17th post

So the reminder on my desk top has been bugging me all day and I finally have a moment ... can't claim that I got much accomplished since my last post as the MOVE has been happening.  Worked all weekend and long hours for the past 10 days.  Have to get my requirements revised so I don't have time to share ... just glad the move is over.  Hope my team members managed to pull off a better kungfu week than me.

16th Post

So we are moving, not the house, the business, to a new location.  What chaos, but in a way kind of exciting.  We are  going to have so much room ... and because we bought this one we can redesign to suit our needs much better than a lease property.  The thing about moving is that you have to deal with all the junk that you have accumulated since the last move ... and when I am stressed out my solution is to re arrange the furniture (at home) some how it makes me feel better.  So purging out the junk that we have accumulated is a hassle and a relief, and I get to work out some serious stress by arranging furniture.  There are some metaphors in this that address emotional, spiritual movement as well which are very relevant to myself and probably many others.   I will let you figure out how it applies to you ...

Have good week

15th post

Things to keep track of ... government!

I subscribe to a newsletter from the David Suzuki Foundation.  They send me email newsletters with all kinds of cool information.  Some of the issues they track are very important to me ... human rights, the environment.  Its a great newsletter because some persons with more time and  access to information (than me) lets me know about the idiot things that various ruling bodies in the world are planning to do.  Now admittedly if you want to know these things you can do your own research, but the David Suzuki Foundation has not led me wrong so far.   I do care but I also have to work, eat, sleep, and study kungfu and the research is very complicated these days with all the information and mis-information that you have to sort thru ... so I get their newsletter. 

Apparently the canadian government is trying to wiggle out of its committments in regards to the Kyoto accord and is encouraging other countries to do the same.  I am not a happy camper and sent my email off to Ms. Ambrose.  Now whether you agree with the accord or not ... it certainly does not enchance our image with other countries to be thought of as the type of country that does not keep their word.  Secondly if the canadian goverment no longer thinks the accord is  effective/ equitable/ affordable ... then they have a responsibility to try for changes to make it effective/equitable/affordable.  That would be the mature and responsible way to handle this, five year olds are allowed to stomp off and sulk, not governments that have the responsibility of representing and doing its best for the people that put them in power.  Maybe they need a timeout in the corner to think about their behaviour.

If you are also interested check out the information below ...

David Suzuki Foundation 219-2211 West 4th Ave., Vancouver, BC, V6K 4S2 604-732-4228 | contact@davidsuzuki.org

14th Post

Hey the calendar reminder popup on my desktop works great ... its been bugging me since yesterday at 1 PM to get  my journalling completed.  Dosen't say much for my self discipline that I have to get my computer to nag me but it does bring it to the front of my mind during a busy work day. 

Hurt my back on November 12th while dancing with Dean.  I have gone to see the physio and of course it hurt like the dickens but it is starting to feel better.  On the bright side it actually hurts to sit for any period of time so although I'm not fast ... I am stretching, doing tai chi and other forms which helps loosen up my back. Kicks are low and slow but still they help rather than hinder at this point its just a matter of not doing things suddenly and stretching before I attempt anything.  One mistake was attempting to do the leap at the end of stick three,  jumping and twisting ... not quite there yet, otherwise all is good.

Talk to you all next week.

13th Post .... Very Very behind

So its Nov 15th of 2011 and I am so far behind on this requirement (blogging) its not even funny. However sifu says despite all that may have gone before ... finish strong. I will be putting on my desk (at work) electronic calendar to blog with a reminder set so I expect to do better. Ask me why I haven't done this before? I don't have any sensible response or good excuse. Fortunately I don't suck at everything I have put on my list of things to do. The girls on their blogs made us sound pretty spectacular for when we were visiting but hey we just wanted to spend time with our babies, experience their life a bit and have a good time ... nothing special from us required. I loved being with them and sharing the experience of living and training in china for a little while, they were great hosts and so was the school where they train. I caught up on my kicks and form repetitions while I was there big time ... wholly hannah those guys train hard. I was very sore.

Since I got home I have been doing okay at the maintenance of most of my requirements (excluding blogging) and swimming is again being reintroduced into my schedule. However a couple of things have fallen completely off the chart. First is Complete Master Gardner Workbook (Lakeland College)... paid my money ... did not complete.

Second was to Achieve (Silver 2) in Ball Room Dancing (Rumba, Cha Cha, Mambo, Samba, Tango, Waltz, Foxtrot, Swing) Dean and I worked very hard at it but did not pull it off. As KungFu & family takes priority I am have chosen to accept these losses and revamp for 2012 coming up.

Talk to you all next week.

12th Post Waxing Philosophical

So when I tried to contact the girls last week I could not get thru (this problem has been resolved their schools server was down) I went out to Brandi's blog to see if I could find out anything and I started reading. I haven't been to her site in a while and after reading several weeks worth of blogs it made me very aware of how kung fu and especially Silent River (Sifu Brinker, Sifu Frietag etc.) have had a huge influence on her ... not just the physical aspects (learning the techniques and forms) but the internal side of martial arts as well... the stuff that builds character. That is one awesome young lady ... personal prejudice aside. I remember when I started looking for a martial arts program for the girls and the very 1st class that we went to see. Sifu Brinker came over and introduced himself and then essentially just ignored me (the mother who would be paying for the classes) and focused on the girls. He interviewed them as much as we were checking out the school and he did not try to SELL any of us the program. I as a cynical parent was very much impressed. He answered all their questions and by the time we drove home it was decided that this was the SCHOOL no one else even came close. It turned out obviously (both girls in china studying kung fu) to be the best decision we ever made and all of us have benefited in so many ways that I could write a book about it. So, in turn, I am very proud of both my daughters and their goal to start their own school ... they will be the ones inspiring other people to engage in a new way of living. One that helps these new practictioners evolve, physically, emotionally and spiritually (religion aside) to fulfill their own potential in many areas of thier lives. Wow! Its a priviledge to have been one of the parents of such awesome people ... and thank you to Silent River Kung Fu and its very inspiring leadership.

11th Post

Back from holidays in Vancouver ... had a really good time hanging out with my sister and her 8 month old baby Nova who is trying to walk. Its scary watching her try to balance. Something that babys do really well is live in the moment ... its neat to watch because they live totally in the NOW. They don't seem to remember that 5 minutes ago they fell over and cried, they try to stand again, they don't worry about falling again ... they just keep going. Not a bad attitude to have ... most adults fall (fail) and we start worrying about everything that could go wrong, anticipating problems and visualizing failure. It would be good if we could just erase all that emotional baggage, learn, and move on. Its an area where I could use some work. So my goal for July is to be more like my 8 month old niece and be more in the now and shed some of the garbage that I carry around that holds me back.

Terry Beckett