). Maybe I am getting too soft..

Then we moved on to executing the technique. Apart from drawing circles I was also told to draw my circles firmly and in the right place. I think sometimes I tend to be too "nice" during training and it compromises the timing and effectiveness of my techniques. Something that sensei wants done away with.

The difficulty I find during the training is the timing of it all. You need to make contact at the right time and space, otherwise you would end up with a heavy shomen, feeling a strain on you lower back taking the shomen or stretched out of your spacee etc. What I see is that it boils down to not clashing with your partner. Ah Mr Awase. I really don't see you that often! And of course I needed to get over the mental hurdle that I am dealing with someone that is taller and stronger than I. But then again it would be pretty boring if all things were equal. It was tiring but I had lots of fun.

I have always loved circles.

To all Muslim friends and family

Office Trip 2011

I am very fortunate to be part of yet another annual office trip this year, which means that the firm is doing well. After much debating on the destination this year, it was settled: Gold Coast, Australia! There is not going to be any sun tanning at the beaches though since we are making the trip during winter.

The flight was a good flight. I usually sleep during the flight (or rather, when it is time to..). I managed to watch 2 1/2 movies and do abit of a stretch-about to keep my limbs from seizing up. The weather on the first night was good; cool with slgith breeze. From what the tour leader told us, we would be having dinner at an Asian restaurant. We were under the assumption that she had made reservations at the restaurant as it was quite late unti the night when we arrived at the hotel and we were not entirely sure whether eateries will still be open at that time. Plus she told us that she did some surveying on the day before. We enjoyed the weather and sights until we arrived at the restaurant; it was closed! so we walked around some more until we came to a kebab shop. I felt like having something else then so a colleague and I had some pizza. that was the first night.

The second and third day was taken up by making trips to the Universal Studios' Sea World and Movie World. Below are some of the pictures taken at Sea World.



The fish detectives. No prize guessing who the star of the show is.



My favourite show. I am always amazed to see the dolphins physical prowess and intelligence.

Taking this picture made me feel like diving.

The penguins were most amusing. Marching back and forth.

The lone and contemplating penguin. Looks suicidal almost.

 Pcitures taken at Movie World:


One of the cartoon characters I managed to capture on film. I missed out on alot of the characters because of the time we spent in the queue to watch the stunt show.



The stunt show is a must see if you are going to Movie World. The stuntmen were awesome!

Grand finale.



The fourth day was supposedly an exciting hot air balloon ride trip. I could barely wake up at 4:00am to get ready for pick up at 4:20pm. there were 8 of us that signed up so we were quite excited although groggy. It was very chilly at that time of the morning and the heater was turned on in the van. that with am empty stomach and lack of sleep..not good. The driver told us that the balloon would be launch in one of several sites and the pilot is driving around to see which site would prove to be most conducive for take off. Alas, 45 minutes later at the pit stop we were given the bad news: windspeed of 30-40 knots per hour. During to the unsafe weather conditions, we went back to the hotel to have breakfast at 6:30am. With the trip cancelled, the group decided to join the rest for a shopping trip at a factory outlet shopping mall. And that was the last day.

There were some very good moments during the trip and my friend and I finally found out who those hot sexy ladies wearing little golden shorts are: they are the meter girls! Took a picture with one of them for posterity. Hehehe.

Only thing is, it would have been better if I got managed to train one session at a dojo!