hey hey

Well hidey-ho! How's it cracking today? We are doing great! I feel you what! I have had a very fantastic last few days. Friday turned out to be an amazing day! It turned from a craptacular day into a day of solid work and laughter. Everyone on the crew was in high spirits. It was a fantastic day that has turned into a run-on of a great weekend.
  I'm not to sure on where to go from here. See, not being apart of the I Ho Cuban has left me with a fair amount of free time. Time I still spend training and pushing towards my goals of being a complete martial artist.  I'm back spending a lot of time with techniques and strikes and blocks.  It's awesome ya know. We are taught all these separate movements, and our sifus leave it up to us, to put theses singular techniques into into a free flowing amount of Kung fu awesomeness. I've been playing with elbow blocks and foot trapping. I realize these may be above my belt level, but, I can see these things in my mind. I can clearly see the strike, the energy and the blocks. I can see the movements I can and will do to separate myself from my opponent. Now the trick here is to put the de things into practical use if you might.  One of my favourite parts of Kung fu is, building a technique, going to a black belt and saying, hey, what about this? And then Sifu tears things apart. Asks about blocking this or that. Using his knowledge to find the weaknesses of the technique and building from there. Some techniques I have "built" leave me way out in the open, just asking for a punch to the chin. Others are really solid and I wouldn't hesitate using them in the street.  As for sparring with my fellow students, I wouldn't want to use the yet, as the control is not where it needs to be.
    I have found, when first developing these techniques, things are fairly dangerous. Not working with a partner, for fear of hurting someone, really does slow down the development stage of the game. I train with a small group of people, and my options are limited. Each person I train with is talented in their own regard and all have something awesome to bring to the table. Even if it is just another opinion.  That's what builds great teammates. Just recognizing each others high and low points and working with each other to push through our shortcomings.  But, with that being said, I'm not confident enough in myself to grab a thrust kick, strike the knee, while pulling my opponent in towards myself and and driving through their chest with a palm heel strike. It's a sound technique, but it makes me nervous. Tweaking on one leg, while pulling the groin apart with their energies, to only use my energy, to plot through their rib cage. See what I'm saying?
   So, I have a plan, extra padding on the ground and clear communication with my training partners. Slow and steady with them, and I'm very confident that things will work together. And extra help. Maybe this technique is silly and should just stay in my brain? But, I'm a firm believer, that if this same thing keeps running through your mind, it needs to be dealt with. Not just amused, it needs to be solved.
    That's what I strive to be good at. Solving my problems so I can graciously accept tomorrow's challenges and new problems.

But, until next time folks,
Have a great day
Mr.Duncan

Rivers

  Hey yo! How's it today? Man I'm doing great. Another great day and a fantastic weekend to say the least.  It all started Thursday night, when for the first time in way too long I walked back into those rooms. Man that felt great. I felt like a massive weight was now lifted and I walk twenty pound lighter today.  Saw and visited with some friends met a few new people, just an all around great time. The conversation turned to thoughts of extra-ordinariness versus ordinariness. People looking for defenitions of each if you might. No one really talked about reality per say.  I do believe that each person has their own reality. It's made up of their experiences, their values, and what they have seen and experienced. So, even though we share this time here together, it's truly different for every person. From your own experiences you will see things differently than others and soon draw your own view points. Thus altering your own reality.  But, we all share the same simple things in life. Like, living, eating, a warm place to sleep, and how our own journeys can and will be extra-ordinary. But, we need to see that first. What a lot of people forget or over look or completely ignore is the simple beauty in their own lives. Just how lucky we are to be alive and to be sharing these moments with others who are so like minded. That's pretty extra-ordinary in it's self. People like me, we like to sell our selves short, to the point that it becomes a massive shortcoming. Or a defect of character, what ever your fancy.  Believe you are this amazing, extra-ordinary being and you will become one.
   You will see what you are doing, and improve upon those steps. You slowly, will learn that what you are doing right now, just isn't good enough, and you will seek ways to change and improve. you will learn the power of asking for help, and smiling at strangers. Saying hello. How are you? Offering aid instinctively.
   Through training my mind and body, I have learnt that this power inside me, is only useful, if I can use it to help others who are not as "trained" as I. Thursday night has helped me remember, my main goal. To be of service to my fellows. i had to remember, that, with my training, I can not hinder others, but, share all my knowledge to help them grow and blossom. That's my resbonsibility with all training I have aquired. I got it freely, I must give it up freely.  Otherwise, the pure essence of all my programs will die.
   What does all of this mean? A lot. But I try to sum it up in my mind like this. It is a bunch of thoughts and ideas smashed into one.

  Flow like a great river. Smashing and carving its own path. Always flowing and always changing. Every single millisecond, every single water particle has changed, grown, moved, or dissipated. Always changing. What can happen over time is, this great river grows complacent and slows down. The water slows and does not change as much or as drastic. If movement stops, and their is no more change, this great river has turned into a pond. Still and silent. With more idle time, the water turns stagnant and it becomes poisonous. Growing algae, becoming sludge and stinking. The death of water. But, wait, if agitated enough, if poked and prodded, the water will start vibrating, moving again. Carving out a new path, and with enough time, the pond can become a great river again. Just be patient, and keep working at your own path. Soon, even the tallest mountains will crumble because of your river.

That's what I got about that
Talk to you soon.
Mr.Duncan