Happy Halloween!

Julia's first halloween. She had a great time, we all did. It did mess up the routine I've been building for the past couple of weeks though....have to go hard-core tomorrow.

Basic numbers: 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 4 miles

Acts of kindness; invited my family along for Julias trick-or-treating, made Mike lunch and breakfast, helped someone

Today I consumed: a breakfast sandwich and hashbrown from tims, an apple, some leftover tuna casserole, some tortilla chips with salsa, a cup of coffee and 8 glasses of water and a cup of tea.

The way of the future

In the beginner class tonight Sifu Brinker talked about how the future of Kung-Fu resides with the white belts. I completely agree. It's amazing to think that among those students is the next great grand master, the next chief instructor, the next instructor of the beginner class. It is so exciting to see them progress and to see their passion for the martial arts develop. I can't wait to see what they are doing 10 years from now when they are telling the newest beginners that they are the future.

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 208 kicks, 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 3.5 miles

Act of kindness: let someone ahead of me in traffic, said thank you to someone, made Mike lunch and breakfast, gave the dog a belly rub

Today I consumed: some toast with jam and butter, half an apple, a lara bar, some peas, a cheese and tomato sandwich, some tuna casserole and a piece of chocolate cake. I drank 2 cups of tea and 8 glasses of water.

Adopt a driveway

I'm excited about the adopt-a-driveway program this year. We seem to have so many people involved, it's going to be great. I have many fond memories of shovelling with training mates, some of which are gone now. Cherish the opportunities you have to spend time with your fellow-Kung-Fu-ers while you can. People invariably move away or what-have-you. It's nice to have fun memories to look back on.

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 208 kicks, 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 4 miles

Acts of kindness: made Mike lunch and breakfast, gave Julia a treat, gave the dog a belly rub

Today I consumed: an apple and a half, some toast with butter and jam, some veggies with pasta, a boiled egg, half a Lara bar and some poutine. I drank a cup of coffee, 2 cups of tea and 7 glasses of water.

The Vaseline saga continues

Julia's hair is still shiny...even tried corn starch....I have to say she looked pretty funny covered in white with her hair spiked out in all directions.
Someone suggested lemon juice.
The shampoo seems to be helping, albeit gradually. Oddly enough, this reminds me a bit about Kung-Fu. You need patience to progress and it can take time to see the effects of multiple efforts. I know eventually her hair will be nice after a lot of washings, just like I know my form will be better after lots of practice.

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 208 kicks, 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 3.5 miles

Acts of kindness: helped some students, gave the dog a belly rub, gave the cat and dog a special treat, made Mike lunch and breakfast

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, half a Lara bar, some instant noodles with bread and veggies. I drank 2 cups of coffee, 8 glasses of water.

Sparring

Going hard on my form reps. If I keep to my schedule, I'll have my form reps done by the end of December. While that may be on track, my sparring reps sure aren't. Got to get on that. I work late on Tuesdays so I haven't been able to come to san sou. I should have went during the summer when I had the chance. Missed opportunity for sure.

Basic numbers: 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 2 miles

Acts of kindness: let someone ahead of me in traffic, gave the cat and dog treats, played with Julia

Today I consumed: 3 waffles, some apple slices, some macaroni with vegetables, half a cookie, 3 slices of pizza, a small piece of cake. I drank a cup of coffee, a cup of tea and 8 glasses of water.

Sifu Prince...you'll never guess what happened

The tournament went really well. I was really proud of everyone. What an amazing group of people to be around. The dragon/lion dance was great (thanks everyone involved! and extra kudos for the heads...Sifu Lindstrum and Sifu Wetter!) I saw new students compete for the first time...so inspiring; I saw people try breaking boards even though they were afraid of failure; I saw an amazing group of blackbelts perform....the camaraderie and friendship I saw during the sparring only amplified the skill (Sifu Rybak and Sifu Robinson...you guys are awesomely funny!). We had a great bunch of score keepers and helpers too. Everything was organized  beautifully and the day ran smoothly (thanks Sihing Csillag).

Getting together at the end of the day with everyone was a great way to end the day (Thanks Mrs Csillag and Sihing Donahue!).

Thanks everyone for making it a memorable day!

Oh...and by the way Sifu Prince, you'll be happy to know that this evening, after putting Julia to bed, she came down a while later covered in vasaline! She had gotten into the jar and put it all in her hair and on her pyjamas! At least she didn't put it on the walls!

Thought it would make you laugh.

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 208 kicks, 204 pushups, 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 2.5 miles

Acts of kindness: complimented someone, brought some veggies for the get-together, gave the dog a treat, encouraged someone

Today I consumed: a breakfast sandwich from tims with a hash brown, a ham and cheese sandwich with veg, 2 pieces of pizza, some veggies, fudge and carrot cake. I drank 2 cups of coffee, 7 glasses of water and a glass of wine.

May the force be with us all tomorrow...

I have a couple of things I wanted to blog about but I think I'll leave it for tomorrow or Sunday. The tournament is tomorrow so I'm trying to clear my mind in preparation for that. I am always so nervous to perform in front of everyone. I hate it. The only reason I do it is to inspire my students. How can I push them to compete if I don't myself. I do see the value in it. Over the years of competing it has become easier. This is partly because I've made so many mistakes over the years during performances that really, how bad could it possibly be this year? Worst ever....busted my wrist the night before while working on my board breaks. I still competed with a bandaged wrist but boy did it hurt. Shouldn't have been experimenting the night before....probably shouldn't have competed either in hind sight.

So what's the point? The value in competing is pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone and giving us all a deadline to practice for. I hope by competing that my students see the value in it as well.

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 208 kicks, 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 3.5 miles

Acts of kindness: gave the cat and dog treats, complimented a stranger, let someone ahead of me in traffic, supported a friend

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, half a cookie, some veggies and dip with pasta, some pear, some noodles with toast, a candy, 2 coffees and 8 glasses of water.

Dragon hope

Tonights practice was great. It was awesome having so many people. It gives me hope that we can have 2 dragons for chinese new year.

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 208 kicks, 204 pushups, 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: offered to hold the door for someone, let someone ahead of me in traffic, gave the cat and dog treats, made Mike lunch

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, some pear, one and a half coconut Lara bars, a tomato and cheese sandwich with snap peas, some fish with potatoes and brussle sprouts, a piece of chocolate cake and some cheese and crackers. I drank 2 cups of coffee, 2 cups of tea and 7 glasses of water.

Reminds me

Fall time always reminds me now of being sick. I love fall, but 2 years ago at this time I was still undergoing chemo and it sucked. Today I was reminded how far I've come since then. I hope next fall I'm not reminded of being sick but instead reminded of my Kung-Fu. This year I've been trying to focus on my training and it's impacted my whole life. I feel strong and when I go to teach, I have confidence.

I wonder if other people will look back on their year as something great, or just another year. I know for me, it's been life-changeing. My evenings are now filled with training, not t.v.. So different. I feel like Ms Gibbons in a way...I can totally relate to the diet change thing. I've changed my entire lifestyle and I plan to carry it on after this year is over.

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 208 kicks, 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: gave the cat and dog treats, let someone in font of me in traffic, made Mike lunch

Today I consumed: some oatmeal, a peanut butter and jam sandwich, a hotdog, some broccoli and carrots, a cheeses and tomato sandwich. I drank 2 cups of tea, 1 pop and 8 glasses of water.

Basic numbers

Basic numbers: 208 kicks, 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: let a car in front of me in traffic, gave the cat some treats, made Mike lunch and breakfast

Today I consumed: a bowl of oatmeal, and apple, a doughnut, a peanut butter and jam sandwich, some instant noodles with toast. I drank 2 cups of coffee and 8 glasses of water.

Please watch

I wanted to write something, but I think this person explains it better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZxyKuTLQHI

We have the power to do great things.....if we hold ourselves, and each other accountable for what we do or don't do.
We need to support each other, but we also need to be honest with ourselves and our teammates. If we aren't honest, accountability is impossible. We can't change what we don't acknowledge (I think Dr. Phil said that)...but often we don't want to acknowledge our mistakes or weaknesses. It makes us feel bad and it's easier to make excuses than confront that mistake or weakness.

If we aren't doing what we said we'd do, we need someone to tell us and be unhappy about it. That's motivation to get it done. I know all of us set goals this year that are important to us....I want all of us to succeed. Calling people out when they don't fulfill their commitment isn't a mean thing, it's a helpful thing. It's a tool to help push you to fulfill your goals.

If you aren't doing something you said you'd do (for instance me and my rollerblading...hasn't happened yet), you probably fell guilty about it and your first instinct when someone points out that your not doing it is to lash out, place blame and make excuses. But the truth is I haven't rollerbladed and if one of you cornered me in a back room and said, "Hey, you said you were going to rollerblade 1000km this year and you haven't started yet?!? What gives?!?" I would be embarrassed, ashamed and I would feel bad about letting you down. I wouldn't want to feel that way again so I'd get off my butt and start rollerblading so next time you asked me I could look you in the eye and say, "I've rollerbladed 10km just today." and I would feel great after.
That's what we need to do for each other. We don't need pats on the back for just existing, that's not what this is about. We need to push each other and expect more from each other so when we do pat each other on the back it actually means something.

Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 208 pushups, 203 pushups, 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 4 miles

Acts of kindness: made Mike lunch and breakfast, helped a coworker, gave the cat and dog treats

Today I consumed: a ham and cheese sandwich with some tomato soup and a bun, a brownie, a turkey sandwich with peas and rice and a bowl of ice cream. I drank a cup of coffee, 9 glasses of water.

Basic numbers

Basic numbers: 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword

Acts of kindness: took Julia and the dog for a long walk, let Mike sleep in, played ball with Julia

Today I consumed: 3 waffles, 3 slices of pizza, some raw carrots and broccoli, some apple slices,  a piece of candy, a cup of coffee, 8 glasses of water and a glass of wine.

Basic numbers

Basic numbers: 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 101 pushups, 101 crunches, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: helped tile, held the door for someone, fixed something for someone

Today I consumed: 3 waffles, a ham and swiss sandwich, a turkey sandwich, 2 pieces of pizza, a cup of coffee, half a can a pop, 7 glasses of water

Leadership opportunities

I don't think people are taking advantage of the opportunities for leadership within the team.
Part of joining the I Ho Chuan was to better our leadership skills and you can't do that unless you lead stuff.
Some people have stepped up and I've seen them grow in confidence and they understand things from a new perspective. But so many other people could be taking advantage of this as well instead of sitting on the sidelines and waiting to be told what to do.
We all have busy lives, but when no one steps up, it falls to the same people to get stuff done.

I don't know if there are going to be any more opportunities this year. The tournament is being handled, the adopt a driveway is underway....but we still need to get these renos done.

So....the heart of my rant...when something needs to get done don't wait for someone else to organize it,  you should be jumping at the chance and when someone is trying to get stuff organized, make sure you are supporting their efforts.

 But as I said, I think the list of opportunities is growing short.
Have all of you gotten all your demos in yet? That would be an opportunity right there.


Basic numbers: 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 208 kicks, 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 2.5 miles

Acts of kindness: babysat for someone, played ball with Julia, gave the dog and cat treats, made Mike lunch

Today I consumed: 3 waffles, a peice of candy, some macaroni with beans and tuna, some potato chips (bah! Second day of it!), grilled chicken with salad, 2 cups of coffee, a cup of tea and 7 glasses of water.

Evil potato chips!

Basic numbers: 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 202 crunches, 203 pushups, 208 kicks, 4 miles

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone, gave someone a compliment, made Mike lunch

Today I consumed: 3 waffles, an apple, a few potato chips (first time in I don't know how long....bad I know), half a quisidilla and fries and a piece of candy. I drank 2 coffees and 9 glasses of water.

Rhythm

I've started practicing at night time and it's working pretty good. I can get a lot done after Julia goes to bed. Think I'm finally finding my rhythm. I like Ms Csillag's blog idea. We do have a lot to be thankful for. It's been a great year surrounded by great people. Can't ask for more than that.

Basic numbers: 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 202 crunches, 202 pushups, 208 kicks, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone, complimented someone, shared my cake with Julia, made Mike lunch

Today I consumed: a peice of peanut butter and jam toast, an apple, half a peanut butter and jam sandwich, 2 hamburgers, some hummas and bread, a piece of chocolate cake, 2 coffees, 1 tea, half a pop and 7 glasses of water.

Thanks!

Going hard, been feeling driven this week. I really want to push hard these last few months.

Thanks Ms Gibbons for loaning me the cd! It's really great. I've been listening to it all week.
I've also been thinking about Sihing Donahue's idea about doing acts of kindness for other members of the team. I have a couple of ideas....stay tuned!

Basic numbers: 202 pushups, 202 crunches, 208 kicks, 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 3.5 miles

Acts of kindness: gave the cat treats, cuddled the dog and cat, made Mike breakfast and lunch, chased Julia around the house

Today I consumed: a piece of peanut butter and jam toast, a peanut butter and jam sandwich, an apple, some leftover turkey dinner and a piece of pie and a brownie. I drank 2 cups of coffee, a cup of tea and 8 glasses of water.

Chucks

Practicing is going well. I've been working with the chucks this weekend and it has been really fun. 

Whacked myself a couple of times, but luckily I was practicing with the foam ones. So fun.

Basic numbers: 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 202 pushups, 202 crunches, 208 kicks, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: helped my sister in law clean up after dinner, made tea for Mike, got up with Julia so Mike could sleep in

Today I consumed: 3 waffles with syrup, some leftover turkey dinner with pie, turkey dinner at my sister-in-laws...so much food! I drank a cup of coffee, a cup of tea, a glass of wine and 8 glasses of water. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving....so much to be thankful for. Great family...home....enough to eat....nice job...and Kung-fu. I'm really thankful that I participated in the I Ho Chuan this year. My lifestyle has changed so much. When I started this year I was watching t.v. all the time, eating fast food and was in horrible physical shape. Now I feel strong, I don't watch t.v. and don't eat fast food. I practice everyday and I'm setting a better example for Julia. I'm really thankful for everyone else that is on the team...even the ones I don't see that often. I've had the privilege to see others grow this year and I've been inspired by everyone. I'm really proud to be a part of this team. What a great bunch.

Thanks everyone for making this a great year!

Basic numbers: 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 2.5 miles

Acts of kindness: made dinner for everyone, gave the dog a treat, chased Julia

Today I consumed: 3 waffles with syrup, some veggies and bread with hummus, a cookie, turkey dinner with all the trimmings, a piece of pie and half a piece of cake. I drank a cup of coffee, a cup of tea, a glass of wine, a can of coke and 6 glasses of water.

Good practice

Dragon dance practice went really well today. We are sure we can pull off 2 dragons. We have some cool tricks we want to do, but we need 2 dragons. Stay tuned on kwoon talk, I'll be posting out a list of people we need for the second dragon.

It would be so cool!

Basic numbers: 5 reps tai chi, 5 reps broadsword, 202 crunches, 202 pushups, 208 kicks, 4 miles

Acts of kindness; complimented someone, made lunch for Mike, read Julia an extra story, gave the cat a nice treat

Today I consumed: 3 waffles with syrup, a bowl of macaroni, a yogurt, 3 pieces of pizza, a cookie, a cup of coffee and 8 glasses of water.

Push on!

Tonight in class Sifu Brinker reminded us to push forward. We only have a few months left. Even if the year hasn't gone great, we can still turn it around.
I'm going to try and push....not much longer to go.

Basic numbers: 208 kicks, 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 6 reps broadsword, 1 rep tai chi, 4 miles

Acts of kindness: gave the dog a treat, made Mike lunch and breakfast, stopped for a pedestrian who wanted to cross.

Today I consumed: 3 waffles with syrup, an apple, a banana, half a granola bar, some leftover pasta, some macaroni with ham and broccoli, a cookie, 2 peices of buttered toast, 2 cups of coffee, a cup of tea and 7 glasses of water

Destress

Exhausted! I seem to be saying that a lot. Have a lot going on right now...good, but stressful stuff. I've been finding that practicing has been helping to destress me. Doing some good old physical stuff helps to calm me.

Basic numbers: 102 pushups, 101 crunches

Acts of kindness: held the door x2, was polite to someone, made Mike lunch and breakfast.

Inspiring

Had an inspiring time in the beginner class tonight. I always enjoy it when Sifu Brinker comes to talk to the class. Tonight I especially found it resonating. He was talking about centering and his passion while speaking really fired me up about a generally mundane subject. Got me inspired.

Basic numbers: 208 kicks, 202 crunches, 204 pushups, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword, 3 miles

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone x2, gave the dog a treat, made Mike lunch and breakfast

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, half a ham and cheese sandwich, an apple, some ham with mashed potatos and beans, 3 cups of coffee and 7 glasses of water.

Basic numbers

Basic numbers: 152 pushups, 153 crunches

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone, gave the dog a treat, made Mike lunch and breakfast

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, a peanut butter and jam sandwich, some ham with mashed potatoes and beans, some bread and hummus and some candies with ice-cream.

I drank 2 coffees, a cup of tea and 7 glasses of water. 

Trying to build a habit

Got my workout done tonight. I think I might try to switch my routine....my mornings are always so different depending whether I go to work or not that day and at what time. The evenings seem to be the most consistent time for me. After Julia goes to bed I'm able to get my practicing in. The only hard part is that I want to go to bed, but in the morning I struggle with the same issue....

You would think that after how many months trying to figure this out that I would have it down, but instead I find myself going day by day. One thing I've noticed though is that if you do a set of pushups in the morning like Sifu Brinker suggests, your mind is on your requirements right off the bat and you are more likely to find opportunities to get things done. 

Basic numbers: 208 kicks, 202 crunches, 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword, 4 miles

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone, got a coffee for my boss, made Mike lunch and breakfast, gave the dog a treat

Today I consumed: half a bagel with cream cheese, half a piece of banana bread, half a ham and cheese sandwich, a banana, some leftover biscuit casserole and half a piece of pecan pie. I drank a cup of coffee, a cup of tea and 7 glasses of water. 

Amazing tai chi

Had a nice day of rest. My shoulder is a little stiff from yesterday but it's muscle pain so it's all good. I'm so glad I've been doing the tai chi and the pushups. I think that has really made a difference for my shoulder. Although I don't have a full range of motion yet, my shoulder is strong and doesn't hurt. Can't ask for more than that. Tai chi is the key to the injury universe I think.

Basic numbers: Rest day

Acts of kindness: gave the dog a treat, took Julia for a walk, made Mike some tea

Today I consumed: 3 waffles with syrup, a doughnut, some leftover carrot cake, some hummas with bread, some biscuit casserole, a cup of coffee, a cup of tea and 8 glasses of water.

Good day

Accomplished a lot today. Got my 1000 pushups and situps done, had a great meeting and had a nice visit with the team members.
Something mentioned in the meeting really resonated with me. Sifu Playter brought up that we have been neglecting to help each other on projects and tasks. Definitely true! Focussing on our individual journeys more so than our group. Something I plan to change. I'm glad it was brought up.
Good day overall.
Another cool thing...Sifu Beckett is doing the 1000 pushups too. Nice to see. It's very inspiring to see people move out of their comfort zone.

Basic numbers: 1028 pushups, 1014 crunches, 500 kicks, 1 rep tai chi, 1 rep broadsword, 1.5 miles.

Acts of kindness: gave the cat and dog treats, gave a couple some movie tickets, made Mike some tea

Today I consumed: some toast with peanut butter and jam, some jam toast, a bowl of soup with cheese toast, some prime rib with mushroom sauce, mashed potato and carrot cake. I drank 2 cups of coffee, a cup of tea and 7 glasses of water

1000 pushups and situps tomorrow!

Got all of my practice in today which is awesome!
Got to watch people practice at I Ho Chuan tonight. It's cool to see everyone progress. Attendance was pretty low though. I hope we get lots of people at the meeting tomorrow. I feel like the people who need to be there the most probably won't. I hope those we haven't seen awhile come tomorrow.

Basic numbers: 208 kicks, 204 pushups, 202 crunches, 4 reps of tai chi, 4 reps of broadsword, 2 miles

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone, made Mike lunch and breakfast, gave the dog a treat

Today I consumed: a bagel with cream cheese, some hummas and bread, some perigees, beans, chicken and potato patties. I drank 2 coffees, 7 glasses of water and a cup of tea

Hitting me hard

Works hitting me hard. Spent the entire day working on geostatistics. Very difficult, but also very satisfying to figure out the answer.
I haven't seen Sihing Langer around....I think school must be keeping him busy as well.
Didn't even practice today:(

Basic numbers: 0  :(

Acts of kindness: helped a coworker, let a car ahead of me in traffic, complimented someone

Today I consumed: 2 pieces of peanut butter and jam toast, a brownie, a ham sandwich, an orange, a piece of pizza and some bread with hummus. I drank 3 coffees and 7 glasses of water.

Thanks!

Thanks Sihing Csillag for the comment:)
I'm still trying!
Got my practicing all done today!

Basic numbers: 4 reps tai chi, 4 reps broadsword, 208 kicks, 204 pushups, 202 crunches, 3.5 miles

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone, gave the dog a treat, let the cat out, made Mike lunch and breakfast

Today I consumed: a bowl of oatmeal, some bread with hummus, a bowl of soup with a grilled cheese, a piece of cookie. I drank a cup of coffee, 2 cups of tea and 7 glasses of water.

man....maybe I should practice what I preach

Wrote a nice blog last night about motivation and then today totally didn't follow it. Nice eh?
Worked 12 hours....but there were times I could have snuck in some pushups. I just hate doing them where people can see. Missed opportunities for sure.
Gotta try harder tomorrow.

Basic numbers: 51 pushups, 52 kicks

Acts of kindness: held the door for someone twice, read Julia an extra bedtime story, helped someone at work

Today I consumed:  breakfast sandwich from starbucks, a piece of spanokopita with greek salad, 2 oranges, half a granola bar and some steak with mashed potatoes and gravy. I drank 3 coffees and 6 glasses of water.