»observations«

I went today for a 'saturday class' (it's in inverted commas cuz saturday class is for 4 hours) after a while...

As preparation for Arnaud Cousergue's (Bujinkan 15th Dan - you can google him) visit in February, the format of the classes has changed slightly. Now, only our Shidoshi takes class. Earlier some classes were taken by the senior most students - but since Arnaud will be here in Feb, if at all there are any 'faults' that are pointed out, our Shidoshi wants it to be his fault - and not anybody elses. That - is called leading by example.

Today in class, as part of our training, before we formally began class, our Shidoshi talked to us for about 20 minutes - while all of us sat in 'Saisa', which is basically a seated posture where you tuck ur legs in under you and sit on your haunches - and believe me - your ankles start paining within the first 3 minutes. It was painful sitting like that, but it was part of our training. Accepting the pain is part of training, much like life.

Today our Shidoshi also said that a lot of the time when we get hit by a blow - we stop. Cuz it hurts. So we think about and ruminate over the pain. Instead of continuing to move. If you train that way in the dojo - that's what will happen in a real fight - you'll stop. Or you won't have gone through the conditioning required to continue. This is so true of life as well.

Many a time when we're hit by a blow, be it emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, financial - we stop and think and cry about the 'hurt' and 'pain' and 'anguish' that the blow has caused us and how it is effecting our peace of mind and so on and so forth. Instead of just moving - continuing - getting up and carrying on.

Not to long ago, i went through a very emotionally draining breakup with someone i was seeing. It was draining in the way things happened and that i hadn't listened to and paid attention to all the 'signs' that were really staring me in the face - but i turned the proverbial 'blind eye'. I reacted to the breakup and dealt with it in the way i felt fit at the time - not realizing that there could be a different way - which i now see. Hindsight is a beautiful thing.

In experiencing that blow, i made a 'decision' based on the circumstances at that time coupled with my past experiences. That decision could effectively have ruled my life had i let it do so - thereby effecting in some way or the other - my future relationships. But then in light of what i heard today...it's just stupid to think that way. Sure, it would be easy to stick by the choice i'd made in that moment of 'pain' - to not deal with things - but escapism is for sissies. Really.

I mean you learn soooooo much more in getting up after receiving one punch than you would learn in an entire lifetime of trying to escape - and that's what fighting is. You can run and hide or you can 'face the music'. If the music is death metal - then its sure to rattle a few bones, but then if you have it in you to - just - get - up - the death metal will sound like the london symphony orchestra soon enough.

There are certain things i'm proud about in my life - certain things i've persevered with. Got up from the blows and learnt from them. From some others - i still have to learn to accept and counter those punches.

There are TONNS and MILLIONS of people out there in life who perpetually are only to happy to land an emotional blow, financial blow, mental blow and even physical blow - to get you down. In reacting to the blow and stopping - that's exactly what we do. We give them the satisfaction they SO do not deserve.

Ofcourse it's tough to get up - i'm not Buddha that i accept whatever comes my way...or I'm not a Gandhi for that matter. But i do see logic in their teachings - and i also see logic in carrying on. And if i'm not mistaken - that - was one've the 'keys' in their teachings. To move. To not be stationary.

Be like water. Adapt to your surroundings and your environment. Someone hits you - so what? It hurts - so what? It's hard to get over or give up on - so what? Its gonna put you in a tight spot - so what?

So - what??

Move. In asking all the questions of how, what, when, why, which - blah blah blah blah BLAH - you're wasting time.

From the time you started reading this entry to now reading these lines, its been what - a few minutes? These minutes ain't comin back. And there's no point in wishing they did.

Absorb the blow, but also learn in time to Block, Counter, Deflect and ultimately Evade. All of which happens through training.

All of which starts with you getting up after that blow.

hmmmmm...lets break from tradition in talking about the past and instead talk about the week to come and then maybe see how much of was predicted would happen - actually does happen over the coming week?

....ehh...actually lets get the last few days out've the way first :)

Went and watched a 35min long play called 'The Undertaker' last evening. For a good 1 1/2 minutes after the play was over and the lights actually came on - people were still coming to terms of it having finished.

It seemed like...its really hard to pinpoint actually - i almost get the feeling that the meaning of what i watched will fall into place in time to come. Like the parallel between experience and knowledge and vice versa.

I also watched another play earlier in the week called 'Art' by a Chennai troupe called Evam - there the 'critique' was more easy to articulate...put one way. The chemistry was the best thing about the play...the offstage camaraderie between the actors definately showed onstage.

But that's what - comparing one play to the other - it was....and still is...difficult to pinpoint what it was that struck me about 'The Undertaker' - other than maybe that it was like listening to 'One' by U2 for the first time or having my first taste of apple Fanta or the sharing of a special...private...moment with someone...the value and memories of which will fall into place only much later.

Anyway - coming back to the week coming (that sentence is like a paradox in terms)...

The coming week will see the settling of personal relationships...with someone in particular. It'll see me experiencing a completely different way of movement and space in the context of class. It'll see me more settled in matters of a few financial deals. It'll see me contemplating a trip (actually i'm already contemplating the trip for 'Sunburn') and possibly sealing the deal.

And it'll see me creating a 'big picture'.

hehe

Should be an interesting week...you should try it...creating the context of what'll happen between this sunday and the next - look to the future and not the past.

I'm sitting in this government office cuz there'ssome land deal happening...all the men here look like they've been cloned. All are wearing light colored shirts - blue, grey or dull brown and dark colored trousers - black, olive green or maroon. Ofcourse, you do have the govinda hopeful with a pink shirt and sap green trousers with a blue handkerchief for good measure.

And I just finished signing about 30 different sheets of paper andrealized by the end of it that I don't have the most efficient signature. In that, it looks fancy and all (lol) but by the 12th signature, my 'K' started looking like a 'B' and my twirl over the 't' had become a straight line.

All these men have such bored, ''i want to fart''expressions under their wannabe handlebar moustaches. In souther india - the 'handle bar' moustache is a prized representation of ones masculinity, it gives men here the, ''i can impregnate a 1000 women'' look, a la Ravanna from the Ramayana.

I always found that very irritating. RavanA, MahabharatA - like some's pinching ur ass just when the last syllable rolls off ur tongue.

Apparently, every person working in this office- down to the pune - gets a percentge out've every deal processed every day, every month, year after year- in this office. Same with the 27 other registration offices across bangalore - and this supposedly goesall the way up to the revenue minister - which in turn probably goes towards the ''party fund''- but not before the minister has done some land grabbing of his own.

Recently, I was at the office of a well known architecture firm and while there, the principle architect was explaining the masterplan of what will be 'Greater Bangalore'. Apparently, while being briefed, they were told to stay away from some major 'plots' in the heart of bangalore - because these are owned by politicians.

I guess you can have a mudslinging match only when you have a lot of mud in your own backyard.

Also, government offices are very conducive to sleep. Its just the pace at which everything happens here. Its not that people aren't working - its just mixed with very regular doses of 'idle chatter' which slows down the overall 'efficiency' of the staff. And its a way of working - necessary for this bribe induced lifestyle because you need to make a show of wanting to know the person you're accepting a bribefrom. Same with the next.

Similar logic applieswith prostitution I guess. The woman needs to make the man feel special - even if she might only ever see him for a few hours in her lifetime - he is paying for her service so she has to make him feel he's paying less for what he's actually getting. The same for any service based industry for that matter.

Itwould actually make for an interesting study in how much of our service mannerisms andprotocol has been followed as standardpractice over the last 2000 or 3000 years or even from the origin of the worlds oldest profession.

These government officials are such langoors.I'm sure the word 'langorous' comes from that very inspiration.

At long last, its nice to be out've that office - am now drinking cold tea and reading richard bransons new book while blogging on my phone.

Whatever happened to the days of telephones made of paper cups and strung together by string.