20 hours

I saw this TED speech that talked about the first 20 hours of learning a skill, and how if practiced efficiently through deconstructing the skill, that all it takes to be decent/mediocre at said skill and that 10,000 hours is the number to become expert/sifu at a skill.

That sounds about right.

If you do an hour a day, that's 20 days. Around a month.
It makes me want to start a group/class that only lasts for a month. Probably for middle school aged kids. Yes, a Kung Fu class. The after school program across from Woo Ching White Crane, stopped because the college kids who run it are already out. Then the summer program picks up again in July. Obviously I am a little late and frankly too busy to start this now.. this year, but it made me think. Maybe the school could slip in and provide Kung Fu for those same kids, maybe in the same classrooms, still for free, for just a month. In that month they should be able to learn enough to be decent. Which means they could theoretically practice on their own (until next year) or with each other, plus they would have some ingrained basics and even sections of forms that they could have in their body.

Another good use of a month of practice everyday would be right around Chinese New Year season. Offer a lion dance, drumming, and basic Kung Fu class (or maybe the Kung Fu would just be a warm up) everyday for an hour for about a month. Then the end celebration of the skill is you do the Chinatown Parade. If we get lion dances before that that conflict with the class, obviously part of your training becomes helping out at said performances. Truth is you can learn gong and cymbals in like 15 minutes unless you have absolutely no sense of rhythm wahtsoever. Sos what's that like mid January to Mid February?

WHat's great about the class being over in a month is the people don't have to make such a commitment. To choose between doing this or that. Plus when it finishes, it's not like they quit. The class ended. And then they walk away with that skill. They could probably come back next year or to other events without doing the class again. Then again since the class is only a month. Maybe they will come back again next year, for just a month, and possibly build on what they already know.

Attention...it is illegal to assault an MBTA official...

Is anyone else tired of these announcements? Now, granted, most of the MBTA officials I see on a regular basis are nice. There's the lady at Stony that always says good morning, some other heavy set guys that always say hello, people that smile at Noah and say he's cute. The train operators usually wave to my kids which gets them all excited. Indeed there is one guy, who usually does the Friday afternoon rush hour, who is the man. All his announcements are positive in a radio smooth voice with encouragements not to let anyone get you down etc etc.

But!

These announcements which are stating the law, which is common knowledge and obvious, that you can't hit MBTA officials, tick me off. So the head of the MBTA decided that's where the money should be spent, filling our ear's with announcements that the MBTA cares about our safety and that "We will find you, arrest you and prosecute you." Why don't they make us do loyalty dances and proclaim 10,000 years and 10,000 years and wan wan sui, of "service" to us too?

Bastards. (The people at the top, with the big salaries and decisions to make. Not the T employees)

Why don't they give radio voice, and the lady at Stony Brook a freaking promotion and have them do a tutorial for all employees on how to be cheerful and happy and to make sure they keep everyone riding the T as upbeat as possible.

In Japan there's sharply dressed folks who bow to everyone that gets on the subway. Which makes everyone who gets on feel like royalty. Which means they will probably more productive, which means the economy and city life in general is better.

Bowing is not American culture but there's nothing wrong with smiles and waves, God bless you's and have a great Day. Again, some people do that, but if everyone did it it would be even better

You know what else they have in Japan? A guy to push everyone into the subway to make space for more people getting on the train. You know how many times I have to not get on the train with my double stroller because it is "too crowded" even though I can see a ton of space further in the car where people don't move? It's not there fault. They are iphoning or texting or e-reading. But they would move of you hired a burly man or woman with courtesy training to push them all in. Then eventually they would get used to it and move in themselves. Don't have to pay that burly person much. Minimum wage would probably do. I'm sure plenty of people would want the job too. Could be a part time thing for College kids. Maybe even get interns to do it for free.

Final peeve,
By saying that it is illegal and they will arrest you if you put your hands on an MBTA official, driver, worker, it implies that they really will do it for them, but that if you a mere citizen, someone who pays your fare and taxes and therefore all of their salaries, is struck.....yeah they'll do go through the usual procedure.

45 minute Chinese Culture Experience

Intro: Hi kids and parents. My name is Adam, the Kung Fu Dad, and we're going to have some Kung Fu and Meditating fun today. Let's warm up our bodies first with a breathing Exercise

Warm up time!
Sitting Chi Gung
Stretches and power moves and then back to sitting
Sitting Wheels on the Kung Fu Bus.

Lion Dance Time!
Standing. Lion head moves without Lion head
Everyone sit.
Take turns doing the lion head and Choi chiang drum gong and cymbals..


Kung Fu time!
Basics (real quick 4 or five each)
Sup Ji segment.
Everyone sits back down.
One at a time individual Kung Fu. Cymbals and gongs (perhaps other musical instruments like shakers are passed out. I play drum. Demonstrate first.
Everyone sit back again. Then do Slow Kung Fu to relax. (Chuet san cuen segment, three times or so.)


Arts and Crafts Time!
Get helpers to pass out paper pieces of cardboard and brushes and some cups of water. (just a little bit of water in each cup) also pencils, crayons and markers. Also pass out examples of Chinese Characters and flowers, flowers, birds, bamboo they can copy with water as practice
Demonstrate how parents can paint with water with their kids. demo on one side of easel with water. The Zen Chaan buddhist circle, lines numbers words. Flip over demonstrate on other side with ink. Don't pass out ink to kids, just mention you are doing it with ink for visual purposes and that once the parents have deemed the child able to use ink at home they can. Sketch out drawing with pencil and then ink it.
Now pass out cardboard sticks.
Pretend Dragon boat journey with Mang Long gau gong Bruce Lee song. Go through a story you make up with the kids.
Let's make a Dragon head! Draw a dragon head, tape it to the cardboard, tape that to the cardboard stick
Does everyone have a dragon head? Okay pass back any materials you don't want. If you want to keep your brush, give it to your grown up to hold on to.

Dragon Dance Time!
Start by doing it sitting. singing the drum beat. adults can play the beat.
Then standing. Then moving

Story time!
The story of the Lion Dance (Nian) kids can act out story.
Long ago there was a misbehaved monster named Nian etc... the good monster Nian can be a teacher or mother and just takes him back instead of killing or beating him.

Music Time!
Musical seats with the Yuan. (Explanation of the parts of the Yuan) Then with the Gao Hu. Same thing. Kids can try the Yuan.

Kung Fu Tag or Kung Fu dance with the Yuan. When stopped children have to sit and do the breathing exercise. Music istruments away.

Game Time
Monkey King Game
Yi er san sh wu lie chi, wo de pang yau jai na Li?
Push hands, pushing, siu ming siu ming siu siu ming.
Sword fighting with noodles or foam sticks. Chee do.
Gu choki Pa in horse stance
Finish children's section

Brief self defense applications for parents and training tips.

Conclusion
Again my name is Adam, the Kung Fu Dad, I do birthdays follow me on Twitter @AdamKungFuDad

Jonah's Birthday Party

We had Jonah's birthday party this weekend, with Wayne Potash coming to sing. The part was partially Jonah' birthday and partially Grace's graduation party, so we had Grace's friends and their kids and then we tried to have Jonah's friends. I thought it would be kind of messed up if we had all Noah's friends come. But who is Jonah's friends? We had some kids from his playgroup, and some kids that he knew from the playground. (sort of Noah's friends but also Jonah's friends.) They liked the singing and games that Wayne Potash provided. Jonah was more into it than you would think. I'm not sure he really understood the whole gifts thing. Noah understood that they sort of weren't his gifts, which pissed him off, even though technically he was the one playing with them. And the older kids, Grace's friends kids, were sometimes cool but totally dominated the whole gift opening thing. Well there was a lot of Jonah crying (Happy Birthday!) and Noah really blew out the candles, but I think Jonah did have fun too.
I was also thinking.. Wayne Potash makes a killing. Well not a killing but a living for sure. Wouldn't it be great if I could do some sort of Kung Fu lion dance thing for Birthdays? I think I could.
The thing about the real lion dance though, is that the money is not enough because you need a minimum of 5 people to do a traditional lion dance performance.
And I guess I had been focusing all my energy into things like classes, where you get the kids to progress. But apparently birthdays and other performances like that are where it's at. Especially if you could pull it off by yourself. Grace said I should just use my family. I think it would be better though if Noah and Jonah could come and help out, or just watch, or just hang out, but not be an essential part of the performance in case they needed or felt like doing something else that day.
Maybe if I pooled all my talents, like playing chinese music, lion dance, drumming, kung fu and maybe some calligraphy writing or something, drawing some animals or bamboo, I could sell myself as a sort of Chinese Cultural theme all in one. But the main thing is to be able to get all the kids to pay attention for at least 45 minutes, so they can be entertained and the parents get a rest. I guess the bonus is they are absorbing cultures and skills too. I guess I just have to write down the material I already have and organize it.

African Drumming

A couple of nights ago I went to a talent show at my old middle school. One of the talents was a group of kids learning African drumming as a class. The teacher looked familiar both from around the neighborhood and from Curious George (which sometimes does little pieces with school children around JP)
I have heard that the time signature for some African drum beats can be really complicated. The Lion Dance beat is very simple.. on purpose. The beats send signals and is meant to follow as well as direct the lion head. Historically these drums might have also directed battles as well.
The beats of the African drums that night, some from the Igbo and other Nigerian cultures, were difficult to follow even when I found they were in 4-4. There was a pausing sense to it that went into another part of the consciousness. In fact I kind of felt like it tapped into a part of the brain near the top of your head. I've heard some of these drums can be used for Shamanistic purposes. Well I suppose any drums could be used for that purpose but there was a hint of that (I felt) in these songs which were celebratory dances.
There is Chinese music like this too, but I usually think of the Guzheng, especially in those very classic songs usually with words like "drunken" in their titles. But  there is something about it being on a drum, and a drum that is struck with the hand instead of a stick... like it is closer to home.

At the Kung Fu school one day we were having a discussion of buying drums from China (the school having just bought one) the cost, the process, shipping... and One of Sifu's friends, not a lion dancer or drummer, but still a guy from China, was like, "Don't they have drums they make here? Why can't you just use a Western drum?" That question is absurd to someone who does traditional lion dance, the type where you carry on the tradition and need to have your ceremony and equipment just so.
But if it isn't absurd to a civilian(who still does Kung Fu)  who is from rural China, then why should it be absurd for a half white half chinese AMERICAN, who is already going in a different direction in terms of teaching Kung Fu to kids.
Many times when teaching inner city kids, I found that they could already drum. But to learn the simple Chinese Lion Dance drum beats was difficult for some reason.  Now if I start to have more students I think it is good to show them the traditional way, just so that they know it. But if we get enough people to one day do an event or join a parade, why stress about making them learn the "proper" way to drum, on a "proper" drum. Just use any drum... especially for Kung Fu. In fact I think it would be really interesting to do forms to some of the African drum beats I heard a few days ago.

Lion Dance in the morning

Not every kid can say that they just came from a lion dance when they arrive at school. But Noah can. Of course in order to get to the Federation performance at Hei La Moon, right when it was starting I had to wear Jonah in a back pack, and since for some reason, today out of all days, Noah did not feel like running, I had to put Noah on my shoulders. And since we didn't leave as early as I would have liked, I had to run. Okay not run, jog, okay not jog. Some form of movement that was slightly faster than walking. I'm not gonna pretend it was easy. My kids don't weigh that much but I could definitely feel the weight. My legs got a work out. I guess if I did that everyday, I would pretty much be in excellent shape.
Anyway, we stepped into Hei La Moon and right at that moment drums started sounding.. downstairs. I went down just in time and Noah got to watch Lion Dance. I'm not really sue if Jonah watched it or not. I turned to the side so that if he wished to look, he would have been able to.
It was like a simulation of a lion dance for me. I saw it, I heard it, and in a way I felt it because I was tired from carrying the kids and trying to run... or move run-ishly.
Well that was pretty good. Got to school almost on time too.

Symbol

 I've been working and reworking the symbol that I will put on a T-shirt. And this weekend I scrapped what I had and have decided on a picture of Noah and Jonah riding on a flying crane. The picture looks more like the cover of a children's book than a symbol of badassery (like the other ones were attempting to be. I still have another symbol of a crane in a fighting stance. All these pictures are done in black ink with Chinese brushes. The funny think is the pictures I made were the practice pictures, the test ones to make before I made the real one. But after I drew the first one, I had trouble recreating it, even through tracing. Either because the ink had gotten to watery or my concentration was lost, I just wasn't able to make a picture as good as the first one, on my scrap piece of paper. A distant cousin/friend of mine majored in Graphic Design and she's going to help me get the image on a computer as a high quality file that I can actually use to send to one of these T-shirt making companies to work with. My Si Hing from Chicago also happens to know someone who has one of those same such T-shirt making companies so after I get this image I'll probably see if i can use that company.
I'm pretty excited about my new symbol. I just feel like it matches what I am doing more. The hand positions of Noah and Jonah are meditation poses and they have cute anime like happy faces. It's just closer to what my classes are about. But even when I start to teach older students I think my classes will still be about this return to youthful thinking and happiness. That crane represents much more about my growing outlook and style of teaching as well as practicing of Kung Fu. The other symbol is good too though. Like a crane sentinel. The adult side of the practice. To protect the children if necessary. Plus I like that it is a few simple strokes with a brush. In fact, it is even more simple that the actual character for crane in Chinese. (That's pretty easy though because the crane character is pretty complicated. Though it comes close I think in number of strokes, to the character for bird.)
Today's class was pretty cool. I've been trying to do something a little different each week, while having somethings that we do every week. That hill has ended up being great. I started doing charging up the hill using different stances, and it is quite a work out. Not really too hard for kids, because in the end the kids will just run up and laugh or collapse laughing. The mothers were getting a work out though and so did I. The hill is a great training tool, as well as a sort of barrier. Sort of. The kids all keep going up it. But it is also good for my Kung Fu that I have to then sprint up a hill to get them.