The Alabama Experience

Hello everyone I have had one of the most extraordinary experience of my life; it was full of so many firsts. I was truly moved and inspired by so many people there. The aged range there from very possibly 8 or younger to 40 and up. I learned so much from all age groups, from the dedication from the young that absolutely loved going to Greensboro Alabama every year and making a difference. To the older people where they were either in the process of making a great change or already have done an act of outstanding proportions to the world or their own community.

      Some of the people in Geensboro that we met had a great impact on me, like the little girl who was more excited to volunteer for this amazing Alabama project; then go to Disneyland. For me this just spoke volumes for me that this little girl valued the Alabama project so highly and was already making a difference at her young age.

     I also got to listen and learn so much from Tom Callos and the amazing people he surrounds himself with. A lot of the time when he was talking he was always giving great praise to the people around him and completely thankful for what they have done and for what they have contributed to the team, to the community, and to the world. Tom Callos seems to me a man who was really happy in his life and wanted to share with everyone what he was doing, just absolutely amazing.

     Another person I met was a very kind lady named Pam she seemed to me to be the heart of the operation. She was very kind and very helpful and on the day we traveled back she offered us to go to her place for a pancake breakfast. I was so appreciative of what she did for us and how welcoming she really was.

    There was also a few incredible guest speaker that I got to talk with that made an impact on me. 
Julia Butterfly Hill her story was truly inspiring. If you search her name you will find out why she was so amazing. Julia lived in a red wood tree for 2 years. Julia did not do it for press, not for a record, Julia did it because deep in her heart she knew that she was doing it for the right cause. Julia protected a forest because it was the right thing to do. I highly recommend looking up her name to get the full story.

    There was another guest speaker that really got through to me as well, her name was Keshia Thomas.I also Highly recommend to look up her name to get the full story.  Keshia said some pretty powerful things and the one that got me is when she explained how she was feeling when she saved a kkk member from a beating. Keshia was explaining that yes she thought what that kkk member was doing was wrong, but she did not believe that anyone deserves to be beaten up for their ideals. Violence will only create more violence and then nothing will be solved. What she then did was jump on that man and emanated love to try and protect him. Love will create more love. Keshia then said that she met someone that thanked her a lot for what she did and it turned out to be the son of that kkk member that she protected. Keshia created such a huge ripple effect of love, and what she got back in return was a lot more love; truly inspirational.

   I also met many people there that soon became my friends and inspiration. All of there positive outlook on life and there amazing company really helped me become more comfortable around them. When I first got to Alabama Greensboro I was scared and very nervous. I do not handle to well in a public place with many new people I do not know, do to my social phobia. Everyone there was so friendly and so welcoming, when Tom Callos asked the group to speak in front of everyone to give their views on how our experience was going so far.When my turn came I almost cried because I could feel how emotionally driven and the support I could feel from everyone there and the positivity. It overwhelmed me a bit. I was reminded of the meeting we have here every month. All those people in Greensboro Alabama did not even know me but supported me, just like how are I Ho Chaun group is in our very first meeting. We may not know each other yet but we support one another.

    I would highly recommend this trip to anyone just so you could experience what I am feeling right now. I became closer to Khona, Melanie, and Dan. I have made so many new friends; I have never made so many in my life. I have become energized and inspired to try and accomplish more. This experience is life altering and I could not be happier. 

    If by any chance anybody from the Alabama project happen to read this blog I just want to let you all know from the bottom of my heart you all changed my life forever and I thank all of you and hope to remain friends with you all in the future.

    Anyways I had to re write this blog a few times and I finally think I have a good one here. I will see you all in the next one so remember everyone stay extraordinary.


Sifu R. Langner

Aha moments

Hello everyone, it has been quite the week for me in kung fu. I have finally finished my sai form, and I am still making more headway on melanie beckett's form. Her form is definitely a hard form for me to do. It force me to be relax then bring up the intensity then relax again. Technically I should be doing this already in all my forms, but I have had issues with doing this for a long time. So in her form the relaxing period and intense period are more defined and longer then the normal forms I know. For example in kempo those relaxing and intense moment mostly happen in a split second, where in the form I am learning you have a few seconds to think about what state of mind you should be in.
    I know in kempo there are moments where you have the exact same time to think about it, so in reality as I am thinking about kempo and the form I am learning they both have the similarities of having time to think about what state of mind you should be in.
    I have just had an "aha!" moment here I was thinking that the two forms were very different in the style of relaxing the becoming intense again, but they really don't. Of course they are to completely different forms, but there is lots of times in kempo where you have time to be relax, but then need to intensify soon after.
   I love blogging I can discover so much from just putting it down on the blog. This is why blogging is so important. It keeps me at a different engagement level I feel. If I just show up to all my classes and keep doing my push ups and sit ups, and keep practicing my forms. I am still engaged, but at a different level. Blogging for me put me in a whole nother level mentally and sometimes I can fix or solve my problems just by blogging.
    Anyways that is all I have for now, so remember everyone stay extraordinary.


Sifu R. Langner

Forms and other things

Hello everyone this is my 4th year in I Ho Chuan, and I think this is one of my better starts to it. I am up to date with my push ups and sit ups, and my forms are in progress. The only thing missing from this new year is my blogging.
      I would like to say I have already somewhat injured my shoulder form all the push ups I have been doing. I have not stoped my number for the push up, but rather changed how I accomplish them. I am doing tricep pushs for the moment until my shoulder fully heals. Also I have recently injured my tail bone slighty. for me when I do sit ups I would normally have a cushion or something there to make it eaier on my tailbone, but I went to fitness class and we did so many sit ups. It was awesome. So now I am doing leg lifts to keep up my numbers. Again these injurys are not super bad, but could become worse if I were to aggravate it. So right now I could not be happier about all of this.
      Now for my forms one is getting a little frustrating and the other one is a whole new world. I am doing sai's this year, and I hae done them before. So this year I am trying to come up with my own form. I am getting stuck quite a bit, but I am moving forwards, if I am stuck I ask a fellow I Ho Chuan member and they might suggest something to me I was not even thinking about and then I am able to move forward. Or I will see someone elses form and be inspired to adapted it to my own. I may be feeling frustrated at some points, but I am having so much fun. Also the other form I am learning is just the most mind blowing form I have ever attempted; making me more excited about all the other forms I already know. Because what I am learning right now in this other form I know I can apply some of the same concepts into the forms I already know. It's just amazing. This amazing form that is being taught to me is being show to me by the new black belt Sifu Melanie Beckett. (thank you so much for teaching me).
    I said this in the meeting, but I will say it again, every year in I Ho Chuan in the beginning we always have the full force of the I Ho Chuan team participating, but as the months go on we end up losing sometime half of what we originally started and that becomes the core I Ho Chuan team. It normally happens this way, because some people just have life happen and it can't be helped and they pull away from the I Ho Chuan. Or I Ho Chuan becomes more of a task that you have to do, rather than the extraordinary opportunity I Ho Chuan really is. When people stop seeing the value in why we do all of the requirements, some we become lost or frustrated, or even scrared. If you ever get to this stage in the I Ho Chuan ask any I Ho Chuan member for some help, don't feel afraid or judged apon, becasue the I Ho Chuan group for me is like the best family you could ever have and will support you and cheer you on and remind you why you joined I Ho Chuan in the first place.
      I Ho Chuan is intense, but will it change your life forever if you let it. No one will ever force you to do all the requirments in I Ho Chuan(it is prefered if you could get them done, but never forced). People in I Ho Chuan will support you, guide you, and listen to you. I cannot express enough how much of a suportive life changing event I Ho Chuan will be for you, because it has certainly changed mine
       Also what I have learned in what a pass and fail is considered in I Ho Chuan. If you do not get all your numbers done or even all your personal requirment fulfilled, this might be considered a rough year, but a failure? depends. If you have a year like this, but you gave it your all to complete the tasks and even after you are done the I Ho Chuan year and still plan to finish your goals and the requirements; then that would be considered a pass. Because you understand the vaule in the requirements and you are not giving up, and have changed your life forever for the better. Becoming a better you to me will always be seen as a pass.
    Anyways I have rambled on long enough so with this I will end it with what I truly belive. So remeber everyone stay extraordinary.



Sifu R. Langner

I Ho Chuan: The Experience

Hello everyone I just thouhgt I would give you my thoughts on what I Ho Chuan is for me. I Ho Chuan for me is an event that gives you the chance to grow, a chance to improve yourself, a chance to change your environment and the people around you, a chance for failure, a chance for sucess, a chacne to get an opportunity, achance to make an opportunity, a chance to become extraordinary, a chance to witness the extraordinary, a chance to build new relationships, a chance to mend old ones, a chance to become more mindful of your actions and of those around you, a chance to make a difference.
    These are all things that I belive I Ho Chuan to be and there is most likely more to add, but for now this is all I can think of right now; if you have your own you would like to add feel free to add in the comments.
    I Ho Chuan for me is always the most craziest ride I have ever been on, ever year that I have been apart of this amazing opprotunity, I have experienced all of the things I listed above. Every year the list to what I Ho Chuan is to me grows bigger. Although I have experienced all of these things, I remind myself that none of this was possible if I did not apply myself, or jump on the opprotunity that I Ho Chaun offers me. No ones forces you to do anything, but the amount of opprotunitys given are amazing. I know that it is up to me to take the opprotunitys given to me and try and use it to the best of my abilities. This part is what I would call individual growth.
   Some of my best memories in I Ho Chuan is when I have been apart of the demos and the dragon, and a new one for me this year the lion. Doing the lion this year has been a humbling experience. I have always had great respect for lion dancers, and now it has grown immensely. I used to think lion dancers just did whatever they wanted and the drummer was at the mercy at what the lion did, but it is so much more than that. Being a lion dancer is all about communication between you the audience and the drummer. There is a way the lion moves and dances that tells a story to everyone wacthing you. The loin lets you know how it is doing, when it is excited, when it is curious, when it is aggressive, and so much more. I Ho Chuan gave me this opportunity to experience such an amazing adventure. This part I would call social growth.
   I Ho Chuan is always amazing for me and I don't know how my life would be like now without it. I really don't know how I lived my life pre I Ho Chuan. Well that is everything I have to say for now so remember stay extraordinary.

Also I was asked to repost this for when the new I Ho Chuan year started so here it is http://randylangner789.blogspot.ca/2014/11/hello-numbers.html all about those numbers.




Sifu R. Langner

Strength and Stamina

Hello everyone I have been training a lot lately. I have been running and going to the gym working out with my Dad. I have been learning a lot about myself doing this. For one I am not the type of person who enjoys doing any of this stuff; I find it boring. Then you ask me then why are you working out and running then? To tell you the truth I know all the standard reason on why working out is good for you like it will make you healthier, improve your cardio, and build some muscle, and lose weight. Oddly enough I don't do it for any of those reasons. I do want to be like that, but it is not my motivation. I am trying to become a cop so you have to be fit, but even then I don't think that is my motivation. I think my motivtion could be my Dad.
     When I first started running I ran 3.2 kms non- stop and I was dead. My legs felt like jelly and I did not want to do it anymore, but then my Dad said you have to keep up with it or else you will see no progress. So I did it a second day same 3.2 kms, but I still did not see any improvement. Which is ridiculous for me to expect results that fast. Then by the time it was my 5th day of running my Dad said today we will be going 5 kms. I began to stress out, he told me to not to worry about it and just focus on my breathing. Which I did after the run I was dead again, and complaining to my father I am still out of breath and not getting any better. I took a day off then my Dad said let go to spruce and run in the parks. So we did. He told me we are going to run today 10 kms i looked at him like he was crazy, but we ended up starting anyways. Now I started to complain a lot around the 5 km mark and I told him I wanted to give up, but he just said keep going and breath. So eventually we actually complete the 10 kms and I was dead once again and feeling bad about myself still being out of breath and jelly legs. I felt like I should of done better I should be better. He just told me will do this again tomorrow. I was doubtful, but we did it again anyways. Each time we did it I was not happy and thought I was not seeing any results and I still was not enjoying running. Then he told me you acutally have improved a lot you are now running 10 kms in 1 hour and you are no longer breathing hard and you still have energy. In actuality I imporved a lot greatly in a short amout of time, but he pushed me every time we ran, becasue I was getting better. I can't belive I have been doing kung fu for this long and I never once thought of putting the same rules of getting better in kung fu as for getting better at running. I was not thinking cleary, because I was doing something I did not enjoy. In kung fu you do not get better, by just assuming you show up and do it two times and now you are a master.
      You have to push yourself harder and continuously keep trying and showing up to improve upon yourself. If you don't do anything you will never see any improvement, if you try don't expect improvement to happen in 2 seconds. I know you have to work at it for a long time to get better at anything, and I have to open my eyes more when I actually do get better, because if I don't i won't be progressing wisely, I will be progressing recklessly. I know my blog kinda wonder a bit, but it just seems to be the way I write. As for why I do run and work out; it is definetly because of my Dad I enjoy doing stuff with him I want to become better so he can be proud of me and my accomplishments. I have learned that as a black belt I have so much more to learn, but I have to acknowledge my accomplishments and not be to hard on myself. It is good to have high standards, but I have to recognize too when I have met them. I will burn out if I don't. Everything I just put here are things I already knew, but some where I forgot about them. Anyways I hope what I wrote here makes sense and I would liked to say to everyone remember stay extraordinary (and recognize when you are extraordinary).



Sifu R. Langner

What are blogs?

Hello once again, so where are you? and what are you doing?   
ha ha made you stop and think, which is not a bad thing, obviously you are reading my blog and possibly just killing time. But what are you really doing when you read blogs? Do you become a better person for reading them? or do you comment to see if you can help, or just liked there blog? What does reading other people's blogs actually do? Well it can do a number of things, but it is up to you what those things are. Does a blog make you happy, sad, angry, inspired, what do they do for you? What I think for me reading someone elses blog is an opprotunity for me to grow as a person and do better understand someone emotionally sometimes. So what blogs, that you read and write are just a giant bag of opprotunity for you to take advantage of. Whether you dip your hand into that bag of opprotunity is up to you, and up to you how to use it. hmm this awfully sounds familar in what kung fu seems to offer, I wonder if they have a big bag of opprotunity as well?( by the way yes they do) Reading and writing blogs is a small way of letting you figure out the small opprotunity you get to have that can benifit you. Then eventually you can learn that you are surrounded by opprotunity, and now there seem like there so much for you to take now. But as I have learn its is the smallest opprotunitys that can change your life forever. Like how my friends grandparent messed up the name of the martial arts my friend was actually taking. Kung fu or Taekwondo. Such a small thing changed my life forever. So next time you read a blog stop and think what is actually happening to you at that very moment as you read the blog or write it, and take in that opprotunity you have just taken and possibly make it great. So remember everyone stay extrodinary.


Sifu R. Langner

Hello numbers

Hello everyone, I have really dropped the ball on journalling,but I am journalling now so here we go. What I am about to share is something that first made me appericate the mircale of the small things. When I was in high school a teacher challeged our class to write to a million. Our teacher bet his house, his car, and everything he had in his bank. If we could write to one million in 6 months. We all thought "what ane asy challege easy money here we come". The rules were that we had to hand write the number down and they had to be put in this form "1,2,3,4....ect." Well we all started to write to a million that day. Much to our surprise in about a week we did not have that much done yet, I think we got to around 3200. Everyone else in the class ended up giving up and decided that it was impossible. I was the only one left to keep going. I still belived that I could do it I just had to increase the amout of number I wrote a day. I just thought they had no ambition. I ended up writing 2000 numbers a day. I was doing this during school hour; not my smartest move, but I was determined. eventually I got to 10,000 and I was thinking off giving up, but then my teacher unintentionally challeged me again. He said the last time he asked his class to do this a kid wrote up to 23,000. I was now on a mission to destroy that kids accomplishment and do it better. So I continued to write the number. As I got higher in the number it was harder to keep my 2000 a day quota; also my hand was beginning to hurt. I eventually matched the prevouis kids number, now I wanted to destroy them and make sure no one else would ever try and beat my number. So I ended up writing 10,000 more than the previous person. Now about now it has been 6 months since I started writing to a million.I decided for sure now to throw in the towel, my hand was cramping a lot, and I was not paying attention in class. So I went up to my teacher and asked him if he would make a deal with me, since no other of his students ever got as high as me ( which I think was around 33,320) I offered to give him my binder of number for $50, He thought about it, then he said ok I will give you $50. It was a bitter sweet moment for me, because I was giving away 6 months of my time that I spent on these numbers for $50. Also I had all these numbers in a 2" binder with it decently full of paper with numbers on them. That day I learned just how big a million really was and I made $50. So when I Ho Chaun said lets do 50,000 push ups and sit ups I proably had a better understanding in what I was getting myself into. And the messed up part about this the 50,000 push ups and sit ups are easier to achieve then when I wrote to 33,320. mainly because no repeating yourself. example . 31,111 , 31,112,  31,113... etc. I got so sick of rewriting the same number, but in the end I learned a vauble lesson, and if I could go back, I would probaly still do it again. Anyways I guess that's my spiel so remmber stay extrodinary.


Sifu R. Langner