ehowton ◾ ◾ Journey to Filipino Stick-Fighting

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.