Health & Graditude

So I started some naturopathic health options because of course according to my regular doctor all of these things I am experiencing don't show up in a blood test, pee test, ya da ya da, your fine, this is what happens at your age.  I am in week one and what a difference already ... the brain fog is reduced and I have alot more energy. Although I still haven't got mightybell going, I am going to get Mel to help me set it up via my desktop ... wish me luck!  Back to the original topic, so apparently I am suffering from stress, a poorly performing thyroid, and hormones.  At this point we are dealing with the stress and thyroid, the stress not a suprise (between Mel being sick and then my mom being sick its been a rough couple of years) although the degree of the lack of performance from my adrenal system was a bit of a shock.  So no coffee, no wine, to bed by 10, an afternoon nap (not happening so far), no extreme exercise (not happening so far), limit social events (I would love too).  Apparently my body can't distinguish between good and bad stress and my overworked adrenal system has just given up ... thats why I feel exhausted all the time and everything seems to be hugely overwhelming and complicated.  In addition there are tintures and supplements that I doubted would make a difference but so far are making a huge difference. 

Graditude
for alternative health options
for sundogs, I know they only happen when its REALLY cold but wow are they beautiful
for my awesome children and husband
for the great and supportive people that I work with
for the great and supportive people that I study Kung Fu with

for the 9 days left of christmas shopping (I've barely started)

Frustrated with constantly changing technology

So I have two posts to put up ...

Post #2 December 8/16  got a new google account for our new company gmail accounts which works great but messed up the settings on my desktop and I have been trying to reconnect to the silent river google plus stuff with no success until today.  Couldn't remember which password was for which and now my desktop loads the company google plus and not the I Ho Chuan one had to reset everything ... Ack!!  Still haven't figured out the mightybell stuff because I need time to play with it and I am trying to coordinate parent care and work and renovations and it has all been a little much.   There is a reason I prefer to journal on paper ... the worst thing that happens is that I have to find a pen.  The best operating system that Windows ever put out is still 98 ... it never crashed!  Very old school here!  So I am sorry that you haven't heard from me for the past two weeks. I will attempt to get the link to mightybell tomorrow ... wish me luck.

Post #1 November 30/16  had a great time at the Festival of the Trees performance and its days like that make you really feel like a part of a great team ... we pulled everything off really well and I think we can all be proud of the effort and the results that were visible that day.  I bet the pictures in the sleigh with the dragon look great and hope we can put them up on the screen at the school.  Due to my moms' health situation I have been struggling to keep up with the numbers even on my form reps which are usually really good and rarely behind.  Just when I think I am kicking butt something comes along to trip me up ... ah such is life!

2016 Year of the Monkey

I have been struggling with what the I Ho Chuan has done for me blog.   I have been in this program a long time but I am slow to change ... I never jumped into all aspects of the program and so its been me adding a few things every year.  Have I met all my goals? The kung fu ones have improved a lot ... my commitment to completing them is getting better every year.  My personal goals not so good.   It seems that if I make a promise to others I really work at meeting it, but personal goals are a promise to me and for some reason I feel okay letting those ones slide.  And yet are the kung fu goals not for me?  Am I doing them for other people?  All my informal journaling has made me think ... 

I do better at the kung fu goals because I am part of the team and we support and motivate one another, my personal goals ... well its all on me and it appears that I am not very self motivated or self disciplined.   I look at people like Sifu Brandi Beckett and her husband Simon or Sifu Melanie Beckett, and I see people who are very self motivated both in their kung fu and personal goals.  Is it a personality trait, can it be learned because if it can where did they learn it?   I raised two of them and they didn't learn it from me! I have not been able to carry the I Ho Chuan - kung fu successes into my personal life that well.  Did I learn Spanish?  No!   Did I take the art classes?  No!  Did I loose weight?  No!  Do I meditate?  No!  I am still working at eliminating plastic from my life and eating healthy and these are goals from a couple of years ago.  I have seen success in my ballroom dancing however again there is someone else involved (my hubby) and I share the success with him.   It appears that I need that external something that a partner/team provides to motivate me to DO SOMETHING!  I won't do it for myself alone.  I am not sure if this a good or a bad thing, a weakness or a strength, or perhaps it is just my personality that finds more richness in shared experiences.

see Sifu Langer we can all get ourselves going around in circles.

Tiger Challenge

Finally my sister is out of the hospital ... I went out to help, then my brother went out for a week and now the in-laws are taking a turn.  The poor girl has been sick for a month ... not fun.  Then my mom had a whole bunch of tests at the U fo A.  By the time the tiger challenge came around I had a full blown cold and was really tired (emotionally).   I am so glad I went and didn't wimp out with the excuse of a cold or stress.  It was awesome and to be totally selfish ... just what I needed.  There is nothing better for the blues than hanging out with a roomful of excited kids who are having a blast. 

Watching the adults do the obstacle course and pool noodle fighting was hysterical, it was fiercely competitive and somewhat dangerous (black belt injuries consisted of a sprained wrist and a broken finger) but still everyone was laughing and excited.   I really don't understand why people question the sanity of martial artists.

I was totally surprised by my silver medal.  I kept hearing the scores and thinking, wow I have the highest score, right up until the last blackbelt Sifu Lindstrom who performed his epic bench form and got the gold.

Thanks to everyone at the kwoon for sharing in such an awesome day.

To all participants ... congratulations!

In Vancouver

Left Wednesday night for Vancouver to help out my sister and her little ones.  She got viral meningitis and spent 5 days in the hospital, she got home on Wednesday and I have been here to help with the kids,(2 yrs and 6 yrs old) and cook, clean etc.   I forgot what its like with little ones, they are so busy and get into so much stuff.  Trying to feed them and keep them entertained so they aren't tiring out my sister is a challenge. Especially with the little one who is super clingy and traumatized by her mom being in the hospital.  The plan is to be back on Wednesday because my Mom has to prep for a complicated CT Scan of her insides on Friday.  Hate to leave my sister before she is ready but we booked this test almost a year ago.  Hopefully she will be feeling much better, feeding her lots of healthy broths and making sure she takes lots of naps during the day.  Sorry to miss out on classes and practices.  Not sure if I can swing the tiger challenge ... it depends on my Mom and how she is doing.  Still practicing my horsewhisk form!  So I am ready if I can make it.  Hate it when I miss classes ... they are an important part of my week.

An Epiphany

So at the last I ho chuan meeting Sihing Csillag mentioned that at the end of the day while she is recording her numbers it is a time of reflection for that day.   That rang a bell with me, taking the time to sit and reflect on the day, all of the ups and downs, failures and accomplishments.  I usually gather up multiple notes and/or attempt to remember all the numbers for the last couple of days it's not an enjoyable event.  So last night I took a different approach, made myself a cup of tea, opened my notebook and reflected on all that had gone on during the day, good and bad and wrote it all down.  Made notes about my progress with the meal planning/vegetarian eating, chewed myself out about my bad attitude in the morning, put together a plan of action for my stretching routine in the morning.  I wrote 2 pages not just recording numbers and it was alot more relevant to me and enjoyable ... not hard at all.  Is this what everyone else has been doing??? and I just never got the message before???  Thank you Sihing

Feeling better

So for the last couple of weeks I have been battling a nasty cold.  Normally I bounce back from things like this pretty quick but maybe germs from assisted living facilities (Mom had a cold when we left for Vancouver) are tougher.  So I have been battling a sore throat, cough, chest congestion and sinuses that just won gold in the snot marathon.  Yuk!!   Finally I am starting to feel more like myself.  I admit I am a crabby sick person, I want someone to make me chicken soup, and tea with honey, and rub Vicks on my chest ... I totally revert to about 8 years old.   The weird thing is that when I was a I kid I don't remember anyone doing this for me so I don't know why I think that this is what you are supposed to do for sick people.  So I followed the routine and made myself chicken soup and tea with honey and rubbed Vicks on my own chest ... it did make me feel better but that maybe psychological.  Anyway the only thing I was keeping up with was my horse whisk form, my hand form is long (mu long koon) ha ha ha and it got bits of it practiced but I couldn't get through the whole thing.  Finally last night I did two reps of the whole form ... guess I am on the road to recovery. 

Tomorrow Dean and I are going to Houston to visit my daughter Brandi, I am very excited.   Skype is great but it can't communicate hugs and shared hot chocolate or tea.  As a result I will be missing this Thursday's classes and Saturday open training.  I will be back on the 12th so I will be at the classes on the 13th and there are no more trips planned for the year of the monkey. 

Eating Vegetarian

So for me that means no meat, still going to eat eggs and dairy (no eggs & dairy is usually referred to as Vegan) and no fish.  I figure if it bleeds (fish do) then it qualifies as meat.  I will be starting this after I get back from Houston on the 12th of October.  If you eat out there are a few great places you can get fast food my favorite is 'Chopped Leaf' (get tofu instead of meat) there is one in Spruce Grove over by the Save On Foods, and a couple of locations in Edmonton (Mayfield Common) and downtown.  People have a tendancy to make this whole vegetarian eating pretty complicated, lots of times you can have the same meal (steak,potatoes&greens&squash) just leave out the meat.  It means more veggies to prepare to feel full but its still a great meal.  Not a fan of tofu unless its firm and smoked at which point you can just dice it on a salad or into a stirfry.  My favorite meat substitute is a portabello mushroom, you can grill it and put in on a bun (like a burger).  Slice and fry them with eggs for breakfast, add an avocado and salsa and its heavenly.   Make life easy and buy canned beans (kidney, black etc.)  soaking and cooking beans for hours can be a pain. 

I would suggest cleaning the fridge (remove those nasty meat products) and making some weekly meal plans before the start date, then you can shop and have what you need in the fridge and pantry and avoid alot of frustration. 

I have lots of cookbooks with recipes for anyone that wants to borrow one to help with the menu planning and there are lots of sites online that can offer suggestions as well.  Looking forward to this ... although my husband isn't ... it will be good for him too!

Watching someone do a form

Sifu Freitag pointed out that my upper and lower body are disconnected when I am doing the horse whisk form (I agree, I am not really happy with how it feels).  I have been playing with the movements a lot and yet I am not feeling in my movements what I can see in Sifu M Becketts movements after watching her performing it on a video recording that I have.  Going to get my hubby to record me doing the form this week and see if I can clarify in my own mind what is missing.   I can't seem to make a connection when a form or application I am doing dosen't feel stellar ... it dosen't track to the actual issue(s) that are causing the problem.  Yet Sifu Freitag and other senior blackbelts can see something is missing so I am hoping that watching myself perform will offer some insights.  Its hard to do ... don't like seeing videos of my performances! 

Did something totally dumb, was playing with some google functions, calendars/emails etc for work and managed to mess up my personal google plus account ... its taken a couple of weeks to figure out what I did and fix it so I have not been receiving any notifications about postings and I haven't been able to connect ... my apologies for the silence but I have just today managed to get caught up reading blog posts etc.   Glad to be back in the loop. 

Motorcycle Trip

So we will be leaving on Friday for the long anticipated motorcycle trip.  Going to Jasper, then Grande Cache, Grand Prairie, Tumbler Ridge, Prince George, Cache Creek, Hells Gate, Osoyos, Balfour, Nakusp, Radium.  There are quite a few hot springs along this route. :)  Arrive in Calgary on the 19th to visit family and then home in time for the I Ho Chuan meeting on Saturday the 20th. 

Most days we will only be riding 4 to 5 hours, which is a pretty easy day. Going to visit some friends and see some cool places ... we are taking all the smaller twisty highways, the Cochahalla is way too straight.  Our butts are still going to be sore, haven't gone on an adventure like this in a while!  Plenty of time to still keep up with my numbers and after 5 hours on a motorcycle moving my legs will be a treat.   I will how ever be missing the I Ho Chuan class on Thursday the 18th.  Will be soaking my poor bum in the hot springs in Radium.  Wish you could be there!

Hamstring

So I think I pulled my hamstring on my right leg ... it has been giving me grief for two weeks now and flares up when I kick, and sitting (which I do a lot at work sometimes) is more than a little uncomfortable.  Self diagnosis is not the most reliable method however I did this a couple of years ago and it feels similar.  Hopefully stretching and keeping my kicks at knee height for awhile will let it heal.    This however is messing with the spinning reverse roundhouse kick in my form,  I think trying to get this kick looking good in the form is how I hurt it.  I believe I did not have the footwork correct coming into the kick and was swinging up enthusiastically rather than around with control like it should be done.  Felt a sharp sproing and that may have been the moment of injury.  REALLY need to work on this kick it looks BAD!  will be doing it SLOWLY for awhile.

July 22, 2016

I have been gone for the last week to my sisters place in Vancouver ... originally it was to help with her kids, babysitting, picking up and delivering to different activities while her husband was out of town.  So I booked the flight and then plans changed and he didn't go.  However the ticket was purchased and non refundable so I went anyways.  Kind of frustrating because normally I would have visited for a long weekend and it wouldn't have messed up my schedule so badly.   However it was fun and I did a massive amount of walking as they only have one car (way ahead on my km's now). 

In some ways I like Vancouver, its pretty and getting around without a car is not that difficult however they live downtown and I realized that I am spoiled for noise and space.  I find it stressful with the constant traffic noise and everything is so crowded.  People have that private / blank way of being that says 'I am in my own space ... do not enter'.  Still managed to work in several acts of kindness, one on the bus with some elderly chinese ladies that were totally suprised when I moved so they could sit together in a bank of four seats.  They were cute ... thanking me profusely in broken english.  Helped a lot of ladies with strollers and babies, we must be having a baby boom ... they were everywhere!  There was a lot of hesitation and doubt on their faces when I offered to help, such a shame that they have to worry about whether to accept help ... Is it safe?  Is she crazy?  Will she ask me for money or smell bad or invade my space in some unacceptable way? 

Can't fit the horsewisk or tai chi in the front yard (its really tiny) you have to go to the park a couple blocks away and everybody looks at you funny, which is awkward.

I have not developed the city mode of being in my own space in a crowd where I can close out all that other stimulus and put out the 'I am in my own space ... do not enter' vibe. Not sure I would do well living in the city?   Very glad to be home!

No Sense of Rhythm

Was looking for the right word to describe the struggle I have been having trying to stay focused and on track with my I Ho Chuan, work, and personal responsibilities. 

Rhythm was it ...

NOUN

1. a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound:

I am not on time/beat. 

 

The year of the monkey I promised myself that I would blog EVERY WEEK!   I am trying to increase my level of trust/engagement in the I Ho Chuan program by faithfully blogging, Sifu Brinker says its the most important part of staying engaged and being successful.  So far I have only missed two blogs which for me is record setting ... I have usually fallen off the blogging process by the end of April.  But I have noticed that some of the blogs are not happening on Wednesday the designated blogging day, they are wandering in on Friday or even Sunday.  So my consistency is wobbling, some of the blogs are dashed off in a hurry and not very well thought out or even relevant.  So I am meeting the 'letter of' rather than the 'intent of' the blogging process.  I have lost the rhythm of meeting my numbers ... some days doing almost nothing and then scrambling to catch up.   Part of it I think is my personality, I don't even know what its like to be self disciplined and maintain a steady flow, step by step and win the game.  To just go forward, rarely in a rush, focused, not stressed and getting an amazing amount of work accomplished would be a treat.  My method is rush in with enthusiasm, over commit on too many fronts, get distracted by the urgent rather than the important, get stressed out and emotional, disappoint myself and fail.  Do I know why I am like this .... nope!  Its a constant battle to emulate/maintain the balanced Steady Eddie lifestyle.  Changing habits / personality characteristics is hard.  I want to be better, and yet committing to something as simple as eating breakfast and taking my supplements EVERY DAY without fail is not something I have achieved to date.  I have to live to be at least a hundred and as I will need the time to make a lot of these improvements and changes.

 

 

Next Demo

Pretty excited about the Canada Day Demo,  due to circumstances I have missed the previous two opportunities (Farmers Day & the Seniors) so this will be fun.  Going to bring all my weapons and have been reviewing stuff all week just to smooth them out and refresh my aging memory.  Not sure about the dynamics or setup of the event but it sounds interesting.  Hung up my uniform to shake out the wrinkles so I represent Silent River well. 

Still struggling with the footwork/orientation on the two kicks in the horse whisk form, not 100% yet.  Its awkward to go from an open X stance into a spinning reverse roundhouse and a roundhouse,  the foot placement is critical and its not consistent or smooth. 

Once I get it I will wonder why it took me so long!

June 17, 2016

Survived the dance event.

Still working on my forms although I am going to have to change the footwork coming out of an open X stance and into the spinning reverse roundhouse, the way I am doing it hurts my knee and torques the hip.  Couldn't figure out why it didn't feel good and looked worse, a talk with Sifu Beckett and we worked out where I was stepping into it incorrectly.  That's why the I Ho Chuan team concept is so great ... lots of expertise, lots of help and support.  As a blackbelt I would like to claim that my eye for detail and six harmonies are flawless, unfortunately that's not the case.  Appreciate the help!  Not going to be able to make the demo or the meeting this weekend as Dean and I are looking at a property in Penticton and won't make it back till sunday.

Staying focused

It has been very challenging this last couple of weeks to stay focused on Kung Fu.  Dean & I are doing a solo performance (quickstep) and a group dance with three other couples.  So just like the Silent River Banquet there is a lot of intense practicing before the performance date.  My feet hurt, I have blisters, I am stressed out and I falling behind on my king fu numbers because this week everyday we are practicing dance routines.  Why do I do this?  It must be love.   I am really concerned that the solo that Dean & I are doing is going to crash and burn.   The dance is fast, a single mistake and its almost impossible to recover or cover up, I could wind up on the prone on the floor.   For some reason my husband likes the quickstep ... fortunately for him he doesn't have to wear high heels and run backwards. 

The owner of the dance studio tells us all that this is not brain surgery ... no one dies if you make a mistake ... just have fun, but I am finding it difficult to enjoy this performance and will be really glad when its over.  Next year we are going to do a west coast swing or a waltz, they are nice and slow!

So yes I am having performance anxiety! 

There must be some deep seated issue that I have that gets me involved in activities that require performing.   I will be investigating this further and will let you know when I figure it out.

Good Hard Work

So this weekend I did a lot of a number of things ... Saturday morning, yard work. Saturday afternoon multiple dance practices in preparation of performances.  Saturday evening yard work and kung fu practicing.  Sunday morning gardening, yard work, more kung fu.  By dinner time on Sunday I was tired and sore.  But all of it was good.  Maybe its my Saskatchewan rural upbringing but I don't mind working hard, in fact I enjoy it.  Its what you are doing that makes the difference, when I do gardening, kung fu, build something, cook something, practice dancing these are all good types of work.  You have a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of satisfaction when you start to see the results. Over the past few years learning from Master Brinker, my daughters and the I Ho Chuan team about being in the moment its gotten even better. I enjoy the sweaty, dirty, demanding, frustrating, learning parts of my hard work more than I ever did in the past.  My only hiccup is that I am still afraid of failing. I think all of these things (and many more) would be even more enjoyable if I could just get past that issue.  This is always my indicator that I have slipped back into my ego / brain when I start worrying about messing up or looking foolish, or stupid.  When I am in the moment just doing I am happy. 

Done in by technology - last weeks blog

Last week was so frustrating and not because of kung fu, it was technology. My computer would only work in safe mode and after two days of trying different things I finally called it quits and bought a new tower.  It sounds simple but then there is a full day installing software, setting up email access, connecting to the network blah, blah blah blah blah!!   I was pretty crabby and then on Friday I got everything working and wow I am like a new woman, smiling, easy to get along with.  Does this reflect my dependency on technology?  I think its the endless need for communication ... not warm fuzzy stuff ... the documentation that goes with safety, project management, and running a business, its way easier with computers and internet.  Maybe that's why I struggle with blogging ... I have to do it on a computer.  To me computers and the internet are all about the job, not something fun!  When I finally got home on Friday ... at about 7 pm I was sick of it.  So other than my inability to blog last week my kung fu went pretty well.  Still working on my foot work and vectors in the horsewhisk form.  Still behind on my pushups.   Sorry I missed the meeting.

Was the meeting I missed recorded?  I looked and can't find any link

weapons forms

Last I Ho Chuan class was awesome.  There are some really cool forms developing, it was great to see everybody's progress.

Finally I have the entire horse whisk form in my head.  Not perfect performance but got thru it without stalling too much.  My stances were better ... meaning lower/deeper and most of it flowed, that weird kick went okay so I guess I am reasonably pleased.  Had fun attempting to do the horse whisk form with Sihing Csillag.  Asked Sifu M Beckett for feed back and she said our styles of performing the same form are very different.  My performance is too soft and flowy, lacking some definition/phrasing, and my vectors need some attention,  Sihing Csillag is more intense and powerful, she suggested that we work together to meet somewhere in the middle of our two interpretations and we would achieve the intent/ideal performance. Looking forward to that ... Hey Sihing interested in doing a team performance for the Tiger Challenge ... I bet we could make it look awesome!  Bringing home the Gold!

I believe the Farmers day performance is the same day as the dance studio's 'Spring Extravaganza'  June 11/16 that Dean and I are committed too.  We are doing a QuickStep solo and are part of a group formation dance.  Therefore I will not be able to participate in the Farmers Day performances and because of extra practices to prepare I will be missing the I Ho Chuan meeting on the 28th.   Its the hubby's turn for an event.

Write a Love Letter to Nature

As part of the 30 X 30 Nature Challenge with David Suzuki Foundation I have written a Love Letter to Nature

Dearest nature you are such an essential part of my life, you nurture me in a way no one else can.

I see your beauty... sunlight sparkling on water, blinding crystals of snow, lightning flashes against stormy skies, you dazzle me.

The dark green of needles on trees that stand bravely thru winter, brilliant blue skies , the bright reds, yellow, purple and blue petals of endless varieties of flowers that bring joy to my heart.

The soft shades of pink at sunset, the gentle browns, greys & creams of tree trunks, the endless shades of green they soothe me.

The infinite variety of colors that you create paint pictures that define my world.

I hear your song ... foliage or snow crunching as I walk,

buzzing, humming, clicks, trills, croaks, honks, bellows, grunts, shrieks, screams, roars, trumpeting sounds that comfort, thrill and frighten me

wind humming thru the grass, whispering thru the leaves, hissing across the snow, the thunder and roar of summer storms.

the pounding and dripping of rain which nourishes everything around me.

I smell your perfume ... of soil, leaves on the ground, freshly cut grass, flowers, the tang of salt water, the sharpness of winter, the scents surround and enthral l me.

I feel your touch ... the light brush of snowflakes, the patting of rain drops, the stroking of the breeze through my hair.

I feel your power ... in the sting of the snow in a blizzard, the pull of waves and currents, the crashing of snow and rocks as they fall,

the ferocity of the winds in tornado's and hurricanes ... sometimes you terrify me.

I feel your love ... laying in the grass on a hot summer day and watching white puffy clouds float across the sky,

snorkelling with beautiful fish and coral, hiking in the mountains, riding and bathing elephants in Thailand,

and best of all hanging out with you in my garden planting and harvesting all the bounty that I helped grow.

Everything comes from you! I will love you for all of my life.

Ahhh the heat

I am loving practicing outside however the heat this week has been a bit of a shock.  Makes me wonder what is was like for the girls in China in the summer when the temperature was in the 30's?  On Monday I practiced in the morning so it was great, yesterday I waited for dark.   Man it was hot! Today I am going to practice in our air conditioned shop at work (what a baby I am).  Typical Canadian its either to hot or to cold, never happy.   I wonder what its like in places where the temperature stays the same year round ... a nice 26 degrees C.   Is there such a place?

So now that I have a grasp on the sequence of the form I need to get my stances lower .... way lower.  The style of the horsewisk is stances that are deep and long.   So my legs are definitely going to get a work out.

April 13th, 2016 Couldn`t come up with a title

Finally I think I have the sequence and basic moves for the first half of the horse whisk form with some flow but its pretty slow in comparison to the other Sifu Beckett`s performing it.  There is one really awkward kick that looks pretty rough but on the whole it kinda looks like the form should.   Ready to continue and move on to the rest of the form ... finally.

Back to work full time and it sucks,  I enjoyed being able to work shorter days - even take days off  - but the safety person we hired & trained quit.  And its getting crazy busy which means more safety paperwork, more inspections ... yada yada.  This will be a challenge as I had plenty of time to devote to my requirements and now I will have to be more disciplined and plan my days better.    I think the biggest thing is that our business is very dynamic with lots of urgent situations that come up constantly during the day and its hard to plan for kungfu stuff at work. So its got to be before or after work for the majority of personal stuff.  The stuff I don`t enjoy so much ... like pushups probably best in the morning because when I get home my commitment to my requirements is much more likely to be weak.  Mentally I`m tired and would really prefer to sit and read.  However I enjoy doing my forms so the evening has and will continue to be a great time to get my reps in.   I love practicing outside, its quiet with nature noises, no phones, no TV noises from downstairs, the sun is setting, what more could a person ask for ....

Sifu Masterson suggested Saturday Fitness Training outside if the weather permits ... my vote is yes!!!

one step forward & 2 back

I have had a very frustrating couple of weeks.  The horse whisk form has a whole different feel from the sword of last year. Transitioning to different stances, really big arm movements, multiple directions changes for feet and arms.  Well lets just say it is not smooth,  klunky might be a better description and I am always second guessing the sequence.  So of course my reaction to all of this is totally mature and I continue to work on it and not throw my hands up in the air and give up for five days (which is how long it took to get over myself and my bad attitude).  Sometimes its hard to believe I am 57.

space allocated

Its been a tough week,  seems like my brain is full of my kung fu form and I have maxed out on space allocated or something like that.  The more I try and cram more moves in there the more mixed up it all gets.  Frustrating ... going to stop adding for a bit and work on improving what I do have written to the hard drive of my brain.   Need some time to process and defrag the space allocated.  Brandi (Sifu Beckett #1) is home for about 6 weeks pretty excited!

Stretching

I have been going to some of the martial arts fitness classes on Saturday and I got a low impact Pilates/Yoga workout DVD set for working out during the week.  Both of these have a stretching component and I can't believe what a difference it makes in how I feel after / between workouts.  I stand up straighter, walk differently and I feel GOOD (there is a song with this line).  I experience less sore muscles after a workout and seem to bounce back with more energy.  Its amazing the difference it makes to incorporate stretching into your life 3 times a week.  I am hooked on a feeling (there is a song with this line) and will keep stretching as an important part of my conditioning.

Yes I am weird!

While on the subject of songs ... for our demo how about 'Inner Ninga' by David Myles a little bit of rap but no bad words.

Version 1.0

My Horse Whisk form is at about 1/3 done ... this is a long form and I am constantly trying to remember the sequence.  Sifu M Beckett probably gets frustrated going over this again and again with me.  My process from the sword form is to name different sections.  For example the sword form had the intro, a basic, the kick/block/pose, the twizzler, the block/strike, a basic, the corkscrew and the finish.   So far the whisk form has the intro, the figure eight circle, bagua walk, unnamed section ... the bird, windmill left, strike right, double flick, twist behind back, I think its ...  the double swish with knee to the bird, lateral strike front and back and then the triple crouch but I could be wrong!  Some of these may be renamed as I learn more of the form and understand the application behind the form but its confusing already and I am only a third done.  I am seriously concerned I am not going to have the whole sequence by the end of March, and for sure I will be talking to myself while performing what I do have.

A rare and special sunday

This week I have a free sunday to blog, which for me is really unusual.  Normally I have my Mom and Aunt for dinner, possibly others as well, but my Mom really looks forward to busting out of the seniors apartment where she lives in Leduc. So normally I would have picked up my Mom after lunch, she would spend the day out here and then we would do a big family dinner.  At about this time I would be driving my Mom and / or aunt home to Leduc and /or Edmonton.  This week my brother and I took Mom out for dinner and visiting last night (saturday),  I was so tired from Martial Arts Fitness and open training that I really didn't want to go out anywhere ... however as my brother is rarely in town it wasn't something I could duck out of.   However today I am really glad as today I have a day to myself.   Its a bit of a treat,  Mel is good about letting me do my thing and letting me listen to my favorite music all day.   Dean had a project going with his motorcycle and essentially once I growled once or twice everyone left me alone.   Sometimes a person just needs some space to rest and recharge.   My hubby he is always okay with people around, drives me crazy sometimes, I am looking forward to putzing around in my garden and he is planning a barbeque with a minimum of  four people coming.  Its caused an argument or two in our 30 years together.   Today was wonderful, really I am not good at sitting around unless I have book in my hand, so putzing around the house today, cooking, cleaning my kitchen, doing some laundry, listening to my favorite music ... nothing urgent, it was awesome.  I had nothing to accomplish, did stuff just because I wanted to!

We were dropping off a table at my aunts place in Edmonton and on the way we were listening to the Nitty Gritty Dirt band CD and my and the girls favorite songs 'The house on Pooh Corner' came on.   Melanie and I know all the words so as normal we start singing along.     When the girls were little they would sing all the disney movie sound tracks to Dean and I in the car, it  was always such a treat ... I mean really they knew all the words for the Lion King. Today I got really choked up and could hardly keep from crying ... this past June I was terrified that my daughter might have some horrible disease / condition that would kill or permanently handicap her.  Would I ever hear her sing again ... it just hit me today and its impossible to explain how special it was at that moment that Melanie was in the truck and singing along to one of our favorite songs ... thank you God!

Mirrors

Started learning the horse whisk form, very exciting!  Working in front of the mirrors at the kwoon can be a bit grim,  what felt smooth and graceful while practising does not look like that in front of the mirrors ... yikes!!!   I look slow and lumbering, when I actually want to look cool and dangerous.  In my logical side I think ... okay you have only been at this form for a week, give yourself a break.   But my emotional side comes up with some very negative back talk and not just about my form but body image as well.

I want to use the mirrors as a tool to help me perfect my form but its hard not to be distracted by seeing EVERYTHING that I perceive as less than perfect.   Does everyone go through this mental exercise in front of a mirror.  I actually have to mentally drown out the negative body image rhetoric by focusing specifically and looking and asking myself are my feet or hands in the right positions, do I have my hips aligned correctly, are my shoulders in the right position in relation to my hips and so on.    Really what does my messy hair or body size have to do with my kung fu.   I need a new paradigm ...  one where I see a martial artist and focus on the skeletal alignment, stances and the flow of what I am doing and can turn off Terry on her personal channel listing all her imperfections.

Escrima sticks YouTube links and sites

Escrima sticks are being done by a number of people this year and I have been asked to provide some links on you tube (I did an escrima stick form a couple of years ago).   The terminology with this can be confusing, be aware that escrima sticks are also called kali , arnis, silat and the drills are called sinawali (weaving patterns) abaniko (blocking) drills,  also numerous striking patterns that have interesting names that involve heaven.  When doing searches use these types of terminology and you will get better results.  There are A LOT of stick fighting videos on you tube, in addition to the kali, arnis, silat and escrima there is irish, trinidad, zulu styles and the list goes on, if you are making your own forms you can have  fun looking at some of the other styles as well and pick out some cool stuff.    Trying to learn a escrima/arnis/kali stick form off you tube for single or double stick can be tough, most time the performances are so fast you can’t figure out what’s going on so I suggest learning basic striking patterns and drills first.

Not sure if you will be doing single or double stick forms  ...

The best sites for learning drills/patterns/footwork for double stick that I found are below:

do a search for sinawalli drills or kali sticks done by Stephen Mullins, he explains what's happening and goes through it slowly and there a numerous you tube videos, primitive but informative.

www.kalicenter.com    these guys have numerous videos you can find on you tube  for free , they  also have DVDs if you want to purchase them and below is the online school costs.

Kali Center Online School - Monthly Membership $12.99

Kali Center Online School - Yearly Membership $119

https://www.youtube.com/user/wmpyr  

showy but he can be tough to follow, he also has numerous you tube videos posted.

Below  are some great warm ups and  drills you need to know for doing double escrima stick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or72R0eyEZw&ab_channel=KaliCenter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ihl2oqqA8A&ab_channel=Trapona

Single stick drills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16myQqtAnJc&ab_channel=karatevideoguy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMWGz7Mi-QU&ab_channel=kifighting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQyPRiIiQ4w&ab_channel=kifighting

The biggest struggle I had was with the footwork, and I just couldn't wrap my brain around the way they were doing it so I stayed with the kung fu footwork and stances.  Later I discovered there are many schools of thought on stances with the escrima stick(s) so its kind of your choice. 

Good luck and remember to have fun with this ....

Slow transition

So my brother (who lives in china) sent me this picture, it summarizes the year of the sheep leaving and the year of the monkey entering.  Thought it was pretty cool.

I am getting nervous excited about the chinese new year celebration and our perfomances ... I know a lot of people are already practicing their new forms but my transition from sheep to monkey seems to be slower and I am still very focused on my sword form performance and the dragon dance.  Have not even picked up the horse whisk yet and don't feel comfortable shifting my attention to the new form until after Feb 20th.  

My ankle is holding up okay ... wearing the brace certainly helps, wrists and shoulders are taking a beating and its good we only have 10 days left before the performance and big wind up of the sheep year.  

Retrospective of 2015

I am not a person that spends a lot of time thinking about the past, or analysing why or why not this or that did or did not happen.  This year had some high points and one really, really low one.  Looking back the low one seems to overpower the high points ... this is why I would rather not think about it.  My coping mechanism for dealing with the bad stuff is fight the battle and then win or lose bury it and move on.   Does this always work? ... Nope, but sometimes these things need to compost for awhile before you can see the benefits.  When you are too close it stinks.  So in retrospect the year of the sheep had some real manure moments ha ha ha.  

So here is the summary of year of the sheep.

My numbers started off decent, then Melanie wound up in the hospital and from June to the end of August I did not log a single act of kindness or  any pushups, situps or my form reps, as I was mostly in a daze, and if I was kind to someone, or did some training it was done with little attention and no retention.

The last few months however have been awesome, not so much my stuff but the I Ho Chuan team, and my daughters recovery.  

A couple of things I learned and or had confirmed this year are;

Silent River Kung Fu Blackbelts and the I Ho Chuan members are spectacular people (already knew this and appreciate everything you have all done)

Life is NOT FAIR  (already knew this too, did not need a reminder)

I can't fix everything (new lesson ... I have been 'fixing' things for a long time and I am actually pretty good at it most of the time) But this GBS thing just came out of the blue and there wasn't a thing I could do to change it, nor could I really help through the first 3 months. I just had to stand and and watch my daughter suffer.

Not everyone wants me to fix things for them (knew this but forgot it while the girls were in china ... so far most people have been fine with my fixing their lives ... not Melanie ... her first words when she was little was 'me do it' and she still insists on 'fixing' her own stuff).  She lets me help sometimes out of pity for my need to do SOMETHING.

I can pull off some intense training when under pressure ... (knew this from blackbelt grading year ... needed to get my sword form at least into some kind of shape before the end of the year and I am content that this and dragon dance are two things I managed to achieve from my requirements.)

Patience (did not have it and still don't)  endurance that I have!

So there you have it