Receiving my Blue Belt in Taekwondo and the Liebster Award

So, not too long ago, I received by Blue Belt in Taekwondo!!!!! :D AHHH!! :D  I am really happy about this since I wanted to achieve this rank before starting college(I also got my Driver's License! YAY!), plus it's such an awesome rank! Only four more tests til Black Belt.....


I've also started taking up Kendo in college, so that will be neat! Nothing beats TKD, though!

Here are some pictures of my Blue Belt and my Certificate.

Thank you Shaak Ti from The Artist Alchemist

thank and link back to the person who nominated you
list 11 facts about yourself
answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you
nominate 11 bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers
(you can’t nominate the blogger who nominated you)
ask them 11 questions
let them know about the nomination

11 facts

1: I'm currently in college at the moment! 

2: Started taking  Kendo in college(sword fighting martial art created in Japan)!! :D They have classes in one of the clubs I joined. 

3: I get REALLY tired of people being all inappropriate in front of me. Why can't they obsess over something cool like, you know, fandoms or politics? Much more interesting.

4: Recently finished the series "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood" which was AMAZING!! :D Loved it! 

5: In college, I can sometimes tell, that I'm an innocent, naive homeschooler; yet, I feel more mature than some people too(and I know homeschooler stuff, hehehehe XD). 

6: I got an awesome letter from my friend Arda!! :D

7: I do like college, but I miss being homeschooled.... a lot!

8: I will work out at the gym in college so I can build muscle and get to 120 pounds at least(though I'd like to have a bit more). 

9: I hate when girls my height say they're short, since 5'5'' isn't short(4'6 is short; everything 5'0 to 5'11 is average). 

10: The other day, when I was having to hear all that inappropriate grossness, I watched Star Wars: Spoof Wars and listened to Owl City to make me feel better.

11: One of my goals is to be able to beat up a football player....>:D 

Shaak Ti's questions

1. What are looking forward to most this school year? (even if you're not in school): My classes, activities with my student organizations and the upcoming play project with the women's group I joined. 
2. If you were given the chance to go ANYWHERE in the world for one week, and it was completely payed for and everything, where would you go?: The British Isles(England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales), France, Germany, Norway(and Sweden, Finland, and Denmark), Japan, South Korea, Greece, Italy, Iceland, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Australia, Austria, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Guatemala, and probably many others. But if I had to choose, I'd go to England. 
3. On the topic of travel- what is the best trip you've ever been on?: My vacation back in 2012 when I went to so many amazing places(CVI, Disney for the second time, Universal, got to meet President Jimmy Carter, etc), my trips to Colorado, my trip to New England, and my trip to DC. 
4. Would you rather live in the mountains or by the sea?: The Mountains!! So pretty! Love the atmosphere 
5. Alternative or Pop music?: Both are okay
6. What would you do if you could spend the day with one of your favorite characters?: Hang out, run around, have fun! :) 
7. Can you name all 50 American states (and if you're not American- can you name all the regions/states of you're country?): Yes! 
8. Favorite girls name beginning with "T" + its meaning: 

Thalia - It is of Greek origin, and the meaning of Thalia is "flourishing". 

Titania - Greek: A blind seer

Tiana -  Arabic: Star

9. Favorite boys name beginning with "L" +it's meaning

Luke - In Greek the meaning of the name Luke is: Light giving. 

10. What type of atmosphere do you like when you go out to eat?: Quiet, calm, and friendly

11. What sport do you enjoy most? (And you can either participate in it, or just like to watch it. Whatever floats your boat :) ): MARTIAL ARTS!! :D Love Taekwondo!! :D I've taken up Kendo and I really want to study Judo, Aikido, and Kempo as well. 

And I thought I'd answer Misty Kasumi's questions as well! 

1. Favorite anime: Attack on Titan hands down!!! :D LOVE THAT SHOW AND THE MANGA!!! :D :D :D I also love - Death Note, Romeo x Juliet, Clannad/Clannad: After Story, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Fruits Basket, Princess Tutu, Fate/Zero, Spice and Wolf, and Gravitation. For movies, I love anything by Studio Ghibli, Children Who Chase Lost Voices, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. 

2. If you had to choose knowing your future, or traveling to the past to fix mistakes...which would you do?: Hmmmm, traveling to the past to fix my mistakes. I'd rather not know my future. 

3. Do you prefer dancing or singing?: I enjoy both, but maybe singing. 

4. Favorite hair color?: I love all the hair colors. I do really like black hair, though. 

5. If you have ever written a story...how long was it?: Oh boy..ummm, book 5 was around...500-600 pages I think? 

6. Sci-fi or Fantasy?: ARGHH WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME CHOOSE!! Fine, Sci-Fi. 

7. Would you rather be the only one who knows how to speak your language, or never speak again?: The only one who knows how to speak my language. I have to be able to talk, even to just myself. 

8. Do you like cosplay?: YESSS!! LOVE IT!

9. Favorite punctuation mark?: The exclamation point. 

10. Your pet peeve: Eating noises, smacking, and people who obsess over inappropriate stuff. 

11. Hot chocolate, or coffee?: Hot chocolate! 

Taekwondo Tournament Number 2

Hey fellow blogger! :D
So, recently(a few weeks ago) I went to my second(ever) Taekwondo tournament. It was a bit smaller than the last one, but I did well at this one too(I can tell my fighting has gotten better- but then, I AM a Blue Stripe. Of course, I still have a lot to work on). This time, instead of trophies, we got medals. 

Waiting to do forms. Since I'm a Blue Stripe, the form I performed was Sa Jang. 

                                                        My sister came to this tournament and while we didn't have to spar each other(thank goodness), we did have to compete in forms. I got first and she got second! :) Our school rules! :)

                                                         Preparing for the first movement.
                                                 

                                                           Sa Jang includes side thrust kicks O_o. Eek!

                                  Since I am now 18, I got to fight in the adult division! O_O. AHHH! YIKES! I already guessed I would, but it was still a bit nerve racking. Especially since I was the smallest of the girls I would have to fight(I ended up fighting two). I did well on sparring though and, for the most part, I feel good about it. (I'm Blue in the first fight and Red in the second).

                                                  Both women I fought were older than me, were taller than me, and weighed more than me. Awesomely, though, I totally creamed the girl I am fighting above(she was my first fight in the tournament)! XD Like my last tournament, I made the girl cry, the first time because I kicked her between the legs, which I thought was silly since I'm pretty sure she's a cisgender female(and it doesn't hurt like it would for a guy). As for the second reason, I'll get to that below.

                                       As I've gotten older, I've gotten much more aggressive(which I never really was as a kid). This was very obvious in this fight, since, even though the girl weighed more than me and was bigger than me, I still was able to beat her and intimidate her(which I found very satisfying >:D).

                                          The second reason I got the girl to cry was because I kicked her in the neck. I SHOULD have gotten three points for this(since neck shots are normally counted as head kicks), but they were mad at me for making their student cry(she was a student of the school hosting the event), so they docked half a point instead. But beyond that, I think it was a sweet kick! I mean, I made her bleed in her mouth(after they stopped the fight, since she was crying again, she took out her mouth-piece and there was blood on it)! How often does that happen!?
Oh well, it did help me make her scared of/upset at me for the rest of the fight, which in turn helped me WIN!

                                        I lost to the second girl I fought(and ended up getting second place in sparring), but she was a really mean(and good) fighter. I hope that the next time I fight, I'll be as mean as her. However, I did start doing better in the second half of the fight(she kicked me in the nose and I got ANGRY!), so I'm glad for that. (My sister also got second place in sparring).

So, all in all, I did well at my second tournament and I'm glad I went :).

Achieved my Blue Stripe in Taekwondo

Last week, my sister, another little boy of the same rank, and I tested for our Blue Stripes. Then, next time I went to class, I received my next rank! :) The test was pretty difficult, but thankfully not as much as the last one(which was over two hours long). For this test, we got to do a lot of cool things we've learned, such as 360 kicks, tornado kicks, and best of all, TAKE DOWNS! The two takedowns I have recently learned are very awesome and are ones I can definitely see coming in handy if I ever needed a quick maneuver in a fight(especially against a larger opponent). Also, I aced my terminology! :D

Last week(and this week), I've been working on my new form, Sa Jang, which is quite a cool form- I really like it!

                                                  Getting the tape put on my Green Belt.

                                         
                                                          My belt and certificate.

                                      Here is a close up of my blue stripes.

Can't believe I'm already a blue stripe! It won't be too much longer before I become a Blue Belt! :D(though it will probably be summer when I test). Then, all I'll have left to test for will be Blue Belt, Red Stripe, Red Belt, Black Stripe, and Black Belt(and all the degrees that come along with it)!!!! :D :D :D

Shena Tokala signing out

Achieving my Yellow Belt in Taekwondo

                                    On January 25th, I tested, and passed, the test I took for my Yellow Belt and passed! :D I should have tested back in the summer but since I kept being gone during testing, I had to wait until this day. It was a tiring test but I feel good about it and it was a lot of fun. I broke a board with a palm strike and did takedowns with my sister(I also got to spar a little). I was, of course, nervous but I did well and now I have learned my newest form, Il Jang. :D

                                                      My sister and I doing one-step sparring.

                                                    I got my belt on the Thursday after my test (I'd went that Monday but it hadn't arrived yet). When you get a new belt(or stripe) you go up to the front and the main instructor gives you a certificate and if you're getting a new belt, has you take your old one off and ties your new one on for you. I love having a new color! :D

                                                         My Yellow Belt and Certificate :) :D
                     I've done several things for Taekwondo lately in and around testing time. On the Monday after test, I did some sparring and even though I still have much to learn, I did a whole lot better, especially since I was fighting quite a lot of higher ranking people. I also went over my testing form tonight with the instructor who tested me and I did really good, even better than last time :).
To Green Stripe and Onward! :D

Taekwondo

I started Taekwondo a few months ago and I thought I'd post a few pictures.



Me in my Dobok(Korean for uniform). I really like it, it's flexible, easy to maneuver in, and it looks really cool :)


Me working on my form



Here we are in a line practicing



My sister and I in a back stance, with my little brother running in the background XD (yes, I know, my hands aren't in the right position here :p)



Here I am practicing my form