The days here have grown rather tiresome though not for lack of activity. Rather the days are fuller than before and if they were not so exciting I would certainly collapse. Since I last wrote I have been working towards my PADI SCUBA diving certification for open water diving. Couple about 5 hours of Martial Arts training with another 4 or 5 of Diving lessons out on the ocean and what you will be faced with is a rather exhausted adventurer. This weekend however we shall make my first trek back to the mainland since my arrival 3 weeks ago. We shall arrive in Manila and then take the long ride to the Arnis village outside of Batangas. We will be attending large combat classes first there and again in a public square upon our return to Manila on Sunday. I am hoping to either purchase a new digital camera during this trip or to have my old one repaired. The screen sadly "gave up the ghost" as they say earlier this week. I will try to take some shots with Sensei's camera soon but no guarantees...

June 25th
A typhoon has been long threatening us these last few days with large amounts of wind and heavy rain. Mainland Manila has been flooding but here on the island things have been fairer though not the pleasant paradise my previous pictures have shown. We lost power yesterday afternoon and while this is not all uncommon for an hour or so its return was far delayed by the storm. Only late this evening did we finally regain power. Thankfully we were not without candles and a trusty propane stove. So although our eyes may have been strained slightly while playing cards into the night our bellies did not go unfilled.

One might think or rather hope that while a storm was beating upon our shore that training would be placed on hold. Not so with Master Rodel. We continued our early morning and afternoon Arnis sessions in the pouring rain and at times amid dazzling lightning and thunderous booms. Thankfully our swimming and hiking workouts were canceled and I was able to gather some much needed rest. I have spent the last few days battling a mild ear infection that has left me sleepless and a touch off balance.

In other news our house has gained another tenant aside from Master. As you may have noticed in the photos below we have been joined by a quite loveable crab-eating macaque. Her name is Jenny, though we refer to her simply as “Monkey.” At just over a year old Monkey escaped exportation as a lab money by first befriending the Mad Frenchman DeeDee and now by taking up residence within our lovely domicile.

In other news I am presently about halfway through the Lord of the Rings book series hovering somewhere around page five hundred or just over a thousand. It’s a quicker read than some would have lead me to believe but certainly not what one would call “light reading.” Funny however that amid its pages I found a single dried rose which when discovered drew a smile from my lips but as time progressed simply weighed heavy on my heart. I gave my copy of “The Hobbit” to the young boy Trevor that lives next store as I do not plan on returning with any of my books. In return he brought me a copy of the children’s novel “The Ratastrophe Catastrophe,” a retelling of the Pied Piper, which I may choose to read next if I finish before my copy of “The Mammoth Hunters” arrives.

I will no longer bore you with ramblings on books and the lamenting of bruised limbs. Instead I bid you farewell from the South Pacific. May you grow up but never old!

Pleasure and Pain

June 21st

Sorry for the lack of updates but it has been a very busy week. Training is going well though my body has been taking quite the beating. My hands are ripped, cut and blistered and my feet have seen far better days. I've not only bruised both heals I've managed in just ten days to wear holes in my only pair of running shoes. Thankfully today has been mainly one of rest. Though there will be plenty of underwater kicking and punching practice later, along with a technique review, it will all be close to zero impact.

Ive got a few pictures for you from a most wonderful resort atop one of the mountains here on Mindoro. Thursday Sensei and I headed to the Pondarosa Golf Course. Which oddly enough is a course of nine holes scattered along various hillsides and along ravines. While the course is populated by a number of various creatures (including what I was told is a rather venomous centipede) it is simply amazing and far beyond anything either of us could play upon in the States. (And if you must know I had 57 strokes on a par 30 which was still six strokes better than Sensei)

Tomorrow Master Rodell will arrive and some seriously hardcore training will begin. We also hope to make a trek back out to Puerto Galera to purchase a washing machine and to visit what we have been told is the only ATM on the island. It was sadly out of order on our last visit and while we have money for the moment the idea of traveling to the mainland for cash is not one that I wish to explore. So long for now!

~T

June 17th
Yesterday began a rather epic day of training and discovery. Rising again at dawn we headed to the beach for a vigorous workout. We generally practice on the far end of the beach beside a gigantic chunk of coral. After literally drenching ourselves in sweat we then proceeded to swim following the shore line for a good hour or so. Sensei then feeling this was sufficient enough for a “pre-breakfast” workout decided that we would head home for some food. We ate massive amounts of eggs filled with mixed vegetables and scalding hot peppers, (which I smothered in ketchup) as to prepare us for our next work out. A jaunt up the mountain!

Rather than using the long winding road to reach our goal we opted for a “shortcut” directly up one of the many mountain passes. We were greeted along the way with many animals belonging to the indigenous peoples of the mountain and quite a few breathtaking views. Climbing straight up we met with a road near the top and used it to return home. Along the way we passed a “reptile zoo” which was more a small private collection but opted against visiting since the price of admission rivaled even the cost of my beloved Philadelphia Zoo, (which by Filipino standards is more than a weeks pay!)

Once home we grabbed a quick sandwich and I tried to nap before our afternoon session began. Sleep for me has been elusive and after tossing and turning for a bit I decided to simply read. Since I finished my last book I have begun reading “Outliers” which explores the idea that timing and background have as much to do with ultra success as IQ and determination. It’s a fascinating book and right now I’m about halfway done…

The rest of the day was training, relaxing in the ocean and then dinner with our friend Dee Dee, a savvy Frenchmen who has lived on the island for thirteen years and speaks five languages! An amazing and captivating story teller Dee Dee runs a dive shop and has been helping Sensei with his deep water certification. Though I hope to get mine as well during my stay here I have been opting out until after Master Rodell arrive, spending the time Sensei has been away to practice independently many of the Arnis moves and patterns that have eluded me during normal training.

I am both excited and terrified of Master’s arrival. (Which has now been slated for Monday) Once he arrives workouts are to double not only in length but also in intensity. I must have a large number of new moves and patterns under my belt in just four remaining days. I believe I am up to the challenge but it hurts my body and brain thinking about it. (Have I mentioned that my blisters are now forming new blisters under the ripped off skin? If not now I have…)

Today has been more of the same routine though after breakfast we headed into town for a few supplies. Again sleep has eluded me but I was able to write this entry and resize some photos of the past two days for you all to see. I will likely post this all around 7pm my time which is 7am for those of you running on Eastern Standard Time. Oh and on another positive note I may have someone from Manila lending me a surf board for the remainder of my trip! Right now I have no idea if there are even any surfable beaches on this island. (Every thing I’ve seen on our side of the island has been reef protected or a very nasty shore break) Never the less it brings up hope! Anyway that’s all for now from the Hell of Martial Arts Boot Camp and the Heaven of South Pacific Paradise!

The Legend Continues... (too soon?)

Sunday June 14th

Last night was the first time I was able to gain more than 4 or 5 hours sleep. Though I went to bed near 1 Sensei allowed me to sleep until 9. By allowed I mean I simply refused to wake up when he pounded at my bedroom door at 6am. I got up later made us both a breakfast of eggs with tomatoes and peppers and we headed down to the beach for some training. This entailed standing neck deep in the ocean and practicing kicks and strikes hundreds of times in the water until I felt like passing out.

Though training seems tiresome and difficult now I know that things will increase tenfold once Master Rodell arrives next week. I was told that he is planning on enrolling us in a nationwide Arnis tournament in July. Though I feel my skills are far from adequate he feels it will be a good learning experience and since I am more than twice the size of the average Filipino I have a distinct strength and intimidation advantage.

Included with this post will be a few pictures. They are mostly of the beach, water and jungle of our island, but I also included one of myself and a man named Roy who had a few brandings and greatly enjoyed the artwork on my back. In other regards I am nearly done reading “The Hobbit” and will likely start some non-fiction afterwards. I am greatly miffed about loosing “The Mammoth Hunters” but hopefully I can have one of our two American guests bring me a copy when they arrive at the end of the month as there is no mail here. Mail can be delivered to a post about a half hour from here but neither Sensei nor my self have any idea how that works…

Don't wory I'm alive!

Today I awoke just before sunrise. The feeling of sweat crawling slowly along my scalp had stirred me after perhaps four hours of slumber. The power was out in the house but I could see the glow of the morning sun beginning to rise. I debated a walk to the water but instead opted to sit and read. A copy of “The Hobbit” sat still on my bedside from the night before. I chuckled to myself recalling an earlier dinner in Manila to which I will enlighten you all in just a moment.

As you can see I am very much alive. It took just over 48 hours days of travel for me to reach an area known as “White Beach” on the island of Mindoro. A morning training session has just ended and while I have some time to spare between breakfast and hiking I would take some time to write down my thoughts and recount some of my recent traveling adventures.

I left NYC in a frantic daze. Arriving at JFK airport I somehow managed to talk myself into a free upgrade from economy to business class. I’m still not sure how I managed that one but I can’t express how thankful I was for that one. Twelve hours crammed in a plane that extra leg and elbow room is a lifesaver. The plane was a bit delayed but in no time I was back in the air on a packed double decker plane headed to Manila. Arrival in the Philippines was a bit taxing and frantic. I ended up leaving my hoodie and the book I had been reading in the bathroom just after the last security checkpoint so I decided to suck it up and trudge on.

Thankfully after wandering outside I realized that there are actually areas setup alphabetically for people to muddle around waiting for friends and family. Standing under the letter H I was quickly spotted by my Sensi and a rush of relief washed over me. I was no longer alone in a foreign country with no phone numbers and no concept of the local language. I was safe. Whisked away as quickly as I arrived we hurried off to a hotel in downtown Manila and then rushed to make dinner at what I was told would be a VERY memorable bar. We met with a few locals and then walked up to “The Hobbit Hole.”

Now if you have any imagination you have probably already guessed what the hobbit hole is. Yes, it is in fact a bar with a perfectly round door, a brass knob in the center that is staffed completely by people of extremely small stature. One might call this exploitation until you find out that prices here are quadruple any normal bar in the city and that the workers who’s opportunities would be very limited otherwise make far more than the average Filipino worker. (Which incidentally isn’t very much at all) So you see why the first paragraph is funny now?

We drank and laughed and after having some surprisingly tasty tacos in a Tolken inspired Irish pub of sorts we closed out the bar and headed bar to hour hotel for a few hours of rest. Back up bright and early we packed up and planted our rears on a two hour bus only to be seated on a pontoon boat with what looked like hastily assembled bamboo riggers. About an hour into our choppy ride I was informed that one of these ships had sunk about a week prior killed a dozen locals. Perhaps it was my furrowed brow that brought about laugher for my Sensi who then told me that oddly enough for a nation consisting of over seven thousand islands most locals can’t swim and that as long as I could (I LOVE swimming by the way) there was little to worry about sans loosing everything I had packed.

We made it back safe though and spent the rest of the evening eating resting and having a few drinks before turning out the lights just after midnight. Up early we did some Arnis training on the beach and then retired back for breakfast and packing for a hiking excursion. We plan to travel a few hours up the mountain and into the jungle to a waterfall. There is no internet at the house but we plan on visiting a local internet café after our hike where hopefully I will be able to post this and perhaps a few pictures….

OK so I forgot the pictures...

Next time I promise!

~T

Calm Before The Storm

Here I sit in NYC waiting out the hours before I depart for 3 months in the Philippines...

Just to catch some of you up to speed. My name is Tom and I'm about to spend my entire summer doing intensive martial arts training on the island of Negros. Think Kill Bill but with a sadistic Filipino named Rodell instead of the Chinese Pai Mei. I exaggerate of course. I'm sure he's a nice guy. (a nice guy who is going to beat the snot out of me on a daily biases)

Anyway I'm all packed with simply one duffel bag as a carry on. (I hate checking luggage) I'm bringing my 2lb acer aspire laptop but I doubt I'll have steady internet access. Though whenever I do you will find this blog here as a window into the adventure I am jumping head long into.

Have I mentioned I do not speak the language in any shape or from and that I have yet to hear back from my Sensi who is supposed to meet me at the airport...

AWESOME~!