This has been out for a while but just never got the chance to scan and upload it. This is my first major appearance in Inside Kung Fu Magazine – a magazine that I used to read weekly when I was a kid. =)

Click the picture to expand and read.

I’ll still have to properly scan it someday, but for now I guess a photo will do. You can also see that the cover has good ol Mr. Billy Blanks on it. I was kinda hoping the cover would be featuring my boss, but I guess we can’t have everything all the time. haha =P

Enjoy!

mike tyson

“When I come out I have supreme confidence but I’m scared to death. I’m totally afraid. I’m afraid of everything. I’m afraid of losing. I’m afraid of being humiliated. But I’m totally confident. The closer I get to the ring the more confident I get; the closer, the more confident I get. The closer the more confident I get. All during my training I’ve been afraid of this man. I thought this man might be capable of beating me. I’ve dreamed of him beating me. But that I’ve always stayed afraid of him. The closer I get to the ring I’m more confident. Once I’m in the ring I’m a god. No one could beat me. I walk around the ring but I never take my eyes off my opponent – I keep my eyes on, even if he’s ready and pumping. He can’t wait to get his hands on me as well. I keep my eyes on him. I keep my eyes on him. Then once I see a chink in his armor, boom, one of his eyes may move, and then I know I have him. Then when he comes to the center of the ring, he still looks at me with his piercing look as if he’s not afraid. But he already made that mistake when he looked down for that one tenth of a second. I know I had him. He’ll fight hard for the first two or three rounds, but I know I already broke his spirit. During the fight I’m supremely confident. I’m moving my head; he’s throwing punches. I’m making him miss and I’m countering. I’m hitting him to the body; I’m punching him real hard. And I’m punching, and I’m punching him, and I know he’s not able to take my punches. One, two, three punches; I’m throwing punches in bunches. He goes down, he’s out. I’m victorious. Mike Tyson, greatest fighter that ever lived.”
- Mike Tyson

mike tyson champion

My brother came to visit over the weekend and we ended up watching the Tyson documentary. It was a really motivational documentary and gave you insight behind the man who was an undisputed heavyweight champion. Lots of good quotes to get me pumped for the week. I really like the quote above because when I read it I can just hear my heart beating as I visualize getting closer and closer to the competition floor.. and as I step on the floor all the tension vanishes and I am supremely confident. It’s both tense and peaceful.

This weekend I also watched JVCD, went to tea station with sherry, xj, zero, and eliver, practiced some cold reads, went to a pool party (but missed the swimming part), went to the gym, worked on wing chun, worked on some fight choreography, and helped carry some flags at a Buddhist ceremony. It was Buddha’s birthday this weekend and my aunt asked me and my cousin to help out. We ended up waking up at 6am on Sunday to help out with the ceremony. I did get to take a picture with a monk and help out Buddha at least.

Aside from my adventures this weekend, my trip to China is fast approaching. I’ve got tons on my mind. This trip to China is getting me thinking. First of all, I have to book my flight soon so that’s number 1 on my list. Aside from that I keep feeling like I am not getting enough done and that I’m losing sight of my goal. Last week I have been getting a really good amount of sales for my ecommerce, but it forced me to spend double the time responding to customer questions/exchanges/returns. Though I am increasing sales and can work remotely at the leisure of the foot of my bed or from nor cal / LA / wherever, I feel like I am getting too bogged down with getting orders, shipping products, fixing site bugs, news updates, and customer support, that it is diverting me from my goal to pursue entertainment.

I probably have to just let this growth settle in and let some processes streamline, but I guess the past week got me a little tied up in “work” as opposed to focus on my film projects. I think a huge reason why I’m writing today’s post is just to clear my thoughts. I have SOOO much stuff muddled in my head right now. Let me list some out: booking airline, travel schedule, visa, training wushu, training kickboxing, teaching private lessons, short film production negotiations, looking for new roommate, ecommerce online orders, demanding customers, getting a new vendor, real estate planning, cleaning, and misc errands.

Okay.. well writing them out helped. I think that when I have too much on my mind I can’t carry a normal conversation and my mind has all these “to do” items floating around. I hope I can knock these items off the list and slowly streamline certain things so that I can mainly focus on ONE thing. I want that one thing to be on the entertainment side this year. How can I not worry about anything else? I guess there will always be things that pop up and need to be handled, but I can take care of them more effectively and tie up loose projects.

In other random news – my episode on Deadliest Warrior Season 2 will be coming out in the next few days! I play stunts as a vietcong soldier!

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. =)

Enjoy our post interview for Spike Tv’s Deadliest Warrior’s Shaolin Monk vs Maori Warrior episode

SPOILER – End Battle

Watch the full episode on www.spike.com

Shaolin Monk vs Maori Warrior on Spike TVs Deadliest Warrior

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Spike TV Deadliest Warrior Interview for SciFi Channel

Original post here – http://scifiwire.com/2009/04/we-get-an-exclusive-behin.php