How I Escaped Bullies Because of Bruce Lee

| style , personal

"So here I am , a little Taiwanese kid in a group of bigger and stronger foreigners standing up for my little second grade dignity . What was I going to do . Run ? Cry ? I already did that"

I was such an easy target for bullying . If there was some sort of metaphysical tree in the universe for victims of bullying , I hit every branch on my way into this world . I had just moved to Los Angeles from Taiwan at the naive and tenderhearted age of 8 . And of course of all places , I moved to Paramount . For those of you not familiar , Paramount sits east of the 710 fwy which separates us from Compton , the great hip hop reference of the west coast bringing you kind and gentle verbal philosophers such as N.W.A ( Easy E. Dr. Dre. Ice Cube. Arabian Prince . DJ Yella . and Mc Ren) . The Game , and most recently Kendrick Lamar . It was a calm a wonderful world to raise a family despite the rising crack epidemic at the time . 

So as you can see , moving there in 1990 as the only Asian kid in a school entirely made up of kids from Hispanic and African American decent was some sort of hell for me and Christmas for them . Did I mention that after just two years of being there the infamous LA riots occurred pitting more friction between ethnicities ? Did I also mention that being so obviously aesthetically different from all the kids , I also didn’t speak a lick of English at the time ? They had no idea what to do with me , they even put me in ESL classes (English Second Language) full of SPANISH ONLY speaking students who are also learning English for the first time . So now being Taiwanese , I’m trying to learn English through Spanish . It only took them a month to figure out that it was a bad idea . A MONTH !

So I looked different , I talked different , I’m culturally different because I still only wore the clothes I owned in Taiwan , and brought Chinese food for lunch . My parents (bless their hearts) had to take some time to get me to at least wear American clothes with an American lunch and an all American Trapper keeper with a Ninja Turtles lunch box to at least try to fit in . Needless to say , it didn’t take very long for the bullying to start

The curiosity of the new kid from a far away land lasted maybe a couple of weeks as kids were unsure of me , but as true as President Trump's Twitter , before winter break , it began . It started with some verbal taunting . I couldn’t understand them so it just looked like a lot of loud talking with a group and pointing and laughing . A track of random words paired with laughing/pointing was on repeat for me for a while . The teacher sort of looked out for me a bit but there was only a little they can do to admonish a bunch of second grade boys . I felt bad , lonely and outcasted . What was I going to do ? There were more of them , and they were all bigger than me . Couldn’t fight them and couldn’t ask for help . Talking back in a language only I understood didn't serve any purpose .  

Soon it got physical . First it was just bumps in the shoulders . Pretending they couldn’t see me . Pulling classically hilarious pranks such as tripping me from the back , throwing stuff at me when I wasn’t looking (or was) and the all time favorite of shoving me to the ground . It was classic . Even as a kid who kind of understood my place , I had limits , it took me a better part of a month but eventually I was pissed . I wanted so bad to get along , I wanted to bad to be just part of the class and one of the kids , but me just going along wasn’t working out . I finally showed some anger and pushed back one time and little did I know it but that was their cue . It happened so fast . laughter became a smirk , a group smirk that said got him . I took their bait , they got what they wanted and circled around me . The kid that shoved me that time stepped back and got his hands up and ready . 

A little bit about me at that time . I’m was a little shimpy kid that has never been in a fight in his life . I’m not one of those kids whose dad took him to the front yard and taught him how to box . I didn’t have a front yard or a Dad who liked boxing . I knew absolutely nothing about how to actually fight . But what I did know , thanks to the booming Hong Kong martial arts movie industry , years of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies , and years of tormenting my sister , is how to act like I knew how to fight .

So here I am , a little Taiwanese kid surrounded by a group of bigger and stronger foreigners standing up for my little second grade dignity . What was I going to do . Run ? Cry ? I've already done that before . I took my fake Chinese martial art movie poses , made my fake Bruce Lee noises and started doing make believe Kung Fu stances . And then unbelievably , they got scared . They main kid froze up and the crowd behind them backed away . The smirks ? Gone . I couldn’t believe it . 

Thank goodness for the historic popularity of Bruce Lee , his martial art movies and for the gullibility of second graders . I did a little more dancing around and then just walked away , like a second grade man and didn’t even look back . 

After that day , the whole game changed . the kids wanted to be my best friends , they wanted to hang out with me , they even gave me peace offerings in forms of peanut butter cookies and fruit snacks . Just kidding , I wish . What did happen though was that they gave me a little respect , the joking and laughing and bullying stopped . They let me play games with them at recess , they even had more patience to teach me games through our language barrier . They became accessible . Some of us eventually did develop friendships and I even gave some fake kung fu lessons . Sorry martial arts but I was a kid and I wanted people to like me and I like the ego boost whenever they would ask me to teach them some fighting . ***

As an adult trying to work in the entertainment industry , I’m no stranger to how stereotypes effects us and works against us on the path of progress and acceptance . I choose to share this story as a way to show that not all stereotypes are created equal . In the case of the martial arts stereotype , I believe that though it may pigeon hole roles we get to play now , it actually casts a bright light on the Asian Community . Bruce Lee is an historical icon that transcended martial arts and transcended films . He shined so bright that nearly 20 years after his death he was still able to help a little Taiwanese boy out in the school yard . He was a charismatic man of the world and this is just my little tribute to him . 

I never let up that I didn’t know martial arts . Even to this day . I wonder how long it was before they thought back and thought that I was full of shit . I like to think that some of them still thinks that I know Kung Fu . ***

Jacket - Obey

Pants - PublishBrand

Beanie - Our Legacy 

Sunglasses - Coach

Watch - Leonard & Church

Photographyer - Heyyeh

***some of you may wonder what the heck does this story have to do with these photos ? Well I’ll tell you dear reader . I am a firm believer that the way someone dresses and the styles that one chooses are reflection of the person’s history , experiences , and past environments . And this particular outfit is a blend of me now and the impressions made on me in my years of living in Paramount . 

*** Also to note , that story didn't solve all bully problems . I was still so different from everyone for quite some time and dealt with my bulllying issues for most of my life . Maybe this will be a topic to tackle in a later day . 

MIXING , MATCHING AND NEVER FITTING IN

| style

"Though I may never feel like I fit into one group , I find comfort in knowing that there are plenty of worlds that I'm blessed to have experience and that I can bring together"

Growing up as an Asian Immigrant in a predominately hispanic neighborhood , I never really felt like I fit in any where . And to this day as a citizen of many worlds I still don't feel like I fit in anywhere . After years of feeling this way , I've discovered part of the reason for this is that I don't seem to fit into any particular category no matter how much I had wanted to . In high school , I wanted to be an athlete , but I never connected with my team mates . I was also in a lot of advance placement classes but I didn't related to them either . I also wasn't savvy enough to bounce between the two worlds . I was stuck in between and it was hard to make friends this way especially in high school when you don't have an identity that people can understand you by  , I sort of drifted .

Even in dance which I've been doing for 15 years . I came from a choreography team background then I moved into a professional company of predominantly trickers , bboys , and soloists . I'm not the strongest in any type of choreography not am i the strongest in solos . Even friends who've seen me dance for years can't really understand what it is that i'm doing . I'm not a Bboy , I'm not a popper , I'm not any category yet I can do a little of a lot of things and it all sort of blends into my own style . 

Unconsciously , because I've been drifting through different worlds since moving to America at the age of 8 , in trying to fit in as a young person , I picked up different perspectives and tastes for all the different groups that I was a part of , and even though I didn't completely identify with any one specifically , I was able to absorb all the things that I love and exchanged what I brought from different groups . When I brought into Quest , I brought skills in choreography , dance stage direction and team organization of a crew of amazing soloists and from my crew mates I was able to learn a little from their strengths . This became my identity to myself . Other people may or may not understand it but as with all people I am a sum of my experience and knowledge and though I'm not an expert in one area , I have gained so many varied experiences from different worlds that I am able to combined it all into something thats just me . 

I feel that the way that I dress is a physical representation of that . I'm never going to look great in outfits that are put together in a magazine , movie , or commercial . I don't fit into those molds , I mix and match all the things that work for me that comes from different genre's and that makes up how I dress and who I am . In this outfit , I'm wearing pieces from 8 different brands that cater to different demographic . Though I may never feel like I fit into one group , I find comfort in knowing that there are plenty of worlds that I'm blessed to have experience and that I can bring together .  

Jacket - Marshall Artist

Flannel - Alternative

Beanie - Woodlands

Glasses - Toms

Photographer - Courtney Yeh

HOW TO WEAR A TRENCH COAT IN LA

| style

"This is LA , for most of the year , you have to pair your coat with tank tops and rolled up chinos so that you have proper ankle ventilation in order to wear a coat let alone a coat with an added trench"

I’ve always loved trench coats . it has an old hollywood , man of mystery , New York city vibe to it . Add a fedora and you’re basically old school James Bond or in a 1930’s Hitchcock film using words like dame and smoking cigarettes for it’s widely known health benefits . But although I love them , it’s been hard to find a way to wear them without looking as if I am about to flash innocent women or as if I’m an angsty teen that’s watched the Matrix too many times . Also , when the trench coat is added with the beard and beanie combo that I rock so often , lets just say it doesn’t lead to an efficient airport experience at LAX . 

walking through TSA takes extra time when they have to put a metal detector to my beard and bun 

And this is LA , for most of the year , you have to pair your coat with tank tops and rolled up chinos so that you have proper ankle ventilation in order to wear a coat let alone a coat with an added trench . Thank goodness for the recently rainy 50 degree winter we’ve been having in glorious sunny LA . Temperature is low and the drought “emergency” has been leveled to a calmed and leveled “we aiight for now” . Things couldn’t be better for a boy who dreams of wearing coats with trenches , for a guy who wants to take dramatic noir style photos with an over casted sky and great rain , and for a man who wants to write about his trench coat but is having trouble connecting ideas together .

So here’s how to wear a trench coat in LA . Pick a light weight but durable quality coat . Pick a well ventilated material but with good quality fabric because no one is suspicious of your coat if it looks like your’e not about to rip it off your body and cast it aside . Play with light and dark colors . Wearing all black may seem cool , but you’re basically a walking shadow from the 1930s . And at night , you’re just darkness . a walking head , or a walking mouth if your wearing sunglasses as well . Play with pieces from different style genre’s . Make some bold choices . You're wearing a freakin trench coat . 

I’ve paired this dark , lightweight , but durable Everlane trench with this Top Man knitted sweater who’s seen better days . It helps to break up the darkness and suspiciousness . And when worn with sunglasses , a fedora , the grey sweater , and white Nike’s , it helps me to not look like I’m going to audition for a 2017 Matrix Reboot . “Matrix Returns - how Neo got his groove back.”

I hope Neo finds his groove soon 

Trench Coat - Everlane

Sweater - Top Man

Pants - Publishbrand

Glasses - Thrifted

Hat - Goorin Bros

Watch - Leonard & Church

Photos - Courtney Yeh