Back to San Diego

(Beluga Whale Exibit at the Shedd Aquarium)

Well, the weekend is over and I'm heading back to San Diego tomorrow. I was supposed to teach a private today, and I wanted to train a little, but I ended staying out pretty late last night; so, those plans went out the window. Instead, I spent the day in the city with my brother, my sister-in-law, and my nieces. We spent the day at the Shedd Aquarium and met up with some New Breed students for dinner. I wish I could have trained, but it seemed like there was no time.

Last night was fun, although the "bar" we went to seemed more like a club in the Philippines, rather than a Chicago, or even, Hawaiian bar. There were a ton of Filipinos at the place. My friend even sported a Philippine jacket! He had no clue that the majority of the people would be Pinoy. I was surprised to see a girl (Janet) I knew from 6th to 8th grade working at the bar (I dated one of her friends for a while). When I walked into the place, we looked at each other a number of times and she looked really familiar. When my brother mentioned her name, it all came back to me. I knew it in Jr. High. I knew she was going to be a very "talented" woman.

(With one of my best friends in grade school, Nick .)

(Very talented...)

Some reporters from ABS-CBN were covering the opening of the club. They took footage of the activities inside and also pulled people aside for interviews. While the reporters were interviewing an owner (I think), one of our friends (Kuan)--who always has too much to drink--decided to get some camera time. Btw, Kuan decided to take a leak in a trash can instead of a toilet (I have evidence!), and he pretty much got us kicked out of the next place we went to!

(Kuan showing his abs to the video camera.)

My Chicago trip was short, but it was nice to see my brother and his family, to catch up with old friends, and to help the guys at New Breed Chicago. I'm happy to see that the school is doing well. The team has become one to reckon with in competition. Moreover, I like how the team has built a strong sense of camaraderie among its members. Pretty much all of the members hang out regularly inside and outside of the academy. A good number of students from other schools have switched academies because of the open and friendly atmosphere. If you're in Chicago and you want good training, check out New Breed. Look for my brother Mark and he'll take care of you.

(Nick and Mark rolling before the seminar.)

(Some rolling before the seminar.)

I didn't get to take the video footage that I wanted, so I won't be posting video. However, I will eventually put some video clips up that cover some of the techniques that I taught during the seminar.

To the guys in Chicago reading this, it was good seeing all of you and keep training hard. Hopefully I'll be back in Chicago again soon.

Tags: Chicago, brazilian jiu jitsu, new breed, Tiki Terrace