Tyler's Journal

 

Feb 8, 206

 

Day 3 of McGill team selection. I am now 3W-0L-4T in my round robin matches. +4 in points for/against. Hurray. Not that it means anything, but it's a fun statistic to have. Watch for McGill at Steveston this weekend. Have fun you guys.

 

 

February 1, 2007

 

Day 2 of McGill team selection. I am now 1W-0L-3T in my round robin matches. 2 points dished out, 1 point received. After the round robin matches today, we had jigeiko and Phil and I were messing around, both of us going against each other in Jodan. Then Raymond came over and said to us "Hey you guys should try nito!" And so we did. It's very tiring. If you ever go against a nito guy, keep hitting him, don't let him recover. It takes YEARS for you to recover when you're doing nito. AND it's freaking tiring. AND it's very very easy to knock the person's daito away. So if you're against a nito guy, remember to keep pressing and knocking the guy's shinai away.

 

January 26, 2007

 

First day of McGill team selection finish. I am 0W-0L-2T in my round robin matches. No points scored no points recieve. Today was wierd though in that there was so little scoring going on. In 16 matches, there were only 9 points scored total. Also, My first match was against our resident nito guy, and I find it very hard to score on a nito guy. However, I expected at least one point out of my second match. dissapointment in me sad =(. Anyways, team selection round robin continues next thursday. =)

 

December 15, 2006

 

I'M GOING HOME ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WEEKEND!!!!

 

I haven't practiced Kendo since the start of finals, though... I may or may not practice tomorrow (depending on how hungover I am. I GOT 90% ON MY PHYSICS FINAL WHICH MEANS I HAVE A DECENT CHANCE OF GETTING A 4.0 AVERAGE THIS SEMESTER WHOOOO PARTY TIME).

 

Anyways, I've decided that I will be bringing back my bogu to practice when I'm back home, though I may need to borrow a shinai. Pretty please? =)

 

 

November 21, 2006

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uarmPmjYjww

 

I am in a freaking world of pain. We did waaaayyy too much kote hittingness and i can barely type now. Doing anything with my right arm really hurts owwww. I'm going to stop typing now because of pain.

 

 

November 19, 2006

 

2.30 am:

just got bac kto hoptel from drinking with many many kendoka. met and drank with team canada members and stuff. all good stuff much. woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot. back to montreal tomorrow

 

November 18, 2006

 

Ontario senior kendo tournament, hosted by the JCCC (Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre), largest kendo tournament ever held in Ontario. I lost in the 4th round of my division, making it all the way to the my court's finals, but lost in the end. Scored 6 points, lost 2, meaning that my four matches were 2-0,2-0,2-0,0-2. =(. Turns out that the quarter finals weren't very friendly to McGill today, with three poeple losing in that round: Alex, Antoine, and me, and Hugo, our only person to get past the court final hump, lost in the semis.

 

Team matches were interesting. ALOT of quetionable judging. McGill A team went against JCCC, who are the dirtiest kendoka I've ever seen. McGill B team beat Montreal A team and lost to Team Canada. I was drafted by Montreal B team and ended up playing with them as assistant captain.

 

Interestingly, UT won team final against Team Canada. Very odd, since only one point was scored by UT in the entire match up, with that point being scored in the first match.

 

Side note: Matthew Raymond is a WALL. People tai-atari him and literally bounce off.

 

November 14, 2006

 

Practice was average today. My arm got really sore midway through, though. Like tired sore. Doesn't happen very often, and I sure hope it doesn't become habitual, since the JCCC tournament is saturday and I want to be at 100% for it. According to Antoine, it's McGill tradition to get first place in the kyu division lol. I think he's just saying it but who knows? Maybe he's right.

 

I also decided not to grade for shodan just yet, either. I don't really think I'm ready, even though people are telling me I should just do it anyway. But whatever, it's not like the grade'll be unattainable next year. Quite the contrary.

 

November 4, 2006

 

Team Canada. That was a very interesting practice. Three members of the national team and two guys from Alberta came to our practice today, which attracted kendoka from all over Quebec. It was worth it too, since the guests all taught us various tricks and stuff to do from certain conditions, with most of the focus on how to score points from tsubazeriai. The last bit was keiko with the visitors and I got to practice with the member of the woman's team. It was...difficult..lol. and then I bought a team canada shinai bag to support them going to the WKC.

 

 

May or may not go drinking with the national team tonight. Depends how I feel later on and if I'm doing anything. I have three options tonight and I'm kinda leaning towards watcing the McGill Vs Queen's hockey game (freaking 5 busloads of Queen's students arrived today), and drinking based upon the outcome. Going to get drunk if we lose and get even drunker if we win. ahaaaaha

 

November 2, 2006

 

So, today's practice was pretty good. All of it shiai practice in preparation for the JCCC tournament in Toronto in a couple of weeks. I had a respectable 2-0-0 (Win-Loss-Tie) record on the night against about my rank/level so I feel pretty good about myself going into the competition, since I'll only be going against kyu-level and unranked people. Team Canada comes to visit us on saturday. It'll be the first and only saturday practice I've been to. And I'm only going because it's Team Canada. Lol. Anyway I smell like balls. Time for shower.

 

Note to self: Need new shinai.

 

Postscript: Also, I'm buying a McGill Kendo sweater/jacket hoodie zippy-upper thing, which I haven't seen yet but Akane says it's very nice. And a McGill zekken. Which I'll need b4 the JCCC thing. But if I don't get it in time, I'll be representing Matsukai I guess lol. I think I'm also getting a Team Canada shinai bag. But that may or may not be too much money to spend. Have to see. Anyhow, shower time.

 

 

November 1, 2006

 

(1) A = B

 

(2) Multiply both sides by A

 

(3)Subtract both sides by B^2

 

 

(4)Factor

 

 

(5)Cancel out (A-B)

 

 

(6) Sub (1) back into the equation (A=B)

 

 

wtf?!?!

 

 

October 22, 2006

 

So it's been a long time since I've posted. Went to dinner with the McGill Kendo group yesterday, then we went to some pub on St. Catherine's. Heard an interesting thing yesterday. Apparently, according to Hugo, rookie initiation into Team Canada involves the burning of your pubic hair.

 

Jennifer: "What? You've been doing kendo for 2 years! not 1.5 years. =P "

Tyler: Where does it say that

 

September 26, 2006

 

I really gotta start going to kendo on a regular basis. Like NOT once a week. but practice was pretty cool today. Keiko'd with akane, maxime, someone i forget the name of, and d'orangeville sensei (=O). Needless to say it was a...learning..experience. lol. But they seemed surprised when I told them I'd been doing kendo for a yr and a half, and akane said that I had very good pressure. I also may or may not be attending a tournament in Toronto in november. that'd be an interesting experience. Antoine also told me about some undergraduate tournament at Harvard. That'd be an even more interesting experience. I wouldn't mind going to Harvard for a bit. especially if I had the opportunity to kick some ivy league ass =D.

 

P.S. I've got a kendo hickey =(

 

 

September 19, 2006

 

Lol I went a week without practicing. But I can explain my reasons very well. I didn't go Thursday because of McGill Activity Night (and I saw Hugo and Antoine at the kendo booth there). and I didn't go saturday because I was quite the hungover. In fact, I slept right through til about 1.30pm. GG. Today's practice was pretty good, though. I brought along my neighbour, Maia, and floormate, Jeremy, to practice with me. And they said they really enjoyed it and are probably going to stick around. woot!

 

But about actual practice: I enjoyed it muchgood. I had jigeiko with Hugo. Which was enjoyable in a very masochistic way. He came to me after and asked me why I was laughing through our keiko. He was like, "Man, what were you doing laughing? I was thinking to myself, 'Man, I'm trying to concentrate and go full-out, and he's standing here laughing at me." So I was like, "I was laughing because you were shit-kicking me. I was laughing because I suck =P."

 

And then I had keiko with someone else and landed a pretty good tsuki on him =D.

 

 

September 12, 2006

 

First day of semester and...holy shit there are sooo many people it's crazy. At least 40+ people in bogu and an equal amount of fresh beginners. practice was good. I WENT AGAINST A NITO GUY. i had absolutely no idea what i was doing but it was okay because he was going defensivly too. so in the end we were both just kidna standing there. no scoring of points. but at least i didn't get my ass handed to me. AND NO TAKE BREAKAGE TODAY WHOOOOOOOO =). and akane, loic, and.. i didn't hear the 3rd person but they're all goin to the team canada gasshuku. go them lol

 

ps. i was also keiko-ing with a guy and we did ippon. and i won. with hiki-men no less. crazy =o

 

 

 

September 9, 2006

 

Well, practice was quite enjoyable today, despite it being so early in the morning, and despite me doing it while recovering from a floor party we had last night. College binge drinking for the win fooo! But anyway, today was mainly practicing different techniques and stuff. This club seems to really focus on hikiwaza, which I suck at, but oh well. I did jigeiko with this vietnamese guy who seems to be more or less my level. Except he's 3kyu. Made me kinda question my own rank/grading. If I used myself as the standard for 1kyu, everyone here 4kyu and up should be at least 1kyu too. But eh. I think there's more drinking going down tonight. Spectabulous.

 

postscript: Wow. I broke another take. That's 2 broken in 2 practices. At this rate, I'm going to be out of shinai in about 2 weeks. I've already canabalized my spare parts shinai almost completely (there's only one spare take left)

 

 

September 5, 2006

 

..So ends the biggest ass-beating of my life. Wow. Compared to the people there, I'm as fast as a walrus, as strong as a chipmunk and I have the stamina of chain-smoker. I wasn't only ass-beaten by the dojo's exclusive elite, either. Anyone and everyone 1kyu and up took turns beating on me. Consecutively. I wasn't given a break at all, so as time went on, I gradually lost my ability to defend myself (not that I could anyway). It was fun though, in a wonderfully masochistic way. Can't wait to go back thursday. To think, I get to endure this for the next four years. Spectabulous.

 

 

September 4, 2006

 

Two days of mediocrity. Stayed at home and read BOOKS while the rest of the school is outside finishing up frosh weekend. Why? Because I don't want to start school with a hangover. I'm so SMRT. lol.

 

Went grocery shopping again today. Bought bread, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, smoked chicken and turkey. For a sandwich =). And 6 Coronas. But they're not for drinking.. yet >,>. They're here JUST IN CASE. of emergency or something. yep. I bought some juice. THAT's for drinking. NOt the coronas. because beer is bad. yes.

 

RIP Steve Irwin

Because we all know that everything in life is a be-yooouuuu-ty

September 2, 2006

 

I just got back from watching the McGill Kendo club and I have 2 things to say:

 

First, the McGill athletics center is way too big. I got lost like 4 times going in and twice coming out and had to ask directions each time only to get lost once again. The kendo club practices in the aerobics room in B2. It's a pretty big surface, although apparently it's not enough since the club attendance can push 60+ people during peak times.

 

Second, there are some really, really really good people at that club, skill wise. Lightning fast, super-powerful. I'm scared for my skin since i can forsee many, many large bruises at the hands of these French-Canadian bigmen. and asian not-as-bigmen-but-still-are-crazy-fast-and-powerful. can't wait to start whooo tuesday at 6.30

 

I just noticed that this is turning more into a blog than a kendo journal. oh well haha there will be kendo-related stuff in here occasionally i guess =)

 

 

September 1, 2006

 

WHATSFU PSUF UPPPPPP!!!!! i just got back from my booze cuirse and it was ____ING GREAT. AHHAHA met a bunch of new ppl and stuff whoot. and u know what? my frosh group is the BEST GROUP IN THE SCHOOL!! GROUP FOURTY!!!

 

yeah.. i removed the group's cheer cuz it's a bit over the top lol. i'll leave the anti-concordia song though. lol

 

heeeeee and for the sake of school spirit:

 

I'D RATHER BE A REDMAN THAN A ____ING BUMBLEBEE

I'D RATHER BE A GENIUS THAN FLIP BURGERS AT MCDEE'S

I WOULDN'T WIPE MY ASS WITH A CONCORDIA DEGREE

SO ____ YOU BUMBLE BEES!!!

 

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

now excuse me as i pass out on my bed...

nights, boys and girls

love from montreal

 

 

PPS i love this city. it's great.

 

(Wow I wrote alot of dumb stuff last night. lol)

 

August 31, 2006

 

I've been here.. what? 3 days? I <3 this city already. Went pub crawling and club hopping with my frosh group: 5 bars 4 clubs. I don't know if its ironic or not, but I actually did get free beer. Lots of it too. And everything is.. WTF!?! LEGAL!?!? Ahahahahahahahahahaha. Drinks are ridiculously expensive though. Oh well. Club 1234 = the shit.

 

 

August 30, 2006

 

Well, today was an eventful day.. too bad those events were spectacularly boring. I fell asleep during the Dean of Student's speech and the campus tour did a wonderful job of confusing the hell out of me. All I really learned from the tour is that there's a library on top of Tim Horton's and that there's no cell phone reception in the tunnels. I did find out that the McGill kendo club practices on Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings at the athletics facility (which is really big and located right next to my dorm). I plan on dropping in on Saturday and seeing whats up.

 

 

August 29, 2006

 

So, I arrived in Montreal today, picked up my student ID card and checked in my dorm. It's about the size of my bathroom before. Well maybe a bit bigger, but still. I'm legal drinking age here. It was wierd when the registration people were like "Are you underage?" and I could say no. =O. Anyway, I gotta wake up in 3 hours for my orientation - It's 4:00AM right now. I put my mailing address onto the privatewiki. Send me stuff! =)

 

 

Sometime in July, 2006

 

Hi guys, greetings from china. It's hot here. Yesterday when i had a foot massage, the girl saw my cracked and broken feet and was like "wtf!". but yeah. i want to practice kendo. too much pent up energy. grrrrr lol. back on the 23rd. cee you guys there

 

 

July 13, 2006

 

Hi I'm in China right now, and decided that I should re-start my Kendo journal, even though I'm not actually doing kendo. There is no kendo in China, which means I can't practice no matter how much I want to. Actually, there probably is kendo but no one knows where to go to find a dojo. Anyway, going back in 10 days.

 

Mmm fruit loops are cool. I like fruit loops because they're so colorful and happy. and sweet =).