I think the title of the post says it all.. but just to announce it, I got my FIRST DONATION today!

THANK YOU TIGER SHARK! YEAR OF THE TIGER! Woot!

first donation

When I first set up my blog, I found this donation tool and put it up, but then after a month or so I took it down because I thought, who really cares about donating to me and it’s probably a stupid idea… and in fact!.. just a few days ago I was upgrading some plug-ins on the blog (just to make sure its spam and virus FREE!) I saw this “donate tool” O_o…. so I thought, I’m pretty unemployed; it couldn’t hurt to put it back up.

…and u know what miracles do happen. A few short days after I put the donate tool up, I got my first donation.

I want to say THANK YOU again.

I think these contributions big or small are helpful to me because for one thing.. I am unemployed. haha. I am not saying that I will starve, but when you give up stability for an unstable but passion filled future the more financial support you have, the easier it is to keep your wits about you and help you stay focused on purely doing what you do and achieving those goals. It shows me that people who are following my journey support what I am doing. To me, it means that I have made a connection in some way whether it’s just an entertaining post, an inspirational beam of hope, or a reflection of someone else’s life and goals. It helps me continue on my path towards success in business, entertainment, and martial arts. It helps me continue writing this chapter of my life’s story.

I don’t think I have mentioned this phase in my life yet.. because I probably didn’t feel it was relevant until this post.. BUT.. what are my plans if and when I achieve these goals I set out to do ?

I would like to re-focus my energies on creating a charity or foundation to spread good. I have not thought that far ahead as to what specific aims this foundation would focus on because its too far forward right now and things always change… I feel that when that time is near I will be inspired by something in my life and know what the focus should be on. In a general picture I think I am always in support of medical research, children, and the environment.

I guess I am just talking out loud again, but yeah, in addition to helping me “make it” in these goals I have.. I see it that anything that helps me and my businesses succeed is something that also helps my foundation succeed. I know that it is pretty presumptuous to think that I will be so successful that I can actually create such a foundation or non profit organization, but these are just my plans and I am verbalizing them. I don’t know what the future will bring I can only gravitate towards my goals and make them known so that if there are like-minded people our efforts can be in unison.

Enough philanthropy talk. Time for me to go train. =)

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 experiences.

wushu training with the beijing wushu team

The day I made the US Wushu A Team

First of all 2009 was incredible in that it topped 2008 which was already a great year. In 2009 I yet again took a leave of absence and traveled to China to train for the US national wushu team trials. I was reunited with great wushu friends, beijing food, and intense training with the beijing wushu team. I can’t believe that was just this year because so much has happened this year. I came back to the US and enacted revenge on my 2007 Team Trials results. This year I finally made the US wushu team. In 2009 I fulfilled my LIFELONG dream to be on the A team of the US wushu team. There were moments of stress, fear, anxiety, friendship, excitement, ambition, and joy in all the millions of seconds that led me up to receiving my official certificate placing me on the 1st seat of the 2009 US wushu team. This alone would have made 2009 a memorable year among memorable years.

US Wushu A Team

2 Gold Medalists with JBJ reppin USA

To add to the excitement, this was the year I would finally take the plunge. I took a leap of faith to pursue my passions by quitting my stable corporate job. Boy do I not regret that move. It was something I thought of doing for a long time, but when I did it everything seemed to fall into place. It allowed me to devote more physical and mental energy to training for the World Wushu Championships! All the competitors at the 10th World Wushu Championships were eager to fight for their right to take home a medal for their country. Therefore, I think every extra second I trained helped me win my title as a World Champion in straight sword. There will always be a time to work on a career or make money, but this was my moment to seize a World Champion title and I did it! Fortunately for me my parents were there as well to witness that moment. I can’t describe how unbelievable it is to be able to think back on that day- especially since wushu has been such a big part of my life. This World Wushu Championships completed the circle on my wushu career. I wanted no regrets and I left with none. I wanted to be satisfied with my performance on ALL my forms not just straight sword and I was very happy with my performances in chang quan and qiang shu as well.

Smashing pots on Deadliest Warrior

butterfinger fight commercial

Playing the part of a sailor

In front of the camera I got on my first national and international TV show.  I got the part as the Shaolin Expert and lead shaolin monk protagonist on Spike TV’s Deadliest Warrior. My episode caught quite some publicity with the shaolin fighting and my eye gouging with the emei piercers.  It even aired in Canada and the UK! Aside from this show I also did my first green screen project with the History Channel and worked on 2 projects with good buddies David and Al Brocca. Projects followed projects and I got to do photo shoots and ended up getting featured articles in Masters Magazine and Kung Fu Magazine!

tea in store

Nicole promoting Angels Tea

In business WushuKicks has successfully grown from a project in the back of my head to an incorporated business that brings in consistent sales every month. We also got our google checkout badge, increased page rank, and made sales to well known clients such as Cirque du Soleil. I got my real estate license and am a recognized real estate agent. I also partnered up with a few entrepreneurs this year and learned and worked on many other business ventures including clothing, pokerbling, angels tea, and nutritional supplements. Angels Tea signed contracts with 3 retail locations that now offer our delicious flavors.

TST in Hong Kong

Friends in Taiwan

Mucho thanks to Ivy for looking out for me in business and entertainment in Taiwan

Big Thanks to Sarah and her family for making my Taiwan Adventures possible!

After the plunge to become an entertainer and entrepreneur I flew from Toronto to SF and before I could get over the time difference of Toronto and SF, I flew to Taipei.  During my stay in Asia, I went to Hong Kong and Macau as well. I met Daniel Wu and Victy Wong a member of the Jackie Chan stunt team. Both are people that I respect and people that have worked with Jackie Chan. =) I am still in Taipei as I write this, but will be heading home in 2 days. In Taipei I was interviewed by Channel 10 News and also interviewed on a famous variety show hosted by Zhang Fei. The friends and bonds I made here will definitely be lifelong ones. I achieved most of my goals for this trip which included getting more familiar with the entertainment industry, learning more chinese, and deciding whether I could or would like to live in Asia for an extended period of time.

I’ve fulfilled many goals this year including an 8 year long wushu dream, being on national tv, and watching the fireworks light up from the 101 building in Taipei. I think 2010 is a very bright year. I am looking forward with anticipation and excitement. I got my years of corporate experience and am ready to embark on a unpaved path as an entrepreneur. I have no excuses now and have put myself in a sink or swim situation. I predict success, but either way I am following my motto.. of living a life without regrets. On one path, I am more safe and know the outcome (which I know I will not be satisfied with), on the other I forge my own destiny to achieve greatness in the things I am passionate about.. in which I know that even without success, the memories built from doing something I am passionate about will already be more valuable than the safe path. In any case all I am saying is that 2010 is the year for this passion and excitement. It’s not to say that some time in the future, I won’t want more stability and calm.. but 2010 will not be that year. =)

My Way of the Ninja

Keep my promises.
Keep to my word.
Protect that which is important to me.
Have the power to fight injustice.
Do remarkable things.
Live a life worth living.

Ni wen wo ai ni you duo shen

“Mooncake represents my heart!”

Wushu
NWTC, 99Wushu, White Lotus, UCLA Wushu / gym. This week I’ve been working more on short sections and speed over full forms. Only day I did full forms was at NWTC because they were the only place with enough space to do a full form. I’ve been training every day except one day for recovery.. shoulders have been feeling a little tight and same with my back. Overall I am probably in the top shape of my life though. I am going to bring home a medal from the 10th wushu world championships.

Film
Went out to an audition for Wizards of Waverly Place. It went alright. I said my lines confidently and naturally, but regardless when I came out of the audition it made me realize I want to take some more acting classes and practice more to refine my art. It’s always good to get more practice and I am a firm believer that everything takes practice. You can be talented, but to get to that next step, it still takes practice.. whether its acting, martial arts, giving speeches, etc.

Today I went to a meet and greet with a sports agent. They help book for fitness magazines, sports commercials, and anything athletic related. They liked the pictures I had and seemed satisfied with my athletic qualifications. I’ll be hearing back from them on Friday.

Tea
AngelsTea in Nucleus Art Gallery. (Read here: http://www.angelstea.com/angels-tea-in-nucleus-the-art-gallery-and-store/) Uploaded a few more pictures to the gallery and did some facebook updates. Add Angels Tea on facebook and twitter http://twitter.com/angelstea ! Valentines day should be a good time for people to consider Angels Tea as a sexy fun gift for their significant others.

Good news is that I’ve already had to make a re-order since my inventory was running low. My family has been supportive as well and family friends have helped spread the word in nor cal and I have made a few sales to get me off my feet with this. Thank you guys! Of course the true test is to continue pushing forward and get a large retail location to distribute my product, but sales are sales and the support behind me is a very positive thing.

WushuKicks
Set up a bunch of sites related to wushukicks. Hoping to cross promote and build up traffic through related markets. I began to evaluate other niches. It goes without saying.. wushu shoes occupies a small market compared to all of martial arts shoes or martial arts equipment. Also sketching in my idea book how to redesign wushukicks cleanly. Looking to get this done soon.

Filed for incorporation at the Secretary of State building. Next step will be to set up online merchant services. Also other To Do items include: Making new business cards, getting QuickBooks Pro, and making a wushukicks intro video.

Martial Arts Nutrition
Quite a bit of back and forth has occurred with the design. The lab has tested and labeled everything on their end. I believe we are at the point where we are going to get this product up and ready soon! Excitement is in the air.

General Business / General Thoughts
The bottom line is this – everything costs money! lol

Incorporating costs money. Merchant services costs money. Pay pal takes money. Shipping costs money. Joining the Realtors board costs money. Owning a realtor supra key to open lock boxes costs money. Maintaining your membership with your local board of realtors costs money. Product development costs money. Manufacturing a product costs money. Gas costs money. Business license costs money. Franchise tax board wants money. Sellers permit costs money.

Aiyah! Why didnt anyone tell me this BEFORE I got into starting up my own businesses. (I complain, but I love the entrepreneurial lifestyle.)

I got some great accounting advice from my uncle who is a CPA and also from my mom who was a controller for a tech firm. Now I am slowly getting all my bills, accounts, and expenses in order so that I can actually see my profits and losses.

My other uncle, a former CIO, encouraged me to read “never eat alone” – a book about building relationships and connecting people. I read it that day just because I figured if I didn’t read it right then, I would probably never get around to reading it. The book has a lot of common sense ideas, but 1) its good to re-enforce those ideas and 2) within its 250ish pages it obviously did have some new information and advice that I thought was clever or motivating.

We had an entr meeting with Dave, Misa, Jaemin, and Alison yesterday. Seems like everyone has encountered the freelance blues at some point.. which is working by yourself and having your own time, but feeling strangely unmotivated. We determined a good solution to that is to work WITH people wether mentors or partners. Even if you are successful its never fun sharing that by yourself.

Seems like Dave is FINALLY going to take some caffeine and maybe start working on getting our clothes design manufactured. I give him a hard time, but I know he has been swamped with Nom Nom (www.nomnomtruck.com) and I have been equally busy preparing for World Games.

Moon Festival
Despite all this business, I had a really relaxing day with my relatives on Chinese Moon Festival. First we visited grandma then we had some crepes for lunch, mooncakes of course, and a nice bbq at my uncles house. All us cousins went to the mall and played with every single contraption in the “As Seen on TV Store”. I had some good chats with my cousin Lydia and took note that its really key to maintain a balance between friends and focusing on success.

The next day we went to a Taiwanese dinner that my aunt invited me and Lydia to. I bumped into the random-est people there: Vivy, a college friend that I hadnt seen in a long time, a bunch of the Miss Taiwan Pageant girls which I saw at the Miss Taiwan Pageant only because my roommate Eliver knew people there (read post: http://www.casualiscool.com/pictures/miss-taiwan-approves-of-angels-tea/), and my aunts friend who happened to be on the US National Taekwondo forms team.

When I set out to write this entry, I was trying to make it as short and matter of fact as possible, but I am glad I wrote all this because sometimes I look back and I think “what have I done all week”, but as soon as I write it down it makes me feel like.. “okay, I have been remotely productive”.

No More 9-5 Suit and Tie

Monday August 10th, 2009 marks the 2 week countdown until I officially quit my job. I will be leaving behind the corporate world for my pursuit and passion for being an actor, martial artist, and entrepreneur.

I’ve never made such a life changing decision as this. Although at this point, it almost seems like the natural thing to do when martial arts and entertainment seem like my main focus and my job seems like an after thought. I’m not gunna lie, I am a little bit scared of quitting my job and having no next job lined up, but I’d be MORE scared of waking up 40 being in the exact same place I am now but just with more money and more possessions. There will always be reasons for me to not quit or not try something new, but I am more excited than afraid of whats to come.

I feel I can truly begin to live my life my way and this is as perfect a time as I can get. My whole life I have had a path telling me what’s next. It’s like walking down a familiar and known path. You know what’s around the corner. It was always- do well in school, go to a good college, get a good finance, legal, or medical job. Well, you know what? I did all that and I don’t regret it. My coworkers have been awesome and the experience I gained was valuable, but now it’s time for me to move on.

I feel that I should have more to say about this, but right now I just have so many other things on my mind. Also, I’ve been talking about the notion jokingly for so long that my parents are completely okay with it. They actually semi-support me quitting and focusing on my training for the World Games in Oct. Also my co-workers pretty much guessed that it was coming. Even when I told my boss I would be putting in my 2 weeks notice, she said “If you are pursuing your dreams and what makes you happy, I am happy for you.” She said this despite the fact that things are busy at work and she’s going to have to go through extra trouble to find a replacement.

I guess I am going with my gut on this one. Even though taking the plunge feels a little daunting, it seems that almost EVERYONE around me is so supportive and is always so happy for me when I tell them I am pursuing what I enjoy… and I guess something that feels so right couldn’t be a wrong move.

Bruce Lee

Article by: Alfred Hsing (Current US Wushu Team Member)
Date Posted: August 2, 2009
Source: www.wushukicks.com

I was just thinking about how success in wushu works the same way as success in business. I was asking myself why my wushu training has been pretty effective, but my results in business have been mediocre and if I was doing anything different. I found out some astonishing results because the way I train is how I should act for my business – For my businesses it is still something I have to work on.

Let me take a trip through how I train wushu and how I got to be a top level us wushu athlete and how that correlates to starting up your own successful business.

1) I always stay focused when training and more specifically whenever I am on the carpet I give my form my full attention.

In other words in business, don’t be working yet on google chat or facebook. Working a highly focused and productive 4 hours is much more valuable than a 10 hour day where you were on your phone and AIM, etc.

2) I trained in China with the Beijing wushu team multiple times.

Aside from the hardcore physical training what makes training in China with one of the top professional teams so valuable? You get advice from proven champions and you train in professional facilities that are conducive to attaining the results you desire.

If you have a start up business where you can work from home, don’t work on your couch, then watch tv on the couch later, then eat a tv dinner on the couch even later. It is important to put yourself in an environment that is conducive to productivity. Even if you dont have to go to an “office” it would be good to set aside a part of your house where you only do work. It would be wise to get equipment that is conducive to increased efficiency. In china they train on quality wushu carpets, replace their shoes and weapons when they are broken, and have a gym with equipment that works out the appropriate muscles. Well, the same goes for business. Have the tools you need to perform optimally.

Also, surround yourself around people who are getting the results you want. In china everyone can do a 720 inside kick. They must know how to do it if they are all doing it so it would be wise to follow their advice. Also by virtue of hanging around it pushes you more and makes you realize it is easily attainable. A good environment motivates you as opposed to slowing you down.

3) I focus on nailing one difficulty before moving on to the next. When I train I have a goal of a move that I want to perfect and then I will really focus on just getting that one thing every time until I get it proficient where I don’t have to think about it.. then I move on.

Same goes in business. Get one area of your business solid then focus on other areas. Right now I am all over the place with various ideas. I’ve known that I need to focus on one business or else I am spreading myself thin. Find one thing for your business to improve on, nail it, then focus on other areas. For example in online business, being number 1 on google seach rankings would be much better than having 3 sites on page 3 of google search rankings.

4) I train 3 hours a day for 6 days a week. (In china its more like 6 hours a day.)

I guess with this its just about being consistent and training more than the next guy. I guess this is self explanatory. If you equally work hard and smart, if you work MORE then you will advance faster.

5) Get rest! Physically your body needs rest and nutrients to maintain and improve faster.

I sorta fail on this one because I usually dont sleep enough, but fortunately I did get light injuries from time to time that sort of forced me to stop training or stop training hard. This would probably be my bodies way of saying, hey it’s time to relax a bit. Taking breaks from hardcore training prevents you from getting burnt out and wanting to quit. If you work 20 hours a day 7 days a week for 5 years in a row, you will probably be tired. Point is, its good to work hard, but rest and even short vacations where you clear your mind are important. They help rejuvenate you and make you feel even more charged up after you get your rest.

After this whole MJ death. I admit I have been listening and reading more about him out of intrigue.

I dug this old video up from Dave Chappelle’s stand up. You gotta watch this. It’s hilarious.

I love good comedians because they can make strong social commentary that is in a humourous nature.

Also, if you hadn’t had a chance to find or see “Take Two” which is a rebuttal interview, take a look. It was very interesting.

I was watching the documentary “Living with Michael Jackson” with interviewer Martin Bashir. I want you guys to know that Martin Bashir is full of crap (you can see it for yourself) and completely sensationalises his interview with Michael Jackson. He puts MJ under the spot light in a harsh and closed-minded perspective in order to skew the presentation of the documentary in a way that suits his end goals. He also snakes his way into MJ’s home and acts like a friend and gives him all this false praise just so he can lure Michael Jackson into saying things he can use for his piece. Besides being a shitty human being, he is also an idiot for thinking that the viewers won’t realize he is painting a one-sided picture.

He had a wonderful opportunity to delve into the entire life of one of the world’s most talented musician/performers, but chose to focus his energy on the scandal and superficial tabloid worthy material. Disgusting!

If you watch the youtube part 9/10 or 10/10 it gets worse. There is also a release of the behind the scenes which shows Martin’s two-faced side called Take Two.

Michael Jackson moved people, inspired people, and contributed to more charities than ANY celebrity. He hated the “fake” adult world which he recognized but didn’t want to be a part of. He wasn’t stupid. He knew what people implied and he took that heat and continued to show love to underpriveleged youth, terminally sick children, and so on. People out there took his innocence and love to their advantage. Seriously people, the guy was a millionaire. He doesn’t have to invite a terminally sick child over to a million dollar ranch just to get some. If that’s what you think, then you are just as wacky as people make him out to be.. and on top of that you’re not even contributing anything close to the level of music, inspiration, and outreach that he did. I do agree that some of his behavior is definitely not “normal” or “pc” but given his childhood and lifestyle you can’t imagine him to have a normal life. We (the public) are partially to blame for making his lifestyle so different.

Michael Jackson revolutionized music and dance as we know it. He helped millions of kids, charities, foundations. He donated his time, love, and money. He inspired artists like usher and athletes like kobe. What has Martin Bashir done? Act fake in order to create a documentary focusing on crap and bringing down Michael Jackson’s reputation in order to boost his own career. Good job.

Here is a synopsis of “Living with Michael Jackson”

What’s it like to be alfred an ENTP?

What’s it like to be you?
Life feels like a constant state of moving from one interesting thing to another, and I can get frustrated when there isn’t enough time to pursue all those interesting things.

I have a wide range of interests. I love to explore the world, how other people live, what they believe in, and what their lives are like. I have a deep need to understand the human condition and what brings people to life, even above difficult odds. I like it when the conversation goes wherever it wants to go—deep imaginative, intellectual, or philosophical conversation. Going off on one theory or another is fun, but long stories with nothing to learn frustrate me.

Ideas mean change. When I meet people who have interesting ideas, talents, or projects, I want to get to know them and help them make whatever they want to do possibly much bigger, more successful, or more impactful than they had intended. I start aligning with them and building trust because I want to get invited in—to probably change whatever they want to do because I tend to see more possibilities. Then we cook up the project. It’s fun to learn. I enjoy that in-the-moment experience of connecting things in my mind. Challenge and intellectual stimulation get me excited.

I just see a different world than the one in which I live, and I admire people who have genuine compassion and a commitment to serve others. I really respect people who have the ability to take the slings and arrows that come with leadership roles and working for change, who can cope with all the misunderstanding and resistance, who can say, “This is an idea whose time has come and we’re going to get it done.” It’s important to me to be in a setting where people are committed, where facts are respected, and where there is a space for people to tell the truth or at least look for the truth—and be open to listening.

This description describes me to the T because I am a strong ENTP where every one of my personality indicators is more than 15% as opposed to some who have one or two areas that are on the fence.

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 ultimately runs without me in the driver seat
Maintain > 8% returns through stocks / traditional investments
Learn mixed martial arts to a competition level
Act in a feature film (preferably these 3 types: hollywood blockbuster, hk action movie, china wu xia period piece)
Produce my own feature length movie
Learn to knee drag (or handle turns better) on my motorcycle
Learn to fly a plane
Develop and wear my own clothing line
Combine martial arts and fashion
Open a cafe, restaurant, or bar
Walk under the rain in a tropical rain forest
Learn another foreign language (conversational proficiency)
Move to a foreign country with only 1 months food/rent and maintain a comfortable standard of living
Travel to: New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, South Africa, Vietnam, India, Germany, Russia, Dubai, Ireland, Spain
Done——————————————————————————-
Make the US Wushu Team – [2009 US Wushu "A" Team, 1st in longfist, 1st in straightsword]
Place top 6 in wushu world games – [Gold Medal at Worlds in 2009]
Skydiving – [14000ft @ Lake Elsinore]
Buy first car
Get motorcyle license – [Class: C M1]
Work in corporate – [KPMG, City National Bank]
Work with Jackie Chan – [Spy Next Door Premier @ The Grove in 2010]
Travel – [China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, France, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, England, Amsterdam]