Honey, I am home!

-Photography by Kim Au
I just got back from a wonderful trip to Hawaii, my hometown. I had a great time seeing family and friends who I hadn't seen in over three years. I ate all my favorite foods, surfed, took lots of photos, and of course I managed to squeeze in some good jiu jitsu training. I've come back from this trip with a few more pounds on me, a glowing tan and fresh new perspective. I feel recharged and ready to take on 2010.

I love training Relson Gracie Jiu Jitsu in Hawaii for a number of reasons. Not only is Hawaii home for me, it's also home to Relson Gracie and has been since the late 80's. Most of Relson's associations on Oahu have black belt instructors that have trained directly with Relson for a decade or more. The teammates in Hawaii are always extremely friendly and make the experience even more enjoyable. It's not often that I have new people to roll with that are my size or smaller. I find it refreshing to train and roll with new partners. It helps me learn a lot about my own game and those of others. It helps me to acknowledge oversights and make corrections. The most fascinating part about training in Hawaii for me is seeing how different and how alike our styles of jiu jitsu are even though we are under different instructors.

This time round, I was pleasantly surprised by how many women trained on our Oahu team. Three years ago when I trained at the former Relson Gracie main academy on Oahu, I was one of the few women on the mats. Thanks to the growing popularity of the sport these numbers have dramatically changed. It's nice to know that we have a solid group of women proudly representing the Relson Gracie team.


-Photography by Kim Au
I was very fortunate to be included in the Relson Gracie seminar at the HK Jiu Jitsu academy. I've been to many of Relson's seminars over the years and yet, I always walk away with a new understanding of what exactly his style entails, and I gain a new understanding of how to execute it.

I strongly believe that 2010 will turn out to be an amazing year. I've got my sights set on the 2010 World Championship title. I came very close last year and know what it's going to take to make this happen. As usual I've got a number of tricks up my sleeve and a handful of unfinished projects that I've got in the works.

I am very grateful for all of 2009's blessings and accomplishments. Thank you to each and everyone of you who supported, encouraged, coached, trained and believed in my abilities. A special thanks to my brothers and sisters on the Relson Gracie team in Honolulu at both HK Jiu Jitsu and O2 Jiu Jitsu. May you all be successful in your ventures. I can't wait to return this summer and get back on the mats with all of you. Best wishes to all in 2010! Let's go kick some booty!