1st Northern Brazil HFY Workshop

[alexmagnos]

Hello dear HFY brothers,

Our human minds are still absolutely in a wonderfull mindset with the wonderfull HFY science presented to us by our dear Sifu Meng in these three days of workshop and family training in Fortaleza, in Brazilian Northeast. The only word we can use to describe the three days with Sifu Meng among us is – WONDERFULL.

Those of us who started the Northern group, waited anxiously for this unique moment in our lives – having Sifu Meng in our hometown teaching us the great treasures of our beloved HFY science personally. Sifu Meng's trip to Northern Brazil was long waited not only by my school students, but also by outsiders, after all we're talking about one of the highest authorities of Wing Chun Kung Fu in our generation. And for our satisfaction, the event went better than expected, for me and Sifu Benny Meng. We had a wonderful workshop, a lot of training, many new concepts, going out to many places, including our beautiful beaches and some fine restaurants with delicious local cuisine, which in some cases is unique in Brazil.

Now I'll try to share with all of you our days with Sifu Meng here in Fortaleza.

April 4^th , Wednesday – The moment for the arrival of our Sifu was approaching. Many students went to our school to gather in a fine line to form a little true army to meet our Master in airport. When Sifu Meng landed at 1:58 AM in Fortaleza, he was received by 15 students eager to meet him. There was a quick introduction to the students present and we left the airport straigth to the hotel. Vela e Mar hotel (Sail and Sea hotel) is located in one of the most breath taking views of our beautiful and warm city, Beira Mar avenue (Sea Shore avenue), much visited by turists from the whole planet. At the hotel, we left Sifu Meng so he could rest from a tiresome journey, before the three days of hard training that were yet to come.

April 5^th , Thursday – Around 10:00 AM we went to the hotel to drive Sifu Meng where the workshop would take place. Before, we stoped to savour a nice Brazilian coffee, which Sifu Meng confess to really apreciate. During the coffee, we talked about administrative matters, HFY, VTM, local issues etc. At that moment were present Sifu Meng, myself, my dedicated student Jorge Medeiros, and my Kung Fu brother, Mairton Cavalcante.

After the coffee, we took Sifu Meng for a quick check of the place where the workshop would take place and to meet a few students that were waiting there. After that we left for lunch. We went to the restaurant of Marina Park Hotel, a pleasant place with good food and a beautiful view of the sea. We then went back to the gym and started the first part of the workshop of Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun. In this first day, broached aspects of his search for the roots of Wing Chun through the the efforts of the Ving Tsun Museum, as well as historical aspects of the Wing Chun Kung Fu and the HFY science. We had a general view of the martial aspect of Sam Mo Kiu, so we could understand Fau Kiu (technique), Saan Kiu (concept) and Wing Kiu (principle). We saw the HFY Formulas 1,2,3,4,6 and experimented many excercises individually and with partners. We went through the Heaven Human Earth Hei Gung training and Tip Kwai Kung. These seven ours were very well used by everuone present, avid for drinking the HFY nectar that Sifu Meng had to offer. After a very enlightening question and answer session, we left the training facility
and went to dinner.

We went to a restaurant on the beach called Beira Mar Grill. We savoured
delicious local dishes e kept discussing Kung Fu the whole time, with live music and a pleasing view of the ocean. After the dinner, we took Sifu Meng to the hotel, still exercising Hou Chuen San Sau, avidly listening to the precious teachings of his. When we thought that Sifu was finally going to rest for the next day, he decided to run on the beach and invited us to accompany him. We walked for an hour.

April 6^th , Friday – Once more, we went to pick Sifu Meng up at 10:00 AM and initiated the second part of the workshop. During the morning we saw theory, once more H.H.E. Chi Gung, Tip Kwai Kung, Siu Num Tau and Jong Sau – Leung Yi Ma and Bun Yuet Ma. Then we went to another restaurant, having traditional dishes prepared with beans as its specialty. There Sifu Meng could taste our beloved Baiao de Dois (rice, beans and melted cheese). During the afternoon we had a review of the morning topics and were introduced to new ones; Kuen Jong, SLT vs Jong Sau and 4 gates exercises. Later, after a lot of training and another questions and answers session, we went to a quite inovative Italian restaurant, where the usual cuisine with pasta was combined with our traditional local ways of preparing meat. Once more, Sifu Meng delighted us with his deep knowledge and experience of HFY. These precious informations have made our resolve to learn HFY and preserve this diamond among martial arts even stronger. Back to the hotel, we had a pleasant conversation about my commitment with the HFY family, the best way to advertise and spread our science here in Northern Brazil and other administrative business. Finally Sifu Meng decided to have some rest after a very rewarding day.

April 7^th , Saturday – Our last day with Sifu. We stayed at the beach during the whole morning, once more delighting ourselves with the rare oportunity of experiencing authentic Kung Fu Life with a fully qualified master. We went for a walk by the sand with Sifu, feeling the warm sea touching our ankles, latter lunching a very tasty and crispy fish. We did some Chi Sau according to the Ip Man Wing Chun and Sifu Meng showed us some aspects of Sam Mo Kiu Kiu Sau. At 3:00 PM we resumed the workshop, reviewing everything we had already seen since Thursday. Then Sifu entertained us with some of his many stories from 20+ years as a martial artist. Sifu filmed interviews with some of our students, so he could take back with him their impressions to share with our brothers in the USA. We finished the workshop at 8:00 PM with many applauses to our Sifu, and left with the sure of fulfilling our duty. After dinner, as Sifu Meng didn't want to sleep that night, we went to a amphitheatre near the hotel, where Sifu presented us to the very begining of the HFY Bai Jong Baat Bo Jin, training individually and with partners. Around 2:00 AM we returned to the hotel, so that Sifu could prepare himself to go to the airport. At 3:30 AM Sifu left us, all of us feeling sad as we hungered for more. Now we can barely wait until September...

I feel immensely happy with this monumental and historic event we had the honor to organize here in Fortaleza. And I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to all those present here, all those who benefited us with their positive energy, all those who cheered us, and all those who have in any way contributed for the success of this first ecounter with our dearest Sifu.

Firstly, I'd like to thank GM Garrett Gee and Sifu Benny Meng, for allowing us to have the great honor of knowing this treasure called Hung Fa Yi and for welcoming us in their family. I feel that even doing our bests, we won't be able to repay their kindness the values they inspire in our hearts, and the richness of their knowledge.

I'd like to thank my dear Kung Fu brothers, Mairton Cavalcante, Marcos Roberto, Marco Antonio, Eugenio Araújo, Daniel Arraes and Jurandir Nogueira. The support you have given me was of utmost importance for the success of this event.

I'd like to thank also my dedicated students, Humberto Herculano, Jorge Medeiros, João Batista, Tiago Bernardes, Tiago Pacífico, Cláudio Costa, Paulo Leandro, César Augusto, Anderson Barreto, Leandro Moreira, Adolfo Bremen, Orlando Brito and Sara Costa for all the support. I hope to always be worthy of your trust, respect and dedication.

Last but not least, I'd like to thank my Kung Fu brothers from Rio de Janeiro, Marcelo Santos and Jacques Menezes for starting this journey and opening the door for the HFY in Brazilian lands. Our success is close, brothers!

Sincerely,
Alex Magnos

Fortaleza
Northern Brazil

[Marcelo-RJ]

Last but not least, I'd like to thank my Kung Fu brothers from Rio de Janeiro, Marcelo Santos and Jacques Menezes for starting this journey and opening the door for the HFY in Brazilian lands. Our success is close, brothers!

Alex Magnos:

You should apologize before thanking. You have never shown any appreciation for those who now you call your "brothers", and you have never shown any respect for this family and this system up to this point.
It's sad to read the words above on this English forum and to compare them to the insults you've been uttering against me and the Brazilian HFY community on your public Portuguese forum at orkut.com
Veiling your vices under virtuous words won't help this time.
For those who do not understand nor like my commentaries: if you can only read Portuguese, I'll privately email you Alex Magnos' and some of his student's words on me and the Bazilian HFY family, just as they are posted on his Portuguese forum. Of course, there will always be those who prefer to play the naive, but that's not my case.
Many had the chance to express their views on people who supposedly attack the HFY family in the US on Allan Orr's introduction thread. So, as the Brazilian HFY family has been continuously attacked by the starter of this thread, I hope it's not the wrong place and time to manifest myself as I do here.
I do expect a public apology.

Marcelo

[BennyMeng]

Thanks for the hospitality Marcelo and Alex. This was an excellent trip and I feel I accomplished a lot in introducing HFY to Brazil and getting ready for GM Gee’s visit.

Let me say a few words: I met great people from both Rio and Fortaleza, that’s the bottom line. And people can really identify with what the system has to offer.

The current issue between Marcelo and Alex seems to be quite personal. I’ll let you two work things out because when September comes, both of you guys still have to shake hands. GM Gee and myself already told you two what to do.

Marcelo, you can raise the issues. Alex, of course, you can give your point of view as well.

[Marcelo-RJ]

As Sifu Meng allowed me to raise the issues, I just want to remark that this question with Alex Magnos is not "mine".
That guy has problems with the whole HFY family and candidates/enthusiasts who do not belong to his limited universe of don't-know-what-lineage-Wing-Chun-students, as well as with other Martial Arts teachers and practitioners within and without his own State.
I don't really care of the sarcasm on his "thankful" words, but I do care about the little or big damages that his deliberate actions can produce. For instance, I have no doubt that he's not being exactly true when he states he has practiced drills that belong to the system approach and require GM Gee's blessings to be taught. I'm not jealous or envy about what anyone is being taught, be him/her a HFY member or not: the problem is that by irresponsibly writing unexact things, one can lead the mentioned persons to feel bound to explain what's really happening to those who are not aware of the real situation.
Let me also remark that by simply having a look at Alex Magnos' website, anyone in good faith will believe he is a HFY representative in the North of Brazil. See: www.wingchunce.org and find it for yourselves. That man, who has lots of enemies in the MA community, had only attended three public workshops by Master Meng and is totally unkown to GM Gee, but even so he makes a lot of false public claims, thus causing continuous problems to the family in this Country.
Were this but a personal issue of mine, I would have already solved it myself. But here I'm only speaking as a Hung Fa Yi man who stands for this most sublime and meaningful word: YI.
Of course, if one day Alex Magnos is allowed to join our family, be it as a student or an instructor-candidate, his deeds will be no more of my business. But for now I feel I'm bound to preserve the truth within the bounds of this family. Anyway, these are my last words on this thread and I hope nobody got me wrong.

Marcelo
www.hungfayi.com.br

[Savi]

Everyone,

The weekend of April 21 Grandmaster Gee will be traveling to the HFY Regional Headquarters in Arizona. There he will be conducting closed-door instruction only for the Instructor Candidates.

Grandmaster Gee stated that he is aware of potential confusion on this thread and directed me to issue the following verbatim statement on his behalf:

"Greetings to all,
I am aware there are some concerns that exist between individuals in Brazil regarding the training of Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun Kuen. I would like to meet everyone in person before speaking any further on the state of the World Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun Kung Fu Association and how International training requirements will be met.

I accept everyone to speak their minds freely, but courteously - I do not judge people and offer unbiased counsel. I have taught martial arts to over 1000 people in the past 30 years with my own hands. These people have come from all walks of life; from industry professionals to street fighters. I am very open to speak to anyone freely, regardless of personality.

I hope to see and meet everyone in September. I look forward to experiencing everyone's energy directly. In the meantime, keep training with positive energy and have a good day. I'll see everyone soon.

-Garrett Gee"

[Marcelo-RJ]

Dear Savi,

Thank you for posting GM Gee's statement. I'm going to call up the Grand Master this weekend and carefully listen to his advices.
For now, let me concentrate again in organizing his September trip according to Master Meng's instructions and take care of my own life.
Again, thank you so much.

Marcelo

[Savi]

I am sure he will welcome your phone call this weekend! He remembers your visit a couple of years ago and can tell you are a strong hard-core HFY practitioner. Keep training hard, and thanks for your support with the HFY family.

[cesaraugst]

dear Marcelo,

As I had told you previously on a personal email, I have nothing personal against you, for I don´t know you personally. I contacted you in October 2005, interested in practising HFY, and since then I have been a mere observer of the issues between you and my Sifu Alex Magnos. I suppose that as Master Meng has said, your issue with sifu Magnos is quite personal. Last week I had the honour of meeting sifu Meng personally in Fortaleza, and I found through his words and wisdom that he is a very nice person and a true master. I have and want to trust his judgment, and I know that for him, having travelled to Fortaleza was not in vain or without purpose.

As I said before, so far I had been quiet about this feud between you and sifu Alex. I don´t mean to say that he is a superhero, neither am I here simply to defend him. I am writng this because the content of your words is for me controversial.

quote:

____________________________

"It's sad to read the words above on this English forum and to compare them to the insults you've been uttering against me and the Brazilian HFY community on your public Portuguese forum at orkut.com

____________________________

Marcelo you say Alex have been uttering insults to the HFY family and yourself, in Portuguese at orkut.com. I would like to remind you that I have been observing many things for more than a year now I can say without any biased opinion that you are no less to blame for such things. I can recall pretty well you using public lists/forums such as yahoo groups to attack Magnos, much before he uttered a single word about all of your attitudes. I feel sad that from my point of view your actions aren´t really the best to handle these matters; they´ve only brought more confusion and mistrust; any sensible person will conclude your protests are merely personal and barely unbiased. It seems I am not the only one to think this way.

quote:

____________________________

"if you can only read Portuguese, I'll privately email you Alex Magnos' and some of his student's words on me and the Bazilian HFY family, just as they are posted on his Portuguese forum. Of course, there will always be those who prefer to play the naive, but that's not my case."

____________________________

If you can supposedly email messages from people in Brazil on you and the HFY family, I am sure lots of people could do the same about you, including me: you are not the poor child, treated cruely by a bunch of hoodlums without anything more blessed to do than mess up with you and your fellows. I have been keeping records of what happens round, I can remember very well that you aren´t so transparent.

quote:

____________________________

"Veiling your vices under virtuous words won't help this time."

____________________________

I´ll repeat: I have nothing against you personally, I don´t know you personally. I still like to think everything can be sorted out and peace and cooperation can be brought to Brazilian lands.

But veiling your true actions under virtuous-like protest words won´t help this time.

I feel really bad about all this; I feel deeply sad that this thing repeats itself continuously. I and many others just want to have the right to practise WCK in peace, and care to more relevant issues.

As this thread was originally about the visit by master Benny Meng to Fortaleza, I would like to end this post commenting about this wonderful occasion. I feel truly happy about having been there these April days when master Meng visited us in Northern Brazil. I would like to thank master Meng for his kindness, and say that I am looking forward to having another chance of being once more amid such wonderful, friendly and peaceful environment like that, with Brazilian brothers and friends and with such a great master.

[Marcelo-RJ]

Cesar,

GM Gee has manifested very strongly here. So, for me this is no more the place and time to speak about your "Sifu" Alex Magnos.
But I wish you good luck on your journeys anyway.

Marcelo

[daniel-arraes]

Hello to all!

Ceasar is right. This thread was originally to discucc Sifu Meng's visit to Fortaleza.

In this visit, Sifu Meng taught us something I think is quite ironic:

"In Hung Fa Yi, if you get hit, it's because you deserve to get hit!"

I think the issue between Sihing Marcelo and Sihing Alex is just this: they try to occupy each others space without closing their gates, so both get hit!

[Marcelo-RJ]

Daniel and Cesar:

Let me put this clear: I and the HFY brothers in Rio are and have always been willing to welcome very warmly every single person who manifests a true interest in HFYWC. We have nothing at all against the people from the Northeast. Pretty much the contrary: we have been helping many people from North to South. Even Alex Magnos was received and treated very kindly when he visited us for the public seminars that he attended in Rio. See, next month we will host some guys from Sao Paulo and Fortaleza - Alex Magnos' city - for a whole weekend of intense training at our Club.

Cesar, now I know who you are. You are right: you do not know me. The private message you sent me was a request for information on Alex Magnos. I told you I would not speak about him and suggested that you should contact director Allen Kong for the appropriate info on anyone's standing in the HFY family.

The problem here is that Alex Magnos says he has learnt things that Sifu Meng would not teach him at this very moment. Besides, his webpage leaves the false impression that he is a HFY official representative.

To end-off, let me tell you that the remarks about Alex Magnos that were put in the past on yahoogroups and elsewhere were made according Sifu Meng's orientation. The intention was never to attack Alex, but to let the interested people know that Alex Magnos is not a HFY Sifu and has no authorization to represent or speak on behalf of GM Gee and the WHFYWCKFA.

But again: let's respect GM Gee's speech, train hard and wait for the day things will be finally sorted out.

You both can count on me and the positive energy that we, HFY men, carry.

If you have any other doubt, you can PM me and I'll hasten to respond you.

Peace out,

Marcelo

[BennyMeng]

I did not have the time to post my report on this trip to the northern Brazil for the public yet, but lots of neglective energy and wrong conclusion had already surface. Well, I guess this is part of human nature. The Yi in our action most oven is confuse with Self-Yi.

[alexmagnos]

Hi,

Sifu, thanks for your words about us. We’re already waiting wishful for your next trip. Sifu, I’ll follow every single advice that you gave us here, thank you for all. This moment I’m getting the TV show’s feedback – many emails and calls - I will email you sending all information.

I believe that all this issues were a time (superior position) - space (strong structure) subject, but all is clear now. We don't have more time-space for issues. I believe all the misunderstandings are in the past now. So, this next words come from my deepest soul:

I’ve always had the desire to learn HFY from the first time I experienced the system with Sifu Meng. After this most recent trip, I realize that the system is such a treasure for the martial art community that it is beyond any one of us as individuals. I think everyone’s wish is to move forward to promote HFY in Brazil and throughout the world without any internal disagreements. So, I formally apologize for anything I have done to offend anyone or any feeling of offence given through my own lack of communication. It is my hope that we can create harmony for the greater good of the HFY family and the martial arts community.

Again, Sifu Meng, brothers and students from the North, thank you all for everything.

Sincerely,
Alex Magnos
Brazil

[Marcelo-RJ]

Alex Magnos,

Listen without prejudice: sometimes we simply do what we have to do.

I have never ever asked to be a chief or a leader in the HFYWC organization. I have never ever asked to run a HFY Club. I have never asked to be allowed to teach publicly the little I know of HFYWC. I have never wanted to deal professionally with HFYWC. None of this things is "my will", although none of them are against my will either.

Many were the times I told Director Kong and Master Meng that I do not "want" to promote HFY in a large scale, and many were the times that I told them that, being able to do that for now, I will fulfill this duty until someone else appears with a strong will and I can pass him/her the torch. I can assure you that's also my sidai Jacques' case.

Although I spent thousands of dollars in this long distance learning process, I do not charge a cent from the few guys that approach me and state they want to be prepared to take a leadership/teaching position and to promote HFYWC in a bigger or a lesser scale. I found a treasure in HFYWC, but this treasure is not "mine". GM Gee led us by his own exemple to see that HFYWC is a treasure to be partaken, and I tell you that the HQ has never put me under pressure when I spoke of my artesanal approach to this system.

True: I long for the day all this heavy burden on my shoulders will get lighter and lighter and I'll feel free to express my HFY way like an Ermit, according to my true nature.

So why am I in the instructors' program? First of all, to learn and spend more time with my teachers. Second, to learn how to teach. Third, to teach those who want to teach and to help my long distance teachers by acting as a "reproductor", as we call it in Knowledge Management (see: by teaching the little I know to those who teach or want to teach professionally, I, who nowadays belong to the group of the four most advanced students in Brazil, make Sifu and Sigung's life easier, as they won't need to teach from the beginning to the newcomers each time they come to Brasil).

That's why I tell you I have no personal issue with you. In realms of "yes or no", I only want you to understand that the day your claims are according to your standing in this family, I will greet, welcome and support you the best that I can. Even now, I support and incentive your wish to join the family and to learn HFYWC, although it would be a perverse incentive if I told you to keep on behaving as you used to (apologies accepted, BTW); after all, the means do not justify the end. It's not needed for you to force a situation. There's a correct season for everything, but also a correct time and energy to acomplish your (even self-imposed) tasks.

That being said, it's not correct to state, as someone else did, that we are trying to ocupy the same space. We have different aims and different approaches in our HFY journeys. The one thing we have in common is the will to learn and share the art and science of Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun; but this is all about energy, so it doesn't really matter if you're aiming for pleasure and making a living and I'm here for pleasure only. Let time take care of all the rest.

Let's bury the past in the past, do what we have to do and honor GM Gee's great work and meet Master Meng's expectations.

Sincerely,

Marcelo
PS: A statement from Jacques: - "I make mine Marcelo's words. Jacs.".

[cesaraugst]

Marcelo,

and to whom it may concern,

This time I just would like to state that I feel any conflict from the past may well be about to end, among HFY practitioners in Brazil. It´s really only about let past conflicts lie in the past. Nobody is perfect, we are all learning all the time. It is useless to keep on fostering bad feelings.

Let me suggest that you all HFY students in Brazil seek peace. I am sure this is the best to those who already have been in contact with this noble family/lineage of WCK, as well as to any person who may in the future be part of this family. I am also sure that this is the will of all.

May each one respect each others space and role in WCK learning environment.

I would like to apologize for any past action that might have offended any person.

be well,

Cesar.