46 = 23 * 2

Duh! You knew it right?

But for me this easy mathematical expression means quite a bit more..

First of all this post was supposed to be posted on 30th July 2018 but that summer was quite bummer, and several things, of the bad kind, happened, starting with BBPV. Then followed by other ridiculously depressing news that so far I have refrained from writing about here (I will, eventually). But since I am going through unposted drafts, here we are 🙂 …

Ahhh Trondheim!

warmth & memories

The warmth in my very cold room..

Trondheim, miss this home very often!!

dramatic Norwegian sunset…

A warm light in the cold night

-15 C outside…. good feelings with friends inside…. a warming light….

warm my heart

sides of light

On the way to Trondheim!

First seminar of the year even if I am not sure if I’m allowed to count it or not… since I will be the “teacher”.. With “” because as explained before I am just a student working on my path..

leir med andrea 🙂

I posted about this seminar but I think (or maybe many think) it has been my ego talking there.. As a matter of fact I miss teaching, but not for letting my ego grow stronger (again?.. I know many think that..), but for having a chance to practice the Aikido I love, work on the mats with like-minded people and try to understand something that at seminars one has not always time to doing that.

This is a chance to work both on the Aikido I practice in Amsterdam and the Aikido I manage to practice very seldom, ie. Irie shihan‘s Aikido. A chance to work a little on that and introduce it to my Norwegian friends, certainly something different (not better, not worse, just different, hoping to leave them with something to think about and maybe some curiosity to meet the source!).

If people think it is my ego talking I am actually not so concern: I hope some of this people will be on the mats with me to try and experiment and see if some good feelings come out from the practice as well.. I can only repeat what I always say to people that call me teacher, as my Aiki-brother says:

So who am I? What do I want? Well, I am a student.

That is exactly what I am, what I have always been, and what I will be, independently where I will sit at the beginning of a class.. and I love it!

 

dry kiwi and papaya

Sitting at the airport, eating some dry fruit in the best Chinese tradition (I mean, my Chinese life experience tradition!), feeling a little like when I was going to Hangzhou for teaching weekend seminars… and still working on my practice notes!

It’s going to be a good weekend!!

What a beginning of 2016!!

Thanks to dear [Aikido] friends in Trondheim, I will teach for the first time a weekend seminar (even a paid seminar, even if the thought was scaring me..!)…

No, wait a second, it is not true!! The true part is that for the first time I will teach a weekend paid seminar, and this makes me indeed a little nervous, but in China I used to go at least once per month to Hangzhou (my dream city, the place where I should have moved to in 2013!) for weekend seminars, and quite demanding ones!!

Aikido weekend in Hangzhou

Anyway, back to Europe, in the weekend 9-10 January I will be on the mats of Trondheim Aikido dojo practicing with some local old and new Aiki-friends, warming up for hopefully a good year and a little earlier kagami biraki, 鏡開き..

Seminar in Trondheim (click for info)

Given the common background with most people in Trondheim (as written in the Norwegian poster, Endo shihan, and the Swedish Vanadis “team” Nevelius – Lyly senseis have been both for my friends up there and myself a constant inspiration and help in Aikido growth!), I will actually work more in my most recent Aikido developments, or, better said, slight change of direction: the Aikido of Irie shihan and the practice I am having in Amsterdam Aikido dojo with Tom Dijkman sensei, a good student of Yasuno shihan.

I hope we can work together and have fun with some different Aikido from what they are used to, and I also hope maybe to stimulate some interest toward different teachers that also visit Europe.. so maybe I can get some good company when travelling to their seminars! Yeah, selfish as usual!! 😉

But, the most important thing is that I hope they will be as happy as I will be to practice in Trondheim, or just to practice Aikido together!

For now, happy new year my friends! And see you soon!

PS The money is of course for the dojo or for a common use in pizza 🙂

An evening walk in Trondheim

Last weekend I was in Trondheim for Jorma Lyly Aikido seminar and after a wonderful time on the mats and watching on TV a lucky victory of my favourite football team, Vittorio, my best friend living in Trondheim, took me for an evening walk around the city to show me some of the street art he has been discovering lately.

Vittorio is becoming an expert of stencils and street art in Norway (and not only) and I have started enjoying as well looking for these cut-off of real life!

After the nice exploration of the local street art, we went up to Festninger to enjoy the amazing sky that just another Norwegian sunset was offering, and even without a real camera but only my terrible iPhone 3Gs I managed to capture some of that wonderful show:

Best way to leave Trondheim, in the very early morning, was another wonderful sunrise show:

So long Trondheim! I’ll be back soon, I hope!

Norwegian sky

I would have loved you could hang on long enough to share this with me….