Popper: "Breakdancers are lame" Hah!

Yesterday, a beginner popper guy told me "breakdancers are lame" cuz I wouldn't break in public. He wanted me to dance and make a circle at the crowded (and sticky) Masquerade dancefloor like some sort of tool. No thanks! Maybe if I had only been dancing a few years, and was still in high school... but I had just come from the jam, I don't wanna break, I wanna chill. He was the lame one to me. I saw him bothering the girls too, even pushing one out of the way to try to make me dance... smh... He tried to get on the girls but failed. I don't think dancers like that are good for the community at large.

On the positive side, DJ Roonie G was spinning some cool stuff, he looked like a 90s Asian Raver turned DJ. He even sang and rocked the crowd. Good for him.

Anyway, they had a jam yesterday in New Orleans, an All-Styles/Popping tournament (group of us went to Masquerade/Harrah's after the jam). People from Houston, Mississippi, Alabama, Baton Rouge came through. I judged All-Styles and did a showcase. Here it is:

11+ years in the game and I still feel like I held back.

Wish we could done more rounds, I got new ish...

Overall, the vibes were good at the jam. Modest turnout. Great dance talent, it was cool to see a popping jam... not a lot of bboys came through, just a handful. I had fun though. Big ups to Baylor aka the TalkBox, for throwing the jam. Enjoy the clip.

Photo Journal: Home-made Fish Tacos!

I'll probably never publish a cookbook in my lifetime. But if I were to, it might look like this:

I cooked up some fish (which is normal) then turned them into fish tacos (which is new, for me). I'll show you how. It's Eeasy!

Ingredients:
-Cooking oil (I used olive)
-Pre-chopped onions
-Pre-minced garlic
-Spinach leaves
-Red/Black pepper
-Garlic Salt
-Any other seasonings you want (I used Tony Chachare's and cayenne pepper)
-Any fish you want (I used tilapia)

-1 egg (optional)
-Tortillas
-Leftover rice

Mostly basic stuff. I don't have tomato, but that could work too.
So let's get started!!


Step 1. Pour oil radially in a golden ratio shape to ensure best distribution on the frying pan.

2. Throw some pre-chopped onions on there.
Tip: I chop up 1-2 onions at some time in the past I don't even remember,
then keep them ziplocked in my fridge for easy access.

3. Add pre-minced garlic and some salt and pepper.

4. Lay some spinach leaves on top.

5. Then put the fish on top of the bed of spinach, and season the fish!
I put cayenne and Tony Chachare's, and the garlic salt and red/black pepper.
Let the fish cook for however long feels right.

6. Flip the fish when it's ready. This was 2/3rds the way through my flips.
I regret not taking the picture of all the fish post-seasoned but pre-flipped. It was a delicious sight.

7. Once the fish are flipped, let the other side cook.

 Starting to look good!

8. Meanwhile, season the white side.
I also split each of the 3 fish into 6 half-fishes. Better sized for tacos.

9. Flip them again and now it's beautifully seared.

Fish cooked! That's it. Move them elsewhere.

Then....

Split an egg up.

Throw some leftover rice on it.

I noticed the rice was starting to dry, so I added water. 
I season the rice with Tony Chachare's too.

Heat up the tortillas!

Find some leftover sauces.

Fish.

Served!

Don't forget to have a drink. Stay hydrated.

haha what's it look like?

Fire sauce.

My last and most delicious taco.

Enough for future eats!

So all's well that ends well.

I've been saving some money cooking and eating in this past month (August 2014). I learned a thing or two about cooking too. And I used to be terrible at cooking. It goes to show that anything can be learned for those who are willing to learn and practice. Then it can be transformed and personalized into your own.

Rather be tried by 12 than carried by 6

Rather be tried by 12 than carried by 6. That's the mindstate from East Flatbush Projects.

Independence Day... celebrate being single??

Happy Day of Independence,
I am... watchin the pen dance...
Just getting my write on.
Using my left and my right arm.
Right on.

Just having some pun to start my day.
Goodness, I've been on vacation from this blog! Summer started over a month ago for me, and I've been spending time with the girl, with the family, and back in Cali. Summer Break for teachers is lovely, I don't feel tied down by work; I got no strings!

So Independence Day...usually associated with the Declaration of Independence, 1776, America's separation from the British Crown, and fireworks (cuz they sound like bombs bursting in air?).

Sometimes associated with alien attacks

That's cool, but the day got me thinking about independent people that I know, and how we should celebrate them as well. We should celebrate the free-thinkers, the creatives, the artists, the entrepreneurs, the (r)evolutionaries, those who initiate their own projects and are unafraid to walk alone. And, saving the best for last, the SINGLE people!

Being single is the definition of independence. Untethered, like a slave liberated. Like a dog off its leash. Not having to shoulder other people's burden. I haven't been single in a while, but it was those days when I was single (2008-2009ish) that I made a lot of changes in my life; I got my personal shit together, and I was able to learn more about myself.

This is me when I was single. aka, Tom in his Prime.

Single years are transformative! Whether it transforms a person positively or negatively is up to them.

It wasn't from some class or book (though classes and books certainly guided me in the right direction*), but it was from that self-knowledge, uncovered from being independent and single, that I strengthened my sense of self, my belief in my own gifts. I saw my potential to elevate BEFORE stepping on the elevator. I perceived my ability to climb, from the bottom of the mountain. And I love my life now. Still growing and trying to change up my routine so I don't stagnate. The past year in New Orleans has definitely been a good change and a move up. And even though I was still with my gf, we were 2000+ miles apart and I spent a lot of time alone, which is valuable. I look forward to more of that.

It's not easy being single/independent, but it's not good being stagnant. In fact, stagnant water stinks.

On the topic of independence, is also the topic of dependence. What are you dependent on? Whether it is a person, an object, an organization, or a substance... Can you free yourself from that dependence?

Sometimes, I think spending too much time with OTHER PEOPLE can hinder my productivity and inclination to create and write. I've been out so much, on this summer vacation, that I totally neglected my blog, my website, and other projects that I have to do. I've still be journalizing though, and writing when the inspiration hits.

But still, this is a day to celebrate INDEPENDENCE! Freedom!

Don't feel held back by your shackles, whatever those may be.

I'm reminded of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who wrote in her essay, "The Solitude of Self," about the solitude and uniqueness of each person. You are special and should not allow yourself to be held down by invisible chains or glass ceilings.


Independence Day: A great day to break up with your domineering boyfriend/girlfriend.


*Classes that helped me from 2008-2009:
History of Southeast Asia
History of Vietnam
History of Hip Hop Dances
American Intellectual History
History of Science
History of Religions
America in the 1960s
History of Social Change

Books that helped me from 2008-2009:
Chang, Jeff. Can't Stop Won't Stop.
Asante, MK. It's Bigger Than Hip Hop.
RZA. The Wu-Tang Manual.
Miyakawa, Felicia. Five Percenter Rap.

My previous post was not an implicit nod at smoking herb

I'm aware it was a "420" post, and I said explicitly DO NOT SMOKE SYNTHETIC WEED, and then I proceeded to describe how spice is basically catnip and twigs sprayed in chemicals.... without mentioning anything about weed/herb/ganja/marijuana/cannabis.


So there's an implication that can be made there... UNLESS I explicitly address that implication!


So.... NO, by saying DON'T SMOKE SPICE, I am NOT implying GO SMOKE WEED.


In fact, I usually don't think it's good to smoke weed! NOT THESE DAYS! More important things to handle! My days for that stuff been fading... no pun intended, they just happUN. ha ha ha. I still prefer it over alcohol, for relaxing and reflecting, but I got bigger priorities now than I did before, so very little time to waste.

To weed defenders:
So what if it's natural? What's more natural is our childhood physical state, pristine, unspoiled, and undisturbed by the physical nature of reality. Reality, by the way, is not limited to the physical, but that's another story altogether. I'm trying to get back to my younger, virginal self.

So what if there's no tobacco or nicotine? It still burns and leaves tars and resins in a smokers body!

So what if it's not chemically addictive? It's psychologically addictive, and that can be just as bad! I would know, I've been! I kinda still am! It's a struggle for me still. What keeps me sober is my gf... and my mom... and the thought of my future children.

Truth is, weed damages. Socially, financially, physically, emotionally, and psychologically. And professionally. I could write at least a paragraph on each of those points, but the essay's not worth the effort (essayer means "to try" in French, right?).

I've seen weed damage minds, bboys, careers, health in people I know... some are just lookin not healthy!

Now I say "usually" I don't think it's good, because I found some things that it IS good for.
All of which you can do fine on your own without it, so go do that.


I should note that I'm a very functional partaker. Meaning I prefer to do stuff, or create stuff, while some prefer to watch TV, eat, or do nothing. That's not for me. I like to be active. I don't like to call myself smart, but mathematically, I could say I'm probably on the above average side of intelligence... maybe a standard deviation or two above the median. I've been driven, hungry for knowledge, and well-educated, so my experience with the stuff is REALLY different from people on the other end of the spectrum.

There are a lot of dumb smokers out there. They're not reading this though, cuz I know my audience is smarter than that. But I bet a "high" number of weed-smokers would not be even able to spell "cannabis" properly without a spellchecker.

If you need tutoring, hit me up.


Damn, 2 weed-related blog posts in a row.. Mostly anti- though, so I probably won't get fired from my job. Kids... don't smoke! Drink tea, caffeine, and derive inspiration from the earthen nature, space, family, and the simple beauties of the universe.

Don't Smoke Legal/Synthetic Weed! 4/20

Legal weed is bad!

What's THAT??
It's also known as Synthetic Weed, Spice, spices, herbal incense, has a lot of fancy names, Head Trip, ... you can get it at smoke shops in California if you're over 18. And it's DANGEROUS!

People overdose and go to the hospital from it.



The reason this topic came up is because.... I have a cat, here in New Orleans. Really nice pussycat. And I went to buy some catnip, thinking he'd enjoy it. PetCo ran out of ordinary catnip, so I bought the higher-grade organic stuff. $5 for a nice bag. Cuz Cats love catnip, I learned from National Geographic... But I was looking at my bag of catnip... and it looks JUST LIKE THAT LEGAL WEED I BOUGHT FROM THE STORE on NEWPORT BLVD off the 55!!

They just spray that shit with chemical (JWH-###) and it burns easily, so it makes for easy "Herbal Incense."

Dammit! I knew it. Shit is poison. Catnip combusts easily, but you're not supposed to smoke it.

It's not NORMAL weed. It's not natural. There's no THC. It's some flammable shit that they spray a chemical on. It's some shit called JWH-number-number. Not safe. People have overdosed and had terrible experiences. Only a little bit gets you as high as a lot of weed. And when people with high weed tolerances smoke spice/herbal incense/JWH in large amounts, they pass out! They get owned!

Why do people smoke it?

It doesn't show up on drug tests, though I think the drug test facilities are catching on.

I knew when I tried it, the stuff is terrible for you!

Turned out I was right:

CNN: Synthetic Drug Raid Reveals Scary Reality


Happy 420. Play safe.

Great. Another poor representation of my dancing got popular.

So first it was the "breaking teachers are everywhere" (nutcrackers) video, which had no real dancing.
Then my power trailer, which really didn't have any dancing.
Then this shuffle video, and I don't even shuffle.

That, to me, is mad silly.
I'm flabbergasted.
In fact, I'm quite bewildered. 
Life is funnyweird.

Why doesn't this happen with what I consider my 'GOOD footage'?
-Like this July 10, 2012 session
-Or this November 2011 session
-And this November 2012 session

Why does this happen with what I consider 'EASY footage'?

"But Tom, it doesn't look easy to me," one might say.
I know, but it IS easy, you just need to practice.

I'm from the pre-YouTube era of animated GIFs and text guides

Windmills are pretty easy, you just have to put in a little time and work to learn it.
Shuffling is super easy. I used to hate on that style, but there's no sense in hating now. I'll still battle any shuffler though.

The more difficult part (see above links, under "GOOD footage"), which I think goes under-appreciated, is the freestyling aspect, and the intricate, creative, musical, and expressive stuff. That aspect of dancing is way cooler to me, compared to a flare>windmill>nutcracker. Basic combo.

I prefer to just dance to my heart's content.
That's what I learned to prefer over my 11 years of doing this.

Closing Points
My videos that catch on more popularly are poor representations of my dance... basic power, nothing unexpected... shuffling...simple, easy... Is that the price of mass appeal? I prefer the real shit, but the "real shit" doesn't catch as much attention.

Unless it's live. Then it's really crazy and nasty. Especially powerful styles. Dancing is best when it's live and in action, not on video or GIF or text. Not even on a performance stage.

If you're in "the scene," stay there. The world needs you.
If you're not in the scene, come to a jam! Cop some merchandise. Support local artists!