All those cute Japanese characters have a name… Kawaii!

This was an exhibit at the Japanese Pavilion inside Disney World’s Epcot Center, World Showcase

I signed up for a Qigong class and this evening was my first session.  I have little yoga or mediation experience and have read little blurbs here and there about Qigong.  I love travel in order to experience new things and new places; additionally, I also know that travel allows me to experience new things about myself.  But I also realize that I don’t necessarily have to travel to do this self discovery, and this is one of the reasons why I decided to learn more and try to practice some Qigong.  Our class tonight was 90 minutes long and consisted of introductions of the 12 or so participants in the class — I found out that over 2/3 are repeat students that have just kinda made this Wednesday night class a part of their routine.  Our instructor provided us an overview of Qigong, then we spent the rest of the time doing movements and breathing exercises.  This class lasts for about 6 weeks (I think), so every Wednesday I will record one thing I learned or something I want to remember as I take this journey to mindfulness.  And thus my first something learned for mindful practice is this:  before entering a room or a threshold at a door, always step with the same foot.  This will allow yourself to focus on the moment at hand and have an intention.  Seems easy, but we’ll see — I will try this tomorrow and report back!

Learned this one while on the Kilimanjaro Safari tour at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom theme park.  As we approached a group of flamingos, our tour guide said that a group of them is known as a “flamboyance.”  Huh!  I later learned that you can also use the word “flock” and “pat,” but I learned that a group of flamingos also goes by “flamboyance.”  Cool!

A flamboyance of flamingos

Lisa and I were having dinner with our friends Mike and Jessie this evening, and in the meandering subjects of conversation, we started talking about tea and crumpets.  Crumpets?  Sure, I’ve heard of the word and always associated it with the British afternoon tea time.  But what exactly are they?  Sounds like some kind of pastry to me.  Well, not exactly.  So here is my first post of ‘Something Learned #1’…

Crumpets remind me of an English muffin because it looks like one. But there are some key differences, as explained by Mr. Almost-Knows It All, Mike.

First off, English muffins are split down the middle and each piece is usually toasted on all sides.  Crumpets, on the other hand, don’t split at all and they are just cooked on the bottom.  The top side is full of little sponge-like holes, which is perfect since crumpets are usually eaten with a slab of butter and jam spread over those holes.

There are other subtle differences, and I’ve spent much longer than I expected reading up on what people argue makes a crumpet and not an English muffin — it really is quite a passionate discussion!  But I won’t delve much deeper because it is hard to figure out what the real truth is.  All I know is that I love English muffins slathered with real butter and jam, and that I would probably like crumpets equally or even more with all those extra holes to sponge in the toppings.  I am definitely looking forward to trying a crumpet on my next visit to England!  For an example on how a crumpet looks like, please take a look at this web site!