Another omnibus post

Wicked days.

What I Love: Vol 2

I love I am not hard on myself anymore.

I love that I have given up being frantic.

I love that upsets last only as long as until I choose to cease the upset.

I love that my cynicism is gone.

I love that frustration lasts scant minutes, if not seconds, now.

I love that things just don’t ‘bug me’ as they frequently used to.

I love that I am now comfortable in my own skin.

Nature Strikes Back

Ahh, sweet Poetic Justice?  From the AP:

“ANGON, Myanmar - A crocodile reportedly attacked and killed one of four men under arrest for illegal logging in a Myanmar wildlife sanctuary.

The state-run newspaper Kyemon says the four men were being transported to a detention centre by boat last month when a crocodile knocked the victim out of the boat and killed him.

The dead man, Myint Zaw, and three others were accused of illegal possession of mangrove trees believed to have been cut in the Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary.

The sanctuary, southwest of the country’s biggest city, Yangon, was established in 1994.

It is inhabited by endangered saltwater crocodiles that live in the mangrove swamps.”

Which one to root for?

Jackie Chan. Jet Li. Together, in one film. Could I possibly not go on opening night? I choose not! So thusly, I did, heading out with a bunch of friends to see The Forbidden Kingdom last night.

Story wise, it wasn’t really a success. It is at its core a simple story, which is all well and good, but the telling of the story (or the execution of the story) is where the film lacked. Heavy handed in some places, holywood cliché’ed in others, and oddly expositional in yet others. A beautifully woven yarn this was not.

As a kung fu piece, here the film was much more successful. Yuen Woo-Ping was the fight choreographer, so, hey, you know the fight quality is going to be there. Of course the highlight of the film was the Jackie vs Jet duel, a prolonged, classic, scenery-damaging contest of great length and great technique. Mmmmm. (Interestingly, it wasn’t very later-style Jackie-ish, ie, not prop- and stunt-driven — I think that was the intent in hiring Woo-Ping, but it still surprised me that there was almost none)

Really, this film was one great long Kung Fu geek-out for me. Mostly internally geeking out, I only had one outburst (wherein I exclaimed “Hey, I know that set!” — the protagonist was doing, I’m pretty sure, Tong Bi Quan). Guan Daos, Ma Bu, great staff action… and the opening/title sequence was brilliantly done, a very nifty effect and idea. It’s a film that isn’t taking itself seriously, which really worked for it.  The sense of camraderie for the two J’s was evident;  I think they had a great time making this film.

Overall it really was a very fun film for me. Fortunately, I had already practiced earlier in the day and did not feel entranced to go work out for a few hours afterwards…

Eclectic Update and QOTDs

Definitively didn’t have to worry about warming up for kung fu this weekend… with temps up in the high-twenties-C even in SF it was plenty warm for practice Sunday morning. Welcome to summer!

Warm weather aside, kung fu was great. Practicing with Evan last Thursday, testing some of our tai chi positions/structure I was remarkably linked, so much so that it surprised me. For Sunday I brought along my nice finished waxwood staff and did the Nine-Provinces Eyebrow Height staff set a few times — something I hadn’t done for a while.

Also amusing was while I was teaching my class on Friday, I had us doing some simple sparring drills (any two punches) and as we faced off it was real instinctive for me to reach out just to touch my partner’s hands/arm — to connect to them so I could feel their movement. Very tai chi-ish, I had to keep reminding myself to set up more traditionally. My partner had also done a bunch of wing chun though, so it was kind of natural for him to want to make that contact as well. Very interesting to see that develop out of the blue (and interesting to see where it goes too, over time).

Been riding my bike to work again, nice to get that out and going and stop using the car. Studying away for my upcoming arch exam. Enjoying my new lunches. Working on new rules for Silhouette. Getting ready to update some standards at work and CAD to go with them. Seeing friends. Discovering things.

A while ago I bought some new laundry soap from Mugwart Maggies, have used it a few times now, and damn am I ever impressed. A soap that a) has no harsh chemicals and is made from vegetable soap (ie, 100% biodegradable) b) smells mighty fine (I ordered unscented) c) cleans like a charm and d) costs less than the regular petrochem stuff from the store? Rock on.

The following are quite amazing:

“Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction.”

“Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.”

“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

Who spoke them? Albert Einstein. Very cool.

What I Love: Vol 1

I love architecture.

I love great spaces, love great light, love great materials, love great volumetrics.

I love stained glass, tall rooms, diffuse lighting.

I love the ecofire company (and what they make) for my love of fire without the soot and emissions.

I love the quote by Winston Churchill :”We shape our buildings, then our buildings shape us.”

I love the simple yet sublime geometrics, interplay of spaces and quality of light of the great moderns.  I love the complex richness and carved surfaces of the gothic.  I love the solid simplicity of the ancients.  And how each of those show up in each other, and in combination in the new today.

I love the power of the monument (and monumental).  I love the beauty and whole-istic-ness of small constructions.

I love surprise.  I love spaces that fit like a great robe.

I love adaptive reuse!

Oldskool dreaming

Had a most interesting dream last night that involved elevators, pistols and fabulous spycraftian action.  Could my dreamworld have been channeling this old game:  Elevator Action?  I loved this game back when it was in arcades… hmmmm.  However it arose, it was certainly an exciting dream.  Before it morphed into something truly odd… (as dreams are wont to do, eh?).

What I Love: Vol 0

What I love.

I love this comic; this has been my living experience for a few years now (with the snow being metaphorical).