With humility and tremendous gratitude to my instructors, family, and friends, I would like to announce my promotion to Lakan by Tuhon Ray Dionaldo in FCS-Kali.
The rank of "Lakan", as stated on the FCS-Kali website (www.fcskali.com), means that a person is a master of FCS-Kali. The equivalent title in other systems would be "Senior Master."
Considering the high calibre of talent of Tuhon Ray, I am humbled and thankful that he promoted me to this position of great responsibility and service. I am always thankful for his insight, instruction, and friendship. You know that I love the Filipino Martial Arts if I eat Durian :uhohh:
:xtrmshock, as well as the other "interesting" foods that I had to partake in this last weekend.
This year also marks ten years of study in the Filipino Martial Arts and I am so thankful also for the instructors, teachers, peers, and mentors who have encouraged, recognized, challenged and inspired me to new levels along the way. And who also have taken the time to educate me in the rich arts as well as the culture of the Philippines, of which I know so little and still have so much to learn.
Special thanks to my first instructors at SafeSkills which opened the door
for me to meet the late GM Remy A. Presas and Guro/Sifu David Ng.
Special thanks to Guro/Sifu David Ng who helped me accomplish my dream of studying Sil-Lum Kung Fu, Modern Arnis, and created and opened so many opportunities to be exposed to so many different arts. In five years at Triangle Kung-Fu Arnis Academy, I was able to learn the arts mentioned above as well as being able to receive instruction by Guro Ng and Tuhon Rick Ward in Yang Short Form Tai Chi Chuan, Emporer's Long Fist, elements of Tabetan and Indonesian Martial Arts, Chin Woo, Chin na, San Shou, and Qi Gong (this list is far from complete)!
It was also at Triangle Kung fu, I was able to get to know GM Presas a little better, met Roland Dantes, and of course Tuhon Ray Dionaldo.
Many thanks to Tuhon Ward for believing in me enough to allow me to teach my first segment at an IKAA seminar and to Guro David for allowing me to organize and host my first mini seminar for Tuhon Ray at his school.
I am thankful to the friends that I have met through Guro David at Triangle of which I was able to train with Hoch Hochheim through Master Lyndon Johnson as well gaining lifetime friends and training partners.
Many thanks to my friends and students, and guest who have come to the seminars that I have hosted or have taken the time and effort to receive instruction from me.
The last word of thanks goes into the ethers...
To the late Grandmaster Remy A. Presas, thank you for believing in the vision to bring Modern Arnis to the US! When I think of how I have met the people I have met over the last 10 years, studied the things that I have studied, obtained the accomplishments that I have accomplished, what I see is your heart and love and contribution that brought all this together for me and others.
Because of this and the words of encouragement that you had given me over the short time I knew you, I wish I could tell you one more time personally, "Thank-you". But since I cannot do so, what I will do is strive always remind people about you and share in some way the beautiful gift that you had given to us all, Modern Arnis, as you had said, "...it is gift from me that I give to you, from the Philippines!"
-Harold
The rank of "Lakan", as stated on the FCS-Kali website (www.fcskali.com), means that a person is a master of FCS-Kali. The equivalent title in other systems would be "Senior Master."
Considering the high calibre of talent of Tuhon Ray, I am humbled and thankful that he promoted me to this position of great responsibility and service. I am always thankful for his insight, instruction, and friendship. You know that I love the Filipino Martial Arts if I eat Durian :uhohh:
:xtrmshock, as well as the other "interesting" foods that I had to partake in this last weekend.This year also marks ten years of study in the Filipino Martial Arts and I am so thankful also for the instructors, teachers, peers, and mentors who have encouraged, recognized, challenged and inspired me to new levels along the way. And who also have taken the time to educate me in the rich arts as well as the culture of the Philippines, of which I know so little and still have so much to learn.
Special thanks to my first instructors at SafeSkills which opened the door
for me to meet the late GM Remy A. Presas and Guro/Sifu David Ng.
Special thanks to Guro/Sifu David Ng who helped me accomplish my dream of studying Sil-Lum Kung Fu, Modern Arnis, and created and opened so many opportunities to be exposed to so many different arts. In five years at Triangle Kung-Fu Arnis Academy, I was able to learn the arts mentioned above as well as being able to receive instruction by Guro Ng and Tuhon Rick Ward in Yang Short Form Tai Chi Chuan, Emporer's Long Fist, elements of Tabetan and Indonesian Martial Arts, Chin Woo, Chin na, San Shou, and Qi Gong (this list is far from complete)!
It was also at Triangle Kung fu, I was able to get to know GM Presas a little better, met Roland Dantes, and of course Tuhon Ray Dionaldo.
Many thanks to Tuhon Ward for believing in me enough to allow me to teach my first segment at an IKAA seminar and to Guro David for allowing me to organize and host my first mini seminar for Tuhon Ray at his school.
I am thankful to the friends that I have met through Guro David at Triangle of which I was able to train with Hoch Hochheim through Master Lyndon Johnson as well gaining lifetime friends and training partners.
Many thanks to my friends and students, and guest who have come to the seminars that I have hosted or have taken the time and effort to receive instruction from me.
The last word of thanks goes into the ethers...
To the late Grandmaster Remy A. Presas, thank you for believing in the vision to bring Modern Arnis to the US! When I think of how I have met the people I have met over the last 10 years, studied the things that I have studied, obtained the accomplishments that I have accomplished, what I see is your heart and love and contribution that brought all this together for me and others.
Because of this and the words of encouragement that you had given me over the short time I knew you, I wish I could tell you one more time personally, "Thank-you". But since I cannot do so, what I will do is strive always remind people about you and share in some way the beautiful gift that you had given to us all, Modern Arnis, as you had said, "...it is gift from me that I give to you, from the Philippines!"
-Harold
