Well, it’s been only 1 1/2 days and my trip already has been filled with quite the excitement. First let me recount my Jason Bourne type adventure at the airport. Originally, a friend asked me to help out a little with some business in Canada. He had some work visa issues, so the whole thing was canceled. One of his other friends was deported a day before I flew in to Canada due to these issues. I fly in not thinking much of the situation because I am going to Vancouver to have a good time and hang out with some friends while taking in the Olympic atmosphere.

After I arrive to the airport, I pass immigration and head for the door. I am politely directed to this long white room with metal desks – It’s the interrogation room! I wait for quite some time and then get grilled for like an hour and then the officer takes my passport back into this information room and tells me to wait. I wait for what seems like 40 minutes before she comes back out. She comes out and says that the jig is up! “I am just going to come out with it, we know what you and your buddies are up to. You going to come clean or keep up with this story? We know about this Beard Head operation”

At that point I tell her what happened – that I was going to help out, but due to work visa issues, the whole thing was canceled and I was going to meet up some friends and enjoy Vancouver. After a few more questions and jotting down my information I am finally let go.

I am glad the whole situation was able to be cleared up, but it was an interesting experience! I felt like I was in a CIA movie.. although it probably would not have been fun to be deported!

FORTUNATELY, I was not deported because….. I got to meet USA Women’s Olympic Team Speed Skater Maria Lamb today! In 2005, she was the U.S. National Allround Champion and she holds Junior records in the 3000m and 1500m as well as the Allround Points National record holder. Maria Lamb skated at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino in the 1500m and Team Pursuit. I ran into her (while wearing my beard head) and she was gracious enough to take some speed skating pictures with me and my friend Audrey. In the picture above (at the top) I am doing the push/glide move for straightaways and she is doing the starting line pose! Busting out my 6 years of speed skating skills for the win! Speed skating is one of my favorite winter game events because I used to do inline and ice many years ago and when I watch them I get to relive some of those moments. I also saw some olympic athletes in their team jackets running and doing warm ups… my blood started rushing thinking about the warm ups I did a day or two before world championships in Toronto. I am totally reliving certain moments just being in this environment and feeling the thoughts and energies going through these athletes’ minds.

Vancouver Olympics Japans Mens Snowboarding Team

We also bumped into Japan’s olympic snowboarding team members. The guy on my right does half pipe! and…. if you didn’t notice… thats right! The one and ONLY Beard Head that actually made it across the border! This one is NOT for sale. It’s my personal face warmer and it’s doing a good job. This is a personal shout out to David – Even though you couldn’t sell them here a TON of people have been giving me great comments and feedback and more than 1 person has asked where they can get them! =)

Here is a pic of my friend Lyd and her twin sister Fara. She showed me around Yaletown and Gas town the night I arrived and I had tasty tuna crepe (maybe cuz I was starving..) I barely ate anything since I got on the plane.

First day in Vancouver for the winter olympics

Then a little Canada love?

USA Canada. Misguided Allegiances?

NOPE! USA ALL THE WAY BABY!!

Team USA at the Vancouver Olympics

I randomly ran into my friend Jacob.. and we actually both didn’t notice each other! We were both just yelling and screaming GO USA and celebrating until I did a double take and saw it was none other than myspace worker drift and club photographer JacobPhoto!

All in all, the atmosphere has been great and this trip has definitely been worth it. I am so thankful for having a place to stay with friends and I hope Team USA and all the athletes here in Vancouver have the performance of their lives!

my homie lyd

Crazy 24 hours. Beard Head mission aborted due to work visa issues.. so now I do not have an all expense paid trip to Vancouver.. but we had a 1 way non refundable ticket to Vancouver… also I had no place to stay.

So… all within 2-3 hours this morning I booked a one way return flight for Tuesday and found a place to stay. My fam friend Lyd is awesome and is gunna let me crash at her uncles place. Now I won’t be doing any work, but just taking in the sights of the Olympics. I also managed to get a little bit of work done today as well. I updated a thumbnail for wushukicks on the 18th Annual CMAT martial arts tournament page (see it here! http://cmat.ucmap.org/) and handled vehicle registration and well as some other misc work.

I have to head to the airport soon.. in about 2 hours but anyways just wanted to do a quick update on my crazy winter olympics situation.

I hope to watch the men’s 1500m speed skating and or figure skating over the weekend.. but aside from that I will be playing everything by ear. Hopefully I’ll spend a few days with good friends and have a good time and come back in one piece. Cheers!

2010 winter olympics vancouver

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.

sparring

I spent 6 hours at the gym today. I worked on some business. Everything feels right.

I took care of some business at the bank at noon.  David sold his business PokerBling which I was a partner (very small percentage of equity) in.. so we cashed out. I met up with him the day before and we caught up and discussed some business of course and then he cut me a check for my investment in PokerBling. I like catching up with David because he’s always chill and at the same time so passionate about making an impact on the world in his own fun loving way. (He is also one of the founders of Nom Nom Truck – a popular food truck in LA) Overall, I think everything worked out because we are both so busy with other projects that it was the right time to sell and focus on our other projects. We have another project in the work so I’ll still be working on some crazy things with David. Anyways, I used part of the money I got back for some inventory orders for wushukicks and for some home repairs.

Then I got crazy at the gym. Met up with sparring partner J Yee. We did a ton of drills. Today’s focus was on leg kicks, timing, defending against kicks, side kicks, combo kicks, 1 2 3 combo, lead leg round followed by cross, and reach/distance. After that we did some lifting where we maxed out on chest and shoulders. I was exhausted at this point, but there was more work to be done. I had previously spoken to a franchise owner within LA fitness and discussed some martial arts products and health products that they could sell in their display and they liked the idea so today we finalized some paper work and got some products for sale in LA Fitness! =) After a little business got done, I got my second wind! My former coworker, accountant by day female future mma star Leah rolled by to do some training. I designed a workout plan that is a mega wushu program. It combines cardio with taolu wushu techniques with sparring, kickboxing, and conditioning. It’s designed to be pretty intense and get you very in shape. I worked out again and we hit the bags for quite some time along with doing a few drils. Today’s focus was on some basic kicks, stance work, and improving conditioning.

…and that was how I ended up at the gym from 3:30pm to 10pm (30 min was spent talking so I didnt count that as part of my “6″ hour gym day).

Overall, I’m feeling really good about what I’m doing. I am getting my businesses very financially organized so that it’s not just some makeshift operation, but a clean corporate entity. I am working out more than ever before and I am so refreshed doing it because san shou has so many cool techniques and moves to learn. Sparring is so dynamic that no session is ever the same. I am getting something done every day and that feels great, but yet I feel like there is so much on my plate still. David and Hue are going to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in a few weeks. At first I thought I would be a hermit, but the more I think about it.. if I get a TON of stuff done before they go, I may plan to go with them and stay for a day or two just to have gone to check out the Olympics. I will be playing it by ear. Alright, time for me to sleep. Night!