I LIVE!!!!

.....I know, right??

First off, BIIIIIG thank you to those who are still in touch with the Systems within Systems blog. I'm so honored that you all still check every so often to see if there are new updates, and I openly apologize for not being more regular with blog articles.

The problem with taking a break as a blogger is that if you are gone for longer than you need to, people think that you're:

1) Dead
2) Lazy and pretended you were dead
3) [insert a fantastic epic story of survival and courage, like being kidnapped by ninja/pirates and fighting your way back to freedom]

But the truth is, I took a break so that I can really focus on what the blog should express, gather ideas on how to make it better, and yes, took a few self-paced courses on HTML so I can make the blog look better.

And then I realized it was January 2012. Oops.

There are big plans for this blog. Lots of really great blog ideas, an attempt to improve the user layout, and a few more surprises if the stars will technically align themselves.

If you have any suggestions/comments, feel free to email them to SouthernToph@gmail.com. I look forward to feedback!


Grow, learn, teach,
Toph

Site Updates / Systems within System Forms

Hello all,

As the old Monty Python saying goes, "I'm not dead!" While you've been reading articles about how to protect your finances (Lose the Fear and Follow the Spirit, The Total Warrior) and how to fight off online attackers (30 Moves of Cyber Security), I've been ninja-ing around in the background and you haven't even noticed!

"Martial Smarts"

“So it is said that if you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know others but know yourself, you win one and lose one; if you do not know others and do not know yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.”

-          Sun Tzu, The Art of War

The martial arts is more than just learning how to kick ass (although admittedly, it’s the most fun). Martial arts is about the combination of mind, body, and spirit, working together as one. You have to do more than just rush forward at the enemy; you have to think about your next step, strategize your available options, and use your intuition to execute a powerful attack. To be able to harmonize all three aspects is really the heart of Shaolin. But you don’t have to be in a epic battle to practice this; your personal expression and how you approach life when faced with a difficult situation is also a part of your martial arts practice.

So far, most of the previous blog articles have touched upon the spiritual philosophy of our kung fu school. As the weeks progress, we’ll also start including more insight on how to prepare yourself mentally as well as physically for all of life’s challenges.

New Blog Features

I’m not being paid to say this, but I really like making this blog with Google. Google has made it easy to create a blog without reminding me of how I barely got a “B” in my college web designing class. J

Here are some really cool features which I hope you guys will enjoy:

ü  Google Search Bar – Type in any word or phrase, and it will show results not only from the Systems within Systems blog entries, but also any article within our main Systems within Systems homepage and Sifu Hill’s Youtube page. You won’t believe how much content we already have!

ü  Sifu Hill’s YouTube Videos – On the left side, you can click the See more videos from Sifu Lawrence Hill link to go to his main YouTube website. There, you can take a peek at what we do in class, and more philosophy videos.

ü  Blog Archive  - 20 years from now, this blog is going to be the next Big Thing that ever graced the world wide web. History in the making. Better then butter and sliced bread! (OK, that might have been taking it a bit too far) Therefore, the Blog Archive will allow you to look back at previous entries.  Click on the year and month links that you want to see, and a list of the blog entries for that period will be shown.

ü  Labels – Want to view only articles about philosophy? Read only about the kung fu topics? Sort only by author name? Each blog entry will be labeled accordingly by topic.

ü  Followers – Be our friend! All the cool kids are doing it! Click the Follow button in the right part of the screen and sign in with your Google account so you can be informed of the latest and greatest blog entries the moment it is posted. Of course, you don’t have to be a Follower if you want to add your two cents to the posted blog entry; anyone can ask a question and make a comment to any of the blog entries. Just keep it PG, people, we’re all quite civilized here. J

If you have any ideas/enhancements requests for the blog, leave a comment in this entry.

Grow, learn, teach!