It's been a while since I blogged. I shall leave this little badger for now.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Sunday, May 26, 2013
ooook
I'm sparse lately, and it's because I'm not quite myself lately. I'll be back to my usual antics soon. Just thought I'd comment on Sihing Janzen's challenge last week about recording our forms. I did. It was incredibly, and unbelievably awful. 1 week has not been nearly enough time and practice for a retape. But it will be posted. The traditional before and after thingy. Until then,
Tooodle doo
Tooodle doo
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
mhmm
Dunno what to write... so here's a video of a model toy plane.
boooplurgghghh
Sorry. have to blog.
Disappointing, I know. It'll get better eventually. For now, RC toys are dangerous, I suppose.
boooplurgghghh
Sorry. have to blog.
Disappointing, I know. It'll get better eventually. For now, RC toys are dangerous, I suppose.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Captain's Blog, Stardate 2013.04.19, U.S.S. Enterprise - Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
I'm going to start off by saying that this has little to do with kung fu for the first while. It will though, eventually. But if you ask me, I would say that although it is important how it relates to kung fu, I think this is more important where it doesn't. So then, without further ado, let's begin.
I once read an article, that really resonated with me. I seem to forget about it now and then, but it always came back to me. The summary of it was that the author discussed the difference with the traditional roles and relations between the "smart kids" and the "cool kids". Now, if you've been to school, chances are you fell within one or the other. We have lots of names for this stuff and names for cliques and so on, but this is really what it boils down to, and it's nice to keep it simple. The conclusion that was delivered was incredibly simple, and logical.
It went such: The smart kids and cool kids are the same kid. At some point, people choose what they do with their time and ability. It rarely has anything to do with what comes easy, but more so about what they value and what makes them feel good. Now mostly, this is not a conscious decision, but just one that happens based on emotions. The thing that separates the "smart" and "cool" crowd has little to do with ability, and simply has to do with choice. The "smart" kids, spend more time being smart, and less time being "cool". Being a "cool" kid takes more time than any other job; given that in order for them to remain "cool" they are constantly judging how they react to people, situations, how they dress, and how they appear to others. This job never stops. Ever.
Now the "smart" kids, they go out and do their homework, they pay attention in class, they learn things, they're out spending hours being smart. To them, being "cool" is something they wanted, something that would be nice, something that is lower on the priority list than being "smart"
What and who we are has a lot less to do with "talent" and more to do with "choices". It is far too easy to say that someone is better than you at [BLANK] because they were born with certain advantages. Don't do this. In any way, any shape, any form. Save yourself the heartbreak. Don't let this happen. I don't know how to be any more clear. Whatever it is that you want to accomplish, you CAN, if you just stop giving yourself excuses as to why you are innately unable to achieve it. The fact is, out of all the people who read this, the people who know and live this will nod and have the appropriate acknowledgement.
The people who don't yet know this will probably fly through this without much thought. I probably won't reach them. The human mind is indestructable when it comes to self preservation, regardless of right or wrong. I'm ok with that. BECAUSE THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT OTHERS CAN DO ON YOUR BEHALF. THIS TAKES YOU AND YOU ALONE TO OVERCOME. Which if there was the default of accepting your own excuses, then that is also not possible. A bit of a chicken and egg problem. Which is really the crux of it, because the literal chicken and egg problem is easy. Pick one. Any. Move on. Neither the chicken nor the egg cares.
It may sound like I know what I'm talking about here. But I don't. Sorry. The fact is, I still occasionally make this mistake, even though I stopped looking around. It seems that even if I just look inside, if I just compare me to me, apples to apples, moon rocks to moon rocks, the same thing occurs. I have a constant battle to fight, because present day me, is always underachieving in one way or another, compared to potential future me, or past me.
Example, there are things I used to do well. My results tell me this. Given that in time, I grew out of those things. I was asking myself today, am I better today than I was before? I really didn't know, because I was looking in the wrong place, I was looking at ability. What took me awhile to remember is that even though I don't partake in the same challenges with the same measurable metrics, the fact is, I am probably better. I just chose to put my time into something else. Instead of placing all my time in [blank], I'm now trying what it's like to put all my time into [blank 2].
Which is why this brings me to kung fu again. I have been feeling the pressure with other parts of my life, and the extra time it takes is being taken from my kung fu. Given then, my kung fu has then suffered, and that makes me extremely upset, because why would my kung fu be worse than my past self's kung fu? What is wrong with me? The reality is that I just spend less time in it than my past self. That's all. Just like I spend less time in it than all the people around me who are all better than me. Now that's something I can't change yet, but when I can I will. It's not accepting something I have no control over, because I don't think I can't control it. I have simply accepted my own decision to temporarily prioritize other things in my life ahead of my kung fu, as I try to find my balance.
It's ok to not to be perfect. But I'm not aiming at perfect. Just that I won't accept being less that acceptable. Which means more effort. There are a lot of problems in the world, and a lot of smart ways to solve them. It's easy to forget when you come to a problem with no efficient solution, that the one thing the reliably solves problems is work. So grind it out, and if you need to get through a wall that you can't go around, maybe sometimes, ramming right at it is the thing to do.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
I once read an article, that really resonated with me. I seem to forget about it now and then, but it always came back to me. The summary of it was that the author discussed the difference with the traditional roles and relations between the "smart kids" and the "cool kids". Now, if you've been to school, chances are you fell within one or the other. We have lots of names for this stuff and names for cliques and so on, but this is really what it boils down to, and it's nice to keep it simple. The conclusion that was delivered was incredibly simple, and logical.
It went such: The smart kids and cool kids are the same kid. At some point, people choose what they do with their time and ability. It rarely has anything to do with what comes easy, but more so about what they value and what makes them feel good. Now mostly, this is not a conscious decision, but just one that happens based on emotions. The thing that separates the "smart" and "cool" crowd has little to do with ability, and simply has to do with choice. The "smart" kids, spend more time being smart, and less time being "cool". Being a "cool" kid takes more time than any other job; given that in order for them to remain "cool" they are constantly judging how they react to people, situations, how they dress, and how they appear to others. This job never stops. Ever.
Now the "smart" kids, they go out and do their homework, they pay attention in class, they learn things, they're out spending hours being smart. To them, being "cool" is something they wanted, something that would be nice, something that is lower on the priority list than being "smart"
What and who we are has a lot less to do with "talent" and more to do with "choices". It is far too easy to say that someone is better than you at [BLANK] because they were born with certain advantages. Don't do this. In any way, any shape, any form. Save yourself the heartbreak. Don't let this happen. I don't know how to be any more clear. Whatever it is that you want to accomplish, you CAN, if you just stop giving yourself excuses as to why you are innately unable to achieve it. The fact is, out of all the people who read this, the people who know and live this will nod and have the appropriate acknowledgement.
The people who don't yet know this will probably fly through this without much thought. I probably won't reach them. The human mind is indestructable when it comes to self preservation, regardless of right or wrong. I'm ok with that. BECAUSE THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT OTHERS CAN DO ON YOUR BEHALF. THIS TAKES YOU AND YOU ALONE TO OVERCOME. Which if there was the default of accepting your own excuses, then that is also not possible. A bit of a chicken and egg problem. Which is really the crux of it, because the literal chicken and egg problem is easy. Pick one. Any. Move on. Neither the chicken nor the egg cares.
It may sound like I know what I'm talking about here. But I don't. Sorry. The fact is, I still occasionally make this mistake, even though I stopped looking around. It seems that even if I just look inside, if I just compare me to me, apples to apples, moon rocks to moon rocks, the same thing occurs. I have a constant battle to fight, because present day me, is always underachieving in one way or another, compared to potential future me, or past me.
Example, there are things I used to do well. My results tell me this. Given that in time, I grew out of those things. I was asking myself today, am I better today than I was before? I really didn't know, because I was looking in the wrong place, I was looking at ability. What took me awhile to remember is that even though I don't partake in the same challenges with the same measurable metrics, the fact is, I am probably better. I just chose to put my time into something else. Instead of placing all my time in [blank], I'm now trying what it's like to put all my time into [blank 2].
Which is why this brings me to kung fu again. I have been feeling the pressure with other parts of my life, and the extra time it takes is being taken from my kung fu. Given then, my kung fu has then suffered, and that makes me extremely upset, because why would my kung fu be worse than my past self's kung fu? What is wrong with me? The reality is that I just spend less time in it than my past self. That's all. Just like I spend less time in it than all the people around me who are all better than me. Now that's something I can't change yet, but when I can I will. It's not accepting something I have no control over, because I don't think I can't control it. I have simply accepted my own decision to temporarily prioritize other things in my life ahead of my kung fu, as I try to find my balance.
It's ok to not to be perfect. But I'm not aiming at perfect. Just that I won't accept being less that acceptable. Which means more effort. There are a lot of problems in the world, and a lot of smart ways to solve them. It's easy to forget when you come to a problem with no efficient solution, that the one thing the reliably solves problems is work. So grind it out, and if you need to get through a wall that you can't go around, maybe sometimes, ramming right at it is the thing to do.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Friday, April 12, 2013
2013.04.12 First tangent - Part 3
Language allows us to learn from those who came before us, allows us to see the past, their achievements and mistakes, their thoughts and actions, their intent and the result. This is important, because without it, we would simply repeat exactly what they had done, as we would be exactly where they were. It allows us to build on the efforts of those who came before, and allows for the compounding of human effort. This flow of knowledge being passed to us, and us onward is an opportunity if you choose to utilize it. To read, and learn from others is a definite way to learn and grow your mind, to understand the concepts behind their ideas, so as to improve your own.
This leads into the last stretch of this introduction. One of the ways we can learn from others is to read. Usually, we read stories, rather than textbooks. I used to wonder why things like Aesop's fables stayed around, why Shakespeare? Why not the middle aged version of a math textbook? Do we learn more from these anecdotes than we do from a technical description of certain specific concepts (a textbook)?
It seems we do. Let's consider that given the assumption that a piece of writing has the purpose to pass along a thought, concept or lesson. We would then try to do so in a concise fashion that leaves nothing out, adds nothing extraneous, is not too vague, but only clear enough to be conceptual and applicable in many instances, since it is an idea and not an instruction.
My experience has been, that in any mathematical theory, there are always the exceptions. And corollaries. It seems to me, that they teach what the core lesson is, and then continue to spend more time after that showing and teaching every one of these exceptions, so that you see exactly the boundaries of each idea, no more, no less. In order to prove you learned it, you are then required to metaphorically draw out the exact boundaries of this idea you just learned, with every instance where it works, and every instance where it doesn't. Every. Single. One.
Then there are Aesop's fables, teaching by using a story as an example of a situation, showing the reader the actions and consequences. In this way, the reader strives to understand the concept, the idea behind the actions, and in doing so, by understanding the idea, they also know the boundaries and all the exceptions to each lesson intuitively without having to have thought about a single exception.
I use mathematics to represent communication in the scientific approach, simply because I believe that math is logic in graphic representation. But any scientific approach will do.
I am not saying that the scientific approach to learning is inefficient, because that is not true. In some instances, it is the only way to learn something. But I do find that in the present day, people are losing the ability to learn by listening, by hearing, by really understanding what another person is saying, through a story, through an anecdote. To read and hear the concept instead of the instruction. To hear what is implicit, over the ruckus that the explicit seems to be causing. It is through the scientific approach that we learn how to imitate, and memorize, but through the conceptual approach that we learn innovation through an intuitive understanding.
I find that in the present day, a great deal of problems arise simply due to a lack of communication. Not just words, but the things that don't translate well into binary. The expressions, tones, and gestures of whom you are speaking to. There is not yet a way to send someone these things via texting. All too common today, are shorthand spelling, tYpInG LiKe ThIs JuSt BeCaUsE, using punctuation and symbols instead of actual letters. Mostly only things my generation is guilty of, but it seems not a moment too soon to be mourning the loss of linguistic depth in casual communication. It may have been true that puns were all to common at one point, but I find that wordplay and turn of phrase has long ago started to fade from common usage.
This leads into the last stretch of this introduction. One of the ways we can learn from others is to read. Usually, we read stories, rather than textbooks. I used to wonder why things like Aesop's fables stayed around, why Shakespeare? Why not the middle aged version of a math textbook? Do we learn more from these anecdotes than we do from a technical description of certain specific concepts (a textbook)?
It seems we do. Let's consider that given the assumption that a piece of writing has the purpose to pass along a thought, concept or lesson. We would then try to do so in a concise fashion that leaves nothing out, adds nothing extraneous, is not too vague, but only clear enough to be conceptual and applicable in many instances, since it is an idea and not an instruction.
My experience has been, that in any mathematical theory, there are always the exceptions. And corollaries. It seems to me, that they teach what the core lesson is, and then continue to spend more time after that showing and teaching every one of these exceptions, so that you see exactly the boundaries of each idea, no more, no less. In order to prove you learned it, you are then required to metaphorically draw out the exact boundaries of this idea you just learned, with every instance where it works, and every instance where it doesn't. Every. Single. One.
Then there are Aesop's fables, teaching by using a story as an example of a situation, showing the reader the actions and consequences. In this way, the reader strives to understand the concept, the idea behind the actions, and in doing so, by understanding the idea, they also know the boundaries and all the exceptions to each lesson intuitively without having to have thought about a single exception.
I use mathematics to represent communication in the scientific approach, simply because I believe that math is logic in graphic representation. But any scientific approach will do.
I am not saying that the scientific approach to learning is inefficient, because that is not true. In some instances, it is the only way to learn something. But I do find that in the present day, people are losing the ability to learn by listening, by hearing, by really understanding what another person is saying, through a story, through an anecdote. To read and hear the concept instead of the instruction. To hear what is implicit, over the ruckus that the explicit seems to be causing. It is through the scientific approach that we learn how to imitate, and memorize, but through the conceptual approach that we learn innovation through an intuitive understanding.
I find that in the present day, a great deal of problems arise simply due to a lack of communication. Not just words, but the things that don't translate well into binary. The expressions, tones, and gestures of whom you are speaking to. There is not yet a way to send someone these things via texting. All too common today, are shorthand spelling, tYpInG LiKe ThIs JuSt BeCaUsE, using punctuation and symbols instead of actual letters. Mostly only things my generation is guilty of, but it seems not a moment too soon to be mourning the loss of linguistic depth in casual communication. It may have been true that puns were all to common at one point, but I find that wordplay and turn of phrase has long ago started to fade from common usage.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Captain's Blog, Stardate 2013.04.07, U.S.S. Enterprise - Internal pressure, motivation, the right thing, what feels good, and how they're never guaranteed to be the same thing
As I sit here and adjust the title of this blog post to suit this post, I find myself disappointed, angry, ashamed that the date I am changing is 03.17. This means that I haven't blogged this thread since march 17. I'm sorry to those who take the time to follow my blog, it appears that I have let you down in my absence. I can only commit to doing better, but it doesn't mean I'm off the hook. I'm just not sure what my consequence should be yet.
Today I want to talk about our internal pressures. We all have them, they can manifest in motivation, perseverance, tenacity, anxiety, and the list goes on. The point of which is just that it is all there, in all of us, and for those that aren't as introspective, I may sound crazy.
We choose to decide how we react to these pressures in our minds. We cannot choose how or when they occur, but we do choose what we do about it. For example, feeling frustration, overwhelmed, angry, these are all normally considered negative. But there are ways, that we can redirect these pressures in more productive ways. It is not at all easy, but to use the bottled frustration, and anger, and force it into the fuel tank so to speak, and to use it as energy to keep on going, in a positive way.
Why is it that confrontational avoidance is so difficult? I know it is the right thing to do, but why is it so difficult? Why does the right thing FEEL wrong?
Le sigh
Though at the top of my blog dashboard it reads
"Cross Disciplinary Celebration of Human Advancement Knowledge Discovery and Preservation Society Blog's blogs."
Blogger put the 's blogs behind it automatically, and the goofiness of how it sounds makes me chuckle.
Maybe sometimes that's all we need to relieve the pressure, a good laugh and chuckle here or there.
Today I want to talk about our internal pressures. We all have them, they can manifest in motivation, perseverance, tenacity, anxiety, and the list goes on. The point of which is just that it is all there, in all of us, and for those that aren't as introspective, I may sound crazy.
We choose to decide how we react to these pressures in our minds. We cannot choose how or when they occur, but we do choose what we do about it. For example, feeling frustration, overwhelmed, angry, these are all normally considered negative. But there are ways, that we can redirect these pressures in more productive ways. It is not at all easy, but to use the bottled frustration, and anger, and force it into the fuel tank so to speak, and to use it as energy to keep on going, in a positive way.
Why is it that confrontational avoidance is so difficult? I know it is the right thing to do, but why is it so difficult? Why does the right thing FEEL wrong?
Le sigh
Though at the top of my blog dashboard it reads
"Cross Disciplinary Celebration of Human Advancement Knowledge Discovery and Preservation Society Blog's blogs."
Blogger put the 's blogs behind it automatically, and the goofiness of how it sounds makes me chuckle.
Maybe sometimes that's all we need to relieve the pressure, a good laugh and chuckle here or there.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
I'm just checking in,
Just blowing through. Sorry I have yet to post something worthy for a while now, I find things are kind of slipping through my fingers. anyway, sorry, but I'll have something soon.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
2013.03.21 First tangent - Part 2
Language isn't just like magic, it is magic. Literature that mentions sorcery and such types of magic, which sound fantastic, moving things with your mind, everything in the harry potter series, has something in common. All the "magical" spells are based on words, spoken or not, in some type of language. Like sorcery, our words can used to move mountains, by a foreman convincing his men to shovel. Words can change another's perception of you, like shape shifting, and so on.
Superman, has superhuman strength, to do things that seem beyond the limits of normal humans. But with the right words, a leader can motivate a group of people to push beyond their own limitations and achieve greater things than they thought possible. Superman is but one person, a leader with the right words can help countless people achieve things they thought were impossible.
Just like magic, and anything in science fiction really, any power wielded can be used to create or destroy, heal or hurt, used for good or evil, and ultimately make the world better or worse. Our words are the same, as history is littered with people who have done things with their words that were great, and passed along ideas that save lives, make the world better; but then again, the opposite is also seen far more often than we'd like to admit.
I'm sure we can all remember at least one time, when we were feeling pretty low, and hopefully, at the time, someone had given you the right words that allowed you to overcome whatever negative situation it was. It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but I believe, there are times when no amount of pictures can replace the right words.
To be continued...
PS This is getting really long, but I have my topic outline here and I'm sticking to it. It'll all come back around to the book eventually. I think there should likely only be one more part left to this but the cookie will always crumble of it's own accord.
Superman, has superhuman strength, to do things that seem beyond the limits of normal humans. But with the right words, a leader can motivate a group of people to push beyond their own limitations and achieve greater things than they thought possible. Superman is but one person, a leader with the right words can help countless people achieve things they thought were impossible.
Just like magic, and anything in science fiction really, any power wielded can be used to create or destroy, heal or hurt, used for good or evil, and ultimately make the world better or worse. Our words are the same, as history is littered with people who have done things with their words that were great, and passed along ideas that save lives, make the world better; but then again, the opposite is also seen far more often than we'd like to admit.
I'm sure we can all remember at least one time, when we were feeling pretty low, and hopefully, at the time, someone had given you the right words that allowed you to overcome whatever negative situation it was. It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but I believe, there are times when no amount of pictures can replace the right words.
To be continued...
PS This is getting really long, but I have my topic outline here and I'm sticking to it. It'll all come back around to the book eventually. I think there should likely only be one more part left to this but the cookie will always crumble of it's own accord.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
2013.03.17 First tangent - Part 1
Ok, this will be the book project, and the titles are going to be different, and I'll play with it to find something that works well, same goes for the body of the blog posts. :)
Before I dive into the specific book, I feel that today's post topic is the first but necessary detour on this journey of understanding.
Chances are, part of anyone's childhood included various superheroes, with various super powers, dreams and wishes to have these powers, and further day dreams about what you would do if you had them. Something very pervasive in our society today is that in order to achieve great things, you must also be special, super human, a god among men if you will. In any modern story, movies included, the hero always has a special origin story, of how this hero came to be superhuman in one way or another, but it comes with some weakness.
This is not fiction, I believe this is real, just not in the direct way that one might think. Suspend disbelief, and consider for a moment what a super power usually entails:
1) A feature, skill, ability, or strength, the hero possesses and relies upon to achieve the desired outcome, or another advantage that was thrust upon our hero at some point.
2) Some event that causes serious psychological damage, resulting in either and overwhelming drive to change society as they know it.
3) Their increased ability also comes with an inherent weakness that is occasionally taken advantage of by their opponents, and the hero always wins by using another strength to make up for their weakness.
Now if we keep these base parameters of super powers, and we ignore things like flying and shooting lasers out of our eyes, and other fantastic things, it should also be realised that it rarity is not a requirement to a super power. One such example would be telepathy. But what if we all had a power such as telepathy? What would you do differently if you had a superpower that was even more powerful than telepathy? Even Professor X could only use his ability within that time. Spock can only share his mind with someone who is next to him. What if you could do all that but go beyond time and space?
Because we can. Language allows us to communicate ideas with each other. Books allow us to hear what people hundreds of years ago had to say, how they think.
To be continued....
Before I dive into the specific book, I feel that today's post topic is the first but necessary detour on this journey of understanding.
Chances are, part of anyone's childhood included various superheroes, with various super powers, dreams and wishes to have these powers, and further day dreams about what you would do if you had them. Something very pervasive in our society today is that in order to achieve great things, you must also be special, super human, a god among men if you will. In any modern story, movies included, the hero always has a special origin story, of how this hero came to be superhuman in one way or another, but it comes with some weakness.
This is not fiction, I believe this is real, just not in the direct way that one might think. Suspend disbelief, and consider for a moment what a super power usually entails:
1) A feature, skill, ability, or strength, the hero possesses and relies upon to achieve the desired outcome, or another advantage that was thrust upon our hero at some point.
2) Some event that causes serious psychological damage, resulting in either and overwhelming drive to change society as they know it.
3) Their increased ability also comes with an inherent weakness that is occasionally taken advantage of by their opponents, and the hero always wins by using another strength to make up for their weakness.
Now if we keep these base parameters of super powers, and we ignore things like flying and shooting lasers out of our eyes, and other fantastic things, it should also be realised that it rarity is not a requirement to a super power. One such example would be telepathy. But what if we all had a power such as telepathy? What would you do differently if you had a superpower that was even more powerful than telepathy? Even Professor X could only use his ability within that time. Spock can only share his mind with someone who is next to him. What if you could do all that but go beyond time and space?
Because we can. Language allows us to communicate ideas with each other. Books allow us to hear what people hundreds of years ago had to say, how they think.
To be continued....
Captain's Blog, Stardate 2013.03.17, U.S.S. Enterprise - Inspiration and Shaking in your boots
This week, I'm not sure where I'm going with this blog post.
First, a quick blurb about my book project blog. It may be apparent, that a post has yet to be made about it. I see a huge draft copy that I'm still pounding through, because it's not done, it's not good enough, I don't find it perfect enough to post yet. I had a conversation with Sihing Langner the other evening after practice, and he reminded me that it's ok to be a work in progress. This seems rather simple, but for me, I find it's a lesson I learn over and over. It's always a work in progress. I am a work in progress, and that's ok; in fact, that's the way it should be. My Da Mu Hsing is a work in progress, Kempo too. I caught myself mentally berating myself because it's taking me longer than expected to learn Lau Gar, that my numbers are not where they are, that my Kwan Dao is not where I want to be, and so on. But today, I look at things, and I can say this: I achieved twice the amount this week that I did last week. I am not where I want to be, but I am getting there, and I think that has to be ok for now.
Right now, things are changing. I am changing them. A year ago, I decided to leave a career path that I put everything into for 5 years. That doesn't seem like a lot of time, but to me, it's over 25% of my time so far. At this point things are coming fast, coming at a blur, and I'm starting to shake a bit. My knees are knocking a little. My resolve is solid as it was, but the nervousness is still there. It was until this past week, someone I really look up to said to me "It's exciting, and it's supposed to be, because if it wasn't, life would be pretty boring. If you're uncomfortable, you're on the right track." - not verbatim, but close enough. As I move forward, I remember this, and with solid knees, I hope I am always this uncomfortable.
"Just show up" this is another nugget that has been given to me this past week. It was at that point that I made the connection, that perhaps the secret to kung fu is just that simple. Just like life and any other outcome we may be reaching for. Just keep showing up.
Somehow, sometimes, I forget the bottomless depth of inspiration around me. It's nothing new, not something we don't know, but it never fails to amaze me, that all we have to do is look around and find that we are surrounded by so many experts. In kung fu and otherwise.
I'm a work in progress, and I'm ok with that, because I'm surrounded by people who I can look up to and see how it's done.
First, a quick blurb about my book project blog. It may be apparent, that a post has yet to be made about it. I see a huge draft copy that I'm still pounding through, because it's not done, it's not good enough, I don't find it perfect enough to post yet. I had a conversation with Sihing Langner the other evening after practice, and he reminded me that it's ok to be a work in progress. This seems rather simple, but for me, I find it's a lesson I learn over and over. It's always a work in progress. I am a work in progress, and that's ok; in fact, that's the way it should be. My Da Mu Hsing is a work in progress, Kempo too. I caught myself mentally berating myself because it's taking me longer than expected to learn Lau Gar, that my numbers are not where they are, that my Kwan Dao is not where I want to be, and so on. But today, I look at things, and I can say this: I achieved twice the amount this week that I did last week. I am not where I want to be, but I am getting there, and I think that has to be ok for now.
Right now, things are changing. I am changing them. A year ago, I decided to leave a career path that I put everything into for 5 years. That doesn't seem like a lot of time, but to me, it's over 25% of my time so far. At this point things are coming fast, coming at a blur, and I'm starting to shake a bit. My knees are knocking a little. My resolve is solid as it was, but the nervousness is still there. It was until this past week, someone I really look up to said to me "It's exciting, and it's supposed to be, because if it wasn't, life would be pretty boring. If you're uncomfortable, you're on the right track." - not verbatim, but close enough. As I move forward, I remember this, and with solid knees, I hope I am always this uncomfortable.
"Just show up" this is another nugget that has been given to me this past week. It was at that point that I made the connection, that perhaps the secret to kung fu is just that simple. Just like life and any other outcome we may be reaching for. Just keep showing up.
Somehow, sometimes, I forget the bottomless depth of inspiration around me. It's nothing new, not something we don't know, but it never fails to amaze me, that all we have to do is look around and find that we are surrounded by so many experts. In kung fu and otherwise.
I'm a work in progress, and I'm ok with that, because I'm surrounded by people who I can look up to and see how it's done.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Captain's Blog, Stardate 2013.03.11, U.S.S. Enterprise - Inspiration and One day at a time
So we had our recent I Ho Chuan meeting this past saturday. When I left I had a lot on my mind, because I left that meeting feeling lighter on my feet than I have in weeks. As I heard about everyone else's progress and their stories, I found that I was not alone in my struggles, and although our stories were different, a lot of the core issues were the same. I found this extremely inspirational, and all I had to do was look around. So after I left I found renewed determination to pull myself up by my bootstraps and make sure that by the time the next meeting rolls around I will be better than I am today. Thank you everyone, for being the inspiration I needed.
So, if I do 180 push ups and sit ups and 60 pull ups a day, take sunday off, I should hit my required target. I hate to say it, but I haven't been hitting my numbers. So I have decided to take a new approach. I'm going to throw the numbers out of my brain window. Ignore them. Take this whole thing one day at a time. What is the difference between 180 and 300? 300 and 500? 500 and 1000? I think very little other than my mindset. Right now, I would be floored by the mere thought of doing 100 push ups in a set, which if I think about it, I could say the same about 40 rep sets about a year ago. So what I'm getting at is the following: picture the finish line 10m past where it is. In order to hit my numbers, I'm gonna forget about my average pace per day, what's left, and any analytics and thoughts about them. I'm going to think about only one thing, and that is to do more today than I did yesterday. Hopefully, this will allow me to think less and do more, just by keeping things simple. I'll keep ya posted.
PS I am behind on writing post 1 of the book project. I will rectify this asap. Sorry for the delay.
So, if I do 180 push ups and sit ups and 60 pull ups a day, take sunday off, I should hit my required target. I hate to say it, but I haven't been hitting my numbers. So I have decided to take a new approach. I'm going to throw the numbers out of my brain window. Ignore them. Take this whole thing one day at a time. What is the difference between 180 and 300? 300 and 500? 500 and 1000? I think very little other than my mindset. Right now, I would be floored by the mere thought of doing 100 push ups in a set, which if I think about it, I could say the same about 40 rep sets about a year ago. So what I'm getting at is the following: picture the finish line 10m past where it is. In order to hit my numbers, I'm gonna forget about my average pace per day, what's left, and any analytics and thoughts about them. I'm going to think about only one thing, and that is to do more today than I did yesterday. Hopefully, this will allow me to think less and do more, just by keeping things simple. I'll keep ya posted.
PS I am behind on writing post 1 of the book project. I will rectify this asap. Sorry for the delay.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Captain's Blog, Stardate 2013.03.04, U.S.S. Enterprise - Who are you reporting to?
I don't like blogging just to take up space and check it off the list. I find I feel like I've cheated. So there are numerous things every week that I could write about, but given that my priorities don't change very much, it feels like I've worn the same path over and over for a while now.
I did a dumb thing today. I was moving heavy things around the garage, and I didn't even stop to think that I was putting lots of power through my knee until it started tightening up. and some more. and some more. Now I am faced with a decision, what should I do next? This is the frustrating part. Do I ignore it and keep going, and show it who's boss? Or do I treat it gingerly and give it all the care I can think of? Is it at the point I think it is? Or is it something I can push through?
That last question is really sticky, because you're never sure if it's something you can't push through until it's far too late, and you've done a huge amount of avoidable damage. I don't know. I really don't.
I've been really frustrated with myself lately. For many things, and yet it comes down to the one root cause. But let's just say it's many little things.
So let me tell a story of what happened this past saturday night. It starts with me driving through the storm, and I see a car just off the road up ahead. It was snowing and such, so I pulled over and asked them if there was anything I could do to help. It was then that I recognized that one of the boys there. he was someone I went to school with briefly in the past. I will be brief and just say that my experience with him was rather unpleasant, and if my peers are to be taken at their word, I was not alone. So I proceeded to offer my assistance, pulling his car out of the ditch, being as polite as I have ever been.
Afterwards, I was a little unsettled. I had just spent the better part of an hour assisting a person whose interactions with myself in the past had been so negative. A small part of me was wondering why I did. Most of me knew there was a good reason, but I just couldn't put it into words yet. It was a little while after that the conclusion drawn was as follows: It doesn't matter who it was. At all. It never did.
Now here's where I bring this whole post together. I hope.
I didn't stop to help because I had seen who it was. I stopped out of habit. I do so, because I expect myself to behave a certain way. This is but one of things that result from the standards I set for myself. So it makes it important for me to see that I need to ignore who he was, other than just someone who's day I could make a tad better. It does not matter who it was, because I know that I would have done the same regardless of who it turned out to be, and that's the end of it.
Which leads me back to the title of this post. In each of the four almost unrelated things I have discussed so far, it all comes down to the same thing. Who am I reporting to? Who's rules am I breaking or following? Who puts an X on the things I've done wrong?
I think it should be my future self.
I did a dumb thing today. I was moving heavy things around the garage, and I didn't even stop to think that I was putting lots of power through my knee until it started tightening up. and some more. and some more. Now I am faced with a decision, what should I do next? This is the frustrating part. Do I ignore it and keep going, and show it who's boss? Or do I treat it gingerly and give it all the care I can think of? Is it at the point I think it is? Or is it something I can push through?
That last question is really sticky, because you're never sure if it's something you can't push through until it's far too late, and you've done a huge amount of avoidable damage. I don't know. I really don't.
I've been really frustrated with myself lately. For many things, and yet it comes down to the one root cause. But let's just say it's many little things.
So let me tell a story of what happened this past saturday night. It starts with me driving through the storm, and I see a car just off the road up ahead. It was snowing and such, so I pulled over and asked them if there was anything I could do to help. It was then that I recognized that one of the boys there. he was someone I went to school with briefly in the past. I will be brief and just say that my experience with him was rather unpleasant, and if my peers are to be taken at their word, I was not alone. So I proceeded to offer my assistance, pulling his car out of the ditch, being as polite as I have ever been.
Afterwards, I was a little unsettled. I had just spent the better part of an hour assisting a person whose interactions with myself in the past had been so negative. A small part of me was wondering why I did. Most of me knew there was a good reason, but I just couldn't put it into words yet. It was a little while after that the conclusion drawn was as follows: It doesn't matter who it was. At all. It never did.
Now here's where I bring this whole post together. I hope.
I didn't stop to help because I had seen who it was. I stopped out of habit. I do so, because I expect myself to behave a certain way. This is but one of things that result from the standards I set for myself. So it makes it important for me to see that I need to ignore who he was, other than just someone who's day I could make a tad better. It does not matter who it was, because I know that I would have done the same regardless of who it turned out to be, and that's the end of it.
Which leads me back to the title of this post. In each of the four almost unrelated things I have discussed so far, it all comes down to the same thing. Who am I reporting to? Who's rules am I breaking or following? Who puts an X on the things I've done wrong?
I think it should be my future self.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Captain's Blog, Stardate 2013.02.24, U.S.S. Enterprise - NEW PROJECT! nom nom nom nom
So here's the plan, I finally finished one of the books that I have been sputtering through for the past year. Luckily, this is one of my requirements to do so. Unfortunately, I also said that I need to understand these instead of just mowing through them. So in order to do this I have to read them again and as I come to certain quotes, excerpts, ideas, etc in the book I will highlight them and do a blog post on it discussing what I think of it and some such. It may be one post for a chapter, or some chapters will have many many posts, either way, it will work as it shall. As I do so, I feel that it would be greatly encouraging if you nice folks in cyberspace would care to comment and respond to these and let me know what you think about that particular section, and see if we can't all learn a bit by seeing things in a different light.
Maybe if it irks me enough along the way I'll even throw in a few posts here and there with sections of another thought exploration "thingy" that I'm working on. It is uber annoying at times for me to keep that topic out of other topics even if it seems so pervasive in everything, and I just want to get it all down and out! But that would be a long long long long long blog post. Another day I suppose.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have push ups that await me, as I have an elephant to eat. nom nom.
Maybe if it irks me enough along the way I'll even throw in a few posts here and there with sections of another thought exploration "thingy" that I'm working on. It is uber annoying at times for me to keep that topic out of other topics even if it seems so pervasive in everything, and I just want to get it all down and out! But that would be a long long long long long blog post. Another day I suppose.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have push ups that await me, as I have an elephant to eat. nom nom.
Captain's Blog, Stardate 2013.02.24, U.S.S. Enterprise - Soreness gah
WeeeeAhhhhhWaaaaaaOoooooo
So my numbers for my requirements aren't great, well, so far they're abysmal. I took a while to get started, and now that I'm moving, I'm not at all close to being as capable as I used to be and know I can be, so the numbers are building rather slowly, gap between where I am and where I should be is building quickly. BUT, the rate at which I am falling behind is slowing ever so slightly. I figure I should put it out of my mind where I could/should/would be and just keep moving, and hopefully the numbers will take care of themselves. I hope. If I don't stop and keep going then I should get ever closer to my goal. So I'm just going to ignore all the naysayers in my head and just move. Like in Nemo. "Just keep swimming"
If I'm wrong and I should be shaking with fear, then I can freeze in fear and anxiety later. That does me no good now, and dwelling on how far I am does not get me any closer. If I can only do 30 P/U in a row for now, then that what I will do, and as long as I continue to do them, 40, 50, 60, and maybe one day even 100 would come in it's own time.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Captain's Blog, Stardate 2013.02.17, U.S.S. Enterprise - Happy thoughts and how to keep thoughts happy, and some not as happy stuff.
Happy stuff:
Whoa. The Chinese new year banquet performance was incredible. I really liked the fight choreography, and the lion/dragon dance performances. Nothing like seeing something done so well to have a goal to aspire to.
I find though, the personal speeches resonated with me the most. It provides something to think about when you hear about the very human struggles of the people you see around the kwoon, whom until now, in your mind seem perfect. It never seemed apparent, nor did it really occur to me that maybe other people have felt of would feel as I do at times in this journey. Which now that I say it seems rather obvious, but when you look up to the leaders in our kwoon, it's hard to imagine that they might have struggles as well. I find that this could really help us connect with each other better, if we would just be more open, and be more receptive perhaps. I guess moving forward I think I would do well to listen and watch more.
Last note on this though, I thought it was really cool how quickly everything was cleaned up after when everyone lent a hand. One minute it was all there, and the next everything was neatly put away. That really speaks volumes to what can be accomplished with a team. Again, seems obvious, but it's a tad different to be right there to see it.
How to keep thoughts happy:
I have heard many times that the way to move forward, is to be patient, and pick a few things to focus on, and do those, once you have done those, then choose a few new ones, and so on and so forth. I'll be honest and say that I did not understand this for a long time. I used to look at everything I learned, and voraciously attack everything, giving very little thought to focus, and just push as hard as possible, in a rushed and ravenous fashion.
I think I have found but one reason why I should take this advice. I found that after a period of time, when you try to do everything, you only marginally improve, because you only have limited resources. This is acceptable for a while but at some point it'll creep into your mind to consider how much time and effort you consistently put forth, and yet you do not see a commensurate increase in performance.
Which is one of the reasons why I now feel that it is imperative to focus on no more than just a few things at a time. This way, you can track, and see your progress, when it isn't spread out over so many things, and it ends up being constant positive reinforcement to keep on going. Otherwise, it is difficult to sustain substantial efforts when it is difficult to see your progress.
I guess this is another thing pertaining to patience, which I feel like I keep finding, and losing, and finding, and losing. I'm starting to feel like I'm repeating myself already. What if I really am just constantly finding and losing the same things over and over? Have I not been learning the lessons before but just thinking I did? Am I just repeatedly lying to myself? I don't know, but I probably will get back to this in a future blog post.
Not as happy thoughts:
This is going to be another post about my knee. I recently went to the doctor, as my previous "strain injury" seems to have come back. After my doctor passionately berated me for what felt like an hour and me quietly listening, he told me that it might be a bit more involved, and that I should wait for another MRI. After more "advice" from my doc, he set forth more restrictions which include: knee brace and orthotics, or else no training! Not sure what to think. This is uber frustrating, because I am almost useless with my left side. So with my right knee in a brace it's going to hinder my leg cannons a great deal. Either I should stop kicking, or learn to kick with my left side. Then again, I should focus on what I CAN do and not on the CAN'Ts. I know this and yet it doesn't make it easy.
/rant
Whoa. The Chinese new year banquet performance was incredible. I really liked the fight choreography, and the lion/dragon dance performances. Nothing like seeing something done so well to have a goal to aspire to.
I find though, the personal speeches resonated with me the most. It provides something to think about when you hear about the very human struggles of the people you see around the kwoon, whom until now, in your mind seem perfect. It never seemed apparent, nor did it really occur to me that maybe other people have felt of would feel as I do at times in this journey. Which now that I say it seems rather obvious, but when you look up to the leaders in our kwoon, it's hard to imagine that they might have struggles as well. I find that this could really help us connect with each other better, if we would just be more open, and be more receptive perhaps. I guess moving forward I think I would do well to listen and watch more.
Last note on this though, I thought it was really cool how quickly everything was cleaned up after when everyone lent a hand. One minute it was all there, and the next everything was neatly put away. That really speaks volumes to what can be accomplished with a team. Again, seems obvious, but it's a tad different to be right there to see it.
How to keep thoughts happy:
I have heard many times that the way to move forward, is to be patient, and pick a few things to focus on, and do those, once you have done those, then choose a few new ones, and so on and so forth. I'll be honest and say that I did not understand this for a long time. I used to look at everything I learned, and voraciously attack everything, giving very little thought to focus, and just push as hard as possible, in a rushed and ravenous fashion.
I think I have found but one reason why I should take this advice. I found that after a period of time, when you try to do everything, you only marginally improve, because you only have limited resources. This is acceptable for a while but at some point it'll creep into your mind to consider how much time and effort you consistently put forth, and yet you do not see a commensurate increase in performance.
Which is one of the reasons why I now feel that it is imperative to focus on no more than just a few things at a time. This way, you can track, and see your progress, when it isn't spread out over so many things, and it ends up being constant positive reinforcement to keep on going. Otherwise, it is difficult to sustain substantial efforts when it is difficult to see your progress.
I guess this is another thing pertaining to patience, which I feel like I keep finding, and losing, and finding, and losing. I'm starting to feel like I'm repeating myself already. What if I really am just constantly finding and losing the same things over and over? Have I not been learning the lessons before but just thinking I did? Am I just repeatedly lying to myself? I don't know, but I probably will get back to this in a future blog post.
Not as happy thoughts:
This is going to be another post about my knee. I recently went to the doctor, as my previous "strain injury" seems to have come back. After my doctor passionately berated me for what felt like an hour and me quietly listening, he told me that it might be a bit more involved, and that I should wait for another MRI. After more "advice" from my doc, he set forth more restrictions which include: knee brace and orthotics, or else no training! Not sure what to think. This is uber frustrating, because I am almost useless with my left side. So with my right knee in a brace it's going to hinder my leg cannons a great deal. Either I should stop kicking, or learn to kick with my left side. Then again, I should focus on what I CAN do and not on the CAN'Ts. I know this and yet it doesn't make it easy.
/rant
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Captain's Blog, Stardate 2013.02.10, U.S.S. Enterprise - HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
This is going to be just a fun blog day.
I recently found a meme, http://becauseracecar.org/ which is hilarious because I have actually had some of these questions from my friends.
For example,
Why drive something that only gets 200km to a 70 litre tank?
Because Race Car
Why do you need so many cars?
Because Race Car
Why are you always working on your car?
Because Race Car
Why are you always covered in oil?
Because Race Car
Why don't you just buy one reliable, economical, new car instead?
Because Race Car
As hilarious as this is, it actually does have something to do with kung fu. Maybe you know where this is going, maybe not. I'm quite certain I'm not alone in the following.
Why are you randomly doing pushups?
Because Kung Fu
Why don't you answer your phone MTW nights?
Because Kung Fu
Why do you spend so much time training?
Because Kung Fu
Why do you have so many bruises?
Because Kung Fu
Why are you so awesome?
Because Kung Fu
Hehehehe
Happy Chinese New Year!!!
I recently found a meme, http://becauseracecar.org/ which is hilarious because I have actually had some of these questions from my friends.
For example,
Why drive something that only gets 200km to a 70 litre tank?
Because Race Car
Why do you need so many cars?
Because Race Car
Why are you always working on your car?
Because Race Car
Why are you always covered in oil?
Because Race Car
Why don't you just buy one reliable, economical, new car instead?
Because Race Car
As hilarious as this is, it actually does have something to do with kung fu. Maybe you know where this is going, maybe not. I'm quite certain I'm not alone in the following.
Why are you randomly doing pushups?
Because Kung Fu
Why don't you answer your phone MTW nights?
Because Kung Fu
Why do you spend so much time training?
Because Kung Fu
Why do you have so many bruises?
Because Kung Fu
Why are you so awesome?
Because Kung Fu
Hehehehe
Happy Chinese New Year!!!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Captain's Blog, Stardate 2013.01.29, U.S.S. Enterprise - I'm not sure what to make of this.
So I haven't been to class in a while. Since the new year really. I was away until the 19th, and when I was back, I had a pretty nasty cold, which now turned into the a really large lumpy sore throat, which is the flu now.
The last few weeks have filled me with a lot of anxiety over things I have to admit I have very little control over. Like when I'll get better, about all the weird side effects I'm getting on my current medication, how my new career change is going, how I'm a bit stymied when it comes to my I Ho Chuan goals (which are long overdue already. which makes me scared that I've failing before it even begins), and the list goes on.
But that's not the point of this post. Fact is, it sounds a lot like complaining, which is not where this is going. The reality is I'd be really surprised if I am the only person who has or is feeling this way. I believe a lot of this anxiety has built up specifically because I have spent so little time around the kwoon.
Last night, I drove by the kwoon, long after it was locked and there was not a soul in sight. I have no idea what motivated me to do so, but I sat and stared through the windows for a while. I looked at the dragon in the corner, the tiles on the walls, the lion heads, the framed photos near the ceiling, trying to take in every little detail. For a moment I felt like I was inside, even though I wasn't, and I felt a sense of calm for a few minutes that I am still confused about.
I decided that today I would go to the kwoon during sansou class, regardless of how I felt, at least just to sit and watch as much as possible. Which I did. I was expecting to see, watch, learn, think about kung fu a little bit as I have before, but something even more surprising happened. I didn't think about anything at all. I was just watching. I wasn't really thinking about what I was seeing, because I was amazed at how calm I felt for the first time in a while.
I still don't clearly understand what this is all about, and I apologize if it seems like I'm rambling. These last two days have left me lots to think about. But what I do know is that somehow, without me knowing when, the kwoon has become very much a part of me, and I hope, me a part of it. If I was a battery, it appears that the kwoon has become a charging dock for me.
Part of the reason why I am chewing on this so much is because I feel like I am right around the point that I am looking for but I can't seem to zoom in on it. I keep going around the very thing I am looking for. I like to try and keep things clear, straightforward, in a very quantitative way. I feel like this is going to take awhile to sort, define, and understand in a quantitative way.
The last few weeks have filled me with a lot of anxiety over things I have to admit I have very little control over. Like when I'll get better, about all the weird side effects I'm getting on my current medication, how my new career change is going, how I'm a bit stymied when it comes to my I Ho Chuan goals (which are long overdue already. which makes me scared that I've failing before it even begins), and the list goes on.
But that's not the point of this post. Fact is, it sounds a lot like complaining, which is not where this is going. The reality is I'd be really surprised if I am the only person who has or is feeling this way. I believe a lot of this anxiety has built up specifically because I have spent so little time around the kwoon.
Last night, I drove by the kwoon, long after it was locked and there was not a soul in sight. I have no idea what motivated me to do so, but I sat and stared through the windows for a while. I looked at the dragon in the corner, the tiles on the walls, the lion heads, the framed photos near the ceiling, trying to take in every little detail. For a moment I felt like I was inside, even though I wasn't, and I felt a sense of calm for a few minutes that I am still confused about.
I decided that today I would go to the kwoon during sansou class, regardless of how I felt, at least just to sit and watch as much as possible. Which I did. I was expecting to see, watch, learn, think about kung fu a little bit as I have before, but something even more surprising happened. I didn't think about anything at all. I was just watching. I wasn't really thinking about what I was seeing, because I was amazed at how calm I felt for the first time in a while.
I still don't clearly understand what this is all about, and I apologize if it seems like I'm rambling. These last two days have left me lots to think about. But what I do know is that somehow, without me knowing when, the kwoon has become very much a part of me, and I hope, me a part of it. If I was a battery, it appears that the kwoon has become a charging dock for me.
Part of the reason why I am chewing on this so much is because I feel like I am right around the point that I am looking for but I can't seem to zoom in on it. I keep going around the very thing I am looking for. I like to try and keep things clear, straightforward, in a very quantitative way. I feel like this is going to take awhile to sort, define, and understand in a quantitative way.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Captain's Blog, Stardate 2013.01.28, U.S.S. Enterprise - Le Tiger Trial
Whew. I totally had lots to write about this. But my notes aren't detailed and I have the following:
Things learned:
1) Consistent practice is really important. Consistency is really important. I wrote this 5 times. Suffice to say I really wanted to write about that. It appears as if it was an explosive flare going off in my head as opposed to the standard lightbulb.
2)Watching the black belts do their forms was really really cool. It was really inspiring, in an "omg did you see that!?" kinda way. Then if you think about it and replay it in your head, you realize you can't see just one specific thing that they did differently. And if you try to describe what it was, it is really really difficult. But you know that it was completely different than what you saw it as. It sets a whole new benchmark, and yet you don't see how that is even on the same axis of what your previous benchmark was.
Anyway, I'm not sure how to go into that any further, but hopefully my rambling makes sense to someone. I don't even completely understand what I am getting at, but that's what i do have so far. maybe I'll figure it out in the future.
Things learned:
1) Consistent practice is really important. Consistency is really important. I wrote this 5 times. Suffice to say I really wanted to write about that. It appears as if it was an explosive flare going off in my head as opposed to the standard lightbulb.
2)Watching the black belts do their forms was really really cool. It was really inspiring, in an "omg did you see that!?" kinda way. Then if you think about it and replay it in your head, you realize you can't see just one specific thing that they did differently. And if you try to describe what it was, it is really really difficult. But you know that it was completely different than what you saw it as. It sets a whole new benchmark, and yet you don't see how that is even on the same axis of what your previous benchmark was.
Anyway, I'm not sure how to go into that any further, but hopefully my rambling makes sense to someone. I don't even completely understand what I am getting at, but that's what i do have so far. maybe I'll figure it out in the future.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Captain's Blog, Stardate 2013.01.12, U.S.S. Enterprise - Where in the world??
Dear cyberspace,
I have been out of town since new year's eve. Miss the wide open space of home. le sigh. Hectic rush to get things done and cramped high density population areas leads to a poor atmosphere to practice kung fu, and physical conditioning. High carb local diet is making me tired and my body really wants to go back to my previous high protein diet. So suffice to say I am nowhere near my peak physical performance.
Also hurt my back a few days ago. It's gotten better, as I have been taking it really really easy, so we'll see where that goes. As much as I am enjoying myself at the moment, part of me definitely looks forward to home, open space, and training. For now I have been practicing the hand parts of my forms. I guess when I get back I'll have to do only stances to get caught up. Definitely scared I'll forget my forms. eeek.
Anyway hope everyone is having a really good start to the year!
PS I know this is a no brainer. But i find that it is really easy to take certain things for granted, like the air at home. That clean, crisp air is not a luxury that everyone in the world knows, especially those that are born and bred in high density population areas. So definitely take a moment to enjoy that which is so easily forgotten. That's just one of the things that I don't really think about, but makes a huge difference.
PPS I'm shrinking. Losing so much mass and muscle tone. Hopefully it's mostly in my head. :(
I have been out of town since new year's eve. Miss the wide open space of home. le sigh. Hectic rush to get things done and cramped high density population areas leads to a poor atmosphere to practice kung fu, and physical conditioning. High carb local diet is making me tired and my body really wants to go back to my previous high protein diet. So suffice to say I am nowhere near my peak physical performance.
Also hurt my back a few days ago. It's gotten better, as I have been taking it really really easy, so we'll see where that goes. As much as I am enjoying myself at the moment, part of me definitely looks forward to home, open space, and training. For now I have been practicing the hand parts of my forms. I guess when I get back I'll have to do only stances to get caught up. Definitely scared I'll forget my forms. eeek.
Anyway hope everyone is having a really good start to the year!
PS I know this is a no brainer. But i find that it is really easy to take certain things for granted, like the air at home. That clean, crisp air is not a luxury that everyone in the world knows, especially those that are born and bred in high density population areas. So definitely take a moment to enjoy that which is so easily forgotten. That's just one of the things that I don't really think about, but makes a huge difference.
PPS I'm shrinking. Losing so much mass and muscle tone. Hopefully it's mostly in my head. :(
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