Conrado Morejon - My Father

Imagine yourself in the beautiful tropical island of Cuban, back in the 1950's, when it was regarded as the Monte Carlo of the west. The casinos, the nightlife, the beach resorts, the music, the food, and everything that defines tropical paradise. My father smoking one of those incredible Cuban cigars, with a side of expresso coffee. Life couldn't be any better. The money was flowing from my grandfather's business, and my father was the white linen suite Cuban gigalo type that would make the deals for my grandfather, and deal with the corrupt Batista government and the Cuban Mafia - pay protection money that is. That all changed one New Years eve, when this bearded guy marched into Havana on a jeep - this will change the outcome of a nation, and all those who believed in freedom. Lots of struggle to just survive the tyranny of the new communist regime, decisions were made to leave the island for the US. A new country welcomed us with open arms, full of opportunity, and freedom - something not understood by those who were born here. From riches to factory workers my parents transitioned, not knowing the language, the culture, or the American way - but all this sacrifice was done so that me and my sister Maggie would get an education and live in freedom. Through their hard efforts, they put me and my sister through USC, and on our way to deal with life. They have given so much for things we are just now realizing. But through all of this hardship, the thing that stood out in our minds was the true "LOVE" my parents shared through their 52 years of marriage. This picture between the two palms in Cuba was taken during their honeymoon, one of my favorite pictures of all times. The picture at the end I took at their 50th anniversary celebration, and as you can tell, the LOVE is still the same - amazing! Everytime I get disappointed, I look at them and know that God's sanctitude of marriage is still possible. It was a great blessing to help my sister coordinate my parents 50th anniversary, it was an enchanted day - first class all of the way. They really deserved it and they had an incredible experience. It was only five months after that event that my father fell ill with a stroke and other complications. The next three years that followed were full of challenges, pain, and incredible sacrifice by my parents - it totally changed our perspective on the meaning of "quality of life". As my dad's condition continued to decline, my sister and I decided to keep him at home to provide the best care possible. I have to say that my mother has totally put her life on hold for the last three years to take the "BEST" care possible of him, if it wasn't for that, he would have passed long ago. The last two weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster for all of us, facing the reality that it's time for him to go - we thought we were ready, but it was just an illusion. My mother holding on for every possible minute with him, and my sister and I dealing with the nurses and Doctors to find out how we can make his last hours as comfortable as possible. The last 30 hours were incredibly terrifying for us as he struggled to catch his every breath. As much as I wanted to be by his side, I would have to walk out of the room every so often to catch my own breath - I couldn't stand to see him suffering so much. If there was a plug to pull, I would have pulled it! Giving morphine every hour, barely helped him ease his struggles - finally at 2:01 am this Thursday he gave up and released his soul to heaven. I pray that God opens his gates of heaven and have his angels escort him to paradise. I'm thankful to have been given the opportunity to be by his side as he left this earth, as he was by my side when I entered it. The last three years have been very difficult for me, as I would visit him and try to deal with my own mortality - will this happen to me as well? Who will take care of me? All the thoughts that goes through one's head as they face death. My faith is clear, and I know that we struggle here on earth, but through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, I will be in heaven. And the word of God promises that even in our moment of death his angels will minister to us. My parents have sacrificed all of their lives for me and my sister. Now, I look at myself and wonder if I will be the same type of father, and will my children honor and respect me as I have my father - I think I fall real short of that measurement stick, and have lots to learn from my parents. Now I struggle to deal with he fact that my two father figures are gone, my father and Chief (my Martial Arts father) - who will I turn to now? How will I deal with the cards that life still has waiting for me? Only my Father who is in heaven, and his son Jesus, my Lord and savior, can I rely on now. God promised that he will not give us anything we can not handle, and he will always provide for us - my faith shall carry me through. For now, may my father rest in peace, in the glory of heaven, where there is no more pain and sorrow - look over us, I love you dad . . .

Lima Lama Grand Master Tu'umamao "Tino" Tuilosega

One of the root systems of Gosikido is Lima Lama. My first teacher, Sensei Manuel Soloman was a direct student of Master Haumea "Tiny" Lafiti (a.k.a., Uncle Tiny). Sensei Manuel would teach us all of the fighting techniques, and the incredible hands of Lima Lama. I never had the opportunity to train directly with Uncle Tiny, but his teachings certainly were instilled in me - or should I say "pounded" on me. I was never taught any Lima Lama forms, just techniques - which have become one of the key foundations of my system. Years went by and I got to see Grand Master Tino, also known as Mr. Tino. I could still remember that day, at Mr. Parker's Long Beach Internationals. The announcer got on the microphone, called attention to the entire room and announced the entrance of Mr. Tino. Everyone got up and paid respect to him. I've never seen anything like this, it was like royalty had walked in - and that's exactly what it was, royalty. I remember the respect that Mr. Parker gave him, although it was obviously that the feeling was mutual. That's the year that his son Master Rudy won the Grand Championships. I remember putting my elbows on the raised stage and watching, mesmerized, how Rudy showed the world the incredible "hands of wisdom". Mr. Tino looked on, proud as ever, flanked by a who's-who of Martial Arts masters. Some more years went by and Mr. Tino disappeared for ten years. No one knew where he went, lots of rumors floated, but everyone went on with Lima Lama "with what they had" - making the best of the seeds planted by the Lima Lama elders. Again, another day to remember, the funeral of Mr. Parker, with over 2,000 people there, the only one that stood out was Mr. Tino who came to pay respect to his old friend. This was the first time anyone had seen Mr. Tino in ten years, and as soon as the ceremonies finished, everyone ran to pay respect to him. Lots of people were relieved to see him and know that he was well, others had concerns of what he would do to those he left as stewards of his system. This is where I really started my relationship with Mr. Tino. I watched as many came to him for "rank", others for validation of what they have done with his art. Lima Lama really blew up in Mexico, with hundreds of schools and thousands of students. I had the pleasure of escorting him and being his personal body guard to one of his trips to Mexico City. It was amazing to see how they worship him like the Pope or the President of a country. To see 2,000 Lima Lama students line up in two rows just to see him walk into a tournament was humbling. I dedicated a few years of my life trying to help Mr. Tino reach his dreams and get financially secured. However, this is not about me, and what I did and why I did it is between me and him, as well as our God. Many, many, many days and hours I spent by his side, planning, training with him, and helping him. Don't let this picture fool you, he posed it like that during one of our training sessions - I would have never been able to hit him, I lost a molar from one of his "gentle" blows. Through the help of many good people, I was able to give him a great birthday luau, and an international tournament - I did it all out of love and respect for one of the living treasures in Martial Arts, never for any rank or prestige - his act of promoting me to Master level in Lima Lama was out of his recognition of the teachings passed down to me by Uncle Tiny, and his personal work with me. Believe me, I declined the promotion, but for those of you that know Mr. Tino, you just don't say no to him (and live to tell about it). There are lots of rumors and politics surrounding the origins of Lima Lama, and who was the real founder - at the end of the day, I wasn't there, I just know what I was taught. No matter what, just as Sijo Emperado did for Kajukenbo, Mr. Tino has done for Lima Lama. I know that I have earned the right to call him "Papa", a term used by those closest to him that love him. To this day, Papa knows that I would do anything I can to help "HIM", and make sure he is sound, safe, and healthy. It is bewildering, astonishing, and repulsive to me that there are lots of Lima Lama "teachers" basking in the glory and riches of the fruits of Lima Lama and the Grand Master is living in poverty - and if the shoe fits, please wear it firmly. I've never claimed anything with Lima Lama, I just pay respect to the teachings Uncle Tiny and Papa - anyone that wants to know what I know, there's always the floor . . .my hands will tell you the story of "wisdom". My heart is heavy with how Papa is doing, and I'm just waiting for that dreaded phone call.

Grand Master Lucky Luciano - An Unsung Hero

Grand Master Lucky Luciano is a ninth degree black belt in Kajukenbo, under Sijo Emperado. As illustrious as his Martial Arts career has been, with all of the accolades he has received, to the people that love him, he's just "Uncle Lucky". Although I must say, make sure you are one of those very few that have earned the right to call him that - or else! I've known Grand Master Lucky since I met Chief in the summer of 1984, when Sijo came to visit San Diego from Hawaii. It was obvious then, and still is to this day that this man deserves even more respect that has been given to him. His accomplishments have been many, his rewards few, his dedication to the Martial Arts inspiring, and his devotion to Kajukenbo has been with unmatched loyalty to the art and to Sijo Emperado (no matter what). He has truly carried the flag for his system, representing the founders of Kajukenbo throughout his long career. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to witness the genesis of what we now know as the flag and hand officiating techniques used in Martial Arts tournaments throughout the world. I can tell you that it was the work of two visionaries of our time, Grand Master Lucky and the late Shihan Edwin Hamile. They brought order into the way officials ran tournaments, and made AAU Karate a reality. This system was adopted by another great visionary Grand Master Ed Parker and incorporated into the Long Beach Internationals. This took an enormous amount of work and dedication. I remember several official's seminars he conducted in our school (Brigoli Brothers Kaikido, Wilmington). Through this process he became the senior advisor to the Brigoli Brothers school of Goju-ryu (later became Kaikido). I can honestly say that with his influence, we all became well known in the Martial Arts community - he opened doors for us that were very difficult to penetrate, he introduced us to a great number of Masters and helped us get the rank we deserved - I "NEVER" forget that his signature is on my certificate. In these last 22 years that I have known him, we have shared food together at Chief's table, laughed, worked really hard at tournaments, and shed tears at the passing of many of our friends (i.e., Chief, Shihan Hamile, Shihan Damian, Grand Master Parker, Guru Lukailukai, etc.). Today, I consider him as a senior advisor to my Gosikido system, and have called on him for advice several times. I honor him by maintaining the Martial Arts traditions of etiquette and protocol alive - my undying respect and loyalty go out to him . . .an unsung hero!

Fundraiser Golf Tournament for Orphanage

Our brown belt brother "Julio" is organizing a golf tournament with help from his Real Estate office to raise funds for an orphanage in Tijuana. Everything is on the up-and-up, and have been set up so the kids get all of the money. It's set for August 18th, 2006, at the Westridge Gulf club. Lots of corporate sponsors have already stepped in, and so far have gathered around $13K, but lots of more to go to hit their $30K goal. This is being set up through a local church, so all donations will have a receipt for tax credit. Please join me in helping Julio help those kids, by participating in the tournament (except, I can't play), donating money or sponsoring a hole. Maybe you can get your companies to help sponsor this tournament as well. Please feel free to contact Julio directly, or let me know and I'll put you in touch with him. This is what "GOSIKIDO" is about.

Grand Master Saul Tallbear

I wanted to share with you one of the great inspirations of my Martial Arts journey, Supreme Grand Master Saul Tallbear (for us who love and respect him, we just call him Sifu). I a young green belt at Steve Fischer's first tournament at Gardena High School, I saw one of the most incredible performances of my life. It was Sifu performing one of the forms of the Southern Chinese style of Tai Liu Chuan Fa (an eagle and Mantis system) - it was amazing. Years went by, and I continue to admire him from a far, watching him win the Master's fighting division at the Long Beach Internationals . . .Year after year. There are so many stories I can tell you about him, and my experiences with him, but I just want to share a few. When we speak about Chi, this man fills the biggest auditoriums just by walking in. I remember what he wore at Mr. Parker's funeral - a long mandarin with an Indian breastplate, again, his presence was know among the thousands in attendance. Just talking to him and being close enough for him to poke you in the chest with him finger would be enough to get a bruise the next day. Years continue to go by and I got a chance to get closer to him and had the opportunity to visit his Las Vegas dojo. I also ran several of his tournaments, and he always very apritiative and took care of me well. I learned much from him about Martial Arts history, and lots of things about life as well. Unfortunately, Sifu had lots of very bad things happen to his family within a short period of time, which included the loss of his son (who was following his Martial Arts footsteps). This was more than most humans could stand and set Sifu on a downward spiral, which devastated everything about his life and finances. I only mention this because very few people actually helped him during this time - this upset me very much, since he had given so much of himself to others and to the Martial Arts, and everyone turn their backs to him. When I would ask about him, they would say "well, he's ....." or "he ....", and I would ask them if they helped him, but they all put their head down - very disgracefully. Sifu is a very hard man to find, but finally I was able to track him down in Las Vegas last year and had a great time drinking coffee and having breakfast with him, he is on his way back up and doing well. The most important thing I would like to share with everyone is the fact that Sifu Tallbear was responsible for naming my system GOSIKIDO; GO - for Goju-Ryu and Shotokan (my hard styles), SI - for my Kung Fu styles, KI - for Aikido and my Chi principles, and DO - for the way. I will be eternally grateful for such an honor he bestowed on me.