It's great to know that I can do 10 chin-ups whenever I want to. I don't want to give up this sense of power, ever.

Finally received my purple belt! Now I'm at 5th kyu (level), meaning I'm four stops away from the black belt. In my life I've had quite a few false starts with karate, but this time I hope I can make it to the black belt with minimal delay and, at the same time, maintain or improve my cross country skiing techniques. (That is not to say I absolutely have to earn the black belt - just a goal for myself.) 終於拿到紫帶了! 希望這次重新學習空手道能一路不停順利升上黑帶, 同時改進我的越野滑雪技術. 倒不是說非要拿到黑帶不可, 只是我把黑帶當成一個目標.

Now I can do 10 chin-ups without feeling strained! Also, I'm more and more used to Guting Karate dojo's concrete floor. Yes, it's dirty, but it's better than hardwood floor because we practitioners don't have to worry about breaking or scratching anything. Air conditioning would be great but I can get used to the weather.