WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 and Self-Awareness in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

I watched a replay of WWE Elimination Chamber, as I has a birthday dinner to go to when it was on. Overall, I thought that it was pretty good but not a PLE that particularly stood out. Randy Orton winning the Men’s Elimination Chamber was a nice surprise, as Cody Rhodes in my opinion was the frontrunner to win. I suspect that Randy Orton versus Drew McIntyre will not be the match at WrestleMania though, as I can see a multi-man match for the World Title or Cody beating Drew on Smackdown. On the Women’s side, Rhea Ripley won it, and she was the favorite to do so. Her versus Jade Cargill, while not having any history or storyline, is at least a fresh matchup. CM Punk vs. Finn Balor was a good match with Punk retaining. AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch was good with a couple shenanigans, but AJ Lee ended up winning that one. I can see a rematch happening at WrestleMania.

I said to some confidants that my journey to a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt will involve strengthening my mental game. I was told by my coach to have more movement in my game, and it was a difficult thing to comprehend and utilize as I do not want to waste energy. I rolled the other day really contemplating what my coach was telling me. I then discovered a few things about my game. For one, I really do just allow my partner to establish their grips and position, leaving me in a position where I am constantly defending. That in turn really kills my cardio, as I am having to constantly defend, especially against bigger guys. I might as well be on the attack more, if I am just going to waste energy defending anyways. The other thing is that I just kind of stop and stall in mid-motion, allowing my partner to recover or establish grips and positions. It is definitely a mental thing that I have to get over, but building self-awareness that I’m doing that in the moment should help with this.

WWE is heading to WrestleMania in a few months, and I am slowly heading to a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt in a few years. The buildup takes a while with many twists, turns and bumps in the road, but hopefully, everything will turn out alright in the end.

Castle Impossible and Melania

My wife and I finished watching season one of Castle Impossible on Discovery Plus. We have been finding a lot of reality shows on Discovery Plus, and many of them we just like. The general synopsis is that there is a married couple, Daphne Reckert and Ian Figueira, and Daphne inherited a chateau along with hundreds of acres of land that contains lakes, forests, cabins, a hunter’s lodge, stables and other places from her deceased grandfather. The couple goes about renovating the estate, usually one room at a time. Projects include: turning an area of the stables into a workshop, turning a room into an office, turning a room into a living room/waiting room, making a bedroom suite, and renovating the kitchen, living room, and master suite in the hunter’s lodge. The selling points of the show come from the sheer size of the project that they’re working on, the history of the place, Daphne’s connection with her grandfather, and the energy and enthusiasm from the couple themselves. Ian is a jack-of-all-trades type, and Daphne is a really good designer. I am glad to hear that this show has been renewed for a second season.

My wife, a friend and I also watched the Melania movie. It started out slow with First Lady Melania Trump picking out an outfit, and she was very meticulous about its length and look on her. Her fashion designer though was definitely a small highlight of the movie. I thought that it might be about style and fashion, but as the movie went on, it got better. The movie showed her relationship with her parents and how seriously she takes the office of First Lady. The first interaction with her husband, President Donald Trump, was actually a bit comical as it was a phone call after he won the election in 2024. He was excited almost like a child, and she responded like a mother would. Honestly, that was relatable though as husbands can be childlike at times, and wives can be like mothers at times. Most of the movie from then on was about her relationship with her husband, and it was endearing, for the most part. She seems to take the office seriously, and that meticulousness that she puts into style and fashion is a trait that she puts into being the First Lady.

Appearance matters whether it comes from a chateau or from people. Certain design choices can change something mundane into something much better.

James Van Der Beek and Expedition X

Actor James Van Der Beek passed away at the age of 48 this week due to cancer, and it was news that made me sad. For one thing, I am in my forties, and 48 these days is a young age to pass away. Also, like many, I was introduced to him through the show, Dawson’s Creek, where he played Dawson Leery. That show was the starting point for the four main leads, who all went on to do big things in the acting/entertainment space. I admittedly watched Dawson’s Creek, but fell out of the show as it went on and everyone seemingly had a relationship with each other. However, Van Der Beek was a small part of my childhood, and he was also in movies like Rules of Attraction, where he played an unhinged young drug dealer, and Varsity Blues, among many other movies and television roles. From all accounts and testimonies, Van Der Beek seemed like a good, values-driven person. He moved out of Hollywood and onto acres of land in Texas to get away from the Hollywood scene. He was married with six children and became very religious. In interviews with him talking about his cancer diagnosis, he seemingly took the path of optimism.

My wife and I have started to watch the show, Expedition X, on Discovery Plus. I have seen Expedition Unknown starring Josh Gates, and I really like the show as it is educational, adventurous and entertaining. Going to different parts of the world, many times in dangerous areas, and exploring and researching will always be fun for me with that sense of adventure. Expedition X is a spinoff of Expedition Unknown with the differences being that the ones doing the research and investigation are scientist, Phil Torres, and paranormal expert, Jessica Chobot, with Josh Gates just being someone that gives out the mission and someone that they report to. I was already familiar with Jessica Chobot from the show, Attack of the show, so I was surprised to see her here. The investigations are interesting as they pertain to unusual activity and cases in certain regions of the world. Torres is the more fact-based researcher and more of a skeptic. Chobot is much more open to paranormal and extraterrestrial activity so they have a good dynamic going on. We go to Discovery Plus to watch 90 Day Fiancée and Suddenly Amish, and Expedition X popped up. Having already seen and liked Expedition Unknown, I put it on and got my wife to watch it with me. Now, we have just marathoned through much of season 1 during this three-day weekend.

The news of James Van Der Beek’s passing is a good reminder of one’s own mortality. Good things can happen and suddenly, bad things can occur unknowingly. I suppose that is just how life can be, and we can only keep moving forward despite everything.

Shelter and Physical: Welcome to Mongolia

My wife and I watched the move, Shelter, the other day, and I liked it. It’s a Jason Statham movie, and there is a certain expectation as far as what type of movie the audience will get with his movies. His movies seem to come out in January, which is something of the movie dump month, but there are usually fun action movies out in January. I remember watching The Meg 2 and The Beekeeper, which he starred in, and they were just such silly, fun action movies. I was not as fond of The Working Man, as it had some detective work that Statham isn’t so great at, so I was worried that this could be a miss. It was not so silly, just in some parts, and the movie played this more seriously, but it had all the action scenes that one would expect from a Jason Statham movie. The story actually was not too bad, and the movie does not tell us everything outright, but certain things are assumed.

My wife and I also watched Physical: Welcome to Mongolia on Netflix. It was actually a lot of fun and endearing. We were big fans of Physical: Asia, and seeing Amotti and Dong Hyun Kim from the winning team, Team South Korea, visit Mongolia to see the culture and hang out with members of the runner-up team, Team Mongolia, was more entertaining than I thought that it would be. By the end of Physical: Asia, my wife and I were cheering for Team Mongolia to win as they were such underdogs. While they didn’t win, they left a lasting impression. Once Amotti and Kim landed on Mongolia, they were met by Orkhonbayar, the captain of Team Mongolia. Then, they met with Ochir, the Cirque de Soleil performer of Team Mongolia, and Eddie Williams, the strongman from Team Australia. It was nice just seeing them be friends and act goofy with each other at times. Ochir and his whole family did a performance which was just incredible, and they also did archery, horseback riding and Bokh, which is traditional Mongolian wrestling. Apparently, Physical: Asia raised the country of Mongolia’s profile with people wanting to travel there and having their President meeting with all of Team Mongolia. It was pretty much the epilogue to Physical: Asia that I did not know that we needed but am glad that they made.

WWE Royal Rumble 2026 and Baby Shower

My friends and I watched the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble, and I thought that it was a fun show. I would not qualify it under a top ten Royal Rumble, but entertaining nonetheless. One thing that helped it was the pacing, in that the entries into the Rumble matches went quickly, and there was not a lot of downtime. There was a relative lack of surprise entrants though. The outcomes of the two Rumble matches had Liz Morgan winning the women’s, and Roman Reigns winning the men’s. Another notable thing that happened was that AJ Styles lost against Gunther, forcing AJ Styles to retire. As far as the Rumble winners are concerned, I have no problem with Liz Morgan winning and predicted that she would do so. Many seemed to have a problem with Reigns winning, questioning if he needed the win over someone else who could use the rub.

My wife attended our first baby shower together as a married couple. Friends of ours are having a baby, and this will be the first of many baby showers that we will attend. There were food, games, and friends there, so we had a good time. We bought a bag for our present, but it somehow got ripped. However, my wife was able to convert it into a type of gift wrap that honestly made the presentation better. Of course, we hope to one day have a baby shower for us, but that will be in God’s time.

The WWE Royal Rumble, like having a baby, is the start of something. For the WWE, it is the start of Wrestlemania season. For our friends, it is the start of a lifelong journey as parents.

UFC 324 and Writing Progress So Far

My friends and I watched UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett on Paramount+, and while I would not say it was an “A” grade event, I’d give it a “B” especially with that main event. While sloppy, the main event, Justin Gaethje versus Paddy Pimblett, was a lot of fun that was akin to a bar fight. I would think that the UFC would have wanted Pimblett to win, but Gaethje just used high-pressure and seemingly hit harder. Pimblett, despite losing, showed a lot of heart and resilience, which was not something we have not seen from him until now. The two fights before the main event were just okay with O’Malley vs. Song and Silva vs. Namajunas, and it didn’t help that the results for those two fights were controversial. With the main event being a barnburner, it really put a positive cap on the event as a whole, and I would think that UFC brass was happy that the main event was as entertaining as it was for their first event of the Paramount era. Gaethje gets Ilia Topuria next, and I would strongly favor Topuria to win that one.

I am more than halfway done with editing The Land of the Wooden Statues. I am planning to self-publish this book as well, and with knowledge and lessons learned from The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom, I now know the importance of marketing and book promotion. The editing process so far is always something of a slog, but that is what perfects the book. I do; however, have an idea for the next book, and I am greatly looking forward to writing it. Like The Land of the Wooden Statues, it will be a dark fantasy focusing on the theme of redemption. I just have a basic idea for it right now, but once I can sink my teeth into it, I will draw it out more.

UFC 324 was the start of something new to the UFC with the Paramount era, and the ideas for the start of a new book are beginning as well. While not perfect, I think that the UFC is off to a good start with Paramount. Things do not always start out optimally, but that is just how things are.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and Suddenly Amish

My wife and I watched 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. My wife thought that it was just okay, and I thought that it was good. The movie starts out very fast paced with a lot of action, but it slowly cools down as it progresses. It is very unsettling with scenes of torture and brutality. It is also very loud at times, with loud music playing along with loud screaming, but it fits the aesthetic of the movie. The strength of the movie lies with the acting, particularly from Jack O’ Connell playing Jimmy Crystal and Ralph Fiennes playing Dr. Ian Kelson. Jimmy Crystal was deranged and unhinged, at times calm and introspective, and at other times, sadistic and chaotic. This movie does continue directly after 28 Years Later, and not having seen the prequel is not a requirement, but it does add further context to the story. It looks like there will have a sequel to this movie, as the ending sets it up.

My wife and I also started to watch the reality television show, Suddenly Amish. It is amazing to us how unprepared the newcomers were to the Amish community, especially considering that they went there on their own volition. They supposedly did research and looked into the Amish community, but once they got there, they did not seem to know or understand anything. The way that they dressed was entirely inappropriate for the Amish community, and they did not seem to understand what was the problem. I understand that they are not used to that simple lifestyle and that there will have a clash of cultures. I don’t know who will stay and who will go, but we are going to keep watching to find out.

It is interesting that we watched a horror movie that is full of torture, blood and gore, and watching a show about the Amish. Entertaining entails all types of genres, and they are entertaining in their own ways.

Anaconda and The Winter 2026 Anime Season

My wife and I watched Anaconda this week. Personally, I was not expecting too much from this movie and hoped that it would just be fun. January for movies is a movie dump month, where studios put out lower profile and less anticipated movies. However, there are always movies that are mindless fun that come out in these months, and thankfully, Anaconda fit the bill. This was a funny movie that did not take itself too seriously, nor did it have any social or political messaging. The jokes mostly landed, and it even had some heart and relatability with the characters as well along with a twist. The surprise cameos worked as well, but the trailer unfortunately spoiled it. Overall, this was a good movie to just turn off your brain and have fun with it.

This new season of anime has a lot of new and returning titles. Freiren, Jujutsu Kaisen, Oshi No Ko, Hell’s Paradise and My Hero Academia: Vigilantes are returning with new seasons, and many of these titles are highly anticipated. There are a lot of “mid” fantasy anime , which seems to be the norm these days, and they are all within some sort of genre or sub-genre. One sub-genre that is popular right now is the MC getting kicked out of the Hero’s Party. Isekai is still a big one, and this has sub-genres with being reborn as a noble, being reborn as a baby, being reborn as a non-human, otome game villainess, and trapped in some sort of RPG, and all of these are represented this season. One anime that stood out to me though is “Shiboyugi: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table.” It is just haunting and artistic in its direction and execution.

Anime is definitely going strong heading into this new year, and there are articles out there saying that anime may be taking over Hollywood. I have been a fan since high school, so anime is just something that I grew up with and now use it as inspiration for my own writing. Hollywood though could come back this year, and when they make movies just to be fun that a general audience could enjoy, then the general audiences may very well come back to the theaters on a regular basis.

The New Year and 2026 Goals

My wife and I just had dinner on New Years Eve with friends. On New Years Day though, we had the day off and did not do anything of note. Considering that we had work the next day on Friday, it was not like we could really plan much. However, on that following weekend, our friends and I stayed at The Welk in Escondido. The Welk has been a go-to of ours for a while now, especially having a timeshare. We played golf there at The Welk, and it was my first time playing. Certain things surprised me though such as how far the golf ball can go even after a relatively light tap with the putter. Swinging a golf club has a particular technique to it, and even how to grip it is unique. I was not particularly good, as expected for a first-timer, but it was fun.

Our goals for the new year involve finances, health, buying a new car, travel and finishing my second book. Financially, we would like to pay off credit cards this year. Health-wise, we’d like to go to the gym and/or exercise more regularly while having a better diet. With the holidays, we did not eat particularly well, but that’s not uncommon this time of year. We hope to buy a new car sometime this year, especially as debt goes down. Also, we plan to travel to the Philippines near the end of the year. I would also like to get The Land of The Wooden Statues out this year, as I am in the editing stage of the book right now. All of these goals are doable, and nothing seems particularly far-fetched.

The new year is always a time of renewal and to refresh. 2025 was a good year for us, but we will try to make 2026 an even better year.

David and A New Television

My wife and I watched David on December 25, as we both had that day off. We were pleasantly surprised to have greatly enjoy the movie. I came in without much expectation, but I tend to support movies from Angel Studios. It was very well animated, and the story was seemingly Biblically accurate. Many know the story of David as the boy who defeated Goliath using a sling, but this movie goes into the time of his life before and after that event. It was very inspirational, especially for a generally religious audience, and generally wholesome as well.

We also bought a new television as well, and it is really big for our living room. All of the televisions that I have were handed down to me, so I never had to pay for a tv until now. The first flat screen television that I was given was a first generation Vizio, and it is much heavier than flat screen televisions made today. Thankfully, we did not have to re-install the mount, as it is an adjustable mount that can extend and move side-to-side. Watching on a much bigger screen definitely is a better experience. I invite friends over to watch UFC, WWE and other events, and the UFC is WWE are going to have some big events really soon, so the timing of getting this could not have gone any better.

We are nearing the end of the year, and watching a good movie and making a big purchase was fun. I look forward to the upcoming year, inviting friends over to watch things on our new television, and watching more good movies.

Paul vs. Joshua and Stranger Things Final Season

I watched the Jake Paul versus Anthony Joshua boxing match the other day, and the first four rounds were not fun to watch. Joshua ended up getting the TKO on Paul in the sixth round, really turn it on in the fifth and sixth rounds. Reactions to the fight have been mixed. Some give respect to Jake Paul for getting in the ring with Anthony Joshua despite having so many physical and experience disadvantages. Others did not find respect for him considering that he was not trying to fight. I am of the opinion that a good amount of people would get into the ring with Anthony Joshua if they received a multi-million-dollar purse. Paul went six rounds with Joshua, but we saw that Paul was simply avoiding any real fighting. This outcome was the expected outcome, and while there are some who wished that they could see this end sooner, it ended with Paul not really have much of anything against Joshua.

My wife and I are also watching the new and final season of Strangers Things. It took a long time to get here, but it finally came, and we have enjoyed what we saw so far. Four new episodes a week, and then a movie to finish the series does build anticipation, and ending it all with a movie is an interesting choice. The Demon Slayer anime is ending with movies, so it is not totally unprecedented. One of the main critiques is that the characters are now adults in real life, but they are playing teenagers. It personally does not bother me, and they did the best that they could in making them look like teenagers. The story so far has been good, and there has been a surprising amount of graphic violence. I am curious to see how this all ends.

I do not know what is the future for Logan Paul. Did this loss expose him and make him lose potential viewers to his next boxing fight, or not? Anthony Joshua will probably fight for some titles against some big names. Stranger Things is at the beginning of the end, and I wonder if they’ll limp to the finish line or totally stick the landing.

Zootopia 2 and John Cena

My wife and I watched Zootopia 2, and we both liked it a lot. While I am personally not fond of all the sequels that have been coming out as of late, I always thought that Zootopia should have had a sequel. There is a lot of story and characters to tell with Zootopia, and the dynamic between Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde have always carried these Zootopia movies. They added some new characters to the cast, who positively add to the story. The comedy is still very much there, and it was a generally wholesome movie overall. I am glad that there was no political-social messaging in the movie, and there just seemed to be a focus on making a good, wholesome, family movie. If they made a third Zootopia movie, I would not complain.

John Cena also retired from professional wrestling as an in-ring performer. This was on the same day that the My Hero Academia anime ended. I still remember John Cena’s first match in the WWE against Kurt Angle in the Ruthless Aggression Era. I also have friends who wrestled John Cena before he got into the WWE. I saw his evolution as a wrestler from when he started in WWE, becoming the Doctor of Thuganomics, becoming World Champion, Super Cena, becoming a part-timer, a Hollywood star, his final run that also had him making a heel turn, to his final match against Gunther. I was not one of those that booed him and recognized that he literally carried the company on his back for many years. His work with Make-A-Wish is downright extraordinary. His last match against Gunther was really good and very emotional from the entrance to the ending. Gunther went over, which is not uncommon for a wrestler to retire “off his back” to give “the rub” to someone else. He will be missed, and while there will always have big stars that will eventually come along, there is not anyone quite like John Cena.

There was the return of something with Zootopia, and the ending of something with John Cena. I expect a Zootopia 3 to be announced, as there is a lot more story to tell with Zootopia. However, with John Cena, his story after more than decades as a professional wrestler has ended. While I expect to see him in the future in WWE in some capacity, it will not be as an in-ring performer.

UFC 323 and Parties

My friends and I watched the final UFC pay per view ever, UFC 323, headlined by then-Champion Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan. This was a rematch, which Merab outworking Yan and getting the better of him the first time. This time though, Yan fought the best MMA fight of his life, stuffing numerous takedowns, getting his own takedowns and showing crisp striking. Merab honestly looked unstoppable up until this point, but Yan had the solution to beat him and is not the UFC Bantamweight Champion for the second time. In the co-main event, Joshua Van defeated Alexandre Pantoja by TKO (injury) via arm breaking/dislocating off of posting his arm while getting taken down. It was an unfortunate outcome for Pantoja, but it goes to show that anything can happen in the fight game. I would guess that Van gets Tatsuro Taira next, who beat Brandon Moreno on the same card. Also of note, rising star, Payton Talbott defeated Henry Cejudo in Cejudo’s retirement fight, in what was a fantastic final fight for Cejudo.

My wife and I also went to a company party this week. The venue was really nice with free food and free drinks. Everyone was dressed to the nines, but it was quite honestly pretty boring. Everyone was just standing or sitting around talking to each other while music played. There was a stage, but outside of one performance, it was pretty bland. Even the food left something to be desired. I suppose that this is just how things are. At least my wife and I attended our first formal outing. We also went to a Church picnic, and that had games and even better food. They at least tried to keep things fun and entertaining.

The UFC, in my opinion, gave a final pay per view card that felt worth the price of admission. I look forward to watching the UFC product on Paramount+ next year. We can also expect more gatherings and whatnot next year as well.

Thanksgiving 2025 and WWE Survivor Series 2025

My wife and I spent Thanksgiving at The Welk in Escondido with my brother, his wife and two kids. With our timeshare, we are able to get rooms for us, but for family and friends as well. We stayed at the mountain villa, which was particularly nice especially having a fire place in the living room and the bedroom while the rest of our family stayed at another villa. We unfortunately did not get to eat at a local taco place that sells craft tacos in Escondido as we did not have enough time. For Thanksgiving, we had a lunch consisting of Filipino food. That night, we watched Wicked: For Good, which was the second time that I saw the movie. The next morning, we already had to leave, but we got brunch at the Z Café in Bonsall. While it was a short trip, it was worthwhile.

I also watched WWE Survivor Series, which I thought was a solid show. It was not a spectacular show though, as the only real notable bit of news to come from the event was that there was a mystery attacker who performed Seth Rollins’s moves on CM Punk, helping the men’s heel team win War Games. Dominick Mysterio defeated John Cena to win back the Intercontinental Championship with the help of a returning Liv Morgan. The WWE product overall has not particularly stood out as of late with no big storylines save for Cena’s retirement. While this Survivor Series had a lot of star power, the lack of interesting storylines really showed itself. The in-ring product, especially these days, is generally not the problem, but the lack of anything to really sink your teeth into has made the WWE product a bit stale. This next month of December, except for Cena’s final match, has historically been a dead month for WWE. With the new year and the Royal Rumble coming around, hopefully, the product will pick up.

The was a particularly busy Thanksgiving weekend where we were generally on the “go.” Staying in The Welk is always a treat, and having family be able to experience it as well is nice. WWE Survivor Series was fun, despite any gripes I may have with the overall WWE product. While it is back to work, it is holiday season, so it should be a good December.

Wicked: For Good and JR De Guzman

My wife and I had a fun weekend watching the movie, Wicked: For Good, and seeing the Filipino comedian, JR De Guzman. Like with the first movie, Wicked: For Good is for a very particular audience, but it did have a surprising amount of action in the movie. I would argue that the first movie was better as it had the more well-known songs along, and it seemed to spotlight Alfaba more. In Wicked: For Good, it seemed to spotlight Glinda more, but Ariana Grande does a great performance. She switches from the good representative of Oz to a surlier person throughout the movie, and her “fight” with Alfaba is a lot of fun. The transformation of the tin man was also very dark and haunting. Overall, I thought that it was a good movie.

We also watched comedian, JR De Guzman, with our friends who are married. We came straight from work, and I personally was not feeling particularly well with a small headache coming around. However, once we got to the venue, sat down and ate, I felt normal. We have seen De Guzman two times already, but it has been a while since we last saw him. He added some new material to his act along with amping up the musicality of his set. He does many sexual jokes, which is hit or miss for some people. I feel that his comfort with the audience and his quick wit are at a high, or at its peak with him. He always has a fun show though.

It was a fun weekend with lots of good entertainment. The movie offerings as of late have been average at best, but Wicked: For Good already is doing great in the global box office. Watching comedians live will always be a treat, and we are very familiar with JR De Guzman. As long as a good entertainment product is being offered, we are more than willing to pay and be entertained.

UFC 322 and Paramount+

My friends and I watched UFC 322, and it was a very good card with some historic wins, upsets, new contenders rising and whatnot. It did not help though that the last two fights went five rounds that were wrestling and top-control heavy. Islam Makhachev defeated the champion, Jack Della Maddalena, for the UFC Welterweight Title while Valentino Shevchenko successfully defended her UFC Women’s Flyweight Title against former UFC Strawweight Champion, Weili Zhang. Islam is now in an elite class of UFC double-champs while also being in discussions of being the number one pound-for pound fighter. Other standout moments of the night were pretty much all the finishes from Michael Morales, Carlos Prates, Benoit St. Denis, Bo Nickal and other finishes. Prates and Morales are now in contention for the Welterweight Title. There is a lot that came from this card that will set the future for some weight divisions well into next year.

My wife discovered that if we get a Walmart Plus membership, then we would get a free subscription to Paramount+. This is really good for us as we shop at Walmart regularly, having one very close to our place, but also, the UFC is going to have all their content next year on Paramount+. We looked through the Paramount+ catalog, and honestly, did not find anything new that was too interesting. However, looking through their older and classic stuff, that is where the value lies for us, outside of it housing the UFC next year. Old Nickelodeon shows, classic cartoons like Heathcliff, classic shows like I Love Lucy were in the Paramount+ catalog. My wife is currently watching Hot in Cleveland, which started in 2010 (and one of the last good years for television and movies). This deal pretty much pays for itself.

UFC 322 will be one of the last of the UFC pay-per-view era, and with an $80.00 price tag per UFC PPV card, I will be glad to see pay-per-view gone and into streaming with Paramount+.

Physical: Asia and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Progression

My wife and I have started watching Physical: Asia on Netflix, and we are very entertained by it. Eight teams representing different countries compete in different challenges, called quests. One of the main appeals to us was that it had Filipino boxing superstar, Manny Pacquiao, as a contestant. When they had the teams introduced, the last team was Philippines, and everyone was so surprised and in awe of seeing Pacquiao there. It is unfortunate, but not that surprising, that Pacquiao had to leave in the middle of the season. There are also MMA fighters that I am familiar with on the show like: Robert Whittaker, Yushin Okami, Dong Hyun Kim, and Mark Mugen. It is fun actually seeing everyone’s skills at work and making a difference at times. So far, Team Australia looks like the team to beat, in my opinion.

I am becoming much more comfortable as a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brown Belt. Upon receiving the Brown Belt, I did not feel like I deserved it. Since I received the Brown Belt, I really am changing my focus and just my overall mental game. As a Purple Belt, I really was just going through the motions and grinding through, becoming very complacent. I would even tap when I could have fought more, showing how lazy I became. I really did not have any sort of goal towards my Brown Belt. With how I got this Brown Belt though, I now have an idea of what this final push towards a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt looks like. As far as the technical side of things is concerned, I have knowledge at what I can and cannot do at pretty much any given position. There is always something new to learn, but I feel that the mental side of things is what I need to work on. There were positions where I would just stay neutral by choice, but now, I really have to put in the effort not to get in a position of complacence. It has actually been working out well for me, and I actually feel that I have leveled up a bit in a short amount of time just by the sheer act of “trying.”

Physical: Asia has competitors at the top of their sport or athletic profession. They have this drive to try as hard as they can, and have reached the top with the right training, skills, drive and mentality. I am trying to get to my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt by putting it all together, physically and mentally.

World Series 2025 and Tire Changing

The MLB World Series final between the LA Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays ended, and the Dodgers ended up winning. It was a very intense series with Game 3 going 18 innings, and Game 7 going extra innings. My wife and I have watched the Dodgers play live, and they are just really good, especially with the roster that they have. Sports are a really good way of bringing people together and finding common ground. I have family, co-workers, neighbors and others who were watching these games with high anticipation, staying up late at times. It is a shared cultural experience.

While the World Series was exciting, the only other notable thing that happened this week was having my tires changed. Having the tire pressure light come on, putting in air, and having it come back on just a few days later is always nerve-racking. All of a sudden, driving on the road just feels a little different, as if the tire can explode or fall off the car at any moment. Also, going to the mechanic for anything just takes so much time and money. What would be the time that I go to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class is now being used to wait for my tires to be replaced, and of course, the Costco where I got them done was particularly busy on that day and time.

Weeks can have a mix of the total mundane and history-making sports events. The World series, and sports in general, is the average individual’s way of getting away from the regular and mundane, and to watch something exceptional.

Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc and Writing Fight Scenes

My wife and I watched the Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc movie, and it was a lot of fun. Words like “chaotic,” “psychotic” and “kinetic” are just a few words that would describe this movie. The first forty minutes or so move at a brisk pace just building the story. Denji meets Reze early in the film, and they have immediate chemistry, but there is always this feeling that something is not as it seems. Once everything gets set up, and we are in the middle of the movie, then it is all action that really does not stop. Everything from bombs, fireworks, chainsaws, a Sharknado and other things are present in one of the wildest battles that I have seen in anime, and it is all animated wonderfully. It is all just kinetic energy on screen with a few comedic moments sprinkled in. The movie ends adding more mystery to Makima. The questions of who is Makima, why is everyone after Denji, and who is the Gun Devil are not answered with this movie, but just another layer is revealed. If there is one criticism with this movie, it is that some of the side characters like Aki or Power are hardly or just not present after the first act of the movie.

Even after writing The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom, I am still writing daily. I am working on The Land of the Wooden Statues, a dark fantasy, and there are a few action scenes. Considering that I practiced boxing, kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I thought that my fight scenes were top-notch in my stories. It turns out that there is still a lot that I have to learn, and while I can write the mechanics of fighting well and descriptively, I was not writing in a way that would get a reader involved with the fight itself. I was using far too many long, descriptive sentences for my fight scenes, and that actually takes readers out of the fight. I needed to write shorter, more precise sentences to match that pace and action that is going on in a fight scene. Longer sentences can be interjected to build anticipation or do other things, but I was writing only long sentences. It is good though that I know this now, and it goes to show that I am still learning and growing as a writer.

Chainsaw Man had fight scenes correct with so much going on but still allowing the audience to follow along with the action. Everything is quick, precise and the impactful moments are done at the right time. I need to also do that with my own writing, especially with my fight scenes. Thankfully, I have discovered this just with my second book, so I still have time to rewrite the action scenes.

After Dallas and Chainsaw Man

Getting home from Dallas, Texas, we did not really relax. That night that we returned, we had to perform church duties. The next day, we went out with my wife’s cousin. The day after that, we had a family dinner with my family. The day after that, I went to an open mat Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with a friend. Saturdays are always busy with church and other errands to attend to. On Saturday night, we slept for almost half a day well into Sunday, seemingly needing sleep. It was just a really busy week coming from all already busy short trip to Dallas, Texas.

My wife and I started watching the anime, Chainsaw Man, this week, and we have already finished the first season of twelve episodes. We both really liked the anime and have already pre-ordered tickets for the movie. Besides the ultra-violence and gore, the characters are also just very interesting. Denji is not a usual protagonist with honorable motivations and sense of good values. His motivations are entirely self-serving with no real morality behind them. Despite a few things revealed about Makima, she is still very much a mystery. The other characters have different motivations with even some pretty major characters dying as well. After twelve episodes, it honestly feels like the series just got started. One of the main villains is spoken about but never seen. New characters were introduced late into the season, and mysteries are still abundant. We are very much looking forward to see what Chainsaw Man offers in the future.

It looks like our schedule for the foreseeable future will not be so hectic. It was nice to already finish the first season of the Chainsaw Man anime television series, and we look forward to watching the movie which will continue straight from where season one left off. I do not mind the busy days, as that is just a part of life, but it does make me appreciate the slow, idyllic days as well.