Joshua Wang

Hey friends, Welcome to my blog. As you may know, I am training for the Rome Marathon to raise funds for blood cancer research and patient services. Here's a sample of how your dollars will be used to help those battling blood cancers: A donation of $25 provides patients and their loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options. A donation of $50 makes possible a Family Support group with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members. A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures. A donation of $1,000 makes possible one-on-one conversations with health care specialists who provide patients with information about their disease, treatment options, and helps prepare them with questions for their health care team. But ... does my m

Thursday, Dec 23, 2010: Wow ... I made the 1st milestone: $1,500! I am so excited! I'm confirmed for Rome! "Just" $4500 left :) Tuesday, Dec 21, 2010: It's been a week since my last update. Just did some cross training this morning and will run later today (7k Easy). Still need to work on fundraising if I'm going to make it to Rome. Another option is to run the Around the Bay 30K race, which has a lower fundraising requirement, but will still need some work. Tuesday, Dec 14, 2010: Updated photo - group photo from Group Training Session before our 12k long run. Enjoyed my much needed rest days. Time for a new week to begin. Today is a 6 km easy run =) Looking forward to it! Saturday, Dec 11, 2010: Had a great run today! Today's run was the 12km long run. I paced with Alan, who could have ran much faster. I'm grateful for the running buddy. Now I need to make sure I do all my training during the week so I don't slow him down on Saturday. Oh! And today

Here's an informational video on Team in Training:

Here's a moving story sent to me from a friend: Three years ago, a little boy and his grandmother came to see Santa at Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin . The child climbed up on his lap, holding a picture of a little girl. "Who is this?" asked Santa, smiling, "Your friend? Your sister?" "Yes, Santa," he replied. "My sister, Sarah, who is very sick," he said sadly. Santa glanced over at the grandmother who was waiting nearby, and saw her dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "She wanted to come with me to see you, oh, so very much, Santa!" the child exclaimed. "She misses you," he added softly. Santa tried to be cheerful and encouraged a smile to the boy's face, asking him what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas. When they finished their visit, the Grandmother came over to help the child off his lap, and started to say something to Santa, but halted. "What is it?" Santa asked warmly. "Well, I know it's rea

Hey friends! For those who are new to my blog, welcome! My blog chronicles the journeys I've been having and the exploits along the way. I'll share some of my adventures from two of my recent journeys: Train for the Rome Marathon to raise money for blood cancer research and patient services. You can donate here . Living a Coffee-Free Life Journey to Rome I started off on this journey with a love for running, an excitement for travel (Rome!), and a desire to run for a cause bigger than my own. As I have continued to train, I am amazed by the stories I hear of people who have lost loved ones to cancer, friends who are fighting the good fight, and stories of survivors, who are the real heroes of this fight. As the cause becomes closer to home, I've been motivated to train harder and to do the things that my body doesn't always want to do. I realize that there are others who have it far worse than I. And the fight I fight pales in comparison to the fight many fight with can

Qualifying for the Boston Marathon has been one of my dreams. Here's an inspirational video of a group of fairly sedentary individuals and their journey to Boston! I ended up watching the entire video and was deeply moved by the story and inspired to train.

My training is taking on new meaning. I just found out today (Monday) that my uncle passed away from lymphoma. He passed away a few years ago and all I knew was that it was cancer. The emotions that day are still vivid in my mind, especially my mom's. I love my mom and dad very much. And funerals are not fun. Funerals remind me that life is precious. That I can't waste my life. That I can't keep taking my parents for granted. Yes, Rome is cool. And in fact, I was drawn at the opportunity to run in Rome. Running for a cause bigger than my own was also another driver, but this cause didn't resonate as personally with me initially as it does now. I'm training for the marathon to fight blood cancers, like lymphoma and leukemia. As I continue to hear people's stories, especially those close to home, my desire intensifies to train hard and raise money to help create a better future for those who battle these deadly blood cancers. If you're reading this, I'd li

I'm training for the Rome Marathon with Team in Training. You can find more details and support me through my personal site . I appreciate all the support I have been getting so far, from donations to personal messages. Chilly run This morning was our weekly long run with Team in Training. We ran 10k today along this route . It was a beautiful run, passing along Sunnybrook Park and the Blythwood Ravine. The run was in the Yonge/Eglinton area, an area I don't frequent too often. I'm discovering new and exciting parts of the City of Toronto. But it was cold. As I write this, it's -4 C, with a high of -1 C. I learned to better prepare for next time - choose my layers carefully, hydrate, etc. But I did get there on time (8am) for the seminar. We had a seminar on nutrition, which was pretty good. A lot of us know how to eat healthy, but few of us make it a priority. I just have to do it. Nutrition Speaking of nutrition, the night before, I had 3 chinese buns and my leftover

Preamble Saturday mornings are Group Training Sessions (GTS) with Team in Training. For those who are new to my blog, welcome! I'm training for the Rome Marathon and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. If you're interested in donating, you can go to my personal online fundraising page. I'll be updating my blog / site as my fundraising and training progresses. GTS We ran a 4km route starting around Yonge / Eglinton. It was my first time running in that area specifically. The weather was perfect and the people were fun. I woke up a bit late that day (i.e. 7am) so I didn't make it in time for the seminar on proper footwear, but I did make it in time for the run =) Basically, the way the training works is that we follow a training plan with group runs on Saturdays. It's more of a casual / fun run and a way to update each other on how our training and fundraising are going. I find this kind of community support to be pretty effective - the bulk of the t

Fundraising Goal: $10,000 Fitness Goal: 42.2 km, full marathon The journey to Rome will be exciting! I'll be raising money for a good cause and training to run my first marathon. This week, I'll need to plan out my fundraising and also start training. The key to my training (and fundraising) is consistency . I missed the first Group Training Session with Team in Training this past Saturday since I was in New York for a Taekwondo tournament ( blog ). I'll be going to my first training session this Saturday (8:00 AM in the morning!! ugh ><). Today is my 4km tempo run. I'll do the tempo run for my "lunch break" and read through the fundraising manual tonight. This will help me get it done, as I have a tendency of wanting to do many things, but doing only a few. Ever since I started drinking coffee, I haven't really stopped. I haven't had a cup today and don't plan to. I'm working on breaking free from my dependency on coffee. I don't

I recently picked up the sport of Taekwondo. And this weekend, I'll be going to New York with my brother for my first Taekwondo tournament! I'm pretty excited and am looking forward to a great time. As I have been learning the art, I've been learning more than just martial arts. One of the greatest lessons I'm learning right now is in ruling my spirit . Proverbs 16:32 says, "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who take a city." What does it mean to be truly strong? As I have been training, I have been slowly trying to build up the physical toughness for knuckle push-ups (yes, I'm a bit soft). But what does it mean to be tough all over ... in body, mind, spirit, and heart? Thick skin, soft heart. Tender Warrior. Food for thought.

The Basics: What: Full Marathon, 42.2 km or 26.2 mi When: March 20, 2011 Web: Rome Marathon , Support Me =) Fundraising Goal: $10,000 The excerpt below is taken from my fundraising webpage . About me - Why I run I love running. Running is an adventure. Running allows me to explore the city, trails, parks. Running connects me with my friends and with my inner self. Running is peaceful yet invigorating. I was not always a runner and grew up with exercise induced asthma. Over time, running became a lifestyle for me. My journey in pursuit of fitness has inspired me to help others reach their potential as well. My dream, simply stated, is to see everyone smile. Along the way, I've had the opportunity to influence the lives of others. My personal image (above) shows my various adventures, from being a pace bunny for the Niagara Falls Half Marathon to random adventures with my friends and family. When I saw the opportunity to run in Rome, the idea of going to Rome caught my attention! Upo

Inspiration from Japanese Comics I was recently reflecting on the characters of Naruto and Luffy (the main characters of two different Anime / Manga series). They start off with relatively little ability or skill but press on with a strong mind . The face enemies despite insurmountable odds and pursue their dreams with relentless intensity. Strong Mind There are many areas in my life where I am "weak": academically, spiritually, in discipline, fitness, patience, and so on. I will use the example of running, but this applies to every other aspect of my life. I used to be a weak runner - and I still am, depends on who you compare me with. I grew up with exercise induced asthma and would make all sorts of excuses to not train or run hard. Then I met someone who also grew up with exercise induced asthma, but was competing at the Canadian Cross Country Championships! It blew me away! He told me he just had to fight. Running was just harder for him. My journey as a runner started s

The Way of the Samurai In The Last Samurai , starring Tom Cruise, there is a particular scene where Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is learning how to fight, samurai style. After a frustrating defeat, a fellow samurai comes over and tells him, "No mind". He then explains that Algren has too many minds - minds on enemy, minds on people watching, etc. The idea of "no mind" is to clear one's mind of any distractions whatsoever. This is something I need to work on. To be committed fully to the task at hand. I'm very good at being easily distracted. I'm learning to develop a laser sharp focus and keeping my aim on the target until the very end. To persevere on the right things. Too often, my mind is littered with excuses: headache, tired, can't do it, frustrated, pointless, too difficult. These excuses permeate my physical discipline, spiritual life, and emotional health. An important lesson that I'm working on is to realize that there is a point for me to

INTRODUCTION I've been wanting to workout consistently for a while now. With the recent injuries, illness, busyness, and a plethora of other lame excuses, I've been having a hard time in finding my rhythm. To find a plan that works for me. Exercise should be fun. This is what I tell everyone I workout with. If it's not fun, let's stop. I find "fun" to be the best motivator. As one progresses, "fun" takes on new meaning, with definitions overlapping with words such as pain, torture, and goals. Having goals help me endure the pain. So I will share my goals and my plan with you. I will also include my weekly log to document how closely I follow this plan. I would love for you to share in my journey. GOALS Oct 24 : Niagara Falls 1/2 Marathon: 2:30 pace bunny Mar 20 : Rome Marathon*: 1st Full Marathon!! Goal is to qualify for Boston! May 15 : Mississauga 1/2 Marathon: Goal is 1:30. My current time is a bit under 2 hours ... this will need a "bit"

It's been a month since I've had a cup of coffee. At the end of the Day 31 of No Coffee, I went to Starbucks and ordered a Grande Mild (Pike Place). A fresh aroma of memories this brings. Life's just much better with coffee. Am I free from it, drinking when I want and able to control when I shouldn't? This we shall see. In the meantime, it's the end of a month of coffee abstinence and to this I raise my glass to you and to me. This is not symbolic something deeper. It's just ... coffee's a happy man's drink :) .. and tonight, I'm happy :)

Greetings Yes, it's been a while. My apologies for being MIA for the past few weeks. Here's an update of my life journey. Coffee For those of you who are new to this blog, welcome :) The Coffee Purge Reloaded is my new journey with coffee, where my goal is to get off coffee eventually. The process is important. But cold turkey is not necessary. (My previous cold turkey attempts have failed miserably). Rather, my goal is to be free of this drink, pressing forward, nevertheless. As for some numbers, it's Day 43 since I started this Reloaded Coffee Purge (in previous iterations of the Coffee Purge, I wasn't allowed to drink; now, it's okay .. the count still continues until I'm free). Also, it's Day 28 of no coffee! During these 28 days, I had one week of no caffeine. I'm not completely free from caffeine, but the fight with coffee is going well so far. And it isn't so much fight as it is flight. Fighting has been futile. Trying to battle my cravings

Fresh Pot of Coffee I just got into work today and saw a fresh pot of coffee that has just finished brewing. In times past, this was a huge weakness for me, inducing tremendous desire to drink, and often times, breaking my iron will. This morning, I glanced over, smiled, then boiled a pot of water. Routine. New Energy Today I woke up early to catch the GO train. I got less sleep, but started my day earlier. I recovered from the weekend on Monday, but I was worried that I would relapse into more tiredness today. It was a fight this morning, however, I'm feeling strong right now. The Coffee Purge: Next Phase So to update you, in my last post, I mentioned how I needed to make it to Friday to "earn" my instant coffee. So I made it! And it's now just over a week of no coffee (I have been drinking tea on and off). I now have 12 "vials" of instant coffee, and can only take 1 per week! If I follow through with this, this plan will take me to Christmas, earning me a

The above picture is taken from Nescafe's website ( here ). This is definitely a smile-inducing page. So, as an update, I had coffee Fri, Sat, Sun, and Mon. One cup each day, but still. My coffee "fast" was great and I look forward to the next round, today being the first day. The goal? Get to this Friday. Without coffee. Why? Then, I will get packs of "instant coffee" by Nescafe. Okay, admittedly, they may not taste the best and it's much different than freshly brewed coffee. But the "prize" is from one of the "coffee police" and it's more the "idea" of the prize that makes this fun and exciting! Besides, I'd hate to see them disappointed / upset because I "caved". So here we go -- onwards and upwards! By the way, today.... was ... hard. As it always is. To fight it, I drank some Masala Chai Tea (I have a box of "Tea India" from a grocery store). And throughout the day, I had lemon water =) I'm f

Coffee Purge Reloaded: 12 Days without coffee: 6* *Would have been 7 today, but I just filled up a cup of office coffee (: The last time I had coffee was last Friday. To think that it's been a week since my last cup of coffee is amazing. I look forward to this cup and hope to enjoy it. Overtime, I will be "free" from coffee. But until then, I'm going to enjoy the journey.

Coffee Purge Reloaded: 10 Consecutive Days without Coffee: 5 The journey continues. I've been feeling much better recently. My inspiration to continue comes from many places. One of my inspirations comes from Matt Frazier, the no-meat-athlete (www.nomeatathlete.com). He has a few posts on how he quit coffee. One of the things he did was drink decaf, going with half decaf and half coffee. So I was passing by Shoppers' on my way home today and guess what I found on sale: Instant Coffee, 1/2 decaf, 1/2 coffee. I decided to pick it up as an indulgence. Next time I have an urge or feel I really need it, I have this half decaf to help ease any temptations to go overboard. As it stands, this container remains unopened.

So it's Day 9 into the Reloaded Coffee Purge! Just had breakfast at Starbucks. I'm not yet quite off caffeine yet, admittedly, but I have been off coffee since this weekend. Today's breakfast was a bagel (w/ butter) and ... chai tea. So yes, I'm still drinking caffeine, but I'm moving towards a more natural source of energy. I've been also waking up with a lot more energy. Coffee Purge Reloaded: Day 9 Consecutive Days without Coffee (including today): 4

So it was 11pm, and we just had a little mini-committee meeting. Afterwards, I wanted to shower, but felt like I had to earn it. So I decided to try this workout I saw on YouTube, courtesy of ICE1CUBE (I'm a big fan btw .. good workouts and relationship advice lol). Here's the link to the original workout (Click Here ). So here's the workout: - Swings (using a kettlebell, dumbbell, "ghetto-bell", or whatever ....etc) - Pushup Burpees - Squats (using the same weight as the swings) 1 Round Consists of doing each exercise for 40 sec, and resting for 20 sec. During each 40 sec interval, you aim for as many reps as you can. Tally up your reps and post your score. Post up your weight (for the swings) and your final score. Here's mine: Swings (25 lbs) 23-23-23-23-23-23-24 Burpees 11-11-11-11-11-12-12 Squats (0 lbs) 35-35-35-34-35-32-35 23x7 + 11*7 + 35*7 - 1 = 161 + 77 + 245 - 1 ______ 482 (final score) ______ ______ NOTE: My scores for the squats were very high

The past year, I was volunteering at Sick Kids, playing with kids and having fun. I really enjoyed it, but had to stop since this upcoming year is going to be pretty busy. I really miss the kids and the people I work with. Yesterday, I was at church. After Sunday School, the prayer meeting was getting started and I was lingering reading some books. I overheard that the Children's Ministry was still in need of help. I didn't think much of it, nor did I need to sit in during the service before I decided. I picked up my feet and went downstairs to find the Children's Ministry. I found the leaders and said I'm interested in helping and can do whatever: sit-in, cleanup, help around, set-up, ... teach? sure, anything! During my time there yesterday, I had a fun time with kids, got to know a few of them, and learned some powerful lessons through Children stories and songs. Playing with kids has been one of my joys in life. Maybe it's from being an older brother. Maybe it&#

So, here's a quick update: I made it through the weekend without coffee! Saturday: - met a friend at the Green Beanery and had Jasmine Green Tea - went to work later that day and had Milo Sunday: - no coffee ... did my best to fight, but really, my attempts to fight have failed so many times ... this success I 'blame' on God's grace - ah yes, I had tea (Dim Sum etc) Monday (today): - went to Starbucks this morning and picked up a multigrain bagel and my drink that I'm now drinking ... - ...Tazo Awake Black Tea =) Some people have said that my new approach is a cop-out, and perhaps they're right. To that I say, however, that my goal isn't to get off coffee through cold turkey, but to eventually get off it, period. So I'm taking one step at a time, in it for the long haul. Let's go.

Two rings rest on my right hand. One on my ring finger (purity ring), and one on my pinky finger (iron ring). Both of these rings are "promise" rings. The first is a promise to my family, my future wife, and my friends. A promise that I'll strive towards purity of mind, words, and action. The second is a promise to society and those I serve through my role as an engineer. That I will work with diligence and integrity. The past I cannot change. Where I have fallen short of these promises, be it in body, mind, spirit, or heart (4 dimensions). Pure of heart. Working honestly. However, I live in the present moment, learning from my past, and being moved by a vision for the future. These two rings reminds me of my two calls in life: 1. Follower of Jesus Christ (Purity Ring) 2. Transportation Engineer (Iron Ring) As I stare at my purity ring, I am reminded of the Cross. And of what He has done for me. I am reminded of the body of Christ, broken for me, and the blood of Christ,

So today I had coffee. Yes. Fine okay. I had a Monster drink last night and stayed up till 4am (Thursday, i.e. Wed night). Working. Okay, life's been a bit tough the past few days, but that's okay. Today, I had a conversation with a friend about this coffee thing. We were at Seor Ak San - the best k-food place ever! And this time, two of the coffee police were there... and I didn't have much good news to report. One of the coffee police (Lorraine) mentioned how I should try to find a replacement. We were brainstorming for a bit, trying to find the root issue. But it's hard to replace coffee... It's so.... *sigh.. Then walking home, I was chatting with my brother (Jonathan). He showed me this drink called Milo . It's some malt / chocolate thing. It was quite tasty AND it's an "energy" drink. They sell it at Lucky Moose. It's also good value for money. So I'm going to give this a try. I'll let you know how long this keeps me off coffee.

Yes, it's Day 2. I just got into the office and poured myself half a cup of office coffee (with a bit of half and half to offset the acidity). My goal for today is to drink no more than this one cup, drinking plenty of water, and snacking on my packed meal of oats / quinoa / chicken. I feel really good today. This morning I had my usual struggle waking up. It was a stupidly hard fight to get up and have been having a weird time breathing in the mornings the past while. Anyways, after the little wrestle, I put on some running gear and went for a run (around 7:30am). It's been a while and I was feeling quite out of shape. But the thrill of being able to run again was indescribable. With my ankle almost healed, the run was liberating. I feel I can smile again. I think I'm starting to get hooked on a new drug (moving from caffeine to endorphins). Christian Hedonist. That would pretty much describe me. In pursuit of pleasure and believing that the greatest joy, if found, comes f

Day 1 starts today. I had a large Timmy's double-double today, but keep reading ;) I was having a conversation with a friend (James) and he was telling me that it's best to gradually cut your intake. When you're down to about 1/2 cup a day, you don't even need it anymore. So I'm redefining the Coffee Purge. During this coffee purge, I can drink coffee! Haha LOL! And instead of restarting the count everytime I start drinking again, the coffee purge will be a log of days that trace my journey to being coffee free. How will I know when I'm truly free from coffee? All I know is when I'm truly free, I'll know. So in my posts on coffee (mixed in with my posts on fitness and reflections on life), I'll be completely open about the caffeinated drinks I consume, how I feel, where I am and where I'm going. So join me as I start this journey afresh. Epilogue (LOL) Why today? Anything special about today, Aug 23, 2010? Nope. I was re-reading my old post on s

Proverbs 19:22 What is desired in a man is steadfast love ... Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD." During CCF Elections, someone asked each person what we'd like to improve upon. For me, I answered, "Steadfastness". By "steadfastness", I mean developing the character to stay fast. To have staying power. To be constant. Like a rock. This applies in all dimensions: - Body : Rock solid. Disciplined. Control over diet and fitness. - Mind : Unshakable resolve. Unswerving dedication to mastering your art - Spirit : Spiritually solid. Grounded. Rooted. - Heart : Emotionally stable. Reliable. Steadfastness and stagnant are di

Eating healthy at a reasonable price can be a challenge. This morning, I made 3 tupperwares of food. Packed it in my lunchbox. And am good to go! Tupperware 1 & 2: - Purple Yam - Green beans - Mushroms - Orange Peppers * The vegetables were washed then lightly seared in a pan. The yam was boiled until soft Tupperware 3: - Quinoa - Chickpea salad (with diced vegetables) - Spinach - Chicken * Everything was leftovers, except quinoa, which I just boiled until it was ready ... a bit over 10 min. I definitely welcome advice on nutrition, questions on lifestyle, etc. Over time, I hope to eat out very infrequently, and ... well, drink coffee just as often ;)

Nutrition accounts for at least 50% of meeting your fitness goals. Whether it is to build muscle, lose fat, improve performance, the quality and quantity of what you eat plays a major role in this. You are what you eat. Garbage in, garbage out. And so on ... (insert cliches here). In an effort to eat out less and to eat healthier, I went home for lunch today. Here's what I had: Chickpea salad (with other vegetables - leftovers from last night) Chicken (2 drumsticks) Spinach (about a cup?) Purple Yam I'm still feeling full and happy. My general philosophy of eating is this: The food I eat should make me happy, both emotionally and physically. I shouldn't feel too bloated, nor should I be hungry shortly after. This encourages slow digesting foods, foods that are colorful (packed with nutrients), and a diet comprising mainly of vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. Food should make me smile (but not just when it is going down ... but after too!) And today's lunch did j

This weekend was pretty awesome! At a glance, it looked something like this: Saturday - Work: went to the office to fix some errors, only to find more :P - Wedding fail: was supposed to go but plans fell through - Committee meeting: we listened to worship music, and listened to a brief message from Paul Washer on salvation (click here ), spent some time in prayer, then had a productive time with planning. - Committee baking: we then baked 3 cakes - double chocolate, blueberry swirl, and apple crumble for Kelvin's surprise farewell ;) - Committee Jam: we played worship music with a bunch of random instruments ... and it slowly transformed into a quick violin lesson .. which was so fun! I forgot how much fun it was to play and to teach. I couldn't stop smiling (: Sunday - Breakfast with Justin = awesome. We even made a trip to Tim Hortons - TCBC: service was pretty cool. A medical missionary from China came to talk about her work and open our eyes to the need and the opportunitie

Video 1 : Cool kicks Video 2 : History of TKD

1. A full measure of love for Jesus, causing her to be so lost in Him that I'd have to chase after Jesus to truly find her. 2. An overdose of smiles, and a general positive outlook on life rooted in the joy of the Cross. 3. Seasoned with a strong scent of inner beauty, with an infusion of grace and compassion, catching my heart before catching my eye. (taken from my Facebook comments in response to a friend's note on A Recipe for the Perfect Man ) What are your secret recipe for the perfect man/woman?

This morning I went to Starbucks with my brother (Jon) for breakfast. Quite honestly, I was very tempted to grab a coffee. In my mind, the following thoughts were running through my mind: "This couldn't hurt." "Stop being so legalistic." "You could actually use a cup today!" Then something crossed my mind. I made a resolve to not drink coffee. Yes, I know I made this multiple times, but this time, my resolve is different. And I had the following thought, which made any urge to drink evaporate: My success in not drinking coffee (or in anything) ... my willpower ... or rather, the willpower of a man, depends not on the strength of his emotions, but rather on the strength his resolve and commitment to his cause.

What makes you smile? Here's a list of 10 things to get things started: 1. Smiles are contagious 2. Hanging out with friends 3. My brothers and sister, especially when we joke around 4. Running (especially barefoot in sand/grass or along nice trails) 5. Colorful food 6. Freshly brewed coffee 7. Beauty (nature, art, an elegant proof :p) 8. People passionate about their dreams 9. Old couples holding hands and smiling 10. Fond memories ... Okay, how about you?

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, harmony; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy; O Divine Master, grant that I may no so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Leadership. It's cool. Or so I thought. "Hey Josh, Congrats on being Chair!" someone would say. I think to myself, a bit confused. Having barely started, I wonder where the praise comes from. A few years back, I thought it would be so very cool to be Chair of CCF. I greatly admired the past chairs and wanted to be admired myself. Pride. Yes, I was quite arrogant (and am still working on this). More recently, my perspective on this whole endeavor has changed. By signing up for this position, I'm committing to "take up my cross", to following Jesus Christ with complete dedication. It wasn't easy for Jesus to take up the cross, to bear the shame, to receive our sins and the pain, to suffer and to see his best friends betray him. It isn't easy for today's Christian leader to take up their cross, to be wrongfully accused, to face disappointment, to be open to attack, vulnerable. It's really tough. I'm not immune to pride. It's something I

"I love you." What does this three word statement mean to you? This past weekend, I was with the Iron Dragons in Montreal. As a coach, I don't paddle - so why was I there? I wasn't even drumming nor steering. Just coming along to support the team. The answer is quite simple: because I love them. Explaining this love to its fullest is difficult in words. But to give you an idea, here are a few examples. At the beginning of the season, I was considering joining another team to paddle. I wanted to get stronger, become a better coach, and quite simply, I loved being on the water. I joined that team for the first race and had so much fun. But time has been very precious for me this summer and I had to choose between paddling for another team or coaching the Iron Dragons (ID). I've only been on the team (ID) for 2 years, have barely any steering experience, and felt quite inadequate as a coach -- especially in light of the super awesomeness of our past coaches. As you

I've been sick lately. I don't know how sick. Maybe it's from all the beautiful coffee I've been drinking. But I've been reminded that I won't be living forever. A thought crossed through my mind that I might actually die. And then, my heart sank. I thought about everything I would be missing. I thought about how it would feel like. And so on ... a lot of deadly thoughts (no pun intended). Then I tried to think of the positives .. if any existed. What if today was my last day (like Nickelback's song)? So for anyone who's reading this, here's a question I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts to: What would you do (or want or say or think or whatever...) if today was your last day? For me, I'd like to make as many people smile as much as possible. I wonder what it would look like if I lived as if today was my last day, everyday. If, everyday, I sought to bring joy to those around me, whether through a smile, a listening ear, or just helping

Calling. How do you know if you're called to be somewhere, to be someone, ...? I was reading an article today in the Star about lawyers and thought about a career in law. Then I began to consider law as a career. Similar streams of thought would occur for medicine as well. And I begin to wonder if I would really enjoy law (or medicine). Would I enjoy practicing law, or am I attracted to the "idea" of being a lawyer? There is an important distinction between one's perception and reality. Do I see myself arguing for my clients? Poring through cases and researching a case? Do I see myself meeting people at their basic needs in human health and spending the time to learn about the human body? What is "the dream"? What is the main thing that I'm to pursue in life? I mean, beyond Jesus Christ and all ... or maybe, it's just as simple as that. Maybe I don't need to worry about the particularities and simply "trust in the LORD with all my heart and

Recently, I have been wrestling with two questions: Who am I? Where am I going? What am I good at? What is my calling? What am I made for? What's my purpose in life? These questions are examined in light of my work, career choices, research, relationships, and just life. Very often, I have allowed these externalities answer my life questions of identity and destiny . However, who I am should influence what I do, and not the other way around. My life should be missional and my vision laser-focused. This probably goes without saying, but there are two types of lights: lasers and light bulbs. Light bulbs illuminate the entire room, its energy dispersed throughout the room. A laser's energy is focused on one spot, with enough energy to cut through metal. There are times when we have to be light bulbs and other times when we have to be lasers. When having a discussion with a close friend, being a laser can make it hard for you to understand the other person. However, with your life

5 Minutes to Fame Workout courtesy of Eric Bradshaw Setup: 4 stations, approximately 30-40 m apart Station 1: Push-ups Station 2: Sit-ups Station 3: Burpees Station 4: Sister Mary Catherine 3 Rounds for Time - Round 1: 5 reps, Round 2: 10 reps, Round 3: 15 reps Suggested variations: - Pyramid: 5 rounds, 5-10-15-10-5 (or 10-20-30-20-10) - Explosive/jumping pushups - Pushup burpees - Increased distance between stations Post up times with any variations

I have recently taken up an interest in personal training. I have no formal training, nor am I the best ...yet ;) But I'm very passionate about seeing people become better in all areas of their lives. This includes my involvement with the U of T Iron Dragons dragonboat team and my workouts and adventures with friends. The workout below provides a taste of Tabata . The Tabata routine takes any exercise and turns it into a high-intensity interval workout. As a general overview, one would take a given exercise and perform 8 sets of 20s ON and 10s OFF. ON periods are used for executing repetitions. OFF periods are for resting. The goal is to execute the highest number of repetitions. The following workout was done with Lorraine and Fiona . The routine is 16 minutes of high intensity training. There are no rests. Their scores are posted below. Post scores to comment. Squats : depth, hips below knees. weight mainly on heels. stand all the way up. Pushups (*knees) : Chest to the ground f