Tae Guek Sam 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 Sam (3rd ) Jang is represented by the symbol for fire.

From the Joon Be (ready) position:

1. Turn 90* to the left, stepping with the left foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
2. Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists on belt), coming down in front stance.
3. Perform a middle punch with the right hand and another middle punch with the left hand.
4. Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the right hand.
5. Perform a front kick with the left foot (fists on belt), coming down in front stance
6. Perform a middle punch with the left hand and another middle punch with the right hand.
7. Turn 90* to the left (facing flags) and step with the left foot into walking stance (left foot forward) and perform a chop with the right hand.
8. Step forward (facing flags) with the right foot in walking stance and perform a chop with the left hand.
9. Turn 90* to the left and step with the left foot forward into back stance and perform a single knife block with the left hand.
10. Shift into front stance by moving the front foot (left foot) and perform a middle punch with the right hand.
11. Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot forward into back stance and perform a single knife block with the right hand.
12. Shift into front stance by moving the front foot (right foot) and perform a middle punch with the left hand.
13. Turn 90* degrees to the left (facing flags) and slide the left foot forward into walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the right hand.
14. Step forward (facing flags) with the right foot in walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the left hand.
15. Turn 270* to the left (so that you are facing 90* to the right) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
16. Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists on belt), coming down in front stance
17. Perform a middle punch with the right hand and another middle punch with the left hand.
18. Turn 180* to the right and find the right foot forward in walking stance and perform a low block with the right hand.
19. Perform a front kick with the left foot (fists on belt), coming down in front stance.
20. Perform a middle punch with the left hand and another middle punch with the right hand.
21. Turn 90* to the left (back to flags) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the left hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the right hand.
22. Step forward with the right foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the right hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the left hand.
23. Perform a front kick with the left foot (fists at chest) and land in walking stance (left foot forward) and perform a low block with the left hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the right hand.
24. Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists at chest) and land in walking stance (right foot forward) and perform a low block with the right hand followed immediately by a middle punch with the left hand. KI HAP! (yell)

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

FarmVille Tips: Week 14

I was having a lot of fun the other day buying goods and converting them into fuel and farming my little heart out. Then I noticed that my coin total seemed to falling rather than rising after each round of harvesting, plowing and planting, so I began to wonder just how expensive were these goods compared to the net profit of the crops I was planting.

To answer that question I did some research online. I found a table that explained the cost of each level of crafted good compared to how much fuel it was worth, and I found another table listing the net profit of each crop. I left out the limited edition crops which come and go with each new theme. Those are usually very profitable, but this table is already quite unwieldy.

In order to make the table easier to read, I left out my calculations. My raw data came from Seeds and Sweet Sake at FarmVille.Wikia.com. I divided the cost of the good by the amount of fuel each good could buy, then I multiplied by three (harvest, plow & plant). Level 1 goods cost 33.3 coins per unit of fuel. Level 55 goods cost 21.3 coins per unit of fuel. I then compared those numbers to the net profit of each crop. The net profit of each crop was calculated adding 15 coins to the cost of the seeds (for plowing) and then subtracting that number from the yield.

The crops are listed in descending order of profitability, that is, yellow melons have the highest net profit. I did not divide the profit by the number of hours it takes to grow the crops, that might make another interesting table, but right now I'm most interested in cultivating specific crops in order to craft specific goods, but I still want to make SOME profit, so this table suits my needs at this time. I hope you also find it useful. Crops listed in boldface are those required to craft goods in a 1-Star Crafting Cottage.

Item Level	Cost of Goods	Amount of Fuel	Crops which are still profitable even if you have to buy all your fuel at this price (XP Level)
Level 1	1,000 coins	30 plots	Yellow Melon (33), Broccoli (35), Red Wheat (30), Cabbage (27), Corn (24), Lavender (30), Watermelon (18), Potatoes (21), Peas (32), Sunflowers (25), Grapes (19), Yellow Roses (1), Forget-Me-Not (90), Lilies (35), Cucumber (43), White Roses (80), Ginger (42), Rye (21), Pineapples (15), Asparagus (37), Artichokes (6), Pink Roses (20), Cotton (9), Amaranth (76), Bamboo (60), Chickpea (10), Bell Peppers (11), Coffee (23), Agave (27), and Iris (45)
Level 2	1,100 coins	35 plots	The above listed crops and White Grapes (29)
Level 3	1,200 coins	40 plots	The above listed crops
Level 4	1,300 coins	45 plots	The above listed crops and Onion (34)
Level 5	1,400 coins	50 plots	The above listed crops and Basil (48) and Heirloom Carrot (57)
Level 6	1,500 coins	55 plots	The above listed crops
Level 7	1,600 coins	60 plots	The above listed crops
Level 8	1,700 coins	65 plots	The above listed crops and Pattypan Squash (16)
Level 9	1,800 coins	70 plots	The above listed crops
Level 10	1,900 coins	75 plots	The above listed crops and Peppers (12)
Level 11	2,000 coins	80 plots	The above listed crops
Level 12	2,100 coins	85 plots	The above listed crops and Carrots (22), Posole Corn (54) and Purple Pod Peas (40)
Level 13	2,200 coins	90 plots	The above listed crops
Level 14	2,300 coins	95 plots	The above listed crops
Level 15	2,400 coins	100 plots	The above listed crops
Level 16	2,500 coins	105 plots	The above listed crops
Level 17	2,600 coins	110 plots	The above listed crops andGreen Tea (28)
Level 18	2,700 coins	115 plots	The above listed crops
Level 19	2,800 coins	120 plots	The above listed crops
Level 20	2,900 coins	125 plots	The above listed crops and Oats (53) and Saffron (64)
Level 21	3,000 coins	130 plots	The above listed crops
Level 22	3,100 coins	135 plots	The above listed crops and Red Tulips (15)
Level 23	3,200 coins	140 plots	The above listed crops
Level 24	3,300 coins	145 plots	The above listed crops
Level 25	3,400 coins	150 plots	The above listed crops
Level 26	3,500 coins	155 plots	The above listed crops and Acorn Squash (36)
Level 27	3,600 coins	160 plots	The above listed crops
Level 28	3,700 coins	165 plots	The above listed crops
Level 29	3,800 coins	170 plots	The above listed crops
Level 30	3,900 coins	175 plots	The above listed crops
Level 31	4,000 coins	180 plots	The above listed crops
Level 32	4,100 coins	185 plots	The above listed crops
Level 33	4,200 coins	190 plots	The above listed crops
Level 34	4,300 coins	195 plots	The above listed crops
Level 35	4,400 coins	200 plots	The above listed crops
Level 36	4,500 coins	205 plots	The above listed crops
Level 37	4,600 coins	210 plots	The above listed crops
Level 38	4,700 coins	215 plots	The above listed crops
Level 39	4,800 coins	220 plots	The above listed crops
Level 40	4,900 coins	225 plots	The above listed crops
Level 41	5,000 coins	230 plots	The above listed crops
Level 42	5,100 coins	235 plots	The above listed crops
Level 43	5,200 coins	240 plots	The above listed crops
Level 44	5,300 coins	245 plots	The above listed crops
Level 45	5,400 coins	250 plots	The above listed crops
Level 46	5,500 coins	255 plots	The above listed crops
Level 47	5,600 coins	260 plots	The above listed crops
Level 48	5,700 coins	265 plots	The above listed crops
Level 49	5,800 coins	270 plots	The above listed crops
Level 50	5,900 coins	275 plots	The above listed crops
Level 51	6,000 coins	280 plots	The above listed crops
Level 52	6,100 coins	285 plots	The above listed crops
Level 53	6,200 coins	290 plots	The above listed crops
Level 54	6,300 coins	295 plots	The above listed crops
Level 55	6,400 coins	300 plots	The above listed crops

The following crops are not profitable if you have to buy all your fuel: Daffodils (8), Elderberry (39), Sugar Cane (31), Tomatoes (20), Eggplant (1),Morning Glory (13), Lemon Balm (50), Peanuts (1), Ghost Chili (26), Rice (7), Soybeans (1), Wheat (1), Clover (70), Cranberries (10), Black Berries (29),Blueberries (17), Lilac (4), Pumpkin (5), Purple Poppies (38),Aloe Vera (14), Raspberries (8) and Strawberries (1).

Another thing that surprised me about this list is that it doesn't seem to matter if you make your Level 15 good in a 1-Star Cottage or a 2-Star Cottage, so where's the value of leveling up your cottage. Well here it is: when you craft a good in a 1-Star Cottage, you receive 2 in your inventory, but when you craft a good in a 2-Star Cottage, you receive 2 in your inventory.

The goods in a 1-Star Cottage start out as Level 1 goods, and you have to level them up a certain number of times before you can level up your cottage. The goods in a 2-Star Cottage start out as Level 3 goods, and you have to level them up a certain number of times before you can level up your cottage. My original plan had been to level up my first three recipes as high as I could and then level up my cottage and work on the next set of recipes, but now I think it's best to level up the cottage as soon as possible and start working on the 2-Star recipes right away. The 3-Star recipes are bound be even better.

Farmville Tips: Week 13

I didn't write any tips for Weeks 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 (so don't waste any time looking for them). I still want to write about ribbons, but I’m currently obsessed with finding a queen bee.

Beehives were introduced on 07/13/2010 (two weeks ago). It took me a few days (maybe a week) to collect all the materials to complete my beehive, now I need to find a queen bee before I can fill the hive with bees. I've been receiving bees as gifts, but I can't put them in the hive until I find a queen bee. Queen bees are a rare item. There is a 6% chance of finding a queen bee whenever you harvest or fertilize flowers, so I've been planting my whole farm in flowers for a few days now, but I haven't found the queen bee yet, so the quest continues.

Last night (07/26/2010) I finally received my crafting cottage. This is going to be a rather complex feature in FarmVille. Inside the cottage, you can use bushels to craft goods. You can sell the goods to your neighbors for coins. Your neighbors can trade the goods for fuel (and other bonuses). By pollinating your crops (with bees), you increase your chances of finding bushels, so the bee hive and the crafting cottage and the farmers market all work together. I think that's what makes this part of the game a little complicated. I think I like complicated.

My personal challenge is going to be collecting bushels from what I call the short-date crops. That is, the crops that must be harvested less than 24 hours after planting. I can really only plant these crops on the weekend because during the week, I can really only play in the evening after work, so here I've decided to create some tables listing the recipes for the goods and the length of time to harvest each crop. Boldface indicates crops which are ready to harvest in less than 12 hours (because they will start to wither in less than 24 hours).

Farmville Bakery Recipes
1-Star Recipes (recipes which can be made in a 1-star bakery) Preparation Time: 6 hours Yield: 2 for sale & 1 for personal inventory
Pumpkin Bread	4 Pumpkin Bushels	8 hours
	4 Wheat Bushels	12 hours
Strawberry Shortcake	4 Strawberries Bushels	4 hours
	4 Wheat Bushels	12 hours
Spicy Muffins	3 Carrot Bushels	12 hours
	1 Pepper Bushel	1 day
	3 Ghost Chili Bushels	6 hours
2-Star Recipes (recipes which are unlocked in a 2-star bakery) Preparation Time: 6 hours Yield: 2 for sale & 1 for personal inventory
Pattypan Tart	2 Onion Bushels	12 hours
	3 Rice Bushels	12 hours
	3 Pattypan Squash Bushels	16 hours
Triple Berry Pie	3 Blueberry Bushels	4 hours
	2 Blackberry Bushels	4 hours
	3 Raspberry Bushels	2 hours
Peanut Butter Cookies	2 Peanut Bushels	16 hours
	3 Rice Bushels	12 hours
	3 Sugar Cane Bushels	8 hours
3-Star Recipes (recipes which are unlocked in a 3-star bakery)
Raspberry Blondie	2 Wheat Bushels	12 hours
	3 Rice Bushels	12 hours
	3 Raspberry Bushels	2 hours
Vegetable Tart	1 Broccoli Bushel	2 days
	2 Asparagus Bushels	16 hours
	3 Peas Bushels	1 day
Mocha Blackberry Tart	3 Coffee Bushels	16 hours
	2 Rice Bushels	12 hours
	3 Black Berry Bushels	4 hours
4-Star Recipes (recipes which are unlocked in a 4-star bakery)
Oatmeal Cookies	4 Oat Bushels	8 hours
	2 Wheat Bushels	12 hours
	2 Sugar Cane Bushels	8 hours
Baked Cucumber	1 Cucumber Bushel	1 day
	4 Basil Bushels	10 hours
	1 Pepper Bushel	1 day
Pizza Bread	4 Wheat Bushels	12 hours
	2 Tomato Bushels	8 hours
	2 Basil Bushels	10 hours
5-Star Recipes (recipes which are unlocked in a 5-star bakery)
Ginger Snaps	2 Ginger Bushels	18 hours
	2 Sugar Cane Bushels	8 hours
	2 Oat Bushels	8 hours
	2 Rice Bushels	12 hours
Potato and Onion Bread	1 Potato Bushel	3 days
	2 Onion Bushels	12 hours
	2 Wheat Bushels	12 hours
	1 Posole Corn Bushel	12 hours
Carrot Cake	2 Carrot Bushels	12 hours
	1 Red Wheat Bushel	3 days
	1 Soybean Bushel	1 day
	2 Cranberry Bushels	10 hours

Farmville Winery Recipes
1-Star Recipes (recipes which can be made in a 1-star winery) Preparation Time: 6 hours Yield: 2 for sale & 1 for personal inventory
Sweet Sake (aka Sweet Energy Drink)	5 Rice Bushels	12 hours
	3 Cranberry Bushels	10 hours
White Sangria (aka White Grape Cooler)	3 White Grape Bushels	12 hours
	2 Sugar Cane Bushels	8 hours
	3 Strawberry Bushels	4 hours
Red Table Wine (Rich Grape Juice)	2 Grape Bushels	1 day
	5 White Grape Bushels	12 hours
2-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 2-star winery) Preparation time: 6 hours Yield: 3 for sale & 1 for personal inventory
Fruit Wine (aka Fruit Punch)	3 Raspberry Bushels	2 hours
	3 Blueberry Bushels	4 hours
	2 Sugar Cane Bushels	8 hours
Spicy Tomato Juice	3 Tomato Bushels	8 hours
	3 Pepper Bushels	1 day
	3 Carrot Bushels	12 hours
Dry Sake (aka Spiced Lilac Tea)	4 Rice Bushels	12 hours
	2 Green Tea Bushels	10 hours
	2 Lilac Bushels	10 hours
3-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 3-star winery)
Blackberry Wine (aka Blackberry Explosion)	3 Black Berry Bushels	4 hours
	1 Grape Bushel	1 day
	3 White Grape Bushels	12 hours
Strawberry & Cranberry Juice	3 Strawberry Bushels	4 hours
	2 Raspberry Bushels	2 hours
	3 Cranberry Bushels	10 hours
Raspberry Wine (aka Raspberry Energy Drink)	3 Raspberry Bushels	2 hours
	2 Black Berry Bushels	4 hours
	2 Grape Bushels	1 day
4-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 4-star winery)
Blueberry Wine (aka Blueberry Delight)	4 Blueberry Bushels	4 hours
	2 Black Berry Bushels	4 hours
	2 White Grape Bushels	12 hours
Herbal Elixir	3 Basil Bushels	10 hours
	3 Ginger Bushels	18 hours
	2 Green Tea Bushels	10 hours
Pumpkin Vinegar	4 Pumpkin Bushels	8 hours
	2 Acorn Squash Bushels	10 hours
	2 Rice Bushels	12 hours
5-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 5-star winery)
Cucumber Wine (aka Cucumber Cooler)	2 Cucumber Bushels	1 day
	1 Squash Bushel	2 days
	2 Acorn Squash Bushels	10 hours
	1 Rice Bushel	12 hours
Rose Petal Water	1 Pink Rose Bushel	2 days
	1 Lavender Bushel	2 days
	2 Morning Glory Bushels	12 hours
	1 Sunflower Bushel	1 day
Melon Juice	1 Yellow Melon Bushel	4 days
	1 Watermelon Bushel	4 days
	2 Carrot Bushels	12 hours
	1 Strawberry Bushel	4 hours

Farmville Spa Recipes
1-Star Recipes recipes which can be made in a 1-star spa Prepartation Time: 6 hours Yield: 2 for sale & 1 for personal inventory
Fresh Sachet	3 Pumpkin Bushels	8 hours
	3 Cranberry Bushels	10 hours
	1 Sunflower Bushel	1 day
Floral Perfume	4 Blueberry Bushels	2 hours
	4 Morning Glory Bushels	12 hours
Soothing Herbal Lotion	4 Aloe Vera Bushels	6 hours
	4 Green Tea Bushels	10 hours
2-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 2-star spa) Preparation Time: 6 hours Yield: 3 for sale & 1 for personal inventory
Relaxation Oil	4 Blackberry Bushels	4 hours
	4 Morning Glory Bushels	12 hours
Devotion Perfume	3 Blueberry Bushels	4 hours
	3 Lilac Bushels	10 hours
	2 Basil Bushels	10 hours
Petal Sachet	1 Iris Bushel	1 day
	2 Sunflower Bushels	1 day
	1 Pepper Bushel	1 day
3-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 3-star spa)
Energizing Lotion	1 Red Tulip Bushel	3 days
	3 Aloe Vera Bushels	6 hours
	3 Black Berry Bushels	4 hours
Restoring Candle	4 Green Tea Bushels	10 hours
	2 Ghost Chili Bushels	6 hours
	1 Sunflower Bushel	1 day
Lily of the Valley Soap	1 Lily Bushel	1 day
	3 Blueberry Bushels	4 hours
	3 Morning Glory Bushels	12 hours
4-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 4-star spa)
Iris Soap	2 Iris Bushels	1 day
	3 Aloe Vera Bushels	6 hours
	1 Sunflower Bushel	1 day
Meditation Candle	3 Lemon Balm Bushels	6 hours
	3 Green Tea Bushels	10 hours
	2 Ginger Bushels	18 hours
Pick Me Up Sachet	3 Lemon Balm Bushels	6 hours
	2 Coffee Bushels	16 hours
	3 Basil Bushels	10 hours
5-Star Recipes (recipes unlocked in a 5-star spa)
Iris Soap	2 Ginger Bushels	18 hours
	1 Lavender Bushel	2 days
	2 Lilac Bushels	10 hours
	2 Purple Poppy Bushels	8 hours
Meditation Candle	1 Daffodil Bushel	2 days
	2 Aloe Vera Bushels	6 hours
	2 Strawberry Bushels	4 hours
	1 Lily Bushel	1 day
Pick Me Up Sachet	1 Pink Rose Bushel	2 days
	1 Daffodil Bushel	2 days
	2 Lilac Bushels	10 hours
	2 Morning Glory Bushels	12 hours

Of course, you can level up your recipes and you can level up your crafting cottage which unlocks more recipes. The crafting cottage will actually change appearance as it levels up, much like the other buildings change appearance when the expand. I think I'll try to combine co-op farming with my quest for bushels, I know there are carrot, cranberry, grape, pumpkin, and rice co-ops. That should help because not only would I find lots of bushel, but my neighbors would find bushels, too. I'll have to find out which neighbors have the same crafting cottage that I do, and then invite them to be a part of my co-op. Yeah, that's a great idea.

The tables I made before to help me keep track of which trees and animals are most profitable are proving too complicated, so I'm making up some new ones. These group the trees and animals together in groups based on how many coins per day per square each item produces.

Level	Animals (coins per day per square)
Level 1 (1-10 coins per day per square)	cow (1.5); brown, groovy & Holstein cows (3); circus elephant (3.5), pink cow (4.5); silver pony (7); chicken (8); white-tailed buck (8.3); sheep & birthday sheep (9.3); reindeer (10)
Level 2 (11-20 coins per day per square)	male ostrich (11.3); duck, party duck, chinchilla, pig, black pig, Ossabow pig, rabbit, gray rabbit & squirrel (15); brown chicken (16); black sheep (18.7); bull, chocolate cow & foals (20)
Level 3 (21-40 coins per day per square)	horses & ponies (21); party pig (25); goat, Boer goat & Saanes goat (27), Mouflon sheep, llama & poncho llama (28); black cat, Himalayan cat & turlte (28.7); grey tabby & lop-eared bunny & white kitty (30); black chicken (32); brown goose, farm goose, swan & turkies (40)
Level 4 (41-80 coins per day per square)	peacock (45), golden chicken, Cornish Chicken, Rhode Island Red & Scots Grey (64); calves (80)
Level 5 (81-160 coins per day per square)	snow leopards (150)

Level	Trees (coins per day per square)
Level 1 (1-10 coins per day per square)	cherry (9); apple (9.3); orange & plum (10)
Level 2 (11-20 coins per day per square)	fig (11); tamarind (11.7); peach (11.8); avocado (12.3); yellow maple (12.5); white apple (13.3); cashew (13.7); lemon (13.7); apricot (14); lime (15); durian & star fruit (16.3); grapefruit & walnut (16.7); guava, gulmohar, almond, breadfruit & wax apple (18.3); passion fruit (18.6); banana (18.7); rainbow apple & mandarin (20)
Level 3 (21-40 coins per day per square)	pomegranate (12.6, available as a mystery gift); date (23, available as a gift at Level 20); olive (28, available as a gift at Level 32); mango (32.5, available as a gift at Level 40)
Level 4 (41-80 coins per day per square)	ginko (43.3); arjuna (46.6); jackfruit & lychee (46.7); acai (79)

Nursery Barn Another thing I've been meaning to pencil out is the profitability of using the nursery barn. Like the chicken coop, dairy barn and stable, the nursery barn makes it easier to harvest coins from calves and foals; however, the nursery barn also transforms them into cows and horses. Generally, cows and horses produce fewer coins per day than calves and foals, so it might not be worth it.

The nursery barn occupies 63 squares on the farm (7x9=63), but it only holds 20 animals. Twenty calves would only occupy 20 squares on the farm, but 20 foals would occupy 80 squares (4x20=80), so from a land use perspective, it is only profitable to fill it with foals.

Foal and calves both produce 80 coins per day, but because foals occupy four squares and calves occupy one square, calves produce 80 coins per square per day and foals produce 20 coins per square per day (80/4=20).

All foals (80 coins per day) transform into a black horse, a cream draft horse or a light blue pony. The horses and pony earn 21 coins per day outside the stable, but they earn 84 coins per day inside the stable, so if you have plenty of room in your stable, it IS profitable to transform your foals to horses. It's also fun to see if you can fill your stable with black horses, cream draft horses or light blue pony because then you can start producing black foals, cream draft foals and blue pony foals for your neighbors.

All calves (80 coins per day) transform into Holstein cows (12 coins per day) or chocolate cows (80 coins per day). Because the Holstein cows earn so very much less than the calves, but chocolate cows earn just as much, I've created the following table to remind me which calves I might transform, and which ones I definitely shouldn't.

These calves will transform into Holstein cows and earn only 12 coins per day. They should not be placed in the Nursery Barn.	These calves will transform into chocolate cows and earn 80 coins per day. They can be placed in the Nursery Barn.
calf brown calf Holstein calf Longhorn calf belted calf groovy calf chocolate calf	pink calf pink patch calf fan calf green calf Kelley green calf Neapolitan calf

Farmville Tips: Week Seven

I didn't write any tips for Weeks 3, 4, 5 or 6 (so don't waste any time looking for them). I had wanted to write about ribbons, but I might wait until I earn a few more of them to start writing about them. I'm still mostly obsessed with the layout of my farm and expansions (06/15/10).

Neighbors:
The first obstacle I faced in expanding my farm was the neighbor requirement. I finally got tired of pestering my real friends to add me as a neighbor to the farm they never visit anymore, and I visited one of those FarmVille fan pages on Facebook. Those pages are filled with people asking for more neighbors. I didn't put my name on the page, but I did send friend requests to several of the people I found there. I had my 'celebrity' ribbon (50 neighbors) in less than a week, and I'm getting gifts like crazy.

Expansions:
This week (06/13/2010) I finally put together the 500,000 Coins I needed to purchase the final expansion for my farm. I wasted no time in using the extra space for placing 250 fences and earning my 'fenced in' ribbon. Next on my hit list is the architect ribbon and the bailed out ribbon. These are earned by purchasing building and hay bails. I plan to follow the example of one of my highest ranked neighbors and set aside the northernmost corner of my farm for housing, the eastern most corner of the farm for animals and the southern most corner of the farm for a village (post office, school, stuff like that).

Co-ops:
There are three co-op ribbons to earn. Most of the co-op crops have short harvest times of one day or less, so I try to start a co-op every Friday night, so I can plant on Friday and harvest on Saturday morning. It's a good idea to let your friends know what you're planning a few days in advance, so they can be sure to have all their crops harvested by Friday night.

Trees and animals:
I think I wrote before that it is my goal to have sixteen of each tree. I've decided that I'll match that with sixteen of each animal as well. Trees and animals are not as profitable as crops, but they are less risky. They don't whither, so if you can neglect your farm for a week, come back and still have a nice payday, if you have plenty of trees and animals. I finally leveled up to the olive tree. I think this is the most profitable tree, so after I collect sixteen of each, I might start replacing them all with olive trees, maybe not. I like the variety, too.

I have placed my trees on my farm according to availability. I think this probably corresponds to their profitability. I would like to do the same thing with my animals, but I haven't found an appropriate reference table. I'll probably have to make one myself. the trouble with that of course is that FarmVille is still in beta testing, so any data that I collect is subject to change without notice. Please report any errors you notice.

Tree	Harvest Reward	Days Between Harvests	Harvest Value Per Day	Available
Acai Tree	158 Coins	2 days	79.0 Coins per day	available for cash
Jackfruit Tree	140 Coins	3 days	46.7 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Ginko Tree	130 Coins	3 days	43.3 Coins per day	available as a gift after Level 59
Mango Tree	130 Coins	4 days	32.5 Coins per day	available as a gift after Level 40
Olive Tree	112 Coins	4 days	28.0 Coins per day	available as a gift after Level 20
Date Tree	69 Coins	3 days	23.0 Coins per day	available as a gift
Pomegranate Tree	108 Coins	5 days	21.6 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Mandarin Tree	80 Coins	4 days	20.0 Coins per day
Rainbow Apple Tree	60 Coins	3 days	20.0 Coins per day	available for purchase from the market for 500 Coins when using the iPhone or iPod application.
Banana Tree	56 Coins	3 days	18.7 Coins per day	available as a gift
Passion Fruit Tree	93 Coins	5 days	18.6 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Almond Tree	55 Coins	3 days	18.3 Coins per day
Breadfruit Tree	55 Coins	3 days	18.3 Coins per day
Guava Tree	55 Coins	3 days	18.3 Coins per day
Gulmohar Tree	55 Coins	3 days	18.3 Coins per day	available as a gift
Grapefruit Tree	50 Coins	3 days	16.7 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Walnut Tree	50 Coins	3 days	16.7 Coins per day	available from mystery gift
Durian Tree	65 Coins	4 days	16.3 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Starfruit Tree	65 Coins	4 days	16.3 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Lime Tree	75 Coins	5 days	15.0 Coins per day	available from the market for Coins
Apricot Tree	56 Coins	4 days	14.0 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Cashew Tree	41 Coins	3 days	13.7 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Lemon Tree	41 Coins	3 days	13.7 Coins per day	available from the market for coins
White Apple Tree	40 Coins	3 days	13.3 Coins per day	available as a gift from your friends using the iPhone or iPod application.
Yellow Maple Tree	25 Coins	2 days	12.5 Coins per day	available as a gift
Avocado Tree	37 Coins	3 days	12.3 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Peach Tree	47 Coins	4 days	11.8 Coins per day	available from the market for coins
Tamarind Tree	35 Coins	3 days	11.7 Coins per day	available as a gift
Fig Tree	33 Coins	3 days	11.0 Coins per day	available as a mystery gift
Orange Tree	40 Coins	4 days	10.0 Coins per day	available from the market for coins
Plum Tree	30 Coins	3 days	10.0 Coins per day	available from the market for coins
Apple Tree	28 Coins	3 days	9.3 Coins per day	available from the market for coins
Cherry Tree	18 Coins	2 days	9.0 Coins per day	available from the market for coins

Chicken Coop:
Now that I have chicken coop, I have learned that it can be expanded with a barn-raising. You just need to get 10 friends to click a link on your profile page within three days. The coop can be expanded twice: from 20 to 40 and then from 40 to 60. There are currently seven different kinds of chickens. My goal is to fill my coop with 15 chickens each of the golden, cornish, scots grey and rhode island red varieties.

Name	Harvest Reward	Days Between Harvests	Harvest Value Per Day	Available
Level 1 Chicken	8 coins	1 day	8 coins per day	available as a gift
Level 2 Brown Chicken	16 coins	1 day	16 coins per day	available from white and brown mystery eggs
Level 3 Black Chicken	32 coins	1 day	32 coins per day	available from brown and black mystery eggs
Level 4 Golden Chicken	64 coins	1 day	64 coins per day	available from black and golden mystery eggs
Level 5 Cornish Chicken	64 coins	1 day	64 coins per day	available from golden and cornish mystery eggs
Level 6 Scots Grey Chicken	64 coins	1 day	64 coins per day	available from golden and sctos grey mystery eggs
Level 7 Rhode Island Red Chicken	64 coins	1 day	64 coins per day	available from golden and rhode island red mystery eggs

Dairy Farm:
Now that I have a dairy farm, I know that in addition to making it easier to harvest milk from several cows it can also produce calves. Like the chickens, the cows produce milk of varying value. I got the values in the following table from web sites on the Internet. I'm not sure that they are correct, but if they are, then its my goal to fill my dairy barn with chocolate cows.

Name	Harvest Reward	Days Between Harvests	Harvest Value Per Day	Available
Cow	6 coins	1 day	6 coins per day	available as a gift
Brown Cow	12 coins	1 day	12 coins per day	available through adoptions
Groovy Cow	12 coins	1 day	12 coins per day	available through adoption
Pink Cow	18 coins	1 day	18 coins per day	available through adoption
Holstein Cow	18 coins	1 day	18 coins per day	available from the nursery barn
Chocolate Cow	80 coins	1 day	80 coins per day	available from the nursery barn

Stable:
Now that I have a stable, I have learned that it can be expanded. I have also learned that the horses in the stable occasionally produce foals. It is my goal to fill my stable with cream colored draft horses in order to produce cream colored draft foals. These are pretty hard to come by, so it will probably take me a long time to realize this goal. I have brown horses, gray horses and black horses. They all produce horse hair at the same rate: 84 coins per day

My fifth belt test

My seven-year old daughter and I have been studying taekwondo at World Champion Taekwondo in Scappoose, Oregon for fifteen months now. Friday night (06/11/2010), we had our fifth belt test. We leveled up from orange belts to green belts. We have about seven more belt tests before black belt.

The test was at 4:00 pm instead of 6:00 pm. I had to bring my five-year-old son with me. Master Jason was kind enough to provide him with his dry erase board and some marking pens to keep him entertained. My daughter's first grade teacher came to support her. That was very special.

Only Master Byong-Cheol Kim attended to grade our test. Master Je-Kyoung Kim usually attends as well, but he wasn't there. There were eight orange belts in attendance for the test. Jared (brown stripe) and Elsie (blue belt) are two students who usually test with us, but they were not able to test with us tonight. We warmed up with some stretches and calisthenics. Before we began, Master Kim drew attention to our instructor's new rank. Our instructor, Jason Letiski, participated in his fourth dan black belt test last month and now uses the title of master. Most of us had attended this test. Master Kim referred to him as "his favorite student."

We started with blocks and punches. Master Jason called out a lot of interesting combinations again this time. Dominic, a fifteen-year-old black belt candidate, assisted the instructor by demonstrating the combinations. We did our kicks in a slightly new way. We kicked twice towards the flag and then we turned and kicked twice towards the lobby. We didn't have anything new this test to demonstrate. We demonstrated low block, middle block, high block, single knife, double knife, double down, front kick, round house kick and axe kick. I was a little relieved that he didn't call out back kick. My back kick looks weak when I don't have a target to hit.

One of our students had a very bad day at school today, and he was very distracted and disinterested during the test. Master Jason had to pull him aside and speak with him for a moment, and then he was fine and able to finish the test.

The name of our form was tae guk yi jang. It's the second form in the tae guk series. It wasn't really any more complicated than our last form, but it did seem to take us longer to learn. Master Jason had us do it over about six times before he was satisfied.

By the time we were ready to demonstrate our self defense and one step sparring routines, the orange stripes had begun to arrive for their test which would begin at 5:00 pm. Master Jason was able to call on them to enter the mat and work as our partners. Our one step sparring routine included a high block, roundhouse kick, side-kick, hook kick and elbow strike. It was pretty cool, but I forgot the side-kick the first time, so he had me do it again. Our self defense routine started us in a full nelson. We stomped on our attacker's foot, broke his grip, hit him in the teeth with our head, grabbed his foot and kicked him in the face when he fell down. Self defense routines are brutal.

Just before we demonstrated our breaking technique, we read off a bad habit that we wanted to break. My daughter admitted that she bites her nails, and I admitted that I loose my temper. Another student promised to stop interrupting which turned out to be pretty funny a few minutes later when he interrupted Master Jason.

We used a jumping front kick to break the board which is a little tricky because we use the top of our foot in class when we kick targets, but when we break we need to use the ball of our foot. Almost everyone broke their board on their second attempt which was kind of weird. One student broke her board in two places which was very cool because the middle of the board when flying over Master Jason's head.

The final portion of the ceremony was the awarding of trophies and belts. Young students at our school are required to earn at least seven black stripes before they are allowed to take their test. A black stripe is earned by demonstrating a good attitude at home for one week. The stripes are stickers which wrap around the tip of the belt. If a student goes above and beyond the seven stripe requirement and earns ten stripes, then they receive a small trophy and a gold star at the belt test. The gold star is a patch which is worn on the collar of the uniform. At the end of a year, if a student has earned four gold stars, then they receive a large trophy. My daughter was the only student with ten stripes and three gold stars. She felt VERY special as she collected her large trophy. All the other children at the test had also earned their ten stripes, so they also received their stars and trophies.

Finally, we removed our orange belts, and the masters tied on our new green belts. The new belts always look so bright and colorful. After our test, the orange stripes, yellow belts and yellow stripes all tested together. They looked like a big group. Maybe the new orange belts will test with us next time. The next day, we all gathered together for a bar-be-que to celebrate. It was a beautiful day - finally. We've had a lot of rain this spring, but we had lots of sunshine this day.

Tae Guek Yi 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 Yi (2nd ) Jang is represented by the symbol for lake.

From the Joon Be (ready) position:

1. Turn 90* to the left, stepping with the left foot in front stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
2. Step forward with the right foot in front stance and perform a middle punch with the right hand.
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. Step forward with the left foot in front stance and perform a middle punch with the left hand.
5. Turn 90* to the left (facing flags) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the right hand.
6. Step forward (facing flags) with the right leg in walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the left hand.
7. Turn 90* to the left and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
8. Perform a front kick with the right foot (fists at the belt) and land in front stance (right foot forward) and perform a face-high punch with the right hand.
9. Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the right hand.
10. Perform a front kick with the left foot (fists at belt) and land in front stance (left foot forward) and perform a face-high punch with left hand.
11. Turn 90* degrees to the left (facing flags) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a high block with the left hand.
12. Step forward (facing flags) with the right foot in walking stance and perform a high block with the right hand.
13. Turn 270* to the left (so that you are facing 90* to the right) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the right hand.
14. Turn 180* to the right and step with the right foot in walking stance and perform an outside-in middle block with the left hand.
15. Turn 90* to the left (back to flags) and step with the left foot in walking stance and perform a low block with the left hand.
16. 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.
17. Perform a front kick with the left foot (fists on belt) and land in walking stance (left foot forward) and perform a middle punch with the left hand.
18. 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. KI HAP! (yell)

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

My Instructor's Masters Test

On Saturday, May 15, 2010, my instructor, Jason Leitzke and six others, tested for their fourth degree black belt in taekwondo. With the fourth dan comes the rank of Master. It represents ten to fifteen years of study. The test was presided over by Grand Master Byong-Cheol Kim. There were several others judging the test including Grand Master Choi, Master Je-Kyoung Kim, Master Lin, and others.

The six others candidates were: Robert Hummel, James Reuterskiold, Ha-Yaun Chung, Cathi Leitzke, Andrea Heikkila and James O'Rourke III. There were two other candidates as well. Jon Cooley was testing for his third dan and William Brown was testing for his second dan. Normally they would present themselves on testing dates designed specifically for their rank, but scheduling conflicts made that impossible for them, so accommodations were made.

The test was administered at World Championship Taekwondo, 18335 NW West Union Road, Suite H, Portland, Oregon 97229. Just like my own taekwondo school in Scappoose, there weren't enough chairs, so I was really glad that I brought my own. I arrived about fifteen minutes early, but there were already lots of people there. It seemed as though about half the crowd was there from Scappoose to support Jason.

They passed out a very nice program with everyone's name, and the schedule worked out in ten minute intervals. First on the list were hand techniques from 10:00 to 10:20. We started a little late, but the masters seemed committed to keeping the schedule, so they kept this bit pretty brief. Grand Master B.C. Kim called out various blocks and strikes, and the master candidates executed all them with power and precision. It really was a joy to watch.

Next on the list were forms from 10:20 to 10:50. This is also the only part during the test where someone made a mistake. An assistant called out the name of a form, and one of the candidates began performing a different form. The candidates performed ten pushups and started again. I don't know precisely how many forms they performed. It might have been as many as fifteen. I don't usually think of forms as being very exhausting because they are not performed with great speed, but the candidates performed all of their forms with great power and precision. They were all sweating and panting by the end of it.

Next on the list was self defense from 10:50 to 11:00. They all partnered up. The assistant called out numbers and the candidates performed the techniques. It was neat. They were just throwing each other to the ground over and over again. I was impressed that they knew this material so well that they could perform the techniques with only a number as promptings. I guess I've only ever had to learn one self defense technique at a time.

Next on the list was kicking from 11:00 to 11:20. They started just kicking the air with some front kicks and some round house kicks - very pedestrian, but then they got some more assistants to hold some targets and things really started picking up. They did all kinds of kicks and combinations. It was very exciting. At the end, the masters called for an endurance test: 100 roundhouse kicks. Jason made some joke about doing a 1,000 kicks. The other candidates did NOT seem to appreciate his enthusiasm, so when it came his turn to do his 100, he actually went ahead and did 200, so then all the other candidates did a second set of 100 round house kicks. They were all clearly exhausted. I've done 100 roundhouse kicks before but not without a break.

After a ten minute break during which the candidates could drink some water, they put on some sparring gear and demonstrated some sparring techniques from 11:30 to 12:00. This was also very exciting. It was hard to keep track of what was going on. Audience members at the front and to be careful not to get stepped on!

Next on the schedule was nun-chucks from 12:00 to 12:30. This was really neat, too. The assistant called out a number sequentially from 1 - 15 and the candidates performed a series of moves with a single nun-chuck while facing the judges. Then they turned around to face the audience and performed all 15 in order. Then they did 15 more with two nun-chucks! A few candidates dropped their nun-chucks a few times, and they didn't all finish at the same time, but it was still a very impressive display.

After a second ten-minute break, the candidates each received ten boards. Breaking was scheduled from 12:30 to 1:00 pm. Breaking is always the coolest part of every test, and this test was no exception. They started with speed breaking techniques in which the held two boards with three fingers of one hand and tried to break it with the other. This gave them considerable trouble but eventually, with some extra coaching from Master Lim, they all got their boards broken.

Then they switched to power breaking. They all seemed really very excited about this. They were instructed to break two boards with any technique of their choice except the back kick. This part was also very exciting and confusing. They didn't really take turns. They fired at will. Boards were flying everywhere. Mr. Jason chose the roundhouse kick, but he broke the boards with his shin rather than his instep or the ball of his foot.

The final breaking technique was to break what ever boards they had left (most of them had four boards left) with the back kick. They all performed very well. I don't think anyone needed two attempts, but when it came to Mr. Jason's turn, Master Lim asked him to use a stepping front kick and the ball of his foot. There was some confusion as to what a stepping front kick is. The kick he wanted Jason to perform is also known as a front-foot front kick or a skipping front kick. He did a great job.

The next item on the schedule was individual speeches from 1:00 to 1:45 pm. Many of the candidates expressed similar sentiments: they never thought they would make it this far; they made some of the best friends of their whole lives while studying taekwondo; and taekwondo has been a character building experience as much as anything else.

The last item on the schedule was the belt ceremony from 1:45 to 2:00 pm. Each candidate received a new uniform. They jumped into the locker room really quick and changed. They looked really sharp when they came out in their new uniforms. Then they were called forward one by one to receive their new belts. There belts were embroidered with their names. Grand Master Byong-Cheol Kim tied each belt and congratulated each candidate with a bow and hand shake and a hug. Master Lim did all the talking during this portion of the schedule. Grand Master Kim seemed a bit overwhelmed. Master Kim led them in performing the "great bow." He explained it as a Korean custom usually reserved for parents and the deceased. It was performed by kneeling on the floor and bowing the forehead to the floor. All the candidates bowed to Master Kim and Master Kim bowed to all the candidates in unison. It was really very touching to witness.

Afterwards, my friend Heidi said to me: "I really want this in my life." I felt the same way, so that settles it. Heidi and I are going to take our Masters test together in about ten to fifteen years. You're all invited.