2003-12-07-2:12 a.m.
Today I earned my second green stripe on my white belt for Cuong Nhu. Testing for a promotion can be two things:

1. That you've been practicing and it's a great time to show off and to have fun.

2. That you haven't been practicing and it's a great time to make mistakes and worry a lot.

I think I've been forgeting to have fun with martial arts. My moves right now flow really well. I watched one man from another dojo test and he was beyond ridged. I'm happy I have a small eye for what works and what doesn't work. Although, I need to work on putting all my moves together (polishing.) It's easy to do a snap kick alone... but try doing a snap kick, round house kick, side kick, then turn around to do a back kick... without lossing your balance and still having the proper technique. It's not easy! I heard a lot of good things. Things I need to remember. Change is only remembering: that's it. To change is to just do, not agonize.

Master Quynh: "When you guys get up here for public speaking, no one wants to hear you talk about yourselves. No one wants to hear you talk about all the years you trained and how you went from one belt to another. It's very easy to just talk about yourself. Talk about your development. That's what makes you up- how you develop not your time to get their."

"Whenever people remember my father, they always bring up how he feed them. No one remembers specific talks about how to do a move, they remember the kindness and friendship."

"Listen, it's not about how hard you pray or doing some other religious thing that makes you a good person. What makes you a good person is if it comes from the heart (touches his chest). It shows that one is really focused when he goes the extra mile to do a religious duty and I admire that. But the main thing is just be a good person: don't steal, don't hurt people, care for people, look out for yourself."

Sensei Neil: "Martial Arts is like a Harley. When you ride a Harley, you enjoy the ride and don't worry about the destination. When practicing, it's about enjoying the journey."

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