Live Forever or Die in the Attempt

Gym

2012-02-07T21:25:00.003-07:00

I took the first step towards one of my requirements tonight. One of my personal goals for the IHC this year is to supplement my training by going to the gym at least 100 times this year. Tonight I visited Grant MacEwen and signed up for a membership. Cardio equipment at the gym will be one of my biggest resources for the 1000 mile journey.

It's my first time seeing their facilities and I like the look of things. My membership gives me access to the usual fitness equipment as well as a pool, gymnasium and squash courts. The squash courts are the biggest bonus for me because I love the sport and it is absolutely fantastic for the body. I think I read somewhere that it's the healthiest sport around because it burns a ton of calories, increases coordination and dexterity. I will definitely be counting squash games towards km's. Now I just need to find people to play against...

When I say I want the gym to supplement my training I mean I'm going there for very specific reasons, mostly strength training and cardio. Obviously I prefer Kung Fu to be my primary source of exercise. I also don't want to bulk up like a gorilla and lose what flexibility I have. I'm going to have to come up with a dynamic workout routine and really focus on stretching more. My flexibility needs lots of work, especially in my hamstrings. I'm starting to suspect that many of my issues with certain techniques and forms can be traced to the tightness in the back of my legs, mostly around the calves.

I've never liked gyms to be honest and I get bored easily unless I am doing some sort of activity. That's why I've always played sports and been outdoorsy! You get exercise AND entertainment.

Ouch

2012-02-05T10:39:00.002-07:00

So far its been a bit of a slow start in a few areas. My body isn't what it used to be so my fitness level will be an obstacle for awhile. Last weekend after the banquet I did a few hundred situps/pushups as well as some weight training. As a result I was so sore for the next few days that I couldn't even think of doing another pushup.

All the pullups in the black belt class paired with a little kwan dao training killed my biceps. I woke up this morning to the aching itch in my arms. So it looks like I'll be slowly increasing my numbers as my strength and stamina increase. I can already see the results!

After the Banquet

2012-01-29T20:47:00.002-07:00

Last night was absolutely fantastic! I missed last years banquet and I had almost forgotten how fun it is to be part the most important day of the Kung Fu year. It was inspiring to see everyone working together so well. Congratulations again to everyone promoted! I hope to be up there next year. As part of the I Ho Chuan I'll be working on my second degree requirements all year.

Still inspired from yesterday I've spent my lazy Sunday doing pushups/situps and contemplating all things Kung Fu.

Hello World! I'm Back!

2012-01-25T20:45:00.005-07:00

This blog has grown a bit dusty. I can't believe my last post was over a year ago! As depressing as that is I'm even happier to be back! It's a new year and I've signed myself up for the ultimate resolution. I will be taking part in Silent River Kung Fu's newly revamped, UBBT inspired, I Ho Chuan class! That means I'll be working hard all year honing my mind, body and soul so that I may emerge as an improved human for 2013.

My mind's been getting more of a workout than my body these days, busy running the counter at Cafe Me while my soul makes the rounds serving customers with a bit more indifference than he should. Body is in the back, asleep, on a pile of neglected routines.

This is going to be a challenging year. I expect the beginning to be brutal but things should get easier once I hit my stride. Getting started I may need help with motivation and inspiration until I become self sustaining. Fellow teammates: feel free to chastise me if I'm dragging my feet.

Good to see you all again. You all look lovely.

Finally Finals

2010-12-20T17:40:00.002-07:00

My last two exams are tomorrow! I've been studying like crazy the past couple weeks. It's going to feel strange being done. I haven't been thinking of anything but exams, I don't even know what I'm going to do during the break. Maybe buy a car if I have the cash, I'll have to do a financial check on myself. TOMORROW IM DONE WEEEEE! I may in fact drink myself into a stupor tomorrow night.

The Dusty Road

2010-12-06T22:48:00.003-07:00

I'm sad to see that it's been almost seven months since I posted anythign here. I have no excuses. For some reason I just haven't and I certainly could have. I feel like I haven't had anythign to talk about for ages. Maybe it has something to do the fact that I feel a little embarassed and ashamed with the way things have gone lately. Anyways, here I am, I'll see if i can get back into the habit.

Here's what I've been up to. School. That's it. For the past few months I have been at school for 10 -14 hours almost everyday. Even for 3-4 hours on weekends. When I'm not at school I'm usually working on homwork or procrastinating because I don't feel like fighting with the buses. No vehicle at all anymore so I'm taking the bus everywhere. It sucks. Easily slashes two hours off the day. At first I never got around to buying a car because I didn't have time to look for one. Now I don't think I have the time OR money. I'm broke. The ammount of work I've had to do lately is absolutly rediculous. I swear my program has got to be the only one at NAIT where you can regularily find our entire class staying untill 8pm.

I haven't trained in a few months and as such I believe I'm in the worst shape I've ever been in. When I'm not working on school stuff I spend my free time feeling burnt out, sleeping, vegetating, playing video games or hanging our with friends. I don't even try to make plans for anything anymore. Not much of a social life lately.

This all sounds depressing I'm sure but I still don't want give the impression all is dark and dreary. I do enjoy much of the stuff I'm learning, some of it I'm quite good at, some of it not. I'm happy to almost be done. I'll be in a fantastic position when I can graduate (oh god don't fail) and shouldn't have to worry about careers/cash so much. The thrashing my life has taken is a necessary sacrifice and I don't regret it. Unfortunatly it's only natural that not being around anywhere/contributing to anything must lessen others opionions of me. It really hurts letting people down and loosing prestige. Although I don't feel like apologizing too much. This is the way it has to be... for now. C'est la vie.

As for how long things will continue to go the way they are now? I can't say therefore I won't even guess. Meanwhile I will try to get back to journaling, I'm sure it's good for me. Sorry, I won't have anything interesting to write about. I think I might talk about school and some things no one will understand or care about. I eagerly, with great anticipation, await, can't wait and look forward to Christmas break.

Bleaching my Blue Collar

2010-05-10T17:17:00.001-06:00

So last week was the first week of my new job. I’m working for a utility company called Fortis, in the distribution design department. Basically I’m designing power lines. I’m not going to go into the specifics, it gets pretty technical, but it involves a lot of electrical/civil engineering with just a dash of programming. By the end of it I should be an Excel master and have my bible memorized. My bible is a four inch binder full everything you could ever put on a power pole (or underground).

So far so good. I am really enjoying it. I’ve never had to use my brain so much at work, the first week was just an overwhelming amount of information being thrown at me. Hopefully most of it will stick. I started my very first project today with only an hour to work on it and I almost wish I could have stayed later to make some progress. It took me an hour just to get all the plans printed and survey files opened. It turns out that my surveying experience will actually really come in handy since we have surveyors working for us to physically lay out the lines.

It is my first desk job, I was a bit uneasy going into it but I’m beginning to get comfortable. I will miss the exercise of working outside but at least I’ll be out in the field now and then.

Summer

2010-04-25T22:59:00.000-06:00

My first final exam is tomorrow. I have one every day this week except Friday, then I’m done for the summer. I am very eager to be finished and becoming antsy with how soon it will be. This summer should be fantastic; I plan on really living it up. I’m tired of sitting on my butt looking at text books. I never thought I’d ever be so eager to be working again but I’m really looking forward to starting my new job. I feel like I’ve been in an endless slump and I hope this summer will finally bring me out of it, school really does bring out the worst in me.

None like it Hot!

2010-04-13T18:38:00.001-06:00

I was listening to the radio the other day and someone was arguing about whether or not global warming exists. While listening I came to a new opinion on the whole issue. My new opinion is that, in a way, it’s a moot argument. There is the constant battle between people who believe in global warming and those who believe it’s all just a natural cycle of the planet. Regardless of which side you are on I think everyone can agree that climate change exists. There is no denying the rapid changes our planet has been going through.

So, now accepting climate change as an ongoing fact of life, regardless of the source, let’s look at what those two sides are arguing for. Keep in mind these are just my opinions. The side that believes climate change is a natural cycle of the planet is fighting for... nothing. They believe our pollution is not the cause of our warming the planet. I think their general attitude is that we shouldn’t worry so much. That continuing on as we are now isn’t that bad as we think. These arguments seem to pop up often as a defence after someone being accused of environmental irresponsibility.

Now the side of those whole believe in global warming. These people tend to believe we are being environmentally irresponsible is some matter. These people often fight for environmental change and use the idea of global warming to support their actions. They are fighting for less pollution and a more sustainable way of life. Their general attitude is that if we don’t start changing our ways we could potentially destroy the planet and wipe ourselves out.

Now let’s look at a few facts. Pollution is bad. More and more species of animals are going extinct. We continue to destroy the environments of other livings things, burn forests and pump toxins into the air and water. Fresh water is becoming alarmingly scarce and will likely become as valuable as oil. This water isn’t vanishing, it’s still out there but it’s becoming contaminated to the point where it isn’t usable. We continue to burn through natural resources at an alarming rate and we WILL eventually run out. The world is not living in a sustainable fashion. How long until tuna fish is but a memory? All in all, the world is acting in an irresponsible manner, like a man throwing all his wood on the fire at once. The bright light and heat of a bonfire may be glorious but once it dies out and he finds himself without fuel, he’s forced to suffer through a very cold night.

The things I mentioned aren’t secret, everyone can see them. They are happening and have logically negative consequences! The proof is irrefutable. So regardless of which side you are on. Whether or not you believe we humans are heating the planet, why wouldn’t you support change towards a sustainable way of life? Does it make sense to sit back and continue burning the world thinking everything will be just fine? Shouldn’t we be trying to fix our problems? Maybe we shouldn’t focus so much on arguing about whether global warming exists and focus more on the simpler problems that obviously exist

Weiner

2010-03-19T21:03:00.000-06:00

I was driving home tonight after Kung Fu when just a few blocks from home I almost ran over a wiener dog. I stopped for him to cross the street and was surprised to see him wander up to my car instead of running away. Guessing that this dog might be lacking a few brains I got out of the car to check him for tags. As I excited my car he promptly rolled over for a belly rub in the middle of the street.

Luckily he did have tags so I called the owner. I got voicemail and decided to bring him home with me instead of letting him wander around lost. Luckily the owner called me back fairly soon, happy to know I found him safe, and came to pick him up. I played with him for a bit while I waited...he really likes belly rubs. The owner thanked me profusely and asked me about my uniform (I was still in uniform from kung fu) so I talked about Kung Fu for a bit. She thought it sounded pretty cool; maybe we’ll have a new Kung Fu student somewhere in Edmonton.

I feel pretty good right now, what a pleasant way to start off my night. I look forward to my roommate coming home and being puzzled by the muddy paw prints in the kitchen.

Darn

2010-03-11T22:42:00.000-07:00

Turns out I didn’t get that job I wanted. It went to the most unlikely candidate actually, leaving me utterly perplexed. Darn. Well it looks like I have a lot more work cut out for me. I’m going to have to look into some other options, throw some resumes around and hope to get lucky.

In good news I’ve made some progress on the tiger form. I have a few moves down and some good ideas. Picking a theme and getting the general outline done was the hardest part. Now I just have to transfer vague images in my head into precise bodily movements. As Sifu Brinker put it, as I explained what I wanted, it will be a slinky form. I want the form to be consistently fluctuating from close range, tight moves and exploding outwards for long strikes. Of course I’m going to try to be as feral as possible. Let me know if my eyes have too much dragon in them.

Hire Me

2010-03-08T23:12:00.001-07:00

It’s that time of year where students scramble to find decent summer jobs, before summer sneaks up and it’s too late. It’s a bit awkward for us first year students trying to get jobs in our field, were all a little half-baked. Half of a program doesn’t mean a whole lot; most people don’t have much experience or skills to bring to the table. A summer job is more like a four month interview; you try not to make an idiot of yourself so they’ll consider hiring you when you’re actually useful to them.

I’m doing my share of scrambling. I turned down a job with ATCO because I don’t want to spend my summer in Grand Prairie. I had a job interview with Suncor last week and I’m really hoping to get it. I’d be working at what used to be the Petro Canada refinery near Sherwood Park. I would be working with a team of electrical techs making sure everything electrical in the plant is working and fixing anything that breaks. Myself and six other guys in the program are fighting over a single opening.

I think the interview went very well; I like to think I’m good at making an impression. I believe I have a good shot at getting it... I should know very soon if I did, maybe even tomorrow. I like to think my resume looks good, partly because I put Kung Fu related things on it. For instance I put down how I’m a black belt and martial arts instructor which demonstrates strong leadership. I even put down my participation in the UBBT programs which I threw down under the title of “Lifestyle Challenges”. I was hoping my interviewer would ask about them actually, he didn’t though, unfortunately, and the opportunity to talk about it didn’t really come up.

I did surprise myself a little when they were asking aptitude questions. One of the interviewers asked me to give an example of a time I had put in allot of effort into completing a large project. The first thing that popped into my head was the 1000 push-ups/sit-ups challenge we do on New Year’s Day. I explained how those participating don’t need to; we do it to challenge ourselves, to push our limits and try to do accomplish a simple goal that many would write off as unattainable. I told them how I set my mind on doing it. How even though I had a late start and was admittedly a bit hung-over, I set my goal, strategized how to get there, and kept with it. Even if I was still doing push-ups up till 11:00 o’clock at night it was all worth it just to get there.

So I used push-ups as an answer to a job interview question. I think I even managed to do it without sounding silly. How cool is that? I wait anxiously to hear from them, if I don’t get it I’ll have to get back to scrambling.

Respite

2010-02-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

Reading week is over; yesterday was my first day back in school after having the week off. I really enjoyed the time off, I was feeling very stressed coming up to the break. A large load is off my back, one round of exams over, and a few big projects finished. It feels good to have a mini restart in the same semester. Reading week is there for a good reason.

In other good news, I bought a car during the break. So things should finally get back to normal and I’ll be able to make it out to Kung Fu again. I was back on Friday and Monday and it felt fantastic. Practicing Me long koon again (I have no idea how to spell that properly) made me feel like a super hero. It’s fantastic being able to get around again.

I’ve been thinking a lot about creating a hand form lately. So for my next project, which I plan on starting right away, I’m going to create a tiger style form. I have some ideas already and talked to Sifu Brinker about what goes into a good form. Creating a hand form has always scared me a bit since it’s easier to screw up then a weapons form. I have an idea of what I should be aiming for, now I just need to make a good outline. It being the year of the tiger I couldn’t have better timing on this one.

Under Pressure

2010-02-01T22:40:00.001-07:00

I am really starting to feel the pressure of this semester. I got home today at 5:30, after 8 hours of classes, ate, goofed off for an hour and then did 3 hours of homework. If I go to bed now I might get eight hours of sleep for a change. I should be doing this every day of the week to stay on top of all my classes. There is just an insane amount of work to do if I want to do well. I don’t even think I have enough spare time to do all the work I should be doing, it becomes a matter of choosing what things to let slide.

I HATE not having any spare time or that constant nagging feeling of things I should be doing. This is why I don’t really like school, or at least, the fast paced programs like the one I’m in. I’m trying to get into the routine of doing more homework daily but it really doesn’t leave much time for anything else. My workout routine is definitely suffering. I am going to try to make my daily routine into a rotation of homework and physical activity. Ideally my life should be nothing but books and pushups but dammit that’s hard to keep up and enjoy. I can feel my life getting sucked out of me, stupid tests destroying my drive...why I ought a...

I Love the Smell of Pine

2010-01-27T19:35:00.001-07:00

I’m really starting to feel cooped up these days. School is back in full swing and I’m hitting the books hard again. Plus I haven’t been to Kung Fu in forever; I’m starting to feel so very far behind. I miss the freedom of being able to go wherever whenever I please.

I’m going ice climbing in Jasper this weekend with friends. I’ve been looking forward to it, I haven’t been to the mountains in awhile. The fresh air will do me good... and the adrenaline too. I can’t wait to get out.

Smelling Roses

2010-01-19T21:15:00.001-07:00

A couple of days ago, while walking the last few blocks home after getting off the bus, I picked up a Tim Hortons cup lying on the sidewalk. Now, I have to admit, I usually don’t make a point of picking up litter while roaming about. Something about the cup at the time really stood out and I couldn’t leave it sitting there. After throwing it out I realized I’d done it instinctively, I just did it, without thinking... how cool is that? So I savoured that brief moment in time, delighted with my ability to recognize my attitude is more forward than backward. My mentality is steadily (albeit slowly) progressing more and more towards improving the world around me and my ability to stay in the moment is ever increasing.

Giddy with discovery I continued walking, looking for other things to pick up. That’s when my spirit got crushed a little. I suddenly noticed just how much litter there was around me. All the garbage I hardly seem to notice was now right in my face. I felt overwhelmed. I’d need a garbage bag just to pick up the stuff lying around the bus stop. As easy as it was for me to pick up a single cup it would be incredibly hard for me to make much of an impact in my area. But I am just one guy, if everyone stopped to pick up a few things every day then we could make a major impact.

Society just hasn’t made that attitude shift yet. I have faith in society though; I think we are slowly getting better. Until then I think I’m going to make a point of picking up some litter every day I take the bus, hopefully the idea will spread. It makes for a good random act of kindness too.

GO!

2010-01-08T13:47:00.001-07:00

My vacation is over and I’m back in school. It’s a new year and a new UBBT. I admit I have yet to add up the numbers for the last UBBT, I’m kind of afraid of doing it. I know I’m going to be short on a lot of things. The end really snuck up on me, the past year flew by and I wish it had ended with a bigger bang. Over all I consider the past year to be a great success. It was definitely one of the best years of my life.

Even if I didn’t get to do everything I had wanted to do for the last UBBT I still managed to carry the spirit of it with me. My attitude has shifted and I’m picking up habits and beliefs that will help keep me on the path of self improvement. I get the idea of what the UBBT about and I believe in it.

I enjoyed my holiday very much even though I slacked off thoroughly and let myself get a bit soft. I was restless yesterday, from not getting enough exercise, and improvised a workout at home with some dumbbells, a plank of wood, a couple chairs and a recliner. I was disappointed to discover I’ve lost some strength and endurance. I’m ludicrously sore today and it feels fantastic. I’ve come to realize how reliant I am on having a vehicle. Not being able to drive to kung fu, the grocery store, gym, school, friends...etc results in me sitting on my butt far too much. I need to work on my discipline and get a vehicle as soon as possible.

At least it’s a wakeup call, a motivational kick in the pants to pick up the pace. UBBT 7 has begun but yesterday was the first time it really sunk in. Starting out the first day with a 1000 pushups/situps felt great, aside from the scab on my back caused by situp rug burn. I have a lot of work ahead of me. It should be fun.

Last Minute Panic Blog

2009-12-23T18:22:00.003-07:00

Done exams yay! Going to my parents for 3-4 days in about 10 minutes. I'm waiting for my ride ride now, they'll be here any second. The vehicle is broken again, I put 2 grand into it for no reason, down the toilet. Stranded for the holidays unfortunately but oh well. I'm going to love these next two weeks! Can't wait for the holidays. Rides here.

The End Nears

2009-12-13T20:36:00.001-07:00

This semester is finally coming to an end. I have finals next week. I’ve been working my butt off to finish a whole bunch of projects that are due right before exams. It seems very rushed, like the instructors forgot how close the exams are. I have three huge projects due four days before my first final, that doesn’t leave as much time to study as I’d like. I’m doing little else but school work right now. I’ve been trying to get things done early so I’ll have more time to study later. I can’t wait for Christmas holidays. Two weeks with nothing to stress about, oh I am going to love it. I’m counting the minutes.

Winter

2009-12-06T23:36:00.001-07:00

I sit here satiate, stuffed after a birthday feast and home late from visiting my parents. My fingertips tingle as I type, still warming up from the cold night air. It is a particularly cold night and I just finished helping my sister move a dresser into her apartment while woefully underdressed. I enjoyed the drive home and seeing the snow piled up in the meridians, it makes me feel peaceful. I can’t believe the amount of snow we’ve had over the past few days.

I think its funny how, now that winter is really here, it doesn’t seem to bother me much. I was dreading this winter more than usual for some reason. The temperature change was bothering me more this fall. Maybe it’s just the beginning of these drastic transitions that bother us; once we get the chance to get used to them they aren’t so bad. I think I would miss the snow if I moved somewhere warmer.

I am awake solely for the laundry I’m doing. I wait for it to finish washing so I can throw it in the dryer before bed. While I wait I’m listening to hand-picked, quality tunes and grooving quietly as I sip on the last two beers I had in the fridge. Debating what to do, and not in the mood to do anything over stimulating, I find myself here, writing this and making use of the time. I think that’s neat.

What the UBBT has done for me

2009-11-29T20:18:00.001-07:00

The UBBT gave me a reason to train. It gave me a reason to do things I’ve always wanted to do. It embodies my personal motto perfectly. As silly as it sounds I officially have a motto, it’s on a banner. It was made official after a friend of mine quoted me once, my motto is,

“Live life with passion and always strive to become a better human being.”

When I started the UBBT I was going through a slump and at first I didn’t think I’d have the time or motivation to do it. After thinking about it I decided it might just be the perfect way to break out of my rut. I was right. This test boosted my motivation through the roof and I look at everything a bit differently now. It taught me how to up my intensity, and more importantly, how to maintain it daily and in the long term. It taught me how to actually go about achieving long term goals.

I taught me to live more in the present and suck as much life as I can from every day. The days seem much fuller when you are doing things meant to improve yourself. Time doesn’t pass as quickly when you aren’t wasting so much of it. The acts of kindness assignment forced me out of bad habits I have with dealing with people, instead of just going through the motions of detached friendliness I actually try to be genuinely personal with strangers. I have improved in this significantly and it really makes a difference. People recognize it and appreciate it. Things seem easier when people actually try to help you, when you are kind and approachable. This past year has really opened up my eyes to the benefits of being charismatic.

I am in the best shape of my life right now. How many people can say that? Incorporating the physical requirements into weekly routine over a long period of time helps imbed that routine permanently. I’m at the heaviest I’ve ever been (a good heavy), I can run farther, I can do more push-ups and my stamina has gone up.

The UBBT has taught me how to journal. When I started the test, journaling was the hardest requirement for me; it has since become my favourite. I have grown to love writing and will probably continue to write for the rest of my life, I may even try to write a book sometime. Putting my thoughts on paper forces me to organize them. It forces me to really think things through and come to greater understanding of myself. It’s a way to vent or say things you’ve wanted to talk about, in a safe environment, with the perfect audience.

The UBBT has taught me to recognize change, when to accept it and when to fight it. What you want today may not be what you want tomorrow, if you can see why your attitude has changed and recognize if the change is positive or negative then you are genuinely self aware. If you realize you don’t want to do something anymore because of bad reasons then you can always correct yourself, sometimes the hardest part about doing things is seeing the reasons you do what you do. Over the course of the Ultimate Black Belt Test I’ve become a better person. I’m not perfect, and I could use a lot of work but at least I know where I can improve and how to go about doing it.

I’ve had my ups and downs and I’m not going to get all my requirements finished but I’m signed up for UBB7: The Live Like a Champion Project, and I now have an entire years worth of experience under my belt. I can see where I’ve gone wrong and how to do better. I’m looking forward to it

Self-Defence

2009-11-22T20:36:00.001-07:00

What is self-defence? I would define self-defence as the action made to protect oneself from something harmful. This harm could be physical, psychological or even to one’s property or belongings. I was talking about physical self-defence with a few friends and I think I surprised them with my opinions. I feel like writing about physical self defence right now but I’d like to touch on the other forms later.

First off let me say I have never been in a real fight/self defence situation (I did once have to use a little Kung Fu but no blows were thrown so I’m not counting it). I am good at avoiding these situations all together, like any martial artist should be and I have the self control to check myself from allowing a situation to escalate into something bad. I have, on multiple occasions, gotten into situations that would have turned into a fight if I didn’t have the good sense to simply walk away. Sometimes walking away can be difficult, even harder than fighting, but walking away has more positive benefits.

I was out with some friends once when I found myself in one of these situations that would have gone sour if I hadn’t walked away, afterwards one of my friends said he thought I’d never really try to hurt someone in a fight, that I’d be defensive instead of aggressive. I told him that if it was simply a one on one thing where I saw little danger to myself, I wouldn’t try to seriously harm anyone; I would probably defend and try to submit the aggressor or just dismiss the situation verbally. Yes, if some drunk is stumbling around trying to hit you there is little need to use severe force.

I told this friend that, on the other hand, if my health or the health of a friend is in serious jeopardy I wouldn’t hesitate to end the situation in the safest manner possible. Now excluding running away and assuming there’s no way to avoid physical conflict, I would say the safest way (for me) to end a dangerous physical confrontation would be to disable the aggressors in the quickest, most efficient and brutal fashion possible.

What I consider to be a dangerous situation is anything multiple opponent, anything involving a weapon, or where the aggressors are trying to hurt you for no other reason than to hurt you. If you are walking down the street minding your own business and a few random strangers decide they want to hurt you, you are in serious danger, these are people looking to hurt someone for fun and shouldn’t be taken lightly. If my life was at risk or if I risk being serious injured I wouldn’t hold back. I’ve heard too many stories of people getting beat on by a few guys that get carried away and cause some brain damage or a permanent disability. I’d be trying to snap knees, throat strike, knee, elbow, gouge or groin strike, whatever takes them out of the fight the fastest. If you are outnumbered and hit someone you want to make sure they don’t get back up anytime soon.

I don’t want to sound cruel or anything but when it comes down to it, if you’re trying to be gentle you just increase the odds of yourself getting hurt and your own health should be paramount. I don’t think many people understand this attitude or the idea of switching from doing everything possible to avoid violence to using severe violence.

I’ve heard stories involving gangs or groups of people that scare me because of the no win situation they create. For example if you were having a party and some gang shows up and starts causing trouble what can you do? If you fight back and lose, you get hurt and they may come back some other time anyway, if you fight back and win then they will certainly come back or try to get even in another way. Logically the best option to your long term safety would be to let them do what they want or hope the police help. It would take extreme strength of will to let someone hurt if you know it’s the smartest path.

I read something in a book called “Ender’s Game” that really made me think. The main character was being consistently bullied at school by a group of kids, now Ender is very intelligent and he knew that if he didn’t stand up for himself the bullying would continue. He also knew that if he decided to fight back he would have to win and win in the extreme because if he didn’t scare them off permanently they would try to get back at him. So he gets in a fight with the leader of the bullies and hurts him severely, he makes a point of going above what’s needed to send a message to the others and to make sure the bullies will never bother him again. Logically it was a good decision for his self preservation but it isn’t exactly accepted by society and it certainly seems cruel to an observer. If you seriously hurt someone in self-defence you run the risk of going to jail or seen as the aggressor yourself.

So there’s always that Catch-22 hanging over your head. Sometimes the best way to defend yourself is to do nothing and hope you make it out alright, sometimes it may be best to have no mercy. It’s tricky ground trying to walk the line between the extremes. Self-defence isn’t always straightforward.

Ugh

2009-11-14T23:12:00.001-07:00

The past week and a half has been pretty rough following a series of unfortunate events. I wasn’t feeling well and had to go to the doctor to figure out what was wrong with me, turns out it wasn’t anything serious and it was fixed fairly easily. It just took me out for a few days. My bank decided it wanted to randomly lock out my cards so I was unable to access any of my money for a day. To top it all off the transmission in my van finally died and I now find myself without a vehicle. I am totally broke and can’t afford to buy a vehicle right now but I have no other choice so it looks like it’s time to get another loan.

I’ve spent the past four days dealing with the bank and my parents, which about as much fun as swimming in hot tar. Things are finally starting to move but I probably won’t have the cash for a new vehicle until late next week and this weekend will be the soonest I’ll be able to start looking because I have three midterms this week. So until then I’m stranded in the city and taking the bus to school. I really hate not having any cash, being a student sucks; I can’t wait to get out of school and into a good job. Money can’t buy you happiness and I don’t need a lot to do what I want to do but not having any can sure hold you back.

I’ve been nothing but stressed, pissed off and depressed all week. I am beginning to actually consider moving back to my parents just so I wouldn’t have to worry about so much. I really don’t want to do it but it might be the smart move in the long run, we’ll see how things go, if I decide to move again it won’t be for a bit, I want to stay where I am at least until the beginning of February. Ugh...

Is my Scale Broken...?

2009-11-05T19:17:00.001-07:00

I’ve made it part of my weekly routine to go to the school gym every Tuesday and Thursday. I think it’s been three weeks now and its going pretty good. I go after all my classes at noon on Tuesday and during a two hour spare on Thursday. It feels good to be doing my kilometres again; I’ve been trying to run for at least 40 minutes every time I go. I don’t really mind the gym either since its free and full of students, I usually HATE gyms, especially the big business conglomerate ones that look at you like a dollar sign. I once dropped into a world health club to ask some questions and made the mistake of giving them my phone number. I couldn’t believe it when I started getting weekly phone calls hassling me.

I weighed myself for the first time in maybe three months and was surprised to find I’ve gained 20 pounds. Three months ago I was at about 170 which has been my weight for as long as I can remember. All my life I’ve never fluctuated by more than a couple pounds, so I was really surprised to see so much change in such a short amount of time. I have no idea where it’s gone though, I don’t really notice a change in size, maybe I’m getting denser. Anyways, I’m pretty stoked about being a solid 190 pounds now, so long as my waist line isn’t increasing.

The other day I was super setting sit-ups (on an incline bench with some weights) with some push-ups when I got some attention. I do all my push-ups on my fingertips because it’s easier on my wrists and because it strengthens the fingers, anyway, I was banging out my set of push-ups when I heard someone nearby whisper,

“Dude watch this guy do like 100 push-ups on his fingers.”

This comment gave me the motivation do an extra 10 push-ups on top of the usual, I burnt out at 85 though, it would have been awesome to have actually made 100. That comment made my day and I walked around smiling for the remainder of my classes.

Inspiration

2009-10-22T11:52:00.003-06:00

I'm writing this from a computer lab during one of my classes. I managed to forget my memory stick at home today and therefore I can't work on my autocad assignment. I was wondering how to kill an hour so I decided to catch up on some journals. I just read a whole whack of posts from a bunch of people and I feel inspired. Everyone, especially those of you in China right now, have inspired me to pick up my own training. I've been slacking a bit lately and been using my new environment as an excuse to do less.

No more sitting around wasting time. I should be pursuing my passions with more vigor. I have to break out of my routine of sitting around at my computer. I could easily be using that time to do things like drawing, practicing, exercising, expanding my San Shou knowledge, writing, going out to do things and spending time with friends. I have been sitting around all day feeling unmotivated with the day wrote off simply because I forgot my backpack at home today. Now I feel amazing, thanks for the inspiration guys.

That's the Rules

2009-10-20T22:14:00.000-06:00

Question: Why do we have laws and rules? Answer: To help maintain order and to increase our quality of life. When problems arise, someone comes up with an idea on how to help manage or prevent the problems. So each rule or law has a reason for existing, at some point in time there was a specific reason for each rule coming to pass. That’s my take on it anyway; I think it’s fairly straightforward and logical; by the way I am a huge supporter of common sense.

Here’s where I start to rant. If we get so carried away with enforcing a rule or law and eventually lose sight of the reason for its existence we’re just blindly follow policy. In many cases the automatic unthinking obedience to a rule or law can actually contradict the purpose of the rule. For example, and this is not the reason for choosing this topic but it’s the most recent example I can think of, at school there is a fairly new mentorship program in place for the electrical techs.

The program pairs up each first year student with a second year student so that the second year student can help the new guy. The second year is there as a resource for the first year student, he answers questions, shows him around, shares first year experiences, gives advice and maybe even helps the first year student with homework. Sounds great right? I agree. It’s a good way to get the new guys on track and it’s nice to have someone with experience that you can talk to if you want, or to get help from when you need it. The problem lies in the “when you need it”, you see, this program is mandatory and they set up mandatory meetings between mentors and mentees every month after class. The pairings are pretty much random so its luck of the draw (my guy can hardly speak English, minus 5 points in usefulness for not being able to carry on a simple conversation). They even make us sign a contract.

So when one finds himself with no questions to ask or help needed, with homework to do and exams to study for, one suddenly finds himself assembling a puzzle (while not allowed to speak) with his mentor. Other lame bonding exercises have and may include drawing caricatures of each other, building bridges out of newspaper, making lists of common interests and going for simple scavenger hunts. These activities take about an hour unless you want to factor in the rush hour delays, buses missed, and carpools held back, that go hand in hand with staying late. With a midterm the next day and a project due the one after that, precious time ticks away, spent uselessly instead of the way you’d like to.

In this situation blindly following the rule that was created to help me is now doing the exact opposite by hindering me. I have someone looking at crowd of people, which I happen to be standing in, and throwing out a suggestion to the mass of us, ignoring us as individuals. That’s just fine, so long as I retain the right to choose whether or not to use that advice. No one likes being forced to do something they know isn’t in their best interest and don’t like being called stupid.

*This has gotten pretty big and there’s still a lot I want to talk about so I will continue this later*