Gin and Raisins

For those of you that were at Cheng's place this past Sunday, you had a chance to try my new experiment -- gin-soaked golden raisins.

What is this delightful mixture you ask? Well, it is a very popular folk remedy for arthritis and joint pain. But my question is, will it be able to help our regular soreness and pains from Temple training? A lot of people eat tendon for the very purpose of preventing injury. But what if there is a simple vegetarian solution? What if this remedy is somehow able to loosen the joints and make it less susceptible to injury? In some of the articles, people think the raisin itself has many anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving chemicals. Or maybe it is all a placebo effect. Who knows? But one thing is for sure, they are delicious and a wonderful way to start the day! I would stick to the recommended amount (9 raisins) though. You don't want to walk in the office and be forced to take an alcohol breathalyser test!

Articles and recipes:
About.com
Healthcentral.com

Perpetual Butt Injury

I think I have a vaporized Kung Fu being who lives in my butt-cheek, just above my thigh. It hurts! And I will celebrate one year of co-existence with this beast in June 2007.

What I have continuously learned from this is, despite apparent scars and wounds, despite nagging discomfort, it pays to train harder. You forget the pain that way-- learn to fight through it, learn to focus on the strengths, and ultimately laugh in the face of the little Shaolin sword poking your left buttock.