Medium • January 15th, 2024

How a World Class B-Boy Transformed My Approach to Writing, Creativity and Life

In a world where expectations and stereotypes often define us, some defy these groups by challenging the notion that one must adhere to a single identity. I am one of those individuals, living a life that straddles two seemingly disparate worlds.

On one hand, at the heart of the street culture, Hip-hop reigns supreme where its essence transcends through raw cyphers within the 4 elements of Hip Hop: Graffiti, B-boying, Mcing, and Djing.

In this realm, I’m deep within the B-Boying element under

Medium • October 26th, 2023

From B-Boy to Believer: Discovering Spirituality through a Hip-Hop Book

I never expected to be blown away by the world of spirituality, especially assuming the RZA only had a background as a straight-up gangster. But let me tell you, I was totally wrong.

RZA, to me, is a nerd, rapper, martial artist, fighter, producer, and believer in the truth.

He introduced me to the teachings of Buddhism, Five Percenters, Islam, Christianity, Taoism, and so much more. I mean, damn! RZA opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking and living. He showed me that spirituality isn’

Medium • July 10th, 2023

A Fresh Take on Re-Learning Bboy/Bgirl Basics with English Teaching

How to Write the Letter A

As a breaker, we’ve heard plenty of times from pioneers that foundation is key. This is a total no-brainer if you've been in the Breaking scene for more than five years or watched enough interviews from the greats.

But let’s take a step back with an English teaching analogy.

We all know what is the letter “A”.

Well, how do you write the letter? How do you hold your pencil to write it down? How do you say the letter “A” with the various English accents we have? Why d

Medium • June 21st, 2023

Finding your Tone of Voice in Writing— the Bboy/Bgirl Way

Finding your Tone of Voice in Writing— the Bboy/Bgirl Way I wrote an interview article once for a client. During our call, the client tore into me, claiming that anyone could copy and paste the interviewee’s answers onto a document. She even went as far as to insinuate that English wasn’t my first language, which was a huge insult since it’s the only language I speak fluently. Not to mention, I did a lot of volunteer work for this client for several months, only to get insulted like this in the

Medium • June 13th, 2023

5 Must-Watch Bboy Documentaries

“All Out War” is a captivating documentary film that delves into the lives of four talented Bboys, Machine, Alien Ness, Dyzee, and Casper, who come from different backgrounds and perspectives within the Breaking community. The film follows their journeys leading up to the King of the Ring competition in Toronto, one of the largest Bboy competitions in the city at the time.

Through their personal stories and experiences, “All Out War” offers a unique and intimate look into the world of Breaking,

Medium • June 8th, 2023

The Easy Way to Create a Writing Portfolio for Bboys/Bgirls

If you haven’t had a chance to read my article on “How to Start Freelance Copywriting for Bboys/Bgirls,” I highly recommend checking it out before moving forward.

Once you’ve made the decision to embark on your freelance copywriting journey, the next crucial step is to establish your credibility and dedication to your craft.

This means creating an online portfolio that showcases your skills and experience — even if you don’t have many.

Fortunately, creating a writing portfolio doesn’t have to

Medium • May 23rd, 2023

3 Ways to Cope with Injuries as a Bboy/Bgirl

1. Focus on Other Aspects of Your Dance

While you’re recovering from an injury, you can use the time to focus on other aspects of your dance that don’t put stress on the injured area. For instance, since my shoulder is injured, I can’t train up my floats.

I feel like this is a sign from the universe telling me to focus on the other aspects of the dance such as musicality, threads, freezes, footwork, and all that jazz.

I mean, I don't want people to just see me as “that UFO guy”.

I’m definite

Medium • May 8th, 2023

How to Start Freelance Copywriting for Bboys and Bgirls

How to Start Freelance Copywriting for Bboys and Bgirls Starting out as a freelance copywriter with no experience can seem daunting, even more, if you plan to write for the Breaking industry. However, with the right approach and commitment, it’s definitely possible. But it’s quite hard to “break” into since there’s no demand for it. Well, maybe the Breaking community just doesn’t realize it yet.

As a freelance copywriter for 3+ years, I’ve written copy for various e-commerce brands — particular

Medium • April 24th, 2023

How ChatGBT Made Me Want to Quit Writing

How ChatGBT Made Me Want to Quit Writing

In the last few months, I’ve been on a full-time job search for a writer since leaving my full-time last November. I officially started my hunt on Feb 2023 after traveling to Taiwan, the Philippines, Macau, and a camp trip on a faraway island based in Hong Kong.

I thought it won’t be too difficult to find another full-time writing job with my credible amount of copywriting experience throughout the years.

Until someone mentioned this to me.

For those

Medium • March 30th, 2023

Why I Decided to Become a Non-Smoking Bboy (Breakdancer)

Why I Decided to Become a Non-Smoking Bboy (Breakdancer) If you know me on a personal level, you probably have seen me smoking cigarettes, rollies, e-cigarettes, or some sort of smoking device throughout the years. Should be around 10 years actually. A full-on decade, damn. But in 2023, March 15th was the last time I smoked a cigarette and March 17th was the last time I used a vape. And it wasn’t just for money or health reasons to fulfill my B-boy dreams.

On March 2023, I missed out on the ico

Dyzee Threadz & Footworkx • February 3rd, 2023

The 1st ever LIVE Breakin Sneaker Club Party

It's been almost 3 years since I visited the Philippines, where my Filipino-side of the family resides. With the pandemic finally cooling down, I figured this was the perfect time to visit my relatives back there for the Christmas fiestas and also meet some of the Breakin Sneaker Club (BSC) members in real-life who reside in the motherland.

But who knew I wasn't the only one thinking that.

Dyzee also decided last minute to head to the Philippines in Dec 2022 to visit his relatives and continue

Medium • January 31st, 2023

I Never Liked English Literature Until I Wrote This Poem

I Never Liked English Literature Until I Wrote This Poem In 2017, I was forced to take an English Literature course during my college days. Here’s the catch: I hated Engish Literature. I didn’t care for Shakespeare or any other poet during the medieval times. However, I needed to pass this course in order to get the credits — so I worked hard anyway. Or at least I tried to. For the final course assignment, students were tasked to create an English Literature portfolio based of a theme of their c

Medium • December 6th, 2022

The 1 Creative Hack that Eliminated My Writer’s Block

The 1 Creative Hack that Eliminated My Writer’s Block You’re writing your uni essay that’s due in two days. You’ve spent literally zero hours on it because you were grabbing drinks with your homies, binging on Netflix, or procrastinating — which led to more drinks and Netflix binges. All you got is a beautifully white Word doc on your computer screen with absolutely zero ideas popping up in that brain of yours. And the answer is not more drinks, surprisingly.

An Artist Quoting the Documentary Q

Medium • November 30th, 2022

Why I’ll Never Master Anything, Willingly

Let me backtrack a little so y’all can understand how this question popped into existence.

The answer may seem obvious but the story behind it blew my f*cking mind.

Let me ask you this,

During my lunchtime, I would usually listen to a podcast — preferably related to Breakin, fitness, or personal development. If I’m sick of hearing “life advice” or “inspirational stories” then I’ll switch to a podcast where they talk a lot sh*t or make insulting jokes.

I’m looking at you, Andrew Schulz.

But

Medium • November 29th, 2022

4 Easy Gymnastic Ring Exercises for Bboys and Bgirls

A few weeks ago, I posted an Instagram reel doing Ring Muscle Ups (RMU) and explained why I decided to utilize gymnastic rings. People have asked me throughout the years how did I get bigger, stronger, and leaner from gymnastic rings alone. First off, I ain’t that big, strong, or lean. I honestly drink a little too much to get the “dream” physique I subconsciously desire. But I believe I know a thing or two on how gymnastic rings can help you out — especially if you're a b-boy or b-girl. If you

Medium • November 26th, 2022

3 Life Lessons I Learnt on my First Solo Trip

3 Life Lessons I Learnt on my First Solo Trip In the first week of November 2022, I decided to make a trip to the island of Taiwan. It’s been almost three years since I’ve traveled since the pandemic commenced, so I was exuberant to just get the f*ck out of Hong Kong. Initially, I wanted to head to Taiwan to visit and train with one of my dance inspirations who currently lives in the countryside of Taiwan, Chiayi. However, I thought this would be also the perfect opportunity to embark on my firs

Medium • October 27th, 2022

The Art of You or I

The Art of You or I

“The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.”

But this begs the question:

If there’s a criteria to define Art, then it implies that Art is finite.

But should it?

Medium • October 26th, 2022

Follow Your Dreams — Or at Least Try

Follow Your Dreams — Or at Least Try

We never know when’s the end.

When will some of us wake up to the harsh reality that we only got

There’s no life respawn like in a Super Mario video game.

Suffering for dreams that we didn’t fabricate into existence,

only to benefit those who took THEIR life’s ultimate risk.

I think I know mine. Or at least a direction?

We all got a purpose, but not all the answers.

So how can we follow our dreams?

If we don't even know what’s our dream?

I wish I co

Medium • September 5th, 2022

Imprisoned in Hong Kong’s Covid Isolation Facility

It was 10am on a Sunday morning. I was getting dressed for my friend’s engagement party when suddenly I felt a sore throat. I assumed it was nothing and maybe I just drank/smoked a little too much during the previous days. Either way, I wanted to test myself with one of those self-testing covid RAT tests — just to be safe. I didn’t want to present my newly engaged friend the gift of covid. I definitely would not be invited to his wedding if that went through.

The first two days were horrendous.

Medium • August 7th, 2022

Being a Third-Culture Kid in Hong Kong

Being born and raised in the urban jungles of Hong Kong was always a mystery to me. Like why was I selected to be placed on this earth, specifically in Hong Kong? It doesn’t help growing up as a third-culture kid too.

Alright, I know I’m starting out a little strong here.

The American sociologist, Ruth Useem, coined the term “Third-Culture Kid” in her study of expats living in India back in the 1950s. Useem wanted to focus on children whose parents had immigrated to India for career purposes i

Medium • August 2nd, 2022

The Life of a Freelance Copywriter for 2+ Years

The Life of a Freelance Copywriter for 2+ Years It all started at the end of 2019. I just graduated from the University of Wollongong (Hong Kong Branch) with a Bachelor's in Communication and Media studies. Before I embarked on my job hunting quest, I continued to work at my part-time rock climbing job for a while. I wanted to start anew when 2020 arrived. Well, at least that was the initial plan. In 2020, the global Covid pandemic took the world by storm — with Hong Kong being one of the first

EDNS Domains • July 22nd, 2022

How Boring Businesses Survive as the Fittest

How Boring Businesses Survive as the Fittest

In our daily life, we pass by multiple businesses that look plain and simple from the outside — but are high in demand and profitable. Vending machines, car washes, and bookkeeping are just some of the services that are dull yet lucrative businesses in our society. Without these boring businesses, life would definitely be harder to navigate through.

Another feature of why boring businesses are popular investments is due to their passive income natur

Dyzee Threadz & Footworkx • July 14th, 2022

What are Pro Soles and Street Soles?

What are Pro Soles and Street Soles?

If you've been following Dyzee Threadz for awhile, you would know that there two types of outsoles we created specifically for Breakin'. Some of our first-time buyers get confused on the differences between the two — but look no further!

Here are the benefits of Pro Sole and Street Soles and the differences between the first-ever insoles tailored to the art of Breakin'.

Let's say you practice all the time on linoleum. But when you enter the battle, you not

Dyzee Threadz & Footworkx • July 14th, 2022

Dyzee Threadz Collaborationz

Dyzee Threadz envisions a world where Breakin becomes a self-sustaining industry for generations to come. Our founder Karl “Dyzee” Alba went from launching the first Breakin judging system to pioneering a Pro-city business model for Breakin crews to make an actual living.

On top of these accolades, when he received the opportunity to create the first-ever Breakin sneaker company — he knew it was an offer he couldn’t refuse. Not only he was genuinely passionate about delivering world-class sneak