Posts

Paintings vs Photographs

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Sifu Brinker recently mentioned something that really made me think: That something can be too perfect. This was strange to hear. Without ever really asking myself why, I've always held the notion that mastery and perfection were the same thing. Although they're closely related, they're not identical. I believe an example of this is the relation between a photograph and a painting. A photograph represents perfection. A photograph has the ability to perfectly replicate what you're seeing, over and over again. Never making a mistake. It's essentially perfect. However, a camera has no skill. All it does is see what's in front of it and make a perfect copy. On the other hand, painting represents mastery, or at least the effort to attain it. Never can an artist paint something perfectly. Never can an artist paint something without imposing some of their individual personality into it. The artist always makes mistakes, but in the end, they can still create something...
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Motivation

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Motivation really is a two-way street. When you work to motivate someone else, it's almost impossible to not find yourself equally motivated. I've really become aware of this recently, when Mr. Estey asks if I want to do some pushups and situps with him. I always agree, and it's always great. Getting stuff done with a partener is infinitely easier for both people, as you work to motivate eachother, and as a byproduct, motivate yourself. No matter how much I don't want to do pushups and situps, I can never turn down the opportunity to get numbers done with a partner.  Sometimes, I find myself thinking that I need an "excuse" or "reason" to get down and do some pushups. Often, it's just for the satisfaction of writing it down and seeing the progress grow. However, when you have a partner to work with, the "excuse" is "This guy's looking for help, so I'll try and set an example" (at least for me, it is). In my opin...
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Year of the Pig - Post 1

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Well, this is definetely my most shameful journal posting yet.  As some of you may have noticed, it's my first of the year. I don't really know why I put it off for so long, and I'm super relieved to get writing this. It's going to be a long one... The IHC year started right around when my second semester started, so I had to adapt to an entirely new schedule. This semester, I'm taking two 20-level courses, math and biology. I decided to take these early so I can have a flexible schedule next year, when I'm planning on participating in the Germany exchange program. In fact, that was one of my personal goals this year, to be elligible and apply for the Germay exchange. To do this, I need to submit an application, which I've done, and do well in German class. So far, so good, as I've got a 98% in that class. As well, because I'm doing grade 11 courses this year, I had to bump my English language arts course off my timetable. I'm doing this course...
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What this year has done for me - Pt. 1

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This year, from a Kung Fu viewpoint, has been amazing. As most of you know, this was my first IHC year, and I must say, this year has been my best yet. In doing the IHC program this year, I really conected with the SRKF community more than I have over all of my Kung Fu training. Taking part in all the community projects, demos, and kwoon projects really made my year special. I loved this year and how much I became a part of the community. I'm looking forwards to another exciting year, and to keep being involved in the community.
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A New Year

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Well, happy new year everyone! As I'm sure we all know, most people, myself included, make "New Year's Resolutions", as a kind of promise to themselves over the next year. This year, my resolution isn't exactly changing a habit of mine. Instead, I decided my 2019 resolution would be to keep up my Kung Fu training at the same level a it was over the past year. I know this won't be as easy as it was over 2018, but I'm going to do my best to get out to Kung Fu as much as possible. While my sister's away on her Germany trip, this will be especially difficult, as I'll only be able to drive into town with my parents. In these situations, I plan to train at home instead when going in to the Kwoon isn't an option. As well, I'd like to get a job sometime in 2019. This would definetely conflict with my Kung Fu schedule, but I'll do my best should the situation arise. Over this next year, and hopefully longer, I'm going to hold myself acco...
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Catching Back Up

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As most of you may know, I'm a black belt canditate this year. So for me, grading day was last week. I felt like my day went well and that my training paid off. However, in getting ready for grading day, especially in the last month, I've slowed down a lot on my IHC numbers. I could've injured myself, without enough time to recover, if I did my usual amount of pushups daily. This past week has been a little tough, as I'm working on getting back on track with my numbers. Hopefully, I'll be up to speed again by the end of this week. As well, we're looking at some snow in the forecast next week, so keep an eye out for shovelling. If you haven't already, you can sign up at https://www.remind.com/join/srkf to get reminders when we're shovelling. Either way, there'll still be posts up on Mighty Networks. Stay warm!
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Board Breaking

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There's exactly two weeks until grading day. To be frank, I'm pretty nervous. The largest obstacle I still have to overcome is breaking my boards. I've attempted three times already, and have been successful none. I'm working on perfecting my technique so my next attempt is a success. I believe my main issue is confidence. To be successful, I need to convince myself that I'm not going to fail. The way to achieve this is through practice. However, my practice shouldn't be in the form of failed attempts. My practice should be to build my technique and confidence to the point where there are no more failed attempts. I'm well aware that the clock is ticking. Over the coming days, I will be practicing board breaks so much, when it comes to my official attempt, it's going to be a breeze.
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