Journey to Filipino Stick-Fighting

[ehowton]

I played a lot of Age of Empires III: Asian Dynasties this weekend. And by a lot I mean about 36-hours. Of course it would be just as foolish to play a complex RTS as it would a mind-numbing FPS for that long...which is why we swapped between the two every-other-game. We played UT2004 as our FPS and one of my favorite maps there is "Morpheus 3."

Advantage comes in different forms. For example, my son and his friends are rapid-fire quick on the trigger and can usually zerg-rush me to a quick and effective death. But what they have in youthful reflexes, I have in patience. There's nothing quite like sitting atop a distant perch with a sniper rifle and taking out my kids one-at-a-time, ninety times a game as they balk in frustrated hysteria. It makes me giggle.

Then last night, atop 36-hours of destruction, one gigantic-ego-filled dream; but I think I know where it came from: I dreamed last night that the Air Force Base on which I was living had been overrun by an evil overlord and it was up to me sort things out. I tried to organize everyone best I could into a focused attack, but those individuals in positions above me, and those under me were either too lazy, disinterested, scared, or couldn't find their gear. What a disappointing group of people. So I did it myself. I put on my old Battle-Dress Uniform and marveled over my embroidered name tag, "HOWTON" it read. I buckled my ALICE load-bearing [belt, individual equipment], and attached my K-BAR knife which was nestled in its hard plastic, nearly chartreuse sheath, and my sword. I didn't need a firearm. I shrugged on my Military Issue Woodland camouflage Gore-Tex coat to hide my armaments. I'd managed to drive the fighting away from the outlying areas and the evil overlord and his minions were consolidated at the headquarters building, so that's where I went next. As I was walking down the tree-lined asphalt path a flight of the General's personal guard blocked the way - too scared to go after the overload but not wanting to abandon their post. With weapons raised they challenged me for identification. I unzipped my Gore-Tex revealing my sidearm and they lowered their weapons and let me pass.

As a geek, I'm introduced to many things via Sci-Fi (the genre, not the channel, though the two aren't always mutually exclusive). One of these things was Filipino stick-fighting. Stargate: Atlantis' indigenous Pegasus-galaxy resident Tayla Emmagan was an accomplished stick-fighter which was based off Eskrima - a weapons-based martial arts originating from the Philippines. Guess who else has been to the Philippines lately? My taekwondo instructor. And he's preparing to offer a Filipino Arnis Combat Program. I know I'm not ready for that, but its something I want to do. Because of Tayla. And its effectiveness against Wraith culling. And I'm a geek.

Comments

[lehah.livejournal.com]

I just started doing eskrima about three weeks ago. Its pretty intense stuff but its all very, very basic. Well, at least its basic in that its simple but not easy. Or something.

[lehah.livejournal.com]

PS: I love UT 2004 so hard. UTIII has its moments and its a very, very pretty engine, but its frustration level is so high its missing something.

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

(Providing my kids computers can run it) is the frustration in single-player or multi-player? Because we don't run through the missions, we just LAN play.

[lehah.livejournal.com]

(Providing my kids computers can run it) is the frustration in single-player or multi-player? Because we don't run through the missions, we just LAN play.

Its really game mechanics. They added a bunch of neat things to it and tried to build up on it in the way that UT 2003 did with the original UT - but its too much and kind of hurts the overall feel. Things that should be amazing like CTF have SO MUCH GOING ON with SO MANY TYPES OF CRAFT it becomes seriously frustrating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVPSdDrQox4

No shit? That's pretty crazy. Was yours also brought on by the desire to not be culled by the Wraith?

Nope. This was - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rjtkqs3WLM

Intense as in physically demanding? Because I'm sore all week from taekwondo. I can't imagine adding to that just yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6QTKU2egGc

Put that at 1/4 speed. Thats where I am right now really.

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

That Basic Flow Sparring is awesome! Even at 1/4 speed - awfully cool. Thanks for that.

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

I just started doing eskrima about three weeks ago.
No shit? That's pretty crazy. Was yours also brought on by the desire to not be culled by the Wraith?

Its pretty intense stuff....
Intense as in physically demanding? Because I'm sore all week from taekwondo. I can't imagine adding to that just yet.

Well, at least its basic in that its simple but not easy.
So I'm beginning to understand. Whatever that means. Its the second time on this post that was mentioned. Now I'm *really* confused.

Targeted for Shermanation

[thesweetestnote.livejournal.com]

And I'm a geek

Re: Targeted for Shermanation

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

He wins the geek contest.

Re: Targeted for Shermanation

[(Anonymous)]

And gets to bed Nadia o_O

Re: Targeted for Shermanation

[thesweetestnote.livejournal.com]

Forgot to sign in when I commented LOL

[anakngtinapa.livejournal.com]

I saw Filipino and was like.. what?!

Arnis! Yes, it's called arnis here. I studied arnis for a semester. It's really cool. Makes me feel I'm all strong and can defeat anyone. Of course after the course, I forgot all about it.

And you can do it! It's actually easy to learn. I mean, even I managed to learn some basic moves, me with zero hand-eye-foot coordination. It kinda looks scary when they do it really fast. But it's surprisingly simple. It's not easy. But very simple. :)

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

I studied arnis for a semester.
That is so cool. You're like...Tayla or something.

But it's surprisingly simple. It's not easy. But very simple. :)
I'm getting a lot of that lately :/ It does seem to be the crux of things!

[anakngtinapa.livejournal.com]

Well, yea, for a semester. I chose arnis as one of my required PE classes. Only once a week, so it's still very basic. But I did enjoy it. :D

[quicksilvermad.livejournal.com]

THAT IS AN AWESOME DREAM.

I keep a pair of Filipino sticks in my car. Just in case I have to walk from point A to point B in a bad area.

That and a lacrosse stick.

And a bat.

It all depends on where I am and how "un-safe" I feel. Thanks, D.C.

The baseball bat is for my own neighborhood, so that's not saying much for Woodbridge. Actually, it's saying: Woodbridge is worse than D.C. in some areas. Like where I live. Whatever.

Point is, my mom wants me to carry a thing of Sabre pepper spray whenever I go on bike rides. I live in a crappy area.

[celtmanx.livejournal.com]

Oh, in Texas we have a cure for bad neighborhoods. We don't need baseball bats, pepper spray or anything like that. It's called a Concealed Handgun License.

[quicksilvermad.livejournal.com]

DC Metro Virginia SUCKS.

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

THAT IS AN AWESOME DREAM.

If I had to make an educated guess, "Kill Bill" would've been playing in the background.

[quicksilvermad.livejournal.com]

Fuck yeah!

[kat-rowe.livejournal.com]

oh, very cool :) I did bojutsu for awhile and always hoped I'd be able to learn other forms of stick-fighting (didn't pan out, alas, but I still find stick-fighting crazy cool and nearly wet myself squeeing the first time I saw Tayla do her thing)

have fun! :)

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

That's really cool - during Saturday's taekwondo test, I got to see the purple-belts run through their staff forms - it was awesome.

[kat-rowe.livejournal.com]

Sounds awesome :) stick-fighting is fun and exciting both to participate in and to watch

[celtmanx.livejournal.com]

I don't it's pretty geeky but you've written some incredibly geeky ones in the past.

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

What can I say?

[wardlejew.livejournal.com]

This isn't even in the realm of a geek level post. Not a single line of unix commands!

Now, most Street Fighter, gaming, nerd post... =)

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

As I explained to someone on our local city forum, The Wraith aren't real. They don't cull people. And they certainly don't do so in the Pegasus Galaxy. None of us believes that the Stargate really exists. We don't *actually* travel to other solar systems - so to engage in a real, down-to-earth martial art because of a fictional television show, I found that awfully geeky.

But I admit it may just be me :P

[celtmanx.livejournal.com]

Do you have proof that there is not a Stargate under Cheyenne Mountain??? How do you know we really don't travel to other solar systems or galaxies???