My baby and I were just reminiscing abt old wrestlers this evening. In my little search, I found out some very fascinating, if not morbid information..
Texas Tornado - His shortlived career ended cos of painkiller addiction/ arrest and he eventually committed suicide in '93, 3 yrs after his WWF debut and Intercontinental belt win.
Sgt Slaughter - This ex-wrestler was a propagandistic icon for the US govt, instilling a sense of pride in youth for their country. Now has televised programs, and is involved in charity and golf tournaments. Apparently had an appearance with the late Mother Theresa.
Yokozuna - this polynesian faded from the WWF scene cos of a failed physical test. He passed away in his sleep due to heart failure. I suppose he had to have seen it coming.
Razor Ramon - Apparently this wrestler had a real bad reputation out of the ring, to quote the article, "despite his unquestioned ability, (Ramon) may only be remembered for never encountering a law he couldn’t break." Allegedly appearing at shows drunk, he was fired from WWF in 2002, and that was the end of his career.
Jake "the Snake" Roberts - In 2004, he was charged for animal cruelty, guilty of starving his pet python (which died soon after discovery). He was arrested for cocaine possession earlier this year, but apparently no drugs were found. He has just undergone hip surgery from a fall in a match some years earlier.
Miss Elizabeth & Lex Luger - She was really married for a time to Randy Savage and took up pro wrestling as a result. She later got together with Luger. She died in 2003 due to a mix of pills and alcohol in the presence of Luger, who was later "charged with 13 felony counts of possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of distribution of dangerous drugs". He's now in a detention centre.
Million Dollar Man - He is now a spokesperson for the Sunshine Foundation, an organization that grants wishes for critically ill children, and has founded Heart of David Ministries (for which he travels the world as an evangelist furthering the Gospel of Jesus Christ). He recently spoke out against the sex and vulgar language in the current wrestling product and is currently exploring the possibilities of starting his own small federation which would be run as an outreach of Heart of David Ministries.
Doink, the clown - no wonder I alwiz thought he looked different. Quite a number of wrestlers played as this moniker till 1995! Why do Americans love to see clowns fight??
Junk Yard Dog - He was fired in '90 and later brought back for various appearances. He died in a fatal one-car accident on his way home from his daughter's graduation in '98 and was recently inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Mr Perfect - found dead on a wrestling tour in 2003. He had died of "acute cocaine intoxication".
Legion of Doom - They tried a comeback in '97 without much success and were later dropped. Hawk passed away in his sleep in 2003.
Big Bossman - passed away of a massive heart-attack in 2004.
British Bulldog - Davey Boy Smith had drug problems, after many attempted comebacks, was finally released by WWF. He died of a heart attack in 2004.
The Ultimate Warrior - legally changed his name to "the Warrior". In 91, around the time I was nuts abt this dude, he disappeared from the scene. I now noe it was cos he tried asking for more $, but was fired instead. Apparently made a comeback in 96, defeating many players, but ended the streak by non-appearances and subsequently got fired. Now selling Warrior Workout videos online before attempting another comeback.
Whaaat a ruuuush!!!
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Majulah Kapo
I did a very singaporean thing today.. proof that I do have some singaporeanese in me after all. Before the last turn into my estate, I saw blue lights flashing, an ambulance, a squad car and many police men at the junction. All cos of of a smashed up cab, and a bashed-up car stuck on a traffic island adjacent to the cab.
I craned my neck to get a better view, slowing down at the same time. Damn, obstructed by lamp-posts and trees. Typically, groups of pedestrians had gathered to kapo around the junction, having small discussions. Hmm.. I had a strong desire to stop there and go kapo too.. if not for the car. I then quickly drove home, parked the car, took out my kendo equipment, took my helmet and jumped onto my bike. HAHA
I arrived at the junction, walked up to a random man, and starting plying him for info. The guy was quite an expert on the workings of ambulances at accidents. I asked if he knew if there're any casualties to which he said, "If they (the ambulance staff) start keeping the stretcher and packing up, then the situation mite not be too good." Within 2 seconds, the ambulance staff did exactly that! Mebbe the guy in the bashed car who mite also have been stuck (cos Civil Defense guys had not arrived yet) had died..
I hung arnd for several more minutes, then decided that I have had my fill of being kapo, and bid adieu to the man, and headed home.
I craned my neck to get a better view, slowing down at the same time. Damn, obstructed by lamp-posts and trees. Typically, groups of pedestrians had gathered to kapo around the junction, having small discussions. Hmm.. I had a strong desire to stop there and go kapo too.. if not for the car. I then quickly drove home, parked the car, took out my kendo equipment, took my helmet and jumped onto my bike. HAHA
I arrived at the junction, walked up to a random man, and starting plying him for info. The guy was quite an expert on the workings of ambulances at accidents. I asked if he knew if there're any casualties to which he said, "If they (the ambulance staff) start keeping the stretcher and packing up, then the situation mite not be too good." Within 2 seconds, the ambulance staff did exactly that! Mebbe the guy in the bashed car who mite also have been stuck (cos Civil Defense guys had not arrived yet) had died..
I hung arnd for several more minutes, then decided that I have had my fill of being kapo, and bid adieu to the man, and headed home.
I dun really care what Whacko Jacko does really.. and I dun wish to speculate on the truth, but this vid is just funny la.. "I didn't cop a feel - MJ" hohoho
Monday, May 23, 2005
Onigiri Love
And so, I've finally gotten down to putting my recent trip to Japan here. I would start off by saying that this trip had only 1 primary objective, and that was to spend time in Japan with my dearest, Shermaine. I did accomplish that objective, the longest time apart was prolly when we were both involved in a junior-high school kendo tournament (yes.. we were both over-aged for it).
While in Singapore before I left, I recalled feeling a sense of relaxation and smiling to myself when i recalled a miscellaneous train announcement (your typical train announcement of which station is upcoming in japanese). A long-anticipated trip it was as u can see.
So I planned the trip for Apr27-May8, got the tix, and left, this time packing some days before, unlike my usual last-minute style. The sky was over-clouded this time round, and also because I sat at the wing, I couldn't get my favourite view of the Japanese coast as the plane comes in from the sea. Using the train-route Shermaine found on Yahoo!, I made my way to Waseda Hoshien in the exact estimated time (now u noe why the JR derailment was all cos of the driver being late, and how tardiness was looked badly upon).
All I can say is - I was really glad to see my darling once again (after a 6 mth hiatus!). We spent the next few days together, not leaving each others sight except for when she went to the kitchen to cook (I put on 2 kgs), the afore-mentioned tournament, and when she went into Ueno station to purchase Justin's mochi foodstuffs. We literally lived with each other in those few days, barely apart for minutes at a time. What a great experience it was, getting to noe someone so well, and spending so much time travelling together. We agree that most couples don't exactly get that kind of opportunity much, so we were very thankful for the chance.
Highlights of the trip:
1) Sakurada Shimbashi Keiko
In the evening of the 1st day, we went to Shimbashi to practise, the dojo that Sasahara sensei introduced me to. Since I was unable to contact him this time round, I was surprised to see him there! It was an excellent reunion, he was beaming beneath his hochiew, and we had a good keiko. I met several of the senseis there again (like Ishiki), and some new ones (Fujina.. err.. Fujiwara). And somehow they paid for supper and beer once again. In any case, I believe the Sakurada ppl may make a trip to Singapore in the near future. What a treat!
2) Toyama Park Picnic
My dearest made a lunch of delicious bento which we brought to the nearby Toyama Park for a picnic. We walked around looking for a nice spot to lay out our mat. In the end we found a shaded spot in a corner with a view of the dog-owners community and soccer teams running in formation. There we encountered a dog called Haru (reminded us of haru haru ikuze!), who was so disobedient, his owner was literally chasing him around the park! We experienced kempecki, and I was so comfortable I fell asleep! =)
3) Tokyo High School-organized Tournament for Junior High Schools in Tokyo
Sherm came to practise here once with the Togoshi boys and Mr Tajima, and she was gushing abt the practice, led by Takeyama sensei. To start, it was a beautiful school, with a beautiful underground dojo. Tajima sensei put the word out that I was a mercenary kendo player willing to play for any team, and there just happened to be a Shinagawa-region junior school team who were in need of an extra player. I was introduced to the kids, and they were a really cute bunch, except the taisho, Kona who was super serious. Unashamedly, I chromed all the kids I faced. In one game, I was the only one who got 2 points off a player in an exceptional team. At the end of the game, each team bows to each other, and I noticed that my opponent had red-eyes, since he was the only one who lost in his team for that game. I quickly went over and patted him on the back giving him an earnest "gambatte!" I think he took it well.
Sometime close to lunch, we were introduced to Yazu, he was Takeyama's son. He did an excellent job of taking care of us the whole day. Furthermore, we were brought to Takeyama sensei's office to have lunch on his couch. What hospitality! =) At the end of the takai, there was godo keiko, with all the senseis who were present that day. It was fabulous! I had quite a few keiko (within the 2 sessions that afternoon), cos I kept going for the shorter lines, or looking for sensei who were standing there (technique I picked up frm various places), and was later extended an invitation to practice at Tokyo Gakuen anytime I'm in Tokyo. FAB!
4) Tsukiji Fish Market
The famous fish market with the tuna auctions! We wanted to come here the last time, but couldn't manage to arise in time, and even if we did, we'd only catch the last bits. So this time, we coincided Tsukiji with our stay at Andon Ryokan, the train schedule was such that if we were on time, we would definitely be on time for the auction. So at 4:45am that morning, bleary-eyed and yawning, we ventured out into the wet cold tokyo morning, and made our way to Tsukiji. It was a huge warehouse-like place, with the smell of fresh fish, many small trucks tht zoom abt like bikes, men (Shermy says fishmongers seem to be damn good-looking, grrr), octopi, snake-like fish being gutted, oh, it was WONDERFUL! We quickly found our way to the auction area. When we arrived, we thought we had missed the auction, cos it was quiet, altho the fish all lay neatly arranged on the ground, frozen, with their fins cut off, and gills removed. It was a sight to behold. Then we realised that the men were inspecting the fish, so came to the conclusion the auction hadn't started yet!! What an experience it was! We kept getting in the way, but we were HAPPY! hohoho.. we closed that morning sitting in MacDonald's cos it was too cold to hang arnd outside, stopped by a modern-looking temple, and were back in bed at Hoshien by 9am. Haha!
5) Meeting Shigeru & Togoshi Keiko
As per our previous arrangement, I mailed Shigeru before coming reminding him of his promise to re-start kendo again. He didn't mail me back, but when I arrived, I gave him a call, and he said, yes, he had just gone for his first keiko. hehe.. After some failed attempts to meet for keiko, we finally settled on Togoshi Junior Sch will be where we shall cross swords once again. Togoshi is the sch in which Tajima sensei is a teacher and coach for the kendo club. This has been where Shermy has been practising for the last few months too. There we met Shiggy and Yamamoto (ski instructor, swimming lifeguard), and had some happy keiko. As usual, Shiggy the comedian, was simply hilarious! And he bought us dinner at a Yakiniku place again, like the last time.
6) Tajima's Rooftop BBQ
On the first nite, Mr Tajima extended an invitation to all at supper following the Sakurada keiko that he was having a BBQ at his home. So of course, we'd go! How could we miss this? We met Maki-san and Wataru at the eki, and walked to Tajima's place. This teacher actually owns a piece of land in CBD tokyo! There he's built a 3-4 story building with roof-top space, leased the first floor to a beautician, and prolly is sitting on a goldmine! So the BBQ started abt 4pm, and went on till past 9! We had several meats, and reba (liver), and Wataru brought ingredients to make Oden! I learned that he used to be a chef and Maki-san is very proud of his cooking. ;) We had a great time talking to these other ppl who also played Kendo, apart from Wataru, and it was a great nite. lotsa beer-sloshing, meat-eating, various food concoctions whipped up by Wataru, Shida-san cooking, Shida-san concussed on the staircase, Tajima laughing beneath his moustache, an excellent close-up nite view of Tokyo Tower from Dusk till it was all brightly lit-up, Tajima's Scuba-diver joke..
Shiawase! bliss!
We did other things during this trip as well, including stays at 2 different beautiful ryokans (a modern one, and a traditional one), Casshern (all 4 parts!) & Ken, shopping in Amayeko street in Ueno & Nakano Broadway, lion-dance @ a temple (Japanese-style) and a mis-adventure of sorts in the slums of Minowa. We also discovered that I developed chlorine poisoning frm drinking Japanese tap-water. Thank GOD it was not the beer, as I initially suspected! haha!
For pictorial documentation and a good laugh of trip from May 5-8th, click to see PotetoBlog.
Shermaine and I agreed that we'd find a way to make it such that, going to Narita airport would be cos we're going for a holiday. =) Mebbe we'll both be able to work in Japan? Who noes. I've 2 years to figure out how. For now, I just can't wait for her to come back to Singapore and to me.
While in Singapore before I left, I recalled feeling a sense of relaxation and smiling to myself when i recalled a miscellaneous train announcement (your typical train announcement of which station is upcoming in japanese). A long-anticipated trip it was as u can see.
So I planned the trip for Apr27-May8, got the tix, and left, this time packing some days before, unlike my usual last-minute style. The sky was over-clouded this time round, and also because I sat at the wing, I couldn't get my favourite view of the Japanese coast as the plane comes in from the sea. Using the train-route Shermaine found on Yahoo!, I made my way to Waseda Hoshien in the exact estimated time (now u noe why the JR derailment was all cos of the driver being late, and how tardiness was looked badly upon).
All I can say is - I was really glad to see my darling once again (after a 6 mth hiatus!). We spent the next few days together, not leaving each others sight except for when she went to the kitchen to cook (I put on 2 kgs), the afore-mentioned tournament, and when she went into Ueno station to purchase Justin's mochi foodstuffs. We literally lived with each other in those few days, barely apart for minutes at a time. What a great experience it was, getting to noe someone so well, and spending so much time travelling together. We agree that most couples don't exactly get that kind of opportunity much, so we were very thankful for the chance.
Highlights of the trip:
1) Sakurada Shimbashi Keiko
In the evening of the 1st day, we went to Shimbashi to practise, the dojo that Sasahara sensei introduced me to. Since I was unable to contact him this time round, I was surprised to see him there! It was an excellent reunion, he was beaming beneath his hochiew, and we had a good keiko. I met several of the senseis there again (like Ishiki), and some new ones (Fujina.. err.. Fujiwara). And somehow they paid for supper and beer once again. In any case, I believe the Sakurada ppl may make a trip to Singapore in the near future. What a treat!
2) Toyama Park Picnic
My dearest made a lunch of delicious bento which we brought to the nearby Toyama Park for a picnic. We walked around looking for a nice spot to lay out our mat. In the end we found a shaded spot in a corner with a view of the dog-owners community and soccer teams running in formation. There we encountered a dog called Haru (reminded us of haru haru ikuze!), who was so disobedient, his owner was literally chasing him around the park! We experienced kempecki, and I was so comfortable I fell asleep! =)
3) Tokyo High School-organized Tournament for Junior High Schools in Tokyo
Sherm came to practise here once with the Togoshi boys and Mr Tajima, and she was gushing abt the practice, led by Takeyama sensei. To start, it was a beautiful school, with a beautiful underground dojo. Tajima sensei put the word out that I was a mercenary kendo player willing to play for any team, and there just happened to be a Shinagawa-region junior school team who were in need of an extra player. I was introduced to the kids, and they were a really cute bunch, except the taisho, Kona who was super serious. Unashamedly, I chromed all the kids I faced. In one game, I was the only one who got 2 points off a player in an exceptional team. At the end of the game, each team bows to each other, and I noticed that my opponent had red-eyes, since he was the only one who lost in his team for that game. I quickly went over and patted him on the back giving him an earnest "gambatte!" I think he took it well.
Sometime close to lunch, we were introduced to Yazu, he was Takeyama's son. He did an excellent job of taking care of us the whole day. Furthermore, we were brought to Takeyama sensei's office to have lunch on his couch. What hospitality! =) At the end of the takai, there was godo keiko, with all the senseis who were present that day. It was fabulous! I had quite a few keiko (within the 2 sessions that afternoon), cos I kept going for the shorter lines, or looking for sensei who were standing there (technique I picked up frm various places), and was later extended an invitation to practice at Tokyo Gakuen anytime I'm in Tokyo. FAB!
4) Tsukiji Fish Market
The famous fish market with the tuna auctions! We wanted to come here the last time, but couldn't manage to arise in time, and even if we did, we'd only catch the last bits. So this time, we coincided Tsukiji with our stay at Andon Ryokan, the train schedule was such that if we were on time, we would definitely be on time for the auction. So at 4:45am that morning, bleary-eyed and yawning, we ventured out into the wet cold tokyo morning, and made our way to Tsukiji. It was a huge warehouse-like place, with the smell of fresh fish, many small trucks tht zoom abt like bikes, men (Shermy says fishmongers seem to be damn good-looking, grrr), octopi, snake-like fish being gutted, oh, it was WONDERFUL! We quickly found our way to the auction area. When we arrived, we thought we had missed the auction, cos it was quiet, altho the fish all lay neatly arranged on the ground, frozen, with their fins cut off, and gills removed. It was a sight to behold. Then we realised that the men were inspecting the fish, so came to the conclusion the auction hadn't started yet!! What an experience it was! We kept getting in the way, but we were HAPPY! hohoho.. we closed that morning sitting in MacDonald's cos it was too cold to hang arnd outside, stopped by a modern-looking temple, and were back in bed at Hoshien by 9am. Haha!
5) Meeting Shigeru & Togoshi Keiko
As per our previous arrangement, I mailed Shigeru before coming reminding him of his promise to re-start kendo again. He didn't mail me back, but when I arrived, I gave him a call, and he said, yes, he had just gone for his first keiko. hehe.. After some failed attempts to meet for keiko, we finally settled on Togoshi Junior Sch will be where we shall cross swords once again. Togoshi is the sch in which Tajima sensei is a teacher and coach for the kendo club. This has been where Shermy has been practising for the last few months too. There we met Shiggy and Yamamoto (ski instructor, swimming lifeguard), and had some happy keiko. As usual, Shiggy the comedian, was simply hilarious! And he bought us dinner at a Yakiniku place again, like the last time.
6) Tajima's Rooftop BBQ
On the first nite, Mr Tajima extended an invitation to all at supper following the Sakurada keiko that he was having a BBQ at his home. So of course, we'd go! How could we miss this? We met Maki-san and Wataru at the eki, and walked to Tajima's place. This teacher actually owns a piece of land in CBD tokyo! There he's built a 3-4 story building with roof-top space, leased the first floor to a beautician, and prolly is sitting on a goldmine! So the BBQ started abt 4pm, and went on till past 9! We had several meats, and reba (liver), and Wataru brought ingredients to make Oden! I learned that he used to be a chef and Maki-san is very proud of his cooking. ;) We had a great time talking to these other ppl who also played Kendo, apart from Wataru, and it was a great nite. lotsa beer-sloshing, meat-eating, various food concoctions whipped up by Wataru, Shida-san cooking, Shida-san concussed on the staircase, Tajima laughing beneath his moustache, an excellent close-up nite view of Tokyo Tower from Dusk till it was all brightly lit-up, Tajima's Scuba-diver joke..
Shiawase! bliss!
We did other things during this trip as well, including stays at 2 different beautiful ryokans (a modern one, and a traditional one), Casshern (all 4 parts!) & Ken, shopping in Amayeko street in Ueno & Nakano Broadway, lion-dance @ a temple (Japanese-style) and a mis-adventure of sorts in the slums of Minowa. We also discovered that I developed chlorine poisoning frm drinking Japanese tap-water. Thank GOD it was not the beer, as I initially suspected! haha!For pictorial documentation and a good laugh of trip from May 5-8th, click to see PotetoBlog.
Shermaine and I agreed that we'd find a way to make it such that, going to Narita airport would be cos we're going for a holiday. =) Mebbe we'll both be able to work in Japan? Who noes. I've 2 years to figure out how. For now, I just can't wait for her to come back to Singapore and to me.
