08/04/2022
Anybody a martial arts fan? Give me a š!
I vividly remember my very first exposure to martial arts as a toddler in the Philippines. One night, my dad brought me to a small, musty dojo where he and his younger brother, my late Uncle Harry, along with a dozen strange faces, trained in Kung Fu while an older, stone-faced man walked around arbitrarily correcting his pupils' stances by smacking them around. At least, that's what it looked like to me. Nonetheless, they went through their motions like a tightly knit synchronized dance crew. They looked strong, fast, and fluid. It was a super dope experience that has created a core memory I'll carry for a long time. (For another core memory, ask me about trying to ride on the lion dance costume in the corner while they trained. š )
One day I found my dad watching a really old kung fu movie on a betamax š³ (told you it was old). It took a minute but I finally realized he was watching himself and his brother! Yep, they were Kung Fu action stars back in the day in the Philippines! Well, my uncle was, my dad was an extra. š«¢There's a lot of cool things about my dad but that's definitely up there on the list. His copy of that video is long gone and neither of us can find another but after all these years I've finally managed to dig up a poster of one of
my Uncle Harry's movies (last slide). My dad was so proud of his brother and his love for him
was obvious. This made me fall in love with Kung Fu even more.
I've dabbled in different martial arts over the years but regretfully never stuck with them. I don't think I was cut out for it at the time but, you know, it's never too late, right? š