Motivation

I've been reading that many people are struggling with motivation. I have struggled with the same thing. The best thing I have found is, as Sifu Brinker has suggested, is to build in habits. If you always do pushups while you wait for the kettle, even on the days you don't feel like doing it, you'll do pushups while the kettle boils. The difficulty I have found is that your day never goes according to plan. I can't say that at 1pm I'm going to do some form reps because I never know what will be going on then. What I can do is plan that when I'm making dinner, I'm going to do a form rep in the kitchen. It's about persistence and taking one day at a time. Even if you haven't done anything for months, if you wake up and do some pushups, your back on the way. Just keep trying.

Basic numbers: 204 pushups, 202 crunches, 208 kicks, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: gave the cat and dog a treat, made Mike breakfast and lunch, helped someone at work

Today I consumed: 2 boiled eggs, a brownie, 2 oranges, a bowl of oatmeal, some rice with tuna and green beans and some potato patties. I drank a cup of coffee and 8 glasses of water.

http://tiffany-anotherday.blogspot.ca

Getting nervous

Hmmmmm rest day. So nice to just rest....my body that is. Starting to worry more and more about grading day. Going for my third degree this year. But I still have so much practice to do. VERY nervous about it. I need to do more practicing.

Basic numbers: Rest day

Acts of kindness: gave the dog a treat, hugged someone, let the cat out and in and out and in.......

Today I consumed: a bowl of raisin oatmeal, 4 brownies, a bowl of macaroni with tomatoes, 3 slices of pizza, 2 cups of coffee, 7 glasses of water and 1 pop.

http://tiffany-anotherday.blogspot.ca

Motivation

     Haven't blogged for a while , no reason other than lazy I guess. My motivation was at a low for almost everything. Sifu Brinkers pep talk in Fridays class has hopefully changed that for good.

     Why is motivation a constant struggle for me ?


Scott Fuhr

12 rounds with Iron Mike

Well I have kinda felt like this guy in the past couple of weeks.  I had a very difficult call with a customer and by the time call was completed I felt like I had gone 12 rounds with Iron Mike.

The thing is, it was totally my fault.  I had been having a great couple of weeks and my confidence was a little higher than I needed it to be.  I was overconfident.

Well the result of that "overconfidence" was that the customer exploited every area where I failed to prepare.  He exposed my weaknesses like oppon
ents have done in sparring class.

As difficult as it was to sit there and take it, I learned more than I ever ever had before.  It humbled me and showed me that I am nowhere as good as thought I was.  I learned more from that one call than I could have ever learned from all the good calls I had done in the past three weeks.  I learned that preparation and proper mindset are the most important things.  If I had the proper mindset, I would not have overlooked some of the things I needed to do.  If I was in the proper mindset I would have been better equipped to answer the customers questions.  I can't say enough about the lesson that the customer taught me that afternoon.

Thanks John for teaching me a very important lesson that afternoon in your office.

Mr. Repay
Student Of Silent River Kung Fu.
ian.repay@blogspot.com

I Need a Road Sign

So where am I in training and life in general? I don't really know at the moment. In the last few months so much of my life has changed that I'm feeling a bit lost, like when your teachers all asked you in junior high what you wanted to be when you grew up and you hadn't the foggiest. The only thing thats been constant is Friday nights, where I go to my classes and thats that. But then I go and miss last night and all day today I'm thinking its Friday. I'm completely, utterly lost without the Friday routine. It's my reset to the week, and now that I don't have a formal day job its my anchor when I can't even keep track of what day it is.

As I mentioned, everything has changed. Its strange to think that everything that I was a few months ago had been slowly developing over time, building up and on itself to take to me where I was, and then BAM! nothing is the same. Home life, work life, kung fu life, family life, even my pets all did a 180 or better. (Yes, I know, more than 180 is just closer to the original. Not the point.).

I think I need some kind of reset. Not just on the week, but on my life. There are a few things and a few things only that I know I want to keep constant, kung fu being one of them, and the rest is in the air. Where do I see myself in 10, 20, 40 years? In Stony Plain, at the kwoon. Other than that, I don't really know. I haven't the foggiest, actually.

Home stretch!

I have one final week of training and then I am back home. I can't wait to get back and get some resemblance of normality again. This week I'm in Montreal and I'm very happy to be back in Canadian soil.

I really miss the kwoon and my training mates. I will admit that my training has been no where, where I need it to be. I have a little resemblance to the Michelin Man lol! Oh well i'll work it off and I am really looking forward to sweating and feeling the pain =)

My first day back home is this Saturday and I am going to take up Sifu's challenge of 1000 sit ups and push ups. I can't think of a better way to kick start my training.

Of note, reading Sihing's Chervenka's blog where he mentioned me and others helped motivate me to write this blog. Writing blogs helps motivate those of us that need a little extra push, thanks Sihing!

Mr. Repay

We need to get together...

The dragon dance tricks are coming along. I think we'll have a good dance for the tournament. We only have a few practices before the tournament.
It's a good idea for us to start doing nice things for each other too as has been suggested. I think the biggest thing we need to do though is get more physical. Less yack, more smack. We can talk all we want, but until we start doing what we're supposed to be doing, we'll feel like we're not doing well. But I think doing things together would help. We should have a sparring day. I'm trying to plan a good day for it so stay tuned! If we all got together  and pounded out 8 hours of sparring...we would be close to done our 1000 reps/minutes of sparring. I think doing something like this, where we could check something off our lists by working together, would boost all of our moral.
If anyone has a good suggestion for a day let me know.
Also, we need to memorize mastery, so we should start going over that as a group maybe.
I know I need to go over it a lot still.

Basic numbers: 208 kicks, 204 pushups, 202 crunches, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone, took Julia for a nice walk, helped Mike

Today I consumed: an egg on toast, an orange, a boiled egg, a cookie, a candy, a chocolate, 2 brownies, a bowl of macaroni with corn and ham, 1 and a half bacon/tomato/cucumber/cheese sandwiches. I drank 3 cups of coffee and 7 glasses of water.

http://tiffany-anotherday.blogspot.ca

stress

hello every one i am sorry for not posting my blog last week. i have been having a lot of trouble with balancing university work. I feel like i am always just barely making my deadlines and for my homework. also i have not been going to kung fu lately and i miss it so much. But i have Saturday kung fu; that is all mine and i trade nothing for it. so i guess i will enjoy Saturday, but i am still struggling with school work right now. I feel like i am trying as hard as i can but getting nowhere sometimes. I have to try remain as positive as i can because right now this is all i have to keep me going knowing eventually this will start making sense to me and i will get it . That is all i have to say for now. So remember stat extraordinary.


228 lbs


Sihing Langner

September 27, 2013

100 p/u
100 s/u
22 sais form
5 stick form
20 hidden leg technique

Bought a friend coffee, called up an old friend that I haven't spoken too in a long time, and picked up some garbage that was spilled over in the alley.

I really enjoyed tonight's I Ho Chuan class. One of my most favorite parts is to watch everyone do their forms. It's motivating and inspirational to witness. Its was also good to hear someone speak up in front of the team and share something that is bothering them. I also want to send a message to those that couldn't be there. Mr. Repay it will be good to see you again. Your positive personality is greatly missed and I am looking forward to training with you when you get back. Sihing Krebs I can really relate to how you must be feeling. I know you had the intentions to grade this year and life took you for a spin. I know you are not where you wanted to be, but when you get back let's hook up and make the best of what's remaining and get a good start for next year. You are greatly missed by many and you have my phone number and email address. Use it, as a team mate I am here to help or listen. Anything you need, anytime. Mr. Leung, are you dead? Mailed yourself to Siberia? What's your story man. Regardless of where you are, or what frame of mind you are in, please get in touch with someone on the team, anyone, and come back. You too are greatly missed. You have not failed, the year is not over. But it will be soon. So get your ass back to the kwoon!

You all have 1 weeks notice!

Tonight at class we were missing quite a few people and I know the team's moral overall is pretty low. But, the overall message I took from Sifu Brinker tonight was that we still have an opportunity to turn this boat around. We have the chance to pick up our socks finish successfully. We still can be successful. I know some people, actually probably everyone, is feeling alienated and alone. But you are not alone! Even if you don't receive comments, your blog is being read!
So, to start this picking-up-our-socks thing....I challenge everyone on Saturday, October 5th to do 1000 pushups and sit-ups. Post your numbers on kwoon talk so the whole school can see. Lets start our I Ho Chuan again with a bang!
You all have a week's notice, so no excuses! You're on the home stretch now, let's get some mojo going before the tournament!

Basic numbers: tai chi reps 5, broadsword reps 4, 208 kicks, 204 pushups, 202 crunches, 2.5 miles

Acts of kindness: gave the cat and dog a treat, walked the dog, did extra chores around the house, made Mike breakfast and lunch

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, half a bran muffin, some macaroni with tuna and corn, a couple of candies, some sausage with perogies and broccoli with cheese sauce and 2 oranges and half a chocolate chip cookie. I drank 3 cups of coffee and 7 glasses of water.

http://tiffany-anotherday.blogspot.ca

Einstein Time

Right now I am reading a book by Gay Hendricks entitled "The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Your Life to the Next Level". Very good book about living in one's Zone of Genius instead of living in the zones of incompetence, competence, or excellence. I tag this book along with what I am learning in one of my courses about building my business (actually plural form) around my genius, loves, and skills. When I was in the medical and medical/vet teaching arenas I showed great skills and had genius qualities, but the love wasn't there and it showed big time in my health and well-being.

A concept that is discussed in "The Big Leap" is living in Einstein Time. Our world is set up according to Newtonian Time where time is finite, where we either have not enough (HURRY!!!) or too much (bored!), and it's "out there". Whereas with Einstein Time, time is relative, is as much as we need, and comes from within us. I like the concept of Einstein Time much better and all I know that since I have shifted to living around what feeds my soul and where I express my genius, time has been different.

I added in the early morning Tuesday/Thursday Kung Fu classes and have greatly enjoyed them. Not only have my days flowed with ease, but I'm getting a lot done (no hurry or panic), and my art project is really coming together. I have made 2 of the 4 pieces and I'm very elated with them especially considering that on Monday I had no clue how I was going to create the project. I will remake the lamp post piece not because it's bad, but because I really like it and want to keep it. Plus the new lamp post piece will be more like the second piece. A pleasant surprise to me with this art project is that I'm really enjoying it and I clued in to why. With this project the creativity is totally up to me. I have a few parameters to follow, but the outcome is from me. With other custom work I didn't have my creativity freedom, I was trying to squeeze into a box that didn't fit. With this project I'm designing the box.

In the past I have heard (many times) that when one is feeling rushed or panicked, that is the time to meditate. I didn't grasp that until this week. I was starting to feel jittery about the art project (how the heck am I going to make this thing??!!) so I plunked myself down and meditated with one of the guided meditations I have. In the silence lies creativity and the answers to which we seek. Sure enough my answer came shortly after my meditation. Bottom line is that I don't know the answers, but I need to shut up and be still long enough to hear them. Life is so much easier this way being guided instead of me trying to figure it out.

So with Einstein Time, I will be paying attention as to how much I complain about time (not enough, in a hurry, blah, blah) and go on strict diet from it. Einstein was (and still is) a pretty bright guy, he just might be onto something. Physics was his genius, love, and skill, who am I to argue with him? Now creativity: that's where I rock!
Sherri Donohue
My Blog

Tournament coming

The tournament is coming up. It will be neat to see everyone's stuff.

Basic numbers: 51 pushups, 51 crunches, 52 kicks

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone x 2, gave the cat pets, bought a friend a gift.

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, half a muffin, a bowl of soup with a bun, 2 cupcakes, some nachos and a chicken burger. I drank 3 cups of coffee, 1 beer and 7 glasses of water. 

My favourite blog to read

Totally didn't get my form reps done this morning so I was left trying to catch up tonight. Sigh......
The struggle continues!
I've been enjoying reading peoples blogs a lot. My favourite one to read is Ms Gibbons. I can totally relate to everything she says and I can always picture her telling me about her day. Always makes me smile....and often laugh. Totally awesome!

Basic numbers: 153 pushups, 151 crunches, 156 kicks, 1 rep tai chi, 3.4 miles

Acts of kindness: stopped for a waiting pedestrian, helped out a friend, took Julia to the library, gave the cat and dog treats, made the dog a special dinner for his sensitive stomach, made Mike lunch and breakfast

Today I consumed: half a bran muffin, a peanut butter and jam sandwich and 2 chicken burgers. I drank a latte and half a cup of coffee and 7 glasses of water.

Tiger Challenge

The Tiger Challenge is up and coming. This is the time to show case what we know to the rest of the school. I know some of us are nervous to perform (I know I do) but part of being in the I Ho Chuan is about learning how to overcome fears.

I had a lot of fun in the past Tiger Challenge events. I always enjoy to watch my kids compete and this year I'm going to be also part of the group that is organizing it. That should be fun too.

I hope everyone in the team will find it beneficial to them to compete in the event as well as run it as part of the group.

http://csillag-stars.blogspot.ca/2013/09/tiger-challenge.html

Heavy bag

Started practicing my kicks on the heavy bag that we finally got set up. It is quite different kicking something solid. Definitely helps with developing your power. It's good to practice in the air to get your technique down but I think you need the heavy bag to learn how to transfer you power properly. Sure is a good workout too!

Basic numbers: 204 pushups, 202 pushups, 160 kicks, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword

Acts of kindness: let someone ahead of me in traffic, brought my sister breakfast, answered questions in the labs I was running today. Made Mike breakfast and lunch, gave the cat and dog treats

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, a tims breakfast sandwich and hash brown, an apple, an orange and 1 and a half ham and cheese sandwiches. I drank 2 coffees and 8 glasses of water.

Smiles

One thing I’ve noticed this year more so than most is when I do my acts of kindness. I say good morning here, hold a door open there and I then document and carry on with my day. What I have to say is the impact it has with my day to day encounters. Sometimes these acts easily present themselves but what I’ve taken away from this is when you are mentally aware to perform acts of kindness you find other opportunities along the way. I’ll help a co-worker  carry something inside, I’ll go out of my way to thank someone for doing a great job at work, I’ll thank my wife for dinner (that’s called adding to the emotional bank account by the way) and so on. Guess it all starts to become second nature and the more you do the easier it becomes, just keep smilin’.

Sifu Bryant
My Blog

Whew!

Acclaimed.
What a sense of relief.
The stress and anxiety I've been carry around for last couple of weeks has been lifted.

When I ran for Council, I was never worried. I knew my chances of securing enough votes to be in the top 6 was extremely good and I would have a seat in Council.

Running for the Mayor's seat is a totally different story. It's for all the marbles, if you opponent has one more vote then you, you don't get nothing.  The stress factor is 1000 fold more.

I'm humbled that no one put their name forward to run against me. The residents must feel that I'm doing a good job and want to with my leadership of the Town.

That's one goal taken care of.

http://wchoy74.blogspot.ca/2013/09/whew.html?m=1

Fall

It's really feeling like fall these last few weeks. I'm not a winter lover so this time of year makes me dread winter but I still can't help but love fall for itself. I like my autumn garden- harvesting and doing all the canning and pickling, although sometimes the overabundance of vegetables needing something done with them can be overwhelming- I have over a hundred pounds of tomatoes in my house right now! Really can't complain about that though when there are food shortages around the world.

I feel like a broke through a wall with my cane these last couple of months. I am not a creative person and I have struggled to come up with a form to showcase this weapon. I think what finally happened was I just started playing with it, twirling it around, hitting stuff- I don't know, it just worked. I really like the cane as it is practical so I'm glad this is finally coming together. Dragon dance is fun as always. I like working on the new stuff, even if it's a little scary sometimes, but I do feel bad for Sifu Wetter having to carry me around on his shoulders PLUS the dragon head!

Fun week at work so far also- an injured hawk was brought in and we did radiographs for the wildlife rescue group, really cool.

Andrea Prince

Doing the Numbers

I have been ignoring my numbers all summer long.

I was just feeling bad time and miserable and pathetic. I just didn’t want to face the fact that I was failing. So I kept recording in my bed-side notebook but I refused to move the numbers into excel preferring to imagine the worst.

Now with funk lifting, confidence returning, I decided to do my numbers. Surprise! They are not as bad as I had imagined. Goes to prove one should face their fears and not just stress about things indefinitely.

So, I am definitely behind… but I am still here…

sharidactyl.wordpress.com

Fear - 1 Lindsay - 0

I'm not sure I like the score in the title of my post, so my goal is to reverse that. The first thing I'm going to do is ask Sifu Stoddard to help me with my form to get it better. Secondly, I will perform that form in front of Sifu Wetter. (Eek) Thirdly, I will perform that form in front of the I Ho Chaun team. (Bigger Eek) If I can survive that, I will work on getting into a small demo for a small group if one comes up. *So scary* I also want to keep trying the dragon dance I've decided, if there is someone that wants to do it instead of me, I'm ok with that, but until then I'm going to keep going with it. Realistically, I'm not going to get any better unless I do. Just so you know though, I'm definitely not ready for any sort of performance yet. So, like I said, feel free to replace me any time you see fit. I've had no issues with my hip after the last couple practices, so unless it starts acting up again, I think I shouldn't chicken out. For the record, my favorite thing is the drums, I absolutely, 100% want to learn them for when I am a blackbelt. I get mesmerized watching Sifu Playter and Sifu Rybak playing the drums, I hope I'm not creeping you guys out, just watching how you get your hands move to the rhythm, that's all, I swear.

Success!

Success!
Totally got my work out done today even though it was really hectic. Now to carry that on to tomorrow. One day at a time!

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 208 kicks, 204 pushups, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: let a car in front of me x 2, made Mike lunch and breakfast and gave the cat and dog a treat

Today I consumed: a piece of peanut butter and jam toast, a ham and cheese sandwich, an apple, a baked potato with sour cream and asparagus and some cake with cream. I drank a coffee and 9 glasses of water.

Opportunity Knocks

There is the saying that I have heard many times that most often opportunities are missed because they are often dressed in overalls and disguised as work. This is true. Opportunity also has the stipulation that one vacates the comfort zone and the meaning is vacate not deviate to go the to corner store to get ice cream. Opportunity has the funny knowing of when a person is ready because it shows up unannounced.

Last Friday I had an email totally out of the blue that had my jaw dropping onto the floor and using a sling to re-unite it with the rest of my face. I have been chosen to design and make a glass art piece that will be given as a gift to an international sister city and displayed in their civic hall. I was both honored and shocked at the same time and yet, very excited. I had my meeting today with the result being that I am designing a totally unique piece that is very much bigger than what I have ever done before in a lot of ways. I'll be doing techniques that I have never done before and making pieces that are only a concept at this time. This project will take my glass art from the jewelry and ornament categories into artwork. I am excited and I am ready as I have put countless hours into my trade.

I have support in place shall I doubt myself and chocolate for celebration and whatever excuse I need. There is only one more thing for me to say: torch on!

Sherri Donohue
My Blog

Easy Way Out?

I decided with the beginning of the I Ho Chaun year that I would be open and honest with my blogs and not give up on things so easy. I'm struggling to decide whether or not to bow out of dragon dance. If I did though, would it be because it is hard and I'm struggling it with it? Or is it for genuine concern of my hip falling out? I guess with not many people coming out to practice, I shouldn't feel guilty taking up a spot that someone else could have so I can keep trying for now.

Early start tomorrow

Spent the day marking. Poor Julia is getting a cold. I hope I don't get sick as well. Tomorrow I need to get back to work in regards to my numbers. If I get my form reps done before work I'll be good.

Basic numbers: rest day

Acts of kindness: gave the cat and dog a treat, cuddled Julia, brought Mike some tea

Today I consumed: some oatmeal, a piece of cake with cream, some leftover shrimp pasta, 2 pieces of nutella toast and a rib dinner with baked potato and asparagus. I drank 2 cups of coffee and 9 glasses of water.

Heros

Most of us had a hero we looked up to and mimicked when we were young.  It may have had you running around with a cape jumping off the couch arm or maybe with masking tape around your wrists, pretending to be Wonder Woman (ya that one was me).  What was true ‘back when I grew up’ is still alive today.  It can be seen everywhere around us, including the local grocery store with the little guys riding in carts with capes and a plastic sword or fairy wings and a magic wand.

Now that I’m grown, my ‘ heros’ come in a different form and are found in a variety of people.  They aren’t saving the world from mass destruction per say, but they are people who I admire, people who do things that make a difference, they are people who are following dreams before they are missed opportunities. 

This topic is one that came to me this week because of a friend and the incredible decision her and her family have made to leave everything that is familiar and safe to follow a dream they have had for years.  To make the very tough decisions and despite the fear, are embarking on a new and exciting adventure.  Fear is normal and I believe to some degree healthy.  What we fear, we respect.  It is when we allow fear to take over and cause panic and anxiety that we stop taking risks and we miss out on some awesome opportunities. 

I have been more than guilty of this many times in my life.  I find the older I get, the more aware I am becoming of the missed opportunities.  It would be unrealistic to think that I can change overnight and that I will no longer allow the fear of the unknown or the fear of failure to stand in my way.  However, as I become more aware I can make those baby steps.  I can start with some realistic and relatively safe steps, like getting on a plane!

I don’t know if this friend will happen to read this blog, but if she does I hope she knows how blessed I feel having her as a friend and how missed she will be by many! You might not fight crime or wear a mask with pointed ears, but you have many who admire you for what you are doing and wish you the absolute best.  Is it better to stay safe and live with regrets later?  I don’t believe it is, so you go girl!

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

Need people for the dragon

Got to go to the practice today. Things are looking good, but we're still pressed for people.

Basic numbers: 51 pushups, 51 crunches, 1 rep tai chi, 2 miles

Acts of kindness: let someone ahead of me in traffic, tickled Julia, gave the dog a treat

Today I consumed: a piece of peanut butter and jam toast, a grilled cheese sandwich with soup, 2 pieces of pizza and some toquitos. I drank 2 cups of coffee and 9 glasses of water.

Back already

Got back from the funeral early so I'll be able to come to practice tomorrow...and help with tiling!
Spent a nice day with Mike and Julia and the family. A lot of driving though.

Basic numbers: 0

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone, let someone ahead of me in line x4, played with Julia in the park

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, a breakfast sandwich from tims with a hash brown, some sandwiches and soup, a pear, some candy and some pizza. I drank 4 coffees and 9 glasses of water

Sailboats

Sailboats are on my mind for some reason, and I am busy researching how to build one. So for most people a description of a boat is a hole in the water that you throw money at. I am way too cheap for that type of thing, and I stumbled upon a blog on square boats, or sailing barges/scows. These are simple to build, square boats designed around full sheets of regular plywood. The skills required are moderate carpentry, which I can fake, and basic material. I am thinking that the final design will be a cross between a RV and a liveaboard sailboat. It will be built such that it can be lived in as an RV, while still on it’s trailer, so no water required. It will also be easy to launch and rig up the sail, so that if water is available, a quick enjoyable sail is practical.
My wife requires some minimums, such as indoor plumbing and walking headroom. This is not too bad, as I am the taller at 5‘7, so a 5‘8 height is enough for us (6‘ might make it easier to resell in the future, if things change)
I am planning on building the shell one summer, and then stripping the bits out of an old RV to get the fridge/stove water tanks and other bits. An old trailer I sold to a friend is one likely candidate, or maybe our present fifth wheel . I would like to weld up a custom wood stove for it as well, I have some ideas on that in my head as well.
This has nothing to do with Kung Fu, or the continuing repair of my lower back issues, it’s just what I am reading and thinking about right now. I don’t expect to start construction for at least two years either, but when I was looking at building a house, it took ten years of design and research first, and sailboats are nice to read about and plan as we go into the cold season.
Dennis Donohue

Dear Non-Bloggers

Hello I Ho Chaun members that are not blogging. For the love of God, would you please blog. It's lonely over here blurting all my thoughts out for all to see and coming across as unstable by myself. I would appreciate some company over here in my looney bin. Thank you in advance.

People stepping up

Packing up for the funeral. Long day of travelling and what-not tomorrow. I'm really impressed with how people are stepping up to help with the Tiger Challenge. It's really nice to see. I'm sure it will be great this year.

Basic numbers: 204 pushups, 208 kicks, 21 crunches, 4 miles

Acts of kindness: held the elevator for someone, let someone ahead of me in traffic, gave the cat extra pets, made Mike lunch and breakfast

Today I consumed: 2 bran muffins, a bagel with cream cheese, half an apple and a bowl of shrimp and zuchini pasta. I drank 3 cups of coffee and 8 glasses of water

Frost Foiled

This morning didn't come without a little nervousness wondering if the plants in my greenhouse survived the light frost we had last night. I was totally thrilled to see that everything in the greenhouse survived even the plants that are touching the 8 foot high ceiling. In fact, everything looks awesome and I did a happy dance.

I grow my garden in a hoophouse style greenhouse which, is basically a ginormous row cover. This micro climate effectively "moves" my growing conditions 500 miles south by enabling planting to begin sooner, warmer temperatures, increased humidity, wind protection, and a bit of fall frost protection. Because of this system I am able to grow heirloom plants, especially tomatoes, that require a longer growing season. Krysta was surprised when she saw my tomato seed collection and limited me to 4 varieties to plant: Sun Sugar for cherry-type, Super Marzano for Roma, Manitoba for "regular", and I insisted on Brandywine because they are darned good. I snuck in a Cherokee Purple to see how it would do. Krysta experimented with a myriad of peppers. I rounded out by planting cucumbers and melons to see how they would fare out. Of course potatoes (4 varieties) were planted in 2 types of growing environments: raised bed and raised bed but with ground access.

So what happened over the growing season and is continuing? I have tomatoes plants that are 8 feet high and taking over the world. Peppers are up to my chest. Cucumbers are the biggest I've seen measuring in at 15 inches long, a rogue pumpkin is ripe on the vine, and I have about 8 decent size muskmelons on the vine. A lot of firsts happened this growing season and I am thrilled. However right about now I watch the weather forecast like a hawk for the impending "doom" of a frost with about a month of gorgeous weather. The trick is to get over the frost strike and until thus far, have been unsuccessful until last night.

To prepare for last night I picked the big Brandywine and Cherokee Purple tomatoes to both have them safe in the house as well as any smaller tomatoes will now get the resources for growing if frost survival does occur. A armload of cucumbers were carried into the house to ensure their safety. We also filled water barrels to stabilize the heat and keep the in-greenhouse temperature high enough to prevent frost. That was the theory anyway.

Well it worked! All plants are fantastic and I can look forward to more tomatoes, more cucumbers, a real vine-ripened pumpkin, and (for the very first time) melons! Krysta is overjoyed with the peppers and I will be now harvesting the mints (I have 3 varieties) as well as the basil and parsley.

This gardening season was filled with firsts ranging from raised beds, to soil, to types of plants, to evading frost and it turned out spectacular. One thing I can say is that I'm looking forward to next planting season as I have my list to plant, including watermelon.

Here's what my greenhouse jungle looks like.

Sherri Donohue
My Blog

Going up or going down?

The technology I'm working with is evolving so fast and it is very hard to keep up with the pace. It is also expanding. Every year there is an advancement of technology and new technology as well. There is so much to learn and everyday that passes I feel that I'm getting further behind. It is sometimes overwhelming and hard to figure out what I should do first, should I learn something deeply or should I learn different subjects and just surface level?

"One step at a time."  Sounds great but with which leg and towards which direction. How big should the step be and should it be up or down?

http://csillag-stars.blogspot.ca/2013/09/going-up-or-going-down.html

Thanks Ms Gibbons!

Thanks for the comment Ms Gibbons! Brightened my day. I am feeling a little stressed but I'll manage. You are right about the coffee though!
Suggestion for you in regards to the dragon dance...why don't you help on the instruments? We need a gong person. That way you can still be a part of  the dance, but it won't be so hard on you physically.

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 208 kicks, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone, let someone ahead of me in traffic, made Mike breakfast and a lunch, took Julia to the library for story time, gave the cat and dog a treat

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, 2 peanut butter and jam sandwiches, some fries and gravy and a bran muffin. I drank 3 cups of coffee and 7 glasses of water.

Why do mornings have to be so early?

Didn't get much done today in regards to practice. I know that I need to get it done in the morning before Julia gets up, but sometimes (like today), making myself do it when I want to crawl back into bed is difficult. Need more discipline!

Basic numbers: 1 rep tai chi

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone x 2, stopped for someone waiting to cross the street, let someone ahead of me in traffic

Today I consumed: half a bowl of oatmeal, some apple slices, 2 boiled eggs, a bowl of macaroni with peas and tuna and a peanut butter and jam sandwich. I drank 2 coffees and 8 glasses of water

Aches, Pains and Story Tales

Again I find myself guilty of not blogging for far too long. I've had plenty to talk about lately but always seem to get sidetracked when it comes to putting electrons on the screen. Today I set a mini goal of GET STUFF DONE, which includes this post. Groceries have been purchased, bills have been paid, mild cleaning accomplished and laundry is spinning, time to journal.  As a bonus I get to write while listening to a brand new record which just arrived in the mail!

A couple of weeks ago I hiked the Skyline Trail in Jasper with Sifu Robinson and a couple of his friends. It was a great time had by all. It felt great to be back in the mountains breathing fesh air and sweating on rocks. It was also my first and probably last multi day backpacking trip of the year, which makes me kind of sad. I definitely didn't get out as much as I usually do. It was a pleasant trip down memory lane as I had hiked this same trail before in my teenage years. The only bad of the trip: I positively destroyed my right knee. It was the first time I've ever experienced knee problems to that degree and it has me worried. I hope it was an anomaly caused by a combination of overdoing it and extra weight. The first day might of killed it since we hiked about 22km with 600m of elevation gain.
 In all the trip was around 46km long which pads the numbers nicely.

My knee and calves were out of commission for the first half of the following week. I felt decent enough for some dragon dance practices by Thursday. I was only mildly wounded before the dragon dance demo which by the way went very well. Kudos to everyone for coming together for the practices and the awesome performance. I am quite proud of having been the head for three performances now without completely screwing up and ruining everything. After the dragon dance demo I was surprised to find my left leg was really hurting. This time it was the outside of the leg below the knee all the way to my ankle. My lower legs have been touchy since then so I've been trying to take it easy and let them heal. Thank you Sihing Donohue for the vet wrap, I'll have some on for the next practice.

Oh and I pulled a muscle in my bicep throwing elbows at Fridays class. All in all I feel awfully broken these days and its annoying. I decided today to try and book a physio appointment to have the legs and my finger looked at. I've never been to a physiotherapist but work covers it and now is a good a time as any.

Sifu Jesse Wetter

http://liveforeverordieintheattempt.blogspot.ca/

When Do You Know When You've Had Enough?

I said I want to try Dragon Dance and I have been but I never leave practice feeling good about it. I'm very protective of my body parts having injured them so many times so having to run and jump goes against my instict. Plus, the running, oh god, the running...So really, was this the best idea? I'd say no. I'm starting to think I really should be working on my strength and cardio before doing this. It's hard to hear what the sifu's are telling me to do when I'm concentrating on holding down my breakfast. So, what do I do? Bow out now? Shutup and let myself be dragged along? I don't even know. I don't want to slow the rest of the group but the simple fact is that I physically can't keep up right now. I'm thoroughly screwed when we pick up the pace or have an actual dance come up. The demos too, I still haven't changed my mind about those. The forms seminar was bad enough to send me into full blown panic attack and now we have Tiger Challenge...Not sure what I'm going to do about that quite yet. Really, the only thing I'm doing ok with in the I Ho Chaun is the Acts of Kindness, which I'm not logging, so I guess I'm really not doing ok with it... Why am I even here? Why do I keep showing up against my better judgment? There's got to be a reason even if I don't know what that is yet.

Operation Restart under way

Last Friday I had the opportunity to attend the I Ho Chuan class and although it was from the bench it had an impact. There was things mentioned that helped put some missing pieces back in they're place and create a better view. Another thing that really helped was to put down the axe and ask a friend to listen and to offer some words and a perspective other than your own that is straight up, no bullshit. I never like asking friends for help because I have always felt out of respect and being grateful for that person, you shouldn't, unless you absolutely have to. Well I had too, and I'm glad I did. Lots has been going on all over but things are calming down and its time to get back to where I need and should be at this time in my training. I am no good at all about recording my numbers consistently, completely suck at it. In order to help this I said a while back I was going to put my numbers on my blog and give a transparent view of what's happening. I dropped the ball on that one but I do have my reasons and there is a lot to it. But its also time to put my money where my mouth is. I do accomplish something everyday, but how would anyone know unless you prove it. Problems! A few yes. Some I will share on another blog, others, forget it.  But the main reason I let my training get so out of a control and sporadic was not to train without the mindset and the dumping of all other things and to take that time that everyone needs. Somewhere along the way I lost my way and then back on the path and then ventured way out again. So I am going to try it again and post my numbers daily and what I am doing. It worked very well last time so this is something I need to prove to myself that I can maintain. Also to everyone on the team.

One last note that I must speak openly about is the announcement by Sihing Lowery. I completely respect her decision and will stand behind one of our teammates solid, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I also picture Sihing Lowery saying a famous movie quote from the movie terminator. I will keep that hope anyway.

100 p/u
50 regular sittups, 50 cantilevered style in two sets
15 sais form reps
biked 7 km
20 side heel kicks
10 squat thrusts

Let someone in traffic twice, picked up garbage in my alley.

Won't be at practice this Saturday

Have to go out of town this weekend for a funeral. Won't be there for practice this Saturday.
Sad time but also a good opportunity to visit family we normally don't see.

Basic numbers: 153 pushups, 202 crunches, 156 kicks, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword

Act of kindness: picked up some notes for someone, held the door for someone x3, let a car ahead of me in traffic

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, a banana, a pear, a ham and cheese sandwich, 2 boiled eggs, a granola bar and a bacon, tomato and cheese sandwich. I drank a cup of coffee and 8 glasses of water.

evaluation

Tomorrow is a big day for me. Tomorrow I get evaluated in the field and I am a little nervous. These past months have all about learning and getting tested and evaluated. I can tell you that I am looking forward to putting tomorrow behind me.

 I can tell you that I am getting a little tired of being evaluated every single day. However this brings into perspective my kung fu. I know one day I will be grading for my  black belt. One day I will be in front of all of those Sifu's proving to them that I am good enough to earn my black black.  Every day that I am in the kwoon training I know that I am being evaluated. I am being evaluated not only on test days or when it's time to test for a stripe or a belt but I am being evaluated every time I step on those mats. I am being evaluated by how I carry my self in the community, how I represent our school, every day is a day for evaluation.

Tomorrow is a another day, another day of evaluation. I will wake up tomorrow and embrace this opportunity.

Mr.Repay

Student of Silent River Kung Fu.

4th draft

I've been thinking a lot about the I Ho Chuan year and some of the conversations we've been having after class- and of course Sihing Lowry leaving kung fu, (hopefully just temporarily). I wrote at least 3 different blog posts and deleted them all, they ended up just being my opinion on the subject of sacrifices, what it takes etc, basically a lot of blah blah blah. We are all different in our own ways and we will each have our own unique highs and lows through this year. I hope though, that we can utilize the fact that in some ways we are all the same, we are all struggling at times no matter how it may seem on the outside. It is easy to feel alone and frustrated, I know we all want to keep things positive but sometimes just being able to talk to someone about having a crap day makes all the difference. So if you ever want to talk about your crap day (or your awesome day) I'd love to listen.
Andrea Prince

Finding the time

Another great weather weekend, nice to enjoy the hot days that still feel like summer. Saturday was a great dragon practise, hope more of our team can come out and take part in the fun. Would be really nice if we could have a double dragon dance for our New Year performance which I think is so doable. I have really gotten back into a groove with my routine these past few days which is nice. Was a long week last week with work and a funeral so getting back into my structured system is a great feeling. Any time I’m off a day I always come back to my set routine and know I probably deviated from it at some point. We spoke at our meeting about structure and the more you plan your day the easier your life can become, by not seeing it as a restraint or a weight above your head, you will find it as a blessing to squeeze more out of your day you never thought you had. Hope to see everyone on the mats.

Sifu Bryant
My Blog

Blogging

Three whole days without continuous coughing and being able to have a conversation without stifling a cough, YAY!  Finally, after over a month, I’m starting to feel a little more normal.  I have been back to see my doctor and am on my way to another pulmonary function test tomorrow.

On another topic, blogging…  I think most everyone, including myself, runs into those days where you just feel you have nothing to say.  You put off the blogging waiting for something profound to come to you.  Before you know it another week has passed and you find yourself in the same position as the week before, plus you are now a week behind in your blogs.  Or perhaps you have a whole lot of stuff going on and just not sure if or how to share it.

My intention isn’t to put unwanted pressure on anyone, but Saturday’s meeting re-emphasized the importance of blogging for me.  I’m not a loud outgoing person.  I don’t speak up a lot with my thoughts and feelings in some situations.  This isn’t because I have nothing to say, it’s because I feel this need to pick words carefully and sometimes don’t feel it’s the right time to speak up or in some cases am scared of offending someone unintentionally (you can’t take words back and sometimes things are perceived differently than intended). 

At the same time, there are an awful lot of team members who haven’t been heard from in a while.  Are you guys ok?  Without hearing from you, it’s hard to know where you are or if you might be struggling and may need a little help.  There is a pretty good chance that whatever struggle you might be having, someone else has found themselves in those same shoes at some point. Remember, you are part of a team who cares how you are doing and are more than willing to help!  Instead of waiting and allowing things to snowball and get worse please let someone know.

When those days of writers block hit, just drop a quick note, if nothing else,  letting the rest know you’re still alive and kicking!

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

Where I'm at

Here's where I'm at. 

It's been a long year and Kung fu has not been a high priority, I think I blogged about that a while ago. 

I thought I'd be able to attend I Ho Chaun classes in the summer. Normally, I could step out for an hour because supper period is longer and not as intense as the other seasons. However that didn't happen, my uncle who has been with me for 18 years left in May to help his son and daughter in law who started a restaurant in Edmonton. So my ability to step out just disappeared. 

Now I'm short two people in the kitchen as my cousin just left for China last Sunday to get married and won't be back for 3 months.  My other uncle will be leaving for China in November for a couple of months. That's not going to be fun for me. 

I'm now juggling multiple shifts at the Restaurant, the Mayorship, and my family. I can not commit to making Kung Fu a higher priority in my life. 

The skills that I've learnt from trying to achieve mastery in Kung fu is serving me well in other areas of my life.  

I'm not a great father or husband but I'm doing my best and one day I'll get closer to mastery in those aspects. 

As well, it translate very well to my role a Mayor. I don't think I would be doing this without the things I've learnt as part of the I Ho Chaun team the past two years. 

I'm sorry to my teammates, I haven't been there to support you guys. Before everything practice, demo or event you guys are already a man short. In spite of my failure to be part of the team you guys excelled.  Thank you for making the school look good. 

I don't foresee my priorities changing anytime soon.  I will stay as connected as I can. http://wchoy74.blogspot.ca/2013/09/where-im-at.html?m=1

Kung-Fu and music

Spent a nice day with Mike and Julia. Read Sifu Brinker's blog about playing the piano. It will be easy to see how my Kung-Fu will help my violin-learning. I think it will help immensely. Discipline, practicing, learning...all true of Kung-Fu and music. Kung-Fu is in everything it seems.

Basic numbers: rest day.

Acts of kindness: took Julia to see the cows, got Mike a treat, made tea for Mike and I, gave the cat and dog a treat

Today I consumed: an apple, a brownie, some bacon and eggs with toast and hash browns, some fish and sweet potatoes and some chocolate. I drank 2 cups of coffee, 2 cups of tea and 8 glasses of water

Progress

It has been about a week of getting back to structure in my training. I committed to starting small and building upon progress. I can say that I start my day with push up and sit ups before I do anything. I can also say that I am liking this structure. I can reflect back in the day and know that I did my most basic of requirments when I am too tired to do much of anything else.

I am disappointed that I missed the meeting yesterday. I really like connecting and hearing everyone and how they are doing. However my field work took longer than I expected.

Only about a month more and I am back and I couldn't be more happier!

Mr.Repay

Good meeting

Had the I Ho Chuan meeting today. One of the things discussed was getting together as a team more socially. I think that would be good. It would be nice to get to know everyone more.

Basic numbers: 51 pushups, 52 kicks, 4 reps tai chi

Acts of kindness: let someone ahead of me in traffic, took the dog for a car ride, gave the dog a belly rub

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, some fries, some salad, a cheese wrap with pepperoni, a boiled egg, some toquitos, 2 cups of coffee and 8 glasses of water.

Where is everyone?

Got to watch the I Ho Chuan class tonight. There was lots of cool stuff going on. I'm sure we're going to have so many cool things in the Chinese New Year banquet. Attendance has slipped though. Remember when our year had just started and the place was packed? Too bad it isn't still like that.

Basic numbers: 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword, 204 pushups, 202 crunches, 208 kicks, 2 miles

Acts of kindness: took Julia to the library, made Mike lunch and breakfast, gave the dog a treat

Today I consumed: 2 bagels with cream cheese, a bowl of macaroni and cheese. a piece of chocolate, some gummies, some macaroni with peas, half a banana, leftover tacos and some toquitos. I drank 3 cups of coffee (too much!), 9 glasses of water.

balancing act

hello every one  i have really learned a lot about how to balance your life these past couple of days. it turns out it takes a lot of effort to do such a thing. some people have organized chaos and mine where i run better if everything is in order i know i will be doing something at this certain time. I finally had 1 good day at school where for once i did not feel  like i was lost, i was able to participate in class and get my homework done on time. on top of all that the balancing of kung fu i can't forget right i have been able to work in more time where i can just focus on kung fu. I always thought that doing exercise to help you do school work seemed insane to me. actually for me it really works i did not have a good day at university until i went to my san sao class and after that i felt so good. The final thing i can't forget is spending time with my family on top of all of this. it may be the lowest thing on my list of things to do right now, but i love my folks and i actually have fun when i spend time with them. so yeah that is me this week. remember every one stay extraordinary.


228 lbs


sihing langner

Ugh!

Hardly did any practicing today. Only some pushups. gotta get it together.

Basic numbers: 51 pushups, 2 miles

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone, made sandwiches for Mike, gave the cat a special treat

Today I consumed: a cheese and jam sandwich, some macaroni and tuna, some banana and pear, 2 tacos with all the fixins. I drank 3 cups of coffee and 9 glasses of water.

Sihing Lowery

Dear Sihing Lowery, I am sad to hear that you will no longer be coming back to kung fu. I don't know your reasons, and I'm sure they are very personal. I do ask though, were any of the reasons because of frustration or fear of failure? If that's the case, I believe I've failed you as a team member for not recognizing that and helping you. I also believe that if those are the reasons, you shouldn't quit just yet. If you could just push through the next little while, I'm sure things will change and we can help you. If these are not your reasons and you genuinely want to hang up the belts, I wish you well. I really enjoyed training with you and helping you with your 5 techniques. It was alot of fun. Whether you see it or not, you are a leader and I learned alot from you. People like me need people like you that are willing to help us quietly in a back corner while no one is watching. Thank you so much for your help and I am very sad to see you go.

geostats!

Taking a geostats class. Super hard. Up late finishing the assignment.

Basic numbers: 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword, 62 pushups, 30 kicks, 4 miles

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone, let someone ahead of me in traffic, bought coffee for someone

Today I consumed: 2 pieces of bread with jam, a piece of nutella toast, a cheese sandwich, a banana, some peas and carrots and a chicken burger with cottage cheese. I drank a cup of tea, a cup of coffee and 6 glasses of water.

Brain Power

After 8 months of Luminosity, I have hit my brain power goal!

Luminosity was a difficult tool for me. I am not one for computer games – no time. I am also not a very good loser so some of the games really stressed me out. But I hung in there, encourage by my kids who were able to claim game time too stating: “if you get to play games, then we do too!”

It was fun but I am glad I met my mark as I want to find other ways to expand my brain – like TED talks, reddit askscience and other stuff. Any suggestions for mental challenges???

http://sharidactyl.wordpress.com/

hanging up the belt

Yep, its true--I am hanging up my belts for good. I have officially retired from kungfu. Why I know is the inevitable question...and that's pretty long and involved. I've actually been thinking about it since I became Sihing, and after spending some time soul searching on vacation, I finally am bowing out. And believe it or not, I'm very relieved that I finally had the courage to admit both to myself and everyone else that I don't want to go any further. I will still be doing my personal goals--I haven't given up on my goals. I'm even still doing my pushups and situps! Mostly I will miss the people, the teammates past and present. Getting to know so many people from so many different walks of life was the best thing I take away from all of this. I will try to keep blogging but it will be only on my personal blog. I'd be honored to still hear from everyone. And if anyone still wants to stay in touch, Sihing Donahue and Sifu Regier both have my email and cell phone number. I'd be glad to hear from any of you. Hugs all around...and I cant wait to see everyone at Mudheros again next year:)

Structure

I have always known that structure is important to my kung fu but also in my life.  I have struggled with implementing consistent structure in my training. I have very big highs and very big lows in my training.

Structure is a way to help smooths these highs and lows and it is something that I have started to implement this past week.  I am starting with something small and will build upon this day by day.  What is the easiest thing to do that takes very little time to do and would be an obvious starting point...?  Push up and sit ups.

I have begun to get back to building my structure by doing my daily requirement of 130 sit ups and push ups as soon as I get up in the morning.  So far I have done this for the past 4 days, incremental progression!

Ian Repay

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

Time Management

Time became a scarce resource. Before I joined the I Ho Chuan I was already juggling between work, family, my Kung Fu class, teaching the kids classes.

When I thought it can't get busier, I joined the I Ho Chuan, I took some more responsibilities at work and committed myself to several other events.

Now I'm in the process of figuring out how to get an extra hour or two every day. Anyone has any ideas?
Next year my work will move and it will save me 1/2 an hour a day. Yeah! But that is a year from now. I calculated that on average the time I'm spending driving from home to the kwoon and back is about 30 minutes every day. Hmmm... Moving my room to the store next to the kwoon? I don't think my wife will approve. :-(

http://csillag-stars.blogspot.ca/2013/09/time-management.html

Long day

Long day...Work started at 8 and ended at 8. So tired. Didn't get any workout done.
Was planning on doing some when I got home, but it didn't happen. Sat down, ate dinner and just wanted to do nothing. Time to go to bed.

Basic numbers: 2 miles

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone, helped people in lab, complimented someone

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, 2 ham and cheese sandwiches, some peas and carrots, an apple, a cookie, a chicken burger with salad and cottage cheese. I drank 2 coffees and 6 glasses of water.

Snippets

Holy cow, I'd better get something blogged before this gets into the ridiculousness of being late for last week. I had thought about blogging and had both something and nothing to say. Then came up with the idea of just splatting down what's up. So here goes:

Made apple cider from the apples on my 2 huge Rescue crabapple trees. Apples were plenty but small and hail-damaged this year so why not try to make apple cider (yes I am talking about the hard stuff). After some trials and a few blow-outs we have a system set for next year should my trees come in again in their usual loaded to the hilt form. As for how the cider turned out: let you know in a month as it's in the fermentation process. One thing I did learn is to use the straight fermentation lock, not the curved one, for gas escape unless one likes to wash walls. I don't.

It's garden harvest time and the garden is being generous this year. Tomatoes are a funny plant where they take their ever-loving sweet time to do something and then all of a sudden: Holy Tomatoes Batman!!! I'd like to try fermented salsa this year. Cucumbers! I have never yet been able to grow, a long English type cucumber that measured 15 inches in length and 2 1/2 inches wide. I have 2 on my counter and more coming in. Plus I have a softball sized melon on the vine and I'm not complaining about the delay of frost this year. Can we hit October??

Fun with the Dragon/Lion dance last Saturday with the team. Learned that there is a wrapper on the lettuce (saw it on the video), sorry guys. And that my fan does double nicely as a whisk broom for lettuce detail. I wished that we danced later so that more people could have seen us. The gathering after the dance was fun, need more of that. After watching the video I see that I have the grace and movement of Foghorn Leghorn except that I have smaller feet and sans tail. Now for Bugs Bunny to enter the scene.....

I have heard that there is now frozen cooked oatmeal (complete with a shot of high fructose corn syrup). GROSS!!! What people don't clue in to is that it takes the same amount of time (and probably longer) to heat up the frozen stuff as it does to make a fresh batch that actually tastes decent. Oh hey, use the crockpot and oatmeal is waiting for you in the morning. What people pay for convenience and it is convenience not food that is necessarily good for you (and not necessarily that convenient either).

Fudge!! 2 double batches of fudge is on the go as I type. Methinks folks might want to give fudge for Christmas gifts. May have to get on posting that plus making a fudge reserve as well as something else for Dennis to snitch for his lunches besides fudge. Maybe he should place an order.....

Oh yes! I have my own website (currently under construction and progress is being made) now for my glass. I will no longer be with Etsy. My new website is Creative Spirit Glassworks where I have more flexibility and have things like calendar of events, blog, gallery, and upload videos. I found this hosting site through indiemade.com A site made for artists by an artist. Who can I get to do a photoshoot and video?

Training: still here, still plodding along and shoulder is healing nicely. Speaking of training, I was touched by Mr. Repay's last blog and it got me thinking how I have failed my team mates that are working via distance. Have I taken the time to send an email to say Hi or reach out to see how they are doing? Time to brush up on that one.
Sherri Donohue
My Blog

Cough cough...

Last week was kind of blah and crazy at the same time.  Trying to get back into school and activity routines, at the same time as feeling miserable made the week long.  Twice a year (sometimes more) I am plagued by what seems to be a never ending cough.  Everywhere I go people are dodging me thinking I am horribly contagious.  Honest, I'm not! Now with harvest and all the extra dust in the air I’m having a hard time doing anything without coughing and sputtering.  I’m running low on sleep and my abs feel like I’ve done 10000 sit ups every day.  I’ve been told after tests a few years back that it is a form of asthma.  However, it seems to be lasting a little longer every time, so back to get it checked out before I drive my family nuts! 

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

 

and it begins!

Phew! Labs have started again and so I'm back to teaching. I remember doing labs and thinking how easy it was to be the ta....you already know the stuff, you just come answer questions and do a bit of marking. What I didn't realize was the hours spent preparing and marking. It takes a long time to mark 60 lab assignments.
The same could be said for Kung-Fu, I remember when I started, I thought the blackbelts knew everything and had done it all. Now I realize that the learning never stops. That's why Kung-Fu is so fun...and so hard.

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

Acts of kindness: helped students in the lab, made Mike lunch and breakfast, gave the dog a treat.

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, a ham and cheeses sandwich, an apple, some peas and carrots, a cookie, 2 pieces of jam toast, a bowl of noodles with toast. I drank 1 cup of coffee, 9 glasses of water and 1 neocitron.

I Love You Guys!

Yesterday's dragon/lion dance went great from my point of view. It was sad to see that not everyone was listening to the speakers, but the second Sifu Playter started pounding that drum everyone was paying attention to us. To me, that dance was an important one. The event we were there to support,their goals, as well as the ordeal we all had to go through to make sure it happened. The dragon dance was so close to being cancelled, and we managed to make it happen. Kudos to everyone who made it happen.

As much as I enjoyed the dance itself, I enjoyed the camaraderie even more. When we all sat down together, the idle chat and the jokes and the laughs we shared. Thats so important for this team, after all the hard times we've had and the negative experiences. To me it's all worthwhile on days like yesterday when we finally bring something like this together, give back to the community and enjoy each others company afterward instead of rushing off back to where ever we all came from. That part is so very important.

Thank you all for the experience and the friendship.

Life Had Other Plans

While I was busy starting my chiropractor appointments and gearing up to start yoga, life had other plans. My car broke down AGAIN and got towed to the shop and my grandma fell and broke her hip AGAIN. She should be out of the hospital in 4-6 weeks, this is the second time she's broken it in 2 years so I'm really hoping she can heal and continue to live on her own. I won't be able to come to class until I get my car back and won't be able to go back to the chiropractor until I pay off my car. I suppose I at least have a game plan in a few months when everything settles. On a positive note, I love, love, love the sound of the 2 drums. I also loved the energy coming from the kwoon during Fridays nights practice. You guys are awesome! Oh did I mentioned I spilled my smoothie all over my carpet, down the side of my cabinet and inside of 2 of my purses this morning before I left my place and couldn't clean it up because the cab showed up. I anticipate a really stinky place and cat vomit everywhere from my cats trying to lick it up when I get home today. Sigh...it's going to be one of those weeks is it...

Run for life

Another Run for Life is over. What a wonderful event that allows the families who have lost loved ones through suicide they ability to grieve opening with others. The more awareness and acceptance we can bring to mental issues the more we'll be able to prevent suicide. 

Btw, great performance from the team, you guys do a great job representing the school. I'm proud to call you guys class mates and honored that you guys carry me so often. Thank you. 

http://wchoy74.blogspot.ca/2013/09/run-for-life.html?m=1

Fall

Starting to feel like fall now, leaves are changing or even falling off trees already. Each day I try to get my running or bike riding in outdoors since let’s face it who knows how many weeks we have left for the fall, we had snow by mid-October last year I think – yikes. Sucks I missed the performance this morning, figured we made it right on time but unfortunately the performance was bumped up. Would have been nice to perform a little later since most runners were still coming in over that time and more could see the dance. Watched the video and you guys all did great, well done!

Sifu Bryant
My Blog

Struggling...

Where to start?  Well the past four weeks have been the most intense and stressful weeks that I can ever remember.  Not only am I away from home in South Carolina, the training is something that is incredibly intense.  Recently I finished up the first phase of my training and maintained one of the highest overall averages in the class.  I am proud of that but it came at a price.

When I was home last, I was able to stop into the kwoon and made it to the I Ho Chuan meeting.  That was an amazing meeting and I was so happy to share my journey and to “re charge” after being away.  However, when I returned to SC my training there increased in intensity by almost 100%.  I wasn’t expecting this and I shed everything that would interfere with my Michelin training.  

As a result I stopped my kung fu training.  I stopped doing and recording my sit ups and push ups.  I stopped doing my forms, I stopped everything including blogging.  Blogging is the MOST important aspect of the I Ho Chuan in my mind and I stopped writing.  I have no excuses and actually I am ashamed and angry with my failure.  I had every good intention of keeping up and at the minimum maintain where I was.  I FAILED, I failed to even do the very basic of basics.  I am feeling very lonely and out of touch with my Kwoon and training mates.  I have lost that connection that to me is so important and seeing the team train and prepare for the lion/dragon dance really got me down.  Before I left I was part of the team, I was part of the demo’s and I felt like a contributing part of the team and now I feel quite the opposite. 

I am sooooo very proud of the team and all that they have done to get ready and perform today.  I have decided that I am going to start writing again and to get back to my Kung Fu training.  It is going to be a long road back to where I was before I left but I am going to start today.  I am going to start small and build upon every day. 

If I go silent, please give me a nudge!

Ian Repay

Student Of Silent River Kung Fu

ianrepay@blogspot.com

Blogging

          I haven't blogged in two weeks. Mostly because I've been feeling down about the massive amount that I have fallen in behind in completing my requirements. So not blogging made sense ? Fall more behind ! After a couple of emails and a meeting with Sifu Brinker  I am back on track , hopefully to stay on track.
   
     Wish I had more uplifting , encouraging and insightful words to write when I blog but I do not. I believe they will come , they just aren't here yet.  

Scott Fuhr

Heart

Someone I know posted a video with this commentary on it, It is geared towards a competitor, but I felt like it has relevance for a lot of us in what we do, or anything your trying to accomplish in life. I can't think of anyone who hasn't felt beaten and knocked around by life a few times. The best accomplishments in life are the ones that we struggled to finish or the ones we thought there was no way we could do and then doing it. Anyway, it spoke to me.

"Here's the thing that makes life so interesting. The theory of evolution claims only the strong shall survive. Maybe so, maybe so. But the Theory of Competition says just because they're the strong doesn't mean they can't get their butts kicked. That's right. See, what every long shot, come- from- behind underdog will tell you is this: The other guy may, in fact,be the favorite, the odds may be stacked against you. Fair enough. But what the odds don't know is this isn't a math test. This is a completely different kind of test. One where passion has a funny way of trumping logic. So, before you step up to the starting line, before the whistle blows, and the clock starts ticking, just remember out here, the results don't always add up. No matter what the stats may say, and the experts may think, and the commentators may have predicted, when the race is on, all bets are off. Don't be surprised if somebody decides to flip the script and take a pass on yelling "uncle!" And then suddenly as the old saying goes, "We got ourselves a game.""

Andrea Prince

open training

There was barely anyone at open training today.  I hope people start coming again.

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 208 kicks, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword, 40 flying kicks, 3 shoulder rolls and 3 miles.

Acts of kindness: let someone ahead of me in traffic, picked some stuff up for Julia, gave the dog a treat, let Mike sleep in

today I consumed: half a bowl of oatmeal, 2 eggs with toast, some tomato, an apple, a bowl of mushroom soup with toast, 3 pieces of pizza. I drank a cup of coffee, a cup of tea and 8 glasses of water.

Leg cramp!

Sparred in the black belt class tonight. Man do I have a lot to work on. I took a good strike to the leg though and have a wicked leg cramp....awesome! Although, in hind-sight that means I need to work on my blocking....better my leg though than my face!
My sparring goal now is to try and be more evasive, instead of so linear. I'll see if that makes a difference.

Basic numbers: 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword, 51 pushups, 102 kicks, 2 miles

Acts of kindness: gave the dog a treat, made Mike lunch and breakfast, made someone smile

Today I consumed: a bowl of cheerios, some macaroni and cheese, an apple, some fruit snacks, some macaroni with tuna and olives, half a popsicle. I drank 2 cups of coffee and 7 glasses of water.

Crazy days

hello everyone i had quite a few crazy days here and i don't see that slowing down anytime soon. i have to be honest my push ups and sit ups have been put slightly on the side right now. mainly because i hurt my back. it has been getting better and i already feel stronger to start doing push ups and sit ups again. university is exactly what everyone has been telling me it was going to be like. They have high standards and like to overwhelm you with lots of stuff to do. i am still trying to adjust my life to this right now, but i get there eventually. my weight seems to be not going up or down at the moment. i assume it is because right now my life is out of balance right now.  Before all i had was work and kung fu; now i have kung fu and university. my balanced scales are all over the place right now, but i am slowly trying to get everything organized and back in balance. also i have not been eating that well either. when i say that i mean i have not been eating three meals a day and that  is throwing me off. anyways i hope all of you have a great day and remember stay extraordinary.


228 lbs


Sihing Langner