"What are you doing for your 30th?", they said…
I'm turning 30 this month (February 2013) and feeling pretty content in life, so instead of gifts or a party, I have arranged a Tai Chi challenge for myself to raise money for Friends of Mombasa Children; a fantastic charity that transforms the lives of children living in desperate poverty.

The Challenge
On the day of my 30th birthday (25th February 2013), I will perform 30 Tai Chi long forms (Chen Style Lao Jia). One form takes me just under 20 minutes to perform, so we're talking about 9-10 hours of continuous work. Allowing for fatigue (and the odd bathroom break), my goal is to reach my target of 30 forms in 12 hours, starting at around 5:30AM. What can I say? I really know how to party :-) I will record a video diary throughout the day and post it here when I'm done. If you'd like to know what a Tai Chi form is, there is a more detailed description below.

Friends of Mombasa Children
By way of motivation, my wish is that any money that might have gone towards my birthday celebrations, or to buy gifts, is instead donated to Friends of Mombasa Children, who provide a safe environment, education, food and medical care for some of the poorest children on the planet. Even a modest donation can make a huge difference. The cost of one drink to toast my 30th would feed a child for 2-3 weeks, depending on your tipple. One cinema ticket would cover the cost of a class set of exercise books and a desk for two children. Your money really does go a long way.

If you wouldn't normally attend my birthday celebrations, but my act of madness amuses or inspires you, I would be most grateful for any contribution you could make.

For more information about Friends of Mombasa Children, please visit their website.

A big thank you to the lovely people at the Westwerks for their generous support by offering me the use of their events room for the duration of my challenge. If you are a small business, charity or social enterprise looking for office or event space be sure to check them out.

So, what is a form?
In a nutshell, a Tai Chi form is a sequence of movements, usually performed slowly, that exercise both the mind and the body. Lao Jia, the form that I will be performing, takes between 15 and 20 minutes, depending on your pace, and consists of around 74 movements, depending on how you count them.

To give you a better idea, I have recorded a video of me performing Lao Jia and, as it's not exactly a spectator's sport, I have increased the playback to 9 times the normal speed, so you can watch the entire 18 minute form blaze by in under 2 minutes. To view the video click here.