Monday, November 9, 2009

Gold in the Blood

So I never explained my title. Regalis is the latin root for Regal. Regal means 1. of, relating to, or suitable for a King. 2. of notable excellence or magnificence. If you're reading this and you don't know me or don't know a word of French it's important to note that my name means "The King" in French. I used to hate my name cause it sounds like an old man name but I've come to appreciate its meaning. It's added to this vanity I apparently have. Why not take pride in it though? I'm a leader in many aspects of my life, like a King. I do big things now and expect big things in the future, like a King. I also have a taste for the better things in life, including women ;), also like a King. I could go on but that won't be necessary for this post.
What I'd really like to write about tonight is Black Belt Hannette Staack, current Women's World Champion in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It's her 8th time if I'm not mistaken by the way. Now she's worth mentioning not just because of her dominance in the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but because she trains at my school! Andre Negao Terencio is her Coach and not only teaches her but many other students including me. I have had the privilege of training with her many times and she is a beast. She's got many more championships coming her way for sure. She's someone I deeply admire because you can speak with her and not even know that she is the best in the world. She is modesty at it's best. When it's time to roll though, she goes hard. She's handed my a** to me many a time and is MUCH smaller than me. Determination, courage, passion, dedication, discipline, confidence, and humility are all pieces that make up her character and those are things every champion is made of. With the help of her and our world class teacher Andre, I hope to one day be a champion of the same prestige.
I think I have the makings of a champion in Bjj and the woman above is my inspiration. I've tasted championships of a different variety on a few occasions but this will be very different. The Bjj community is extensive and grows everyday throughout the world. Imagine Bjj were to make it into the Olympics. I could be there. I will train everyday with a championship as the desired end. Just thinking about it makes me excited to train again already!

That's it for now. Good night!

and follow your boy at twitter.com/king_gordon

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Here We Go

I've been meaning to start one of these things for a while. I think it'd be fun to really let everyone know what's on my mind and maybe even get some feedback. We'll see where it goes.

So how bout Rihanna on 20/20 the other night? I was on Twitter the other day (follow me btw twitter.com/king_gordon) and one of the "Trending Topics" was something about Rihanna's forehead. This anger me for two reasons. Number one, I looove Rihanna. It's like my dream to meet her. Number two, it was triggered by her tell all interview. An interview that wasn't meant deface Chris Brown anymore than he has been, but to tell her side of the story. A lot of people had comments downplaying the legitimacy of her story. Those people kind of made me sick to be frank. I don't think it's appropriate to mock this kind of situation when it actually happens to a person, celebrity or not.
Then there were the people saying, "This happens everyday to someone. Why is she so important?". Of course everyones going to care about when it happens to Rihanna, she's famous throughout the world. Everybody was in her business when things were good, they're certainly going to be there when things are bad. Her situation is no more important than any other domestic violence case, it's just "high profile". There's something to learn from her and Chris Brown. She said it in her interview, " Don't let yourself become blinded by love. Be able to look at it from third person". Simply meaning, if you're in a bad relationship, the best thing to do is to look at it from a point of view other than your own. That's the only way you can make a good decision. Ladies, if a man abuses you he doesn't truly love you.
As a man, I could never ever hit a woman. I owe my life to women. My mother, grandmother, aunts, sisters, cousins have all surrounded me since birth. There are 3 other men in this family other than me. One thing we were unintentionally taught was respect for women. How could we not? I love the women in my family with all my heart. If a man were to ever lay a finger on any of them, that man will have Hell to pay. Hell in the form of this 6'2'', 200lb manchild. So guys before you ever even think about hitting a woman, think that she is someone's daughter, sister, or cousin. Then think about your sister, cousins, and your mother. What would they say? How would they feel? Hands to yourselves guys. I love Chris Brown and all but he has no excuse. Everyone makes mistakes though and I can say I've forgiven him but he's got many dues left to pay. Good luck to him in those endeavors and I hope his judgement is much better in the future.
Hope I did okay on this first one. Goodnight world.