Peterbe.com

I've just finished my first Twitter app. It's basically a just a about using OAuth to allow people to sign up to KungFuPeople.com without having to pick yet another password.

I simply took the oauth.py module by Leah Culver and wrapped it with some useful functions taken from a similar Twitter app we've done at work.

Unlike other Twitter apps for this one I'm using Twitter solely for handling authorization and authentication. That means that it has to work with the existing user + profile functionality but just side-step the sign up and login.

Next goal: Google OAuth

Tonight we're launching our new Kung Fu website: kungfupeople.com

My friend Chris and I have been busy building a website where people who do kung fu can put themselves on a map to say where they train kung fu, what style they do and what kung fu club they belong to. The site is very much centred on having a world map and each little pin on the map is one kung fu martial artist.

This site is build in Django and is based on work that was done to build Django People originally developed by Simon Willison. We took his original code and revamped it almost completely.

Our goal is to slowly build up a world map of people from all sorts of clubs and styles and hopefully one day become the best place on the Internet for understanding what clubs are available where and what styles different people do. The site has been in an "alpha testing" phase now for a couple of weeks and even though we still have lots of ideas and cool features to add we believe it's ready to go live.

So if you train kung fu or know someone who trains kung fu go to our website and add yourself to the map

THANK YOU ALL who sponsored me to do the lizard walk with the FWC Kung fu club on Saturday 25th of April for the Claremonth Project. Together I believe we raised over £3,000 for the charity and it was a fun event altogether.

Pictures available here

Today I'm celebrating the Chinese New Year with a big dinner in Chinatown in central London. I love the Chinese people, their food, their culture and am perpetually interested in learning more about them and their ways.

But we mustn't forget that this otherwise great country also has a very very dark side which we must never accept or forget: The Persecution of Falun Gong.

Didn't the nazi persecution of jews teach us anything? Are you aware that Falun Gong practitioners are imprisoned, bullied and tortured? Do you know that this oppression is fully sponsored by the government and not rogue individual groups?

I was made aware of this website (warning: graphical content) and this video just a few days ago. I'm fully aware that China is a big country where many "bad" things can happen due to the sheer numerical chances with such large numbers and such many different internal cultures but that's never an excuse for this barbaric behavior.

Think about it. Remember it.

Thank you everyone who sponsored me for this weekends Kungfu endurance challenge to raise money for the Claremont project.

A reminder... The Claremont project is a venue where old people go to for activities in Islington. Many of these people are weak and lonely and doing these activities is practically all they have to meet and socialise with people.

Unfortunately I didn't win any of the individual events of the endurance challenge but I did try my best and I'm very happy that I participated and at least tried.

Thank you all who sponsored me!!

Here are some photos from the event

Yesterday I went down to Nick Fielding's new Kung Fu club in Twickenham to train because this week I've been working for VSO in Putney (southwest London). His venue is a big church hall with a very nice floor and a nice atmosphere too.

Finding the place was easy because it was near the Twickenham train station but as always happens, when you actually get near the street and house number you're looking for you get a bit confused so even though I found the street quite quickly I did actually make a hell of a detour around the block the church hall was on.

Nick and I have been training under Dave Courtney Jones and Dennis Ngo in the City & Islington club since about 2001 I think and I genuinely believe Nick is going to do well as an instructor. The classes in Twickenham have only been going for about two months but he's already got plenty of people coming regularly.

If you're reading this kung-fu-students-of-Twickenham, hello, thanks for welcoming me on my visit to your club. I hope we meet again at competitions or camps at Dennis.

For all people who like Tekken or martial arts, it's a must that you have a look at this clip which is a faked Tekken match with actual humans. They've just added the sound effects and the fake blood and added some other sounds.

Although I haven't played Tekken 3 much (or whatever the latest version is these days) I recognized a lot of the stuff from the original Tekken that I played.

The moves they do are alright, especially the final double-hitting kick. Generally most of the moves are quite clear and crisp. I like the way one guy wipes of blood from his face or mouth and that that is animated too.

Pen Rance, who wrote the book Martial Arts that I mentioned about a month ago has now set up a kung fu club in Hertfordshire. It's called FWC Herts

If you live in the Herfordshire Watford area, I genuinely recommend that you give it a try if you want to get fit or you're already fit but bored with the local gym.

UPDATE

This club is now run by instructor Carlo Fernandes

If you live in the Stratford or east London area you should do what I did last night. I went to Shkar Sharif's new kung fu club in Stratford. It's a quick walk from the Stratford station and getting to Stratford is quite easy for me thanks to the Waterloo & City line + the Central line. Doesn't take long.

Shkar and I have been training for many years now together under Dave at the City & Islington club; Shkar a bit longer. Last year, Shkar took his instructor grading and has now started this club on his own (with some help from Dave). He's been running this club now for only a couple of weeks but is (t)here to stay. I genuinely recommend anybody in the area to come along and train there. At the moment he's only teaching kung fu (Fujian White Crane) at that venue but will soon have t'ai chi classes too.

If you want more details about the classes go to his club page See you in class!

Got my copy today! I'm excited to read it.

Martial Arts is a book about martial arts films such as Enter the Dragon and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon etc. written by my "kung fu sister". Within the club you sometimes refer to other people in club as brothers and sisters. Pen and I train both train with Dave in Islington.

Have you seen Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon? Do you understand it all or are you, like me, just watching for its fascinating effects, scenery and swordplay? Apparently, all the questions that you've always wanted to know is in the book. I remember asking Pen once: "Why does she jump off the bridge in the end?" To which Pen replied: "Buy my book and you'll find out". So I did. Can't wait!