I know it doesn't have anything to do with kung fu but I made a 87.5% on my math final! That is much better than I expected. Algebra is the only class in my 2 year degree so far that I averaged less than 97%. I am so happy with myself! I just wanted to share this with all my friends!!! Only 2 classes to go!

Still pushing

I've reached a new personal best on 60 second pushups   81.

Going for 100, then maybe 120.

As Dean said i'm sorry, we've been sort of out of touch with the kung fu society, i am going to blog more. That. Is. all. ZzZzZzZzZzZzZ.

Apologies...

I feel the need to apologize for my lack of posts. My current algebra class has been very demanding of my time. Another horrible headache as well as 2 Capstone assignments has kept me from making it to class tonight. Believe me, I would much rather be working on Fu Hok. My throbbing eyeballs are telling me to cut this short. I hope to see you all on Thursday. Take care of yourselves and wish me luck on my finals this week.

What else is it?

I was reading one of my ubiquitous and often rather silly fantasy books a week or so ago, and one of the repeated themes in it was to look at things in different ways -- anything, all things. Something appears to be one thing, and it is, but what else is it? A book, for instance, can be a book, a story, a bit of wisdom, a paperweight, a chock, an experience, a flower press.... The point is to train our vision to see things in multiplicities rather than singularities. The more ways you can see a thing, a person, a situation, then the more ways we have of dealing with it.

Steven's recent post reminded me of this topic, since he was relating the way learning about bonsai has made him see trees differently, caused him to notice ways they grow. A tree is many things as well: a plant, a resource, firewood and warmth, housing for wildlife, food for bugs ... and art. A bonsai tree can be a source of meditation, a representation of wisdom and patience.

Martial arts can be a simple exercise. What else?

Banzai!!! I mean Bon Sai!!!

I am in the beginning stages of learning to grow bon sai trees.  It's fun, it's new, and I'm already learning lessons from it.

Growing a bonsai tree is a long term hobby.  It requires patience and willingness to enjoy delayed gratifi-

cation.

There is work to be done shaping a bonsai.  I sat down for about an hour deciding how to shape my tree, then spent about an hour wiring it.  The next step is to wait several months.

Once I started a bonsai, this small scale tree caused me to start noticing the way trees grow in nature.  It caused me to think about the forces that led a tree to be shaped the way it is.  It caused me to observe trees and think.

Once I started one bonsai, I started looking for more trees to work with.

Martial arts training is a long term hobby too.  There is work to be done.  One must do the work then wait months to really see the results.  Learning about how the body moves in martial arts teaches more about how bodies move everyday.  Once you learn one thing in martial arts, the desire to learn more grows.

Students

I love teaching, and I love my students. There's always something new to consider that comes from them. A freshman student of mine just posted her favorite quote:

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye. . . . It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. - The Little Prince.

It's been years since I've read that text, and I forgot it was a "book of wisdom" in its own right. I think I'll pick it up again. I have failed to "waste" time lately for my particular rose (martial arts), and to listen to my heart, because my mind is shouting at me so loudly to get things done!