Funny Thoughts...

After taking a bath, I decided to cook dinner. I was almost done cooking rice and I was preparing onions and 2 spoonsful of calamansi juice for the desired taste of my corned beef [Yeah, I am craving for corned beef for dinner!] when I receive a unanimous call in my mobile phone. I answered it and a friend of long time ago was on the other line. He was a sparring partner in a taekwondo class which I took during my junior year in the university.

I was surprised to receive a call from him after a very long time. Since the start of this year, I have been leaving messages in his voicemail to call me back for I’ve been contemplating of refreshing and polishing my martial arts skill. The reason why he never returned my calls was because he went to Korea to be the head of a training class for kids. He did not have time to call everyone he knew for he was preoccupied facilitating his travel papers. It was a very urgent request for him to fly to Korea. Anyway, he is back.

My brief stint in learning taekwondo for the second time around brought some funny memories. One thing about taekwondo is that it is like a dance with a certain number of steps. Initially, it earned me a blush due to absolute shame for I cannot follow the simple steps. After much practice at home, I got them right and can execute them with perfect confidence. [*hmm* sounds like a toothpaste commercial to me!]

The second thing that cannot stop me from smiling was the thought of how I felt about yelling “hiyyyyaaaaa!” When we had practice, we were required to yell just like that ‘hiyyyaaaa’. It releases power, energy and strength into your kicks. I always get a reprimand from our trainor everytime he caught me suppressing laughter. I really find the act hilarious. Because of this misdemeanor, I was punished with 50 counts of palm push-ups.

Discipline is one thing a trainee learns in taekwondo. Since I joined this activity, I told myself I have to restrain myself from committing such misconduct.

The effect was that I came to the point of fretting when it comes to yelling during practice. I always find intentional yelling a little barbaric and honestly, I hate my voice when I yell.

The most unforgettable, funny thing that happened during my practice was when this little brat shouted, saying he was Black Mask, pounced at me with ‘hiiiyyyyaaaa’ and kicked me hard twice. The pain in my stomach and my right leg knocked me off the ground.

With a biting pain etched in my face, the little devil with a satisfied smile on his accomplishment left me reeling in the rubberized carpet.

Those were the funny thoughts that I had of this practice.

Still written @ home last Sept 20.