One - It all starts with taking the first step.
So I've been out in Beijing for a little over 2 weeks now. Why did I move out here? I got an offer to work for Jet Li / The One Foundation and in less than 24 hours I...
Jackie Chan didn't flinch as I butterfly twisted 5... I had a dream 3 weeks ago that I would be working with Jackie Chan - my childhood martial arts idol and inspiration to learn martial arts. 15 years later that hazy mist of...
A moment of reflection on 2009 - A recap on the past... Taipei 101 New Years Eve moments before the countdown I would summarize 2009 as the year of taking the leap and the year of pushing limits. It was a year filled with incredible...
My Life's To Do List My To Do List: An updated evolving list of accomplishments I want to achieve during my life:
Own 3-5 residential real estate properties
Start a 6 figure business that...
A Day in the Life of Alfred Hsing – July 24th, 2010
Recently over dinner I met someone who mentioned a project called “Life in a Day“. I saw a short clip of it a few days ago.. and then lo and behold I log in to YouTube today and see it boldly blasting all over the place. Today is “YouTube Filming Day” for the project of Life in a Day.
Life In A Day is a historic global experiment to create a user-generated documentary film shot in a single day. This experimental documentary will be executive produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Oscar winning director Kevin Macdonald. The film will premier at the Sundance Film Festival Jan 2011.
It also just so happens that July 24th and 25th (which is still the 24th in the US) are the only days I will have YouTube access because I’ll be back in China tomorrow (where YouTube is blocked). Thus I felt some calling to document my life on this day… and plus I had been meaning to create a video on “A Day in the Life of Alfred Hsing“.
Let me know what you guys thing because I plan to submit this tomorrow.
I’ve always had the domain alfredrocks.com, but before it simply linked to a blogspot page. Now that I am getting more involved in production and acting, I felt it was only right to have a clean simple page with my head shot, demo reel, and resume – all of which are on the site. =)
There are still a few minor changes I might make to both the “Life in a Day” short and my new alfredrocks.com site. Overall they were both fun to work on. Feel free to leave feedback!
Last Thursday I had the privilege and honor to chat with former US Wushu Team member, former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, and current actor/action star CUNG LE.
Cung might not know it yet, but he is actually the perfect spokesman for the theme of my blog “business, entertainment, and martial arts”. Those are the 3 areas that I strive to reach the next level on and Cung has achieved it. In business – he started his own martial arts school and brand (USH!). In martial arts – he was a medalist at the world wushu championships, he won the middleweight champion title in strikeforce, and he has won countless tournaments in various styles of martial arts. In entertainment – he has worked with action star Donnie Yen and is going to be in the upcoming Hollywood film “Tekken”.
To see Cung in action check out this highlight reel.
So to sum it up- Cung has been an inspiration in more ways than one. To top it off he has helped promote Asian Americans in a positive light AND he is an EXTREMELY humble guy. For a guy that could throw you upside down on top of your head, he is super calm and super chill. Much respect!
Now to the interview! He was in town in LA to promote his recent movie “Bodyguards and Assassins”. This is a movie that was released in Asia, but it was playing at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. I interviewed him for the Pacific Rim Video Channel. In our interview he talks about what it was like working with Donnie Yen, his thoughts on wushu/sanshou in MMA, and his strategy on his rematch with opponent Scott Smith scheduled to fight June 26, 2010!
Without further ado, here is the interview.
For the martial artists, what are your thoughts on his upcoming fight with Scott Smith and do you guys think its possible to juggle a competitive martial arts career with filming and making movies?
Also thoughts on Cung Le and the UFC? Dana White has mentioned that he would like to see Cung in the UFC. Anyways, just food for thought. Feel free to leave comments.
To check out more about Cung, the man, check out www.cungle.com!
This video interview was brought to you in part by Pac Rim Video and WushuKicks.com.
The Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the off-Broadway Westside Theatre after a limited run at HERE Arts Center in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production; when she left the play it was recast with three celebrity monologists. The production has been staged internationally, and a television version featuring Ensler was produced by cable TV channel HBO. In 1998, Ensler and others, including Willa Shalit, a producer of the Westside Theatre production, launched V-Day, a global non profit that has raised over $50 million for women’s anti-violence groups through benefits of The Vagina Monologues.
Tamlyn Tomita Vagina Monologues
On April 25th, the Vagina Monologues were performed by an all star filipina cast at the Aratani Theater in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. They had Tia Carrere (Waynes World, True Lies), Tamlyn Tomita (The Joy Luck Club, The Day After Tomorrow and the upcoming Tekken), Lea Salonga (Jasmine’s Singing Voice in Aladdin, Laurence Olivier award winner for Miss Saigon), Leslie-Ann Huff (Sonny with a Chance), and more.
Without further ado here are the interviews from the aforementioned performers:
My Review of The Vagina Monologues
Leslie Anne Huff Vagina Monolgues
I had an idea of what it was about going into it, but at some points it was almost too much “vagina” for me. It’s kind of a blast of vagina to the face – performance after performance talks about different aspects of the area “down there”. However, that is kinda the point.. I came out of the performance pretty impressed though. These monologues are performed by women around the world and I think that the level of talent in that room was exceptional. They did not wear any crazy lingerie outfits or dress the set in any way. The audience focused solely on their performances and it was very impressive that they were able to capture our attentions based on their acting performances without the use of props or gimmicks. Because this subject and the pieces involved with it might be deemed a little racy I am sure there is criticism far and wide for it. I am however about the intention behind it.. and it’s about anti-violence and its also about pushing people’s comfortability boundaries. It’s also about being comfortable with yourself combined with simply being an entertaining piece of art. I am glad I had the opportunity to see this performed and performed by such renown talent.
Am I getting better at manifesting my dreams or was this coincidence? I was thinking about Fort Minor’s song and the next day I wake up and meet the guy behind it. Let’s not forget the time I had a dream I met Jackie Chan while I was in Taiwan and the next day I get an email from Robbie saying we are demo-ing for Jackie Chan. Here is the Mike Shinoda manifestation story:
I went to the East West Players Visionary Awards yesterday to do some interviews for Pacific Rim. There were a lot of great people there and talented Asian artists. =)
The strange thing was this: 4am the night before I was writing song lyrics for my business fraternity’s 10 year reunion event…
Past present blending through the ages
Destiny scripted on your manuals pages
From E-xi till DnI we cry and laugh
That sig on the back you can keep my autograph
A fraction inspiration, the rest is sweat
Building boats and memories we’ll never forget
In you and I got u.n.i.t.y.
Reach for those dreams the limit is the sky!
…and that line “a fraction inspiration, the rest is sweat” was inspired by Mike Shinoda or Fort Minor’s song “Remember the name”.
So at 4am I fell asleep thinking about Fort Minor’s lyrics:
This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!
and the next morning (same day) I wake up to a text from Pacific Rim saying “hey I know its kind of last minute but can you help cover the East West Players Awards at 6:30pm today?” So I said yes.. and BAM! I’m covering the event and then get to meet and interview Mike Shinoda! It was awesome because I really like his music and style and he seemed like a very cool person.
If you guys don’t know, Mike Shinoda is an Asian American artist best known for his vocal and musical endeavors with two-time Grammy-winning, multi-platinum rock band Linkin Park who also has his own project Fort Minor. He also is an awesome graphic designer that graduated from The Art Center — and I happened to have just come back from The Art Center that day watching a screening for a grad program short film I worked on.
Other actors/performers were at the event as well. Here are a few other pics:
Joan Almedilla Miss Saigon
Kaba Modern was there too!
kaba modern and mike shinoda
I had a good time at the event for sure. I also was hanging out with a fellow volunteer, Michi, and she taught me some improv games. There’s one where you pick a random letter of the alphabet like.. “G” for example so then I would say “Go get me some apples” and then the next person would have to start with the next letter of the alphabet “H” and they would say “Hellll no I’m not getting apples for you”.. etc / There’s another game where you can only ask questions.. and that was fun too. I think I might try to check out some improv groups when I have more time. I heard about OPM (opening people’s minds) and a few other improv groups. It would be cool to work with some really good improv people.
In summary- it may have been a coincidence or it may be that I have my hands in so many things that I’m bound to “accidentally” meet people that I am inspired by, but part of me thinks that the universe definitely does work in such a way that if you go about it the right way, paths will cross and dreams can manifest.
Martial Arts:
Mooto Backpack
Got a sick white backpack from my sponsor – MOOTO! They are sponsoring me with gear that I shall be sporting at my next competitions such as at the 2010 Sport Accord Combat Games! Mooto is known for being a high end korean taekwondo focused brand. They are expanding and are already based in many countries like the US, Canada, Mexico, Egypt, throughout Asia, etc. Anyways, I can’t repeat enough times how cool that backpack is.. it has pockets and zippers everywhere and a mesh lining that keeps your back separate from the actual bag to prevent your back from sweating. More details at wushukicks.com
As far as training.. I have been consistently working out of course, but not as much as I’d like. I’ve been trying to nail down a lot of work and projects so I had my competition focus diverted. With taxes filed, 2009 year wushukicks finances done, and site upgrades completed I should be able to go complete focus the next 2 weeks.
On Saturday we also had a crazy photo shoot for Martial Arts Complete. A lot of good buddies came out to help including Adam, Robbie, Tamiko, Greta, Kim, and Travis. Much thanks to our 2 professional photographers that drove all the way out from Fresno – Shaun and Boone! I’ll post some picture after we sort through all of them.
Here is one just taken on Boone’s iPhone for fun. It still came out dope though!
kung fu sidekick block
In website news… I contracted a web programmer to clean up and make wushukicks.com even more secure. We got the ssl encryption working flawlessly. Made a few other cosmetic changes as well and I am a happy camper. This took me a grueling 3 days of ocd style managing because I really wanted to get this locked down.
Misc:
Got new dryer installed – had to ghetto rig the exhaust in the back. Might have to fix that in time. – Shin sen gumi with Ant.
Dinner and sake with Ryan – Ryan learns the meaning of “unfiltered”
In the process of helping Audrey purchase her first home! =) Putting my real estate license to good use!
Last I left off, my friend Audrey and I were running into Olympic athletes by the Olympic Village. Well, it just so happens that we ran into a few more.
Canadian Olympic Aerialists
There were a whole bunch of street performances and we bumped into a couple of athletes on their day off. The guys above represented team Canada in skiing and aerials.
My old roommate Matt also kept raving about this delicious hai nam chicken at his friends restaurant so Audrey and I went to check it out.
It was in fact the most delicious Hai Nam Chicken I have ever had!
Hai Nam Chicken
Just looking at it makes my mouth water… =P
So crazy story- The crazy friends I ran into decided to invite me over to their apartment (right over downtown/robson st) to watch the US vs Canada hockey game. This was a huge game. The US started off with a lead and then the score tied, but right before each break the US would be up by 1. As you all know Canadians LOVE hockey and the streets were filled with Canadians (by the way I got love for Canada, but of course we were thrilled to be supporting team USA). We decided to run down to the local bar downstairs with blazing Red White and Blue cheering amongst the “Go Canada” cheers.
USA vs Canada Hockey Game
Well some drunk fans decided to follow us home after we drank our beers at the bar. At first no one else in my party noticed that people were running after us (2 guys and 1 girl.. and the girl was like the first to get aggressive with us) and then as we got to the apartment gate I said hey turn around guys.. as we turned around they slowed their run and then said.. “oh hey, u live here?.. umm you must know the score right?” Anyways, as the conversation progressed it got more heated. In the end the last part of the game was about to start and I told them to relax and and we decided it wasn’t worth it to argue with some drunk people who were looking to start shit. In the end the US won 5-3 and it was an exciting game. My friends had to go catch another game live so right after they packed up and head out. I think if we ran around the streets in hardcore USA gear after that game there definitely would’ve been more heated confrontations. haha all in all exciting day though!
The last day of my trip was a little more calm. Lydia’s mom works for Fairchild Media Group on a radio station FM96.1 and also has a TV show on channel 180 that broadcasts throughout Canada so when we met and she found out about what I’ve been up to lately with wushu and acting she decided to have me on air as a guest.
Here’s a clip of me in the studio.
The interview was mainly in Chinese and it made me continue to realize how important it is for me to practice my Chinese. We also did a separate taping for a TV show where she has guests come in. She has interviewed hundreds of celebrities including DONNIE YEN.. so yeah, I was excited to be a guest on her show! =)
Here is a pic of me and aunt Carmen.
Fairchild Media Group
If you’ll notice my shirt.. it’s pretty funny. I bought it in Vancouver, but its apparently a US brand – called David and Goliath. I bought some shirts for a few friends. Here is a really funny one that I didn’t end up buying, but I had to take a picture.
gold digger
My return to LA was quite smooth because they check all your immigration information over on the Canada side. That was quite interesting. I’m back in LA for the third time this year and been getting back to work.
Upon my return I immediately jam packed my schedule and met up with a producer friend to watch a rough cut of a pilot we worked on. I was a little afraid of the outcome because it’s supposed to be funny and if I didn’t think it was funny, I would be pretty let down. It’s not done yet, but I was definitely laughing so I am looking forward to the finished version. We have to do some pick ups and film more next weekend, but then it should be done and ready to pitch to some networks in a month or two.
Lastly as a favor to my buddy Andy (CEO of an online gaming company), he asked me to help him get some professional pictures that he could use for newsletters and press releases. I wanted to put my Nikon D60 to use so I snapped away. He seemed pretty satisfied with the results and I feel a lot more comfortable getting the shots that people want and finding a look that people want to see. This is not the final profile shot he chose, but it’s a picture that I could imagine in some entrepreneur magazine, so I went ahead and slapped this picture together for fun.
Alright, that’s it for the epic last minute Olympic Adventure. I will update you on the latest work and business developments next time! Cheers!
Well, I’m going to keep this entry short but sweet. I’m off to the 2010 VANCOUVER HOSTED WINTER OLYMPICS!! WOOOT! I will be flying in to vancouver Wed. night. Anyone around the van area give me a holler before I head out.
My friend has a business called Beard Head and due to various circumstances was unable to go sell his product in vancouver, so he is having me and a few other friends help manage the sales in vancouver. Meanwhile we should be staying at a pretty cool condo near the olympic games and hopefully checking out some cool events and parties. This will be my first olympics and its also been quite a while since I was in vancouver… though I was just in Toronto not too long ago.
As I said, short but sweet. See you all at the games!
beard head
Cheers to Beard Head for making this awesome trip possible. Please check out these awesome beard caps at www.beardhead.com.
So if yall remember my previous post with the Pacific Rim interview and wushu challenge for the awesome Heavy Impact you might remember seeing a little move at the end that was featured on their live show at ABDC America’s Best Dance Crew Season 5.
Here was the interview done a few weeks back.
Then… here is their performance for the West Coast Regional part of America’s Best Dance Crew.
Awesome performance!
and lastly we got the POST DANCE PERFORMANCE INTERVIEW by the lovely Angelica Alumia
Feels awesome to have made an influence on this awesome dance crew’s choreo and performance on America’s Best Dance Crew!
Hope my boys Heavy Impact continue to rock the rest of the season! H.I.!!
Alfred Hsing with Pacific Rim Press put on a little first challenge for the West Coast Reps of ABDC America’s Best Dance Crew (Season 5) Heavy Hitters aka Heavy Impact! This was a really fun interview that we did after the Lucratif Street clothing shoot!
ABDC Americas Best Dance Crew Heavy Impact Wushu Challenge!
Check out Heavy Impact’s first wushu challenge!
Some more pics from the day.
Pacific Rim Press, Alfred Hsing, ABDC Heavy Impact
Another group pic.
Pacific Rim Press, Alfred Hsing, ABDC Heavy Impact
I taught them some wushu so they had to teach me some dance moves.. aka how to groove it out. (That’s my groove it out face.)
Gettin some dance tips from Heavy Impact on how to Groove It Out
and now some pics of the Pac Rim Correspondents…
Pacific Rim Press New Correspondent Team Goofin Around
I did a photoshoot over the weekend for a street wear company called LUCRATIF STREET. Their motto is “making something out of nothing”. I met and interviewed the owner of this brand through Pacific Rim Video. It was a very laid back shoot. I actually taught some dancers some wushu right before the shoot. I will post the video soon! But anyways, the shoot was fun and that grey jacket I’m wearing is quite comfortable. I like the material it’s made out of. Here’s some more of the pics. You can also find them on their blog: http://getlucratif.wordpress.com/
get lucratif air!
get lucratif wushu kicks
get lucratif aerial
get lucratif pacific rim interview
New Boyz get lucratif for their single "Tie Me Down" feat Ray J
Hope you enjoyed this wushu / lucratif street collabo! =P
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