- Well at the time,
because I was the kid who would sit in
the very back of the classroom.
I didn't have friends, I didn't talk to anybody.
In fact if you look at my, even my graduation photo
with everybody in a big picture
all the popular kids are in like right here
and you would see me in the very corner by myself.
'Cause I had no friends.
So that's the canteen, the very first few days
going to school,
again, all the Caucasian kids,
keep in mind I was about 105 pounds.
So, I was like a monkey.
I was very, very skinny.
They saw me and they thought I was an easy target.
There was the door I was by, just lining up for lunch.
They grabbed me out, dragged me all the way to here,
just two, three guys, big guys.
Dragged me all the way here
and they beat the shit out of me.
Right at this fucking spot.
And that happened multiple times, multiple times.
I don't know if you see it, at that time, you can see
this scar on my chin, right there.
- [Cameraman] Oh yeah.
- You can see the scar.
And also you can see one of my tooth is broken.
This is actually not real.
It's also from them, they broke my teeth.
That's when I decided
I wanted to learn martial art,
I want to defend myself.
That's why I took the different martial arts.
I wanna be stronger, wanna have more confidence.
Funny thing is, after learn martial art,
nobody beat me up anymore.
It's kinda interesting
and what's very interesting is up there
upstairs there, that's where all the other,
the three Chinese kids, that's where we'd hang out.
At the top of the second floor.
So, after learn martial art, I was actually,
couple the kids who beat me up
eventually became my students
and I was teaching martial art in lunchtime.
Right there at the top
and we would be there.
I think first when I got bullied,
I actually had nightmares for period of time.
I didn't tell my mum about it
but actually I had nightmares.
I would wake up in the morning, sweating.
This fear, this panic, it's so unpredictable.
You don't know when you go to school,
when and where you're gonna get attacked.
For young kid, I don't think that's very healthy.
Especially, I don't want to burden my mum.
I didn't want to communicate with her.
So, it was difficult
and I'm glad, at least I went through that
and I know how to manage some of that emotions
so the kids who bully other people,
it's actually coming from their own insecurities.
They want to be the macho person, right?
They want people to pay attention.
They want people to know how tough they are.
But actually, that's not what they are, right?
So, it was difficult.
It was challenging.
But I think, I'm not happy I went through that,
but looking back, it shaped my character,
it shaped who I am.
It gave me the mental toughness,
led me to the path of martial art
so that's how I learned martial art
and a lot what I do, I learn from martial art.
So, you can look at it as an unfortunate event
but also it could be one of the greatest things
to ever happen to me.
I think I know how difficult it is.
I would say, talk to somebody.
Don't hold it all inside of you.
Maybe talk to your parents or someone.
You need an outlet.
Don't bottle all those emotions
and learn from that experience.
Even I learn through, you know what,
if I walk through the main hall,
it's easy to get beat up.
But if I walk through that way,
the chances of me getting beat up, picked on, it's less.
So you learn about human interactions
and social dynamics.
And these things might suck right now
but in the future when you go in the real world,
you'll find that these skills are pretty helpful.
When you go into a room, in a business setting,
who's the guy I need to connect with?
Who's the guy I should avoid?
Some of these experience I develop,
unfortunately through getting bullied.
So, it sucks right now but in the future,
if you can manage emotions
to overcome this period of time,
maybe it's a few years, it ain't so bad.
Ain't so bad.