Lion Dance at the Curley PLayground

The Globe came by and took some pictures the other day. This picture is NOT from that day or the Globe.. I can't use any of those pictures anyway. But we did get a picture in the Metro. I have been in the paper so many times from Lion Dance stuff that it wasn't until someone else mentioned that it was good for Resumes and Publicity that I even really thought about it. Luckily another parent saved me a copy. Though my name and Picture aren't in there. Will it still help me?

Grace has been saying that I have been doing a lot of SMALL things and that I should focus on doing one BIG thing. Something with more impact in terms of numbers reached. I realized that basically this means I have to have a central location and start my own program.

Wild Scallion

Today, while doing Kung Fu I mistook a woman passing by for a local activist. I wanted to talk to her about a business plan I am writing for opening a school. It turned out to be someone else. But I saw a group of older Chinese women in a little walking group. I thought, "Maybe I should try talking to them to practice my horrible Mandarin."

But then I thought, "Is that weird?"

In the end I did run after them and introduce myself. There were a few Cantonese members of the group. So I did become lazy and start speaking Cantonese. But I tried to get the translation into Mandarin.

One woman, Auntie Zhang, becaause it turns out she has the same surname as I do, stopped suddenly and picked what looked like grass.

"Do you know what this is?"

"Bu je dao."

"Yeh Chung ah."

She handed me a piece.

"Smell it."

Ahh it was scallions. That grow wild? I had no idea.

We walked around the pond once and I learned quite a bit from them. It was nice.

They walk every day.

I will try to join them every day... which means just the days when I don't have other commitments.

Will I be able to walk with them when I have the children? Not sure.
But it will be a good exercise. Maybe the children can learn Mandarin too.

Learning from books

I spent the day today converting my forms into drunken forms and pausing and doing Drunken Kung Fu Yoga and then regular Yoga. Most Americans hear that I started doing Yoga and say, "Oh that's great." But some people may ask why don't you just do Kung Fu? They have stretching and Qi Gong? Maybe the Kung Fu you know isn't that good after all.

I'll tell you why I am doing Yoga.

It's because I am too lazy to do Kung Fu.

Or because I just want to switch it up.

I mean everything I read about Yoga... Yoga and Kung Fu are basically the same thing. But why would I learn Yoga out of a book? I'll tell you I just follow along with the pictures. It's fun to do that I realize. To not think. To not train seriously. Training like that, some people will say it's useless. I say it's a crutch to get you back on the path of real training. So I used it, and I may use it again.

Do I think you could learn Kung Fu from a book? Maybe just the pictures even without being able to read the Chinese words? You know what? I think it is possible as long as you have basics. But say If I were to do that, I guess I should do that with Noah... because when we are learning something together like that, he enjoys it much more than when I am teaching him..

But I wouldn't bother to learn the whole form. That's the whole point of writing it down.. you no longer have to memorize it. You just do the technique (which will invariable be some version of a technique I already know... but still it's fun to do this)  and then you play with it, and move onto the next technique.

Basically by the time you can learn from a book, maybe you don't really need the book anymore...

But actually the goal of my intro classes (those three month classes I have been teaching in JP and Chinatown) is that you will have the basic training and concepts... so that you can learn from a book after my class.

Borscht and other side effects of watching the Americans

I think watching the American is totally getting me into things Russian, even though practically nothing they do on the Americans is Russian. I mean the scenes at the Rezidentura yeah. But What do I mean about things Russian. I mean Phillip eats Borscht while at a KGB safehouse or whatever they call it and I'm like, "huh what the hell is Borscht."  had to Google it. I mean I know I had heard of it before. But honestly, I think I heard of it in some 1980's SNL skit making fun of it and how gross it was.

This isn't the first time food was mentioned or alluded to on the show. The first time was the Caviar which Stan Beman uses, seemingly to test Phillip beacuse he suspects he is Russian. Phillip pretends to hate it while eating it with chips and beer. Later he eats in the proper way with Elizabeth. There was also Vasilli teaching Nina the proper way to make tea.

The only reason why I had any diea what the hell they were talking about was because in Philly, this past Christmas Grace and I went to a Russian store near the old Philly house. I don't know if it was always there or not. But I don;t think I had ever been there. One of the main things we got there wer the Kinder Surprise eggs.

We had happened to see Tea as well. I didn't know Russian Tea was a big deal.

In fact, even though this show, The Americans, is about the KGB, it is done in a better way I think. I mean I don't know what someone Russian would think of the show at all.

But let's see the other shows I watch, whether it is Madame Secretary or the new Jack Ryan movie or some stupid action movie I saw. Really when Asians complain that they are the only safe group to make fun of... it's not true. Russians are. Part of this may be because Russians are white and a minority and we have a rivalry with the Putin.. all at the same time.

I mean watch despicable me. I recommended that movie to a Russian American friend of mine for her child to watch... and then the next day after I thought about it I had to quickly recant and warn her... I mean maybe she doesn't want her kid watching a movie where the stereotypical villainous accent is a fake Russian accent.

Then the adult shows are even worse. Okay they are talking about Russian Gangsters or KGB or whatever, that's a normal part of the movie. The bad guys just happen to be Russian. That didn't get me. What got me was when they were showing the Orthodox Church to somehow be some sort of cesspool of money laundering or organization of evil like Specter or Fu Manchu or whatever. I mean it was pretty bad and I'm not even Russian.

Anyway, I think I'm going to have to try Borscht, and maybe read some Russian novels. It's true I've never read Anna Karenina or anything famous. Why? Why does it take this spy show to want me to even look at that stuff? I don't know.

Another side effect is that tonight's show was the second one to get me emotional. The first was when Elizabeth meets her mother and kneels before her. I'm just saying there is some similarity between that image and stuff you see in some Chinese culture. Not the newer younger families. It's got nothing to do with how I myself was raised obviously... well come to think of it even on my white side I did see my mom kneel before my grandfather like that... once... but then in the next sentence she was rip shit and calling him a dope and told me not to go near him. (I think my grandfather had suggested that I simply take the Peters name and forget the Cheung name since my father had passed anyway. He had a point actually, if that's what he was thinking. I mean maybe it's not even what happened. I was so young and only heard snippets. But I think it was something to do with the fact that I could pass for white and that I would be less confused if I just picked a side as it were, and why not pick the side with family here and the one that has more power in this country? Again My mother did not respond well though. But I digress)

Anyway I was emotional when Elizabeth kneeled before her mother. And then tonight when Martha talked about being alone in Russia by herself, just like before she had met Clarke.... it was so sad. They play the show again. Their playing it again right now. And I'm sort of watching it again I guess. I'm pretty into this show... and for good reason. It's a good show.

The New Season of "the Americans"

I am finally all caught up on "The Americans" and I can actually watch the new season on TV as it comes out. I'm not sure why I consider this some sort of accomplishment but I do.

I actually didn't watch the the newest season, instead I just read the synopses on Wikipedia. Something that I realized that is good about just reading the synopsis is that Noah could read it with me and there was no fear of it being too violent or sexual. I madethe mistake of talking about the fact that the Americans would be on, and Noah totally wanted to try and stay up and watch it with me. ... crazy kid.

I will let him watch the other seasons with me though, I no know where the bad parts are and I will just somehow edit them out. Or do they have an edited version?

In any case. I am eagerly awaiting "Gravity" to end so I can watch the latest episode.

The Emotional side of Religion

I have talked about religion off and on, and what my beliefs are. And I talk to religious people and usually I analyze the religion by the stories by books and by thought. But that doesn't really touch on why I think religion is an important tool to use. Now usually when you say "religion" and "use" you think politics and how to get votes or use influence or take over a country or start a war... that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about as an individual.

And there are some points in everyone's life, especially death and young death especially where it just doesn't seem natural that you know what? ANYTHING that works. Oh you don't usually exactly believe in a personal god or the Abrahamic God or whatever. But you PRAY or meditate or WHATEVER WORKS, because the searing pain is so powerful and you have been numbed to the point where maybe you can't take it any more and you cannot function. Maybe you want to end it all or maybe you aren't that far yet but you don't want to get out of bed but you still have a family to raise and support and you have to be strong and taking on all that is tremendously stressful so if it's Christ or Allah or Buddha or anything that helps you get through it.... how can I have a problem with that?

Critics often call religion the Opiate of the masses, in fact it was Marx that coined the term. But really sometimes you NEED that opiate and the closest easiest one with the most support, take it, even if it doesn't necessarily fit. Just worry about that later. In fact in this day and age, take more than one.

Now with actual opiates you can get into danger and cause more problems for yourself, but f the people who go to your Church or A church or whatever seem normal enough, they can function, hey that's maybe what you need.

"It's lies and stories and fairy tales!" some say.. who cares. Worry about it later.


Now some people who are already IN the religion often find that they lose faith in God or whatever. I have lost faith in a SYSTEM  or folk style of belief before, and I guess I didn't quite regain it. In fact I ended up with a more balanced and atheistic-ally influenced style of religion.. but I wouldn't say the basic concepts changed much. I don'y know what it's like to lose faith in a God of a specific system that I wholeheartedly believed in.

So maybe you need something new to get through this. A new opiate. Maybe it is an emotion. Maybe it is hate or blame or maybe it s anger or ATHEISM as a new belief system. Those things can damage you over time... but for NOW... I would say the same thing honestly. Whatever works. Try to tale the opiate that least damages you and benefits you the most. Spend time with friends, listen to music, fill yourself with IDEOLOGY of a cause.. whatever... well actually I guess my old belief system had all of these factors and sort of got me into trouble... but in the end I would say it worked out okay. But pick something mainstream. Some cause or fight that the society not only allows, but supports and encourages. That's why Christianity tends to be the one of choice. Buddhism... is also okay but in America the really push the Christianity to the point where politicians basically have to pretend to have found God and Jesus specifically if they haven't been religious in the past. So there it's encouraged.

And really, sometimes you NEED it and after you have gotten through it all and are able to look around and past your grief.. well then you can talk about whether you would like to follow the Gospel of Thomas or Mary Magdalene over the Synoptic Gospels or whether you prefer the teachings of Thich Naht Hanh or Deepak Chopra. But in horrible tragedy you may very well need something hard and strong and in a group with lots of crying and hugging and that sort of thing. And singing and going into altered trance like states... as long as there is control and in the end you get up on workdays and go to work and cook dinner and what not... what's the harm.

Shape Shifting

I've been practicing in the playground a lot this week. And I have returned to my older ways of practicing. n other words, to warm up, I will do a lot of free style, and again I have been revisiting my 10 animal form. Basically it is the adult version of the wheels on the Kung Fu bus. Recently I do it more internally and with more Gung, sometimes hard and sometimes soft. The more I do it I feel it is a pretty cool form. I saw some guys watching me and doing their work out and then they started shadow boxing each other. I'm not sure if they were making comparisons or thinking that what I was doing was useless or too complicated. My free style form probably looks crazier and less smooth than my regular forms... like I'm making it up... Oh wait I did make it up.

But actually it does have more of that fighter's feel to it in that I am using sparring moves. Not tht a form does not have sparring moves, but to do it in the classical sense may be different than the street application.

On another note, when I ran through my traditional forms... and made those forms seem more freestyle as well. I just feel like in a playground situation, the free style makes more sense, because you never know when you might have to turn to watch you kid or change position or whatever.


Anyway I did run through some traditional forms but I warmed up with my Wheels on the Kung Fu bus 10 animal form instead of Mein Lei jum and basics. I don't now, it was something about the day that made me not really want to commit to do doing repetitive motions. But I did get a work out done.

The way the Wheels on the Kung Fu bus works (the adult version) is I start doing cloud hands, internal then that changes to fists and from there I do a punch of circular pucnhes. (I call it the Peter's family punch because it is featured in several of my Mom's and Uncle Francis's stories about themselves and my Grandfather. It look similar to a Wing Chun punch, except for the stance, and it is more circular. Systema has a similar punch too, but in the end, it has become my own thing. Actually this time I added a free style of the opening, which has many elbow strikes and bound hand or two hand together type stuff. The Wheels punches go into all sorts of Kuen Faht (fist techniques)

Then you go down the line in your mind.. Dragon Snake, Tiger, Leopard, Crane, Lion, Elephant, Monkey, Horse, Ape

I have developed specific styles and, I would almost say personalities, for each animal.

The craziest looking ones are probably the last three. Monkey Horse and Ape. This is ironic because monkeys and apes are our closest relatives. But I guess I am not that light, so when I move like a monkey perhaps it look awkward.... crazy. My horse, was taken from a movement jab concept and flying knees to the head or chin and may be unrecognizable as horse to anyone watching, and Ape, looks open and insane.. but is probably the most effective. If they were making fun of me... it was for these last three. But to tell the truth the last two animals were all techniques sort of used in MMA. Monkey steal the peach is completely illegal and frowned upon even in a street fight with any ritualistic machismo, but nobody can argue it is ineffective.

I even did my stick form but I stopped after just doing a few. I felt lazy, or perhaps just in a good mood enjoying the day. I guess it is more important to enjoy your practice and continue it daily, than to push and maybe even hurt yourself.

Tetris theme and Lenin's Young pioneer's pin in "The Americans"

I have been noticing that the background music in the Americans sounds a lot like that iconic Tetris theme. I wonder if that will com up in the show. Like Tetris will come out and they'll be like "hey can you believe this?" I mean they did have Henry bust out with some inherited spy tactics, carrying out surveillance on the neighbors and breaking in... so that he could play their crappy 80's video game system.

The Tetris theme is actually a folk song about some travelling peddler sleeping with a dark haired beauty in the fields at night in exchange for giving her a pin. And the first time I heard the theme in the show is... when Oleg gets Nina a young pioneer pin of Lenin. The song has continued, and maybe it was there from the get go, but I really thought about that pin, in the song when, when Oleg was pinning it close to Nina's heart. I figured I would write about it because I bet few people watching would even have cuaght that. Heck maybe it wasn't even intentional.

I only know this because I would pay the theme at the school and one of the students was actually from Russia, also from Vladivostok actually, and she printed out the music and lyrics for me. I had been playing it at a much higher octave and the version she printed out was much easier. More importantly, I learned what the song was actually about. A trust in the field.

So you could say because of this previous knowledge the puzzle pieces fell into place or me when I was watching the episode about the Young Pioneer Pin.

Community Kung Fu

We went hiking with the sticks and baseball and volleyball yesterday day. Instead of going to the closest field we chose something farther to switch it up. As it turned out, on the way back we passed by Noah's friend's house. I ended up brushing up on a child's stick fighting form and they brought out a homemade Dragon head that had been intended for a Halloween costume.

Basically the result was a village style Kung Fu lesson and a type of Lion dance with a cardboard box.

I had seen some cardboard animal heads at the Curley art show that were really quite impressive. The colors just popped more than my home made head. And the shape, though not as intricate as a real lion head, were good enough. And I don't think Paper Mache was even involved. I have to try volunteer in that art class so that I can be inspired. My point is I have been thinking, oh I need this and that, for my dream of a Kung Fu lion dance troupe, but all I need is people. And then we get some sticks and cardboard boxes. Not that hard.

I mean when the kids moved with the cardboard box, that looked  fun. But when I did lion head moves with it. it brought a whole new dimension to it.

If there was a cloth tail added to it, that would be even cooler.

I had been thinking, "I need real heads and real drums if we are going to get gigs to perform lion dance."

This is probably still true. But why am I even thinking about that yet? I mean if you did a show and performed for the community... they will not turn you away if you ave buckets and cardboard boxes. So basically we should start with that.

Are forms a waste of time?

Noah's really into sports and chess and games. He's even really into certain aspects of Kung Fu. I.e. today I hung up a tennis ball in a net-like bag from some sort of produce on a cord. I hung it on a tree and the boys hit it for more than an arrow using sticks, hands... whatever. I'm sure if Noah was my size he would like sparring of some sort, but doing forms.. he hates.

Well he used to like it but he just never wants to do the forms. which  makes me think... why force him? Well it kind of just annoys me when every so often I call upon him to do a form and he ends up forgetting the moves. It's like I wasted my time teaching them to him.

But he picked them up so fast, and he did all his Suzuki songs on the violin, so I figured, he has no problem continuing to learn more.... But it seems like he actually wants to learn the more practical side of Kung Fu more than forms. Of course without the painful getting down in stance that is.

But it's not like I have him do Kung Fu training for hours. I mean today he did, but it was all the games. We did volleyball (which has some carry over since you are hitting a target) and again, that tennis ball thing. So I guess he would train Kung Fu for hours like hitting a bag or something. Just not MY training. But the thing is, it's not like you can perform the stuff he practices. But maybe we don't need to focus on performances any more.

I  basically feel like maybe I should just drop it all. If he just wants to train his own way, let him. But then I'm like, "Dude I'm only making him do it my way for 10 minutes a day... if that. What's the big deal." In fact I don't think I forced him to do forms today. That was yesterday.

And all I did was say that he had to follow along as I did the forms with him. Can he use it? Does he understand these things? Not really. But he also doesn't practice them a whole lot. I don't think it's too much to ask to learn some sequences and maintain them. But should I stop introducing new material?

Not sure.

Finding the answers in Prose Fiction. Yeats and the 108 heroes.

I am reading some prose of W.B. Yeats and I realize that his view of Christianity, where you have the old Gods present as well. IS not that different from mine. Maybe Pastor Steven Chin was right when he said that most people actually think like me, where you can be Christian or Muslim and Buddhist and whatever and you just reconciled it all one way or another and adhere mainly to Science.

I mean here are these poets and writers from so long ago, they are so old, and they already are grappling with stuff I have been writing about in my books. Kung and Cooking and Lions and Dragons and Drums are the two that I have been focusing on. I want to get them out in book form soon. Not necessarily in the final version, but at least a physical book I can start looking through and editing with a pen instead of on the screen. It would just make me feel better I think to have it in Physical form.

I just made a video about a form I created called 8 phases of Moh Chung. It is a concept form. It goes through 8 ways of fighting.

1)Street Fighter
 Moh Chung starts off as a brawler that is hired to beat up a bully. So you free style like a brawler, Typical Street fight type deal.  Very Bruce Lee or boxing type stuff.

2)Drunken fighter
Moh Ching later gets drunk and fights a tiger killing it. This is something that is reenacted over and over in skits by children in China. Except nowdays they let the tiger go. You know, endangered species. The tiger, of course is just another child. This drunken concept is loose and relax and almost Yogic for me. Same moves, but done in a very relaxed and stretching out your body type way.

3)Avenger
Moh Chong kills Simon Hing and Poon Gum leen avenging his older brother's murder, having collected evidence to prove their guilt. He tried the legal means first (this is important) but the system was corrupt. He kills them and brings evidence in as a record and accepts his punishment for breaking the law. Basically, doing the same moves  but with purpose. Different than a street fighter per se. Your typical Martial Art type philosophy. Very Karate or Hung Gar or Toshiro Mifune in terms of focus, righteousness (self righteousness) and purpose.

4) Bound
In this phase you have tied hands. Moh Chung might have actually been in a stockade but I just use a bound hands handcuff type concept. You do moves with the hand together and focus on kicks too. It's cool because you can use a lot of moves from the opening. At some point you break the rope or duct tape or whatever and then fight normally again.

5)Bezerker
Moh Ching goes to jail but then lives with some corrupt Warden and works for him. He is given a house and a wife (who he treats as a sister, not wanting to force himself on anyone) but then is set up again. He kills everyone, guilty and innocent. This is different from Killing Poon Gum Leen and Simon Hing because at this point he no longer has reason or a moral compass. In fact he writes that he did it in blood on the wall. One can see why he did this, but it is no longer morally correct as he kills people who do not deserve to die necessarily As a form, you lash out and throw your moves with a crazy power. This is a very useful thing to practice because, especially if you are not a good or professional fighter, a real fight will be difficult to go through, You might not be able to focus and get it done like your are a professional athlete playing a sport. And so in order to defend yourself, you just do some crazy stuff to get out of there. But what crazy movements will you do? Not a bad idea to practice going into this state, having moves that you do that your body will be used to so you don't hurt yourself, and then moving back out of this state after the danger has passed.

6)Fake Monk
So you see people dress up in robes and do their moves as if they are enlightened and a lot of times you will say, they are fake. Well Moh Chung started his Monastic life as a poser. He put on robes and carried a book that a couple gave him as a disguise. The couple treated him well, like family, but they were swindlers who got people drunk and then killed them and fed them to the next customers at their Inn. But even from this start, Moh Chung became an actual monk. Fake it until you make it. So here, you do your moves like an enlightened martial artist. You aren't an enlightened martial artist? Fake it.
It's similar I guess to the Revenger, except here, you are doing violent movements while trying to not be violent. The Buddhist Monk.

7) One armed Hero
Moh Chung loses an arm on one of the 108 heroes battles. So basically, Put one hand as your guard and leave there and fight only with the legs and one arm. Then you can switch. Keeping that one hand only for guarding is pretty common in beginner's boxing and other Kung Fu moves. But really focusing on only fighting with one hand is good practice.

8) Finding Peace.

At the end, Moh Chung decided not to go on one of the adventures to steal money or whatever He opted to stay as a monk at a monastery. His friends wentto visit him later on and found that he has passed away. In any case for the last stage of this form, it is meditation. I Guess you can do this standing still or moving. But unlike the fake monk, you are absolutely at peace, even if that means you have to just meditate instead of doing the Kung Fu moves as a meditation. After all, Moh Chung chooses not to act, and therfore not to move here. And then that is the end of the form.


This form is more of a concept form in that you don't necessarily have to have a set sequence of moves. Of course you have your basic moves and concepts that are introduced. In truth, there may actually be 8 forms here.

I did it as one freestyle form wher I talked to the go pro... but I'm having trouble uploading it to youtube! Maybe God is telling me I didn't think about the concepts enough. After all I started the video with 7 phases and as I was doing it I realized there were eight, which makes more sense when dealing with Buddhist precepts and all that.

Sticks

I have been teaching the kids and moms, at the playground stick fighting. In fact my class has become much more informal where they go straight to jumping in the head. I realize that to jump in and DO something with some kind of equipment, a stick or a lion head, is much more fun then lining up and punching. So even though I have to show each kid like an individual, it works out. In fact, the basic stick fighting moves I am teaching are so easy, I mean they are like Chinese Patty Cake really, except as I show them I realize it is really good for them in terms of learning to hit a target (the other persons stick ) and learning to control the stick and turn your body, etc... but I think it can become something that everyone just knows.. like Basketball or Salsa dancing.

I'll have the long stick, the short sticks, and I'll put some push hands and punching drills in there. And maybe everyone will pick up Cheun pow cup.

I was talking to 4 Suk (Sifu's younger brother) and he was saying that when he practiced (from 8pm- 12pm every night) he didn't do forms. It was just Chuen pow cup and stick for fighting. I am not teaching what he practiced exactly. I am teaching something that is more like a game. His was definitely a martial art... closer to MMA execpt with weapons, with stance and without rules, for the purpose of swimming down to Hong Kong.

But the point is, not everything has to be about lining up in rows. That's the easiest way to do it for me.... but is it the most effective and fun for them.

No instead I'll show some kids... and they'll show other kids, and the whol ething will be social and be about community.

Buddha Beer

Grace bought this Buddha beer. It's made in China and the bottle is shaped like the laughing Buddha. Except since you can't see the eyes it's almost like an evil Buddha. The fact that it exists is border line offensive because (well to certain people I'm sure it just is offensive) because these Buddha's are not allowed to drink alcohol. But we are the type of family that instead of protesting.. actually bought the beer. And I drank it.
I think my limit is one beer. And today I don't feel that bad. I mean I haven't done any forms this morning... but I'm thinking that this beer has a lower alcohol content. It is a Chinese Beer. And is that why it is called Buddha Beer? Because there isn't as much alcohol? Not sure.

Emotions

It is not easy to control your emotions. In fact I'm not sure control is the best method. Noah got very upset today because his friend hit him with an apple on the end of a fork.
I didn't see it, but even if I did I probably would have just taken away the fork  if a stabbing motion was involved... but still my problem with Noah's reaction was that he just cried and couldn't express himself and pretty much did not defend himself verbally or physically. However, then he goes and picks on Jonah. If you want to be the gentle child... that's okay. But if you are going to be rough and tumble, don't pick on the weak. Just stick up for yourself and for the weak who can't.

It goes to show that anger is or raw emotion is not necessarily more effective. Crying and even hitting in anger most of the power goes into the lungs, not from the lungs but into them and can even give a stroke. The power doesn't really come out of the fist.

This is why meditation, and a switch, to put all your effort into the task at hand, whether it is defending yourself physically, verbally or running or whatever you need to do is vital. Otherwise any technique you use is completely useless.

Although a lot of groups claim to practice this, in the end it is not necessarily so in practice. It depends on the situation. And the way you attain this state of calm, or at least ability to get the thing done.. well some people just do it naturally. I am not necessarily that type. But I thought of my childhood. I cried and would be bawling too... but I would be swinging at the person attacking me to. Ineffectively yes. But I didn't take it out on the weaker people. That type of behavior disgusts me. But I guess a lot of successful people exhibit this behavior because that way.. you never lose. You only ever attack weak prey. Even still I always yell at Noah for attacking the weak and also do not defend him right away so long as I think he can get out without being seriously hurt.

That doesn't mean I encourage him to pick fights with big kids. There are many ways to avoid the situation he was in. First of all, he went around the building where nobody could see him.

But it is better to learn this type of stuff now, in these safer situations, than to be oblivious to it and make it to adulthood.

Kicks

On Saturday the I started teaching kicks to my Kung Fu class at JQS. i did not teach kicks at First Baptist nor did I start teaching basic kicks at JQS because I though tey were too difficult. In truth, I never really did a ton a kicks so I would say my kicks have not achieved that high level. Though I mean I can do them and I have a sense of sending my chi into my foot... but still I feel like I needed a simple basic drill like kick to show.. and so I started practicing these drills on my own first. I enjoyed doing them and they engaged my core, etc. But would I use these in a fight? Well would I use anything in a real life situation?

That's a good question. Because experience had told me that I might do something completely different... and that will still work, from using words, to some other sort of strategy.

Anyway. I started teaching the kicks because a 6 year old in the class could do the spinning jump kick, so I figured, time to run through some of the basic kicks.

Then for application I showed how to use it on the ground. This is the "buk toi" Northern style kicks used in Ground fighting. I knew that anyone could do it because they also have this in Karate classes and because of that, the Self Defense class where I used to be a suited instructor used it as well. (They say they are not a system, but to me, all the moves are Karate basically, maybe some differences.)

I also showed some animal stuff, the crane strike or the Tiger Eye gouge (though some traditional masters may say that is not the correct application, I say, look you can do that too and what are you going to call it a different name? The hand still looks like a tiger claw.)

At the end of class, almost everyone really liked the kicks. (we end the class with a "What did you like or learn" circle moment) So we will continue with the kicks I guess.

I guess I was so happy that everyone else was happy that I left my hat. (My Favorite hat!) Why did I where it out like that? Well that's okay I guess. I looked online and these "Flat caps" seem to be pretty expensive. Maybe it was tim eto by a new one anyway. I'm sure I can get a cheaper priced one somewhere. It's not like I really NEED one.

Binge watching "the Americans"

Well I saw the advertisement for the "Americans new episodes coming up. I had started watching this with Grace but we stopped watching when the protagonist wife, was being raped. It turned out that the scene, which I had watched.. uhh years ago, was pretty much over.
There is some sex and violence, but it isn't over the top like "Into the Badlands" basically I let the kids.. not watch per se... well yes they can watch it.

Well it is definitely as good as I thought it was.

Noah of course is confused by all the socially inappropriate behavior.

Okay just saw a scene that definitely needed explanation. It's weird. The violence is not so bad...

But then, bonus points, I see my friend from high school Todd Bartels on the screen. I don't why it's so fun to see someone you know in a show, like it's you in a show.. actually know it's better it's like your IN the show, not in a fake TV show but in the story because you recognize someone you know as a character...lol

Pandit Ravi Shankar and cool instruments

Today I clicked on the Google and learned, for the first time about Pandit Ravi Shankar.

I thought about how this story of a man who played the sitar realtes to me.. and actually it got me thinking about the Chinese dulcimer.

I thought of all the people I know who really know ho who play the Chinese dulcimer well. And that group that was part f Kwong Kow and now is still in the CCBA is good. They do a lot.

And actually Zhang lao shi is incredible, and a lot of his students are incredible and do all sorts of other things in life too, doctors break dancers whatever. But I've never seen the dulcimer in a hip hop breaking video. Why not? I've never seen that type of collaboration.

Then Instead of thinking about other people I thought about myself and how, truth be told, I've been neglecting my dulcimer. I tried to teach it to the kids, but they were too young... but yeah maybe it's time to bring it back out, and my Yuen, and my Gaohu. And I should be playing with it more often.

I'm not nearly as good at these instruments as some of my friends.

I have a few good songs and then I can freestyle.

In fact in Highschool John Danner would always come up to me and say, "Are you going to perform the same song on the dulcimer again? Don't you know any others?"

Actually i had performed a different song but to him they sounded similar, probably because they are both Chinese and okay there are similarities, and yes there is a huge difference between the two songs I played and say, Nam Yi Dong Ji kerng, but the two songs I played are closer together in terms of style.

In any case a lot of people were impressed by my playing even though perhaps I was not a spectacular musician but I could play this instrument that looked different and lo and behold they liked it.

John Danner was a much better musician so that's why he was mad I guess. But really there is no need to get mad at something like that. I see Noah getting mad like that all the time and it baffles me. Instead we could have collaborated and made something greater. That's what friends can do right? At least if they have time, which at Groton.. well I did have time come to think of it. Why didn't I collaborate with others to create something new?

Okay so I didn't in the past...

Well I did once when i went back to perform at Groton but it was a side intro to the Kung Fu we were going to do. I played violin and Alhambra, my friend, played dulcimer. It was pretty cool.


Why don't I do it now though?

Is it easier said than done?

You know I know all these parenting tricks from online, from Daniel Tiger's neighborhood.. points, the good tantrum game.. whatever But  in the I often forget them. It's a lot like how you might do Kung Fu but then what do you do in a real fight?

Well It means I need to practice these parenting tricks more often...we haven't done the tantrum game in a while, and we haven't been doing a whole hell of a lot of Kung Fu. Mainly because Noah keeps saying he hates it. So I will only make him do One form or so. Maybe two.

Actually that is a good idea. Maybe we should put together a schedule. Which day he will do what form.. because in the end, his freestyle play, which he does on his own is equivalent to do basics over and over, except that it is technically better and more realistic than forms or basics.

I totally forgot about my lion dance class on Wednesday... but to be fair the ground was wet and the usuals who normally attend it were gone because of the cold weather.

But next Wednesday, barring rain I will be back out there. And I will be trying to sneak my Kung Fu in to the games that children play. Maybe it means I will have to just play with them.. get on their level, and do what they are doing and sneak the Kung Fu in.

That means I will completely have to change who I am. I will be a playmate instead of a parent, which is mentally exhausting, but perhaps something I need to practice.

Maybe the problem is this whole time I was trying to do it the way I was taught instead of learning a new way.

Snowy days in April

For some reason over the winter I had no problem practicing outside. But today I did. Part of it was the cold, part of it was that I ate a heavy breakfast. I think I will have to start delaying my breakfast to after practices again otherwise I will get into my old rut of not practicing.

Instead I took time today to meditate a lot of free style in internal mediation movements with various objects for weapons. Sticks I really had picked up for Noah, but are actually more useful to me as improvised weapons than the long sticks I usually practice with. I think I was inspired by some friends that told me I should start expressing myself in my Kung Fu more me.


I will say this though, whenever you work out in the house it is not as intense. And I guess I could force myself to freestyle outside for an hour an that would be a work out, but the simple truth is that I usually don't. I think I'll start rotating that freestyle in to my practice... and perhaps I should allow Noah more free style time instead of being so rigid with forcing him to do forms and all.

Today I will be teaching my children's class.  Shall we spend a lot of time playing outside? Will they want to play in the snow? Or will they want to get inside? I suspect my student will not be wearing snow pants... and I think despite the fun that snow does offer, that my children have indeed had enough of it.

11.22.63 Finale (spoiler alert)

Having watched the whole series you feel like you learn the same lesson that you often figure out in one show... but it is a different effect when you are brought through the entire journey. In fact, even though Jake was unable to effect anything in the end... having gone through the journey, that is something.

Grace thought, "Why didn't he just go and get with that girl? And why didn't he ask her, "so what do you think about clothespins?"

I think the point is, that you shouldn't regret so much about the past and say "what if" going back.

But what you an do is use the knowledge from that journey to move forward. Jake was noyt able to live out a romantic life with Sadie, but he was able to have those experiences with her in another life, and then meet up with her in her old age. And that is something.

There is some idea in there too that just because something didn't happen, that it doesn't mean that there isn't some remnant of that in our world. This is especially brought out when Jake and Sadie keep running into the people who they either killed or caused to die on the way to save Kennedy.

Grace and I were arguing about this and she said, "Why did something happen to you like that?"

I don't know why she said that but I did bring up that when I was a small child, and my father had already passed, I saw someone, just like him, at a Supermarket in Chinatown. He came in walked around. Looked at me and then left.


My mother told me we were leaving and then on the street she said, "Did you see that man that looked just like Baba?"

"Yes."

"Okay I didn't want to say anything, who did you think it was do you think it was him? You don't have to ask me you can think whatever you want.."

And basically she had thought it was him too but didn't want to influence what I thought.

Of course scientifically this makes no sense. Or rationally I should say because perhaps there is a weird Scientific explanation what with quantum  physics... or maybe we just had some trick of the mind illusion. The point is, I think a lot of people have these experiences, whatever the explanation.. usually a deja vu like mind trick... but the fact that we as humans have these sensations, that influences our story telling and our world view.

So I'm sure those weird parts where they see people who aren't supposed to be there resonated with a lot of audience members.

Do sau

Here is one move from the Luk Lik (six strengths) form.  A lot of people see this move and they say, "What is that for?" or think it is an awkward movement. Most children will automatically think of a "Karate chop" to the neck or something. Basically you are using your hand to chop like a knife. This isn't exclusively a "Karate" move of course but that is the system that has some of the best marketing. It's like how all flying discs are now called Frisbees and all tissues are now called Kleenex. Anyway, you can do a lot with this one move, maybe that's why it is such a stereotypical or iconic martial arts pose.

Do sau

Here is one move from the Luk Lik (six strengths) form.  A lot of people see this move and they say, "What is that for?" or think it is an awkward movement. Most children will automatically think of a "Karate chop" to the neck or something. Basically you are using your hand to chop like a knife. This isn't exclusively a "Karate" move of course but that is the system that has some of the best marketing. It's like how all flying discs are now called Frisbees and all tissues are now called Kleenex. Anyway, you can do a lot with this one move, maybe that's why it is such a stereotypical or iconic martial arts pose.

Rock Climbing and life lessons

The boys went rock climbing for a birthday party yesterday. I think they did much better than I would have. Mostly they were supported by the rope and when they tried to "free climb" they really weren't able to do it, so I don't want to pretend like my kids are real rock climbers. But I did see an advantage to these type of activities. I mean You do have to teach them rock climbing but it isn't the same as Kung Fu. They either do it or not. There is something more playful about it. There is something more useful about it, and there is also something that gives you a sense of accomplishment. I mean you don't need a medal when you literally just went over a wall. They use that term figuratively for stuff like martial arts or your career or whatever. But for rock climbing or mountain climbing you are doing the literal exercise that is often used in metaphor. And there is something to be said for that.

After all that, we went to get burgers and fries and Noah totally started acting up and dug himself into a hole of punishment. -300 points. He kept rebelling because he was set off by Mommy squeezing his cheek and though the punishment (-1 point) was unjust... so he rebelled which caused -2 points and then, it started getting worse from there.

 Why did I do this? I wanted to show him that there was a time to just shut up and not fight even if you are right. Bide your time. You see this all the time with encounters with police on viral videos. I'm not saying the police are right. They are wrong. But if I didn't teach Noah how to shut up and go with it when he is not in a stronger position, then he might try what people in the videos try and the videos don't go viral because of a happy ending.

So despite being tired that day he still did 300 points worth of Kung Fu. 1 form got you one point. 100 basics got you one point. 50 kicks got you one point. So How did he finish? If Dai Dai followed along for 100 basics he got 10 points. If he followed along for a form he got 20 points, and if he followed along for a form where Noah learned a new move, he got 25 points.

Dai Dai was willing to help Noah. But I didn't encourage Dai Dai to help him. In fact later on Noah totally ratted on Dau Dai over something and I said to Dai Dai, "See how he repays your kindness?"

What you think my parenting is messed up? I'm just providing ways to gain experience inside the home that mirrors the outside world and prepares them for it without the risks that come with the outside world. What's messed up about that?

Plus I finally got Noah to practice his forms.


But in terms of easiness, the rock climbing to learn about life lessons was much easier on me. I mean technically I just handed them over to someone else.

Last day of First Baptist Church class

(This was written earlier and failed to post due to the internet gods, either that or squirrels eating the wire.)

Today was the last day of my First Baptist Church class. My friends (and students) got me a gift. A 1940's antique police night stick. (It's actually just the right size for the dan do form aka Mo ching do.) I put it up on my altar (my altar is a fusion altar more on that later)

What I wanted to blog about was that, on a whim, I decided last week that the final class I would teach Dai Do cherng


Kristen took hold of the spear (we only learned sticks) and something clicked. I mean everyone's basics have been getting better and better. But she was just able to do the moves right away.

I forgot about how invigorating it can be to do this stuff. I had fun watching them have fun.

Teaching Kung Fu on the playground

I have seen the error of making everyone line up and do the same form. I mean I didn't really get to that point yet but I see now that it will be unnecessary. Some sort of "Togetherness" drill is necessary. The Song, "Nam Yi Dong Ji Kerng" in Horse stance, and then some punches. But after that I thougt, "Why not just teach every kid ( especially if there are only a few of them) their own form. And then another parent suggested, "Why not teach each kid just a few moves." And I thought back to those Kung Fu movies where yeah, they would learn a few moves (usually the protagonist already knows Kung Fu though) and ten with those few moves they specialize. But teach each kid A move or A combination and then they can make a form out of it. Then they would feel special, and then they could take that move and run through the playground doing CRane! or TIGER! or HAMMER FIST! on their little adventure. Go with what they are already doing instead of trying to make a class that is separate from their play. And in truth, Sifu did make the MEN do drills in the village, but the children just watched and played and were shown tricks here and there and then they showed them to each other. Tricks like Chuen pow cup, or buet saw, or Luk Bik. Not a whole form.. Because a whole form takes commitment on both parties, bt a trick here and there is good enough fo play, for fighting, for self defense, and for the whole idea of Kung Fu even if it is soemwhat system-less.

Peeing outside

Noah got in a lot of trouble for peeing outside the other day and from this to the AACA clean up Chinatown meetings I really want people to think about why this is the abhorent crime in some people's minds that it is, especially when dogs pee and poo everywhere so you can't talk about disease spreading, and the nitrogen in the pee (when in concentration can cause nitrogen burn) is actually good for the plants. Of course Noah needs to learn the rules. It's not about right or wrong, it's about different rules under different leaders and learning culture norms. He got in trouble for laughing when they talked to him and he missed gym for his "crime"

You would say, "Oh you can't have everyone doing that."

But if you read the humanure handbook you would learn that what we actually do with our toilets, using drinking water to flush it to  treatment plant which maybe treats it but according to what I've seen at the Aquarium and the science museum pretty much creates a concentrated cloud of nastiness mixed with industrial waste that kills all the fish and produces super bacteria (you know because the antibiotics that people take? that comes out in your number 2s) and sits there and basically is one of the worst things for the environment that we do. What can we do though

Well humanure composting is an example and urine... actually urine can freaking go directly into the plants.... which is what Noah did. No I can't go against the whole system. And Noah has to learn about picking battles and picking when to fight. But feeling guilty for doing something that actually is not wrong.. what they want him to do is wrong... butit is what we are used to and what we have been trained to think is right.

So now if you pee outside on concrete that's bad because it just sits there. But say old guys in Chinatown peeing in the bushes. I was at these meetings and they were talking like that was so bad. Let me ask you something, maybe it is about pulling out your penis in public. But old men with over active bladders... first of all they mean no harm.... but even if they did. even if they wanted to harm a young woman... who do you bet on? Young woman, in shape can jog, does crossfit, or old man, can't even WALK probably can't even get it up and has to pee every 15 minutes because that's old age. Now who is more of a potential threat?

Now I will remind you that Noah is 6 years old. I don't think he needs to learn to be ashamed. You can just say.. okay the rules at school are we don't pee outside during recess. That's it. That's really all there needs to be. So Noah woke up in the middle of the night after that crying in the dark for hours. Am I going to complain? Now because that's basically what school is about. Learning about this society's rules. You want something different? Well home school or better yet, start your own school, which I might do eventually. Will I start it for my own kids? No because I probably won't get it set up by then, but I'm beginning to see that there is a need for an alternative than what is out there.

There are a lot of "problems" in communities, Chinatown, JP, wherever, that when you actually examine them, these are not the problems. I'm not saying there are Bigger problems. I'm saying these are not problems period. There are problems that people don;t even look at, that actually are contributing to our demise as a species, but we want to instead punish and shame people for things that are actually better than the status quo. Yes. Better than.