December 15, 2014

Everybody needs somebody, sometime.  Training partners are sure important.  This week in a review of Kung Fu curriculum, performing shadow techniques was just not working.  I am sure I looked a little goofy, trying to hide on the side of the pickup truck performing an arm bar on an imaginary assailant, out of view of the passing heavy equipment. Fortunately with Kung Fu, there are zillions of things that can be improved on while solo. I will be continuing with shadow techniques probably until into the New Year when I hope to return. Also working on increasing the number of pushups and situps with fewer reps.  I have noticed a great lag in my endurance that I hope to change over the next couple of months.  Currently in Dawson Creek, likely here until Christmas.

December 8, 2014

Staying aware with what is right with your body.  That is something I am realizing lately.  Some of the reasons for the major slides in peoples health I think is really because body change is generally very gradual.  It is easy to forget how a healthy body feels, and to make matters worse, the body is very good at adapting and working the best it can under the worst of situations.  I am working through that right now.  Where I am getting a little extra time due the job circumstances I am putting time into kicks (which have really slid on me in the last 6 months) and horse stances.  I also was kept up all night because I had forgotten the transition on a particular form that I have completed probably a couple thousand times.  How does this happen?  Anyway, come 2 am It finally came to me, and I have been practicing that transition several times a day.

Currently still in Dawson Creek, where the job is taking much longer than expected.  I will probably be here up to Christmas.

Can't wait to get back training with you all.
P.S. - Sent my rope dart into the hotel TV, so I will be taking a break from that for now.

Vince. 

November 30th

Where would I be if 8 years ago if I hadn’t taken the chance and dropped into the Kwoon for my first class. Well, I get a good taste of where I would be every fall, when after a long duration away from a regimented training regime I find myself struggling with joints that aren’t supported properly due to lack of muscle, cardio that is weakened, more prone to sickness due to an improper diet regime, loss of flexibility, strength loss, among other things.

But this also gives me an appreciation for what I have in this lifestyle. It gives me the motivation to climb back when I return from a work season, because quite frankly, I haven’t forgot that this is important to me.

Currently writing from Dawson Creek, in -32 degree weather.  This week I intend on focusing on the horse stance in my “Hotel training regime”.

Success....right in the nick of time.

Calling all nerds

Alright, I concede.

I have been bullied and beat into a submissive Googly pulp trying to get a video posted to my blog site.  Ironically the topic I was yammering about was regarding the tools available for having success in the I Ho Chuan.  I admit.....I need help at this.  Next time I am at the Kwoon, I am bringing my laptop, and I am wrangling one of the nerds on the team to help me out.  Nerds....one of the sharper tools in the tool box.

Tooling Around

If you walk into my garage as of late you are likely to close the door and cause a shovel to fall off the wall.  It will nearly brain you except you step narrowly out the way.  That same shovel will flip the switch of the grinding wheel. Stepping to avoid a death by garden spade, you will probably trip over and spill a gas can.  Grabbing in desperation you will reach out to the work bench and land your hand in an old tub of rusty bent nails.  The bucket, being the cap of the massive junk heap will cause a catastrophic fault resulting in a slide of epic proportions knocking hammers, hacksaws, screw drivers, and drill bits onto the grinding wheel.

Sparks.

Projectiles

Previously mentioned gas can.  

Now explain to your wife over the smell of burnt hair that you need more tools….and probably a tetanus shot.

I have been given more than enough opportunity to be successful this year.  Certain Sifu’s that will remain unnamed have done so much to try to help me in my success and I am so grateful for that.  There are I Ho Chuan members that are blazing forward with these tools and putting them to tremendous use.  There are students that have cooked up a new solution for success, and showed off the recipe for those that can’t bake worth a darn.  Here it is, here are the tools and here is how to use them.  Still I find myself sawing off my arm with a reciprocating saw and jamming the hammer claw in my eye.

So this morning, I hopped out of the truck and looked at the orange hue of the horizon.  I have been witness to the eastern sky laying down some pretty brilliant sun rises the last five days.  But only today did I snort in a deep lung full of air, hold it, and exhale in Kung Fu fashion.  I am going to take one tool at a time, and master it.  And it is going to start with a video blog. If by next week I don’t have a video blog up, I hope you all hold me to the task.

Blog post

On route along hwy 2 south on Sunday I was passed by a fella about my age on a bike travelling around 150k.  He looked confident and in control, travelling between the slower traffic with certainty. T-shirt fluttering, tore jeans, beany helmet, pipes rattling.

Only five minutes further down the road, the bike was in a crumpled heap, flocks of cars pulled over, ill equipped bystanders offering whatever minimal aid they could contrive.

This accident follows another that occurred only a month prior. Along the Anthony Henday later at night the same scenario, however the speed was less and the young fella was standing at the time we came to find him.  Both accidents hit me very hard.

Seeing this reassures the finiteness of life.  Perhaps if we knew the length of time each of us had we would allocate our commitments differently, make our decisions with greater certainty, and come to realize what really is of most importance to us. Everyone say's, live your life to the fullest, but really hasn't defined what that is.

I really like to think back to the two questions of, where am I, and what am doing.  Taking this moment I have found so beneficial to staying aware and in the moment.  Staying in the moment forces the additional question of;  Why am I doing this?

When I tack this on I reassure myself that I am not just doing things for the sake of routine, but actually doing something for a purpose. 

I very much believe that my life has a purpose.  If you don't believe this, you at least have to believe that your life has an effect.  How can we expect to get fulfilment in our life if we do not keep ourselves accountable for wasted time?

Currently I am bouncing around through jobs this August, recently returning from a very long week in the Smoky Lake region, back down to Sylvan lake for a small job, then up to Athabasca. Continually posing the question, where am I, what am I doing, and why?  Had a chance to cheer my wife on at the Mud Hero for a couple hours on Sunday also.

Vince.

Camp Teepee Pole

Potato cannons, rifles, rockets, power boats, zip lines, and a real lack of supervision, pretty much sums up Camp Teepee pole.

This camp holds a lot of memories for me.  I attended this summer camp for boys from age 11 until I was about 17.  It is a high test youth camp that involved climbing and rappelling, white water rafting, shooting rifles and shotguns among other things. For eighteen years I thought of coming back as a counsellor to give back into something that was so influential in my life. 

Well this week I completed 6 days of counselling at Camp Teepee Pole and successfully achieved one of my I Ho Chuan goals.  There is so much to be said about this camp.  Right now though, I want to thank my wife Stephanie for her encouragement and sacrifice of her own time as camp cook to help make this possible for me and my son (he attended as well.)

Burnt fingers from fire starting, hundreds of bruises from field games, half drowned kids tubing down rivers, countless cuts from carving and pocket knives, tree climbing injuries, a broken toe, and the list went on and on.   It was a week where at any given moment there was something hazardous going on.  But that is what makes this camp one of a kind for boys turning to young men.  From the side of a counsellor I finally realize the sacrifice that went into providing this experience when I was a kid.  Something at the time I really took for granted.  As difficult a week as this was, it is something that I plan to continue to do.  In a way I think this camp needs people that under think safety, tend to have a lot of kid in them….people just like me.

 

vincekrebs@blogspot.com

Word to the Runner Haters

Whether it’s from the police, teeth and claws, or just for fun, whether you like it or not, running is essential.  For something so simple, people have sure made it complicated.  Super gels, and sport drinks, runners, trekking poles, fanny packs, heart monitors, timers and GPS locators, to rub sticks, and breathable clothing, the list goes on and on.  I think the reason for this is because running can be boring as dirt.

Some things that I find that really make running enjoyable:

-Have a meaningful purpose to your run.  I think this is the number one reason why people do not like running.  Take golf for example. Every golfer is attempting to achieve a hole in one.  If there wasn’t that goal or purpose, golf would be pointless and boring.  Same goes for running.  I think my next running goal will be to high five the Gretzky statue at the hockey rink. Another cool idea is to get involved in geo caching, and make the geo cache the destination for your run.  If you haven’t geocached before, have a look into it.  Kids love it too.

-Make your run an event.  Just because you can run anywhere, doesn’t mean that you should. Yes it is convenient to step out your front door and start running.  Let’s face it, unless you just moved to a nudist colony, you have probably seen the same old sites around your block a hundred times. Try travelling to the mountains for a trail run, or out to a local park (Chickakoo comes to mind).  Anthony Henday to Hawrelak park has some awesome single track trail running.

-The Outdoors Rock!. Winter, summer, rain, or shine. I find adversity really makes a run memorable.  Nobody thinks back and says, wow, that treadmill blew my mind!  Dress for the weather, what doesn’t kill you only makes you know better for next time. 

-Pavement is for Indy cars and sport bikes. I find it’s hard on the knees and generally boring.  Sorry to the Boston Marathoners, but they can keep it.  If you don’t like running, try running really challenging trails, including logs to jump, mud to avoid, hills rocks and roots.  I find if my mind is really engaged on foot placement it is more interesting.

-Join a race.  There is a reason runs like the Mud Hero, Color me Rad, and Zombie runs are blowing up in popularity.  It’s because they are darn fun. Competition makes running fun.

Add in a Kung Fu element.  It’s pretty fun to run to a destination and perform a hand form where you haven’t before.  If you can, bring your weapon along.  Sorry Sihing Chervenka, this might not apply to you.

Anyway, hope a couple of these ideas take out the monotony of running for some people.

Cheers.

VK.

 

P.S. Currently working east of Andrew and Vegreville up to July 20^th where I head to Sundre for a youth camp (Personal I Ho Chuan goal fulfillment) for a week. Likely won’t be at the Kwoon for a bit.

Rocks and hard places

Well this past week has been a trip.  A truck breakdown in Moose Jaw, a part that is backed up such that I am number 201 at the dealership for getting it repaired left me between a rock and a hard place.  A person that relies solely on my vehicle for completing my job, forced me into a midnight bus trip on Friday to Grande Prairie, 0.5hrs of sleep over 36 hours power driving to the kwoon for the I ho Chuan meeting on Saturday.  The meeting was good but really hit me fairly hard.  A combination of emotions from missing Canada Day because of waiting on a dealership in Moose Jaw to diagnose the truck problem, really left me out sorts.  Hearing about the awesomeness of the experience added fuel to the fire.  It’s good to hear and watch the video of the demos going on without you but it does leave a bit of a let down inside.  Especially when all intentions and planning were to hit the Canada day demo.

Understanding that things have not gone well for me in the past 4 weeks in terms of blogging really makes it tough for me to swallow.  Blogging is crucial, but more important is reading teammates blogs.  I haven’t read a teammates blog for several weeks now.  I haven’t posted in several weeks.  For the last three weeks it has been field work, a ton of driving, followed by a mountain of paperwork.  Every day, up at 5, field work, paperwork to very late, start again the next day.  On travel through Edmonton, stop say hi to the kids, drop the oil in the truck, reset for the next project, maybe weed whip the three foot high weeds in the back yard, and get moving to the next project.  I have been ground into a pile of dust the past couple of weeks, and the result has not been positive for me or my family.

As Master Brinker pointed out, there is always time, and excuses lead to missed opportunities.  What I can say though to people who may think my absence is voluntary, is that when I am at home, I am at the Kwoon.  I truly am trying my best to make every possible effort to be a positive member of the team.  I do apologize for my absence, and real lack of involvement in the projects, demo’s, classes, blog posting, and meetings.

Now, moving from the real drag of a read for blog followers, let’s shift gears.  I watched the demo posted, and it looked awesome guys!  It really is very inspiring to watch, especially seeing the improvement of the forms of the members of the team.  The bridge actually looked rehearsed, from a great video perspective as well (fountain and seagulls included).

I had a talk with Sifu Langner outside the kwoon and it led to an interesting conversation.  I realized that the past couple years in the I Ho Chuan, both of which I started off with intents to grade, I made the decision not to follow through because goals of the I Ho Chuan were falling out of reach.  While my effort to complete what I could did not change, my perspective did, which probably affected my performance for that year.  This year I have finally changed my perspective and am not allowing my failures of yesterday to affect my successes today.  Every day I am seeking to move forward.  When I fail, I reset.  This blog is proof of that. 

Oh ya, in case you are a techno geek, camp nowhere, located about 100k west of Manning.  GPS coordinates 57degrees, 18 minutes, 10.82 seconds N.  118degrees, 39 minutes, 9.34seconds W.

vincekrebs@blogspot.com

June 1 Update

Lately things are really turning into a struggle.  Seeing another demo opportunity fleet past is a bit discouraging.  I want to be involved in the demo’s, in Rotary runs, in park clean ups, and parades.  I want to raise my hand and volunteer for organizing and getting things moving, and it kills me to sit in silence at a meeting.  I know that I have something to offer to help the year of the Horse take off.

I haven’t figured it out.  It is truly a rock and hard place.  I have on occasion put the truck into warp drive from Vegreville country across to Stony Plain knowing that there is no chance of me making it for class, but still ever hoping and trying.  It ends up in a missed Kung Fu opportunity, falling behind in paperwork, and burning hours of time that could be used as sleep. I have to evaluate every minute where time is best spent.

Yesterday my wife pulled together an evening for my bday where I got a chance to throw a couple casts with the fly rod out with the family and a couple friends.  It was a reset and recharge that was much appreciated.  This week, it is back to Weyburn Saskatchewan.

vincekrebs@blogspot.com

How To Make Me Awesome

“Try surrounding yourself with friends who ask more of you than you do” It’s a part of the philosophy of mastery we are familiar with. For the last couple weeks I have been away for work, and as always the biggest adjustment is being away from the team atmosphere of the I Ho Chuan, the students, and Sifu’s of Silent River.

People who strive to be exceptional are addicting to be around.  This is probably because they produce a synergy that helps challenge, support, and holds us accountable in our development of mastery. But what do you do when circumstances are such that the support is vacant, or at least not at arm’s length?

Mostly I have been looking internally when approaching the I Ho Chuan this year.  Equally important, however, is to make everyone around me……Awesome. If everyone around me is awesome, than I have no other option but what to work towards awesomeness also! Forget about making lemonade out of lemons, I am talking about growing a lemon tree so I can produce a lemonade factory!

So, one thing I have been doing lately is getting pushy. Not in the negative sense however.  Rather, challenging the people I work with to stretch themselves beyond limits.  This has two results, it is somewhat self-serving in the fact that it has generated that missing energy that I am used to from training partners, and secondly it produces an exceptional work product.  Rather than making exceptions for my workers, I am trying to help my co-workers become exceptional so that I will have no excuses for being mediocre.

I figure this will help with my I Ho Chuan year, or I will have a mutiny.  Let’s see how this pans out.

vincekrebs@blogspot.com

 

May 9th

Friday was May 9^th. Which is a day of remembrance for our family.  A day for the past five years where we spend it together. Work and Kung Fu will have to wait until after we take in the sunshine of the mountains.  It will wait until after we walk the trails and explore the Maligne River gorge. It will wait until we balance on logs and climb boulders. It will wait until we throw rocks in the emerald green pools of the river. It will wait until trees are climbed and a boy falls up to his waist in the river.  For this day….it can all be put off until tomorrow.

                          Can you find the forester?

An "unlikely" encounter

Recently I was talking about shoulder problems, and the question come up why in the not too distant future some steel is going to have to come out of my collar bone.  Questions were raised, and even the rumour came up again that it was the result of a misunderstanding with a toboggan.  I had to dig back into the Shellacking Shenanigans fight club website to once again recall the true story.  So Here it is once again.

The car came around the corner at break neck speed.  There wasn't much time to react.  Flying like Hermes I made up the ground.  I Pounced.....Leopard like from the curb and mid-air pushed the baby stroller out of danger.  Performing a mid-air helix I narrowly missed the savage chrome grill determined to crush me.  Floating, graceful....like a Canadian maple leaf spread wide in the perfect Zephyr.  Enveloping the pavement in the perfect shoulder roll.

The baby carriage rolled.......and bumped into a group of gangsters that made the Godfather seem like Saint Vincent.  That's the last time they'll attack with just lead pipes, baseball bats and chains.

After neatly tucking the legs of the last scoundrel into the nearest dumpster, I noticed a homeless fellow taking refuge.  I introduced myself, and so did he.  It was Chuck Norris.  We traded fighting secrets, and he was very appreciative.  Before long the conversation turned to why he was in a dumpster.  Apparently his fighting career had taken a turn for the worse. He needed a collar bone replacement, and I guess donors were limited.  So there you have it.  Chuck Norris continues to make millions on his book of Chuckisms and movie career, and I have an 8 inch bar with 9 screws in my shoulder as a result.

No big deal Chuck.  I would have done it for anyone.

In all seriousness though, it is something I am going to have to address.  Maybe in six months, maybe in a year.  As it sits right now though, keep on keeping on.

Spring time

Well it is official, I have gotten the call out to get back to work.  While I have been spared a couple days due to mother nature, I am heading back to the field following a couple days of drying time. This is the turning point, how I approach the next couple weeks is critical. I cannot get complacent, miss out on routine, or fall into bad habits. I have to closely monitor my health and progress. I have to continually reflect on where I am at, and where I am going. I have to maintain engagement with the team through blog postings and whenever possible conference in to meetings.  I have to make a list of items and label their importance so I can employ a triage approach.  I hate having to do this, but it is critical to my success, past years have proved that.

The Wonderful World of Plastic

I am a fella that tends to try to suck every ounce of life out the items I have.  I have a lawn mower that is hanging on by a thread with a nasty speed wobble from hitting the city water outlet on more than one occasion.  I have a car with a front bumper held together with scotch tape and zip ties, and a T-shirt worn to rags that I won’t retire because I screen printed it myself in 1994.

Therefore, it isn’t a stretch to assume that I appreciate good quality. I must say, the quality of products these days are an exact reflection of a disposable world drenched in massive consumerism, mediocre to downright poor workmanship, and so on and so on.

After breaking about the 9,000^th plastic widget for my lifetime trying to fix the car the other day, I can honestly say I am completely fed up with the state of society’s attitude.

 

Same old blog, every season.

Well as most people look at the sunshine and disappearing snow with welcome, for me it means the field season is going to start picking up, and that means less time spent at the Kwoon.  I am certainly thankful for the last couple of slow months which have allowed me to put some time in.  I am not a big fan of this on and off approach through the year, but it is something I need to manage.  I keep learning every year and hope to get to the point where this is second nature.

Every year I write the same type of blog this time of season.  I really am not sure if I am adapting any better.  I guess time will tell.

 

vincekrebs@blogspot.com

A new kind of therapy.

Seeking a solution.  That is why I lay on this table with a very large magnet masking taped to my head.  There are several things that you should leave to the professionals. A couple that come to mind are trapeze, jumping multiple buses with a heavy bike, crack sealing the Hoover dam and perhaps……biomagnetism. 

But what the heck, my muscles have felt like piano wires for the last two months.  A ten hour world wind trip to Fort McMurray on the weekend did not help the Sciatic one bit.  And let’s face it, my father in law can be quite convincing when he wants to be, and he is a chemist.  So, with a series of magnets I have now become his Frankenstein monster for the day.

The sciatic pain was greatly reduced for the most part. The skeptic in me attributes it to other explanations, none of which are any more logical.  But for now I will sit on these small magnets as I write this blog and if that doesn’t work, at least they work great for holding up the kids art on the refrigerator.

What’s next you ask?  Sticking my fingers in light sockets for electroshock therapy, Eating drywall (sorry to those that actually have that condition) or perhaps what I need most is just good old fashioned REST.

 

vincekrebs@blogspot.com

Intensity

 So following a couple more visits with the witchdoct….I mean chiropractor, he is very happy with the progress that has been made over the past couple of visits.  He even said that I should return to Kung Fu but only at a 70% level.  OK, the fact that I didn’t take a break from classes is our little secret….got it?

In our past class, (which was magnificent by the way) I think many of us rediscovered something that we have been missing for a while.  INTENSITY.  When we first started I was wondering how do I balance intensity with strict orders to perform at a 70% level.  What I discovered is that intensity does mean kicking your legs to overextension, stressing joints beyond the stretch limits of tendons, and dousing the brain in gallons of adrenaline. 

Intensity in the past class seemed to come from deep down, a rising energy that could not have been displayed any better than by Sihing Tymchuk’s demonstration of his front thrust kick.  Thank you.  I think everyone felt your intensity with those kicks.

Where I think I can save the 30% in the gas tank according to the Doc’s orders is working on staying loose and fluid in the techniques which is what we all strive to achieve.  It can only mean good things and greater improvement in my situation.

vincekrebs@blogspot.com

Nerves of Steel?

Iris’s dilate to take in the reflecting light from the sheeny coat of the approaching grizzly bear.  That wavelength of light is transposed to chemical, and then to electrical pulses running down a system of channels to a complex matrix of pathways within the brain.  Brain computes….more electrical pulses….brain sends electrical pulses back down the narrow highway to the length of the fingers….hand tightens around the Pringles container…..Brain computes…..more electrical impulses to the other hand tightening around the large stick.

Nerves.  Without nerve function what are we but massive piles of bone and goo.  But when the aches and pains catch up with us, how many people consider that the problem may be related to nerve function.  I for one had never considered it up until a recent appointment with a Chiropractor.  After a pretty lengthy run through of some scientific, electronic, voodoo, pixie dust type testing, nerve function is a consideration for some of the problems I am having with over tightened and damaged muscles, stiff and soreness, lack of sleep and tiredness, and the inability to properly heal.

I had always envisioned my nervous system more like copper wiring in the walls of my house.  Bomb proof and never changing.  Don’t mess with it, don’t think of it, cause the lights will always come on. Well according to the Chiropractor, my nervous system more closely resembles a box of Walmart Christmas lights. 

While I am not a big fan of amplified noises of Rice Krispy type sounds coming from my spine during a bone crunching session (Chiropractic appointment), the explanation and reasoning surrounding stimulating nerve function and healing seems sound to me.  I am going to keep up with it for a while with some pretty big expectations.  I will keep you all posted.

As for the Grizzly bear, he felt a tube of Pringles wasn’t worth dying over…….Foolish bear.

 

vincekrebs@blogspot.com

Bridges, Ropes, Darts, and so forth

This is one of those blog posts you hope your mom doesn’t read, because the truth is, she is still the boss. When I mentioned to my sister about possibly taking on the rope dart this year, her response was, I think you will enjoy that, you have always like fidgeting with ropes.  Little does she know how true that is.

You see growing up, I dabbled a bit into rock climbing which required a pretty good understanding of knots, rope systems, hardware and so forth.  Having minimal terrain to practice our craft, and minimal brains to properly think things through, boys with rappelling gear climbing rope and the cover of night, make for a bad combination.

Not to go into the details, (like I said, Mom and Dad are still the boss), but one such incident of narrowly missing a CN train on a very high and very narrow bridge that would have rivalled the kids from Stand By Me, and another involving mass panic and tear down after remembering mom was due to travel that very bridge coming off of night shift, should have all put a love of ropes in the past.

Truth is, I do like fiddling with ropes!  And the rope dart is one of those really cool weapons that I am finding extremely challenging, extremely unpredictable, and well, just down right enjoyable.  Progress is REALLY slow, and while sometimes I doubt my decision when I see the progress of the team around me (most of the time after taking a bean bag off the coconut) I am enjoying learning it, and believe I made the right decision.  I hope things eventually come together and all doubt is erased as things progress through the year.

The Hip Bones Connected to the what?

Well I don’t like complaining about injuries. But lately, I have something going squirrelly with my hip and all the parts and pieces attaching my legs. The problem is getting old really fast.  I have tried stretching, bending, flexing, kicking, rolling, jumping, crying and nothing seems to be working to fix the problem that has been frustrating me for the past couple of months.  It is beginning to render some of my kicks virtually useless, mainly the right leg dragons whip and left leg round house.  Can’t figure it out. I am wondering if maybe the pain in the inner thigh is tied to the sciatic nerve?  Who knows, I didn’t go to school for that I guess.    

 

 

Oh Guilt Where Art Thou Gone.

Guilt has been a friend of mine, and quite often my worst enemy.  It has been closer to the forefront of my previous engagements in the I Ho Chuan than I like to admit.  There is one domain however, that guilt feared to tread, and that was with my work schedule.  Because of this fact, the question has come up whether I rate work higher in importance than Kung Fu.  That is a question with no answer.

If Kung Fu is a Swiss watch, than work would be the gears.  Can’t have a clock without gears, so the priority is my work.

Kung Fu, however I absolutely hold as higher value to my life.  I have mentioned my main priorities are Faith, Family, and Kung Fu, in that order.  Oddly work did not even make that list.

I guess my answer is that importance does not always equal priority which does not always equate to value.  I think this is important when we travel down the dangerous road of evaluating a person’s engagement without fully understanding the reason for the absence.  If I miss a demo or meeting for work schedule, I may be assigning a higher Priority to my work engagement which does not mean I value it less than the event.

Knowing that work priority = Kung Fu value is what allows me to deal with the guilt of being away. If I did not think this way, I would have been consumed by my career seven years ago and likely quit Kung Fu near the outset.

Therefore, if I am doing everything in my power to maximize my Kung Fu value, without upsetting the work apple cart, (rescheduling, turning the odd job down, etc.) then I feel I am on the right track.

Random Olympic thoughts

A couple of scattered thoughts that went through my mind during the Olympics:

-I was not up at 5:00am to watch the Canada Olympic hockey…..but I should have been. 

-If Kung Fu were an Olympic sport can I say I’d be in Sochi right now?

-Why is Canada proud of its coffee, and humble of its athletes? And why am I proud of that fact?

-Jean-Luc Brassard, fast forward to Alex Bilodeau.  Two eras of skiing. Equally cool.

-Why is it OK to scoff at an unsuccessful athlete from the comfort of my sofa?

-If he wanted to compete, would Chuck Norris be banned from the Olympics because of an illegal dose of Awesomeness?

-I wonder if Canada is bringing home more homeless dogs than medals?

-I wonder what a crazy carpet would do on a bobsled track?

 

Can’t say I didn’t warn you.

 

vincekrebs@blogspot.com

My first, and most important personal goal

Unfortunately, I was unable to take in the first I Ho Chuan meeting for year of the Horse.  But I am picking up some items in the blog posts. Sharing of our person goals seems to be one item that was discussed. I am not going to dump a list on anyone reading, but am going to address each one in an independent post.

Back in the day things seem so simple.  You crawl into the old pickup truck, ride next to dad for a few hours down a dusty old road to a clear cool lake, hop in the boat…..and fish.  It’s that simple.  At four years old, the only concern is why the boat isn’t in the water faster, or why do we have to eat something before heading out?

Now, having both a six and eight year old boy I’ve realized the tremendous effort that is required to put a fishing trip with the kids in motion. There is a complex assembly of items that would baffle a Franklin expedition, an organization of personnel that would stifle a drill sergeant, and an allocation of time more extravagant than discovering E=MC².  Often when contemplating a family camping trip or even fishing for the day, I sit back and just ask myself, is this worth it?

I will never forget the times we shared on the water just passing time and stories, times on the dock when a lady had a film canister of maggots (fishing bait for perch) stored safely in her bra.  Well, film canisters have a habit of opening at the worst of times.  Or the time when the boat flew off the back of the truck in Westlock and we didn’t realize it had gone. We chalked all the horns and flashing and signalling of passing vehicles to think the people of Westlock must be drunk, or crazy.  I could go on and on.

So here is the revelation. My Dad is awesome.  The sacrifice and headaches he endured to get me out to the water is difficult to realize.  It is one of so many things that make him the best dad a guy could ask for.  As such, in the busy of keeping up with my I Ho Chuan requirements, my first personal goal is to get out fishing with my dad at least three times this year.

Malicious Toys

In the toy department…. that is where it went down. That little six sided devil innocently sitting in a non-threatening box.  Staring out of its clear plastic container, its sides in perfect harmony looking most like a colorful Christmas ornament than anything.  It certainly did not look dastardly.

I took it home. I tried to make it my friend.  I even approached the relationship slowly by only moving one side, then cautiously moving it back to its perfect position.  And with an eye for the details unfolding with a single move, I made two moves, then carefully rotated the squares back.  My confidence ever growing, I took a chance and made three moves from the perfect harmonies of green, white, yellow, orange, blue and red. 

And that was it. 

That beautiful colorful, harmonious children’s toy turned instantly into a six sided devil.  A sneaky time wasting puzzle that has 43 quintillion possible combinations with no apparent solution.

The Rubik’s cube.  There is no better way than that to explain life.  Ever trying to restore  balance.  Like the Rubik’s cube, complete one side, or maybe two, and the other four turn to  complete disarray.  Restore order to one of the remaining sides and the puzzles harmony is broken on the other.

Those of you that own a Rubik’s cube understand why sometimes for months the Rubik’s cube will sit on the shelf at the state of your highest accomplishment.  That is when you have partially solved it, got further than you have ever made it before, scared to make another turn for fear of completely ruining the partial balance you have created. But here is the catch, it is not perfect, and it never will be without attempting to move forward with it.  That means trying it, with odds highly in the favour you are going to get it wrong and turn it to shambles.

This past year I recognize that there have been many failures with my I Ho Chuan attempt, but there have been successes also.  For me to move forward I have to be sure to reflect on the past couple years and determine exactly which patterns of success are worth duplicating. I have to assume that the upcoming year will be the same as the previous and adapt to that.

Scheduling around a career that has no schedule can lead to failure.  Similar to saying “well I am pretty busy now, but Saturday should open up, I will do it then” is not a good option.  Habits have got to be daily

This year, I really feel I know what I have to do to succeed. It won’t be easy, but anything is possible with this group.  I am really looking forward to working with every member of the team this year and draw on all your strengths for inspiration.  Bring on the year of the Horse!

And yes you probably will see me a time or two with a Rubik’s cube in my hand, attempting to solve it without ripping and removing stickers or looking towards the internet oracle for a solution.