Good Things Come in Pairs (Part II)

Back to My Alma Mater
I headed to TJC for a coaching session earlier this morning. The night prior I slept late, no prizes for correctly guessing what I was doing. Yet, when I stepped through the gates of my alma mater, the energy seeped in. Slowly but surely, it flooded my senses and empowered me with the energy required of coaching a bunch of energetic bunnies.

Insurmountable Route

Philip and Garick are the main coaches, while I adopt a more ad-hoc position. I'm very satisfied with the current arrangement, because I know how physically and mentally challenging it is to do three things at once: score decent grades in school, push my own climbing level and coach a school three times a week. I've tried and sadly, I've fallen short. 

So Garick had some last minute matters to attend to, leaving me to helm the fort in his absence. The time has come again for me to take on the mantle of a coach. I try very hard to live up to my ideal of a good coach, but damn, Philip has set the bar so very high.

Good Things Come in Pairs (Part I)

The Wushi Finger - Kung Fu Panda
The meeting with the dissertation professor yesterday provided much material for this blog, which I will pen down.

The first thing that struck me about Professor L is his fiery eyebrows. It bunches and curves up at the edges, resisting his best efforts to tamp them down. Coupled with his slightly wheezy voice, he gives me the impression that he is some wizened and formidable kung-fu master. Maybe the kung-fu master part is an exaggeration, but that he is an expert in the field of mental wizardry is without doubt.

Enter the Dragon's Lair

When I first entered his office, he was leaning back comfortably in his swivel chair, with both his lower limbs propped up on the table. Hanging off his feet are the oldest looking pair of socks, with half of it drooping off his toes in the most uninspiring manner. Yet there he sat, unmoved by my entrance. I was entering his den, his domain, and this is how he chooses to display his dominance. I sat down meekly. After what seemed like eternity (a good twenty seconds) he finally withdrew his feet. And so we began..

My Valentine's Day Present

我是一個愛的牧羊人　尋找一個愛我的人

- 愛的牧羊人 (伍思凱)

So I've been pulling my hair out over my dissertation lately. 

My gripe: the professor with whom I've been attached to seem to think that I'm some super student. He expects me to have read all the papers he has written over his 15-year long professorship. He expects me to be able to interpret the results of all his advanced econometric models (lagged correlations, multi-variate regression, durbins-watson, granger casuality, and what not). When I pointed out to him that our school does not have any public computers with the requisite software installed, he expects me to get it, by hook or by crook. And he expects me to learn to the software from scratch, by myself. Besides fumbling with this econometrics software, I've also have had to learn how to navigate the Thomson Datastream financial database. Alone. It is a steep learning curve.

Shall We Dance?

Beverly: Why aren't you at the party?

Clark: Oh because it's a dance, and to dance you need a partner. My partner is right here.. Beverly.. dance with me?

Beverly: Ahh? I don't know how..

Clark: Yeah you do.. Yeah we've been dancing for the past 19 years..

Shall We Dance (2004)

I watched this awesome movie many years back. Yet, each time I listen to the theme song: The Book of Love, and re-watch the scene of Richard Gere waltzing up the escalator in a crisp suit and combed-back hair, holding a single rose in his hand to meet his wife, tears well up in my eyes. These tears remind me of the cry baby part of myself I keep hidden from most others, but still very much alive inside. Many years have passed, and many things have changed. Thankfully, I can take comfort in the knowledge that many things continue to stay the same, like the ability of this movie to cocoon me in a blanket of warm-fuzzy feelings and wash away a little of my cynicism.

别怕我伤心

我从来不敢给你任何诺言
是因为我知道我们太年轻
你追求的是一种浪漫感觉
还是那不必负责任的热情

心中的话到现在才对你表明
不知道你是否会因此而清醒
- 李宗盛

I never dared make you any promises
Because I know we're still too young
Will you stay through the romance
Or are you driven by passion, with no thought for consequences?

My honesty is expensive, are you willing to pay for it in hurt feelings and rude awakenings?
After all has been said and done, whether you've understood anything still remains a mystery.

Gym Jones

 Taken from http://www.gymjones.com/gym/

At Gym Jones we train athletes. We train professionals. We train individuals. The common thread binding our clients is Will: to suffer, to throw former selves on the fire, to overcome and to change. For some of these individuals fitness can mean the difference between life and death. 

For others it's the decision between a life well lived and a life squandered. Our objective is functional fitness, and not merely the appearance of fitness - actual capacity strengthens confidence, a facade is merely physical. We embrace traditional ideas, and continue to create and implement new ones. We're experienced, creative, inquisitive and experts in our fields. Gym Jones is not a cozy place. There are no televisions, no machines, no comfortable spot to sit - and there are no mirrors.

The training is painful. There are no shortcuts. Physical and psychological breakdowns occur. Our culture, dedicated to The Art of Suffering, is both safety net and inspiration. Individuals push harder and risk more alongside trustworthy peers. To maintain this spirit we're dedicated to choosing only clients who have the ability to adapt this philosophy. Gym Jones is private, but not closed. 

We surround ourselves with people like ourselves. You become what you hang around.