Angels and demons

Just finished reading this book.
Another fine read from Mr. Dan Brown (http://www.danbrown.com/).

All the same questions though, a number of different answers too.
What is faith? What is god? Where does morality fit in? Who am I?
All fine questions asked by many men far greater than I. Could start with my name couldn't I - after all this is my usual answer to "who are you?"

Craig
http://www.thinkbabynames.com/name/1/Craig
Beattie
http://www.family-crests.com/coat-of-arms/family-crest/b/beattie-coat-arms-1643.html
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jkmacmul/namemeanings-coatofarms/mottoes_Ba-Bl.html
I find the motto intriguing

"near the rock" "May we follow heavenly inspiration"

Sounds like a riddle eh? Brings to mind an image of a young man sat on the grass at night, on a cliff face with the waves of the sea crashing into, through around great splinter-like fingers of rock that soar from the sea. This isn't what the young man is looking at though, his ears are full of the sea but his eyes look to an infinite darkness peppered with bodies of light...

I think I'll go look at the stars and the moon tonight.

Time and time again

As I wrote earlier I'd recently read the da vinci code - excellent book in my opinion - not least because the small number of characters gives it a simplicity and the content matter harks back to my roman catholic upbringing.
The challenges the book offers are most interesting and has made me think back to decisions I made (or perhaps failed to make in my youth). I remember quite distinctly (distinct memories are rare for me) at the age of eleven standing in the back of St. Georges church (Anglican - FYI) and seeing an advert seeking young men to join the priest hood. At the time this appealed to me and I considered it quite seriously for some time (distinctness of memory fades here). So now at 29 I no longer attend church - why?
When I was younger and asked that question I would likely have replied that I didn't see the value in the rituals associated with the Church. I observed that some were taken from elsewhere but the answers i.e. why we do them didn't seem to come across. The classic prayer with the hands placed flat together seems to be a Buddhist thing - the hands are placed together to complete the energy pathways through the body.
I think this is still a valid assessment and arguably I still feel that way. Has my path found me more answers? Not lately I guess, but I think it has. You know I started writing this thinking I would come to a no conclusion - hehe. What answers might you ask? Actually maybe more questions, but the path is clear and I think I've an idea what the objective is I think - and I'm keenly aware I don't have the willing to reach it.

Hmm.... Interesting brain dump this - for me anyway. The path continues - for now it is learning the nei gung of the wu dang t'ai chi club.

Onwards!

just read the da vinci code

liked it :)

long time no blog

well much has happened but apparently not blogging. I've just pointed my www.craigbeattie.com address to this blog so thought I should add a line in here.

Just recovering from sunburn at the minute after spending time with my family in Eastbourne. Hope to post more soon.

Buying a wooden straight sword....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7131177441&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT

bidding for swords

Ok, so a couple of Paul Chen swords came up on Ebay recently and I figured I'd have a go at bidding for them, get myself a good deal. I am looking for an oxtail Dao sabre for my practice of the sabre form and noticed that a straight sword had come up to (thought that might be handy for the sword form down the line).

Sadly both went without me and the one I really wanted - the Dao went for more than its worth new??? Auctions are a bit mental like that though I guess. Still looking around for best prices now then.

currently reading...

Currently I am reading Steal My Art: Memoirs of a 100 Year Old... which discusses T.T. Liang from the point of view of one of his students. I'm about half way through now and finding it to be an amazing read. Here's a man who achieved many of the ideals of a T'ai Chi exponent - including living to 102 years of age in good health.

It is an incredible insight into some of the big names in T'ai chi chuan. The book does well to get rid of the idea that a T'ai Chi master is necessarily like the wizened enlightened monks we often see on TV in the films, but rather real men who lived in what has been a most eventful and terrible century. The book is worth a read to anyone interested in the experiences of a man who lived through all the 1900s but mostly to those interested in some of the T'ai Chi history of the last century...

Folks at the crown and sceptre - my local

Another year

Wow.

Just had a look back through this blog that I shamefully have been neglecting (oops, poorly constructed sentence there). Just had a look at my post from one year ago -
view here.

So a year ago I found I was playing too many games too much to the detriment of my work, my studies/practice and my life in general. Have I improved?

Well I freely admit that I have been playing Halo 2 - a fine game for the Xbox. Also been playing a little on my PC. I do feel I have been doing this a little more than necessary but I have also been practicing t'ai chi and eating so I think my life-balance is better than it was back then.

It's amusing reading back through my blog - if i didn't know better I'd say about 5 people authored it. I'm glad to report that I am in better health now than I apparently was a year ago & I still have my interest in games, toys and t'ai chi.

I am looking forward to 2005. I have now done something I have wanted to do since I was 14 and that is to learn, practice and start to understand a t'ai chi long form. I have a number of great friends and have found experienced people willing to spend time teaching me, I am indeed in a fortunate position. I have now worked through the hand form of the Wu-dang style and I am half way through the sabre form. I look forward to completing this and trying my hand with the sword and pole forms in the coming year.

Work wise 2004 was a bit of an odd one. There have been many great upheavals and many changes in my own role to which I have risen to poorly, inadequately and exceptionally perhaps in equal measure. I am now settling into a role for a project that is the product of mine and my friends thinking for the last six to nine months, and indeed it was that thinking that sparked the creation of my 'techie' blog. I look forward to this though accept that I must change if I am to meet this new challenge and make it a success.

All round I think 2004 has gone well. The things I haven't done which were the subject of much thought a year ago are largely people related. I run the risk of easily becoming a hermit with my interest in largely solo hobbies. I thank my other half for keeping me in the world of folk and helping me realize that there are people round here worth spending my time with - something I forget all too easily from time to time.

All in all good, here's to 2005...

At the end of the long form

So now I have a reasonable grasp of the Wu dang long form in both the square and round styles (although much practice is still needed - particularly for section six). I find now though that when I am practicing the form it is different. Even doing part of it now I find that I grow warm, draw a sweat from my body and finish feeling as if I have done some serious exercise although I am left not feeling tired.

An odd phenomenon. I wonder if others find this to be the case.

Wudang style single hand pushing hands

Thought I'd write a quick note on this (since I forgot).
In the Yang style t'ai chi styles I've studied the single hand pushing hands form has been done at just below shoulder level. In this case you push from the shoulder of the pushing hand towards the centre and yielding towards the opposite shoulder of your opponent.
In wudang style the push is directed towards the opponents hip on the same side as the pushing hand. The yield then is directed to the hip on the opposite side.

In the case of the Yang style this is an example of two of the first four powers - ji and lu. The ji is directed at the opponents centre and the opponent is forced to lu (yield or roll back) and direct the force away in order to maintain their balance.
In wudang it is again an exercise in ji and lu, however in this case the exercise strengthens and flexes the kua (the inguinal crease in the hip joint). It is the kua that allows someone to bend at the hips without bending the spine.

One-to-one tuition

Today I had a private lesson from my teacher who first introduced me to Wudang style tai chi. Wudang is a name chosen to imply the heritage from the Wu family style but to show that it is a different style (very similar though).

The chap who's teaching me has an web site at realtaichi.com. if you want to know more about Wudang style or practical taichi have a look at taichichuan.co.uk.

Today I went through the first section of the long form again. I haven't been practicing the square form recently (a training version of the long form) and this activity showed me that my posture and the accuracy of my form needs to be addressed.

I must practice.

Sword bag??

I now own a hockey stick bag for my sabre too.

Will get some practice this weekend methinks.

Got a sword

Got a sabre to be precise, know the first 5 or 6 moves of the sabre form.

Looking at some personal tuition to get the wudang long form learnt and nailed. Any thoughts welcome.

wooden sword ordered

So, life t'ai chi wise is progressing well i think.

The class however is a little too scattered for me to learn the long form effectively and I wonder if I'll have similar issues with the weapons forms. I am now looking through Dan Docherty's book on t'ai chi and this coupled with following others through the form is proving fruitful. I am intending to write a little here about the wudang style Da Lu I've been learning but I've yet to start this. I'm also looking forward to the up coming workshops in london and hope to attend my first in september!

wooden swords and service oriented architectures

hmm..

my lifes pretty odd.
Anyhow currently looking at buying a practice sabre to practice the sabre form. Also looking around for a class to consolidate my form training.

On a different note been looking at service oriented architectures. Found some blueprints so looking to read through those soon.

Still also trying to get throught the Tony Buzan books - I'll whack a link in for those later.

really must update this more.

oo... Mind, body and kick ass moves is pretty amusing.

Opening style

Still I am learning new things about the simplest part of the t'ai chi form. Its got a number of names not least of which is "Opening Style". To the observer it looks as if the body stays still or sinks a bit and the wrists are raised in an arc in front, to just below shoulder height, drawn back towards the body and then the palms are pushed towards the ground. simple eh?

well, yes and no.

I read somewhere, think it was a guide to the 24-forms form, that this simple exercise is the first one taught to the shaolin monks and that there are many disciplines where the initial step is to repeat this exercise 10s, 100s, 1000s of times. So whats so special?

I've so far heard two interpretations of what the exponents energy should be doing when doing this exercise.
1. From a Yang/shaolin stylist
The chi or focus is drawn to the top most part of the forearm as the arm is raised. Then drawn to the underside or palm as it is dropped.

2. from B.K.Franzis - a wu stylist
When the hands are almost level with the shoulders and in front of the right and left channels (referring to the channels that connect the accupuncture points) then the fingers are extended sligtly, weight is shifted to the ball of the foot and energy is drawn up through the body and projected from the fingers. As the hands are drawn back to the body the energy is drawn in. (don't try this without reading his books or having a teacher familiar with energy arts - the headaches and symptons of incorrect practice are most irritating).

The latter is reminiscent of what I've read of bone marrow nei-kung.

One form or movement of many and there is so much written of it. most odd.
Certainly t'ai chi is a many layered art.

Realtaichi.com

Realtaichi.com
Very cool blog!
This is written by the guy who first introduced me to wu-dang style t'ai chi.

S700i phone

Product promotion selector

Found a new toy. My P800 is starting to feel a little old so I think I'll be waiting for this little chap to come out in the shops.

css Zen Garden: The Beauty in CSS Design

css Zen Garden: The Beauty in CSS Design

Bit of a techy thing here, but I really need to spend some more time looking at css technology and looking at my site at craigbeattie.com.

Also - just trying out the blogger button on the google toolbar!