Taekwondo Day 2

It seems that kicking is not the only thing my brother will learn.

He has a taekwondo student handbook. It has instructions for the different techniques, how to wear his uniform, a list of commands in Korean and English and a bunch of FAQs. The list of Korean words intrigued me and I started reading with him. 

Now I'm counting from one to ten in Korean. I'm not even sure if I'm pronouncing the words correctly. I am not a big fan of Korea, but I just learned something new. Good job, me.

Speaking of languages, part of my summer activity is to learn Japanese words online, and probably later, reading and writing in Japanese. There's something about Japan and its culture that makes me interested and curious.

Taekwondo Day 1

Brother arrived home, still enthusiastic from today's taekwondo lessons. Even after three hours in the gym, he still is a ball of energy, even ready to demonstrate everything he learned from the class.

He put down his bag on the floor and stood a ready stance. He said his instructor said he had big kicks and he should practice at home. He bowed, because "that's how they begin," he said. He started kicking and punching and twirling-- I mean, spinning-- and more kicking and punching the air. He started coming near me, kicks and punches going my direction.

As much as I would like to move away from the attack, I only stood there and waited for my brother. I took aikido as a freshman PE class so I have a little know-how on self-defense.

He was an arm's length away and punched, and I held his wrist and did a move (that I unfortunately cannot recall its name). But I did have him locked on the spot. He looked at me, hurt and defeated. I smiled at him and let his hand go. He swore he will never try his moves on me again.

I guess I do not have to worry about him bullying me anymore.

Taekwondo

My mother enrolled my brother to taekwondo class to help him "instill discipline and lose some weight." He will start tomorrow. We picked up his uniform earlier today. At home, we tried it on. Yes, we.

Game face: ON 

Garden Show

We swung by the garden area again today. I spent the whole time looking through the viewfinder.

These would be nice at home.

Summer so far

It is that time of the year again when our provincial capitol grounds play host to hundreds of people, locals and tourists alike, for the annual Aklan Piña and Fiber Festival. This includes booths of the different small and medium enterprises, local restaurants, and government units from every town in the province promoting their homegrown produce as part of the "One Town, One Product" advocacy.

Then, as the shops close for the night, food stalls are kept open and entertainment happens-- bands, dancers, singers, comedians. This part of the festival is called Tsibugan sa Kapitolyo, or crudely translated to be "a place to eat at the capitol." 

I have religiously visited the fair since my family brought me there to help out in my aunt's business's booth. Well, I was too small to even help my first time, but when I was mature enough, I have been lending a hand. Thus far, I have not missed a festival week.

How to cook your egg, sunny-side up

Yesterday, I have finished a book. I am proud of this fact because it has been my summer vacation for two weeks yet I have not read a full novel. It has been a long time and I think my brain has dried out of its creative juices. So here I am, writing my time away, hoping to have my thinking machine oiled and tuned up, ready to create and recreate pieces of literature in my head and through my pen (or laptop, in this case).

To start my gears turning, perhaps a little how-to of a common household chore? Simple enough? Interestingly, the most trivial of things is what I find to be the most difficult to write. If you have not seen my previous post on brushing teeth, please check it out to understand my... situation.