Budo Rant #3 - Give Credit & Improve on the Previous

I was compelled to defend my honor as the first person to ever post a tutorial video on the internet on the subject of Triple String Nunchaku. My original video has been viewed more than 30,000 times and has found permanent places on several search engines and martial arts forums world wide.

It's my firm belief, as martial artists, that when we borrow ideas or base our work on the accomplishments of others before us, we must give credit where credit is due. I've done so in the past, and I will always cite the research and findings of others whenever I produce training and educational material to be posted on the internet.

rctrue, never contacted me to inform me he was going to reproduce my tutorial virtually shot for shot and step for step.

Mcjoebuilder, on the otherhand, used my tutorial as a basis but went about his tutorial the way he saw fit. And as an added bonus, he makes his own nunchaku. Kudos Joe! [prior to posting this entry, Mcjoebuilder emailed me and informed me he was linking my tutorial to his. I did the same likewise.]


This is a comment placed by a DTG spy who was "expelled" by Greg Park so that he could freely roam YouTube and try to gain the confidence of the unsuspecting. I didn't buy his story for a minute. SACREDFIREDOJOSHOW is still an active member of Nintaijutsu.


In this screenshot, we can see the date of publication as well as number of views as of today. Notice, how many more views my video has over rctrue's. This number can only be achieved over a long period of time. Thus, my tutorial came first.


In this next image, MOUNTAINOUS gives praise...only because he is another member of Nintaijutsu - Choson Ninja, under Greg Park. The following two individuals are more critical. cava002 directly asks rctrue if he knows who I am. No response. The third person had an even more practical comment. Look back at my tutorial. I specifically chose to use my white oak nunchaku with green parachute cord because of the contrast in color! Easier for viewers to see what's happening.

Lastly, here's the champion of the day: Mcjoebuilder and his excellent interpretation of my original lesson.



Always remember this courtesy: Give credit where credit is due and improve on the previous.

Thanks goes to YouTubers: HouzanSuzuki, scottbaioisdead, zeong77, and Mcjoebuilder

Back at One - Cover

This song has a lot of emotional baggage attached to it. When I first learned it, I was trying to get over the fact that the woman I thought I wanted marry had different plans...and they didn't include me.

At that time, someone new came into my life. We met at the health club where we both had memberships. She was an exchange student from Japan and she asked me to help her with writing assignments because she wasn't confident her English was strong enough. While proofreading her work, I fell for her charm and beauty. Things went well for a few months, then out of the blue, she said she couldn't continue because her family wouldn't approve.

In both cases, I was left on my own because both women were more attracted to White men. The first woman told me, "You're everything I could've ever wanted in a man. I'm sure you'd make me very happy. It's, it's, it's just that you're not White." She had grown up dating other Filipino-American guys with disasterous results. There was nothing I could say or do to convince her that I was "different" than the others. The other woman, I later found out, was looking for someone to marry here in the U.S. so that she wouldn't have to go back to Japan. I guess she did me a favor and saved me a future break up.

In between these two women, I had dated a few other women while in college. But, as time has revealed, I kept finding myself on my own. That made me wonder: Did nature intend for me to have a solitary existence? I hope not.



Recently, I've started playing this song again. With good reason. I never thought I could shed the shackles of the past. My first true love has the happy life she deserves and I can't spend the rest of my life in envy of it. My best therapy is to just move on. I've found new inspiration and new life. So this song brings me happiness again. I used to play it over and over again as punishment for not being good enough, or tall enough, or rich enough, or handsome enough, and most unfairly not "White" enough. No more. And, even if I spend the rest of my life as a bachelor, I know I will have lifelong friends to uplift me.

Go Pei Sho

Grand Master Robert Trias founded his own style of karate called Shuri Ryu in the late 1950's and early 1960's. He's on record as opening the first Japanese-style dojo in the United States in Arizona.

GM Trias also founded the USKA (United States Karate Association). Around 1971, my former Master (now deceased), was for a short time a member of the USKA. In order to help unify the organization some Shuri Ryu kata were modified to allow for other styles to learn them and compete in open tournament fairly.

Go Pei Sho was created by GM Trias, based on his learnings from the Hopei school of Hsing-I. This kata was one that underwent modification. Some time during the mid-1970's, all Shuri Ryu kata in the USKA were restored to their original forms.

To my knowledge, the modified forms have long been out of practice and probably only exist as file footage on 8mm/16mm films, quadruplex video tape, and hand written notes.

The version of Go Pei Sho that I first learned as a 13 year old from my teachers has remained in tact. I haven't changed anything that was taught to me. If there are others out there that know this or similar version, I'd really like to hear from you.

Gigil(ing) Grandmas

GIGIL: A most perplexing Tagalog word. Watch this video and find out what it means.

Talking with Miss Lulu (YouTube - BruneiDoLL)

Lulu is a breath of fresh air. She's got a keen sense of observation and international humor which can be seen in her many YouTube posts. She speaks four(?) languages fluently! Through our mutual friend, Nina, I learned about Lulu and found out she's a fellow karateka (Oss!). When not spending time in the dojo at home in Brunei, she's attending university in Australia. The following is an observation she made...

Story of Teenage Rebel:



Since all my closests friends, here in California, have moved out of state to find new lives and new careers in this tough economy, and even though I keep in touch with them by phone, for weekly and daily contact with people I've come to rely on the friendships I've built on YouTube and Blogger to keep me sane. Lulu and Nina are the kid sisters I never had, so it's cool joking around with them. And Aviva from Bowmansinoki (Blogger), has been a real lifesaver and another sister to me. Back on subject: Lulu asked at the end of her video if her viewers were going through a "rebellious phase" with their parents...

My Video Response:



By the way, Lulu is an absolute choco-holic! Mention chocolate, and she perks up. She also takes pretty good pictures as a hobby. See her self portraits and those of her friends and associates (and love of chocolate) here at passion4cocoa!

Two Videos in One Day = No Sleep

I'm cranking out as many vids as I can before the Holidays really puts a cramp in my side. And, I've got another gasshuku to go to in mid-October.

So, here's two videos I made yesterday:

VIDEO #1: "My New iPod"



The cassette player in my pick up truck finally croaked. Lately, I've been getting tired of "rewind" "fast forward" and "search" just to groove to my road tunes. I won't toss all my mix tapes. Those are going into my archives. All these non-linear functions on all of digital gear has created an impatient society. Now I'm one of them. Good bye analog cassettes...hello iTunes!

VIDEO #2: "Kevin's Birthday Salute"



Kevin is my bestest buddy. In ways, he is more a brother to me than my real life brothers. We've known each other since the age of 14. I've helped him, in small and subtle ways, to grow in the entertainment industry. And for the last 12 years, I've spent almost every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Eve with him and his family.

Kevin and his wife Melinda now live in Cape Cod. They've found the kind of setting where they feel safe to raise their children as well as launch new careers.

Budo Rant #2

I don't get pissed off easily. I give most people a lot of wiggle room and forgiveness before I cast them off.

One problem with open forums on the internet is the vulnerablity to hate speech or unjustified negative comments. I've created a new rule for my YouTube account. I will delete negative comments made by people posting from "fake" channels. Fake channels on YouTube are created by people to be used to shield their identities from the public. These people are often referred to as "haters." I'm perfectly willing to accept negative/constructive criticism on my YouTube channel so long as I can respond back in the public forum to "real" accounts. I define a real account on YouTube as a channel that depicts the true identity of the member with a facial record, their real first name (at least), and original video content.

Here's an incident I recorded that I hope I'll never have to repeat:

Hakkakukei Nunchaku Episode 6 - Bonus

Here's the bonus footage promised:

Hybrid Shmybrid!

Here is the USA, we have very big cars. Even our "economy" cars are bigger than economy cars found in Asia and Europe. Why? The American diet has made us huge. I've done my part (and continue to do so) by lowering my body weight. I used to be as heavy as 243 lbs. I'm now 217 lbs. I feel that I can drop another 20 to 30 lbs. in another year or so.

Back to cars: We Americans need to do more to reduce our carbon emissions (make our carbon footprint smaller). Reducing our tendencies to be obese; using more efficient light bulbs; building tighter homes; cleaner and safer energy generation/collecting; AND making cars that produce less pollution.

I thought about hybrid vehicles. Then, I discovered that the auto manufacturers have no plans on how to dispose of the hybrid batteries once the cars reach the end of their service lives. They are so new that disposal sites do not have a way to process or contain them. That led me to think that we need to improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines until we have a way of applying solar, flywheel, or some other imaginative energy storage solution not yet available.

We're already seeing Smart cars being brought over from Europe here on American streets. People giggle and point when they see them. I think "cool!" Can they be made even smaller?

Then I found this:



The Chinese are notorious for producing counterfeit products; usually jewelry, fashion clothing, electronics, and software. This inventive guy in Shanghai built this car from planks of wood tied together with wire and pieces from the farm yard. It even has a headlight! Somehow, though, I don't think this will pass as a Prius. All I can say is...I WANT ONE! I'll be the envy of all the local Green warriors.

Hakkakukei Nunchaku Episode 1

This is the first installment of what will be a multi-part DIY kobudo series.

New Nunchaku Videos in Production!

Questions to Asian Males About AMWF Relationships

A fellow YouTuber sent me a link to the video below. I watched her video several times so that I could rephrase her questions in my mind. The second video below were my responses.





I became aware of Asians and White people co-mingling in the early 1970's. This was a time when Vietnamese refugees were arriving in the United States by the thousands. For years, Servicemen were bringing home Asian brides from Korea, the Philippines, and Japan. Predominantly, couples were made up of White men and Asian women. The reverse, Asian men and White women, was an extreme rarity.

Only in the last ten years or so, have Asian American men been able to rise in status in the USA. This has been accomplished partly due to rising prominence in business, sports, entertainment, and intellectual opportunities. Some may also note that perhaps it is just "our time" to enjoy the chance of becoming a popular option for not just White women, but for all kinds of women.

The old stereotype of Asian men being geeky, nerdy, and low on self-esteem is out the window. These stereotypes were actually prejudicial interpretations of Asian character. What was most offensive was the perception of "low self-esteem." In Asian culture, "humility" and the ability to humble one's self is seen as a virtuous trait in a person.

In the USA, according to the current socio-economic norms, if I want to succeed in the dating scene (to attract Asian women AND other ethnicities), I need to be boisterous, self-centered, and treat women like objects. If this is true, I'd rather go on living lonely and alone. That's not who I am. I'm a warrior and gentleman which means I approach everyone with a measured cup of respect.

One last note: Even tough guys need to be rescued. Please ladies, sweep me off my feet!

Ramune Soda in the USA

I've seen posted on YouTube clips of kids in the USA trying to open bottles of Ramune soda from Japan. Up until a couple of hours ago, I haven't been able to find a store in my neighborhood that carried the brand.

Well...



Thanks to Sangria USA, Inc. of Torrence, California for bringing this shower in a bottle to America!

I need to get these babies iced down. Taste test coming up! Stay tuned.

Okinawan Pork Products

I bought one of these four years ago:



...and I ate tebishi two years ago!



But Aviva wins the pot pie contest with THIS ONE.

Wiggle Your Big Toe...

I'm not going to try and gloss this over with humor and whimsy. This is one of those mid-life crises we all dread:

What am I going to do with the second half of my life?

Job satisfaction diminishes exponentially. Where are all the women I'm supposed to be compatible with? And 29 years of martial arts training (and all the injuries that comes with it) doesn't exactly have me jumping out of bed in the morning all sprite and ginger.

I chose a lifestyle (or did it chose me?), to follow a humble path of the minstrel-warrior, and have found that I live paycheck to paycheck; I'm up to my neck in debt; My creative juices have become bitter-sweet because the American work ethic demands I work myself dead-tired before I attempt anything I really enjoy; If I ever have children, I'll be too old to play ball with them; And, I'll consider my self lucky if there's anyone present at my funeral (which should take place approximately another 40-50 years from now).

My birthday is a couple of weeks away. I'm like a Klingon from Star Trek, when it comes to birthdays. I don't like parties, or cakes, or gifts. I like quiet meditation (or if I were a Klingon, I'd gloat and wonder why I didn't die a glorious death in combat), and watch some DVD's or catch up on some books I've been meaning to read. Many years ago, my good buddy and his wife took me out to dinner a few days before my actual birthday. They're sneaky like that. At the time, I was in my survivalist-mountainman yamabushi phase. So, they bought me a watch with all the gismo MacGuyver features on it. I put it to good use until it finally ticked its last tock. Sentimentalist I am, I still have it. And that's as far as I'll allow my birthdays to go.

California (SF Bay Area) is becoming increasingly more difficult for single people to stay. I check Craigslist almost everyday for used audio, video, and photographic gear. Artists and engineers are leaving California everyday, dumping their old gear before they go. I've picked up some really good bargains, in the hopes of building a side business in order to raise enough funds to move out of state as well with some savings as a buffer. California is too expensive, overcrowded, drought-prone, under-educated, air polluted, too many bond-measured, and lately - over rated.

As a trained audio recording engineer, people here in the Bay Area have said "Go work for Lucas." Yeah right. There's a group of former Skywalker Sound people that started their own recording studio because of the constant state of fear under Lucas. These guys named their studio: Banned From the Ranch. I tried getting in with these guys and found shut doors there too. [Curiosly, I work with a guy who is cousins with a BFTR guy. He mentioned me to his cousin and forwarded my complaint that "Banned" is just as closed door and arrogant as "Skywalker." His cousin's answer was: Yeah. That's about right.]

Sheesh!

Thank goodness for Blogger and YouTube. Great places to vent and be creative. Thank goodness for friends and family. AND...Thank goodness my one and only student chose me to be his teacher.

Like the character Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill Vol. 1 said after coming out of a coma and struggling to get back on her feet, "Wiggle your big toe." All I have to do is get past the hard part...Everything else gets easier.

We hope!

Walking Around SF Japan Town

SF Sakura Matsuri 2008 J-Town Champloo

Kiki's Delivery Service

I'm a big Japanese animation fan. From early Tatsunoko Productions (Speed Racer, Space Cruiser Yamato, and Macross) to Studio Ghibli...

which brings me to:



I have many Studio Ghibli DVD's, but Kiki's Delivery Service (aka: Majo no Takkyubin which translates as "Witch's Delivery Service.") just happens to be my favorite. We're all supposed to go through rites of passage or go on separate journeys to go find our true selves. This film captures that spirit of discovery.

I have both the English and Japanese versions, and both are nice to compare. The essence of Miyazaki's vision carries on in the English. When I want to sit back and enjoy the story, I'll watch it in English. If it's time for me to brush up on my Nihongo, I'll throw on the original version and switch on the subtitles.

This is a nice cozy family film. Get the DVD, make hot coco and snuggle with your little one(s) and/or sweetheart.

Not sure how long these links will last, but for your convenience preview the English version here:

part 01
part 02
part 03
part 04
part 05
part 06
part 07
part 08
part 09
part 10

2008 San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival

I've attended the SF Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Festival) on and off for the past 20 years. Photography, videography, and audio field recording has always been in my blood. This year, I'm documenting everything I find interesting. The celebration takes place over the course of two consecutive weekends, and I plan to test some of my "new" production gear.

What you see here is a montage of screen grabs of some of the video I shot with my retro Sony DCR-TRV27 w/wide angle lens adapter and Beachtek DXA-2 XLR audio adapter set to mono fed by a Shure SM58 (this is my audio test platform which will eventually be either a Canon GL1 or XH-A1 OR Sony VX2100 or FX-7, and some stills with my P&S Fujifilm Finepix S5000. I'm debating on getting a DSLR or go totally retro and do medium format Mamiya...but that means a darkroom.



I've never seen so many people shooting with Canon 1D's before! I think more than half of them didn't use them to a fifth of its potential. They just dropped their credit cards on the counter and bought the best money could buy in the belief they could snap that perfect shot of their kids on stage. But they were never bold enough, like me and the real pro's, to get right up to the stage apron, to ignore yellow security tape and GET THE SHOT NO ONE ELSE DARES. So many people shot full panorama all day long. Photoshop can't fix that!

One shot I'm particulary proud of is one where I set the camera's timer and used my two meter monopod to suspend my camera over a group of taiko drummers. I even had one of my feet on the stage. The pro's couldn't do this because their foot long telephoto were too heavy. My P&S was just the ticket!



I'll have video and more pictures up next week after the conclusion of festivities. I have this weekend's video in rough cut form. Slide show is next. This was just a tease.

Algorithm March! with Ninjas

Imagine your students getting into this craze:

More Mango...

Hopefully this vid will gain me more subscribers which in turn direct them here to my main blog.



Plus, I had lots of fun making this video and replying to all the responders.