Tornado Kicks and Wedding Bells

"JIA YOU!!!"

Ah, the classic chant that infects audiences at Chinese martial arts tournaments the world over. Literally translated, the phrase means, "Give it gas/oil." But when crowds cheer it, you feel their love lifting you up and it's like a jolt of adrenaline shot straight into the veins of whoever's tearing it up on the competition floor.

Though I'm far out from the days of competitive Wushu, the community still remains strong and connected. And for that reason, a handful of us United States Wushu "old schoolers" got together in Cleveland to witness the marriage of one of our own, Y Chan, to the lovely and graceful Betty Chu.

We're an intimidating bunch, yeah?

We dusted off our Feiyues and silks that we used to wear when we represented this fine country in the ring and gave it another go in the banquet hall of the wedding reception. I'd like to think we performed pretty entertainingly, but I'll let you be the judge.

Y has been one of my really good friends since I started Wushu in 2002. I met him at the first Wushu tournament I ever competed in and he even wrote a generously awesome article about me a few years ago. Needless to say, there's a lot of love for Y and Betty from my camp, and for that, I raise my glass and toast...

"Y and Betty…JIA YOU!!!"

Trip Down Sense Memory Lane...

The cold keeps you wrapped cozily under your covers an extra half hour or more, but the sun's so excited to have you be a part of this beautiful autumn day that its beams peek from behind the shades in an attempt to wake you up gently. Your feet scramble around and hit the cold floor and a shockwave of thrills rush to the top of your head.  The nozzle twists all the way so that the pipes will warm up and shower you comfortably in warmth that takes serious will power to pull away from. Step out shivering like a tree shaking off its leaves as you acclimate to the chilly environment. You pile on clothing layer by layer before you step out to be engulfed in the crisp air embracing you from all around. The colorful trees surrounding you sway back and forth, happy to see you looking at them and their radiant leaves. Inhale…

…Exhale. Take the first step and enter this gorgeous day.

At the top of 2011, I worked on Dragon Age: Redemption starring Felicia Day with my good friend and stunt coordinator extraordinaire Thom Williams. He mentioned that he would be running a show in Virginia and if he could find me a spot, he'd bring me on to work for him. Sure enough, he kept his promise and brought me to my home state to stunt up a ruckus on a movie called "To Have and To Hold." Good man! Check out this vlog I shot on the prep process in the hair and makeup trailer:

Two months earlier, one of my favorite professors from my alma mater VCU invited me to speak at the school and share my experiences since I graduated in 2003.

Wow. Time flies! It felt like only yesterday I was running amok up and down the streets of Richmond, VA. But it's been seven years!

hamming it up at a bboy battle for MTV's Campus Invasion (circa 2003)

When I entered the university, I had no idea what I wanted to concentrate on. The only passion that motivated me was the same drive that I had from my younger years: making movies to entertain the masses, bringing people together, and giving something back to this world to make it a better place.

But I knew the path to becoming a successful actor and stuntman in Hollywood would be a challenging one, so I'd need as much help as I could get. For that reason, I studied Mass Communications to learn the best way I could reach out to large audiences and share my gifts.

Seven years later, I'm revisiting my home state to shoot a feature film.

I'm so thankful every day to be blessed with the opportunity to do what I love and absolutely love what I do. If you can visualize the dream in your mind and connect to the love in your heart, the universe will find a way to bring it all together.

Live in love, baby!