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Wednesday 30 January 2008
Tuesday 29 January 2008
post 52. Lessons with Teacher Zhou
Zhou lao shi taught the basics of Heng quan today, so that means I've almost finished up the 5 elements fist. Only left the turning and closing for Heng quan, and then it will be the linking form.
Zhou lao shi was emphasisng a lot about yi, intention, today. He was emphasising that during xing yi practise, one must be as a tank, unstoppable and overwhelming. No matter how big or tall your opponent is, just crush him like a tank; if even a house can't stand up to a tank, what matter flesh and bone? It's true though - I don't have the killing intention.
A lot of it has to do with one's environment. For better or worse, I come from a good family background, and for personel reasons, I have an abhorrence for physical violence. To me, physical violence indicates a failure to achieve a compromise through reason and sense.
It's different for Zhou lao shi. He grew up in an era of turmoil, going through the Cultural Revolution and the Great Chinese Famine. It's hard for me imagine what it must be like to live in a time where someone will kill you for a bowl of rice. That's probably another difference of why we practise martial arts - survival. For Zhou lao shi, it was a means of survival.
So why practise xing yi, then?
One, it's a skill. Sometimes, it's better to be prepared for violence, rather than be helpless when trouble comes knocking. It's really up to you to decide how safe today's society is. Maybe in Singapore it's fine to get by with just knowing how to dial 999. But I don't like the feeling of danger I get when I walk down Northbridge at night, because I know I don't have the necesaary skills. Sure, I can run, but sometimes running is not an option, alcohol or drugs has precluded the option of reasoning, what are you going to do? Stand there and be helpless?
Secondly, it's something to work on for a life-time. It's an open-ended system - you can never be too good. The only restriction is yourself. And to pursue the perfect quan...well, it's like if you punch a 1000 times, but the last one is perfect, ahhh, the feeling is indescribable.
Also, well, one shouldn't restrict yourself because you don't like it. Just because I don't like violence doesn't mean I should shield away from it. Hey, violence is a fact of life, even when it's not physical or obvious. Only through continous exposure to different experiences, especially those we do not like, can we learn and grow.
And lastly, because it's fun. Lol, it is! Well, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but then again, I don't drink coffee. ^^
Zhou lao shi was emphasisng a lot about yi, intention, today. He was emphasising that during xing yi practise, one must be as a tank, unstoppable and overwhelming. No matter how big or tall your opponent is, just crush him like a tank; if even a house can't stand up to a tank, what matter flesh and bone? It's true though - I don't have the killing intention.
A lot of it has to do with one's environment. For better or worse, I come from a good family background, and for personel reasons, I have an abhorrence for physical violence. To me, physical violence indicates a failure to achieve a compromise through reason and sense.
It's different for Zhou lao shi. He grew up in an era of turmoil, going through the Cultural Revolution and the Great Chinese Famine. It's hard for me imagine what it must be like to live in a time where someone will kill you for a bowl of rice. That's probably another difference of why we practise martial arts - survival. For Zhou lao shi, it was a means of survival.
So why practise xing yi, then?
One, it's a skill. Sometimes, it's better to be prepared for violence, rather than be helpless when trouble comes knocking. It's really up to you to decide how safe today's society is. Maybe in Singapore it's fine to get by with just knowing how to dial 999. But I don't like the feeling of danger I get when I walk down Northbridge at night, because I know I don't have the necesaary skills. Sure, I can run, but sometimes running is not an option, alcohol or drugs has precluded the option of reasoning, what are you going to do? Stand there and be helpless?
Secondly, it's something to work on for a life-time. It's an open-ended system - you can never be too good. The only restriction is yourself. And to pursue the perfect quan...well, it's like if you punch a 1000 times, but the last one is perfect, ahhh, the feeling is indescribable.
Also, well, one shouldn't restrict yourself because you don't like it. Just because I don't like violence doesn't mean I should shield away from it. Hey, violence is a fact of life, even when it's not physical or obvious. Only through continous exposure to different experiences, especially those we do not like, can we learn and grow.
And lastly, because it's fun. Lol, it is! Well, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but then again, I don't drink coffee. ^^
Monday 28 January 2008
Best Bruce Lee Book Ever
I almost died laughing when I saw this. I wonder how the boys will take it. Lol. Hey, only 3 dollars, man!
Saturday 26 January 2008
post 52. happy australia day 2008
It's Australia Day again.
Two years ago, or was it only a year ago, we went to the river front to see the fireworks because she loves fireworks. I wish I could remember exactly how long ago it was. We had an argument, most likely because I didn't want to be there. It was hot. We went to the Gelare at Mill Point for ice cream and to escape the heat. When walking along the river-front, an Aussie teen stopped us and asked us to pose for her pic, demanding that we do the Japanese peace-sign thing with the fingers. It was funny because I was sulking moodily at the time, and also because Aussies can't tell the difference between Chinese and Japanese.
She was right to drag me out though. The fireworks were beautiful.
Happy Australia Day.
Two years ago, or was it only a year ago, we went to the river front to see the fireworks because she loves fireworks. I wish I could remember exactly how long ago it was. We had an argument, most likely because I didn't want to be there. It was hot. We went to the Gelare at Mill Point for ice cream and to escape the heat. When walking along the river-front, an Aussie teen stopped us and asked us to pose for her pic, demanding that we do the Japanese peace-sign thing with the fingers. It was funny because I was sulking moodily at the time, and also because Aussies can't tell the difference between Chinese and Japanese.
She was right to drag me out though. The fireworks were beautiful.
Happy Australia Day.
Friday 25 January 2008
post 51. a bit about Teacher Zhou (周悅文)
well, been sort of motivated/inspired/kicked-in-the-ass to write a little bit about Zhou lao shi (Teacher Zhou), after reading this post at Jianghu. The author of Jianghu was kind enough to point me in the direction of Zhou lao shi, who also happens to be his ba gua teacher, when I was looking for a xing yi teacher, so I do owe the author a fair bit. Thanks, E, wherever you are now! China?
Zhou lao shi is quite an interesting figure and the bare outlines of his background are described at Jianghu, so I will not go over it. Interesting thing, Zhou lao shi is not as old as I thought he will be. The first time I had contact with Zhou lao shi was when I called him from Australia, and from his voice I constructed an image of what he will look like: probably 60's, balding, of middle height, strong but not gym-chiselled, rather of the stocky build that comes from labour, face is a bit square and broad with piercing eyes, and because he is a martial arts master, probably has a wispy moustache and/or beard.
Boy, was I wrong.
For one thing, Zhou lao shi still has all his hair, is clean-shaven, and is probably in his late forties or early fifties if he was born before the Cultural Revolution and was old enough to be a Red Guard. He looks younger though. I thought he was in his late thirties when I first met him, and his body is probably stronger than most men half his age. He likes to do a fair bit of hands-on, and once he was showing me how to tense up the entire body when doing the opening stance, and he got me to feel his legs, and I was quite surprised to feel how solid yet springy his thighs were. It's not the same feeling as someone who does weights and squats, which feels thick but dead, like a block of wood. Probably is the elastic strength that Zhou lao shi is always emphasizing. Surprisingly, he is not against using weights or body-building, but he does warn about "dead" (useless) versus "springy" strength. To wit, the explosive power in xing yi comes from the elastic strength in the muscles.
During our last lesson, he was more talkative than usual. Not that we don't talk normally. Come on, I am such a talker. I got him interested in coming to Western Australia with my incessant yakking about the peacefulness of Perth (there's nothing to do at night), the wide-open spaces (at night, I'm king of the roads due to lack of traffic. During the day, barring rush hour, the number of vehicles on the road at any one time can be counted on 2 hands) and the fine weather (not counting the 40-odd degreees Celsuis summers). He was even musing about buying a piece of land and rearing horses. Hehe. Of course he sorta changed his mind when I mentioned the hordes of summer flies.
Anyway, last lesson he was talking quite a fair bit about his background, some of it quite personal. It all stemmed when I was asking him about China cos a friend's been asking me to visit her in Shanghai, and I was wondering if it was safe. Also, we were discussing the various virtues of people from different parts of China at the same time, because we were talking about how some of the Chinese labourers here in Singapore like to fight. Our conversations do tend to get tangential at times. Anyway, he started sprouting a whole lot of horror stories about the thugs and scam artists in China, from which I drew some valuable lessons.
A) People from the North East have a fiery temper and like to grab you when having an argument. I should try to incorporate some of that angry, twisting quality when turning fists. Also, they like to fight.
B) Thugs and con artists still abound in many regions of China. The recent increase in wealth has only meant that these organisations have better equipment to carry out their activities. They tend to gravitate towards mugging, kidnapping, extortion, and numerous interesting behviour that involve much physical use of body parts, such as fists, and creative use of useful tools, including knives and iron bars. They are also good at fighting.
C) People from Shanghai are the best. Zhou lao shi is from Shanghai. Incidentally, Zhou lao shi is very, very good at fighting. So I must believe him.
D) To conclude, I will be robbed shirtless if I go to China alone.
But one interesting thing that did stand out was the different reasons why we learn martial arts. To me, of course self-defense is an important attribute, because like Zhou lao shi said, even if you only ever use it once in your entire life, and it saves a life, it justifies all the hours you put in. But the other aspects of internal martial arts are quite important to me as well - namely, the way to cultivate your mental and internal self, what the Chinese call "xin" (heart). Hmmm, strength of heart/will? Sigh, sometimes Chinese conveys some meanings better than English.
But for Zhou lao shi, it was because martial arts was the only thing in his life as he came from a poor background, and everyone around him was practising it. It was a means to protect himself, and even though he didn't say it, I got the impression that it also represented a chance at a better life. It was only through martial arts that he was able to leave China, which is a big thing, as it's not like they just let anybody leave China. He did tell me a bit about how difficult it was for him leaving China, which really opened my eyes a bit.
So that was our session. Of course, he did teach me a new form, Pao Quan (Cannon Fist, so that makes 4 out of the 5 element fists), and he did apologize for talking too much. Gosh, I'm lucky to actually hear his stories and he's apologising for taking up my time. But that's the kind of person he is.
Zhou lao shi is quite an interesting figure and the bare outlines of his background are described at Jianghu, so I will not go over it. Interesting thing, Zhou lao shi is not as old as I thought he will be. The first time I had contact with Zhou lao shi was when I called him from Australia, and from his voice I constructed an image of what he will look like: probably 60's, balding, of middle height, strong but not gym-chiselled, rather of the stocky build that comes from labour, face is a bit square and broad with piercing eyes, and because he is a martial arts master, probably has a wispy moustache and/or beard.
Boy, was I wrong.
For one thing, Zhou lao shi still has all his hair, is clean-shaven, and is probably in his late forties or early fifties if he was born before the Cultural Revolution and was old enough to be a Red Guard. He looks younger though. I thought he was in his late thirties when I first met him, and his body is probably stronger than most men half his age. He likes to do a fair bit of hands-on, and once he was showing me how to tense up the entire body when doing the opening stance, and he got me to feel his legs, and I was quite surprised to feel how solid yet springy his thighs were. It's not the same feeling as someone who does weights and squats, which feels thick but dead, like a block of wood. Probably is the elastic strength that Zhou lao shi is always emphasizing. Surprisingly, he is not against using weights or body-building, but he does warn about "dead" (useless) versus "springy" strength. To wit, the explosive power in xing yi comes from the elastic strength in the muscles.
During our last lesson, he was more talkative than usual. Not that we don't talk normally. Come on, I am such a talker. I got him interested in coming to Western Australia with my incessant yakking about the peacefulness of Perth (there's nothing to do at night), the wide-open spaces (at night, I'm king of the roads due to lack of traffic. During the day, barring rush hour, the number of vehicles on the road at any one time can be counted on 2 hands) and the fine weather (not counting the 40-odd degreees Celsuis summers). He was even musing about buying a piece of land and rearing horses. Hehe. Of course he sorta changed his mind when I mentioned the hordes of summer flies.
Anyway, last lesson he was talking quite a fair bit about his background, some of it quite personal. It all stemmed when I was asking him about China cos a friend's been asking me to visit her in Shanghai, and I was wondering if it was safe. Also, we were discussing the various virtues of people from different parts of China at the same time, because we were talking about how some of the Chinese labourers here in Singapore like to fight. Our conversations do tend to get tangential at times. Anyway, he started sprouting a whole lot of horror stories about the thugs and scam artists in China, from which I drew some valuable lessons.
A) People from the North East have a fiery temper and like to grab you when having an argument. I should try to incorporate some of that angry, twisting quality when turning fists. Also, they like to fight.
B) Thugs and con artists still abound in many regions of China. The recent increase in wealth has only meant that these organisations have better equipment to carry out their activities. They tend to gravitate towards mugging, kidnapping, extortion, and numerous interesting behviour that involve much physical use of body parts, such as fists, and creative use of useful tools, including knives and iron bars. They are also good at fighting.
C) People from Shanghai are the best. Zhou lao shi is from Shanghai. Incidentally, Zhou lao shi is very, very good at fighting. So I must believe him.
D) To conclude, I will be robbed shirtless if I go to China alone.
But one interesting thing that did stand out was the different reasons why we learn martial arts. To me, of course self-defense is an important attribute, because like Zhou lao shi said, even if you only ever use it once in your entire life, and it saves a life, it justifies all the hours you put in. But the other aspects of internal martial arts are quite important to me as well - namely, the way to cultivate your mental and internal self, what the Chinese call "xin" (heart). Hmmm, strength of heart/will? Sigh, sometimes Chinese conveys some meanings better than English.
But for Zhou lao shi, it was because martial arts was the only thing in his life as he came from a poor background, and everyone around him was practising it. It was a means to protect himself, and even though he didn't say it, I got the impression that it also represented a chance at a better life. It was only through martial arts that he was able to leave China, which is a big thing, as it's not like they just let anybody leave China. He did tell me a bit about how difficult it was for him leaving China, which really opened my eyes a bit.
So that was our session. Of course, he did teach me a new form, Pao Quan (Cannon Fist, so that makes 4 out of the 5 element fists), and he did apologize for talking too much. Gosh, I'm lucky to actually hear his stories and he's apologising for taking up my time. But that's the kind of person he is.
Sunday 6 January 2008
Apache Ultimate Re-Remix (Prodigy - Breathe)
don't really feel like updating much lately, so enjoy the clips. hah. at least they are funny.
hippies + native american chicks + cheesy dancing AND Prodigy = awesomeness!
this is a work of genius. lol.
first post of the year
It really is a sad thing to realise that the place you grew up in is no longer your home.
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