{"id":2489,"date":"2013-06-04T16:54:35","date_gmt":"2013-06-04T23:54:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maelstromcore.com\/?p=2489"},"modified":"2017-10-18T20:38:57","modified_gmt":"2017-10-19T03:38:57","slug":"spolight-on-tulayan-com-an-article-on-ed-wong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/maelstromcore.com\/?p=2489","title":{"rendered":"Spolight on Tulayan.com : An article on Ed Wong"},"content":{"rendered":"

In honour of the recently-announced Southeast Asian Cultural Arts Festival <\/a>(SECAF), we’d like to showcase Tulayan<\/a>, an initiative connecting the Filipino diaspora through programming around Filipino culture, history, and language.\u00a0 In fact, one of our instructors, Michael<\/a>, is a regular contributor to the website.\u00a0 Meaning ‘walkway’ in Tagalog, the title of the website hints to the goal of connection and facilitation at the heart of the organization’s goals.\u00a0 Reproduced below is one of the articles<\/a> by Michael, about an instructor that shares maelstr\u00f8m’s space!\u00a0 In fact, we hope to do our own profile on Ed Wong’s club for the Around the GVRD <\/em>series soon.<\/p>\n

—-<\/p>\n

Guro Ed Wong<\/strong> is a Chinese-Canadian martial arts instructor in Vancouver who has a diverse martial background including Filipino, Indonesian, Russian, and Israeli martial arts. His focus is centered on modern street defense and he has distilled his knowledge into a system called Urban Survival Systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A large part of Ed\u2019s diverse background is from Guro Louie Lindo of Ikatan Kali<\/a> \u2013 one of the foremost proponents of FMA in Vancouver. Ed states that he doesn\u2019t train people to be weapon fighters, but trains people to be able to act in situations with or without weapons present. I\u2019ve met a lot of intense and passionate martial artists over the years who have openly shared their martial insights and Ed Wong is one of them. He is a thoughtful, dedicated person who works hard at his craft. This is reflected in his high degree of training, knowledge, and teaching abilities.<\/p>\n

When did you start training (in any martial art) and what did you get out of it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I got started in martial arts because I was bullied and abused throughout my childhood.<\/p>\n

What was your first introduction to FMA (Filipino Martial Arts)?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My first introduction in FMA was in Modern Arnis taught by Guro Mark Stryker. FMA opened my eyes to conceptual thinking and \u201cthinking outside of the box\u201d when learning fighting movements. My instructors stressed the importance of learning, researching what is taught, to applying what you know in a functional format against different people \u2013 if it worked, keep it and what didn\u2019t work, throw away. His advice is something I still use to this day and I will always cherish him for building my \u201cstreet\u201d foundation in FMA and martial arts.<\/p>\n

What led you to train in FMA?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most of my initial studies were done with empty hand fighting arts. The club I focused most of my training at was offering FMA. But I didn\u2019t really have an interest in it until one day, I was held up at knife point in front of my school after it was closed! I realized at that moment I knew nothing about knife defense, or prepared for such a situation where weapons were involved. The next day I signed up for the FMA program and I haven\u2019t looked back since. Eventually, Guro Mark left the club, which created a void in my training. Then, two months after I saw an ad for a Pendekar Herman Suwanda<\/em> (Indonesian martial arts master) seminar hosted by Guro Louie Lindo \u2013 this was in the late 80\u2019s \u2013 I quickly contacted Guro Louie. He eventually became \u2013 and is my primary instructor \u2013 in Southeast Asian martial arts. I have been studying with Guro Louie for over 18 years now.<\/p>\n

What do you find distinctive about FMA?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since (statistics suggest) 8 out of 10 street assaults happen with a weapon it would be to your advantage to study with an art that specializes in [weapons] \u2013 among other things. Training in a variety of weapons and drills within FMA helps build your existing fighting skills regardless of your background and really educates the body on how to move in angles that you don\u2019t really get to feel when doing more conventional martial arts. Most importantly, it\u2019s healthy for you. Waving weapons around at odd angles helps build range of motion in your body and is great for the joints, especially as you get older. You can train in low, middle, and high intensities so its suits all ages and doesn\u2019t cater to just one group. The drills are very challenging which then challenges you mentally. Our brains have plasticity and are organs that we can further develop through training as we age. By doing sophisticated drills it builds up more complex neural pathways in the brain. New studies suggest this may help prevent the early onset of dementia or Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n

When did you decide to become an instructor?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When one of my teachers left to Calgary, he left behind a very diverse and talented group which welcomed me with open arms. My focus on martial arts at the time was evolving my existing fighting skills and enjoying my own personal journey through the martial arts. Teaching was far from what I wanted to do, but after a few words of encouragement from my instructor, I started teaching right after he left. The satisfaction I got from teaching and seeing people grow became addictive and now it has become my second passion aside from my own training.<\/p>\n

Describe what your students can expect from you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

They can expect me to guide them \u2013 to help them be the best they can be physically, spiritually and mentally, according to their body type, goals, and attitude.<\/p>\n

What do you expect from your students?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I expect them to have four virtues: loyalty, honesty, respect, and trust. In addition, having a hard work ethic.<\/p>\n

What are your thoughts about the local FMA community here in the Lower Mainland?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The FMA community is strong but it could be stronger! I believe if all the groups got together and created common benchmarks and goals in mind, then we could have a VERY strong alliance where we can produce bigger, more positive results and spread FMA to a wider audience.<\/p>\n

What do you think about the Southeast Asian Cutural Arts Festival (SEACAF)?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The SEACAF is a great event that brings cultures, different nationalities, and martial artists together. It sends a message that everyone can live in harmony regardless of diversity and viewpoints.<\/p>\n

If you knew somebody was being bullied, what advice would you give to them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

First, assure them there is nothing wrong with them, that they are the stronger and better person. Bullies do what they do because they are unhappy people with problems. Second, take note of everything that is happening and tell someone immediately, bullies don\u2019t like attention and this may possibly stop them from taking more action. Third, gather a support team like friends, family, and schoolteachers to build a team. This will empower you in knowing you\u2019re not in this alone.<\/p>\n

If someone was interested in training with you, how should they contact you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

They can contact me through our website at: www.uss-canada.ca<\/a> or info@uss-canada.ca<\/p>\n

Q & A: On A Personal Note<\/strong><\/p>\n

Q: What is your favorite virtue?<\/p>\n

A: Honesty, because you can\u2019t build proper relationships and communications without it!<\/p>\n

Q: What you appreciate the most in your friends?<\/p>\n

A: Their ability to comfort, support, and make me laugh!<\/p>\n

Q: What is your main fault?<\/p>\n

A: I can\u2019t say \u201cno\u201d to things I am passionate about and this leads to me taking on more than I can handle at times!<\/p>\n

Q: What is your favourite occupation?<\/p>\n

A: Caring for others and helping the people to build themselves physically, spiritually, and mentally either through martial arts or day to day contact.<\/p>\n

Q: What is your idea of happiness?<\/p>\n

A: Being able to live a life where I can do all the things I love to do without too much sacrifice. I am happy to say I have that now!<\/p>\n

Q: What is your idea of misery?<\/p>\n

A: Leaving this earth before I finish contributing and helping to create a positive community that helps the \u201cweaker\u201d get \u201cstronger\u201d and the \u201cstronger\u201d get to be their \u201cstrongest\u201d!<\/p>\n

Q: If not yourself, who would you be?<\/p>\n

A: I like to be me!<\/p>\n

Q: Where would you like to live?<\/p>\n

A: Vancouver!<\/p>\n

Q: Do you have a favorite fictional hero?<\/p>\n

A: Batman \u2013 he shows that you don\u2019t need powers to help people and that it\u2019s better to help everybody not just people you care about. He also has some kick ass moves!<\/p>\n

Q: Who are your heroes in real life?<\/p>\n

A: Jesse Glover, Guro Louie Lindo, Coach Vadim, and my parents!<\/p>\n

(Editor\u2019s note: Ed Wong\u2019s instructor Jesse Glover<\/a>, an original student of Bruce Lee<\/a>, passed away in 2012.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Q: Who are your heroes in world history?<\/p>\n

A: Ghengis Khan, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington. All these people were tested and prevailed against all odds \u2013 fueled by passion, purpose, and grit.<\/p>\n

Q: What do you hate most?<\/p>\n

A: Dishonest people with selfish motives.<\/p>\n

Q: How do you wish to die?<\/p>\n

A: Fighting!<\/p>\n

Q: What is your present state of mind?<\/p>\n

A: Peaceful and calm<\/p>\n

Q: What is your favorite motto?<\/p>\n

A: \u201cCome at me, bro!\u201d<\/p>\n

This article is published under fair use and with credit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In honour of the recently-announced Southeast Asian Cultural Arts Festival (SECAF), we’d like to showcase Tulayan, an initiative connecting the Filipino diaspora through programming around Filipino culture, history, and language.\u00a0 In fact, one of our instructors, Michael, is a regular contributor to the website.\u00a0 Meaning ‘walkway’ in Tagalog, the title of the website hints to the goal of connection and facilitation at the heart of the organization’s goals.\u00a0 Reproduced below is one of the articles by Michael, about an instructor that shares maelstr\u00f8m’s space!\u00a0 In fact, we hope to do Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2502,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/maelstromcore.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2489"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/maelstromcore.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/maelstromcore.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/maelstromcore.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/maelstromcore.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2489"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/maelstromcore.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6694,"href":"http:\/\/maelstromcore.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2489\/revisions\/6694"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/maelstromcore.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/maelstromcore.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/maelstromcore.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/maelstromcore.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}