sweating & not training

i cannot even imagine what it is like at temple though that's not true. i can in fact not only imagine it but i remember it with vivid clarity. it's bloody hot. august in nyc is always so sweltering, it's unbelievable that you can forget it once the cooler air of autumn arrives (we're waiting!). i am making good use of the summer & the facilities in the hood for both myself & the snapdragon. boyos too are having good times albeit with tongues to the ground & some heavy panting. alas thoughts always return to training.
i am half hearted about returning to shaolin kung fu. the love & desire is there to be sure but i think in part i wish to continue the chen style tai chi & make some decent headway with it. this proves to be difficult since the timing is off, way off. heng ji can try to get out of the office for snapdragon duty in time for kung fu but there is no way he can for tai chi. i am looking at the myriad options - ask a friend, pay a sitter, bring her to temple, etc - an hour is all that is required & i feel that somehow i can make this work. once i feel i have amassed the strength & the patience again & have learned something concrete from tai chi, i wil return to shaolin kung fu. after all, we are on a ticking timetable these days. both heng ji & i have our individual & comprehensive plans regarding what we want to achieve before the inevitable move out of the niederwelt. i guess it is feeling more & more realistic. but do not fret, there is still time. must live in the moment, yes.
at this moment, i am actually not sweating & not training. something has to be done about that. yes, think cool thoughts.

it has been a while

that is my mantra these days. yesterday we were at the USA shaolin temple for heng ji's testing & we made it a point to get there superearly so we could play before the test. after a little stretching & running back & forth with snapo & the ball she was kicking around, i decided to do some caijaos across the floor & man it felt really great! heng ji couldn't believe i could do caijaos in my jeans but it was rather effortless. it was fun. it was more that i had to keep an eye on snapo that kept me from doing other stuff. ah well. i could use more exercise, i am well aware of it. at least the good weather is upon us again (if i am not to judge the rain coming down right now & chilly feel in the air) which means we can stretch & train in the park again & i can hone in on the forms i have neglected for a while including the bit of tai chi i learned last fall. gotta work on basics too. get everything sharp sharp sharp again. must work on my cardio. i was considering getting a jump rope or doing more sprints with either boyo (both spells disaster as they go at different speeds). not that running around after snapo doesn't help. at the playground she is go-go-go (often under the contraptions so i get to work my mabu or as my mom calls it my old chinaman sit) & i do work up a sweat, believe it or not. my arms are sure feeling the brunt of taking care of her though especially when she is all squirmous & doesn't want to be held. the joints need stretching & warming everyday. while i am at it, i also need a haircut. teehee. yes it has been a while for all these things & more. in the meantime, more chi!

a temple celebration

it was sifu's birthday & it's funny how last time we went i was pretty preggers! now of course snapdragon came along (again) & brought her own offering to sifu, courtesy of heng ji, mozzarella & tomatos. yum! this complimented my beet salad quite well. it was lovely to be back at temple as i haven't been since right before xmas when i was training in shaolin tai chi. i hope to return again to temple more or less on a steady basis. i am working on that.
being there, it's so hard not to want to train & run about. of course after a few drinks people were doing silly stuff but i trained in the dancing sense & i hadn't been on the dance floor in a long time so it was hella fun! i even got to merengue with leo (he was kind enough to say i was good!).
it's always like a sort of homecoming being at temple with the gang & all the silliness that comes with it. we were lucky enough to get prime parking right in front too! this was a blessing since it's cold as a mother out & we had the snapdragon to cart around. she had fun & was just doing her own thing for the most part.
well happy new year to all! amituofo

anti climactic

well the office had a nice cake & champagne thing for me which was sweet & anti-climactic. people do act strangely when one is leaving but it matters not. i am waiting on heng ji & the snapdragon to come pick me up (with my farewell bottle of champagne) so everyone can see the girl.
those i will miss at the office know who they are. the dept will be fine without me. sure it will be different but change is the only constant.
the last few days i have been a bit blue since this a change for me in a major way. but the new adventure will be great & singular in experience & i know i just have to keep learning & growing myself so i will work on that along with my new other project(s).
so for the very last time, killing time at work, i send out this blog to the universe. i am going to miss getting dressed up & soho in the summertime. as for the rest, i've had my fill & the change is much needed.

an end of an era

tomorrow is my last day at escuela after a bit over four years. it's a welcome change though i will miss specific things about being in soho daily & the work & the challenge. leaving my professional life is a huge change but as i always said & maintain it to be true: i am not the work i do. it is a means to the rest of my life which means much more than working & the identity around it to me. my real life has a lot of wonderful things in it that i can now tend to with gusto: the snapdragon, machiavelli & tenzin lama & heng ji & myself. it is going to be an interesting ride. i am sure i will be talking about it with vigor.
the great thing to remember & i will remind myself here: there is another professional adventure ahead once this other adventure with the snapdragon is on a schedule where she can be learning, growing & having fun. i look forward to that professional adventure when it comes.