"The deity is within you, not in ideas and books. Truth is lived, not taught." Herman Hesse
"Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again." Joseph Campbell
"If you love life, don't waste time. For life is what time is made up of."- Bruce Lee.
I have done many different things in my life, constantly looking for ways to express myself and hopefully leave somewhat of a positive mark and change in this world, while some close friends who know me well have called me a "Renegade Taoist." I am a firm believer in making the necessary sacrifices and commitments to following your bliss in life. So far in my life, I have been a karate instructor, graphic artist/designer, stand up comedian, videogame designer/producer, contributing editor for various magazines, film critic, stuntman, stunt coordinator, and fight choreographer. I have recently added the title Author to this list.
As a stunt coordinator, fight choreographer, and stuntman- I have worked with some incredible screen fighters, fight choreographers, and filmmakers like Jet Li, Yuen Cheung Yen, Brandy Yuen, and Tsui Hark. If you lived in the L.A. area, I was the stunt coordinator and writer of the L.A. Times commercial that featured Yuen Cheung Yen and his wire fu, narrated by Ben Afflek, which showed at almost every theater in town for a while. I also worked with professional wrestler Ultimo Dragon and recently wrapped on a film with David Carradine and Udo Keir.
Here's
a short film I choreographed the fight scenes in called, "Enter The Grill
Master."
I have written for Inside Kung Fu, Impact, World of Martial Arts, and Kung Fu/Wu-Shu magazines for over 7 years.
Here are some of the cover stories I have written.
I wrote every article in this 25th aniversary issue commemorating the death of Bruce Lee. It was 4 months of hard work, but it was well worth it for me. Bruce was and still continues to be a big inspiration in my life. This was the least I could do to say thanks for being such an huge influence in my life.
I have directed, researched, and conducted interview segments for DVD special features for Hong Kong Legends (a U.K. DVD label) and the Dragon Dynasty label for The Weinstein Group (TWG) as well as consulting for them.
As a professional stand up comedian for 13 years, with 4 national TV appearances, and performed at the world famous Comedy Store in Hollywood for most of that time (oh, the stories I can tell you!!).
As a video game producer and designer I have worked for THQ, SNK, Mattel, and Sony.
I was raised Buddhist but lean much more towards Taoism because of my martial arts training and not conformed to any one type of religious belief, nor do I judge anyone's belief's.
I like to do real simple things like go to swap meets, used bookstores, workout, and see lots of movies (of course) from different genres and countries. My current addiction is going to shop for DVDs at Amoeba Records and then to Chinatown, Monterey Park, Koreatown, Thai-town, and Japantown to hunt for what else...DVDS!!! It's my crack habit. But hey, I'm making a living at it to justify my habit. Not into drinking, drugs, partying, or the club scene at all.
Photography is a new hobby I discovered and am having a lot of fun with. Who knows...one of these days, I might have one of my photos on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Some of my photos are here on my pics page. Please take a look at them and give me your honest comments!
I'm also happy that after 30-something years, Washington DC FINALLY has a baseball team. Win or lose, it does not matter as long as we have a team to cheer or jeer. It's been way too long. With their new stadium, the Wasington Nationals can bring in more revenue and attract better and stronger players. So far, they are doing really well this season (3-0) with Ryan Zimmerman on 3rd. But I know it's a long season.
My philosophy on life is pretty simple. It's not about the money you make, the jobs you have, the college degrees or credentials we gather over the time of our lives, because we can't take any of that with us when we die. But it's the people we meet and take into our lives, whether it be a casual friendship or a serious relationship that can have a profound effect on our lives. Although I am no fool, hey, we need money to live and survive, but on a deeper level, it's those life experiences that we really take with us and make us who we are.
I used to travel all over the country and parts of the world to fight in the open tournaments as a point fighter. Here is a video of the legendary Keith Vitali, the #1 point fighter in the US from 1978-1981. At the age of 18, I saved up my money for a year and moved down to Atlanta to train with him for several months. We are still close friends and still keep in touch to this day.