Mixed Martial Arts, PROFESSIONAL SHOOTO JAPAN ('reckanize!), Vale Tudo, and anything else that has to do with combat sports. I've also been known to like books, music, comics, and other... things. I've also been known to rock a mean lion head in Chinese Lion Dance... then again, no, that's just a selfish estimation of my own (lack of) skill.
Antonio "Pato" Carvalho, #1 Ranked Shooto World Lightweight:
Rumina Sato, the soul of Shooto:
Another Rumina Sato HL, because he's worth the time:
Tatsuya Kawajiri, the CRUSHER:
The "Endless Fighter," Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Yoichi Fukumoto, March 4, 2004:
I'd like to meet:
1) Fighters in and from Japan: "Mach" Sakurai, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Enson Inoue, etc and so forth. 2) My girl, in Germany (but in Japan).
Music:
Currently Rockin':
Nothing... but I do listen to some of these people/bands/groups/crews--
Asian Kung Fu Generation,
Ajico,
Alias,
Alias and Tarsier,
The Beatles (perpetually),
Björk
TOOL (also perpetually),
A Perfect Circle,
Quannum Projects stuff,
Sole,
Sneaker Pimps (the first album),
Thievery Corporation,
Portishead,
The D (if you must ask...),
Jimi Hendrix (Bold As Love and Little Wing are my anthems)
Led Zeppelin
Killswitch Engage
Sifu Shane's Drumming,
there's more... i'll get back to you.
Movies:
Fight Club, Yin Xiong (saw it before Miramax and Tarrantino got their grubby hands on it), Saigo no Koi, Hajimete no Koi, Ong Bak, Wu Jian Dao: Infernal Affairs, the Usual Suspects, School of Rock, OG Star Wars... just off the top of my head.
Television:
Currently Watching:
Doctor Who (2005), "EX-TER-MI-NATE!!!"
Red Dwarf "DUANE DIBBLEY?!!!"
The Riches
MillenniuM, the ill-fated Chris Carter series about the impending apocalypse with everyone's favorite typecast b-movie actor, Lance Henriksen (the dude, *should be* A-list, but he's never had that chance...)
Other than that... MythBusters makes me feel happy and fills in the gap when 24 isn't on TV. Plus, that's the only kind of TV I can watch whenever I'm sick, and it'll make me feel all better. There's also Star Trek: TNG, Farscape, and B5.
Books:
Currently reading:
Chuck Palahniuk's Survivor,
Dan Abnett's Eisenhorn,
WH40K's The Horus Heresy series (now awaiting the next installment, FLIGHT OF THE EISENSTEIN).
A few favorites:
Bas Rutten's Big Book of Combat, vols. 1 and 2 (if only because it's just Bas--how can you not love the guy?),
Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club (because it's fun and isn't really about fighting at all),
William Gibson's Neuromancer (my first love),
Orson Scott Card's Ender and Shadow series of books,
Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Sin City series,
Alan Moore's Watchmen,
Neil Gaiman's Sandman series and American Gods,
Garth Ennis' Preacher series...
(the three aforementioned British authors seem to know how to write better comics than most American authors, for some strange reason).
While the last few are not "books" in the strictest sense of the term, they've still got words--lots of them--and they're still fine literature in my eyes...
Heroes:
Real people:
Neil Gaiman, Bas Rutten, Frank Miller, and Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, and the entire MythBusters family.
Fictional: Ender Wiggin, Batman, Frank Black (the one from MillenniuM), and Tyler Durden.
