My first Kyudo Competition

It's a custom at my Kyudo-kai that everyone who plans to take Kyudo examination should enter at least one competition as a trial stage. My examination is coming up in November, so I decided to join Kyoto-City September competition (there is a name for the event, but mind me, I forgot -"-)

The shooting performance for the opening ceremony

I was quite relax as I thought it must have been an individual race I was entering. Only until I found out it was a team race! A team of "three" competes for 3 rounds; 2 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. Each time each of us gets 4 chances to shoot. The team in which gets the highest scores from shooting wins (possible maximum score of 36) . This type of competition cares only if the arrow hits the target, and the distance toward the center of the target does not matter.

setting up the targets
(The target is of 36 cm diameter and placed 28 m away from the shooting spot)

We gathered at 8:30 a.m. of Monday, September 15, 2008, a Japanese national holiday (it's an "entering Autumn day"). I dressed up in my Hakama uniform from home already, so once I reached dojo (a name to call kyudo practicing place) I only had to take care of equipments - yumi (bow), tsuru (bow string), ya (arrow), and kake (kyudo glove).

Our guy team: Mochtsuki sensei, Sakabe-san, and Yoneda-san
The guys' first two shooting

Everything was completely fine until we were lining for our turns to enter the race. Man... my hands started to sweat!!! I guess this is it that my sensei wants newbies to experience before the exam - the excitement and nervousness. Thank goodness we rehearsed our taihai (the way to walk into our position before shooting) awfully a lot before the competition.

Keeping an eye on competitors

I actually found it fun and interesting to learn of a lot of things I've never known about doing kyudo from the competition. Taihai was one. I always thought there was only a sitting form of taihai as I've always seen at the national competitions and examinations. I was wrong. There is this standing type of taihai too. Much more simple than the sitting type, but still... a lot to remember for it.

while watching and waiting

Here is the only VDO that I have of me shooting. Now I know I'm VERY BAD at hikiwake (the lowering of the bow before reaching shooting position). Result? Nope.. no hitting the target! It was not to my surprise though since I never hit the target at practices anyways :) (not counting the very one time I hit the target of the person standing in front of me! =P oops!)


Thanks P'Nha for coming to see and taped this VDO na ka

scorebook
The guy team won 2nd prize after a shoot-off
My team: Watanabe-san and Furuhara-san

Date: 2008.09.15
Place: Budo Center, Kyoto

แรกนัด.....

โอ้ว... โน.... ไม่ได้ไปนัดกับใคร.... เพียงแต่... เรากลับมาอีกครั้งกับซีรีส์เพลงอมตะ... วันนี้เป็นของคุณตุ๊ก วิยะดา โกมารกุล ณ นคร

จริงๆแล้วคุณตุ๊กมีเพลงฮอตฮิตติดลมบนมากมายหลายเพลง คนรุ่นใหม่ๆน่าจะคุ้นกับ "ไม้ขีดไฟกับดอกทานตะวัน" สำหรับชุดแรกๆก็น่าจะเป็น "เพียงแค่ใจเรารักกัน", "คนพิเศษ", "ขอจันทร์" ฯลฯ แต่สำหรับเราแล้วกลับชอบเพลง "แรกนัด" (ไม่ใช่ว่าเพลงอื่นไม่ชอบนะ) เรียกว่าติดหูดีก่า.....

search ไป search มา.... ไปเจอ MV เข้า... โอ้.. แม่เจ้า.... (โปรดดูเอาเอง... ฮาฮา)



แรกนัด

วันทั้งวันเธอตรึงแน่นอยู่ในใจ
วันทั้งวันฉันฝันไกล ใจเลื่อนลอย
อย่าทำให้เคลิ้มใจ ช่อดอกไม้่เธอให้มา
อ่านดูใจความแนบเขียนมาให้หวามทรวง

วันทั้งวันเธอเวียนวนอยู่ไม่ไกล
วันทั้งวันคงซึ้งใจคำพูดเธอ
อย่าทำให้เคลิ้มใจ เธอได้นัดชวนเต้นรำ
ดื่มดำอารมณ์เพราะเธอที่ได้เชิญชวน

ใจคอยเร่งวันให้ถึงวันนัดกับเธอ
ฉันเตรียมชุดสวยให้เธอเอ่ยชม
ผมที่เคยรวบไว้ ปล่อยยาวให้เธอคลอเคลีย
ได้กลิ่นน้ำหอมที่เธอถูกใจ

วันทั้งวันฉันเตรียมใจให้กับเธอ
วันทั้งวันฉันฝันไกลใจเลื่อนลอย
อย่าทำให้เคลิ้มใจ ฉันกลัวฝันมันไม่จริง
โปรดเอ่ยวาจาย้ำเตือนทุกสิ่งเป็นจริง

ได้มาแว้ววว.... พี่ติ๊ก ชี่โร่

หลังจากตั้งหน้าตั้งตารอดูคอนเสิร์ตพี่ติ๊ก ชี่โร่ ตัวเป็นๆเป็นครั้งแรกในชีวิต ขอบอกว่า.... สุดยอด... ไม่มีผู้ใดสามารถเลียนแบบท่านได้แน่นอน แต่ได้ดู (หรือดูได้) แค่ครึ่งนึงของวันแรกนะ แม้เพียงเท่านั้นก็...ขอน้อมคารวะ! (ได้ข่าวว่าวันแรกพี่ท่านเป้ากางเกงขาดด้วย... ตรูว่าแล้วววววว)

ขอบคุณน้องมด น้องอ่าวที่เป็นธุระให้นะจ๊ะ
(ป.ล. สังเกตป่ะว่าบนปกนี้ ท่านเค้าใส่รองเท้าข้างเดียว??)

Place: Thai Festival in Osaka
Date: September 6-7, 2008

Chill day in Siem Reap 2008

July 28, 2008

After 2.5 days of harsh tours in and around Siem Reap, we declared our last day stay as a "chill day". What do we mean by "chill"? Well.... we woke up a bit late, had breakfast, went back to sleep, woke up again to pack and finished out last minute check-out.


We walked over from the hotel to Angkor National Museum (where Iad used to work). Don't expect too much of it though. We were quite... hmmm.... what's the word.... disappointed? shocked? curious? or well... something in that sense. The first thing that caught our attention was to see the artifacts being labeled with permanent marker. Some with liquid paper (the correction pen). Maybe they have so much of this carved stone that they didn't really treasure all of them too well. This really depreciates the significant value of the Angkor as a whole. But well... sometimes things cannot be complained for.


We later went for a chill lunch at this so-called "Blue Pumpkin" cafe. The place became famous because of its cozy atmosphere and the free wi-fi internet service.

my lunch -- good at the look, but not the taste

Later in the afternoon, we went to the craft center a few minutes walk over from the old market.

drawing
stone carving

Then.... back in town for an afternoon massage at Bodia Spa. It amazed us how you can simply find this class of massage in Siem Reap town. But it definite is a good evidence to convince that Siem Reap is now not for traveling like a local, but fully tailored for tourists.

at Bodia Spa
FYI, we went to two different places for massage during our trip. The four of us + Iad agree that Frangipani (the shop we went after our Angkor Wat tour) provides much better massage than Bodia. If you plan to go there, make sure you make a reservation before hand. It's likely you won't get any available slot when you show up without rsvn.

Our last stop for the trip was FCC Angkor. We had a super quick drink there before heading back to the hotel for airport pick up. It was so funny on the way back. We were trying to find a Tuk Tuk when it could start pouring any minute. We met one, bargained for the price we wanted, but got declined. So we started walking away pretending we were alright without one. It started raining right then. While we were having a second thought of going back to beg for the driver, he probably felt shameful for us and so offered to drive us at the price we wanted. Poor him cuz it ended up he was riding in the rain when we sat rather dry on the car! If he was slower by just a mere second, he would have had us riding at the price he wanted! =P Good for us, but probably not so good for him!!


Thanks so much P'Golf and Iad for your kind VIP hospitality! It was really nice catching up and spending time with you. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and we'll surely meet again soon!

Bye Bye the Angkor!