Weekend in Shanghai: opening and closing August in Shanghai, again “at” Xijiao dojo (this seminar is organized by Xijiao Aikido dojo, but it will take part in a larger venue, the German school in Hong Qiao). Third meeting with Dominique Rascle here in China this year. After a very nice weekend in Wuhan last week, on and off mats, with an extremely nice bbq evening with the people there, I do look forward to.. Saturday night dinner at the Japanese buffet restaurant!
OK< I do look forward to the practice as well. Last weekend the body was ok, but the breath was short. I admit I felt short of energies. Due to also the past couple of weeks where I spent almost every night doing translations until early hours of the morning, packing less than 5 good hours of sleep per night.. past night included!
Today after work I’ll get on the train to Shanghai and I admit I look extremely forward to tonight rest: no laptop with me, no extra work, just get to the hotel, shave and relax. Go to some convenient store (Family Mart my love!!), get something cold to drink, back to the hotel and enjoy it with some reading. If there is a bathtub (I doubt it though, cheap hotel!), certainly spoil myself more!
5th weekend in a row with practice. So many memories of my past years in Norway, unfortunately with the missing weekdays sessions, but I will not complain this month! Like last weekend, also these days the weather feels more summer than the coming of autumn. Next week I will stay in Hefei, not really because I think I will need a rest, but because I have things to do, kind of things that need time during the day and therefore only possible in weekends! Kind of things I also need Chinese assistance..
Anyway, before that, a nice weekend with several good Aikido friends from Shanghai and Hangzhou and even a couple of new friends from some other city. I think the level will be quite high on the mats, and Dominique will find several partners to use for demo of the
techniques, all people with a very good condition and preparation. Meaning I will enjoy watching and trying to study his technique, and hoping sensei will have the time to throw me a little when he goes around the mats. Thing he always does!
I am envious of the people with good condition: I think all instructor feel that I lack of resistance when they throw me. When I am tori it is actually easier to mask my shortcomings, because I do have a reasonable good technique. But as uke, and since I always try to give all when attacking, a couple of repetition are enough to take the best out of me. Then my intensity decrease, I would exponentially for a good engineering description! In other words, dead in no time!!
Let’s see this coming weekend: I also found an extra ankle protection (sport protections until now were difficult to find – I must remember to buy tons of sport-tape in Norway! Nothing like it!!). Thankfully the pain has been minimal these days, only some more swelling than before. And only in the ankle areas. Knees are still untouched, and no special tingling or else. The feet are different, but my feet are a mess. Maybe before the relaxing in the hotel bed tonight I could look for a foot massage!! 🙂
Always good excuse, and what’s better a massage for starting the weekend??
Have a good weekend, folks! get a massage too!! 😉
Dreaming of... Asia 