A weird thing just happened. I opened my blog page to discover that I had written something that I've never actually seen before... then I realized that my sister had somehow posted the blog she had written on my blog. How do her and I end up doing these things to each other?
Anyways.. Pandamonium. It was amazing. Tiring. But honestly so fun. The bottoms of my feet were actually a little bit sore by the end of the day from landing over and over in the dunk tank. I was lucky enough to have skipped all the ice additions though. Good timing.
I know we didn't raise nearly as much for funds as we were hoping. I, of course, haven't actually handed mine in yet, and will do so tonight. Hopefully I'll feel a little bit better about it. I didn't fund raise as much as I could have definitely, but I do have a couple of family members that really threw in to support us all. And I couldn't be more thankful to have wonderful people like them in my life.
This is my first pandamonium. I've never been a part of it before, and although it was tired, I felt fantastic the next day, and I'm sorry that I'm going to miss next year. We'll see how it goes. Next up, farmer days.
Thursday, 28 May 2015
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
The Roundhouse - My Nemesis
First I want to start with this... Thank you to everyone who reads my blog, and who thinks of me when I'm having a hard time, and who takes the time to give me feedback. I really appreciate it. I feel the love.
So this weekend was an amazing one. I've never started out the week feeling so recharged. Not necessarily rested, because I felt like my weekend was packed!
Firstly, Tai Chi class. Man, I know so little about yang style, and honestly my intention is not to learn the entire long form, but the way Sifu Dennis breaks down the movements makes me think so much about my own movements. I start getting on a roll thinking how do I shift my weight here? Am I moving in this vector or in that vector? I'm lucky enough to have a background so I can learn the movements fairly quickly, but then spend the rest of the class breaking everything down. Awesome!
Move on to fitness class. The roundhouse is my nemesis. I really struggle pulling my hip back when I'm in the three point position. I've always had stiff hips (I know that sounds crazy) but I've worked really hard to get where I'm at, but the roundhouse it always comes back to that one position. Anyways, I was gifted with the opportunity to work on only roundhouse kicks for an entire hour. Best class ever! I felt like I made some serious progress. And I was lucky enough to have my mom join us for her first class. Made it even better!
Spending pretty much my entire morning/afternoon at the kwoon was great. I love being part of the school. There were so many people that came out for the cleanup, and so much was accomplished. Jobs like that always leave me feeling pumped. I can't wait for pandamonium! The meeting was great, it felt like people were really on board with the prep work and although I think Mr. Smid probably felt like he was in group therapy, I hope that sharing our experiences will help him figure things out for himself.
Went out for Mexican with my family and some other relatives. So good. Probably one of my favourite types of food. I mean who doesn't love chips, salsa and guacamole!
Sunday was also pretty full. My sister and I got up and made scones for my mom for Mother's Day. Bacon/Maple and Maple/Currant. Yummy. Best mom ever! Although I think most people say that about their moms.
Then I had my first motorcycle lesson! I don't wanna sound like I'm bragging, but between my dad and my new found (very patient) teacher, I think I'm gonna have no problem figuring this thing out!
Sunday afternoon my grandma came over for dinner. So we barbecued fish, and it was really nice to spend the afternoon sitting outside on our back deck.
I cleaned my room, and washed all my sheets, and I was so content and exhausted by the time I crawled into my nice fresh smelling bed, I slept like a log. It was fantastic. That was a long one.. thanks for reading. Ha!
So this weekend was an amazing one. I've never started out the week feeling so recharged. Not necessarily rested, because I felt like my weekend was packed!
Firstly, Tai Chi class. Man, I know so little about yang style, and honestly my intention is not to learn the entire long form, but the way Sifu Dennis breaks down the movements makes me think so much about my own movements. I start getting on a roll thinking how do I shift my weight here? Am I moving in this vector or in that vector? I'm lucky enough to have a background so I can learn the movements fairly quickly, but then spend the rest of the class breaking everything down. Awesome!
Move on to fitness class. The roundhouse is my nemesis. I really struggle pulling my hip back when I'm in the three point position. I've always had stiff hips (I know that sounds crazy) but I've worked really hard to get where I'm at, but the roundhouse it always comes back to that one position. Anyways, I was gifted with the opportunity to work on only roundhouse kicks for an entire hour. Best class ever! I felt like I made some serious progress. And I was lucky enough to have my mom join us for her first class. Made it even better!
Spending pretty much my entire morning/afternoon at the kwoon was great. I love being part of the school. There were so many people that came out for the cleanup, and so much was accomplished. Jobs like that always leave me feeling pumped. I can't wait for pandamonium! The meeting was great, it felt like people were really on board with the prep work and although I think Mr. Smid probably felt like he was in group therapy, I hope that sharing our experiences will help him figure things out for himself.
Went out for Mexican with my family and some other relatives. So good. Probably one of my favourite types of food. I mean who doesn't love chips, salsa and guacamole!
Sunday was also pretty full. My sister and I got up and made scones for my mom for Mother's Day. Bacon/Maple and Maple/Currant. Yummy. Best mom ever! Although I think most people say that about their moms.
Then I had my first motorcycle lesson! I don't wanna sound like I'm bragging, but between my dad and my new found (very patient) teacher, I think I'm gonna have no problem figuring this thing out!
Sunday afternoon my grandma came over for dinner. So we barbecued fish, and it was really nice to spend the afternoon sitting outside on our back deck.
I cleaned my room, and washed all my sheets, and I was so content and exhausted by the time I crawled into my nice fresh smelling bed, I slept like a log. It was fantastic. That was a long one.. thanks for reading. Ha!
Monday, 4 May 2015
Cleanup
So I've had a tough week and a half or so. This is going to sound like such a silly post. But here's the truth.
I got really depressed after we cleaned up Rotary Park. Yeah, I know that's like the opposite of what's supposed to happen. I started off like yeah, we're gonna clean up the park and make a difference, and I left thinking, if this is just the small amount of litter that people don't throw in the bin, imagine the amount of waste we're making on a regular basis.
I already think about this daily. Every time I'm shopping I think about the packaging of the things I'm buying. I stopped (mostly) buying any sort of processed foods for this reason, when I was living in China. While I was there, I wrote a blog about how I wasn't sure that putting garbage in the landfill was a better idea than just throwing it out the door. At least then you're forced to look at and deal with your garbage. Their gardens are full of plastic bags, and their rivers and streams have trash everywhere. It's really sad to see.
When we were in Alabama we met Julia Butterfly Hill, and she reminded me of myself. Not because I've ever done anything as epic as living in a tree for two years, but because she was very honest about how she has to deal with her own cynicism when she looks at all the poor decisions we make as a culture, and the repercussions of those decisions. And how it seems like we haven't learned anything from the mistakes that we've made over, and over again.
I had a conversation with one of my coworkers that brought me literally to tears. He just repeatedly stated that the choices that one person makes, doesn't make any difference in the scheme of things. Accused me of being sentimental, and it broke me up a little. He's only 10 years older than I am. Why does he feel that way? Do the things I do really make a difference or do I just tell myself that they do so I'm not constantly depressed about it. I try to see the small changes, the choices that people make daily that make even a little bit of difference. Am I sentimental like he says? Or is he the one that's totally cynical?
Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to be surrounded by the people I have in my life.
I got really depressed after we cleaned up Rotary Park. Yeah, I know that's like the opposite of what's supposed to happen. I started off like yeah, we're gonna clean up the park and make a difference, and I left thinking, if this is just the small amount of litter that people don't throw in the bin, imagine the amount of waste we're making on a regular basis.
I already think about this daily. Every time I'm shopping I think about the packaging of the things I'm buying. I stopped (mostly) buying any sort of processed foods for this reason, when I was living in China. While I was there, I wrote a blog about how I wasn't sure that putting garbage in the landfill was a better idea than just throwing it out the door. At least then you're forced to look at and deal with your garbage. Their gardens are full of plastic bags, and their rivers and streams have trash everywhere. It's really sad to see.
When we were in Alabama we met Julia Butterfly Hill, and she reminded me of myself. Not because I've ever done anything as epic as living in a tree for two years, but because she was very honest about how she has to deal with her own cynicism when she looks at all the poor decisions we make as a culture, and the repercussions of those decisions. And how it seems like we haven't learned anything from the mistakes that we've made over, and over again.
I had a conversation with one of my coworkers that brought me literally to tears. He just repeatedly stated that the choices that one person makes, doesn't make any difference in the scheme of things. Accused me of being sentimental, and it broke me up a little. He's only 10 years older than I am. Why does he feel that way? Do the things I do really make a difference or do I just tell myself that they do so I'm not constantly depressed about it. I try to see the small changes, the choices that people make daily that make even a little bit of difference. Am I sentimental like he says? Or is he the one that's totally cynical?
Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to be surrounded by the people I have in my life.
Wednesday, 15 April 2015
Erasing the Lines
I had the opportunity to meet so many people over the past week in Alabama. And trust me when I say, that I came back a different person than when I left.
I wanted to write a post about Keshia Thomas. What an amazing woman! I was humbled by her presence. By having her work beside us, share our meals with us, and just generally share her stories with us. So, I'm sure some people don't know who she is, but she's got a very inspiring story and it's definitely worth a read. But I don't want to write her story here. What I really wanted to write about was how she impacted me.
I think we've all experienced racism in some form. Whether it's just witnessing it, taking part in it, or being a victim of it. Even on our trip back, in the L.A airport, I was exposed to racism on a bus.
On Saturday, our last day together, we all traveled to Selma, Alabama. We walked over the Edmund Pettus bridge together that crosses from Selma to Montgomery. Keshia was talking with a group of people before we crossed the bridge, asking questions about what everyone knew about it's significance. Someone asked her the question, "I'm white, what can I do to help fight racism?". Her response really inspired thought in me.
She said, "Let's not talk about black and white. Racism is not a black peoples' problem, it's everybody's problem".
It got me thinking about a lot of different conflicts. Wars, terrorism, murder, rape. I started thinking about rape culture, and how so much of it is directed towards women. Women's self defense, women's support groups. Where are the men involved? Where's the education? This is a societal issue, not a women's issue, and we don't talk about it enough. I've been thinking about wars that are fought between religions. They are just perpetuating the ideas that we are somehow different from each other. That our belief in a god, or our disbelief, or our culture or colour somehow makes segregation and violence acceptable. All over the world societies draw lines. We draw lines between race, between religion, between age, between gender. We even draw lines that separate us from our environment. These things we take advantage of every day.
These are the ideas that we use to justify wars, and violence. I'm no more different from someone that is Buddhist, than I am from someone that is African. I'm am not entitled to more or less because of the colour of my skin, or my religion. Everything and everyone deserves to be treated with the same respect and compassion, and until we learn that, we're not true martial artists. Because what does kung fu teach us? We really need to ask ourselves that question.
I wanted to write a post about Keshia Thomas. What an amazing woman! I was humbled by her presence. By having her work beside us, share our meals with us, and just generally share her stories with us. So, I'm sure some people don't know who she is, but she's got a very inspiring story and it's definitely worth a read. But I don't want to write her story here. What I really wanted to write about was how she impacted me.
I think we've all experienced racism in some form. Whether it's just witnessing it, taking part in it, or being a victim of it. Even on our trip back, in the L.A airport, I was exposed to racism on a bus.
On Saturday, our last day together, we all traveled to Selma, Alabama. We walked over the Edmund Pettus bridge together that crosses from Selma to Montgomery. Keshia was talking with a group of people before we crossed the bridge, asking questions about what everyone knew about it's significance. Someone asked her the question, "I'm white, what can I do to help fight racism?". Her response really inspired thought in me.
She said, "Let's not talk about black and white. Racism is not a black peoples' problem, it's everybody's problem".
It got me thinking about a lot of different conflicts. Wars, terrorism, murder, rape. I started thinking about rape culture, and how so much of it is directed towards women. Women's self defense, women's support groups. Where are the men involved? Where's the education? This is a societal issue, not a women's issue, and we don't talk about it enough. I've been thinking about wars that are fought between religions. They are just perpetuating the ideas that we are somehow different from each other. That our belief in a god, or our disbelief, or our culture or colour somehow makes segregation and violence acceptable. All over the world societies draw lines. We draw lines between race, between religion, between age, between gender. We even draw lines that separate us from our environment. These things we take advantage of every day.
These are the ideas that we use to justify wars, and violence. I'm no more different from someone that is Buddhist, than I am from someone that is African. I'm am not entitled to more or less because of the colour of my skin, or my religion. Everything and everyone deserves to be treated with the same respect and compassion, and until we learn that, we're not true martial artists. Because what does kung fu teach us? We really need to ask ourselves that question.
Thursday, 2 April 2015
A Team
I have the tendency to be kind of stupidly independent. Sometimes, it's just silly how much I try to do on my own. But I love the feeling of "independence". Even if a lot of times it is an illusion.
So I had a great moment last night where Sifu Langner and I were talking about our inconsistent blogging so far this year. So I started teasing him and he teased me back. We both admitted to ourselves, and to each other, that it was something that we just needed to do. You can make all the excuses in the world, but if you don't change anything, then you don't accomplish anything.
So this morning, I signed into google plus, and I saw that he had blogged. Which feels great, and in turn, inspires me to blog. And this is when I was reminded about how great it is to be part of a team. Of course, there's many examples of this every time we train together, but it's good that you can have someone else out there that's in the same space as you mentally, and you can help motivate one another. Awesome!
I'm really nervous and excited about Alabama. I've never been somewhere like it, it will be an amazing experience I'm sure. And I'm also really excited about the fellow students I'm going to be travelling with. If anyone had seen what we were like just trying to figure out our flights, they would know that this is gonna be a very interesting trip.
So I had a great moment last night where Sifu Langner and I were talking about our inconsistent blogging so far this year. So I started teasing him and he teased me back. We both admitted to ourselves, and to each other, that it was something that we just needed to do. You can make all the excuses in the world, but if you don't change anything, then you don't accomplish anything.
So this morning, I signed into google plus, and I saw that he had blogged. Which feels great, and in turn, inspires me to blog. And this is when I was reminded about how great it is to be part of a team. Of course, there's many examples of this every time we train together, but it's good that you can have someone else out there that's in the same space as you mentally, and you can help motivate one another. Awesome!
I'm really nervous and excited about Alabama. I've never been somewhere like it, it will be an amazing experience I'm sure. And I'm also really excited about the fellow students I'm going to be travelling with. If anyone had seen what we were like just trying to figure out our flights, they would know that this is gonna be a very interesting trip.
Monday, 23 March 2015
Stress
My mind has been kind of all over the place the last couple of weeks. I was doing well with my numbers, and then I got sick, AGAIN! Ugh. I know why, I try to do too much sometimes. Then I follow that generally by burning out. But the funny thing is, as busy as I am sometimes, I still feel like I've got a better mental state than the majority of my friends.
I had the opportunity this week to meet up with several of my friends that I haven't seen in a long time. A couple of them, I haven't seen in more than 5 years. One, since the Christmas before last. Sometimes I become really wrapped up in my training, And I forget that I have a life outside of kung fu.
It was really frightening to me, to hear some of their stories about their lives recently. One friend, has been so stressed that she wakes up with clumps of hair in her hands. Two of my other friends were discussing how they've recently started to have panic attacks. What is going on?!? We're young, mostly with little responsibility. None of us have children. We all have a pretty good quality of living. I mentioned this to Brandi and she said several of her friends are also on anti-anxiety medications.
I understand stress. I've had plenty of stress in the last however many years, but I also spent a lot of my time in China learning to deal with stress. Practicing Qi Gong, Tai Ji, meditation. These are all tools that I don't even realize I'm using a lot of the time. It's sad for me to see people every day, who are totally unable to unplug themselves, and just relax. The stuff that they have, and the things that they do that are supposed to be making them happy, are really just adding weight onto their shoulders. And they can't even see it.
It makes me really appreciate the opportunity I had living in China. I learned how to be happy without 'things' and to really cherish the few luxuries I was allowed. I watched a great Ted Talk about happiness. Got me thinking....
http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy?language=en
I had the opportunity this week to meet up with several of my friends that I haven't seen in a long time. A couple of them, I haven't seen in more than 5 years. One, since the Christmas before last. Sometimes I become really wrapped up in my training, And I forget that I have a life outside of kung fu.
It was really frightening to me, to hear some of their stories about their lives recently. One friend, has been so stressed that she wakes up with clumps of hair in her hands. Two of my other friends were discussing how they've recently started to have panic attacks. What is going on?!? We're young, mostly with little responsibility. None of us have children. We all have a pretty good quality of living. I mentioned this to Brandi and she said several of her friends are also on anti-anxiety medications.
I understand stress. I've had plenty of stress in the last however many years, but I also spent a lot of my time in China learning to deal with stress. Practicing Qi Gong, Tai Ji, meditation. These are all tools that I don't even realize I'm using a lot of the time. It's sad for me to see people every day, who are totally unable to unplug themselves, and just relax. The stuff that they have, and the things that they do that are supposed to be making them happy, are really just adding weight onto their shoulders. And they can't even see it.
It makes me really appreciate the opportunity I had living in China. I learned how to be happy without 'things' and to really cherish the few luxuries I was allowed. I watched a great Ted Talk about happiness. Got me thinking....
http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy?language=en
Monday, 2 March 2015
Stereotyping
About a month ago, I was invited to a management training course to represent someone from generation Y. It was incredible to me as we examined stereotypes given to the different generations in the workforce, how unaware I was of the fact that I too was constantly unconsciously stereotyping others, and being stereotyped by them. Becoming aware of this in just one aspect of my life, really opened the flood gates for me. I started to become aware of all of the judgments I was making on a daily basis and how it was affecting my interactions with other people. I always considered myself open minded, but I realized that in some situations, I`m unaware of the snap categorizations I make.
As many people have heard I`m sure, Leonard Nimoy passed away last week. I read this old letter that he wrote, and it`s incredible how he`s taken a role that he played, and shared the thoughts of the character to make him relate-able to so many people. I`d like to share it with you. It`s something I intend to keep reading for a long time. Live long and prosper.
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