Friend & Snow in Stavanger!!!

It has been snowing all the night, and from the thin layer that yesterday evening had started forming on streets, houses and cars, this morning I was welcomed by a real Norwegian landscape! And I admit I really missed this white!!

Last year we had to wait until February before having a really nice snowy day!

So yesterday night I met Mathias and Angelo, the former in Stavanger for work and the latter finally free at the same time as myself.. eevent that had rarely happened this autumn!

We had a great meal at Akropolis and next went to Sjokolade Piken for hot chocolate and Bayley’s, my firends, and for me hot chocolate and rum: both were great!! After the warm taste of the chocolate, given the extremely nice environment at Sjokolade Piken, and the great selection of whiskeys and cognac, we decide to taste some.

The guy working there proposed us an excellent tasting solution: 2 ml of 4 different whiskeys and 2 cognac, instead of the common 4 ml per glass allowed in Norway. In this way, Mathias and I had a wonderful chance to taste a couple of great new entries in our personal rank of favorite single malts. On the other hand, Angelo tasted 2 special cognac, one French and one Norwegian.
What a delicious and warm feeling, sitting inside Sjokolade Piken cafe’, in the colorful area of Stavanger center, while outside it kept on snowing for all the evening.. night.. until this morning.. all was white!!!

The only negative thought about that is that this afternoon we are supposed to drive to Haugesund for a special Aikido weekend, where both Bob and myself are supposed to teach a short class tomorrow, together with other instructors from Haugesund and Bergen..

Great Aiki-weekend with Nevelius in Trondheim!

Last weekend I was back in Trondheim for another very good seminar with Jan Nevelius, 6.dan from Stockholm, Vanadis dojo. Second step of a long November of Aikido weekends, but no complains, except a couple of hard techniques on my injured wrist that brought me close to tears. But it is hanging on. A few more seminars and next, if necessary, I’ll take x-ray

But let’s talk a bit more about Aikido now!

Jan Nevelius, together with Philippe Orban and Jorma Lyly, represents, for me, the most interesting Aikido instructors coming regularly to Norway.All three of them have added to kihon (basic) practice a lot of personal thoughts. And all the elements they focus during their seminars induce a lot of thinking and reflection in my own Aikido vision.

Of course, now in Stavanger I hope I can start “importing” other Aikido instructors interested in sharing their view. Ulli was a good start and we have interesting (and ambitious) plans for next semester.

Off to Trondheim

the light of the winter evening..,
by Andy missing 兔兔.

This afternoon I will travel to Trondheim!

I haven’t been up there in ages: I really miss my sweet house, my friends, my little town..

And it iwill be an extra super good Aikido seminar with Jan Nevelius! A good further check for my wrist (not getting worse, not getting better), my condition and probably another small step toward my decision in grading to nidan sometime next year..

I hope also to see some snow!!!
(I doubt there will be like in the picture though)

UNRELATED COMMENT
Yesterday it came a sentence from an Italian court of law that showed that in Italy police can really do what the fuck they want, with no chance to judge them. With already a right-wing government that has no respect for individual rights, this has shown how much respect law has of individual freedom. Zero.. Nulla.. (both links are to Italian comments)

Another great seminar with Philippe Orban!!

The last weekend seminar in Oslo has been again a great experience: more and more every time I enjoy practice (and not only) with Philippe Orban, 6.dan from Leipzig.

Philippe has been now for a long time one of my favorite sensei among those visiting regularly Norway (twice per year at Aikikan Oslo). Every seminar is based on some particular aspect of daily practice, and every time I receive a lot of inputs and a lot of useful information from him.

Among the extremely interesting arguments sensei worked on I’d like to emphasize two: performing tenkan as a whole body and especially hips movement, not only a feet/legs turn of 180 degrees (that would left the arm in a struggling position respect to uke) and the use of ukemi as last resort in other to not lose your own nature. I use the word nature here with the meaning of the spirit of survival and self preservation that every martial art practitioner must have, in any part of the technique, both when attacking or when defending, in Aikido, Karate or whatever other art of budo.

These two aspects of practice have also been very important for me too. Especially working on ukemi as something you do because the other option would put you in danger, and not for “escaping” too early from an applied technique, even if the technique itself was not yet complete or effective!

Jump to the past!!

Elementary school,
by Andy missing Beijing.

Yesterday night I saw this picture posted on FaceBook by a good friend from the ancient times.. oh god!!! What a huge leap to the past!!

As my friend said, the line-up is:

standing from the left	sitting from the left
Eleonora Serra Rossana Grosso Fabrizia Botta Marilena Massarenti Eleanna Bellini Roberta Giraudo Emanuela Cattaneo Patrizia Momo Eleonora Pozzo Serena Termine Donatella Perotto Barbara Grillo Barbara Rodighiero Viviana Bergantin Elena Conversano Our beloved teacher: Maestra Sig.ra Argentina Giaretti.	Christian Regis Andrea Raviglione Nicola Zurlo Claudio Pessa Andrea Di Stefano Andrea Bonino Stefano Ferrari Gianluca Lazzari De Giuseppe Luca Marco Ribaldone

UNRELATED COMMENT
Kind of strange getting the picture yesterday night. Surprise and joy for the above picture together with my one day of grieving for the change in worse of my relationship with pretty 韩旭. My dinner was 2 small cinnamon bread, 1 bit of chocolate before practice and 1 beer, a few Bayley’s shots and 4 small glasses of Glenfiddich after practice.  I saw it coming, but it hit me hard anyway. That is the whole grieving I can allow myself. She told me square and clear she deserves better, and I basically agree. I could not hope she meant a better version of me… In a way also this relationship has suddenly jumped to the past, or better, she jumped past me.. I wish her luck! But I am not happy…

Halloween party!!

Sometimes I forget that the blog is not strictly only for things related to Asia or martial arts, but it is especially about myself.. and after long time I can post something unrelated to those arguments..

Saturday evening I went to a very nice Halloween party, organized by Kiyoshi at his house/dungeon.And all the pics are here!!

And, things unusual for me, I decided also to wear some costume, just for fun! So bob and me dressed as offshore nightmares, the werewolf and the green monster, in orange water-proof trousers and hard hats! The common monster you can find on a platform in Northern Sea in this period of the year!!

So we had a nice group of friends with and without costumes, but all interested in sharing some good time.. and drinking a bit together!!

We had the Crow, even if our female version was much sweeter; a couple of astonishing ladies, one more grannie, one more slutty (and the slutty one proved to have great legs!! Guess here which legs are from a real girl and which not!!); we had a orc-warrior with a great bone (see below, on the left); we had sexy ladies (real ones, yes) in masks as well without, like this lady group picture shows; we had normal dressed people enjoying the female company..

But at the end, what we really had, was a great fun!!

And that’s what matters!!!

PS I did not remove the red-eyes from some of the pictures not only because I am lazy but mainly because it fits with Halloween!!!!!