GradeYou are on the archive wiki. The new wiki is here. Well, it's Monday (Well, it was when I wrote this...) and so bruised, battered, broken and substantially hung-over I have dragged myself into the office. Perhaps I exaggerate, I think my current state is more to do with lack of sleep and failing to stretch after grading than any beating my body or liver took during the course of yesterday. However foolish, I am still going to session tonight, although there is a good reason for this. I've got a yellow belt that needs awarding! No mons (those little stripes that give you extra 'rank'), but I know I didn't do my best in the V-attack yesterday. Though this did have a lot to do with the fact that it was in the region of 35 degree's in that hall with a high humidity (think January in Durbs…) and we were all dressed in very thick, white denim pyjamas. It was more than a little unpleasant. By the seventh opponent I was almost too hot and breathless to move. However, I passed. (Although apparently you have to have a complete mental collapse and forget everything in spectacular fashion to actually fail your yellow grading.) But, I am no longer a novice, and I now have far less fear of my orange belt grading. There's a bit more syllabus to learn, but now that I've got the basics, I think things will flow a little faster. I was being introduced last night as “Robyn; City's newest, maddest yellow belt.” A dubious title perhaps, but among the jitsu lot, a pretty high-honour actually. The friends I've made among the brown-belts just chuckle every-so-often and comment that jitsu's “got me for life.” I think, barring my city and country jumping habits, that it does indeed “have me for life”. As I may have mentioned before, I think from now on, wherever I go and wherever I settle, I will always do a martial art. One day I shall be a wizened 'Kung-fu Granma'! (Although perhaps at some point I should things about taking Kung-fu then... after all Wing Chung was created by a woman, so...) |