I'm You but Cooler

So I have completed what I wanted to achieve for this month. Over 20 blogs for this month and boy howdy has it been great. I felt actually dedicated to doing something that was not just reading a book or an activity that keeps me entertained. I think the best part about this is that I didn't think of it as a chore. Sure there were some days that I thought " man, I got nothing so I don't want to write" and that does go around a lot I am sure. 

But now I can say that I am confident in writing blogs and I don't plan on losing that. I am no longer going to do daily writings in October. Weekly or when I feel the urge. and heck, I do feel the urge most days to write. I cacn look back on my past self and say " It was so worth it, and it only gets better from here!"

This blog has been a great outlet for just general ideas and I certainly have gotten a lot of positive feedback, which I will be forever greatful for.So thanks everyone who kept me on track and encouraged me to keep writing. I hope all of you have a spooky October and stay safe out there!!

Back to the Past

Hello Everyone! 

Oh how the days are getting cooler and the nights are coming sooner. Alas before the next month is over I feel that it is going to snow. But we shall see.

Tonight, I reread my blogs. By reread I mean that I earnestly read some, cringed hard at others and was geniunaly perplexed at my state of being when I wrote some of them. I did notice though, throughout this past month and a half I have increased not only in my blogging skills but what I talk about. I find the first couple I wrote (each a month apart, yikes!) they were very much the tone of haha ha look at me I  am doing it verses actually doing anything. This month has taught me so much about blogging and has increased my attention to certain aspects of my life. It  has been quite the experince.

Have a wonderful night everyone!

Push up

Today I got some tips on how to do a better pushup. I always enjoy getting advice that I can use to help me do better. The way I was described how I was doing them before was "walrusing" where I would use my lower back muscles to help me pull myself up back to the pushup position. I really just have to learn how to engage my core and upper arms more! Till I do I shall keep correcting myself as I find it really easy to slip back into the improper way.

Hope everybody had an awesome day!

Stiff Upper Arm

So I feel like I have not made a lot a progress with my weapon this year. Not gonna lie, I didn't realise how far behind I felt until tonight. I watched everybody do their forms and the conviction that they have progressed thier forms with is amazing. It was so cool to see everyone tonight. I got amazing feedback about how to work with my weapon and about intent with the sword. Which is how I know that I have fallen behind in that regard. The last months (and frankly probably the whole year) has been asking for help when you need it. Not when you want it. And I have not been taking advantage of it. Not the one on ones or the messaging system. I am just realising how foolish it was of me to assume that I could conquer this on my own. Not that I haven't gotten this far by myself, but I am realising that I know that can progress farther withh help. So. I am going to do exactly that. 

Have a wonderful Friday everyone. 

Going in Circles

When we were doing the application tonight me and Ms. Lee were in my basement this evening. We could not go through with the take down part of the form as my floor is 90% concrete and as much as I should learn how to do a break fall on it, I feel like Im gonna 100% learn how to do it on a soft surface first. I digress.

We were doing the "pulling of the bow" when you knock the arm and strike the chest. It tooka while to get into the flow instead of, 1 step, 2 step, 3 step, 4. There are so many components to this one form it is hard not to break it down to its small steps. Anyway pulling the bow on this form has always been hard because I always want to keep everything very very close to me. But watching when Sifu Brinker demostrated it I saw that it is a very elaborate move. ( maybe he is just exaggerating) But I found that when I did the bigger circles everything just seemed to flow better. 

Thats the thoughts for tonight. Have a wonderful night yall!

Focus Up!

Where to begin where to begin. Well I'll start with I was there when that bus in the Parkland Farm in Stony Plain caught fire so I hope everybody in Stony Plain is A-okay! 

If all the things to talk about tonight I am going to talk about Wuxin. Tonight I was practicing and there were distractions coming from all around and I was distracting myself with thoughts of other things. So I took a moment to ask myself "why am I here and why am I here". To do Kung Fu and complete the form so I completely turned out the outside world and shut my thoughts down. I did the form with the skill that I had. Did I do it a hundred percent right? Maybe not. Did I complete to the best of my skills right then? Possibly. It was easy enough to clear my mind initially but maintaining that focus was hard as I grew slack the further I went into the form. I kept having to refocus myself and it worked, but it all turned out okay in the end!

Have a wonderful night y'all. 

Sticky Situation

So tonight in class we were doing sticky hands (or a version) and oh boy, it was hard to get back in the rhythm. I found that for the first part I was just stiffly moving my upper body and it was hard to move out of the way. My body felt constricted and it was hard to move out if the way. As soon as I had started moving my hips with it, it was easier but not perfect. There was a discord between my hips and trying to block the oncoming punches. It's all about the timing I think. 

So 50,000 and I will get back to you! Have a wonderful night everyone!

Hidden Treasures

There are lot of things in this life that I take for granted. My family and friends, my training, the natural beauty if the world around us. This weekend I went on another hike (surprise surprise!) to Jasper. This time we went to the Geraldine Lakes. My hiking friend has been talking about it all summer and this was a last opportunity before the frost hits and it gets too cold. 

I wanna get straight to the point tonight.  I had my toes bashed on several tree roots determined to further further my acquaintance with the ground, knees smacked against uneven boulders, and several nice new scratches from surprise branches that just wanted to say hello. 

Needless to say I was a little worn out when we close to the waterfall. But it was worth everything and more. It was this feeling of something that almost nobody gets to see. It felt different than climbing Whistlers in a way I can only hope to describe.  Deep in the woods far away from anybody and anything, it was a quiet victory. 

I can only work on having more of them.

Mediocre Madness

Okay. So ramble time. I honestly feel like my blogs are getting a little repetitive. I made a promise to my self to do at least 20 blogs this month but I feel like I am running out of steam. I mean it's not super positive news, but I am not going to stop doing them. 

I mean I dont want to keep putting " I dont feel like it so here is an apology" and I definently dont want blogging to turn into a chore or somthing that I avoid till the last minute. I am going to examine myself in what I do daily, and write about that. Wish me luck!

Nothing but Blogging

Starting off, it was wonderful to see all of you again tonight virtual or in person! It's truly moments like these that I know just how much everybody is putting forward in to Kung Fu and the support that we give each other.

Tonight I wanted to recap what I have learned by blogging and what it has done for me. So to start, at the beginning of the year I did  not blog very much. I was not thinking about what I could do with blogging other than just updating my growth and during that time I felt like I wasn't moving forward and that there was nothing to blog about. But thinking about it now, even writing this blog right now, it's not really about writing a blog. And it was in something that Sifu said tonight. And hes been saying it for a while but blogging is about the journey. It's a recounting of the progression that I have made so far. 

I am sure if I were to look at my older blogs I would go "wow, what the heck was I talking about". To begin, it was a chore. And now, it's a way of helping my self move forward. I find that the discipline of recalling what I have learned during the day has certainly made more things stick in my brain.  It's like any Sifu will tell you after you learn a new form or move. When you go home,  immediately do the form at home so it sticks. And I feel that blogging about experiences has given me a totally different thought process than I had before.

 And I appreciate every single one of you who read, cheer and comment on my blogs. So thanks again for reading and have a wonderful night!

Now I am Gonna Grow

This is gonna be about growth. Growth with myself this year and growth with my entire time in doing Kung Fu. Not going to try and butter coat it, when I first took Kung Fu it was only partly because I was interested in doing a martial art. The other part was that I was kinda like moss growing on my couch at home and needed the exercise. I remember being physically exhausted at the end of each lesson when I started (sometimes I still am!) but feeling this moment of something new. With each punch I threw and each form I learned, I wanted to learn more. And the more I learned the more skills I gained. 

But knowledge for me doesn't always transfer into skill. For instance I know that me blading my foot has only gotten better in the last year. Not only because I have been corrected on it a thousand and one times but I have taken the time to pay attention. To think about what I am doing when I throw a punch or deliver a kick. And me paying attention to one aspect of my form sends neon lights ablazing for other parts of my skills.

And I know when I critically think through it I get better. I know I can blade my foot better or that I attain the rotation in my hips when I throw a punch. And ba da bing, ba da boom. Better skills. So I am going to continue to improve my attention for detail, and I am gonna continue to grow.

A Time for Rest

So I know this summer has been a little crazy for everyone and I can say I slightly understand when it has been exhausting for a number of reasons. But now that it is officially over I am going to take a break. Not from Kung fu and certainly not from my commitments. 

But I am going to take time out of my day to do the things I love. I have a week off, (yay!) Due to the fact that there was going to be a wedding but it was moved up by 2 months and I didn't take back my vacation time. So i am going to us this time for me. 

I hope everybody can take a little time to stop and see the sun or the leaves change colours or feel the brisk autumn air on your face this fall. It is such a beautiful world we live in, and it is so easy to forget. 

Have a wonderful week y'all! 

Howdy Par'ner

 So tonight we go to work with applications! Which was super fun! For me and Ms. Lee we kinda have been working slightly on application at home, because we were lucky enough to have a partner during this season of Covid. 

But honestly, it felt like a better class tonight. Don't geet me wrong it has been amazing coming back to classes for the last month or so, but I have missed the group work. It caught me off guard (in a good way!) when Sifu Rybak came and corrected our stances and form. Dang, you really dont know what ya got till its gone. 

Any way it was wonderful to be in class this evening and I will see you all Wednesday!

And a shout out the Bjorkquists, Mr. Kohut, Ms. Burke, and Mr. Thomson. Congratulations on your new belts!

1000 for 1

 

So I know that most people are familar with the tale of if you make a thousand cranes your wish will come true. I have offically made 1005 cranes. 

I first started making cranes when I took Japanese as an language in highschool and never stopped. It is very monotonus work and it gives a good sense of "look at how much work I did" This paticular batch of cranes, I started when I was proposed to in the summer of 2018. I did it a) cause I thought it would be really sweet to have 1000 cranes for my wedding and b) it was a way to pass the time and think while I did somthing with my hands. In the end though, I didn't finish them in time for the wedding. I think I had done around 700 and there was too much to do for me to commit any energy towards them. So I kinda made it one of my projects this year. Any time that I could I would pick up a piece of paper and make another tiny little bird. And tiny is not in a joking sense, my smalled crane has a wing span of 1cm. Small baby bird. 

I recounted the birds tonight to see how many I had left to make. I counted that I had One Thousand (and five) cranes. Seeing it all laid out before me I felt a sense of pride over my work. It was worth all the paper cuts and cramped fingers 

Gone Fishing

This posting is in regards to Wednesday nights class. It was kinda a eye opener to just how much I don't have an eye for detail sometimes. Dont get me wrong, I do pay attention and if i see something wrong with my form I try and correct it. And me and lu are pretty good at finding flaws with each others punches and kicks. (Sibling energy, not malicious). But sometime when I do my form I am not paying attention to where I am going and if there is anything wrong than I dont pick up on it. It's not having the "No Mind" but rather not being mindful. I know Sifu talks a lot about having that opponent or the shadow opponent to focus your attacks and I think I need to take that more seriously when I do forms and techniques rather than just going through the motions. 

So bringing it all back. I need to pay attention to my forms better and bring a higher intensity level to ... well everything.

Have a good night yall!!

Night Owl

 So, It really has nothing have to do with anything but I think that I am going to try and do my blogs a little eariler in the day. I get to this part in my evenings and I find that either I am motivated to clean my entire house or I am so dead on my feet that I get that fun little things happening with my eyes and the do a cool little twitching. I will set my self the limit of trying to get them done by at least seven-thirty so that I can think through them a little bit more. I am hoping that I this cuts out the stress that comes with writing so late at night.

Till next time y'all. 

Things that are Desired

 

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

So here is the poem that I did for my dad. Good news! He really loved it! It defiently was worth the work! I hope that you all had a wonderful Labor Day!

Two Steps Forward

I have finished the piece that was meant for my Dad so Whoo! 

So looking at my personal gaols this year I am a little bit daunted and a little bit proud! One of the goals was to go out on three hikes this year. And I have been on at least 5! Which is probably more than I have gone on in a couple years. It was worth it, even if climbing the mountain is  somthing I can cross off my bucket list! I hope that next year I can go on even more.

In regards to my other 2 goals, I think I am going to make a plan for my self. I have now completed 3 out of my 15 art projects and I am still trying to make coherent music on the piano. I shall put the commitment that I have placed in my training and my blogs into the projects. Baby steps, a little bit slowly, but in the direction that I want to go!

Have a wonderful Long weekend everyone!

It be quiet times

So. There was nothing much to meditate on today or even anything that seemed to pop out at me as " I gotta blog about this!" But I do want to keep writing, part because I am understanding the importance of commitment more and I know how easy it is to fall into the trap if I'll do it tomorrow. 

So, here I am. Committing. I know that it will get easier to pull things from my life that I can blog about but tonight I am content just to have written a couple of sentences. 

Have a wonderful weekend y'all! 

Oh the projects to behold!

So! One of my personal requirements for I Ho Chuan was to finish 15 art projects this year. And I think of done... 2? Yeah that sounds about right! I do have half finished projects just lying around and I pick them up every once and a while so I know that I am steadly working on them. But! There is one project that I have literally been thinking about for years. It is a calligraphy project.

Backstory time!

In highschool we had do a project on things that shaped us or what kinda represented us? I think? IDK its been 5 years, I am too old to remember. But what I do remember is sitting with my papa and explain the project and my dad told be about a poem that had shaped him is his youth. The poem is called Deserata by Max Ehrmann. Like Mastery by Stuart Emery, it similarilly gives an outline that one should live their life by. I read the poem and found that I liked it immensely. To give a sneak peak, cause I might put th full poem up here one day.

" Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence." 

Like right off that bat, BOOM! Speaking right too me. Back on track though, I have been wanting to do an illuminated version of this poem with calligraphy. This year I have put my butt in gear and gotten to it. It has been a slight challenge as I have never done this kind of project before but fun! I have been learning a lot of patience cause you do one pen stroke wrong ya have to start it all over again!

So my fathers' birthday is fast approaching and I know that I finally give him the final project. Even if it takes up most of my art room!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

  

 

Boil 'em, Mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew

The most wonderful thing about potatoes is that they bring us all together. Tonight was a amazing experience to have during this pandemic. It was great to see everyone tonight, and watch the board breaking. There's really not much else to say on tonight. The company was pleasant and the food was good. I am incredibly grateful for the members of our Kwoon for getting this little shindig. I hope that everybody has a wonderful rest of their week stand I will see you all back there next Wednesday.

Remember, there may be no class but there is always kung fu!

Cinderelly! Cinderelly!

Today I went and helped out at the kwoon for the fall clean up. It was worth it, and if you didn't  get the chance to do so today or won't get the chance to do it this year I hundred percent recommend to do it next year. Me and my little sister did it last year when we were contemplating going into I Ho Chuan and I think for me it was one of the moments that solidified my desire to go. Cause I got to see how everybody worked together as a team and pitch in their efforts to make our place of training a place of their own. 

And I feel that it is a big part of feeling like you belong at the kwoon. Taking responsibility for the clean up after class, or making the effort to get to class. It comes down to what you are willing to give back. Giving care and attention to something that has been a place of learning and growth. To know that you were a part of making it, even in small ways, somehow better.

So it was wonderful to see you all there tonight and I hope to see some of you tomorrow for potatoes!

Till then, have a wonderful night!