Blades! What about it?

I was in grade school, when I first had interest in blades. 

we had threats in kidnapping and stuff.. I grew up learning different martial arts. scared of strangers who knew where I live. So I have paranoid issues on going out. Deadly weapons became my security blankets. I have a lot of butterfly knives which is made in our province our famously known as the "Balisong". There was this point that the parents of my classmates knew about it, I thought I'm screwed but it became the other way around. Those parents are looking for me every time we're going out saying "dala mo ba?" and I'll ask why and they'll say "yung balisong" then I go "yes po. Why?" their reply is...... "GOOD! sabi ko sa anak ko sayo dumikit, para safe" haha so now I became their security. Quick side story. Did you know that Cloe Moretz is good at using balisongs, she had this part in the movie Kick Ass which she was smoothly using it, like there was no blade on it. 

Continuing...

 Grade six came. Going home from our swimming competition, we passed by a blade store there were swords, knives, samurais and etc. I decided to buy one, the smallest one at least, it cost for one hundred bucks. Surprisingly until now I still have it, but it's a bit rusty already. I sometimes put this at the side of my socks or at the back of my pants. This knife is the classic one, but I can't try on tricks with this one.

My first ever weapon.

 

Because of this, I started liking and decided to collect this kind of stuff which some people are seeing it weird because I'm a girl and I'm young. But why the hell do I care anyway? So after I think a year or two. I bought another one with my kuya. This one is still a butterfly knife but the difference is that it has a metal handle and it's much bigger and it has a loosen joint so I can try lots of tricks (I only know 3 tricks yet) which I learned it from my kuya. And oh I remembered, it's color is not really yellow I just accidentally dropped a yellow paint on it and decided to dip the whole handle in a can of yellow paint, since it's also my favorite color.

So now my father knew that I was into blades, he introduced a new kind of knife to me which is the "karambit". My friends joke about it as the "palong ng manok" because they said it looks like one. I was searching for it for about months or even a year I think. So when I had the chance to go back in Taal, I went to our suki and luckily they're selling one!!! yey! Buying it was a dream come true ( for me at least). While buying this, there were a group of foreigner with two Filipino checking out the different blades. Surprisingly they're teaching a martial art using the butterfly knives. This woman is so awesome, she's telling a story about her experience when someone punched her on the neck and ripped her polo until she was half naked. Since she came from a tennis training she pulled out her racket and hit the guy. The guy pulled a knife and pointed at her, what she did is she also pulled out her secret weapon "the butterfly knife" and did a simple trick. The guy didn't expect that she knew such a thing, so he ran away.

Karambit, one of my most awesome possessions.  

Summer...

 

We had our vacation in Ilococs, we went to this tobacco museum and inside there is a souvenir shop which has a lot of cool stuff. At a shelf located under a weaved mats I saw different "Itaks". I shouted and ran to my kuya and tell him about it. He was attracted at the traditional itak of the tribes, the long flat one. I was attracted at the other one that has two set of knives that has an awesome handle. It was so expensive, but we said, we will not see another one of this again, and we don't know if we can aver come back to that place, so we decided to buy it. I had the two knive which is known as the "da-ga". It is used for hunting according to the sales lady. 

My knife and itak from Ilocos tobacco museum

So there are some of my collection...

Last story to tell....

I discovered that that is why I'm into these kind of stuff because it runs in the family. I knew that my great grandmother had a butterfly knife before that still exist until now in the possession of my grandmother's brother. Speaking of my grandmother, she also knows how to use this when she was still young. She's also bringing it whenever she goes out. She even showed us a trick that is simple that when she's doing it, she still looks elegant.

so that's all...

=Kristina Dimaano