A first swimming lesson

Jonah and Noah were excited to see Gong gong. And after everything else was done, and naps had been taken (we had a very early flight.... with Hulk Hogan by the way) and the sun had gone low enough on the horizon to not be a brutal fiery thing to hide from, cowering in the shadows and AC... then it was time to go swimming.

"Swimming yay I like swimming! I like swimming sooooo much!" Jonah said galloping around the condo.

They were dressed in armor of floatable devices and he headed down. I was pretty nervous because of Jonah's excitement, but once it was three adults to two children it was okay.


And then Jonah tried to get out of his floatable inner tube.

As he hoisted himself over and I admonished "No!"
Gong Gong said, "Don't worry he can't get out of that."

Jonah hadn't gotten out of it, but I could see success would soon be his. He had, two years ago, tipped out of another inner tube into the water head first. I must have fished him out in perhaps less than a second. But I remember that moment like it was an extremely long time.

 I got to Jonah.

"I want to get out and do swimming MYself." He said.

I stripped him of floaty devices. Noah looked on commenting on this and that. Luckily, not interested in this lesson at all. But of course I would rather work with Noah on this than Jonah, but Noah is too afraid so far.

Jonah tried to jump right in without hesitation. Not into my arms.

"Put your hands up put your hand UP!" he yelled at me when I tried to hold him. I explained to him that we weren't doing anything until we learned the concept of holding our breath underwater.... that you cannot take a deep breath when you are in the water.

We held on to the side and practiced breathing in and then blowing bubbles under water.
I said to blow the air bubbles out of your nose, but I this morning when I went for a swim I also blew out of my mouth. So maybe that doesn't matter. (I think I could benefit from some real swim lessons as well.)

I breathed in above and then went under up to my eyes, so that I could still keep an eye on Jonah. I was trying to get him to do the same thing. But after a couple of times of going close to (but not under) the water and blowing on it like he was cooling of his tea at Yum Cha (dim sum) he provlaimed, "Okay now let's go swimming!" and tried to jump in again. Pretty much I would hold his hands and he would jump in and THEN take a deep breath, so I was always pulling him up at the last second so that breath wouldn't happen underwater.

"Just let him do it." said Grace.

I insisted that she come over and help me if she was going to give advice.

Eventually we made it to a step where Jonah was on his tippy toes, and then it was time to go in.

"I can swim mommy. Baba gave me a lesson." he told Grace as they went upstairs.

A Change of location

I think I will move my little "Kung Fu playgroup" on Saturdays to the Kraft Athletic Facility at Harry Downes Field. Well, the playground next to that anyway. Why? Well actually I had wanted to have the class there originally anyway. But with the parents we decided that the children were too distracted by the playground. Having taught the class for a while now, I have found that the children will be distracted anyway. And at least at the playground they will be fenced in, or occupied by the sandbox.

In fact my whole idea was that a child would have no pressure to do Kung Fu, but could walk away and do their own thing at any time. Plus there is nearby parking.

Today I technically did not have group due to a scheduling mix up, so I brought the kids there in the morning... like I have pretty much been doing every morning. Except today I brought swords staffs, bows and arrows. Basically my kids only did a little bit of bow and arrow. And I didn't force a class on them, because I knew they wouldn't do it.

But of course when I was doing Kung Fu they did come over (individually) and try different things. Jonah did some staff, and like I said Noah did bows and arrows.

When other kids show up I think I will do the songs and stuff. But I think even with the child like songs. I am going to have the focus be in the adults. (I have been getting more adults asking me if I would take adults as students.) And then there would be drills, and the kids would learn a lot by watching. Then there would be the lion heads and other toys, and they would learn those by playing. And that would be it for them, pretty much. Then I would teach the adults on an individual level, giving them stuff they want to work on based on what they need. (Health, martial art, self defense, questions, etc.) And of course a bit of group forms, lining up doing simple stuff for solidarity and that sort of thing will be a small part of it.

Probably I will just bring my kids to the playground before 9am (as the class starts at 10 am) and try to get all of my basics and their playing time out of the way. And anyone willing to join me for that, is welcome of course.

But then what about when there is a foot of snow on the ground. Temperature doesn't matter so much because the fenced in area is still just safer. But when there is snow, the Sugar bowls are just more fun. And when the kids are older, old enough that they won't run off after a dandelion... (I think that will probably be next year) Then Pinebank is a more beautiful spot for sure. I will think on it.

Noah's Sword lesson

Today we went to the brown playground with trike, wagon, and sword. A Cardboard sword that I soaked in water and shaped while wet and then let the kids paint them. So it looks like all the colors of the rainbow and black in splotches, on the blade. In the picture posted on Facebook, Noah is holding the sword incorrectly. Snice it isn't a real sword you have to explain which end is "pretend sharp" and which end is the not sharp or "pretend sharp" either.
The sword is a single sided sword or "Do."

Anyway,
Noah was telling everyone that the wagon was his but that they could all use it and that he would pull the wagon for them. He then pulled the sword, and seemingly without anyone asking, proceeded to give a sword lesson.

"This is the blade," he pointed, " and this is the flat part," he gestured, " And you can use your hand to fold this part to block like this HA!" And he demonstrated blocking a downward blow from above.
Then he put the cardboard sword back in the wagon and I think the kids just threw it on the ground.

I was laughing though because they were all standing there listening. Less like little students and more like little followers in his pirate gang. I enjoyed Noah's little lesson because first of all, he obviously was listening to me when I told him about all that, and has retained that information.

Also, maybe I should teach Kung Fu like that. Instead of saying all wonder eyed the way you talk to children, or even work out instructor announcer style, "Hey! Do you want to learn some Kung Fu?"

Maybe I should just randomly, like a child, start showing Kung Fu the way Noah did.
"This is a pow, and you can do it like this, you hit with this part of you hand to strike upward like THIS! Hai!" You know?

I also realized that that is how kids and maybe even adults like to be shown a move, or perhaps how to use a tool. In a non formal manner. In fact all of Sifu's real lessons were done after class in this manner. It was less training and more story telling and then demonstration. Actually a lot like we were all his Pirate Crew. Maybe that' why men liked that style more. (I was always anxious to get back to practicing. Especially since I had to be the translator both ways. Which made it less like a Pirate Crew. Although I enjoy it a lot more when he gives the same lessons to a Chinese Audience. There is no pausing  for translation that way.)


Anyway, I'll give an American example of this. Some neighbor of my grandmother in Philadelphia decided along with my mom, that he would take me around and show me how to be a man, sort of thing. Play catch, and at one point he turned to me while we were driving and said, "You know what to do if you get in a fight? Punch them in the nose. You know how to punch someone in the nose right? If you punch someone in the nose you aim for the back of their head." I have actually, to this day, never punched someone in the nose. Not on purpose anyway. Not full force, and not with an ungloved hand. Well not that I can remember. So the point of this story is actually more about how people tend to tell other people how to fight.

When you teach a Kung Fu class you often start with just the motions and only after seeing kids holding their fists wrong did I start making "how to hold a fist" part of the lesson and even which part of the fist to hit with. This was part of the lesson for Pows and Cups because these aren't "normal" punches. But we forget that for most kids, unless they have been punched and punch other people, or watch a lot of punches on tv etc etc. A punch is a weird motion.

Also if you teach Kung Fu and it's technique after technique after technique, it's a lot to remember. Just one application is good enough. Not just one a day. I mean with three applications among your Pirate crew, plus some drilling but mostly EXPERIENCE, that's all you really need. And if you don't have the experience, then obviously you don't really need the moves for that purpose.

Of course there is still value in the whole drills and led workout thing for group solidarity and stuff like that. In Asia a lot of stores start the day with non combative calisthenic type stuff just to psyche everyone up. Think about Mulan and "Let's get down to Business!"

Even if they don't use those moves in real combat, it doesn't matter. It's important to go through that training to bond with one another. And that's what the whole "class" thing is really for, especially if you are an adult looking for motivation to get in shape as well as an escape into a Pirate Crew world that is different from you daily grind office life.

But in order to learn how to use the moves, it's fun to be hanging out Yo ho ho ing, or just chilling at a playground and having someone who "knows" show you how to use a move. The application can be so basic, just like Noah's lesson. But then you have to do it in a cool and spirited way to drive the point home. And then that should be it. Not another lesson, but just off to other lands (or parts of the playground) in or wagon/pirateship/spaceship.

Big Dreams

I have big dreams. But I tend to think of them as fantasy. But today I actually got to talk to someone about my dreams. I haven't been able to do that for a while and it felt good. At the "brown playground" I bumped into another dad. He actually had taken a back and white picture of me and my children on Polaroid film and I had blogged about that previously. Today since I had been doing Kung Fu, we talked about that. And it went from my thoughts and the classes I am teaching to the potential to having a Youtube Channel and that sort of thing. A Virtual Store front, a Virtual school online, in conjunction with a real life location (the Kung Fu Park) as well as various other things I had planned in the community. But he helped me see that the real potential and my real work should really be in the online aspect of it. And that's where I should invest my time and my money. Part of it was him juts explaining things to me and offering to even help me with some videos, and part of it was just voicing, aloud, to a non martial artist, my ideas. Of course I have voiced my ideas before, but mainly on this blog. And talking to him about it and having a conversation maybe dig deeper into just how long I have been working on these ideas. About as long as I have been teaching, which is over a decade. But I didn't see any potential outlet or market in the beginning. Or, really in the beginning I was tied down by my traditional system, and also by trying to fit into other people's niches (like Tae Bo and other fitness stuff) Instead of finding my own niche.

I have found my idea of my own system, the Kung Fu Playgroup Wheels on the bus stuff, really cool. Cool enough that I did it on stage at the Main Street Festival, even though I can imagine that as a teen, I would have thought the wheels on the bus approach dorky. What I haven't been able to reveal is the philosophy and all the other stuff that I have been able to grow from grouping the techniques in concepts rather than in forms. I have an internal, combative, meditative, and altered state of consciousness (or simply play time for children) ideas just from that one grouping of the 10 animals.

Actually I realize writing this by myself right now that it was only in conversation that I was able to talk about all of these things so clearly. I wonder why?

I guess I should work on that. The presentation of the 10 animals. I have written a piece on it before, but Chris (that's the other dad) made me realize that the journey to these ideas, the back story, would actually be interesting to people.  Because it is a very everyday back story, as opposed to arriving at them through combat or a vision on top of a mountain, I never saw them as interesting.

Anyway it is clear that nice short You tube videos are the medium of the day. Not the written word. That is, for teaching martial arts anyway.

Of course I will continue to write, but it will be more for me. But in order to get Followers, i.e. people to Follow your channel, I will definitely need to produce nicely edited videos.

It's a skill I really need to learn, and one that could potentially allow me to do my art for a living.

These are the people in your neighborhood

The other day, riding home on our tricycle (Jonah on my shoulders) we bumped into a neighbor tending her garden. She had said Hi to Noah on other occasions. But that day we weren't "late" getting home because Noah doesn't have to go through rush hour anymore, and this neighbor was very talkative. Noah asked her tons of questions about plants and why she was watering them and why why why.

But she also asked questions like, "Have you named your bike? I named my truck." And so Noah actually was talking about this a few days later. What should he name his bike. Did he have to name his truck? Maybe he only wanted to just name his toys but not his truck. 

He even got to look in the backyard and learned, from another person, from another perspective, from another persons voice, about plants, and water and sunlight.

It's important to not only hear one explanation of things, but many explanations of the same thing, even if they are similar. 

It was a very Mr Rogers type moment.

I realized that, if you grow up in the projects you are less likely to have this opportunity because everyone sort of has a uniform outward appearance. A "lawn" that does not actually belong to them and which they do not actually maintain. They might to something unique in their backyard. But you won;t see it. My mother did very unique thing switch her porch. And children, my friends, would ask her about it, or people would mention it, but you wouldn't just be passing by and shout up at someone sitting on their porch questions about the plants they were growing. Well you would be less likely to that's all.

5 ideas for Boston Chinatown's August Moon Festival

I was thinking of some things that would spice up a Chinatown summertime festival like the Main Street Festival and the august Moon Festival. These could be either at stands or could be used to stall on the main stage. But sometimes the Main stage actually ends up behind schedule. But the good thing is these little ideas are flexible.

1. An old Drum for Audience members or people passing by to try.

It would be nice if someone who knew how to drum were there to man this one. And I'm sure whichever school bring south the old drum would want it taken care of relatively well. But theoretically, any volunteer could man this drum. Just make sure nobody steals it for some reason, or hits it with anything but the drum sticks used for hitting that drum.

2. Other Lion Dance and Kung Fu equipment for passersby to use.

This might be trickier as heads are more delicate. And when it comes to hit pads or Wing Chun Dummies there might be insurance or legal issues involved. Probably would  take more care to man this station. Still though something to think about.


3. Ho Yi station.

Okay so you can make cheap PVC pipe bows, and instead of real arrows (which some festivals in other states actually do but I'm not suggesting Boston do.) you should pool noodles. That way, even if it flies off into someone's head, no big deal. Real arrows would be possible in an alley way or something like that. But I think it would definitely require someone who knows what they are doing. And that person is not me.
Anyway, everyone can take turns being Ho Yi and shoot at card board suns. Maybe people holding suns and pretending to get knocked over. (The pool noodles won't go that far.) Heck people could even shoot each other. But it would have to be controlled of course.


4. Moon Lady

Why not have a Moon Lady? She can be like Santa or the Easter Bunny, or the princess at Story land. The Dancing schools already have the costumes. You can go up and ask her what you want for I don't know August Moon. I know gifts are not a thing, but hey we can start. It could be something stupid like candy or moon cakes. Or maybe she could hand out stupid prizes like candy or those cheap insects or army men. Or maybe coupons or cheap free samples from whatever company.

5. Moon Lady again
If a dud dressed up like the moon lady and did stand up comedy, that would be freaking hilarious. Actually stand up comedy is something quite absent from the stalling tactics. This stand up people would probably do it for free right? I mean nobodys. Also Asian nobodys. I guess this is actually the hardest one because maybe in that atmosphere jokes won't be as funny. Maybe a story corner where the Moon Lady reads you books? That would be cool.

Am I just suggesting things without any back up? Hell yes. Because I know I'm not manning any of these stations with two kids. Though if someone gives me a bunch of PVC pipes and pool Noodles and paracord I might do the bow and arrow one, but not for the whole day. I might even make the cardboard suns. Maybe we could just have a bunch of cardboard and paint and making the cardboard suns could be an activity. Or you could make your own bow. Oh yeah I forgot, in addition to pvc pipes and pool noodles and paracord, I will also need a hack saw. Maybe the bows should be made ahead of time after all. Anyway, just some ideas.

Afternoon of the Main Street Festival

Walking towards the stage we actually caught people coming out of Church from St. James. I haven't been in a while, but the next time I do go, it will most likely be without the kids unless it is to a children's mass.
So we did our lion dance, people took pictures, bithe children went home.. ahh yes. I suppose I could have wandered around the festival by myself for a while. But instead I went straight back to Moh Goon, where people were gathering and talking. I brushed my teeth, drank some water, and began my beginners class for the day.
Meditation, stretching etc. It was great to have people around me talking. And indeed I joined in this adult conversation. I swore and talked about subjects not appropriate for children, because my children weren't there. There was one guy who I knew only through the Federation and he had a lot of martial arts stories and travel stories as well. I hadn't talked to him much in the past. I guess because we didn't really know each other. But it was nice to hear stories about other people's lives in other states or other lands.

Some of them were very interesting, but I won't share them here because they aren't really mine to tell, plus I only got bits and pieces.

By the time I was finishing up with standing basics, there was a whole crowd of people including the performers preparing to start performing. I wasn't a main performer and not really supervising so I just stayed out of the way and continued my basics. (I ended up playing the gong.)

The only thing I did was remind Jing of the time when we were at 5 minutes before he said we were to leave.

Then we were off. We walked over did our performance. Me playing gong, which meant that I could really watch the audience, something you can't do with the head. I watched our heads too of course, and the kids did well. They had good head movement. Of course their skills and muscles are still developing. But looking at videos of myself from the same performance I wouldn't say I am necessarily better than they just parading down the street, are unless I happen to be really trying for some reason. (which sometimes I am)

We went back though the stage was emoty and they asked if we could keep going. So I did a little children's class. Wheels on the Kung Fu bus etc. If someone got a video please share it with me. I'll put it on my class blog to legitimize myself.

Well then what happened? I guess there was more talking at the school and soon enough it was time for the Federation performance. Seven heads we did. Mainly for the sake of doing seven heads. It was cool.
The stage was empty when we got there but our parade in attracted people's attention. That was good for the group that would come after us I'm sure.
 After lion dance we did Kung Fu. I did another form, and easier one. And then we paraded back too.

That was actually the funnest part of the day. Parading back. Lion dancing a sort of victory lap for the sake of lion dancing... away from the audience at the end of the performance. I realized that we hardle ever paraded except for New Year's and it is difficult to muster too much energy, or even if you have it, you have to conserve it because of you are going all day.

But that day I had all the energy I could want, no kids to watch and a pefect way to spend it. I did crazy shooting ramming the heads horn into imaginary enemies. And frankly my foot work was terrible and sloppy as I did this. because we were simultaneously marching. I just felt like I was in a video game or something. Lion dance over here, chase this spectator, pretend to piss on this tree. I wanted to jump the police barricade but realized it would be embarrassing if I hurt myself. I jumped the side of it just in case. Rarr I'm a lion. Seriously I was very childish and it was fun. After that I had to get home. I called Grace to see if she wanted me to pick up an order of anything.
"Come home now please!" was all that was said
and then Noah yelling into the phone, "Baba? WHo are you? Are you Baba? Where are you?"
Of course when I got home they were amusing themselves with PBS kids on the computer. But there were other chore type things that Grace couldn't do.
Well that was it.