FMA – Practitioner
I once had a neighbor who I fictionalized in my head as Mr Miyagi because he’s Japanese and he taught karate. I’m kinda messed up like that lol. 
By the way, he had a collection of samurais which I thought was cool. So, I bumped into him and I asked what’s the best martial arts to learn for self-defense. I was preparing myself to hear an elaborate answer and maybe see a little sample. I’m not gonna lie, I was a little excited haha! But he replied with only one word. He said, run.
What? Not even a gun? That was it. No explanation, whatsoever. Well, that was anticlimactic and disappointing. Maybe he didn’t take my question seriously. But the more I thought about it, it actually made sense. 
As a woman, and a tiny one at that, it’s wise to stay away from situations where I could be in danger. It’s just common sense. I wouldn’t walk down a dark alley at night by myself, no matter what self-defense skills I have. And there’s no way I’m going camping overnight in the middle of the desert unless the SAS, Ghurkas, Navy Seals, and the Avengers are guarding outside my tent. 
For a long time, I was never interested in any kind of martial arts until recently. Lately, I’ve been taking Kali lessons and it’s my favourite pastime at the moment. When I first heard about it, I thought it a was the sparkling pineapple drink, for real. I was clueless. Sad to say, it’s not just me. A lot of Filipinos don’t know about it too. The ironic part is, Kali has been popularized in a lot of movies – Bourne Identity, Kill Bill, Captain America, Enter the Dragon (Bruce Lee), Quantum of Solace, to name a few. The majority of us have probably seen it and didn’t even know it.
Kali, also known as Arnis or Eskrima is an indigenous Filipino fighting system. It was used to fight foreign invaders. It was conceptualized with a precise goal: to kill an opponent swiftly and efficiently, without wasting any movement. No fancy or flashy stuff because if you think about it, in real-life combat every second counts. Any extra movements will leave open spots to be attacked. 
During the Spanish colonization, weapons were confiscated and banned. Filipinos were forbidden to practice so they had to do it in secret and they used sticks made out of rattan instead of swords. They also hid the movements of the fighting arts within dance. This system was passed down through generations. 
In Kali, we always train with the sticksor blade. The sticks can be replaced with a blade/knife or any improvised weapons like a pipe, a pen, a cane, a light saber, an umbrella, and finally with empty hands. The same principles apply. You can pretty much use these skills with anything. 
Right now, I enjoy doing Kali as much as singing, surprisingly. I have to admit, I was fascinated after reading the history behind it. This has more of a sentimental value to me. I guess this is my way of paying homage to my heritage. Also, I’m not really crazy about gym. I do it because I have to. This can be a good workout for me. Besides, it’s fun trying new things and it certainly doesn’t hurt learning some self-defense. Kali can be mixed with other forms of martial arts. I’m also learning Okinawan Shorin ryu Karate – Shidokan, which I’ve learned to love.
I hope I won’t ever encounter situations where I could be in serious harm. If I do, you can bet the first thing I’ll do is run in the opposite direction at lightning bolt speed lol. The way I see it, martial arts is a last resort for me. If pushed in the corner, I will definitely not take it lying down. Heck, I’ll even fight using my pointy stilettos. Just so you know, I won’t hesitate to gouge someone’s eye out. You’ve been warned. 
I AM “FMA-Practitioner” 
Obviously, I still have a long way to go. Some of the drills and moves are not easy to remember but when I’m here, I’m happy 
The Dream Team
Most of them have competed on a national level. I love how these guys are so chill. Very humble and the nicest people I know. They look gentle and harmless until I see what they can do with the sticks, blades and even empty hands. The sound of whooshing sticks alone scare the hell out of me lol. Massive respect for them.
*Fun fact: One of the trainees brought the wrong uniform that day. She had to borrow Sempai Ricky’s black shirt. In this photo, he was wearing a Spiderman shirt.
“The Sensei”
Sensei Bong – He’s zen and tough at the same time. Comes from old school karate. Wusses in class will be punished lol. If that’s not enough to scare you, he’s also won several shooting competitions. Talk about a double whammy.
Sensei Emil – Also known as the Karaoke King and Love Guru.
Kali and Karaoke – quintessentially Filipino. Well, the Japanese invented karaoke but we patented it.
Sempai Paris – He has won competitions including gold in an international tournament representing Philippines. We also share a common interest in photography. All in all a cool guy except when he punishes us with push ups when we can’t do our moves right. 
Sempai Ricky – The fun one. Has great dance moves. Also comes from old school karate, it makes our training look weak lol. He breathes and dreams of martial arts in his sleep. He has won many full contact karate tournaments, which to me sounds like death matches. 
Sempai Noli – Patient and precise. A man of few words. Looks calm, you’d think he can’t do any damage. Probably someone you would underestimate but shouldn’t lol. 
Sempai Jagath – The only non Filipino Sempai in Kuwait. I haven’t had a chance to chat with him yet but when I see him he reminds me of an anime karate character