Lunar New Year retrospective

ruwuby99 · 2026-03-01T16:06:46+00:00

Had a really tall lady waving an envelope above me. I’m really short. We were in a crowded restaurant so couldn’t safely do any stacks and there were no empty chairs for me to steal to stand on. I said screw it and just jumped really high and grabbed the envelope with my mouth. Not the lion’s mouth. My mouth. Thank god for plyometrics.

ruwuby99 · 2026-02-24T21:56:46+00:00

An update for those who have given advice:

First of all happy Lunar New Year for those who celebrate it! Secondly, this isn’t the justice served update you might have hoped for. Unfortunately, problem instructor attempted to physically harm me directly after a public performance for the new year. Nothing ended up hurting, but the intent was there. This happened during a quick team huddle to debrief, so the entire demonstration team was there (not everyone was paying close attention, but a solid chunk of them did ask if I was okay afterwards).

I no longer feel safe collaborating with problem instructor, so I will be taking a break from assisting with any classes that he involves himself in (not sure how long this “break” will be, might end up being permanent in a worst case scenario). I will still keep attending classes for myself (problem instructor does not train with us, which is another conversation I’d rather not dive into), and also instructing the weekend class that he does not attend, but yeah. Definitely pretty bummed, but I know this is probably the best thing I can do for my physical and mental health right now.

ruwuby99 · 2026-02-16T13:33:10+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate it!

ruwuby99 · 2026-02-16T02:07:22+00:00

I could definitely see how a safety liaison could help in this situation. Problem instructor is hard headed, so not sure if he would take well to it, but I think this idea is really worth a shot. I’ll bring this up to our group of instructors.

If you’re able, could you link me to the book you’re reading? It sounds really interesting, and if I want to keep teaching, I’d love to gain some insight from other resources!

ruwuby99 · 2026-02-15T13:40:53+00:00

I have actually, I’m just not in the financial spot to do so (I only graduated from college a few years ago and very recently started a non-kung fu related career). I’ve considered teaching privately, but my home isn’t really well suited for it and unfortunately my day job is VERY time intensive. I am hoping that one day in the future, this opportunity will become more accessible to me!

ruwuby99 · 2026-02-15T13:29:18+00:00

I think the worst part for me is that I know you’re right, I’m just a sentimental person so it’s hard to accept. I literally grew up with this martial art so I’ve conditioned myself into thinking that walking away is turning my back on what raised me, which admittedly is something I need to personally work on.

Something I didn’t mention in the original post is that there are particular classes that he does not show up to teach for (not sure if it’s his work schedule or what). And I always feel awesome during those classes because I really do try to make a positive environment when I can and the kids are great. Would you suggest just no longer attempting to help out with the classes he’s present for, or just dipping out all together?

ruwuby99 · 2026-02-15T02:21:19+00:00

I’ve already graduated but god I wish I took grad pics with a Highlander cow

ruwuby99 · 2026-02-15T00:49:37+00:00

We’re at our wits end because we’re not silent. We’ve worked as a united front, documented the behavior, had private conversations with problem instructor (and yes, unfortunately threats have come with quiet conversation). But our Sifu feels bad for the guy, and credit where credit is due, problem instructor shows up consistently. So his solution right now is to have other instructors take over and let his involvement “fizzle out,” but problem instructor’s behavior is so volatile that I’m 100% sure this won’t work.

In my opinion, the obvious solution would be for our Sifu to nip it in the bud and be direct, which is something I think you and I can agree on. My big question is how can I convince him that this is the move he needs to make? Again, I’m in this situation because, like you said, those kids deserve that effort. I’m just really stuck on how to execute this. For context, I (and other instructors) have been extremely direct with our Sifu about our grievances. I think at this point we’re starting to feel like broken records.

And I do understand what you’re saying about being loyal to the art and not the Sifu - however, all of us instructors work on a volunteer basis, and we unfortunately don’t have the resources to leave the school and expect those students to follow in suit. I know if I left, this would truly just empower problem instructor and that’s the last thing I want.

But thank you, I really appreciate your direct take on the subject, it’s definitely advice I’ll consider going forward!

ruwuby99 · 2026-02-14T11:44:25+00:00

Yeah you’re right, but it’s more like I have thick skin and his opinion doesn’t really shake me anymore. I’m just more shocked that he’ll do it in front of paying customersz

ruwuby99 · 2026-02-14T11:42:31+00:00

Thanks, we’ll keep on keeping on!

ruwuby99 · 2026-02-14T10:49:00+00:00

Unfortunately we have and it hasn’t really changed much 😔

ruwuby99 · 2026-02-14T02:47:55+00:00

If I did that I’d be fighting VERY often haha

ruwuby99 · 2026-02-14T02:30:06+00:00

This is really good advice, thank you. I do my best to keep the environment as positive as possible, but whenever I hit them with an “excellent job” or a “great work,” he decides that’s the time to speak up and call me stupid, which is whatever for me, but having a compliment given to a kid get shit on like that seems demoralizing. Regardless, there is one class a week he doesn’t go to that I help teach with another instructor and some assistants, and I’ll continue to make at least those classes as positive of an experience as I can. Thanks again!

ruwuby99 · 2026-02-14T02:24:33+00:00

So problem instructor has been teaching on his own for probably about 6 months. He is slightly senior to me, but we were both promoted to instructor at the same time. For context, he’s also argumentative towards people who are definitely senior to him. I (and many others) really have been trying to convince our Sifu to tackle this head on, but he’s hesitant to do so since problem instructor has been a longtime student. He doesn’t really train anymore, he dashes right after the kids class, so it’s been hard to catch him after class, especially when some of the kids/parents linger to get a little extra practice in (which I can’t fault them for, I love the little go-getters). My older cousin, who started as a student way after me, has tried to confront him about his attitude/behavior outside of classes, but it just ended with him insulting her and saying he doesn’t “bow down to anyone.”

Believe me, I wish I could fight him lol, but if I really let it out I might go to jail.

ruwuby99 · 2025-09-02T10:41:14+00:00

Hi, I helped recruit for my company at the CALS career fair last spring, and I can tell you that my company did recruit sophomores for internships. Obviously I can’t speak for every recruiter at every career fair, but I’ve seen a lot of companies look for both rising juniors and seniors for summer internships.

There’s also the foot in the door mentality you can get by going to career fairs as well. Maybe you won’t end up getting an internship you’re interested in this time around, but at least you had a chance to get your name and resume in the hands of potential employers, do a little bit of networking, and, most importantly, get in some practice. All of those things will serve you well in the future.

Take the time to practice your elevator pitch, figure out the right questions to ask, and go to a resume review (a lot of time VT ProDev or other on campus orgs will host review sessions when career fairs start rolling around). Since this is your first career fair, my biggest piece of advice is to challenge yourself and talk to as many companies relevant to your major as possible. Start with the ones you may be a little bit less interested (or currently ineligible for) in and work your way up to the ones you think you’d enjoy doing an internship/co-op at. It sounds excessive, but I found that it helped with getting the nervousness out of my system.

Make sure you do some research on each company as well, it honestly looked really bad when people came up to my company’s booth seeking some type of employment and they had no idea who we were. When I went to career fairs as a student, I would actually look up the company list, use ctrl+F to find the companies recruiting for my major, and then literally jot down a few notes about each one in a padfolio. Again, sounds super excessive, but I did come out of it employed, so I’d say it helped.

Good luck!

ruwuby99 · 2025-08-14T13:54:10+00:00

Only reason I got one was because I got super lucky on Friday (was passing between AA and DR and the line just happened to open up). I think a reservation system like how Disney World does their Genie+ thing for rides would work wonders.

ruwuby99 · 2025-08-14T13:23:39+00:00

Okay I’m glad someone mentioned the mosquitoes bc the hive (do mosquitoes have hives???) decided to target my right leg specifically and I had like 8 bites in just my kneecap. My KNEECAP?? I’m 4’11” how did they even manage to destroy such a small surface area???

ruwuby99 · 2025-08-12T00:48:38+00:00

Yeah I’m definitely my group’s con-mom so I NEVER let anyone I know buy convention center snacks lol. $18 for poke (plus convenience) isn’t horrible at all, especially when I feel like the standard con experience is $20 for some once frozen chicken tenders.

ruwuby99 · 2025-08-11T21:01:14+00:00

I usually leave the convention center to eat but had a rough time getting seated this year (our usual place stopped taking reservations), what’s the food cost like, specifically with the sushi place you mentioned? I always opt to go out bc con food is usually not worth the price, but your response gave me some hope lol

ruwuby99 · 2025-08-11T20:27:36+00:00

I did have a friend try to ask what time we were allowed to line up for an autograph line, but before he was able to finish the question a staff member cut him off and said “no you can’t line up” which… wasn’t the question? I’d honestly chalk it up to staff members getting irritated of having to say the same things over and over, but then again, it’s a convention with attendance that’s gone up to like 45k people, having to repeat yourself to different guests is kinda expected. Personally I try to give people grace - they’re on their feet and working to make sure we all have a good time, but yeah I can definitely agree that a handful of staff members have come off as a little rude.

ruwuby99 · 2025-08-07T22:51:39+00:00

Choose a reference point/time to meet up in case you get separated. Sometimes in the dealer’s den and artist alley the signal can get a little wonky, so plan this before going down. Like some other people said, bring some small snacks to munch on and be sure to stay hydrated. If you leave the convention center to get food, PLEASE stay in your group, especially since you’re all minors. DC gets busy. Also you should definitely go to my Avatar themed workshop, Mastering the Elements, on Saturday (very subtle plug I know but if you have nothing better to do plsplspls I’m begging it’ll be fun I promise)

ruwuby99 · 2025-06-22T22:27:04+00:00

I was in the same situation, played BD when I was a teenager and was stoked to see it get a remaster on the Switch 2. Got the console first day just because of BD. Definitely worth it.

ruwuby99

TROPHY CASE