Qi Gong Rocks!

I just finished doing the "water" program from Matthew Cohen's "Qi Gong: Fire and Water" DVD.  I feel absolutely amazing!  My lower back pain has subsided, my wrists feel like they are brand new, and I feel a lot more focused, relaxed and alert.  I have an urge to start doing karate, but since it is really late at night, I'll save it for the morning. 

One of my life goals is to become an expert in four different martial arts.  I already have a black belt in karate, a striking system.  Next, I want to learn how to grapple, so I will probably do Brazilian jiu-jitsu.  I also want to master a weapon and a "soft" martial art.  After tonight, I know that the "soft" martial art will be Qi Gong. 

Could DiCaprio Have Pulled Off The Riddler?

On Yahoo! Movies, I read that Leonardo DiCaprio was considered for playing the Riddler in Christopher Nolan's final "Batman" film.  I think that he has the acting chops to pull off such a role, especially the darker version of the character that Christopher Nolan would have thought of.  Although DiCaprio was a good guy in "Blood Diamond" and "The Departed", he showed a lot of talent and range in those films, and I think he could have easily adapted to playing a Batman villain.  That being said, I'm glad that Nolan decided to go with Bane instead.  In my opinion, the Riddler is too similar to the Joker and having them back-to-back would have been a bit much.  The ruthless and calculating Bane is a fresh and exciting challenge for Gotham's hero, and I can't wait to see how Batman deals with the foe who broke his back in the comics.

There really isn't much to the article, but if you want to read it, here it is:

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/leonardo-dicaprio-sought-riddler-role-173651296.html

Developing "The Protector's" Best Friend; Seeing A Hero Get Saved

Earlier today, after typing up some of my Peace Corps memoir, I started writing a scene with Sandra's protector.  It went really well and I gained new insight into the mind of The Protector's best friend.  In order to prevent revealing any spoilers, I'll just say that she is very perceptive and empathetic.  The only challenge is whether I will make her a city slicker or a girl from the swamp.  Due to my increasing fascination with swamp people and my desire for a challenge, I'll probably go with the latter. 

At "Night of Freedom" yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting a marine who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.  He earned a Purple Heart for saving his colonel and was very outgoing, friendly and enthusiastic.  Later that night, he came to faith in Christ.  I am always deeply moved when someone does this, but when a real-life hero like this young man gets saved, it feels extra special. 

"The First Dunite Citizen" Complete, "Nineveh's Apex Predator" Revised

I finished "The First Dunite Citizen" over the weekend and revised "Nineveh's Apex Predator."  The former was submitted to a magazine and the latter was submitted to a writing competition.  Now that those two are done, I can return to "Black Swan Origins: Nineveh."

My chief concern is that I'm giving Max too much screen time.  In my recent fiction, she appears more than any other character.  Granted, she is extremely fun to write about.  However, she's not supposed to be the focal point of the series.  I'm going to need to build up the other characters so that she does not hog the spotlight. 

Stop Hating On Gwyneth!

I read on article on Yahoo!Music Blog about Gwyneth Paltrow using the N-word on Twitter.  I didn't believe it at first, because Gwyneth Paltrow never struck me as a racist.  After reading the article, it turned out that I was right and that this was just a load of media hype.  All the poor woman did was quote the name of a song!  I am an African-American man and I really don't see what the issue is.  She wasn't using it in a derogatory manner.  She wasn't promoting white power or trying to put down Jay-Z, Beyonce, or Kanye West.  She was just tweeting a photo of herself with Jay-Z and Beyonce with the title of the song that was playing at the concert!  Isn't everyone overreacting just a tad bit?

I also disagree with Billy Johnson, Jr.'s rule that white people can never use the word.  Ever.  Granted, I wouldn't take too kindly to a bunch of people waving nooses and calling me a stupid N-word every time I walked past them.  However, that's very different from someone reading "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and quoting the word, or someone simply repeating the lyrics of their favorite song.  Imagine if Katy Perry created a song called "B-words in London" and Ryan Seacrest happened to tweet a picture of himself on stage with her and included the song title.  Wouldn't it sound dumb for someone to say that "if you're not a woman, don't use the word"?  Isn't it bit silly to claim to have the sole privilege of using an insult?

In my opinion, Gwyneth Paltrow didn't do anything wrong here.  If my black brothers and sisters don't want white people using the N-word, then they SHOULDN'T PUT IT IN OUR MUSIC!!!!

I'm done talking about this foolishness, but if you want to learn more about it, the link is below:

http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/hip-hop-media-training/jay-z-kanye-blame-gwyneth-paltrow-inappropriate-n-235602587.html

Discovering Matsura Seizan

While hanging out at Barnes and Noble, I found a book called "Secret Tactics" by Kazumi Tabata.  It covers insights, rules, and philosophies of martial arts masters, including Miyamoto Musashi.  However, the one guy who caught my attention was Matsura Seizan.  His rules and insights were very simple and practical, such as the fact that you should listen to your teacher while still keeping an open mind to other ideas.  He also said that any opponent can be beaten and that you shouldn't care who your foe is; your goal should be to take them out as quickly and efficiently as possibly.  Or, as he put it, "with one blow."  He also said that there is nothing mystical about kempo.  You get good through discipline and experience gained through a lot of fights.  Some of the more esoteric among us might be disappointed that the truth is that simple, but the fact of the matter is that it is.  So many people are under the impression that martial arts experts have some sort of bizarre mystical power or superhuman talent.  That is really only true for a select few.  The majority are simply hardworking, studious individuals who, through creativity and practice, discovered efficient ways to do away with assailants, thugs, and bullies.  There is still much about Matsura that I really don't know.  However, thanks to Kazumi, I have found out that it is in my best interest to learn as much about him as I can.       

Learning From The Past: Earning the Right To Give Advice

I make a lot of novice mistakes in my previous blog which I am going to correct.  The biggest one that I made was giving writing advice prematurely.  I want to make it clear that I am an excellent writer and am proud of what I have accomplished so far.  However, there is one thing that I must do before I give advice to others: I need to get a book published.  Having a B.A. in English Literature and publishing short stories are all admirable achievements.  That being said, I know that I will only be taken seriously on the web when I have a book that people are paying to read.  I consider it the equivalent of getting a black belt in karate.  Sure, you can give pointers when you're at a lower rank and certainly win a lot of fights.  However, you won't have the discipline and maturity to truly teach others until you are a black belt.  Master Clark made me wait a couple of extra years before he would test me for that rank.  Even though I could beat most of the other students at American Karate Academy, I lacked discipline.  I skipped classes frequently, to the point where I was chided by a fellow student named Laura for it when I saw her at the grocery store.  In a not-so-subtle way, she told me that, while I was really good, I needed to attend class more.  That was a big wakeup call, especially since she was one of the better black belts in the school.  Why should I get promoted if I couldn't even be bothered to show up?  I wised up and started coming more frequently.  Sure enough, Master Clark tested me within a few months when I showed that I had learned my lesson.  Likewise, to teach others about writing, I can't just coast on natural talent and skill.  I need to prove that I have the focus, maturity, and discipline to teach others.  In karate, that involved getting my black belt.  In the writing world, that translates into getting a book published.