Gene Ching keeps busy. He is the publisher of Kung Fu Magazine, a martial artist, a fencing expert, and is the Psychiatric Crisis Intervention Supervisor in which he volunteers his time in drug and psychiatric crisis intervention at music events. I had the pleasure of talking with him about all of these areas of expertise.   I also learned more about ancient weapons, making weapons, and his new show Man at Arms: Art of War on the El Ray Network.

Discussed in this episode:

Kung Fu Magazine

Ed Brown Buddhist Chef

Man at Arms: Art of War

Baltimore Sword and Knife

Tiger Claw

Shaolin Temple

Professor M. Shahar – The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts

Danny Trejo

Rock Med

Jah Med

Manchester Arena Bombing

Scaramouche

The Duellists

The Princess Bride

Wing Lam Kung Fu and Enterprises

Disclaimer: I am not a writer. I do not claim to be. Apologies for grammatical mistakes, long drawn out run on sentences, and anything else that drives you crazy. I promise it was not my intention.  Be lenient, please!

Comment Rules: Be Cool. Critical is fine. If you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation!

Roger Garcia keeps busy: he is the executive director of the Hong Kong Film Festival, director of the Asian Film Awards Academy, a movie producer, and an expert on Hong Kong cinema. He’s also edited books on Asians in Film and is a renowned film critic. We chat about the time he spent on the famed Shaw Brothers film sets in the 1980s, the history of Asian film studios and the future of filmmaking in Asia. Roger also shares a fascinating theory on how films have adapted for different technological platforms during the end of our chat.

IF you enjoyed this conversation, my favor as usual is to please continue to share this podcast with others. It would mean so much if you also rate it and leave me feedback. If you would like to help keep this podcast going and support the work I do, visit my website or Patreon.com/sifumimichan to become a patron of the show.

For comments or suggestions reach out on social media @sifumimichan

Discussed in this episode:

In this episode:

Hong Kong Film Festival

Asian Film Awards Academy

Golden Horse Awards and Festival

Cheng Pei Pei

John Woo

Johnnie To

Sound design

Far East Film Festival

Yuen Woo Ping

The Jungle, Teddy Chan

Chocolate

Japanese Studios: Toho, Shochiku, Kyoto

Shaw Brothers

Out of the Shadows, Asians in American Cinema

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Heroes of the East

Hard Boiled

Father and Son

Simple Life

Private Eyes

Disclaimer: I am not a writer. I do not claim to be. Apologies for grammatical mistakes, long drawn out run on sentences, and anything else that drives you crazy. I promise it was not my intention.  Be lenient, please!

Comment Rules: Be Cool. Critical is fine. If you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation!

It’s Wonder Woman week! Ryan Watson was the fight coordinator for Wonder Woman and trained Gal Gadot for this role. I was excited to sit down with my fellow Wah Lum Kung Fu brother as he shares what it was like to work on the film, and gives us behind the scenes scoop. It was pretty cool to see that Wah Lum Kung Fu has touched the lives of so many, and some glimpses our style can be seen in the awesome Wonder Woman fights on screen! Ryan is also directing and working on his own passion projects, like TVZ, Trani vs Zombies, a film about transgender women who are the heroes that fight for justice. Listen on as we talk Wonder Woman with fight coordinator Ryan Watson.

Discussed in this episode:

300

Wah Lum Kung Fu Temple

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Man of Steel

Patty Jenkins

Zack Snyder

Guillermo Grispo

The Matrix

Caitlin Dechelle

Batman v Superman

Trani vs. Zombies TVZ

Jackie Chan

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Chuck Norris

 

Disclaimer: I am not a writer. I do not claim to be. Apologies for grammatical mistakes, long drawn out run on sentences, and anything else that drives you crazy. I promise it was not my intention.  Be lenient, please!

Comment Rules: Be Cool. Critical is fine. If you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation!

Pete and I are back chatting comics and super heroes.  We discuss the new hit film Wonder Woman starting Gal Gadot. SPOILER ALERT for those who haven’t seen the film!  However, we chat all things Wonder Woman including the comics dating back to the 1940s to today.  Get Pete’s recommendations on best story arcs and issues to read.  The theme for this week is girl power ladies, so listen in and geek out with us as we discuss strong women in the comic book and super hero world!

IF you enjoyed this conversation, my favor as usual is to please continue to share this podcast with others. It would mean so much if you also rate it and leave me feedback. If you would like to help keep this podcast going and support the work I do, visit my website or Patreon.com/sifumimichan to become a patron of the show.

For comments or suggestions reach out on social media @sifumimichan

Discussed in this episode:

Black Canary

Power Girl

Game of Thrones

DC Bombshells – Magic

Catwoman

Lazarus Comic Book

Patty Jenkins

Batman Adventures #12

Sensation Comics

Jill Thompson – The True Amazon

Brian Azzarello – The New 52 Wonder Woman

Gale Simone – Contagion

Greg Rucka – Year One

The Contest – Wonder Woman Arc

Disclaimer: I am not a writer. I do not claim to be. Apologies for grammatical mistakes, long drawn out run on sentences, and anything else that drives you crazy. I promise it was not my intention.  Be lenient, please!

Comment Rules: Be Cool. Critical is fine. If you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation!

What if you were taught: Reason and questioning can take our faith away, contraception is a sin, homosexuality is a sin, wearing any makeup is a sin, having a TV is a sin, however many children God gives you is what you were meant to have…. These are just a few of the teachings of Laestadianism. My conversation with Helena was a chilling, but inspiring discussion.  Prior to our conversation I had never heard of Laestadianism. I now analogize the Laestadian church to the town that Kevin Bacon moved to in Footloose, except this is real, and there is no dancing at the end.

I am inspired by Helena’s courage and strength, and urge everyone to please listen with an open mind to this controversial episode.  If you are uncomfortable listening to discussions involving the criticism of religion, or sexual abuse, then this is not the episode for you.  However, this is a fascinating true story about Helena’s struggle with Laestadianism and her journey.

Laestadianism

Amish

Pentecostal

 

Disclaimer: I am not a writer. I do not claim to be. Apologies for grammatical mistakes, long drawn out run on sentences, and anything else that drives you crazy. I promise it was not my intention.  Be lenient, please!

Comment Rules: Be Cool. Critical is fine. If you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation!

Pedro is the owner of Yee’s Hung Ga Kung Fu in Clifton, NJ. I’ve known Pedro through the martial arts community for several years. He has studied with Master Frank Yee for the past 30 years and is an adopted son of Master Yee.  He shares his story of childhood adversity that sparked his decision to become a kung fu teacher.

IF you enjoyed this conversation, my favor as usual is to please continue to share this podcast with others. It would mean so much if you also rate it and leave me feedback. If you would like to help keep this podcast going and support the work I do, visit my website or Patreon.com/sifumimichan to become a patron of the show.

For comments or suggestions reach out on social media @sifumimichan

Discussed in this episode:

Master Frank Yee

Yee’s Hung Ga

Wong Fei Hung

Chi or Qi

Disclaimer: I am not a writer. I do not claim to be. Apologies for grammatical mistakes, long drawn out run on sentences, and anything else that drives you crazy. I promise it was not my intention.  Be lenient, please!

Comment Rules: Be Cool. Critical is fine. If you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation!

Meet my friend Robin Leong and discover how he went from a kung fu kid in Seattle to a Singapore movie star. We discuss whitewashing in Hollywood, kung fu, and keeping traditions alive.  Robin shares some of his philosophy on respect and the wisdom of Confucius.

IF you enjoyed this conversation, my favor as usual is to please continue to share this podcast with others. It would mean so much if you also rate it and leave me feedback. If you would like to help keep this podcast going and support the work I do, visit my website or Patreon.com/sifumimichan to become a patron of the show.

For comments or suggestions reach out on social media @sifumimichan

Discussed in this episode:

Seattle Kung Fu Club

Fruit Chan (Chan Gor)

The Departed

Infernal Affairs

Kung Fu TV Series

Kung Fu Panda 3

Wah Lum Temple

Ch’i Life Studio Martial Arts

Confucius

Disclaimer: I am not a writer. I do not claim to be. Apologies for grammatical mistakes, long drawn out run on sentences, and anything else that drives you crazy. I promise it was not my intention.  Be lenient, please!

Comment Rules: Be Cool. Critical is fine. If you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation!

Martha has been an active volunteer with Planned Parenthood for 10 years. She is a woman of faith, has a family, and believes in a woman’s right to choose. I sit down to talk to her about the misconceptions people have about Planned Parenthood as well as abortion. Yes, this is a controversial issue, so keep an open mind, and I hope listeners find this chat as interesting as I did, regardless of your position.  As a reminder, the views expressed in this podcast are my own and do not influence my position at work or represent the Wah Lum System.

IF you enjoyed this conversation, my favor as usual is to please continue to share this podcast with others. It would mean so much if you also rate it and leave me feedback. If you would like to help keep this podcast going and support the work I do, visit my website or Patreon.com/sifumimichan to become a patron of the show.

For comments or suggestions reach out on social media @sifumimichan

In this episode:

Planned Parenthood

Title X Funding

Unitarian Universalist Society

Women’s March

 

Disclaimer: I am not a writer. I do not claim to be. Apologies for grammatical mistakes, long drawn out run on sentences, and anything else that drives you crazy. I promise it was not my intention.  Be lenient, please!

Comment Rules: Be Cool. Critical is fine. If you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation!

Aaron is a Japanese American Indie filmmaker from Hawaii. We met 10 years ago working on a TV show together in Hong Kong. He is one of the most fun and lighthearted guys I know. Laugh along and learn about ‘camp’ films, and the inspiration behind his critically acclaimed hit Blood of the Samurai. We had some connection issues, so I apologize for the sound.

IF you enjoyed this conversation, my favor as usual is to please continue to share this podcast with others. It would mean so much if you also rate it and leave me feedback. If you would like to help keep this podcast going and support the work I do, visit my website or Patreon.com/sifumimichan to become a patron of the show.

For comments or suggestions reach out on social media @sifumimichan

In this episode:

The Toxic Avenger

The Flying Guillotine

Kurosawa Films

Shaw Brothers films

Kikaida

Ultraman

Robert Rodriguez: Rebel Without a Crew

Bey Logan: CChat 2

Inside Hong Kong

Kill Bill

Japanese Bon Dance

Street Fighter

Blood of the Samurai

 

Disclaimer: I am not a writer. I do not claim to be. Apologies for grammatical mistakes, long drawn out run on sentences, and anything else that drives you crazy. I promise it was not my intention.  Be lenient, please!

Comment Rules: Be Cool. Critical is fine. If you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation!

Hardy is the owner of Kam’s Roast Goose in Hong Kong. Since 1942, his family has been achieving outstanding success in the culinary world.   We sit down to discuss why he has kept this tradition going, what food means to him, and how this simple no frills restaurant quickly earned the award of a Michelin Star.  Warning: Do not listen to this episode if you are hungry!

IF you enjoyed this conversation, my favor as usual is to please continue to share this podcast with others. It would mean so much if you also rate it and leave me feedback. If you would like to help keep this podcast going and support the work I do, visit my website or Patreon.com/sifumimichan to become a patron of the show.

For comments or suggestions reach out on social media @sifumimichan

Discussed in this episode:

Kam’s Roast Goose, Michelin Star

 

Disclaimer: I am not a writer. I do not claim to be. Apologies for grammatical mistakes, long drawn out run on sentences, and anything else that drives you crazy. I promise it was not my intention.  Be lenient, please!

Comment Rules: Be Cool. Critical is fine. If you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation!