Blindfolded Muay Thai Boxing - Video from Thailand

Below is a video I captured in Chiang Mai Thailand in the middle of a Muay Thai Boxing match- its hilarious! There were 9 bouts that night, and after the fifth bout a "special" fight was held. Three boxers were blindfolded and let loose, with histerical results. I literally couldn't stop laughing, and watched the video on my camera that night until the batteries went out.

Its only a short clip, but you can witness the referee (in all black) getting drilled and knocked down twice! The blindfolded fighters couldn't tell who was who, and so anytime they sensed someone around them they started swinging. The poor ref, who was the only one not blindfolded, was nailed several times. One time he drop kicked one of the fighters who was coming at him, which isn't included in the clip. It seemed a little unfair, since he was the only one who could see, but hey, you gotta look out for yourself.

In the clip below, watch for the ref getting drilled twice, and also check out the "Donkey Kong" punches thrown by one of the fighters. I'm not sure what my strategy would be if I were in a blindfolded fight, but I do know that I'd be sure to step lightly and use the element of surprise as a weapon. 

Enjoy the video, I'd recommend watching it two or three times to be sure you catch both ref knockdowns. Cheers!

A Solution to Childhood Obesity in America

Obesity in American kids is a tremendous health (physical and psychological) problem, just check out these statistics:

18% of children are "obese", a number that has tripled since 1980

In Children from 12-19 years old, the rate has increased from 5% to 17.4% in the same period

70% of obese children become obese odults

The general cause of this is twofold: inactivity and poor nutrition.

One reason that many people eat too much is that they eat too fast. If you eat quickly, your body doesn't have time to tell you that you're full, and so eat past the point you would if you ate slowly.

My solution: force every child to eat with chopsticks! Living in Vietnam, I eat many meals with chopsticks, and it takes me FOREVER to finish a plate of food. Compare to eating with a spoon, it takes me 5x longer to eat something whe I use chopsticks.

So, my solution again (albeit tongue in cheek), is to get rid of all the forks in schools and replace them with chopsticks.

"The Nicest Prison in Vietnam" or, "My First Night in Ho Chi Minh City"

The weeks prior to my move to Vietnam were hectic to say the least, and I found it easier and psychologically convenient to put off dealing with the life-changes I was about to experience with my move. I had enough on my plate already to occupy my time with BrunoBooks and "see ya soons", and I subconsciously ignored dealing with the practicalities of moving, such as notifying my bank, worrying about my living situation, or getting a visa.

Oops. 

While traveling to Thailand this summer I'd made plans to visit Vietnam before my friend was involved in a horrific motorbike accident. Still, I'd gathered that you could get a visa on arrival (and my Lonely Planet guide mentioned nothing about not being able to get a visa on arrival), and hadn't sensed that there were any difficulties involved. 

In any case, during my thirty-hour travel marathon I thought mainly about the ideas in the books I was reading, unable to grasp fully what it meant that I was about to start living in Vietnam simply due to uncertainty over what the city was like, what my job would be like, and who I'd meet here.

When I finally arrived in HCMC, I went to the "Landing Visa" line after being rebuffed by the passport checker-guy. When I explained that I wanted to purchase a Visa (in many more words), I was greeted with stares of astonishment that said "What are you, an idiot?". And yes, I realized, in this particular case I had been an idiot.

I was escorted by an "official" to the First Hotel to await an emergency visa the next day. The name "First Hotel" was a little confusing, since I thought it meant that I would go to the first hotel from the airport, but instead the First Hotel was a few miles away. In addition to paying an extra $75 for the emergency visa, I was also forced to cough up $125 for the worst four-star hotel I've ever been in. Not to mention being under house-arrest at the hotel for nearly 20 horus.

I'm unsure how the First Hotel has won so many "Top Ten Hotel in Vietnam" awards from some agency, but I think its related to the fact that the hotel is the only hotel you can stay in if you arrive in HCMC without a visa. I'm guessing that some political connections are involved, which is also probably related to why it costs so much to stay there despite glaring flaws in its amenities and service. 

My room was nice and clean, and the first order of business was starting to download the first episode of the new season of "24", which had aired during my trip. I noticed a few oddities about the hotel while I was there, which my boss Tony informed me were characteristic of how Vietnam works. Essentially, he said, "In the rest of the world you're told what you're not allowed to do. In Vietnam you are told what you can do." There was no protocol for taking glasses from the bar to the room, so I simply wasn't allowed to do it. 

At the airport, I was told that I was under strict orders not to leave the hotel until I had my Visa. That said, no one was actually watching me, if I left I'd just lose my passport. I wandered outside into the square the hotel was on, as one of the hotel staff told me that this would be fine. As I walked around right outside the hotel, the doorman kept an intent eye on me, and shouted "Not Taxi!", trying to ensure that I stayed in the area. I did, and returned the hotel where I ordered room service and succombed to my jet lag shortly thereafter.

The next day Tony arrived and we had lunch at the hotel, and during that time a travel agent brought my passport and visa. I was finally free, and ready to begin the bigger adventure of settling in and getting acquainted with the city.

Why Hello There, Welcome

And so it begins, welcome to my brand-spanking new blog. Here you'll find "musings, ideas, stories, fun", or what you might call "whatever the heck is on my mind that I want to share". 

My interests are travel, entrepreneurship, technology, current events, and life generally, so you can expect a wide variety of content here. I promise to be entertaining if not witty, amusing if not funny, and interesting if not insightful. Cross my heart. 

Some posts will be be updates on what I'm up to, intended to give friends, family, and mentors an easy way to keep track of what I'm doing. Others will (hopefully) be relevant to anyone who's intellectually curious and shares at least some of my passion for the areas mentioned above.

I've got a long list of unwritten but upcoming posts, ranging from observations from travel to "How to Download Anything Online" to "Must Use Websites" to book reviews,  etc, so check back every few days. Better yet subscribe and receive updates by email. 

I'm going for quality not quantity, so expect maybe two posts a week. I hope that you'll take a moment to comment on posts you find interesting, and if I haven't heard from you in awhile, drop me a line at jessecmaddox [at] gmail.com!

Cheers,

Jess