A True Surprise of a Birthday "Bash"

Just when I thought I was clear of any more birthday proceedings for this year, I find out this Saturday that Li Lin organized a surprise birthday party for me at this gym called Fightworks which specializes in Muay Thai and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) training.  Basically, she had spent the last month getting this event planned without me knowing anything about it, and I must admit I was totally surprised to arrive at the venue with a group of close (and crazy) friends wishing me a Happy Birthday. 

To give you some background information, I have been considering picking up some martial arts again.  And with the recent rise in popularity of Muay Thai kickboxing, I figured it might be something worth checking out.  If all went "well" and there was enough interest among friends and colleagues, then I thought maybe we could train and then conduct a night to fight each other--little did I know it would happen a lot sooner than I ever imagined.

This past Saturday, I was completely under the impression that I was simply "working" and making an appearance somewhere.  The next thing I see is a group of familiar faces all sweaty and in workout gear ready to "kick" and "box." 

Basically, the day's program was simple:  Spend some time learning the basics and fundamentals of Muay Thai kickboxing and then kick the crap outta each other.  Now, I know this event definitely wasn't the usual cup-of-tea for these participants so I really appreciate them all for coming out anyways to make a most memorable (and painful) experience. 

Here are some of the "Lovers Turned Fighters for One Day:"

Fellow AnD artist Jimmy Taenaka (thanks for hooking me up with all the pics, especially since I had no idea this event was even going down)...

Fellow AnD artist Christian Lee...

The first person to step into the ring and Martial Arts enthusiast, Joey Chia...

The former banker ready to unleash some of that pented-up angst, David Schanzer...

The Swede ready to unleash his Fury in a Hurry, Magnus Jansson...

The "Boy" ready to prove his mettle amongst these (old) Men, John Langan...

The Sleeping Beauty who just woke up from his first Xanax pill, Tom Cochran...

The Undisputed King of Tawkin Smack, Mark Lafrance...

And Last but Not Least, the Ladies who were ready to get Down n Dirty, Irene Ang and Rebecca Tan...

So...the stage is set.  One moment, we're all in celebration mode...

The next, it's time to get the workout clothes on and see what happens when middle-aged men pick up Muay Thai in one afternoon and then beat the living crap outta each other...

It's all fun and games during the training portion of the day.  But the second the fighting begins, it all gets serious...and at times totally hilarious. 

So how did the day's fights turn out in the end??

I'll try and get some of the video footage and let you be the judge!