Routine

I don't know what to write tonight. I had a good,busy day, getting back to to routine after being sick. I had a great class with the kids tonight, there was great energy in the room and that is what it is all about!
Sifu Brinker is always talking about people who don't blog being disengaged, I am living proof of that theory. Yesterday was all about resting and looking after me so I could get better, I did not do any Kung Fu, all acts of kindness were for me and I didn't remember to blog at all. Here's to no more missed days :)

Sifu Robyn Kichko
http://mantismantle.blogspot.ca/2014/02/routine.html

Feeling New

hello everyone things still seem to be on the up and up for me. University is going well for me and im really enjoying my classes. I'm learning new things all the time its so cool. The girlfriend situation for me still going nowhere tho *sigh* but I'm not giving up. Every girl seems to be unavailable or not interested. Being a new black belt and all it feel like i've entered a new world  for me everything new and exciting. I'm seeing things in a new light i may know the technique or form, but now i look at them like its the first time im really looking at them. I know how it works and whats it for, but now im truly seeing and appreciating what each technique can teach you and what each form can help you work on. it like why have i not sen this before but either way its so cool seeing kung fu this way again, but at a different level. anyways i guess not much to say today other than remember stay extraordinary.


Sifu R Langner

push up

Well I am pleased to report an increase in my numbers. I am able to do 20 push ups at a time now. I started at 10 so I'm excited I was able to double that number.Documenting them in a journal has been helpful. We've heard it before however I am pleased to report the truth of this theory. I  don''t like to journal at all so this is also quite the challenge for me. This is making me more aware of how much Kung fu I actually have in my life. I'm trying to adapt it in new ways that are helping me with my everyday life. I have more energy. I still tend to procrastinate more than I'd like but even in this I am making improvements. Being accountable publicly has motivated me more than I realized. This journaling  really works. So for those of you who aren't I highly recommend you give this a try.
I had chicken and potatoes with a salad for supper, then 2 more pieces for lunch and a fruit smoothie in the morning.
I did dishes, cleaned the toilet, wiped the counters, did recycling, and took out the garbage.
Sifu Jeannette Langner

Week in Review

Looking back on last week I have to say that it was pretty good. I earned a stripe in class, learned a couple more moves with the nunchuks and had another good Friday practice. I wasn’t sure what to expect initially from Friday nights but I’m really enjoying them. I don’t feel out of place because it seems like most other people are learning a new weapon too. After kung fu I go to the gym and I’m always in a really good mind set after practice so I always have a good workout.

I helped with tiling yesterday and it was a lot of fun. It didn’t seem like work at all because we were all having a good time together and there were enough of us there that one or two people didn’t have to do everything.

My shoulder is feeling better although I don’t think it’s really healing, it’s just that I haven’t been using it so it hasn’t been bothering me. I’m following some of the advice that I was given and I’ve been doing modified pushups. I feel weak doing them because they’re not really that hard but I guess it’s better than nothing.

I’m finding that it’s really difficult to log acts of kindness; partially because I’m not being very kind to others and also because I flat out forget to log them. I definitely need to do better at that. I’m also having a hard time getting in any kind of running. I have an elliptical at my house so I don’t really have an excuse other than I hate doing it. There are no words to describe how much I loathe running. I’ve done it in the past and really can’t stand it. Not sure what to do about this.

Numbers:

Last week                       Total

Pushups -                   610 (incl. modified)      1320

Situps -                       390                               590

KM -                            0                                   2

Da Mu Hsing Reps –   23                                49

Kicks -                         640                              1300

Acts of Kindness -       2                                  11

Cory Smid
http://kungfucory.blogspot.ca/

Hammer Time

Fridays class was the first time I've swung my meteor hammer in a couple years. I didn't kill myself so that's good! In fact I didn't have any accidents at which I think made Sifu Rybak a bit jealous since her feet were taking a beating  . I made my hammer a couple years ago but never really practiced with it much. It might be just a little bit to heavy, I'm a bit nervous about accidentally hurting someone. Also, when I spin it the centrifugal force is strong enough that its difficult to hold onto without the rope slipping in my grip. Sifu Robinson loaned me his meteor hammer, which is a bit lighter, I might practice with it until I am comfortable moving to the one I made.

Miss Gibbons showed me some moves and tips which were great to get me started. I have a lot of learning to do. It's both frustrating and invigorating to be back to square one on a weapon. I have never really learned a soft weapon like the meteor hammer so its very foreign. I'll be looking for help wherever I can find it.

Back when I first made my hammer I brought it to Hawrelak park a couple times and awkwardly tried to find a discreet spot to practice. I was surprised to find that there inst really any spot in the park that is hidden from view of passerby's. I'm going to make a point of finding an outdoor secret practice area this summer.

Sifu Wetter

http://liveforeverordieintheattempt.blogspot.ca/

Almost There

   This week was uplifting, I was able to fifty push ups one day and the next day still be able to do push ups. My sit ups however I find easy, I can normally do quite a lot of sit ups and the next day still be fine. My forms are coming along well da mu sing I already know and I am really close to knowing all of a tai chi broad sword form. I like being part of a team like this, it's cool, where everyone gets to work with weapons and if you have the same weapon as someone else it's like you have a buddy specifically for you to keep pushing you on. We also joke around we can a very serious group one minute, and be totally silly the next.

Kathryn Fuhr

http://kathrynfuhr.blogspot.ca
http://flavors.me/kathrynfuhr
http://www.silentriverkungfu.com
http://ihochuan.blogspot.ca

This weeks test, setting up for the rest of the plan

I had spoken to my boss about being local for the months of December and January to help with my commitments for the "Chinese New Years" celebration. But as it's now past I realize that it's my turn to go out of town for my share of the workload. I had in years and months past blown my training commitments as I can get caught up in my workload and somehow tell myself that I'll catch up later, as soon as I get back I'll double up my actions and I truly believe it when I tell myself this and truly know I won't do it at the same time. So this week there I was standing in front of my old behaviour pattern and this time said "NO". I found the gym, I did pushups and sit ups in-between paperwork, left the hotel television off, basically doing what I could with the travel, work and time left at the end of the day. Being out of town did leave me with a crammed schedule for  Saturday, but most important was to stay with the flow of my training. Back at the office they know that Robert is busy Saturday morning with his "physio" as they've been conditioned to believe, yet I managed to make it to fitness, pick up my motorcycle from the shop, do laundry, take in date night, head out the next day for work and keep my numbers near where I wanted. I did get in late on Sunday and felt that blogging then wouldn't be from the heart, so I switched it to this morning.  Enough patting myself on the back,..........this isn't about me, it's about "being of service to others". When I am so "selfish" that it's going to be about me in every aspect of my life, I crash and burn, over and over. But when I'm selfish to build me in such a way that my experience will help/inspire/motivate others, the benefits are beyond anything I could imagine and at times comprehend. Earlier in the week the opportunity came to share my experience with several classmates on their journey and belt level and I was able to look back and through my journey pass along my experiences to help them move forward, to let them know they are not alone in this. "Date night", provided me a chance to sit beside an 11 year old boy at a hockey game that I had never met until that moment, I shared some of my wisdom and he some of his. When the game was over and it was time to say goodnight I asked him what were 3 things that he got out of our conversation; 1) always save something, never give your money to someone called a "Broker", 2) If you think education is expensive, try stupidity, 3) the "cool" kids will someday up size your fries(I told him to ask his Dad about this on the way home). The next day I spent an hour in the middle of nowhere at the end of my workday talking to a friend about career choices and helped unload some of the frustrations he was experiencing with choices when you can't see into the future, but with 35 years in the workforce, I offered what I could to help lighten the load. That's it for today, Robert.

Week two totals;
Pushups- 1377 (2882)
Sit ups- 730 (1760)
Forms- 20 (37)
Jacobs Ladder  1:20
Horse Stance 1:30
Gym-2 (5)