Not Again Podcast

We all have our favourite fighter, our favourite boxer. Canelo, Mike Tyson and Muhammed Ali. Fash The Face has to be one of them somewhere in the Singapore Boxing Scene. Especially being the core building blocks for the female boxing team in Singapore Boxing Federation.

After announcing turning from a pro-boxer back to amateur boxing (or Olympic-style Boxing), many were baffled with her decision. Fash has come to the terms with it and explains the decision why she has done it so. She explains why it is not an easy decision to make, how the decision has cause a struggle with her existential crisis and fear with having a bond with her husband. We all do talk about the plan in the future both personal and her work life whether boxing will be part of the system.

Her competitiveness may have given her a foot into the world of boxing and martial arts, which also may become her downfall as she fell in love with videogames. She explains how it became unhealthy for her to play videogames and finally understands why when someone tells her that they are a gamer. We share the love for our favourite games.

She is now turning into amateur boxing. She has to change the way she fights and thus her trainer has to change too. From her husband, to the national team boxer, Ridhwan (The Chosen Wan), the dynamic changes. We discuss the pride and joy of wearing the nation's flag on a major international event but of course the caution that she has with the responsibility of representing Singapore on the international stage.

It is always rare when people have faith with your work and most of the time it leads to friendships that you never thought it will happen. This is the case with the guest for this week, Jing Yan and I. Having very similar values when it comes to narrative and creation of content, Jing Yan is the guy that I will entrust behind the camera. He shares his experience on what is it like behind the camera and what is happening in the industry. Sharing and updating the news of Singapore Pop culture and answer the question that bugs no one's mind, "Who is Jeff Ng?" He tells the story of how the local bosses work when it comes to content in a general sense.

We talked about the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), phase 4. (This episode is recorded before Thor: Love and Thunder therefore time to see our prediction.) There are many times we check out what is the film language about and the beef that we have for Batman and the unpopular opinion on the movie Joker. We are hustlers and I think Jing Yan has fully proved that with his history on the focus of producing videos on YouTube as a content creator and his nurturing spirit that he has with the influencers under his care.

What is a good movie chat if we end up don't talk about paying homages when it comes to movie. Quentin Tarantino did that in his movies, Taiwan movies looking back at the 60s and 70s. Jing Yan provide what maybe like for Singapore movie to pay homages when it look back into what it means to be nostalgia. Of course the rant that he has with the current workings of the new video arcades which is a children casino for the elderly.

If there is a word to describe PJ Thum, I think "Brave" is a good word to use. He has done feats that a lot of people have never considered possible. The first Singaporean to swim past the English Channel and being an Olympian in 1996.

Tapping into his life as a historian, he had a podcast titled The History of Singapore . Giving insights to the story of history and politics of Singapore which makes me wonder the beauty and the drama behind Singapore history.

Fighting the good fight and doing the right thing is in the bones of PJ Thum which inevitably pushes him to be public enemy number one. He has gotten academically blacklisted for doing his job and too getting escorted to the police station for interrogation for political allegations. He explains the process of how a research takes place. The perspective of a historian looking at a source and where the funding comes from. He tells his experience of his arrest and interrogation. What step he took to prepare for the arrest.

He is made to be who he is, he claims. He supported his claims and looked back to his life and of course we delved quite a bit with education, sports, his childhood. After discussing the idea of Freedom of Speech with the limitations and why we need the Freedom of Speech and our boundaries with it.

Finally! A long awaited episode! Just to give a bit of context, this episode was recorded in late 2021 and thus news in this episode is not up to date. Please check the latest updates with your The Capital City of Love, Paris has lots to offer and Khaldoun Hosni is one of them. He tells the long tales of the stand-up comedy happenings in the City of Love and how the comedy has opened up during the pandemic. He showed me the door way to the sense of humour

We have our complains with the pandemics and we have our fun talking about people reactions. But being from the City of Love, Khaldoun Hosni does talked about doing the wedding during the pandemic and how it is a sign of God.

One thing that Khaldouni has firm belief in not quitting his day job for his passion, comedy and it is not for a heckler. He shares why the belief and finally talking about growing up in Paris and the whole stereotypes of growing up in Paris, France. He of course tells why growing up in Paris is the best.

Kelly Kimberly Cheong is someone that you will not mess with. Arming herself with the knowledge of various martial arts, she describe the issues and boundaries that she has which sets as obstacles to start having her dream of that one fight.

Not having the easiest childhood, Kelly shares the wisdom that she has gained over the years while we struggle to go back and discuss that one martial arts. The one martial arts that we try to agree with. With her experience, we talk about what does self defence mean to any of us and the fights that we have during our pubescent years. How martial arts shape our way with how we interact with our way. Man, getting punched in the face in the ring still easier talking to many people Kelly!

She started her acting career in Ah Girls Go Army. We talked a bit about it, of course the taboo subject of that I have started to dance around. The question of it not being good and she explains the faith that she has with the movie. She describes working in the movie set and the challenges that she faced (yeah we do talk about the challenges hehe).

Like every Not Again Podcast, we talked about growing up and dealing with childhood of a traditional Christian mother. She shares about meeting her father again when she was older and learning how to deal with mental health with the passing of her mother.

We all want to make our parents proud and I think that Mike Kasem is able to do that. Coming from a family who is synonymous with show business and the kindness that not many people sees anymore. Mike Kasem has opened up the door in to the personal life of the Kasem family and tells the stories from beginning of his own career to having starting a beautiful family in Singapore and picking up sports.

Some how being a radio jockey or the entertainment business wasn't his choice of career and while he manage to find a career in there, we talked about our "existential crisis" in doing what we love. We related to each other with the discussion on filling up our father's major shadow and even outshine it.

Freedom of Speech is the one that we stood for. Freedom of speech is our bread and butter and how cancel culture is really prominent from the position that he is. He is from a different culture after all. Growing up in a different place, different culture. Humour may not translate well and I think Mike Kasem has used the best of his anecdote and vocabulary to explain being misunderstood accidentally. Zionks!

Of course for added content, we talked about sports and beating the ball through the air with a rod and getting punched in the face. Why do we do them?

There is a saying "Getting to the top is not easy, staying there is more difficult". The life of Ridhwan (The Chosen Wan) has encapsulated the meaning of that quote. Not just being the face of his own gym, Legends Fight Sport; his experience and involvement in the Singapore Boxing Scene has him the responsibility of the representation of what good boxing in Singapore is like. He explained the workings of the Singapore Boxing and the highs and lows of the boxing scene in Singapore. He revealed how fight styles reveal the fighter's history and his envision of the future of Legends Fight Sport will be like for him

Ridhwan doesn't have an easy childhood. Having a career in sports in Singapore is not an easy feat to. He revealed what is it like to be at the top of the food chain, working hard, mistakes that he has made in being with the words and falsehood directed from the masses. He recalls how he had started boxing and realise what he has gone through to make him who he is today. The sacrifices that he had made, the position on where he is right now in life and how to take everything in stride.

Role models are common but unexpected from the world of boxing. The words of inspirations from Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. The rise, fall and the phoenix returns from scattered ashes of their boxing careers like George Foreman and Roberto Duran. Ridhwan reveals the unlikely story of how he had gotten back to school. He retells the strategic moves that he had made in his boxing career as a pro boxer and the real story of betrayal that wasn't covered by the mainstream media.

Regrets are inevitable in life. Some of them are caused by the decision one's made and some not so much. Ridhwan, The Chosen Wan has revealed some of them and the lessons he had learnt to live with the regrets.

BE HuMBle BrO!

It is only appropriate to have Jake Gonzales on Not Again Podcast as he is one of the guys I find has a wealth of knowledge and people I have a lot of respect. Man, he has lots of stories, tips and tricks to share even outside of my boxing life.

Spending a significant portion of his life till now, both the practical, academic and mentoring pursuit of fitness, Jake is really generous when it comes to sharing his knowledge and getting better in the knowledge of physical training. We went through the different definitions of power and strength and our favourite gym bro science. What makes Jake stands out is, he is more than just a trainer but he is also a combat sports coach. He prove that by going into a deeper technical analysis on my fight style and discuss why and how the stereotype of my body shape influence on how other coaches will start to train even though it may not be the best way according to fighter.

Jake weigh in on what is the balance on being a good coach and what is the most important thing of between a coach and fighter relationship. We also talk about the sparring etiquette and the dangers of combat sports, telling the story of having to deal with the blow of the death of his sparring part. Of course he also reveal the boxing business in Singapore after being so intimate in the boxing scene after so long.

We reviewed what boxing had done to our lives, what it meant and how it became such an identity that we hold on to. We have try to decipher the future of our boxing careers and how goals have evolved from what we had set for ourselves. We have our own dreams and then knowing our strengths and our weakness to carve our dreams accordingly. He too shares his dreams and being involved in the early few matches of ONE. Of course we try to understand working in the system and trying to do something we love.

To survive in show business is not an easy feat but to be part of the guys who influenced the comedy worldview of the next generation, Ted Alexandro seems to be able to do just that. Ted Alexandro reveals the nature of the beast and finds zen in doing so is amazing to me.

Here is this thing, I am surprised how Ted is growing up and he taught me more about relationship with different people and how to maintain a healthy one. Especially a working relationship in the world of show business. We talked a bit in getting therapy, figuring out how one is and the expectation of therapy. Ted also telling personally stories in how to say "No", having boundaries and not to be the responsible ones. He does talked about being the responsible one how it has influenced the decision that he made in life thus getting to be the guy who he is today.

Realising he has many lives before being a stand up comic and then brining it in to his current life and made a really web series "Teachers Lounge" shows him with a man of many talents. Telling many stories of how he and Hollis James write, pitch and then getting the actors for his show while maintaining the show as a stand up comedians' sit-com. Stories like getting Michael Che and Alec Baldwin to be part of the show and many of our favourite comedians such as Todd Barry, Lewis Black and Dave Attell seems to be a big bonus. Hollis James and him decided to go independent for "Teachers Lounge" and Ted Alexandro explains why.

This is a tribute episode for Jonathan Atherton.

Rest In Peace.

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Crazy is an understatement when finding words to describe Jonathan Atherton's life. A globe trotter, Jonathan has travel to many countries and finding means to survive. From selling female shoes to petrol to comedy, Jonathan has pretty much did it all.

Jon shares the various stories where he shared secrets to pass through borders and making money in Africa. He recounted how he started his comedy career which also prompted him to started the South East Asia Comedy Scene thus created mentored many successful standup comedy in that region.

We analyse his favourite joke and gave many tips on joke writing. He tells me his utopia in Australia and how much he love living in Byron Bay.

Of course get that wine to talk to him!