Podcast / Sifu Mimi Chan

25. The San Diego Comic Con episode

It’s San Diego Comic Con week! In honor of this convention, I sit down with my occasional co-host Oscar, as well as other special guests to chat all things Comic Con. One of the guests is author and film critic Ric Meyers, known as the kung fu guy! He was a long-term columnist for Inside Kung Fu and Asian Cult Cinema magazines, and has consulted on numerous films, including one of my favorites, Kung Fu Panda. I sit down to talk with Ric about his 20th Kung Fu Extravaganza at San Diego Comic Con. Another guest is Lei Ann Resurreccion, who is a lover of cosplay. Lei Ann chats costumes and cosplay fun with me as we both plan on being at Comic Con next year!

24. Adisa Banjoko on blending hip hop, chess, and martial arts

Adisa Banjoko, founder of the Hip Hop Chess Federation, developed a unique approach to helping youth embrace and apply alternative strategies to obstacles in life by providing an engaging, interactive program that helps youth cultivate the necessary life skills for success. At his center, they teach a blend of chess, hip hop performing arts, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The center is open to all youths, but is especially programmed for those in violent neighborhoods. I had a fascinating conversation with Adisa about the intersection of hip hop, martial arts, and chess, and found the work he is doing to bring non-violence through these mediums remarkable.

23. Emil Praslick, US Army first class sergeant, on gun culture in America

Emil Prazlick , retired sergeant first class in the US Army and rifle coach of the United States Army Marksmanship Unit was kind enough to sit down with me and discuss the highly controversial topic of gun culture in America. We discuss his expertise in marksmanship and the skills it takes to become a top marksman. We also delve into pro and anti gun viewpoints. I have the utmost respect for Emil and appreciate his service to this country as well as the work he has accomplished with the US Army Marksmanship Unit. Although I have strong opinions on gun regulation, we find common ground in the desire for all gun owners to be safe and responsible. This episode was recorded several weeks ago before any recent gun controversies.

22. Gene Ching on Weapons, Drug Intervention, and Fencing

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.

21. Roger Garcia on Asian cinema, film festivals, and the scientific approach to filmmaking

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. For comments or suggestions reach out on social media @sifumimichan.. On with the show.

19. Ryan Watson, on training Gal Gadot for Wonder Woman

20. Wonder Woman and Girl Power Comics with Pete Kreitchet

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!

18. Helena Lucia on leaving Laestadianism to save her life

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.

17.Pedro Cepero Yee on tradition & culture

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.

16. Robin Leong, a kung fu kid

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.

15. Martha Kirby on the misconceptions of Planned Parenthood

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.

14. Indie filmmaker Aaron Yamasato on Hawaii, ninjas, and camp films

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. Thank you for the feedback I have been receiving and please share the podcast with one person to help get the word out. Always feel free to send me show ideas or comments to mimi@culturechatpodcast.com or on socialmedia @sifumimichan – now on with the show.