Spring 2026 Black Belt Cycle

Candidate Journals

King Tiger Tae Kwon Do Black Belt candidates blog daily about their journey: their thoughts and feelings, their struggles and successes; their pain and their encouragement. Follow along on their journey; words of encouragement are always welcome!

I’m Lalitha Sree Damarla, a current Bo‑Cho at King Tiger Taekwondo. I enjoy coding, data visualization, and graphic design, along with drawing and journaling. I also train in Taekwondo and weapons, and I love playing tennis and badminton.

Journal #35 - 2/17/2026 Lalitha

Today was a normal school day. I got my requirements done, but I’m just tired physically and mentally, the pain stopped too, hopefully! I also finished another essay too, and I’m planning to lock in tomorrow. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck with the rest of the cycle. - ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ♪(^∇^*) 

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Journal #34 - 2/16/2026 Lalitha

Today was kind of weird because I couldn’t tell if I was feeling better or worse; the pain kept coming in waves, so it was just… confusing. But I still finished my requirements. After that I went to PMAA, then helped with the Senior Tiger class. Later I had my mentor session where we went over Tae Kwon Il and a few other poomsaes. Overall, just a normal Monday. Happy Presidents Day too! Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck with the rest of the cycle.  - ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ♪(^∇^*) 

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Journal #33 - 2/15/2026 Lalitha

Today was pretty steady but honestly a lot. I finally sketched something for the first time in what felt like a million years, which actually made me really happy. I finished my requirements, went out for groceries, and even though the pain got worse, I still ended up running. I cleaned the place too, just to reset a bit. Tomorrow there’s no school, so I can finally sit down and study properly. Still not sure if there’s TKD tomorrow, but we’ll see. Overall, just a long Sunday. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck with the rest of the cycle.  - ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ♪(^∇^*) 

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Journal #32 - 2/14/2026 Lalitha

Today~ I woke up early for the Saturday BBC and we went through stretching, kicks, and finished off with self‑defense. Also, happy Valentine’s Day :> After I got home, I was still exhausted, so I ended up falling asleep again. When I finally woke up, I pushed through and finished my requirements even though I felt worse, and I caught up on some missing work too. I wrapped up the day by making dinner. Overall, a long but solid Saturday. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck with the rest of the cycle.  - ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ♪(^∇^*) 

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Journal #31 - 2/13/2026 Lalitha

I’m super tired today; IFYKYK. But anyway, I still pushed through and finished my requirements and wrapped up another essay. There’s no school on Monday, so the three‑day weekend is definitely nice. I’m planning to use it to catch up on my requirements, and I’m also doing my empathy challenge this weekend, so I’m going mute for that. Overall, it was a good Friday, just a long one. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck with the rest of the cycle.  - ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ♪(^∇^*) 

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Journal #30 - 2/12/2026 Lalitha

Today was a normal school day, nothing too out of the ordinary. After school I went to help with the Senior Tiger class; I led warm‑ups and worked with a green belt on their poomsaes, which went pretty well. After that I had my mentor session where we went through the single stick form, staff form, and a few poomsaes. Once I got home, I finished up my requirements and wrapped up the day. Pretty steady overall. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck with the rest of the cycle.  - ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ( •̀ ω •́ )y ✨  

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Journal #29 - 2/11/2026 Lalitha

Today was an async school day, so things were pretty relaxed on that side. I got my requirements done earlier, and later I walked to the dojang. I started with my mentor session, then helped out in the Senior Tiger class where I led kicks. After that I had my mentee session, followed by sparring, and then BBC where we did the single stick form, a few poomsaes and self defense-attacks to finish everything off. It was a full TKD day, but a good one. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck with the rest of the cycle.  - ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ( •̀ ω •́ )y ✨

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Journal #28 - 2/10/2026 Lalitha

Today was I‑Ready testing, so I went in person and finished all my tests there. Once I got back home, I did my requirements and practiced some Poomsae and self-defenses to wrap up the day. Pretty simple overall, just getting things done. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck with the rest of the cycle.  - ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ( •̀ ω •́ )y ✨

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Journal #27 - 2/09/2026 Lalitha

Today was a pretty normal school day, nothing too wild. I ended up falling asleep again, which honestly I wasn’t planning on, but it happened. Once I woke up, I walked over to TKD and got into my PMAA class. I helped the red belts with Chil‑chang, led warm‑ups, and finished the day with a mentee session. After I got back home, I packed my school bag since tomorrow is in‑person i‑Ready testing. Overall, just a normal day. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck with the rest of the cycle.  - ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ( •̀ ω •́ )y ✨

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Journal #26 - 2/08 /2026 Lalitha

Today was pretty calm overall. I woke up and got my requirements done first thing, then spent some time studying. At some point I ended up falling asleep, and when I woke up I cleaned up the place a bit. Later I went out to wash my parent's car, and I wrapped up the day by finishing another essay. But that's about what my day was.  Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck with the rest of the cycle.  - ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ( •̀ ω •́ )y ✨

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Journal #25 - 2/07/2026 Lalitha

Today was pretty chill overall. I went to BBC and worked on my belt‑level special self‑defense and Koreyo, it felt good to get some solid practice in. After that I headed home, knocked out my requirements, and then went out for groceries. I wrapped up the day by studying a bit. And that's about what happened today! Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck with the rest of the cycle.  — ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ( •̀ ω •́ )y ✨

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Journal #24 - 2/06/2026 Lalitha

This week went by really quickly, and today was another normal school day. I had more homework than usual, but I got through it. After school I finished my requirements and helped my parents with a few things at home. Nothing intense happened today just a simple, steady day overall. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck with the rest of the cycle. — ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ( •̀ ω •́ )y ✨

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Journal #23 2/05/2026 - Lalitha

Today was finally a normal school day. Once I finished classes, I got my requirements done and spent some time studying before heading over to TKD. I helped out with the Senior Tigers and had a mentor session, which went really well. After that I came back home, wrapped up my homework, and called it a day. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck with the rest of the cycle. (*^▽^*)  

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Journal #22 2/04/2026 - Lalitha

Today was… a lot. School was async, so I just pushed through the work and got it out of the way. After that I walked to TKD and handled the usual: lined everyone up, helped the Senior Tigers, and then stacked a mentor session, a mentee session, sparring, and BBC back‑to‑back. By the end I was definitely running on fumes, but I still got everything done. Came home, finished the rest of my homework, and now I’m calling it a day. Hope everyone’s staying warm and hanging in there. Good luck with the rest of the cycle! — ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ( •̀ ω •́ )y 🍵      

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Journal #21 2/03/2026 - Lalitha

Today moved in slow motion. With school cancelled again tomorrow, the whole day had this quiet, in‑between feeling. I still knocked out my requirements like usual, just kind of drifting from one thing to the next. I even made some progress on an essay, which honestly felt good to clear off my plate. Most of yesterday’s snow finally started melting, so everything looked a little less frozen and a little more slushy. I also had a mentor session (THANKS MASTER WEEKS :> ) and later helped out with the Senior Tigers. Leading the kicks definitely snapped me out of that autopilot haze. The rest of the day stayed pretty chill (SORRY I HAD TO I BETTER STOP LOL) :> Hope everyone’s staying warm and pushing through. Good luck with the rest of the cycle! — ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ( •̀ ω •́ )y 🍵

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Journal #20 2/02/2026 - Lalitha

Today was kinda on autopilot. School was cancelled — and apparently it’s cancelled tomorrow too — so the whole day felt weirdly quiet. I still did my requirements like usual, just moving through everything without really thinking about it. Uhhh I also worked on a few of my essays, which was actually nice to get out of the way. The snow from yesterday was still around and seems like it won't melt anytime soon.. The rest of the day was chill (SORRY I HAD TOO) :> Hope everyone’s staying warm and hanging in there. Good luck with the rest of the cycle! — ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ( •̀ ω •́ )y 🍵

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Journal #19 2/01/2026 - Lalitha

Today was kinda on autopilot. The snow from yesterday was still around, but it melted just enough to make everything look messy instead of pretty. I got my requirements done and practiced the lower belt forms, but I skipped the run — the snow was basically my excuse and I didn’t fight it. The rest of the day was chill. I read a little, finished what I needed to, and just tried to stay warm. Nothing crazy, just a simple day with leftover winter vibes. Hope everyone’s staying warm and hanging in there. Good luck with the rest of the cycle! — ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷ ( •̀ ω •́ )y ✨  

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Journal #18 1/31/2026 - Lalitha

Today started off pretty normal… until it wasn’t. It actually snowed and I'm not saying a little. This was way more than what I remembered! even from 2018, and honestly, I haven’t seen this much snow in years. Once I got over the surprise, I ended up recording my videos and uploading them to the group (which was definitely out of my comfort zone, but hey, it’s done now). After that, I knocked out my requirements, read for a bit, and finished the rest of my work. Overall, a pretty productive day wrapped in a whole lot of snow. Hope everyone’s staying warm and doing well. Good luck for the rest of the cycle! — ⟭⟬ Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷  (≧∇≦)ノ ❄️        

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Journal #17 1/30/2026 - Lalitha

Today was pretty normal… or at least it felt like it until I realized school was actually two hours late;  about thirty minutes after I’d already started getting ready. Uhhh anyway, I used the extra time to knock out my requirements and get some work done. I also wrote a few of my essays, which was actually kinda nice to get out of the way. The rest of the day was pretty chill, and now I’m just wondering if it’ll actually snow tonight/tmrw or if the weather’s just lying again ♪(^∇^*) Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck for the rest of the cycle! Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #16 1/29/2026 - Lalitha

Today was pretty normal. School started 2 hours late, so I did my requirements and ran a few miles! Once that was finished, I came back home, Studied and did my work before going to TKD to help with the Senior Tigers, Lead Warm-Ups, had a mentee session and mentor session! And not sure if it'll snow a lot on Saturday though ψ(`∇´)ψ Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck for the rest of the cycle! Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #15 1/28/2026 - Lalitha

Today was pretty calm. Since it was Wednesday, School was Async. So, I finished my work in a few hours and did my requirements and ran a few miles! Once that was finished, I came back home, cleaned up the space a bit then got ready to go to TKD and I helped out with the Senior Tigers, Lead Warm-Ups, had a mentee session, my first sparring class AND Black belt class! It was a long day. Still not sure if it'll snow a lot on Saturday though, and I feel like the Senior belt testing came up really quickly this time (idk if its only just me) :>  Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck for the rest of the cycle! Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷  

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Journal #14 1/25/2026 - Lalitha

Today was pretty chill (sorry i had to lol). Since it was Sunday, and finally snowed! I stayed home and did my normal requirements and pretty much just chilled since I couldn't go run today! Hope there is no school Tuesday as well :>  Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck for the rest of the cycle! Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷    

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Journal #13 -1/24/2026 - Lalitha

 Today was pretty usual. Since it was Saturday, I went to the Weekend BBC first thing. After that, I came home and finished up my requirements. We went out for groceries for about an hour, came back, and got everything set up. Once all that was done, I called it a day. I’m really hoping it snows well :> Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck for the rest of the cycle! Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷  

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Journal #12 -1/22/2026 - Lalitha

Today was pretty normal. I finished school for the day and spent some time studying and knocking out my requirements. After that, I headed over to taekwondo, helped with the Senior Tigers, and had my mentor session (thanks Master Weeks). Once everything wrapped up, I came back home and called it a day. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck for the rest of the cycle! Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #11 -1/21/2026 - Lalitha

Today was pretty easy going. I had school first it was async., and once school was done, I headed over to taekwondo. I helped with the senior Tigers, had a mentor session (thx master weeks) and a black belt class. I finished my requirements and came back home. Mostly that was my entire day. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck for the rest of the cycle.   Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #10 - 1/20/2026 - Lalitha

Today was pretty steady overall. I had school first, and once that wrapped up, I headed over to the dojang. I had both a mentor (thx Master Weeks) and a mentee session (hey Emelia :>), which made the afternoon feel productive. I also helped out with the Senior Tigers and worked with the Yellow Belts, making sure everyone stayed on track and understood what they were doing. That was pretty much the whole day. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck for the rest of the cycle. Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #9 - 1/19/2026 - Lalitha

Today was honestly pretty chill. I got my requirements done first, which felt good to just get out of the way. After that I finally caught up on a bunch of stuff I’d been behind, just the little things that pile up. I did some more designing too, just messing around and getting ideas out of my head. And I actually sat down and read for a bit, which was a nice break. That was basically the whole day. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck for the rest of the cycle. Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷   “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”― Martin Luther King Jr.

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Journal #8 - 1/18/2026 - Lalitha

Today was super chill. I woke up, got my requirements done, and then went out for a bit just to get out of the house. When I got back, I actually sat down and studied for a while, which felt kinda nice. And the big win of the day? I finally sketched something again after forever. It wasn’t a whole masterpiece or anything, but it felt good to draw. Honestly, that was pretty much the whole day. Hope everyone has a great day, and good luck for the rest of the cycle! Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #7 - 1/17/2026 - Lalitha

Today started early. I woke up around 6 and got ready for Black Belt class in the morning. Class took a lot of energy, but it felt good to get moving and knock it out first thing. After I got home, I went straight into my requirements and worked through a solid chunk of them. At some point I ended up falling asleep — not planned, just tired from everything. When I woke up, I did a little more work and kept things steady for the rest of the day. Later I helped my mom with a few things, and that was basically it. A simple, quiet day, but I still got what I needed to get done. Hope everyone has a great day, and good luck for the rest of the cycle! Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #6 - 1/16/2026 - Lalitha

Today was pretty steady overall. I spent most of the day working through my requirements, studying, and keeping up with my usual school tasks. Nothing too intense, but it still felt productive in that quiet, low‑key way. I’m also really looking forward to the three‑day weekend — it gives me extra time to keep pushing on my requirements, so uhhh ye, that’s definitely a win. Hope everyone has a great day, and good luck for the rest of the cycle! Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #5 - 1/14/2026 - Lalitha

Hello! Checking in with another journal entry for this cycle. Today was a full but productive day. School was async, so I used the morning to study, catch up on work, and get a few things organized. I also cleaned up my space a bit, which honestly helped reset my focus. In the afternoon, I headed to TKD. I helped out in the Senior Tiger class, then took the Black Belt class where we worked on single stick (thanks again Aiden :> ) and poomsaes. After that, I had my mentor session (Thanks Master Weeks :> ), which went really well. I also finished my requirements today, which was a huge relief and a solid way to wrap things up. Wishing everyone a strong rest of the cycle! Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #4- 1/13/2026 - Lalitha

Today was pretty steady overall. I focused on getting my requirements done, studying, and handling my usual school stuff. Nothing too wild, but it felt productive in that quiet way.   Hope everyone has a great day, and good luck for the rest of the cycle!   Thanks,   Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷  

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Journal #3 - 1/10/2026 - Lalitha

Today was a long but solid day. I woke up at 4:30 AM, got myself together, and headed out for the Pre‑Test this morning. I ran 4 laps around the track, then came in for the written and physical portions. I also went through my poomsaes, and honestly, everyone did a really good job today the energy was strong and focused. After everything wrapped up, I came back home, studied for a while, got some work done, and cleaned up my space just to reset my mind a bit. Good luck to everyone for the rest of the cycle — we’re off to a strong start.   Thanks,   Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #2 - 1/8/2026 - Lalitha

Today was a full but productive day. I had to go in‑person for a midterm this morning, and once I got back home, I spent some time studying and getting a few things organized. After that, I cleaned up the space a bit, which honestly helped reset my focus. Later in the afternoon, I headed to TKD. I helped out for a while and then had my mentor session (Thanks Master Weeks :> ), which went really well. I also finished my requirements afterward, so that was a big relief and a solid way to end the day. Wishing everyone a strong rest of the cycle and good luck to those preparing for the upcoming Pre‑Test!  Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #1 - 1/7/2026 - Lalitha

Hello! This is my first journal entry of the cycle. I wasn’t able to make it to class for the past three days, but today was a solid reset. Today: I woke up around 5 AM to get ready for my running portion and knocked out a mile before getting ready for school. Since school was async, I used the time to finish all my missing work. I also worked on my requirement during the 25–30 minute breaks between assignments. I helped my mom with a few things, too, which felt nice. Hope everyone has a great day and Happy VERY late new year! Good Luck to everyone for the upcoming Pre-Test!   Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷  

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