In \u201992 your journey began in a new land,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Settled Down Under for a better life with the fam,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Understandably daunting, all this is brand new,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Folks here look different from the ones that you knew,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taller and different shades in terms of hair and complexion,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speech patterns are different, as are the accents,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Language barrier ain\u2019t helping, adding only to first day\njitters,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Straight to first grade with limited communication, much to\nthe other kids\u2019 amusement,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ESL fixed you up in a hurry, by mid-year achieved fluency,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aided by various cartoons that you were glued to on the\ndaily,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All but promoted to citizen from foreigner, read a story to\nthe class to mark the occasion,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where The Wild Things\nAre<\/em> to this day remains a story sentimental, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Began an interest in reading and writing, storytelling was\nwhere it\u2019s at, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Numerous awards earned from the teacher, made up for your\nweaknesses in science and in math,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gradually loosened up, made some friends at school, enough\nto run into strife every once in a while, excessive chit-chat\u2019s against the\nrules, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Visited a place called Wonderland for the first time, call\nit your local Disneyland,<\/p>\n\n\n\n No Mickey or Minnie in this pad, all \u2018bout Fred Flintstone\nand his pals, but still lots of fun to be had,<\/p>\n\n\n\n They had a dinosaur exhibition on, triggering endless\nfascination,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tastes in film, TV and books did it influence, while other boys\ngeeked over cars, trucks, superheroes and even earth-moving equipment,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cousin turned you onto gaming, you took to it like a duck to\nwater, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every weekend killed many hours on \u2018em, sometimes bordering\non obsession,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Might have been confusing times, plenty of changes dumped on\nsuch a young child, <\/p>\n\n\n\n But you look back on it with fondness for a reason, in many\nways \u201892 was your life\u2019s very foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fast forward to the next decade, year two of the new\nmillennium,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wonderland running on fumes, gonna be shut in a year or two,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perfect analogy there for your present state of mind,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Late teens brought challenges of the draining kind,<\/p>\n\n\n\n The innocence of childhood gone, life took the kid gloves\noff,<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cheery kid had left the building, in his place a teen\nexasperated,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Angst and confusion strikes all teens, from physical\nappearance to thoughts on the future,<\/p>\n\n\n\n School-related pressures, changing dynamics with the\nparents, even those with the opposite gender,<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a tough place, that bridge between child and adulthood,\ncan make and break an individual, some end up suicidal, wanna get off the\ncarousel for good, <\/p>\n\n\n\n The magic that you took from gaming withering like a flame\nin the wind,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Music filled the void, mind\u2019s thoughts expressed through\npunk and emo shit,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Round the clock bullying thrown in for good measure, let\u2019s\nnot forget friends\u2019 betrayals, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Anger towards peers threatening to boil over, it\u2019s a miracle\nyou ain\u2019t turned into a school shooter,<\/p>\n\n\n\n The world\u2019s a cold and dark place, trust can easily be\nmisplaced,<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s sad, really, the thoughts of a young man in eleventh\ngrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Skipping over now to the end of days according to the Mayan\nCalendar,<\/p>\n\n\n\n No clear threats to our existence, eight years later gonna\nfeel something close to it,<\/p>\n\n\n\n By now made 27 trips around the sun, twenty years since\ngrade one,<\/p>\n\n\n\n The happy kid begat a depressed teen that grew into a jaded\nadult pushing 30,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last decade was a rollercoaster, so many ups and downs, <\/p>\n\n\n\n High school finished, university done and dusted, breakdowns\nin the personal life, definitely walked through your share of fires,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Disillusioned with the world and most folks in it, met one too\nmany wolves in sheep\u2019s clothing,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Fuck the world\u2019 became a hidden mantra, stayed loyal to\nfriends and fam while low-key seething in front of strangers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joined the ranks as an employee, making decent money,\nworking out replaced the gaming, the body once-doughy ripped and strong like\nBruce Lee\u2019s,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which brings us to the turning point, another life-changer\nwas waiting \u2018round the corner,<\/p>\n\n\n\n A martial art called wing chun, fit you like a tailored suit\nfrom day one,<\/p>\n\n\n\n No room for brute strength in this jawn, gotta stay relaxed\nbut keep the form strong,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Previous understandings \u2018bout hand-to-hand combat\nobliterated, life\u2019s about new learning experiences,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turned out to be the perfect tonic, the best thing that ever\nhappened,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Found your tribe, finally, first true friends you had since\nelementary,<\/p>\n\n\n\n At first felt socially awkward like a wanderer traipsin\u2019\n\u2018round the wilderness,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shook off the rust rather quickly, soon you\u2019re chopping shit\nup with \u2018em regularly,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reconnected, too, with an old high school buddy, got to know\nhis pals and his lady, added \u2018em to your circle of homies,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Went from being a hermit to Mr. Social in an instant, call\nit your own personal redemption, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Flirted with personal training, took the steps required for\nqualification,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finished in a few months, studied the human body, psychology\nand such,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soon further changes are happening, years\u2019-old wounds\nfinally healing,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Been a surly recluse since high school graduation, by year\u2019s\nend the walls had collapsed around the fortress,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still keeping the population at a distance, though, it\u2019s\nbaby steps through which we\u2019re moving,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still an achievement to have broke the shackles that you\u2019d\nlong been burdened with,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ten years almost wasted but better late than never, though\nyour ankles are calloused your heart\u2019s been somewhat softened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Up and up from there, one good year after another,<\/p>\n\n\n\n The puzzle pieces finally fell into place, felt as though\nyou\u2019d achieved a happily ever after,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Working arrangements took on a nomadic turn, we\u2019re living in\nchanging times,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gig arrangements are in, jobs exported overseas, others\ntaken over by A.I,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Five years later still at the Wing Chun Academy, worked your\nway up to Instructor eventually,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once on the other side of warm-downs, now you\u2019re the one leaving\n\u2018em heaving and wheezing,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Took a cruise to New Zealand, just another of your many\nrecent trips overseas,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still hangin\u2019 and chillin\u2019 with your homies, all in all life\nseems pretty sweet,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Worked at three different firms, still making bank despite\never-changing scenarios,<\/p>\n\n\n\n All the while personal training on the side, the hustle\u2019s hard\nbut learned to embrace the chaos,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Half a decade after the turning point, felt like life would\nbe rosy going forward,<\/p>\n\n\n\n But all good things must end, what comes up must go down, another\nbig challenge seemed in order\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which now brings us back into the present, it\u2019s been quite a\nride,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many more mountains to climb, more chapters to write, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Five, ten, twenty and thirty years came and went so fast,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you know it you\u2019re at the sunset, ready to rest at\nlast,<\/p>\n\n\n\n What happens now \u2018til then is entirely up to you,<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s your journey and no one else\u2019s, set your own timeframe\nand rules,<\/p>\n\n\n\n That dream run in the 2010s ended abruptly, in 2018 a new\nchallenger stepped up to the fore,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Could have kept you on your knees had you not rallied like never\nbefore,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seemed like the path smoothed out again but sadly not to be,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reaching deeper into its bag of tricks, fate threw the world\ninto a tizzy,<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new decade wasn\u2019t some new Roaring Twenties, Covid\nplayed party pooper,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now here we are, three years and counting and no closer to a\nsolution,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gotta soldier on anyway, if it\u2019s worth fighting for gonna\nfind a way,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing to be gained from quitting, small steps eventually\nlead to big dividends,<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re all grown up but went through different phases along\nthe journey,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be not ashamed of \u2018em, personal evolution is an\ninevitability, <\/p>\n\n\n\n The happy kid and angsty teenager, sullen young man, desk\njockey and would-be personal trainer,<\/p>\n\n\n\n The martial artist and aspiring writer, who knows what other\nhats you\u2019ll wear in the future?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Got a long life still, ample time to set and knock down goals,\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ride ain\u2019t over yet, Kiddo, grab that bull by the horns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In \u201992 your journey began in a new land, Settled Down Under for a better life with the fam, Understandably daunting, all this is brand new, Folks here look different from the ones that you knew, Taller and different shades in terms of hair and complexion, Speech patterns are different, as are the accents, Language … <\/p>\n