Breather

This senior project has really been taking a toll on me. I constantly feel like I’m behind and with deadline after deadline it seems that this project will never be over. But maybe because this project means more to me than passing. When May comes and I have the research paper with my prezi, I know that it won’t be the end for me. I will still have something to achieve.

I noticed the passion I am finding in myself. I always thought that I wanted to fight. Come to find out, I always wanted to be disciplined. There’s this fire in me that burns to find a path to follow. I need a leader in my life that can tell me where to turn. And at other times I need to be able to lead myself. Following Harry as he performs a side kick. Or following the professor as I make my way through college. Turning my observations into actions as I keep together my family household as my mother does.

I just want to be successful one day and this senior project is showing me success. Well it’s showing me how to go about reaching success. How to find your own connects and make them work for you. And things like making your own schedule. I mean making your schedule so that you somehow have time for everything you need to do.

This senior project has been a huge smack in the face.  I’ve never been so stressed about how much time I have on my hands. Now I see how valuable time is.

Never again will I take time for granted.

The Gift

I never really ask for anything when Christmas time comes around. Usually I say, "Just get me money," because I never really want anything and it makes me feel bad but I can't change the fact that I don't want anyone spending unnecessary money on me. Plus I love giving gifts. It makes me feel good.

So I can only imagine how good Harry felt. Today Harry gave Antonio & I our own gees. When he pulled them out the box I couldn't even tell what it was. But then I noticed that there was a belt that goes with it. I always told people to give me money because no one ever knows what I need. But Harry was straight on. I needed a gee. I didn't even think of that.

It surprised me completely but I did notice Harry kept asking about it a lot. I still was surprised though. I think it is a really good Christmas gift because it is something that I needed and something that Harry wanted me to have. It doesn't get any better than that.

I love my gee though. It's white and pure. It has no stains from hard work and you can tell it's new. It symbolizes me. I'm new to sho-shin-do - white belt - but at the same time I'm looking to perfect my techniques with pure precision.

Thank you for the gee. I appreciate it.  One of the best Christmas presents I've ever gotten.

Recording Session #1

Yesterday I had Amber come to practice with me so that she can record the practice for me. It almost didn't work out because of miscommunication but she ended up coming and we were fine.

The only other problem we had was that Harry didn't have his camcorder yesterday. I thought he was going to bring it because I told him last week that I had wanted to record and when I texted him yesterday he said that it was fine for me to record during.practice. When we got to the dojo and I asked him if he had the camcorder he said forgot to bring it snf didn't necessarily think that I needed one. That's my fault because I didn't make it clear enough that I needed him to bring his camera. So for the time being Amber had recorded with my.phone.

Only problem with that is that my phone keeps shutting off when it wants to and when it shuts off randomly it decides that it wants to die while doing so. Amber recorded a the first 11 minutes of the workout yesterday. She did a great job in recording and I appreciate her time and effort.

Since things happen and nothing ever  goes as plan, then I have to record the rest on another day. Two weeks from now will be our next Tuesday class. On that day I have to get down everything else that I was suppose to get yesterday. Some more stances, some moves, and even the 2 machines that we use sometimes.

I really needed to get the recording done yesterday because I need to make my video for the "Before/Start" of this senior project. The purpose of these videos is to show progress.

Being that I'm a senior and this project is supposed to be hard then things will keep being thrown at me. And I have to find a way to dodge all of these dangers. I will find a way. I guess I will be completing a research paper over break.

Dragon

I came to the realization that I am still in the beginning of learning martial arts. I've only been in martial arts for about three months. But sometimes it feels like it's been longer. I guess that goes to show that I am a bit comfortable with martial arts. I love the vibe and it makes me more vulnerable to it's scars that it will leave on me.

That's a good thing to me. I want to be learning from my martial arts. I want my character to grow from the experience. I would love to be as strong as Harry one day but it all takes practice. I am learning though, that' one thing I can say. Harry let's me know when something has gotten better and I can feel it. When we do jabs, I feel that my jabs are more swift and in form. I used to have a problem with my shoulders being too high and not staying relaxed. With some practice it has gone done by some but not completely.

I love the feeling though. It's really hard for me to remember to practice at home which I think is my biggest problem as of right now. I wish I can go to the dojo every single day.  I feel that it would really help. But one thing I can do is practice every single day. That's my plan, that I will practice everyday. I really want to hold myself up to that standard because I really want to do my best. Once I get the technique down for one thing then it seems that the next thing will be just a bit easier because I get used to the movements.

But Harry taught us a new stance on Tuesday. I believe it's the "Dragon" you place 90% of your boy weight on your back foot and hold out your front foot with only 10% of body weight on it. Basically you are resting all of your weight on your back foot. While you have your front foot out someone should be able to sweep up your foot without you putting any effort into lifting it, that's how light your front foot should be.

The hardest thing about this stance is walking in the stance. In the stance your back foot is in a 45 degree direction facing towards your front foot. When you are ready to move you need to do so very carefully. You lean forward a little bit bringing the weight on your feet to 50-50 for only a half of second. You only bring your weight to 50-50 to shift your feet. So if your right foot was in front you want to make sure that it's coming back now. When your right foot ends up behind you then you should have 90% of your weight on that foot. I'm not sure if I'm explaining it in a way that you can understand, It's very hard for me to do even though I know how it's supposed to go.

I need practice. . .

4 Day Streak

Last week was really hard for me. The hardest week since I've started this whole senior project.

On Monday, I went to practice with Joey. It was about 15-20 minutes longer than usually. It sucked all my energy out of me and left me quite sore. Tuesday I went back to Harry to workout. Technique was more of the focus on that day but I still became a bit omre sore than I was on Monday. Wednesday Joey & I had went to his crib to make workout. I decided to make some videos so we can have some proof. Plus I need some before/after pictures & vidoes. I probably shouldn't have even went to Joey house on Thursday but I did it to myself. I was already sore but I had to push my limits and see what I can do.

It killed my body though. Before I even went o bed on Friday I was feeling my body ache. And Friday didn't help at all. My legs burned with every step, and when I pick up something as small as a donut then my arms feels the pain. After Joey and I worked out on Thursday we made an agreement for me to get some rest over the weekend. But everything I did on Friday felt like a workout. I went on the Tour to RIT and we did a bunch of walking, my poor legs. Then I went to work and they had me on pots, aww my arms. No one showed me any type of mercy. But It's ok and I like the feeling of being sore.

My arms were swollen since Wednesday, at any point of time since Wednesday if you were to touch my arm you would feel my muscle flexing at you. It was kinda cool to me because I never had that happen and it made my arms feel a bit bigger for a few days, a big boost in my confidence as a guy. I love that feeling that you get from working out.

I can't say that working out relieved a bunch of stress last week because it was very stressful trying to make all the workouts fit into my schedule but I do love working out. I get in the mind set and get going with it. I can definetly get used to this.

I need to hit more of these "4 Day Streaks," as I call it.

Once Again

I just got done working out with Joey again. This is the second day in a row that we had came to his house to workout. Today we had did this workout from his phone. It's an app that you get. You choose how long you want the workout to be. Anywhere between 10-45 minutes. We only chose to do the 25 minute workout today.

When you choose, from the options they have on how long you want the workout to be, the app tells you what to do. So for example it told us to do squats for 30 seconds and after that is over then you do a torso twist. It gives you breaks of 30 seconds which is good enough for me. The exercise wasn't really hard in the fact that I can't do it because of stamina. It was hard because of the fact that I was sore

I like exercises like that but it's nothing compared to the stuff we do at the gym and with Harry. Don't get me wrong that little phone had me sweating and tired but I get more enjoyment and feeling out of the stuff from the gym or dojo.
I love that I'm finding out all these new ways to exercise. . . But we going to hit up the gym asap... Ready to go back to some real weights.
This is the picture of the workout screen on the app after you finish it.

Joey's House

Last night was redicilous. After work last night me and Joey had went to his house to work out a bit. We started out with push-ups and pull ups. I was surprised to see that I can do 15 push-ups straight. That tells me that I made some progress compared to before but not too much. Joey said he would like to see me be able to do 50 straight.

Push-ups is a great thing to be able to do for workouts, even on Insanity they have their own modified version of push-ups, once again proving that they are a good thing to do. As you are going to see in the video my hands are a bit spread and for about the last 2 or 3 push-ups aren't as good as the first 10. I really hope to improve that. I don't really like the fact that I can't do more than 15 push-ups at a time but I have time for improvement.

Last night we worked on our arms a lot. We used the bar to do some curls, and we also used the dumbbells, pulling them up while we sit or holding them out and pulling them in while we stand.
Here is a sneak peek of that:

As you seen in this video I was a bit more smooth with it. Lol, We have a handful of other videos from last night workout also. I believe I can show some progress from now till March or April.

I've always known that I can workout at home, but this is the first time where I did a real workout, using weights, at a house. Joey guided me and showed me what I can do and that's great because now I feel even more motivated to workout at home if I can't make it the a gym. I learned that I can actually do 15 push-ups which I doubted at first so I've also learned to not doubt myself.

I have to get a lot more recording done for he workouts that I do but I also need to start recording for my martial arts. I'm getting there one step at a time.

Mid-Year Meeting

Being that I have been struggling with balancing everything and that I feel like I am a bit behind with my project I am going to call a Mid-Year Senior meeting.

I plan to hold this meeting before we have that week off for portfolio week. By the time this meeting comes up I hope to have my draft of my research paper done. If it's not done then I hope to at least have the draft very close to complete. I think this meeting will be very good to have because I can bring in a copy of my draft and how it looks as of that day. Then I can get some ideas on what else I need to add to my draft if I have missed anything. The more complete the draft the better.

This meeting will show some of my progress when it comes to what I think about martial arts and what I know about it. I don't want to reveal too much at this meeting because my final meeting is where I need to blow everyone away. So I have to make a mini plan on things to not present, which should be easy.

I am getting somewhat excited about this meeting because I feel like it will make sure I'm staying on track with my project and it makes it even better that I am actually getting this project done. In the beginning of the year I thought of this project as something that I need to graduate and that's all. Being that I am having fun completing this project is making everything worth it.

One thing that I do want to keep in mind is how hard it was to schedule my first senior meeting. So I'm going to tell Mariana today that I want to schedule my Mid-Year meeting so that we can try to start choosing a date that will be acceptable for everyone.

A Offer

As for any sport or activity there are some apparel that may be required to wear while practicing the art. For martial arts you need a thing called a gee. I believe the gee is what they call the pants and the coat like thing that you wear. Harry has always had one for me but he keeps asking me if I was thinking of getting one.

I do want one so that I can just come to practice prepared and I can say that I have my own which is always better. Plus being that I do plan on continuing martial arts after the project is over then I think I should grab me one from the store so it'll be easier to continue. If someone else does martial arts as a senior project then I wouldn't be able to continue practice until I do get my own gee.

I face two problems when I think about getting the gee; 1. I don't know where the store is. Harry has told me about two of them and I can look it up so I guess that really isn't a good reason. But also I don't have money for it, $30 sounds like nothing to some people but I have so many expenses and being that I'm starting to take off another day from work it's going to be a bit harder. I'm getting on my scratch though. Every penny I see, I'm saving it.

But I was surprised when Joey said he will help me with getting the gee. Man, he is already doing enough by agreeing to be on my committee and coming to a class with me so I don't want to ask for too much from him. Even though I take his word that he will help me I really don't want to depend on him to get it for me. It's my job to get the gee and that's what I will do if I need to.

Finding What I Need

So today I found out about this other place that practices martial arts. I'm not sure what the name of the practice is and when I saw the name I couldn't even pronounce it so I really have nooo hope in explaining it too much but I do have good news. The place is in the same building that I do my martial arts at so I don't have to go to a new place for this other practice. Another good thing is that Harry approves of it as a style I can use for one of the other styles I can compare/contrast for my huge research paper. The style that I'm referring to is known from this movie called "The big Epic" or something like that. One thing in concerned about is the money it may cost to go to one of the lessons. I hope it's not too expensive though. I really hope I can get to it for free. I got the number to the place because when me and 2 other boys had went to the door then it seemed like no one was there. The 2 others boys were actually looking for the place first and when I found out thay there was another martial arts place in the building I had walked them until we finally found the door that belongs to the martial arts place. When I call the place, hopefully tomorrow, I will ask about times that they have classes and from there I will adjust my schedule to make it to class. I think I am going to ask Tony to join me in some classes when I do decide to go so that I can talk to him to put a little more thought into the comparing and contrasting. And being that he also is going to all the practices with me he will understand more. This is one of the three styles I need. I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere.

Watch The Knee

About 7 or 8 months ago I almost fell while I was at work. Like they had these weird wood things on the floor because they were reconstructing something in the kitchen. It was really annoying to step on and just about everyone was tripping on it. One of the cooks, Dave, had to go back to his doctor for his knee because the floor was irritating his knee.

I had almost fell one day but I had landed on my knee in a weird way. When I landed on it then it hurted really bad for like 3 minutes but then it stopped. Ever since then my right knee would hurt on and off.

When I first started working out in September then my knee wasn't bothering me. It was always at random when my knee would start to thribe in pain so it was hard to say what caused the pain but ever since I have done Insanity then my knee has been hurting more frequently. During the workout my knee was fine, but the next day my knee was killing me.

Ever since that day, tomorrow will make it two weeks, my knee has been in some type of pain at least once everyday. When I first mentioned my knee hurting to my aunt (who is a registered nurse) she expressed that I should go and get it checked out by a doctor. I haven't been able to find time that will be good enough for me to get it checked.

But I need my knee. I have to stand with it and if I can't stand then I can't practice martial arts. My knee never hurts from martial arts until we do stretches so that's good. The thing that will help me most is appointment. The doctor can tell me what limits I should be pushing myself to and how to make my knee better.

My biggest concern when it comes to my knee is not being able to workout or practice martial arts because it's too late to change my senior project. Plus I don't want to change it because it's a lot of fun and I enjoy it. I have to make an appointment really soon so that I can make sure I'm not putting myself in any extreme risk conditions. I plan on making my appointment very soon. First I have to find time because I really don't want to miss any classes.

Once again, my struggle is juggling everything.

Preparing For The Future

Even though it's only December I have to start thinking about the things I want to present in my final senior meeting. I already know that I'm going to have a research paper done but I am thinking that I want to complete two research papers.

The first research paper will be on a person from the martial arts nation. And the second, longer one, will be what I was assigned during the senior meeting. I also have to present the stuff I learned in  martial arts and 5 self defense techinques. Harry can show us a few and give us ideas on what self defense techniques to use but at the end of the day the decision is ours.

I have two techniques that I know I want to use as of right now. One includes a person swinging a stick. I will show how to avoid getting hit by the stick and even countering with a strike that will give you the advantage. The second one has to do with getting out of a choke. When the person chokes you there are a few ways that you can get out of it and run away if you believe you can't beat the person, the self defense techniques that are used to get out of chokes can also be used to allow you a chance to strike your opponent if that is your plan.

I also have to show a Kata set during my senior meeting. We have started that last week at practice and I already was getting it down so I think I will be good to present that by the time we have the meeting. I will practice this at home but first I have to finish learning it at practice today.

Choice To Make

I'm in a struggle before between the things I'm doing right and the things I need to do next.

I got my college essay and resume done, it was also in Jamie mailbox before I left on Friday so I''m good on that but I still haven't turned in any applications to Jamie. I need to make some time to fill out the applications and sit down with Jamie. I love my life and my future is one of my biggest concerns. College is the next step though.

I'm a bit confused on what I should be doing. I don't waste much time on anything, but yet I'm still behind. The best times for me are in the morning when I come to school an hour and a half early. I bust down a lot of work during that time. 7.5 hours a week straight towards homework. Last year those mornings, combined with all the other time I put in, used to be enough. Now the work is overwhelming though.

I do have hope. I know that I will get this work done. Who wants to stay back from graduation because you can't keep up your work? The thought of taking off from work has been coming to mind a lot. But working gives me relief. I work at Highland Hospital where I can help people in need. And trust me when you bring sick people food, they love you forever. Working makes me happy, I'm not really sure why I ever had the passion to help and care but I do. So I wonder if taking off from work will make me more stressed because not only does it clear my mind but it gives me the money that I need to pay for this senior project and all the other things in life.

So I have a choice to make... Work less, less money or continue to work and keep up.

Seeking Help

Last Thursday I went to Jamie for help

I am passing all of my classes, that's never an issue, but man juggling everything at once is very hard. Work, School, martial arts, the gym & physical therapy, then the homework. Man. Lol. All I can do is laugh because I don't understand how I am still standing in good standings for most things. I'm somewhat proud of myself for making it this far but it's more than just that.

As of today we are on the date of December 4th, 2012. I made it from Kindergarten to here and I'm scared I'm going to screw it up. Jamie agreed that it isn't like me to be behind in anything, usually I'm ahead but all the work is catching up to me. I got my supplement applications for college over a month ago and Jamie is yet to see one of them completed. I have some completed but haven't turned them in yet, not smart. I'm going to college and I think just about everyone knows that but at the rate I'm moving I may only get accepted to MCC. I want to go to RIT and U of R and Wells College but I have to step up my game a notch.

Jamie told me, "You're in the big league now." That's when I noticed I am ready for this. I've been getting better every year and I know I can handle it I just have to figure out how. "The things that worked for you in the past, may not work now." That was another piece of crucial information that I didn't realize until it was said. I'm sitting here thinking that just because I worked 35 hours a week last year and did great in school that I can do it again. But the game has changed. More obstacles have been thrown my way. Things like My back hurting again, that's one that affects work, school and this seniro project but enough with the complaints. I need a plan.

So I told Jamie I would make a list of things to do, and that I would choose one day to take off from work so that I can make time for my college stuff. And I have been starting to do the things I have said ever since.

So this is what the list looks like...

Need Progress

I have been stressing overtime. This senior project is a lot harder than I thought. But the thing that is hard is balancing everything at one time. I mean it's pretty smooth going to everything but it's more of the academics that's getting in the way. I can easily go to the dojo or the gym and workout, I have made out time for each of those things so that is pretty cool. But I also have to write up a research paper on martial arts.

I was only assigned to do a big research paper on the history of martial arts and how it compares to 3-5 other fighting styles, but I also want to write up a research paper on the guy who was the leader of the bigger martial arts nation; I want to know more about the guy. Also I haven't practiced or even found another place to go to so that I can try a different style of fighting. Once I do that then it will be a lot easier to start my paper but I have things to do first.

I need to contact some people from recreation centers or other dojos/gyms that practice fighting style. I want to make up some interview questions so that I can see how martial arts is different from the trainers perspective. GOing to the gym to work with the trainer and interview them will give me a lot of insight into how the style are different. Of course I can't work on the style for months, so those one or two times that I do to work out in that style will be very crucial to research. I want to bring someone with me so that they can record the workout and interview so that I can bring it to my final meeting. Evidence is always better.

So I have these things to do:

1. Find 3 places that I can train at,

2. Make up interview questions

3. Make a date to go to each one

4. Find someone that I can rely on to come and record the workout and interview.

Joey's First Workout

For the first time, Joey had came to a workout with me, at the dojo. He came to pick me up from my house and he drove to the dojo. We got there at like 4:40 and stayed until 6.

Harry started our workout with some slow warming up using a stick. Right after we were done with that me and Joey put on the gloves and stood infront of our own mirrors. We put up them 18 ounce gloves and started with jabs, then moved on to a jab-cross. After that Harry had us do a 3 move combo, hit twice with the first hand then cross with the back. And the last combo we did was a jab-cross, knee.

I noticed that Harry put the timer on 17 minutes. Man I knew it was going to be long. He had me and Joey keep going with the combos. By the time we got through the first cycle of doing all the combos it was about 5 minutes left. After some punches he will tell us to bounce in place. But the thing that made it hard to bounce was keeping our arms up while doing it, if Harry said "Rocky" that means you keep your arms over your head. If Harry said "Superman" you keep your arms straight out. "Scizzors" means you move your arms up and down while they're in front of you. And "circles" means that you make small circles on the side of you.

After them 17 minutes Joey & I dripped in sweat, but Harry wasn't done. He gave us a two minute water break then pulled out the medicine balls and made us lift them. After messing around with the medicine balls for a bit we had to run with them. First he started by having us run with the ball over our heads. I thought my arms were going o fall off today. Lol, Joey thought the same thing.

After finishing the day with some stretches we slowly made our way out the dojo. Tired and in pain, it was about time to call it a day.

Clearing My Mind

Two days ago I was talking to my girlfriend and she asked me,

"When you do martial arts does it clear your mind?"

It does, practicing martial arts clears my mind of everything that I feel. Doing martial arts is way different than any other technique you learn, like the moves are way different than any other movement you do on the regular.

When I first get to martial arts I have to get my mind ready to work. I prepare my mind more than my body because I know I'm strong enough. I am starting to believe that the mind can control the body and ow fatigue I feel. I love trying to improve my mind but practicing mental strength can only come from situations that test your might.

So when I walk through the door I look at the window on the far wall. I look out the window and decide that by the end of class I want my presence to fill the room and break the windows.

Sometimes I think of the pain that was caused by the ones that I used to love or still love. When I walk into class with pain or frustration on my mind, the power comes easily. I usually hit the bag feriously then Harry will tell me, "Technique." When he says that it's something in my mind that tells me to relax because that is what Harry is saying in english. My mind becomes less cluttered with every hit after the words "Technique is spoken. I start to let go of the thing that made me upset. It's like I put all my pain into my first and release my pain to the bag. As soon as my fist connects, my mind opens a bit more.

Hit, pain released, hit, pain released, hit, hit, hit, hit, hit, my mind is almost clear of everything that isn't martial arts.

Now I can focus. Now my mind is completely into how my fist will move out to jab the bag. And if Harry has his hand out in which I have to hit his hand instead of my bag then it's even better; it feels more like a person than anything. I look at my hand in the mirror. As I slide it from in front of my face I make sure my elbow snaps at just the right angle to give the bag a pop that it will remember.

I would definetly say that martial arts clear my mind.

Need Healthier Foods

Before martial arts I always go home so that I can get some food in my body, but I wonder if my performance during practice would be better if I were to eat healthier. Most of the time I would eat some pizza with chips or 2 chicken patties with some chips.
The thing that has got me thinking is the food I eat. I know that I need to eat before practice but I also know that the food that I'm eating isn't food that is good for workouts. The problem I face is not knowing what to make to eat. When I get home I only have 45 minutes at the most. So I have to make the food and eat it or take it with me within those 45 minutes. Being that it's my first time coming home for the day I usually try to get some stuff ready for the next day.
I have learned to get in the house, take out thinfs for the next day, put my clothes away and make something to eat in a fast minute but I need some ideas on healthier things to eat.
During practice I can get a bit
tired but it's more thay I get sore and my arms and legs start to feel like they're going to fall off. I'm not sure if there are any foods that I cam eat that will be more beneficial for my body when it comes to working out, but it's something to look into.

The Defense Class (Day 2)

So my mom made me 30 minutes late to the self defense class today. I was upset because I hate being late to thing. When you walk in late to something it feels like everyone is watching you and I'm a newcomer to the classes, so it makes it look worse on me. I wouldn't really mind if it was like a few minutes late, but I mean 30 minutes late, it's just too much for me.

When I got to the class, I hopped in from where they were. Our instructor was showing us what to do if we ever got into a situation where there was 2 people trying to attack you at the same time. The key is to try and only fight one of the two people at a time. You are cleary in the disadvantage if you are fighting both of the people at the same time. So you want to use the one of the people to block off the other person. Since they're both coming at you, you need to make sure that only one of the people is even close enough to touch you. You do this by moving around. Make it so that one person is infront of you and that the other person is behind that person that is behind you. They may try to close you in so you would need to be aware of that. Make sure you don't get caught in corners because once you're trapped between two people and a corner, your life can be over really fast.

College Essay In Progress

These last 2 days I've been working on my college essay and I have made some amazing progress. Wednesday nigh there was an event held by the U of R side of Hillside. The event was at 46 Prince Street. When we got there they fed us some subs and chips and stuff but we were there to work on the college essay. There was this guy, named Anthony, who works in admissions at U of R. He was our guide for the night. He showed us am example college essay that they thought was great, and he told us some fact about the school.

U or R receive about 13,000 applications, 3,000 people get accepted, and only about 1,300 people actually go to the school after being accepted. There you go, 1,300 people goes to the schoolo. If you want to be one of those 1,300 people in your school you better be on point, and by that I mean your essay better be on point because that's the only way the school is going to know you.

Anthony taught us about hooking your reader, you need that hook that is going to make your reader stay interested in you for the time being. I chose my hook to be a cell phone. So in my essay my cell phone takes me through my day. My alarm wakes me up in the morning. Text/messages and calls gives me info throughout my day and my emails are sent to me telling me the formal things I need to know.

I chose a cell phone because I'm looking to go to RIT for engineering, technology is what I'm mostly looking at right now. I would love to know how phones or other pieces of technology is made into such great pieces of work. And if it's possible I would love to go to RIT and end up creating the next phone that becomes a trend within the world.

Self Defense

I went to a self defense class last Saturday. Harry wasn't going to be there but since I still wanted to practice something I went to the self defense class to gt some type of practice in. The class starts at 10, about an hour earlier than Harry's class, but that wasn't a problem for me. I ate breakfast before I went and got there at 9:30 like I said.

When I arrived at the dojo I got changed and hopped in with this other class that was already started. The only thing is that these people knew what they were doing. They were performing a set of moves which first required that you understand the language that the teacher was speaking. Then you have to perform moves based on what is told of you. I tried to watch the others and copy them as quickly as possible but I failed horribly. I felt myself falling behind in everything and I felt like everyone was watching me, thinking that I a idiot.

I want to learn their moves so bad. When I was watching I was really focusing on how they move. I tried to study each step as quickly as I can. Right hand goes up, strikes diagonally, left hand punches. It was overwhelming but I kept faith in learning though. I was only with that one class for about 15 minutes before it ended. It made me realize how bad I want to learn martial arts though. I no longer want to be the only one that is behind in the technique. I felt stupid and it made me feel like I can't keep up with others.

The thing I did do well in was the Self defense class that starts at 10 every Saturday morning. It's a class that is dominated by females, we're thought to be believe that it's like this because guys feel like they don't need to take the class or they feel embarrassed to be a part of class that teaches you how to defend yourself.

The class also focuses on conditioning so it's like a mixture of both. I really like it. The women there are all a bout 30's or older but they aren't scared to throw you, or hit you. Our teacher was showing us how to get someone off of you if you are on your back and the person is like sitting on top of you and leaning over your chest. The way to get them off of you is by waiting until they make a move to try to hurt you. So say for instance the person tries to choke you with their right hand, you would grab their right hand and hold it down on you, lift your hips off the ground, and swing your body to the left as if you were trying to lie on your side. When the lady did this to me I flew onto my back, literally I felt myself flying off of her. I couldn't believe it. She is smaller than me and she definitely doesn't look as strong as me but the move worked and that's all that matters.

The class was really valuable and I would recommend anyone that can go to go. I will try my best to be there as much as possible. Then after that class I will continue on with Harry for the day.

Back With Harry

Harry and I finally got the time to connect through martial arts again.

In the middle of the Defense class Harry took me out so that I can work with him because he is my primary teacher when it comes to classes at the dojo.

From the start Harry had us pushing our way to our limits.

He had me and Tony running five minute rounds. It's hard to try to hit a bag for one minute straight then drop down to push ups and get right back up to hit the bag again.

Everytime after we got up from being in the push up position he would change up the way he wanted us to hit the bags. First just jabs with the left hand, then jab-cross, after that we would follow a jab-cross, with a knee. The knee would come from whichever foot was farthest back. He would yell for us to switch our feet sometimes and man you better switch them feet fast or else...

But the hardest part was when he had us on the two machines. On the first machine we had to lay on our stomach and your head would be facing down in a decline. So you put your hands on the handle at the bottom of the machine and your feet is above your body. On that machine you push yourself up, then you let your weight come down and repeat until you can't no more. On top of that you he will call for us to switch to the other machine which was way easier in the sense of position and movement. You sit down and pull the bar that's hanging above your head. You bring it down to your chest and let it go back so that you can repeat.

I love how intense it was but man... I need more practice.

(Saturday November 10th)

I Beez Back In The Gym!!!

Soooo last friday I went to the YMCA for the first time. It's beeen sooooo long since I have been to the gym to work out and I tell you, it felt soooo good to go and work on some muscles. I miss that feeling that I used to get from going often. And now I can't even push like 80 or 90 no more I'm back at like 60 or 70 pounds.

I worked on my arms mostly because most of the machines at the YMCA only works on your arms but they have other things that you can do also. After about a good 30-40 minute workout with the weight I changed clothes and hopped in the pool. I haven't been swimming since the summer time, so I been anxious to go swimming. I still remember how to swim so don't worry about it.

Besides pushing some little weights for my arms, I had worked on my abs a bit. My stomach was sore for the next 3 or 4 days. That's how you know I need to eat a bit better and do things more often because if I have been going to the gym ever since setpember I wouldn't be in any sorrow for myself.

It was good going to the YMCA and all I need for next time is a lock for a locker. I used one of the keys they have for a locker but I have to change away from the locker because of the set up so If I bring a lock next time my changing will be a lot smoother. I will just take the lock off my school locker and bring it with me everyday. It sounds like a plan so that's what I'm going to do.

College Essay

Maaaaan. We started our college essay about a month ago, but I have been so busy that it has been on the back burner for the longest.

I know my topic already. It's going to be about how I stole from a store and got caught. I hope for it to show growth in my character.

I have the outline layed out and everything all I need is the time to do it. I just wish I had the time. I been soo busy with everything in life that I haven't done anything. I haven't even played my video game in over a month or 2 and it's in my room. It's very annoying to not have time but it's also humbling. I feel like I have to do the right thing because if not then I will fall behind terribly. I may be doing that wuthout even noticing though. I still have some applications for college that I didn't even start yet. I have the supplement app and the apps for all my other choices but it's only the matter of actually getting them finished and off to Jamie. Need time for that also.

I didn't know that one of our senior deadlines is to complete the college essay and have it turned in, in it's final form by 11/30. I mean I didn't know that our NEXT senior deadline is to have the final version of our college essay done. I know other schools already had their college essay over with but we didn't get any class time for it.

I feel like I'm still over stressing things but I know I'll be fine. Once I get this college essay out the way I'm going to finish applying for school so that I don't have to worry about that then my next goal is going to be to focus on my paper I have to write for my senior project, since that will be so much fun.

And things change

Update. I have to get better at doing this more frequently.

Sooooo I had my senior meeting two days ago. Since then I have felt less stress about my senior project starting. I have made a change in committee members. Instead of having Jose on my committee I now have Joey.

Everyone was at the meeting besides Kemari because she had an emergency to deal with. But I see her at school today and got her to sign the contract so that I can make this deadline.

I would say that the meeting went very well. It was actually quicker than I thought and even smoother than I thought also. We got everything clearified. When I say that I mean like we have all of my work that I have to do down, and we also had to add in how many times a week I would be going to the gym and how many times a week I would be attending classes at the dojo.

I stated that I wanted to learn how martial arts meaning how to perform the style and the background, like how it evolved into what it is today. So I have to write  a 7-10 page paper on what ShoShinDo is and how it is different that other fighting styles. In this process I will learn practice Boxing, Kung Fu, and up to 3 other styles of fighting. I will do workouts for these styles to see how they differ and I will also interview trainers to find out more information about the styles that I try.

At my final meeting I will have to present my paper, a Prezi with my journey through my senior year and I will perform some of the techniques I learned such as block, punches and kicks.

I try not to think that all of this is overwhelming because I know that I definetly can do this and that I will make it through this year but I just want to take everything step by step for now because I have a bunch of work to do this year.

I know for sure I can do this and I'm not going to mess this up. Soooo wish me luck.

Almost there

So I'm at school right bow awaiting the start of my senior meeting. I'm very anxious about how this will go. I already ran into troubles trying to get this meeting scheduled and started. I never knew being a senior could be so stressful.

I know that it's just the start of things and I have a lot more to learn this year but I'm ready for it all.

Gotta Make A New Plan. . .

Being that my 2nd community expert came out of surgery this week and he hasn't contacted yet. When I called to remind him of the meeting on Monday then he said he didn't think he can make it and to call him back. I have called him everyday since and he has yet to answer his phone, reply to voicemails or even text me to let me know anything.
Mar suggested that I probably should  find a new expert. Wow because we have the deadline on friday. Now that's only 5 days away. But I'm going to make this work in any way that I can. I got the idea of getting a personal trainer from the YMCA to be on my senior committee. I have a final answer that my new gym will be the YMCA for the rest of my senior year. That's one thing that I can check off. Finally,

Ok now,

Next step,

I am going to go to the YMCA and ask one of the trainers to be on my committee and try to have a meeting by friday. I called the office at the YMCA for a trainer. I left them a message so they can call me back whenever they get the chance. I hope they call early on Monday morning.

I got to do my best to make this meeting by Friday so this is my week's goal. It will be my only focus for this week.

I'm going to pass my senior year, one step at a time.

Syracuse University

Today was a good one. Just too long.

Since Khadisha sister, Tyisha is out here to visit colleges also I had to go with her to visit ESF. I don't remember what it stands for but it's a SUNY school that is highly affiliated with SU.

ESF specializes in science based majors so it was extremely boring for me but interesting to Tyisha.
From being on the campus for ESF I didn't even wanna go to Syracuse but I knew I had to give it a chance. . .

Later today we had went to Syracuse's campus and Khadisha allowed me to walk around some. I love how the campus looks and feel. The people are very welcoming and I get the feeling that I am a part of the campus and the college city streets that surround the university. The way that the layout is, it's easy to think that the school is just a bunch of buildings within a confined space. That's how I see it and I love it that way.

None of the buildings are too huge for me. Even though I got a little lost I don't even think it counts because I knew where it was at but I was just doubting myself because it was my first time and I was trying to talk on the phone. I was focused though. Neighboring the campus are a bunch of restuarants and a few stores. It's very unique and there's this one street that reminds me of NYC and how the city is laid out. It was just stores back to back against restaurants. I can see myself with my friends exploring the city with deep interest.

Also I went to a talent show that they had. It was a lot of fun. Khadisha was right, their school spirit is among the best that you will find. That crowd was very live and all of the performers were known, or they at least made it seem that way. This experience boosts my interest in going to SU and they have a football team. *Extraaaa Pointssss*

I'm going to apply for SU asap.

Trip

I finally decided that I am going to visit Syracuse for the weekend. Well technically I am only going to be out of Rochester for less than 24 hours. But while I'm gone I get to see how the Syracuse campus is.

I will have to miss martial arts once again on Saturday morning but I will be back Saturday night, so that I can still make it to church and work on Sunday. I really hate the fact of missing so many martial arts classes. I think some people would feel like it's not a big deal because we haven;t even had the meeting to set any goals yet but to me I feel like it's something that I shouldn't stop for any period of time once I start. I started but haven't been able to go consistently yet. I'm still trying to figure out how all this is going to work once I have to start physical therapy. I'm scared of how much more compact my schedule will be and if I have to take another day off work then I don't know how I'm even going to be paying for the things I need.

I feel like I'm just toooooo stressed out right now.

The only good thing is that I have actually applied for some scholarships. I feel a little relieved to know that I am getting somewhere in that process but I feeel like I still need to invest about 2 or 3 more hours into that for it to be done for now. I need some money off college. And I need to find the time first.

Bad News. . .

I have to go to physical therapy.

I went to my appointment yesterday and I was told that I need to find time for physical therapy. I had tumor removed in my back, even though this doesn't limit the things I can do anymore, I still have to go to the physical therapy.

I wonder how will this affect my senior project? Dr. R said to do some of thing I learn during physical therapy as warm ups for my martial arts. But we have our own warm up routine. I don't mind putting in extra work though. Especially if it's going to ensure safety in the things that I do. I need to work on my back for sure, the last thing I need is to start another problem in my back.

I haven't talked to anyone on my committee about this problem but I will definitely get all this a crossed at my senior meeting monday.

Talking about that though, when I called Jose to reconfirm our meeting time for Monday he told me he just got out of surgery. Huge surprise to me. He said he may be able to go sometime during next week but to call him back.

Our deadline is next Friday.

This is craziness.

I'm about to call him right now though. . .

Need A Workout.

I have a choice to make. I can go to Syracuse University (SU) this weekend to visit. It would be free for me to go because I have a friend that is going to visit her sister for the weekend. She is also going to visit the campus. Her and her sister wouldn't mind if I came.....I would love to but I don't want to feel awkward in any type of way because it's not like I'm staying with family and I'm not that close to these people.

I do believe that seeing the campus will definitely help with picking colleges though. SU is on my college list.

If I go to visit SU this weekend I will be missing out on a lot though. Martial arts, work and church.

The thing I'm most worried about though is my martial arts. I'm so sick of missing it or it being cancelled. If I had the choice I would go everyday. I love the workout and the stress relief that it brings.

Stressed.

Never thought that Senior Year would be soooo stressful. It's ok though. If I know one thing I know I will get through this someway or another. I can't wait to go to martial arts today. Yesterday's class was cancelled at the last minute.

Frustrating but I know things happen.

I just want to finally get on a consistent schedule. The thing that seems to most frustrating is not knowing what I will be doing next. I know what I need to do next but with everything changing at the same time I can't keep up with it all.

I have so much things to do that when one thing gets cancelled I just move into the next but I need everything in my schedule to work otherwise I will start getting behind. I know some people didn't even start their senior project yet but I feel like I'm behind. Going to martial arts once a week isn't satisfying me. I need to be going at least 2 times a week and every time thats its possible I'm going 3 times a week. Plus I need to start hitting the gym 3 times a week. Good news about that: my mom said that it would only be $15 a month for a membership at the YMCA if I join my sisters plan. I would pay for the whole year right now. I need this right now.

But I'm extremely stressed with this senior project, every time class get cancelled or I can't make it I feel like I'm failing in some way. But at the same time I feel like "I have to do what I have to do" I'm never home just sitting there.

Senior Meeting. .

I'm trying to have my first senior on Monday, October 29th. I'm really hoping this goes as planned. I would hate to change the date. We are suppose to have our first meeting by that friday, November 2nd.

I hate the fact that I'm so close to the deadline because I like to have my stuff in on time or early. So if anything goes wrong on the day of the meeting then I won't have much time to try and make up a new meeting date. You can only miss 2 deadlines for your senior project then you have to beg for you to graduate on time. Yes, It is that serious so I'm trying to make it that way. for now on I'm trying my best to make all of my deadlines at least 2 weeks ahead if I can.

I need rom for error with everything that's going on in my life.

Like right now I haven't been able to go to martial arts 3 times a week like I want to. I have off work for all of the days that I'm suppose to go to martial arts so work isn't a issue. I just need more time for things and this college stuff is very time consuming for me. I can't wait till I master my schedule so that I can know how to do everything I want to do with having free time for myself.

I also need to join my sister's account for the YMCA or I need to renew my membership at the other place for a month, because I need to be going to the gym as part of my hours that I put in for my senior project each week. I love going to the gym and I love going to martial arts even more.

I need to get these things back on track. I'm really working on it though. The Saturday class was great though. I loved it. I'm looking forward to my next class. In the mean time I'm looking for a gym to attend to.

Thinking Way Ahead

People keep asking me "Will you continue martial arts after your project is done?"

So far my answer is "YESSSS"

I love it so far it gives me a source of workout and I feel comfortable there. I see how martial arts is a lot more than just fighting. When I go I get into this mental mindset where I began to argue and fight with myself. It's something going on in my head. It feels like I'm looking for myself and as I do so I push every button to see how I will react to the pressure that's applied.

I want to learn as much as I can about myself during my life, I feel like a year wouldn't be enough time for that. Plus I would love to keep going higher in the ladder of prestige. It'd be wonderful to be a black belt one day. Maybe years from now but I want to get there. Martial arts is seen as a stress reliever for me. I definitely felt less stress after last week practices. Kinda week but mostly stress-free. I would love to continue this throughout college as I struggle with the tough classes that are thrown at me. When I can't think of an answer I'll punch the bag and fight with myself until I come to a conclusion. A relaxing way that will do no harm to others.

When I look at Harry I see his mental strength from life experiences but also I see how he holds himself while teaching this unique art to us. It gives me a huge role model to look up to. As you look at him you will feel that he is very powerful in many ways. It's almost scary how his presences take your respect because you feel him kindly asking for it.

I don't want to be a scary person but in martial arts I want to become as strong as Harry or stronger.

That will take a lot of mental strength.

Switching Gyms....

Ok so I think I may need to switch the gym that I've been going to. The problem is that the gym I currently go to is quite a distance from both of the schools that I at ten and it isn't exactly close to my house unless you drive and even if you take that way, then it's still 10 minutes to get there. I am thought to believe that going to the YMCA that's located downtown will be the best option for me and my time issues. I need somewhere that is convenint for me and all of my other activities. If I go to the YMCE downtown then I will be able to go to the gym on Tuesdays & Thursday in-between my class at SWW & SOTA. Then even if I go after work on any other day then it would be easier for me to get home compared to the gym I go to now.

One thing that I love about the YMCA is that they have a gym for members. Man, I love to swim so much. I wouldn't mind going to work out just so I can go swimming everyday. As long as I have the time then I will do so. I haven't been able to go swimming as much as I been wanting to and swimming helps to keep me calm and relaxed. Just let my thoughts float with the water.

The negative that I will see instantly is the cost of going to the YMCA. It's about $10 more a onto which seems like a lot to me even though I know it's not. But I can only get it for so little if my sister allows me to be on her benefits, which she gets for working there.

I'm getting scared that she won't put me on her account because she now wants to put her boyfriend son into the YMCA, but I know that I've been asked her about the price and led her on to believe that I will pay the money for me to go to the YMCA under her name. I feel like she was trying to act like I wasn't serious or act like she thinks that it's more important for the son to be on the plan. I'm not jealous and I know that the son does need somewhere to go after school but I know that I been asked before she and her boyfriend thought of the idea because when my sister & I was talking about this over the summer then it was no problems that could have been in the way. I don't know what I will do if I don't join her plan.