Tío Miguel Update

Good news… My nephew was born healthy on Friday, August 14, 2009. I will be flying to Tulsa, OK this upcoming Friday.

My Youngest Brother is Making Me an Uncle

It is Friday, August 14, 2009 at about 10:30 AM Central Standard Time and I just got the news that in about an hour my sister in law will be going into surgery and shortly after, my first nephew will be born. My brother seems very happy and radiating with confidence. A confidence that I have never seen on him and that I don’t understand. I don’t understand it because I’m not a father and I’ve never been through that experience. When people ask me about having kids my first reaction is NO! Not that I don’t like kids, I actually want kids (actually I want a kid), but I don’t feel nearly as ready to have one. It’s not that I’m being selfish and I want to enjoy my time…. it is more that I have this mental picture in which I give my kid a good life and at times I feel that I’m not in a position to do so. There is always a reason, economy, job, school, etc., to delay it, but I guess the truth is that you are never ready.

My parents are super excited about their first grandson; they have being buying clothes, sheets, bed and even Spider Man toothbrushes for Jr. I have a feeling he is going to be a very spoiled kid :-)

Anyway, I am very proud of my brothers, they have turned out to be a great men. J has been so responsible with his family and now his new baby. I am sure he will be a great father and I hope I can be just as confident when my time comes. Congratulations J/G!! I’m excited to see Jr’s pictures in about an hour or two :-)

Aikido

I have been practicing Aikido for about 4 to 6 weeks and it has been very interesting. Since I started I have gotten asked the same questions over and over… What is Aikido? Why you joined Aikido and not something else? Why not Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? Can you fight in UFC with Aikido?

Some of them I had myself and to some extent I still do, but I’m going to try my best to answer these…. remember that I just started, so I have very little experience and most of my references are other students who have been practicing for a much longer time.

What is Aikido?

I will not give you the history or the text book definition of Aikido, if you want that information you are welcome to search in Google, check out Aikido in Wikipedia or visit your local Aikido Dojo. After practicing four times a week for around 6 weeks, I have develop my own opinion about Aikido which continues to evolve as I learn more and more about the art.

Aikido is not about fighting, is not about throwing and grappling, is not about breaking your opponents bones, is not about an opponent. In my opinion Aikido is about observing, which I’m not very good at. Yes, Aikido could be useful in a fight. Yes, Aikido could be very dangerous if done maliciously. Yes, there is an “uke” or attacker and you practice by completing techniques on each other. But, those are just tools and terminology to get you to that next step. Aikido, teaches you observe the situation. If in a situation that fight is imminent, wait, observe your opponent, wait for an opening, do not force an attack, let the attacker do that for you.

• Relax – Relaxing is key… I don’t seem to be able to do that very well either. In tense situations it is hard to stand back and relax, but when relax observing becomes easier limiting irrational moves.
• Aikido is reactive and for defense myth– I don’t think Aikido is as defensive as it looks, but it is about being smart. A point of Aikido is to be able to use your energy to guide your opponent's energy towards something positive (positive for you at least). In other words, don’t try matching your opponent blow by blow or try to out wrestle him with pure muscle, instead wait. Wait and observe your opponent, does he has any particular patterns, does he steps before punching, does he tenses up when attacking. Similar to poker. Use those observations to your advantage when he gives you room for an attack.

These are teachings that we can use every day… Relax, Observe The Situation, Make your Move Smart, Smooth and Efficient.

Why you joined Aikido and not something else?

There was no scientific reason for picking Aikido. Basketball was killing my knees, I was looking for a sport to practice which involved dealing with others, but also that would be easier on my knees and help me improve my flexibility. Most sports recommended for knee problems there is no interaction, for example cycling and swimming, which I find a bit repetitive.

A co-worker recommended me to go take a look at a class in his dojo and I did. I liked what I saw and figured I would give it a try.

Why not Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

I know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA is the craze right now, but honestly I am not looking to learn how to fight, competitive or not, and I have never been into wrestling. I know that Jiu Jitsu may be about more than just fighting and I admit that I didn’t visited any other martial arts dojos (I did get to practice Judo for two semester in my freshman year in college…not mentioning the year :-) ). Maybe one day I’ll get to practice another martial art.

I’ve always been interested in practicing Capoeira.

Can you fight in UFC with Aikido?

You can fight in UFC if all you know is Capoeira, I’m not sure how much that will help you in the ring :-) The ‘Only the Strong’ move and the chanting can only take you so far. I’m not sure how much help if any Aikido would be in a UFC scenario. In the other hand I went to engineering school… I doubt I would find any octagon shape cages around the IBM campus.

July ‘09 Round Up

I know, I know…. I have not been writing, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t care about you. I figured I can give you more quality than quantity. So here are 8 blog entries at once, I hope you go through all of them. These are the events that occurred during the very exciting and very HOT month of July here in Austin, TX and an August entry that didn’t want to be alone.

• July 1st – Canada Day

OK, I don’t have much to say about Canada Day since I’m not Canadian, but I bet that many of us don’t know what it celebrates. Oppose to the general consensus, Canada Day doesn’t celebrate Canada’s independence since they have always remain part of the commonwealth of Great Britain. Canada Day does celebrates the union of the different provinces into one country in July 1st, 1867.

The following video is pretty funny, although according to some of my Canadian friends a bit inaccurate:

• July 2nd – I turned 29

My 29th birthday was a very nice surprise. I was born on July 2nd, 1980 exactly seventy years later than my grandfather. To save you from simple arithmetic, this year I turn 29 and my grandfather 99. Unlike previous years, I did not planned any birthday party and figured I would just go out to dinner with V.

It turned out much better than just a dinner. V surprised me, as a birthday present she took me to a Dinner Class at the local Whole Foods headquarters. It was cool, V and I accompanied by five other couples prepared a three course meal. We made a buttermilk dressing to go with a Wedge Salad, roasted herb potatoes, red snapper with a lemon garlic crab sauce and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Everything was delicious!

The class was located downtown Austin. Once the class was done I mentioned to V that we should go for a drink to one of the many bars around the area… she decline the offer alleging that she wasn’t feeling too well. So, we went home and once we opened the door I was super surprised when lights turned on and many of my local friends were in my kitchen whishing me a happy birthday. It was a great time!!!

• July 4th – My Last Anniversary in July 4th

  July 4th, 2009 was V’s and my 3’rd anniversary and, if everything goes according to plans, it will be our last anniversary on July since we are getting married next April. We went to dinner at Olivia’s, a great restaurant located in South Austin. They have a different daily menu which depends on the fresh locally grown ingredients available.

Due to > 100 degree weather, we did not do our planned picnic downtown. We did get to watch the fireworks from the hill top by the 360 bridge.

• July 12th – G turns 25

My brother’s 25th birthday, all the way from Germany.

• July 20th – 1 Month into My Six Pack Quest

Just wanted to share, about 4 wks ago I started training with winning this bet as my end result. Let me tell you what I have done, what my results have been and what I am planning of doing next.
Physical Training

• Workout - 3x/wk - I have been doing the "12 Week Beginner Weight Loss Program" and have noticed improvements in endurance and core.
• Basketball - 0x/wk - I was playing basketball in a weekly basis for about 4 wks, before the training for my goal started and although I did notice cardio improvements, my knees were not able to handle the burden for a day or two after. I had to stop and started looking for a softer team sport to play.
• Cycling - 2x/wk - I have been in and out of cycling for a while, since it is one of the recommended sports for people with bad knees. I have been doing it about 2 times a week for 45 minutes at a time (covering around 10 miles). I have notice solid improvement on my speed; initially around 14 mph to a respectable 18 to 20 mph, but more importantly I notice less aches on my legs in the hills and more endurance on the flats.
• Aikido - 2-3x/wk - A couple of weeks ago I joined a local Aikido club in search of a sport that would help me with my flexibility, and leg strength and that it would have some sort of people interactions. I like team sports, that's why I've always had a problem sticking to cycling alone. Although, I have not done Aikido long enough to see clear improvements yet, I have notice that it definitely works your legs in a softer way and it demands a limber body.

Diet
I have not gotten into any specific diet, but I have been putting effort into eating a little better and leaner. One big change was to stop going out for breakfast everyday (eggs, bacon, pancakes, hash brown, etc) and eating at home (cereal, oatmeal, Canadian bacon and eggs, wheat toast, yogurt, granola and fruits) more often. I have been eating more fruits, almost no fast food, cooking dinner (pasta with evoo, chicken, fish, rice and lean meats). Also, I am limiting my drinking, less beer/more wine :-) Lunch has been my sore spot, because I find it hard to cook lunch to take to work and most of the time lunch is when my team gets to socialize...
Results

• Category - 0 Weeks - 2 Weeks - 4 Weeks
• Weight - 230 - 228 - 225
• BMI - 30.3 - 30.1 - 29.7
• Estimated Fat% - 29.2 - 26.8 - 26.4
• Waist - 43.5 - 42 - 41.5

Future Plan

• Month 2 of workout program:
  http://www.trainwithmeonline.com/training-plan.asp?prn=97&pgtitle=12%20Week%20Beginner%20Weight%20Loss%20Program
• Continue cycling 2 to 3 times a week, but I would like to change it up some, because I am noticing that I am not working as much anymore on the same route.
• Attend Aikido classes 3x per week.
  
• July 25th – The Ugly Truth, wasn’t that ugly

This movie I was a bit excited to watch with V. It looked funny in the commercials and it seem like it would be the next Hitch. Not so much. It was OK, but most of the funny parts were shown in the trailer.  Semi-funny chick flick earned this movie 1 Miguelaso.

• July 4th – 26th – Tour de France

This was the first time I followed the Tour through all 21 stages and I have found a new sport to follow. I couldn’t believe the amount of strategy and team work involved in winning a major cycling event. The tour is composed of 21 stages which take place in 23 days and 5 countries. There are mountain stages, flat/sprint stages and time trial stages; most of the stages are over 100 miles long and incorporate multiple category 1 and unranked (so bad that there is no ranking for them) mountains in some of them. There are several races within the actual race, including the Sprinter’s Race (green jersey), the King of the Mountain (polka dot jersey), Young rider (white jersey),but the most prestigious price, the yellow jersey, goes to the overall race winner.

This year included the Astana Team which completely dominated the race. The team included Alberto Contador, the Spanish racer who won the Yellow Jersey for the second time and our beloved Lance Armstrong who came back after a 4 year hiatus and finished in a very respectable third place overall. 

I was so excited to watch this multiday race unfold that I couldn’t wait to watch each stage and some times would watch them multiple times. I will definitely continue to follow Cycling more closely. The next big event is la Vuelta a España and I’ll make sure to follow and post here.

• August 1st – Funny People, were kind of funny

Funny People was funny, that’s about it. Directed by the same as ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’ and ‘Knocked Up’ but in my opinion did not translate to the same quality of funny as the other two. A lot of mediocre stand up scenes and super long length did not help. This movie earned itself 1.5 Miguelasos.