One thing that I have told people time and time again during sparring or in class is to ‘just breathe’ and relax. This will be a story of how I had to take my own advice.

I guess, I will start the story with this; over the past few weeks, I have been talking to someone who brought back some memories of what I have personally went through with over the…

Ariel Abad will make a wonderful black belt candidate. Ariel and I practically started at MIMA at the same time. Both of us have been partners throughout most of the classes at MIMA. We have always pushed and helped each other get better. Aside from practicing together, I have seen him help other students become better as well. As we’ve practiced together, I have seen Ariel improve after every class. I believe Ariel’s positive nature at MIMA is a clear reflection of how he is as a person as…

My definition of being a black belt has evolved over the years. When I was a little boy, I wanted to be a ninja and/or a Power Ranger, that’s what being a black belt meant to me back then. Now, it means being Batman, fighting crime and taking names… Kidding! When I started doing martial arts, I thought being a black belt would be to become proficient at self defense techniques and sparring. As I progressed through Mercer Island Martial Arts, I found that being a black belt was so much…

Before I start, I use the term "nerd" in a very endearing way :). I like to think of myself as a nerd at heart. I love talking about computers, video games or pretty much anything technology related.

A few years back during my fall quarter at UW I got pretty sick, I don't know all the technicalities behind what happened, but my doctor pretty much said my immune…