A Random Rant

Welcome to the first episode of ‘A Random Rant’. A potential series on my blog page where I yap about random events as I have nothing in particular I want to discuss.

Today, I tried out Muay Thai for the first time and it was so much fun. I left the gym with the rediscovery of my love for kicking pads, and a bruised ribcage. It had been so long since I got to kick a pad in a martial arts gym. Just hearing that loud thump when your leg connects with the pad, MMMMM so satisfying. I used to practice Taekwondo as a kid, and I did that for around 5 or 6 years, I think. I was either a blue and red, or red belt when I left (a couple belts away from black) so I’d say I know a tad about the fundamentals of kicking. After competing in my fair share of tournaments and fights, Lil Pete ultimately realised that Taekwondo is just sport, vastly different from real fights which is bound by a single rule: ‘Don’t provoke a fight. If fighting is inevitable, don’t die’. This is why I often said: “…but Taekwondo isn’t that useful in a real fight” when people asked if I had ever done martial arts.

But, after getting into a few fights at school (none of them provoked by me), I understand now that knowing something about fighting is better than knowing nothing (seems obvious, I know). Example: let’s call this guy Finn (definitely not his real name). It was my first school term in the UK. Finn and I were on the same landing in our boarding house. One night, as I was brushing my teeth, Finn called me slurs. After ignoring him, he pulled at my ankles, trying to trip me over on the wet bathroom floor. I told him to leave me alone, repeatedly, but he didn't listening. As my left leg was still held off the ground, I grabbed the sink in front of me for support and spun 180 degrees, delivering a round house to his torso. Here lies a valuable lesson: Racist behaviour needs to be called out and confronted. Full disclosure: please don’t try a sink-assisted roundhouse kick at home--not before stretching :))

Enough about fighting. Anyone else still feeling long covid? I sure do, I think. Ever since I got covid in Oct 2021, I have just been so fatigued every day. (slightly concerning but the fatigue isn’t causing me any alarming problems expect for a strong desire to nap during the day) (I’m probably just getting old; I can’t believe I am 18 YEARS OLD!!!).

Have you ever had to binge a show for homework? Because that is exactly what I did this week. For one of my assignments in Film and TV, we have to write an essay analysing the visual aspects, narrative strategies, and generic conventions of a television program. Specially, a 3–5-minute sequence of an episode. After reading the options of the programs given, I knew I had to pick Brooklyn 99. At first, it was fun. Staying in bed, watching a show on Netflix, eating some fruits, and drinking coconut water. But after several hours of watching said show, I was left with nothing but the purest form of physical and mental pain. Now, I know I shouldn’t complain about having to watch a TV show for research, but bro, you got to understand, watching 16 episodes of Brooklyn 99 in a row is not healthy. According to Google, the average length of a b99 episode is 23mins; meaning my lower back endured a crushing 6.13 hours of aching pain, my eyes endured 6.13 hours of burning pain, and my brain endured 6.13 hours of American comedy. At least, I know which sequence I want to write about now; Peter spends his time very well, that’s why they call me ‘Studious Steve’.

Do you pronounce the G in ‘Ghibli’ with a ‘Ji’ sound or a ‘Ghi’ sound? If you’re saying Studio (Ghi)bli, you’re cringe (in my most humble opinion). Anyway, their new movie ‘The Boy and The Heron’ was…hmm…one of those films I have to watch again to appreciate. I don’t know about you but at times during the film, I was just like ‘what’s happening?’. But, maybe that’s just me. The movie is very Ghibli-esque (stylistically, exactly how I imagined it would feel like to watch this movie). For me, there’s a very specific feeling that comes up when I watch Ghibli movies. It almost feels like a sort of calming nostalgia. Though, that's kind of funny considering how much Spirited Away scared me as a child. Anyway, go watch the movie if you haven’t. I would highly recommend it if you like Ghibli movies.

On the other hand, do you know which film doesn’t give off nostalgic and calming vibes? Poor Things. Fun fact: I walked into the cinema with my friends to watch this movie thinking, ‘ohhh it can’t be that disturbing’. I kid you not, around half an hour into the movie, as I sipped on my protein shake (don’t bully me I just gymed), I nearly threw up because I was so disgusted by what I was watching. My friends can attest to this, after the credits, as the theatre lights came on, I was speechless, dumbfounded, bamboozled by what I saw. You could almost say I was shellshocked by the experience; Peter was, undeniably, shook to his very core. Anyway, go watch this film as well if you haven’t yet--again, I highly recommend.

With any good rant, we shall conclude it at the appropriate time, and I feel like while I could go on for a bit longer, this is a good place to stop. Thank you for letting me rant, and mostly, thank you for reading my rant. It’s a good thing to let others know what’s going on in your life, or in your past week, the good news and the bad. Isn’t it nice to share good news? Or let off some steam? And if you lack friends to talk to, you can always write your rant and post it on your blog page :) Signing off, your favourite filmmaker, Studious Steve (no one calls me that) (fingers crossed it catches on).