This link tells the story of the overvaluation of tulip bulbs in Holland, back in the day. On Howard Street alone, there are several shoe stores. Customers associate the shoes with a star athlete or entertainer, and they become coveted trophies. There are stories of people who have killed or been killed in efforts to obtain these shoes.
These are still just shoes, right? Good shoes should be good to our feet, end of story. It would be nice that they look good, but the rest of it has no substance other than what we give it. Seven shoe stores are doing business on Howard Street! And, yet, Shi lao's restaurant of nourishing and well prepared food closes. At least Shi lao doesn't need to worry that someone will approach her with a weapon and threaten, "Give me all your beef and broccoli!" (I’m assuming, of course, that most shoe stores don’t barter in carry-out.) Except that, like any thief, a criminal acts out of desperation, jealousy, or laziness...and always self-preserving fear.
I don’t get it. If I were to wear Shi zu’s black shirt, that won’t make me a better practitioner. If I were to get his back tattoo, it would not help me to use less effort to throw a strike or do my jumping jacks.
Fashion doesn’t make people better as much as it makes them feel like they’re “keeping up,” but with what? An illusion inside another illusion? I’m sure that whoever said, “Clothes make the man,” was a clothing salesperson trying to make a buck...maybe an artist whose words everyone else took waaay too seriously.
If someone wants to appreciate (even collect) shoes, then so. Value will always be a point of contention among egos, and we will always have ego in the world. There are new ones being born every second of every day. But to have the shoes and all they represent without the personal substance to obtain them--or better yet, to transcend their symbolism--is just...part of the path, I suppose. [I was going to say sad.] After all, it’s not just shoes: it’s houses, cars, even common flowers.
If not for the ego--that aspect of us that is, for all intents and purposes, merely the starting point of any human's journey through life--we wouldn't have inventions, ambition, emotion, greed, fear, and all those crazy aspects that permit us to revel in liberation from them. It’s a mixed blessing of sorts...but should we expect anything less from life??
I met a woman at the gym I was working out last weekend. We were talking and getting to know each other. Before we met, she was running on the treadmill. I guess she was warming up. Like me, her father is Haitian but she was born in America. As you all know, I was born in New York. Then she notice that I was punching the mats on the wall. She asked me if I practice Martial Marts. I told her yes I do but I am practicing online. The conversation was not dramatic but there was some disagreements between us:
The girl: Maybe you could be a trainer at the gym so you could teach some self-defense.
Me: I could but I would teach just anybody how to fight!
The girl: Why not?
Me: Because it is important to know who you teach how to fight. You do not know how the person is going to use these deadly techniques. Is the person responsible? Is he/she a bully? You do not know.
The girl: Everybody is responsible for their actions. You are not responsible for the students' actions!
Me: Yes I am not, but the world is too violent already so it is better to teach the mature minded than the immature.
The girl: Yeah whatever.
Yeah whatever huh? It sounds like she did not care about my idea of the Martial Arts at all; but it is alright. I cannot push anyone to do so. How long have we been doing that in the martial arts? How many people are teaching on the internet for free without even questioning who is learning from them? We need to stop commercializing these techniques. In games, there is winning and losing but in fighting it is never about that. Techniques are not toys! You can easily disable anybody with them. If you guys think I am bullshitting, ask Bruce and see what he tells you. "The meaning of 'martial' is 'warlike,'; we are not in a game; it's your life or his. And since you only have one life, take care of it the best you can."(Bruce Lee). See? Shi zu and I are not the only people who sees martial arts that way. Notice he said take care of your life the best you can. Is he only talking about combat? What does it really mean to take care of your life? Your life is not just your body but your mind and spirit as well. As a result, my brothers and sisters in FMK, let us live life as a whole. Let us not prostitute the techniques for our personal gain. Let us be healthy body, mind and spirit. Let us not make the same mistakes over and over again because if we do, we will give people reason to kill each other in the streets. There will be even worst events than the Marathon bombing in Boston. Therefore, learn from our mistakes in the past so we do not repeat them again.
ONLY in the last three or four years have I slowly begun to learn that finishing the puzzle of life is not the goal. I don't know the shape or design even of my own life-puzzle, and any rush I might be in to finish it will result in a shocking realization! *
Believing that I possess definitive answers to anything is like forcing pieces that almost fit into places they don't belong, distorting the image of the puzzle and possibly damaging the pieces. I have done this often in my life, desperate to understand and feel like I have control. Paying someone to finish the puzzle for me is desperation at best and fraud no matter how I look at it.
One verse of the Tao Te Ching states, "no good without evil." I spent my college years in a religious cult. I had a picture of Satan on my dartboard, figuratively speaking. The devil had to be defeated for God to reign...even though all the songs I sang in our worship services said that Satan was already defeated, God was the Great Champion, and...I don't know, whatever else we sang to give ourselves reassurance that we were on the "right side."
Funny thing: no one seemed to grasp that we would not even be a God-following cult if we didn't have the devil to show God’s goodness versus Satan’s evil. Instead we would have had ascribe everything--things we liked and things we did not like--to one divine being. The same God I thanked for getting me into college would be the same God who gave my mom cancer and killed her before she could see me graduate.
I don’t start to dive into this duality exercise until I try to understand. Why did my girlfriend and I break up? I doubt myself. I doubt her. I place blame, saying that one of us was not enough or did not give enough. If I am the one who gets dumped, then I look to place blame in my hurt state. I don’t know what it accomplishes other than to show me how little I know and how much I seek to make some kind of sense, in the hope that it will make the negativeness of it go away.
And, yet, I wouldn’t have to think of the situation as negative if I hadn’t considered a different outcome to be positive.
*Technically, finishing the life-puzzle...is dying.
How often do I listen to my own questions? Lately, I hope that I am doing so more, but I am still learning. It is hard for me not to believe that patience in inquiry is one of the great secrets of a master, but I have not attained mastery.
Lately, as I learn more, I want to speak less and listen more. Either way, practice--not preaching--seems to be the more effective path to mastery.
Shi zu shares, in his Reflections, comments that Bruce Lee was murdered. Assassinated. I did some online research about the circumstances of his death, taking in the details but not considering the context. I couldn't understand this.Who would want to kill a harmless hero?
I asked Shi zu this question before a class. He responded passively--not dismissively, but without any contention. It seemed at first like Shi zu was not going to answer, but later (after I continued to read the Reflections) I read his answer. It was already somewhere for me to find; all I had to do was turn a couple more pages in the same book that made me ask the question! If I had held the question for a time, rather than ask it immediately and accept the first (or best-sounding) answer, I would have found the answer for myself. Self-sufficiency is not the point; discovering one’s own abilities are, since such discoveries are the root of personal growth.
Answers are all here to be found, but they begin to look less like nuggets of gold than they do plain stones. People possess gold, but often it ends up possessing them. Plain stones seem unremarkable, but they can be used as stepping-places to get across rivers and streams.
Impatience causes wasted effort, thwarts discovery—just like training too hard causes injury, while too soft stunts growth. So, I will hold thoughts like stones in my hand, let it help guide me. I won’t cling to it like some rare treasure that I might lose—if it turns out to be true, what value does it have trapped in my hand? If it is false, how can I use it to redirect my efforts?
I have some ideas how to do this, but let me play with them before I say anything more.
It’s easier said than done, if you’re like me and have never
had a long-term debilitating condition. But the truth is that unfortunate
things happen, even to good people, and you can lose your health in a
heartbeat. I was reminded of this today, when I encountered a friend of mine in
the grocery store. He approached to greet me, and I noticed right away that he
was talking slow out the side of his mouth, and then when he went to shake my
hand it was difficult for him to coordinate his arm for even this simple
movement. I was shocked. My first suspicion was that he’d been in a bad car
wreck or something since I last met with him, maybe eight months ago. He’d
obviously suffered a brain injury. But then he said it was a stroke, and that
he’d had it three days after Christmas, and is expecting to make a full
recovery. He’s now also been diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure,
obviously indicative of a larger pattern. I felt bad for him. He’s right around
my same age, recently married, and was pushed by his in-laws into buying a
house in my neighborhood about a year ago. He definitely has some bills to pay,
and now this. Moreover, his work is in retail sales of hunting and fishing
equipment, which means he wasn’t making too much money to begin with, and I
can’t imagine his unemployment insurance is worth a great deal either. He wants
me to get together with him and go on some walks in the neighborhood. Who
knows, maybe I can direct him toward the martial arts as therapy
In my days, I’ve witnessed the martial arts used as an
unparalleled tool for psycho-physiological therapy, enabling patients/ clients
to create links between their minds and muscle groups that the best doctors had
claimed were impossible to ever achieve again. But this application of the
martial arts requires a certain kind of guidance, and an understanding that the
deadly ‘combatant’ you are most likely to face in your lifetime is not another
human, but the corruption of your own body, through illness, injury, addiction,
or what have you. When the fight is with some aspect of your self, in these or
similar manners, to me that’s tapping into the deeper levels of martial arts,
the stuff that relatively few people even recognize to exist. Most involved in
FMK today are very fortunate. As one YouTube fan commented, we’re like a
‘deadly modeling company’ in how beautiful everyone is. I agree. Like I
expressed after visiting the Chicago Kwoon in person, most of the people
involved in FMK seem to glow with vitality. What I’m proposing is that this
glow can actually be used to bring healing to others who have experienced
misfortune in terms of facing extreme health conditions. We can teach them how
to confront, equal, and even best their opponents, if we have the will and compassion
to do so
I was able to try the live online training again last night. I had a lot of fun, and it was really great to get to meet more of the Chicago family. I hope to get a better routine so I can do the live training more regularly. It is a really good addition to FMK.
I was also wondering if we are going to give up on the leg challenge or continue it. I have been attempting it, but I'm not sure how to do all of the moves involved in it. I still have a lot to learn with the kicks because I don't have much previous experience with much beyond the more simple moves.
I wanted to ask if anyone out there might have some pointers on how to put on some weight, I have been trying for awhile to get back to my pre cancer weight and I really have only gotten 1/4 of the way there in the last year. I understand the diet aspect and I make attempts to eat types of food that are healthier to add weight, I am aiming to get back to around 195-200 from my current 170 area. I want to do it in a way that I am not eating masses of junk just to get the weight back on. I want to stay fit while doing it. I am somewhere around a 2500 calorie diet and its barely holding me where I am at. I was considering trying to move that up to a 3000-3500 calorie diet but I think it would be best to consult someone who has more knowledge in the area. With adding the new workout to my lifestyle this is a concern to not loose anymore weight trying to stay fit, I know this is pretty much the exact opposite of 99.9% of everyone else out there who works out to loose weight. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions or this please feel free to share.
Today, I wanted to return my new battery because apparently it is defective. My battery charger apparently cannot charge it. On my laptop, it says it is charging but apparently, it is not. As a result, I decided to return it but I came to the post office too late. Nonetheless, I took this opportunity to look for a job at the mall. American Eagle Outfitters got my attention so I gave it a shot. I talked to the manager and he asked me what kind of job am I looking for. I told him I used to work as a sales associate at Kolh's. Apparently, he was looking for a stock guy and I told him of course I used to do that too. At Kohl's, I did a little bit of everything: cashier, stock. I got the application and he asked me to bring the application the next day so I did what he asked me. He told me that he will forward the application to the hiring manager and he will see what can happen. If I am not called in two weeks, it means that I was not right for the job. Maybe I should wait or maybe I should call them sometimes so they do not forget me. I also go to a lot of other places to apply; it is important to keep your options open when job hunting.
I am not only job hunting for FMK. As an adult, I feel the need to make my own pocket money. Of course, there are things that I would never do for the money. For example, I would not strip, prostitute my body for the money. I would not compete in the Book of Guinness World Record either. I would not even think about going to the cage or the ring to beat up people so I can get a belt. Would I compete in a soccer game? Yes. Would I try a push up contest? Yes. Would I compete for a retail company? Yes. Competition is pushed on everybody whether you like it or not. It is hard to get away from it. However, it is up to us to decide how we can compete so our overall health is not hindered.
Another reason why I am looking for a job is because I am also looking for a partner who really values the Martial Arts the way that I do. Since I have been training in FMK, I have been really picky about who I choose to be in training with me just like Shi zu is for people who are interested in Zen Martial Arts. Even if I think I find the right person, he or she might not be qualified to train with me for the simple reason that Shi Zu might think otherwise. I need to consider another criteria which is money. Let's say someone in my area is accepted in FMK. There is a good chance she or he might be able to pay the tuition as asked by Shi Zu while I cannot at all. Weekly progress would not be much of a problem for me but if he felt like he/she is paying more than I do, how unfair would that be? So I tell myself to forget about that partner and concentrate on myself. I probably will be certified as a Fitness Trainer under Freddie's Modern Kung Fu. I do not know how I would train people, but I hope to figure it out one day. When I am ready financially, I might start thinking about having a good training partner. I might not want to admit this again but Shi Zu was right: I need to pay more money. I am not making myself feel guilty but it is the reality. Reality is never about like or dislike; reality is.
I have been trying to keep up with exercise the last couple weeks, I was supposed to be able to change shifts to 1st but that did not end up working out due to there being no one else qualified for my job on second shift. I decided that my breaks are the time I can walk outside and do some quick workouts, it was going well until it decided to start raining and not stop for a few days. My wife and I are finally both recovering from the flu bug that has been going around and she has been getting back into the game quicker then myself. I should have a couple videos posted by this weekend, we recently upgraded out internet speed so that it is about 10 times faster then before so no more waiting for 30 minutes for a video to upload. If someone is willing to help test out the skype connection and put a load on the bandwith I would appreciate it, I would like to see how many of the 10 possible connections I can host before it starts to affect quality.
This image is of a graffito in the bathroom at Cafe Sol in Rogers Park. My first thought when I read, "life doesn't make sense," surrounding the yin/yang symbol, was, "unenlightened cleverness."
On realizing that I was reacting and passing judgment, I made the choice instead to look and listen.
What did the artist understand about his own work?
Did a woman sneak into the men's room to do this?
Why the juxtaposition of this statement? This symbol?
Is it "Life's" job to make sense?
Is Life supposed to make sense?
What is Life??
I began to repeat the words as if I were different people:
-as the lamentation of a drunkard, blaming "life" for a whole litany of issues;
-as a businessman, conservative in his choices, who loses his business then watches a drunkard (the guy in the first example)ahead of him in line win the lottery;
-as a dad who just warned his child, "Stay out of trouble," who then sees his child crippled by a stray bullet.
Then I said it to myself as a sage, explaining to the prior iterations of myself that life doesn't have consciousness or order, only "is-ness." We have consciousness, and we create order. Often we do this hastily to regain a sense of control. I wonder if reacting is what I do to gain a sense of control: see, react, move on with that reaction as if it were fuel or gravity: some sort of force that drives or influences my future choices.
The first mistake is reacting too quickly. the second is to failing to recognize you know very little but stand to learn so much.
In a short while in the kwoon, I have begun to look and see differently. In my past I have been reactive. Rather than let myself take something in, absorbing it to process as it mingled with my other experiences and awarenesses, I would just react. I still do this when I drive in the city. Granted, someone intentionally (or otherwise) creating graffiti is physically harmless; someone unintentionally (or otherwise) driving poorly involves potentially serious danger.
Both are mere ideas. Neither are causing actual harm yet. Yet both make me think.If I react, I just get mad and opinionated. No growth. I must acknowledge my present state, create distance, stay aware, remember that none of us is perfect. Then I can begin to ask questions, play with answers, and see what discoveries there are to find. Then I can develop understanding, compassion, and wisdom...and laugh at myself when I pass judgment, forgive myself and the other person, and grow.
Will the other driver grow? I don't know that, can't control it--just like life. What I can control is how I choose to perceive life. So, Graffiti Dude or Dudette, I don't know your take on your own work, but your choice has awakened me.
You may be right, you may be wrong. We have these in common.
Let me close my entertainment series blog post with video games. They are everywhere and they have impact on a lot of people. Computer Artists put a lot of work in creating nice games for everyone to enjoy. Do you love them, hate them? Let's share toguether our favorite video games console and/or games! Here's my personal choice right now;
Personal top 5 video game consoles;
1. Sony Playstation 3
2. Super Nintendo
3. Sony Playstation 2
4. Nintendo 64
5. Nintendo
Personal top 10 video games for each consoles;
Sony Playstation 3 top 10;
1. Crysis 3
2. Deus EX Human Revolution
3. The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim
4. Far Cry 3
5. Heavy Rain Director's Cut
6. Journey
7. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
8. Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition
9. Red Dead Redemption Game of the Year Edition
10. Mass Effect 2
Super Nintendo top 10;
1. Super Metroid
2. Mega Man X
3. Ninja Turtles IV Turtles in Time
4. Super Mario Kart
5. The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past
6. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
7. Super Mario All Stars + Super Mario World
8. Mortal Kombat II
9. Donkey Kong Country 2 Diddy Kong Quest
10. Final Fantasy III
Sony Playstation 2 top 10;
1. Final Fantasy XII
2. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
3. Capcom vs. SNK 2 Mark of the Millenium 2001
4. Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock
5. Def Jam Fight for New York
6. God of War
7. Mega Man X Collection
8. Mega Man Anniversary Collection
9. Street Fighter Alpha Anthology
10. The Matrix Path of Neo
Nintendo 64 top 10;
1. Mario Kart 64
2. Super Smash Brother
3. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
4. Star Wars Episode 1 Racer
5. Gauntlet Legends
6. Wrestlemania 2000
7. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six
8. Resident Evil 2
9. Mortal Kombat 4
10. Perfect Dark
Nintendo top 10;
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2
2. Mega Man 3
3. Mario Bros. 3
4. Kirby's Advendure
5. Mega Man 5
6. Mega Man 2
7. Mario Bros.
8. Mario Bros 2
9. Duck Tales
10. Punch Out
I guess the big training news in my life recently has been
the advent of internet service at the Chicago Kwoon, and through this the
option to train in real-time with Shi Zu up to seven days a week. Although I
won’t be able to adjust my work and family schedule to connect like this every
single day, I do plan to take advantage of it as often as I’m available during
the morning and evening sessions. Truly it’s like having the FMK
Kwoon in my basement, extremely convenient, and a major development in the
potential to market and grow FMK online…
I want to thank Todais Fai and Lian for taking the
initiative to donate payment for the first month of this service. I will pay
for next month, and perhaps we can just take turns. Also, I would like to nudge
Todai Kang to consider getting in on this, and then you could get rid of that
expensive gym membership that’s keeping you so broke, lol
Overall, I took things pretty easy this past week. I wasn’t
feeling very good and made the mistake of taking a dose of Robitussin to combat
the symptoms one evening. That kept me feeling loopy and drugged up for a
couple days afterward. My body just doesn’t respond very well to
over-the-counter cold medicines. This weekend, I’ve been back to my normal
self. This morning, even my humor came back, and I finally decided to make that
“kickboxing” video inspired by Kang and Lian…
Tomorrow, I plan to get back into the push-up challenge and
commence my proposed leg challenge. I think Lian and I will continue the
push-up challenge for three more weeks, to make up for some of the lost days,
before putting that one away and starting something new. The invitation is
still open for anyone/ everyone else to get involved (hint Simui Ai)
So that’s about it for me
of late. See you all in class
Saturday, April 20, 2013
THIS IS LIKE THIRTY DAYS AFTER PROTEIN CONSUMPTION
AT 1 GRAM PER POUND OF BODY WEIGHT
FAT LEVELS DECREASING AND
I'M EXPECTING FOR DEFINED RESULTS
MY BODY WEIGHT IS 165 POUNDS AT 59 THIS YEAR
I'm eager to see the Results in 9 more months!
I to was afraid of high levels of proteins with all the pros and cons
opinionated but I found my place in it, Which One Applies to me and where I Belong
Were I in Chicago
I'd be eating at Jenny's Healthy Food restaurant
as additional supplements
STAY ACTIVE MY FRIENDS
Eat and Drink Healthy.
HELLO!
Sifu Freddie Lee and
All Todais
Ignore any thing less because it is for the couch potatoes.
Lower quantities are valid for the sedentary practitioners
Many results exist but they are for those who fit the activity levels
proportionally suited for them so don't choose to fit in the crowd
confused by the diversity of many ratios;
simply recognize your level of activity and apply it to your self.
Do the Research to recognize where only you belong.
When you are active, your quantities are higher.
The quantities applicable is for the daily trainers and practitioners
determine to build muscles mass, flexibility, and range from 1 through 2
grams of protein per body weight.
don't waste your energy arguing; the research has been done and is their
for the taking like fruits in a garden from many trees.
Know how to use the available information and which applies to you;
don't do like those who feel they need to debate simply because it's
on the spur of the moment without any intensive engagement on their part.
LEARN and possess knowledge, experience and visibly observed results
which you've dedicated many years of time doing so.
When you've wasted previous years on junked and self destructive activities and
habits, you are in no position to claim instant knowledge and rebuttal power.
So Go For It.
Be True to yourself by recognizing how active or sedentary you are.
Are You a 5 min-30 min?
Are You a 1 hour to 3 hours?
Are 4 to 6 hours?
Are You a 12 hour training person?
Choose you quantities
Because not choosing is also
You've already Chosen.
EXPECT THOSE RESULTS!
AND REMEMBER, Sifu Freddie Lee is off the hourly chart
I am grateful to be part of FMK and this kwoon. I have not been here long, but already I feel...better. It is good to come to a place with such respect--particularly self-respect. I also see a lot of listening.
The best things I think I have done so far are simply to listen, to work on myself, and to withhold any judgment of myself or anyone else. I simply get to be and act where I am NOW. I also get to appreciate my classmates, our differences and samenesses, and be part of the kwoon. If my motivation is to be better than someone else, then my ego is still putting something else in the center of my universe--where my ego wants to put itself! I'm creating an idol, a false buddha.
Maybe ego has flow. Maybe it also seeks its level, its peace.
I've made blog about music & movies, now it's time for me to hit the book section. Those good books that we all love. Let's share toguether some titles that made their marks on our lives.
Here's some of my favorite titles;
I have had a head cold this last week, so i haven't been feeling very good. I've still been doing pretty good at training, just slacking a bit on the cardio. Since I can't breathe as well, I get tired quicker.
I have started practicing my punches on BOB. I noticed that my form is pretty bad after watching my video. I will definitely work at improving that. I also sometimes forget to relax my hands after punching. I have been working on that for awhile with the CLF form, and still I sometimes forget. It's fun having BOB, even though I sometimes see him in the corner of my eye and think that there is someone in my house. I'll probably get used to that eventually.
Todai Ryan's Push- Up Challenge is becoming very addictive for me. I am having a lot of fun with it since I am getting better at push-ups now. I recently tried doing some handstand push-ups. I'm not good at flipping over, and my husband is worried that I will kick a hole in the wall trying.
I'm really looking forward to training live online. I probably will either tonight (if my kids aren't being monsters) or in the morning tomorrow. I'm really excited about this new way of training and being able to connect more with the people in Chicago.
Hello Fmk family I got some bad news, I won't be training for a while, because I hurt my right knee on Tuesday trying to pass the tkd form it becoming a challenge for me but I will pass it !!!! But now I got take it easy . Sidai bang.
First, I want to start with a bad news. Well, yeah nobody would want to start with something negative. I know but I do want to and there is nothing you can do about it. If you are unhappy about me sharing bad news before the good news, just come to my home and cuss me out! But I will see do it though. To save yourself from being angry, just do not read my post! The bad news is that I cannot upload videos because my laptop computer battery and charger seems to be dead. I guess I have to buy other ones maybe from amazon. But on the bright side, I can still work on my Red Fitness Certification; that way, when I upload videos again, I will get to the Red Rank instantly. It is my main goal for this year, and I am willing to do my best to get to that rank.
Speaking of fitness, I met a girl today and she was asking me for help about losing belly fat. So what I recommended to her is to do more abs exercises like situps and crunches. I assisted her into doing situps. After finishing the situps, I asked her if she needed help with anything else, and she told me that she wanted to lose more fat. She does not look overweight at all but that is her goal now. I guess she wanted to have a more lean physique. So we did other types of strength training like push ups, bicep curls, bend over row, squats. I tried to teach her how to jump rope but I am not sure I did a good job on that. I get the hang of the jump rope just by watching Shi zu's video but explaining how to do it is a difficult thing for me. I never thought I could train someone before getting to the Red Rank... This is my first time training someone. Of course, I want to be a Sifu under Freddie's Modern Kung Fu but how can I be a Martial Arts teacher if I cannot train somebody to be fit first? Now, I understand the ranking system of FMK better. I understand perfectly why being a fitness trainer is the level to start with. So, after we train she thank me for helping her. I asked her phone number but she told me to write mine down. I was a bit skeptical about why would she asked to do so but I did anyway. If she wants to get fit, it is her responsibility to call me or text me, right? Later on, we chit chat a bit. I let her know that I cannot make you the fittest human being on the planet but I certainly can help be the fittest she can be. Later on, she actually sent me and text and thank me again for helping her out. So far, she showed me that she is serious about this. We will meet tomorrow night. Hopefully, I can give her a more thorough fitness program. She does not seem to be interested into learning how to fight which is good. I do not intend to share FMK techniques to anybody, especially if I am not even certified to do so. Any ideas on how to get her started?
If you think UFC is the highest level of martial arts then i feel sorry for you. true martial arts promotes inner peace, strength of character, high level of fitness and respect of nature and all life. It is sad that i now have to train to defend myself against all these ufc wanna be bully martial artists. Competition Fighting itself is promoting death and violence. You see when you get to a high level of martial arts you realize that there is nothing to fight for and noone to compete against not even yourself. MMA is negative because it is not balanced yin/yang, there is no peace, no service, no love, no meditation, no art. only bullying and the need for egoic recognition. We need to evolve from this dark cloud of ignorance about martial arts and evolve to a peaceful society. If you want to compete? then have a pull up contest or run a race. But to teach our children and now women that martial arts means being an assbeater then how can we expect to irradicate incidents like at the marathon yesterday? This wold is violent and it needs more peace and reverence for all life. Promoting death will not achieve this. I earnestly ask you to reconsider this MMA bs and ask yourself what am i representing? is it peace and artistic living? or is it violence and primitive ignorance. please always choose peace and remember what is popular in society usually is only popular due to tv ratings and money interests. A true martial artist needs no recognition for he/she has already discovered their identity and dont need to hurt anyone to prove it. be well and be peaceful to eachother.
Just a quick update for everyone. I've been pretty busy lately, so I'm going to keep it short. The Kwoon is Internet equipped now! Thanks to Todai Ryan for encouraging the hookup. Now all I have to do is just figure out how to do the whole web conferencing. Thank you Todai Fai for sending the email on that, I still have to take a look at it when I get some time. When I am able to get things in order, FMK will now be able to offer live training via Skype. With this option, this may make the FMK online training explode! There's a lot of technology things going on now and I have to ease my way into getting this thing set up the right way so that FMK will benefit. If we can somehow set up our own video stream where we get paid for the ads that are next to the videos that would be ideal, kind of like how it is like with the FMK Blog. But I just wanted to inform you all of the good news!
I used to think the greatest trees were the biggest ones, like Redwoods, or I would say "I'm as strong as an Oak" But today I realized the most powerful trees are the Palm trees.
Living in Chicago I see huge maple and oak trees getting knocked over and broken all the time due to strong winds, but have you noticed that Palm trees can withstand hurricane caliber winds and stay unharmed? Why is that? Flexibility... They are able to give and bend to powerful fierce winds yet never brake. They get whipped around and beat up by nature yet still spring back to their original beauty. We can all take this as a metaphor for our own lives; Life is not easy. We all have obstacles that challenge and discourage us, some we have brought upon ourselves and some others dump on us. Regardless of the origin of our challenges we must learn to accept them, and learn to be flexible. I'm not talking about doing the splits here, although physical flexibility is priceless. I'm talking about Mental flexibility.
Life has a way of giving us exactly what we need when we need it. Unfortunately not everyone sees what life gives us as what we want. So we fight it and hold our ground stubbornly not accepting what is. You see life tests and challenges us so we can forge strength and nobility in character. I read once, "the greatest affliction is to never be afflicted." This is profound in its simplicity: no challenges=no growth. Lets face it we are on this planet to learn and grow through experience and expression. Noone ever became a sifu by being a stubborn, spoiled, selfish, lazy asshole :) Well maybe but their father probably bought the ranking for them:) Its imperative to learn from the palm trees by learning to become mentally flexible, Don't see challenges as an end, see them as new opportunities to enrich your character and spirit. Learn new creative ways to fairly and honorably resolve your challenges. Learn to bend not brake, learn to smile not grind your teeth (a bending palm tree does actually resemble a smile) Know always that inside you lies the answers to all challenges, but you have to be flexible and know that it might not go down the way you wanted it to, but its gonna go the way you need it to. Have faith in life and nature for it will take you where you need to go if you listen and have the courage to act in new and creative ways. Life gets awesome when you don't know what challenges are coming next but you know they are coming and you welcome them with the confidence that you can rise to the challenge by creatively going with the flow of nature not fighting against it. Another quote I love pertaining to this is, "If you want something you've never had before then you must do something you have never done before" So next time you are in a tuff spot remember the palm trees, and ask yourself, How can I be mentally flexible and open up to change here? -be well always-
Todai Lian's B.O.B came today so we thought we would really push a workout together. My wife smoked me.... I recently suffered through Thymoma a type of cancer near my heart. I knew I had lost a lot of weight during this period last year, I dropped from around 196 to 168 in the matter of a couple months. I had thought I had regained some of what I had lost and I couldn't not have been more wrong. My wife did 40 sit ups in a minute to my 35, and push ups we came out about even. (ask her for her hand stand push up video, she about knocked me out)I wont say I felt great about myself by any means that my wife was so much more fit then I am, however I am very proud of the strides she has made since starting FMK. After seeing how far she has come and how far I have fallen I am even more motivated to get back in shape. When I get back to where I was 2 years ago it will be great, when I surpass that it will be even better. I am looking forward to the training. And I know my wife is happy to be seeing me making efforts to get healthy again.
As martial artists and as people, it is important to know your limits. As much as we train, as much as we practice, there is only so much our bodies and minds can handle before they break. It is crucial to build in a slow progression. Build too quickly without the right amount of physical stamina and you or those around you are likely to be hurt. It is also very important to keep a calm mind while training and going about your lives. If you don't, stress and over-thinking will consume you as it did me. I haven't been in the kwoon in a few weeks because I allowed stress to get the better of me. When I was least expecting it, my back rapidly gave out and I had to go to the hospital. As of now, I am getting better and will likely return to the kwoon very soon.
Hello all, I was Finally able to sit down and get a introduction video made. I look forward to the opportunity to working with everyone and getting to know everyone. I know my wife will be there to help me get started and into the rhythm of things.
Hey fam shunyuan here. I'm waiting for my flight to Puerto Rico. Rt now I'm in NYC I'm scheduled to arrive in ponce, PR at 430 am. I'm picking up my grandfather from visiting his sister. I thought I would take this time to share some of my personal life. I care for my grandfather in Chicago he has Alzheimer's he's 90 and pretty much my hero. Although it can be very emotionally challenging I realized just today how proud I am of myself for genuinely choosing to help him. The funny thing is I never would have met sifu if I never decided to help gramps full time.
It was due to my frustration with the whole situation with Alzheimer's that led me to discovering FMK. And well the rest is history :) I just wanted to tell you guys that it's ok to feel proud of yourself for doing service. To help another human is one of the greatest things we can do. I'm so thankful that now Freddie has enabled me to help so many more people. Can't thank him enough :) Service is seldom celebrated publicly but be assured that it is being recorded and you will always reap the spiritual benefits.
Be well, ill send videos soon.
Well, maybe not all of it... but the hips are incredibly important as the fulcrum of our bodies. And all too often, my hips feel geriatric-stiff because of how long I've neglected flexibility training. It's not that I've ignored the hips altogether. The gohakukai karate I do with Adrienne here in Alberta is very hip-power oriented. So I do have some of the snap, when I choose to apply it. But that represents just one range of hip movement, basically on a horizontal plain. There's other aspects I'm completely missing, like rolling the hip over for delivery of a proper hook and/ or roundhouse kick, or lifting them for the verticality of a side kick greater than ninety degrees. Certainly the middle and front splits are reliant on the hips, and the attached tendons. I'd say a good deal of lower-body flexibility and strength depends largely on what's happening around the pelvic-hip region. And this is perhaps why the women of FMK have awesome lower body abilities. There's a gender thing at play in the fulcrum hips, where women tend to have some natural strengths below, and men above (don't read more into this positioning than intended, lol). I think part of what we need to do in our training is to balance that out. The women of FMK need to give a little more attention to their upper body development, and visa-versa for the men
It was a good thing for me, last week, when Shi Zu vetoed my suggestion that I begin working on the FMK Boxing/ Kickboxing while continuing my slow but steady progression on the dynamic TKD form. My rationale for even suggesting it (which I was hesitant about) was that this seemed to be the route being offered to the Todai in Chicago, and really I don't want to fall behind what the core group is working on. Still, Shi Zu's very appropriate denial of my proposal told me loud and clear, "Hey, you haven't done your best yet to develop your lower body in a manner befitting a true martial artist. You want to move onto some of the other curriculum, why? You haven't got the first two forms absolutely perfected yet, and you know it. The CLF may be passable, but the TKD? Your side-kicks are thrown at probably seventy degrees on average, and same for your hooks when you're doing them properly. That gives you the option of using these weapons realistically on just two targets, the knees and shins. Extremely effective, absolutely. But still limited. This is about your ability to move to your full human potential. This is what you claim to be in it for. Maybe you're going to need to stretch for two hours a day over the next year or more. Perhaps you'll have to throw twenty-thousand sing-leg back side kicks before you learn how to do it right. So what? That's what you're here for. Quit trying to deny yourself! Relax and enjoy where you are in the moment"
And so that is my lesson of the last couple weeks. It's really about time I give my lower body the attention it deserves. I need to stretch at length every day, or even more frequently. Maybe I should even invest in a VersaFlex splits machine, as contrary as such a purchase may be to my minimalist ideals. I've acquired all kinds of apparatus for training my upper body. But what about my legs and pelvis? Where's the investment there? I also need to do a lot more jumping and kicking, the TKD-inspired form, every day. I mean yeah, I run, and that's all good. And I can kick, in the vital knee-shin-groin kind of range. Yet, as a human being, I should be able to use my legs far more dynamically. That is indeed why I'm such a proponent of martial arts... they offer an opportunity to be more fully human, to 'truly express one's self' as Bruce used to say. I've wasted enough years neglecting my hips
Movies are part of society for quite awhile now. They
can be a good influence towards our development. Share with us some of the
movies that made it's mark in your development. Heres some of my personal
choice;
I know it has been awhile since I have posted anything. I'll bet you have all forgotten who I am by now! I will be returning very soon. My husband is also applying. If he can survive the interview proccess with Todai Ryan, he will be joining us in our training.
Yesterday i went to see the Wrestlemania 29 with a group of friends at the movie theater paramount banque scotia in downtown Montreal. We was 5 and i was reserving a place for my sixth friend who was coming late. It happened that there was another extra place on my right. And then, from nowhere came a beautiful woman from around my age and she asked me if there was somebody using that place, i said she could come and sit. I was surprised, i thought maybe her boyfriend was somewhere in the theater but i realized while watching the show that she was alone. She was joyful and we happenned to laugh toguether at some funny part of the show. There was that little something special, i wanted to talk to her and make sense at the same time, i could've asked her at least one question concerning her preferences on the match up or just if it is her first time at this show. While laughing, with our teeth out, we stared at each other with a beautiful smile being curious at the same time. Everytime i was about to ask her a question, my heart was making a techno beat and i just couldn't do it. She was special, i really liked the kind of energy she was releasing. I didn't felt like that in a long ass time. I said to myself, let's go Steve c'mon, heres a good opportunity to at least meet someone cool, she's right there, and not indifferent to your presence, c'mon Steve, you know what's gonna come next if you don't, you'll leave the theater, come back to your normal life and have regrets concerning this situation, you've been single for 6 years now C'MON! But i couln't, when the show ended, we both took a hell of a time to get up and we started to leave, before leaving she went to the toilet on the top floor, and i went to the toilet on the second floor, my friends saw her leave while i was at the toilet, and they said she was leaving real slow looking around like if she was looking for me, but i came out too late, she was already gone. I will never see her again.
I can lift all kinds of weight, read all kinds of books, but i messed up in the face of the most beautiful creation known to mankind; the woman. I can have all the pride in the world, feel powerful as hell, but really, in face of a woman appears my weeknesses. They are the Yin to my Yang but i have a hard time reaching to them. I used to express my love for womens openly as a kid and i kept getting rejected years after years. I finaly had more power of attraction as a teen, so i had two relationship. The first lasted a short three months, and the second 5 years. The second one broke my heart and it took a long time for the scars to heal. Now as a results i'm way more colder that i use to be in term of expressing my feelings to womens. I know in a couple of days, that woman will be forgotten, like others i've met in the past but it just sucks, i failed again.
Well now i need to stop complaining about it, get my ass up, and get ready for the next opportunity. I'm aware there will be other opportunitys. I want to live love as a team with a woman. I have to be patient now. One of the shows music theme 'Letters from the sky' from the group 'Civil Twilight' is stuck in my head with this moment i shared with this special women, i wish i've only had the courage to ask her her name.
For the past couple of weeks, I have not been on camera at all. The reason is because my tripod plate did not fit my Sony Bloggie. So yesterday, I decided to go to Best Buy to get one. I found a 61" tripod. The plate also fits my Bloggie perfectly. Now I have no excuses not to be on video weekly. Maybe some of the Push ups Challenges could be useful for me now since I can only do 31 push ups in a minute. Here some of my video so far.
There is my intro:
There is the Arm Stretch:
There is my Jump Roping Skills:
I got even more. There is also my Front Kick. I did not upload the side kick because I was disappointed of it. The right side was stronger even though I passed it. I expected it to have equal strength with both legs.
My 1 Arm Push Ups is also good for now.
My Handstand Push ups got better than the last time.
I got more but I guess I will let you stay tuned for more to come. Enjoy!
This morning, Adrienne and I went out a couple hours before
dawn and rafted to an island in a nearby lake to check on the status of the
Canada goose nests. For us, the first full moon after the equinox (a.k.a.
Easter) is all about the egg harvest, as it has been in northern indigenous
cultures around the world since forever. Before there were grocery stores, this
was the end of the hunger hardships of winter, and that is why the ceremony of
egg hunting after the white rabbit (full Moon) appears was always so important.
In one of the traditional ceremonies that Adrienne and I host for our community,
welcoming the return of the migrating birds, we feed waterfowl eggs to those
who attend. And in years when we collect enough, we can have these wild eggs at
home to eat all the way into December. The island we visited this morning
provided a couple hundred eggs last year. Normally, we take only one or two
eggs from a nest, but there we take them all, because a nearby golf course has
been given a federal permit to dip the eggs in oil to ensure they don’t hatch.
I don’t know how the conservation officers, who are biologists by trade, can
justify putting the business interests of a golf course over the rights of the
geese to co-exist with us… but they do. And so since these eggs would be going
to waste, we steal in under cover of darkness and take them. This morning,
Adrienne found the first egg of the season, and we left it so that next week,
when we return, there will be an abundance
For anyone who has been following my videos, especially the
harvest demonstrations of last summer and my recent nutrition project, you will
have heard me describe the idealized locavore diet I envision. I don’t know
whether I’ll ever fully realize my objective of subsisting completely off what
can be culled from the nature of my region, but I will certainly continue
trying. The way I see it, this diet is an important aspect of my overall
project to bring myself further and further toward experiencing life as a
complete human being. Because in my estimation, our industrial culture has
stripped us of a lot of this experience, and has rendered many of us completely
blind to the real world we inhabit. I look at this Easter event, and I see that
people make all kinds of meaning around it, projecting all kinds of symbols out
there, but ignore the obvious… that this is actually when human beings begin
harvesting eggs. That is the response to nature we are missing
I feel similarly about the martial arts. They too are an
aspect of this wider project for me. What are our human potentialities for
movement? Watch what Sifu can do with his body, and it is immediately clear
that the vast majority of us are missing a part of the experience and abilities
we were born to enjoy. Our failure to cultivate movement that is fluid,
economic, and as dynamic as need be in accurate response to our environment and
other living beings is such a huge loss. A parallel scenario might be if a
child was raised to adulthood with no language. Our genetic inheritance has
been set to languish by the global culture, because many of the natural
abilities we could cultivate simply do not have much purpose in the context of
our current industries… outside of the sports industry, that is. And so it is
there, and there alone, for the most part, where we find any cultural support
for physical development. Meanwhile, most members of our species have settled
for having limited mobility, and in my opinion the future generations will be
ever more weaker because of it
So let’s continue to resist this trend. Let’s find out what
our bodies are actually capable of and demonstrate this to the world. I love
the fact that FMK is on YouTube, and that we a reality-project of sorts,
showing not just the clean, finished product of hard work, but really the
effort and creativity required to take us there. For the Online Todai of FMK,
this really is our lifeline, the YouTube channel and the exhibitionism that can
keep us motivated. Todai Lian and I have been doing a push-up challenge together
the last couple weeks, as another way to enhance our engagement with the
training. That challenge will continue for several more weeks, and anyone who
wants to is welcome to join in. Next Monday, April 8th, we will
commence a second training challenge as well, this one focused on the legs. It
is our goal to always have two such games going at any given time in the
future, cycling in new ones every third week. After reviewing many of the
leg-work videos produced by Sifu and the Chicago Todai, this is what I came up
with for the daily routines in this coming challenge:
Monday: Bow; Weighted squats w/ one dumbbell (at least 20
reps); Weighted horse-stance squats w/ two dumbbells (at least 20 reps);
Weighted lunges w/ two dumbbells (at least 10 reps per leg); Weighted calf
raises from squat-sit position (at least 20 reps); Weighted horse-stance squats
w/ one dumbbell; Horse-stance hold (at least 30 sec); Arrow-stance hold (at
least 30 sec both sides); Cat-stance hold (at least 30 sec both sides);
Cross-stance hold (at least 30 sec both sides); Horse-stance hold (at least 10
sec); Front kick hold to side kick hold (at least 10 sec per hold with each
leg); 10 high front kicks each leg; 10 high side kicks each leg; Bow. This
day’s routine is based on the video “FMK Leg Training For Zen Martial Arts –
Jenny’s Second Formal Lesson”. Repetitions and hold times of all sets should be
increased each week throughout the challenge
Tuesday: Bow; Regular jumping jacks (at least 200 reps); 20
front stretch kicks per leg; 20 side stretch kicks per leg; Squat to front kick
(at least 30 reps); Run in place with speedball (approx 1 min); Tuck jump to
silent landing (at least 10 reps); High stepping side kicks (at least 20 per
leg); Tuck jump with 180 degree turn (at least 10 reps); High roundhouse kicks
(at least 20 per leg); Tuck jump with 360 degree turn (at least 10 reps); Run
in place with speedball (approx 1 min); Bow. Repetitions should be increased
each week throughout the challenge
Wednesday: Bow; FMK-style jumping jacks (at least 100 reps);
One-legged squats (alternating legs, at least 8 per leg, using assistance when
needed); Curl and front kick (at least 20 reps); Press and side kick (at least
20 reps); Half split and squat (at least 20 reps); Front kick hold to side kick
hold (at least 10 sec per hold with each leg); 20 ram muay style hip
extensions; Cross stance to hook kick (at least 20 reps); Bow. Most of these
exercises were featured individually in recent videos. Repetitions should be
increased each week throughout the challenge
Thursday (same as Monday): Bow; Weighted squats w/ one
dumbbell (at least 20 reps); Weighted horse-stance squats w/ two dumbbells (at
least 20 reps); Weighted lunges w/ two dumbbells (at least 10 reps per leg);
Weighted calf raises from squat-sit position (at least 20 reps); Weighted
horse-stance squats w/ one dumbbell; Horse-stance hold (at least 30 sec);
Arrow-stance hold (at least 30 sec both sides); Cat-stance hold (at least 30
sec both sides); Cross-stance hold (at least 30 sec both sides); Horse-stance
hold (at least 10 sec); Front kick hold to side kick hold (at least 10 sec per
hold with each leg); 10 high front kicks each leg; 10 high side kicks each leg;
Bow. This day’s routine is based on the video “FMK Leg Training For Zen Martial
Arts – Jenny’s Second Formal Lesson”. Repetitions and hold times of all sets
should be increased each week throughout the challenge
Friday: Bow; 20 front stretch kicks per leg; 20 side stretch
kicks per leg; Front kick hold (at least 10 sec per leg); Side kick hold (at
least 10 sec per leg); 20 ram muay style hip extensions; Controlled front kicks
(at least 20 per leg); Controlled side kicks (at least 20 per leg); 20 knee
raises; High front kicks (at least 20 per leg); 20 ram muay style hip
extensions; High roundhouse kicks (at least 20 per leg); High stepping side
kicks (at least 20 per leg); Bow. This day’s routine is based on the video “FMK
Leg Exercises For Zen Martial Arts”. Repetitions and hold times of all sets
should be increased each week throughout the challenge
Saturday: Fifteen minute freestyle leg training session of
spontaneous design that can be inspired by sets of the prior five days and/or
other sources
Sunday: Recovery and/or go hiking
If anyone has any suggestions or ideas on possible
improvements or additions to make to these sets, let me know. Todai Lian
especially, please review what I’m proposing. I know you mentioned in email
that jumping might not work at your house. Do you think you could work in the
jump-heavy Tuesday outside, or should we just change that day altogether. Mind
you, tuck jumps are going to be an important part of the ZMA curriculum you will
likely be getting into this summer, but we don’t have to start with them now if
there’s any problems on your end. Let me know
Signing off for now… saw my first turtle of the season at
our pond yesterday, which means at least some of my snakes could be waking up.
If so, it would be the earliest I’ve ever seen them rise. So I’m going to go
check on them now. Hope everyone had an enjoyable evening
