As I mentioned, we are now in the Year of the Ox, which represents slow and steady effort. That is precisely the situation in which I find myself – the next year presents a lot of opportunities, but I am going to have to work hard to take advantage of them. Hmm, OK.

However, I find myself driven to comment on the final two weeks of the year just gone – the year of the Rat. I signed a new contract with my employer. I began a relationship with a woman who truly engages and challenges me, and who is very, very important to me. I made significant choices about my future – which wasn’t unrelated to the first two points I just mentioned. I also deepened my interactions and relationships with a number of relationships with a number of readers of this blog: Jose, Carlos, Pern Yiau, Tom, and another who doesn’t want to be named yet.

I need to make clear that I do believe myself to be a Buddhist. That means that I accept that things change. In the past, there have been times when I’ve been affluent. There have been times when I was been influential in public life. There have been times when I was so broke I couldn’t pay my rent, and was extremely lucky to have good people I could borrow from. All these times have come and gone. I accept that this happens: circumstances change, and that all I can do is at least strive to be the best person I can be in the circumstances.

To a large extent, that’s what this blog is: my chronicle of my attempt to become the best I can be. If you know me, or meet me in the future, you’ll know that the real me is far more complex and messy, and generally not so cool, as the persona that appears in this blog. Nevertheless, it moves me deeply that some people at least find value in this blog. It’s important for me to acknowledge that the best, kindest, and most generous people I know are often people from the world of martial arts, and many of those are readers of this blog. I’d just like to say thanks to you all for visiting, and for getting in touch. I do appreciate it!

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2 Comments »

1. 

   Yeah, it was quite some year, the rat, which I finished with the traditional house cleaning, some rest and a slow, but Ox-like start in the new year, with Neigong, soft and easy form work, but yesterday was kaigong in sanshou and today in principles & applications.

   It was nice to read your stuff and comment here and there, when I read your lines and saw me in the mirror, especially when you made excuses for not training as hard as we both would like, haha.

   And we both work as language teachers at Chinese universities, another commen thing.

   All the best for the new year to you and to all the other readers from southern Taiwan.

   Comment by Bai Yiming — January 31, 2009 @ 2:54 pm

2. 

   Best wishes for good health and real insight in the coming Year of the Ox, Emlyn [someone wished me happy "Niu" year in a perfectly awful pun, and I as I always do with really terrible puns burst out laughing--can't help it, I'm wired that way].

   The woman in your life will demand real neigong. I speak from experience. :-]

   Looking forward to more on this blog.

   cheers,

   Tom

   Comment by Tom — February 4, 2009 @ 12:50 am

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