Super Hero Complex

 A superhero complex, sometimes also known as a saviour complex or hero syndrome, is a psychological occurrence in which a regular human being fits themselves into the mold of a romanticized super hero, often ignoring any stress or fatigue in themselves and striving to meet the needs of as many people as they can, with little regard for their own condition. While this is just one of many definitions that can take form in many levels of intensity (I believe many people have their own form a hero complex, as I also believe it comes with being human), I do not think any two people experience the exact same habits or "symptoms".

For me, I have a strong desire to help people. That may be one of the reasons why I chose an enforcement career, in fact. I also have a tendency to try and shoulder as much as I can to try and lighten other peoples loads (with the exception of housework, of course. Sorry ma :p). Because of this, I struggle when coping with the fact that I cannot do everything, and I cannot be everywhere at once. I cannot participate in the Canada Day events, I cannot help, I cannot have fun with everyone. Instead, I am telling people to clean up their garbage and turn down their music, a mere 424km away. Between the psychological desire to help and make lives easier, coupled with the simple yearn of being present and having fun, and my inability to log into classes as of late, I've been hurting. It has begun to develop into the nag of "I am not doing enough". 

Of course, just a super hero wouldn't surrender against all odds, I have no intention to give up. I may be hurting, but I am not struggling. I am confident that I am attaining mastery both as an individual and as a teammate in the best ways I currently can be, and that gives me enough motivation to remember that, while there can always be more done, I am enough. Begone, negativity!

To that end, here is a video of my weapons form which I would be performing in a demo, as a benchmark of my progress (I am not very technologically capable, so if it does not work I may have to send it to the IHC chat directly)

Canada Day - Day of 1000

 Hey team!

With Canada day just around the corner, I thought I would use this opportunity to formally issue the annual day of 1000 to take place on the first! As I am sure many of you know, the idea for this will be to focus on 1000 push ups and sit ups throughout the day, with additional aspects for those who want to do more (ie. 10L of water, walking 10km, less than 1000 calories). The goal, however, is to do as much as you can and push your own limits, no matter the number you achieve. As always, please be cognisant of your boundaries and do not injure yourself, considering the physical activity that the day will be requiring of you in dragon dances and demos. Especially the three of you who did the group 2000 the other day, your bodies may still be recovering; you three are much more susceptible to overexertion right now.  

I strongly encourage everyone to work together and support each other, as many of you will be spending the day together anyways. You know what they say about team working making the dream work!

Lastly, as Canada day conveniently happens to be the first Saturday of the month, this months mini challenge will be...

Pictures!

As the mini challenges were made to fill in for the days of 1000, the Canada day 1000 will be the event of the month. As such, the mini challenge will be a little less conventional. I challenge everyone to take at least one picture of their pushups throughout the day (more if you can), and upload these to whatsapp next chance you get. 

For those who are busy and do not have much free time on Canada Day, I still encourage you to participate on a day you are available.

Best of luck, and happy Canada Day! :)

Silent River Blood Drive

 Hey team, as I do not have a lot of time on hand right now due to an ever-growing pile of both school and work related paperwork, for this weeks blog I will be reposting the information for the blood drive I talked about on Friday so it is in a more accessible location once the week goes by. Again, for anyone on the fence on whether to donate or not, I strongly suggest you talk to Toudai Ferris or myself so that we can talk you into it. For those who are unable to participate, feel free to share the link with friends and family who may be interested! This opportunity is not limited to members of the IHC! 

Hey team!

For those who may not recall, around this time last year SRKF partook in a blood drive held by the Canadian Blood Services, and we had quite the good turnout! As the need for blood donations is always present, Toudai Ferris and I have been working together to try and get the SRKF team on board for another drive this year!

As of right now, we have eight reservations booked for July 28th at the Heritage Pavilion, ranging within 5-6pm. For those who joined the SRKF blood team last year, you will be able to see and access the team appointments from your CBS account. For those who did not partake last year and would like to do so this year, you can join the SRKF blood team using the link below, and then make your reservation on your CBS account (you may have to create an account if you have not done so already).

For those who have not donated before and are wondering if you are eligible, CBS has an easy-to-access eligibility quiz you can take simply by googling “CBS eligibility quiz”. For those who already know they are not eligible to donate, I apologize for not being able to provide you with an opportunity to partake in this event. 

If we manage to book all of our appointments for this day (or alternatively, there are not enough people who are able to commit), there are more blood drives occurring at the pavilion that we can schedule for (towards the end of August and October). If there are any questions whatsoever, please feel free to reach out to either myself or Toudai Ferris :)

https://myaccount.blood.ca/en/join-team/SILE0103425 

More Learning

Over the last week, I went through tactical shotgun training and certification. I definitely enjoyed it, and as always there is a few things I can take away and relate to Kung Fu.

I think the biggest thing for me was how different the method of learning and improvement was. The qualification exam to pass the training involved making several shots from several distances in varying times. This is all fine and dandy, but I found that the time restrictions were a big obstacle for me. I do not have a lot of previous firearm experience, and the need for speed caused me to panic and frequently mess up my aim. 

Something we promote strongly at the Kwoon is to learn a technique slowly and work on speeding it up afterwards. We did not do this. I did not once have an opportunity to work on my aim without the dreaded "times up" buzzer occurring a few seconds later. We just did several practice rounds of the qualifying exam throughout the week as preparation for the actual qualifying exam. 

While this originally seemed greatly ineffective to me at first, it worked. My score started really low, but with every practice round, it only went up. By the time we reached the actual qualifying exams, I shot well over the passing grade on my first try. If anything, it served as a really good reminder to me that there is no universal right answer or way of doing things. We need to be open and receptive about our learning methods; being closed minded and thinking something isn't going to work is the fastest way to ensure that it won't work, even if it has all the potential in the world.

Old Scars, Big Shadows

    Lately, I have been seeing some of my old mental health issues crop up. Fortunately, I have not run into any major issues, but it definitely has me a little on edge. In fact, I think being on edge is what has been acting as a catalyst to increase my struggles. Lately, I have not had a lot of time for rest or play. Between work and school, most of my waking hours are already accounted for. 

    To start with school, I think the workload is generally the same. However, school in the past has always been spread across several class with several lectures per class throughout the week, and a hefty amount of homework equally spread out. In comparison, this semester feels a lot more compact. All five courses are sort of smorgasborded into one, and there are no lectures or slotted class hours to dedicate working time to. Instead, the onus is all on me to find time and figure stuff out, which I haven't had much of an issue doing. It just eats up so much of my free time.

    With work, I think my issue has been the diligence required. I have already experienced that, while many people appreciate the presence of the uniform, a lot of people do not. This is something that was hammered into us pretty extensively at defensive training as well. As a result, I feel as though my guard is always up. The other day, as I was doing a foot patrol, a rabbit dashed out behind me and broke a few sticks underneath it. My immediate reaction was that someone was trying to sneak up on me, and I turned around ready for a confrontation. Heart rate up, adrenaline pumping. Although I have not had a physical encounter yet (and hopefully it remains that way), being prepared and ready for one has taken a pretty significant toll on my psyche. 

    When the day is done and I am laying in my old, beaten up mattress trying to get comfortable, the edge of the day is still in present. As a result, the shadows seem bigger, the noises seem louder, the world seems darker, and my sleeps get restless. I then wake up poorly rested and repeat the process, which I am confidant most would agree is a pretty distasteful cycle. 

    However, I feel better prepared than I was five years ago. I know my triggers, I know what calms me down, I know who I am and how to deal with who I am. While I recognize that is not a guarantee fail-safe, it has definitely given me the confidence and the courage to keep on keeping on, which does miracles in and of its own. When asked, am I in the best shape of my life, I know my answer. Physically, I do not believe I have gotten back to who I was before I got sick, but that is a blog for another time. Mentally, I am better every single day. Every day, with every whisper and every shiver of anxiety I get, I am better for it. I will NOT be bested, and I will NOT be beaten. I will NOT go gentle into that goodnight. 

    That said, willpower can only do so much on its own. As such, I may not be in class tomorrow night; I have been invited to a rodeo in a neighboring town tomorrow evening and while I am still undecided, I believe spending time with friends and going out may be the mental health break I need so desperately. Considering I have another training camp next week, this may be the one break I get and I do not want to squander it. 

Cheers folks

Monthly Mini Challenge - JUNE

 Hey everyone!

As promised, here are the randomized teams for this months mini challenge!

Team One

Sidai Noa Csillag

Toudai Aviva Csillag

Sihing Jackie Kohut

Team Two

Toudai Laura Vogt

Toudai Kat Thelwall

Toudai Nigel Bauer

Team Three

Toudai Mike Kohut

Toudai Michelle Ward

Sihing Kobe Csillag

Team Four

Toudai Karine Poitras

Sidai Shira Csillag

Sihing Kayley Burke

Team Five

Sihing Simon Kohut

As mentioned in the last post, this challenge is a group Day of a Thousand! Between the three of you, strive to hit 1000 push-ups and sit-ups on a day of your choice.

Communication is going to be key for this, so I recommend making one of you make a group chat on WhatsApp for convenience. As many are taking part in the parade tomorrow, it may provide a good opportunity for more communication (or for those eager enough, maybe you can pull it off tomorrow?)

Due to numbers, I have decided to draw the short stick myself and aim for a full day of 1000 on my next day off, which is why I am the lone member of team five (for any who were wondering).

If there are any questions or uncertainties, feel free to comment or check the previous post for clarification. I encourage you all to keep me posted with your progress :)

Best of luck!

Time Ever Flowing

 The concept of time is one I have always been fascinated with and enjoyed thinking about. Even though some consider time a simple concept to attach to the fact that the world is constantly moving forwards, I like to think it is a broad and encompassing term with many layers. Today I want to talk about time in correlation to mastery and "readiness", and how that differs from person to person.

To start with, I believe no one person acknowledges the "flow" of time the same, akin to how everyone has a unique fingerprint. For example, an old classmate of mine, an individual whom I have known since the age of nine, got married late last summer and announced earlier this week that they are expecting their first child by December. To me, this seems hasty. And if it were me, it would be hasty. But that is only because it is me. While it may still be hasty for them, it may not be. It may be perfect timing. Only they know for sure, and I think there is some beauty in that as well. Not only does every individual interpret "being ready" for certain life events at different phases of their lives, there is never a guaranteed "right answer". Just another fancy way to interpret the whole "life is a box of chocolates" metaphor, I suppose.

So how does this relate to Kung Fu? For me, I think there are two major takeaways. The first is one I am sure we all have heard Sifu Brinker state in his own words countless times; while you cannot rush or slow time, you can always utilize it better. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. In exactly a year from today, we will each have experienced the exact same amount of seconds passed. It does not matter how you spend it, time will pass all the same. One aspect of my interpretation of mastery is about being conscious of this and utilizing your time as effectively as you can, as I believe this is one of the most decisive factors a person faces when conquering mediocrity. 

Another big thing for me is that, as I talked about above, while time flows the same for each of us, none of us acknowledge it the same. Do not compare your usage of time to that of the person next to you. Rather, compare it to the you of yesterday. As someone who struggles with ego, this is an important reminder for me to focus on myself and my own progress, not that of someone else. You may still improve chasing others, but bitter is the fruit grown in unhealthy soil. And I do not believe bitter fruit to be the product of mastery.