The feeling of someone’s fingers wrapping around my neck while I’m breathing heavy, writhing around on the ground, doing my best not to pass out… 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 NO! Not THAT kind of choking… though that’s fun too 😏 I’m talking about Brazilian Ju Jitsu (BJJ for short). aka: Martial arts Self-defence How to not lose your … Continue reading
10 years ago, I was a coffee fiend. I remember sitting at Ristr8to coffee on the main street of Nimman in Chiang Mai, Thailand, smashing iced long blacks with my friend Rob while getting philosophical about life and the universe. Even today, 10 years and half a world later, I still rate those coffees as … Continue reading
I’m sitting at my friend Chase’s, 2 minutes from where I live here in Peru, gazing up at Apu Pitusiray. It’s open mats day – Brazilian Ju Jitsu with the crew… Chase, Jason, James, Al, Ian and Felix. I only started training BJJ this year (10 months ago)… but I’m loving it. It’s so much … Continue reading
I’m standing at my desk in Peru.. looking around my office. It’s gorgeous. White walls with exposed eucalyptus wood everywhere. Shipibo “telas” on the wall (beautiful colourful mats some of the Peruvian “ayahuasca tribes” make). A fountain in the corner. Big windows that look straight into mountains and trees. The room wasn’t always like this … Continue reading
The fight or flight response is an amazing thing. It keeps us safe in so many ways. A threat appears and we either run away to safety and fight the threat off. However, it’s meant to be short-lived. We meant to go into it and then back out of it. We’re not meant to get … Continue reading
The other day, we had a snowball fight. In Peru. Where it’s hot, dry and never snows. I know, right. Crazy. But yeah… It happened 🤷 Here’s how the snowball fight went down: Ellie bought some rice from the local tienda on the main road (“tienda” is Spanish for “store”). She brought it home. Cooked … Continue reading
When I was a kid, I’d sometimes have a problem with my Dad. He wasn’t violent or anything like that… but he could be a massive pain in the ass. So I’d be honest with him and tell him how I felt. Like a lot of parents, he hated it. Instead of taking my feedback … Continue reading
I remember it like it was yesterday. The corner room of my childhood house. Upstairs. 7 years old. Buried beneath a pile of blankets. Hearing the wild party going on all around me. The chinking of wine glasses. Singing of songs. Dancing. Laughing. Talking. Flirting. Except… …there was no party. I was alone in my … Continue reading
I love the internet. There’s so much funny shit out there. For example, take this piece of advice from someone’s “no-nonsense grandfather”: “If you see a bear and don’t have time to run away, hug it. Bears cannot scratch their stomachs.” — My no-nonsense grandfather (Twitter @roseveleth) Hmmm. I don’t think I’ll test that one … Continue reading
When I was a scrawny little kid with a big head, I loved lego. I’d play with it for hours. Sometimes I’d follow the instructions… …but often I didn’t. When I didn’t follow the instructions, it usually didn’t turn out so great. Sure, it was cute and everything. I was young kid having fun and … Continue reading