Demo tomorrow!

The demo is tomorrow. Hopefully I won't mess up my form and if I do, hopefully I can fake it.

For acts of kindness: I held the door for someone, I let someone in ahead of me in line and I took Julia to the childrens festival.

Today I consumed: 2 pieces of peanut butter and jam toast, some leftover past and veg, a veggie burger with a few fries and a bagel with cream cheese. I drank half a cup of coffee, 3 cups of tea and 8 glasses of water and 1 beer.

Dragon Dance

I think I'm going to really like dragon dance once my cardio is up to snuff.  When it's going slower and I can keep up, its alot of fun.  When I start panting and wheezing, not so much.  I'm starting to figure out how my hands need to go and what signals to look for from the dragon head, when I can actually see it.  I think if I get to practice more in a bit of a slower environment, I'd be ok.

It was great to see everyone at practice.  It made me feel alot better about Saturday and I'm really happy that we don't have to drop out. 

Just so you guys know, Tuesdays and Thursdays won't work for me for a little while.  I have some stuff I need to take care of, but I will definitely be there for my classes Monday and Wednesday, and Fridays and Saturdays.  I hope we practice dragon on Saturdays.  I mentioned this before as well but I'll remind everyone, I won't be here Canada Day weekend, my brother is getting married in Lethbridge and I need to leave the Friday and come back the Sunday.  I will be here Canada Day though if there's somewhere I can help.

Diet changes

One thing I've noticed since making all of these diet modifications is that I'm realizing what bothers my system more. I'm becoming more aware when I eat something bad. It's almost like I'm becoming more sensitive to the stuff I cut out. For example, I've cut way back on the grease I eat, now I'm finding if I eat a greasy meal (say chinese food), it really upsets my system. Same with coffee, now that I barely drink it, if I have more than 2 cups, I'm twitching out.
It makes me wonder what this stuff was doing before when I didn't even notice. My body must have built up a tolerance to crap. I'm glad now that my body is becoming more vocal, or maybe I'm just actually listening now.

For acts of kindness: I filled my husbands car up with gas, I bought my sister lunch and a coffee, I made small talk with a sales lady at the camera shop and I gave my cat and dog treats.

Today I consumed: one piece of peanut butter and jam toast, some macaroni with vegetables, some minestrone soup, some pasta with chicken and veg and a bagel with cream cheese. I drank 3 cups of tea, a earl grey latte and 8 glasses of water and half a beer.

Me and the Moose

25 K trail race at the Blackfoot Ultra done!

Upped my personal best for distance. And enjoyed a much easier recovery due to some smart fuel changes (used dates instead of icky gels).

I am addicted to trail running. It’s like meditation. Time to become one with nature and run with the wolves. The wind applauds me by rustling leaves; the coyote scat  marks my trail; the birds whistle that my butt looks fast; and the moose… well he is just a moose. But he is definitely motivation to run.

I run at Chickakoo most Sundays. Care to join me??? Come on and I will introduce you to the  moose!

http://sharidactyl.wordpress.com

A Truly Mindful Experience

My mini vacation to Victoria was awesome- even though I had to miss class/practice to go. One of my favorite things about Victoria is the food/wine/beer. There is just no comparison when your eating fish caught from the ocean you can see out the window of the restaurant you're in and eating artisan wood fired bread made with ingredients all grown within miles of where you are. We were sitting on the pier in a little village on Salt Spring Island sharing a some wonderful bread-y creation made by a local baker and I felt sad that it was one of the best things I've ever eaten and I'd probably never get to eat it again. I felt the same way about all the amazing cheese and fish etc. that I couldn't bring home with me. So while we were eating I asked Adrien if he thought that you enjoy something more knowing that you'll never have it again? Neither of us came up with a great answer but thinking about it later I've decided that having the knowledge that you will never have something again forces you into the moment in a way we normally aren't or have trouble bringing ourselves to on our own. Knowing I was never going to eat that amazing bread again made me savor it in a way I don't normally savor my food. I thought about the chewy texture and the juicy tartness of the crushed tomatoes, the slight saltiness of the cheese- I never think that much about my food while I'm eating it. Sifu Brinker recently talked about eating mindfully and I think I did for the first time REALLY while I was away- even though I thought I had before, very cool experience.
Andrea Prince
andnowlikeyoumeanit.blogspot.ca

Repetition, Repetition

I attended a training course over the weekend and the instructor told all of us that the key to improvement and to build up speed in what we were doing was to start off slow using proper technique and not to worry about going fast, speed will come as our technique improves. Does this sound familiar? Repeat something a 1000 times perfectly and your body will know it, mess up just once during those reps you will have to start back at the beginning. Does that not also sound familiar? For two days it was repetition, repetition, repetition.

Where am I? What am I doing?

Lack of Practice

I'm seeing this demo suffering.  It's obvious when we aren't practicing together.  There were a good portion of over a month where there were a consistent group of people getting together, and I thought things were getting pretty smooth and looked really good.  Now, it's less and less people and as we throw people in as replacements, especially in any portion that requires more than 1 person like Lao Gar or self defense, it looks pretty obvious that there wasn't much practice involved.  I know for myself I need to feel comfortable with what I'm doing and if I'm thrown in somewhere unprepared, I flounder and get frustrated, the better prepared I am, the better I feel about what I am doing.  I talked a few times about people making sure they are there even if they aren't in this lineup so there could be people ready to sub, and ready for the next demo, where'd you all go?  Is there something we can do to involve more of you?  I seriously think we need to start working better as a group and get our "stuff" together.  There are plenty of ways to stay involved as well if you can't be physically with us.  For example, blogging lets us know where you are, Utilizing UBBT chat, post a video of the form you've been working on.  At least then, we know that you are still with us, practicing, and ready to go at a moments notice. 

Priorities

Got to spend the day with Julia which was nice.
I'm a little nervous about the demo this weekend. I don't feel like we are prepared enough as so many of us have been away for practices. We'll have to see how it goes this Thursday.
One thing I've learned about demos (from the big-cheese himself) is that a big part of being in them is being at the right place at the right time and being prepared. You don't know when the right time will be but you know the right place (the kwoon) and you can always try and be prepared. Two out of the three things are in our control.
If you want to be in a demo, you show up to all of the practices and hope that your stuff is good enough and needed. Sometimes you won't be needed, sometimes you will. The idea is that we all show up and build a demo out of the best of us. You can't show up to practices once in a while and expect to get in the demo.
That's one of the most difficult things about putting together a demo....consistent attendance. If you don't get the same people showing up then you have to start from square one every time and your demo suffers. Consistent attendance is a direct product of commitment and priorities. If you are not 100% committed, you won't show up 100% of the time. Likewise, if something else (say work) is a higher priority, then that will take up your time instead.

You have to decide your priorities for yourself. For me, this past weekend my work was more important so I was away for practices. That choice meant that I missed training time and also affected the training time of my team-mates. The choice of priorities is a personal one that you have to live with, but there are consequences. If I consistently place training and practices as a lower priority, then I will get passed over for demos and I won't progress. To achieve success, you have to put in the time.

I think a lot of us have been putting the I Ho Chuan as a lower priority. If we want to pass and succeed then we need to put it number 1 on our list.....
If we truly embrace the idea of the I Ho Chuan then we will realize that by putting it as the first priority we are not bumping our work or family down the list, we realize that the success of the I Ho Chuan upholds our families, work and lives. If we truly embrace it and become better people as a whole, then every aspect of our lives will benefit. We will be better family members and better workers. You can't compartmentalize things. Kung-Fu permeated every aspect of your whole life, not just your kwoon life and when you realize that, then prioritizing is easy.

Today for acts of kindness I made coffee for my husband and made his lunch, I cuddled my dog and cat and I found my husbands keys.

Today I consumed: a bowl of oatmeal with nuts and raisons, some left over chinese, some pasta with broccoli and sausage and 3 chocolate chip cookies. I drank a cup of decaf coffee, 4 cups of tea and 6 glasses of water.

How Do You REALLY Feel?

Not sure if I should write this post or not, but I am extremely frustrated.  My left hip and knee rotate inward and are constantly in pain. I find my hip dislocating itself and going back in constantly and this is very painful, it mostly happens when throwing side heels or back kicks.  My right arm is still not fully functional after injuring it a few years ago, it's much better but still has a long way to go.  My cardio is really bad, after a small amount of running with that dragon last night, I thought I was going to black out.  I started smoking when I was 14 and regret doing that, especially now.  I used to take all sorts of medication to try to alleviate the pain but I got so tired of putting chemicals I couldn't even pronounce in my body that I just decided to deal with it.  I need to see a chiropractor or physio and get orthotics made, etc, etc...but it all costs money, even with benefits.  It sucks having to go through life and makes you super cranky to always be hurting.  What sucks even more is when you do talk about it, it seems like you're just complaining or whining all the time.  Realistically, if I told you every time I was in pain, I'd be complaining ALOT.

I'm also frustrated with the amount of kung fu I've thrown myself into.  It's extremely aggravating and demotivating being the slow kid in class all the time.  It's also starting to really bother me that with working full time and being in Stony 5-6 days a week and with Josh working full time and going to school part time, I see him only an evening a week.  Also frustrated that alot of our team hasn't been able to show up to things, which makes me feel alot of pressure to fill in for things that I definately don't feel ready for.  I'm also frustrated that I can't seem to remember to log anything.  All I can say is GRRRRRRRR!

None of this should probably bother me so much but it does.  I mean, no one is holding a gun to my head and making me do this...So why is it frustrating me so much?

trying to remain positive

Hello everyone you know always keeping a positive attitude gets hard some times. I always try, but some times things will just throw you down over and over again and you get tired of it. Also being positive for all of it just to have the same thing happen again. Mainly my job gets my positivity down i work super hard  and always thinking of the best for my day. then something always happens to me i go to a store and the last person who was there did a horrible job, and now i have to spend extra time to clean it up, just so they can mess it up the next day. To tell you the truth i would probably be really be depressed if it wasn't for kung fu. For me it is like a gas station for positivity. once i start to run low i go to kung fu to filler back up. if anything i know i will not have to work this dead end job for to much longer, but for now i guess i have to suck it up, and keep going to my kung fu, because kung fu and the people there is what inspires me to try better in life.



228 lbs



Sihing Langner

I'm back!

May 24

Arrived at the hunting lodge. Very pretty out here, but very remote. You have to drive all the way past Hudson Hope and then go by boat for another 40 minutes or so. The mountains are so beautiful! The place is pretty rustic….the generators shut off at night so all the world is darkness and you have to build a fire in your cabin to keep warm (not that it's really cold). The only thing that kind of bothers me is the hunting culture up here. There are a few hunters staying at the lodge right now trying to get some bear. I don't really agree with it….the whole hunting for sport thing. Seems like such a waste of life. Hunting for food, I get that and agree with that, but killing something just to say you killed it is a terrible waste and really sad I think. It bothers me.

For acts of kindness today I held the elevator for someone, I held the door x 2 and I helped carry some heavy gear. 

Today I consumed: an egg and sausage, one and a half pieces of rye toast and a couple of hashbrowns, some beef jerky, a granola bar, an orange, a piece of cake, half a pork chop with salad, potatoes and home made buns and chili. I drank half a cup of coffee, a cup of juice, 2 cups of tea and 4 glasses of water. 

May 25

Worked a long day on the shore of Willeston Lake. Described 70m of outcrop and took samples and gamma readings. Got a lot accomplished, but feel exhausted. Good day though. Tomorrow I will be helping Carolyn with her stuff. Should see some great fossils.

Managed to get some tai chi done too. Luckily I was ahead on the pushups and sit-ups so I didn't have to do any today…body so tired.

For acts of kindness I opened the garbage can for someone, I found a lost knife for someone and I complimented our hostess's cooking (it's amazing!).

Today I consumed: half a sausage, a piece of home made bread, cheese and veg omelette with ham, a ham and cheese sandwich, a cookie, a muffin, half an apple, some hamburger in gravy with cauliflower, macaroni salad and mashed potatoes

May 26

going home tomorrow! Have to work a half day though so I don't know if we'll make it home in one day. Excited to see the little one again! Seems like forever!

For acts of kindness: I helped carry some heavy things, I complimented the cook and I built the fire in the cabin.

Today I consumed: an egg, a sausage, some fruit, a pancake, a sandwich, an apple, a muffin, 2 cinimun buns, half a steak with baked potato and veg. I drank 2 beer, 7 glasses of water and 2 cups of tea and a cup of coffee.

May 28

Exhausted! Worked a half day on the rocks, then drove. Only made it to Grand Prairie. Get to go the rest of the way tomorrow. 

For acts of kindness: I picked up a cool rock for my neice, I did the driving, I held the door for someone and I held the elevator for someone.

I ate: a piece of french toast, a sausage, some potatoes and fruit, half of a chicken salad sandwich, an apple, a homemade cinnamon bun and pastry and half a turkey wrap with fries and veg. I drank 6 glasses of water, 2 cups of coffee and a cup of tea.

May 29

Made it home! A long day of driving and then unloading all the samples at the lab. I'm glad to be back. Managed to go to practice tonight too. I'm pretty tuckered out now. Hard to believe Farmers days is this weekend already. Where does the time go?

Really glad to see my family again. Missed Julia a lot....I even missed the dog! He's grown on me a little:)

For acts of kindness: I held the door for 2 people, I did all the driving, I dropped one of the girls off at her house so she didn't have to take her luggage on the bus, I dropped the truck off at the rental place and brought back all the odds and ends left inside.

I ate: a bagel with cream cheese, a hashbrown, an apple, half of a skillet with ham and veggies and some chinese food.

I drank a cup of coffee, 2 cups of tea and 8 glasses of water.

Lessons from My Students

I feel like I have an advantage over most, simply because of the age I was when I joined. For example, last night in class we covered the front thrust kick. That's it. The front thrust kick, taking an entire night to dedicate to the first kick any of us ever learned. To me, the concept was simple- the ankle is fully extended, making a straight line from your knee to the base of your toes, aligning the skeleton. No, pull your toes back. Okay, but don't bend your ankle. But now your toes are pointed again. I didn't understand why my students were struggling until one gentleman mentioned he had never in his life thought to position his foot in such a way. Click.

I get what Sifu Brinker means when he says see a hole, fill it. If something needs to get done, do something to ensure it does. Leadership, both in the spotlight and behind the curtain is essential when striving for mastery. I get frustrated and don't understand why others can't see the gaping hole. But I figured it out- I've been taught since a very young age to recognize this type of thing and to fix it, be it in my stance or at class or in my life. The credit for this is not mine- I'm just the lucky duck in the middle. Recognition and credit goes to my instructors for getting these lessons through my thick, stubborn skull. Do something, fill the gap, even if you're unsure as to how. I know I've stumbled my way through many a problem. I know that I'm stumbling even now.

This is my vision for the I Ho Chuan team- a group of already exceptional people with strong leadership skills, the ability to motivate a community and a driving passion that can accomplish anything. This is where I want us to go. And you know what? It doesn't matter where you are in your training, where you are in the province or country, what your day job is- these are qualities that come from within. These are internal, personal qualities, independent from your schedule or any external factors. The physical goals outlined in the I Ho Chuan curriculum are external tools, in place to be used as stepping stones towards the development of these internal qualities.

I love to see leaders pop up from out of nowhere. When Ms. Gibbons took on the demo, that was one of the coolest moments in my I Ho Chuan/UBBT years. At the end of the year, wouldn't it be awesome to see everyone find their niche and run with it? We could have a dragon expert in our midst, maybe an extreme lion dancer, maybe the ultimate weapons expert. If you see a hole, fill it. Maybe you'll find your calling.

http://dogsthinking.blogspot.ca/

Good Enough vs Not Good Enough

I've read alot about people accepting good enough and moving on without ever learning their full potential.  I think the opposite can be damaging as well.  I often think "not good enough"...it makes me so frustrated when I'm not good at something and I don't get there as quickly as I think I should and 90% of the time, I just give up.  I think a good balance is essential.  I think you need to develop recognition that you are good enough for now, can be better and will strive to be better.  I think either extreme is unhealthy.  I am extremely hard on myself, there's no one in this world that will criticize me more than I will.  I need to learn to be comfortable with my current capabilities and be alright with working on my weaknesses one step at a time without damaging my self worth and running away from things all the time.  Right now, I'm more out of my comfort zone than I ever have been and I'm teetering between giving up and moving forward and I'm really trying not to quit.

the flu bug

Just a quick note to let you all know I'm not skipping! Really! I have been sick...today is going on day 5 and I'm about done with this bug! I wish it was done with me. I have not worked out in a week and mentally that's irritating as I think of all my numbers! but physically my bodys telling me to get a grip. Ah well. Maybe tomorrow...

Greenhouse Update

Today’s blog is a day late, as I had company over to help with my greenhouse project on Sunday, my normal blog day. The good news is I was able to put in two good days in the greenhouse, and have hard working help for the second day. There are now six 4x4 square foot beds made and full of soil, waiting on just trim work to be complete. I have another 2x40 feet of planting boxes mostly built, and the quack grass cleaned out of 2/3 of the greenhouse overall.  There is still a fair bit to go, and it is great seeing significant progress in such as a large task. 

Dennis Donohue

Let's get ready to demo

So demo season is just around the corner and I know for comparison sake we are ahead of last year’s team yet really we should be farther ahead as a group. I know we’ve had great practices but the numbers keep dwindling. This is a great opportunity to show what you have for a form or fight choreography and focus that energy on making it the best it can be. If you’re not in the demo keep showing up and you might find yourself a part of the demo soon. I know we talk about being out of our comfort zone and this is a great way to overcome this. You never quite get over it entirely but again you can learn how to harness that energy and narrow your focus on the task at hand. I for one even went out of my comfort zone today baking an apple pie. Judi thought my mother had brought it over but no that was all me. Mind you I haven’t eaten it yet, maybe she could test it first…
Sifu Bryant
My Blog

KungFu & Dance

So I know its kind of weird that I study Kungfu and ballroom dancing as well, but there are some things I learn in both activities that apply to each other.  Weight distribution and orientation in the hips and feet is very similar.  Despite some of the fancy upper body stuff in dancing, the orientation of the spine (core) is what allows you to move efficiently both in marital arts and dancing.  Being physically relaxed and yet engaged also travels across both mediums.  And circles, both dancing and kung fu are all about circles. 

I think the one of the most important things that dancing has added to my kungfu is my awareness of foot work.  Feet were just something I used to stand on, all I really worked on was making sure my stances were technically correct.  Now my awareness of where I am putting myself in relation to my opponent and the footwork to make it all happen when practicing is so much better.  I actually feel it when I get it right.

One of the biggest negatives that has travelled from dancing to kungfu is my willingness to lift my heels off the floor and it shows now in some of my stances / kicks ... if you see me do this give me heck!  Smooth dances like the waltz & foxtrot have rise and fall in the feet and I am way too comfortable now with lifting my heels off the floor ... so I am constantly watching for this.

There are a number of kungfu things that don’t translate well to the dancing,   I struggle with straightening my leg (locking the knee), opening my arms into big sweeping gestures, lifting my chin and stretching the neck, arching my upper back, and pointing my toes ... the kung fu side of me is screaming nooooooo ..... 

Last Fridays black belt class was awesome, thank you Master Brinker .... I know sometimes you get frustrated and probably want to knock on my head and ask ‘hey is anybody in there listening’ and I guess Friday I was ready to ‘hear’ what you were saying about chi.  I am already practicing with this on the heavy bag and in my forms ... for me something just clicked.

A Pit of Snakes and Tarantulas

Many people have their fears.  Mine happens to be public performances, worms, centipedes and deep water.  Unfortunately for me, I have to overcome one of those in order to get my blackbelt.  I ask you though,  please don't push me too hard.  A gentle nudge is ok, but I need to overcome it in my own way.  If your biggest fear was snakes and tarantulas and I asked you to jump into a pit of them, would you?  Probably not, you'd want to start off by being alright with pictures of them, then by being in the same room, then by maybe touching one and then by holding one.  If I told you that you had to jump in a pit full of them, you'd probably faint or run away.  This is how I feel when being pushed into public performances.  I don't want to feel like my decision has to be do it or quit.  I want to start gradually with dragon dance or something.  I'm willing to try but don't want to be overwhelmed.

Crossroads

All of us have been here before in one way or another.  There are many reasons that we come to a crossroads in our life. 

Well I am at one right now, I am at a crossroads and I am unsure what to do.  I have done the “pro’s and con’s” thing and still I can’t decide what road to take.  You see I have been on this same road for years and I am comfortable to an extent with what is on this road.  I am familiar with all the bumps and curves in this road and this gives me comfort.  If I choose the other road, it is filled with many unknowns, potential pot holes, blind curves and other hazards that I may not be expecting along the way.  This new road is something very different to me in many ways and in some ways the same.  So why is it such a difficult decision to make?  Why can’t I seem to make up my mind what I want to do?  I have had many people give me advice on what they think I should do yet this isn’t their life and any decision I make has no affect on them.  I appreciate all the advice, but I think maybe I have been getting a little too much of it and perhaps some of these people are giving me advice to push their own agenda in some small way.

I think what is needed is some quite time along with some meditation.  This has always helped me focus my mind and focus on what I need to do.  Thanks to my Kung Fu training clearing my mind and calming my mind has become much easier. 

Mr. Ian Repay

Student Of Silent River Kung Fu.

ian.repay@blogspot.com

Update ... sorry last week I posted this twice to my personal blog and not at all to the I Ho Chuan Team Blog ... fixed now

Had like the best weekend ever on the long weekend, it started wtih Tai Chi on Saturday and ended with pushups on Monday night.  Did not go anywhere really just a couple of barbeques but the weather was great,  got to practice my forms out on the back deck and out by the garden between planting and yard work.    Freaked out the neighbors Dobermans doing the stick and cane forms out by the garden.  Really glad there is a big fence between me and them.  Was really tired in a good way with all the outdoor activity.  Still struggling with getting the Spanish lessons in ... figured out maybe I need to be on the back deck with the laptop while doing them ... just want to be outside I guess. 

Handed in the last of money for the Pandamonium, raised approx $1300.00 only achieved half of what I set for a goal and now am kicking myself for not putting in more effort as it really wasn’t that hard to do.   Business associates and dance friends and family well I never even talked to all of them.  Next year I will start earlier, talk to more people and as result raise more money.  Feel bad about not achieving my goal because it certainly was achievable ... just had to put in the effort.

Balance or Motivation

     I've been feeling lazy the last couple of weeks , not keeping up with anything really  unmotivated. Why? No idea , but after Fridays class I'm feeling better and the motivation is back. Maybe my motivation is directly related to my Balance ?  The more motivated I am the more balanced I become , or is it the other way , the more balanced I am the more motivated I become.  Some serious reflection has to happen now.

     Either way this weekend was great. Spent some quality time with my family not rushing anywhere , which is unusual , and managed to get in a quick practice in a lion at the kwoon , both on Saturday.

Scott Fuhr

Pyramid

How fast the days pass by, Kurtis has been at the hospital for 4 months and he's was release on Friday. Hopefully his new cocktail of meditation will help him. Fingers and toes crossed. It's been hard on him and us.  He's doing really well this weekend. 

We've talked about kung fu training as a pyramid, build the biggest base you can so you can reach the highest pinnacle.  We're trying to build the biggest base for him so he excel and flourish. It's hard, sometimes your base crumbs and you have to rebuild. It's difficult when you have to rebuild that base again and again. 

For those that can take what you've learnt from Silent River and apply to other areas of your life you'll see how your training has prepared you not only for Kung fu but for life as well.   Silent River more then just kicks and punches. 

http://wchoy74.blogspot.ca/2013/05/pyramid.html

On the road in Weyburn Saskatchewan

Well time is tight this week, I am currently out of town for work.  This could be the start to a long period of time away from training at the Kwoon.  What is important to me now is to fall back to the processes I know for keeping what is important front and center. Going back to my journals may be good.  Spring last year was full of stress trying to figure things out, fall was considerably better. 

Eat properly, get sleep when I can, stay connected with journals.  That’s a start.

Have a look through this window

Lets get this out of the way first. No, I haven't been blogging. Yes, my numbers are low. Yes, I am angry with myself and how far I slipped out of the picture. If the team is upset with me, I understand. I couldn't agree with them more. Those of you that took the time to ask me how things were and how things are going, offering a hand if I needed it. Thanks. When you are away from the kwoon for a lengthly period of time it sometimes feels like you are walking into a room full of strangers and people don't even know you walked in. Those of you that didn't please feel free to approach me or if you prefer I will approach each and everyone of you to explain myself and will be more than happy to take what I have coming. Which is a heavy reminder of my commitment to you all and the requirements of the curriculum. Don't think for a second I don't care or forget where I come from. I am a life long student of Silent river Kung Fu  and my loyalty to the school is etched in stone. I feel like a poser and a weak link on the team. As I have not been able to be a solid member of this team. Someone that can be counted on. Something I have always prided myself on all my life is being solid and being a figure of support to anyone or anything I commit to. I don't feel like that person right now. I have been trying to juggle a whole pile of items at once and it has been very difficult at this point. Things are very busy and I am not going to go into a whole bunch of excuses or reasons. I will say this much that where I am at has been the toughest area I have ever been in for a long time. I won't deny the fact that I did seriously consider stepping down. Not because I am a quitter, but because I am not too proud or realize when I have made a wrong decision or a mistake. Being mediocre has never been part of my life and "good enough" has never been a consideration. I am stubborn and have spent much time trying to figure out problems or going over things continuously until it is right. Only to refine it in another form. There is no such thing as perfect, it is a myth and a fallacy many of us fall into all the time. But there is a thing called constant evolution. It just goes back to the basic symbol and the thought process of the circle. Once you close the circle it starts over again as more bold than the last.

When I get in these situations I go to the drawing board and try to figure out just what exactly it is I need to do to make this work. Yes, on my own. I have taken care of myself for a very long time. I am not good at sharing my problems with people. My problems are my problems and I have no interest in burdening anyone with them, let alone share them with anyone that may be reading this. I know this is not the idea behind this program and I am slowly trying to come out of it. This is not an excuse to not blog or have constant engagement. My engagement is very low right now. Well obviously, I am not even following through on the minimum requirement. Work is consuming all of my time and when there is free time I am either sleeping or spending it with my girls. Trying to train when you are completely burnt and carrying a load that is meant for two people doesn't promote a very solid thought process or physical endurance to really do anything. My conditioning is not what it should be and that hurts my training as well. Being able to attend last I Ho Chuan class was the breaking point for me and perhaps the sting of humility I needed to get the ball rolling back where it should be. Since my engagement was so low when working on my form I couldn't believe how far behind I was. While doing reps in the back I was asked to fill in a void in the demo. While I was practicing the reps were starting to flow and it felt a lot better than usual. Although come show time it completely sucked ass. But I learnt a really valuable lesson and a reminder of the expectations of the team. At the drop of  a hat you should be able to get up there and do your form. Anywhere, any time and if you can't that is a tell tale sign you are not practicing. Getting thrown into this situation is a lot more doable if it is a form you already know. But when its your own, and your not practicing as much as you should, not so. So I have been forcing some time in to practice my form and I am trying to get in 100 plus reps before Friday. I know I was pulled from the original line up for understandable reasons. But if someone can't make it and a sub is needed I will be ready. That goes the same for my board breaking techniques. I have been getting in some distance on my bike and that is the kind of break away I need to stay engaged and just to keep my sanity since I highly doubt I will make any classes this week, with the exception of Friday of course. I will be there and I will be at the demo. So the plan for the next while is to play catch up on all my blogs and get them up to date along with my other requirements. Also, for what it matters, my apologies. See you at the kwoon.

Stop being nice to me; Be my friend!

Since I got to Canada I met many people that were nice to me. They ask me how I'm doing, they say hello when they see me but they are not crossing the line between an acquaintance and a friend.

I can admit that sometimes it is also hard for me to do the next step but I tried few times and got burnt. I've invited some people for supper, helped others but never got anything back. No one invited me back. Except for one couple.

4 weeks after they moved into our neighborhood, they were placing sod. We only exchanged "hello"s till then and after seeing them working for a little bit I offered my help and worked with them for the rest of the day. We also invited them for lunch. Unlike anyone else up to that point, they invited us back.

I'm so happy I did get to find a true friend here in Canada.

http://csillag-stars.blogspot.ca/2013/05/stop-being-nice-to-me-be-my-friend.html

This is too cool!

This just happened yesterday and I have been thinking about it ever since then. I was meeting my friend for lunch at a restaurant on Whyte Ave. He was outside waiting for me and when I walked up he made a motion toward my nose with his fingers. Now here's the cool part, without thinking and just purely reacting I blocked his hand motion and immediately struck to his face with a vertical punch that I pulled just millimetres from the tip of his nose. He was shocked and moved back almost a foot as he thought I was going to punch him in the nose. What I think is soooooooo cool is that my body reacted without me thinking!

I have always wondered how what we are learning would apply in real life. It has been something that I have pondered for quite a while now and wow was I amazed how my body moved and reacted to what I have been taught. To me this was one of those "a ha" moments and I think it's pretty cool to see how my training has integrated itself into my life.

Mr. Repay

Mr. Repay

Ian.repay@blogspot.com

Little Lion

I saw the little purple lion yesterday in the kids class.  I love it and it looks my size!  I have to work on my thigh muscles now so I can hold a horse stance for longer than 20 seconds and get in there!

Ah... this old thing?

Why are there so many of us who have a hard time accepting a compliment?  Someone says “You sure look nice today”, and all we can say is “ah… this old thing?” Or someone compliments you on a job well done and the first thing out of your mouth is what you could have done to do it even better.  I am one of these people. 

 I was recently given a different perspective of a compliment.  A compliment can be seen as a gift.  It may not be wrapped in a box with a big red ribbon on it, but it is something given to someone that is meant to encourage and let a person know that what or how they  have done something is noticed, appreciated and makes a difference for someone.  We wouldn’t hand back a brightly wrapped gift why can’t we accept a ‘gift’ worth so much more?

I think it is important to compliment, whether to our children, spouse, co- workers etc.  Compliments have a power to push and encourage people to keep trying or to reach even further.  At the same time I think it is just as important to be a good receiver of compliments.  How we receive says a lot about us and has ability to show the difference a compliment can make. 

Looking at compliments now as ‘gifts’ has made me realize that how I respond to them is just as important as giving them.

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

Still feeling out of it…

Holiday is over. Back to my schedule. Logging my numbers. Doing my challenges. Yet, I am still feeling disconnected.

Limited access to the internet well away meant I was not reading blogs. Since our return, I have yet to resume reading and I really do feel disconnected from the team. That and missing all the team updates at the last meeting.

Tomorrow, I will attempt to rectify this situation and catch up on where you all are by reading as many blogs as I can. Hopefully that will allow me to feel the team again.

http://sharidactyl.wordpress.com

Long Day

Drove all day. Now at Ft St John. Went to the movies...drank a soda...feel sick. Still managed to get my workout done (except form reps).

Acts of kindness....held the door x 3, did all of the days driving.

I consumed: a coffee, a bagel with cream cheese, a veggie sandwich with cesar salad, popcorn, a soda and 4 glasses of water

Cross Border Fudge

So me and my fudge are by Denver, Colorado at the time of this blog writing. I must say that I am very glad to have brought some of my chocolatey goodness as it was a real treat to have after a long day of traveling. Plus a couple of my course friends have been hounding me to bring some fudge down for them.

This weekend in Denver is the final weekend of my 4 month energy course. The course was kicked off by a weekend here in Denver and finshes with one. The course has been amazing and I have learned, grew and accomplished much more than I imagined. I reached my course goals halfway through the course and I didn't stop there, I set my sights farther and continued on course.

The one thing that I am totally grateful for happening during my course was separating my shoulder. I admit that it sounds total whack-a-doodle to say that but it's true. Because of my injury, I put my ego aside, slowed right down, and listened to my injury. I also became very aware and in tune as to how I read and see energy. What I am able to see very vividly are injuries as well as how to bring relief. Plus I see a person as to who he/she is and am able to translate that into a glass piece. It's quite exciting actually.

Enough for now as tomorrow the weekend of total amazement starts. What breakthrough will I make this time? Don't know, but I am suspecting it will be amazing.
Sherri Donohue
My Blog

long winded biology session

ok, time for another long winded biology session. Betcha thought I'd given up!But in reading my course manual, I ran across more that I want to share, that sums up where my thoughts have been going in this field and the idea of our own health. "Health management-what a concept! The other day I picked up a medical magazine and couldn't even find the word 'health', instead the big catchphrase was 'disease management'. In agriculture and horticulture we are talking about 'pest management'. The concept of 'integrated pest management' is marketed as 'best management' because pesticides are 'integrated' into a more complex land management program rather that being the tool of first choice. But how can the poisoning of our environment be considered 'best' management? It seems to me that we don't have a clear concept of health, as is demonstrated by a search of the web for a definition of the term 'health'. Most of the definitions include negative references such as the 'absence of disease', suggesting that disease is an external threat. Form this perspective it seems logical to want to 'control' the 'disease', to want to kill all those bad germs and pests that 'cause' disease. No, this isnt a book on human health care. But there is the direct parallel between medicine and land management, becouase our mindset--our understanding of how health 'works' -affects our actions in both realms. In medicine we sseek health through drugs, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, in agriculture and horticulture we seek health through pesticides, pruning and fumigation. But no amount of drugs or pesticides will produce heatlh, because disease is not a drug deficiency and plant feeding insects are not a sign of pesticide deficiency. Obviously there is something wrong with our understanding of how health works. So lets try a different perspective. " She goes on to talk about how pests and weeds are signs of problems,not necessarily the problems themselves. Why is one pest so out of control, for instance? Instead of just spraying, ask questions. Where is its natural predator? Did I wipe out the conditions they need to survive and made it only good for the pest? Is the soil lacking in nutrients so the plants can be strong to fight off the pests? Instead of treating the symptoms, why not look deeper for the root of the issue. (Bad pun, sorry) "The health of any one organism and any one species is totaly dependent on the overall environmental health-the diversity and balance of all populations. This, of course, depends on the needfor a whole bunch of 'ingredients' to come together, but in the end the fact remains that the greater the biological diversity, the less the likelihood that any one population will dominate. Pest management decreases biodiversity, health management increases biodiversity. Pest management views health as an absence of disease, health management views disease as an absence of health. Pest management is a warfare approach, health management is a welfare approach. These approachs are based on totally different understanding of how Nature works." This is something I'm beginning to see in myself, in the medical system and now in the garden. Why are we so prone to the warfare approach? Why do we prescribe pills so quickly for a symptom without trying to dig deeper for a reason? Why am I so quick to spray that dandelion? Is it a need to dominate? A need to make things 'perfect'? Is it just I'm so busy I just want it dealt with, dont want to make the necessary changes in diet/lifestyle/ thought I might need to, to change how I feel, to allow that sunny dandelion to continue to amend the soil and feed the bees. (Yes people, dandelions have a purpose other than laughing at your dream of a perfect lawn.) For instance, in diet. I've made changes, kept some, left some, its a process, Somethings work, some dont, do I screw up and cheat? Heck ya, but I'm getting better. I'm learning to listen-and my bodies getting better at getting my attention. I'm learning to question whether I really need that quick fix pill, I'd rather do some digging and some playing around with food things. Its time consuming, annoying, and great when it works. And then theres the garden where I'm sure my neighbors hate my dandelions, but I found if you mow them down before they seed and leave them as green mulch they amend the soil and make it stronger for the grass to grow. Funny how all it takes is a change in perspective-and the willingness to ask why. And that is a step for mastery, is it not? "Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit himself to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence." Albert Einstein

Mumford and Sons

I missed class last night to go to Mumford and Sons.  I got tickets for my birthday.  It was awesome!  I'm a little tired and cranky today but its worth it.  I remember when I used to be able to stay out until 4am and be at work for 8am.  Those days are definitely gone. 

I'm still not logging, I don't know what to do to get my brain to remember.  I know I'm doing way more acts of kindness than I'm writing down because I feel guilty when I'm not nice when I have the chance to be.  All 20+ of you are sitting on my shoulder, acting as my conscience.

I'm worried about our upcoming demo.  It was really good, for over a month we had a good group of people that were able to diligently come to practice but for the past couple of weeks, that's seemed to go downhill and there are a couple people now that know they can't make it because of the date.  I'm not blaming anyone, most of you have very good and understandable reasons, it's just the circumstances.  I hope we practiced enough before hand that everything goes smoothly.  It's mostly the people for the fill in positions I'm nervous about because I didn't really give them all that much time to practice.  Like I said in my UBBT post though, I'm naturally a worrier.

Why are people not blogging anymore? I read them, it helps me with my struggles when I find some of you are having the same ones.  It also helps me to get to know you better, especially you guys that aren't at the kwoon that much.  At first I felt creepy about it but now I spend my lunch breaks reading blogs.  Don't give up, you're not allowed to quit!