Friends till the very end...

'The bad times did come and go,

but together we made it so,

and when I was feeling low, the both of you would make me glow.

Times were hard with us growing up, I wonder if anyone knows our stuff?

Smiling eyes have saved our souls, we stuck together and full filled our goals.

You both have stood by my side, and saved me when I could have died.

Always there like brothers to me, my friends Rob Cooper and Damey Dee.'

Love and Friendship

These two very meaningful words sum up the whole concept of life. How many times can you count, the break ups and disagreements you may have had or are still enduring? More than less? It's easy to let our feelings dictate our actions as we feel hurt, and it's natural to let our pain be heard. As a person we have our own take on things which is our 'humble opinion'. This is fine and opinions and views make the world turn each day. It is what makes us all unique and different. Some people say that life would be boring if we were all the same. This was an opinion too. As is this...'I think that team is better than that team.' So the reply is...'no way that team is better.' The conflict taking place here is a complex one, so here goes!
A feels his team is better than B's team. This is his feeling, his conclusion. He is not trying to order B to agree as such (although it does happen). B defensively defends his view and say's his view. This is where it becomes a debate, no longer an innocent opinion. Such situations become petty and soon heated. The total truth on this (and this is my view) is that A's stating that it's the team he prefers, and B's team is the one he prefers. Not the best team over all-god bless-amen-full stop. But the best team for that individual. Love and Friendship is something that we all possess and we should put more effort into uniting than retracting. Although we are different people, we are all the same human life form. Food for thought?

Blue is the colour

Last night I was fortunate enough to pass my Karate exam and earn my Blue Belt. It was a tough one even though only three of the adults were present. I now feel as though the hard work I'm putting in is no longer a quest for a new belt progression, rather it is a personal life progression to understanding myself that little bit more. I have a long way to go before I see and feel the benefits of my martial arts training. The real work is done on the inside. My goal, as I'm becoming more self aware - is not a Black Belt in any system, it is to be a Black Belt in life. It is the freedom of living which no medal, trophy or belt can give you. There is no final ending, just a continuing quest for self enlightenment and peace. At least as I move along in Karate, I know what I need to do in order to improve.

Prisoner in your mind

Your mind is the most powerful organ on the entire planet. What ever the mind will conceive, it can achieve. It is so easy to think miserable thoughts and view the world on the down sides, but to remain positive takes more effort. You will need to dig deep and take a good look at what you have got around you. Keeping busy can help, because if you have a problem a one track mind will drain you until you are more unhappy than first started. Your fear, or dread will feed off your resources causing you to lose sleep and neglect nourishment. You won't even realise you are destroying yourself as you will be too occupied in hunting for the medicine to your suffering. It is easier said than done I know, but this energy will use you up and spit you out. It will spread to others and before you know it others find you unbearable to be around. You have become inprisioned in your own mind, and can't find a way out let alone what got you here in the first place. Now you will complain that your depressed...sound familiar?

I have been here many, many times and always will face the bars of steel that wait for me in my mind of minds. I can't tell you what to do so I'll give you a quote from Jackie Chan.

'You control the situation, not the situation control you.'

I always relay this passage to myself in times of need, and find that deep gentle breathing helps with meditation (more on that later). You should find an outlet for your energy's and it will help lighten the load of daily life. Think of your body as a Car. Best transport around. It can take you anywhere you want, be anyone you choose to be. So when people are not active and over eat, the system becomes clogged and blocked. It doesn't function the way it should, and this turns back on yourself in the form of...sense of sadness.

Your environment affects you mood also. Think about it, if you spend time around trash you will think trash. So our influences say a lot too. We all absorb each other, although we are all different people, we are all the same human beings. If you spend time in nice places, with nice people, 9 times from 10 you will become a nice person.

So, regular light meals, moderate activity few times per week, friendly environments to name a few. remember, you are the only one who can hold you hostage, and you have the key all along.

And don't forget to take good care of your feet, without them you won't get very far. Foot express requires massaging (even by self if alone) Jonson's power or moisturiser.

Be well all.

Mantis

Between periods of the Ming and Ching Dynasties in China, a young man named Wong Long arived at the Shaolin Temple at the foot of Mount Song in Honan province. The year was 1645.

He had been raised and trained by a Taoist priest named Yu Fa, but now decided to take down the Manchu government. Yu Fa advised him to seek better instruction if this was his aim. Wong had heard the stories about the great Shoalin monks and their famous feats. The Abbot of the temple, granted Wong permission to have a friendly contest with one of his monks, Fa Tung.

And so, the following day the fight began. Wong was defeated, and couldn't match Fa Tung's skill. He left that cold morning from the temple and went his own way. Several months later, he was wondering along an old dusty path in the blistering heat and stopped for a rest under a tree. Suddenly a sound disturbed his peaceful state, and so he went to investigate near the bushes. He found a small preying mantis locked in a battle with a large Cicada, and was amazed how this small insect controlled and fought his way to victory. Firing Wongs thoughts, he built a small cage and adopted the preying mantis as his pet. He prodded the insect with sticks and studied it's reactions and movements. Wong took weeks to write down every action of his new friend and practice hard. He returned to the Shaolin Temple to beat Fa Tung, and thus the style of The Preying Mantis was born.

If there is a lesson to be learned here, it is this... Never give up thinking of ways to improve one's self and to bear in mind that it's not the size of the dog in a fight, rather the size of the fight in the dog!

Your best treasure is deep within

I often feel a lot of the time that I have more to offer of myself. It's almost like I feel lazy at times when I should be doing more. We all have a buried treasure chest that we keep locked and buried deep within us. The hardest thing is finding the key, or finding the chest, but it's there. You will feel it, your cause. Try doing something that you enjoy, or are quite good at. It may be something from school, such as drawing or singing. Mine is writing, so I need to keep on writing so I can keep improving. Because if I don't I will become stale and my treasure chest will be lost and forgotten. We can all open our treasure and take a little look at it, it might be fun, who knows?

Alive and Free

I'm thirty years of age. I've been reflecting back to my beginnings in the Martial Arts and what I want to continue to strive for. Martial Arts has saved my life and made me into a better person. This type of life style can help anyone out there with struggles. Tai Chi is useful for people who do not wish to enter to heavily, plus Yoga is very beneficial. As I practice more I find that I am becoming more and more humble. My body wants to stay young and healthy, my mind calm and alert. I am alive and free.