alwayssomuchrunning

[alwayssomuchrunning]

Blue Belt

December 16th 2019

I finally got my blue belt!

This was such a cool event. Honestly, I’ve been feeling blue belt level for a long time lol. But for some reason, my last gym didn’t really grade me. I was white belt 0 stripes; and beating a lotta 3-4 stripe guys on the daily!

But yeah, when I went to UFC Gym: the grading was pretty consistent. After 2 years of training at the UFC Gym, I finally got a blue belt!

Honestly, this is very cool! Despite the fact that I really don’t care about the belt (as Royce Gracie says, a black belt only covers 2 inches of your ass - you have to cover the rest), it’s nice to be recognized by my coach and worthy of a blue belt in his eyes.

More importantly however, being a blue belt will officially allow me entrance into higher level competitions: the blue belt Gi competitions, and Intermediate No Gi comps. 

I’m super keen to compete as a blue belt and beat some new asses! New competition (mostly lol, although some of my former white belts have also graded hahaha I’ll be rematching some of them for sure), new mindset, new decade, new belt, new everyhing!

Let’s go fucking demolish some cunts and be the best martial artist I can be! OSS!

[alwayssomuchrunning]

PAX 2019

October 12th 2019

I don’t normally write posts about conventions. But PAX this year is an exception! Holy shit, it was amazing lol!

Alright, so I had some main quests walking into PAX. These were:

Meet Former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker. He happened to be attending PAX for the weekend, so meeting him was a must.

Meet a Twitch Bae (Wolfy) from WA who I followed a week prior to PAX LOL.

These two quests were of absolute necessity to pass in order for a successful con to be successful. I’ll be honest: I’m not much of a gamer these days (filthy casual!), and playing games and shit was more of a side aspect of it hahaha.

Meeting Robert Whittaker was going to be a real pain in the ass. One: he’s consistently on the move in a huge convention centre with a sold out capacity and not a stationary target. And two: he looks exactly like a normal guy. He’s not going to stand out like say, an Alistair Overeem or a Francis Ngannou. 

In order to find him, I had to form a squad. Me and two of my guys formed a team to find him, and had a group chat too lol. If any of us were to find him, we’d tell the group ASAP and then the person who found him would tail him so that the other members can tail him so we can meet him lol.

Anyways! After about 1.5 - 2 hours, I had a lead! The first lead I had (his IG story) had me find his location. Me and the boys full analysed the story lol, such as the texture of the floor, the surroundings; and we now knew he was wearing a red shirt, which made the search hella easier! Unfortunately though, we missed him by mere minutes LOL. FML!

Another full scale search of the convention center ensued... and we still couldn’t find him. We were about to give up. But then with me having his Story notifications on, I had another lead of his location. I sent it to the boys, and they quickly figured out where he was. Unfortunately, I was split up from them at the time. 

So my guys headed out to the location, while my other guy met me at an in between point to escort me to the location after confirming him as being present at the location (he was having lunch); as I had no idea where the fuck it was LOL. Anyways, we made a MAD run for it!

And what do you know! I FINALLY see Robert Whittaker! He’s a mad cunt, and I’m really out of breath but fanboying hard at him! I tell him that he’s a National Hero of Australia, a true inspiration to Aussies worldwide, a legend, a sick cunt, as well as Australia’s champion lol. I also told him about how hard me and the crew were searching for him lol. He had a good laugh and also appreciated me for the kind words.

He’s so kind! What a legend! Anyway - that’s the first quest complete! My only regret is that I should have asked him for a follow on Instagram lol. He might’ve followed me back if I asked him lol, as he’s a very kind guy, and the fact that I was trying to track him down for 3-4 hours lol. 

He might’ve especially followed me if I referenced it like a nerd, for example: “Hey Robert my man, is there any chance you could follow me on the Gram? I’ve been trying to find you for 3-4 hours bro, and it would be the ultimate reward for my quest if you could follow me on Instagram.” LOL. But it’s all good: I was really puffed out when I met him, as I ran full speed with quite a lot of equipment in my bag, as well as in sneakers lol.

Now for the second quest! Meeting up with Wolfy who I’ve been following (although not for too long lol). I easily find her location thanks to Discord, and then I meet up with her as well as other people who wanted to meet her lol. 

This is cool and all, but tbh, I really would’ve preferred to meet her 1 on 1 lol. This would allow me to get to know her on a more personal level lmao. So we all end up watching a WWE panel together (I really needed the rest as well so this was good lol I was mentally and physically exhausted from the mission to find Whittaker) which was nice. Then from there, we just walked around the convention for a bit.

I was getting a bit bored to be honest, as her attention seemed to be more towards people she was more familiar with lol. And I ain’t great at navigating through group social situations where I know nobody lmao. Although she did talk to me a bit, which was nice. 

So I just split up from them, but not before getting a nice solid hug lmao! I fkn love hugs from good looking girls lmao.

But more importantly, I asked if we could do a follow for follow on Instagram. And yay, she follows me now! She doesn’t follow too many people on Insta either, so double yay! Haha! I hope my posts and stories and shit I do in the future impresses her lmfao! Cause she’s a super nice and great girl! Hahaha!

...if she was Melbourne based, I’d totes be trying to date her. Not gonna lie LOLOLOL. Alas...

But yeah! What a great con! The mission to find Robert Whittaker was just pure comedy and fun, and meeting Wolfy (Twitch streamer) was cool too. She’s so cute, nice and awesome hahaha. I consider getting her to follow me on IG to be a win, as I can’t really talk to her too in depth in a group situation haha!

[alwayssomuchrunning]

A Nice Day Part 2

October 1st 2019 - Dominick Cruz Seminar

So this day was uber awesome for another reason. I became an employed person again; and then I had the Dominick Cruz seminar later!

Dude! This seminar was so fucken lit! Easily one of the best seminars I’ve ever been to - around the level of the 2nd Overeem seminar I went to.

I go to the change rooms of my gym - and who do I see getting changed and is half naked? DOMINICK CRUZ! I immediately start fanboy’ing lol; telling him that I’m a big fan, he’s one of my favourite fighters, and that I love him very much lol. He seems overwhelmed but said that he appreciates that I’m such a huge fan, and that he also loves me too lol.

Now, onto the content of the seminar. I got to be the dummy for one part of the warmups! Basically, he sat on me and did situps on me lol. It was amazing lmao! I fanboy’d so hard, like Bartolomeo to the Straw Hats lol.

The BJJ was relatively standard stuff: BJJ 101. Basically flow movement and control sorta drills, and a darce choke. It was pretty cool! Being flowy is awesome!

The striking was cool af tho and what I really took out of this! The combo’s were:

- Jab, cross, hook to the body, lead hook, head kick, pivot to the left while putting your lead hand to block the opponents right hand.

- Jab, cross, hook to the body, lead hook to the head, head kick, right cross ASAP, and then shuffle to the right and land a body blow and then whatever blow from there.

I really loved these footwork moves! So simple, but effective! Basics first mate!

After the seminar was the standard Q&A. I asked him what the most satisfying victory of his career was; he said TJ, as he was being doubted coming off injuries and all that shit, as well as TJ looking very dominant.

Now after the seminar is when the fun began! I got a pic with him!

He was so cool to me! I also got him to sign the tweet he sent me a few years back about how he didn’t want to insult me when I asked if he could insult me as I was a cool, positive person lol. He laughed when he saw the tweet LOL. And I got the usual video of being assaulted by a fighter: I got Dominick to kick me in the body lmao!

Now after all that was over, I enter the change room to take a shower. After I shower, who’s getting changed with me as well? DOMINICK CRUZ! Although he’s talking to another guy, so I didn’t really get the chance to talk to him lol. But then the guy left. And I was left with Dominick lol. Now before Dominick left, he wanted to give me a hug lmao! I then told him that I loved him, super big fan, have fun in Melbourne, thanks for the seminar, you’re a legend etc. again lol.

I’m leaving for the door, and Dominick walks back lol. I then say goodbye to him again and thank him for the seminar lol, with the Cambodian bowing style lol. And he did it back to me lol. Whatta sick cunt!

My man Dominick Cruz! The greatest BW of all time and one of my fave fighters!

[alwayssomuchrunning]

A Nice Day

October 1st 2019 - The Interview

Alright, this could potentially be the turning point of a shit 2019! Ya’ll know the story - I was unemployed for most of 2019 and really struggling to find employment. I also failed the PCO test. And then when I did find a job, it was a call center job which I would quit a month later. It was the most depressing kind of job EVER. Even hospitality would be better: and that’s saying something!  

This basically resulted in most of 2019 being really shitty and depressing. I was really questioning my self worth, despite attempts to stay positive. But let’s be honest: even with a job and stuff, I will always question my self worth haha. Being unemployed and consistently rejected tho - that kind of did a lot of damage to my self worth.

Anyways! Enough of that; onto the present. So, it’s October 1st 2019 - I believe this day was the turning point of 2019, for the better. I had a job interview with the Cotton On Group for the stores in the Western side of Victoria. To be honest, I wasn’t really trying to pass this interview lol. I was just sussing it out so that I can perform better on the other Cotton On Group interviews based in the South East and Melbourne CBD stores, which was where I ideally wished to work.

So I go to this group interview. It was really the standard assessment for Xmas Retail roles. Basically, it was: introduce yourself to the group, get to know everyone. Sell the clothing that the person next to you was wearing to the group. And finally, sell random pieces of clothing to the managers. Standard group interview shit.

One thing really took me off guard with this interview tho: they were gonna announce who passed straight after these assessments LOL. And to my utter shock, I ended up passing lol. I suppose it was the carefree attitude of not going in to pass which enabled me to pass - I was a bit more social and felt less pressured.

The manager of Factorie (as I put that as my #1 preference store amongst the Cotton On Group shops) ended up asking me which store I wanted to work at amongst the Westside locations. I chose Highpoint - apparently that wasn’t available, I think. I then asked which is closest to the city; which prompted the manager to ask where abouts I lived. I pointed out that I lived in the South East, and they were shocked LOL. But they were able to give me an Xmas Casual role with Factorie based at a shopping center near me in the South East - woot!

Now look, retail isn’t my most favourite job in the world. But after working in a call center role? I’ve gained a newfound appreciation for retail again lol. It’s only temporary anyway - altho I would love to have the job there until I can become a PSO. 

And hey - staff discount on Factorie products! I do love the Factorie fashion style!

[alwayssomuchrunning]

Call Center Job

September 13th 2019

Remember how I said I had that job in my last post?

Yeah, I learnt why call centers have such a high turnover rate. Holy fuck lmao. Shit is depressing as hell, extreme KPIs, and is overall just really fucking depressing. Ended up quitting that shit because Christmas Casuals Retail is around the corner; thank fuck for that - actually got 2 interviews next week!

The environment and the job is just depressing as fuck: even more than retail! I definitely have a newfound appreciation for retail jobs now, lmao! In saying that though, the people I worked with were nothing short of good cunts: most of them around my age. My team leader was a fkn weeb lmao!

But: despite the team being good cunts, that’s not enough for me to stay in such a depressing job. I really felt like I was turning suicidal and depressed lmao. I was definitely becoming more bitter and negative. And ya’ll know that’s not me! So I left that shit before I ended up changing for the worse.

I do suspect that this period of unemployment won’t last too long: thank fuck for Christmas Casuals! Or maybe that’s just a hope. But I should be alright - hopefully. Should have a job by November at the latest!

[alwayssomuchrunning]

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competition

September 1st 2019

Ah, I did my first Blue Belt level competition on this day! Well, the No Gi Intermediate Division at Grappling Industries - blues and purples.

This was quite an interesting experience! Results wise, I went 1-3 lol. But honestly, I don’t think I did too bad for my first campaign at that level.

The losses I had, I was competitive and had them in trouble until I got caught lmao. I got caught in a guillotine (got too cocky after a takedown and didn’t fight the guys hands and tried to pass to side control, didn’t work out well lol). Got outscrambled and the guy took my back to lock in a rear naked. And got caught in an anaconda choke after a gassed takedown attempt.

The one guy I beat, I beat him 14-0. The good old classic takedown to pass to mount and let them gas themselves out while I just hold onto them lmao. I almost had an armbar at the end but! Saved by the buzzer! Lol.

Photography credit: @youwillpeak - Instagram. 

As per usual with BJJ comps - lessons learnt in defeat! I didn’t get the win as intended, but shit: at least I lost to some real solid level cunts: amateur MMA level BJJ I’d say haha.

Overall, not too bad for my first campaign at this level!

[alwayssomuchrunning]

Got a job!

August 10th 2019

Long time no update hey?! I almost forgot about this blog, LOL. I gotta try keep it alive.

I got a job 2 weeks ago! Call centre customer service work on behalf of the ATO haha - until November.

Honestly, I have no idea how it’s going to go - I’m on the final week of training atm. I absolutely hate customer service. But learning about the taxes and stuff has been somewhat interesting - although hella daunting, as there’s a LOT to know.

It seems to be a job where I will fuck up quite majorly in the first few days, but get used to it after a while.

We’ll see what happens. I’m planning to stay until November, where I’ll find a Christmas casual job after.

I’m grateful that I’m not in the unemployed period anymore. I’ve been rejected so many times haha, and it’s great that I feel somewhat needed at some workplace - even if it’s temporary, and I am very replaceable/fodder!

The good thing about this, other than the obvious money? I can finally join a proper MMA gym and afford it!

And also: there’s a few cute girls in my workplace, lmao! One in my learning group! In saying that tho; no shitting in the bird’s nest haha. If I’m gonna make a move, and this one person turns out to be single: we make a move then! Lmao!

[alwayssomuchrunning]

Bring Me The Horizon Concert

April 15th 2019

I’m not sure if you know this. But Bring Me The Horizon is one of my favourite bands of all time; right up there with Linkin Park. I’ve been listening to them since 2007, when I was a moody teen haha. So for 12 years now!

I got to see them live! Holy shit, this was such a cool experience haha. My first (big) concert ever too! I got to see ONE OK ROCK live, but yeah, it wasn’t a full on jam packed arena with crazy visuals haha.

Alright, things to note:

The music there was fucking LOUD hahaha. Holy shit. Definitely bring ear plugs when they play music LOL. Your ears feel absolutely mental after the event, it’s REALLY loud lmao.

There are a LOT of hot girls at these kinda events lmao! Holy shit! The girls that dye their hair and are full emo/rocker type, with a depressed look about them. Holy shit. Ay dios mio. My type hahahaha. Add that to the demographics of girls I like lmao!

I actually briefly got to talk to one! This one artist girl I met at Supanova the week before. Cute girl with blue hair and introvert feels hahaha. Ended up talking to her on IG after, and now we’re a mutual follow! And actually talk quite a lot to each other! Yay! She’s a real nice girl hahaha - but for now, I’m not pursuing any women until I get my shit together. (Job, where dafuq you at bro?)

Concerts are fucking fun! I need to go them more lol.

They got all the songs that I wanted them to perform lmao! Happy Song, Throne, Diamonds Aren’t Forever, Can You Feel My Heart? and Mantra. Holy shit it was cool!

Definitely a very lit night, and I definitely want to go to more concerts in my life!

[alwayssomuchrunning]

TEFL Course

January 4th - 6th 2019

This was quite a notable experience for me, to be honest. For the past 6 months or so (or possibly even longer!), I was considering TEFL as a career. But I wasn’t sure of myself. 

So what better way to confirm your thoughts than by doing an actual TEFL Course? I enrolled for the TEFL Academy 168 Hour Certificate (20 hours classroom time over a weekend - the rest of the hours are online units), with those 20 hours taking place over the weekend.

Well, the course itself was rather interesting. It was very tiring - 2 10hour days after all! But what I found notable was the crazy amount of participation students will have - we spent a lot of time talking to each other and working in groups, it was crazy! A TEFL class atmosphere is definitely not like a normal English  subject classroom, which is structured rather normally.

There were a fair fuck amount of international people, on work visas or holiday visas. A variety of different nationalities. The goodest cunts there was an Irish guy I made friends with, and an Aussie guy - but I forgot to get his IG deets! Do’h!

In any case, there was one thing I discovered - TEFL is not something I want to pursue as a career; at least for the time being. As I suspected, it is a job that requires way too much interaction, and there’s a lot of pressure; you’re the teacher, so you better be doing a good job teaching! 

I’ve realised that I just want a rather chilled out, kickback and rather low consequence job while I pursue my MMA career. But TEFL is definitely something that I would consider, if I didn’t have an MMA goal which basically requires me to stay in Australia!

In the end, while I realised that I don’t want to pursue a TEFL career, this was definitely not wasted money. It is definitely something I’d consider in the future, as well as being a rather enjoyable experience!

The other notable part of the weekend was staying in the Nomads Melbourne Hostel. This was honestly the first time I lived outside of home for a bit, outside of a school camp environment.

And it was fucking sick! The people in my dorm were cool. On the first day, I met a British guy. He was a rather chillax, kickback guy. He was really fucking tired on his first day tho, lol. He had a tuff day. It was also 42 degrees; so we were fucked! We just went out to dinner at Melbourne Central, and we had Asian food haha.

I also met a German couple who were staying in my dorm that same day. They were rather chill and nice people. Quite respectful too; they didn’t pash or have sex or anything during the night lol - unlike a certain set of Contiki pricks. They had to leave the next day tho, lol. Which led to meeting two new people the next day after my TEFL class!

They were a British girl, and a Scottish dude. Hot damn! The British girl is fucking hot haha. I got to the dorm after my TEFL class, then took a shit. When I come back outside, British girl is there haha and I immediately introduce myself and we start talking; the conversation flows quite nicely and easy! A very fucking nice girl; and she’s hot too!

The Scottish dude came into the convo later after his nap, and he’s a good cunt too! The two of us, as well as British dude all went downstairs at the pub to have drinks. It was super chill, although I limited my time as well as alcohol due to having to wake up early the next day for Sunday’s TEFL class lol. It was hilarious how they commented on how fast I drink alcohol though, haha! Ended up adding all of them on my IG (not FB, as while I feel they are good cunts, they’re not the type I would talk to all the time on Messenger, which is basically all I use FB for nowadays: a form of everyday chat to close friends, or people who I feel could become close friends).

In saying that though, I’m not gonna be sleeping at Nomad’s Melbourne hostel again haha. There’s WiFi... but only on the main floor. And in the 6 dorm room, there’s only 2 powerpoints. C’mon son! Fuck outta here haha! But on the flip side: it was very cheap! You get what you pay for! 

Next time though: a better hostel, for sure!

[alwayssomuchrunning]

Skype Convo with Paige

January 1st 2019

Well, this was a pretty cool way to start the year! Basically, I won the charity eBay Auction to win a Skype Convo with Paige hahaha.

I can’t remember 100% exactly what was said, and I asked if she was cool with the convo being recorded and if she didn’t want it audio recorded, no worries... and she didn’t want it audio recorded hahaha.

The convo itself was alright. Just talked about Survivor stuff. But I feel it was mostly one sided haha. I felt like she saw it more as a “task”, as opposed to something to “enjoy”.

In comparison, in my Skype call with Figgy, I feel as though Figgy made an effort to get to know me hahaha. I feel my convo with Paige, while cool, was pretty one sided. And also, Paige kept to the 15min limit! haha! While Figgy didn’t give a fook hahaha, we were talking for a while.

But in saying that, that’s no problem! It’s all good, and was a very fun and enjoyable conversation, ending up with her following me on IG. :D

[alwayssomuchrunning]

Final 2018 Thoughts

December 26th 2018

I’ve already recorded all the major events in 2018 here in this journal; so no need for a recap!

Let me just say though that for the most part, 2018 has been a positive year. There has only been one real depressing part of it: the post-uni job hunt period. But that’s normal; about 90% of graduates will go through the job hunt phase! It’s totally normal, so nothing to beat myself up over! I’ll find a job eventually, and then life will kickstart from there!

To pick one favourite memory in 2018 is a tough one. Way too many positive events. But it’d be between going to Japan, graduating, or winning the National BJJ competition. 

Going to Japan was a fun way to reward myself after uni. It was also my first solo trip where I learnt a lot!

Graduating is, well, graduating. Regardless of your degree, graduating is something to be proud of. Years of effort lead up to that moment, and now you are born a new person and about to start IRL.exe.

Winning the national BJJ competition gave me a lot of confidence in myself to tackle all future fights, knowing that I can win these sort of events. It also gave me a lot of attention from people lmao! Can you see me now, bitches?! Haha!

Now... if Ms. Elizabeth-chwan was single, and we ended up dating and becoming a ‘couple’... that would’ve been the #1 event LOL. Of all the girls I found myself attracted to this year (and man, were there a lot of girls I had an interest in this year lmao! Shit became a meme with one of my mates LOL): she was definitely the most attractive: internally, and externally.

But alas - she’s taken, so it is what it is. And I have no intention of telling her the above; I don’t want to start drama hahah (but I suspect she knows that I have some level of attraction towards her rofl). Onto the next girl, whomever that is hahaha. Or perhaps revisit that chapter if she ends up single and I’m still single too haha.

Overall, I’d rate 2018 a solid 9/10. Maybe the best year of my life, tbh. 

Anyways! That sums up 2018. Now to make another post on my 2019 resolutions. :-)

[alwayssomuchrunning]

Australian National BJJ Championships 2018

August 11th 2018

I competed in the Australian National BJJ Championships 2018! I entered two divisions: the 79kg novice No Gi, and the open weight No Gi.

When it was weigh in time, I weighed in at about 73.1kg - way under! And apparently so did everyone else in the division! There were only 6 of us in the division, and I was placed in a semi final bracket! This guarantees that if I was to win that match, I would get a silver medal for sure.

The 1st match was pretty intense. The dude was very tough. Just like the last competition, my body was very... full of adrenaline. Most likely due to self put pressure on myself. I wanted to win so bad, and it made me nervous. This made me very aggressive, but also at the same time, made me gas out pretty quick. The good news is that both my opponents also gassed out quickly too!

But ultimately, I would wound up beating the dude 9-0 on points. Quite a dominant victory if I say so myself. I was never really in any trouble, outside of gassing out. Takedowns and control were the key to victory! Beating him, I was now guaranteed a silver medal!

And now we go to the finals. Again, this dude was very tough. But also again, he couldn’t really do much to me. I beat him on points - 6-0. This dude was a fair bit harder though. I couldn’t really do anything on the ground against him - all my points came through takedowns! 3 takedowns each worth 2 points each. 

I had difficulty passing the guard of this guy and finding openings. This match was also a mud fight lol. We both got severely gassed quickly into the match lol. This match just became really messy towards the end lol. He would try to shoot on me, but I would basically sprawl him every time. 

But yeah - I beat him, basically unscathed, on points anyway lmao! And because of the win, I won the 79kg no gi division! Now, there was another 79kg no gi division. A whole bunch of people were put into that one, and the winner would have to have won 4 matches to win. The event apparently broke a record number of participants, so I guess there were too many for 1 bracket. But whatever dude, I still won a gold! And basically got in and out unscathed! Not once was I on my back. Well, I was for about 1 second, but then got up immediately haha.

This was my first major BJJ competition victory, so I am very pleased with myself! Even though it was only against 2 guys, I had to go through hell to get here. Both at the event and out of the event. All these years of training, consistency, and all that good shit. This proved to me that I have been training hard, and that hard work does indeed pay off! Even though I know I could’ve performed a lot better, and most likely the other guys too, they were tough guys to beat - so I’m happy to say I beat them!

Of course, while I am pleased, I am most definitely not complacent. This is just a minor victory at best. I want to climb to higher heights, in MMA. That is, and always has been the ultimate goal.

But like I said before though, I am very pleased with winning gold at the Australian National BJJ Championships! Very much so that the next day at Animaga 2018 in my Trafalgar Law cosplay, I was also rocking my Gold Medal around LOL.

I may as well talk about Animaga too on this post while I am it lol. Honestly, it was the same as any other convention. But the positivity boost that the medal gave me was hilarious lol. 

A lot of people were impressed that I won a major BJJ competition lmao, and I even used it as a point of conversation with a cute artist girl HAHA. And she followed me on IG too! Unfortunately, she didn’t want to add me on FB haha, only choosing to add close friends. That’s fair play - I suspect we’ll talk a lot more if I see her at the next con hehe.

Hey,  you know, I only got a short period to impress people with this lmao! Let me take advantage of it. HAHAHA. Act like a big shot for one day, and just that one day HAHA. Synced up perfectly hehe. Next medal for the next con! Haha.

So yeah... I guess winning a gold medal was pretty cool!

[alwayssomuchrunning]

Japan Trip: University Graduation Celebration

July 21st 2018 - July 30th 2018

I went on my first solo trip (to Japan) this year! Like, first solo trip ever - no tour, no family; just me, myself, and I.

This was a very interesting experience for me. I’m not gonna lie: when I was at Melbourne Airport on my way to Bangkok, I was hella nervous. What do I do when I get to Narita Airport? How do I find my way to the hotel? What happens if I get lost? If I take the wrong train? etc. 

Well, it wasn’t as bad as I thought! It was much easier than I thought actually! And the Japanese people made it hella easy. To get to my hostel, all I needed to do was take the Narita Express to Tokyo Station. From there, take the train to Akihabara station. And then Google Maps would lead the way! I had a 7 day unlimited data SIM card to use! Thank fuck for Google Maps and internet data - honestly, I’d be dead without it!

From there, I just ventured out to do various shit. To put it simply, I explored Akihabara, Harajuku, Shinjuku, Shibuya, One Piece Tower, Ueno and the Tokyo Tower and surrounding areas of the aforementioned areas. My favourite part was the One Piece tower! If you know me, you know that I’m a huge One Piece fan. So that really was one of the most dope places I’ve been - ever! Harajuku was dope too; that place is a shopper’s paradise! I bought a sexy as Japanese Punk Rock set of clothing there :D 

But honestly, what I want to talk about here is my growth; not so much what I did. Quite frankly, if I talked about what I did every day during the trip, I would be typing forever and this post would become full uni essay length lol. 

I do recommend going to Japan though! Easily the best country I’ve been to in my life - I’ve been to quite a few! I definitely want to come back for 2020 for the Olympics.

But yeah, going in, as I said; I was nervous as hell. But as the vacation went on, I became more confident in my ability to just, well... navigate and survive. I didn’t die! I’m actually pretty capable of being street smart haha. There were various tricky situations such as with public transport, taking the right trains and finding various places - I did all these by myself! Didn’t have to rely on anyone, lol. Well, except Google Maps haha. Overall though, my confidence has received quite a boost from this!

I also learnt that I actually really enjoy solitude. I was really alone here, y’know. Because of the solitude, I had a lot of time to myself. This meant a lot of time reflecting on my life. Where I am, what are my goals, reminiscing of the past, what I want to do afterwards, what I want to do in a few years from now... that kind of shit. A way to refresh the fountain of ambition, so to say.

I did stay in a hostel - but everyone at the hostel, or at least in my dorm room, kept to themselves and did their own thing. We didn’t really talk to one another. But I did make friends with a Japanese guy there! He was really kind, and we got along very well.

When I was alone, I didn’t have to answer to anyone but myself. I could go wherever I wanted without coming to a compromise. This felt really good - I could go at my own pace, and change plans on a whim. Lone wolf stats, brah! 

In saying that, however, I do prefer to go overseas with people. While it was fun to be alone and quite a learning experience, overall, I prefer the presence of people to talk to rather than being alone. Whether it be on a tour, or with mates. But I do feel that going on a solo trip at least once is necessary! You will learn so much about yourself and what you’re capable of. What happens to you, is entirely on you. And how you get out of those situations is also entirely on you.

And honestly? Most of those situations are rather easily solved if you got Google Maps and unlimited data! Lol.

To conclude, I can say that this vacation has ended the last phase of my life. The student life is all but over. I have officially graduated from university now. This vacation was my final hurrah to celebrate it.

The next phase? Find me a full time job!

[alwayssomuchrunning]

The End of the Education Adventure

May 28th 2018

Wow. I just did my final test for university today. I am now, for all intents and purposes, a uni graduate in the Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Japanese. I mean, officially, I’m not a graduate - as the results for the subject aren’t released, but I’m quite positive I passed - thus, completing all the units I need to complete to graduate.

This feels fucking surreal. The education adventure is one that I’ve been living, basically since 1999. However, let’s go with optional education - tertiary education. I’ve been doing it since 2012 through TAFE, studying an Advanced Diploma of Justice and I did uni from 2014 to 2018. I should’ve been done in 2017, but alas, timetable issues.

But maybe that extra year was for that best. I undertook some serious growth between late 2017 to 2018, particularly through The Green Army, which I talked about in an earlier post, as well as more self discovery and creation. 

With an adventure, there’s bound to be treasure discoveries. In the case of the adventure of tertiary education, yeah, I guess there’s been some serious discoveries. I will keep this discussion about the Uni years though, and not so much the TAFE years - as the uni years are the present chapter; TAFE was the previous chapter.

I’ve gained a lot of knowledge. From studying the Japanese language which was really fun (and also difficult), as well as better understanding of the international system at work. Shit is fucked up, and absolutely crazy, and most people just don’t know about it. Perhaps it is a pointless degree in terms of job prospects. Those people may be right. But alas, I have no regrets. I have really enjoyed this degree, and it has taught me a lot.

I’ve also met a lot of people. People whom I still talk to to this day. Many precious friends were made in uni. From my very first friend Yulia (who appeared to me in a deja vu situation where I dreamed of meeting a Russian girl at uni lol) to the very last people I added on my Facebook for group assignment purposes, Lachie and Ben, I have met many people. But to be honest, the amount of close friends I’ve gained through uni can probably be counted on one, maybe two hands.

Overall, uni has just been a seriously fun experience. From the social factor (although granted, there isn’t much of a social life in comparison to USA colleges lol) of meeting people, to fun subjects, to learning Japanese, to giving me something to do when I needed downtime, to all the amazing hot chicks there, to my growth as a human being during this time period... it’s really been one hell of an adventure.

To be honest, I am not 100% sure where post uni life will take me. But I know where my ultimate goal is. I just need funds to provide for that ultimate goal through a job.

As of this moment, I have 3 types of jobs in mind: environmental conservation, TEFL, or an office job. Any will do.

This uni adventure is now at an end. It’s time to walk a new path. And I hope it will be more enjoyable than the adventure of tertiary education.

[alwayssomuchrunning]

Work Final Hurrah + Survivor Watch Party

10th May 2018.

Ah man! This day was so dope!

Well, firstly. The first thing I did was go to the gym. I couldn’t hit BJJ or wrestling that night because I had events planned lol. I did a kickboxing heavy bag workout, 5 5minute rounds, with about 30 seconds of each round dedicated to pure power punching in 3 different rounds and 20 seconds in the last round lol. Gym stuff, nothing too interesting - typical of my day.

But yeah, the plan was to meet up with workmates for one last hurrah. We went to a Chinese restaurant in the city, which was pretty nice! All those people at work are a bunch of mad cunts, even if I don’t talk to them too much lol. The Green Army was legit the most chilled and best place I worked at lol.

After that, I end up going to the Survivor watch party meet, LOL. I come in at around the same time as this mother aged lady and we end up asking about the deets of the Survivor watch party lol. Then we find out that the place that we reserved doesn’t open till 7:30PM, and so we just sit at another reserved table until then lol and talk a lot of Survivor and life.

Mother girl was pretty nice lol. She told me she had a daughter coming too (named Liz), and that she’s on her way lol. She was a pretty nice girl - had some pretty good convos with her about Survivor lol. Unfotunately for me - she’s taken! I think she’s quite freakin attractive - inside and out! But oh well, LOL.

Also ended up meeting another girl named Claire at the same event! She was pretty nice too! Got them both on Facey now haha. Survivor nerds! Yay! I’ll keep in contact with them for sure hahaha.

What surprised me a lot about the Survivor fanbase here is that it’s very diverse. Lots of males and females of all types - and a lot of hot chicks too! As a gamer/cosplayer/anime guy, I’m really used to real cringy weirdos, tbh haha. Or as an MMA guy, just typical alpha male types lol. But the Survivor fanbase had a lot of normies - but a nice level of nerdiness! Not too excessive (Anime/manga/cosplay), but not too normie (MMA) hahaha. My kinda crowd!

I ended up meeting 3 Survivors. Anneliese (who I already had contact with before LOL), AK and Andrea.

Let’s start with Anneliese. Ah! She recognised me on the spot HAHA. She was so damn awesome! We ended up talking for a while and got mad pictures too HAHA. Talked a lot of Survivor, life and other cool shit lol. Got along so well with her, and she’s pretty tall man LOL. I rarely see girls as tall as me LOL. So friendly! I love her haha. Got to hug her a few times too LOL.

My man AK! Definitely one of the funnier Survivors ever LOL. His fucking antics during the show HAHA. I was so hyped to meet him, and he loved my energy I think HAHA. Chicken Idol LMAO. Mad cunt he was! Pretty kind dude, lol.

Andrea! She came from the US to Melbourne, I think on a whim LOL. Ahhh! She was so nice! Ridiculously so lol. And I asked her if Phillip was actually a troll, or like that in real life HAHA. And Andrea said he was like that in real life, LMAO. Hey, I still believe Phillip is a troll tho. 

She also said she’d follow me on IG and to just shoot her a DM! I did, but as of yet, she still has yet to follow me. And tbh, I don’t think she will haha. Despite the fact that she loved my energy haha. Oh yeah, and I also hugged Andrea about 3-4 times HAHA. Low key copping dem feels, brah. HAHA.

Funny conversation:

Andrea: “What’s your name?”

Me: “I’m Geoffrey! How about you?”

Andrea: “I’m Andrea!”

Me: “Oh fuck LOLOL I know who you are! What the hell, just natural instinct HAHA awkward!”

Then I walked away lol because she was being swamped by people and I didn’t wanna take up too much time lol.

It also happened to be her birthday! Perfect timing lol. She turned 29. Woo!

[alwayssomuchrunning]

Victorian State Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Competition 2018

April 14th 2018

Man, this was a fun day!

I entered my very first *serious* Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competition. I put myself in the 79kg Novice Males No Gi division. The weeks leading up to it were quite hectic - a lot of training and preparing. A lot of telling people about my plans to win and how much it means to me (particularly my work crush lol) and just a lot of everything.

When the brackets arrived, I was matched up with 13 other people. 14 people in the division all together. 4 matches to win to reach 1st place. Quite a stacked division.

The day arrived. It was quite fun. I was up at 9:30AM. Thankfully, one of my gym boys Dean hooked me up with a ride to the Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre... replacement buses were running that weak from Westall to Caulfield and they’re quite a pain in the ass.

One thing that REALLY bugged me about the tournament was that I needed a White rashguard and normal MMA shorts I think it was. I brought my Pride Troopers rashie and tight Bad Boy shorts. I had to buy a Koral White Rashguard and borrowed MMA shorts from a teammate of mine - thankfully he was there! Fucking life saver he is, saved me serious mulleh!

The feels when I got called up to weigh in and get ready was quite nerve racking. I was really nervous about competing, but also very excited. Seeing my opponent weigh in, I introduced myself to him lol. He was a very nice guy. I don’t know if his mentality was of that where he needed to detest me, but yeah, he was pretty nice to me and I was nice to him lol. But I didn’t enquire or talk much to him - as he was my opponent, and I didn’t want to get too friendly at that point.

Yeah, when it was time for the first match - it was hectic. The dude came at me HARD. But all for naught - I used that momentum against him and hit a double leg takedown lol. He tried a kimura and a guillotine on me - both failed. Eventually, I got took his back and choked him out when he gassed out. 

This was an amazing feeling! I told my work crush that I would finish a guy, and that I’d gift them their neck/arm/whatever body part - and that I did, dedicated the match to her :D LOL. 

In any case, man - the adrenaline dump was real. I was nervous af and my body was shaking and sore and everything lmao. Had a bit of time to rest before the second match.

The second match was a weird one. It ended in a DQ lol. I hit a takedown on him. Got to half guard. He was getting up and then I tried for a guillotine, then he tries to take me down. I would’ve been able to finish the guillotine in normal circumstances, but adrenaline dump man... my body was weakened lol. He fails to take me down, and then I get him down. Then he goes for an ankle lock... uh oh. Illegal in novice/white belt division LOL. So he gets DQ’d lol. Not the most satisfactory way to win, but whatevs - I’ll take it lmao! I was ahead on points, and honestly, I think I would’ve controlled him to win a comfortable decision.

Now I was on my third match. Sadly, this is where my run came to an end. I took him down, and he goes for the guillotine. As does everyone else when I take them down. And he fails - just as most people do when they try the guillotine on my takedown lol. I’ve escaped the guillotine choke a lot of times at this point - it takes a real impressive guy at the white belt level to guillotine choke me. But a small lapse in error, and I got caught in a kimura. Fucking LATERS bro!

Ultimately, I came 4th place out of 14 people. Not the final result I wanted, but I’m proud of myself! I put in a solid training effort leading up to the tournament, and got a decent result. 4th place isn’t too bad! I won 2 matches, and I should be proud of that. :-) 

I definitely gotta train harder though! Also, UFC Gym is alright. But honestly, in terms of martial arts, it’s basically just a BJJ gym. The Muay Thai and Boxing classes are basically just boxercise. Which is a waste of time. I need to join a proper MMA gym - but I don’t have the proper income to join one at the moment - they’re all expensive! For now, I’ll just level up my BJJ and wrestling. BJJ is a must for MMA!

My kickboxing is alright at the moment. But sadly, it’s on hold until I get a full time job - should be around the end of this year or start of next!

This is merely just the beginning of my MMA journey. When I get enough cash mulleh (aka a full time job), I’ll join Absolute MMA in the CBD... and then my MMA journey can truly begin.

I’ve got a lot to work on, but don’t we all? That’s life. You win some, you lose some! Onto the next martial arts tournament!

[alwayssomuchrunning]

Alistair Overeem seminar

February 9th 2018

Holy fuck it was so fucking surreal.

Firstly, I enter the gyms changing room, and who do I see? None other than Alistari Overeem getting ready, putting his handwraps on and everything LOL. I say hi to him starstruck as fuck HAHA.

The seminar itself was mad too. Lots of good kickboxing moves learnt! And I brought up the hook he got JDS with LOL and he showed us it and used me as an example LOL. It was so cool!

He also used me as an example for a guillotine choke when he was demonstrating to my partner. Holy fuck, his guillotine is the most tightest guillotine I’ve ever felt in my life LOL I tapped out very fast.

Finally, I asked him to kick me in the body like he did Brock Lesnar. Man, he love tapped me and it still hurt HAHA. And the cameraman of “The Reem” documentary got it on video too, so I might be on the next episode of The Reem HAHA. He asked me why I wanted to get kicked in the body and why I like Alistair as a fighter LMAO.

Oh yeah, and who do I see when I enter the gym dressing room again? None other than Alistair Overeem (and also 2 other dudes lol). Full topless, and I even saw his ass LMFAO. “WOAH! Wvery Fantastic Body!” indeed. Dude is RIPPED LOL. And he asked me if I wanted to become a fighter and called me a ninja boy LMAO. I take the fact that he asked if I wanted to be a fighter as a good thing? Yeah boi!

Definitely one of the best memories so far of 2018!