The View From Space

Just returned from a trip to London to attend a Chen Instructors Course given by my Sifu, Master Micheal Tse.  Having been to England only once back in the late 80′s, this was essentially a “first trip” for me.

While the main focus was to attend the instructor course we did have a couple of days to play “tourist”.

 

Westminster Abbey

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parliament

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saint Paul’s Cathedral

 

 

 

 

 

 

River Thames

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Correction) Tower Bridge

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tower of London

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buckingham Palace

 

New Guard on way Buckingham Palace

Changing of the Mounted Guard

Happy Chinese New Year to all!
According to the Chinese Zodiac it is the year of the Dragon. More specifically the Water Dragon.  (It is interesting to note that the true Chinese Zodiac is based on a 60 year cycle (12 animals x 5 elements) rather than the 12 year cycle typically celebrated here in the west)

Dragons in general are said to be passionate and driven.  A leader.

The water element is said to calm the dragon’s fire and promote a more balanced personality, one that can see other points of view.

Great qualities for a future leader.

Been listening to / watching those Kaiser Permanente commercials about finding your motivation and figuring out what type of exercise best suits you. While hilarious, they also ring true to me.

After being on and off with my martial arts training throughout the years I can relate to the lady in the commercial as she tries various forms of exercise. Having earlier trained in Kenpo Karate, Choy Li Fut and Hung Gar, I now spend my lunch breaks practicing Chen Taijiquan. Like running and high impact exercises, the earlier styles I practiced were external and extremely hard on my body. And, similar to the lady in the commercial, I couldn’t keep up and soon lost interest (I too passed on pole dancing).
Finding Taijiquan was a blessing (as my aging body will wholeheartedly attest to). The movements may look slow and gentle but they belie the inner strength and martial skill behind it. As an added benefit, numerous studies have shown that performing Taijiquan (or Tai Chi for you westerners out there), provides a myriad of health benefits, from arthritic pain relief to overall physical fitness and increased balance in the aged.

And as an exercise for both my brain as well as my body, I’ll be documenting my Taijiquan journey here on my blog.  Hopefully you’ll be able to join me (even if only vicariously).

One of my favorite activities when visiting Japan is hunting down new flavors of Kit Kat.  On my latest visit I found 2 new (at least to me) flavors.

Yubari Melon (Cantaloupe)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Blueberry Cheescake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also picked up samples of old favorites

Imagine my surprise finding this at my door after a hard day at work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been PERK’D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I must be somebody (at least in my own mind)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What an adorkable gift!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the legaleese:

I was given a free product or sample because I’m a Klout influencer. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.

On a recent evening visit to the Honolulu Aquarium, one exhibit in particular caught my attention: The Jelly Fish tank.  Totally mesmerizing.  If it wasn’t for the guide pushing us on to other exhibits I could have stood there all night just watching them.

At the prodding of @geewhy, I had taken up a most noble endeavor.  One that is on par with King Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail … the search for … SCHWEDDY BALLS!

But alas, having returned from the land of the mega power outage, I must admit, I … have… FAILED!

Cool weather, long work days and an ample supply of powder, conspired againt’s me in setting out to look for the elusive Schweddy Balls.  I hereby announce my failure.

I HAVE NOT FOUND NOR DO I HAVE SCHWEDDY BALLS!

 

 

After reading @geewhy’s post on the subject drink I figured I’d give it a shot.

Once you get past the initial shock of the saltiness of the beverage you can actually taste the mocha/coffee flavor. However, it did leave a strong salty aftertaste in my mouth that I wasn’t too pleased with. I think I’ll leave this “dirty” drink to @geewhy and stick with my normal coffee offerings.

Even after witnessing @Geewhy’s disastrous attempt at buying a candy bar from our work vending machine, my thirst for adventure (well actually my craving for chocolate and sugar) drove me to roll the dice and buy a chocolate bar from the same machine.

The results?  A partially melted and crumbly Almond Snickers bar.  Either we’ve got the worst luck at buying candy, or we need to get the folks who stock these to put in fresh items.  

Oh and unlike @Geewhy, I ate mine! 

I was given early access to the premiere of the new series #TerraNova by Fox and Klout, and all I can say is WOW!

A mixture of Avatar and Jurrasic Park, it takes us on a journey into the prehistoric past … or is it the prehistoric past in a parallel universe?  In any case, the show begins in the not too distant future in which people have trashed the world, plague, pollution, and all the vices of the human race have made the earth a  barely livable place.

Luckily the people there have found a way to travel back in time to a parallel universe in which they try and restart the human race.  A place called Terra Nova.  The series focuses around a family invited (well, some of them were invited) to travel to this new world and begin anew.

As a sci-fi geek I was instantly hooked.  Time travel, parallel universes, dinosaurs, what more could one ask for?  Oh and within the first hour of the series we find out that all is not copasetic in paradise.  Not only are there carnivorous dinosaurs munching on humans, there’s the threat of armed conflict with a group of fellow pilgrims called sixers.

The scenery is absolutely breathtaking and the storyline gripping.  I have my DVR ready for the 2-hour premiere on Fox, September 26 8/7c.  I suggest you have yours ready too.

Now for the legalese part of my post:

I was given a free product or sample because I’m a Klout influencer. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.  I was also provided the preview to Terra Nova by FOX.