I was living under a desk in West Hollywood. It was a closet that I shared with another comic. I was shocked when they called me to come in to try out for the show. The chances of me getting on a TV show and winning it is like one-in-a-million. I had only been doing comedy for six years at that point, so I was basically considered an open mic-er or maybe a feature act once in awhile.

Us Asians look like we're twenty until we're fifty. Once we're fifty, we look like Yoda.

It's a constant battle between what your heart tells you, and what your brain tells you.

When you grow up poor, you have to either work really hard to try and get where you want to be, or you'll just stay put.

I did whatever it takes to do stand-up. There is an abundance of material in struggling and poverty and trying to make it. There is so much humor in that, it's unlimited.

I was doing gigs to stay alive. I worked two or three jobs at a time, there were times when I stayed up for 36 hours straight. I slept in shopping mall parking lots. A stand-up gig paid $35; then I could eat for another few days until the next gig. Literally, I was performing to live.

We want to be seen as more than just martial artists, or bad stereotype token roles in American TV and movies.