Boot Camp Success

hello everyone i just have to say wow what a boot camp. I learned so much that day and i was so sore afterwards. I loved the whole day, but the highlight of the day for me was when we did some kickboxing with sifu leets and doing some bone density on those trees. i can easily say the tree whooped my butt, but sifu leets taught the tree he was hitting a lesson. Also another highlight for me was the fan part with sifu platter especially when i got hit in the ear. i was definitely not expecting that and i was surprised and dazed for 2 seconds, but i guess that just means that the technique is a solid technique and would surprise any attacker that might be going for you. either way i had fun when that happen. And the last highlight for me was the running at the end of it all. I was able to contentiously run the full 2 kms without stopping once. I was so happy that i did that. Of course there were many other times during the day i had lost of fun as well, those are just some of the things that come to mind to me right now. sifu brinker always talks about how it is a miracle how we all meet at a certain place at a certain time with a certain random group of people. he breaks it down to everything. Like everything in our life lead up to that  exact moment, but when you think about it; it really is a miracle. for instance I was born in Victoria, my dad was in the navy. then he transferred to the army, which made us move to Edmonton. we only lived there for a short while, but then we moved to parkland village. where i started going to this school where i met my first best friend. Who then had grandparents who said they put him in kung fu; so of course i had to join to. Just to find out later that his grandparents messed the name up and actually my friend joined Tae Kwon do . i remained in kung fu and never quit because i was to polite, but my mom started going to kung fu. and when i got to sihing level i quit for three years. then my mom got her black belt; then i wanted to do the same for myself so i re joined kung fu, then a couple of years later i found myself at keephills school doing a boot camp. So all of this had to happen  all of these thing is they did not happen i would not of been at that bootcamp that day. So if that is what i had to do; to be there on that specific day and at that specific time i could only imagine what every body else had to do to be there at that exact day. It really is a miracle and i just think that is the coolest.


229 lbs



Sihing Langner

Miss San Sou:(

Sad that I missed the San Sou class last night. I heard it was a great class. I wish I could go to it more consistently. I'll have to start making it a priority. I've enjoyed it every time I've gone, but it's hard when I'm there 4-5 nights already.... trying to balance everything!

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 208 kicks, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword, 3.5 miles (and 3 miles yesterday)

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone, made Mike lunch and breakfast and tickled Julia

Today I consumed: a bran muffin, a smoothy (mixed berries, beats, banana, whey powder, chia seeds), a turkey and cheese sandwich, an apple, a pastry and some beef stew with 2 whole wheat buns. I drank a cup of coffee, 2 cups of tea and 7 glasses of water.

Boot Camp

I have to say that this years boot camp was awesome. The seminars were very well done and the participation level from black belts was awesome. The thing that sticks out for me is how some of the participants were able to complete the day even though they thought they couldn't. to see someone push themselves beyond what they thought was possible is truly inspiring and makes me happy that i was able to see it first hand. That is what keeps me engaged in my Kung Fu. Sifu Lindstrom

Basic numbers

Basic numbers: 0:(
acts of kindness: gave Romeo pets, made Julia a nice reading spot, made dinner, cleaned the house

Today I consumed: 3 blueberry pancakes with syrup, some potatoes with beef jerky, a chocolate croissant, some cheese and crackers, an apple, a porkchop with broccoli sauce, mashed potatoes and beets. I drank 2 cups of tea and a half cup of coffee and 8 glasses of water.

A camp and a legend

Well another boot camp in the books and all went great I believe. It was great to be immersed in our martial arts for an entire day and spend time with our fellow teammates throughout the day. I really enjoyed the Wing Chun seminar in the morning, although sometimes my body would fight to do certain techniques since the styles are so different. It was nice to learn these techniques mind you since everything has a purpose and expanding your knowledge is always a great advantage. I enjoyed the 2km run to end the day, always a fun time and couldn’t resist in getting in a good run to end the day. On another note, Saturday marked the 40^th anniversary of Bruce Lee’s passing. I read online of a new exhibit in Hong Kong honoring the man and his extraordinary work not just as a martial artist but of his philosophy and teachings. Kind of fitting that we were working on Wing Chun on Saturday it seems. His presence is still felt to this day even in a little gym at Keephills.

Sifu Bryant
My Blog

Bootcamp

You wake up, every muscle in your body aches, you are bruised, covered in mosquito bites and can barely move. Sound like a bad morning? Heck no! It's the morning after the best day ever! I attended my very first bootcamp and honestly was extremely nervous and didn't think I'd even manage to survive the first half of the day. Guess what...I did! I didn't even care that I was the last one to finish the 2k run, I was just happy I finished. I've never even ran 2 kms before, okay, I'm going to be honest here, I don't run, period. People kept telling me that it was going to be one of the best things I'd ever do and that I'd feel so good after. I looked at them like they were crazy and needed some crazy pills, who in their right mind would do this?! But, they were right. You have a strength you don't even know exists until you do something like bootcamp. Don't believe me either? Thinking that I've been brainwashed by before mentioned crazy people? Well, I'm not kidding you and if you read my blog, you would know I don't poop rainbows and kittens, I'm a tell it like it is kind of person. That being said You MUST TRY BOOTCAMP! Things I learned; I love Wing Chung. Be cautious of tiny girls with fans. I don't very much like hitting trees. I really need to practice my combinations. I really need to work on my horsestance. I CAN do a hip throw. I CAN survive a bootcamp. I like walking meditation. I can keep going...All the seminars were awesome and the support from the Sifus and other students was fantastic! Sorry I missed class Sifu Lindstrom, I spent yesterday relearning how to walk. :) See you all next year!

Perspective

Good night at the beginner class tonight. I learned something new about a technique that I didn't know before. It's funny how you learn things when people ask you questions. It's the whole "I've never thought of why it's that way..." then you get to hear your answer. I found the answer popping out of me and found myself listening. It was cool. Different perspectives on things can definitely get you thinking and you get to find out how much you actually know (or don't know:). That's why I like teaching the beginner class. The student's have a fresh perspective on things and often have very good questions as to why we do things. It reminds me that we should be asking why we do things the way we do. Everything has a reason.

Basic numbers: 208 kicks, 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword, 3 miles (and 5 miles yesterday).

Acts of kindness: gave my dog extra luvins, gave my cat treats, held the door x3, smiled at a neighbour, said hi to a passerby.

Today I consumed: a smoothy (banana, blueberries, broccoli, apple, whey protein, chia seeds), a turkey and cheese sandwich, a doughnut, a granola bar, some potatoes with beens and a cucumber and cheese sandwich. I drank 2 cups of coffee, a cup of tea and 7 glasses of water.

Nothing day

Finally had a relaxing day. Didn't have anything to read for meetings, no work, no Kung fu. To bad the weather wasn't very nice. It was windy and cold so I didn't get to go for a swim or a kayak. Now for an early bedtime as the grind starts early in the morning. 

http://wchoy74.blogspot.ca/2013/07/nothing-day.html?m=1

Not much to say

      Well I have been virtually completely out physically and any time I think I am ready  the next day has let me know that I was not. It is starting to get me down. On the bright side I have been able to take a couple things off of my list and I have more time to read which I have been slacking on a little ( I usually read a lot ).

Scott Fuhr

An Excellent bootcamp

This weekend we enjoyed an excellent bootcamp, thank you to all the instructors and organizers. The lung drugs I am on have certainly made a difference, as my shuttle run and 2km run times were vastly improved, and I didn’t have to throw up after either! All the seminars were very enjoyable, and I now have two more weapons that are actually legal to carry in Canada. It was nice having the RV there to just climb into after as well, maybe we can get a few more next year.

Dennis Donohue

The fair

Today we took Julia to the fair. She had a great time I think.
It's hard not to get annoyed though when you're in a big crowd. As exciting as I find the fair, I also get grumpy trying to make my way around. But, seeing Julia having fun was totally worth it. Everywhere she ran she made people smile. It was nice to see the joy she has for life rubbing off on others (including me).
Her grandpa even won her a prize:)

Ate too much junk though...feel gross.

Basic numbers: rest day

Acts of kindness: invited my in-laws along to the fair, shared my water, let someone go ahead of me in line.

Today I consumed: 2 eggs, 1 sausage, some hashbrowns and a piece of toast, 3 corndogs (disgusting I know), some mini doughnuts, 1 rib, an apple and some greek salad. I drank 2 cups of tea and 8 glasses of water.

A Bag Full of Headlamps & Bear Spray

Only 6 more sleeps and we are back up in Grande Cache for the annual Canadian Death Race.  A huge thanks to Sifu Lietz for filling in as a replacement runner at such short notice!  Those other runners on his leg aren’t going to know what just blew by them with so much energy!

This year I’m tackling leg 5, 24km and mostly, if not totally in the dark.  This go around I’ve had to adjust my pack a little and I have to say it’s getting pretty heavy.  Besides the mandatory list of equipment required, I have my additional gear just in case (toilet paper should so be mandatory).  Majority of my weight consists of 3 headlamps (batteries may be burnt out from me checking them repeatedly), extra batteries and a couple of cans of bear spray (not sure if I would have my marbles together enough to pull the pin and point in the right direction but I’m sure hoping).  I figure with 3 very bright lights that can be made to flash if necessary; even helicopters flying by are going to see me if I should wander off the path.  My back up plan is to sing along with my ipod.  I’m very confident that this will keep just about every living thing with ears away from my vicinity, plants may even wilt (just ask anyone who has ever heard me sing)! 

This year we just so happen to have a great team consisting entirely of Silent River students.  I have to say that there is a huge difference running with a group of people who are not only there to challenge themselves, but to also have fun and support one another; not every team has that.  It’s going to be an awesome time!

 

This year challenging the dark and boogie man, next year maybe Mt. Hammel!

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

Boot Camp

Boot Camp was great yesterday. We were able to stay the whole day and got to participate in a lot of the seminars when there was enough room. It was good to see the wide range of students out there, everyone pushing themselves. It's an exhausting day, not just physically, and it was inspiring to see everyone keep going. At first we thought there was going to be no boot camp this year because of booking issues etc. but I'm so glad it worked out, there is no way to replicate that day and the bonding that happens with your training mates. Awesome job to all those who came out, can't wait for next year.

Andrea Prince

Closet Weapon

First an update.  I recently came from Lloydminster down to Medicine Hat, then back to Grande Prairie, and now in Weyburn Saskatchewan.  It has been extremely long drives, and tight time lines to get back and forth across the province dealing with equipment break downs and foul weather. My schedule will be to complete work here this Wednesday, drive to Grande Prairie to pick up a trailer and on to Grande Cache for Death Race check-in on Friday.  Following that, back to a small job in Redwater, up to High Level, then back to Grande Prairie.  I won’t be likely be around the Kwoon any time soon, which is a shame.

One issue I am running into this year;

Walk to a park with a Katana, and you get some very strange looks and potentially a ticket for public mischief.  True, some of the problem can be avoided with a switch out to a bokken, but I really would like to get some reps in with my weapon.  I hate being in the closet with weapon practice, but the truth is, being in various unfamiliar locations across the province, it is very difficult to find a location that is private and safe for weapon practice.  Any thoughts on this?

vincekrebs.blogspot.com

Looking Forward

I am seriously sick and my throat is so sore that I can hardly swallow. My neck and shoulders are so stiff from tensing ever time I have to swallow. My head is pounding and I am running a mild fever. Yuck. That’s where I am at this week.

Luckily, my dayhome is officially retired, and I am down to one official job (not counting the obvious job of being a mother), AND I am going on holiday for 5 days! Looking forward to the next month and getting things back on track and getting healthy again.

http://sharidactyl.wordpress.com

Bootcamp!

Bootcamp was awesome!
I only got to attend for half the day, but it was so much fun. Everyone pushed themselves really hard and it was great to see. My only regret of the day is that I wasn't able to bring Julia out. I think she would have loved it! Next year for sure!
Everyone's going to have the best sleep of their lives tonight:)

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 208 kicks, 204 pushups, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword, 2.5 miles (and 5 miles yesterday...which I forgot to record).

Acts of kindness: made pancakes for Julia and Mike, helped out at bootcamp, invited some friends to come with us to the fair tomorrow.

Today I consumed: 3 blueberry pancakes with syrup, some macaroni with tuna and peas, an apple, a banana, 2 little brownies, a piece of fudge, a small bit of chicken and two pieces of peanut butter and nutella toast. I drank 2 cups of tea and 8 glasses of water.

Week one in the books

We the first week is in the books down here in SC.  What a week it has been!  Never have I ever been exposed to soooooo much information in such a short period of time.  It is an amazing the level of training that Michelin provides to the new hires in the PLNA division.  I have been on boarded a few times in my career and have on boarded many reps that I have hired.  Nothing even comes close to Michelin and the program they are putting us through.  Sure there are lots of technical aspects to learn but the other important aspect of this training is to build strong, long lasting relationships with each other.  We are all going to be going into the field when we are done and we are all going to be doing the same things.  Solid relationships will be vital when we need to lean on each other for support.  Learning to build solid genuine relationships with our team will also help us to understand the importance of building good relationships with our customers.  

On a different subject, I am really sad that I am going to be missing the boot camp this weekend.  I went last year and it was a day to remember.  It was incredibly hard but at the same time it was so rewarding.  I hope all of the students that attend the boot camp this weekend take time to enjoy the experience and take some time to reflect upon the benefits of the boot camp.

Mr. Ian Repay

Student of Silent River Kung Fu
Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada
ianrepay.blogspot.com

One more sleep!

 Bootcamp is tomorrow.
I remember going to the first bootcamp before I got my blackbelt. It was so much fun. I remember the guys I was training with at the time. Most of them are gone now, but I remember how much fun we had together. Such great memories.
I hope tomorrow this years batch of students make great memories too. I hope they have a good time.
It's weird to think back to when I was a sihing going to bootcamp and now I'm going to the bootcamp to instruct. Definitely a change in perspective.

Basic numbers: 0 crunches, 102 pushups, 104 kicks, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword

Acts of kindness: let someone ahead of me in traffic, offered to help someone at work, wished the pharmacist a nice day, held the door for someone, made Mike breakfast and lunch.

Today I consumed: a smoothy (broccoli, apple, blueberries, banana, whey powered and chia seeds), a turkey and cheese sandwich, a doughnut, a bowl of butternut squash soup, some peas, rice and chicken and an individual pizza. I drank a cup of coffee, a cup of tea, 7 glasses of water and half a beer.

bedtime!

Super tired. My body just feels drained. Gonna have a cup of tea, do some studying and go to bed.

mmmmmmmmm.....bed!

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 208 kicks, 204 pushups, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword, 2.5 miles.

Acts of kindness: let 2 people in front of me while driving, bought my Mom and sister breakfast, paid for my sister to come to the pool. Took Julia swimming.

Today I consumed: some eggs benedict with hashbrowns and toast, some mushroom soup with a bun, some salad with chicken and 6 mini brownies. I drank a cup of coffee, 3 cups of tea and 8 glasses of water

It's Complex

I just got home from having acupuncture on my shoulder, now my arm is quite noodley and I'm sleepy. It's amazing as to how fast one falls asleep while stuck full of needles with an electric current box hooked up. It always takes me a while to orientate myself after a pincushion session.

Upon assessment of my shoulder, it was determined that I have a Grade 2 separation and there is more muscle injury than meets the eye. My supraspinatus muscle, 3 of the 4 rotator cuff muscles, and 2 of the 3 deltoid muscles show injury bands. As per the saying "go big or go home," I went big. Blah!! However, the good news on the horizon is that I will probably make a complete recovery providing that I heal this right the first time. (Is there an echo in here?) Healing time frame: give it a year. Since living with this injury for 4 months and as much as I'd love to return to my normal self, I seriously want to heal this right the first time. Once I heard the muscle involvement, I now understand as to why the shoulder takes so long to heal and it's also difficult to heal.

Right now it feels as if my arm is about to fall off and drag on the ground. Lifting my arm and certain movements are painful because of the treatment. Within a day or so, my shoulder should feel a lot better. And, there's the trap. Because of feeling better there is the great tendency to do more, which, is exactly the opposite of what I need to do. Oh hey, guess what event is in just that time frame: boot-camp!! I am going to boot-camp and I will be very mindful of my shoulder. There are things I won't be able to do and things I will have to modify such as weapons being done with my left hand. I am going for the fun, the learning, and the experience of being part of boot camp. Yes, I am injured, but that does not mean that I can't participate, just have to participate according to my shoulder's ability.

I clarified as to how long to rest (as in very limited movement) the shoulder after treatment. The answer was 24 hours. Not resting after treatment basically results in a waste of a treatment as the muscles will contract right back to where there were in the first place if not farther. Enter the echo: heal it right the first time. Park the ego and let the body do its thing. This Grasshopper is learning patience.
Sherri Donohue
My Blog

Teamates

There are 20 other people that are training with me down here in South Carolina.  They come from across the US and one other is from Canada.  We all have varied backgrounds and none of us have any experience in the trucking industry or tire industry.  Michelin wants it this way so that they can indoctrinate us in their culture and philosophy on how they want to got to market.  The training program is incredibly intense and I have never experienced anything like it before.

The instructors on day one stressed that we should and would need to come together as a team in order to succeed.  They talked about how we need to support each other and help the ones that are struggling.  We are responsible for each other and if one fails we all take a share in that responsibility.

Last night a bunch of got together after supper to study for todays upcoming test.  We all pulled together, asked each other questions, helped with the answers and had a few laughs along the way.  In three short days 20 complete strangers have come together and have started to create friendships.  We have come together with one goal in mind, to succeed and succeed not only as individuals but as a team.

Mr. Ian Repay
Student of Silent River Kung Fu
Stony Plain, Alberta
ianrepay.blogspot.com

Excited

I'm excited for bootcamp. It will be neat to teach the fan to people. I know it has a reputation for being girly and flamboyant, but it has a very serious history and has been used by great warriors in the past. It will be cool to show a bit of it's meaner side.
I'm excited for the other seminars as well. Walking meditation sounds really neat and I'm sure the Wing Chung one is going to be epic...not to mention the Tonfa, Flow, boardbreaking and San Sou stuff
We are so blessed to have access to so many people with such a diverse area of expertise willing to teach us. I'm looking forward to it.

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 208 kicks, 204 pushups, 1 rep tai chi, 3 miles travelled

Acts of kindness: filled Mike's car with gas, made hime breakfast and lunch, made eye contact with a sales clerk, stopped for a pedestrian waiting to cross and gave the pets treats.

Today I consumed: a smoothy (broccoli, spinich, apple, blueberries, strawberries, whey powder, chia seeds), a turkey and cheese sandwich, a brownie, a granola bar, 4 ribs with corn on the cob and salad, 1 coffee, 1 cup of tea and 9 glasses of water

pre bootcamp

hello everyone i can't wait till boot camp starts. I am really looking forward to it. A day where i push myself past my limits and then i go father. Also i can't wait to learn all of the things that they will be teaching and showing at the boot camp. for what i know there will be there tonfa' (i know i did not spell that right at all) fans, judo, san sao and that is just some of the thing that i know that are going to be there. there is still so much more and i can't wait to see it all. The one thing that i really can't wait for is the fitness test; just because this is where you can see how far you have come or what needs to be worked on. either way you always get something positive out of it. You may feel at the end of the day like a zombie and you just don't want to move anymore (or at least that is how i feel) but i know no matter how hard that day is i know i have learned something that day and become better for it. Boot camp only happens once a year so i attend to enjoy it, boot camp for me is a one of a kind day. there will be other boot camps, but none of them will ever be the same experience. So remember guy remain extraordinary.


227 lbs


Sihing Langner

Sanshou Class

Today in Sanshou we had a rare opportunity. There were 3 of us que belts and 6 sifus. It was great opportunity to spar with so many sifus (and the other 2 que belts are pretty good too). Each opponent present different challenges and lots to learn from.

The sad thing is that it is actually common to have a very low participation in this class when this is a great class to learn and to get better in martial arts.

Try it out few times and I hope you will see the benefits of attending this class on a regular basis (and you might be able to catch up with the sparring requirement).

http://csillag-stars.blogspot.ca/2013/07/sanshou-class.html

in defense of a little weed...

I’d like to coment on this topic with a quote from Malcom Beck’s Lessons in Nature – I couldn’t say it more clearly: “Have you ever wondered why weeds seem to grow everywhere? Or have you ever thought of how desolate and bare the earth would be if the only plants growing were those we planted? Weeds are here for a purpose and they have a job to do. They are here to ensure that the soil of our planet always has the protection of a green blanket, and little does man realize the importance of this cover. Our fertile soil, man’s greatest natural resource, would erode away without the protection of plant cover. If it weren’t for weeds, mostly unwanted weeds, the topsoil of many farms would have eroded away years ago, gone from our farms forever, gone to muddy the rivers and fill our lakes and eventually end up in the ocean. Weeds are said to rob our crops of moisture, sunlight and nutrients, but they shouldn’t be unjustly accused. The weeds don’t rob, they only borrow, as eventually it all returns to the soil for future crop use. Some weeds are pioneer plants, able to grow in soil unsuited for edible or domesticated plants. As the pioneer plants grow and decay, the soil is improved. Nature gave these plants a means of protection, such as a bitter taste, thorns, or even made them poisonous so they wouldn’t be eaten by animals. This is so they could continue the soil-making and building processes until finally good soil is made. Then the edible plants can move in and take over. The successive growth and decay of weeds lays down an absorbent mat on the soil which prevents erosion from rain runoff and wind. The absorbent mat of growing, decaying weeds traps the rain water and causes it to soak into the soil for future needs. The water soaking into the soil keeps the springs flowing, which feed our rivers, keeping them crystal clear and running at an even rate instead of flooding after each rain. This insoak also feeds the wells from which many people get their water supply. Because the growing weeds take up and store soluble plant food in their tissues, the wasteful leaching of phosphate, nitrate and other minerals is prevented. This helps prevent the pollution of our water with an excess of these nutrients.Weeds are a vital link the soil fertility and food chain. Farmers should realize the value of weeds towards soil building and conservation and take full advantage of them.” All too often the focus on invasive plant management is an excuse for the continued and widespread use of herbicides. I am certain the invasive plants movement is financed in part by the chemical companies. We are like spoiled children wanting to impose our will on those around us. We intentionally import exotic plants and then blame them for escaping confinement. We carelessly import the seeds of “lesser” plants that are not worth our attention until they interfere with our image of how Nature should be. We ravage the natural environment and then curse the plants that heal it because they are not immediately useful to us. So we slash and burn and poison them, bury them and drown them, and still Nature persists. Isn’t it about time we learned to do things differently? One thing we learn in martial arts is to walk in peace in harmony--that we prevent war by being prepared, we try to encourage peace, avoid bad situations, educate. Seems like a few other things in this world could use that perspective

What are you doing this Tuesday night?

San Sou was super fun tonight.
Although there wasn't many people there....wink wink nudge nudge to the I Ho Chuan guys!
I was worried about the class originally (I was kind of intimidated), but the class is great and everyone goes at their own pace with no pressure to do take-downs. I've been really enjoying it when I can go.

So....see you guys all next Tuesday?


Basic numbers: 204 pushups, 202 crunches, 248 kicks, 20 flying kicks, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword, 50 minutes sparring.

Acts of kindness: made Mike breakfast and lunch, gave the cat and dog treats, danced with Julia, said hi  twice to people on our walk.

Today I consumed: 2 pieces of peanut butter and jam toast, a bagel with cream cheese, some macaroni with beans and peas and a hotdog and a half. I drank a half a cup of coffee, 2 cups of tea and 9 glasses of water.

Second Day...

Well my second day has come and gone here in South Carolina.  It was a much more intense day than the first and I was expecting that.  However, when I have done something in the same industry for 15 years you tend to learn a thing or two.  Here, this is completely new to me.  I have much more empathy now for the reps that I had hired in the past that didn't have bakery industry experience.

Day three here I come!

I completed the following training today.

300 situps
150 push ups
5 form reps

ran 4.5 km's


Mr. Ian Repay
Student of Silent River Kung Fu.
ianrepay@blogspot.com

Unplugged to Re-connect

This time when I went on holidays I consciously chose to completely unplug from my courses, my glass, Kung Fu, and basically everything that wasn't where I was physically. I did have a connection so that anything that did require my attention got it, but nothing more than that. I chose to unplug so that I could focus totally on me in the Helena Valley in Montana and not think about the me where I normally am. Basically I got very present not only to myself, but also to where I was.

My friend, Jennifer,  whom I stayed with in Helena is not only a critical care nurse, but also a very well trained acupuncturist. Absolutely Jennifer looked at my shoulder and said "Dude, you really did a number on that shoulder." I guess that's what happens when all 165 pounds of me lands on that pin-pointed spot, something is going to move. Anyhow, Jennifer put me on a homeopathic anti-inflammatory called Traumeel as well as a gel called Arniflora to put on my shoulder to take down the inflammation. Not only that, out came the needles more than once. Hey, what's a holiday with out an acupuncture needle stuck in the top of one's head like an antenna?  I have been religious with the anti-inflammatories and will be continuing with the acupuncture (both in going and in points to use) because I do feel a difference and it's good healing care. Jennifer also said to give the shoulder a year to heal properly and then solidified the point by divulging  some cases of what happened to people who didn't. Needless to say, I have an acupuncture appointment booked with Bill at Jade for Thursday.

Being unplugged gave me a chance to sort through and put into focus what I want and what needs to be done first to gain laser results. My focus for Kung Fu is to heal my shoulder and focus on the basics like breathing, proper stances and technique. My glass has 2 facets: one to get my product out there and the other is to develop the products that are floating around in my head. My fudge will continue with the addition of pecan fudge  and the testing of espresso fudge (haven't forgotten about you Sifu Rybak) and rum-raisin fudge. I want to put a caramel aspect in, just not sure how to yet. As I was typing, I had an idea, now to try. Salted caramels, want to try. I will be continuing on and focusing on my courses with the end result being my website offering my coaching, energy, and glass artist services.

I love watching other glass artists not only for enjoyment and appreciation of their talents and skills, but also to gain ideas, techniques, and inspiration. A video of a very talented glassblower by the name of Steve Sizelove came into my line of sight. Steve is famed for his goblets and made a video of him making a goblet. Steve does a very good video and it's entertaining as well. My studio is similar to Steve's and Steve's torches are a couple of sizes bigger than mine and his skills I drool over. However it's something to aim for. As for now Steve's video is a resource and inspiration and for those reading a glimpse into what my world of glassblowing is about. Enjoy Steve Sizelove showing what he does best.
Sherri Donohue
My Blog

Stupid shoulder!

Doctors appointments this week...yay! Annual check up time again.
When I went in to see my oncologist for the check up, she checked my back as said that my right side by my shoulder seems swollen. Now I have to go for a cat scan to make sure it's just swelling. Sucky.
Maybe I should have told her it could be from all the pushups I've been doing...not to mention the broadsword. I said I'd been working out, but she said that shouldn't matter.
Although last time I saw her she said I shouldn't even use that arm to stir soup.
I'm pretty sure it's nothing but my shoulder acting up. I'll see what they say after the cat scan...might have to space my reps out more or do smaller sets and give my shoulder a break. Maybe I've been pushing it too hard and it's getting damaged.
Stupid shoulder!

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 208 kicks, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword

Acts of kindness: took Julia for a walk, brought my in-laws her stroller to use, made Mike breakfast and lunch, gave Romeo a belly rub, ran an errand for someone, danced with Julia

Today I consumed: a smoothy ( a carrot, some broccoli, some peas, some spinach, some blueberries and a banana), a bowl of cream of cauliflower soup, a slice of cinnamon loaf, a smoky on a bun with potato salad. I drank a cup of coffee, a cup of tea and 7 glasses of water.

A Little R & R

  After a crazy 2 weeks working long hours it was time for a break.  Our family took off west of Nordegg this past week to do some quading and hiking.  Nothing like fresh mountain air to rejuvenate the body and a view that lifts the soul.  I got a lot of km’s in, which is good for the death race training and made some miles on the quads to some absolutely awesome destinations.  As great as it would be to hike to some of these places, the time we have for holidays would never allow us to get too far, and our boys like something that goes vroom vroom! 

So now it’s back to the grind.  This week is the start of what potentially could turn into a fairly big project for work.  Although it’s close to home, it’s looking like it could still be some long days.  It seems bitter sweet; good to have the work but hard on the training. 

Well back to getting things cleaned up and laundry done.  I think it may be multiplying!

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

Engagment

This is the word that was used over and over again during my first day down here in South Carolina.  “stay engaged, stay engaged, stay engaged” was talked about and how important it was if you wanted to be successful.  Sifu Brinker has talked about this from the start of the year and how important it was for our kung fu and the process if we wanted to see results.  I kind of got it but it is making more sense as I see it being applied in my professional life like today.  Other things we have trained in the Kwoon is to be mindful and having an eye for detail.  Again during my first day down here these EXACT same things were stressed to us and it was like a huge wake up call for me.  I have been working on attention to detail and an eye for detail in my kung fu and have been applying to my work life. I am again seeing what we are learning in our Kwoon being applied outside of the kwoon and it is really amazing to see how our kung fu training is being applied in my life outside of the Kwoon. 

I want to keep track of the training I am doing down here and will include it in my blogs.  So here is what I accomplish today.

130 sit ups

140 push ups

3 sets of 20 leg lifts with 80 pounds of resistance (weight machine training)

3 sets of 5 dips

3 sets of 20 chest presses with 100 pounds of resistance (weight machine training)

Ran 2.5 km’s in 8 min.

Mr. Repay

Student of Silent River Kung Fu

ianrepay@blogspot.com

Funky Pictures!

Hey all! These are some of the 360 pics I got with my fancy new camera! I took the first and last ones and the three during the dragon were taken by Mr. Leung. Finally got a scanner so I can post these finally! Demos are always a good time.

Sifu Jon Robinson

http://umpteenmonkeystyping.blogspot.ca

Cats VS Humans

Anyone who knows me knows I like my pets better than most humans. In fact, I could probably live on an island with a bunch of animals and be perfectly happy. I don't understand the human race all that much. Why people are so mean to each other, why people backstab each other, why people judge each other so harshly and why people abuse each other and other living creatures. Why can't we co exist without these things. Animals are just as important as people in my mind, so is the earth. No-one even seems to go out anymore without sticking their noses in a smart phone and ignoring whats going on around them. I get so frustrated being human sometimes. I guess the only thing you can do is try to be kind, try to listen without judgement and try not to get caught up in hurtful gossip and lead by example. Hard to do sometimes when some jackass slams into you, spills your coffee all over you and doesn't even utter a sorry. Sigh...How much is an island?

Still sore

     Have been struggling the last four weeks. 4 chiropractic , 2 Dr. , 2 massage appointments , an X-ray and energy work done by Sihing Donahue. There has been change and it has been getting better , the problem is me. I feel good so I move , then I wake up the next day and I can hardly move. Going to try Physical Therapy , more massage and lots of rest this week to see where that puts me.

Scott Fuhr

Another first

Another first for me this weekend. I threw out the first pitch for the 2013 Provincial Baseball Championships. 

It was also a first for Baseball Alberta to have 3 Championships in one community.  This just shows how strong and dedicated our local organizations are. 

The Stony Plain Amateur Minor Ball Association (SPAMBA) has spent countless hours working to make sure this weekend would be a great success. I dropped in a few times and was elated that everything was going well.  These type of events (the preparation of) builds character in the community

http://youtu.be/FUEXtBfOa1M

http://wchoy74.blogspot.ca/2013/07/another-first.html?m=1

Counting seconds today...

Yesterday, I spent 5043 seconds visiting a friend just diagnosed with a rare eye cancer. The cancer was removed, but she still has a change of dying from this cancer. Her odds are pretty good; 80% survival rate. But she is having a hard time getting over the 20% part. They have given her 157680000 seconds (5 years).

In 2592000 seconds (one month), her life was pulled apart. Now she is left struggling to pull it back together. I plan to be there to listen when she needs to talk, and not judge her feelings since I don't really know what she is going through. I do know that I was blessed with 86400 seconds yesterday, and I plan to make each second count today.

http://sharidactyl.wordpress.com

Holiday time

Past week was a race to the finish at work for me, officially started my holidays on Friday and did something for the day I hadn’t done in over a year – nothing. Felt weird but nice to just hang out with the family and lounge around outside. That night we had practise again and unfortunately we were short team members so I helped out. Definitely some different team building exercises lately but again nice to change it up a bit now and then. If we can pull off these routines we will really have raised the bar. I am always keeping tabs on my requirements and have a few items I will be working on the next few weeks. Luckily I now have some extra time to do them which helps. Hope next Saturday the weather holds for us, should be a day for all coming up.

Sifu Bryant
My Blog

This week

I couldn't come with any real topic to blog about this week. I've been trying to get a lot more running into my routine lately in preparation for Mud Heroes in August, I'm really excited about going as a group and getting really dirty! Dragon Dance was a total blast on Friday- tons of fun and working on a lot of fun, challenging stuff. I've been really cursing my wrists and shoulders this last few days. I couldn't pull off a move during dragon dance because my hands just won't hang on tight enough, it is so strange to feel strong and then get such a watered down response from my hands/wrists. I was working on a throw today with Adrien and just couldn't pull it off because of my shoulder stuff. Experimented with a couple different arm positions etc. to take some pressure off and it just felt like my shoulder was going to rip apart no matter what. I am feeling frustrated with this stuff rearing it's head again this weekend. Someone recommended a book to me that has a lot of different stretches and exercises to help correct problems like mine so I will be working on those and see if it helps. Have a good week everyone.

Andrea Prince

The Week that was

Hmmmm what to write about... I'm at a bit of a loss. I got a throat infection and had a sore throat most of the week. I also lost most of my voice which made the incessant phone calls at work a bit of a chore. The antibiotics seem to have done the job and I'm feeling better. I went for my first round of golf of the year. I usually only get out golfing 3-5 times a year. I bought my first set of clubs last summer and have been trying to get into it a bit more. The round went pretty well, I sank a couple huge putts and it felt awesome. I walked the course which was good for about 4km.

Hurray! Landmark event at Fridays class! I finally ended my sword form. I've reached the point where I don't want to add anything else to it. Now I just need to perfect it. I also reserve the right to completely change things if I can come up with something better. On the downside I also managed to pull or strain a muscle in my leg. I've been hobbling around all weekend and super sore.

I'm excited to be teaching a seminar at bootcamp this year. It's been awhile, I think the last thing I taught was my pole form. One day I would like to see a field full of Kwan Dao's but some might call that unrealistic.

Sifu Jesse Wetter

http://liveforeverordieintheattempt.blogspot.ca/

Requirements

So I've been thinking about the requirements for third degree. I need to start practicing some of my other forms hardcore if I'm going to be ready. So much to do, so little time. At least I've been practicing tai chi. Otherwise I'd be hooped. It's funny how you can get so caught up in the I Ho Chuan requirements you forget the basic basic stuff.
Time to step it up.

Basic numbers: Rest day
Acts of kindness: dog sat my brothers dog, picked Julia some strawberries and shared my meal with someone, gave the dogs belly rubs, tickled Julia.

Today I consumed: 2 pieces of peanut butter and jam toast, one tims breakfast sandwich and hash brown, 2 doughnuts, some cheese and crackers, some butter chicken with fries, some bread pudding, half a banana, one cup of coffee, 2 cups of tea and 6 glasses of water. Man I ate a lot of carbs today! Kind of ridiculous....no wonder my tummy is rumbly.

Back from vacation

We are back from our vacation in Montana, and I am catching up on yard work and greenhouse stuff this weekend. The most interesting discovery at home was in the greenhouse, where I set up the automatic watering system at the last minute before we left. It turns out that I missed one button push, so that it did not actually water while we were gone. I thought that the plants looked a little dry and heat stressed, but overall were doing well. So I went to adjust the programming on the timer, and found my error. Normally the consequences of this would have been a lot of dead plants. In this case though I have been experimenting with a soil mix recommended in the book “Square Foot Gardening”, which is 1/3 each of compost, peat moss and vermiculite (exploded mica rock, which acts like a sponge) and the plants made it through OK. So if you are going to be gardening, I recommend reading and following his book.

DennisDonohue

With Real Boards

Before I left on holidays, Sihing Csillag brought a couple of boards to class to see if anyone wanted to try and break the real thing. I did with my front thrust kick and I was unsuccessful at breaking the board. Even though I didn't break the board, I gained a boatload of insight as to what I was doing so that I could improve. This is what I gained:

• I was leaning back instead of my chi going forward and powering through
• I was so concerned about having a high crane stance that I was lifting my center
• I was too close to my target

I didn't take my un-success as failure, but as data collection on what to practice on, which to me, makes practicing much more worthwhile. Thanks to Sihing Csillag for providing this great learning opportunity.
Sherri Donohue
My Blog 

86400

Something I have learned this month: there really are only 86400  seconds in a day. I used to think – You can always squeeze another second out of a day. But no. Just 86400 seconds. That’s it.

I have really been pushing myself to do it all this month. Attempting to multitask everything and managing to do nothing well. In the last month, I have forgotten appointments, misplace items (luckily no children), and forgot to blog. Argggh. I feel like I am losing my mind.

And I am getting sick; I never get sick!

So limit reached: 86400 stretched seconds.

Words 96. Seconds to write 487.

http://sharidactyl.wordpress.com

Fun times at open training

Had a really fun time working on my fan stuff with Sihing Langer at open training. Not many people were there though. Still, super fun times....thanks for being an awesome bad guy Sihing!

On a side note...considering going vegetarian for the month of August. See what all the fuss is about.

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 208 kicks, 204 pushups, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword

Acts of kindness: made Romeo some special dog food, dog sat my brothers dog, took Julia on our dog walk.

Today I consumed: 2 pieces of peanut butter and jam toast, a few bites of poutine, some macaroni with hotdogs and peas, some potato salad, some cottage cheese and some carrot salad with nuts. I drank 2 cups of coffee, a cup of tea and 7 glasses of water

Empathy

This is something that I have thought about for the past while.  Sifu Brinker talked about this at length during one of our I Ho Chuan meetings.  Empathy…what does that mean to me?  It means that I need to understand what any one person is feeling and experiencing.  It means in simplified terms to “walk a mile in their shoes” to fully understand as best I can understand what they are feeling.  When I think back on certain training days in the kwoon, I reflect back on our warm ups in particular.  Warm ups should be a WARM UP not a way for us to improve our push up numbers at the expense of the students we are working with and instructing.  I can tell you that there have been times that I have internally groaned when the person is called up to lead the warm up.  I just know that they will take advantage of the warm up to either improve their numbers or just want to make the class work extra hard for what ever reason. There are times for a really hard warm up, such as one time in the San Shou class.  At this particular class the point was to exhaust the students so that we understood what it was like to have to mentally adapt to an exhausted body.  Makes perfect sense and I totally understood when Sifu explained the rational after class was done.

Empathy…I don’t have enough…I have been one of those students that have lead a warm up to improve my numbers.  I have lead a warm up with the intention of seeing how hard I could push the students that I know are not as in as good a shape as I am. 

However, since that last meeting I have changed my perspective, I am gained some empathy.  I now lead a warm up with empathy in my mind for those that I am there to assist and work with.  When I bow in and bow out for class I ask my self these two questions, “where am I and what am I doing”, I now add to this “who am I here to help”.  These three questions that I ask myself ever time I bow in and bow out have helped me to be mindful of why I am here and who am I here to help.

Mr. Repay

Student of Silent River Kung Fu

Stony Plain, Alberta

ianrepay.blogspot.com

Change and no excuses!

I have been quite on the blogging front for far too long.  I can go into details as to why I feel I am justified in this but there is no justification for not blogging.  I dropped the ball and this is 100% my fault.  It only takes less than 20 minutes to write and post my blog and I can tell you that I have wasted many more minutes than this recently.  I have no excuses and I know I better, it’s all about routine and sticking to it.  I have struggled with this in my past and I recognize that it is a weakness that I need to improve upon going forward.

This takes me into the change portion of this blog.  I have made a monumental change in my working career.  I have been a professional baker my entire adult life and I have made a decision to move out of this area into a completely different field.  I am leaving my comfort zone and leaving everything I have ever known.  However I am going to adapt to this new industry and work really hard to apply the things that have made me successful in my baking career into this new venture.  I am extremely excited to be joining one of the best companies in the world and I get started this Monday.  I am going to take everything I have learned from my kung fu and apply it to my training in my new role.  Things like “eye for detail” will be very important as I am starting three months of training before I even touch my own territory.  This “eye for detail” is critical to our kung fu as this is essential to improving and achieving not only our black belt but must be present and developed in order for us to continue to improve for the rest of our lives. 

I am going to take what I have learned in the Kwoon and will continue to apply it like I have never done before. 

Mr. Repay

Student of Silent River Kung Fu

Better numbers

Did good today. Back on track.
Even managed to get my forms done before Julia got up...big help.

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 208 kicks, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword

Acts of kindness: gave the dog and cat treats, brought Julia on the dog walk and mad Mikes' breakfast

Today I consumed: a smoothy (banana, apple, blueberries, broccoli, spinach, strawberries, whey powder and chia seeds) a turkey and cheese sandwich, a doughnut, some potato salad with bread and one hotdog with cheese. I drank a cup of coffee, a cup of tea, one beer and 7 glasses of water.

Blog

Work is still very demanding. So many things to learn and so many more responsibilities. I'm trying to manage all clients and it feels like juggling. I always prefer to have some solid time focusing on a task rather then being interrupt all the time. People say they can multi-task at work but it is not really multi-tasking as we are only doing one thing at a time and we just switch from one to another all the time. This has proven to be not productive in terms of work.

This is also taking a toll of my personal life. I'm extremely tired when I get home and I cannot find the energy nor the mental capacity to learn for my Microsoft certificate. After 8 hours of work in front of the computer at work the most I can do is to read blogs (and write some).

That brings me to another point. Some of us are late in blogging. If you are reading this blog and you haven't blogged for more than 7 days, write your blog NOW. Tell us how your day/week was.

http://csillag-stars.blogspot.ca/2013/07/blog.html

Reality Check

Part One:  What about me? at about 6 pm

I know this happens and I tried to prepare for it ... but no matter what I do I just can't control everything. Family issues have been eating up my time like crazy ... I have not done any spanish lessons,  art projects, practice reps of tai chi, missed two weeks of blogs, no kick sequences.   I am only just barely keeping up with the situps and pushups, fallen out of the habit of recording my acts of kindness ... I don't feel very kind ... just annoyed and tired of how I seem to be the only one who actually does anything for my mom (my side of the family).

I want to stand up and yell "hey what about me????"   "I have important things to do you know!"

Would my brothers just leave my mom uncared for if I stopped dealing with all the issues, checking on her, making sure she is still alive?  What kind of people am I related to?

Part 2: Reality Check!   at about 10 pm

Driving home from Kung fu class tonight and listing to the CBC radio, there was a documentary being aired about one of the wives of Joseph Cogne (not sure of the spelling) the international courts just convicted him of numerous crimes and sentenced him to life in prison. He is a rebel leader somewhere in Africa (only caught the last 10 minutes of the show). This lady was talking about how she was kidnapped as a young girl, raped, held captive for 11 years as one of Jospeh's numerous wives. Birthed 3 daughters, and lost one during fighting between and rebels and government forces.

Well it just made all my problems pretty minor in comparison.

Another thing that I have been dropping the ball on is my graditude journalling and it shows in my additude,

I am grateful to live in this beautiful country where it is safe for me and my loved ones.
I am grateful for my beautiful home and yard
I am grateful for my very special husband & daughters
I am grateful for a full tummy every night
I am grateful that Canadians prefer dialogue as a way of solving problems and not guns
I am grateful that Mr Repay and Mr. Csillag did not drop me during dragon dance practice.

I have lots of wonderful things in a very busy life ... apparently problems exist just so we can appreciate all the good stuff.

Missed Class

I missed class this week. I wasn't feeling well and was in bed by 8 every night. Feeling a bit better so I will be at Dragon Dance practice tonight to watch Team 1 practice. I learn alot by watching so I'm sure I'll pick up on some things I didn't grasp last practice.

Water...a force of change

Water...what a cool subject! (Pun intended.) I have been doing more studying for my gardening course and learned some new cool stuff I wanted to share. One of things I'm really loving about this course is that its practical; and its practical in a way that can be earth changing--there ARE answers to some of the global problems facing us. To quote Geoff Lawton (a permaculturist from Australia), A garden can fix all the worlds problems. Now while I'm not sure I'd be THAT certain it would fix EVERYTHING he has a point for many of our problems. What is a garden? Its life, pure and simple. It is a carbon sink...which in this day and age when we're burning carbon with our fossil fuels and changing our climate drastically, what is one way to fix that? Cut down our emissions for sure. But also--nature uses plants and trees to sequester that carbon in the ground. So the more trees and plants we have, the more carbon we can stuff back in the ground. Bonus! Water shortages. Well lets think of that for a moment. Earth is a closed system, for the most part. The water that is here continously cycles through. ( So yes, ancient people probably used the water you are using now. Dont think too deep on that...)So why are we in drought and what can plants do about it? What can soil do about it? Soil, good soil, and especially the mulch layers can hold an incredible amount of water; research gives us these numbers: Soil with 1% humus can hold about 10,000 gallons of water/acre. Thats a lot! Soil with 6% humus can hold 56,000 gallons/acre!! One inch of rain over that acre delivers about 28,000 gallons which with a higher organic matter content will be held in the soil that can be used later as opposed to washing downstream, causing floods and havoc as we've seen on the news. Whats one of the best mulches to increase the organic material in your yard or garden? Those leaves we rake up every fall and throw away. Yep. Theres your excuse not to rake. So planting trees and plants and instead of hauling away all the dead leaves and things, leave them, or at least chop them up and leave them or add them back after composting them. Feed your worms and leave the food where it falls:) Wouldnt it be cool if by planting rain gardens, we could fix Edmontons flooding problems without ever having to rehaul the sewer system? It can be done! Food crisis; well if your planting already, plant trees with fruit and nuts, plants that feed you and the community. We have lots of apple and cherry trees planted around stony plain that are not utilized, but a great example of providing shade, beauty AND food. And the best part is it doesnt take alot of space to grow some food. Even us suburbanites can do it! The best part I think that nature/gardens do, is they give us life; when I'm meditating(walking) , stressed or just need to rest, nature is where I go. It replenishs a deep need in me--we'd probably all be alot better off if we just took a walk in the woods instead of prozac; and I know theres studies out there to prove that. So how do we change the world? Lets all plant a garden and see where we get. Lets catch rain, lets help the greenhouse effect, lets feed ourselves,our communities and our hearts and minds. Lets be the change! Some cool videos on how to 'plant our water' can be watched on youtube Rain Water Harvesting Demonstration with Brad Lancaster www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iQ-FBAmvBw‎ its short, check it out!

Big fat 0

Nothing much to say today.
I didn't get anything done in regards to numbers:(
I have some excuses, but I won't waste your time. Point is, didn't get it done today.
Bah!

Oh well, tomorrow is a new day... a chance to get things done.

Basic numbers: 0

Acts of kindness: made Mike lunch and breakfast, filled up Julias pool for her and helped her in, picked her a strawberry

Today I ate: 2 pieces of peanut butter and jam toast, some macaroni and cheese, some cheese, crackers, bread and hummas with watermelon and 1 rib and 3 cookies. I drank 1 cup of tea, 7 glasses of water and 2 glasses of wine (so good with the cheese!)