I had a really nasty stomach flu last week. It's been going around the school. This place is as bad as a daycare sometimes, virus's just rip through here like wildfire. Mel and I were both sick at the same time too actually, which was kinda gross for both of us, nothing makes a flu worse than being around someone else who's vomiting and feverish too. We're on the mend now but although it's been a week, recovery is slow for me this time. I still have these random symptoms that change from day to day, sore throat, chest congestion, runny nose and it's pretty annoying. I'm not really sick anymore yet I'm still feeling bad. I've been pretty diligent about taking vitamins, drinking herbal teas, getting lots of sleep, etc but this thing just stubbornly hangs on. Hopefully this next week will be better.

On a better note, we've started to learn the Taiji 13 form which was supposedly created by Zhang San Feng, the patriarch of our lineage. According to legend, he was inspired by watching a snake fight a bird. I like tai ji so I'm just happy to get to practice it more often.

http://hardcorezen.info/yoga-is-the-new-satanism/1701

This is a link to an awesome article written by Brad Warner, the author of Hardcore Zen and a Zen teacher of some renown. I often read his blog because even though I am not Buddhist and don't practice zen, he says a lot of insightful stuff and he really makes me laugh. This article in particular is very well thought out and it's clear from what he writes about his time as a beginner to meditation that he's really put a lot of time in and understands the not-so-glamorous side.

Check it out!!! Let me know what you think.

Sometimes I really don't know what to say when the day for blogging arrives.

This week was super challenging, we're training with a class of Chinese students again which can be tough for many reasons. This is a different class than before though and they're so sweet and hardworking with none of the teenage attitude that made the other class so annoying. It's pretty alright so far. My legs are super done though, I actually got a muscle cramp in my left quad the other day which hasn't happened in ages. Foam roller here I come!!

I really wonder what Shifu is going to do with us this last year and a half. He never seems to think it's important to let us know the plan which makes me wonder if there even is a plan, or if it's some game to test our commitment, or who knows what. One of the hardest parts of being here is never having any idea what the @#$% is going on! It seems like Chinese people are really not bothered by that at all, they have a completely different concept of time and of self. During time off they always seem like they're just hanging out, waiting for something to happen. For westerners, this is bizarre and completely foreign. I wish I could explain it better, it's just a cultural difference that becomes impossible to ignore after a while.

bleh.....I'm tired.

 We finished learning Eight Immortals Sword this week and it is AMAZING!
















I Love The Sword!!! Yaaaarg!

3 weeks down and I'm already tired. haha.

Due to chinese new year we had an 8 day training week last week and it was pretty exhausting. Even after the day off yesterday, my body is super fatigued, especially the legs. I know kung fu is generally a leg workout but it's times like these that you really get to experience what that feels like. This is why I'll never have skinny thighs.

We're learning a cool form now. Eight Immortals sword. It's very long and tricky but so much fun!

I finished my first week of training and then we got 4 days off for Chinese New year. It was nice. I kind of wish I could have saved those days for the middle of summer when I really need then though. I just had over a month off so I would have been content to just train as usual. Oh well, I don't want to complain about having time off!

It's been a pretty smooth transition this year so far. Shifu hasn't been around so we are left to our own devices a little which is so nice. Mel had the brilliant idea to bring back a foam roller for self-massage and it's already been totally worth it. I've been rolling my quadriceps and although it's pretty uncomfortable, it's kept me from getting too sore. There's just one area that I can't massage with the roller, neck/shoulder area. That's what friends are for though right! haha.

I really gained some perspective over the break and I feel so much more confident about my future return to Canada now. I know what I want to do and though there are still lots of details to figure out, it's going to be such a time of personal growth. I look forward to it. I still have another year and a half here that I need to focus on but it feels easier to do that when I'm feeling so positive about the future.

After 6 weeks of resting I've returned to Wudang and to training. The time at home was amazing, I ate a ton, rested and slept, and spent time with the people I love. It's been great. Though it was hard to leave I've made it back and I'm relieved to be here. It feels good to move again.

The return trip was ok. We're both pretty jet-lagged though which usually only happens when traveling east so I'm surprised. We always seem to end up sitting near babies on the plane, that might have something to do with it.

With Chinese New Year coming up and most of the Chinese students gone, we're getting lots of time to practice and review on our own so I'm already really enjoying that. It's nice when you're self-directed too because you can ease back into training a little more gradually and take it easy for a few days.