Shaping up!!

 Hi, guys. 

 It's been a month since I started hitting a gym. And also I've been putting on weight little by little in a good way. Ever since I first left Japan to Australia in 2008, I've gained 4 or 5kg in total. Actually I used to weigh up to 72kg which was the heaviest weight in my life. At that time, I was soooo unfit, and I always felt like playing with some dumbbells o my body. I was really slow, played shit. It all had come from the constant imtemprance about a food diet and a nonsense approach to football.  After few years, my weight was wandering around at between 65 and 66kg during this season despite it was at 68kg before the season. 

 At the moment, I try to maintain the way pro-athlete does in the off-season based on advices from my friends who were athletes before. decent food, enough sleep in right time and intense trainings make a sturdy body that I've never had before. 

My weight has come up to 69 constantly, and it dropped to 68kg after every gym session that makes me feel like it's the best weight to me ever. 

 To be honest, I've never had a consistent gym training like now before, so I'm not worried what I've done now, but I'm a bit wondering what will happen to myself by the end of this year.

 I hope I've put the efforts on the right track, though!! 

 

 

  最近良い感じで体重増えてきてます。

　ジムに本格的に通い始めて早１か月が経ちました。体重も１，２キロ平均して上がってきてくれています。日本を最初に出たときからすると、４，５キロは増えたかな。NZにいたはじめの頃は、食べる量に対してトレーニング量が少なかったのか、不摂生なのか、体重が７２キロくらいまでいったときはさすがに体が重かったですが、そこから数年して今年のシーズン中は６５、６キロくらいをさまよってなかなか体重が増えなかったです。

　今は友人のアドバイスなどを元に、良い食事とトレーニング、そして睡眠をしっかり取って６８キロまで来ました。トレーニング前は６９キロある日もありますが、ジムでトレーニングして１キロくらい減るのでその辺を行き来してる感じです。

　必要な部位を強化して、要らないとこまででかくしてただ体を大きくするのではなく、ピッチの上で効率的な部分を鍛えていきたい。ただ、ここまで意識してマシーントレしたことはないので、来年どんな反応になるのかまだわかりませんが、オフの間もありがたいことに、色んなところに誘われて試合ができているので、今のところは良い感触です。

　毎日、単調なトレーニングは精神的にきついときもあるけど、自分に勝って追い込み続けてます。

African competition

 Hi, everyone.

 Last weekend, I was asked by a former teammate to play for his team named for Ghana. All members of the team has its heritage but myself. The league is so called African nation's cup tournament in which 12 teams(all african teams) in total has been playing for over 3 months every year.

 There were sprinkling of whites playing out there, but I didn't see any asians there at all. I was the only one asian who creeped into the field and play with all africans. haha 

 To tell the truth, I don't like to play with these types of people as they are so rough on the pitch!! I very much feel the disadvantage of physical ability agaist their natural power. They are generally so fast and strong way above the average of asians. 

 As anticipated, I got smashed by the defender who faced me in the game. He came from behind and smashed me as soon as I got to the ball in the middle area. We never call it a good challenge. It was just a stupid and dangerous tackle!! And the next moment I realized that my whole body was off the ground, and hit the ground headfirst. I had the biggest concussion I've never had before, and felt that the brain still shook with no sense of balance, and my mouth started being numb.

 But the coach still urged me to go back to the pitch despite I frowed on it!!

 Luckily, I felt the condition had eased up after few minites, and he still looked like he wanted to send me back, so I did and play to the end.

 We couldn't win the game in the end, but I really enjoyed it with full of intensity in the game. I loved it. And I have to be skilled in full of physical contacts and collisions on the pitch through the game like this.

 

 

 

　どうも。

　今日はアフリカはガーナからの移民の友人に誘われ試合してきました。実は２人ほど元チームメートがいて、彼らがオフシーズンに試合してるのが今回のアフリカンリーグ。その名の通り黒人だけのリーグで、それぞれの生まれ故郷をチーム名にして１２チームが参加して約３か月リーグ戦を行うみたい。

　白人もチラホラしてたけど、アジア人は自分だけでした。正直あんまりアフリカンとプレーするのは好きではない。荒いから怪我してしまう危険性が高いから。実際、今日もボールに触ったところを思いっきり後ろから削られて頭から落ちました。軽い脳震盪起こして、視界は揺れるし、口の中は痺れてて、立つこともできず。

　そこでグラウンドの外に出て、監督が一言、「いけるだろ？」。　「・・・無理っぽい」と答えたのに、１分後にまた来て、「どうだ？いけるだろ？」、「わかった」と結局また２，３分して戻りました。危険ですよねぇ。荒れたピッチで何度も蹴られたし試合後は痛いところだらけ。けど楽しいんだわ。

　怪我を気にして、激しいコンタクトを避けてしまうときがある自分は、それを克服するチャンスでもある。フィジカル面が鍛えられるね。ジムトレーニングも成果が見え始めてる。来週はもっとガンガンいきたい。

　

The art of misdirection - Apollo Robbins -

 

- Attention -

 Attention Please!! haha

This talk at TED is all about one's attention. I could paraphrase it in some similar words to it like one's perception or one's detection. Those senses as a human being can be the defference from others, and of course they are a very important power to survive in your oversea life.

Hailed as the greatest pickpocket in the world, Apollo Robbins studies the quirks of human behavior as he steals your watch. In a hilarious demonstration, Robbins samples the buffet of the TEDGlobal 2013 audience, showing how the flaws in our perception make it possible to swipe a wallet and leave it on its owner’s shoulder while they remain clueless.

Apollo Robbins will take the phone from your pocket and the ring off your finger, then hand them back to you and (maybe) show you how he did it.

I'm pretty sure that I'd have been the one swiped all my valuales if I had been on the stage too.

 

「注意力」

　人の注意力というのはそれぞれ差があると常々思います。察知力と言い換えることもできるでしょうか。危機察知能力、環境変化に対する力、もちろん日常生活のあらゆる場面で注意力は必要になります。

　世界最高のスリ師と称されるこのアポロ・ロビンスは、自分の服装について相手に質問するなどして注意力について説明します。ロビンスは注意力を集中させたり散らせたりすることができるといい、これを利用することでスリをするといいます。

　実演では、観客の中から1人を選び、実際に注意が集まっている中で相手の腕時計や現金を奪ってしまいます。さらに最後には服装が変わっており、これに気付いた人はいませんでした。

相手の注意をそらすことで、ここまで相手に気付かれずにさまざまなことが行えるのには驚きですね。注意力の大切さがよく分かる講演でした。

　自分だったら確実にスられてます。笑

Queensland tennis center

 

 Hi, guys.

 Yesterday, I went to play tennis with my mates for change. It was my second time to play tennis in my life. Actually my first time was more than 15 years ago, I can't literally remember exactly when it was.. anyway long time ago.

 We headed off to the Queenland tennis center, which has the biggest and most perfect facility in the state. It also has a WTA tour tournament called Brisbane open every January just few weeks before Australian open held in Melborne. I've heard that Roger Federer seems to be going to make his first appearance in the tournament next year. 

 By the way, I myself played absolutely shit!! I couldn't even hit the ball back to the other court properly. In addition, The guys I played with were well-experienced in tennis. I hadn't ever grasped any racket since when I was little. But the stupid thing was that I was seriously thinking that I could compete with them, and I could beat them too!! But it did never happen, though...

 Anyway, that was so fun moment, and helping me to get rid of stresses that I get from outside world. I might be into it, and I want to play better!!

 Surprisingly, there are more than 25 courts with all kinds of surface such as grass, clay and hard court. We played on a hard court this time, but you can hire any court even could hire the center court that cost you about 5 times as much as a hard court. And also with an empty stadium atmosphere. haha

 Anyway, Thanks Kiwi and George!! 

 

 

　昨日、気晴らしに人生２度目のテニスに挑戦してきました。１回目は小学校低学年くらいの時やから、本格的にコートを借りてやるのはほぼ初めて。

　しっかし難しかったね。完全に舐めてました。ゴルフは始めてのときにある程度できたし、テニスもまぁなんとかなるやろくらいに思ってましたが、一緒にいったやつがうますぎた。しかも上下左右のステップの繰り返しで結構きつい。

　サーブも山ボールのサーブしか入らんし、ラリーもなかなか返せない。結局３人で行ったけど１セットも取らせてもらわず、気晴らしどころかストレスが溜まった。笑

　借りたコートは立派なこの州１番のテニスセンター内の野外コート。ハードコートの他にも、芝に赤土のコートもあって、全部で２０面以上あってかなりでかいです。センターコートは毎年全豪オープンの前哨戦として行われるブリスベンオープンが開かれる会場で、来年は初めてフェデラーが来るとか。しかも１時間１万円ほどでそのコートを借りることもできるらしいのが驚き。もちろん無観客ですが・・・。

　

　

　けど新たな趣味として本格的に始めるのもいいかなと思った。日本帰ったら誰か行きましょう！

 

  

Police Cup

 Hi, how's goin??

 I took part in a huge competition last Sunday called 'Police Cup' implying a multicutural football competition in Brissy. It's an annual comp, apprently. As you know, Australia has been composed of a number of multicultural communities and refugees. And also some local football clubs here still have the root of  where they are from. It seems like dying away as the time goes on, but it's a very interesting part of Australia comparing to my country cuz we don't have that culture.

 So, this competition was made up of 64 teams having a original root of each team, and played over the last two weekends. It was such a big comp!!

 I myself played for three diffrent teams over the comp. In the first weekend, I joined the team Japan, who was one of the favorites to win the comp as they were runners-up last year. We fought three game on the day in the qualifiers, and smashed all of the matches!! Great start!!

 But, I didn't play for them in the second week, which was the knock-out round to decide the champions as they had already had heaps of players who were keen to play, so I played for Vietnam and Afgans, whom friends of mine had been playing there. I couldn't get the result with Vietnam, but we made it to the final with Afgans after beating three matches in a row, so the game in the final was the forth game for the both teams on the day...

 And... We won it!! Yes!!!

 That was a soooooo long and hectic day with so much fun. We ended up holding up the trophy at the end of the day, so that drove away the fatigue out of my bod.

 However, my hamstrings in both legs are still something funny though... 

 

 

　先週の日曜日にあるサッカーの大会に参加してきました。police cupといって、異文化コミュニティ対抗戦って日本語ではなるのかな？Multicutural competitionと英語では表記されてました。要するに、色んな移民達が一緒の街に住んでいるオーストラリア。もちろん、それぞれの国のルーツを持っています。

　自分は日本。ある黒人はガーナ、あるアジア人はベトナム、ある白人はスコットランドみたいな感じで、その人の親の世代でオーストラリアに移り住んできた人は、その国のバックグラウンドがあります。そういう特定の国に関わる人達だけでチームを作って、小さなワールドカップをしようというのがこの大会。延べ６４の国と地域のチームが集まり２週に分けて行われました。

　１週目は１日に３試合（すべて２０分ハーフ）。２週目は決勝ラウンドで負けたら終わりの一発勝負。決勝まで行けば一日なんと４試合・・・。自分は１週目は日本チームで出て、２週目はベトナムチームとアフガニスタンチームを掛け持ちで出場。

　日本チームは元々人が多かったので遠慮したんですが、２週目にあたるこの前の日曜日はベトナムチームで２試合。アフガンのチームはなんと決勝まで勝ち進んでしまった為に４試合の合計６試合を１日でプレーしました。色んな友達に「お前はクレイジーだ！」なんて言われながら、ほとんどフルで出て、最後に優勝できたのでよかったです。

　色んな国の選手がいて、色んな友達に誘われて出れるのは幸せなことです。サッカーの事なら頼まれたら断れない。そしてここで出会ったたくさんのサッカーを通じて得た友人は、自分にとって大きな財産に今後なっていくと思います。

　しかし疲れた。次の日の疲労感は半端じゃなかったし、今もまだハムストリング張ってます。笑

Brisbane festival

　

 Hi, guys.

 There was the biggest festival called Brisbane festival in the state of Queensland the other day. It last over about twe weeks, apparently. I actually didn't know about it at all in spite of having been here for ages. I happened to be there on the last day of the festival. And luckily, I could watch the big fireworks display at the site which was so beatiful. I've been many fireworks event in Japan before, but here was not like the ones I've watched before. Thousands of fireworks was shot on the roof of the skyscrappers in Brisbane city.

 In the afternoon, there was a show of stealth jets in the sky over the town. When it started, it sounded like a huge earth rumbling!! I really thought that some terrorist showed up and tried to crashed the high building in town like 9/11 attacks in NY, America. I was completely reminded of that at that moment. I was totally freaked out as I didn't know the show coming up!!

 On another note, there were so many events and performance show in many areas throughout the venue. I didn't actually go inside... yea, i know I should've.. I didn't want to get involved in the huge crowd!!

 Next year?? Maybe...

 

 

  ども。

  この前、ブリスベン祭という大きなお祭りがこっちでありました。祭りといえば夏の風物詩ですが、こっちにもこんなでっかい催しがあったなんて知らなかった。もう結構こっちにいるんですが・・・。ということで、たまたま最終日に行ったら、今まで見たことも無いような人ごみ、昼間っから上空を戦闘機が旋回してるし、夜は街の色んな高層ビルから花火が打ちあがって、「なんか海外やなぁ」なんて思いながら見てました。

　他にも、色んなショーや屋台、パフォーマンスなんかのイベントも敷地内にたくさんあって、日によって催しが変わっていくみたいです。

　最終日は土曜の夜だったんで、街中が人で溢れてましたね。色んな意味で楽しかった日でした。