I leave to go back to China in a few days.

On the one hand I really don't want to go back, it's so cold sometimes with no indoor heating and I'm really enjoying the food and modern luxuries of Canada. I am glad though to be getting back to training. I've been sitting around for about a month now and I'm pretty tired of it. It'll be great to use my body again and I feel refreshed and positive about the practice again. I really needed a break and now that I've had one, I'm really happy to start doing some kung fu!

Well I have missed a few weeks of journaling due to a combination of business and my computer being in 'the shop' but I'm still alive and kicking.

It's been really nice to be home. I was really missing Canada, being away for so long makes one appreciate how great it is here. The air is so clean and fresh! It smells fantastic. The food is great and I'm really enjoying spending so much time with my family and friends again. All in all a good time.

I have really been slacking and hardly doing any training at all. A little stretching, a little qigong and tai chi is about it. I am trying not to beat myself up over it though. The purpose of the break is to rest and come back ready to train hard again so I am doing my best to just relax and enjoy myself. The last year has been very challenging and I know the coming one will be too so I will make the most of this time without guilt.

While I am home I can actually upload a photo! This one is of me in front of a precarious overhang on the mountain. If you've seen the new karate kid movie, you'll recognize it as the place with the snake scene.

The break has begun!

On Wednesday Shifu spontaneously gave us an extra week and a half of break time so we are officially off now. yay.

My mom is checking into changing our flight home so we'll have another 5 days or so in Canada. If that works out we'll be super happy to head home early, if not, we plan to go spend several days in the city of Xi'an and see a bunch of historically significant sights as well as rest and eat some tasty meals. Either way we'll have a great time. It seems so bizarre that such a long awaited break has started unexpectedly early.

I woke up with a cold yesterday and spent almost the entire day in bed but I'm feeling better already. Hopefully this means I won't get sick on the way home like I did last year, though I suspect that was due to eating something that didn't agree with me and not a virus.

Well I may be incommunicado for a few days next week depending on our flights but should be back into the swing of things shortly thereafter.

It's December!

The break is getting closer and closer and I continue to get more excited. I'm really looking forward to going home again this year.

I don't really have a lot to say other than that. Last night we got an impromptu lesson from Shifu about internal alchemy. Really cool. Of course we won't start to practice that stuff for a long time yet, it was just the theory. He also talked about how skipping the physical training at the beginning and starting with the spiritual stuff was dangerous. It could even make you go crazy. Good incentive to be patient, not that I have another master to learn it from anyway.

Well, until next week....

There are only 3 weeks left now until the break. I spend most of my time thinking about it. It's pretty distracting sometimes in class and especially in meditation. I've been dreaming a lot about the food I'm going to be eating, I hope I don't manage to make myself sick by eating too much at first. I'll try to control myself and stick to simple homemade foods for the first few days. Our first family meal my mom is going to make homemade chili with corn bread. mmmmm..... I can't wait!

While we are still training, my heart's not in it as much as it should be. Luckily I train in a structured manner that doesn't even require much self-motivation. Just show up to class and do what you're told, it's simple. Some people still manage to slack off but you kinda have to do that on purpose, it doesn't just happen.

Well, I look forward to seeing you all when I get back. Maybe we can go for some food? haha.

Be careful what you wish for.

Reading last weeks post makes me laugh. We were certainly whipped into shape this week in a rather painful manner. My quads haven't been so sore in a very long time. By Wednesday I was totally done. I had a really good weekend though. Wednesday afternoon massage followed by movie night and snacks. Thursday I slept in till almost 8, chatted on skype with some family, knit for a few hours, ate a nice big lunch and then, another movie. Pretty restful. I've been doing quite a bit of knitting lately, something about the cold weather just makes me want to snuggle up with some yarn and needles. It's nice to have something to do in the off time that has nothing to do with training, and this is a lot more productive than computer games.

It's only a month now until the break and I'm getting super excited. I know the time will just fly and I'll be home in no time. yay!

This week our Shifu's wife had a baby so he's been very busy and spends most of his time at the hospital. Our training is still going alright, we have plenty of senior students to learn from and it's been kind of fun to push myself instead of having someone else do it for me. A few of my classmates however, are struggling. They seem to have almost no self-discipline. I can't understand how one can reach adulthood AND be a martial artist and not have developed that aspect of his character. Some people have been late for almost every class this week, missing classes for no reason, being lazy during class time, and complaining constantly the whole time. It's kind of annoying. On one hand, I know that I should just ignore them and focus on myself but on the other hand, the whole mood of our training and our instructors is affected by them. Hopefully next week someone will whip them into shape. If not, I'll just keep my attention on me and improving myself.