Katelyn Wonsiak

Children's Instructor

Silent River Kung Fu

Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

I started Kung Fu at Silent River at the age of 5. My dad said when I was born that he wanted his daughter to be in some sort of martial arts, so that she could take care of herself. And here I am.

Kung Fu has always been a part of my life. It has come to define a part of who I am today, and who I always will be. I received my black belt through Sifu Brinker February of 2009 when I was 13 years old, and although I am still young, my journey through Kung Fu has been long and hard, and will continue to be so for a very long time. I am currently a member of this year's UBBT 9 group, and I plan to grade for my second degree black belt at the end of this year.

I consider everyone that surrounds me at the Kwoon my second family. We are always there to encourage and push each other further, lift each other up when we fall, and pat each other on the back when we succeed. Kung Fu is my home away from home.

I started helping out with the children's classes in 2007, with Sifu Danielle Edge, and Sifu Grahm Robertson. I loved the fun atmosphere, along with helping the kids learn Kung Fu. I now instruct the kids alongside Sifu Specht, Sifu Vantuil, Sihing Robinson, Mr. Bowd and Sihing Kendle and Delaney Embury. Teaching the kids has helped me to grow exceptionally as a martial artist, and as a person. I love watching them grow, and challenge themselves consistently.

Outside of Kung Fu I am in grade 10 at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Spruce Grove. I have many ambitions including being excepted into medical school in the future. I am an honours student, an older sister, a loving daughter, a loyal friend, an avid reader, an athlete, and everything else I can be.

http://www.silentriverkungfu.com

Simple Thoughts... Bigger Meanings

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- Goodbye For Now.
  
  Apr 17, 12
  
  I leave on Thursday morning for a much anticipated holiday with my family and some friends of ours. I'm extremely excited to go not just because of the holiday itself, but for the challenge that has been placed in front of me for my UBBT training.
  
  I've been really working hard these past few weeks to try and get my numbers up to a level that allows me to stress less about how I complete my requirements while I'm on vacation. I've also spent a great amount of time trying to figure out when I'm going to have time to squeeze in some push ups and sit-ups every day. There's always time to fit them in, It's just the matter of disciplining myself to utilize the time, and actually drop down and do them. I know that if I were to not do any push ups or sit-ups while I'm gone, I would be back at square one when I arrived home. I have to keep myself in the game.
  
  I've also decided that I'm going to be focusing a lot on my writing assignments while I'm gone. There's 8 hours total on a plane, plus time sitting in the airport waiting to board, and the shuttle ride to the hotel. I love to write, I used to be able to do it for 2 - 3 hours without taking a break, but I haven't exercised that ability in quite awhile and I'm really looking foreword to the chance to actually sit down and do it.
  
  I'm also planning on taking a picture of me doing a push up in front of the castle... so stay tuned for that =)
  
  "Around here, we don't look backwards for very long... We keep moving foreword, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're very curious... And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." ~Walt Disney
- Insert Title Here.
  
  Apr 14, 12
  
  Yea. I couldn't think of a blog title. I'm not feeling very creative today.
  
  So with the great blessing of being able to have full use of my knees back, I've found that I've regressed in my forms when it comes to having a connection with my shoulders and my hips. Sifu Brinker brought to my attention that there's a large disconnect between the two when I move from stance to stance in my forms, and I hunch my shoulders really bad when I move.
  
  This is something that I've noticed has always been a problem, and I almost had it fixed before my knees started giving me problems, and now I'm back to square one... It's frustrating... but it's a new challenge that I have to work on.
  
  That's all for now.
- Again!?!
  
  Apr 05, 12
  
  Snow... Again... Are you kidding me??
  
  Apparently it was enough for the busses to be cancelled today, so I didn't have to go to school...
  
  Here's to weekends that are longer than weekdays.
  
  I'll be blogging tomorrow... I just felt the need to post this =)
  
  Katelyn.
- Wow.
  
  Mar 29, 12
  
  This week has been spectacular.
  
  All of my numbers are looking fantastic, and I feel that I progressed more than I had expected this week. I've had a lot of 'me time,' more than anticipated and I feel great. I haven't felt this way about my training in a long time.
  
  I got to see my grandmother this week. She's 87 and just moved into a seniors home in Saskatoon. I love sitting down and talking with her. She's always so happy and seeing her this week made me think about how lucky I am to have her in my life. I love her with all my heart, and she teaches me how to be the most loving, and nurturing person that I can be.
  
  That's all for now.
- Spring Break
  
  Mar 24, 12
  
  It's finally here.
  
  I love spring break haha. With no kids classes and no school, it gives me a lot of time to focus on myself more so than everything else. I can expect to get a boatful of my numbers caught up by the end of this weekend. I'm staying in Saskatoon this weekend with my cousin while my mom takes me baba an hour from Saskatoon out to Quill Lake to see everyone out there. I'm there until Tuesday, and i'll be home by myself at my grandma and grampas house while she's in school.
  
  It should be a good week.
- A Really Slow Week.
  
  Mar 08, 12
  
  I don't have much to blog about this week. We have a shortened week in school so I have no classes tomorrow, but I am for some reason absolutely wiped out. We have a realtor coming in to look at our house on Monday so we've been cleaning... a lot. Haha. It's been quite a bit of work. My physio therapist cracked my back for me today to loosen everything up and it's really sore. I'm going to take it easy tonight so that I can come back swinging tomorrow.
  
  As far as my numbers go,
  I've been getting a lot of my kilometers done in physio because he puts me on the bike to warm my knees up, so I'm pretty happy about that. Same with my squats. Those numbers are soaring.
  I really need to work on documenting my acts of kindness though, I should probably start carrying my book around with me...
  
  Sifu Wonsiak
- Bullying.
  
  Feb 28, 12
  
  People often ask me why I preach about bullying so much when I teach the kids classes. My answer to them is simple,I have been bullied off and on since grade 6. I know what it feels like to by threatened, pushed around, the subject of rumours, publically ridiculed and cyber bullied. I don't believe that I would have the confidence that I still have today if it weren't for my Kung Fu. Kung Fu teaches you two very important things besides self defence... Discipline, and respect.
  
  I cannot tell you enough how hard it is to walk away and ignore someone that is publically humiliating you when you're standing
  four feet away from them, and not to mention keep calm. But, Kung Fu taught me the strength and the courage to do exactly that.
  
  Now, I'm not saying that every person that is enrolled in Kung Fu has been bullied. Neither am I telling you that that is the reason that I was enrolled in Kung Fu. There is certainly a good chance that most of us have been bullied at some point, whether it be as a kid, or as an adult. The question, "well sifu, I've never been bullied, or a bully, so why do I have to learn about what to do when you're being bullied?" Comes up once in awhile and my answer to that is simple as well. This is one of the ways that I can teach someone empathy in a very simple way. By learning about bullying, and being educated about the effects about bullying, it's not very hard to put yourself in the shoes of the guy that's being picked on at the bus stop, or excluded from playing a game. It makes it way easier to be his or her friend;
  and not be tempted to be peer pressured into becoming a bully yourself.
  
  I believe that this is an essential part of my identity as a black belt, and has drastically changed the way that I approach my teaching in Kung Fu.
  
  For our orange belts in the kids classes, we started the new green stripe requirement of them having to create a multimedia presentation on bullying, which will eventually be displayed on the monitor in the school. The picture I included in this post was one from a project that one of our orange belts handed in. There was my chuckle for the day. =)
  
  Sifu Wonsiak
- Making Adjustments...
  
  Feb 23, 12
  
  I had my first physio appointment this morning. I have what's called Patellofemoral Syndrome. My knee cap doesn't track properly because some muscles in my leg are too tight, and some aren't strong enough to create a balance. Also, with much surprise, I have an issue with my lower back putting pressure on a few of my nerves which is apparently a huge contributing factor to this.
  
  So along with some pain, we've got a healing plan worked out, and six sessions booked. He did recommend that because my forms and tai chi cause the most swelling in my knees, that I'll have to take it easy or it might disrupt the healing process.
  
  Although this is going to be very difficult for me (I do A LOT of forms and tai chi) I want my knees to get better quickly. Some adjustments are going to have to be made...
- Feb 21, 12
  
  The title of this post pretty much sums it all up.
  
  Last night, I wasn't paying attention and I ended up missing a step going downstairs to the kitchen resulting in me falling down 7 hardwood steps. After lying on the ground for a bit, I realized that I wasn't hurt, and I *thankfully* didn't knock myself out on the way down. I'd like to give a shout-out to my Kung Fu for this. The many minutes of laying flat on my back and holding my head off the ground really payed off for me. I was able to subconsciously tighten my neck muscles and keep my head up while I was falling down the stairs. I truly think that the fact that I didn't even have to think about doing this was awesome. I walked away with only sore neck muscles and what we think to me a minor concussion.
  
  On a lighter note, I've been given an opportunity to develop one of my personal requirements tomorrow afternoon. I was asked to help photograph the dress rehearsal of our school production of Seussical The Musical. This is extremely exciting because I will be able to use one of our schools hi-tec cameras and all of our editing equipment. Since one of my personal requirements for the UBBT was to create my own photography portfolio, I will be able to use some of these pictures to kick start this little project. I am extremely excited as I've never gotten the chance to photograph theatre before, and I believe that there's a lot to be learned tomorrow and I'm excited for every chance that I get.
  
  Cheers! :)
- Just An Update
  
  Feb 16, 12
  
  I do have a certain blog post that I want to put up, but I have to think about it for a bit longer. So stay tuned.
  But, I felt that It was time to put up another little update on how my training has been going.
  
  First off,
  I'm really excited about the get together between all of the I Ho Chaun members tonight after the kids classes. I've missed the last two, being sick and such; but today I feel the best that I've felt in awhile. I think I've finally beat this cold thing I've had for quite awhile. Needless to say I'm back into action.
  
  One of the weapons that I've decided to focus on are the Sais. I've decided to try to create a 'rough draft' of an original form. I really struggled with this at first, but now the creative juices are starting to flow, and It's finally starting to look like something. Yay!
  
  We have yet another short week at school, and we can all tell that the teachers are starting to stress a little bit. We've been getting tones of homework, but I haven't started falling behind, and I don't plan on that ever happening. So far I've been able to maintain all of my averages at around the 90% mark. Which is really good, considering my personal requirement was at least 80%.
  
  My training has been going really well, and I haven't quite started to badly fall behind on my numbers yet. I've been booked to start physio on the 2nd of March for my knees, so we will see how that goes.
  
  Cheers:)
- It's A Juggling Act.
  
  Feb 07, 12
  
  This week is a very short week.
  
  With winter games and teacher convention, tomorrow will be my last day of school until Monday next week. Teachers are giving a lot of homework and such, but I'm finally starting to get settled into a new routine in school. I have taken on a grade eleven honors biology class this semester, and I defiantly have my work cut out for me.
  
  Because I've been spending so much time getting used to my new routine at school, my schedule at home, after school, has really done a bit of a flip-flop. Between homework, my daily training, helping out with the house to get it ready for sale, etc. I haven't been going to bed at the same time that I usually do. So that's been really tough.
  
  My strategy skills have really been put to the test these past few days. I have different alarms set on my phone to remind me when to drop and do push ups, sit-ups and squats; and when to bang out a repetition of a form or two. I've never really planned like this before and I'm struggling with it. My mind doesn't process this way, but I've been slowly training it to start. I'm getting there... but it's defiantly a process.
  
  Everything else has stayed content though.
  I get to make T-shirts in my Com-Tec class next week =)
- Book 1 out of 5 : To Kill A Mocking Bird
  
  Feb 01, 12
  
  One of my personal requirements for the UBBT was to read 5 books that have an impact on me and to tell a little something about each book on my blog. Reading books for me is easy; I read a lot of books. Each book impacts me in a way, but when I made this requirement, I wanted to make it clear that I would be picking books that I know will make an impact on me before I read them.
  
  My mom ordered this book for me through the Scholastic book order when I was in grade 7. I think her exact words were "I want you to read this. It's a good book." Needless to say, the book sat on my shelf for 3 years untouched, just another dust collector. I didn't pick it up until we did it for a novel study in my English Honours class a couple months ago. But, the novel study was really rushed and still, I didn't get a lot out of it. It wasn't until I recently picked it up and read it cover to cover in about 4 days that I realized the huge impact it had on me.
  
  First of all,
  I loved the way this book was written through the eyes of a child. Out of the many books that I have read that shared this perspective, Harper Lee did an extremely good job of bringing out the innocence of a child towards the events in this book, but she also balanced in the more pressing issues that were talked about in a more adult tone.
  
  Second,
  Harper Lee teaches her audience about the issues that were faced towards racial intolerance and prejudice in the "Old South." But she also throws in many small, rich lessons in the mix. My favorite part of the book was the Tom Robinson trial. Although it was extremely dark, it definitely brought out the ugliness of racism. This is one of the few books that I have read that have not "turned a blind eye" towards how extreme racism used to be, and unfortunately in some cases, still is.
  
  Lee also shows us the quick and judgemental nature of humans by using the character Boo Radley. We see how easy it is to misjudge and label people because they are different then us. I know that I have done it even though I know that it is wrong, and I'm sure that a lot of others have done it as well. In the book, we see how the impact and the actions of adults rub off on their children. All of the kids are afraid of him because he is different from them. Is it fair that we still do this everyday as a society? No, of course it isn't, and sometimes it isn't something that we can help. We've been doing it ever since we've been in preschool. We just don't see the impact that it has on others.
  
  I loved this book, and it is one that I will for sure be reading again and again because I know that each time that I read it, I will get something new out of it.
  One last thing that this book taught me was that you should keep reading a book, even though you don't understand the first chapter... You might miss out on something amazing if you don't =)
  
  (The quote below is important to me because it was the part of the book that made my cry... Yes... I'm a sap for these things...
  
  "When I pointed to him his palms slipped slightly, leaving greasy sweat
  streaks on the wall, and he hooked his thumbs in his belt. A strange small
  spasm shook him, as if he heard fingernails scrape slate, but as I gazed at
  him in wonder the tension slowly drained from his face. His lips parted into
  a timid smile, and our neighbor’s image blurred with my sudden tears.
  “Hey, Boo,” I said."
- A Change In Me.
  
  Jan 22, 12
  
  Chinese New Year is tomorrow, which means the official start of this year's new I Ho Chaun program, and I would like to publicly post all of my requirements for everyone to see.
  
  Set Requirements
  - No Quitting
  - 50, 000 Pushups and Situps
  - Master Two Forms With A Minimum of 1000 Repetitions
  - Log 1000 Rounds Of Sparring
  - 1609 Kilometers of Running/Walking/Biking/Rollerblading or Equivalent
  - Record 1000 Acts Of Kindness
  - Mend A Relationship
  - Journal Once A Week
  - Qualify and Perform In At Least Three Public Performances.
  - Learn To Lion Dance
  - Compete In The Tiger Challenge
  - Excel In Your Core Class Curriculum
  - Memorize Mastery By Stuart Emery
  
  Personal Requirements
  - 1000 Repetitions Of Tai Chi
  - 12,000 Squats
  - Minimum Of 10 Minutes Of Stretching When I Wake Up, And Before I Go To Bed Every Day.
  - Start A Photography Portfolio. Either Online, Or In A Folder With The Following Categories:
  - Portrait
  - Animals
  - Landscape
  - People
  - Nature
  - Miscellaneous
  - Sports and Motion
  - Receive An Overall Average Of Over 80% In My Core Subjects (the ones I need to graduate)
  - Math
  - Science
  - Social
  - English
  - Religion
  - C.A.L.M
  - Read 5 Books That Have A Personal Impact On Me. Document And Journal About How, And Why.
  - Create A Career Profile.
  - Play THe Piano For At Least 1 Hour A Week
  - Obtain My Drivers License
  - Keep A Private Prayer Journal. To Be Written In Once A Week
  
  My overall goal throughout all of this is that I see a change in myself spiritually, mentally, and physically.I'm really excited for this year, and I'm hoping for a year of success for everyone that is in the I Ho Chaun this year.
- Time.
  
  Jan 06, 12
  
  Happy New Years everyone! :-)
  
  I'm extremely excited for this year, as there are so many exciting things going on for me.
  
  I'm proud to be a part of this years UBBT team, I have been preparing for this for awhile and I am hoping for a very successful year for all of the participants.
  
  My family is going to be preparing our house to put it up for sale; for we will be moving into our new house around the beginning of June!
  
  In March, we are going on a trip to Disneyland with some friends that have never been before. I was pretty little the last time we went, and I can't remember bits and pieces of the trip, so I am really excited to be going again soon!
  
  I am sending off my application to volunteer at the Stony Plain hospital. It is my dream to attend medical school, and even though it is still really early, I want to start exploring some of the medical fields, and begin to see what I would be interested in.
  
  I have two wedding this summer, one of which is in BC. So I am also very excited to be going to those :)
  
  I've got a busy year ahead of me, and with this in mind, I would like to share an entry out of my creative writing journal with everyone. I think that it really fits with this year, and it reminds me to always stay focused and in the moment while the small things fly on by...
  
  Time
  
  Take your time. Cherish the moment.
  
  When we're young, we look forewords to so many milestones. Graduation, experiencing the real world, university, a job, and for some of us: marriage, kids, and grandchildren. We want them to come as quickly as possible so that we may move onto the next.
  
  Sometimes, we have trouble staying in the moment; taking time to en grain this very second into our heads, so that we may remember it for a lifetime. We know that we'll always remember those big moments, because they're all we've ever looked forewords to. We become unfocused on the small things, which are just as important as the big things.
  
  We need to become aware of our surroundings. We need to remain in the now and not in the past, or the future. The past is over, and we have no way of knowing the future, but we have control over what is happening right now.
  
  Because when all these big milestones have passed us by, we're going to wish that we could remember the small things. Because when there's nothing left for us to look forewords to, we're going to with that we had more to look back on.
- When You Think About Seuss...
  
  Dec 12, 11
  
  Its going to be a really hectic week. I've literally got 35 hours worth of play practice for our upcoming production of "seussical the musical". Its crazy because I've been doing a lot of catch up for parts I've missed because of kungfu, appointments, etc. But, its been really crazily fun :)
  
  I recommend that when tickets come on sale, you should come check it out :) especially if you have kids. Its going to hopefully be a huge success, for we have some really talented actors, singers, and dancers on the cast this year. We're all really excited!
  
  That's all for now.
  
  Goodnight!
  
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- Dec 10, 11
  
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- Busy Busy Busy
  
  Nov 30, 11
  
  Everything has been so busy lately. I haven't blogged in a really long time, but here's an update on everything....
  
  School:
  
  Really busy. I've been struggling to keep my marks up. We just finished our physics unit in science with two tests in the past couple weeks. A quiz and a physics final. To my surprise I pulled off a 97% on my quiz and an 85% on my unit final. I was pretty excited about that. And in english I got my first big essay that I wrote a few weeks back as a Shakespear final project. I pulled a 96% on that. One of the highest marks in my class :) I was pretty excited about that too. I really need to get my marks up for the career path that I want to take past high school... I need really high marks if I want to get into med school...
  
  Extra Curricular:
  
  I am currently involved in the making-of our schools production of "seussical the musical." Its been super busy. Dance rehersals, scene blocking, music rehersals... whewh. Oh, and I got the roll of makeup-director... and I have to have all my designes, tutorials for each person involved in the play, and the makeup for each character bought by January 13... that gives me... 2 full weeks (school days)... this should be interesting....
  
  Kung fu:
  
  Its been pretty crazy. I've been working pretty hard at trying to develope a concrete demo for my class for the black belt promotion ceremony, and it seems to be going pretty well so far! I've also ben trying (and struggling) to get all of my personal requirements finalized for the I Ho Chaun class starting in January. Where has our year gone...?
  
  Other stuff:
  
  I love my family, and my dog&lizard. We're in lock-up out at the acreage. We're hoping to move in aroung June... that's pretty exciting.
  
  Well that's all for now...
  
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- Thoughts In Process...
  
  Oct 18, 11
  
  (This blog post is from my free writing journal in my English class in school. I just thought I'd share it with you guys)
  
  Topic - Write about something in a TV show or a movie that inspired you into deep thought.
  
  Response:
  
  I like this topic, not just because I've had this happen to me many times, but because it happened to me last night.
  
  I was laying in bed late last night, close to dozing off while watching re-runs of "Grey's Anatomy," when all of a sudden one of the main characters said something that really made me think. It went something like this...
  
  "I don't remember the last time that we were together, happy,
  nor do I remember the last time that we kissed. You never remember the
  last time because you never think that It's going to be your last time.
  I almost died today, and this was all I could think about."
  
  The episode finished and I closed my laptop. I lied awake for an hour thinking about these lines, and I realized how stupidly true it was. I realized that I can't remember the last time I saw my Uncle before he passed away, the last time I saw my friend before we stopped talking, nor can I remember the last kick I threw in kung fu. But I can remember all the stories that my Uncle told me, the time that me and my friend went camping together, and I remember being in Kung Fu and my Sifu correcting me on my Tai Chi on Saturday.
  
  I think that everyone can relate to this, and for me, I realized that it is a simple problem of not being in the moment. We need to do everything like it's the last time that we will ever do it. There should be no more "I'll do it when I see ___ tomorrow," or "Well there's always next time..." because what if there isn't?
  ----------------------------------------------------------
  That's as far as my response to the topic went because my 30 minutes ran out, but I think you see my point.
  Live in the moment. Do everything as if there is no tomorrow, and like you'll never be able to do it again. I think that if we keep this mentality, we will be able to remember the last time we did something, that's maybe not so big or impactful (I'm pretty sure thats not a word...).
  
  Just some food for thought...
  
  "Study as if you were to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow."
  - Unknown
- My True Friends Really Pulled Through For Me...
  
  Oct 12, 11
  
  We're only halfway through the week, and I've learned two very valuable things.
  
  1. I really have to stop dragging my feet while I walk... I tripped two times already this week. Fell flat on my face in front of a hallway full of kids. I'm pretty sure that binders are spring loaded, made so that when you drop them on the floor, everything it ejected out of them, making it very difficult to retrieve all 5 pages of your homework that is due in 5 minutes.
  
  Now this ties into the second one... somewhat...
  
  2. Never, EVER ask yourself if the week could get any worse. Because if you say that, it will.
  
  My friend approached me in school to come with her to the counsellors office to talk to the counsellor about a friend of ours that was getting into some really bad stuff; skipping school, drugs, etc. She really didn't want to go alone, so I told her that I would come with her; plus, I was obviously concerned too. We both really care about what happens to our friend, and we only wanted to help him...
  
  After a long chat with him (the counsellor), we decided that it would be best, if we contacted our friend (who was off who knows where doing who knows what when he should be in class) and got him to come in to talk with the him about everything that was going on.
  
  To make a long story short, that "friend" approached me in the middle of the front foyer of the school, and screamed at me in front of dozens of our peers, calling me every name in the book, telling me to stay out of his life, and to keep my mouth shut. I yelled back obviously, but he kept at it until I was in tears, and everyone was staring at me.
  
  Great.
  
  I know, that what me and my friend did was right. The thing is, I'm being blamed for absolutely everything. I was closer with him then my other friend (the one that thought of the idea to get him help) and he blames everything on me. He's dropping out of school and taking through outreach, and he told me that he would be his happiest if he never saw me again.
  
  Even greater.
  
  All embarrassed and flustered, I came home crying. But, came to find missed phone calls, text messages, facebook/twitter messages from so many people asking me if I was okay, and telling me that I didn't deserve what I got. I've come to realize who my real friends are, the ones that appreciate who I am, and what I do. And this week, I am thankful for that.
  
  I'm proud of what I did, and I stand by it 100%. You'll never hear me apologizing for what I did today, even if people hate me for it.
  
  "I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from
  distress, and grow brave from reflection. 'Tis the business of little
  minds to shrink, bet he who's heart is firm, and who's conscience approves his
  conduct, will pursue his principles unto death. - Thomas Paine
- Today I Remember...
  
  Sep 13, 11
  
  If tears could build a stairway,
  And memories a lane,
  I’d walk right up to Heaven
  And bring you home again.
  ~Author Unknown
  
  Ten years ago today, my Gido (grampa) passed away.
  Even though I was only 5 years old at the time, all of my memories with him are very vivid. He was a very special man, and I miss him so much.
  R.I.P <3
  
  Also, today I found out that one of my very close guy friends lost their dad yesterday evening due to a heart attack. I found out today, from him, he was so strong about it, which truly inspires me. This really hit home for me, as I lost my uncle earlier this year from the same, unexpected cause. I'm keeping him, and his family in my prayers this week. I can't imagine the loss that they're feeling right now.
  
  Loss of a family member, especially unexpectedly, really takes a toll on someone. It takes awhile for everything to kick in. For it to become real.
  
  Today seemed to be a very emotional day. I pray that tomorrow will be better.
- I Believe.
  
  Sep 11, 11
  
  I believe that everything happens for a reason.
  
  I believe that things end so that new, better things can begin.
  
  I believe that before you love someone else, you must love yourself first.
  
  I believe that everyone deserves a second chance. It may not be the same chance that they had before, but they do deserve some type of second chance.
  
  I believe that self image is a very powerful thing. If you don't have a good self image, no matter what anyone else says, you will always have negative thoughts.
  
  I believe that the phrase "no one is perfect" is an understatement. Everyone is perfect, in their own unique way.
  
  I believe that if you surround yourself with positive people, you will be a positive person.
  
  I believe that addiction is a very powerful thing. But I also believe that everyone, no matter who you are can overcome addiction.
  
  I believe that you cannot change for anyone. You can only temporarily alter yourself for them. It is only change, if you want it for yourself.
  
  I believe.
- Why...
  
  Aug 30, 11
  
  I found out today, that one of my very close friends, had gotten into some trouble. This friend, to my finding out, has gotten into drugs. I don't know what kind of drugs, but, it is affecting them to a great extent and said friend doesn't know that I know what they've gotten into.
  
  This person was my best friend. One that I was able to confide in no matter what the circumstance. They were the kind of friend that I could call at any time during the night to talk when I couldn't sleep, when I had one of my night terrors, and they would sit up and listen to me talk. When my Uncle Mervin passed away, they sat on the phone with me for 16 straight hours, listening to my cry, and comforting me. They were the fist person that I called when something good happened to me.
  
  Now, this friend, who has gotten into these hard drugs, has pushed me away. They will not talk to me, they've told me so many lies. There is nothing that I can do about it. I know what they've done, and what they're doing, but I cannot tell them that because they wont talk to me, and I swore to the friend that told me this that I would not say anything. I want to help but said friend will not accept my help, won't have anything to do with me anymore.
  
  For the past two weeks, I have cried over this friend every night. I don't know what to do. I'm hoping that their parents will figure it out. I can only hope for this friend. There's nothing more that I can do but hang in there, and hope and pray for the best.
  
  I know that it's not too late for this friend. That they can still straighten them self out, but unfortunately they don't want me around for that. Why do these things happen? They say that everything happens for a reason, but how come you can never figure this reason out?
  
  My family tells me that I am a strong person, and that I can fight through the pain, and the hurt that I'm feeling right now. And I know that I can too. I've been dealing pretty well for the past few days, keeping my mind off what is going on. But I don't understand why this would happen, and I've stopped searching for the answer, because it hurts too much to think about it. I have lost my shoulder to lean on, and the guard to all of my secrets.
  
  I pray to God to give me strength to overcome this hurt that I'm feeling right now. And I hope that everything turns out for this friend. But this right now, is the most that I can do.
- I Didn't Know I Could Write Poetry...
  
  Aug 28, 11
  
  I could sit here
  And think hard of something to write
  But I know that it won't come to me
  You can never find what you're looking for
  Unless you've stopped looking
  When it's really unexpected
  It'll pop into your head
  Or maybe run into you in the hallway
  You have to recognize it when it appears
  Grasp it and never let go
  Don't let it slip away
  Because you may never get it back.
- School, Family, Friends, Kung Fu... Balance?
  
  Aug 25, 11
  
  I just received my timetable from school today and holy man... it is so so packed.
  
  I have 3 grade 10 honour courses (Science, English, and Social) , pure math, French 7 Program (that means that it's 80 min a day for half a year), and grade 11 Biology. Plus phys. ed, Drama, Religion and Computer Technology.
  
  It's finally starting to sink in... school starts next week, and I have to really work hard this year.
  I have to eliminate my unnecessary distractions, and really focus on my school work. This is a huge workload, and I cannot let my grades slip this year. I've set a goal for myself of an above 80% average in all of my cores this year, and that won't happen if I slack off... like I did last year. Social is going to be a big one. It's a real big leap for me to request to be put in the honours class this year, because I've always struggled with Social. Last year was my highest social mark ever at 86%... I'm hoping that I can maintain this throughout this year...
  
  The real trick for me is going to find balance. School, and my Kung Fu have dominated the top of my priorities list for this year, but I have to still fit in my family time, and time with my friends. Not to mention my extra-curricular activities that I plan to take through school. Balance is going to be tricky, and I can see myself getting really stressed out over everything (I already sort of am...) but I have to keep myself calm, and remain in the moment. I have to keep reminding myself that I can do this, none of this is outside of what I'm capable of doing, because I've done it all before.
  
  I think I can, I think I can....
- My List: Summit at least 5 Mountains.
  
  Aug 06, 11
  
  I have a list. A list of things that I really want to do. The first thing on that list is to summit at least 5 different mountains. I kick started that ambition on my family trip to Jasper.
  
  The picture to my left is of me 8, 084ft up, on the summit of Whistlers Mountain in Jasper. 8.3km to the summit. It was an amazing hike, and I loved every minute of it. The view was amazing, totally worth it.
  
  When I'm 17, I'd like to hike pyramid mountain, which is also in Jasper. It's a little over 9, 000ft to the summit, and an approx. 8 hour hike up to the top. One of the guides in Jasper told me that It's amazing once you get up to the top, and you can tent it overnight once you're up there. I think that's something that I'd like to try =)
  
  Oh Ambitious Me.

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