Tsai-ko Autobiography: las vegas (December 24, 1959 – December 5,
2011)
High School: Meiji Nakano (Tokyo) 1978
Tsai-ko Lunch Size: Larger
Original Tsai-ko caricature: first row, right end
Other: President, Las Vegas Tsai-ko Chapter.
Warrior Beat Blog name(s): las vegas, rasu begasu (English & Japanese fonts), Maryann, Maryanne, Fulavit
From the Warrior Beat blog August 28, 2007:
ST's Intro:
Apparently today's featured reader believes the no-tell rule extends to anyone who uses the "Las Vegas" on-line name.
Las Vegas is a former Hawai‘i resident, former sumo wrestler, former FOF (Friend of Ferd), and current comedian, whose act can be found 'round midnight on this blog.
In an auto-bio that is in contrast to his imposing frame, here's Las Vegas:
He freely and proudly admits to being the blog's resident village idiot.
He thinks he's funnier than he really is.
Due to a yet unnamed disease, he is paralyzed from the ears up with no blood flow to his atrophied, useless brain.
During televised UH football games, his screams, groans and prayers often wake his sleeping wife.
His newest goal in life is to play me in Rich2176's television movie "The S.Tsai story" (working title, Herman and Me)
From HawaiiWarriorBeat.com:
To know me is to love me, even all of my ex wives still talk to me and invite me over for dinner, dogs gravitate towards me as if I were small planet with my own garvitational pull or a large fire hydrant. But I'm also unlucky, been hit by a car in front of the old Kapahulu theatres, thrown off a horse down a cliff in Okinawa, engaged to a sweet Korean lady who slept with a knife under her pillow and died twice on the operating table.
I was born in December 1959, in Kanagawa, Japan, a happy, cute roly poly baby, over the years, I've lost the cute and kept the roly poly part.
As my dad was military, we transferred to many cities, eventually settling in Hawaii, where I was kicked out of both Jefferson and Ala Wai elementary schools for fighting. From there on, I attended Liho Liho, Niu Valley and Kaiser high school.
At the age of 14, I started sumo with the local club, originally it was an outlet to release my pent up energy as I was too big (fat) to play pop warner football and my karate class offered no contact. At Kaiser, I played football, wrestled for two years, until I was approached by Futagoyama Oyakata (Wakanohana I) to join his stable.
Being what could charitably called a lackluster student, I fell for the oyakata's spiel of the great life of a sumotori, with the sake flowing and sweet damsels throwing themselves at your feet. One thing the oyakata failed to mention was the 7 hour practice sessions that started at 4 am all year long. After 5 years with my best ranking in the Makushita division*, I took my broken fingers and toes (11 or 12) loss of hearing, detached retina, broken nose, neck and spine problems and various hyper extended extremities limping home. As a high school drop out opportunities were few, so I received my GED and started school at KCC, where once again I was a terrible student, really only doing well in the Japanese class.
After dropping out, I went to work for several transportation companies, eventually saving enough to buy my own three car limousine fleet that specialized in weddings for Japanese honeymooners. After the first gulf war decimated the honeymoon business, I sold my company and moved to Japan for a few years to assist at a cousins private security company that specialized in keeping Yakuza out of boardroom meetings (go figure). Back in Hawaii, I worked for the largest retail store in Waikiki, reaching my peak level of incompetence as a manager.
I moved to Las Vegas in 1997 and have been here since, working as a limousine driver for one of the mega resorts until my illness left me partially disabled.
I am active in several Japanese/America organizations and often M.C at the Karaoke contests/events.
I have a beautiful wife, a good, SMART son (maybe not mine?) , three sweet dogs and two fairly healthy parents.
What more can a guy want?
Well......13 - 0 would be good.
Big thrill as a kid, watching Larry Price eat a sandwich at Arby's in Hawaii Kai.
BTW when I died on the operating table, no god, no devil, no buddah, no allah, no bright light, just stars, lots of stars
_________________
Go UH! Go Redskins! Go Kaiser! Susume Mei Dai Nakano!
* John's sumo wrestling career info was found by homey: http://sumoreference.com/Rikishi.aspx?r=2148
John Collin's Tsai-ko Contributions:
Tsaiko-Vegas 2007, 2009, and 2011: Click here to view.
Feb 2008 – The First Tsai-ko Karaoke Call: Click here to view.
SteveM's Musing on the first Karaoke Call: http://home.roadrunner.com/~smurashi/tsai-kos/stevemuse.html#karaoke
Feb 2009 –1st Anniversary Tsai-ko Karaoke Call: Click here to view all.
Sep 2010 – 2nd Anniversary Tsai-ko Karaoke Call:
Apr 2011 – 3rd Anniversary Tsai-ko Karaoke Call:
| John
Collins Bonafide Tsai-ko December 24, 1959 – December 5, 2011 Blog names: las vegas, rasu begasu Celebration of Life Gatherings were held at Sato-ya (Las Vegas) and Club Genji in Honolulu |
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