Healthy meal #9 (side)

Hello i almost forgot the healthy meal of the month, but this one is more of a side but still good

4 oz of crab (if you are able to find fresh or frozen it should still work)
1 Avocado
1 small red onion 
1 jalapeno pepper
2 sticks of celery
1 1/2 tablespoon of mayo
Some lime zest and squeeze some lime into it 
some Cilantro or parsley


This is a cold side and again recommend Mrs. dash for the seasoning. for me i added some hot peppers to spice it up. Also with the avocado it is easier to eat it when it is out of the skin, the avocado is not in the mix but it is apart of it if you want to try and put it in the mix let me know if it taste better nixed or not mixed, because i tried it not mixed first, but i am sure to try this again 


Sihing Langner

Learning

I really wanted to make a picture collage of what fall means to me but I have not been successful. I am going to ask someone with more computer experience than I to help me.  I have a difficult time asking for help so that will be my challenge for this week and hopefully there will be some beautiful pictures to post soon.

http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

The Preaching Sister

My sister moved to New Zealand last month. She is a massage therapist and what I call an Earthy person. I use the term affectionately and I give her a hard time about it but the truth is, she definitely is in tune with her passion and she steers me in the right direction. She, for years has preached yoga to me. So I begrudgingly tried it and dabbled in it.

I don’t remember the names of the poses, I don’t own a special mat, I don’t know why the guy in the video doesn’t get a haircut or why the Instructor at the lunchtime yoga class talks in such a low quiet voice…but what I do know is I need yoga.

Aging is a nasty thing. You deny your body is getting old and try and explode into flying kicks and sprint the track and punch out a set of 50 deep pushups like its no big deal. Brush it off, look at the young ones and give them the twinkle in your eye “that’s right punk… I still got it”.

Once I am home I search for the heating pad, ice pack and my blanket to cower in.

But the yoga deal, as I have come to realize is all about keeping me in the running. I see now, how it is a combination of long stretches combined with breathing, being in the moment to find those deep hidden muscles that get ignored. Working on maintaining their length, pliability and mobility to  prevent injury from overzealous moves and over ambitious training.

I no longer scoff, dabble or belittle the art of yoga. It is clear I need to incorporate it into my day, every day. Something else to add but I think without it, I may find myself on the sidelines more often, from injuries, that could have been prevented merely by taking the time for some preventative measures.

When she left last month, she left me a duffel bag, yes, with a selection of yoga DVDs , a yoga mat and a Zen clock??-not sure about that one yet – anyways, time to dig into the bag, thanks sis!

Mastery  Can Become Isolation

I have been divorced for 12 years now, and lonliness has been a problem for some time.  It seems to be  a struggle I have been "blessed with", as part of my life's challenges.  Why, and what I am to learn from it, I have no idea.  For the last year, I have been living on false hope that the lonliness would not last a lifetime.  Last night that hope disappeared and lonliness stared me directly in the face.  This lead me to these thoughts.

When you are a martial artist you eventually somehow become isolated from the rest of the world, in my opinion. I experience this more and more as time goes on, and this year, with the I Ho Chuan, it gets clearer and clearer.  Mastery, in my mind, has always been defined as being extremely good at something.   With my study and memorizing and contemplation of Mastery, I have come to understand that Mastery is much grander than that.   Mastery is going above and beyond the ordinary, on a constant basis.  Mastery is about developing compassion for yourself.  Mastery is being able to accept corrections, and learn to improve on those corrections.  The big one, and the one that I feel isolates me the most from others in the "real world", is the removal of mediocrity.

I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't watch TV.  I don't go to Tim Hortons or MacDonalds.  I rarely eat any fast food.  I don't drink bottled water, or coffee. I don't drive kids around to sports events on the weekends.  I don't stay up late or sleep in.  I don't like crowds of people, shopping or hanging out at the mall.  I don't surf the web, or chat online. I don't have a social network of friends.  Because of my single status, I don't spend  weekends with family working in the yard or going to a movie.   If I don't do all that, then what the heck do I do??!!

With tears in my eyes for the reality of it all, I sit on my computer at 6am on a Saturday morning, journaling to the world my personal inner feelings, because I can't sleep.  I have 2 actual friends, and the majority of my social life is spent with my kids and grandkids. I work out for 5 hours on a Saturday, and get up at 4:30am to work out yet again before I go to work.  Making any kind of appointments on week nights is a challenge as 3 nights out of the 5 are spent at the kung fu school.   My coffee breaks at work are spent memorizing Mastery or the Tai chi sequence.  I eat vegetables, fruit, yogurt, hummus.  Instead of watching the latest reality TV show, or sitcom, I read, I rock climb, I mountain bike on ski hills, I back pack, and kayak.  Instead of going to a rare dinner function that I got invited to, I am absent as I go to my Friday night kung fu classes.  I am passionate about forgiveness, family, compassion for all things created, acceptance of all people, taking care of our physical and mental self and that of those around us.  I am passionate about life.  I believe that the journey is the real reward, not the destination, and that any obstacle in life can be beat with strong enough determination to survive.  I believe that if it is worth complaining about, shouldn't it be worth doing something about it?

Am I saying that I have achieved Mastery?  Absolutely not.  I am, however, working towards it.  I don't by any means confess that I am better than other people in the world.  I don't confess to be the only one with these beliefs and experiences.   There are days, however, when I feel like Frodo.  When all was said and done, he could not return to the world of ordinary people, due to his experiences that were far, far beyond the ordinary.  His experiences changed him.

My experiences in the martial arts world have changed me.  I have a hard time sitting in the lunchroom at work, and listening to conversations around me; how upset they were about what happened on last nights reality show, the gossip of others who are not in the room, personal conversations about the ex wife or husband  who won't let the other parent visit the kids, not out of concern for the children, but simply out of spite towards the other parent.  The conversations about how drunk they got on the weekend  are some of the hardest to bare.  With my own mother and sister, the pain I feel is huge.  They constantly struggle in life and spend most hours of every day complaining about it.  They refuse to change or look for a better way.  They refuse to get out of the rut they have made themselves a prisoner in.   I see so many people that eat the same fast food and Tim Hortons coffee, every single day.  They talk of the same TV shows and daily routines they march to day in and day out.  I have yet to meet a person who is happy about it.

I often feel that people just don't get it.  They don't seem to look beyond their own feelings and actions.  I know we all have our own life's experiences and we all do the best we can.  I get that, and I don't want to seem like I am judging others.  What bothers me about all of this is that so much pain in the world is caused by such simple things that can very easily be avoided.  Forgiveness is worth it.  A kind word goes such a long way.  So much pain and suffering in the world is caused by greed.  Why must people have more than the other guy?  Why must people feel they are better than others, and tear down those who they see as a threat?  Why must someone hurt another to make themselves feel good?  Why must a parent yell at an innocent child, just because they feel they have the power to?  What gives them the right? 

I am constantly bothered by these things and many others, but feel powerless to help.  So I try to be a good example and without boasting, quietly let others know who I am.  I can see small changes  in some people around me, and there are those close to me that appreciate my differences  There are those who admire me for my beliefs and my willingness to be healthy and fit, and live good values.  There are also those who snub their nose at my differences, and have the opinion that I am just plain weird.

Part of Mastery is surrounding yourself with friends who ask more of you than you do of yourself.  A friend like that is rare indeed, as most of the people I associate with have the impression that I already ask too much of myself.  Maybe I do, but without that I know for a fact that I would not be where I am today.  Being single is indeed difficult at times.  Being unhappy and in a place I would rather not be, was far more difficult.  Where am I and why am I here?  I know the answers to that.

I Finally See

For quite some time, I have been repeatedly told to relax my shoulders when doing forms.  Although I don’t feel like I’m all tense or have my shoulders raised (nunchuks excluded), Wednesday I saw it for myself.   In Wednesday mornings class Sifu Specht videoed one of my forms and holy cow, my shoulders were up to my ears.  It was the first thing I noticed watching myself.  I can totally see now what others have seen for quite some time.   It’s funny how different a person can look compared to how they feel they look.  I’m pretty sure that when I am in our garage with only me, myself and I, my shoulders and the rest of me are more relaxed.  I know that the thought of someone watching or a camera, automatically makes me a little rigid (stage fright).  Need to work more on this.

The last little while, I have been trying to work on 18 temple motions, to sink into my stances and to time that with finishing my moves.  As I have been reminded lately, slower forms show errors easier.  The benefit to actually seeing myself on camera is incredible.  It’s been a while since I have videoed and viewed my forms.  I’m finding this even more helpful now in trying to work a little more on some details.  I can see what I am doing and what I’m not and should be.  I can even see possible reasons why some moves don’t feel comfortable or as natural as they should and find myself with some direction as to how to work on fixing it.

A couple of days ago I saw a poster that said “The race for quality has no finish line.” I think as a martial artist I can appreciate this comment because we are always looking to improve and to better ourselves as martial artists, as individuals and in turn the community and the world around us.  We aren’t looking toward a finish line, but rather continuing to learn along our journey.

My plan now, is to get our oldest son to video me doing all my forms.  I’d like to focus on one at a time and see what I can do to improve them.  Well, off to the garage to practice before my camera man is home from school!

 

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

Reality Check: Athlete

Me again. I am posting this blog after having both a conversation with Sihing Lowery and reading Sihing Langner's blog post of "Blog It". Plus my spidey senses are nagging me to do so.

Aside from all of the healing energy work I received this weekend in Denver there is one aspect of me that I was "hit" with to embrace and that is that I am an athlete. I am an athlete. Not quite a comfy jean type of statement yet, however it will be because I am not taking it off.

I've never considered myself an athlete. Growing up I was the fat kid never good at track and field, not a runner, never getting more than a participation "award" for the *&%*%$!! Canada Fitness Test in school, never on the volleyball or basketball team. Growing up on the farm I was active, but not in the "right" things. My youngest brother was the athlete, I was the scholar. Even though I played and pitched fastball, was on the college badminton team, trained with a bodybuilder and powerlifter sister combo, curled (as in the sport, not my hair) seriously, and was on the ski patrol, I didn't think I was an athlete. I wasn't involved in the "right" sports, I didn't look a certain way, and my body fat wasn't low enough therefore I wasn't an athlete.

It was when Stephen gave his story on stage about how he let his dream of playing hockey in the NHL let slip through his fingers and how with the healing energy of Peak Energy Performance (that I had a weekend in and will be in a 4-month intensive program) that now he is on track, training hard, and going once again for his dream. Something somewhere somehow in his story hit me and had me take a good honest look at what I honestly am involved it. Yes I am a martial artist, but dammit, look at how much and what type of training is involved to be that type of artist. Compare that to any other sport and that's an athlete!!!!! Insert a smack of reality check that I am still feeling the effects of as I type.

During the weekend we/I made a public statement of how and where I am going forth using the energy tools that I learned. I am now making that statement publicly here with an amendment. Here goes: "I will be using the energy tools daily that I learned here to fully express, in all areas, both the artist AND ATHLETE that I truly am. Also in my preparation year of black belt grading training my life will include ALL of my passions. By doing so, I will inspire others to do the same because grading for black belt does not mean putting one's life on hold." My statement: sticking to it.
Sherri Donohue
Hot Torch, Room Full of Glass, and a Kung Fu Kwoon

Upon Receiving

One of my goals for this year was to accept help when someone offered help to me. I didn't know really how to measure this goal or what it would look like in it's entirety and nor did I realize that the goal I was setting was actually being open to receive. But receive what? A-ha, there in lies the answer because the answer is everything from a breath, to a beautiful morning, to a penny on the ground, to a compliment, to instruction, to a present, and to the fact that Sihing Lowery, despite the fact we travel as a pair, insists on spelling my name with an "a" instead of an "o".

I spent this last weekend at the Everything Is Energy live event in Denver. What an amazing, holy cow weekend!!! We spent the weekend learning how to clear, recharge, and connect energy as well as chakra clearing and alignment. After one exercise my feedback was "whoa, trippy". The feeling as a result of being in a room full of people all learning energy healing work left me with a huge feeling of bliss, gratitude and peace (no we weren't smoking anything). It was elation at it's finest topped with a huge dollop of clarity and direction. The weekend was an introduction to the 4-month Peak Energy Performance course that I will be embarking on starting in January where I will be further (as in much much more and more deeply) learning the skills not only on myself but being able to perform the healing work on others so that they can too perform at their peak. I'm stoked! I received a huge amount of energy healing during the weekend and that prepared me for what was yet to come. After I left the course I was like a kid in wonderment and what a great place to be because what was yet to come was incredible. Every person I met I was meeting for a reason, there was no accident as to the book my eyes latched on to, and I got a huge laugh as to how many times I was asked if my Vibram toe shoes were comfy or not. Ok, time for a story to illustrate my ramblings.

On this trip I had decided to be open to giving up my seat on the plane. Before I left, I scored a travel voucher because I was willing to fly out the next day. For the return trip it was like Christmas. There was a request for a seat on the Denver-Minneapolis leg. I volunteered, made my way off the airplane, however due to circumstance, I was returned to my seat with a stack of beverage coupons because I was "inconvenienced." It turns out that I had an amazing conversation with the fellow beside me who happened to be an expert in Eastern religious philosophies (sure did know about energy, chi, chakras) and who also studied a form of Karate and get this, knew of Olaf Simon and Margite Hilbig (our lineage). Now it gets even better: the Minneaoplis-Edmonton leg was overbooked so I scored another travel voucher, a night in a top floor suite at the Embassy Suites, and a fabulous breakfast. Welcome to Monday and again Minneapolis-Edmonton is overbooked  so I scored (again) another travel voucher and 2 glorious chowdowns of sushi (sushi in Minneapolis airport is pretty decent and so is the shopping). Now I am flying Minneapolis-Winnipeg and then on to Edmonton. It was hysterical to see how many times my package from duty-free was updated with flight info.  (you again??!!)

The airline courtesy gifts are fabulous, however, one of the most memorable gifts I received came free of charge. At the Embassy Suites, I chose to wait on a bench in the foyer instead of the lobby because the foyer was sunny and very pleasant. One pre-occupied fellow came in luggage in tow and on a cell phone. He turned to adjust his luggage straps (while on the phone) and turned back to see the door opening for him. Here's the gift: he turned to me (still on the phone), looked me square in the the eye and said "thank you" with heartfelt gratitude. He got a jumbo smile back. To say the least, the feeling was quite awesome.
Sherri Donohue
Hot Torch, A Room Full of Glass, and a Kung Fu Kwoon

23 of 52 Enjoying the Challenge

So the elbow is still a problem, and what's weird is that straightening it is where it gets really painfull. Back to knee push ups ... Sigh!

The challenge for last week involved meditation which is something I struggle with, however, while waiting at a job site I was reading the book called 'Savor' and there is mindful meditation on page 85 called the 'Love Meditation' which outlines a focused 'mindful' meditation. So this is what I did! It is/was really cool and I felt very much at peace afterwards. Even my multitasking brain could handle it and found it beneficial. Yeah!

This weeks challenge of practicing forms & sparring in such a small space is something I can actually pull off at work. The floor space in my office is about that size ... close the door and away I go and no gawkers! Good idea ... be aware of sharp corners on desks its gotten painful once or twice so far.

Priority time

I'm finding it really difficult to get everything in. If I focus on one area another drops off. Here I am trying to get a few things done and read before the conference tomorrow and I can't focus because I have all these others things that I haven't finished or started. For example, I wanted to have Zen read in six weeks, not going to happen. With everything getting back in full swing, my time demands has also increased with meetings, public appearances, speaking engagements, boards and committees. That's just my work for the Town, I'm short two cooks in the kitchen at the restaurant, so you can imagine the extra workload there.  The past three weeks I'm having to read agenda packages like crazy, with each package in he 250-300 page range, I'm read out so Zen gets tossed aside. 

I've tried to prioritize my commitments, this is how I'm seeing things at the point.  Family, Mayor, Work, Kung Fu, in that order. Mastery is definitely a long process, good thing I'm young.

www.wchoy74.blogspot.ca

Blogging

     Hello you know i have notice something about blogging, when ever i feel frustrated or overwhelmed, or even sad or happy. I notice "I blog about it" For me it is like telling someone my problems or accomplishments; i am letting other people read what i have to say. I could almost say it is therapeutic. When I'm confused i "Blog about it" when i feel like it is just to much "I Blog about it" I may not be the best talker or writer, but i do it anyways. I don't always blog for other people, but mainly for myself. I think it... "I Blog about it". I am saying "I Blog about it" so much because, it is almost the new way of talking about it. What is your problems? How is life going, are you struggling? Theses are some things what some people might talk about it. But if you are someone like me who is shy and timid(but working on not being shy and timid) this is a nice release. Blogging is not just for releasing problems it is also about telling about your achievements as well. When your are so excited you want to tell someone and there is no one around to tell you guess it "Blog about it". Blogging is one of the small thing that can keep you engaged in your life. If you make yourself responsible for yourself that you should be writing a blog once a week the more engaged you we be in your own life. For me it make me pay more attention. Anyways if anybody ever has problems or success just "Blog About it"

Sihing Langner 

Becoming one function

Its kinda weird moving to another level of Kung Fu. As you work through the curriculum your training matures to different levels. Once you grade and pass, there is the excitement of a new challenge and another group of forms, techniques, and fitness levels. Now you have gone through all the colours and you are now able to prepare for your black belt test. I have to admit as I reviewed the curriculum there was quite a bit that I don't remember. But there is also quite a bit I do remember. I am glad that from blue belt up until now I attended as many of the other classes as I could, because it kept me engaged. Also the importance of doing your homework on all the forms or techniques I didn't understand or it took time to learn. Those repetitions installed muscle memory that stayed in my thoughts and body. Things I have forgotten come back naturally after a brief review, others I don't have a clue. I don't carry any doubt of whether or not I have earned my stripes or belt levels because I have faith in all of my teachers, If I wasn't ready they would not have advanced me, end of story.That in itself can be intimidating and install doubt, if you let it. I started to think of how I need to do this and I need to do that, and holy #@%& I have lots of work to do and...... Stop you idiot! I have this year to complete first in the I Ho Chuan and that is the focus. People are counting on each other for help and completion. I don't want to slip back into the "blinders on" mode and be completely self centered and hog this tool to myself again. Because that will happen if I don't stay focused on the team and what WE are trying to ALL accomplish here.The engagement and disipline that the I Ho Chaun has installed in our training is cutting the path and making things on all sides alot more manageable. The hardest challenge I have now is getting to the Sihing class. I know I am missing out and this bothers me alot. Which is why staying engaged is imperative and just how can I make this work. I just want to tell my boss to pound this job you know where. But then what have I learned and how am I going to excel in my career. Well I put forth a proposition on our scheduling and it sounds like it is a go. So thats one down. The other is the segregation of work, Kung Fu, and family. This is something I have been working on the last few weeks and what I have done is put my work and my Kung Fu together. I ended up working a 12 hour day yesterday and was becoming irritated as I knew there was no way I was going to get a single class in as I was stuck working under the Dawson bridge. So do you pout and be mad because you have to train at home and still eat etc. or do you walk and negotiate steel and bracing to the center of the bridge and do 100 p/u over the water as the sun shines down and the water is calm. If your going that far why not lock your legs under the wind bracing and do two sets of 50 s/u on the bottom chord with no ground to rest your back on. Those where cool and what a burn! After that why not do some form reps under the adbutment after you wrap up for the day and head home.
The point is I took advantage of a break and applied my Kung Fu. Family and Kung Fu are coming together also as my little one now trains at Silent River and we did p/u and s/u together tonight. When I get the chance I run with my wife or go for walks or bike rides with my girls to rack up some kms. So we'll see how this works. Also things are now getting alot easier to manage, now that everything is slowly becoming consolidated and its just fun dammit!

Brian Chervenka

kungfu as a panda

We watched kungfu panda again today...and I just have some jumbled up impressions to sort out. Like how the peacock uses his tail for attack, distraction and defense. Totally cool fan moves! Love it! And how the practice of 'inner peace' reminds me of tai chi, feeling into the moves and how your chi flows through the movements. The part that really struck me though, after watching Sihing Robinsons blog, is how the characters work together as a team, how they help, strengthen and feed each others energy. And together they are more than they could be seperately. I always feel torn; when I'm training, with a group or even just killing ourselves in fitness class, we are more than we could be; I feel the community that Sihing talked about needing. And I agree, I am the same--I need the energy boost we get from each other, both in class and out. And yet training everyday, all day, isnt quite practical. I do need time with family--and for some reason my job doesnt want to pay me to play. Go figure. So I do train alone--but often the desire or the energy isnt there like I want it to be. And then theres looking like a panda...I'd much prefer Tigress myself, but my body seems to have other ideas..although I'm still arguing the point. That kinda came to me after talking to Ms Donahue today about seeing ourselves as athletes. And I admit I dont see myself that way--physically anyways. Something else to meditate and work on, I guess. I know thats a reason I hold back in somethings--I dont feel like I should be doing that demo, or lion dance, for example, as a panda. Wait till I'm a tiger, then ok! Same with my black belt--it holds me back, I know. Bamboo anyone?

Aaaahhhhh. . . .

Well, I did it and I only feel guilty a little bit.  I took the weekend off.  I got invited out  to the mountains for the weekend!  I did nothing but kayak, read, explore, and sit by a cozy nights campfire.  No push ups, sit ups, form repetitions, sparring, or anything.  I did go over  'Mastery' in my head a few times and did my acts of kindness, but that's all.

Like I said, I do not feel very guilty.  I was starting to get a bit tired and unmotivated.  It was real hard to do pushups and situps, which are usually the easiest for me to do.  Getting up at 4:30 to work out at 5 became a chore, as well as attending the sparring class.  I really was just quite simply. . . .tired.  This started to happen just after doing a ton of training on the weekend.  Maybe I need to find some better balance.  I'm not sure.  I think that what I am doing and how I am training is OK, and that getting tired and wore out once in awhile is normal.  I still feel a bit unmotivated, but am going to keep going.  No doubt about that!

Starting young

My sons grade 5 class is starting a project this year that will extend into all his years in school. They are learning how to blog, comment cratively and positively on other blogs and how to leave a positive electronic footprint in todays day and age. I am really looking forward to seeing how Jordan does with this and hopefully we can inspire each other as we grow in blogging. I think it is a great idea for kids to learn this skill. So often today we hear about one person or another and how they had to withdraw from a contest or political office due to some stupid thing they posted or did in the past. Todays age is so much more fast paced and the world has truly shrunk in size when it comes to the internet. We receive news almost instantly today, whereas in the past it could take months for news of big events to travel the globe. Most issues were considered local and were barely heard about in other areas. Today we hear all about everything and anything in hours and even minutes. The problem I feel is that alot of news today seems to glorify the bad in man as opposed to the good. We instantly hear about mass murders and attacks or suicide bombers. Sadly it seems bad news sells and is watched. Greed and waste are seen as normal and acceptable by todays youth. Commerciallism and the all mighty dollar are more important then feeding our fellow man or doing the right thing. Hopefully by starting today my son can learn to not accept everything as fact just because its on the net like some people do today. I want him to grow up to show a positive example of what it means to be a human being on the planet earth. I hope he can learn right from wrong and fact from fiction. With proper guidance I know he can. Technology has grown and effected our lifes in ways I couldn't even imagine from when I was in grade 5. It is going to continue to do so. Giving our kids more skills now, can only help them in the future. I can even imagine that some day my sons kids will say," You had to use keyboards when you were young?, Wow thats so old school!".

I made my video blog and edited it earlier today but then added to it. It now says about an hour remaining on the youtube upload. It's almost 2 am and it's failed to load twice now. If all goes according to plan and it doesn't go wonky, I'll post the video itself as soon as i wake up. Sorry about the delay

Sihing Jon Robinson

http://umpteenmonkeystyping.blogspot.ca/

Emotions!!!!!!

This week was powered by emotions of one sort or another. Some of them tried real hard to rule my actions but I persevered and didn't give in. I have been working really hard recently to control my emotional reaction to what is happening around me. It is mostly for work but it is helping in other areas of my life.

I cracked up when I saw this picture! I want to be a cat!!!!!

What usually happens when I get upset is that I turtle and don't do anything except eat things that I shouldn't. What I have been doing is recognize that something is upsetting me and try to analyze, in the moment, how best to handle it. What to say, how to act and how to react. It is not a 100% fool-proof plan just yet but it is beginning to slow me down a bit and I get in less trouble.
It is especially helpful at work where I have a tendency to react emotionally, say the wrong thing and make matters worse. So now I am taking a minute to gather my thoughts before I speak and spending a few minutes thinking through my actions before I act. It feels like a lot of hard work right now but I know that it is worth it.
I have also been dealing with an seemingly over-whelming feeling of not being able to handle what is put in front of me. It feels like it is too much, one more thing and I will explode! I am not sure where this is coming from or why but I know that I need to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. I know that if I give in to the feelings, it will only make matters worse and I know that if I have a great work out then I feel better. So that is my big plan so far, 1) Do what I can, I don't have to do everything at once! and 2) Keep working out as much as possible, it is something that I have control over!

 http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

Save a tree, shoot a forester

I don’t have boots made from horned lizards, or eat burrowing owl omelets.  I don’t throw rocks at whooping cranes, and would probably think twice about hitting a dodo bird with my car. But...

I am a Forester.  I have cut down forests.  I have burned countless litres of diesel fuel transporting the logs to the mill.  I have powered kilns and saws with vast emissions. I have pounded those trees into pulp using noxious chemicals.  I have bleached the product white as snow, and packaged it in spiffy oil product plastic to catch your eye.

You have decided to use ten sheets, when four would do in the bathroom stall.

I am a forester...and you complete me.

This week, think of putting me out of business.  Make choices that are based on need rather than demand.

Get the point?

Choices

I made it through my first full rotation at work, it was great.  My life is going to change in so many ways with a scheduled job/ life. I think my mind was in a bit of a state of shock during this past week, however, still a week of sorting thoughts. I felt a huge shift in my stress load, but I don’t want to push for my next days off, I’d rather focus on the time that I have in front of my eyes. The no complaining challenge has been right out in front of me these past few days and has really made me focus on positive; it’s been a great awareness tool for me.

Work has been a bit more demanding as I’ve moved into a new project. New project, new area, new coordinator, means an entirely different learning curve....which is all good. Without learning is without growth. One day at a time, one step at a time...focus on quality, integrity, honour, respect, honesty and hard work...can’t forget smilingJ, and the rest just falls into place.

Adaptation has gone in a couple different directions, one as mentioned above and the other being night shift. Without the personal effort to make this transition to the nocturnal life (as Kayden sees it:)), the change could be very tough on my mind and body. The important thing for me, is to reschedule the “my time” segments for working out and figuring out the best times for me to eat.  When work takes over and I work through my eligible workout time slot, I have noticed how terrible my body feels.  Even though I really try to monitor the quantity and type of foods I eat, it won’t replace the effects that exercise has on my mind and body. I can’t forget about sleep...four large heavy duty black garbage bags pinned over the window and ear plugs are also a must. Without a good sleep, I feel the desire to eat and eat.........I’m not sure why, but this is not an uncommon feeling for me when I’m lacking rest.

My focus at work needs to be day by day; because the tendency is to focus on how many days I have left in his rotation, if that’s the thought process that I go forward with I could be over looking half of my life and missing out on opportunity of all sorts.

Darcy Regier

http://darcyregier.blogspot.com/

Rhythm Disruption

Lately I feel like I am achieving something with my training.

Its not a great leap into some new level but more like emerging from a plateau I have been at for a long time. I think I have to attribute some of this to helping with Sifu Bryant’s morning class. The students have great questions and observations that in turn teach me something as well. I have also been enjoying the benefits of  morning training as I have had some company. If its not Sifu Stoddard then I have the company of Sihing Choy and Robinson to help with motivation in the early morning.

Watching students  apply themselves in preparation for their next level (black belt)has always inspired me and motivated me. I forget the energy it brings to an individual when they are preparing to put it all on the line, that first grading seems to carry such intensity with its training unlike anything else.

So now that I am up on the step; riding the wave and feeling a sense of accomplishment with training along comes work to dash it!

I have to go back to Whitehorse for a week.  Its an overloaded week of work so I have my doubts of getting in any real training.  A week does not seem like a big deal, considering others like Sifu Regier and Sihing Krebs  have been able to train whilst out of town for extended periods, but I am probably just annoyed because I had a good routine going , a good rhythm if you will… and there is always the fear of dropping off a routine when something upsets it.

Anyways, back to Whitehorse, get the job done and I booked a flight back that should get me to class on time this Friday.

To the horse..

So Much to Learn

In Monday evening’s class I had the opportunity to work on some techniques with a couple different partners than I regularly work with.  A lot of times in classes when we are told to partner up, I quite often pick the same couple of people every time.  They are the ones who are close to my size or happen to be standing closest to me.  Monday night I found out yet again that trying a technique on someone my own size can feel very different on someone twice my size.  Not only did it feel awkward and without flow, it seemed like a totally different technique altogether.   Everyone is different in height, weight, have different amounts of strength and different levels of flexibility and with that I am finding it necessary to adjust slightly or soften, with some techniques, to make them effective.  Oh so much to learn!

Last night in Sihing class, we did sparring, and again I had to find different ways to get in with different opponents.  What worked on one person certainly didn’t work with someone else.   Coming from someone who was deathly afraid of sparring a couple of years ago, I have come to really enjoy it because of a great group of classmates that are patient, helpful and in control.   I’d like to especially thank Sihing Langner who came directly up to me after class to offer some suggestions as to how I could get in on him and past that great kick he always gets me with.  Thanks Sihing, I’ll try that secret move next time!  It is moments like this, with people like this that truly make a person want to come back for more.

I learn something with every partner I work with, whether they are twice my size or half my size.   Working with some of the younger kids has given me the opportunity to try new things in my sparring that I’m a little more leery of trying with some of the bigger, stronger and faster guys in class.  They also give me practice with smaller target zones.  The bigger guys, well, still working on that.  I’m determined to figure out the bonk on the head that Sihing Tymchuk gives me every time.   I’m not giving up yet!

Thanks again everyone!

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

Kung Fu Weekend

It was a great kung fu weekend last weekend!  I spent a lot of time at the kung fu school, starting with teaching the fitness class at 11:00 on Saturday, and then open training.  I am really enjoying the open training!  Lots of people are coming out and everyone gets along so well, and has a lot of fun together.  We laugh and learn.  After open training, I hung around by myself till 4:00

On Sunday, I packed up my kayak, my bike, rope dart, tai chi notes, and personal journal, and drove out to Lake Chickakoo.  I was there by 10 in the morning.  I started with a kayak ride out on the lake for over an hour.  Then I found a grassy spot overlooking the lake, and sat and soaked up the sun.  For the next 3 hours I journaled and wrote out my tai chi onto recipe cards, and meditated.  It was so peaceful there and quiet.  I ended my time there with an hour bike ride through the trails. 

It wasn't exactly in the mountains, but it was away from town.  I was able to work on a few of my requirements while doing so: my biking,  journalling,  tai chi, and meditaion  I got home just in time to change and meet my friend at the gym.  There, I biked for another hour covering 30km.  While on the bike, I spread out my recipe cards of 'Mastery', and memorized.  I got most of it, and just need to keep it up so it stays fresh in my mind, and complete the memorizing of the last 3 of the 8 recipe cards.

It was awesome!  I spent time with friends, which I love to do, I got lots of kung fu work done, AND I got to spend time away from town, on a beautiful peaceful lake.  What more could I ask for.  hhhhmmmm. . . . . perhaps a longer summer.

Point of view

Black belt? What is that? What a classical vs a romantic view of what it is.  How do you view? Do you see the a black belt as one whole unit, all the parts rolled into one and not given any thought to how that person has reached this level to become a black belt? Do you see all the little steps, sacrifices, and training that went into that person before they reached this level?

As I reflect on the meaning of the classic and romantic view according the Zen, I have started to apply those views to my life. I can safely say that my views differ based on the subject at hand. For example, I have a romantic view of many things mechanical, I will not make a good repairman. I'm not interested in how the parts fit together or work, I just know that it works. However, on other subjects like politics and investing, I have a classical approach to it. I want to know about all the parts that make up the whole. I will analyze things and break them down to its components and am fascinated every detail and the logistics of it.

I have a classic view of a black belt, I see all the parts that make up that person and how they work together to get them to this point. I'm intersted in all their little facets that have fit together to get them here. I'm intersted in their story.

How do you  view a black belt?

www.wchoy74.blogspot.ca

No AAHH!! No Splat!

I jumped. I have to say that all the pictures show me smiling, but I think it was just frozen on my face the entire time. And for those of you who told me you don't feel the freefall- yes you do! My stomach would have been in my throat had it not been frozen too.

A buddy of mine came with me, who also jumped tandem. I think he had a good time too, although he must have been nervous because he was giggling like a school girl. Sifu Freitag followed Lyle and I out of the plane, and although you can't see her she was beside us for most of the freefall. I apologize, the minute I stepped up to the opening in the plane I forgot everything and everyone else. It was like T.V static in my brain- just a constant buzz of the wind and not much else. My mom and dad came and watched, and now my mom wants to jump too. So, I think I'll be going a second time.

Now, as for the panic- I didn't so much as panic as go into auto pilot. Yes, I was nervous, and I have never had so much adrenaline in my system. When we landed, I held my hand up for Sifu Frietag- it was shaking like a baby's rattle. But, I didn't feel panicked, just... woah.

On the way up in the plane, I was getting excited. That surprised me. At the door I went blank, and in the air I just did what I was instructed to do. I wasn't thinking AAAHHHHHH!!! like I though I would be. I just thought, "Well, its happening". I don't know if thats good or bad. If I had panicked, well then I'd know. Best case scenario was if I had kept my cool, though about what needed to happen, and then followed through. But, neither happened. It was weird. And awesome. Yes, very awesome. I think I need to apologize to Sifu Freitag for giving her so much grief about jumping out of planes for the last 6 years...

http://dogsthinking.blogspot.ca/

Zen....

Ok, I alluded to having some comments on 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' in my last blog, and now its time to try and corral those thoughts. I've actually read the book twice now...never finishing in time to submit the answers, but learning more and seeing more the second time round. I actually underlined 2 parts, heres the first; "This book offers another, more serious alternative to material success. It's not so much an alternative as an expansion of the meaning of 'success' to something larger than just getting a good job and staying out of trouble. And also something larger than mere freedom. It gives a positive goal to work toward that does not confine." I see alot of this in the world--getting a good job as the 'be-all, end-all' of existence...keep your nose clean, and work. How life killing!!! Wheres the joy in what you do, both work and play? Whats the point? Whats your gift, desire, Quality you bring that is begging to be shared? "Or if he(any person) takes whatever dull job he's stuck with--and they are all, sooner of later, dull--and, just to keep himself amused, starts to look for options of Quality, and secretly pursues these options, just for their own sake, thus making an art out of what he is doing, he's likely to discover that he becomes a much more interesting person and much less of an object to the people around him because his Quality decisions change him too. ANd not only the job and him, but others too because the Quality tends to fan out like waves. The Quality job he didnt think anyone was going to see is seen, and the person who sees it feels a little better because of it, and is likely to pass that feeling on to others, and in that way the Quality tends to keep on going." Just like kungfu...I get lots of comments when I practice at work, or talk about my requirements. And while I might get teased for some (and I'd NEVER do that to them in return!!:) ) I know they respect what I do and think its cool. Our Quality is what makes us unique. Its too bad so many hide it, bury it or kill it entirely, never sharing what they truely love or are here to share.

For The Love of Chocolate

I love chocolate and am a big advocate of eating chocolate. Unfortunately chocolate has gotten the bad rap of being a "sinful pleasure" and something to be avoided. First of all, let's debunk the "sinful" bit. Show me in the Bible where it states "thou shalt not have chocolate." None of the Ten Commandments lists  chocolate as a sin, so there. I suggest looking up the history of chocolate as it's been around since 2000 BC and has had quite an interesting journey.

What does chocolate have to do with Kung Fu other than my eating more than anyone in the Kwoon and my recording that in our diet blog? Some of my goals involve launching my business both online and local. Originally I thought that my business was about glass until recently I discovered it's also about foods, especially whole foods that are both dairy and gluten free. Boil that down and it comes to the fact that I'm all about the chocolate. FYI: read the book "Naked Chocolate" for enlightenment about the benefits of chocolate.

But I do more than eat chocolate, I think about it, plan what to do with it, have a vast storage of it (trust me on this one). Basically it's a passion of mine so how do I express that passion? That leads me to  this weekend where I will be in Denver for the Quantum Leap live event weekend, a kick-off to the 40 day intensive portion of the course. During the intensive portion my focus is on building my business in both glass and goodies harmonizing it with Kung Fu and the other aspects that are important to me. There will be a lot for me to discover, grow, plan, take action, rinse and repeat.

Right now I'd love to develop a line of luxury chocolates that are not only exotic to the taste, but also healthy for the body by containing only whole foods and being void of dairy, gluten, and refined sugar. I have some ideas but I am thinking that I might need to scare up a panel of willing volunteer testers to see if this whole idea is good only according to my tastebuds  or is it for real. Something to mull over especially over some delicious dark chocolate.

Sherri Donohue
http://www.sherridlampworkglass.blogspot.ca/

Procrastinating

Procrastinator is not usually a word that could be used to describe me.  I am usually quite the opposite.   My day is a better day as soon as I get the ‘have to get done’ things out of the way or I have been able to scratch some things off my list.  At the beginning of every month I have gone over what the Sihings next month’s assignment is and have, for the most part, used my days wisely.  I have always had the next assignment completed at least a week before the actual due date, most times earlier.  So I was quite out of my realm when I found myself getting a little too close for comfort to the due date for one of the last assignments.  In all honesty, it was an assignment that I had attempted to get at quite some time before the actual due date.  However, it was one that I had a hard time with and found myself struggling, so I put it off.  During the 2 weeks before it was due, I was very stressed and felt under pressure (all self-inflicted).  I learnt (and so did my kids) that it doesn’t pay to put things off.  The more I struggle with things, usually means that I need to give it even more time, not push it off and try to squeeze it into a smaller time frame. 

 I totally respect and appreciate deadlines.  Without them things would be unorganized and chaotic.  The deadlines given to Silent Rivers students are for a purpose and are to benefit not only ourselves as students but our instructors.  For ourselves we learn responsibility and a higher level of commitment.    By meeting the deadlines we show respect and appreciation for the time and dedication our instructors give to us and our training. 

Although some people can and some may even thrive with doing things last minute, I am not one of these people.  In the end this has been another great learning experience for me.  I messed up, plain and simple.  I went against everything in my personality and paid the consequences for it; exhaustion (because of late nights) and unnecessary stress.

 

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

 

A new level

My training as a whole has come to a rough patch of road and many blind corners that I will have to circumnavigate to remain on the path. Blind corners such as how I am going to attend Sihing class and remain true to my goals and accomplishments. I have taken on another job with another contractor that specializes in many technical and challenging aspects of my trade. There is also another aspect that I have not yet ventured. I have been given the responsibility of general foreman position on an up and coming job. This commitment and challenge will be alot of hours, like 7 days a week and 10-12 hour days. The good part is that it will be in the city, not in Ft. McMurray. Which really has no relevance because I don't believe in the oil sands or the destruction of the environment it causes, not too mention the shallow attempt to de skill tradesman by corporate greed so anyone can do anything and work for alot less money. In the corporate mind, we aren't worth a descent wage or conditions of dignity. I like to call these sort "sheeple" and I refuse to share or practice any of my skills that have been passed on to me from excellent tradesman that I have been trained under. I refuse to work up there, period.

The challenge of staying on track and getting to train has to take on a new or redefined discipline because once you are promoted to Sihing your on your own. You have to take the reigns and figure out how you are going to prepare for one of the great moments in your Kung Fu. How you are going to apply and memorize all your forms, techniques, and theory. Planning 5 techniques with a reliable partner, board breaking, and of course completing another year in the I Ho Chuan. I have started to prioratize certain aspects and I think I have a way I can attend Sihing class. One thing I know that is going to be hard is seeing the requests come on kwoon talk and not being there to help. Demo practices, monthly meetings and I Ho Chuan class. But really after trying my first attempt in the I Ho Chuan and in some ways failing and in others growing. I know it will all work out the way its supposed too. The challenge of balancing work, training, and family is pretty common for most of us and I witness success in many different ways on the team and learn something from each and everyone of you that has made a great impact on my life and my training and there is always someone to help you or needs help and I think perhaps this is why I am not really worried( too much!) about it.
But I have to step back and figure out which road to take and why.

Brian Chervenka

MY BLOG!

My Experience.

I've been wanting to blog about my whole experience in the I Ho Chuan for quite awhile now, but I've never really been able to put it into words, until around 10 minutes ago when the light bulb went off in my head somewhere in between question 5 and 6 of my math homework ;)

Every two weeks, I like to sit down in a quiet place with my kung fu binder, and go through all of my requirements that I have to complete by the end of the UBBT.  I like to see where I'm at with my numbers, but I also like to remind myself why each requirement is there, and what it does to help me not only successfully complete my year in the I Ho Chuan, but also how it helps me to become a better martial artist.  I find that this has been my key to keeping me engaged despite all of the distractions that I have around me. 

The last time that I had sat down and looked at my requirements and numbers was the evening after we had our September meeting.  I found myself to be caught up, if not ahead on all of my requirements; I had exceeded the goal that I had set for myself at the beginning of the year for where I needed to be in September.  I should've been thrilled about this right? But I wasn't; I was actually disappointment at the lack-of excitement and accomplishment that I was feeling at that particular time. 

This concerned me, and it took a little but of thinking time, and a meeting with Sifu Brinker to understand why I was feeling this way. 

I'm a very goal orientated person, I've been setting goals for myself for as long as I can remember.  So, setting goals, to achieve my requirements isn't that much of a challenge for me.  Yes, sometimes it is difficult to find time to do my Kung Fu, and I have missed days before, but catching up is not something that I find so difficult to do.

I don't exactly know where I'm going with this, but I know that to successfully complete a year in the I Ho Chuan is extraordinary.  But right now, I don't feel like I've accomplished anything fantastic.  Sifu Brinker helped me to realize that I need to do something extraordinary.  Something that will not only leave an impact on me, but on the rest of the school as well.  I want to make my experience in the I Ho Chuan a defining moment in my entire Kung Fu 'career'.  I don't quite know what that is yet though.  I've been putting a lot of thought into it, and hopefully the idea will come to me soon. 

That's just where my head is right now.

http://kwonsiak.blogspot.ca/2012/09/my-experience.html

Demo practice

I wasn't really sure what to write about this week until I read Sihing Kreb's blog and realized that my blogging isn't just for me, people actually read it!
The last two weeks have been all about putting a demo together. Last week, we squeezed practices in when the dragon wasn't dancing. It was a lot of fun practicing in the park, I really enjoy the feel of the earth under my feet when I do my forms (even if there is mud oozing between my toes!). When you get a group of martial artists hanging out in a park, practicing what they love to do, you get a buzz that is indescribable! I want to say wicked awesome right here!!!! It is a buzz that carries into everything that you do, and it has people looking at  you and saying I want some of that.
This past week, we were inside, practicing after everyone had gone home. For me, it was reminiscent of late night practices for the Chinese New Year banquet, I liked it. On a couple of nights, I truly dragged my butt home so tired that I was already doing that twitching thing that happens sometimes before you fall asleep before I finished washing up. I still liked it!
On Friday, we unveiled our demo to the coaches and the students that we not able to be in it. The buzz in the kwoon was amazing! We were nervous and excited all at the same time, I loved it. I can honestly say that I am not sure how it really looked but being part of that moving energy was an incredible high. I walked away wanting to do it again and again and I hope that my teammates feel the same way.
The week ended for me at that point as I have come down with the head cold that is making it's rounds in my family and have had to take a day off.
I am so excited about my kung fu right now that I can hardly stand myself, it is all that I think about, in a good way. I think that I figured something out during feedback of the demo that has been plaguing me for years, I haven't been able to put my theory into practice but I will report on it as soon as I do.
Until next week, work hard and have fun.

 http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/

A day in the life of the Dragon team

Ok, I was going to blog on something I read in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance", but that'll have to wait till I'm more awake. I just was catching up on the blogs and read Sihing Krebs blog, and he's right. We ARE his connection, with these blogs, to what the team is doing. So not only do I feel moved to share what I'm thinking about abstract stuff like a book(later) but moved to tell him about this weekend. We had our I Ho Chaun class with the demo Sifu Rybak put together--lots of last minute planning, practicing and scrambling,lol. but it was great! We never threw up(bonus), and we are now an official demo team,lol. Fun--we timed it to music, each of us doing a piece of a form, sais, hand forms, spear, broadsword, rope dart....hope someone got a video and can post it for everyoneto see! Sihing class we covered questions on Lao gar mostly, and things on our kung fu(see Sifu Regiers post). Sat we had a killer fitness class then sparred for about an hour and a half--totally wiped me out for the rest of the afternoon, but was awesome!! Looking forward to more of us next time! And another demo....

22 of 52

So due to my efforts to catch up on my pushups and situps I have actually done something to my right elbow ... it really hurts to straighten it out completely, and it kind of looks swollen.  So for the last few days I have been iceing, appling stinky chinese medicine and modifying my pushups to more on my left side and not actually straightening it to the point of locking the joint.  Not sure how it will go ... will keep you posted.  Thats why I picked the challenge of hidden leg technique ... no arms required.

Thanks to whoever picked mu long koon as a challenge, one of my faves!

While in China I started learning a form called Tei Hua (not 100% sure of the spelling). I learned the basic movements up to the part called ba gua walking and have been practicing it to that point.

The girls have been answering my questions like "what is the hand position here? and where should my weight be? and what kind of stance is here?" during our skype calls for the last 4 months.  Now thanks to our discovery of an internet feature called 'Dropbox'  the girls and I can share photos and videos much more easily.  (Their access is pretty limited and slow)  My daughter Melanie who is one of the two sweetest children ever ... video recorded  this form for me.  She does it very slowly and emphasizes the hand positions and videoed it front and back so I can see everything no matter what direction she is facing.  The quality is excellent and I am sure that is due to the group of foreign students that she trains with.  Thanks everyone!  This will help me huge in getting Tei Hua looking like what I know it should look and feel like. Thanks Mel for caring and taking the time to do this for me. 

Give me a week to tweek this form and I hope to have it mastered to the point that I am willing to show it off.

Sifu Beckett.

Mindful Trip to Jasper

I wanted to comment on Sifu Brinker’s analogy of the person in training trying to make their way to Jasper from the Stony Plain. I had to smile as this was being mentioned, because even though my intent is not to make that 90 degree corner at the last second, that is totally how my life/ journey has gone for a very long time.

I think the fact that it made me smile and laugh inside, about how ridiculous it sounded and how unattainable a life style like that was, is a good sign for me. I got a total visual of what I’ve put my mind though for most of my adult life.

I have been awfully hard on myself and haven’t realized the extent of my roller coaster ride. No wonder I feel like I’m losing my mind!

Sifu Brinker, I need to thank you for many things, especially the talks that we share, but I must say that I am a person that learns better from visual teaching. It may have been your analogy of the 90 degree turn to Jasper that really hit home.

I really hope that my new job posting is going to allow me to feel the gradual turn, rather than the head jerking 90 degree that I’ve been experiencing.

Darcy Regier

http://darcyregier.blogger.com/

Systematic Approach

While in the kwoon Thursday night there was a comment made about the team scheduling and working with/ around a certain student’s date night with his wife - I get that, but I don’t believe everyone did. This was just another reminder about how individual this journey is, incorporating kung fu into my life is much different than the student standing beside me. The team has a whole must grow together to incorporate everyone’s sacrifices as a whole, this I Ho Chuan experience as a team member goes beyond any other that I’ve ever experienced (in a good way!).

The direction which I take to mastery is not going to be the same as anyone else’s, reason being is due to what I chose to master. Silent River, I Ho Chuan, kung fu, my job and every other tool that I use in my life will be put to my intended use and will serve me uniquely.

I feel mastery can take many avenues. For me it starts with myself...mastering myself (knowing my strengths, weaknesses, limitations, capabilities, etc), I don’t know if I’ll ever get that straight, but that’s where is starts for me. What goes hand and hand with my number one pick are my boys and wife, my family life. Kung fu and all the other tools need to start within the individual and the construction of their individual foundation. If we (I) can’t get that straight, how can I affectively move on to build on unstable ground.

Many times I feel I have all my ducks in a row and the next step to my “kung fu” training seems to fall into place more fluently, with purpose and intent, other times not so much. When I feel that and moving to the next level is like a huge stumbling block, I know that I need to step back and rectify my ground work. To me, the “art of Kung Fu” is a subsidiary to kung fu. I have a hard time putting all the ground working tools of kung fu off to the side and working solely on forms and the practical/physical attributes of kung fu, it’s just not systematic enough for how my mind and body work. To put this into context, I stayed after black belt class on Friday and did some ground work with Sifu Lietz, which was great, four hours of kung fu on pretty much my first day back – nothing like progressing wisely, huh?; anyway it was awkward – and had to get Sifu Lietz to back up a few times to explain the basics of basics so that I could comprehend and move forward, otherwise it would have been all for nothing. This needs to be my approach to all aspects of my life, it may be a much slower approach in the short run, but I hope that the quality of all that is impacted is better as a result .

I just needed to throw this out there as a focal point for myself, to reassure myself that I’m doing the right thing for me and my journey. This bothers me because I see people taking an entirely different approach, one which seems to focus primarily on the physical kung fu, while putting family and ground work on the back burner (not as temporary sacrifice but much more long term).

As a side note and disclaimer as you will , journaling is great, it is a form of communication for me (communication to myself mainly), I only wish my computer could talk back and express its thoughts, that way my journal and personal thoughts could stay as to not offend anyone. I can appreciate Sihing Chervenka’s thoughts (even though not entirely healthy from my perspective and wouldn’t correspond very well with the purpose of our journaling), when he said, that he is a hidden person and doesn’t like to reveal anything about himself and doesn’t care to know anything about anyone else (my words, but I believe the context is there). I can relate, especially when I offend someone with my personal opinions, thoughts or self writings.

Any thoughts from readers of this post, I’d like to hear them.

 

Darcy Regier

http://darcyregier.blogspot.ca/

An Epic Battle With the KNAPSTER!

-I won’t push a grandma out of the way to get further in the line up for an I-Phone5.

-terabyte is something I do on a tough steak.

-A hard drive is two boys buckled in the back seat and only one superhero action figure.

-My wife is the oracle when I need to play a beta tape.

-It may be a smart phone, but can it ride a bicycle?  Wait a minute... neither can I.

-Google, twitter, blog. After paying a handsome fee, those are the parts my mechanic said he fixed in my car.

I like welding, fixing and building on most things.  I really like seeing talented craftspeople in a well renovated kwoon, and quality workmanship like that of a glass dragon.  I appreciate a nice car for what components it’s made of.  That would fall in the classical understanding in relation to Pirsig’s definition.  But some things, I just like the shiny good looking exterior.  That is until it fails to print in which it is hucked off the back deck or dropped out the second story window. 

I am kind of a person that is torn between classical and romantic understanding.  Unfortunately, when it comes to computers, and the myriad of technologies associated with it, the balance is tipped towards the romantic understanding.  I follow it because the exterior shows promise, its overall concept is shiny and romantic.  The components and programs and processes that make this technology what it is, make my eyes gloss over faster than a class of high level calculus.

Public journaling has been a challenge for me to say the least. Turning the computer on when it is something of little interest to me is tough.  However, being away from the kwoon, I can’t emphasize the importance of the team member’s journals to keeping me on track.  I read every journal of every team member.  Every entry has importance to me while I am away.  I can learn a little bit about the people that are contributing to my successes, and relate to the experiences they encounter.  It is motivation and encouragement.  This is why I journal.  If the journaling tool is this significant to me, then it may be significant to other members of the team as well.

If you are considering skipping your journal entry this week, or maybe catching up down the road, please think of me.  Your journal entry is not flying into a cyberspace black hole. It is being read by me and every word is important for my success.

Anyway, I guess I will wrap this entry up before my computer breaks its Android again.

vincekrebs.blogspot.ca

Sparring

We sparred in the black belt class last night.  I was excited by the change in not only my attitude, but also the way I approach my opponent and the way I spar.  Months ago, I didn't like sparring at all because it terrified me.  I had lost all my confidence and I usually got the snot beat out of me.  When I sparred, my thoughts were controlled with thinking about staying alive and not getting hurt.  I always felt panicked and it was all about finishing the match in one piece.  If I did get hurt, I would automatically get angry.  Sparring was never a good experience for me.

Last night. . . . . .was very different.  Although I got a bit panicky the odd time, I recognized it and controlled it.  My thinking in all my matches was about learning.  I constantly tried to remember to keep guards up, look for an opening, create openings, and be confident.  When I got hit, I didn't get angry or afraid, but instead quickly analyzed why I got hit and what could I do next time to lessen the chance of getting hit.  I didn't shy away from my opponent, but I welcomed them as a pathway to improving my sparring skills.  This gives me a whole new experience with my sparring.

I am grateful for the people who help me make this happen.  Sifu Lindstrom has been coaching me along and it has helped me a lot!  Last night Sifu Weibe was a great help as we learned together.  I still tend to shy away from people who go really hard and especially those with long legs.  Most people though do not go all out as they know I am trying to improve and rid my fears of sparring.   Maybe they haven't changed, and it is just the way I look at sparring that has changed and made it easier for me.  I'm not sure, but probably a combination of the two.  I do enjoy  sparring with Sihing Chessal.  He has control and I don't fear him.  Removing the fear factor, gives me lots of opportunities to try and learn ways to get in on him, even with those long legs of his.  Wow!  I never thought I would see this day come, but it has.  And I am grateful.

New Strategy

I have to admit, I was getting frustrated sparring last night.
Oooh those bigger guys!
of course it was fun, but I was finding myself resting my ribs on their thrust kicks too many times.

Now I know you need to stay out of range of the long legs, but they are on to that too!
One of the Black Belts is superb in staying frontal the whole time and maintaining his frontal stance with slight movements. Sadly,I could only admire it and hardly did I get inside.
After finally getting inside and out of range of the kicks I found myself still getting several body shots. But why, hmmm.
Why...I was trying to reach for their head and for a bigger opponent this leaves me reaching. Which leaves me exposed to body shots. Next time, I need to focus on body shots so I can defend their counters quickly and not over extend my arms.

Maybe , sounds good in theory, it will be my new strategy, but don't tell those bigger guys!

Demos

    Hello everyone, we just did our demo in front for our class tonight and i a sure you i wanted to throw up so  bad, my stomach was hurting so bad. Once we finished the demo i was relived and still wanted to throw up. But it was not over we had to do it again my stomach was turning all over again. Waiting for your turn to go up there, last time i did that i was in super panic mode a messed everything up. This time i was still nervous,but i was trying to calm myself down by breathing and focusing on what i was supposed to do. In the end i never threw up and just got some critiques that i will improve upon. Public anything i guess you could say is my worse fear, because i feel like they will judge me and horrible ream me for doing one little thing wrong. I am learning that people just want to see you succeed, and are supportive of what you do. I am still not saying i am completely over my fears, but i think i am getting closer. The whole demo team did awesome, and i am nervously waiting for the live demo to start happening. Can't Wait!



Sihing Langner


http://randylangner789.blogspot.ca/

Opportunity knocks

I saw a quote this week that really got me thinking. It said, "Every single person you meet knows something that you don't". That hit me in a way that got me thinking about opportunities. Every time we meet someone there is an opportunity to learn, grow and influence. In every interaction we have at work, the store and the kwoon, we have an opportunity. Being aware of and making the most of the opportunity is the hard part for most people. It's something that I have finally become more aware of. I am no where near perfect in making the most of my opportunities. But I am becoming more aware of where I am and what I am doing. I believe that is the first step to making the most of the opportunities presented to us every day. The difference between grumbling and complaining about what a hard day we are having or persevering through a tough task with a positive attitude can have a profoundly different impact on the people around us. That impact can then project to even more people as the ones we influenced, encounter even more people. I am not perfect and don't ever expect to be. But I can be mindful of how I am impacting the people I come in contact with daily. Hopefully with practise and patience I can work a positive, helpful, inspiring spirit into everything I do, from my work to my kung fu. Especially my kung fu when I'm helping in the kids classes. A child with a positive outlook, confidence and demenour can be anything they set their mind too. That is truly inspiring to me.