Is that a hiccup I smell??

There's been a hiccup in the previously mentioned routine. . .

a very good thing indeed. . .

I've taken up a taekwondoe class, which consistently reminds me I am neither Asian nor coordinated, but the instructor is patient and has a good nature, so I have to continue to train--there will be a moment in a dark alley. . .and I will use my training. . .it will be rainy, fumes of the city communing with the acid rain, I will be walking home quietly unaware. . .and there, in the shadows lurks a. . .a . . .a dog, yes a dog, and he is stalking his prey, a gutter cat. . .my super taekwondoe senses flare. . .in one quick moment I swoop up the cat and shield him from the attacking dog. . .and the world will be right again. . .well, sort of. (and to think I'm not a big cat person. . .)

I've also started running again. I, foolishly, took a month off. . .I was so used to running in the country or in a gym, that when presented with only city streets to run, I became intimidated. Body suffered quite a bit, but things are on the mend. . .In my "little" city of 2.2 million people, there is a park--an oasis--of green beauty with what seems to be never-ending crooked trails that take you here there and everywhere. I find myself getting lost in them, and I am perfectly okay with that. Along the trails are workout stations, which include weights, hula hoops, and stretching machines. . .they seemed to be geared towards seniors, but I quite enjoy them.

I do love getting lost in a run. . .

The people around me are nothing short of amazing. I always have a fear of not making friends. . .it must come from my years in private school where I felt ridiculed and never good enough due to a contradictory religion that seems to serve no purpose but to make rich people feel good about themselves (but that's another story). . .so, I always enter each new moment with heavy trepidation--and it can be crippling at times. And so I wonder why I continually throw myself into these situations. . .but so I do, and, you know. . .I always end up meeting amazing people, with extraordinary talents and insights and humor.

. . .the strange thing. . .

I always become silent among them (meaning all people I meet in life), and take them in. I lose my own wit and humor for awhile. It is off-putting, and I am not sure why it happens. . .I find myself testing the waters--throwing in a joke here and there and see how it is received. . .

so far so good. . .I find myself coming alive more. . .

I love getting to know new people. . .I love getting to know these people.

I am loving this life moment. . .I know I will not stay here forever. I still have many more things to see and do, but because of this experience I am adding to my list of things to do--like Madagascar. . .yeah, I am going there.

and the teaching. . .well, I have my moments as all teachers do I suppose, but overall, it is good. The kids are awesome despite how much they make me crazy at times, and so is the academy I work for. . .

So, I realize I haven't written in a while. . .I think I am still trying to figure out what this blog is. . .it started out as an outlet to tell people what I am doing. . .but it's turned into a place where I just reflect, with bits of Korea thrown in here and there. . .perhaps it is a bit narcissistic, but it is not intentional. . .I just think that's what happens with experiences. . .we relate them to ourselves, and what are we made up of--moments. Just moments. . .good and bad. . .the scenery may change or stay the same, but the moments are always churning.

and so a quote. . .a bit off kilter, and nothing to do with the tone of the writing, but it works for me right now. . "alright brain, I don't like you and you don't like me--so let's just do this and I'll get back to killing you with beer." --Homer Simpson