Wasabi: M(s)+J = BLAST

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 17 Jan 2009 15:20

Been drilling clippers this entire week. I came in late for today's session, because the L train was messed up. Josh Penney said that I'm setting the bag way too high. I was setting up to my solar plexis when all you need is up to your waist. Huh. I used the rest of the scheduled session today just drilling clippers and butterflies, adding reverse whirls and one eggbeater for variation. I did a few attempts at Merlin, to my dismay, but I footed a really clean one and it punted Bruce really hard. I wish I sealed it.

I tried avoiding uptime sets like the plague.

I also drilled:

clip > near legover bs rpt.
clip > far legover bs rpt.
(mixing butterflies in as well)

I saw a cute girl stroll on by after our session, while the crew were slammin' out jokes. She skipped right past me as our eyes met. That might sound romanticized in a way, but nothing happened after that. As always, I guess.

We (Bruce, Stan, Drew and myself) ate some vegetarian asian dishes at some place near Waiverly (it was a block or two away from Washington Sq. Park). I ordered a brunch special of orange veggie chicken stir fry that came with spinach dumplings and corn tofu chowder. It was pure yum, but I think Drew ordered the best out of all of us, which were fried veggie chicken nuggets. It actually tasted like chicken.

I just came back from the bitter cold to type all of this out.

I'm going to drill clippers and butterflies like crazy on Monday. I would like to tomorrow, but I have to accompany a friend to a photoshoot tomorrow afternoon, so it's best not to meet up with her soaking in sweat and smelling like footbag. And I think on Tuesaday or Wednesday I'll be giving a tutorial on footbag stitching with another friend at a Starbucks.

I smell. I'm going to take a shower.

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 21 Jan 2009 22:24

I bought a small nifty handbag at a designer store named KAMP up at Flushing, Main Street. It's small and stylish, and yet large enough to fit a pair of shred shoes and a sewing kit in the bag. Whether I can fit a bottle of water, a sweat towel and maybe a t-shirt has yet to be seen.

Had fun hanging out with a friend all afternoon. We had lunch eating at Joe's Best Burger, and then I gave her a sewing tutorial at the NYC Public Library around the area. We got kicked around twice by security guards in the library: first as we were sitting around the kiddy table of the Children's section of the library, and an open space in the 3rd floor conference room. You can never find a liesurely spot in these types of facilities, which in a way makes me feel that I've taken my attitude at the Hunter College library a bit for granted. I think I also have a similar feeling during the few times I've spent at a couple of Barnes & Nobles around Midtown, prior age 20.

Anyway, I taught my friend my sewing method and the few basic concepts that every stitcher should look out for in making a great bag. I gave her Marmalade hexes and Cinnabar pents, filler, floss and a Glover's needle. I think during this time my passion for stitching has been refueled in a way, considering I had a pleasant time showing my friend the ropes. I also think that she's the only one to truly learn my method, so whether she masters it or not only time will tell. I just feel pretty excited that someone has taken an interest in my sewing AND wants to really learn my craft! Stellar!

Afterwards, we had some coffee at a Starbucks she works at and then watched a movie at a small-town theater around the area. We watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." If you haven't seen this film yet, WATCH IT NOW. It was definitely a beautiful movie, and if you have a kindred partner that loves romance flicks this is the movie to watch. I had such a nice thrill watching this movie finally.

Today, I've experienced that you can never be too old to feel young, and that your youth should never be blindsighted and held back by maturation. Live your life, live your "youth." I just have a good feeling that 2009 will be the year that I will succeed with whatever I have in mind in my life; in footbag, in my career, and most importantly in my travels. I feel like I can accomplish anything if I set my mind to it, and by continuing to look forward I'll be a stronger and better person wherever I lead my life. I just feel... excited!

Btw, it may not be what I want to do for the rest of my life, but I'm thinking about working at a bar as (sigh) a busboy again. Bar help, in a way. With payment and tips, it'll be easy to rake in $300 per day, and no experience is necessary (even though I do have some experience). This will help to pay the bills for me, but I think a career in departmental work at Hunter College MAY be a possibility, as well as MAYBE finding a small position at TD Bank - recommended by my aunt. I've been researching and networking like crazy over the past few weeks from the New Year that I don't really have a firm idea on what I want to do in my life, only that whatever I can get as a stable job would just have to do for now.

My new pair of Quantum 03s (that I exchanged with a mint pair) came in the mail yesterday, though, but the right shoe has a major defect in that the toe walls are drastically misaligned (so much that you can see the eyelets are diagonal when laced with, say, the "train tracks" lacing method). Disappointed, I considered that there would be too much karmic disruption in exhanging for another pair, in a different color, and that I should be grateful that I have a pair in black size 7 with a guaranteed functional sole and good clipper surface. Maybe, if I have enough money, I could be in Berlin later this year and hope for a pair of black size 7 Quantum 03s there, but that would be asking too much. I guess.

Concerning actual footbag drilling, I haven't played since Saturday. My week has been busy with connecting with old friends, looking around the Classified sections of newspapers and trying to grab opportunities. I'm a little exhausted, but also slightly disappointed that I haven't played footbag all week. I'll try to have a solo session on Thursday, but on Saturday I'll try to keep myself on the basics to ensure a healthy session.

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 24 Jan 2009 15:53

Consistent training goals for 2009:

3-4 times a week, for more than an hour at a time.

Warm up with 1000 inside kicks
15 clippers per side (set to waist height and being careful to delay the clipper foot near the calf, while suspending most of my weight with the support leg.)
clip > near legover bs rpt. x10
clip > far legover bs rpt. x10
clip > near mirage bs rpt. x10
pdx. mirage bs rpt. x10
Infinities x10
butter > same butter > infinity rpt. x5

For my butterflies, I have to keep reminding myself that I should keep my dexing leg at a right angle over the bag. I think a main problem that I have to deal with involving my clipper game is my momentum. I just push too much toward any typical direction than concentraing on a straight set and proper delay, while limiting myself from going all over the place.

Toe game is fine imo, but if I had to train with toe, consecutive downtime pixies and legover > mirage rpt. is what I do all the time. I may link these concepts with the links I have listed above, but having drilled these like crazy in the past they feel like an eyesore. Still, it's something to look out for just in case.

I repaired an old pair of Quantums yesterday. They were my first pair from Worlds '07, the all grey pair with a Brocka mod and a huge "swirl hole" on my right shoe. I managed to repair the damages with floss and pure ingenuity. They feel good and I played with them in today's session. They were okay, although I still think I have enough crank already to not need a Brocka mod. Because of this I'm feeling slightly divided on whether to keep kicking in them or not, but the only thing I'm sure about is that the soles are still in good condition.

I just want to completely obliterate my Quantum 02s before I consider transferring into my Quantum 03s or plain mesh Lavers.

I'm sewing three bags. A large amaretta/facile hybrid, a micro mini that I plan to make a keychain out of (unless someone wants it as a shred bag; as to why I don't understand nor care), and an ultrasuede soft mini 32 that will be a cat toy for a friend. Lately, though, I've just been thinking about what would make a good bag with the materials I have at my disposal and feeling advent in making those inspirations into reality.

The one order (and there are many orders, I must say) that I regret not fulfilling is Lotus' trade request last year for two all black spikey bags with white spikes. I have the materials, I have the panels, but last year I didn't have the inspiration to pursue that goal. As of right now, I think I have the drive to complete that order and then some.

What I have in mind is some black microsuede that Brian Bear gave me at NYJ, and I think it would be seriously sweet to make a microsuede spikey 32 with the specs I have in mind. A purely exciting project!

However, I think I should have a talk with Jeremy sometime next week to see if Lotus is available at a set location, because I heard he was traveling all around Australia and I wasn't certain when he would return.

Until next time bloggy.

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 03 Feb 2009 11:05

Happy birthday Way-way.

CIC flurry · Post by **CIC flurry** » 03 Feb 2009 12:01

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 25 Feb 2009 16:48

... What can I say? I don't really know what to write, but I want to write something. My footblog is the only place other than facebook where I type stuff openly for the public to read.

About three weeks ago, I sprained my ankle. Again. On the same left ankle. I was trying to do clipper drills without warming up and without wearing proper shred gear. I was playing outside in the bitter cold, with tight pants and whatever. I was wearing my brocka-modded quantums when I was doing them. I spent most of this month playing however I can, and recuperating. I followed janis' tips on ankle recovery to the tee. Standing on my toes with the sprained ankle, on one foot, is still hard on me.

Anyway, this is old news. I feel a lot better, physically, but I'm still trying to recuperate the best I can to make my left ankle function properly on its own.

I wish I can say the same for my mental state. My grandma passed away yesterday night, at 10:24 pm. I wasn't there to see her go, but I said my goodbyes to her with my family and extended relatives before we removed her life support systems. She was 94, and was too old to live any longer.

This... is hitting me pretty hard, but I'm doing my best to keep up a great smile and always look and press forward in life. I don't need to say all of the cliche things you need/should say when a loved one passes, under my footblog. It doesn't need to be said, because it's already known. I just don't want my Yun-yun (her name was Yunglau, and Yun-yun was always my nickname for her since I was little) to see me sad over her death. I want her to see me smiling happily, always, living and doing whatever I enjoy doing while alive. It's what she would have wanted from me. But, you know, smiling after a tragedy like this is always hard, and I'm not the type that expresses facial emotion too much anyway.

Because we're Buddhists, we're going to get her cremated. We're in the process of scheduling on a lucky day, and then we'll be preparing everything so that she gets a formal funeral and such.

I have a good family, and we're watching over each other through this matter. I guess I'm typing all this here to let my footbag buddies know what's happening to me as of this moment.

On a final note, though, I just wish there were people out there to help extend a warm hand to me through this tough moment in my life. I just feel like whenever I'm going through something like this, I look to people for comfort. Like, I have to call people or type stuff on facebook and whatever. No one has called me about my condition. I guess I express too tough of a front, and people assume that I'm doing alright. In all honesty, I feel a little lonely, and I'm troubled to think that most people only find and schedule matters that are convenient to them. I have this weird thought that people never go out of their way to reach toward others in a selfless way. I wish I can share this pain with someone, and let them know what I'm feeling right now, without text messages, phone conversations or blogs to inform them. This... grief that I think I'm containing in me is driving me nuts, I guess, but I can't really choose who or where to go to to find consolation.

This is enough. I promise I won't type anything personal here other than anything related to footbag. I guess.

KBizzle · Post by **KBizzle** » 25 Feb 2009 17:32

Sorry to hear about your grandma

My grandpa has also passed away recently and while I wasn't very close to him, it still hit my whole family pretty hard. I wish you and your family the best of luck in coping with the grief.

Rabbit · Post by **Rabbit** » 25 Feb 2009 19:16

sorry way

g00d33 · Post by **g00d33** » 25 Feb 2009 19:32

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. It may be hard to keep that smile on, but in time you'll be happy that you did. Feel better

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 01 Mar 2009 18:57

It hurts. It hurts to not have a left ankle that performs like my right.

This is not a vent about crank, but a vent about joint flexibility and retaining impact. It hurts to not be able to have a functional flipside atomic, quantum, or wanton set, or to be able to hit anything symposium on my left side. It hurts to not be able to bend down on my left leg the same as my right.

It hurts to land on my left foot in general, and to get ready for moves that involve my left foot.

I sometimes feel like the way I utilize my [right foot] strong side clipper is just a habit to compensate for the weakness I have on my left leg. I stretch, balance and raise my left ankle however I can to better maintain a sense of balance off of my left leg, but everything seems futile. I still feel that after all of this there is still an imbalance in my form, and it is really frustrating. My right leg is somehow in a position where it can outperform my left so much that I have to compromise several factors, like my clipper form, balance, trick variety and situational awareness.

Long story short, I just want to chop off my left ankle, fiddle around the area, and get it to work well for footbag. Maybe I have damaged tendons or a tighter hamstring on my left than my right leg, I don't know. I just don't know.

What really sucks is that I tell my foot doctor this, and she doesn't see anything wrong. That "it's normal" in the sense that legs often have an assymmetrical biological performance. I know about it, but I guess the harsh reality is that I want more for my left leg.

... I want to be both-sided really badly, and I'm doing my best to reach that goal and excel from it. But if I keep getting this mental block in my head that my left ankle is my Achilles Heel, I won't ever reach guiltless level shred, or worse, stay at a supposed intermediate level of play. What I really want is flipside stepping, and the more I think about it, the more it feels impossible for me.

Anyway, thanks for reading my diatribe. Feel free to scold me for being a whiny bitch.

edit: Ever get one of those "aha" moments where you find something that is proven to work, but you're too late to find it and end up embarassing yourself making a fuss over your stupidity?

Thank you Sergey Pikalov for invigorating me with some hope.

Sergey wrote:[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B1XvEbJUKE[/youtube]

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 07 Mar 2009 16:46

Busted out the black Quantum'03s today. Today I felt really good: Excellent outdoor weather (sunny, 57 - 70 degree weather!), shredding into new shred shoes, and raring to play outside because of the weather. Mm-MMM 2+ hour long footbag session!

But to balance my excitement I had to weigh in the bad as well. Because of my grandmother's passing and having to attend her wake and funeral in the middle of this week, I thought that it would be appropriate to play in all black (that's the reason why I started playing in my Quantum'03s). To match the shoes I wore a black polo shirt and my snazzy black/neon green shorts. And, I did my best ot keep up a great smile, because that's what she would have wanted.

I had a great time, and I achieved a lot of great highlights in my game.

-Bs clipper game felt really solid.
-Butterflies felt like butter.
-Strong side stepping, quantum, wanton, atomic, fairy, pixie felt solid
-Whirl and reverse whirl felt really good.
-Strong side double-downs were really deep.

My left ankle still felt really messed up, so I didn't work on any high impact moves that might screw with it, so most of my power moves were all on one side. Still, I had a lot of fun playing.

Highlights:

-Consistent blurs, starting into a string or during mid-string.
-Ripwalk, the same deal.
-clip op reverse whirl.
-Footed stepping same reverse whirl.

Can't wait to play next weekend on both sides. Hopefully my ankle will feel better by then.

Stitching:

I didn't get much work done this entire week because of fmaily matters, but I'm in the middle of finishing up a 32 right now. It's going out to some nameless guy named "blankers." Anyway, he's going to love these bags - they feel like butter.

I got black dental floss from some guy off of ebay, and tungsten/iron shot. The floss feels a little frail, but it burns like floss so I'm guessing it can make some really nice bags in the future. I might have some trouble with darker colors, but I think I can tread over that hurdle with ease. The tungsten/iron shot is size 4, so it's pretty big. However, with planetfootbag steel and glass microbeads, I can balance the feel of my bags without any problem whatsoever.

I received my package from Lotus from our trade in the past couple of weeks. He gave me a SWEET 20-panel that will be available in his shop very soon, so I'm definitely impressed. It's made with nice materials, loosely stitched, floppy and appropriately large for footbag shred. Really nice! I refilled the bag with the tungsten shot I received along with seed beads, and it plays extremely well. Mmmmmmmmmmm!

I also got a mini 24-panel rainbow Hardline, which I refilled and made into a keychain, so it's a pretty keen fashion accessory. Thanks Lotus!

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 18 Mar 2009 17:39

For two days in a row I've had an epic session with Ben Cooke at Union Square (on St. Patty's day and today). His shred is so awesome and motivating that I feel like I'm learning so much from playing with him. My endorphins seem like they're in full throttle whenever I'm shredding that my focus is so in tune with the bag. Although in both days on Tuesday and Wednesday I get really exhausted in maybe one hour of kicking, I get the feeling that I just can't stop freestyling. I've had a lot of epic runs, all coming close or were within the 20 contact range.

I know, Ken, 20 tiltless. I know I can hit that number with ease these days. And, even surpass it if I follow proper self-efficacy and form with footbag.

On Tuesday we had a three man circle with David Beyers. He's getting pretty good and he's incorporating a lot of freestyle soccer moves into footbag. Really intense. Wednesday it was just me and Ben in a 2 man circle. Both were 2 hour plus sessions.

Highlights:
-hit ripwalk on command
-footed assassin
-footed phoenix
-string length increased with better foot control

The only thing that was unsatisfactory to me was my flipside clipper, and I know the problem to this is because I keep rushing the delay. If I play more calmly, I know I can delay the bag properly without having to fight with the bag. Just gotta keep drilling clippers and infinities. Consecutive reverse whirls maybe.

I want to work on more toe drills. Maybe dlo > dlo repeat would be a good thing to do, because I always do consecutive pixie drills to warm up.

As for stitching, I like how my bags play with the new adjustment in bag size and bleedhole sewing with the tungsten and glass microbead filler. I also bought some baby fat pellets on ebay, and in combination with the two filler components that I already mentioned, they feel and play like winners. I made two awesome bags for Ben Cooke and they play amazingly well. I can't wait to make some bags and get them out there for players to enjoy. Sure, I don't sew up a storm like Matt Cross or Hania, but I like to be slow and meticulous in making my bags. I guess that means that I make my customers and myself suffer in terms of the timing and economic aspect of sewing footbags, but I'm content with this reasoning. It just means that I'm poorer than all of the other stitchers out there.

One final thing, hopefully I can get comfortable floor space at Will Digges' jam this weekend. I'll be bringing a sleeping bag, but maybe there will be some carpet that I can rest on. I slept on the floor through the entire weekend of NYJ last year, so I think I'll be fine with this arrangement this weekend. I have some business with shoes with Jay Boychuk, but if I can get in some shred this weekend with the attendees that would be awesome. There will be a lot of new and old faces showing up that I'll be pleased to see. I'm feeling pretty stoked.

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 09 Apr 2009 19:56

I've been playing more sessions with Ben Cooke. He's a shredding machine! Today, we kicked at Union Square with Dave Beyers and Drew Martin, although Drew forgot his shorts and couldn't stay for long. Footbag has become much more enjoyable for me these days, although the question of warming up into a session is still frustrating in my mind.

Still, I feel like I'm slowly attaining a better outlook in my performance with footbag. And, I also feel that I'm incorporating more unique concepts in my shred that I don't typically do in my strings.

What I meant by frustrating is that I feel like I'm too casual whenever I play, and I was told this during my midweek session today. I need to attack the bag more, and gain more ground and focus of where I want the bag. Obviously, not on the ground.

I only have one highlight today, and that's hitting assassin (pixie ducking mirage).

On Sunday I had a session with Drew and Ben. It was a really casual shred, and we were still working off the fatigue we gained from having an indoor session at a juggling convention in Pratt the day before (I was playing awful). However, I feel like on Sunday I learned a great deal about clipper, butterflies and osis. The general way for me to describe this is that I need to contort my body better to improve my form, but I think there's more to this. Spotting the bag, attacking it, and in the case of osis, whipping my field of vision more so that I get a better perception of my delay.

I don't know, and it may sound a bit ridiculous, but the shred on Sunday made me feel somewhat inspired, and I just want to work on clippers, butterflies and osis more and more. My current record for osis is 3 or 4, but now I want to get them higher and higher. As you can see, it's taken me awhile to understand how to delay osis correctly.

Recently, I've been getting closer and closer to 20 contacts. It's a worthwhile venture, and this goal has made me love footbag all the more. Although, I still hate bailing to toe, and getting awkward sets that force me to bail into toe.

Outside of footbag, I've been keeping in contact with this Korean foreign exchange student that I met at Union Square, when NYFA was repping at Union Square one Saturday. With the mastered conviction of Ted Fritsch's explanation about footbag, she has gotten slightly interested in the sport and me.

However, since she's enrolled and taking a lot of English classes in Kaplan, she has been super busy with her studies. I wish we can be in better contact with each other, but spring break is just around the corner. Maybe something more will happen then.

PS: In today's session, a Clavens bag (that which I owned) has unfortunately been kicked and dropped inside a Union Square storm drain.

Maybe I can convince David to stitch me another one...

colefieldhouse22 · Post by **colefieldhouse22** » 09 Apr 2009 20:09

I do believe my friend from the UMD juggling club saw you at the juggling convention in NYC that you speak of...

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 10 Apr 2009 08:57

... Is she cute?

colefieldhouse22 · Post by **colefieldhouse22** » 10 Apr 2009 10:39

He is very good looking

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 10 Apr 2009 16:17

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 11 Apr 2009 09:10

I wanna play like Erik Chan when I grow up in footbag.

Well, maybe sans any alpine concepts, because I'm not really good with my ducks and dives yet.

Radek Deko · Post by **Radek Deko** » 11 Apr 2009 09:46

Eric Chan is amazing!

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 18 Apr 2009 17:28

I met up and invited a long time friend of mine, Rene Bolanos, to a NYFA shred session. In all honesty, he's the first guy I met (at Hunter College) that introduced me into footbag. Jon Schneider and Ted Fritsch do get a lot of honorable praise for being the first two people to motivate me into sticking with footbag, but those hot spring/summer days where I would just play hack with my friends, outside of Hunter College West after class. were the most cherishable memories of hacky sack in my youth. I'm still sprouting young buck, so don't get any ideas that I'm freakin's old or anything (although at 24 I can't help but think that I'm well past young adulthood

).

Anyway, NYFA (or Bruce, for that matter) dictated that we should play at Washington Square Park this Saturday. The weather was simply AMAZING out: blossom trees were sprouting everywhere around downtown Manhattan. Just seeing the wind shed petals off of the trees just reminded me how grateful I am to be living and playing footbag so joyfully right now. It's times like these that I just wanted to play mahjong with the folks or friends, just for fun, or pass the unbelievable weather with a loved one. Sadly, I don't know where I placed my mahjong set, and I'm an unlucky person with love that the only thing I have to do today was play hack with the club.

But still, the coming of spring is always the happiest time of my life every year, and today couldn't have been any better.

Oh right, I guess I should mention this: my much anticipated relationship with this Korean foreign exchange student didn't work out so well. I just don't know what happened to her. She stopped calling me two weeks ago, and she wouldn't pick up her phone. It's left me feeling really concerned and depressed that I just stopped caring. Not to be a prick or anything, but maybe she was leading me on. I just don't have the time and energy to be playing those types of games anymore, even if it comes at the expense of a *potential* girl joining a footbag club and building a good friendly relationship from there.

Speaking of Korean, during our session there was an NYU sponsored Korean drum festival that, I assume, is a celebration for the arrival of spring. I'm typically the person that loves a lot of deafening beats, and this was the right touch to keep my blood flowing, but most of NYFA were pretty peed off by the sound. Also, there were a lot of attractive Asian women walking around for this festival, and many of these girls gave me some sweet flirts. It was a good Saturday.

I think I played pretty well, but I would be lying that I didn't have some frustrating strings. If you have played at Washington Square Park at all, the terrain that is available for the public right now is such a bumpy and uneven ground. Most of the time I was playing on a cracked floor or a slope, and I just didn't like the feel of my landing with each trick. It felt weird and uncoordinated.

There was a great turnout for NYFA, and most of all it was a sheer pleasure to be playing with Matt Isanuk and David Ciscello (two members of Columbia University's D.M.X.; Xander is staying up in Montreal for work sadly). Matt and David were shredding it hardcore, and I joined the circle with them along with Rene. Dave has told me that my form looks a lot better than it was last year, and I felt thankful that my progress hasn't gone to waste. Twenty tiltless, drilling clippers and butterflies on both sides, and now drilling osis has made me feel more positive about my game. Now, if I could just drill stepping on both my strong side and flip more often, I can be sold for life.

But still, I wish I could have played better today. I think it was a combination of the leftover McDonald's sandwiches and the sunny weather that made me feel sluggish today. Then again, I make excuses all the time, so I'm not going to give myself the benefit of a doubt to excuse my poor performance.

I... just love footbag!

Tomorrow if I'm up to it, I might get a session in with Ben Cooke and Drew Martin (or any more NYFA members) and tear it up at Union Square or some park in Brooklyn. I think the weather might be crappy tomorrow, but we'll have to see. Ciao blog!

PS: Had Japanese comfort food with Rene and a friend of mine from Hunter named Mike, and I celebrated the end of a good day with takoyaki, salmon carpaccio, a warm pickled plum riceball and awesome cold sake. It was simply delish.