| Born in the jungles of CAmbodia, i lead a peaceful life until the day rebels came and attacked my village. My family and i fled and became refugees in Thailand, minus an older brother... After buying a fake last name- PHan, we came to America. I thought i left the danger behind us once we got to America but I soon found out that my father was just as cruel. Being mischievious and playful and having a father with an iron fist was not a good combination! I was the victim of many beatings but now when i think about it, I deserved most of them! In school i was a genius. High grades, perfect attendance and all that. One day a football rolled by me and i kicked it. After that i fell in love with sports and my grades slowly began to decline. Martial arts had always been a part of my life but once i heard how bad high school was going to be, i began training to be able to protect my friends. Freshman year sucked! But after that, high school wasn't so bad. I was quite popular but i didn't feel like i fit in. Gangs were on the rise. 2-pac and Biggie weren't friends anymore. Peer pressure was a bitch. I knew there was more to life then wearing the right clothes and being a part of the "cool" crowd. So i dropped out and started heavily training in martial arts. I ended up taking home school and graduated with a 4.2 gpa. I met Jackie CHan one fateful day and asked him if i could join his prestigeous stunt team. He laughed at me. I was heart broken and swore i would become stronger than him! So i trained even harder... Enter the "Dojo Destroyer". Somehow along the way i skipped martial arts' lessons of non-violence, respect and humility. I was given this name because i jumped from school to school challenging high ranked fighters and quite often beat them. Karma got to me once i faced a Muay Thai kick boxer. I never walked the same again. Also around this time, i fought the law and the law won. I honed my skills in the ring and even fought in a couple of underground cage fights. I was happy until i realized i was too pretty to be getting my face jacked up :) Actually, i felt a tug at my soul which told me to move on. And so i did. For my 21st birthday, i went hitch hiking around middle America. After being gone for 2 months, i felt renewed. By chance I was given an opportunity to show off my skills on stage. After seeing the bulging of eyes and the oohs and aahhs of the audience, i was hooked. Also by chance, i was partnered up with a scraggly little nothing of a boy. Weak in appearance but full of potential. He later became my brother in arms. Birth of Evolved Monkey Combat! Utilizing my years of martial arts experience and being, "down with the phat beat", I took a chance. I had a dream. I had a passion. And i wanted to share it with the world! After 3 short years of giving it my all, i produced "URBAN NINJA". Through suffering and hardship, sacrifice and perseverance, i am what i am today. Strong in mind, body and spirit. Confident in myself and proud of the things I've accomplished. I am open minded and aware of the people and things around me and although I am somewhat of an anti-hero, beneath my tough exterior lies compassion for my fellow man. I've learned to appreciate life and to live it the best way i possibly can. Now you know pieces of my story. A kid who came from nothing. A kid who had a dream. A kid who gave it all but never gave up. Go be that kid. And maybe one day, i will read your story. -XIN |
| 108'th life |