Episode 35 - Cattleya (2)

This is another cattleya at my home. I purchased it in a flower market together with the white cattleya (On the right side of the photo. See also Episode 24).

This variety of cattleya bears colourful flowers but without fragrance. The size of the flower is smaller than the white cattleya but it has 2 flowers in one shoot. This orchid also blossomed twice this year.

Cattleya needs water, fresh air but not too much sunshine.

Episode 34 - Clivia (2)

This is my clivia in its new pot (see Episode 23 for the flowering clivia).

The original pot was too small and the roots of the clivia extended outside the soil. I noticed the position early this year but by then I noted that the clivia started to blossom. In order not to affect the flowering of the plant, I did nothing until the flowering season ended.

It was not easy to move the plant. Its roots stuck to the inner wall of the old pot and refused to let go. I wished to preserve the old pot on the one hand and do least damage to the roots of the clivia on the other hand. It took me nearly half an hour to successfully pull the plant out of the old pot.

The clivia lost three leaves in the first week after the move. I was worried about this but it soon settled down and has been growing well.

From my experience, direct sunlight may not be suitable for a clivia. The leaves may get burnt if they are exposed under the sun for too long. Once burnt, the damaged leaf is irrecoverable.

I also discover that liquid fertilizer should be diluted (about 1 to 100) before it is applied. Too much fertilizer is harmful to the clivia and may "burn" the leaves and the roots of the plant. My clivia is obviously happy with the diluted fertilizer.

The leaf bud of the clivia has grown bigger. As you can see from the photo below, it has 3 leaves now. Since the bud is in the middle of the mother plant, it is difficult to cut it out at this stage.

Any suggestions?

Episode 33 - Gate of Life

Movement in Stillness (Part III)

In Chinese Martial Art the term "Gate of Life" refers to that part at the back of the human body which position is opposite to the belly button.

After activating the back muscles and the related power channels, an internal martial artist will try to link up his "Gate of Life" with the back power channels so that the energy from the "Dantin" can be transmitted through the back without power dissipation. The opening and the closing of the Gate control the movements of the back muscles and the related power channels.

The linkage is achieved by completing specially designed standing exercises. The "Rhino looking at the moon" is one effective method for calling up the back muscles and establishing the linkage between the Gate and the power channels on the back.

Once a connection has been established, the practitioner should be able to feel a continuous flow of energy in between the hands and the "Gate of Life".

People who practise "Chigong" or "breathing exercises" also emphasis the importance of breaking through the power channels. While the feeling of "chi" is useful in the power transmission process, it is not an end in itself. The purposes and the end results of Chigong and Martial Art are different. For a martial artist, the energy should not, like some chigong exercises, go upward to the head and go downward back to the dantin again to form a circulation, which circulation is sometimes known as the "Small Heaven Circulation". Instead, the energy channels will go through the shoulders and transmit the power out through the hands.

The opening and closing of the "Gate" generate different power effects. To enhance these effects, the practitioner should train in the sword form and the Saber form.

For the training in "Knowing your own self", this is only half of the story. The next step forward is to establish the connection on the lower part of the body; the practitioner will need to find out how the power connection can be extended from the foot to the hands - in order to complete the construction of the "Power Sphere".


(Links to Parts one and two)

Episode 32 - Spirited Away, Spirits Lifted

This photo was taken at Jioufen, Taiwan.

I took an early train from Taipei to Rueifang. I then took the bus on the Jinguashin line just outside the Rueifang Railway Station. With the assistance of the local people, I managed to get off the bus at Jioufen.

It was winter time. The weather was cold with wintry showers. Hence, there were not many people in the streets. However, Jioufen is famous for the sad atmosphere generated by the old buildings erected along the slopes of the hill. If you have a lot of tourists walking along the streets, you will not be able to appreciate the beauty of Jioufen. So it might not have been a bad idea to visit Jioufen in winter time.

It was about noon when I walked into this narrow path. I just got caught in the shower and was then soaked and tired.

Due to the bad weather, the restaurants turned on their lights. Walking along the path under the red lanterns, I had the feeling that I was in the town created by Hayao Miyazaki in Spirited Away.

I stopped and had my lunch in one of the restaurants along the path. The restaurant I chose provided both Chinese and Western food. Due to the cold and rainy weather, the windows and the balcony door of the restaurant were closed tightly to keep the room temperature warm.

I sat near the balcony from where I could have a spectacular view of the sea and the coastal line nearby. On the recommendation of the waiter, I ordered a hotpot with beef and tomatos. When the hotpot was ready, the waiter opened the door of the balcony for me in order that I could have the hot food in the cold weather. Enjoying the delicious food in this wonderful environment, all my tiredness disappeared.

Episode 31 - Good Harvest

An old picture from my photo album.

I went fishing with my brother-in-law on 18th September 1998. We rented a small motor boat and started our day in the outer area of the Sai Kung Sea.

The Victoria Harbour and the Western coastal line of Hong Kong have been polluted but the sea water along the Eastern coastal line is still good and we can catch some large groupers and snappers in this area.

It was a wonderful day. The fish chased the baits and we soon ran out of shrimps and worms. As you can see from the photo, we caught 61 in one morning.

My family had fish for lunch and dinner for 1 whole week.

What a great day!

Episode 30 - Back Power

Photo taken by Gogo Tsang




Movement in Stillness (Part II)

For an internal martial art practitioner, power is acquired through awakening the sleeping parts of the body (See Episode Three for more), so that he can utilise coherent bodily force.

This is the "Know your own self" stage. After you have revived your body and mind coordination, you can then enter the "Know others" stage to learn the application techniques. It is an incorrect approach to learn the application skills (know others) before your body has been revived back to the original conditions (know your own self), as your body and mind coordination is not yet fit enough to manage the application techniques.

An important part of our body which needs to be awakened, for the purpose of regaining coherent bodily force, is the muscles on our back plus the related power transmission channels. Whilst we do use our back muscles in our daily activities, many of us could not utilise these muscles to their full potential. Without going through proper training, we have little control over our back muscles. It is normal that a person does not feel the existence of his back muscles unless they are being touched by external objects. If one cannot coordinate the waist, the back and the shoulders, there will be serious dissapation of power in between.

One of the methods to call up the back muscles and the related power channel, and to enhance the coordination of different parts of the human body, is to practise standing exercises. The Santi Form is an effective tool which helps to activate the back muscles and the opening of the related power transmission channels. Appearing to be relaxed outside, a practitioner feels great tension from within while doing the Santi. Through the training, a practitioner learns how to control his back muscles and open the power transmission channels from his waist through the back to the shoulders. It is not an exercise on the back muscles alone (otherwise the practitioner should go to the gym) but an exercise to facilitate the coordination of the mind and the body as a whole. The involvement of will power (for opening up the power transmission channels and control of the back muscles) is more important than simply strengthening the muscles.

An indicator of success is a free control of the back muscles at will. The practitioner should feel that he is now more powerful and can "float" up an opponent by the movements of the back muscles alone.

He should then be able to use the technique of "sticking" effectively and should be in a position to appreciate what it is meant by "Chi at the back" as referred to in the Taiji Classics.




(Links to Parts One and Three)

.

Episode 29 - Gogo and his water melon

Gogo purchased this water melon from a supermarket earlier today.

The price was HK$24.9 for one regardless of its weight. Gogo therefore picked the largest one. The melon weighed 7.5 kg.

.














This variety of water melon is juicy, fresh, sweet and with little seeds.

Episode 28 - The Laguna

This photo was taken at Phuket, just in front of our hotel room.

My family took a short holiday in Thailand earlier this year and stayed 3 days in Phuket.

We stayed in one of the 5 hotels in the Laguna Area. These hotels share some common facilities in the Area and the hotel guests can access these facilities by shuttle bus or by boat. The Area has a shopping arcade and a park where you can have an enjoyable elephant ride.

While it is a resort area without any historic attractions, it is a nice place to take a break and have a relaxed holiday.

Episode 27 - Golden Pass

This the Saanen Railway Station in Switzerland.

It is one of the stops along the Golden Pass. The train stopped at this station for only a few minutes. I rushed down the train and took a quick photo.

The Golden Passline runs to and fro Montreux and Luzern. It passes through beautiful mountains and rivers and is one of my favourite railway lines.

Episode 26 - Blue sky, perfect journey

- photos taken by Gogo Tsang



These photos were taken at Badaling, Beijing on 28 March 2005.

Gogo and I arrived in Beijing on 27 March. The city was then troubled by dust storm and we worried about our journeys for the next few days.

Fortunately, the dust storm did not last long. There was no trace of it when we woke up in the next morning. As you can see from the photos, the sky was a perfect blue - not a cloud in sight.

We rented a car and started our journey in the early morning. We reached Badaling at around 10 a.m. To save time, we took a cable car to the top of the hill and walked back to the entrance. As it was still early, there were not so many tourists. The Great Wall started packing with tourists when we were half way back.




.

Episode 25 - Circle, Circle, Circle

Occupying the Centre (Part IV)


This is a taiji ball with its training table.

This taiji ball is made of solid wood and weighs 7 pounds. It is made from a single piece of wood. For advanced training, some martial artists use balls made of stone. Stone balls are heavy. The weight of a stone ball varys from 30 to 50 pounds. A high quality wooden ball is costly and is usually more expensive than a stone ball. A taiji ball made of combined wood is cheaper.

If a wooden ball is not readily available, a beginner can use a basket ball as a temporary substitution. However, one must note that a heavy ball is essential in developing the internal power. An alternative is to get a no holes bowling ball. Stone ball is not for beginners.

The training table has a concave surface. It was originally designed for the elderly to practise ball rolling exercise. The concave surface of the training table helps to control the movement of the taiji ball so that it will not roll outside the table area and drop onto the ground. The exercise is simple, you put the training table on a desk and the taiji ball on the training table. You then use your hand(s) (single or both) to roll the wooden ball, in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. It is said that the exercise assists the elderly to relax and increases the flexibility of their joints.

Martial art training exercises are a little bit complicated as there are various methods to roll the ball. A beginner can, however, take advantage of the concave surface of the training table for initial training. Following the ball's motion, a beginner learns how to do circular movements correctly. The training also assists a beginner to strengthen his torsos, and enhance the coordination of his mind and body.

After passing the initial training stage, you can discard the concave training table and roll the ball on the desk top direct. It requires greater skill to roll the taiji ball on a flat platform. A higher level of control is also required as it is easy to drop the ball onto the ground and hurt your feet or damage your floor (this also destroys the taiji ball). When rolling the ball, the practitioner should imagine that his internal energy is flowing out like water from his "dantin" to his hand and use the energy, instead of the arm's muscles, to roll the ball. It is not necessary to use the palm to roll the taiji ball. One contact point is sufficient to rotate the taiji ball if internal power is used. Through this training, a practitioner acquires the skill of "sticking" and develops his internal force with the assistance of the taiji ball. This builds up the foundation for utilisation of the Yin Yang Conversion technique.

It has to be noted that, it is not safe to roll a taiji ball on the desk without any precautionary measures. Some people put a towel on the desk but this will limit the rolling speed of the ball. Personally, I use a rectangular wooden plate with railing to do the training.

Apart from table top rolling, there are other rolling exercises such as rolling the ball on the wall or on edges of table. Use a basket ball for these exercises. In addition, there are some taiji ball standing exercises. A practitioner holds the taiji ball in his hands and performs various sets of specially designed circular movements. Through these exercises, a practitioner learns how to transmit internal force through circular movements, taking advantage of the centripetal force and the centrifugal force.

The training is not for muscles building. Never never treat the taiji ball training as a weight lifting exercise. The purpose of the training is to use external movements to activate internal movements - It is the internal things we want to train.

It is very difficult, if not impossible, to activate internal movements by practising empty-hand forms only. You need to ignite your internal energy before it can be developed into internal power.

The taiji ball is a catalyst.


Click links for Part I, Part II , Part III , Part V , Part VI and Part VII)


.

Episode 24 - Cattleya

This cattleya has been in my home for 2 years.

When I bought it in the flower market, the plant was already mature with a flower bud. It flowered once in the first year. This year it flowered twice, once in January and once in April.

The orchid grows fast and I have divided it into 2 pots. Hopefully I will have 2 pots of flowering cattleya next year.

The photo shows the January flower. The flower was large with fragrance .