“Here’s a new sampler from Teddy and the crew. Absolutely inSANE! “

“I’ve changed the song on the homepage to Shiina Ringo’s Ekimae. Please click the play button…now.

This song has perhaps the most vivid climax I’ve ever heard. I’ve never been able to listen to this song and restrain myself from moving once the guitars drop in; it’s simply too powerful to ignore. If I were to characterize this song in words:

Imagine sitting at the top of a damp, grassy hill on a gray, overcast day. The hill overlooks a gorge which looks rather bleak under the monochrome sky. But you don’t mind, you’ve been here many times; you know your surroundings well. You come here to think; you come here to wrap your mind around the things which trouble you. This is not a place for release. Rather, it is a place for thought. The desolate isolation lends you a sense of judgement. On this particular day, as you are sitting, contemplating, a light wind brushes against you, stroking the creative bands of your mental folds.

But today, you can’t seem to figure it out. The problem that’s been troubling you lately, it’s somehow different than the rest. The familiarity of everything isn’t enough to tickle your mind. What is it? What is it about this particular issue that you can’t figure out? It’s impossible to pinpoint. Every time you turn the situation over in your mind, you lose sight of something else- your problem has become a rubix cube with missing sides. Frustration sits in, “”why do I come here? What is the place anyway? Why can’t I figure this situation out?”" The wind gets stronger and starts to bite at your skin. Your ears are beginning to sting – things continue to go downhill. So you look downhill; still, nothing’s there. The canyon is bleaker than ever. The moisture from the grass has begun to crawl it’s way up your jeans. It finds it’s way into your most uncomfortable spots – the backs of your knees, your inner thighs. A shiver runs down your spine as the wind continues to aggravate your sanity.

Enough is enough. What once was a place of comfort has become a nuisance. Your problem is lingering like a dog begging for scraps. You realize if you stick around any longer you run the risk of mental breakdown. You get up to leave –

THAT second everything changes. The sky clears in an instant and the valley becomes the most breathtaking thing you’ve ever seen. A cascade of colors decorates everything around you in an avalanche of beauty. It’s too much to handle. You collapse on the grass, trying to catch your breath. You’re reborn in the awe of the moment as your problems are washed away in the flood of perfection.

Absolutely staggering.”

“Looks something like this:
Sick, right? I am actually quite a loser, so instead of going to Shibuya and chilling like a villain, I’ve decided to stay in on this particular Saturday night and do a bit of blogging. Hope you enjoy.

Introspection: in’tro’spec’tion. NOUN; the examination or observation of one’s own mental and emotional process.

I had a rather intense talk with Lisa last night concerning introspection. Doing so on the top floor of the Roppongi hills observatory is quite the experience. Not only were we addressing a non-tangible subject, we were doing so in the midsts of clouds. “”Everything is going well right now; it’s surreal. I almost feel like I’m watching my life from someone else’s perspective.”"

*Sigh* look down upon the massive superstructure that is Tokyo. *Double Sigh*

So let’s talk about this for a bit. What defines you? For me, without question, tricking the symbol of my inner person. I feel as though the knowledge of school, the clothes I wear, the money I spend, it’s a guise that rests on my foundation. When that cover is removed, we are left with tricking. It’s not often that I get to reveal the ‘real’ me, but those seldom moments when I can are always the most potent moments of life. It’s as if, everything loses the preconception that I’ve learned to associate with it during my 20 years of existence. Here’s an easier way to think about it: imagine not having the sense of sight for your entire life, and waking up one day with a set of eagle eyes. This is the ‘clean slate’ theory of Zen Buddhism: when you can experience life without assumptions, you can actually experience life.

This is why Zen monks practice ‘zazen’ mediation. What’s the point of meditation? To some people it’s a way to relax. To others, it’s a healthy way to kill some time. For Zen buddhists, it’s a way to practice ‘living’ without outside knowledge. If you can learn to sit, and do nothing but ‘sit,’ without a prejudgement of boredom or thoughts that come and go, then you can experience life as it is: it simply is. That’s right, zazen mediation is a way of practicing ‘living.’ Now if that’s not the most mind boggling thing I’ve ever heard, I don’t know what is.

It’s nice to be able to have a conversation like that every now and then, especially if it’s with the person you like. I still can’t get over how comfortable everything is right now. I told Lisa last night, “”I feel like I’ve found you; You were the person I’ve been looking for.”"

She gave me a kiss after that.
Emotions were reciprocated.
Cloud 9 is becoming my new home.

“

“Someone asked me to upload an old video of mine, when I was just beginning tricks. After looking through my collection for a couple hours I found something wondrous. Tricking video? No it’s not. But what i share with you will be something I’m sure you will never forget. thank you.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Sorry Ryan.”

“ Hello Friends. The video you’re watching is a small clip from a movie I saw last night with Risa. “”Once”" is an independent film about two people whose lives change through musical exposure. If I had to classify it, I’d call it an “”indie romantic musical.”" You’ve never heard of it, but you need to go see it. Do so now. I had at least 3 instances in the theater, holding hands with Risa, soaking up the film, where the emotions were so intense I nearly forgot to breathe. Luckily, I remembered just before the danger zone and let out my deep breaths as if releasing steam from a over- pressured piston.

After the movie was over we walked from the small theater in Shibuya (small? Shibuya? doesn’t make sense right?) to Harajuku where we talked for hours under the light of a dull street lamp in Yoyogi Park. Since coming to Japan, since meeting Risa especially, I feel like my emotional perception has been amplified; everything has become acute. What used to be sitting with a cup of coffee has turned into a ‘perfect moment.’ What used to be a stroll in Yokohama has become the best day of my life. And what used to be a movie has become a force with such power that it overrides my body’s natural tendencies. I’ve always heard people say, “”live everyday as if it was your last,”" and now, for reasons I can’t explain, I feel like I can appreciate the beauty of every moment, and actually live each day as if it was my last.”

Everyone, thank you for reading. In the past week we’ve had a flood of new visitors and a record number of page views. I’ll keep you guys updated as much as possible, and honestly work harder to improve the site. Thanks again, and train hard!

-dogen

“

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

“

“Hello Friends. Dogen here. Kick back, I’m about to tell you about the best day of my life.

I got a message early this morning from Andy Kouji, a professional stuntman living in Japan. “”I found your samplers on youtube, if you’re free let’s meet up today for some tricking! Meet me at Shibuya if you’re down.”" Hell yes I was down. Tricking, of course I’m down. That being said, I ended up meeting a handful of professional stuntmen and actors earlier today. I also met the top trickster in Japan, Kanbe Yutaka. Guy is insane at tricks and insanely nice. Don’t you love unwarranted kindness?

My tricks were spot on. We tricked for 4 hours. That’s FOUR hours. I got my gainerfulls back to where I wanted them and ended up landing a couple raiz, although they were nasty. My wrist was feeling good to boot, so I ended up trying handstand pushups for the first time in a while: I cranked out 3 sets of 3 without a wall. Fine by my standards: I wasn’t doing them for over 2 months now – wrist injuries are quite the biyatch.

After tricking was over everyone went out to lunch at a nice little restaurant about 5 minutes from the gym. Great food, fun environment, and a great opportunity to speak Japanese. Then there was these two Japanese guys that kept telling me to introduce them to Keio Girls, who have a reputation for being cute. I told them I’d try, haha. Seems we might all be tricking at my school festival a month from now. How sick would that be?

So let me summarize it for you:
Met a ton of tricksters in Japan, all of which are skilled, great people.
Had a fantastic tricking session and nearly learned a new move – expect a sampler soon.
Great food and Japanese practice.
In Japan.

That by itself would be enough for me; that by itself could be the best day of my life. But that was just the beginning.

I ended up meeting up with Lisa today – We met up around 3 at: Get this – My favorite place in the world: Minato Mirai, Yokohama. Yes, that’s the place in the video. Great, I know. Being with her there was already more than perfect. But for some reason I’m extremely blessed and things seemed to only improve. We took a small walk and ended up on a boardwalk with a park built on top of it; a chill place with one of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen. I thought to myself, “”I like this girls a lot, I got to make a move, I can’t let this opportunity slip between my fingers!”" So I did Needless to say, sitting with Lisa, holding her hand, listening to our favorite songs, watching the sun set, it was a bit like having your blood replaced with miracle whip.

Oh, but it gets better. We ended up eating at a fantastic “”Curry Udon”" place in the Landmark tower. Delicious, delicious, delicious. I’m sitting across the table from her, eating this bowl of unworldly food, thinking to myself, “”I’m probably the luckiest guy alive.”" Well, turns out I AM the luckiest guy alive. After dinner we went to the mini amusement park and rode the ferris wheel. On the way up we busted out the iPod again and started listening to some more beautiful music. You know it’s coming: yes, at the top of the ferris wheel, listening to one of her favorite songs, overlooking Minato Mirai: we kissed. I’ll never forget that kiss for the rest of my life. On the way down, “”Bump of Chicken – Tentai Kansoku”" We sat at the base of the ferris wheel for about 30 minutes talking, which culminated in me properly asking her out. She gently extended her had and said, “”daiji ni shite”" which best translates best to, “”think well of me, I’ll do the same for you.”"

There you go. I’m the luckiest man alive, without question.”

““

“Here’s a really well put together tricking sampler I found on youtube: definitely worth a watch“