Noodle Soup

I wonder how many people have stopped to think about why one of our biggest events is named the Pandamonium. It's not because someone didn't know how to spell when we named it. Most know it's inspired by Po from Kung Ku Panda. But the name isn't just because our fearless leader is a fan of Jack Black.

There is no secret ingredient.

Cool line. Even cooler when you thing about the connotations behind it.

At any given moment you are capable of anything. There is nothing more you need, it's all inside of you right now. Perhaps there are feats you are physically or mentally unable to complete, but you have the ability to take the first steps towards anywhere you'd like to go, anything you'd like to do. And you will make it there, if only you keep striving forward.

So what does this mean? Each one of us has the ability to shape the world around us, for better or for worse. We have the ability to inspire others to think beyond the screen in their hand or the paycheque at the end of the week. We as humans have more influence on our environment than any species before us, which means we also have more responsibility. We have control over what we put into our bodies, which means we choose to live healthy or not. We decide to be kind, compassionate and empathetic or we ignore, enabling suffering, apathy, destruction.

The Pandamonium is about spreading awareness. Not just of suffering animals, people in need or the state of the environment. We need to become aware of our ability to fix these things and our influence on others to do the same. Things will change for the better in the world if we reach enough people. But to reach the world we need to start with ourselves. One person believed he had the ability to reach others. It spread to a school, who has spread it into the community. Its already started, we just need to keep striving forward.

I'm happy that I can say that I think I had a breakthrough with the snake form. I'm not saying its flawless, but I'm more comfortable with it. And, according to Sifu Beckett, that is what you need if you want to perform snake- most of the challenges are in your mind, related to how you think you look whilst wriggling around in an attempt to look deadly.

As I've mentioned, I only feel comfortable practicing on my own with no witnesses. During one impromptu practice session in my kitchen with no one watching (minus the cat begging for food) and I understand what she was telling me. She told me you need to feel like a snake, deadly and venomous, and move in a way that no one around would dare laugh at you. Because really, who would laugh with a viper in the room?

So I tried. I just let go of my inhibitions and tried to feel it. And I felt better when I did it. And I felt like I looked closer to what I was trying to mimic.

So the next challenge; finding that happy place with people in the room. Still not there, but getting there. I felt a bit more comfortable practicing it on Thursday, although I can't say that I was in as a productive state of mind as I was in my kitchen. But, one step at a time. Calls for a small victory dance (woohoo!).