My fourth belt test

It's been almost a year since I joined World Champion Taekwondo in Scappoose, Oregon. Friday night (03/12/2010), my seven-year-old daughter and I had our fourth belt test. We leveled up from yellow belts with orange stripes to orange belts. We have eight more belt tests before we get to black belt.

I was really nervous for this test. I don't know why, maybe because I invited people. My friend Terra came to run my video recorder which was very nice of her. My daughter invited her first-grade teacher, but she wasn't able to make it.

Our test was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on a Friday night. The white belts tested at 4:30 and the yellow stripes and yellow belts tested at 5:30, so we were the evening finale. While the masters readied themselves, our instructor told us to practice our forms, self-defense and one-step sparring one more time. Then we warmed up with some leg lifts and some push-ups. I couldn’t keep up with all the push-ups (again). I've been trying and trying to build up my upper body strength, but I've still got a long way to go.

We started with blocks and punches. Our instructor called out a lot of interesting combinations this time. Dominic, a fifteen-year-old black belt candidate, assisted the instructor by demonstrating the combinations. I did fine with the blocks and punches, but then we demonstrated our kicking techniques. I did okay with the roundhouse kicks, but I thought that my back kick was totally weak. The back kick was our new kick for this test.

When it was time to do forms, self-defense and one-step sparring, our instructor began with the higher belts. Jared was testing for his brown stripe and Elsie was testing for her blue belt. Their forms, self-defense and one-step sparring techniques always look so cool. Jared's form had a hop in it.

The name of our form was tae guk il jung. It's the first form in the tae guk series. It was a little more complicated than our basic forms. It included unusual combinations new turns (slides) and multiple stances. All the orange stripes did our form perfect the first time.

Our self defense move started with a choke hold. We put our hand on the attackers face and pushed them back over our shin until they fell on their back. I think maybe our instructor was tired of letting students throw him to floor. He would have been thrown to the floor SEVERAL times during the earlier belt tests. A couple of the new orange stripes from the earlier class stayed behind to watch our test. He asked them to pair up with us to demonstrate our self defense techniques. They were really good sports.

Our one-step sparring was pretty simple: when our attacker punched at us, we slid back, performed circle kick to the fist and then a hook kick to the ear. The circle kick was pretty easy, but the hook kick was a little tricky to learn.

Just before we demonstrated our breaking technique, we read off a bad habit that we wanted to break. My daughter admitted that she yells at me. She got a lot of attention for that. When another student promised to be nicer to his little brother, and his little brother made a sarcastic remark, our instructor put them both in push-up position. Eventually, he had all the kids in push-up position. He had them do three push-ups before he let them all stand up and we started breaking our boards.

We used the roundhouse kick to break the board which is a little tricky because we practice the roundhouse kick in class with the top of our foot, but when we break we need to use the ball of our foot. Everyone was able to break their board in one try except for one young boy. He must have kicked that board a dozen times before it finally broke. I'm sure it was because he was using the top of his foot, and kicking softly so as not to hurt himself because as soon as he actually kicked it hard enough to break it, he hopped up and down like he had hurt his foot, poor kid.

The next day we celebrated our new belts with a bar-b-que.

My Oscar Picks

I posted my picks the night before the Oscar show (03/07/2010). Now, I've updated them since the Oscar show with who actually won and a few comments regarding the content and quality of the show itself. I said that I would consider twelve out of 24 to be a good score. I only guessed ten correctly. My favorite moment was when Sandra Bullock won Best Actress. My picks are in boldface, actual winners are underlined.

The red carpet: (5:00 pm - 5:30 pm) Sandra Bullock looked really great, very different from her usual look, very glamorous, old-school Hollywood. Jennifer Lopes also looked really wonderful. Meryl Strep has been nominated 16 times. She is so graceful and gracious.

Opening: 5:30 - 5:45
The ten nominees for best actor and best actress all took the stage together to be introduced to the audience. Then they were escorted to the seats.

Neil Patrick Harris came out and sang a Broadway style number to introduce the hosts. It was well-staged, but Harris isn't enough of a singer for such a stage.

When Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin took the stage, they went around the room making jokes about the various nominees. It wasn’t a terrible idea, and some of the jokes were funny, but every time they picked someone out of the crowd, everyone clapped. It really broke up the rhythm of the comedy. Favorite joke:
Steve Martin: "There's that Damn Helen Mirren."
Alec Baldwin: "Steve, that's Dame Helen Mirren."

1. Best Supporting Actor - presented by Penelope Cruz at 5:45 p.m. Penelope Cruz won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress last year for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
   • Matt Damon in Invictus
   • Woody Harrelson in The Messenger
   • Christopher Plummer in The Last Station
   • Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones
   • Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds is my pick for Best Supporting Actor. He won the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild award in this category. He is also the pick for the Hollywood exchange. However, if I were a voting member of the Academy, I would vote for Christopher Plummer. It wouldn't be fair since I haven't seen The Messenger yet, but I really enjoyed Plummer's performance. And, Christopher Waltz wins! (1/1)
2. Best Animated Feature - presented by Cameron Diaz (Shrek Forever) and Steve Carell (Horton Hears a Who) at 6:00 p.m.
   • Coraline
   • Fantastic Mr. Fox
   • The Princess and the Frog
   • The Secret of Kells
   • Up is my pick for Best Animated Feature; although I really liked Coraline and The Princess and the Frog. I did not love Fantastic Mr. Fox, and I have not yet seen The Secret of Kells, but I think Up is going to win, and I think it deserves it. And, Up wins! (2/2)
3. Best Song - presented by Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!) and Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) at 6:05 p.m.
   • "Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog
   • "Down in New Orleans" from The Princess and the Frog is my pick for best song because I really liked it, but I can see how nice it would be if a movie about music like Crazy Heart or Paris 36 actually won best song. I really liked "Take It All" too, but it's not a nice song, and I would rather vote for a nice song when given the chance. And, Crazy Heart wins! (2/3)
   • "Loin de Paname" from Paris 36 Lyric by Frank Thomas
   • "Take It All" from Nine
   • "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart
4. Best Original Screenplay presented by Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man and Tina Fey (Date Night) at 6:15 p.m. These two presenters had the cutest bit of banter about what an actor wants from a writer and what a writer wants from an actor. According to Robert Downey Jr., an actor wants lots of dialogue which he can deliver alone (which he had in Iron Man). According to Tina Fey, writers want actors to memorize the dialogue as written making no changes and no mistakes. I don't know if she ever gets that or not.
   • The Hurt Locker
   • Inglorious Basterds is my pick for best original screenplay because it is leading in the Hollywood exchange, but if I were a voting member of the academy, I would vote for The Hurt Locker. And the Hurt Locker won! (2/4)
   • The Messenger
   • A Serious Man
   • Up
     Tribute to John Hughes presented by Molly Ringwald (Pretty in Pink) and Mathew Broderick (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) at 6:20 p.m. The tribute included clips from his films and nice words from: Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone), Ally Sheedy (The Breakfast Club), Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club), Jon Cryer (Pretty in Pink), and Anthony Michael Hall (The Breakfast Club). It was really cool to see all those teenagers all grown up.
5. Best Animated Short presented by Carey Mulligan (An Education) and Zoe Saldana (Avatar) at 6:30 p.m.
   • French Roast is my pick for best animated short because I think its getting more press. And, Logorama wins! (2/5)
   • Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty
   • The Lady and the Reaper
   • Logorama
   • A Matter of Loaf and Death
6. Best Documentary Short presented by Carey Mulligan (An Education) and Zoe Saldana (Avatar) at 6:35 p.m.
   • China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province is my pick for best documentary short. I haven't seen any of the films in this category. I just find it amusing to choose the short film with the longest title. And Music by Prudence wins! (2/6)
   • The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
   • The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
   • Music by Prudence
   • Rabbit à la Berlin
7. Best Live Action Short presented by Carey Mulligan (An Education) and Zoe Saldana (Avatar) at 6:40 p.m. It is a little bit hilarious seeing the actors from Avatar because they aren't blue in real life.
   • The Door
   • Instead of Abracadabra
   • Kavi is my pick for best live action short. I really liked the other films in this category, but I think Kavi had the highest production values. At first I was a little bored with yet another story about how miserable life is in India, but the ending really saved it for me. And The New Tenants wins! (2/7)
   • Miracle Fish
   • The New Tenants
8. Best Makeup presented by Ben Stiller (Zoolander) in blue Avatar makeup, even though Avatar was not nominated for make up because the whole thing was done in the computer.
   • Il Divo
   • Star Trek is my pick for best makeup because it has aliens, and even though the aliens were just humans with facial tattoos, at least that’s something. And, Star Trek wins! (3/8)
   • The Young Victoria
9. Best Adapted Screenplay presented by Rachel McAdams (Sherlock Holmes) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Prince of Persia).
   • District 9
   • An Education
   • In the Loop
   • Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
   • Up in the Air is my pick for best adapted screenplay. It is leading in the Hollywood exchange, but I really enjoyed this film. I would vote for this film if I were a member of the Academy. And, Precious wins! (3/9)
     Queen Latifa introduced the highlights from the Governors Awards at 6:55 pm: Gordon Willis (The Godfather), Lauren Bacall (The Mirror Has Two Faces), John Calley (The Remains of the Day), Roger Corman (Death Race).
10. Best Supporting Actress presented by Robin Williams. This award is usually presented by last year's winner; however, last year's winner was Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (2008), and he is not available. Robin Willimas won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Goodwill Hunting (1997).
    • Penélope Cruz in Nine
    • Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air
    • Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart
    • Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air
    • Mo'Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire is my pick for Best Supporting Actress. She won the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild award in this category. She is also the pick on the Hollywood exchange. If I were a voting member of the Academy I would probably vote for Vera Farmiga. I enjoyed her performance very much. And, Mo'Nique wins! (4/10) During her acceptance speech she thanked Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. I like historical references. She also thanked her husband for showing her that "sometimes you have to forego doing what's popular in order to do what's right." Apparently referring to the choice to play such a despicable and difficult character.
11. Best Art Direction presented by Sigourney Weaver (Gorillas in the Mist) at 7:05 p.m.
    • Avatar is my pick for best art direction. The other four films in this category were all very beautiful, but Avatar was so beautiful that the audience was actually depressed to know that their world would never be so beautiful. An Oscar would be a very nice way to honor that achievement. And, Avatar wins! (5/11)
    • The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
    • Nine
    • Sherlock Holmes
    • The Young Victoria
12. Best Costume Design presented by Somebody and Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City) at 7:10 p.m.
    • Bright Star
    • Coco before Chanel is my pick for best costumes. I really loved the costumes in Bright Star and The Young Victoria, but it seems to me that this awards ought to go to the film that is actually about a clothing designer. But, The Young Victoria wins! (5/12)
    • The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
    • Nine
    • The Young Victoria
      Special tribute to horror movies in the form of a series of clips introduced by Kristen Stewart (New Moon) and Taylor Lautnerand (New Moon).
13. Best Sound Editing presented by Zac Efron (High School Musical), Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air) and Morgan Freeman (Invictus) at 7:25 p.m.
    • Avatar is my pick for best sound editing. I don't really know how to pick a film in this category, but I like to go with what's most popular. I sure wouldn't mind if Star Trek won in this category. But, The Hurt Locker wins! (5/13).
    • The Hurt Locker
    • Inglorious Basterds
    • Star Trek
    • Up
14. Best Sound Mixing presented by Zac Efron (High School Musical), Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air) and Morgan Freeman (Invictus) at 7:25 p.m.
    • Avatar is my pick for best sound mixing. I don't really know how to pick a film in this category, but I like to go with what's most popular. I sure wouldn't mind if Star Trek won in this category. But, The Hurt Locker wins! (5/14)
    • The Hurt Locker
    • Inglorious Basterds
    • Star Trek
    • Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
      Elizabeth Banks (Zack and Miri Make a Porno) congratulated the 15 winners of the Sci Tech awards (without actually naming them).
15. Best Cinematography presented by Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) at 7:35 p.m.
    • Avatar is my pick for best cinematography. It included some very beautiful and spectacular shots, but the other films in this category are also very deserving. And, Avatarwins! (6/15)
    • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    • The Hurt Locker
    • Inglorious Basterds
    • The White Ribbon
      Demi Moore (Ghost) introduced the tribute to those who have died during the calendar year. Somebody sang "In my Life I Loved Them All" while sitting on a stool playing a guitar. He sang while clips and images of the departed were displayed on a large screen. Michael Jackson (The Wiz) was included in the list which surprised me since I don't think of him as a movie guy. David Carradine (Kung Fu) was there. Notably absent was Farrah Fawcett (The Burning Bed).
16. Best Score presented by Jennifer Lopez (Moster In-Law), Sam Worthington (Avatar) and the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers at 7:45 p.m. The nominees for Best Song are usually performed at the Oscar award ceremony. They are usually performed quite badly; at least they stage the performance quite badly, in my opinion. I'm always hoping that they will please do something more like the Grammy's, but this year they didn't present them at all. Instead they presented the nominees for Best Original Score. While the orchestra played bits of the score, a troupe of dancers performed an interpretation - much the sort of thing that you might see at the Tony's - better I think, grander. If they can't get the songs staged better, they can do this every year. I really liked it.
    • Avatar is my pick for best score because it was composed by James Horner and he wins all the time; however, I don't actually recall that any of these films even had music, except for Up which told part of its story over the credits without dialogue. And, Up wins! (6/16)
    • Fantastic Mr. Fox
    • The Hurt Locker
    • Sherlock Holmes
    • Up
17. Best Visual Effects presented by Gerard Butler (300) and Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) at 7:55 p.m.
    • Avatar is my pick for best visual effects. Avatar was a visual effects spectacular. It seems like a shoe-in although, the other films in this category are also very deserving. And, Avatar wins! (7/17)
    • District 9
    • Star Trek
18. Best Documentary presented by Matt Damon (Invictus) at 8:00 p.m.
    • Burma VJ
    • The Cove
    • Food, Inc. is my pick for best documentary, but it’s a bit of a shot in the dark. I've only seen two films in this category, but I think this one has the potential for improving our world. The Cove and Which Way Home also have this potential, but the food we eat seems more fundamental than cruelty to sea mammals or racist immigration laws. But, The Cove wins! (7/18)
    • The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
    • Which Way Home
19. Best Film Editing presented by Tyler Perry (I Can Do Bad All By Myself) at 8:05 p.m.
    • Avatar is my pick for best film editing. I really don't know how to choose a film in this category, so I'm just going with what seems to be the most popular film, and this has been one of the most popular films of all time. But Precious wins! (7/19)
    • District 9
    • The Hurt Locker
    • Inglorious Basterds
    • Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
20. Best Foreign Film presented at 8:15 p.m.
    • Ajami - Israel
    • El Secreto de Sus Ojos - Argentina
    • The Milk of Sorrow - Peru
    • Un Prophète - France
    • The White Ribbon - Germany is my pick for best foreign film even though I haven't seen any of the films in this category either. I did hear a report on the radio about this film, so I think its getting more press, and I'm using that as a gauge that its more popular, but I think the other films in this category are very interesting, and I look forward to seeing them all as soon as they are released on DVD. And, El Secreto de Sus Ojos wins! (7/20)
21. The nominees for Best Actor were introduced by Michelle Pfeiffer (The Fabulous Baker Boys), who said nice things about Jeff Bridges; Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air), who said nice things about George Clooney; Julian Moore (A Single Man), who said nice things about Colin Firth; Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption), who said nice things about Morgan Freeman; and Colin Farrell (S.W.A.T.), who said nice things about Jeremy Renner.
    
    This is something new they added last year, but I missed it because my satellite provider was battling with my local ABC affiliate. Although I liked hearing the nice things that were said about the nominees, I didn't like how the leading actors were singled out for this honor. There is no shortage of honors bestowed upon leading actors. If they want to keep doing this every year, they ought to rotate it around a bit. Next year they could do directors and producers, and maybe someday writers and designers.
    
    The winner was announced by Kate Winslet at 8:30 p.m. Kate Winslet won the Oscar for Best Actress last year for The Reader.
    • Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart is my pick for Best Actor. He won the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild award in this category. He is also the pick for the Hollywood exchange. However if I were a voting member of the Academy, I would vote for Morgan Freeman. I really enjoyed his performance. And, Jeff Bridges wins! (8/21)
    • George Clooney in Up in the Air
    • Colin Firth in A Single Man
    • Morgan Freeman in Invictus
    • Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker
22. The nominees for Best Actress were introduced by Forest Whitaker (Hope Floats), who said nice things about Sandra Bullock; Somebody from The Queen, who said nice things about Helen Mirren; Peter Sarsgaard (An Education), who said nice things about Carey Mulligan; Oprah Winfrey (The Color Purple), who said nice things about Gabourey Sidibe; and Stanley Tucci (Julie & Julia), who said nice things about Meryl Strep. The winner was announced by Sean Penn at 8:45 p.m. Sean Penn won the Oscar for Best Actor last year for Milk.
    • Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side is my pick for Best Actress. She won the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild award in this category, and she is the pick on the Hollywood exchange. If I were a voting member of the Academy I would still vote for her even though I really liked Helen Mirren, too. I've been a fan of Sandra Bullock for a long time, and I REALLY liked this movie. I think it's great when a actress like Sandra Bullock who is popular also achieves such a high level of critical and professional acclaim. And, Sandra Bullock wins! (9/22) She received a standing ovation. She gave a very nice speech, very self deprecating and humorous, sending the cameras into the crowd to photograph the woman she portrayed on film. Finally, she thanked the moms who care for children no matter where they come from. Then I think she thanked her own mother - very tearfully. It was a very nice speech.
    • Helen Mirren in The Last Station
    • Carey Mulligan in An Education
    • Gabourey Sidibe in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
    • Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia
23. Best Director was presented by Barbara Streisand at 8:55 p.m.
    • James Cameron in Avatar
    • Kathryn Bigelow in The Hurt Locker is my pick for Best Director. James Cameron won the Golden Globe, but Kathryn Bigelow won the Director's Guild Award. She is also the leading in the Hollywood exchange. James Cameron's achievement with Avatar is extraordinary, but as a director most of his work was done in post production. It really deserves the technical awards, but I agree with another reviewer who said that Bigelow's film is the most important of the films in this category. It deals with a real war that we are fighting right now. Also, Bigelow will be the first woman to win in this category, and she used to be married to Cameron, all of which adds to the drama of the moment. And, Kathryn Bigelow won! (10/23) James Cameron seemed genuinely excited for her achievement.
    • Quentin Tarantino in Inglorious Basterds
    • Lee Daniels in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
    • Jason Reitman in Up in the Air
24. Best Picture presented by Tom Hanks (Cast Away) at 9:00 p.m.
    • Avatar is my pick for best picture. Avatar won the Golden Globe for Best Picture, but Inglorious Basterds won the Screen Actors Guild award, and The Hurt Locker is leading the Hollywood exchange. I think Avatar's popularity will pull it to the top, but it's anyone's guess. The voting method is different for this category. Instead of just picking a winner like in every other category, academy members have been asked to rank their choices in this category, so it's possible if half the members put Avatar at 1 and The Hurt Locker at 2 while the other half do the opposite while everyone puts Inglorious Basterds at 3, then Inglorious Basterds could win. But, The Hurt Locker wins! (10/24). The camera cut away very quickly from James Cameron's reaction. I like to imagine that he was very unhappy at not winning this award.
    • The Blind Side
    • District 9
    • An Education
    • The Hurt Locker
    • Inglorious Basterds
    • Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
    • A Serious Man
    • Up
    • Up in the Air

Tae Guek Il Jang

There are many sites on the Internet which offer instruction on performing the forms of taekwondo. They vary widely, partly because instructors refer to the same techniques by different names, but mostly because people just write things differently. I am intrigued at the notion that although we are all doing these forms exactly the same way, we are all talking and writing about them very differently. It's really easier to learn forms in class than it is to learn them from written text, but I think this is helpful. I wrote this out to help me study for my test, and I offer it up to anyone who might find it useful. If you note any errors, please let me know. Thanks.

Tae Guek Il (1st) Jang is represented by the symbol keon, meaning heaven. It should be performed with the greatness of heaven. As heaven symbolizes the beginning of the creation of all things in the universe, so this form represents the beginning of taekwondo training. This form is characterized by the easiest techniques: walking stance, front stance, low block, middle block, high block, middle punch and front kick. At my school it is required for advancement to orange belt. (We actually learn three forms that are even easier!)

From the Joon Be (ready) position

1. 1. Turn 90* to the left and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
2. 2. Step forward with the right foot in front stance and perform a middle punch with the right hand.
3. 3. Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the right hand.
4. 4. Step forward with the left foot in front stance and perform a middle punch with the left hand.
5. 5. Turn 90* to the left (facing flags) and step with the left foot in front stance and perform a low block with the left hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the right hand.
6. 6. Turn 90* to the right and slide the right foot (back foot) into walking stance (right foot forward) and perform an outside-in middle block with the left hand.
7. 7. Step forward with the left foot in walking stance and perform a middle punch with the right hand.
8. 8. Turn 180* left and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the right hand.
9. 9. Step forward with the right foot in walking stance and perform a middle punch with the left hand.
10. 10. Turn 90* to the right (facing flags) and step with the left foot in front stance perform and low block with the right hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the left hand.
11. 11. Turn 90* to the left and slide the right foot (back foot) up into walking stance (left foot forward) and perform a high block with the left hand.
12. 12. Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists on belt) and land in walking stance (right foot forward) and perform a middle punch with the right hand.
13. 13. Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot in walking stance and perform a high block with the right hand.
14. 14. Perform a front kick with the left foot and land in walking stance (left foot forward) and perform a middle punch with the left hand.
15. 15. Turn 90* to the right (back to flags) and step with the LEFT foot in front stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
16. 16. Step forward (back to flags) with the right foot in front stance and perform a middle punch with the right hand. KI HAP! (yell)

Turn 180* to the left (facing flags) into Joon Be (ready) position.