Badminton Mania

Ok, I have been admittedly and shame-facedly negligent of my little burgeoning blogspot here. Almost a month of silence, as if nothing worth mentioning transpired in the past few weeks? Bullocks! So I'll do my best to provide some wit and wisdom via website on the off chance that somewhere out there, in some small way, my blogspot is considered to be one of the greatest contributions to mankind in the 21st century. You know what else is a monumental contribution to human kind? Badminton. Scoff if you will, but I have recently been swept up in the glee and passion of this shuttlecock sport. No longer is badmitton merely a passtime of bar-b-ques and backyards. It has found its true place of respect in the far East, the land of zen, karaoke, and ramen noodles. I was first made aware of Badminton's pervasive (or maybe perversive ) hold on the Asian Continent when I was in Vietnam (ref. Saigon Morning). The wicked 5am matches that could be found in every park across the city were a bit intimidating. They wacked those birdies with ferocious grunts and crippling velocity- and that's saying alot for a projectile that weighs 2 oz and is primarily feathers. I dodged my way around them with great fear and trepidation, reluctant to receive either a sting by a whizzing missile, or the wrath of a hard-core sweatband wearing Vietnamese "athlete". But here in Korea, I have found it more...approachable. Probably because I've been playing in the comfort of the Seoul English Village front entry hall, along with my other novice badmittoners. What I find most rewarding about the game is the inevitable ridicularity that ensues no matter how fierce the pre-game posturing may be. What begins as an intense jaw-clenching, eye-slitting, knuckle-tightening stare down across the "net" (which is a brochure stand that we move to the center of the entry way) is quickly reduced to fountain-esque pirouttes, flailing arms, and sprawling capers across the slick marble floor. A dress code of p.j. pants and slippers is strictly observed on the court at all times of play, and matches typically commence at 1 am. We're now considering sponsorship offers from Commander Vodka and Dole 100% Orange Drink. A ramen sponsorship maybe in the works. We've yet to hear from Gatorade, but it isn't in us anyway...