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Defense and Getting Into Shape

I remember that during the 80´s the latest fashion in sports was the practice of Karate. It seemed like everyone´s child had to take Karate lessons and every other adult started going to adult Karate lessons. It was an interesting time, most notably because it opened the door to all other kinds of martial arts and self-defense techniques. Nowadays what we see is that there is such a great variety to choose from; one could practice Aikido for six months, then dabble in Judo for a bit and possibly check out Muay Tai. My personal opinion about this is that we have an amazing opportunity to learn self-defense and exercise at the same time, and we should definitely take advantage of that.

On the other hand, with so much variety the question becomes not which one you´ll choose, but which one is “better”. Strictly speaking there is no way to quantify how much better one martial art is from another; however, we can make up our minds about which one is more efficient in a real life attack. It might be obvious that swordplay might not come in too handy today, since most attacks happen without the presence of swords anyway. So the focus is brought toward your ability to defend yourself with your hands or with everyday objects, instead of on weapons.

Like I said, all martial arts deserve respect, but one art that has become immensely popular and that is owed a great deal of respect has to be Krav Maga. Krav Maga is an Israeli development, and it´s basically the art of defending your self precisely and effectively against almost any type of attack from an assailant. The great advantage this self-defense technique is that to practice means that you will also be trained psychologically. This is very important because it´s one thing to know how to punch someone, it´s another thing to actually apply the knowledge when faced with a situation that requires it, and Krav Maga means to teach its students to react under pressure and stress.

Learning is good, learning to deal with the stress of an attack is better.

This Israeli art of self-defense has becom popular, as I´ve said before, and this has become especially true in large and “dangerous” cities, such as New York. Self-defense classes in New York were already popular many years ago, but now the residents of the Great Apple can enjoy affordable Krav Maga lessons in a variety of places. Now, like I´d already said: practicing this sport will prepare you physically and mentally to defend yourself efficiently if you´re ever attacked. If you´re lucky and you never are, you get a great workout and definitely, a good sweat.

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By James – May 17, 2012

The Clothing With the Pretty

Have you ever seen someone walking down the street that is so well dressed you were a little jealous? We´ve all had that experience, and while not particularly pleasant, it can have a positive impact on our wardrobe, if we let it.

The key to being well dressed is not buying fancy clothes. We´re not always in situations that can be considered formal or “fancy”, sometimes we´re just going to the store to get some milk, but that does not mean we can´t look well in our lazy Sunday outfit. In fact, you can score extra fashion points for looking reasonably well in your lazy Sunday outfit.

Most of us do not really have a knack for dressing adequately most of the time. In fact, most of us would be just a real mess if we were left up to our own devices. I personally count myself in this category, because if I hadn´t worked out a system for my clothes, I´d probably still think wearing my sweats to the bank only reflected on my nonchalant and quirky personality. (It doesn´t, by the way.)

Good for the milk, good for the pub

So how do you get some nice clothes? Well, one thing you can do is choose a store or brand you like and be consistent when wearing it. I´m not saying you go out and leave the local Old Navy empty. It´s not about using the same shirt every day, it´s simply about finding a brand of clothes that suits you and your personality. A good example of such brand is Pretty Green. This brand definitely has a style that it reflects in all of its items, but all of the items are also unique. You can find anything from shirts, to jackets to the kinds of t-shirts that make other people jealous. All in all I consider this brand very versatile and well worth the shopping spree: you have clothes that obviously belong to the same brand, and yet they are all different and always look good.

Now, while we´re discussing the issue of clothes, please remember that your feet get dressed in the morning as well. I´m not so neurotic as to dictate fashion down to the sock, but the right shoe will always help an outfit go a long way. It´s different to come out of your house with a jacket, t-shirt and jeans and go buy milk (that is OK), it´s another thing to wear a jaket, t-shirt and shoes or boots (OK for casual Friday at the office). The image you project will be very different, trust me. So to close this off, I will say that I know shoes are expensive, so why not check out a base London shoe sale? Or any other type of brand shoe sale? You might be surprised to find that the pretty clothes are yours to keep, if you know were to look.

It´s all in the details.

 

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By James – May 16, 2012

The Joy of Counting

What is the one thing that can ruin the experience of school? It´s not the, apparently, long hours; nor is it the tight schedule. All of these are things that people have to live with all of their lives (yes, even after we´re done with school), so what really ruins the experience of school is feeling like the one person in the entire building that simply “doesn´t get it”. Everyone knows what I mean, and everyone knows I don´t mean “I don´t understand how a cell reproduces”. Those types of processes are just that: processes, and sooner or later it dawns on you and you move on, what I´m talking about is not understanding two incredibly crucial subjects: Maths and Language Skills.

The reasons why these are subjects that are harder to grasp than others is because they keep turning up everywhere, yet they are entirely theoretical in and of themselves. This means that, unlike biology, you can never see number 7 split itself into a square root; while you can actually see a cell split during mitosis. This is one of the main reasons children have such difficulty with subjects such as math and languages. They are simply too theoretical, especially for a child (remember: they are far from thinking like adults and their world will remain mostly practical until they graduate and start University).

So, as a parent, what can you do when you live through the absolute horror and stress of watching your child constantly slam against a wall made of numbers and letters? The solutions seem fairly obvious:

  • Hire a tutor.
  • Supervise the progress of your child.

The problem here becomes the tutoring itself. Who should you hire? Your friend who swears it´s easy to teach a child numbers? The child one year older than your own that managed to pass the course with a good grade? Should you take on the task yourself?

All of these are questions anyone faces when facing the reality of hiring a tutor. Despite this, there can be a simple solution: hire a professional tutor. This does not mean the 16 year old girl who charges by the hour. This girl might be excellent, but there are no guarantees. What I mean by professional tutors is to find a center that dedicates itself to tutoring. These companies can be real life savers, mostly because they not only teach your child for one hour a day, but they have the capability of following up on your child´s progress.

Now, what about tutors in Brisbane? I do know that Australia can seem like a desolate place but it´s really quite civilized, even in the tutoring department. Why? Well, for one, Brisbane has several Number Works agencies throughout the city.

I take the time to specifically mention Number Works because it´s a company like few. Not only do they have excellent tutors, but also they have an entire system in place designed to keep track of your child´s progress. The program this company offers tests children so that their specific problems are found and it´s only those that are targeted. In layman´s terms: instead of trying to convince your child to memorize algorithms, Number Works will test your child and find the exact problem. Maybe they don´t have a problem with algorithms, maybe it´s recognizing sequences instead. Number Works will then design a program that can help that child and that child only. This is truly a specialized and personalized system. It´s well worth a try, especially if the results will bring a little more joy to the act of going to school.

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By James – May 10, 2012

Suiting Suit

How many times have you looked in the mirror and honestly believed your clothes should fit you better? It´s nothing to be embarrassed about, it happens to most people every day. You dress to go to the office but you find little details, like the fit, or the length of the shirt, that you just know could be improved upon. Now there is the obvious solution: go get your suits made to your measures. However, there is the rub: you need to find an excellent tailor to make you a fine suit and excellent tailors are in short demand.

It´s not that most tailors are bad, I don´t mean to imply that at all. It´s simply a matter of tradition, and traditionally, most people simply go to the store and buy ready-to-wear suits, instead of going through the time and, possibly, higher cost of having a suit made just for you. I get it: it might not seem like the best idea.

However, please let me make a special emphasis here: it might not seem like a good idea, but that does not mean it´s not. The truth of the matter is that that bespoke tailoring (clothes made to your exact measures) is an excellent idea. We all realize that the average person might not me able to go out and have 10 suits made for him, but it´s always worth it to have at least one or two, which can easily be afforded, in any case, it´s well worth to have one or two suits that really fit you well. You will look better, feel better and, maybe even do better because of that feel.

Now the next logical question becomes, where on this green Earth do you find bespoke tailoring? Well there are plenty of options, but an excellent one is Richard James. This is an extremely professional bespoke tailoring service that allows the client one singular thing: the final decision. This is a very important little detail because you, as the client, actually get to have a say in what the suit will look like in the end. This, like their website claims, helps the client to really make the suit his own and allows the client to project his personality onto the clothes he´s wearing.

I cannot stress the importance of this last bit enough. After all, we all want to reflect our personalities with our clothes, so why not with our suits? Especially because suits aren´t what you wear to the corner store. A suit makes an appearance whenever there is an important event: meetings, business, formal occasions; it´s important, and extremely nice, to be able to let your personality shine through in an otherwise sea of suits that look the same.

And one final note, please do not think that Richard James only has tailor made suits. They have so much more. It is truly a complete and competent place to buy almost any type of clothes, and if you´re not particularly into buying the clothes, there is a Savile Row blog that is well worth the read. It´s short, to the point and, most importantly to me anyway, written with an easy tone that really does entertain you. Give this one a chance, it´s well worth the price in suits.

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By James – May 7, 2012

Bienvenido/Welcome

Have you ever been on holiday and gotten pulled over by the police for an infraction? Have you ever been pulled over by the police, only to find that your English, French, German or whatever language is more than deficient? These can be extremely stressful situations, after all, it´s not just the fact that you broke the law, it might also be the extra stress of not being able to properly communicate, or understand, what it is that you did wrong.

Now, this may hold especially true in extremely popular tourist destinations, such as Florida, in the USA. The fact that this state has an extremely high immigration rate does not help matters either. The truth is, when you take into account all the factors, landing yourself a traffic ticket in Florida might be a perfectly messy situation. First of all, there is the fact that each state is slightly different, so if you´ve traveled or lived outside of Florida, you might not realize the same rules don´t necessarily apply. Second, there is the fact that many who read this will be facing a bit of a language barrier, and it´s not like every cop in Florida will walk up and offer the offender “una multa de tráfico en Miami”. We all know they might pull out the bilingual talk for saying “Beinvenido/Welcome” but you cannot expect every person in law enforcement to speak a second language, especially if there is still only one official language in the state. It might not be easy to read, but it is the truth.

So what happens when you do get a traffic ticket in a place like Florida? A lot of people will throw a tantrum and then quietly pay the ticket and hope that is the end of it. Unfortunately, many licenses (and this is especially true for US licenses) also work on a point system and the reality is that you might have points deducted from your license for getting a ticket. In any case, it´s never wise to accumulate even one traffic infraction, believe it or not, those things can come back and bite you in the rear end one day.

Luckily for the layman (and that is most of us), there are ways to fight back tickets, even in Florida. One option is to appear in court and argue for your right to have the ticket cancelled; but not all of us are lawyers and it is certainly hard to argue against one. Another option is to actually go ahead and hire a lawyer to fight the ticket for you. I´m not saying you should, and I´m not saying you shouldn´t; but it´s always good to know your options.

A last word of warning: before ever engaging legal help for any type of problem, make sure the help is properly qualified. Law school is a challenge, so you shouldn´t just trust the first person that come around, especially if they have outrageous claims. Even if they do have the “Bienvenido/Welcome” idea, make sure the price is worth the service. Otherwise you might just be “invitando/welcoming” more trouble that you might think.

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By James – May 5, 2012

360 Degrees of Problem Solving

Most of us have, at some point of our lives, been massively drunk. The common term is “wasted”. We´ve all been there and we´ve all woken up the following morning and sworn to never take another drink again. In today´s society, it seems like partying and drinking until you fall unconscious on the floor of your friends apartment has become commonplace. The problem is when this stops being a season of fun and it becomes a habit for life.

Now, as far back as I can remember, it used to be that you were either sober and able to “handle your liquor” or you were officially termed an alcoholic because you´d lost control

When you simply cannot stop at one drink, you might be abusing alcohol

of your drinking. Imagine my surprise to find that today there seems to be a middle ground: not exactly full blown alcoholism, but something called “alcohol abuse”. It´s an interesting middle ground. How many of us don´t know a certain someone who doesn´t seem able to stop drinking once they start? It´s not necessarily someone who is constantly drinking, it´s just someone who opens a bottle of wine and has a strange compulsion to finish it, even it they are alone. These people are not alcoholics, but they can be called alcohol abusers and they also need help to stop overdrinking.

Many times these people don´t get help. Not because they feel they don´t need it, but because there is still so much social stigma related to alcoholism, even if one is not an alcoholic, it´s pretty hard to admit to friends and family that you simply cannot stop yourself from overdrinking. I can understand how admitting to your family you are on the edge of a very serious problem is not easy to do, which is why certain treatments for alcoholism have the good graces to keep themselves a little more hidden than others.

I think this is extremely important, I mean it´s already hard enough to admit you have a problem and to seek help. You do not need the busy bodies in your family or friends harassing you at every turn. I might not have much experience with alcoholism, but I do know about the need to keep some things to yourself. This is precisely why I admire programs that take into account the need for privacy. I know other programs might work, but the truth is that not everyone feels confident enough to make their problems public. And this is no reason to keep yourself from getting the help you need.

I´m going to stop being so vague and talk about a specific program. I did my research and I believe this seems to be a pretty healthy option. It´s called the Last Call Program and the basics is that you are given a plant-based chemical which helps control alcohol cravings. Some of you might be going “Control a what?” but think about it: a substance is addictive because your body eventually believes you need it. This has been proven true with chemical drugs, why not with alcohol? This approach seems fairly balanced to me because along with support and counseling, this program is really trying to cut off the problem from the root. The truth is that if you can control the craving, you can probably control the substance intake.

If you believe the charts, their success rate is really impressive

I´m not saying this is a miracle program and my experience with it is only the research I´ve done online, but it seems like a solid idea. It seems, to me, that instead of only attacking on part of the problem, programs such as the Last Call Program are attempting to look at alcoholism and alcohol abuse as a 360 degree problem: there´s the emotional issues, but, let´s face it, our body is also a massive chemical being and it can, sadly, sometimes turn on us.

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By James – May 3, 2012

To Hostel or not to Hostel?

Traveling is some of the best fun you can have. Despite this simple (and absolutely true) statement, travelling is not always easy. The most difficult part of a trip is not getting to the airport on time, or even keeping your bag under the extremely low weight limit. There is one thing that trumps all of these inconveniences of travel: pricing the trip.

Pricing the trip is usually a bother because travel can be very expensive. It takes months to save up enough cash to be able to go on a trip, and then you realize you forgot to include every single meal you´ll have to eat (isn´t it bothersome how we have to eat several times every day?). So isn´t nice to find places that are affordable and close to major points of interest in cities around the world? Well of course it´s nice! (It should be a rhetorical question).

A few years back the craze started being staying in hostels. It seems everywhere you could go there was a hostel waiting for your broke person to step in and live the adventure that is sharing a room with 15 strangers. I don´t mean to be close minded here, but I´ve heard

This is what I´d learned to expect

plenty of horror stories about cheap hostels that friends and a relatives have stayed in. I´ve heard about mold, cockroaches, rats, drunken strangers diving into your bed, running out of water, questionable foodstuff….the list goes on quite a bit.

So that obviously settles that. I will check into the nearest Holiday Inn Express and jut travel half as much as I would like.

That was my bleak outlook, until I started planning a trip to Hungary. Hungary is a wonderful country. Well worth the travel. The people are friendly, the cities are beautiful and there´s just so much nightlife. It´s exactly the kind of place someone like me wants to visit. But I´d had to put the trip off because I just could not bring myself to trust in hostels. I even had to watch as a very close friend of mine actually went and enjoyed the nightlife in Budapest before I´d even raised the money for room and board. I was furious, but when my friend came back he brought a little advice with him that made me forgive him instantly.

My friend had, against all advice and reason, stayed in a very cheap hostel in Budapest. I figured he´d been so busy playing tourist during the day and partying at night that he´d just failed to come into contact with the cockroaches, etc. of the place. I was wrong. When he showed me his pictures, it was extremely nice. I immediately went online and booked my room. I can´t wait to go.

This is where I cannot wait to go. Well, it´s part of it...

What was it that made me change my mind so quickly? Well it was the place itself. Instead of the usual hostel, with its run down bunks and sketchy toilettes, I was surprised to see beds in pristine condition and bathrooms that looked cleaner than the one I have at home. The price, I must say, is also very nice on the wallet. You can even go ahead and book a private room and it will not cost you an arm and a leg to do so. I must admit I am attracted to this, apparently, singular idea: a clean bed, a cheap price and even (if you share with others) a very decent breakfast. All for less than what the cab ride to the airport will cost you.

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By James – April 27, 2012

What Pub?

As I´ve established before, I enjoy a bit of travel. I was recently convinced to go on a trip to Australia and I´d like to report something that was incredibly useful while there (other than the giant bug repellent): a city pub guide.  I´m usually not the pub-going type of guy, I usually prefer clubs or staying at home with a few beers and a few friends. However, I was dogged to go to an “old school genuine pub”, so for the sake of trying something new I went. The pub was fun and definitely something I would recommend to anyone, but the curious story of how I ended up in the pub, really goes back to a city pub guide.

Who knew that inside the likes of this building is a good time?

I was told I had to pick the pub of choice. I tried to argue a thousand different ways that I had no idea what could possibly count as a decent pub in Melbourne. I was ignored. I was feeling a little bit down and in a bad mood (nothing like your friends´ refusal to treat you as a proper guest to get you in a bad mood) when I decided to check my email. I usually like to disconnect myself from those things when I go on vacation but I was frustrated and still wary of giant bugs walking down the street, so I turned on the computer and checked my email. I was just about to log off when I decided to do an Internet search and I came across several pages recommending pubs. A lot of them seemed to be trying to hard and after about an hour I finally settled on a page I could use. I read some reviews and triumphantly went out to announce my choice. The irony was, my friends had already picked the same pub.

It was a great night. I chatted with friends, made some new friends and drank my fill of beers. The Melbourne pub was a little on the expensive side but I threw caution to the wind and decided I could just skip a meal or two during the remainder of my trip.

The next day the plan for the evening was to go to what is known as a Beer Garden. This is a bit of a deal in Melbourne, since the weather permits it. Basically it´s what it sounds like (not a garden full of trees that give beer, sadly. I mean the other, more logical explanation.): you sit on a roof top or garden, enjoy a stunning view and acquire a healthi(er) tan as you sip a few beers and hang out. For this night my choice included train tracks. It was a fairly nice time. I would definitely do it again. And the best part? Giant bugs apparently do not enjoy train tracks, because there was not a single one in sight all night.

The famous train tracks! No bugs!

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By James – April 21, 2012

If You Ever Hear Sirens Wailing in the Distance

In the past I have spoken about the great sport of bicycling. I, of course, still love to go cycling and do it every chance I get. However, I was recently made to participate in a cycling accident. It was not serious, but it was also not amusing. I picked myself off with my scrapes and bruises, forced myself to not physically assault the driver who ran a Stop sign and which resulted in my landing on some roadside bushes. Beyond the need for all drivers to always obey road signs and to be careful and considerate on the road, I was left thinking about what would have of happened had my injuries been severe. As it was, all I required was some rubbing alcohol and a few Band-Aids. My bike sustained some scrapes but nothing worth fighting over. Then I realized: bicycles do not have insurance (not every day people bikes anyway) and I began to seriously wonder what would happen if I had been seriously hurt.

The next day I wished my body had been made from clay.

And so began my adventure into the world of  “personal injury claims”.  My first instinct was too look up bicycle accident claims. I was surprised to learn that there are ways to fight for your right to be compensated if you´re ever seriously injured in an accident. It doesn´t really seem like a simple process, but my mind was a little more at ease because at least you can do something. I must admit I found plenty of flaky and definitely not trustworthy sites and firms, but I also found some, like Lime Personal Injury that seem to be on the level. They explain in very simple terms the types of claims one can proceed with, and they even have a section about case studies so that you can learn about all types of accidents and how they turned out.

Now, as an extra side dish I´d also like to comment about the section I found on Coach Accidents. I´d never really thought about it much, but I guess it´s also important to know whom to turn to in case you ever find yourself in an accident in a coach. I was surprised to learn simple things such as the importance of keeping your ticket so that you can actually file a claim in case of injury (that is the last time I throw the ticket stub away before getting on the coach).

In conclusion, it´s always better to be safe than sorry. It´s always better to wear all safety equipment necessary when riding your bicycle. Finally, it´s always better to know that, in case of an accident, you do have alternatives to turn to. I didn´t know about this. Now I do, and at least I´ll feel more comfortable if I ever hear a siren meant for me wailing in the distance.

Safety first!

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By James – April 16, 2012

Hitting and Punching? Not So Much.

As a fan of extreme sports I spend my fare share of time watching MMA fights. For those of you who have not heard, MMA stands for “Mixed Martial Arts” and it´s become a very popular fighting sport in the past few years (it´s only been around in the US since 1993, so it´s still a “new sport”).  The challenge of MMA lies in the fact that, unlike boxing, both punching and kicking and grappling are allowed. This means that your opponent isn´t just trying to hit you really hard, he might also be trying to grab you in an uncomfortable and painful position. This is a dynamic sport that has allowed different kinds of martial arts (hence the name) to come face to face against each other.

 

Let´s not exaggerate. There is hitting, there´s just also so much more than just hitting.

But why would you just sit there and watch a couple of guys punch each other silly? Doesn´t that seem a little immature? And don´t you think we have enough violence in the world today?

All valid questions and I´ll be happy to answer them: violence has nothing to do with the sport. You don´t see the contenders being angry at each other (mostly). These are two people testing their skills against each other. As for the first questions, no I don´t think it´s immature and I certainly don´t just sit there and watch two guys punch each other silly. This sport is about tactics and thinking incredibly fast on your feet. The fighters are facing each other and they need to take into account an immense amount of information to be able to come out on top: what style of fighting does the opponent practice, how advanced is the opponent in his particular fighting style, what are his favorite tactics, what are his weaknesses. All of this turns the sport of MMA into something akin to chess. Granted, with a lot more hitting and punching.

Still don´t believe me? That´s OK. A lot of people are weary when it comes to contact sports. Before I send you off to look at videos, try some reading material instead. Not about the history of MMA or about specific fighters, just take a look at the sports articles that talk about the fights. Done? Impressive right? Even the articles take into account statistics and styles and they become really critical of each fighter´s weaknesses and are weary of their strengths.  As you can see MMA rankings are not just about who can hit the hardest, but about who moves better, punches straight and has the ability to avoid their opponent.  This is why the sport fascinates me: it´s a game of tactics, like I said, and that makes it worth watching.

Today´s challenge: pull away with dignity.

Now you might just be ready for some of the videos. Now in all fairness to most videos, you do not actually see much blood in them (in case you´re fidgety about that sort of thing). The truth is that despite the apparent violence (and I am not making light of how much hitting there actually is), this sport is well regulated and relatively safe. So don´t worry, all the fighters come out alive and very conscious. Just give it a try, watch some videos. The truth is, you might come out a fan of this sport after all.

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By James – April 12, 2012