Matter of My Mind

Personal Mastery

2012-02-16T10:13:00.000-08:00

A journey towards personal improvement! Personal mastery is commitment to truth and understanding the subconscious mind, and great opportunities to improve growth. Personal mastery is about expressing your gifts, loving yourself and understanding your personality. It is not about controlling and limiting yourself or suppressing things, the more you suppress things the more difficulty you have overcoming them. Personal mastery is about self-discipline, taking responsibility for the direction your life is going. Discipline will clarify and deepen your perspective in life, which in turn will help you develop patience and see life objectively. Personal mastery enables you to be inspired, energized and be happy with your life. Personal mastery will help you understand your talents, strengths and your purpose in life, which will help you become successful in life. We must develop humility, integrity and justice; these are rules on how to conduct ourselves socially, professionally and spiritually. There are no shortcuts toward mastery it can take a lifetime; we must detach ourselves from selfishness and work toward providing care and service to other people, when we do that we start to see more of the surroundings and perceive everything as a whole. Personal mastery will help a person be proactive rather than reactive. Personal mastery guides you to develop being aware with your beliefs, attitudes and what your behavior impacts. It enables you to accept yourself and be responsible for your own actions, attitude, and thought.

What is said here is not something that has not been said before, but is defiantly been on my road for quite a few years, and there is still a quite a ways to go yet.

A person has to remember that the road to personal mastery is a very bumpy one, it is a thought changing process and keeping the goal of achieving personal mastery in front of you is a long. Changing your attitude and changing the way a person has dealt with situations in the past is tuff. Always keep the right now and the future in front of you because that is the only part of time you have control of, the past cannot be changed. Personal mastery cannot be achieved alone; a person needs friends and life coaches along the way. One must always strive to improve so as not to become stagnant.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

What a Day

2012-02-08T09:40:00.000-08:00

The start of this year UBBT has not been off to a very good start. January 25 not a good day. January 24, symptoms, which I thought was the start of a bad stomach flue. Morning of January 25 went to hospital diagnosed with appendicitis by 10:00 AM. Doctor who diagnosed me sends out a message to all surrounding hospitals in and around Edmonton to find a surgeon that has time to do an emergency surgery. At this time I was not sure what hospital I would end up at, with the pain relievers through intervenes at that time, I didn’t really care. Ambulanced to St. Albert hospital by 1300 hrs. In the operating room by 1700 hrs, awake by 1900 hrs. Wow what a day. Tried some modified pus-ups and crunches a couple of days ago, not to smart a little to early for that. Am working on forms of a somewhat nature. Should be back up to speed in another month.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Your Being

2012-02-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

Does helping others give meaning to your life? Could this mean that you have to depend on others being worse off than yourself so that your life can continue to be meaningful and you can feel good about yourself? Does making it only mean something, as long as there are millions of other people who do not? Do you need other people to fail in order for your life to have meaning? Is the purpose for helping others surface or exterior, to make a good impression on other people, this is not lasting time will fade the purpose! If the purpose comes from the inner being then it is genuine, if it’s not the ego will take over then the original intent will slip away. The saying the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Meaning it’s not your aims or your actions but it is where and how the thoughts come from, your surface being or your inner being.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Freedom

2012-01-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

A tight ropewalker strung a cable between two buildings in New York. His words, I feel I belong to the sky when out on the tightrope I have the feeling of absolute freedom. I breathe slowly and enjoy the miracle of balance. I realized that earlier I had the feeling of fear but no longer, the fear of letting go and then I laughed at it. I am at complete peace on the wire! Out there on the middle of wire I drop to one knee and give the salute of the tightrope walker. There at my feet below is all of New York. Why does he do it? It’s the feeling of complete freedom. Is he crazy some think so?

Do you have guilt and shame of others expectations? Do you judge one another? Do you put stumbling blocks in front of one another to further yourself? Are you free or are you locked in chains or in the harness of life?

Once you have the feeling of freedom you will never go back. No longer do you have to fear what people say or do, it no longer bothers you! Live and breathe life! Live your life with love and compassion.

Like the tightrope walker his feeling of freedom trumped the short time he spent in jail. No one could take away his short time of feeling, complete freedom.

Freedom in liberty, freedom in the country is one thing but don’t flaunt it. What is most important is freedom of the spirit! Which is the only true freedom one can have.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Judgment

2012-01-11T10:34:00.001-08:00

What is the value in unity we are suppose to work together pull together but we are all different. We come from different backgrounds different parents. I was not raised the way you were raised. You neighbor perhaps their biological parents did not raise them. We have different opinions and different views on things. You may think one way about something and someone else thinks just as strong another way about something. Not that your viewpoint is wrong or the other persons viewpoint is wrong it is just a difference of opinions. Each person is trying to justify his or her opinions. We have different economic lifestyles different values. We differ in our food our entertainment, convictions even being pregidous and we all are just at different levels. Why can’t we all get along? The goal should be that we shall learn to live together in unity we can disagree but why do we have to become disagreeable. The strong person has to give the weak time to grow up and the weak person should not hold the strong person to their convictions. Strong lighten up weak grow up! Mistakes are made we all make them learn from them and move on. Don’t gossip about someone’s mistake you are just contributing to the mistake. The person who made the mistake probably feels bad enough. The gossip is only for the weak it makes them feel strong. The strong put down the weak, so they can gain more power.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Conversation

2012-01-04T10:05:00.001-08:00

What are your personal advantages when you look inside your self? Are you what you see yourself as, or are you bent on seeing yourself as what you think others see you as. If you worry what others see you as and not be yourself the only person you are pulling the wool over eyes is your own. People have to stand up for what they believe in and stand up for your self. But that does not mean jumping up and down and raising your voice hooting and hollering to get what you want that only turns a submissive person into you getting your own way, that has only given you the winning side to make your self feel good, but you did not earn it through respect, it was only earned through the other person being annoyed with you and can not stand to have a decent discussion with you. Conversations are words spoke back and forth with each side giving their perspective of what is being talked about, if people are to figure out a problem. A discussion is compared to a sparring match the more the emotions get involved the more erratic, misconstrued and out of touch with the reason for the sparring or the conversation becomes. Sparring develops into a brawl. Conversation develops into hollering. Weather a person is sparring or in conversation you should not let emotions get involved, unless of course it is an attack on you personally then it is time to walk away, or better yet learn how to get control of the situation even if it means swallowing crow.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Body Aches

2011-12-18T09:31:00.001-08:00

Arms really sore dragging at my side. Behind in pushups may have to do a thousand day when recovered, defiantly can’t do any now. Typing is even an issue.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Life and Change

2011-12-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

The key in life is change. It seems it is not optional it is essential. What is it that keeps us going, it is change? People have battled and struggled threw experiences of life. Why do we hang on and keep growing, it is in the hope of change! If you look back on your life are you the same person you were ten years ago, No your life probably does not even resemble what you were ten years ago, that’s because of change. Change in life takes time, some small change can happen quickly but most change happens slowly it may take years. We wish change were quick and easy, no like anything else if things are quick and easy we do not learn any thing. Some changes have to happen through crushing us to change our perspective of life, and then we build ourselves back up again. Sometime we have to throw away that controlling part of our life and let things just happen. Develop the spiritual part of your life and everything else will fall into place.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Leading and Following

2011-12-04T04:28:00.000-08:00

Which is more important. The first thought is that leading is the most important. If you are a good leader you are a good leader. In order to be a good leader you must first learn how to follow. Being a good follower one must know how to control their emotions, in the physical, mental and verbal sense, trust their leader and learn how to carry out instruction weather or not you agree at the time with that instruction, the situation may be for the big picture. That does not mean to blindly follow, or not to question your leader, it is how you question your leader that has to be learned. Being a good follower is showing the qualities of being a good leader. If you are not a good follower the leader will not have you as a follower, if you are not a good leader you will not have any followers. Leading or following, each is important.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

The Pain Body

2011-11-25T08:51:00.000-08:00

It seems that human beings, always keep some kind of pain in themselves. Be if it is physical or mental if it is physical, the human deals with the situation better because the ailment, accident or physical dilemma has a cause and the physical is blamed on that situation. But really the physical is actually caused by the mental; it’s way of getting its fulfillment of the pain body, its way of getting attention.

The mental pain body seems to gets its fulfillment from being angry, lashing out, complaining, to get a response from someone, so it can feel superior.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Humility

2011-11-17T09:30:00.001-08:00

In most cultures humility is not shown, practiced, understood or admired. The leader of most cultures is not to show humility, or bow the knee or help others. The leader of such cultures is there to be served; if vulnerability is shown such as humility there is a loss of respect.

Humility is rarely shown in the business world, has your boss ever served you. What are on display in the business world are acts of greed, self-centered comments and actions, you get ahead by manipulating and pushing and having the ability to impress other people, even if it is not the truth in ones own life. Humility is appreciated but it is not often modeled in the business world.

Even though some think it, humility is not a sign of weakness, insecurity, or inferiority. Show me a genuine humble person and they will generally have a strong inner character, and great strength, and usually enormous security.

Humbling yourself before others is not easily done. There is a down side to getting good at humility, you can get proud of it and there is nothing worse than having proud humility!

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Disabilities

2011-11-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

Great video.

http://youtu.be/zFWr-CKMWGY

If you can. watch the making of Pro Infirmis, it is in a different language.

Copy and paste if necessary. http://youtu.be/Nola3DVBVtk

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony plain, Alberta, Canada

Zen

2011-11-09T07:16:00.000-08:00

A girl in a village became pregnant. Her parents demanded who was the father. She said it was the Zen Master. The parents of the girl went to the Zen Master, and said you made our girl pregnant! He said, is that so? When the child was born the girls parents took the child to the Zen Master and said, this is your child you look after it! The Zen Master said, is that so? The Zen Master lost all of his students; his friends and village people shunned him. The Zen Master cared for and loved the child. A year later the girl felt guilty and finally told her parents the truth, that the child’s father was the Butchers son in the village. The parents went to the Zen Master told him the truth and took the child back, apologized, said they were sorry. The Zen Master said, is that so?

In this story the Zen Master did not let his ego run the show he just took things in stride and he new that things would work out what ever way they were suppose to. In life all of us have been accused of things we did not do, and things that we did not even know we were even being accused of. The reason accusations start and are carried on threw gossip, and people put you down. Their ego needs a boost; the ego needs something to feed on to make them feel good about themselves. Their ego needs a reaction from someone, somewhere or something!

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

More Attitude

2011-10-31T11:12:00.001-07:00

As we get older our choice of attitude and the secret of staying young is up to us. It is not where we live, how much money we make, how the kids turned out, who we are married to, where we go to church, the size of the house we live in, the car we drive. It is your choice of attitude. We have a choice of being a drag and a burden, or an inspiration and encouragement. Which of these choices does a person want to be?

Your mind is not old keep stretching it. We should read more books and watch less television. Do more that is active and less that entertains you in the passive sense. When you are with other people we should talk about events and ideas, rather than people. Talking about people turns to gossip. How many people do you know that have fallen into that trap. Look for opportunities to be engaged in.

Your brain is capable of recording 800 memories per second for seventy-five years without getting tired. No one has been able to develop a computer as well and as efficient as the human mind. The human body does get old and tired but the brain does not. Scientists say the humans only use two percent of their brain. Guess sometimes this is demonstrated more often in some than in others! It is said that everything you learned said and done, is on permanent file in your brain you just can’t recall it.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Age and attitude

2011-10-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

How many people do you know that are forty-five and people who are sixty-five are in better shape and are sharper and full of life. Nobody cares how old you are except you and if you don’t mind it don’t matter. Quit talking about your age and start demonstrating your enthusiasm. Attitude seems to demoralize as people begin to age what ever age that is. The first attitude is uselessness I’m over the hill, I get in everybody’s way, why am I still around. Uselessness is a bad attitude; you will die before you die. A quote, a useless life is an early death. Second attitude is self-pity; nobody cares about me anymore why should I bother to stay alive or in touch, whoa is me. This leads to blame, blame leads to bitterness, bitterness leads to family saying how long is grandma staying this time, why did we say we would bring them with us on a vacation. They don’t mind you, they may just hate your attitude. Third is fear, this is a very common among those getting older. This attitude says I need to be very careful I need to avoid all dangers and all risks. This can lead to a suspicious spirit and a suspicious spirit leads to paranoia. Fear is a thief it steals us of joy and robs us of peace. Fear is the most devastating of all emotions. The fourth is the attitude of guilt and regret. This is an attitude of always looking back if only I hadn’t or if I would have. Guilt feeds disappointment and discouragement. To grand parents and those who will be grandparents, there is so much that is useful and helpful and necessary in this world. Our families definitely need us. The youth are told to honor the elderly, lets give them a reason to do so, don’t expect it without earning it if they don’t there may be a reason for it and it may not be their fault. Maybe it is time for an attitude adjustment. In the middle years you are determined and in the later years you should be confident who wouldn’t want a granddad like that. Even as we age we need a can do spirit.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Still the Boat

2011-10-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Failed to finish the boat project. Rebuilt the engines electrical system it runs like a top. The trailer and boat are done. But now the water pump is shot so the boat is shelved till next spring. So till next year.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.

Making Change

2011-10-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

Doing some reading on the subject of Pronoia is the Antidote for Paranoia. This statement is something that I believe in whole-heartedly. It comes down to the thought of positive thinking, if all your thoughts are on the negative side that is exactly what you will receive. The power of positive thinking is very hard to keep in perspective. Especially when we are being blasted by the news, because ninety-eight percent of the news is negative. But we cannot just ignore the news and ignore what is happening all over the world that is just being inconsiderate. When we live in one of the most fortunate places on earth. If you remove the non-negative feel good stories from the news and they are usually about sports or entertainment, then the news media curse quotient rises to ninety-nine percent. Well so much for the power of positive thinking. That is why it is so important in the Kwoon, the community and the world that we convey these positive thoughts. Because that is the only thing left that we can do to change society, and change the world.

“The rise and fall of images of the future precede or accompany the rise and fall of cultures. As long as a society’s image is positive and flourishing, the flower of culture is in full bloom. Once the image begins to decay and lose its vitality, the culture does not long survive.” (Fred Polak)

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Miracles

2011-10-01T20:40:00.001-07:00

Thousands of amazing, inexplicable, wondrous, and even supernatural events occur every day. And yet most are unreported by the media. The few that are cited are ridiculed.

Why? Here's one possible reason:

Group #1 People most likely to believe in miracles are superstitious, uneducated, and prone to having a blind, literalist faith in their religions' myths.

Group #2 Those who are least likely to believe in miracles are skilled at analytical thought, well educated, and yet prone to having a blind, literalist faith in the ideology of materialism, which dogmatically asserts that the universe consists entirely of things that can be perceived by the five human senses or detected by instruments that scientists have thus far invented.

The media is largely composed of people from the second group. It's virtually impossible for them to admit to the possibility of miracles, let alone experience them. If anyone from this group manages to escape peer pressure and cultivate receptivity to miracles, it's because they have successfully fought against being demoralized by the unsophisticated way miracles are framed by the first group.

Be immune to the double-barreled ignorance. Behold astonishing synchronicities and numinous breakthroughs that seem to violate natural law, be willing to consider the possibility that our understanding of natural law is too narrow. And also refrain from lapsing into irrational gullibility; actively seek mundane explanations for apparent miracles. Quote

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Fishing Meditation

2011-09-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Had a small holiday last week, the kind I really enjoy. Camping, we were by Canmore by the Bow River. It is just a great feeling to toss a hook in the water, with river rushing by. I didn’t have much luck though but fed the fish a lot of bait. We dropped into the Gaia clinic. A collaborative medicine clinic, they specialize in restorative health. We had a Far Infrared sauna session that sure cleans your system out. Also had a session with a Shaman he used, singing bowls, tuning forks and drums to cleanse my system with sound. Now that was an experience! Both mentally and physically, I don’t think there was a frequency I didn’t hear. Then it was on to a lake by Nordegg now that was a serene experience. The lake was about one kilometer wide by two kilometers long, nestled in evergreens. Six o’clock AM looking out the window of the camper and seeing the beauty. I could not stop my self from getting outside and into my hip waders and do some fly-fishing. Standing in the water flicking the line back and forth! The lake is perfectly smooth; the small trout were surfacing, catching bugs on the water making tiny circles that would grow. As the sun started to rise a light fog would appear and cover the whole lake. The only sound that could be heard was another fisherman down the lake, as his hook would hit the water with a plop. The weather was so perfect we decided to stay another day, then decided to stay another day. It was a week of picnic table pushups, bike riding, fishing meditation, and body cleansing. Never caught a fish. Not what it was about.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

PRIDE

2011-09-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

If you assume a humble attitude.
Your own good qualities will increase.
Whereas when you are full of pride.
There is no way to be happy.
You will become jealous of others.
Angry with them.
And look down on them.
Due to which an unpleasant
Atmosphere will be created
And unhappiness in society will increase.
The XIV Dali Lama.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com
UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Theory

2011-09-03T13:20:00.000-07:00

There is a theory that if one company could control the food supply then they could control all the people. So expanding on this theory with GMO crops one company is starting to control the food. The companies that do the GMO have already made the GMO crops so they will only produce one year and the seed from that crop is not able to grow again, it is non fertile or sterile what ever you want to call it. There are farmers that are refusing to grow GMO crops but they are being hassled by neighbors and the GMO companies, because they are trying to do things the traditional way and they are not falling in line like every body else. This can be pushed so far as, if the grain buyers are owned by the GMO companies they can control the grain, that is if the only grain that will be bought is GMO grain they will slowly push the little guy out, if you don’t fall in line you will go broke. Did you know that this is actually happening in India and Africa? Is it possible The Georgia Guidestones.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Buddy Boat

2011-08-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

Started a boat project this spring. A 1974 boat and motor that have not run in quite a few years so obviously it is not going to be fixed over night. A surprising part to me was that when the boat after a spay nine fix the old green finish come back to almost a new weathered look. My disappointing part of the whole project is there was never a picture taken of the boat when it was first brought home so there could be a comparison of before and after. The thought has passed that the project should have an official champagne bottle smashing date. Guess it is more a project of love than just a project to hurry up and finish. A project of this sort should have may been given a date of when it would be in the water, instead of possibly being finished when the lake is frozen! Oh well. My intentions were to have the boat in the water this summer, well you know how things go there is a lot of life that has to be taken care of, family, holidays, work and it is a project. A very good friend of mine passed away with cancer five years ago and his wife gave the boat as a remembrance, it has taken a few years to actually get started on refurbishing the boat. There are a lot of fond memories of laughter and happy times of Bob and myself and family fishing, wake boarding and all those other water sports. So if you see a boat on the lake with the name Bob on it you may know this boats history.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Thought for the week

2011-08-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

We are in a period of triumph of materialism, and a time of great forgetting of where we come from and what got us here. There was a prediction long ago that humanity would lose its awareness of their true bond with nature, by means of external possessions. Ego and domination are the predominant ambition of this civilized world.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.

If humanity wishes to save itself from biosphereic destruction, it must return to living in natural time. Pacal Votan

Food Control

2011-08-11T16:43:00.001-07:00

I have been on the band wagon against GMO foods especially Monsanto and what they are doing to our food supply, the cause and effect that their products are doing to the people of the world. One thing that this poisonous food, they are subjecting us to is they are making sure our health care system is overridden with the cause of disease. This subject has really been bothering me lately. I have been reading and watching a lot of videos lately. Roundup ready GMO foods, and the problem causing poison of Aspartame and NutraSweet.

A must watch three part video of Vanadana Shiva.

Part 1--- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi1FTCzDSck

Part 2--- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVlJqwft9I8&feature=relmfu

Part 3--- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQDqEUd53YQ&feature=relmfu

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Genetically Modified Organisms

2011-08-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

Only one recorded published human feeding study has ever been done with GMO roundup ready soybean. When GMO is done, part of the gene that is inserted into the Soy to make that soy roundup ready so it will not die when sprayed with Roundup Herbicide. That gene transferred, into the DNA of the bacteria living inside our intestines and continues to function. That means that the people who the study was done on had Roundup ready gut bacteria. That means that long after we stop eating genetically modified soy we may still have genetically modified proteins produced continuously inside of us.

There is also a soil dwelling bacterium commonly used as a biological pesticide, called BT because the pesticide they produce comes from BT or Bacillus thuringiensis. There is a public study that this spray when sprayed over cotton and corn crops killed the Gypsy Moths. When it was sprayed over crops in Washington State Vancouver about five hundred people reported allergy and flu like symptoms. So what did the Genetic Engineers do? They took the gene that produces the toxin and put it in the corn and cotton plants, where the plants themselves produce the BT toxin at thousands of times the concentration as the spray form. Now the question is and it has never been studied, what if the gene that produces the BT toxin transfers to the bacterium in you gut like it happened with the Soy. It could turn your gut into a BT toxin factory, living inside your gut! If you don’t want to be part of this GMO experiment, don’t eat GMO foods, problem is for the vegetarians is that ninety three percent of the soy produced in the United States is GMO. Don’t forget our children are the most sensitive. Foods can be called organic but still be GMO. In Canada and US foods that are not GMO, have to labeled 100% organic.

Go to this web site for non-GMO food. http://nongmoshoppingguide.com/

Or down load the IPhone app. shop no GMO

Wikipedia list of food that is GMO http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Food

2011-07-26T18:41:00.001-07:00

We go to the grocery store and buy our food. With out any thought of where it comes from. We eat and trust our government to make sure that we are safe from the poisons of the world. But not so, farmers pour on the bug killers the weed killers the round up the crop to kill it so they can straight combine the crop to save time and money to make farming profitable. If they don’t put on the chemicals the cost of farming goes way up and profits are low. Even the meat we eat if you so choose is fed some kind fertilized hay or pellets or some kind of fortified corn or grain. Can’t blame the farmers they do what they can to stay alive and make a buck. But more and more farmers are going in the direction of growing organic food. Which is a blessing for us. The only way to fight back is of course with what you buy if we don’t buy it they won’t try to sell it to us. Watched a video and a scientist cut a single hair from a twenty four year old American guy, analyzed the hair he said the guy was corn carbon based. Everything you eat comes out in your hair. Corn is in everything.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Just stick to the program

2011-07-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

Having a tough time sticking to the program in UBBT eight, unlike other years. But that is my life if there is something I want to learn and do I usually stick to the program until I am happy with the way I want it to go. Perfectionism is one of my down falls; I work on things till I think I have got it right. Then it is on to something else. That usually works with things I am building, they should look and stay the same for a few years, with a little care and attention once in awhile. The complaint I usually get is I take too long, too bad, usually when finished there is a compliment. But when it comes to Kung Fu, I may have perfected it at one time, but unlike something you build, Kung Fu needs constant care and attention. As the knowledge base gets larger the harder it is to keep up the things I learned twenty years ago. Oh well that is just life. UBBT is not getting behind just hard sticking to the program.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT 8 Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Camping Holiday

2011-07-11T10:52:00.001-07:00

We were off to Meadow Lake Provincial Park, Saskatchewan. Weather was beautiful, but the highway to the Park was under construction. Fifty kilometers of bad highway and construction, not a good drive. The Park itself is absolutely beautiful, roads in the park are all gravel but very well maintained. There must be at least twenty lakes in the Park. We were at five of them and the water was crystal clear, natural sand, beaches. One of the beaches reminded us, as if we were back in Fiji, the water temperature told you different! Fun was had.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Water Water Water

2011-07-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

Did you know it takes?

70,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of beef!

16,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of microchips!

11,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of cotton textile!

2,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of wheat!

1,000 liters of water to produce 1 liter of milk!

Out of twelve peer nations Canada, United States and Germany are the largest users of water, which is around 300 liters per person per day, and also pay the least rates for water. The Federation of Municipalities estimates the 20% of drinking water is lost to leaks. Household’s in city’s across Canada pay aproximatly $2.25 per cubic meter while industries using 6,000 liters or more a month pay 30% less at $1.59 per m3. In Toronto and Calgary the biggest 120 user’s get their rates dropped by 30-40%! This is designed to keep and attract jobs through industry.

The sad part is that city’s across Canada spend millions of dollars on making our tap water safe enough for us to drink and most people drink bottled water! You say what is the big deal? If you drink from those little plastic bottles, use plastic sandwich bags, well; the petroleum industry used 864 million cubic meters of water in 2007. It all adds up.

It’s a mad circle if we don’t use, things such as water, plastic bottles, drive cars, burn gasoline, coal, we save the environment, but put people out of work. So how do we save jobs, keep our economy going, and keep our life style and most important save our planet that we are so lucky to live on, when we look up into the sky with our powerful telescopes and see no other livable planet. It’s up to us!

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

One Thing Leads To Another (Good)

2011-06-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

One of my daughters and boy friend are traveling to India for a three-month back packing tour. I asked what made them decide to travel there. The response was! When they decided that they would like to do another trip, she seen their dentist he started talking about India, when they seen their Doctor he mentioned something about India, friends started talking about India, people at both their places of work started talking about India. This happened in just a couple of weeks of deciding to travel. Also happened with out either of him or her leading anyone into a conversation of India. So India it was, but first was Nepal. Their plane fares were bought. Then it was suggested that they raise a thousand dollars and sponsor a meal that will feed a thousand people in Kathmandu Nepal, the more money they raise the more people they will be able to feed, buy clothing toques and mitts and also there is a water well project going on in Kathmandu. The license for tickets was bought, the tickets were printed prizes were donated and the ball was rolling, all money will be raised through ticket sales. All money raised will be delivered by; The Healing Seed check it out at www.healingseed.ca.

These types of projects are proof of what Black Belts of Silent River Kung Fu will do to change the world. Training or not training the Black Belt way is not forgotten.

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT Stony Plain, Alberta. Canada

Tired Muscles

2011-06-11T20:08:00.001-07:00

Camping at Miquelon Lake, Alberta, this week. It is an alkaline lake. Of course there are no fish, but there are small shrimp. It looks weird no vegetation of any sort. Nice campground. There are a few bike trails. Managed to get in eighty-five kilometers this week on the bike, first bike rides this year.

Kung fu last night practicing forms my quads after an hour of practice and to many kilometers on the bike. Squatted down in one of our forms, my quads done the Jell-O trick, and I couldn’t stand up! Fell on the floor! Was kind of comical, I laughed at my self, should know better. Two hours later we were doing a conditioning class. For some reason my quads did not like some of the conditioning that was being dished out. Oh well the quads are getting a well-deserved rest today. Live and never learn. (Smile)

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

The Deck

2011-06-02T06:56:00.001-07:00

This year was the year for refurbishing our six hundred square feet of Cedar deck. It looked in bad shape, as it had not had any love for the last four years. So the twenty-five year old deck was looking real sad. My spouse last week pressure washed it and scrubbed back to the bare wood. The staining began in the mornings and evenings, instructions state not to stain in direct sun light. The project ended up taking a few days. But with two coats of stain the old deck looks real good. Thanks to doing push ups my arms stood the test of rolling and scrubbing in the stain, with a few sore arm muscles. My back did not. But with a good hot bath and a massage from my daughter I feel good.

What did I learn my body would do what it did thirty years ago, but there are a lot more consequences. Another project done. Or was that a goal. Yah!

Sifu Hayes UBBT www.silentriverkungfu.com

Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

The Wagon

2011-05-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

I have a wagon I pulled back and forth. I put rocks in it; other people put rocks in it. A wheel would squeak and I would grease it. Then the load got heavy, there were to many rocks. Some rocks fell off and I would put them back on, there were just too many rocks they kept falling off, and I would put them on again. Then one day the wheels fell off. The axle broke and all the rocks fell off. I am in the midst of rebuilding that wagon and starting over with some of the same rocks but also some new ones. Being careful not to pick up to many rocks.

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com

UBBT, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Keep on Pushing

2011-04-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

Trying to catch up the last month has not been good caught a flu, holidays, then bacterial intestinal infection, then a head cold I am trying to get over now. I guess I let myself get to run down. Trying to recuperate so cannot say how my numbers are going to look this year. Will keep on pushing though.

Sifu Hayes

UBBT www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Holidays and what not

2011-04-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

I was vacationing in Fiji not much for Internet. Toured about three quarters of the outside of the largest island, lots of sugar cane and sugar beets seems to be their main cash crop. The Fiji people that we met were unbelievably hospitable, friendly and very easy going.

The diving was spectacular, managed to get in twelve dives. Ten dives were reef dives beautiful coral and a lot of fish. Two, were shark dives, wow that is impressive, a flurry of fish and sharks trying to get food. I did get to go out to the feeding and touch a nurse shark, thought they would be smooth but feel more like sand paper.

Was woke up every morning by some kind of bird his chirp sounded like wake up, wake up, right at sunrise. Then it was twenty steps out to the beach for pushups, sit-ups and a forms session. The maintenance man who cleaned the beach would bring an extra rake and leave it with me so I could rake the sand where I had practiced forms; it also doubled as a spear.

I must have picked up a bug some where on the trip, I got deathly sick from a bacterial, intestinal bug and you know what that entails. Was out of commission for a week after holidays. My UBBT numbers fell off, am in the midst of trying to build them back up.

All in all things are back to abnormal, the usual.

Sifu Hayes

UBBT www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

It’s cold and it’s snowy?

2011-03-05T08:02:00.000-08:00

Every where you go you hear the complaints of people, of how sick and tired they are of the minus thirty temperatures and the snow every second day. When it is minus twenty to thirty we agree it is cold. The morning temperature, the other day was minus thirty-two, at two o’clock in the afternoon it seemed very warm the sun was shining, my coat was open, nothing on my ears. A work buddy says it sure warmed up I agreed that it must be close to zero Celsius. Looked at a thermometer, no it had warmed up to minus seventeen Celsius. So the weather has a lot to do with your perspective of what cold is. If you build up the fear that it is cold I guarantee you it is going to be cold. Snow, yes, look at all the years we had minimum amounts snow, this is when you hear all about global warming and how bad it is. This year all I hear is what global warming! So much for global warming! Hey don’t get me wrong I do believe our planet is warming up, I am just quoting some statements I have heard this winter.

Just think how many people who live in those warm countries, don't get to walk on water like we do?

We have to learn to embrace the weather to enable to overcome it, just like anything else in life.

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

UBBT Ultimate Black Belt Test

Scattered Thoughts

2011-02-24T08:38:00.000-08:00

Not all things are what they seem.

We think that when things are bad, they can’t get any worse, well we know they can and do.

When all seems lost it isn’t.

When all things seem great they are not.

When nothing seems just, it is.

How do we deal with this? How do we ever know what is true and right?

Most of the time our worries hang on one little thought that we mull over and over in our mind and is generally not worth worrying about.

Have you ever done or said something and other people have taken the credit. Well don’t get hung up on these little things your reward will come your way eventually. Probably, not from where you would expect it!

Be careful of walking in pride it will come back to curse you. The wheels grind slowly but grind very fine. As someone once said the halo you carry on your head will slowly slip down and turn into a noose.

Have you ever said I have been humbled by this or that experience, and have truly learned from it?

If it hadn’t been for him! If she hadn’t said! If that person hadn’t done! If the company hadn’t! Well we can place blame wherever a person wants but it really boils down to looking inside and being at peace with yourself.

I know, but this is a bunch of scattered thoughts that have been bouncing around in my brain over the last couple of weeks.

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

UBBT Ultimate Black Belt Test

What we learn but seem to forget

2011-02-16T10:13:00.000-08:00

When you look inside your heart, do you find when you are snippy and negative and ugly to another person? I find that my heart is not right, and my inner condition is probably not in very good shape. Our world seems to be lacking in heart the welfare of other people around us. We all have struggles in the same realm. Put aside get rid of malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy and slander. Actually Robert Fulghum could not have said it better; this came from the Kansas City Times in 1986.

ALL I EVER REALLY NEED TO KNOW

I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN!

Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and

how to be; I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate

school mountain but there in the sandbox at nursery school.

These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don’t hit

people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don’t

take things that aren’t yours. Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash

your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing

and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for

traffic, hold-hands, and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little

seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody

really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the

plastic cup---they all die. So do we.

And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you

learned, the biggest word of all: Look. Everything you need to know is in there

somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation, ecology and politics

and sane living.

Think of what a better world it would be if we all--the whole world--had

cookies and milk about 3 o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our

blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to

always put things back where we found them and clean up our own messes. And

it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best

to hold hands and stick together.

This goes right along with what you learn in the Martial arts is so important.

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

UBBT Ultimate Black Belt Test

Banquet

2011-02-10T07:28:00.000-08:00

Thanks go out to all who participated in the set up and break down of Chinese New Year’s Banquet, the speed and efficiency of the people who were involved was above and beyond. You do not know how much it is appreciated. Walking in at two thirty and seeing the tables set, mats laid and sound system set out was very comforting. The food was fantastic as usual. To all the students from four years old to I will not mention what age. Thanks for your performances they were entertaining and I know some of the spectators left in awe. That is what all of your hard work is for. Congratulations to the lion dance team for pulling off another great performance. That goes to the performers and those behind the scenes. Also congratulations to those who were promoted this year.

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

UBBT, Ultimate Black Belt Test.

Hang in, there press on, keep at it, don’t give up.

2011-02-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

Most things that are worthwhile, take a lot of work and they take time, and persevering.

Calvin Coolidge put it this way. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not! Nothing is more common than unsuccessful individuals with talent. Genius will not, unrewarded genius is almost a proverb, education will not the world is full of educated derelicts, persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. Hard task, tough road ahead, keep at it, press on.

Wow what strong words, persistence is the key.

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Ultimate Black Belt Test

UBBT

Oh My Muscles

2011-01-26T04:28:00.000-08:00

Well what a welcome to the New Year days off have been hectic, snow, snow, and more snow. Snow off the driveway snow off the roofs, nowhere to put the snow. Now my body is sore. What a work out. The last couple of days I have not done any exercise such as pushups or crunches or anything to do with using muscle, other than what involves a shovel in my hand. I have pushed my body, although it is that good kind of sore! It’s that soreness that you know there will be muscle building, as long as I don’t push it and tear something. Advil has been my friend for the last few days.

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Ultimate Black Belt Test

UBBT

Snowing

2011-01-16T11:48:00.000-08:00

UBBT is going well, catching up on my New Years 1000 pushups today. I was trying to figure out how many hours of snow shoveling is equal to pushups and sit-ups, I guess we can’t do that. I know anyone living in the Stony Plain area is sure getting a workout this year. We must be getting close to four feet of snow here, seems like it has been snowing for a month steady. Thanks goes out to the Silent River Kung Fu people who volunteered to shovel senior’s driveways.

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Pushup and Sit-up Challenge

2011-01-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

Those who missed out on the challenge for New Years Day? Like I did. Sunday January 16 / 2011 is the set date 1000 pushups and 1000 sit-ups in a twenty-four hour period. Silent River Kung Fu does this challenge every New Years and Chinese New Years day. Sure helps with those numbers. Get R Done.

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

An old Cherokee Indian was speaking to his grandson:

2011-01-09T16:19:00.001-08:00

"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil--he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good -- he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a long minute, and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one I feed." ¹

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

UBBT 8 Behind

2011-01-09T06:37:00.001-08:00

Eight is here really fell behind, already missed out on 1000 pushup and sit-up challenge for New Years day due to the flue. Was going to do the 1000 today but arms, shoulders, and back, are sore from scraping snow off the roofs of our buildings and shoveling snow. Don’t want to wreck any muscles. Will be putting it off for another week. It is a lot easier to do the challenge when other people are doing the challenge and posting their results.

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Quote

2010-12-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

Quote from Simon Lucus, Chief of the Nuu Cha Nulth Aboriginal people on the west coast of Vancouver Island Canada

If the water can no longer support the salmon, if the land can’t support the deer and bear, then why do we think it will support us.

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Arithmetic Population and Energy

2010-12-17T06:18:00.000-08:00

This is an eight part series of Dr. Albert A Bartlett. This is a video what I call, a must watch. It is about eighty minuets so be prepared for some insight, and more questions on how our world is going to proceed at this alarming rate of expansion for the need of energy and our exploding population. The video is called -- THE MOST IMPORTANT VIDEO YOU’LL EVER SEE. The reason for the name is he is trying to get people to watch it. It is unbelievable how simple math looks at the future of our world, if we keep going at this incredible rate of use of our natural resources.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-QA2rkpBSY&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=PL6A1FD147A45EF50D

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Stats from My Dental Hygienist

2010-12-10T07:33:00.000-08:00

Did you know that only twenty percent of the population brushes their teeth regularly (at least once daily) and only ten percent of those people floss on a regular basis! Unclean teeth lead to more colds and flues.

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

UBBT 7

2010-12-03T09:49:00.000-08:00

My numbers for pushups and crunches are good I am ahead on those, I was pushing myself the last month to do the one hundred and fifty a day non-stop. The last few pushups are not pretty but how else do you force your body to push through and build the muscle.

Still have a few Kilometers, thirty-seven to be exact, to make the sixteen hundred km. of walk, run, swim or bike. Those numbers will be there by the end of the year.

Did not get as far in Gojo-Shorei cane as planned but I did add this in July. This will be UBBT 8’s goal, to study the cane through to black belt.

Blogging is still a bit of a roadblock for me; I don’t have the gift of the gab, but working on it.

Learning to fly fish is still on the agenda, went out a few times this year still not good at it, but it is a learning process. A lot of good came out of putting it on my to do list, as it was a reason to get out with family on some camping trips.

Scuba diving was good this year finished a few courses, Search and Recovery Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Underwater Navigator, and Emergency First Response. More plans for next year.

Meditation of ten minuets a day is on track thirty-three hundred minuets.

Taught Tai Chi Sword form and Cane strike and block set.

I feel it was a good fun year.

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Been Busy

2010-11-26T14:01:00.000-08:00

My tractor runs like a top now with the new cam gear. Just took a long time to get it done with work and other things going on. Cleared the driveway today it works great. Glad it is not el toro!

Also finally installed the water heater in the sunroom it is in a walk out basement. The water heater is for the infloor heating. That was a project that we started in the early spring of this year. In the spring we installed the pex tubing and poured a layer of concrete, then tiled the floor. Sure is nice to have a warm floor.

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Frustrated

2010-11-19T17:17:00.000-08:00

Our John Deere tractor is on the fritz. Spun the teeth off the camshaft drive so I am in the midst of tearing it apart and repairing it. You know those unexpected repairs that sneak up and whack you when you least expect it. The annoying part is I really baby and look after this tractor. I guess you can here me whining and not my tractor. Not Happy.

Sifu Hayes

www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Tibetan Parable

2010-11-12T04:20:00.000-08:00

I love this parable.

A man without awareness is like a carriage whose passengers are the desires, with the muscles for horses, while the carriage itself is the skeleton. Awareness is the sleeping coachman. As long as the coachman remains asleep the carriage will be dragged aimlessly here and there. Each passenger seeks a different destination and the horses pull different ways. But when the coachman is wide awake and holds the reins the horses will pull the carriage and bring every passenger to his proper destination.

Sifu Hayes

wwwsilentriverkungfu.com, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Dead End Drive

2010-11-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

Friday November 5 we were invited to the Victoria School of arts for the debut of a film Dead End Drive. The film was presented by Victoria School of Arts in partnership with the Alberta Motor Association (AMA) and Edmonton Police Foundation. It is a film that one hundred and fifty students and staff of the school spent most of their summer putting together this anti drinking and driving video. The music video is aimed at young drivers, the idea is to grasp their attention rather than through regular public announcements, such as billboards and radio commercials that try to shock people into not drinking and driving. The video is very well put together using the lyrics and sound track of the song Dead End Road. I believe the video is so well put together that it will be seen all across North America. This not to say that only teens are the ones drinking and driving, as the constable Brian Kincheloe explained it is a problem across all walks of life. As Ryan Lester (proud to say he is my neighbor) explained at the debut he made one phone call to AMA to explain what kind of video he was trying to help produce and in a couple of days the word spread to all the emergency support in the County of Parkland. The Parkland Police Department, Parkland EMS, Parkland Fire Department, and STARS were all onboard. The video involves Police cars, Ambulances, Fire Trucks and STARS helicopter. It is a short video but really sends a strong message. Excellent job!

Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

The Emma Maersk

2010-10-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

The Emma Maersk, part of a Danish shipping line.
What a ship..no wonder 'Made in China ' is displacing North American made goods big time. This monster transports goods across the Pacific in just 5 days!! This is one of three ships  presently in service, with another two ships commissioned to be completed in 2012.
These ships were commissioned by Wal-Mart to get all their goods and stuff from China. They hold  an incredible 15,000 containers and have a 207 foot deck beam!! The full crew is just 13 people on a ship  longer than a US Aircraft Carrier (which has a crew of 5,000) . With its 207' beam it is too big to fit through the Panama or Suez Canals.  
It is strictly transpacific. Cruise speed: 31 knots.   The goods arrive 4 days before the typical container ship (18-20 knots) on a China -to- California run. 91% of Wal-Mart products are made in China.  So this behemoth is hugely competitive even when carrying perishable goods. The ship was built in five sections. The sections floated together and then welded.  The command bridge is higher than a 10-story building and has 11 cargo crane rigs  that can operate simultaneously unloading the entire ship in less than two hours.
Additional info:   Country of origin - Denmark  Length - 1,302 ft  Width - 207 ft  Net cargo - 123,200 tons  Engine - 14 cylinders in-line diesel engine (110,000 BHP)   Cruise Speed - 31 knots   Cargo capacity - 15,000 TEU (1 TEU = 20 cubic feet)  Crew - 13 people !  First Trip - Sept. 08, 2006   Construction cost - US $145,000,000+    Silicone painting applied to the ship bottom reduces water  resistance and saves 317,000 gallons of diesel per year.
Editorial Comment!  A recent documentary in late March, 2010 on the History Channel noted that all of these containers are shipped back to China , EMPTY. Yep, that's right. We send nothing back on these ships. What does that tell you about  the current financial state of this country? Just keep buying those imported  goods (mostly gadgets) until you run out of money.  
Then you may wonder what the cause of unemployment (maybe even your job)   in the U.S. and Canada might be????   'Nuff said ?? 
Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

12 Universal Laws

2010-10-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

The Law of Devine oneness; helps us to understand that we live in a world where everything is connected to everything else. Everything we do, say, think and believe affects others and the universe around us.
The Law of vibration; everything in the universe moves, vibrates, and travels in circular patterns. The same principles of vibration in the physical world apply to our thoughts, feelings, desires, and wills in the Etheric world. Each sound, thing, even thought has its own vibrational frequency, unique unto itself.
The Law of Action; must be applied in order for us to manifest things on earth. Therefore, we must engage in actions that support our thoughts, dreams, emotions and words.
The Law of Correspondence; principles or laws of physics that explain the physical world energy, light, vibration, and motion have their corresponding principles in the etheric or universe.
The Law of Cause and Effect; nothing happens by chance or outside the universal laws. Every action has a reaction or consequence and we “reap what we have sown.”
The Law of Compensation; is the Law of Cause and Effect applied to blessings and abundance that are provided for us. The visible effects of our deeds are given to us in gifts, money, inheritances, friendships, and blessings.
The Law of Attraction; demonstrates how we create the things, events, and people that come into our lives. Our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions produce energies, which in turn, attract like energies. Negative energies attract negative energies and positive energies attract positive energies.
The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy; all persons have within them the power to change the conditions in their lives. Higher vibrations consume and transform lower ones, thus, each of us can change the energies in our lives by understanding the Universal Laws and applying the principles in such a way as to effect change.
The Law of Relativity; each person will receive a series of problems (Tests of Initiation) for the purpose of strengthening the Light within. We must consider each of these tests to be a challenge and remain connected to our hearts when proceeding to solve the problems. This law also teaches us to compare our problems to others’ problems and put everything into its proper perspective. No matter how bad we perceive our situation to be, there is always someone who is in a worse position. It is all, relative.
The Law of Polarity; everything is on a continuum and has an opposite. We can suppress and transform undesirable thoughts by concentrating on the opposite pole. It is the law of mental vibrations.
The Law of Rhythm; everything vibrates and moves to certain rhythms. These rhythms establish seasons, cycles, stages of development, and patterns. Each cycle reflects the regularity of God’s universe. Masters know how to rise above negative parts of a cycle by never getting too excited or allowing negative things to penetrate their consciousness.
The Law of Gender; everything has its masculine (yang) and feminine (yin) principles and that these are the basis for all creation. The spiritual Initiate must balance the masculine and feminine energies within herself or himself to become a Master and a true co-creator with God.
Our thoughts, feelings, words and actions create the world around us; we have the power to create a world of Peace, Harmony and Abundance. In order to do this, it is essential that we learn to control our thoughts and emotions. Understanding the Universal laws help us to do this.
There are 21 human characteristics that relate to the Universal Laws.
Aspiration to a Higher Power, Charity, Compassion, Courage, Dedication. Faith, Forgiveness, Generosity, Grace, Honesty, Hope, Joy, Kindness, Leadership, Noninterference, Patience, Praise, Responsibility, Self-love, Thankfulness, and Unconditional Love… (Milanovich and McCune)
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Scuba Do

2010-10-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

Went to Jasper the weather was fantastic for the first of October, twenty four to twenty six degrees Celsius. That was warm for this time of year. Evelyn and I left early on Friday for Jasper. Cycled, twenty kilometers on the trails in and around Jasper. Because it is an altitude dive, your body should to be at that altitude for six hours prior to diving. Lake Edith Saturday morning eight a.m. My focus was on buoyancy, practicing going through hoola hoops weighted at different levels, staying buoyant swimming inch off the bottom. Search and recovery, finding a hundred pound item and using an air lift bag to lift it. Navigation, using a compass underwater and finding articles following a grid pattern. Saturday after noon cycled twenty-eight kilometers, around Lake Bovert to Jasper Park Lodge and golf course, to Lake Annet and Lake Edith, back to and all around Jasper the back to Whistler Campground. Slept well that night. Up and back to Lake Edith Sunday morning, more practice and instruction on the three courses I was focusing on, out of the water by noon. Then packed up the campsite during the four-hour wait for my body to get rid of nitrogen before crossing the Obed summit. It was a fantastic weekend.
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Camping

2010-10-01T04:32:00.000-07:00

Our family went fly-fishing, camping near Rocky Mountain House, All our kids, I guess I will have to stop calling them our kids they are in their high twenties and early thirties. The eight of us set up camp all together in one site. It was just like the old days, sitting around the campfire, stories being told and a lot of laughter. Of course mom and dad finding out more of what they done when they were younger. The girls and their husbands/boyfriends all cook so there is no shortage of cooks, it is amazing what they whipped up for a meal. The scallops wrapped in bacon cooked out doors are absolutely delicious.
We tramped up and down streams, neat to watch four and five fishing lines snake back and forth to get enough line to hit that certain spot in the river. We caught a few fish. But fishing was not what the weekend was all about; it’s more about just getting together.
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.

Our Human Needs

2010-09-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

We have a hierarchy of three tiers of non-negotiable needs.
FIRST: is the group of factors that meet our biological requirements --clean air, clean water, clean soil and food, energy and biodiversity. Unless these fundamental requirements are fulfilled, people will not be able to look beyond satisfying them immediately at any cost.
SECOND: is the needs coming from our social nature. In order to lead full, rich lives, we need love above all else, and the best way to satisfy that need is to provide for stability of families and communities. In order to develop one’s fullest potential, we must be assured of meaningful employment, justice and security, for without them, we become crippled and incomplete.
THIRD: as spiritual beings, we have to know that there are forces in the cosmos beyond understanding and control, that we are indissolubly part of the totality of life on earth, caught up in an endless process of creation. Only by meeting all of these levels of needs can society provide full satisfaction and opportunity to its members and achieve true sustainability.
The Sacred Balance (David Suzuki)
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.

Higher Self

2010-09-17T04:04:00.000-07:00

Self-improvement should be an on going process in life. There are always improvements that a person can make on himself or herself. Our process in life on this planet should be to get to the highest self. Everything in life will teach you something as long as you are willing to learn. I find that every day is a learning experience, my problem is that I am not a hundred percent in tune with what the world is trying to teach me. Remember lessons keep repeating themselves until they are learned. So when your head gets sore enough from that brick wall you finally say to yourself that is not the way the cosmos works.
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Rant

2010-09-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

Not to put a damper on the fact that man and all our earth digging, fossil fuel burning practices do not have an effect on global warming. I watched a few videos and read some articles even NASA acknowledges that all of the planets in our solar system have been warming up at aproximatly the same rate! I know that we should not be pumping dirty fumes into our atmosphere. But it does seem that this is what is going to happen until our thirst for electrical energy and transportation can take a turn, and we as a human race can come up with some new way of producing power, and fueling our vehicles.

In a time when the multitudes were passively relying on brahmins to tell them what to do, Buddha challenged each individual to do his own religious seeking.
"Do not accept what you hear by report, do not accept tradition, do not accept a statement because it is found in our books, nor because it is in accord with your belief, nor because it is the saying of your teacher. Be lamps unto yourselves only and not look for assistance to anyone besides themselves, it is they who shall reach the topmost height."

Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.

Fly Fishing

2010-09-03T04:29:00.000-07:00

Fly Fishing is quite an art, watching someone who has done this for ten years or more. The fly line snakes back and forth over their head it looks like it is slow motion, as they let out more and more line. They are able to place a hook, anywhere they please with precision and getting a cast of twenty to thirty feet and more depending on stream size.
Well then there was me, line out over my back hooked in my vest, hooked in a willow tree, or the tall timothy grass behind me. Then letting the line go and it falls five feet in front of me. I finally did get the hang of it but the casting distance was nothing to write home about. We had a lot of laughs at my learning to Fly Fish. I did catch my first fish actually two on a fly rod what a blast. My fish were a whapping four inches long. Martin caught about fifteen fish, five to ten inches long. It looks like I need a lot more practice. Glad I choose this as a UBBT requirement.
Wading up and down a cool Alberta stream catching Arctic Grayling is something to behold, the silence broken by water running over the rocks, a fish jumping, a crow, raven or a whiskey jack. It really is nature at it best.
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkingfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Future

2010-08-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

It is time, lead with your heart, not with your mind. Everything will fall into place.
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Fast Trip

2010-08-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

I ended up straining some muscles in my back last week. Pushups and crunches were canceled for a couple of days. The last day we were in Whistler I managed to do pushups on a beach at a small lake. Sorry no pictures. I am now on track again.
It was a good thing the drive out to Whistler BC was clear, not a cloud in the sky so we could enjoy the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. On the way back the wind had changed directions and it was so smoky from all the forest fires, we could not see any more than a couple hundred feet above us. Thus did not see much for mountains. The weather was hot and in the thirty’s while we were there. All in all it was a good but fast trip, mainly to haul a cargo trailer full of house stuff for our daughter Kim she is moving back to Edmonton for a while to go to school. Also it was a good excuse to have another good look at the beautiful mountains.
Keeping track the food I ate was not easy. I should say some of the junk I ate did not get recorded. I forgot! You know that bag of chezzies, licorice, rice chips. When I eat things here and there, what I eat tends to be forgotten than just eating three squares a day. But in the end 98% of what I eat has been recorded. I think it is not to bad.
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Oh Darn

2010-08-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

Last day of work before holidays. I get off my motorcycle one hand undoing my helmet other hand reaching in my pocket for my kickstand support so the kickstand will not sink into the ground during the day. I watch the kickstand disappear into the ground as my bike slams to the ground in the gravel parking lot. A buddy comes over to help me get it stood back up. I survey the damages, broken signal light, multiple gravel rash. Oh well another day.
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.

Jade Buddha

2010-08-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

Missed a couple of days of UBBT due to sickness but just about caught up now. Holiday and sick should not be used in the same sentence little own have to go through it. Missed the Jade Buddha that was on display by in the temple close to Westlock Alberta. Kristy, Dave and Kim went I guess it is spectacular. They spent more time there than they had originally decided so the whole experience was great. I was sad that I missed it.
One of the cool things the 4000 lbs Jade Buddha’s was carved from one half of the Jade rock that was found in northern British Columbia Canada. final resting place will be in Australia. The Jade Buddha only made three stops in Canada; it was so close on its world tour for Universal Peace.
Interesting Utube video on where the jade was found and it’s carving. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoLrvafwKUE
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Bad Day

2010-07-30T14:48:00.001-07:00

First day of a week’s holiday, suppose to be gone to a family reunion but nature calls in the form of, I think it is food poisoning. I have been busy all last night and today, now very weak. But all should be good tomorrow. UBBT and everything else is out the window for today.
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Where’s The Love

2010-07-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

When we are born our mother shows us how to love by holding us gazing into our eyes. That is when the happy neuro-chemicals flood the infant’s brain. These good feelings are what start’s the process of learning love. An infant can’t survive on it’s own. Without love we do not thrive. Those neurons that grow love contribute to the development of our ability to think, feel, create, imagine, act and care for ourselves in the best possible way. Our destructive aggressiveness happens when our natural emotional needs for a loving relationship get frustrated.
Confucius said that every human heart is alike. When this is realized it becomes the basis for living. If we are all alike we should live our lives according to the golden rule, which is understood in every culture and religion including the philosophy of Confucius. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. The meaning for this is really forgiveness.
Natural empathy, or the ability to feel what others feel, is proof that man is essentially good. To be human we need to cultivate and develop the heart of compassion.
If we understand the great chain of being, it is our love that helps grow love in children. Confucius and his followers understood this wisdom, 2500 years ago. His main concern was human relationship. He understood that we were in alignment with our intrinsic purpose on this planet when we were able to have the best relationship with others. Our leaders need to run our countries so that relationships would be in the greatest harmony. Wow a great model for our leaders to embrace.
Why do we seem further from what Franklin Roosevelt stated, after seeing the catastrophe of war; there should be four R’s not three: reading, writing, arithmetic and relationships.
Confucius stated that the ideal person is one who can connect with others, one who can love.
How do we develop our capacity for love and compassion? Confucius said that this begins with tireless self-education. Explore our cultural heritage to understand what pilgrims who have gone before us have learned about love and how to achieve it. We must imagine this ideal and continue to develop this image so that we have a goal to aim for. Our heart of love and compassion is cultivated through our actions, what we do every day. Each day we must practice living up to our highest vision of love. We become more humane- we find our hearts- through giving. We need to open ourselves and passionately risk all for the sake of loving others.
Science has joined philosophy and spirituality in understanding that love is our root, answer, and what we are made of. Through a lifetime of self-exploration, we must look within ourselves to find the lost and hidden heart, because the source of love is within yourself.
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

2010-07-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

Brain Pathways
If you understand your thought patterns it lets you have a healthy attitude, improving your self esteem and boosting your confidence.
When you learn something the brain connection and pathway is weak. The more frequently you think a particular thought the stronger the brain pathway becomes. Which forms a automatic and eventually unconscious habit of thinking. You are actually training your brain.
When learning to ride a bike you are training your brain. Your brain is learning how to keep balance, your eyes on the road, holding the handle bars and steering in the right direction. The more you practice the stronger your bicycle riding pathways become. Eventually you are able to get on your bicycle and ride without thinking. You are operating on automatic. You have created a strong brain pathway that coordinates everything you have previously learned about bicycle riding and compiled it into something like bicycle software, uploaded and is operating seamlessly in your mind.
Your brain works the same way in forming your attitude and what you think of yourself. As a child your attitudes and thoughts about yourself are formed from everything you’ve heard and believed from important and influential people in your life,-- parents, siblings, teachers, friends, etc... If you have had a negative experience as a child, like made fun of by classmates not invited to play with them, you probably have a negative attitude and low self-esteem thought pattern regarding friends and social situations. So as a adult all this surfaces at social gatherings you experience anxiety, fear and nervousness. --People don’t like me, --Nobody is going to talk to me, --I don’t know what to say, --I was only invited because they had to. Believing this, and with emotional energy and acted on with conviction is what’s called your dominant thought pattern or dominant attitude, it all operates on automatic, triggering conscious and unconscious feelings and reactions to the circumstances of your life.
The good news is that it can all be changed by choosing what you are feeling and thinking, when you become aware of your attitude and beliefs. With practice you can create new brain pathways by developing new thoughts and behaviors, these will replace the old patterns of thinking and attitudes.
How to create new brain pathways.
Awareness-- All change begins with awareness.--- Notice your thoughts, feelings, words and actions. Practice---Focus your attention on the present, what do you see hear smell taste and feel?
Choice-- An act of making a decision: consciously choosing the thoughts and feelings for a healthy attitude and your goals and dreams.--- Accept responsibility for your thoughts. Practice--- Choose an attitude or goal you desire. Think about it twice a day in the morning when you get up and before you go to bed.
Change-- Transform your thoughts and feelings toward your goals and attitude. Fear of failure is still going to step in but remember you have to burn new brain pathways. Practice---Change your thinking when ever you notice you are slipping back to the old you. Change is hard to do but with practice things become unconsciously easy. Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Rude Awakening

2010-07-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

July 1, 5:30 AM, look out side the roof of the garage and the lawn looks a little white, Oh No Frost!
(They say that if there is frost and you catch it soon enough spray water on the plants and you can save them.)
Well out of the house as fast as I can (in my sleep wear). Feel the leaves of the tomatoes –confirmation-- there is frost-- Grab the watering can spray water on the tomatoes. Across the lawn I run, full speed slipping and sliding on the frosty grass. Turn off the faucet (it’s a quarter turn valve) as I am trying to unhook the pest control sprayer, I’m undoing the hose, there is water spraying all over the place and I am getting wet. I am thinking to myself in a flustered not awake flurry, why has the pressure not bled off the hose yet as the last thread is about to let loose and as I am standing in my own watery getting wet rainbow of water. I finally was waking up enough realize I did not pay attention to the valve; I had turned the water on --not off! I let the water pressure bleed off, unhook the pest control hose, screw on the sprinkler hose, turn on the water. Oh what a lovely sound of --tosh—tosh—tosh of the sprinkler wetting the leaves to keep the frost from settling on the plants. Back up to the house slipping and sliding across the lawn, grab the sprinkler can fill it from the rain barrel and sprinkle the leaves of the tomatoes again.
By now the deck where the tomatoes are is now frost laden and I am standing admiring my work hoping and praying I had saved the plants my wife had toiled over for so many days. I look down at my bare feet they are melting the frost on the deck, I forgot to put on some shoes. Every ten minuets I poured water over those tomatoes until the sun broke over the trees, to shine its warmth on those tomatoes.
Later that day we checked all of the plants not a speck of frost damage. Which makes me wonder did I save the day for those plants!
Happy Canada Day
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.

Dealing with Negative Naysayers

2010-06-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you are finally starting master the art of positivity, but still can’t get away from the wrath of conflict bullies and emotional bloodsuckers? Should we get rid of them? I mean not hang out with them? No, really we should be learning to live in harmony. You know the person, no matter how much advice they reach out for they never take it. The person who can’t wait to see you so they can make conversation that begins and ends in their self-created drama. Here is a term for you (Self Created Chaos or SCC for short). We can’t walk around with earplugs!
Hey it is impossible to live in a world of no negative and all positive. We can’t avoid conflict, drama and stressful relationships. Do we put on that emotional armor, so we can get to a better place and reach our goals? No that isn’t going to happen and shouldn’t, the best part of life is how imperfectly perfect it is. Try taking a new approach when conflict arises with that friend, neighbor, sibling or spouse;) Imagine they don’t have, what you have to deal with conflict, they do not think like you and they see the world totally different than you do. I know it’s hard to imagine!
You are the only person who sees things through your eyes. Before you pull that “I want to win card”. Step back from your usual way of thinking and you may see things differently. Your life has had many twists and turns. So has theirs. Maybe that argument or fight with your coworker isn’t about what has happened on the job. Maybe they are having financial problems, or blowing off steam in your direction due to your success at work? Seek to understand about yourself through the problems you have with others. Then you will be less reactive and more proactive when conflict arises.
What about those people you expect trouble from. Those labeled troublemakers who have no shot at getting a different title. If you concentrate on the good they bring to life (if any) or start expecting good things from them, instead of bad things, there may be a new understanding of how they tick.
My past posts have been harping on being positive and staying away from people who are negative. But if they are a friend or some one you care about or someone you think needs help. Maybe that negative naysayer just needs an emotional boost or a shot of positive vibes from you. It could be that’s all they need to gain a better perspective on life and lessen their confrontational ways. Don’t write off those negative naysayers, give yourself a chance to learn from them and gain perspective on how the world views you. Use these experiences to further your life.
“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out” -Anon
“ When things go right people stand behind you, when things go wrong you stand alone” -Max
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Communicating

2010-06-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

When having a conversation do you stay in the here and now, and listen to exactly what the other person is saying. Or do you get lost in your own head and over analyze what the other person is saying and why they are saying it. Communication involves listening to the other person whether you agree with them or not. Good communication skills help us avoid conflict and solve problems.
Have you ever heard of the word self-talk, it is that talk that goes on inside your head the one that sorts out what you are going to say, based on what the other person has said and what you perceived they said. It also can interfere with your listening if your self-talk gets ahead of the conversation and prejudges and assumes what the other person is going to say.
We hear what we want to hear, and what we expect to hear. What came out of our mouth is not always what the other person hears. Also what came out of our mouth is not what we were thinking before we spoke.
We can’t listen to two people at the same time yourself and the other person. Also you can’t speak to someone and talk to yourself in your own head.
If you catch yourself doing this take a deep breath refocus, and give the other person the opportunity to clarify what they said.
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Over coming Frustration with Patience

2010-06-11T04:24:00.000-07:00

Frustration is not the key to any door. The antidote to frustration is patience. If you want to practice patience go to a store check out and stand in the longest line, every thing goes wrong, if you are impatient the people in front of you can’t find their credit card, cashier can’t find the PC code so has to wait till someone brings the code, some ones credit card wont work in the swipe machine. It goes on and on, these things just seem to happen that slow you up. It is like the line has bad energy. What can you do to change the energy of that line? Try this! When some one comes up behind you let them go in front of you. That person feels so good and they will talk to you and express their gratitude they just can’t believe it, I some times wonder if they think some thing is wrong with you. But no, they will be very happy! Suddenly you are not pushy you are not anxious or angry and you will be very cheerful. Now watch what happens the line will probably speed up, and even pass the line next to you that is shorter. This technique can be used in all aspects of life.
Sifu Hayes
silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

UBBT Update

2010-06-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

I have been bike riding, a little over a hundred kilometers in the last few weekends between trails at Jasper and trails at Pigeon Lake also at home. Legs muscles are finally getting used to the pedaling, knees and hip are a problem but I am sure they will be OK. Goal is the sixteen hundred Kilometers of walk swim and ride bike. Pushups and crunches are still at par. Advanced Diving course is completed just have to get my picture in so I can get my card certificate. Going to try to get a couple more weekend dives in Jasper this year. My goal for Master McNeil’s Cane is to learn the Cane form to Black Belt level by the end of UBBT Seven.
Sifu Hayes
www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Sadness Happiness

2010-05-28T04:55:00.000-07:00

Situation, student, over the years a person has been asked to fix a punch or a kick, because it is just not as good, as you know that they could perform it, they are missing that little tweak. But they do perform good enough to get to the next level. Then the day comes I am asked, could you critique my punch, or kick, I tell them it is still not right, they are shocked, I say you are missing this little tweak. So they come back in a week with this great new found tweak that they have been missing. I say that is it you have found the secret.
The part of sadness is, I have been telling you this for a long time, why did it take so long to fix.
The part of happiness is, I grin from ear to ear, that you have finally found the secret to doing a good execution of the punch or kick.
The problem is we get carried away with all of the frilly, look at me fun stuff, and do not perfect our very basic punches and kicks we learned in the first year of beginning the martial arts. If you fix the basic the frilly dilly stuff will look and feel much better. (you still don’t look like a tiger come back when you look like a tiger)
Sifu Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Diving

2010-05-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

Jasper, Alberta, Canada. Water temp 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Finished the Advanced diving course. The course consisted of five dives.
Navigation dive – only using a compass under water, navigating squares and triangles. Lake Edith.
Peak performance dive - manipulating through a series of hula-hoops set at different levels in the water. Lake Edith.
Night dive - a flashlight and glow stick on our backs, on the lake bottom in the dark, looking for golf balls beside the Jasper golf course. Lake Beauvert
Deep-dive - equivalent to an ocean dive of 92 feet. Lake Beauvert.
Search and Recovery dive - searching for articles at the bottom of the lake and lifting heavy items using an air bag. Lake Edith.
Three of us started the Advanced Diver course the other two quit; ended up good for me I got a private lesson.
Sifu Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

2010-05-14T17:36:00.000-07:00

Adventure

2010-05-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

Diving in Jasper
Sifu Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Cows

2010-05-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

We can learn something by observing the behavior of cows. They are habitual animals, arriving, departing, gathering, and eating because they did so yesterday. They take shelter in the barn at the same time every day. One day the barn roof begins to leak. It leaks more and more until it offers little or no shelter. The cows continue to gather in the barn.
Our social structure has many leaks, and fails to shelter adequately many of its members. The leaks have grown, but we continue to try to collect under the same structure. Why do we do this? Because is exists? Is it easier than building a new system? What we must begin to question is the design of society (the barn). Is there only one way, the way with which we are familiar to build a social structure? Why is it leaking? From poor maintenance? Partially. Primarily it stems originally from poor design.
We are aware of the imbalances and injustices in the racial, class, economic, and gender structures. We spend hours and hours and billions of dollars studying and commenting on the breakdowns, the shortcomings, the hierarchies of society, but what has changed in the last several hundred years? Nothing. Oppression still exists. War still exists. Decadent wealth and poverty live side by side in the same cities. Inequality under the law prevails. Why?
Because quite simply there is a struggle for power. We have come to believe that if we don’t win we will lose, that we have only two groups to choose from: the oppressed and the oppressors. No one likes to admit that as “wealth” increases for one group, poverty increases for the other. We are either controlled or controllers in every aspect of our lives. It is a system of competition and survival of the fittest.
We have also forgotten the idea of the collective. We are entities in society, the individual and the collective mutually dependent. As one develops so does the other. As one backslides or stagnates, so does the other. To oppress another individual oppresses us all. And energy spent oppressing and controlling is energy tied up and not being used to make our own connection.
Consequently, what seriously needs to be addressed and questioned is the issue of our quest for power. This is the barn that won’t keep out the rain and won’t support the cows fighting to find a place – the best place – inside.
{Gathered thoughts}
Sifu Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada www.silentriverkungfu.com

Anxiety

2010-04-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

Anxious, is from a Latin word, meaning to choke or to strangle. Worry, is from a German word, meaning to choke or to strangle. To choke or to strangle we think of in the physical. But the meaning is the same, as the mental struggle brought on by worry, the choking of life, strangling of joy.
Quote--- Anxiety is the painful uneasiness of the mind, as it works over impending fears. It is struggling in the mental, emotional and spiritual realm while being strangled by worries and anxiety. In the slightest form we simply get uneasy. In the severe form we panic, or called a panic attack.
Today’s world often talks about being a multi tasker. But it is a proven fact your mind still only works on one thing at a time, it does have the ability to switch very quickly from one task to another but it still only comprehends one thing at a time. If all your problems are only half dealt with, your mind is still cycling back and forth between all of these tasks and that is when worry and anxiety begins. Each time you never finish a task it goes into the pot of I should have’s, you know that pot of unfinished projects, unfinished jobs or practices you should have done, pushups you should have completed, only to arise later to stir up your emotions.
This is why dealing with your fears, and realizing what causes you to lose all emotional control and lash out in anger, is so important!
Worry takes away our energy and joy making us judgmental then we become negative people, we expect wrong, find it, and then focus on it. Our society worries about the future, discontent with the present, can’t control the past. We spread ourselves so thin we are exposed to fear and doubt, we become weary and impatient, then tempers wear thin and robs us of peace of mind.
Sifu Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

10 Life Laws

2010-04-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

Life Law #1: You either get it or you don't. Those who "get it" understand how things work and have a strategy to create the results they want. Those who don't are stumbling along looking puzzled, and can be found complaining that they never seem to get a break.
Life Law #2: You create your own experience. This means taking responsibility for your life. If you’re in a bad relationship, if you’re in a job you hate, if you’re overweight, then you have no one to blame but yourself. You are creating the situations you are in and the emotions that flow from those situations. You will never fix a problem by blaming someone else. Instead, start choosing the right behaviors and thoughts. Eventually, it will lead to the positive outcomes you want.
Life Law #3: People do what works. Even the most destructive behaviors have a payoff. If they didn’t, you wouldn’t do them, right? So, if you want to stop behaving in a certain way, you have to recognize what you are gaining from it. Then figure out other, more constructive ways you can gain what you need.
Life Law #4: You cannot change what you do not acknowledge.
If you're unwilling or unable to identify and consciously acknowledge your negative behaviors, characteristics or life patterns, then you will not change them. You've got to face it to replace it. Acknowledgment means, admitting that you are getting payoffs for what you are doing, and giving yourself a no-kidding, bottom-line truthful confrontation. You cannot afford the luxury of lies, denial or defensiveness.
Life Law #5: Life rewards action. Talk is cheap. It's what you do that determines the script of your life. Measure yourself and others based on results — not intentions or words. Decide that you are worth the risk of taking action, and that your dreams are not to be sold out. Know that putting yourself at risk may be scary, but it will be worth it. You must leave behind the comfortable and familiar if you are to move onward and upward.
Life Law #6: There is no reality, only perception. You know and experience this world only through the perceptions that you create. You have the ability to choose how you perceive any event in your life, and you exercise this power of choice in every circumstance, every day of your life. No matter what the situation, you choose your reaction, assigning meaning and value to an event.
Life Law #7: Life is managed; it is not cured.
You are a life manager, and your objective is to actively manage your life in a way that generates high-quality results. You are your own most important resource for making your life work. Success is a moving target that must be tracked and continually pursued.
Life Law #8: We teach people how to treat us.
You either teach people to treat you with dignity and respect, or you don't. This means you are partly responsible for the mistreatment that you get at the hands of someone else. You shape others' behavior when you teach them what they can get away with and what they cannot.
Life Law #9: There is power in forgiveness.
Hate, anger and resentment are destructive, eating away at the heart and soul of the person who carries them. Forgiveness is not about another person who has transgressed against you; it is about you. Forgiveness is about doing whatever it takes to preserve the power to create your own emotional state. It is a gift to yourself and it frees you.
Life Law #10: You have to name it before you can claim it. Not knowing what you want — from your major life goals to your day-to-day desires — is not OK. The most you'll ever get is what you ask for. If you don't even know what it is that you want, then you can't even ask for it. You also won't even know if you get there!
Dr. Phil’s ten life laws. Very true.
Sifu Hayes Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta Canada

Life Questions

2010-04-16T04:15:00.000-07:00

If you had, half as much as what you have, would you be happy?
What influences you?
If you become the people around you do you really know who you are?
Do you know what is right and wrong?
Do you follow people even though you know they are doing wrong?
Can you lead without ego?
If you have great expectations for your self do you follow through?
Do you believe in a higher power?
Do you think every living thing on this beautiful earth is by chance?
Do you wake up every morning and be thankful for what you have?
Do you go to bed and be thankful for your day?
Do you express yourself by saying please and thank you?
Do you make eye contact with people when listening to them?
Do you listen to people when they speak?
May you be at Peace?
Sifu Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

2010-04-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

Gratitude
Are you grateful for everything you have?
Whether you have a million dollars in the bank or a hundred -- if you have a roof over your head, food on your table and the comfort of friends and family, you're rich.
Giving back benefits you in a number of ways.
When you give back, you feel better about yourself, your accomplishments and your wealth -- you feel grateful.   
When you give back, you learn about yourself and about others -- this is a valuable opportunity.   
When you give back, you make valuable connections with people who have the power to change your life in any number of amazing ways.   
When you give back, you gain both spiritually and monetarily. It's the Law of Attraction -- which states you attract what you focus on. The Law of Attraction says: That which is like unto itself, is drawn.   
When you possess gratitude, compassion, and generosity of mind, money and spirit, you attract those things back to you -- all which make you richer, smarter, and surrounded by life, love and happiness.  
No matter what level you're at or what goals you are striving for, have the mind-blowing opportunity to improve the lives of others, including your own, in a number of ways.
  1. You have the power to change the world, to better the world.
   2. By embracing and acting on your power, you will gain abundance both materially and spiritually.
  "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."  -Winston Churchill
If history and experience have taught us anything it's that the more you give, the more you receive. When you take the time to give back to the world with the intention of improving the lives of others, the essential result is that you end up receiving so much more than you can possibly imagine.
Sifu Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Toxic people

2010-04-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

I came across this article and wanted to write something like this in my own words, But Maria Mar writes so well I did not what to compromise her article.
What is a Toxic Person?
By toxic, I do not mean that they are finding it difficult to deal with your change. That's normal. I don't mean that they "make you" feel this or that way. No one "makes" you feel. That is giving your power away. If this is the case, assume the responsibility for your feelings, attitudes and responses.
  What, I mean by toxic is that they are not willing to respect your limits. Toxic to you are friends who repeatedly dishonor or betray you. Toxic are friends who play mind games. Toxic are people who are unwilling or unable to see how their acts affect others, how they are affecting you. Toxic people are blamers. They always have an excuse and a finger pointing somewhere else. There is no way that you can come to terms with people like that. You will be trying forever. Toxic are those who take, but do not receive. Toxic are those who take, but do not give.
  Toxic people take you for granted. Their actions (and sometimes even their words) consistently reveal that they not value you. They put you down with words or actions. They make you invisible. They refuse to name the beauty and love you bring into their lives.
  Toxic friends trample on your faith and speak only cynical words that take away all the magic and goodness in life.
  Toxic friends may be charmers, but they cannot commit to love, to you or to their own words. These toxic friends do not know what they want. They keep asking for your help, only to drop the entire project the minute you committed your contacts or time to their support. You end up exhausted and your reputation is damaged with these toxic friends.
  Toxic are people who begin a full-fledge war against your happiness, who do everything they can to bring you back to a place of suffering, so that you stay with them in their misery.
Toxic People in Business 
Toxic clients are those who keep asking for more and take everything, but do not RECEIVE it. Because they are not allowing the love in what you give to touch them, they do not FEEL the value of it. As a result, they always want more and nothing is enough. They do not value the gifts because in their emotional world, they have not let the gift in.
  They do not trust or value your expertise. Because they do not value themselves, they distrust the value of anyone associated with them. Once they hire you, they do not value you. They will ask for others' opinions and act on those opinions, even if these other people are not experts. They will not follow your counsel and when their actions lead them to failure, they will fail to see that it was not your counsel, but their stupidity that lead them to that end.
  Toxic clients haggle about the price of your service. They pay late and come up with excuses. They do not do their work and then complain that your service is not working. They give you the materials late and procrastinate, so that you cannot fulfill your contract with them. Then they come back after the contract date is over and want you to be their time slave and keep on working for them.  
Practicing Tough Compassion 
Leaving toxic people is not about judging them. It is not about blaming them or feeling superior to them. It is about vibrational frequencies, readiness and the capacity to change. You have evolved into a being with higher vibrational frequencies because you have left a lot of dead weight behind and you have unravel the emotional knots that kept your radiance tied up. You have embraced change and you have learned to surrender to Divine Will. But not everyone is ready to do that just yet. Recognizing when someone needs to stay behind is part of compassion.
  Compassion teaches us to be tolerant, not to judge others. To forgive others, weaknesses and mistakes because no one is perfect. But when compassion for another makes it impossible to have compassion for yourself, then it is time to practice Tough Compassion. It is time to let go.
  No one deserves that you betray your soul, your happiness and your potential. No one deserves that you go back to your old world, becoming a ghost just for them. That option is not love. It is not love for them. And it is certainly not love for you. Written by Maria Mar
A toxic person who reads this will not look at him or herself and try to change. But will continue on their merry way pointing fingers at people they feel are toxic. Are you using people to make yourself feel powerful to get what you want? Remember----Compassion!
Sifu Hayes, Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Concrete

2010-03-26T04:46:00.000-07:00

Three cubic yards of making your own concrete, five hours bent over crouching. My back and legs were screaming stop please. I push through, the muscles don’t scream pain anymore they just hurt, my mind wanted to give up quit let some one else do this job for a while, No. Perseverance mind over pain ignore it keep going. Now it’s done.
So what did I learn? People who work concrete for a living I greatly admire.
Sore muscles no pushups for a couple of days it’s catch up time, but today I am back on track.
Sifu Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Life is Changing

2010-03-12T08:13:00.000-08:00

Lost a good friend, funeral last Saturday. He was fifty-four. A very caring happy to help you type person. Lost his life to Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, nine months after diagnoses.
This makes me look at my own life and evaluate myself. You know what I mean, look back and judge if I have done all you can do, and am I happy with myself as a human being. Did I tell those people that I loved them? Did I give them a helping hand when they needed it? Should I take those trips, buy that holiday trailer or save the money for retirement.
That question always arises. What am I doing? Where am I going? These types of things come along and whack you back into reality.
I thank you Barry for letting me be a friend in your life.
Sifu Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Misunderstanding

2010-03-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

When problems, misunderstandings or disagreements, happen in your life there are three things to ask yourself and these questions must be thought of and answered honestly.
1- when misunderstanding happens ask who, Look at the problem through someone else’s eyes. In the first you consider the source.
2- when misunderstanding continues ask why, is it you who is creating the misunderstanding or the other person just being negative. Examine the reason.
3- ask what, what is to be learned from this misunderstanding. Learn the lesson.
After all this and things are not worked out forgiveness in what is in hand, forgiveness does not mean you agree. It just means you let it go, if you hang on and don’t forgive, bitterness sets in and if you hang on to that it will dig a hole in you and never let you go. Besides you can’t change the past.
Sifu Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu - Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

The Beetle

2010-03-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

Seen some maps of the progression of the pine beetle. I think our forests are on the losing end of the bug. The Beetle has spread so fast and so quickly that our forest has no hope. The bad thing is that you know what follows the dead trees standing in the forest from the pine beetle, fire. Our Government is doing everything it can to try to save the trees, cutting burning, but will it be enough, the idea is to keep the beetle from spreading any further east then Alberta. The surveys from 2005 thru 2009 can be viewed. Form your own opinion. www.mpb.alberta.ca/Resources/regionalmaps.aspx
Sifu Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu – Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Energy

2010-02-19T22:55:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen a person’s bad mood ruin a get together or some one else’s magnetic personality unleash a positive ripple of energy through a gathering, meeting or event, have you ever witnessed this. If a teacher is unbalanced and stressed, their class suffers. If a manager is overwhelmed and impatient the team is not unified and powerful. If Mom and Dad is depressed, out of shape and disconnected from their life purpose, the family becomes stagnant and void of bliss and growth. If teachers feel disconnected from the passion they once had for teaching, the students suffer.
How do we stay energized eating the right foods, drinking the right drinks, getting enough sleep? Filling our day with right things that make us positive rather than negative. Our jobs, the music we listen to the people we surround our selves with. Rather than looking for the things in our lives that will energize us, we should be looking first at the things that are causing our energy to be leaking or draining us.
Things we can do! Create, Have fun, Peace and Quiet / Meditation Just do things in silence let your spirit speak to you, listen to your thoughts and emotions figure them out. The music you listen to, the words in the song, the words we hear spoken and we speak. If we tell a child they are lazy and selfish those words will stick with you. Every word that is spoken is set into motion, which will be a cause and effect. Be careful what you say.
It is unbelievable how negative energy spreads. Positive begets positive. Negative begets negative.
Just as Gandhi said, BE the change you wish to see in the world.
Sifu Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu - Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Our Planet

2010-02-12T23:25:00.000-08:00

At the rate that mankind is reaping and pillaging our lands such as deforestation and not replacing what is taken. We as the superior of the animal kingdom should be the ones that are managing and caring for the resources that Mother Earth has provided us with. For every tree that we cut we should be replacing with ten and maybe someday we will catch up to stabilize the deforestation that has already happened. I understand that we use a lot of lumber and have a need for it. But if it takes thirty seconds to a minute to cut a tree, limb it and get it ready to put on a truck and fifteen to twenty years for it to become that same size of tree well I guess we are on a road of no return. Then there is the pine beetle, it’s like Mother Nature stating if you don’t take care of this forest I will. Forest fires are important to the regrowth and cleansing of the forest. We are always trying to put them out to save the trees. I know! We hate to see all those trees go to waste. It’s a Catch-22.
Farmed trees are planted in rows and let grow from fifteen to twenty years then cut and replanted. The management people of these farms state that there is more wild life and ecosystem in that forest than there is in an eighty year old forest with a canopy, it seems that the canopy lets no sunlight threw to the forest floor which is knee deep in pine needles and so acidic that nothing will grow. There is a positive side to the tree farms; more tree management farms are needed, in Canada and United States. A win; win situation.
Then there is the very fragile ecosystem of the Rain Forests, and what deforestation is causing in that part of the world.

…The emerging viruses are surfacing from ecologically damaged parts of the Earth. Many of them come from the tattered edges of the rain forest or tropical savanna that is being settled rapidly by people. The tropical rain forests are the reservoirs of life on the planet… (including) viruses, since all living things carry viruses. In a sense, the Earth is mounting an immune response against the… flooding of people, and the dead spots of concrete all over the planet....
Quote…. Richard Preston The Hot Zone

Read this link. www.richardpreston.net/books/hz.html
Then click on, read excerpt from his book Hot Zone, if you have not already read his book. It’s a terrifying true story. Can we save this world; at least through the UBBT we are trying.
Sifu Hayes Silent River Kung Fu - Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Confidence VS. Arrogance

2010-02-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

I found this article to be very helpful in understanding personalities.

Many people have wondered the differences of confidence vs. arrogance. The discussion of confidence vs. arrogance brings to light many similarities and differences between the two characteristics. Confidence vs. arrogance also focuses the attention on the way each of these characteristics affects the behavior of a given individual. Below is a list of differences and similarities between these two characteristics. You can decide for yourself when it comes to confidence vs. arrogance which characteristics fit you best accordingly.   
1. Confidences vs. arrogance both involve believing in one’s abilities. A person who is confident understands they have certain areas of strength. A person who is arrogant also believes that they have certain areas of strength. A person with confidence will also understand others maybe stronger, and that each person is a complete package of strengths and weaknesses so will remain humble in both. An arrogant person will often neglect to acknowledge weakness in light of playing up the strengths.   
2. Confidence vs. arrogance often stem from two different roots. Arrogance is often underplayed by insecurity. An arrogant person tends to be arrogant to compensate for areas of weakness that distress the individual. An arrogant person may seem to ignore any areas of weakness and only play up areas of strength, but they often do so because of an inability to come to terms with weakness. A confident person finds the root of their confidence in self-acceptance - a key confidence vs. arrogance difference. A confident person accepts their weaknesses or faults, even though they may not like them. This acceptance enables the confident person to handle faults with grace and without further compacting the areas of weakness with arrogance. These are key points when understanding confidence vs. arrogance.   
3. The effects of confidence vs. arrogance on relationships clearly mark the difference between the two characteristics. An arrogant person tends to brag and can put others down in an attempt to be the best or come out the coolest. A confident person is above such antics. They recognize their strengths and weaknesses, and allow that other people will have strengths and weaknesses. A confident person need not make life a competition, so a confident person is often much easier to be around. An arrogant person can be cocky and difficult to reason with, making conversation difficult and bothersome.   
4. The physical manifestations of confidence vs. arrogance also help distinguish them. Arrogance is often associated with a swaggering walk and a posture that is overly commanding and dominating. Body language of an arrogant person differs from that of a confident person. A confident person can adopt an open and easy posture that allows others to approach them. An arrogant person is often more aggressive and harder to approach. Confidence vs. arrogance involves truly two different characteristics, sharing only a perceived appreciation for a particular strength. Arrogance, sadly, often accompanies a lack of confidence so that the arrogant person still hurts underneath. The question of confidence vs. arrogance is not a difficult one, and most people would rather be on the confident side of the fence.
Sifu Hayes Silent River Kung Fu - Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Educate, Wants vs Needs

2010-01-29T22:50:00.000-08:00

All kids around my age away back when, we called each other by name. People older were always spoken to as Mr. or Mrs.. Of course there was that line of a persons age, where you didn’t know if a person should use their name or call them Mr., Mrs. or Miss., it was always better to use the formal. Then there was Mrs. and Miss., which are they, are they married or not. I always found that Mrs. was safer. How did you know when to stop using the formal? Generally the older person told you! If you were walking down the sidewalk we stepped out of the way for the older person. We were taught as kids to say hello to the older person first. Seems it don’t happen as much any more. But then again I grew up on a farm ten miles from a small town. Probably had more time to learn the rules of educate.
People are generally good inside, the parents of our fast pace society are living at mock speed trying to get everything and as much as possible in the shortest amount of time and the kids of today are learning that, this is the only way to live. Just think what pressure is going to be on the next generation. Funny thing is, the faster the pace we live in society the more stress we put on ourselves, and stress causes more diseases and will probably shorten your life. That old saying comes to mind (the hurrier I go the behinder I get). Wants vs Needs.
Sifu Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu - Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Foods That Kill

2010-01-22T04:27:00.000-08:00

Here is some info that meat eaters of the world are not going to like to hear.
Doctor Michael Klaper
Institute of Nutrition Education and Research

Click on the first one the rest will appear on the side in utube.
They are to be watched in order. Aproximatly one hour, six part video.

Part 1 of 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG_tn3KAXNE
Part 2 of 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ibp1jCjojdo&feature=related
Part 3 of 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL3C2veCU6k&feature=related
Part 4 of 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUOgeq0MDkk&feature=related
Part 5 of 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1A4IaQ8y7Q&feature=related
Part 6 of 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffH4jC01gyM&feature=related

Sifu Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu - Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

What’s Happening?

2010-01-15T19:51:00.000-08:00

I was talking to a friend the other day about the wild things that are happening in the world. Such as disasters we have seen on the tube and heard on the radio. I remember quite a few years ago having the same conversation. Discussing then it seemed that more disasters have been happening. Back then we just passed it off as, we are being more informed because of our media constantly searching for more and more news, and we have a lot more access to more sources of informative electronics. But now in this day and age I am sure it is not just the information line is more open, we are experiencing more natural disasters caused by our society of stuff. What’s your opinion?
Sifu Max Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu - Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

The flu

2010-01-11T12:48:00.000-08:00

Picked up another flu bug head cold all weekend. Hopefully sweat it out today and Sudafed.
Sifu Hayes
Silent River Kung Fu – Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

One Thousand Pushups One Thousand Crunches Done

2010-01-03T23:07:00.000-08:00

New Years Day was planes, trains, automobiles & busses an auto
Filled day. January second I had to work so I push the thousand, till today the third of January. Remembering last year the one thousand seemed impossible, such a huge number, this year after one hundred fifty pushups and crunches a day for UBBT 6. The one thousand journey was much more enjoyable.
By pacing myself at fifty every half hour. I found the half hour rest gave my muscles enough time to recover.
Reading all the Silent River Kung Fu posts was inspiring, especially the members of Silent River who were not part of UBBT doing their best to accomplish the thousand. Posting your numbers is verbally showing you believe.
Congrats to those who at least tried I am sure with this attitude a Black Belt will be accomplished some day.
Sifu Hayes wwwsilentriverkungfu.com
Stony Plain Alberta Canada

Whistler

2009-12-25T21:18:00.000-08:00

Yes Christmas day, here we are in Edmonton airport leaving for Vancouver, fog has delayed the flight. It is leaving a two hours later than expected. Our bus connection in Vancouver is not going to line up so we will take another bus.
The sea to sky highway from Vancouver to Whistler where the winter Olympics are being held is a beautiful piece of construction. The highway is built part way hanging off the side of the mountain with concrete and rock bonding the three and four lane highway to the mountain . The town of Whistler is built in a valley the main part of Whistler Village is constructed at the base of the ski mountain. The village is built so there is no driving all walking streets as you wander from shop to shop and food sources.
We ventured up the Whistler mountain in a small gondola which will hold about six people and ski equipment about a twenty-five minute ride. It was quite weird there was a thermal inversion that day. At the base of the mountain the temperature was minus ten at the top at twenty-one hundred meters the ambient temperature was plus ten snow was melting and the day was absolutely stunning not a cloud in the sky sun bearing down with extraordinary heat. We then boarded the Peak to Peak gondola it holds twenty-five to thirty people. The structure holding the cables are massive. Two cables suspending the gondola and one push pulling, I heard that it is one of the longest free suspended gondola's in the world. It is a very smooth ride of eight minutes, the view is stunning all the way over to the top of Blackcomb. We had lunch out on the patio in the sunshine, viewing the valley of green pines covered in snow and the sun glistening off the snow covered peaks. Skiers and snow boarders carving the snow as they make their way down the mountain. We rode the gondola back to the top of Whistler mountain and back down to the village. The Peak to Peak was a beautiful day of unbelievable scenery and well worth the trip. Something to be aware of is to make sure it is a sunny day. I now see why so much money was spent on upgrading Whistler, there is so much skiing at this wold class facility that you can ski for weeks and not take the same run twice. British Columbia has done quite a wonderful job of preparing for the Olympics, I will be focusing my full attention all sports events this February.
Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com
Stony Plain Alberta Canada

Feeling Buried

2009-12-18T22:59:00.000-08:00

All the projects that I want to do seem such a huge task that I will never survive them all.
There is a basement room that needs a new floor, I am going to install in floor heating, trying to decide to go Hydro or Electric. Both are a huge undertaking.
Then there is the outside dirt wall that should be stabilized although it is frozen now (yes :-) it will be good till summer.
I picked up a thirty-year old fifteen-foot Lund boat that looks in great shape but will still need quite a few hours of TLC, and rebuild the Mercury motor for it. The trailer needs to be stripped down, repainted, new tires and rims.
Also picked up a 1984 Fiero that I want to restore or possibly turn into a mock Ferrari. The engine is in fairly good shape, what I originally wanted to do is drop a small V8 in it. That might be too large of a task!
Doesn’t seem like much, but I do like to do as much myself as possible. Looks like lot of man-hours.
Also will be adventuring more into the Cane curriculum getting the Kwoon up to speed. This winters project.
Looks like I need a big dollar retirement.
Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com
Stony Plain Alberta Canada

Discerning

2009-12-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

I was raised in a home that was made clear what was right and wrong. If the rules were not followed consequences would follow.
Why is the line between right and wrong not so clear anymore? It seems that truth and error they run so close together in this day and age and weird time we live in how can any one call anything wrong. Especially when society judges itself and follows Hollywood and the super jocks of our world and watch them do what ever they want. Such as curse, swear in the ring. Maybe slam a guy into the ice with a stick to the head from behind. Have no control; just pass it off, as oh the guy was just to pumped to know what he was doing. Or make society believe that he is a clean-cut family guy and when they come out of the Woods find out later he’s not. They make all kinds of money in advertising, pushing products that our children and society use. Only to find out they are leading a double life and if these lime light people can do it, well it must be OK and right. It is no wonder that violence is becoming the norm when kids play such violent video games. Practice anything enough and you become good at it. Instead of real being real it is like virtual reality is becoming reality. Our younger generation is thriving on this. We are watching a move from a standard of morality to emphases on tolerance. We have changed from a society of beliefs to a society of self.
Instead of life being interpreted honestly it is interpreted emotionally. Back in the day there was a level of morality, one was appropriate, and one was not. There was a clear line drawn in the sand which was right and wrong Now days there seems to be a line but it gets moved by the persons morality and how you feel at the moment just move the line over a bit or better yet erase it.
No rule is valid- break it. No authority is valid- ignore it. Just do what you feel is right. Style is more important than substance. Image or appearance is what is real not substance. Is morality just a choice? Do words have no adherent meaning?
We live in a world where everything is possible and nothing is certain.
Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com
Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Early Celebration

2009-12-04T21:34:00.000-08:00

Being that our family will not be able to get together for Christmas. We had an early festive fondue feast this weekend. We had a great time listening to stories of Christmas’s past when the kids were younger. It is nice to hear the house full of laughter while sitting around the dinner table. The celebration is over and everyone has gone back to his or her destinations to different parts of Alberta and BC. It is comforting to get the phone call, when they made it home safely. That’s all for this week.
Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com
Stony Plain Alberta Canada

What’s UBBT done for me

2009-11-27T11:34:00.000-08:00

When I heard about the UBBT my first thought was not again more body abuse yahoo! Seeing I was lacking in my quest to try to stay in shape. So in July of 2008 I started doing a hundred pushups a day in small sets during the day twenty at a time. I remember trying to squeeze out twenty pushups. Getting frustrated with myself that I had let myself go to that point. When ten years ago a hundred pushups was no big deal. Well a good thing for muscle memory I guess you never really lose it. Within a month I was doing a hundred fifty pushups and sit ups a day. By the end of four months had whittled them down to two sets of seventy-five. I am comfortable there. I have had set backs bad shoulder stopped for a month. I am happy with the outcome of the pushups and sit-ups. This part has given me a routine to just do it. Body has changed too.
Walk/run /swim. The running part did not turn out to well I had high hopes of running more. But my back give me problems where it laid me up for a while, lower back would not take the pounding so resorted to logging my walking and swimming. Bicycling was in this category, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Meditation. Gives me time to reflect on the day ahead, and day past. And just be mindless. Ten minuets in the morning, gives me a start to the day. Keeps me calm.
Stretching. Not exactly where I want to be with this. I am better off than if I didn’t do anything. Ten minuets in the morning, it is enough but did not push myself hard enough.
I stepped out of my comfort zone when I decided to try scuba diving. I like the water but I liked to be on top of it, maybe in a boat and breathing air from the massive atmosphere that has been provided for us. Well this was an experience that I defiantly will keep pursuing. The feeling of weightlessness with only sound of your breath it is very peaceful. With good instruction and friends in this aquatic sport it has been one of the best experiences in my life, I have not been to the ocean yet. I will get there I can hardly wait! It will happen someday.
Over the last year I have been more conscious of our environment I’m reading The Sacred Balance by David Suzuki wow great book but that is for another discussion.
I have tried to do more conversing something I am not the best at. I don’t like gossip or idle chit chat so that kind of puts me in a position where conversation, in to days world, there does not seem to be much left! Wow that sounds kind of humbug.
So Has the UBBT changed me, definitely? Physically as I have described and mentally it has made me look inside myself and try to change things I didn’t like about myself as in conversation, helping more people and the environment. It is my duty to spread knowledge that I have learned otherwise not much use getting the knowledge and keeping it all locked up inside yourself, besides the best learning experiences I have had are from helping and teaching others. The best question you can ask yourself is what don’t I like about myself and change it.
Pushups 66,200 Crunches 66,200
Walk/Run/Swim 949 KM Bicycle 1,162 KM total of 2,111 KM
Sifu Hayes www.silentriverkungfu.com
Stony Plain Alberta Canada