"I say if you identify yourself as Filipino, who's to say that you're not? I mean sure most of us share commonalities in how we were raised and our views on things, but that doesn't necessarily make it "criteria" - Kristine (not so small talk)
"i been through this my whole life folks always say im not good enough because i am mestizo im not full blooded im not "filipino enough" that type of shit really strikes a nerve with me because no matter what to me you are filipino weather you are half a quarter or weather you can speak the language or not" - Daniel
"Being Filipino shouldn't be about a list of requirements, IE: 1) Speak Tagalog, 2) Eat rice, etc. It should be about the values our parents instilled in us, and the unity that our communities and families provide. You shouldn't give someone shit or call someone a fob if they have an accent, and you shouldn't give someone shit and not call them Filipino if they don't speak Tagalog. " - Lance (the coolest kids in the room)
These quotes i took from the comments section in my previous post had really good points in my opinion. My personal opinion is i am Filipino, American second. I figure my parents are Filipino, therefore i am. I mean my whole life my family has tried their best to instill Filipino traditions/values and the Filipino way of life while trying to balance American ideologies and quite frankly i think they did a good job. I identify as Filipino and no i don't believe that there is a certain criteria you have to follow to be considered filipin@. It's unfortunate that pin@ys from the Philippines don't see us (fil-ams) as FILIPIN@, but rather they see us as Americans and only Americans. As much as it is unfair that they see us as only Americans, we in turn look at them differntly because they aren't from here, what is it? is it because he/she talks with an accent they are different, when in reality, WE should be learning from them. Insead of us detatching ourselves from our "filipinoness" we should be embracing it, love it, be proud of it. The blood of our acestors runs deep within us, their struggles, and their history is apart of OUR lives.
pleeeease pleeease leave comments and opinions i would really love to hear your opinions. i will have a post on my take on these issues later on when i have time.
As im typing this blog, the fact that PRESIDENT OBAMA is our new president is still sinking in. After all the elections, all the campaigns, a candidate that not necessarily looks like me, but definitely someone that probably shared MY experiences, and MY struggles as an american of color is finally a person of power. It's so refreshing to see this happen to our generation, we have a story to be to tell our children,as this day will forever be in our children's history books.
From here on out the number 44 will be connected with the first african-american president of the united states of america, no longer will the number 44 be just another number, or the eventual president, or another channel on your cable tv, but 44 means hope, change, and progress. Yes President Obama has a lot on his shoulders, and Yes we still have to see how he does the next for years, but there is now HOPE for this country, eventual CHANGE will happen in this country weather its good change or bad change, change nonetheless.
As for me, this is probably just the beginning of getting into politics. Only time will tell where i stand for the next presidential election, but as of now, gObama 08!
it's election day, but what if the whole world could vote?
well the whole world can't vote for our country's next president, but here is an interesting website that can do that, although the votes don't count it's still interesting to see what the rest of the world thinks about our presidential candiates. IF THE WORLD COULD VOTE
i think you'll be surprised who the world wants to be our next president. ENJOY!
think about this: in college you have to choose two out of the three:
a.social life b.grades c.sleep
no right or wrong answer, just re-evaluate your life and think for a minute.
my answers: a and b, because i don't want to miss out in life.
Since my last post was an event flyer, let me make it up by posting something with more content, even though no one reads this shit, because maybe some feel like i have nothing interesting to say.
first things first:
the presidential race:
I will take part in the voting, but i feel like i don't have a strong enough reason for who im going to vote for because i haven't really kept up with all thats going on. Not to mention i was never really interested in politics to begin with, until now that i know what will happen WILL affect me, well there's that and the fact that i'm given this "right" to vote, all i wanna say is, WHOEVER is elected president better take us out of this hell hole that you-know-who put us in.
school life: As of now, everything is okay?. Financially im broke, why?, $9 an hour and choosing to work part time (15 - 18 hrs a week) puts me in a place where i actually have to decide between gas and food, gas usually wins. If im lucky ill have a spare $20, but even that isn't enough to get me by. At this rate it'll take me forever to get my books.
I would ask my parents for books but seeing how they filled for bankruptcy not to long ago, and they had to go to the Philippines so my mom can say bye to my grandmother before she passed away, THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL ILL GET MY BOOKS FROM THEM. so i've narrowed my options between these; either apply for a student credit card, or just get by this semester w/o books and make sure my tests and quizzes do it for me. Now the credit card might be better buuuuuuut, seeing how our economy is in a dismal state and with my cash flow running on empty, that would just put me in more debt, and the whole gettin by just on quizzes and tests alone might not be that wise either, because my math professor has already threatened to drop me if i don't start turning in more HW. can you say "pickle".
personal life: Outside of school, life ain't so bad, i mean meetings twice a week (soon to be 3), working monday wednesday friday, bboying twice a week, its not that bad. The only thing is that weekends are the ONLY, i mean ONLY days i can just be out all night, the rest of the days i either have to be in bed by 1 or not go out at all. which in that case i just watch some of my favorite shows online (because my TV broke and i dont have a replacement) like family guy, scrubs, still standing, etc.... I know lame, If im not feeling lazy ill be in the gym.
Being apart of non profit organizations has put my life on a different path. A path i never would have thought of in high school, or even a year ago. As a member of the san deigo zulu nation it's kind of hard to get the idea of being an activist, but getting involved with KAMP and anakbayan we do more within our community not that zulu doesn't do anything, we do what we can as a chapter but because zulu is mostly composed of people with everyday 9 - 5's and college students and the fact that we meet once a month i think it makes it a little hard to be able to do MORE but i'm proud of what we have done. With KAMP i feel like im really making a mark within my community because we as KAMP are able to put ourselves out there to offer our help for the youth, and you know it's pretty cool when you see one of your students and they refer to you as "kuya". Anakbayan on the other hand is this :
"Anakbayan,SD is a comprehensive autonomous National Democratic youth and student organization. We seek to empower the youth and the community in San Diego by the grassroots educating, organizing, and mobilizing of youth to create systemic change. AB,SD seeks to propagate the National Democratic struggle in the Philippines and all principled pro-people’s struggles locally and throughout the world, thereby enhancing the quality of life of Filipin@s and other oppressed peoples nationally—especially the youth and the larger community."
before anakbayan and kamp i never really thought about what it meant to be filipino american in our society. With all i have learned and still to be learned i have a better understanding of womens rights/femininity and homosexuality, i feel like im a different person, a better person, and definitely a more conscious person. The circle of friends that is KAMP and Anakbayan has changed my life forever, being taught lessons i can pass on to my kids and now wanting to be a community leader along with some of my close friends brings fulfillment in my life. I still have a lot to learn and a lot more experiences to go through to earn my keep as a community leader.
everything else: BBOYING - it's going alright, i'm going to go on record to say that IM NOT GOING TO BE AT EVERY PRACTICE, JAM, EVENT, or whatever. I love bboying but its not my life.
Fitness - basketball once a week and dancing twice a week, not too much goin on. I will step it up with the gym soon though.
one question thats never really been answered: where does social change start?
one of many answers: a quote from BAMBU (native guns): "So, to create change and to make a real shift in our society, it's not as difficult as you think. You know what I'm sayin? The process might be slower than you like, but once those series of events begin, especially with yourself, you'll see that the individual becomes a group of individuals. And that group creates the climate for social change. You feel me?
So, you gotta educate yourself. Organize yourself. Recognize that you are not simply one person, but a bunch of strings bound into a rope, you know what I'm sayin? And you could pull yourself out this shit."
Accepting donations, as well as one dollar donation REQUIRED per performer.
Enjoy some good eats and some dope performances!
Kommon Ground Open Mic-provides a safe space for people belonging to different aspects of life in order to build Kommon ground through music, poetry, art and most importantly self expression. As well as building solidarity not only within the filipino community, but building understanding and respect throughout all of San Diego. In order to achieve peace we must be united as one.
0 - 2 at the beginning of the season doesn't usually mean hit the panic button for some teams, but since I live in San Diego, and SD sports (i.e San Diego Padres), have been on a down fall, "fans" start to panic. Now that the chargers are at 2 - 2 I hope all them fair weather fans can stop complaining about the way the chargers have been playing. I say, stop being such a god damn pessimist and believe that the Chargers can get the job done, okay sure the secondary haven't been playing like we're all used to seeing them, but damn they're NOT gonna be a shut down defense ON EVER SINGLE MOTHER FUCKING PLAY!, so get over it. "yeah, I don't know, they haven't been playing to good, it's kinda of disappointing" said one of my classmates last Thursday, It's shit like that, that makes me want to choke a b!@$ch, at this point it was only 3 weeks into the season and the chargers were 0-2 going into the Monday night game against the Jets. I approach every game like this, I don't expect the chargers to score on their opening drive, I don't expect the defense to make a big play in the first quarter, and I sure as hell don't expect a penalty free half, why do you ask? BECAUSE THATS FOOTBALL FOR YOU!. It's kinda frustrating to hear "fucking chargers!!!", then one big play later, "HELL YEAH!!". Okay so this past Sunday's game against the Raiders wasn't the masterpiece that the chargers have produced the past few seasons, and sure it was disappointing to see the pass defense struggle a little, and yeah suuure the offense gave up a safety, but come on now, there are 2 halves in this game called football, you make your adjustments and you hope for the best, and when the second half came around they pulled through, Rivers got his time in the pocket, and LT broke 100 yards, the defense stepped it up like a lot of people wanted to have happen during the first half, and Lt's 4th quarter TD sealed the deal. It's a long season and you have to forget about the last second heartbreaks the first two games of the season.
The chargers are playing the dolphins next week, and just because they were the worst team in the NFL last season, THAT WAS LAST SEASON!, so you kinda have to watch this game not expecting a blowout. Ronnie Brown was a handful for the patriots a week ago, so expect a challenge for the charger defense. Since the dolphins are 26th in the league in pass defense and 10th in run defense expect the chargers to have a good balance of the run game and the passing game. Then again stats are exactly what they are STATS, it's going to be a good game. GO CHARGERS!
Let me start this off by saying this, REAL RECOGNIZE REAL, AND RIGHT NOW SOME PEOPLE ARE LOOKIN KINDA UNFAMILIAR RIGHT NOW.
You heard of fake jewlery, fake shirts, fake sneakers, now fake people. People who you might think are your friends, are prolly not, well more like FRONT like they are then when your back is turned they're talking out of their ass about you. I personally never have experienced this, or at least I don't think I ever had, but this shit does happen, YES EVEN OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL!. That's what I consider all this shit, high school mumbo jumbo, sometimes its to a point where someone will over compensate and even ask you if you're down to do something when in reality homeboy really doesn't want you to.
GET THE FUCK OFF OF YOUR HIGH HORSE AND HANDLE YOUR SHIT LIKE A FUCKING MAN!/WOMAN!, being fake is unnecessary, especially at our age. Either talk to someone about your problem with them or just let it slide, holding grudges is not how you want to live. Before you know it you're losing friends left and right then YOU'RE the one that people are talking about and YOU'RE the one that people are being fake to. I say change your ways and good things will come, keep on your business only bad karma follows. What I'm trying to say is, get over yourself.
on that note, I just want to thank everyone that's been real to me, you should know who you are. I try to be real with everyone in my life, and so far I think ive done a good job, but if ever I come across kinda fake or whatever towards you, please inform me, I willl not get butt hurt it'll just make our relationship that much better
As summer 08 came to a close I thought about how fast it came and went. irvine trips, kamp and anakbayan meetings, open mics, bboy jams, gradutain within the zulu nation sd chapter, and turning 21, this summer was packed! the only complaint I have about this summer is, I wish I had a couple more weeks of summer before school started, but all in all it was a fun summer. This past summer also game me a chance to build relationships with new friends and continue to build with old friends, my relationship my Kristine is better than ever (yes it is possible to feel closer after 5 1/2 years together). Another important thing about this summer was RE.DEF( click the link and all info is on our blog), erwin, jv, and I decided we wanted to get serious with this and really push it, so this summer also consisted of building up our networking and gettin the word out to our friends and family.
Like I said, this summer was filled with a lot of stuff, so much that I cant even remember what happened. Here is my summer in pictures, I don't think i even got all the pictures i wanted for this slid show either..damnit whatever here it is ENJOY!!
before I get this started, I just want to thank you all for the birthday wishes!, IM LEGAL NOW BIATCH!!! hahaha
you know how they say,"you don't know what you've got till its gone", well, today I was listening to Boyz II Men's album entitled "II". It was their second album under motown, and its by far my favorite R&B album, the vocal arrangements in all the songs we're, in my opinion, perfection. "It contained the #1 singles "I'll Make Love To You" and "On Bended Knee", the latter of which replaced the former at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, making the group the third artist to replace themselves at #1 in the US after Elvis Presley and The Beatles and the first to achieve the feat in 30 years"(wikipedia.com). In my opinion boyz ii men pwned the 90's as far as r&b goes. I have posted the album playlist for you all to enjoy. (vibin is one of my faves)
sometimes i feel like i've lost touch with some people, granted im not around all the time because im living several different lives at one time, but it sucks that loosing touch with some people come with the territory, or having that feeling. Call me emo but i miss the way things were before, when i could be like "oh yeah, shes/hes a homie" now its like, "oh, i unno we don't really talk as much or kick it as much", then when i see these people, its almost like i have to put up a front and act like everything is still the way it was. FUCK THAT!
Yes yes ya'll it's another music update, but its not hip hop, :-O, i know i know, shocking. This music update shouldn't be much of a surprise for some of you.
ALBUM: Light Grenades
BAND: INCUBUS
As you're listening to the snippets of the tracks on the playlist, you might notice something a little different. The album is somewhat of a slower pace, then again, every incubus album doesn't sound like the last. I had the chance to finally listen to the WHOLE album while I was working, again, and I thought that maybe I should share this with ya'll. If you get the chance or when you get the chance search for the acoustic version of "anna molly".
oh yeah before I forget:
please come out and show your support, it will be a fun day i promise. for more info visit: www.myspace.com/anakbayansd
and be on the look out for another open mic event held by none other than, Anakbayan san diego at green tea house in clairmont, flyer is coming soon!...
One of my cousins a few weeks ago said, "It's pretty dope that you still support him", he had said this after I mentioned that I wanted to get an authentic Trevor Hoffman jersey. Yeah I still support him, how can I not?, ever since I was a kid watching Hoffy on the mound was probably the one thing, aside from watching Tony Gwynn (hall of fame) swing the bat, that I looked forward to when watching a padre game, especially at the park. Maybe he IS at the end of career, or maybe JUST MAYBE he might have one more season left in him. Whether he retires soon or not ill always be a fan of "mr. padre #2" hahaha.
that is all, just a quick post before I ball at the rec, peace
background: Kristine sent me this post on some gossip thing vibe magazine 15 greatest verses. after reading these i thought, maybe i could post some of MY favorite verses.
1. song: what they do by: the roots
"Lost generation, fast paced nation World population confront they frustration The principles of true hip-hop have been forsaken It's all contractual and about money makin Pretend-to-be cats don't seem to know they limitation Exact replication and false representation You wanna be a man, then stand your own To MC requires skills, I demand some shown I let the frauds keep frontin And roam like a celluar phone far from home Givin crowds what they wantin Offical hip-hop consumption, the 5th thumpin Keepin ya party jumpin with an original somethin Yo, I dedicate this to the one dimension-al No imagination, excuse for perpetration My man came over and said, "Yo we thought we heard you" Joke's on you; you heard a bitin-ass crew but um.."
as a new jack, learning the hip hop culture was hard to come by when you had no one guiding you. Then I was introduced to The Roots by my cousin, and it was when i heard this song i started to understand what hip hop meant, sorta.
2. song: microphone fiend by: eric b and rakim
"I was a fiend before I became a teen I melted microphone instead of cones of ice cream Music orientated so when hip-hop was originated Fitted like pieces of puzzles, complicated 'Cause I grabbed the mic and try to say, " Yes y'all!" They tried to take it, and say that I'm too small Cool, 'Cause I don't get upset I kick a hole in the speaker, pull the plug, then I jet Back to the lab ...without a mic to grab So then I add all the rhymes I had One after the other one, then I make another one To dis the opposite then ask if the brother's done I get a craving like I fiend for nicotine But I don't need a cigarette, know what I mean? I'm raging, ripping up the stage and Don't it sound amazing 'cause every rhyme is made and Thought of, Cuz it's sort of...an addiction, Magnatized by the mixing Vocals, vocabulary, your verses, you're stuck in The mic is a drano, volcanoes erupting, Rhymes overflowing, gradually growing Everything is written in the cold, so it can coin- cide, my thoughts to guide, 48 tracks to slide The invincible, microphone fiend Rakim Spread the word, 'cause I'm in E-F-F-E-C-T A smooth operator operating correctly, But back to the problem, I gotta habit, You can't solve it, silly rabbit The prescription is a hypertone that's thorough when I fiend for a microphone like herion Soon as the bass kicks, I need a fix Gimme a stage and a mic and a mix And I'll put you in a mood or is it a state of unawareness? Beware, it's the reanamator! A menace to a microphone, a lethal weapon An assasinator, if the people ain't stepping You see a part of me that you never seen When I'm fiending for a microphone, I'm the microphone fiend..."
this is, and will always be on top of my list as one of my favorite verses, why?. listen to the track, rakim's flow on that verse is just sick, real cool, calm and collected, mos definitely one of smoothest when it comes to rockin the M-I-C.
3. song: keep ya head up BY: 2pac (rip)
"...You know it's funny when it rains it pours They got money for wars, but can't feed the poor Say there ain't no hope for the youth and the truth is it ain't no hope for tha future And then they wonder why we crazy I blame my mother, for turning my brother into a crack baby We ain't meant to survive, cause it's a setup And even though you're fed up Huh, ya got to keep your head up"
okay okay, so it wasn't the whole verse, i might as well had put the whole damn song on here but, this is a blog about my favorite verses, so ill stick with the theme. Truth is, this song is one of my faves from Mr. shakur, this track and "me against the world".
4. song:Sound of da police By: KRS-one
"Now here's a likkle truth Open up your eye While you're checking out the boom-bap, check the exercise Take the word "overseer," like a sample Repeat it very quickly in a crew for example Overseer Overseer Overseer Overseer Officer, Officer, Officer, Officer! Yeah, officer from overseer You need a little clarity? Check the similarity! The overseer rode around the plantation The officer is off patroling all the nation The overseer could stop you what you're doing The officer will pull you over just when he's pursuing The overseer had the right to get ill And if you fought back, the overseer had the right to kill The officer has the right to arrest And if you fight back they put a hole in your chest! (Woop!) They both ride horses After 400 years, I've _got_ no choices! The police them have a little gun So when I'm on the streets, I walk around with a bigger one (Woop-woop!) I hear it all day Just so they can run the light and be upon their way"
why? because KRS-one is just the fuckin man, if you don't agree, then i think you'll agree he can take on ANYONE in a freestyle battle. KRS-ONE IS THE FUCKIN MAN!, the n****a got longevity man.
5. song: Set it off By: Big daddy kane
"Let it roll, get bold, I just can't hold Back, or fold cos I'm a man with soul In control and effect, so what the heck Rock the discotheques and this groove is what's next Attack, react, exact, the mack'll move you with A strong song, as long as you groove to this I keep the crowd loud when you're hype Do damage onstage and injure the mic As I shoot the gift MC's stand stiff While my rhymes stick to you like Skippy and Jif Feel my blood fist, or my death kiss The rap soloist, you don't want none of this Supreme in this era, I reign with terror When I grab the mic believe you're gonna hear a Fascinatin' rhyme as I enchant them So let's all sing the Big Daddy anthem Go with the flow, my rhymes grow like an afro I entertain again and Kane'll never have no Problem, I can sneeze, sniffle and cough E-e-e-even if I stutter Imma still come off Cos rappers can't understand the mics I rip They sure enough ain't equipped, that's why they got flipped But my apparatus is up to status Don't ask who's the baddest, of course that is The maker, breaker, taker, my rhymes ache the head Put it to bed, so watch what is said Save the bass for the pipe and rearrange your tone Or take a loss and be forced in the danger zone Cos I get ill and kill at will Teachin a skill that's real, you're no frill So just stand still and chill as I build Science I drill until my rhymes fill Your head up...don't even get up The teacher is teachin', so just shut up"
listen to the track, it just screams 1988. the track is fire, and his flow is fire on this track, if you ever want me to just break out of no where, put this song on and ill do it, haha.
6. song: RE:definition by: BLACK STAR (MOS DEF & TALIB KWELI)
[Mos Def] "What, lyrically handsome, call collect a king's ransom Jams I write soon become the ghetto anthem Way out like Bruce Wayne's mansion, move like a phantom You'll talk about me to your grandsons Cats who claimin they hard be mad fag so I run through em like, flood water through sandbags Competition is mad, what I got, they can't have Sinkin they ship, like Moby Dick, did Ahab Son I'm way past the minimum, it's a verb millenium My rap's hold a gat to your back, like Palestinians Ancient Abyssinia, sure to hold the Gideon Official b-boy gentlemen, long term, never the interim Born inside the winter wind, day after December 10 These simpletons they mentionin the synonym for feminine Sweeter than some cinnamon from Danish rings by Entenmann's Rush up on adrenaline, they get they asses sent to them (Gentlemen) you got a tenement, well then assemble it! Leave your unit tremblin like herds of movin elephant Intelligent embellishment, follow for your element from Flatbush settlement, skin posseses melanin Hotter than tales of crack peddlin, makin em WOOP like blue gelatin, swing like Duke Ellington Broader than Barrington Levy, believe me The hot oppresion rent who burn down your chief teepee You see me?"
I WANT A BLACK STAR REUNION!!!
7. song: Da graveyard by: Big L (RIP) f/ Lord Finesse, Mic Nut, Jay-Z, Party Arty, Y.U.
Jay-Z: "The way I rock No way you could stop I shock pop and drop when Jay gets hot When I'm in the zone better hold ya own Cause I like to break when I finish a poem Pound for p-p-pound the best around No way you can get up when I get down I shake rattle and roll and wreck shit like none And beat a niggas ass half silly on da one Fuckin' A fuckin' Jay ill with skill So ladies step up I get around like a wheel I'm never chokin' off chronic skills are bonic Bitches will treat me like Onyx Respect that I'll peel a punks cap back and sign it Creep through your block fuck a glock I step Through your neighborhood armed with nothing but a rep I'm giving these ladies something they can feel cause I'm real Ya man get outta line and it's kill kill kill"
yeah yeah yeah, thats right, a Jay-z verse. HE KILLED IT ON THIS TRACK, this was before his rocafella thing, and reasonable doubt. fuck it, the whole "lifestylez of the poor and dangerous" album is ill, thank you ray for introducing me to BIG L(rip)
8. song: G.O.D (gaining ones definition) by: common f/ cee-lo
"As a child, given religion with no answer to why Just told believe in Jesus cuz for me he did die Curiosity killed the catechism Understanding and wisdom became the rhythm that I played to And became a slave to master self A rich man is one with knowledge, happiness and his health My mind had dealt with the books of Zen, Tao the lessons Koran and the Bible, to me they all vital And got truth within 'em, gotta read them boys You just can't skim 'em, different branches of belief But one root that stem 'em, but people of the venom try to trim 'em And use religion as an emblem When it should be a natural way of life Who am I or they to say to whom you pray ain't right That's who got you doin right and got you this far Whether you say "in Jesus name" or "Al hum du'Allah" Long as you know it's a bein' that's supreme to you You let that show towards others in the things you do Cuz when the trumpets blowin, 24 elders surround the throne Only 144,000 gon get home"
i could loop this song all day and wouldnt get tired of it. just listen to it.
9. song: The Honerable By: Little Brother f/ Chaundon
[Chaundon] "I ain't both of us but I can smell your feminine flagrance So foul, rappers started callin me flagrant Bein South dog is my duty And I agree with Teddy Riley, when you on the mic I see booty All your TV sounds obsolete Why would I need BET when I got hits on the street? Fuck who I offend when I say this Cause your name show the first with an asterisk on Wendy Willaims gay list You're so wack I can't stand it Your rap book is holdin onto more junk than Fred G. Stanford You nicer than me? Nigga please You can battle like samurai and still take an L in Japanese If my name's in your mouth, every time the wind blows I toss your Microsoft ass out of ninety-eight windows Tough talk niggas be scared on the low Every time I come around they speak in binary codes Got em wishin all day that I disappear Cause I keep startin new shit like freshman air I'm about to climb the charts like "Pardon me dogs" I keep motherfuckers jumpin like lottery boards motherfucker..."
The chittlin circuit 1.5, is an ill album, but this verse for some reason stuck out to me. peep the track, the honerable on the chittlin circuit 1.5 album
DISCLAIMER: this blog is not to offend anyone, im not trying to call anyone out. Its just me mearly venting out my thoughts of the past week or so. I apologize if any of this changes your attitude towards me in anyway. thank you and god bless.
so i've some things on my mind lately, mainly because I was confronted with why I hanven't been to any bboy jams lately. This particular problem of me not showing up to jams has been an on going issue since my senior year of high school, "why don't you come to jams anymore?","i heard you stopped bboyin?","where you been man, I haven't seen you at practices or jams in a while?"," what hes actually here at practice?", all of these questions were pretty common in 2004 - june of 2005, and now 3 years later it's being brought up again. What I don't understand is why are people EVEN saying those things. Don't get me wrong, i appreciate the fact that people want me around and all but just like a lot of you, I too have a life outside of HIP-HOP.
2004 - 2005 was my senior year of high school and during the 3 years before that i fucked up big time, meaning, I didn't have all my credits for my senior year. Senior year became my "stop the bullshit and get serious or else youre not fucking graduating because you lollygaged your way into senior year" year, so thats exsactly what I did, bboying was put to the side, and I got serious with school, that and wanting to live up my last high school year. I got more involved with FIl-am and started airbands with my group of my friends, we wanted to go "all out" for our last year of high school, and why not? right? I figured you're only a senior once in your life, so why the fuck not?. I know bboying will be there no matter what, and I was just hoping that everyone would understand that, apparently not. So there I was MY senior year, trying to get through it and graduate while being involved with fil-am and being vice-president, co-choreographer, and co-director of our airband group, and i'm gettins shit from people because im not going to jams or im not practicing anymore. I honestly thought we were past that.
Fast forward a few years later and now im a full-time college student working part time, and now im involved with three non-profit orginizations. I'm pretty damn proud that i'm doing other things other than bboyin. Sure it's great that im known as a bboy/dancer, its great i love it, but I want to do other things, bigger and better things. I, as a man, want to put MY mark here in SD, i'm not gonna do that bboyin. Lets be real here, yes bboyin is an outlet for some people, yes bboyin is a dance artform that is respected, but it doesnt give me the fulfillment I get when im giving back to my community. So now that i've started doing more things in my life the questions come up agian, "ey why weren't you at the jam?", "where you been, i havent seen you at practice for in a while?". Okay so maybe there aren't as many questions, but still the issue of me not being somewhere because I DON'T WANT TO or i just can't. one thing that does bother me is this "man, raf just bboys for fun", EXCUSE ME?!?!, if im not doing it FOR fun then what the fuck am I doing it for. I got into bboying because it IS fun, and therefore im doing it for fun and i never want to lose sight of that. Fun for me may mean something totally differnt from another bboy but if youre not doing it for fun then, i feel, youre not doing it for the right reasons. "bboying isn't a high priority for him", yeah, it isn't, why should it be, i still have family, friends, work, and other things goin on in my life that bboying just isn't ALWAYS a top priority. Im sorry but thats the truth, i really hope all of you can understand this, especially those that are in the same circle as me in the san diego hip hop scene.
I hope i dont sound like a selfish bitch right now, but im so sick and tired of being questioned when i've repeatedly said that i have other this in my life that i do. just dont question me, my commitment to my crew, and my love for the dance. Family, friends, kristine, bboying, my crew, are all important aspects in my life, and ive tried so hard to balance all of those things. I dont wanna lose sight of childhood friends, i dont wanna lose my relationship with my family, i especially dont wanna lose touch with my crew and Kristine, so if im not out at a jam or at practice just understand and think to yourself, "oh hes prolly doin his thing, he doesnt have to be here all the time".
thank you for reading, and again i apologize if this changes your attitude towards me. This is just me, being grown. im not 15 anymore im 21 this year, i have my own mind and my own agenda and my own responsibilities that i will handle MY way NOT anyone elses. peace
since school ended on may 20th I haven't really done anything but chill and relax. I took a break from bboyin (kinda) and the gym. I find myself gettin in to summer mode a lil slower than I used to, but hey thats what happens when you're hella busy right?. Now that i'm on summer vacation I can focus a lot of my time on friends, family, redef, SWIFT WIZARDS CREW, and of course Kristine, assuming this summer isn't a dud like last year, this summer is gonna be dope. Why? because me a few other friends will finally be 21, and we'll be able to go hang out with all you old fucks!, LOL. Summer vacion doesn't mean all fun and games for me, it also means working full time, working full time to be able to pay off my mom, and people I owe, and to have money to spend, because I hardly had any money this new year for myself till tax returns and supplemental checks, everything else was used to pay my car insurance and whatever else I pay a monthly on. so with that said summer plans are:
- more time at the gym - more bboy sessions - more swift wizards chill time - more $$$$ - get contact lenses (maybe) - plastic frame glasses, because if im gonna have contact lenses, why not? - more irvine trips - get to know KAMP and Anakbayan members more? - GET THIS RE.DEF SHIT OFF AND POPPIN!!! - loose weight! - DIET, DIET, DIET!
other things goin on this summer are trips to vegas?,LA, and kamp retreat
p.s: i promise the next post will be more interesting, i only posted because its been forever and a day since i posted somn on here
Posting something that I find inspirational, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s sermon on the Drum Major Instinct, thanks to Dex Digital of www.mixtapeshow.net. I think it's crazy how his sermon still is relevant till this day. Listen, learn, let it simmer in your brain and eat it up. Go and find some peace of mind, and a sense of self, peace and love - swift wizard rawfiki
jabbawockeez are ILL, they literally revolutionalized the way teams dance here.Since their debut in 2003, teams have either copied their style, or in the "sop boys" case they have stolen whole performances. Them winning mtvs ABDC is well deserved, and the attention and popularity that they are getting is well over-due. I'm a jabba fan, been one since 03, and its cool knowing that a few of them are friends of mine, so its kind of weird when i see pics of them on peoples myspace, or blogs, and then i start to thinking, "where the hell were you when they werent on TV?", "I mean sure youre not familiar with the dance scene here in SD, but its SD everyone has a friend thats a dancer, and every dancer in SD knows the jabbawockeez, and you mean to say that youve NEVER head of them till MTV came around with this damn show?". Say what you want about me right now, im just saying, everything thats happening to them is DOPE and i would LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!! to be where they are right now, but damn did it really take Mtv for them to get noticed by people outside of the dance community?, i unno im just venting, but its finally nice to see that some dancers, especially the jabbawockeez, are gettin well deserved respect and praise for what they do.
here are all 4 parts of their 4 part story and some: 2003
why am I blogging instead of working on my essay for my english class? maybe because i have more interest in writing this.
Eversince I got my laptop ive actually spent all my time in my room. I only come out for food or if i have to use the bathroom, with the acception of going to work, school, and bboy practice. I'm surprised how a laptop and a workstation can change my room, for instance, My room hasn't been this comfortable since we moved to this house 6 years ago. Since then my room has always just a place to sleep, listen to music, watch TV, now that ive got this laptop and the whole workstation set up in my room, its become more like a ROOM. What im trying to say is that im not ashamed of my room, if you knew me since back in the day you know that i never let anyone really go into my room. My room has been a place for me to just kick back watch the padres go online and just be comfortable.
this summer in my room: - padre games - video editing - online shit - x-tra medium bloggage - RE.DEF bloggage (yes we decided to keep the name)
just watned to write this because ive just noticed that im in here a lot, i mean A LOT!
now that ive gotten that off my mind
just be on the look out for a video diary for i will be attending the padres v. astros game thrusday afternoon with re.def's erwin and homegirl rie.
i would also like to add:
wow these past 4 weeks have been like hell for me exams and midterm galore, i seriously have never been so excited to go to sleep.
ahh whatever im just sittin her watching the padres game.
Easter marks the end of Lent, which means ill be able to buy clothes again!. im still going to not eat after 9 PM, because it actually worked out really good for me believe it or not. I hardly ever drink but, im still on this loosing weight tip so alcohol for me will be at a minum. On a lighter note, easter means ill be able to purchase these :-D:
LIDS
I've been waiting for a really dope SD hat to come out, THANK YOU to whoever came up with this idea!
illest filipino 2tone THANK YOU HATCLUB!!
say what you want, it looks just like the MIRA MESA logo so whatever ill just have to do somn about the michigan on the back of the hat.
KICKS
BALCK & White pro keds, i've wanted these for some time actually. Just some shoes to really bboy in. I dont really wanna use my suedes anymore, lol.
the KB II zoom, i can use them at the gym and to play ball in (indoor of course)
the Jordan Flight 23, just some really dope casual shoes
JERSEYS
Kobe Bryant sunday white home jersey, why you ask? because ive been a kobe fan since he came into the league
blue padres jersey, to match the jacket Kristine<3 got for me as an anniversary gift
other than these ill be buying shorts, pants, blank shirts, and new "SWIFT WIZARDS CREW" t-shirts. Its bboy season for me!
When im not listening to MY playslist I love listening to some of the latest podcasts of my interest. This past week my homie erwin had me listening to MIKE RIZZY's podcasts. Trust me, his shit is ill, its been a while since I heard some of the stuff he has on his podcasts. My personal favorites are the "suspended from the old school" and "rizzy's house party". Right now he has about 20 up. Here I uploaded the two mixes. ENJOY!
if you look off to the right of my blog you will notice that i have just added a couple things; links to other blogs, and a news feed. Why a news feed? because its important to know whats up! haha
Dirty jobs, Mythbuster, Shark week, Walking with dinosaurs and now..
Human Body: Pushing The Limits..
This is an amazing show. Sundays's episodes was about strenth and sight, I found Strength to be the most interesting, because after the show I felt like such a pussy for all those times I said "I can't","I'm tired", "It's too hard", but fuck all of that, from now on i will think about this episode and use it as motivation. I've always thought the human body was interesting, and ive always been curious to exsactly how much our bodies can withstand. If you ever get the chance to watch this show, do it. Sundays at 9 PM pacific on the discovery channel. Here is a clip from the "strength" episode. (next week they will be explaining how dreams work)
I usually listen to my ipod while im at work, working, and i just pick an album, usually one i rarely listen to all the way. I knew that "like water for chocolate" by common was a good album but i never had the time to really listen to it and fully take it in, if you don't have it, peep the songs here(my personal favorite on the album in the first track on the play list. ENJOY!
i figured why not? right?, instead of myspace blog (where its so damn hard to even realize that a blog was posted till someone posts a bulletin about it). Here I will have entries anywhere from venting to just random (fun) facts or videos. It is 2:30 in the morning and i need to go to bed. peace and god bless
