Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Iron Time



It's almost to the year since I last set foot in a gym, meaning I have not run on a treadmill or lifted weights in a long long time. Not to mention the swims I used to do at the gym's pool. Honestly with the constraints of work, time on the mats and time with the family, time is really at a premium.

Previously, I was usually too damn tired to work out after BJJ classes (fatique would last several days after classes) but the good news is that my cardio or whatever you want to call it has improved considerably since those days. Nowadays I feel quite ok the day after BJJ classes unless it was an exceptionally tough class. The main reason I feel I need to get back to the gym is to improve my strength, by strength I mean 'killa' strength, strength that once I get you in my grips, there's no escaping.

The remaining question is whether I should go back to my old gym or try out a new one. Ahh...decisions, decisions, decisions. Any suggestions?

Monday, March 23, 2009

Myyy PRECIOUSSS



We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious.

So bright... so beautiful... ah, Precious.

Introducing the new 17-inch MacBook Pro


Let's hope this one doesn't give me as many problems as the iMac.......kerrrrrchow!!!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Just Another Nite...Not










To say that last Thursday (19/03/09) was just another night would be misleading. It was a night of double celebrations. Well, firstly the 4 stooges (Aaron, Fang, Me & Raul) got promoted to blue belts and to top it off we also celebrated Marcos' birthday. It was good to see everyone turn up for training and I am sure we were all surprised that each of us got to roll twice with Marcos & Chico (continuously) respectively. Of course we also celebrated the return of Chico from China after 3 months as head coach of China BJJ.

This guy is something else...just got off the plane, 1 hour in the car from KLIA to the academy, change of Gi and "let's roll". Chico will be in town for 2 weeks and guys if you are reading this, let's make full use of this opportunity and learn up as much as we can.


Tuesday, March 10, 2009

"If the elections happen, we will show them (the government) we are serious about Allah."


I found this article while browsing through the online version of the Boston Globe. It showcases UMNO's handiwork in decimating unity within the country. Of course UMNO's bitches (read MCA & MIC) are muted on this issue. How in the world are we to achieve this thing called Bangsa Malaysia when non-issues like this are exploited to the full by these politicians. And it doesn't help matters when there are those who feel Allah is exclusive only to their religion. (that's why it is so important to be able to read and learn a bit of history). Anyway read on

KENINGAU, Malaysia (Reuters) - Reciting the Catholic Creed, the 1,800-strong congregation attending mass at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral on Borneo island intones in Malay: "We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of Allah."

These Malaysian Catholics, like their brethren in Indonesia, have used the word "Allah" in place of "God" since converting to Christianity in the 19th century.

But now the government in this mostly Muslim Southeast Asian nation of 27 million people wants to prevent "Allah" being used by Christians, saying it is subversive and aims to convert Muslims.

Christians fear this is just the thin edge of the wedge.

"The government of West Malaysia has an infection of religious hatred. We have to fight back so it does not spread," said Bishop Cornelius Piong after Sunday Mass at the cathedral in the heart of a rice-growing district in eastern Sabah state.

Christianity is practiced by 9.1 percent of the Malaysian population, according to the 2000 census, the most recently available figures. Many of them, like Bishop Piong, come from ethnic groups such as the Kadazandusun, Dayaks, Ibans and Bidayuh who live in the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak.

"Our worship of Allah is so natural, it is part and parcel of the Kadazandusun people here," Piong said.

The row over the use of Allah to describe the Christian God feeds into a long-running feud over conversions between the government of a country where all Malays must be Muslims and other faiths, such as Hinduism and Buddhism that are practiced by ethnic Indians and Chinese.

MALAYS FRET OVER CONVERSION

It is illegal in Malaysia to convert from Islam to any other religion although conversions to Islam are allowed.

One of the biggest cases involved Lina Joy, a woman who wanted to convert to Christianity to marry her partner, who was baptized and applied to have her conversion legally recognized by the Malaysian state.

She lost a court battle two years ago to have the word "Islam" removed from her identity card. All Malaysian identity cards carry a person's race and religion.

It is cases such as these that worry Malaysian Muslim activists and officials and they see using the word Allah in Christian publications including bibles as attempts to proselytize.

Those concerns led to the ban on the Catholic Herald newspaper's use of "Allah" to denote God. The Herald is now suing the government to overturn the ruling, made after it appeared the paper would be allowed to use "Allah" provided it stamped "For Christians" on the front page of the paper.

"Allowing Christians to use the word is dangerous because it's attacking the sole religion of the Malays," said Yusri Mohamad, president of the influential Muslim Youth Movement.

"We have to question Christians' motive for wanting to use this obviously Muslim word. It appears to be for conversions. All Muslim Malays in Malaysia are against this."

Some leading Muslim scholars here say the issue is being blown out of proportion and that the risk of conversions among the 60 percent Muslim population is tiny.

They see it as an attempt by the government that has ruled Malaysia uninterrupted for 51 years since independence from Britain to hold on to power by identifying ethnicity with religion.

The main ruling party in Malaysia is called the United Malay National Organization, and like its allies from Chinese and Indian parties, it is ethnically based.

"It is an irrational fear (of conversions) but a very powerful one," said Osman Bakar, the deputy head of the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies Malaysia. "Now the government has moved to setting up demarcations around the national language."

SPILLING INTO POLITICS

While the Kadazandusun and other indigenous people on Borneo hold the same privileges as Malays in preferential access to areas such education, loans and housing, the resource-rich states of Sabah and Sarawak are far poorer than peninsular Malaysia.

Sabah and Sarawak have voted solidly for parties from the governing National Front coalition since the start of democratic rule in Malaysia.

That hegemony is now under threat after the opposition scored its best-ever election result in 2008 when it deprived the government of its two-thirds parliamentary majority and ended up in control of five of Malaysia's 13 states.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is now targeting the voters of Borneo in an effort to keep up pressure on the government and the first test will come in a state assembly by-election in Sarawak in early April.

There may also be a chance for voters in a constituency near to St Francis Xavier to flex their muscles depending on a court decision on whether a move to disqualify three non-government parliamentary candidates was valid.

For the people of Bishop Piong's congregation what happens in the battle over the use of "Allah" will certainly be an issue if the election is re-run.

"If the government wants to be nasty and stop people from using Allah, it can. But it may not work here. It's God's country here," said 28-year-old Teresa Palikat, a tailor, after attending Sunday Mass in Keningau district.

"If the elections happen, we will show them (the government) we are serious about Allah."



Thursday, March 5, 2009

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Seminar : Checkmat Malaysia

In about 2 weeks time our gym will be having a BJJ Seminar with classes to be conducted by Marcos and Chico. One thing you have to know about me and it's this : I am a lazy git. But nevertheless I can assure you guys that I will be attending.

I can give you a thousand excuses why I don't want to go but despite that, I will be there and I will tell you why. Let's face facts, it is a huge deal to have a BJJ Black Belt exponent in Malaysia or even within the ASEAN Nations. We have Niko Han in Indonesia and Cristiano Carvalho in Singapore and Marcos Escobar in good old Malaysia. With this seminar there will be 2 BJJ black belts in our midst and I can tell you it sure hell saves a lot more money to have them come here and teach than for us to go over to Brazil.

And to tell you the truth, I will be hitting 38 this year, yep you heard me right...38 (having just taken up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 2 years ago) and that means this sport is getting tougher by the day for me and so I just want to go out there and absorb as much as I can before...well before I call it a day as far as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is concerned. But honestly I am quite happy with my progress so far. I am just keeping to the basics, constantly improving on them (I hope) and improving on my cardio

Tentatively I've been told that the first day of the seminar will deal with fighting from the bottom and on the second day fighting from the top. Actually I hope to see most of the guys from our gym attend and maybe from the other gyms too, correction especially from the other gyms. Opportunities like this don't come often and I hope it can be seen in that light.

The address and contact are as follows :

No. 8-3 JALAN PJU 5/10
DATARAN SUNWAY
KOTA DAMANSARA

tel. +6012 2206 064
email. ebjj@live.com


SEE YOU GUYS THERE