Bangkok

BANGKOK - DUSK TO DAWN from Florian Böhm on Vimeo.

Letters from Thailand

Bangkok, the eternal city, the city of angels... My plane landed late at night, and it took me some time to be processed through immigration and to the sathorn house. I've been staying with friends whom I've lived with before. They moved from where we were living to a new spot in the silom business district. Next to the house is one of the largest office buildings in the area. While most of the international businesses run down sukumwit, the silom features most of the international banks. Droves of office workers flood our small little side soi during the day to eat at the local side street restaurants. The steady stream of hungry proles has inflated the price of food around here from the reasonable price of 30 baht for a dish to 35 baht. Unbelievable!!!

I've spent the last few days since my arrival having sanuk. This has meant lots of clubs both at appropriate hours and after hours. I've spent two nights this week at the after hours club Wongs, which is located close to the sathon house, a short 40 baht ride. Staying up til 5 am drinking at a bar with friends is an outrageous amount of fun but has been damaging to having a regular sleep schedule.

Along with my exciting night life I've been running and exploring the area. The house is located close to Lumpini park. I've enjoyed running to the park and seeing the serene crab grass landscape. They have a handful of ridiculous exercise machines that are for public use. Old people tend to like the weird contraptions the most, I guess age makes one more excited for oddities.

Coming back to BKK has made me interested in Thai politics once again. A friend and I were able to check out the mass gathering around Central World today. With over 30,000 people attending the protest shows the obvious strength and continuing divide within the country. The protest was peaceful when I was there and mainly were people hanging out listening to Isaan music, and/or the speakers. Former Prime Minister Thaksin spoke at one point via a cell phone call, evidently the red shirts do conference calls. The protest was to commemorate the deaths of protesters last year. There was a violent class between the red shirts and the police in which 90 were injured or killed. There has been an interesting class aspect to the red/yellow shirt division with the red shirts being composed of the peasant class and working class within thailand while the yellow shirts tend to be more middle and upper class.

A friend and I were talking about the take over of space between the two colors. The red shirts have taken over a main center of Bangkok business shutting down the high scale shopping in the area. This impact of local/urban business can be juxtaposed to the yellow shirts take over of the Suvarnabhumi airport in eastern Bangkok. While the red shirts impacted local economy the yellow shirts laid seige to the national and international economy of Thailand. The seizure of planes at the airport damaged travel tremendously and Thailand's economy is bolstered heavily by tourism. Looking at the take over of space we can see the class/cultural differences between the two groups. For the peasantry the appropriation of an urban area can be seen as an attempt to claim a "right to the city," removed from Bangkok itself the peasants have a spectacular relationship to the city. Most of the capital is centred in the city while little goes out to support the areas in which they live. With the growing popularity of the internet in the Isaan area the peasants are gaining a virtual access to the city without a physical port to plug into. The yellow shirt acquisition of the airport was an attempt to wrest national power back into their hands, it can be seen as a "right to the state."

The economic impact of the airport take over and the occupation of the Central World area was roughly the same, according to my Thai friend, a native Bangkok resident. While the economic damage is the same the amount of time the two occupations took have been starkly different. The yellow shirts were far more strategically savvy by taking over the airport causing more damage in a week than the two month siege by the red shirts. The red shirts caused a fair amount of terror though as they burned buildings whilst the yellow shirts engaged in no property damage. This is a class difference as well, poor people are always viewed as more violent than the cultured and non violent rich, who merely engage in systematic violence hegemonically.

The violence between the two camps will probably continue on. This will be unfortunate in the coming few years as the health of the 85 year old King is in decline. The King's reign has been a benign impact on Thailand and his regency has been a visible stabilizer within the country during its series of coups and instabilities. With the death of the King a power vacuum will be created. The next in line is the unpopular second child of the royal family, a son. The stabilizing void caused by his death is also not talked about amongst the Thais as they revere their god status king whom has an Orwellian Big Brother appearance throughout the country and abroad (next time you stop in a Thai Restaurant $10 says there's a picture somewhere in the place with a picture of the King. If not you're probably not in a Thai restaurant).

Politics should be interesting out here to say the least.

While running regularly I haven't been training. Hopefully I'll get to that soon. In the meantime I've been catching up on some great music. My latina musical swami Chimatli has been posting some great jams of late. Kid sister throws some solid beats, while Deux has bitching electronic. I of course like the Sisters of Mercy cover that she put on. In addition to the jams from Chimatli I've been listening to some new electronica. My friend recently suggested Boys Noise. Boys Noise falls into the same camp as Bloody Beetroots, Dj Steve Aoiki, and Mstrkft. Arguably this new "hard" electronic is distinctively punk as noted by my homie over at Dead Time Pacifies.



Given my copious amount of free time I plan on keeping the blog updated regularly going back to my once a week production schedule. Stay tuned for more awesome shit!!!

Thailand gets bloody!

BANGKOK, Thailand — Behind a wall of stone-faced soldiers, the crowd howled outside the gates of the Thai premier’s compound.

“We will curse them, the aristocrats, the powerful people,” screamed Nattawut Saikua, a leader of a That anti-establishment street faction known as the Red Shirts.

“We will curse them with our own blood!”

And with that, men balancing jugs of human blood on their heads hustled through the sweaty throng and into the compound. Troops in riot gear allowed several blood porters to reach the ornate front gate, and moments later, it was splashed with gallons of coagulated gore.

This was the crescendo to a long-awaited reckoning promised by the Red Shirts, whose anti-government crusade has become a conduit for class frustration.

For five days, more than 100,000 followers of the largely upcountry, working-class movement have rallied in Bangkok. They intend to drive out a ruling party that they claim caters to “aristocrats” and enforces “double standards” against the poor.

As expected, Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has not conceded to the Red Shirts’ calls for new elections. His party has instead deployed thousands of police and soldiers throughout the Thai capital.

To up the pressure, the Red Shirts have resorted to theater of the macabre.

On the evening preceding the blood curse, faction leaders requested 10 cubic centimeters of blood drawn from every healthy supporter. Their aim: 1 million cubic centimeters. The Thai Red Cross has objected, claiming that amount could save many lives.

But as dawn broke on Wednesday, the Red Shirts began an all-day needle drive that would instead donate blood to symbolic political targets.

To a soundtrack of soul-stirring Thai country music, Red Shirt leaders held syringes aloft for their faithful to see, shouting into microphones that “rule of the elites” would soon collapse. Each syringe was emptied into a plastic jug, swished around before a cheering crowd until it frothed pink at the sides.

“We’re not here to have fun or joke around. We’re not being caustic,” announced Veera Musikapong, an elder statesman of the Red Shirts. “We’re serious. And we shall take our blood, spilling it, spreading it into the soil beneath the prime minister’s compound gate!”

This blood curse can be traced back to Thailand’s 2006 military coup, the origin of the anti-elite faction’s outrage. That putsch deposed ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, an idol to many poor Thais despite his billions earned from telecom ventures.

Military leaders, and the current government, insisted his reign was incorrigibly corrupt. After military rule lifted, elections brought Thaksin’s political allies back to power — but they too were unseated two years ago under charges of vote-buying and graft.

The Red Shirts have coalesced Thais who feel the deck is stacked against them. They frame their ongoing rallies — including the blood-splashing campaign — as a “final battle” against a network of military top brass, connected politicians and advisers to Thailand’s royal family.

But while this message has gained momentum through their radio and satellite TV network, any effort to collapse the ruling party is unlikely to succeed anytime soon, said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a researcher at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.

“We’ve had final showdowns before,” said Pavin, referring to last year’s attempted government ouster led by Red Shirts that descended into brief rioting “This is supposed to be the final of the final of the final. But each showdown keeps topping the next one.”

Protesters splashed government offices with human blood. (Patrick Winn/GlobalPost)

Though free of outright violence, the blood curse campaign left government offices looking like the scene of a massacre.

After splashing white walls of the premier’s compound with blood, protesters marched to the ruling Democrat Party’s headquarters for the second act. Gallons more were emptied on the front steps until a chanting crowd stood in a sticky pool of red.

The remaining blood, leaders said, will be saved for an even bolder stunt: the blood-dousing of Abhisit’s well-guarded personal residence.

The Red Shirt leadership’s rhetoric has grown increasingly caustic. But they have so far prevented followers from stooping to police clashes or major property damage. The military has also shown restraint, replacing most soldiers’ assault rifles with batons and allowing protesters to claim parts of Bangkok as rally sites.

Security forces have even tolerated the blood curses, framed by Red Shirt leaders as a sacrifice symbolizing the toll extracted from Thailand’s have-nots. As their rally drags on, and numbers begin to dwindle, they have pleaded with followers to stick out this so-called “fight to the death.”

“I can accept death,” said Kit Somwut, a 62-year-old car salesman from Thailand’s Ayutthaya province. “We’re all ready to die for this. We are weaponless, but even if the soldiers come for us, we’ll fight back with peace so our grandchildren can know happiness in Thailand.”

On Nut

I'm moving out of my apartment today. I packed all my shit up and am waiting to see the landlord. I'll probably have to wait to get my deposit back which blows. The next two nights I'll stay at Wong's place by Phram Ram 9.

Tonight after training I'm going to Rajadamern to pick up equipment for Pacific Ring Sports. Getting everything done and bringing back all this shit for people has been pretty stressful. I'm taking two bags back for friends, a bunch of stuff for Neungsiam, some shit for Coke, the order for PRS and my own crap.

I didn't get to go to Ayuttyah because I was concerned about not having time to get everything done.

I'll be happy to be home. The thought of returning to work is sucks.

It's no sin to kill communists

By AMBIKA AHUJA, Associated Press Writer.

When Samak Sundaravej became Thailand's prime minister on Feb. 6, pundits wondered how long it would take the right-wing firebrand to put his foot in his month. Not long at all it turns out. For the past two weeks, the 72-year-old Samak has turned the spotlight on his past with comments that have shocked Thailand and focused heated debate on a massacre of student protesters three decades ago. The pugnacious prime minister publicly denied any role in the carnage of Oct. 6, 1976, and told CNN in a recent interview only "one unlucky guy" was killed that day _ even though historical records show almost 50 perished. "No deaths, one unlucky guy being beaten and being burned," Samak said of the death toll when asked about the incident. "Only one guy died that day." Violence was unleashed that day on leftist student demonstrators gathered to protest the return of ousted Prime Minister Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn, one of the so-called "Three Tyrants" _ national leaders who were ousted by a student-led uprising in 1973. Photographs and video footage from the time shows security forces and right-wing paramilitary troops firing weapons into the campus of Bangkok's Thammasat University. Protesters were shot, beaten, hung, and set ablaze. Bodies were publicly mutilated. Some were dragged around the university's football field. According to the official record, 46 people were killed and hundreds more were injured. Some human rights groups and witnesses suggest the death toll was in the hundreds. Samak's dismissal of one of the country's most traumatic events sparked outrage among the public, academics and relatives of the victims. It also prompted intense soul-searching in a country where talk of the 1976 massacre is all but taboo, partly because of the failure of any authorities to intervene to stop the brutal spectacle of Thais killing Thais. Newspapers have seized on the incident to criticize Samak, academics have organized lectures to discuss the rarely mentioned subject, and Samak's remarks have been brought up repeatedly during parliamentary policy debate last week. Samak should be "ashamed" of "his insensitive, inflammatory and plainly inaccurate comments," the Bangkok Post, one of the country's main English-language newspapers, said in a Feb. 13 editorial. Samak "knows very well what went on because he played a key role." Critics have said Samak's anti-communist rhetoric on radio and at rallies at the time helped stoke sentiment that prompted the lynching of students. Samak _ like others in the Thai establishment then _ subscribed to a motto of the extreme right wing, "It's no sin to kill communists." As interior minister at the time, critics said Samak had hundreds of "leftists" arrested in a witch hunt reminiscent of the anti-communist persecution spearheaded by U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. But Samak has repeatedly denied any involvement in the incident, which came at a time when Indochina had fallen under communist rule and Thailand was deeply polarized between right and left. "Why did a murderer with blood on his hand receive more than a million votes?" Samak asked rhetorically during parliamentary debate this week, referring to his landslide election victory for Bangkok governor in 2000. Analysts said Samak's controversial remarks so early in his tenure could undermine his premiership, threatening to turn even his allies against him. "It has become a hot issue that might be a rallying point, bringing his current political allies and his opposition together," said Kanokrat Lertchoesakul, a professor at Chulalongkorn University. "It's an emotional issue for many people across today's political spectrum." Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee and Chaturon Chaisaeng _ allies of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and now supporters of Samak _ are among many contemporary politicians who were leftist student leaders in 1976. On Saturday, Chaturon said Samak "should gather accurate information before speaking" about the incident. Charnvit Kasetsiri, a former rector of Thammasat University and a historian, said Samak's clumsy remarks could provide the opportunity to re-examine "a traumatic history that hasn't healed," and force others who took part to answer for their crimes. After the incident, an amnesty was issued that prevented any of those responsible for the massacre from being brought to justice. "How many people in Thailand actually know about what happened then? It's not even in the history textbooks in our school curriculum," Charnvit said. "The ruling elite want it forgotten because it goes against mainstream conservatism that is preferred in Thailand. But it reopened the wounds of many people who were there."

The Invisible Hand

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Sunday hit out at an "invisible hand" he says continues to pull the strings behind attempts to rock the government and the People Power party.
"Although the government has been formed, this (invisible hand) never gives up," he said in his weekly TV address.
"The leader should watch out."
He said he would disclose who is the invisible hand, and take action against anyone trying to undermine his administration.
After the programme, he told reporters he was gathering evidence to take legal action against those trying to undermine the administration and his party, including attempts to intimidate people to put an end to the PPP.
Mr Samak said opponents were using a three-pronged approach to try to rock the new government:
False reports he would abolish the Bank of Thailand's 30 per cent capital control measure
Erroneous stories that he was trying to place former executive members of the disbanded Thai Rak Thai party on the boards of state enterprises
Poll fraud allegations against House Speaker Yongyuth Tiyapairat.
Mr Samak accused the invisible hand of being behind all three issues, which have received wide media coverage.
"There is something fishy in news reporting" because of vague news sources, he added.
He denied interference in the Finance Ministry and the policy on capital control measures. He defended Finance Minister and PPP secretary-general Surapong Suebwonglee, who was forced to comment on the former TRT members banned from politics for five years.
The central issue, however, was the result of the investigation into Mr Yongyuth, a PPP deputy leader.
The prime minister blasted those who leaked the results of an inquiry into Mr Yongyuth's case undertaken by an Election Commission panel.
Mr Samak attached those who leaked the results to the media, saying it was a "dirty trick" aimed at destroying the government and the PPP.
The EC found him guilty of bribing local officials in exchange for votes in the Dec 23 general election. Mr Yongyuth will probably be forced to step aside from the House speaker's chair if the EC agrees with the investigation.
He could be banned from politics for five years if found guilty by the Supreme Court. If he is convicted, the party could be disbanded if there is evidence that it was aware of Mr Yongyuth's illegal actions but did nothing to stop them, because he was deputy leader of the party at the time of the alleged vote buying.

Bua

I woke up today around 10am. I laid in bed for an hour then made a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich. I get tired of eating out all the time. Surprisingly eating rice and tofu, rice and vegetables, or pad thai every day can get really boring.

I don't have anything to do. I went to the gym yesterday and they told me I should take another day off. So I ended up meeting up with Wong at the Hua Lampong vegetarian restaraunt. We ate there with a berkeley cal student named Jennifer. Jen's been touring around south east asia for the last six weeks. Wong went back to his place for the night and Jen and I went to the night bazaar by lumpinee park. We walked around the bazaar for an hour or so while she looked for trinkets and gifts for her roommates and brother. She didn't find anything and we sat around eating falafel.

She has a couple thai friends out here and we ended up meeting up with them in the khao san area. We sat by a converted gas station (changed into a bar) and had some beers then went to a falang bar that was pretty grotesque. Two orange skinned fat australian dudes joined our table and ogled the girls. Eventually we took a taxi back to my place. On the way back Jen puked out the side of the cab. It was somewhat sad, and somewhat funny.

I go home in a little over two weeks. I'm glad. I don't have any more goals of things to do while I'm out here. I'd still like to go to Ayuttha the old capital of Siam. I'll probably end up doing that when Vi comes out.

Shortly after arriving back home there's a smoker at Pacific Ring. I'll probably do pretty well if I continue to stay in shape out here.

A Strong Siam

A feeling of relative peace and security prevailed in the years between 1787 and 1793. The building of Bangkok continued and fortifcations steadily improved. This was the time of the curious incident mentioned in the Dynastic Chronicles arising from the visit of a French ship to the capital city. The captain's younger borther was apparently a pugilist of some renown, and he sent a challenge to the Siamese by way of the krom Phrakhlang. The Uparat took it upon himself to find a first-rate boxer. Prize moeny was set at fifty change, or four thousand baht. The Siamese champion was prepared according to tradition and, in order to increase the man's chances, magical herbs were added to the oil with which he was rubbed.

In the fight, theFrenchman apparently tried to close in on the Siamese boxer, but the latter, in accordance with Siamese rules, kept out of his reach, occassionally darting forward to delive a blow and jumping back whenever the Frenchman moved forwards. The Europeans were not familiar with this light-footed technique, and impatiently the captain leapt into the ring and seized the Siamese in order to force him to 'give battle.' The Uparat, outraged by this breach of the rules jumped into the ring and with a well place kick brought the captain down. General pandemonium broke out; the two brothers were beaten up and had to be carried back to their ship.

Probably realizing that the French brothers had been rather severely punished for their provocation, the king sent some medical practioners to their ship to offer treatment. Once the brothers had sufficiently recovered, they left Bangkok.

Excerpted from "Thailand's Political History" by B.J. Terwiel pages 76-77

Chang Bazaar

The chang bazaar is never that full. At night the tables are at most a third full. The stage is lit up by 8pm and the dancers are out in their sequined outfits shortly thereafter. Last night the dancers consisted of two lady boys, a fat girl, and a young woman, not the most attractive bunch. The lights are operated by a young hip looking 19 year old. He flips the light switches on and off while trying not to succumb to the heavy hand of ennui.

During the day the back of the stage serves as ad hoc housing. There are a series of tents and some vehicles which serve as living structures. The dancers are usually laying about chatting with each other or talking. I walk through the area four or five times a day and every time they see me they laugh and say hello. Its a little embarrassing. Lately its been rainy so the area is a bit flooded. The dancers walk around in flip flops casually making their way through the huge puddles.

I'm fighting next saturday in pattaya. I leave bangkok at the end of the month.

Today it Rained

We had just gotten back from our long morning run. Burning, one of the trainers, has had us go on a longer morning run the last two days. He extended the usual route by a half mile or more. That makes the route about 8 miles now. It takes about an hour. I was taking off my shoes when I heard Mai say "Its pretty dark. I bet its going to rain."

"No, it will get light out in a half hour," I replied.

Then the rain started, it wasn't a sprinkle, a drizzle, or a scattering of dew drops... it was a torrential downpour. I was a little scared by the heaviness of the rain and its continuity. In the states the rain will pour for fifteen minutes then will lighten up to a drizzle. Occassionally there was lightning which shut off the lights in the gym for a few minutes. It rained the entire time I was at the gym, which was about two hours. The air became humid and the smell of wetness permeated everything. Tarps were put down to keep the ring dry and sheets were dropped to keep the water away. We had to grab our shoes as the rain water was flowing onto them from the gym ceiling.

After training I sat and trained to weight out the rain to no avail. While waiting I did get to see the second episode of "The Contender." I decided that I had nothing to lose and ran to the BTS. By the time I got to the train station I was soaking wet. The rain has let up a little bit and the sun is coming out now but there are huge lakes of water.

The Bangkok was originally a marsh, its reason for becoming the capital city were defensive. Ayuutha the old capital of Siam had a similarlandscape. The rainy season isn't here yet, and this time was the first time its rained while I've been here. The drainage systems out here don't seem that good, although with the amount of rain that comes down I doubt any system could handle it.

Time to get an umbrella.

Run

My alarm rang at 6:10 this morning. I scratched my ass and rolled off my bed. After my teeth were brushed, my backpack stuffed with shorts, a towel, and spare underwear, my feet took me to the On Nut BTS stop. The BTS stop is about five blocks from my house. Looking out my patio window I was eye level with the train. My pass still had a few hundred baht on it so I swiped it and got on board the train. The On Nut stop is the last terminal on the line, until the expansion to the western airport is finished at least. The train was pretty crowded this morning. The BTS goes east on the sukumvit where many of the universities, schools, and foreign invested companies are. I got off two stops later at Ekkami and walk past Wat That Thorn, a school/temple and Sukumvit Hospital.

Lately the other fighters haven't been getting up as early as my arrival at 6:50 so I climbed over the fence and read until someone comes out. Issei came out a few minutes after I got in and so I went to bathroom to change. We stretched for a while and then began our slow but long morning jog. We ran down the sukumwit to soi 69 1/2 where we went left. We passed by a store that sells refridgerators, dvd players, and tvs. It was closed at 7 in the morning but the blonde haired street bum was in his usual spot across the street. The street takes a right and we follow it then take the next left down a major thorough fare whose name I don't know. Doing the run every day familiarizes me with the area, but distinct locations seem skewed. There are the two flower shops, the seven eleven where we take a left at in the afternoon, the gas station I go to when I have to take a morning shit, the metal working shop, the motor taxi drivers by the chickens, the mosque etc. We go towards the end of the road and by a bridge take a left. We walk a little bit past the morning commuters, school children, and food stall vendors. We go down some side streets and then run back up towards the sukumwit.

The passage south to the sukumwit has been a construction site, literally. The sidewalks are all tore up and bricks, broken pavement, and other implements litter the pathway. My second day of running with the Ingram kids had me fall and skin my knee. At first I thought it was embarassing but in retrospect running through Bangkok requires a good deal of concentration. The construction is usually done by a crew of four or five people each with one sorry looking tool. One guy will be holding a shovel, another a busted pick axe, the third a trowel. Most of the guys are young thai guys who dressed in jeans, converse, and sporting a piercing or two look like american hipsters.

We round back to Sukumwit and walk back to Ingrams from the Ekkami terminal. Everyday Issei, Akida, and the thai guys will wai the buddhist statue at Wat That Thorn. I don't, I'm not buddhist.

Things are a little better. My arm is okay. I'm doing what I want. Its just hard out here.

Another Hard Day

My alarm clock went off at 6:10am just as it does every day now. I sat up in bed and looked at my arm. It was still excessively swollen. On sunday night I didn't shut my patio window and a misquito came in to bite my right arm. A few days later my arm puffed up. The area around the bite becoming quite hot. Yesterday with a fair amount of worry I went to a hospital by the gym. I signed in and fifteen minutes later was ushered upstairs to the dermatology section. The doctor looked at it for a bit, and asked me if I had recently gotten a cast off. I replied that I thought it was a skin infection. She agreed then gave me an anti-biotic shot and an oral anti-biotic to take after my morning breakfast. I have another check up this afternoon at 5pm. The whole experience has been really worrisome. I haven't been sure of the cost, the actual infection has caused me some anxiety, and being so far from home adds to my stress.

I decided not to go to the gym today due to my arm. Yesterday when I went it was quite painful, especially when my arm was hit or jostled. I also got another bloody nose yesterday. It was the third I'd gotten in the latest three sessions of boxing. My hubris wasn't that good for me as the day that I praised my boxing ability as being better than Akida's I got my face smashed in by a Korean boxer. He opened up my nose and blood gushed out. On monday the korean boxer's trainer opened up the faucet again. When I can taste blood in the back of my mouth my heart really sinks. When I spit out blood and phlem it seems like I hardly have a muscle that beats blood through my body. Yesterday wasn't as tremendous of an outpouring of blood. I spent two rounds box sparring with the 70 kilo Japanese fighter Issei. Issei is a little over 6 feet and in good shape. In order to survive the four minute rounds I tried to keep a tight guard with my head down. Most of his punches were straight punches to my head. He threw combinations that included an uppercut. The punches would smash my noses painfully upward. Occasionally I was able to work his body a little, but for the most part it was I who was on the recieving end of the damage. AT some point during the boxing session I recieved a black eye. I didn't realize it until this morning when I looked in the mirror. My face felt pretty puffy but I wasn't sure that I had a bruise.

Being out here is both good and extremely difficult. My monetary situation is pretty bleak as Bangkok/thailand is more expensive than I predicted. The training is really good but I feel like I'm putting my body through a meat grinder every day. I feel like I've been pretty unlucky and miss the comfort of home.

Internet cafe

Today is boxing day, monday, wednesday, and friday after our short run we box. Our short run is about forty minutes long. The long morning run takes about an hour. I've gotten used to the conditions and the training so the afternoon run actually does seem short. Right after I get to the gym I'll put on my hand wraps and mouth piece then start sparring. There's a new Japanese guy, named Akida, who I've been sparring with a lot. He's not as good as me, but is my size. Its pretty fun. I gave him a bloody nose the first time we spar, and our subsequent sessions together hasn't made his nose less leaky. On wednesday he made my head ring though, and I punched incorrectly so my right index finger feels slightly sprained. My fist wasn't curled in enough I think. Besides my head ringing he also made my earing dulled, I think he boxed my bears. By cupping your opponents ears you can dizzy them, and dull their hearing. Dee Pooler showed it to me once.

The training life is pretty routine. Get up at 6am go to the gym. Find food. Nap. Read. Write. Go to the gym. Find food. Explore. Go to sleep. Its harder doing shit over here though. Everything takes more effort to accomplish. Being in the states is really comfortable. Not being able to fluently speak the language is like being a fish out of water. It has made being vegan pretty difficult.