My Surprising Week
The last week had been so full of surprises and happenings, that I didn't even have time to sit down and write (after all, this is my modern substitute for a hard copy journal).
*The Philippino Swamp*
The week started with me getting the phone number of a role player, we spent nights texting each other (they text like crazy here, not call) exchanging ideas, thoughts, RPG's, experiences, martial arts...
One night I went out with Jon and the girls, Jon went out across the street to meet two friends, while I stayed with the girls having the ultimate girl talk. We joined Jon later. Since everyone had to go I stayed with Jon's two friends, awaiting to meet the role players. Apparently, the two guys I stayed with were actually role players as well, one of them lives in an eco-community and regarded me as his friend immediately just because I am carrying a knife; Some sort of brotherhood I guess. When the role players arrived (two tall guys and two gorgeous-well-groomed girls) we found out the guy I was texting actually role played with the two guys I was sitting with, 15 years ago! and they haven't seen each other since! I felt like a mini Con organizer. Not only that, the Philippino Arnis-Role playing swamp continues: a few days ago, Jon introduced me to the FMA forum moderator, apparently this guy is the role-player's escrima master! so they all invited me to join their classes too. The swamp is universal!
*The Week*
Apart from that, Jon was called to the studio one day, so while training coach-less, we started planning his birthday party. We are all going to sing Disney songs with our Arnis sticks (choreography courtesy of the lightening moves (-:). So we are altering the words, for example, the Gaston song from Beauty of the Beast will be sung as: "My what a guy, Sir Jon!" should be a laugh if we manage pulling this off.
*The Game*
However, the height of this week was the weekend. it started with me training four hours on Saturday and going straight to the role players flat at 7pm. We started playing only at 2am! till then we just hung at this perfect geek gaff: four computers, PlayStation, DVD's, swords, books, two dogs named Sauron and Hero and a mouse (the rule is if you ignore it - it is not there). I kept showing them pictures from Larps in Israel, they were flabbergasted! Now their dream is to win the lottery and come to Israel! they loved our "castles", chainmails, costumes etc. The game was a good old D&D and was a laugh. I slept for two hours (more like collapsed) and dashed to the Sunday school.
I was so tired (no proper breakfast or coffee) so I was really acting on slow-mo. Jon kept sending people to hit me and shouting them in Tagalo: "make her wake up!". It rained but I didn't care. We had lunch, I ate loads and of we went to the Sunday Picnic.
*The Sunday Picnic*
The Sunday picnic takes place every month, in which a different martial artist is the special guest that shows his technique. Really nice to get to know different methods. This picnic, an eccentric old Kabalist martial artist was the guest. He kept writing Kabalha and talking straight at me, since I am "a natural born Kabalist" or so he says...It's funny that we think Old Eastern martial artists have their spiritual ways that we can never understand, and there he stands, explaining why Arnis is in fact a Kabalistic martial art!. So I was sitting there, stuffing my way with the tasty bread, feeling kind of sleepy and sloppy (since they asked me about 5 times if I want to change clothes and I answered today I feel like stinking...). While I was numbing my way through, I heard Jon saying to the camera:
"We have a special guest today, all the way from Israel, please applaud Neta". So I stood up, got in front of the video camera, thinking I will wave it over, but no...Turns out - I am the special guest!!! I was actually being interviewed! They kept asking me questions about Israel, the army, martial arts in Israel, our Arnis system, knives, what do I think about Philippino men etc...then Jon kept inviting maters from the crowd so I would demonstrate what we do in Israel! I actually had to spar with a huge Silatist in front of the camera and everyone, unprepared - while I never demoed before!!! I had to explain everything, show different drills, methods - the works! All I could think about was hoping I do not shame my Israeli instructors...You will be able to catch me on the net, explaining about CSSD different moves and knife while fighting with a trained Philippino.
I really wanted to kill Jon. He said he didn't say anything, cause it would have ruined the surprise. I was holding my knife, ready to kill him, since this will be shown on the Philipino martial arts forum and I was not prepared, imagine I would have froze!. I went away to another training session, and after recovering from the initial shock, I realized I really should thank him for bestowing this honour upon me. Later, I met up with him and 3 other masters, we kept talking about knives and Israel and I felt truly privileged, me, a two year martial artist, being given the honour to demonstrate her knife techniques to all the martial artists.
At the end of the day, they all admired me for my love of blades and courage in training, so I guess not all turned out bad after all (-:
*The Philippino Swamp*
The week started with me getting the phone number of a role player, we spent nights texting each other (they text like crazy here, not call) exchanging ideas, thoughts, RPG's, experiences, martial arts...
One night I went out with Jon and the girls, Jon went out across the street to meet two friends, while I stayed with the girls having the ultimate girl talk. We joined Jon later. Since everyone had to go I stayed with Jon's two friends, awaiting to meet the role players. Apparently, the two guys I stayed with were actually role players as well, one of them lives in an eco-community and regarded me as his friend immediately just because I am carrying a knife; Some sort of brotherhood I guess. When the role players arrived (two tall guys and two gorgeous-well-groomed girls) we found out the guy I was texting actually role played with the two guys I was sitting with, 15 years ago! and they haven't seen each other since! I felt like a mini Con organizer. Not only that, the Philippino Arnis-Role playing swamp continues: a few days ago, Jon introduced me to the FMA forum moderator, apparently this guy is the role-player's escrima master! so they all invited me to join their classes too. The swamp is universal!
*The Week*
Apart from that, Jon was called to the studio one day, so while training coach-less, we started planning his birthday party. We are all going to sing Disney songs with our Arnis sticks (choreography courtesy of the lightening moves (-:). So we are altering the words, for example, the Gaston song from Beauty of the Beast will be sung as: "My what a guy, Sir Jon!" should be a laugh if we manage pulling this off.
*The Game*
However, the height of this week was the weekend. it started with me training four hours on Saturday and going straight to the role players flat at 7pm. We started playing only at 2am! till then we just hung at this perfect geek gaff: four computers, PlayStation, DVD's, swords, books, two dogs named Sauron and Hero and a mouse (the rule is if you ignore it - it is not there). I kept showing them pictures from Larps in Israel, they were flabbergasted! Now their dream is to win the lottery and come to Israel! they loved our "castles", chainmails, costumes etc. The game was a good old D&D and was a laugh. I slept for two hours (more like collapsed) and dashed to the Sunday school.
I was so tired (no proper breakfast or coffee) so I was really acting on slow-mo. Jon kept sending people to hit me and shouting them in Tagalo: "make her wake up!". It rained but I didn't care. We had lunch, I ate loads and of we went to the Sunday Picnic.
*The Sunday Picnic*
The Sunday picnic takes place every month, in which a different martial artist is the special guest that shows his technique. Really nice to get to know different methods. This picnic, an eccentric old Kabalist martial artist was the guest. He kept writing Kabalha and talking straight at me, since I am "a natural born Kabalist" or so he says...It's funny that we think Old Eastern martial artists have their spiritual ways that we can never understand, and there he stands, explaining why Arnis is in fact a Kabalistic martial art!. So I was sitting there, stuffing my way with the tasty bread, feeling kind of sleepy and sloppy (since they asked me about 5 times if I want to change clothes and I answered today I feel like stinking...). While I was numbing my way through, I heard Jon saying to the camera:
"We have a special guest today, all the way from Israel, please applaud Neta". So I stood up, got in front of the video camera, thinking I will wave it over, but no...Turns out - I am the special guest!!! I was actually being interviewed! They kept asking me questions about Israel, the army, martial arts in Israel, our Arnis system, knives, what do I think about Philippino men etc...then Jon kept inviting maters from the crowd so I would demonstrate what we do in Israel! I actually had to spar with a huge Silatist in front of the camera and everyone, unprepared - while I never demoed before!!! I had to explain everything, show different drills, methods - the works! All I could think about was hoping I do not shame my Israeli instructors...You will be able to catch me on the net, explaining about CSSD different moves and knife while fighting with a trained Philippino.
I really wanted to kill Jon. He said he didn't say anything, cause it would have ruined the surprise. I was holding my knife, ready to kill him, since this will be shown on the Philipino martial arts forum and I was not prepared, imagine I would have froze!. I went away to another training session, and after recovering from the initial shock, I realized I really should thank him for bestowing this honour upon me. Later, I met up with him and 3 other masters, we kept talking about knives and Israel and I felt truly privileged, me, a two year martial artist, being given the honour to demonstrate her knife techniques to all the martial artists.
At the end of the day, they all admired me for my love of blades and courage in training, so I guess not all turned out bad after all (-: