A message from the Brooklyn Monk...

If you enjoy the work Antonio does AKA the Brooklyn Monk then read the following message he has sent out and see if you can help. His work with the Kham people is well worth viewing and makes you realise yet again how fortunate we are in so many ways.

Where’s Antonio Now?
By Antonio Graceffo

Before I answer, let me say, I am now on Twitter with the name,
Brooklynmonk so you can follow me there.

Phnom Penh, doing research on languages, martial arts and minority
religions...till Monday, now in Malaysia, on my way to study in a Hindu
temple and in the Shaolin Temple in Penang.

That is the short answer, which is already pretty long.

But here are a few more details.

First off, I used to send out an email to my friends and family about
every three weeks, to share one of my latest magazine articles or
adventures, or to let people know how I am. But sadly, my email list has
got so large that I can’t manage it anymore. It takes four days to send
out an email update now. So, I have a company in the USA who is taking
over my email list so I can keep sending updates to you, but you have to
sign up for my mailing list on my website www.speakingadventure.com

Now, back to my research.

I was teaching in Vietnam and did a series of videos about Vietnamese
linguistics, which was great. I got a call from an NGO who was willing to
sponsor me to return to Cambodia and do a video series and a book,
documenting all of the martial arts and masters in Cambodia. Most of them
were killed during the Cambodian genocide and the arts almost died out.
So, this was a worthy project, to help document and preserve a cultural
asset.

While I was in Cambodia, I also started documenting the minority religions
and the languages. I produced videos on Cham language, which is spoken by
the descendents of the Kingdom of Champa. It was a project I have wanted
to do for years, and I finally have got started. I also did the first in a
series of videos about the Vietnamese minority religion of Cao Dai. There
is a temple in Phnom Penh, which was a really interesting story. And
finally, I did the first in what I hope will be a long series of videos on
Khmer language.

I spent two months in the field in Cambodia doing this work, but at the
end of the second week, the NGO pulled my funding and went back to New
Zealand. So, I managed to do six more weeks of research out of my own
pocket. Luckily I was hired by a US company to write some chapters of a
book on Chinese linguistics and that got me through.

I was totally broke in Phnom Penh and couldn’t go forward with my
research. The Hindu martial arts masters in Penang, Malaysia invited me to
come study with them and I thought this might be a good break from my
troubles in The Penh (Phnom Penh) and also I have done videos about
Buddhism and Islam and Cao Dai, so this will be my first experience with
Hindu. And, living in a temple is FREE!!!!
With no solid sponsor to support my on going research, I could use some
help. I now have a paypal account on my website, on my facebook, and on
the link below. You can donate as little as $5 to the “Keep Antonio
Filming and Writing Fund.” Or you could donate as mush as 1 million, or
any number in between.

Paypal donation page:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=HQJVMYFGNYX58


I appreciate help if you can. If you can’t, I understand. Either way, I
want to share some stories with you. (This is like singing for your
supper).

Here are some links to some of the more interesting videos I have done in
Cambodia.
By the way you can see all of my videos on my youtube channel
Brooklynmonk1 and you can subscribe to the channel. And don’t forget to
join my mailing list on my website.


ALG Khmer Language Picture Story (Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_PySnNMvLU

Brooklyn Monk in Asia: Cham Language Teacher
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gFJpd077P0

Brooklyn Monk in Asia: Cao Dai, Phnom Penh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMPY_sWCzsE

Martial Arts Odyssey: Paddys Fight Club Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsbiGF71eUI

Martial Arts Odyssey: Khmer Traditional Wrestling (Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnoGRKre5xs



If you can help, thank you so much. If you can’t help, don’t worry about
it. I know things are tough out there. But, either way, please keep
watching and enjoying “Martial Arts Odyssey.”

Il Suo Amico in Asia

Antonio