Kata Review & No. 4, Conversations That Lead to Musings on Shoes

I went on a postponed shopping outing with my youngest sister yesterday (Friday). Due to an argument with my other sister about appropriate shoes to wear with my outfit, I ended up wearing inappropriate shoes for the amount of walking I had intended for the expedition. To walk up and down my local shopping centre a minimum of 4 times, as well as within the stores, is really quite tiring, especially for one as unaccustomed to shopping as myself. Anyway familiar with Miranda Westfield will understand this. It takes a good five minutes to walk the length of the centre, allowing for pedestrian traffic.

I have 3 favourite pairs of shoes. My brown leather boots (work books, Redbacks), my joggers (cross trainers, BROOKS) and a pair of school shoes (black leather, ROC). Only the school shoes have a raised heel and it is chunky. I'll return to this discussion about shoes later.

The purpose for the expedition was to purchase a few items I have on my list for travelling, mainly a gift, some conveniences and some medication. We ate lunch in the food court, then proceeded to the supermarket. It's my birthday today, so when asked what I wanted to eat (which is the standard celebratory event at ours: picking the dinner menu = Big Dinner Day?), I decided that since I've been feeling like cooking for a while and without much opportunity lately, I'm cooking dinner and my family can partake of the meal. Usually, as in many households, Mum cooks the meals, while my siblings and I chip in occasionally unless my parents go away. Actually, it's usually just me and my youngest sister.

Plans for my birthday: spend some time doing some study (I know, a weak plan, but it has to be done), go to the supermarket for some ingredients I missed yesterday (bound to be some), spend most of the rest of the time in the kitchen. If anyone thinks this is strange, then perhaps I should explain that I don't really set too much store by birthdays. Up until my late teens, I hated being told "Happy Birthday". These days, I don't mind so much, but really, I'm only a day older than yesterday, which is not really much at all. It only means one is getting old. >.<

So after shopping, I came home to drop off the purchased items and headed out to uni for kendo training: another kata session. We reviewed what we had learned last week for about an hour. Then we learnt Kata No. 4, which was interesting as some senior members arrived at about this time. One had some different ideas about doing the kata to the person leading and so we got a bit sidetracked and not a little confused.

This session, I decided to just do what I was supposed to do and let my partner/s take care of their end as much as possible. This worked fairly well. I think all of us are having trouble with distancing, but I believe that more practice is the key. Towards the end of the session, the person leading came over to correct what we were doing with our borrowed bokken. Being fairly tall and me being rather not, he was holding a bokken in his hand when he was showing us what to do with our ones, when his bokken fell and hit me on the head. Yes. Ouch.

I already had a headache from the beginning of the session and silly being that I am, I'd forgotten to pack my usual painkillers. This incident only exacerbated my pain, but in the one side. It's bit tender now, but we'll see how it is in the morning. I hate to think what a proper cut with a bokken would do to someone's head. (!)

Well the session came to an end and the group headed up to the city for dinner. I parted with them along the way to meet up with a friend for dinner. I haven't seen her since I ran into her on the way home one day after uni, even though we live effectively three blocks away from each other. In Grade 6 of primary school and our early high school years (before she transferred), we used to come home together every day so we understand each other pretty well.

We went to a Japanese restaurant, where we decided to order an array of side dishes/entrees instead of main meals. This worked out fairly well, although they kept giving us agedashi tofu, even though we had already been served our portion. The first time I sent it back. The second time, it was supposed to be agedashi nasu (eggplant which we'd added to the order), but by then I decided to let it go, as my friend likes tofu anyway. Ah, my eggplant. =`(

The other thing that was kind of strange was that they either forgot our drinks order or were too busy and overlooked it. It was pretty busy, with a large party going on in the other side of the dining area. Had to remind them about our drinks twice. In the end, I didn't mind too much, as I quite enjoyed the food. Of course, being me I ate more than my friend (this has happened before with a different friend): I just eat a lot...

We had a good chat about lots of things; past, present and future. She's working now, so I don't really get many opportunities to see her very often. We wandered up to the office where she works, as she had to pick up a few items. We were sitting there talking - well, actually, I think I did most of the talking last night; I talk a lot too.

One of the topics was about her work shoes. The only reason I see for pointy heels is to make one's calves elongated and muscular, which is quite an unnecessary exercise and terrible for one's legs' long term health. So why they should be considered part of a professional woman's uniform is completely beyond my comprehension. Sheer torture. I'm glad I'll be required to wear boots as an archaeologist. Proper boots. Not those rather unstable looking fashion ones that I have yet to succumb to. Although I don't mind the chunkier ones.

Anyhow, we decided we could just as easily converse on the train home. So we took the train back, during which she dozed off a bit, being tired. I was still energised from my day's activities and just by being me, and actually the times when I don't fall asleep on the train tends to be when I'm travelling with someone else. Her brothers came to pick us up from the station and dropped me off at home.

My sister reminded me that I missed the Twenty20 match, which I had forgotten about. This is unfortunate, as I missed the opportunity to watch Gilchrist playing and I quite like watching him play. Chances to do so are slim now that he's retired. I only recently began to like watching the cricket, as my sisters are big fans. It's always on at our place over the summer. Summer of 2006-07 I watched almost the entire tour and you know you're watching too much when you are suddenly and inexplicably able to answer, without thinking, one of those obscure Johnny Walker questions they put up during the games. This didn't stop me from watching most of the tour last summer either. Seeing as I won't be here this summer, I'll miss most of it. But yes, I like the cricket. It is kind of interesting in its own way.

I wanted to write all this up, as I'll be busy in the morning, but what in tarnations am I doing still up? I think I'm still keyed up, 'cos I'm not tired yet. Someone come and save me from myself! I'm not only talking too much, but writing too much as well. Who the hell wants to read me having a rant about shoes anyway?