Today is a statutory holiday that recognizes the legacy of the Canadian residential school system and the impact it’s had. Although it was first established in 2013, it was elevated to a statutory by Parliament of Canada in 2021. This is the second year that I get to participate by wearing an orange shirt to work. The wearing of an orange shirt was inspired by a residential school survivor who had her brand new orange shirt taken from her on her first day of residential schooling.
To be honest, as important of a day as this is, I don’t believe I could do it justice by trying to explain. There are plenty of resources out there that can properly explain what this day means and why it’s so important. My son has the day off school, but they observed in class yesterday by wearing orange t-shirts. I managed to get my hands on an orange dress shirt to wear for work. Feel free to look it up and read up on it. Even if you just visit Wikipedia or Canada.ca for information, it’s worth the read. ☯️
As not only a life-long martial artists but a practitioner of karate, Cobra Kai holds a special place in my heart. The Karate Kid movies (not including that piece of shit with Jaden Smith in it, of course) introduced me not only to a genuine representation of Okinawan karate but the sequel introduced me to the beauty of Okinawa itself and firmly implanted itself as the place I would eventually wish to travel to, as I reached adulthood. I accomplished that dream in 2001 when I travelled to Japan and subsequently Okinawa with my Sensei and a couple of other students.
When Cobra Kai was originally introduced on YouTube, I was cautiously optimistic. The idea of a show based on what happened to Johnny Lawrence, decades after losing the big tournament was about as original and interesting a concept one could hope to have. Although a bit slow on the start (and limited to only two episodes without subscribing to youTube’s streaming service), it delivered some characters from the original movies reprising their roles 30 years later, and their roles appear to be reversed, with Daniel Larusso having become a successful business owner and Johnny Lawrence having fallen down on his luck and being essentially penniless.
The end of Season 4 sees all antagonists and protagonists facing off once again at the All-valley Karate Tournament, with Cobra Kai squaring off against Miyago Do and Eagle fang karate, led by Danial and Johnny respectively. A challenge was laid that meant the losing dojo would have to close its doors forever, leaving the valley to whatever karate dojo came out as winner. In an unexpected and refreshing twist of fate, the good guys actually lose, and Cobra Kai takes over the valley as its only karate dojo. The season closes out with Daniel speaking at Miyagi’s grave, about how he can’t honour an agreement made with someone who has none. He then asks for help in cutting the head off the snake and Chozen is revealed to be with him.
Now that you’re all caught up, let’s chat about season 5, which was conveniently released only a couple of days before my birthday. The season begins with Daniel and Chozen doing their best to try and derail Terry Silver’s plans, which also involved sending John Kreese to jail for a crime he didn’t commit, at the end of season 4. One of the things I enjoy about this series is that there’s a greater element of realism to it, than others series and movies. Granted, some of the multiple strikes to the head and prolonged fights are a bit of a reach but overall, it does a pretty good job. Cobra Kai and Eagle Fang’s use of high-reaching and spinning kicks speaks to its Korean background, which is also reflected by the style’s founder sending his granddaughter to assist Cobra Kai.
The series reaches its climax by having Daniel square off against terry Silver and delivering his well-known crane kick for the first time in 30 years to defeat Terry at the end of the season. The season ends with plenty of open opportunity to explore the characters further, especially since we see John Kreese escape from jail at the end. The crane kick was bittersweet… It was an odd mixture of excitement at seeing him use the technique and disappointment at how ineffective and stupid the crane kick is. This may be an unpopular opinion, but coming from a genuine martial artists, hear me out…
The crane kick is a ridiculous technique because you start by staging yourself on one leg. This is something that is incredibly dangerous to do against an opponent, especially one that means to do you serious harm. Although one could easily argue that all kicks involve putting all of your weight on one leg, the crane kicks requires you to visibly stand on one leg as your opponent approaches. Dumb. And unnecessary. Next is the placement of the arms. Holding your arms out to the sides like some drunken bird while exposing both sides of your rib cage is ridiculous. The entirety of the move leaves just about every aspect of one’s body exposed in a ridiculously unnecessary way.
I’m going to stop analyzing and simply go back to discussing the show, shall I? All in all, it was worth the wait for the season to release and one episode even brought tears to my eyes. There’s an episode towards the beginning of the season where Daniel decides to give up and throws in the towel, conceding and letting Terry Silver keep the valley. It isn’t until his wife brings him back to Mr. Miyagi’s old house, the dojo of Miyago Do, and talks him back into it. She opens the doors out to the dojo grounds to reveal not only all of his students but Chozen and Johnny Lawrence, as well. It was a dramatic reveal. If you haven’t watch ANY of Cobra Kai yet, first of all, come out from under the rock you’re living under. Then, grab some chips and a warm blanky and binge your way through the series. If you were an 80’s kid, it won’t disappoint. ☯️
Life rarely cares about one’s plans. Light knows that this is something I’ve said in more posts than I can count. And it’s true; life will carry on no matter what steps we take and what path we choose. The thing is, even a chosen path will eventually diverge and split off, leading to consequences and outcomes that we may not want or couldn’t have foreseen. This isn’t always a good thing but it’ll rarely be a negative thing, since one can always make the best of any situation, good or bad. Depending on the choices we make and the decisions we take, it can often seem as though we should simply let go and move onto something else. But the reality is that nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight.
Life doesn’t make it easy to choose a path. After all, life in general will seek to take the path of least resistance by throwing that resistance at us. And as human beings, we’re no different. Sometimes, when things become difficult or we don’t see the outcome we thought we’d necessarily get it can seem easy to lay down one’s sword and surrender. We almost always seek to take the path of least resistance unless we can clearly see a desired outcome. But it isn’t until one has fought through the difficulty that one can hope to reach that desired outcome. It will assuredly never happen on its own.
The important thing to remember is that if one commits to something and work hard to achieve it, one must see it through. Whether one succeeds or fails will depend on the effort one uses but here’s the key lesson… If you try, you may succeed or you may fail. If you don’t try, you’re guaranteed to fail. And depending on what time and resources you’ve spent in order to try, it may cost far more to give up and than it would to push through, even if it isn’t al sunshine and rainbows. I learned that the hard way.
This concept can apply to all things in life. Work, fitness goals, relationship goals or plans for one’s direction in life. Keeping an eye on the prize, as it were, is the only way to ensure the elimination of unnecessary suffering in one’s life and ensure some level or degree of success. As the old saying goes, “work smarter, not harder.” Food for thought… ☯️
I was having a conversation about Diabetes and A1C readings with my wife this past weekend, when i started to discuss and bring up many of the other folks I’ve known through my life who have Diabetes. It made me realize that for the most part, almost everyone I know who has either Type-1 or Type-2 Diabetes has failed to take care of themselves to the extent that they’ve caused damage to themselves that can no longer be repaired. It’s made me realize just how involved my care has been and how far my training and efforts have brought me.
After four decades of living with Type-1 Diabetes, I enjoy the pleasure of retaining all my limbs and digits, have a clean nervous system, clear kidneys and have the heart of a horse. In fact, I ran a stress test just a few short years ago and even ran the PARE two years ago in New Brunswick against other candidates half my age. But such health didn’t come naturally or on its own. It took a lot of time, training and effort to maintain this level of health and avoid many of the symptoms and side effects of Diabetes that many of my counterparts have had to suffer through.
Before getting on an insulin pump, a lot of my Diabetes control had to be done by feel. Carb-counting wasn’t something I was familiar with and I still adhered to the concept that sugar was what I needed to avoid. That being said, I worked pretty hard on my physical health, pushing myself and my body until I managed to grow and develop without many of the limitations that Diabetes has brought on others. When I joined the martial arts, it gave me tools and methods to ensure I could continue to maintain my health well into my years, which is a practice I still observe today.
None of that is easy and it would absolutely be simpler to just sit back, take it easy and let my body rest. That would likely feel much better but time and others have proven that such a path is what causes quicker complications and a sooner death; two things I’m trying very hard to avoid. None of this means that I haven’t gone down some difficult steps before. In my youth, before I had full control and say into my treatment, I suffered through comas, vision complications and high A1C’s. But once I took ownership of my therapies and the course of my life, I was able to make a measurable difference. And that’s the key takeaway; Diabetes has no feelings, no emotions and doesn’t care whether one lives or dies. This is why it’s up to the person themselves to take steps to maintain one’s health and ensure a longer and healthier life. ☯️
Poultry is without a doubt one of the most versatile sources of protein a person can consume. You can bake it, fry it and even boil it (I’m not kidding, it eliminates all the fat and almost tastes like a hot dog). You can have it battered and in the form of nuggets, strips, burgers or tossed into a salad or a wrap. Truly, there are endless meal options when chicken is involved. You can also spice and season chicken in SO many different ways, leading to a different meal experience every time you eat it. But can you guess what I’ve NEVER seasoned my chicken with? NyQuil. That’s right, we’re doing this…
Have you heard about this latest “trend?” I always get a kick out of it when one of these total shows of idiocy are referred to as a “trend.” A trend is loosely defined as a general direction in which something, including society, is developing or changing. Doing something enormously stupid can’t, and should not, be referred to as a trend. But I’m getting off track here. As if eating Tide pods and snorting condoms weren’t bad enough, they’ve come out with this new thing called the “NyQuil Chicken Challenge” that appears to be making the rounds on, where else? TikTok.
This challenge involves dropping a couple of chicken breast into a frying pan and marinating it with NyQuil and heating it up. Then you eat the “sleepy chicken” right before bed. It’s become something of a running joke but it seems as though like most of these things, people are jumping into it and trying it out. The FDA came out with a warning against the challenge and many claim that it had very little attention… That is, until the FDA issued its warning.
There’s plenty of blame to go around when something stupid like this comes out but some of the important key points that the FDA mentioned is that “boiling a medication can make it much more concentrated and change its properties in other ways. Even if you don’t eat the chicken, inhaling the medication’s vapors while cooking could cause high levels of the drugs to enter your body. It could also hurt your lungs.” You can read the FDA’s post on this here.
I think about how things were in my youth… How by the time we were in our pre-teens, a lot of us had part time jobs, helped our parents and our neighbours and were more concerned with having some free time to play on our original NES system or playing outside than we were with doing a lot of this stupid shit we see nowadays. Oh, I by no means assume we didn’t have our fair share of idiots back in the day. The nice part is that the internet wasn’t there to document and spread all the idiocy so that others could try it.
More now than ever, it appears as though the world is going to hell in a hand basket. In some ways, I get it. Between the pandemic and all the issues with Russia, the younger generation are no doubt trying to find easy and comedic ways to entertain themselves. That’s all well and good but once they all fried their brains with all the household chemicals and boiled medications they’re ingesting, there won’t be much of a world left to be in. Kind of makes me glad I’m not immortal. ☯️
I was once told by my grandfather when I was young that only a fool will try and catch the same fish twice. The idea behind that sentiment was that if the fish managed to get away from you while using a fishing pole, you’d have to change up your approach if you hoped to get a catch. The same concept can be applied to karate. There are about a dozen mainstream styles of karate out there, without including offshoot or amalgamated styles as well as the ones who call themselves karate but really aren’t.
The point is that with all of these different styles, it stands to reason that there will be a number of different perspectives and different ways of doing the same things. Some will call a regular punch a reverse punch, while other styles will call it a back punch. Different names, different angles and different training methods are a key aspect when contemplating the differences between styles and how they train. If I take myself as an example, I spent the better part of three decades training in Uechi Ryu, an Okinawan style of karate that focuses on circular movements paired with short steps, contained movements and the concept that if it’s happening outside the line of your body, you shouldn’t need to block it.
For the past year, I’ve been training with a traditional school of Shotokan, which has been something of a culture shock for me. I use the term “culture shock,” because quite frankly, I don’t know what else to call it. The style focuses on grand movements and crossing long distances with their steps, even in fight situations. This goes against everything I’ve been taught as, it doesn’t make sense to cross ten feet to reach your opponent. If he or she is that far from you, not only can they not strike you but you’ll be unable to strike them. But in the interest of learning and adding to my overall martial arts toolbox, I’ve been taking it in and trying my best to develop.
This concept is not a new one. If we rewind the clock a few hundred years, the original founding masters would often meet and train together, learning from one another, sparring and comparing techniques and methods of fighting. There were no “styles” back then, no separate names for schools, just various people who loved karate, learning and teaching with one another in order to strengthen and improve the overall art. Even now, there’s something to learn from what they did, back then.
In the modern Western world, we hold our styles close to the chest, choosing to believe our way is the best way and shouldn’t be changed. This was certainly reflected in my dojo, where Sensei would not only decline to integrate techniques from other styles but would usually not allow students from other styles to visit and participate in classes. Although students have a tendency to have a bit more of a competitive spirit than they did in Okinawa back then, it didn’t leave much room open for learning something new.
It’s important to have an open mind and be willing to accept that your way isn’t the only way. There can be different ways of doing the same thing and, depending on the situation, it can be useful to do it differently. For example, I’ve spent decades strengthening and hardening my big toes because my style’s front kick include digging that big toe into your opponent. In Shotokan, a front kick is done using the ball of the foot. Both methods will work but one could argue that my method risks breaking the big toe. It’s all about perspective. And one’s perspective should be broadened to at least examine different views and methods. This is how growth is done. Food for thought… ☯️
Ah, social media… The cause and solution to all of life’s problems… I remember a time when life was far simpler. Maybe I’m aging myself here, but it’s true. Throughout my childhood, there was no internet, no smart devices and no “big brother” watching everyone’s every move and uploading it, as soon as you fell flat on your face. I’m actually pretty grateful for that last part and like most of my generation, I am eternally grateful that all the stupid things I did in my youth haven’t been documented on YouTube or Facebook.
That being said, the advent of modern internet changed the game in a. Lot of different ways for the world. Besides having the world’s information at one’s fingertips, which is not ALWAYS a good thing, communication with friends near and far became an instant possibility. I remember the days of ICQ… Ah, good ol’ ICQ… This was an instant messenger program that one could use on the computer to “chat” with other ICQ users. Unlike modern messaging apps, you had to know the handle of the person you wanted to add and you both had to be on for the program to be used. The familiar chime of receiving a message still rings in my ears, though…
Then came MSN Messenger… A bit more modernized and tethered to one’s free, web-based email accounts, it had a number of features that previous programs didn’t. With the advent of the smart phone came apps, and all the glorious social media-related bullshit that goes along with it. Although my post today is intended as a bit of a rant against what seems to be an unfortunate trend, it’s also allowing me a brief walk down memory lane, proving that even when discussing something negative, there’s some positive to be found. But I digress…
One of the issues I’ve noticed in recent months is the use of TikTok. Yes, yes, it’s been used for longer than that; that isn’t the point. TikTok was developed less than a decade ago and is a social media platform primarily used for documenting short videos, music clips, memes, you name it! It’s popularity has skyrocketed, with many of my friends trying to encourage me to use it. No, thank you but the app is no different than anything else that gets released and becomes popular. In the years to come, there will likely be something else that gets released. Such is modern life.
The trend I’m referring to, is something I ironically noticed through Facebook. Although mainly there, I’ve also come to realize that various news articles feature this unfortunate trend on news pages, as well. I’m talking about employees and staff recording TikTok videos of themselves doing bad things on the job or ranting against customers, managers, the public… whatever! This surprises me, because we live in a world where once you put something out there, it’s out there. There’s no taking it back.
My question is, what do these folks expect that they’ll do if their current employer sees this? Some of the antics I’ve seen clips of, would certainly be fireable offences. What’s even worse, since it’s now out in the world, if one were to get fired for these clips, how would one avoid having prospective employers see it and refuse to hire them as well? Given that Google and Facebook searches are a pretty common tool when looking to hire someone, it would make sense that searching for such clips would be a logical next step.
Despite my love/hate relationship with social media and its many forms, it’s here to stay with no danger of disappearing. What’s important to bear in mind is that there is n going back when it comes to posting things. Once it hits the internet, it’s up there somewhere, forever. This is why it’s important to be mindful of what one does online and what one posts. It can mean the difference between success and roadblocks. In my time, we had the benefit of telling stories about our rambunctious youth. Nowadays, one’s foolish decisions are out there of all the world to see. Not so great and a hell of a thing to try and explain to one’s grandchildren someday. Food for thought… ☯️
I often end my posts with the line in the title, and for good reason. Although my posts are mostly aimed at providing information about Diabetes, martial arts, health & fitness or the Buddha Dharma, I often provide my insight and opinion on various topics, as well. Which is all well and good. But as I often write, one’s opinion is simply that: an opinion. Opinions are particular because they often come unsolicited and unasked but can lead to important information and knowledge that the recipient may not have thought of.
The important thing to remember is that as the provider, if you offer your opinion you should be ready and willing to acknowledge that it may not be well-received or appreciated. If you’re the recipient, you should recognize that your opinion may not always be wanted and may not be recognized, regardless of how informed and knowledgeable you may be on the topic at hand. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised when an old friend of mine posted a photo on his timeline that spoke to me. I’m not sure where he got it and no, I won’t be asking because I don’t need to open that door, but here’s the photo…
This meme speak to me. Minus the first and last sentiment… I believe that a fact can still involve emotion, depending on what you’re speaking about. The last sentiment is somewhat particular, because I believe that as a society, we use the term “stupidity” far more liberally than we should. Ignoring facts makes you uninformed, not stupid. Stupidity is repeating a same action over and over and expecting a different result. That, and thinking that your opinion IS fact. Or continuing with the same opinion despite being educated on the facts. But I digress…
Not all of my posts can be in depth and substantial. Sometimes, I just need to share something that speaks to me. Like this meme does. Food for thought…☯️
It’s not exactly a hidden secret that I enjoy an occasional cigar during my downtime. In fact, in recent months I’ve seen my “enjoyment” go from an occasional once or twice a month indulgence to a couple of times a week. Although it doesn’t particularly rank high on the list of things that are good for you, having the ability to sit quietly and enjoy a decent cigar provides a number of mental and relaxation benefits for me, the likes of which I haven’t encountered elsewhere in any easy way. Unlike meditation, sitting with a nice cigar allows for interruptions, such as kids asking questions or performing other tasks.
So where do cigars come from? According to a blog post I recently read, “Historians generally believe that the cigar was invented by the ancient Mayans, who would wrap the tobacco in a palm or a plantain leaf and smoke it.” The post goes on to explain that a Mayan pot from the 10th century has an image depicting a man smoking a cigar. You can check out the blog post here (hopefully the link works). the bottom line is that a cigar is considered a tightly rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco, which is usually sealed up at one end.
There are several different blends, sizes and brands of cigar, ranging from a variety of different places across the world. Although most sources will cite specific places and brands as being top quality and the Cadillac of cigars, but I’ve come to realize that for the purposes of relaxing, size, brand and style of cigar is completely up to the user. One doesn’t need to spend an absolute fortune on a cigar in order to enjoy the relaxation that comes from smoking one. For example, my favourite cigar is the Casa Magna Gran Toro cigar from Nicaragua. It retails at $16.99 and is the most expensive end of cigars that I enjoy.
If you’re cheaper than I am, you can usually find comparable examples for about ten dollars. Although that’s only a little cheaper than an average six-pack from your local liquor store, it’s important to bear in mind that unless you’re an unruly teenager striking out against one’s parents, you don’t get drunk more than once a weekend, so the safe bet is you likely wouldn’t be having more than one cigar a weekend. And since it can take well over an hour to properly enjoy a cigar until its end, you’re good to go. Granted, the big difference is there’s less of a stigma against sitting outside during daylight hours smoking a cigar than there would be against sitting outside during daylight hours hammering back a drink. But I digress…
So, what does enjoying a cigar entail? Well, the first step would be to pick one out. There are plenty of sites that will explain to you how to properly pick out a cigar and much like the fact that I wouldn’t presume to explain to you the quality of wine, I won’t try and tell you what cigars you should buy. Although I enjoy both, I’m an expert of neither, so you can look into how to properly pick out a quality cigar on your own. But once you’ve picked your cigar, you’ll likely need to cut the closed end. For this, you’ll need a good single-edged cutter. Trimming the closed end to expose a smooth, flat circle is important because this is where you’ll draw from.
Take it from me and spend the few dollars to purchase a reasonable cigar cutter. I once tried to cut a cigar using a pair of scissors and it did not go well. This is because the pressure of the scissors will cause the outer wrapping to not only buckle and tear but the scissors will likely damage the glue holding the outer binding and your cigar will likely come apart while you’re trying to smoke it. Then, you light the tip, preferably with wooden matches to avoid souring the cigar with a modern lighter. You don’t want to set the cigar in fire. Rather, you want to slowly turn the cigar slowly and allow the tip to burn lightly and evenly.
A cigar is meant to be enjoyed slowly and pleasantly, puffing and taking the smoke into the cheeks and exhaling lightly. You want to avoid inhaling into the lungs, since they’re significantly stronger than cigarettes and will irritate your lungs to no end. And smoking it too quickly will usually cause you to become nauseous and feel sick. A cigar is meant to be slowly enjoyed and savoured. If you want something fast, do shots. That shit is quick. Look at me, encouraging all sorts of vices…
Last but not least, enjoying a cigar is a very particular form of relaxation and is pretty niche, meaning that very few people will usually enjoy along with you. Most certainly, it’s something that’s extremely hard to enjoy around folks who don’t partake of them, as well. Personally, I keep a chair and table inside my garage and enjoy them by myself during the warmer months of the year. Either way, vices are to be enjoyed minimally or sparingly and cigar smoking is no different. ☯️
I think that at some point, we’ve all had someone who has done us wrong in the course of our life. In some cases, the wrong was severe enough to alter the very course of our existence and make us wonder what, if anything, we’d do if we had this person standing in front of us and we had the opportunity to do something. I had such an opportunity, last week. And I found myself contemplating my next move. Several scenarios played out in my head as I calculated potential outcomes and whether they were ultimately worth it or not. Ultimately, I walked away before this person could even see me. Cowardly, or smart?
Picture this: you’re questioned and asked about something that you deny. The questioner tells you it’s done there and they won’t take it further. And then they do. What follows is almost three years of a hellish version of what you recognize as life while you try and put the pieces back together. You walk away and reassemble the pieces to forge a new identity for yourself. You give up who you were; not just a job but the very fabric of your existence and who you saw yourself as. The result is a temporary slip in a world of smoke and alcohol, surviving rather than living. You watch, as the world takes apart the very profession you grew to love and thought defined you.
And all of sudden, out of the blue and on a random day when you were expecting anything but, you see the person who started it all. And this person, the one who crippled your previous career, harmed your family life and endangered the future of your children is just walking along casually, enjoying their day and making the most of some down time. You stand there, frozen, contemplating what you should do next. Should you approach and finally say your peace? Perhaps show that you came out stronger and better than when you went in? I finally snapped out of it, long enough to walk away…
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. I don’t need this person to know that I’ve carried on. I don’t need them to know that I’ve evolved and have gone on to do better things. I know I have and my family knows I have, and that’s really all I need in order to find my peace. Anger, hatred, bitterness… These are the things that bring further suffering in one’s life and in case some of y”all haven’t been reading my stuff in recent years, the elimination of suffering is kind of my jam. At some point, we need to learnt o let go of the pain and difficulties we’ve faced, especially if we’ve fought our way through and came out better. I often wondered what would happened if I faced this person and now I know. There isn’t a cowardly bone in my body. I simply realize that they aren’t worth my time and thoughts. ☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 