FMK Bike Ride: Saturday May 25th 3pm - 10 pm

Post from Jenny

Hello Everyone!

We are starting a good routine of biking every Saturday around 3pm if the weather is decent. This was something that Freddie, Sigung, Pauline, and I have come up with since this past Saturday to get a good workout. We did a 30-mile roundtrip bike ride from Evanston to Chinatown. We did stop by the Buckingham Water Fountain to do a workout demo, video already posted on YouTube.com. We then biked to Navy Pier, and then decided to bike further down to Chinatown. We had ordered yummy smoothies and had an early dinner there. After dinner, we all biked home and arrived home around 9:30pm, but we had left home around 5pm that day to go biking.

This is just a fun optional thing that people can join us on Saturdays. If Freddie's mom can't babysit on certain Saturdays, and she may have to babysit on certain Sundays, then we will keep all of you updated in advance!

WORD OF ADVANCE!!!! Please ride a bike that is decent with large wheels, or else you will lag behind everyone and will burnout out all of your energy too quickly. Right Pauline? That poor girl road our extra spare bike that was so crappy that she couldn't keep up with our speed. It was so funny! Pauline kept making us laugh all day, go Pauline! That bike was so slow and so heavy, but Pauline survived and made home! She is so hilarious!

If any of you are interested on any of the upcoming Saturdays, please notify Sifu Freddie so we can gather up those who are ready for a fun long 30-mile bike ride to Chinatown, although we will make STOPS to do workout demos!

 

Notes

30 mile roundtrip bike ride from Evanston to Chinatown Chicago. 

Dress according to weather and bring a light jacket when the temperature drops

We have 2 extra bikes available to borrow for those interested in attending but with no bike.

the joy of guilt and celery

I skipped training Saturday morning. For those who don't know, I completed a ten-day cleansing fast, aka the "Master Cleanse." Since I reintroduced food into my life, the clarity and simplicity I knew for that week and a half has faded into a weak signal, like I'm still on the road trip but my favorite radio station's broadcast doesn't reach quite this far.

I took the break because I have not returned with all the good habits I anticipated I would carry. Example: early on in the fast, around day three when I was enjoying the company of a low-grade headache, I became clear on identifying "hunger" versus "craving." By the eighth day, I still hadn't experienced hunger, but I was eager to gobble a celery stalk, of all things. Celery!!

I HATED celery as a kid. My parents used celery as a punishment, once. If you want to reinforce a child's disdain for something, make it part of punishment. And if you don't understand sarcasm, I wasn't being serious. The worst thing you can do is to mess with kids' opinions/associations with good things, unless you want your kid to have issues with self-love and healthy development. (I might hypothesize that Western kids don't meditate because they already sit mindlessly in classrooms.)

And, yet, here I was, craving celery, the scourge of my developmental years. If I ate it on day 8, I might have ended up with major abdominal pain, since my body hadn't been digesting anything beside water, lemon, maple syrup,* and cayenne pepper. Raw food and roughage is as tough on the system to process as a big, ol' chunk of cow.

I started with simple carbs when I returned to my fast; interestingly, potato chips are loaded with simple carbs, and when I went shopping, I bought a bag, along with pita chips, hummus, and cocktail olives.

By Friday night—apologies for the confessional bluntness—I had already been drunk, snarfed the potato chips along with a bag of cheese curls, and then a buddy invited me over for Korean short ribs and wine. I don't understand Korean-style short ribs, but that's a different story, and I had a craving. Plus, ending the cleanse was a little like getting out of jail. I abused the new freedom, and I abused myself.

I did, however, work out extra on my own after training Thursday, and on Friday I looked at my new, svelte self and said, "You need shoulders." so I went down to my weight room and tried to do some incline flies. I did not train for health; I trained for vanity. Then I stayed up late and treated myself badly some more. By Saturday morning I felt older than I did when I started training a couple months ago.

I can make better use of my time today recovering than training, I thought, and I called Sifu. Even on the phone with Sifu, I felt like I was making an incorrect choice somehow, yet one I needed to make. I just didn't know why. I haven't been training for a long time, but I have felt stronger and more balanced than I have felt in a long time, and I attribute much of this to training with Sifu and the kwoon. Yesterday, however, I felt like something had gone missing, and I was invited to meet another friend and consume yet more things that involved dead animal (tasty dead animal, but...) and staying up past my bedtime.

I got to realize the nature of craving not just poor food but poor life. I began to understand the feeling in my stomach just before I arrive to train, where I know that Sifu is going to push me past my cardio limits, show me how to punch (yeah, I don't know how to punch), or have me stand in horse stance until my thighs catch on fire.

Now, however, my resting heart rate is 20 bpm lower than it was 10 weeks ago; I weigh 15 lbs. less than I did 10 weeks ago, and at home I can watch a run of commercials on television while holding horse stance—without being afraid to feel that burn. Sifu and Sidai Shunyuan even showed me Thursday more about self-defense than I have ever known.

So, what did I learn while not at training Saturday? That I will be at training next Saturday. And Tuesday night, and Thursday morning, and now I need to figure out where to get my fourth session in.

Shi zu, thank you for being gracious and gently insistent on the phone Saturday morning. Thank you for letting me make the mistake. May my actions show this new wisdom.

Peace, all. I am going to see if the celery in my fridge is still crisp.

Training Live

 I had a chance to train this morning with the man, Sifu Freddie Lee! It was amazing. I cannot believe what I was missing out when I am just watching private video! The thing about the live training is that the instructor will give you immediate feedback from the instructor. You get as much of the benefits as the one who is training under him face to face. One of the problems I had was the space. I was not using my own laptop since the battery thing is not taken care of yet but I will use it as soon as I got another one. Secondly, the webcam was blurry, and sometimes I cannot hear Sifu talking. Maybe one day I should get the PS3 webcam called the PS Eye. That should solve the problem. Other than that, I had a chance to meet Sidai Wei, Sifu Freddie Lee, Simui Ai, Sigung Lee! It was really nice meeting you all. Hopefully, I will meet more Todai in FMK. Although I cannot come in Chicago yet, it was a great experience. I cannot wait to train live again!

Accomplishments Mean Nothing

So you have that rank, that job, that car.. what does it mean? As people in this world we often strive for our own personal goals and self pleasure without concern for who we are affecting to get them or in any way considering how those things will benefit those around us. I am coming at this topic as I usually do from two fronts; the kwoon and the outside world. 

Within the kwoon: 

When we strive for rank, are we considering how we are building up the rest of the school? Are we thinking of how best to help those around us who are of lower rank than us get to that next level both physically and spiritually? Are we encouraging each other and spurring on to reach our goals? I feel like we can always do more. As Todai of FMK we are meant to be a family. Especially since Sifu is still building the rank structure and working on the kinks. If we build each other up now and grow together as a family, when the school grows, Sifu will not have to worry as much about the rank structure being corrupted because his initial members will be on par with each other. We may all have our different philosophies on life, but in the kwoon we should be united in representing just what it means to be striving for, maintaining and/or administering the ranks of FMK. What good is having a black shirt someday if you didn't try help the todai that you started with get there with you?

Outside the kwoon:

Similarly to the ranks of FMK, we strive for success in life. We want to have stability. We want status. We want to be wealthy sometimes. That isn't wrong. But you have to be careful of what you are willing to do to get there and aware of what you will leave behind when you're gone. As we are out in the world, we have to become more aware of how we are perceived. Remember that as todai of FMK the things we do will eventually reflect on the kwoon and on Sifu.. and for my fellow believers, more than todai, we are representatives of Christ to all the world and the kwoon as well. Remember that to live is Christ and to die is gain! We sacrifice our time to better ourselves while we train we can do the same in the rest of the world and within the kwoon.

Countermeasures to Prevent Corruption in the FMK Rank Structure

I am quite unsatisfied with the result of myself giving away rank to certain individuals before they have truly showed commitment and dedication in their training.  Signs of early corruption in the ranking system are already very apparent.  Certain individuals have been asked to return their badges but they have not been returned.  People feel a sense of ownership over the badge because they paid a fee.  This already corrupts what the badge is meant to represent.  This leads me to make more corrections in the ranking system for the future. 

Fees for badges and apparel will be doubled for all newly ranked Todai’s in the future and will no longer be expected to be returned.  The main source of determination on whether or not a Todai is officially ranked will be the use of the FMK website.  Those who possess the badge does not necessarily mean they are active and official, as already it is clear that when an individual decides to discontinue their training, there is a high probability that the badge and apparel will not be returned, therefore these countermeasures will be put into effect to deter individuals from achieving rank who do not truly wish to represent the school. 

Here is a list of the new changes:

1)   A minimum of 1 year of training at FMK before a Todai can be ranked

2)   A Todai must train a minimum of once per week unless the absence is approved by Shi zu.

3)   Effort must be placed in the part of the Todai to communicate and get to know ranked Todai’s in the kwoon. 

4)   The Todai that wishes to be ranked must have his rank approved by those who are currently ranked. 

5)   Fees for newly ranked Todai’s will be doubled for apparel and badges. 

With these countermeasures put into place, it shall decrease the chances of the FMK ranking structure from becoming corrupted.  

Power Twister Attempt

This is two consecutive blog post for me so far. Lol. I hope to not take over the blog so everybody can have a chance to express themselves. Anyway, this is my first time trying the Power Twister. I just received it yesterday and before I videotape myself doing it, I had a hard time doing 20 reps! I do not know what got into me yesterday when I did it on camera. The stress of being filmed probably boosted my strength. But here is the video. I lost count so I probably did less than I thought. Hopefully I surpass the black rank.

Children Equal Meditation

What do I mean by that? I want to tell you a story of mine at a communion party from one of my family members or friend. When I first got there, I did not see any grownups to hang out with so I was exposed to three little girls. They are 8, 6, 5 years old. I know what some of you are thinking. What are you doing with the little girls? Are you a pedophile?? No! Of course not. Just because I chose to hang out with someone opposite of my gender does not mean I want to be in sexual intercourse with them! Lol. My point is children knows how to really meditate.
There was asking me to take a walk...but all of a sudden they wanted me to run with them! Mind you, I and them were dressed up! But who cares? I do! I do not wanted to sweat in my dress clothes. But the children did not care how they dress to run. They would run whenever they want to. On top of that, they will run all day and not get tired. How come we adult are not that energetic? The reason being is our own ego. Yes we may be stronger than them but our cardiovascular system are nearly not at the children's level. Unfortunately, when these children grow up, they will be forced to conform themselves to the norm. Their energy will be suppressed by the adult's materialism. They will forget what is really like to be in the moment. I once told my brother that I can run for 30 minutes straight in the treadmill but he asked me how could I do such thing. He said he cannot because he would feel bored; he would not run if he does not know what he is running after. We adults are too goal oriented. That is why our expression will always be limited. Now, I realize that we can only excel at anything if we do it like a child. If you want to run, run like child. Strength train like a child. Train in sport like a child. When we are like children again, we will once again be in total awareness: in that way, we will be completely in the present moment. If we truly learn to meditate, everything will become easier and easier. We will be amazed by what we can do and how well we do it. Another thing meditation can help with is the development of the five senses. I know that sounds crazy but I really see the possibility of the human senses to be more developed than they actually are. Why? Because if we lose ourselves in the moment, we will always use all of our senses. These senses were given to us by nature. The more we used them, the more they will be developed. Thus, we will probably have our senses developed just at the level of Tarzan maybe. :). It can only be accomplished if we lose our ego and be like children once more. Not to say to ignore our responsibilities. In fact, being in the moment includes being responsible as well.
Being responsible is being able to take a response. That response is never impulsive but spontaneous. Spontaneous response is a good response but also a quick response. I want to get to that level and even surpass it. Maybe it is possible to be a Martial Artist. We just have to realize meditation.

A Five-Year-Old FMK Fan and the Mystery Blogger

My daughter insisted on making her own video yesterday.  She really wants Sifu Freddie to see it.  She told me I should email it to him right away.  I told her I would just put it on the blog.  She definitely picks up on a lot from watching me and the FMK videos. 

Also, I have been trying to figure out which Todai THSwing is.  I didn't see their Chinese name anywhere on here.  I don't know if I had been missing something, but first I figured out that it was a male, new Todai in Chicago who likes golf and had recently been in a public bathroom.  I also had seen their real name on here.  They recently commented on my video about the training on Saturday.  I watched the videos from Saturday, and my guess is that it is Todai Dai!  Am I right, or do I have to improve my mystery-solving skills?

Here is my daughter's video that she wanted to share:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRihKuh3z5Q

The video upload thing on here is not working for me either right now.

train for rank or fitness: a difference?!

Rank or Fitness: there’s a difference?

We are not born strong; we are not born wise. 
We can lose the one over time. 
We can lose both in the space of a single choice. 
We can lose the other by seeing only with ego.
If we pursue enlightenment, then strength, wisdom, and the true end of ego are both gained and served.

It is an honor to get to share input about this kwoon where I have not yet even been for two months! I speak freely and candidly when Shi zu asks me because I have come to understand how Shi zu weighs what he hears before he acts; he does not take counsel lightly and is his own thinker. This is especially difficult as a business owner, husband, and parent. 

I’m not trying to suck up to Shi zu or make him larger than life—you have met him! Decide for yourself whether you agree with my statements. I share this blog to illustrate aspects of our school that I have rarely found in my experience:

1. We study and practice in a school whose philosophy and methods evolve under a leader whose concern is...noble.

I can’t think of a better word, which is why I add the pause. 

Consider what Shi zu is capable of doing and teaching us. Who among us has had an undeserving or incompetent boss at work? They’re the ones who say, “Do as I say, not as I do,” or demand crazy money from customers to do a halfhearted job because it pays the bills, but they have no integrity or self-respect? Shi zu can sell out and make everyone happy in the short term, robbing us of development and challenge and destroying his own integrity in the process. No, thanks. I’ve already had that. 

When money gets involved, it threatens integrity. You could work nearly 150 hours at $10 per hour to earn $1000 after taxes, or you could do something stupid and humiliating in a spring break contest for the same amount. Which do you think most people might choose? Which one builds the individual up? Yet both exist so we may choose.

2. We attend a school where the standards are in place to respect and challenge us wholly and wholesomely, not to identify us as wanting. 

I see Shi zu  against a tragic failure to connect one of the FUNDAMENTAL aspects of FMK: 

WE ALL PRACTICE OUR OWN KUNG FU.

There is nothing more boring or difficult than to try to live someone else’s life; you don’t need me to tell you this, but if you do, there you go! Think on it. Shi zu strives to create a place where we discover our own Kung fu. We’re not all going to turn into little Freddies, running around and teaching FMK. How many times does he say  I will stick with the overarching goal Shi zu has for us until I find it is no longer worth my effort not because it gets in the way of what I do...I will leave if I should ever discover it limits my authentic growth.

3. We study and practice with a Sifu who has a greater appreciation of the standard true “art” needs but has been lost in so many places that claim to be about art. 

I was talking with Nu Ying (Amanda) recently, a metalsmith and an artist by trade and training. I asked her what she would think if she were granted the title, “master welder,” along with a bunch of other welders who did shoddy work, burning through their welds, applying too much heat and weakening the metal they worked with?

You can guess her reaction. Watering down the title does no favors. It gives us BAD ART, whether to create, appreciate, or use. Which "master welder" do you want fixing the frame of your car??

When we train in AND OUT of the kwoon, it is on each of us to grow and accept the path of setbacks and gains; it is on Shi zu to be honest about what represents the kwoon. The color shirt one wears means nothing if the standard is not behind it, and I appreciate far more how hard a poor person works than I do the rich man who got rich winning the lottery. This is why I am glad for the new time and attendance standards for rank. 

I am grateful to see how Shi zu continues to modify the programming and his approach to FMK. It is a great challenge to provide students what they need, keep a business viable (when greed, prestige, and fame are not the primary motivators), and identify and maintain high standards for the sake of authentic art, both his and ours. 

I don’t need a colored shirt to grow. Should I attain rank, I will need to keep growing to respect what a colored shirt might mean to an outsider. I choose to pursue rank without seeking rank. I choose to stay at FMK because so many other Todai have shown such maturity and growth in this transition.

Patience

It's more than a virtue, it's a lifestyle.

In the martial arts there is something to be said for the value of patience. With patience we learn to slow down and truly understand our environment as well as each individual situation. It's through patience that we can avoid conflict altogether or peacefully resolve unavoidable conflict. I feel as though we have neglected that or are losing that not just in our training in the kwoon, but in life as well. If we actually slowed down, we would understand each other more. In this country and in our day to day lives there is a great deal of importance placed on getting to the next thing. No one ever just sits down or slows down to really ensure that what they are doing is actually to the best of their ability as much anymore. This is a wrong idea that has become the norm. I do not claim to be an expert, but I feel as though I have found a solution that if applied in our lives and in our training, we will not only be better martial artists but better people and representatives of the kwoon.

For our training:

As many of you can attest, no one learns everything that Sifu or the Sidais teach in one sitting. Martial arts as a whole is a lifetime of training, meditation and growth that will never truly be completed on this side of eternity. As Sifu recently had gone into, there have been changes made to the ranks that, in my opinion, were very much warranted and necessary. Each rank is a tangible symbol of patience. Not only have you spent enough time in the kwoon and mastered the physical requirements, but you have also gained a spiritual level of understanding that meets the requirements of that rank. You can not master everything in a week or a month.. and to be perfectly honest and frank, even by the time you hit the black rank and have met all of Sifu's requirements, that is when the journey truly starts. By simply acknowledging that you have made progress in patience.

For our day to day:

Being patient is a very difficult thing to do. Often times we run into people who we just don't mesh with or don't quite understand. At our jobs we run into coworkers or experience people who can really be difficult to deal with. But if we actually exercised patience with those people, we begin to step outside of ourselves and see their side of things. Perhaps why that one person or coworker is giving you attitude is because they themselves are having a bad day/bad morning. If you are patient with them, listening to what they have to say and truly and consciously watching how we respond, sometimes it will even brighten up that person's day. Imagine how much cohesion would take place if we made this approach daily with all who we encounter.

From my own life I can say that patience has been a big obstacle that I have yet to completely over come. By the grace of God, I am where I am now and have achieved the current level of patience with others as well as myself through great trail and understanding. This is by no means something that happened overnight but my desire to pursue it changed in an instant after a few years of running in the opposite direction. When you have a physical limitation as I do, you begin to undertand the necessity of slowing down so that you can understand how your body will react to the world around you as well as strengthening your resolve to either augment it, or move with it. I would compare my battle for patience with myself to that of a raging sea during a storm that has just been calmed, but is still moving. We must become as water and let the problems of the world flow through us. Through this understanding, I have become content with the pace at which I learn and gain strength, but my resolve is firm that I will learn all I can to fully represent the Gospel and the kwoon to those around me in the day to day as well as when I am training.

I believe that if we can master patience, we have then mastered love. Because all things in this world are interconnected, learning one will teach you about the others.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 

Sidai Bang's Opinion of the new Rank

I agree with Sifu, and with you as well Ali. To me, it doesn't matter whether you wait a year, a day, two years, two hours to try and go for the red rank, what's really important is maintaining the rank. Getting involved with the Kwoon, being an instructor in order to generate income is very crucial to the rank because then more people will be attracted to the Kwoon. See my problem is this: Being a red rank entitles more than just the title. It means having more responsibility. It means representation of the Kwoon, in and outside of it. I'm not worried about how much time it takes to get the rank. It all depends on your preference. If you feel you are fit enough to achieve it in a day, two years, three months, etc--cool, kudos to you.  What really matters is staying involved with the Kwoon, devoting time to the well-being of it and generating funds in order to keep the doors open.

Simui Ai: Thoughts on the New Red Rank

I agree with Sifu’s decision to increase the red standards. Nothing he stated is unreasonable. I admit there have been points where I felt it was easy for guys to fly in earning rank, or disciples disregarding my effort to get them involved with the blog. Therefore, I appreciate the regulation to be involved on here, and to attend FMK for a minimum of one year & one time a week in order to test. Not only does this rule work you up physically for testing, but it’s a test of your seriousness to the school. The phase of being a Todai for one year is a test of your commitment, and should be a reflection of what you’re willing to contribute, especially if you chose the path of rank.

Based on my current status with earning rank, I’m glad these rules are implemented now for the future. I can contest that one year really does make a difference in knowing what you want out of FMK for yourself. I came into FMK with no experience from other schools, and just wanting to get fit. Although, in time my reasons for joining changed, Sifu gradually introduced me to martial arts, and I surprisingly grew more interest in wanting to take my knowledge further. I may have rank, but I’m aware and admit that I have a lot to learn.

I would not take it personal if I were to have my rank taken away, because I know there would be a specific reason as to why Sifu felt I didn't deserve it. Sifu has always made it clear that your rank must always be maintained, so if I were to lose it I’d have no one to blame but myself.  The difference in Todai- Simui is not a drastic stretch for me to feel defeated. Who knows? maybe I say that because I've been a Todai longer then I have rank, but the way I see it... The kwoon does not give special priority to those of obtained rank or not, we’re all learning the same things so why would I feel demotivated? (it should actually be the opposite, in being a kick in the ass) Having rank or not, never changed who I was. There’s been instances when newer disciples apologize  not addressing me “Simui”, or apologize correcting me in class because their only a “Todai”, and I'm always like "really? don't worry about it!" I greet and talk to everyone equally, never any less because of our rank.

Now, this is not to say I don’t care about my rank, because I definitely do! I wear and promote them proudly! There was a point in which I thought it was impossible for me to earn, but it’s points like those that make you appreciate where you are now. I merely have the mindset “do not get attached to the rank”, because that to me is EGO. Our bodies are ever changing within age, and we need to accept that we will have our setbacks in life. For instance, Jenny constantly reminds me to appreciate my body now before I have kids (lol) and I sure do! Let alone will it ever be a demotivation for me .

In the end I would like to continue with rank because it personally motivates me. Rank to me represents the healthiest & strongest I’ve ever felt in my life, and that’s the direction I want to continue to grow. Even before Sifu’s decision to increase the standards, as soon as I earned red I immediately felt the pressure to uphold FMK’s standards; to me that’s a good thing, and how it should be for everyone. “To be greater than the person you were yesterday.”

My Opinions about the New Ranking System

I recently watched a video about the ranking updates. I was so excited to get the red rank this year but it seems impossible because of one problem: the money. When I heard Shi Zu needed me to pay more money for the tuition, I was so down, and I was thinking: "Ugh! What a jerk! He set me a trap! Why me?" I really did not like the idea but again, he was right. Lol. It is a good idea to let newcomers train for at least 1 year before they get to the red. I believe every part of the Martial Art( not Martial Marts...lol) should be taken seriously: body, mind, and spirit. They are all interconnected; one cannot exist without the other. It takes real dedication: it is not just learning techniques and get a black belt. It means more than that. Here is my video response.

Perception and truth

Our actions are moved by our will and defined by our perception. Everything around us will have it's influence on ourselves but the way we grew up, and the way we perceive those things will draw the picture of our every move. Being open to other peoples perception is really important for us to have a better undersanding of everything inner and outter the self (I gotta check myself on that one, i'm not always that open). Through Art, we can feel somebody else's emotions and decipher their personality and their actions(if they're being true with their art of course). After consuming tons and tons of entertainments, from books to movies to music to video games and other art forms and having the time to socialize and exchange from our point of view to those of others we can decide and build our perception. Through the training of our inner and outter self, through balance we can enlarge and reinforce some ideas, drop some and then build some more and then we are forging. Forging ourselves like the blacksmith forges weaponry. Are you a sword ready to destroy others, a shield always on the defensive, a pair of boots ready to walk the line or are you the complete set from boots to helmet? The FMK blog is the place for us people in search of or already living an equilibrium to express ourselves, understand and reach the complete set or simply upgrade it by forging every ounce of it(or just drop it).

Their is truth and their is perception who can make something true to someone and false to someone else, but their is a truth, an undeniable truth that exist and that truth is large but yet that truth is limited. If you want to make love to an ant, you doesn't make sense and that's the reality of it no matter what your perception is. But why do you want to make love to an ant, where does that connection in your brain comes from, let's decipher it, break it into atoms and blow it out the way so you can have a better understanding of what making love really means. I'm that guy who wants to make love to an ant sometimes(meaning i don't make sense all the time), but i'm ready to hear from you people, ready to work it out and have a better understanding of what true love is for exemple. So what is something for you that is undeniable truth and what is something that you perceive but is not neccessarily the truth? I will start by saying an ant (don't try to make love with it) has the right to live as much as a human being and i'll go with a perception i got; i think that certain person deserves to die(it's sad to say but i got that perception for the moment). Share with us a truth and a perception of yours!

Corruptions of Hollywood

 My older brother came from Canada on Friday last week, and he heard a lot of great things about Iron Man 3 so he was in such a hurry to give it a shot the next day. He even wanted to watch it on IMAX 3D! That is how crazy he was about this movie. So on Saturday, we decided to go see the movie. Unlike my brother I did not have such a high expectation of the movie; I did not expect anything! I just say to myself: "I will see for myself whether or not it is a good movie." After watching this movie, I did not think it was good at all. It was just full of action, and a clumsy superhero called Tony Stark aka Iron Man. My brother knows the story of Iron Man so he was disappointed with the storyline. I can understand that but I see something far worse than that. Hollywood will used these types of movies to promote negativity. If you watch closely, you will see that they highly promote alcohol, promiscuity, ego! Another thing about superheroes like Shi Zu said is that they are just glorified security guards who does not get paid for their duties. They may think that they are doing the right thing by protecting the people but really they are encouraging people into being overly dependent on them! Instead of helping the right people to defend themselves against threat, they are creating children which is not what FMK is promoting. Even Shi Zu Lee would not want his disciples to be overly dependent on him. Yes dependence is a starting point but not a finishing point! The finishing point is independence which is maturity, responsibility. FMK develop martial artists which are beyond a simple superhero. A martial artist to me should have the abilities of a superhero like Batman; but at the same time be able to help people to be their authentic selves physically, mentally, and spiritually.
 Another crappy movie I exposed myself to at my brother's presence is 007 Skyfall. To this day, I asked myself how come people pay attention to these movies? I used to be a James Bond fan but when I was exposed to enlightenment, he is no longer part of me. He is not someone to admire at all. But I understand why he is admired by the population. Apparently, he has a lot of one night stands which appeared to be cool to the masses. I even witness my friends' bragging about ladies they have sex with the first time they met him. That is really stupid, and here are some reasons why. Sex is a way of expressing affection, love. There is no reason to brag about someone you love being in sexual intercourse with! Secondly, have you took the time to get to know her? Do you know how healthy she is? She could have AIDS! I want to see you brag about that! It is just like Osho was talking about in Tantra: either people suppress themselves sexually, or they go indulging themselves in it. That is how the mind is! That is why it has to be drop so the spirit can take over. That is where the body, mind and spirit connection will begin. If anyone saw the movie, James Bond also promote alcohol. Just by promoting this substance, I do not consider James Bond to be a Martial Artist. He is not encouraging the masses to be healthy. Yes he is a commander of MI6 and he really knows how to kill but being a killing machine not a martial artist... Yet, the masses will believe James Bond to be a martial artist just because of the way he fights, which is not what Martial Art is. Then again, Hollywood do not care about the Spirit as long as they can make millions so I guess we are stuck with these movies huh?

Fightville

This weekend, a computer geek friend helped me navigate around the system to get a working subscription to American Netflix, which has far more content than the Canadian version. Tonight, I've been watching a documentary called 'Fightville' about minor MMA fighters in Louisiana. I'm not going to say it's worth watching. In reality, your time would be better spent doing just about anything. But as far as documentaries go, this flick is pretty real. I shows all the stuff Shi Zu has been talking about over the years, with MMA being an excuse for bullies and criminals to learn how to be more dangerous, it's definitely the case. None of the people who this documentary follows, not even the coaches, are in any way mentally healthy. They're fighting ghosts of juvenile trauma, and their sights are set on the fame and cash payout. It's sad. The philosophical dilemma is that, as they state outright, fighting is truth. And I can't help but agree, on some level. But who are you going to train to fight better? The people with some kind of need to hurt others? These guys in this documentary want to fight and hurt people. They enjoy fighting. To me, that's scary. I enjoy sparring. I don't enjoy really fighting. What's even more mind blowing is that there are people paying to watch. Not participate, just spectate. That's even more sick, in my estimation. There's lots to say about this documentary, but I'll just leave it as this... if you're going to waste ninety minutes, this is an opportunity to gain an inside perspective on MMA. Or you could go eat some peanut butter, and to hell with these guys 

Training With Family

I've been working on training with my husband on days when he is feeling up to it.  It has been hard for us to find the time to work together on it.  I think that we will work on coming up with a better routine.  Here's our awesome video.  We were just randomly coming up with things to work on. 

Post

Hi everyone, as i was thinking about what i could write for my post this week, i thought it would be better to share something when i have something to share. I don't want to make blog post just to make blog post. Aside of that, things are doing well, hapiness is at the rendez-vous much of the time. Until then, i wish you all well, i'm not going anywhere, i will just make post when i got something for ya'll. Keep up the good work, i will too.

Losing Your Mind to Gain Your Soul

While training yesterday, Sifu was talking about meditation and how it was important to clear your mind of all thought in order to achieve the next level of zen. That got me thinking about how I could apply that more in my training and I arrived at this concept. I'm going to attempt to muse it out and see where it leads.

The Bible says in Matthew 16:28 what will profit if a man gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? I feel like this idea can be applied to how we approach meditation. More often than not when we think on an average day, we concern ourselves with almost everything from how we are going to pay our bills to where our next meal is coming from to even something as simple as what we will wear to work the next day. These thoughts and considerations often stay with us through our training and can cloud our proficiency in our techniques and stretching. When we train we need to lose our mind. What I mean by that is that while we train, we need to be focused in the moment. We need to lose the thoughts that cloud our focus and eliminate all distractions from our minds to ensure that our muscles remember every movement we make. You will only be able to do what we practice in a fight. You won't be able to stop the situation and ask your assailant for time to get into the right stance or get a do over if you miss a strike. For my fellow believers, doing this effectively entails eliminating everything from your mind except for Him. I have found this to mean that we should remain in prayer, with minds open for His guidance. He has saved me too many times because I had silenced myself and allowed Him to speak. For my non-christian fellow todai I would encourage you to seek what I have found, but keeping to the same principles of a clear mind, open to the flow. I feel like if we can strive towards losing our minds in this way, we will in turn gain our soul. What I mean by that is that we has humans exist on two plains. Physical and Spiritual. If we can, while training and/or meditating, lose our focus on just the physical, we can become more aware of the spirit. It won't come easy and will take time to truly master this concept and all it entails, but I feel like this is very much an attainable goal. Having a stronger grasp of this will lead to more flow, more wisdom and an appreciation for the world around you that you may not have had before. I'm excited at where this can lead.      

Bally's Will Not Stop Me

Yesterday, I decided to upload some videos for my Red Fitness Certification. I also had some time to make a video about the Push Up Challenge. As soon as I decided to make another video about my CLF practice, an employee told me that I was not supposed to have a camera here. How long was I doing this and nobody told me about it? Is that a new rule of the gym or is this gym being an asshole? Who knows. Maybe it is because they saw the FMK logo on my tanktop and they feel threatened that they might lose a customer like me. Anyway, I guess I do not have a choice but to let that go. However, I am still going to work toward the certification. Here are few of my videos so far.

Here is another one.

Then another one.

My side kick is not that good but I am still working on getting it higher, doing more reps and holding it longer. Balance is another aspect of it too. The Balance Disk is the perfect tool for that I believe.
There is my last one.

Hopefully, I will be able to certify this year. I cannot wait to be one of the instructors!

Shoelipmania

Read about "Tulipmania" here!

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 think (not).)  ;)

Irresponsibilities in the Combative Techniques

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.

dying to get it right

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.

kung fu and listening

is mastery making fewer mistakes? 

or maximizing the wisdom gained from failures?

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. 

Don't Take Good Health For Granted

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

Training Live

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.

Ideas to put on weight

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.

Job Hunting Report

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.