~uGoGirl~

Because I’ve been gaining a noticeable amount of weight (and fat) lately, I decided to be more involved in sports activities. I plan on playing badminton again, but I think that would have to wait until I get the cheap eyeglasses I ordered. I definitely wouldn’t want the costly prescription glasses I recently bought to be broken by a flying badminton ball. So, I ordered a pair of quality but inexpensive glasses that I could use particularly when I am playing badminton. I think I got a good deal – with warranty, lens edge polishing, free anti-scratch and UV coating, and also free lens cleaning cloth and case.

I got another good deal with my uncle, who offered to give me free badminton lessons - more on for my retraining anyway. He said that by the time he’s done teaching me, being a professional badminton player would be a walk in the park for me.

Can’t wait to start!

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I have been playing badminton since I was a teen and I can say that it has many advantages! First, you get to keep your body in shape while having fun, and second is you get to meet and greet a lot of people. If you are pretty lucky, then you also get to meet big artists and Hollywood celebrities.

I met a very interesting person in one of our badminton games - he was a san francisco estate attorney and we talked about a lot of things. He was actually the one who introduced me to probate loans. Talking to him enlightened me about probating last will and testaments and many others. I thought estate attorneys only know about estate affairs, but he proved me wrong!

So don’t think about badminton as boring, because I can most definitely go on all day debating with you to prove that you are very wrong!

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For football (a.k.a. soccer) fanatics, if you’re planning a trip to Europe, be sure to include these top three destinations in your itinerary: London, Manchester, and Liverpool. These are the three largest cities for soccer or football which also houses stadiums that are the home of a club or national team with a capacity of 40,000 or more (FYI, 40,000 is the minimum capacity required for a stadium to host FIFA World Cup finals matches). Some of which are Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London (90,000 capacity); Old Trafford (football) in Trafford, Greater Manchester (76,212 capacity); and Anfield Liverpool (45,362 capacity).

It doesn’t matter if you’re staying in a London Hotel, Manchester Hotel, or Liverpool Hotel. Just make sure to avail of stadium tours from the popular big clubs so you can get a behind the scenes look at the players’ changing rooms and the facilities.

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In 2005, I joined Manila Kendo Club with a mixture of curiosity, apprehension, and excitement. Kendo, a form of Japanese sword fighting, was recommended to me by one of my senseis in Aikido when I was in high school. And the fact that one of my favorite anime characters – Kenshin Himura- is skilled in the art of sword added more appeal to it. Well, there’s also the keiko scene in My Sassy Girl which made me want to have my own bogu (armor) set.

I have always known that all forms of sport or activity, especially if it’s a martial art, will require a lot of dedication and patience to master it. But it was only when I joined Kendo that I learned how important patience is.

One kendo-ka shared, “Kendo used to be based on actual killing techniques. It was based around the principle of trying to end the fight as quickly as possible. So if you sever the spine, cut off the head, or cut off the wrists, the fight’s over.”

To be able to achieve this type of skill, you need to concentrate on physical development, etiquette, mental development, and alertness. Nevertheless, Kendo’s ultimate goal is this: ki-ken-tai-ichi (spirit, sword and body as one).

Cutting or slicing with your sword, no matter how efficient you perform it, is mediocre unless you slice and cut with your spirit, sword, and body in harmony with each other. It will take time to attain this level. In fact, even some Kendo practitioners in dan level admit to occasional lapses in achieving this. And this, my friend, is where patience comes in.

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