Backflip

I just got back from a week trip to Alaska. It was awesome! I’ll be posting my journal entries as well as pictures in the upcoming days. Until then, this is a bit late in arriving but I wrote an article about my Gi Yu Dojo rank testing experience a few weeks ago and would like to post it. It can also be found here:

http://www.giyudojo.com/Articles.html

Recently I had the honor to test for the rank of San Kyu (Green Belt) at the Gi Yu Dojo. As a Mu Kyu (White Belt) I was looking to advance to a Green Belt as the next step in my training. I approached the challenge knowing I would learn new techniques, become more confident and gain more mental fortitude. I was surprised to find that on top of these skills I also learned about my character and how I interact with the world, something I desperately needed to see.

I vividly recall standing in front of Sensei Sukh and the Black Belts at the end of my testing. I was physically exhausted with sweat dripping off my face onto my already drenched gi. Mentally, I was aware and alive. It was as if nothing mattered more in the world than being present at that very moment in that very place. It was exhilarating. I had just passed through a trial by fire and was able to stand at the end. Having survived through the application of my training and experiences learned at the dojo.

The verdict was still out as to whether I passed or not and one by one Sensei Sukh called us White Belts forward to inform us of the collective decision of the teachers present. As I walked forward I was uncertain as to whether or not I passed. Before he let me know, Sensei Sukh gave me a blindingly accurate snapshot of my life and how I was living. He said that while I showed innate talent and ability for the martial arts, my lack of discipline and dedication was evident in my execution of the techniques. He called me a natural but at the same time showed his disappointment in the fact that I chose to not apply myself to gain my full potential. He went on to inform me that I did successfully gain the rank of San Kyu but the real victory that day was a glimpse of myself that I had not seen before.

When I first started training Sensei Sukh told a story from his past. I shall attempt to summarize it. There were two boxers who trained at the same school. One was a naturally gifted boxer, he had the moves and techniques without practicing or giving them much thought. He was made for boxing and he knew it. The other was very poor at boxing, but what he lacked in skill he made up for in discipline and determination. As the story goes, the naturally gifted boxer would skip out on practice and not take boxing seriously since it came so easy to him. While the disciplined boxer spent every available minute training and striving to improve himself. Time passed and the boxers had a fight in the ring. The disciplined boxer emerged victorious and the moral of the story is sealed. No matter how gifted or talented we may be, without hard work and discipline that talent is wasted.

Now that I know I am the “gifted” slacker, I can see that pattern repeated through my past. I can see myself in college doing just enough to get by without actually applying myself and excelling. I was content with mediocre grades because it was easy and didn’t require much work. But I’ve found through my experience at the Gi Yu Dojo that many things in life are worth fighting for and worth mastering. It isn’t enough to be a jack of all trades and a master of none. That is the same as being a lukewarm drink, it’s boring and will be spit out. It’s much better to focus ones energy to become a master at disciplines that truly matter in life.

This stark analysis of my behavior has given me a new outlook on life. I now recognize where I am lacking discipline and choosing to drift by on skill alone. Now that I can see the problem I can take steps to correct it. I am working on strengthening my spirit and will power. To choose discipline and hard work over laziness and mediocrity. It won’t be easy and it won’t happen overnight. But each step in the right direction is one less step in the wrong direction.  And by choosing the right direction one step at a time, I will reach my goal.

Testing for San Kyu taught me a valuable lesson on how I am living my life. I am very grateful to have a Dojo and a Sensei that care about my personal well being with such sincerity. Who strive to show me a better way of living. And who are setting examples of how a true warrior should live in the way they conduct themselves. It is a lesson I will remember for the rest of my life.

Like most things I do, I’ve procrastinated over a week to finally put this online. This is a reader participation post. And I’ve been hesitant to post it because it’s quite strange. But what the heck, let’s do this.

I’m interested in what you think. Specifically, what you think of me. This question cropped up from a recent situation at work where we hired a new person whom some of my coworkers met before me. This got me thinking of how a person who knows me would describe me to someone who did not. So my question to you is, how would you describe me? Leave out any physical traits, a mirror is all I need to see that side of myself.

This curiosity is by no means a way of fishing for compliments, please be completely truthful and don’t worry about hurting my feelings. My friend Greg setup a way for you to remain completely anonymous so I’ll have no idea where the comments are originating. This whole exercise is an effort to get a better grasp of what other people think of me and to take a good look at myself to see areas where I might improve my public relations.

Head on over to http://greghendricks.net/survey.aspx and take your best shot.

Well this place has sure been quiet for a while. But, that is soon to change.

Let’s see, where did I leave off? Whoa, back in March.

Quick update on life in no particular order.

Visited Greg – Settlers, XBox and Pay Per View
Kings Island – Greg, Nate and Glenn, good times
Moonlight and Magnolias (Play) – Lame-o
Sogeti Soccer win – Finally a win!
Clodbusters (Vintage Baseball) first game – 1 win, 2 losses, lots of fun
A Chorus Line (Musical) – Decent, more of a ballet type thing than a musical, 4 out of the 8 I picked made it at the end
Lake Loramie – Lake, food and XBox 360 fun
Painting Dave’s – Never going to be a handyman
Red’s Game and Fireworks – Parents and Drew
Dayton Dragons Game – Cub Scouts
Lydia’s (cousin) Graduation – Cornhole challenge (me vs. Drew, he won but it was close)
Extension at WF1 – woo!
Dojo – still going pseudo strong
D&D – Healing rox
Mother’s Day – Spent in Cincinnati with the fam

I was planning on going into more detail but lost all motivation. That’s gonna have to do.

A lot has happened in the past month. As the title suggests I have joined a Dojo, bought an XBox 360 and installed a fin on my car.

Let’s start with the Dojo. It’s called the Gi Yu Dojo (http://www.giyudojo.com/index.html) and it is lead by Sandhu Sensei and has been a great experience for me. Not only do I get to learn sweet ninja moves (we study the Kobudo) but the ideals of the Dojo are on improving as a person and benefiting the community. Two activities that I greatly enjoy.

In the short month that I’ve studies there I have picked up one arching idea. It is to be aware. The word Zanshin describes it perfectly. Zanshin means maintaining a state of total awareness. Before you jump to conclusions let me first tell you I am terrible at this technique. The little time I’ve spent thinking about it has shown me how often I do not pay attention to what is going on around me. Whether it’s driving in the car, walking around the office, or just sitting in my home I am happily oblivious to events that are going on around me. So little by little I’m starting to pay attention to the world I live in, and it’s been very eye opening (get it?).

Not only am I realizing how much I miss by zoning out but I feel much more secure and competent since I know what is going on around me and can react in a proper manner. It’s a little thing, paying attention, but it can have vast benefits if taken seriously.

Onto the XBox 360. For those of you who do not know, it is Microsoft’s gaming console. It’s in direct competition with Nintendo and Sony’s offerings (such as the Wii and Play Station 3). The XBox decision was a long one one at which I did not arrive at easily. It was a tossup between buying a new gaming laptop, since my current one is 3 years old and can’t play my new games, or getting a dedicated gaming machine. After weighing the pros and cons, the prices, the expected benefits and bugging a bunch of my friends about their ideas I went with the XBox.

Having had the machine for a few weeks now I am still very happy with my purchase. It’s everything I expected and more. Games run flawlessly and the controller adds a new dimension to gaming that is more enjoyable (at the time) than a keyboard and mouse. Another tangible benefit is the XBox is a great party machine where multiple people can play at the same time in the same place. While my game selection is currently slim (LEGO Batman and Street Fighter 4), I plan on expanding it in the near future.

I plan on picking up Rock Band (3?) and I have my eye on a few other games that are good for groups. If you know me, you may be wondering how I play my XBox since I do not own a TV. This was factored into the decision and while a TV is necessary for most XBox players, I find the machine and games so intuitive that I don’t need one to play and enjoy it.

Heh heh. Ok, that was very untrue. What actually happened is that my roommate Dan picked up a TV from a friend at a great deal. I feel quite ridiculous talking about it since it’s quite a beast, 52″ HD rear projection screen behemoth that we stuck in the basement. It was way larger than the machine I was contemplating purchasing but I’m not complaining. We have no plans to get cable so the screen is being used for gaming and movies (which the XBox can play).

So far it’s working out great and it has completely changed the space in our basement, making it a great hangout place.

Boy, I sure write a bunch once I get goin.

Last topic, a fin for my car (Mazda 3). That’s right. I am the proud owner of an AquaCar – Cars that can navigate underwater. While that would be quite interesting I will say I have very little use for an AquaCar (if they exist) and my fin is much more practical. It acts as a radio antenna. It replaced my tail antenna on my car and looks quite spiffy. My dad and brother helped install it last night and it’s stayed on all day (even with the snow) so I hope it stays that way. I haven’t taken any pics yet but will try to post some once I do.

Besides that, life is just peachy. Can’t wait to see what the future has in store.

I did this last year and thought it would be a good time to put down a quick year in review. I am not one to look too closely at the past. But it is nice to take a few minutes to reflect on what took place last year. Looks like it was a good year.

This list is by no means all inclusive, included are events/things that stood out from my normal tasks in life. Here goes in no particular order:

• Hong Kong with Jordan to see Whitney
• New Bike (thanks Jordan)
• Michigan Bike Trip
• Detroit with the family
• Boy Scout Cub Master
• Settlers of Catan (thanks Glenn)
• Moving Lis and Brian since a tree fell on their house (thanks Dan and Glenn)
• House sitting for numerous peeps
• Father/Son Campout at Hueston Woods
• Family Camp 2009 at Camp Graham
• Quitting WoW (still goin strong)
• Roombas!
• IIBA Member
• Hospice of Dayton (consulting)
• Guitar playing
• Started wearing jeans again (yeah, weird)
• Blackberry (woohoo!)
• Teradata (consulting)
• Annual Fall Festival
• Rimz + Wheels
• WF1 (consulting)
• Scruff’s Graduation
• Sogeti Soccer
• AO Smith (consulting)
• Kings Island x 2 (Greg, Nate and Glenn + Sogeti)

Think that about sums it up. It was a good year. Looking forward to 2010, I’m gonna keep my same resolution as last year. That is to improve myself as a person, or level up if you will. I won’t get into any details at this time, still working on some focus areas to devote my energy. But they may include martial arts and guitar lessons. We shall see.

This past weekend I attended a Broadway production at the Victoria Theatre with some friends from work. It was called Broadway Holiday and it was enjoyable. A handful of famous Broadway singers sang a smorgasborg of Holiday and Broadway music (as the title suggests). The performance was good but I was a bit disappointed. This is due to a few reasons.

First off, my expectations for the show were a bit high. I went in expecting to be awed and wowed. And while there were one or two moments during the show that I was amazed it was not nearly as impressive as I was hoping. Don’t get me wrong, the singing was great and the performers did a good job of entertaining the audience. However, it seemed to me that they weren’t trying very hard.

This brings me to my second point, effort. The performers were good at what they were doing. Heck, they mentioned they did the show in over 100 cities this year alone so I’m sure they could perform with their eyes closed. However, the performance was missing that special something that comes with putting forth all ones effort. It was missing a life or realism that usually draws in an audience. It seemed like they were just performing their jobs and reciting an act.

As a comparison, a few months ago I went to a Muse Machine performance a few months ago and was blown away and astonished at the show. The Muse Machine is composed of High School and College age kids from the Dayton area. For the show they put on a variety of musical numbers just as in the Broadway Holiday show. However, the performers from Muse were much more into their songs and were really achieving and overcoming their fears by performing in such a venue. It was exhilarating and very enjoyable to partake in such a triumph.

I will admit, my expectations for the Muse Machine performance were very low. I didn’t expect the level of singing and professionalism I saw in the performance. So this definitely played a roll in me enjoying the show.

But going back to the point of effort. It is amazing to me that such famous Broadway performers can get away with slacking at their jobs. They are professional entertainers at the top level of the business. I expect more from them.

Looking to the future, I am going to see Phantom of the Opera and Wicked as well as a handful of other performances this year and I’m a bit anxious about the experience. Ever since I was little I have been listening to music from Phantom since my parents went to a show and bought a CD. I love the music and what pieces of the story I have been able to piece together.

I fear my expectations for the live performance will be through the roof. And expectations are a tricky beast. How can one diminish or curb such thoughts? I have planned on not listening to the Phantom recording in the 2 months leading up to the live performance in hopes that I will not compare the two. This seems an effort in futility but I can’t think of what else to do.

I want to enjoy the show and the performance by the actors. But if it doesn’t live up to my expectations I know I will be dissatisfied. So what to do?

My last post dates sometime back in October. That was almost 2 months ago. And while some of you were probably hoping this blog would die, it has survived.

Let’s see, what have I been up to? October was an interesting month. I discovered that I’m not ready for a serious romantic commitment. It turns out that I’m enjoying my life of freedom and carefreeness and I don’t want that to change anytime soon. I’m sure I’ll change someday and start looking for a mate, but until then, I’m gonna enjoy the time right now and make the most of it.

I got a long term gig at one of my old clients in Dayton. Started working for WorkflowOne again and it’s going very well. It’s my longest full time engagement yet and I’m about two months in. So far all is just dandy.

I turned 25 a bit ago, people seem to make a big deal about 25 since it’s a quarter of a century. But I could care less what number it is, time is inevitable and worrying about how old I am or will be or whatnot seems like a big waste of time.

Other interesting tidbits from the past 2 months include a discovery that Photo Hunt is super addicting and very fun when played with a group of friends. Dressing up for Halloween is pretty fun, especially at work (see pic below).

Of note in the pic are my 5 finger shoes which I was able to wear to work that day. Woo!

I also attended a few other Halloween parties and dressed up as a Viking again and then the Dark Jedi for a second time (different group of peeps so it was fine).

November went well. Thanksgiving break was great. Lots o’ peeps were in town (Laura, Amy B, Amy L, Ben, Whitney, etc) so it was awesome to see and hang out with everyone. It’s difficult for me to keep ties on people who are away because I am lazy and don’t like to spend the effort. But it’s so nice to see and catch up with peeps that I really need to start making an effort so that so much time doesn’t pass in between communications.

Got to hang out with my family over break as well which was great. My sister’s hubby was visiting his family in New Jersey (perhaps?) so it was just my sister, brother and parents at the t-giving table which was fun. We played Carcassonne before dinner and my mother ended up winning which was a surprise. I came in second using a very strange strategy which was pretty neat.

So that’s what I’ve been up to the past few weeks. And that brings me to my topic at hand, consumerism. For some reason (more on this later) I went out and purchased some new rims and tires for my car. They are pretty awesome, but it’s very strange that I would make such a purchase since when I bought my car I purposefully didn’t get one with automatic windows or locks or anything “flashy”. But then BAM I bought some sweet rims.

I really need to get some new pics because the new rims + tires are actually 17″ while the old ones are 16″ but the pictures kinda mess that up. But until then, just know that the new rims are pretty cool.

But why? You may ask. And it’s a good, valid question. One to which I don’t have a solid answer. This is what happened. My mechanic told me I needed new tires. So I decided to get some. One of my friends named Scruff told me about a deal his Uncle could get me if I purchased some tires and rims at the same time. So then I had it in my mind that I was gonna get new rims and tires.

Well Scruff’s Uncle changed jobs (it usually takes me a long time to do anything of this manner) and so I didn’t really take that route but I still had in my mind that I was going to get rims and wheels. So one Saturday morning I just went to Tire Discounters and asked for some rims and tires and that’s what I got. The real kicker is I ended up spending more money than I planned. I had the money but I spent more than I expected. While I’m not mad or unhappy with my decision it just seems weird that I’d spend such money on something that was just an idea (not something I really wanted or was seeking to get).

Afterwards in telling people about it I became confused because it was strange that I would make such a purchase. I had the money and had in my mind that I would get some so I did. Which brings me once again to the topic, consumerism. Purchasing items that are completely unnecessary and are not needs but are purchased because they are wants (or in my case ideas).

It is such a strange behavior, especially when coupled with situations where the person making the purchase doesn’t have the money for the item they are purchasing. While I can’t say I understand this phenomena I can definitely say I’ve been a contributor to it.

Usually I’m pretty careful about making large purchases and think about them and analyse them and make sure I’m gonna like what I get. For example, I’ve been planning and looking to purchase a new gaming laptop for probably 3-4 months. But in the case with the rims I just didn’t think and went out and bought. Almost like a zombie purchaser. No thought behind my actions, only an endless search for more, more, more! Pretty creepy.

Since I know I’m apparently prone to such behavior, I’ll have to be on the lookout for it so that I don’t make anymore strange purchases. Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my new rims and wheels, but I’m sure I’d enjoy just normal wheels about the same.

Any thoughts on the interesting purchase? Or any compulsive buyers out there who have tips and tricks of how to make a wise purchases? Feel free to sound off in the comments.

A few weekends ago I spend a few days in Michigan on the annual Tour of Leelanau. It’s a week where a few friends from my church and I head up to Leelanau County in Michigan and spend a few days riding our bikes around, camping and eating great food. It was 4 days with 2 1/2 days. We went around 200 miles. The trip was great, lots of fun. Some observations that hit me while riding are below:

Independence – 2 days into the riding I realized that I had nothing to prove and that I should be comfortable with myself. Go at my own pace and enjoy myself. Before this moment I was unconsciously pushing myself past my limits in an effort to impress those I was with and to not get shown up. Thankfully I realized this is dumb, and was able to take it easy for the rest of the trip.

Diversity is healthy – the trip consisted of the following professions – Architect, Electronic Device Salesman, Teacher, Engineer, Welding Manager, Student, Consultant, Quality Expert, Plastics Salesman, Business Owner, IT professional, Duck Farmer, Parks Manager, Arborist, and a Data Architect. While it’s not the most diverse group in the world it was still an interesting conglomerate of different people. While I normally see these people on a weekly basis it was great to spend a weekend with them and to see a bit of how they see the world.

Going along with the above point. It’s very interesting to see how different group dynamics work. How there is strength and confidence in numbers but also pressures and expectations. At one point in the trip my friend Dan and I got separated from the group and then partially lost. This actually turned out to be one of the best parts of the trip. We just biked around at a leisurely pace. This made me realize how rushed I felt when I was with the group. Similar to the independence piece above, I was letting the group will effect how I was enjoying the trip. It was well within my power to go at my own pace and my own time but I was feeling rushed with the group. So it was nice to be split off from it for a while.

Physical and mental hardships are opportunities to grow. Perseverance, mind over matter, confidence and fighting through the pain are all good lessons to learn. At one point on the second day I was alone, out of water, unsure of how far I had to travel, tired and hungry. Looking back it’s hard to capture the moment but it was pretty intense. I had the choice to stop and get help (call the truck to come and get me) or to keep going. I decided to keep going and even though I got slower and slower, I made it to the next town, food and rest. It sounds like a simple life lesson, but it’s been a while since I’ve been pushed in such a way and it felt great to work through the hardship and emerge victorious on the other end.

I had a great time in Michigan hanging out with the guys. I neglected to take many pictures because 2 photographers were riding, however if I run across some good pics I’ll post ‘em.

In other news, I have a girlfriend (for realz this time). Her name is Steph and she is great. I also just started on a billing project and it’s working with folks I’ve had the pleasure of working with in the past which is great. It’s a 6 month gig so I’ll be there for the long haul which is excellent. I’ll let ya know how it’s treatin’ me.

Time. Such a strange phenomenon.  Today we measure it using sophisticated clocks. Our ancestors used the placement of the sun and start to tell time. However telling time itself remains elusive.

Two people can be doing the same task in the same space and can take the same amount on minutes. However their perceptions of the time spend completing the task can be completely different. Instances such as this are where we get the saying “Time flies when you’re having fun”.

I can’t pretend like I understand time or how it works for different people. However I did want to share an interesting weekend dealing with time.

Last weekend was Family Camp 2009 which is a weekend my whole church (TLJC) heads out to a camp and spends the long weekend together. It’s always a great time and something to look forward to. This year had an extra bonus of going someplace new which I found exciting. I was not disappointed.

I had a great weekend at camp, hanging out with friends, goin to fires, eatin’ great food, having fun, fellowship, playing sports and being out in nature. It always seemed like there was something to do if I wanted but I never felt rushed or pressed for time.

Which brings me back to the topic at hand. This weekend seemed to last extremely long. There was plenty of time to hang out and participate in all the events I wanted. There was also time to sit around and read or wander around in the woods. Time to do everything I wanted and still time left over for extra enjoyment.

It seemed like I got to camp and time froze. I didn’t have to get up at x hour or be somewhere at x hour if I didn’t want to. I didn’t have to drop something and go do something else. I felt suspended and free. I didn’t have to acknowledge time.

If I had to guess I’d say not having a set schedule made time appear to last longer. I definitely wasn’t contemplating what I was going to do after work or for dinner or that night. It was all just going to happen when it happened and I didn’t have to worry about it. It was great not having to be somewhere and to just be in the present. In the current moment.

This doesn’t really get me any closer to understanding how time works. But it was a great feeling to be present and to enjoy the current moment instead of thinking on what was around the next tick of the hour hand.

Any thoughts out there on time? How can is “slow down” and “speed up” for different people? Is it possible to live in “slow down” mode all the time? Would we want to if we could? Seems like this idea spawns more questions than it answers.

Hello dear readers. It’s been a few moons since I’ve last posted here and quite a lot has been going on.

I’ll start out with Settlers of Catan on the Levi and Ice Cream. Yum! Scruff, Jordan, Amy and I had a rousing game of Settlers of Catan on the Troy Levi. It was a great day and we brought food for a picnic. Randomly Nate and Dana saw us playing and decided to hang out. We all headed over to Dan’s for a movie and were surprised to receive ice cream cones. They were very tasty!

Next is my family vacation to Detroit which was mucho fun.

If you’re wondering if you read that correctly, you did. We went to Detroit to see a Tigers ballgame, to check out the city, to visit the Henry Ford Museum, Deerfield Village and to see G.I. Joe (which I’ll have you know, can be done other places besides Detroit, unlike the other activities). Unfortunately G.I. Joe followed the same path as many movies today and completely destroyed the G.I. Joe story and put some strange impostor in it’s place. But that’s a topic for another time. I had an excellent time hanging out with the family in Detroit and staying in the Pink Palace, which sounds quite scandalous but in reality is quite harmless.

Some pics from the museum are below:

It was a great vacation and I’m glad everyone could make it this year. On the trip up and back I also got to spend lots of time with my girlfriend which was x-cellent.

Since vacation there has been lots of hanging out with friends (seems like there is a Sogeti birthday every other week), going to Kings Island with Sogeti, reading Harry Potter (I’m on the 6th book, so addicting!), men’s night out, visiting Lis and Brian in Cincy, buying some suits (ye-yeah!) and generally taking it easy.

In there was also a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) night with Tayo and Justin who work with me at Sogeti. It was a pretty fun time where they taught me some submission holds and we spared a bit. Check out some of the amazing pics below:



The MMA session was very enjoyable and informative. Unfortunately Tayo is out for a few weeks recovering. Recovering from a surgery, not the MMA sparing. At least I think so. Keep your eyes glued to the UFC to check out our respective climbs to world champions.

In other news, I am in the midst of switching clients which makes life pretty interesting. It’s crazy knowing that whatever client I end up at will determine a large portion of my life for the next few months or years. Thankfully I’m not worrying about it too much and trusting in God to open the doors to where He wants me to go. It’s really peaceful being able to give something my best effort and accept the outcome even if it’s not the one I desire.

O, almost forgot. My friend Esther just started a blog. She is spending a semester studying abroad in Costa Rico which is sweet! Check out her blog here http://unsemestreencostarica.blogspot.com/. It has also been added to the links on the right. Have fun readin’.