Re-vised material from 2010 and new 2014 @4:00am

I thought it was whatever so I never shared it. It's not bad though, but it's still whatever. I just revised it and made it a little better. Have it for free. Wrote this early 2010, in my 4th year at college.



Spare Me the Hype

Break beats, break stereotypes.
I'm not a passive child,
Developed my rapping style
so i don't get smoked
like a joint or a roach, or a black and mild.
i like boo's, shoes, and acting wild.
it's been a long and lasting while
since an Asian brother like me,
got the chance to get free. I can't mask my smile.
so like the Nile, I flow and give life.
i bring peace/piece like a paper or a pipe.
and, i like melons when they ripe.
but Bite? not quite. stay polite with insights
hide when you within sight.
I'm the son, I been bright.
First came matter, and then light.
Don't get shocked like Dendrites*

 Ooooh thunderous! I like that one now. I remember exactly where I was, and what was going on, the day/moment I wrote the original.

 Also written just earlier that year. I was asked to write a short bio for myself:

Tom T. Nguyen
is not good at writing biographies for himself. He has been a difficult person since the womb. He is not easy to put up with, or understand. He grew up in in the Garden Grove School District when it was bad, and believes that this is what makes him a little bit cool and "Mexican-washed." After moving to the Fountain Valley School District, he became a dork, and has remained that way since. This has allowed him to do well in school and be awkward around girls. In 2003, he thought learning to dance would make him cool, but it didn't. Sometimes he will devilishly advocate, and this causes arguments.  He grew up atheist, but lately he has been feeling spiritual. He is now good friends with God.

Hell yeah! I find that sh!t hilarious, and it's actually very true. It's not a bad sum-up of me, in the style that I would do it, back in 2010. I guess that "style that I would do it" changes constantly. Something I would write in 8th grade would be different from what I would write now, right now. So the message is to write! Just write! Always be writing. I have so much written. "Write anything you don't want forgotten." At least keep a journal, but personal recording sake!




Also wrote this this morning:

10/17, Friday morning, 4:00-4:30am

I think I'm gonna be Wolverine for Halloween.
It's my second year in New Orleans.
Gettin that green, got myself into the scene.
I know my royal lineage so I found myself a queen.
It's easy to be lazy, and nothing's what it seems.
What you need to do is find a winning team.
And then work hard and never give up on your dream.
That's how you rise about the average, if you know what I mean.

I'm backed by statistics, play with linguistics
When I'm feeling uplifted, Young, Fresh and Gifted.
Wicked slickness, get wit this and bear witness.
Love the bare wetness. Don't compare weakness,
Just peep this. Make the main point, my thesis.
If we ALL work TOGETHER, it's harder to defeat us.

So let's not be cheaters, let's be high achievers.
I expand like the Uni-verse, stay balanced like Libras.

That is all for now. Have a great day!

Blood Moon Eclipse

Written Wednesday night 10/8:

Lucky I caught this.

So stepping out my door at 6:19am this morning, I saw the moon. I said "Oh shit! The eclipse!" And I hurried my backpack and bookbag and all my workstuff into my car, then tried to take a picture of the moon on my phone. The picture turned out looking like straight bullpoo, cuz you can't take pictures of celestial bodies with a phone. I was running kinda late too, so I RAN back into my house, pulled out the Nikon, ran back out, put it on zoom and higher exposure, and snapped a few shots!

This first shot came out right!

I had not expected to catch this so-called "impossible lunar eclipse," because I read it was only visible from the East Coast, at 6:25am EST, and only for 9 minutes. So not fitting the viewing criteria in both space and time, I had settled into thinking I was not going to see this eclipse. Apparently it's the 2nd, in a series of 4 consecutive, and an impossible occurrence of the Sun rising and Moon setting at the same time in a less than 180° view of the sky, only possible because the atmosphere refracts light and yada yada.. But I saw it anyway, and it lasted for a while too. Throughout my entire commute to work, the moon was eclipsed, made for distracted driving on the overpass, and even when I got to the school, I was still able to snap some pictures of it.

The 2nd picture:

2nd shot came out tricky.

3rd shot, using the powerlines as reference, shows how fast the moon was setting/moving/
relative to Earth rotating (compared to 1st shot)

They say these celestial events coincide with shifts on earth. I don't think causation is provable, but with many new advances in technology and progressive changes in society, human civilization is at a pivotal and extreme point. We are also shifting from an industrial-based political-economy to an information-based political-economy (that's a topic for another day). Also there are at least 2-3 major wars/political conflicts going on right now... Turning my awareness toward celestial bodies in the heavens brings about calmness in the present, excitement for the future, as well as connectedness to the ancients, in a world that's really crazy these days.

Worst come to worst, look up.

Seeing Saturn in a Telescope O_O

Something trippy. I don't look through nice telescopes often, so when I went to the Gretna Observatory last night, which is open for public viewing on Monday/Wednesday nights after dark, I was BAHLOWN away by the real image of Saturn!

It's crazy! You can just look out there in the darkness, point the telescope at the right spot, and there it is. A bright, ringed planet. Real image in real time. Not some video playback.

This image was the closest I could find, to compare to what I actually saw.

And another crazy thing is that it appears to be MOVING. And rather QUICKLY! After you fix the telescope to get it in view, it moves across the scope in less than a minute, looks like it's flying.

At first glace, the planet looks like a "flying star," so I asked the 2 astronomers I was with: "is it really moving that fast? Why is it moving so fast?" Instead of answering my question, they told me to think about it. Then I understood it was because Earth was also rotating. It's a higher level of thought, to grasp that, every perspective is a relative perspective; it's understandable how past astronomers could have gotten it wrong, thinking geocentrically. But from Earth, the planet Saturn is still beautiful.

You can see Saturn in the sky with your naked eyes, but you'd need a slightly attuned eye to distinguish it from a star. Planets are actually visible in the sky often throughout the year, especially Venus, Jupiter, and Mars, but most people just think they're stars. This thing is also in the sky throughout the year, but often obscured from view, by light pollution and atmosphere.

We live in this shit, and it's in the sky every night.

I also saw Mars in real time, which was cool to see, thinking we have some SUV-sized rovers up there, taking pictures and collecting samples. One day might have people out there. Pretty far out. A mission to Mars is pretty crazy.... exciting to think about. New frontiers.


The local astronomer guy also pointed the telescope at some globular clusters. He called some "deep space objects." Not like the planets nearby, further out, but still a part of the Milky Way. In fact, I learned that there are a lot of globular clusters (big clumps of stars, gravitationally attached) going around our galactic center, what many believe to be a SMBH (Super Massive Black Hole).

M11, or Messier 11

Pretty crazy that you can just look out and see this shit. I am fascinated by space.

9/20 SPILL Rhymes for the Day

Wrote these today.


9/20
Look around, that's using eyesight.
Look back, that's using hindsight.
Look ahead, that's called foresight.
Look within, that's gaining insight.




Check this out, you got quarters and dimes.
Make up 2 equations, can you solve it on time?
It's easy and it's challenging, you gotta use your mind.
That's how you climb. - It's called an incline.

Rise over run, you should rise and become
A positively-minded person, not one that's dumb.
Yo that wouldn't be right. - So just do right.
If you ask me, then I'll tell you that I do write.

 - But I kick flows, free style of poetry.
I'm the one who knows. Guess that's why y'all blowing me
When You Act Outta Line, and try to avoid ya problems.
That's no real solution, you should really try to solve 'em.

---
The original problem was:
If you have a total of 100 quarters and dimes, with a value of $14.05, how many quarters do you have?

Linear systems, solve 2 equations at once.


Video with music coming soon,  I'm about to update it. But gonna go to session first, get my rock on. Peace!

Are 2014 Midterm Elections... Important?

Election time again, so you know what that means.... Plenty of depressing commercials and smear campaigns about people we don't really know.



These campaign dollars are starting to take over YouTube. Mostly attack ads. It must mean the 2014 Mid-term Elections are coming up!!!

There's one big problem though. First, I consider myself to be pretty engaged in civic matters... I mean... I majored in History, minored in Civic Engagement. Compelled to do my civic duty. I even drive a Civic. That's a cool palindrome, I just realized.

So I figured, for someone like me, who is engaged and interested in local, statewide, national, and international matters, frequently scouring the news, it is still a struggle to be informed. Being a voter is pretty easy, but being an informed voter, and knowledgeable about what/who I'm voting for, that's another challenge.

"But if it's just midterm elections, then it doesn't matter as much," says maybe 85% of people. 

That's not a real statistic, nor is it a real quote, but you get the idea. Most people ignore midterm elections... Why? Idunno, cuz it's democracy and we have freedom to vote, or not. Maybe because there's no charismatic President. But I was just talking to this college guy about his political science class, while tutoring math, and it REALLY IS important, because we're electing SENATORS to hold seats for 6 years???!

Do you know how many U.S. Senators there are?
Not many people do, apparently. What goes on in this "Senate" anyway?
There are 100 Senators, because there are 2 per state, therefore 2x = 100 must be true, and confirms that there are 50 states. 100 Senators making important decisions for the rest of us, for 6 years of their lives at a time. So who ARE these people? How do we vote the shitty ones out, and how do we know which ones to vote in? Even more important, House Representatives who draft bills, propositions, and respond more directly to constituents (us), they are also campaigning, but do I know anyone running? NO. How can I vote for the right one that won't mess us up for 2-6 years (2 for house reps, 6 for senators)? Who knows?

Also, what Propositions are up for a vote in your area? Does anyone know??? It's such a struggle to be informed, but why? I thought we lived in an INFORMATION age? Nah, I guess people would rather play with their flappy bird.


If that's difficult for me, I can't imagine what voting would be like for someone who's not politically engaged.

Anyways, most midterm elections tend to go overlooked. But we are in a pretty critical place right now. I hope this was a little informative.

I've been writing seriously since 2005

This year, 2014, marks 9 years since I started taking writing more seriously... Fall '05 senior year of high school... And 6 years since I started performing in spoken word/jazz club settings, back in '08 college years.

It's been a good run. I do want to punctuate the 10th year, 2015, with something new. We'll see as the current year unfolds. Almost everywhere I go, audiences have received me warmly and I have been encouraged to write more and perform more. That means the world to me. I owe a lot to those who supported me, from my UCLA friends who saw me when I was first starting to perform, to all the great artists and people I've met along the way at different venues. I'm still creating new work, but not all of it is made for publication. I share some old and new Original Compositions on here: www.powerknowledge.org

I am just beginning to explore the Spoken Word scene in New Orleans, they have a pretty dynamic slam team here, I hear. And I'm here for another year, so I'll be sure to see more before returning back to where I started. LA/OC, California!

Anyway, I just came across this new spoken word video, The World is Coming to an End, thought it was pretty relevant for us this year. Not that I believe the world is coming to an end, but it is kinda crazy these days. It's going somewhere it's never been before. And this guy illuminates some of that craziness.

Happy Autumn season, enjoy the fall equinox and don't get zapped by a solar ray!

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!

Positive Thinking Needs Limits!!

 I'm surrounded by positive people, and that's a dangerous trap.


I. The Negative Side of Positivity
I'm a positive person. Most people know me as being very happy and positive-thinking. And I am that, most of the time, but most people don't know that I also love negative thinking, skepticism, criticism, and the Underdog mentality. Embrace both! Positive thinking has to have its limits.  No one wants to border on delusional, but that's what overly positive thoughts/expectations can sometimes do! I think I've made that mistake before.

At the same time, you don't wanna be a Debbie Downer, or a Negative Neddy.  You can use both positive and negative to empower your life. Mis-use both and it can stifle your life.


Just so you know I'm not speaking out of my ass, here's an NYU/Hamburg psychology article on how "Positive Fantasies about idealized futures sap energy."
http://www.psych.nyu.edu/oettingen/Barry%20Kappes,%20H.,%20&%20Oettingen,%20G.%20%282011%29.%20JESP.pdf

Here's a poignant article I found a while back (skimming facebook) on The Powerlessness of Positive Thinking:

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/currency/2014/02/the-powerlessness-of-positive-thinking.html

II. Co-Existence of Negative and Positive

Need both

In regards to embracing both, just accept that both positive and negative exist, and also co-exist, meaning one brings the other into existence. You have to know a bad day to appreciate a good day. You can't have success without failure, or at least the risk of failure. You can't have triumph without struggle, since there would be nothing to triumph over. You can't fly without wind resistance. The negative reality not only exists, it is necessary! for us to appreciate the tremendous positivity that is also around.

Need both for a complete picture

I just don't dwell on negativity. I bring it up, it makes for good references, point out potential areas of growth, identify problems, resolve issues and conflicts. Don't dwell, condemn, or complain, basic rules from Dale Carnegie.

III. The Positive Side of Negativity
That feeling of negativity can be good in the long-run, a blessing in disguise, if it pushes you to try harder.  It can also discourage and crush a soul. But you gotta know what it feels like to hit the ground first, before bouncing back.

That's the Earth

As the article from the New Yorker suggests, negative thinking can push people to try harder, over-prepare, and apply themselves more than optimism and over-confidence.

For more on negative space art, do a Google search.

My Experience of Mardi Gras, New Orleans

Happy Ash Wednesday! 

It's my first year in New Orleans! Because of that, I'm less experienced than most people around here. A Mardi Gras virgin. I learned a bit from asking natives and locals about their experiences of Mardi Gras. Talked to teachers, friends, friends' parents, students... mostly because I thought it would be fun to listen to them, and also because they probably enjoyed talking and being listened to.

I. First Things First
So first, I'd clear up the misconception that Mardi Gras is a 24/7 "Girls Gone Wild" party. It's not really like that. But you can find that if you want, on the same street you always find it. Bourbon. HAHAH. A lot of the festivities take place all over the city, and are family-oriented, appropriate for all ages.

Zulu Parade Float

II. What I Saw
There are a lot of parades! The weeks-long schedule of parades was probably the main thing the sets New Orleans apart (from other cities who celebrate the same day). Elaborately decorated floats, occupied by drunk people in costume, throwing beads and other goodies at screaming audiences. Catching stuff is fun. It's hard to go wrong. The floats were accompanied by marching bands, music, confetti, and cops. Sometimes horses.

I only went to one Saturday parade. Endymion. It was pretty awesome. Didn't take any pictures though, only Snapchats. Made off with a heavy neck full of beads. Had to get there early to avoid traffic. Partook in some libations, but not much. It was a lot of fun though!

The audience is pretty diverse, pretty much everyone is outside on the streets. People camped out in the middle and sides of the street. Some barbecued. Some broiled crawfish. It was a familiar and lovely smell.

It's soooo delicious. Crispy, soft, cream-filled.

I got introduced to King Cake, which is delicious from Hi-Do Bakery! Got it stuffed with the cream cheese. Toooo good. Need another.

III. My Mardi Gras
On Mardi Gras day itself, the weather was pretty cold, rainy. I didn't do anything crazy. Went to the supermarket. A parade rolled by in front of my neighborhood. But I stayed away from the parades/parties in the city, just to rest, avoid the mess, and take care of things at home. Cooked. My life is pretty mild these days, don't feel the urge to party or have alcohol my system. In a time when I see a lot of "turning up," I suppose I turn at my own pace.

Post-Mardi Gras clean-up on Bourbon Street

I saw enough to get a sense of what it was, and I loved it, but I guess I didn't see much at all yet. Will wait until 2015 to experience more.

I'm grateful to have had this "Mardi Gras break." It gave me an opportunity to de-stress (started it off with a massage), and to spend quality time with myself, away from the pressures of work. I made time to meditate, reflect, stretch, and clean up the neglect (cleaned my car, room, dishes, etc.). And of course, like on Valentine's Day, I danced to my heart's content. Much-needed. I love Mardi Gras.

IV. In Conclusion,
My curiosity about the tradition led to some internet digging, and I learned some new things...

Mardi Gras is not a strictly New Orleans thing. Cities around the Gulf celebrate it, and it's also a part of something much bigger, and worldwide. Here's a really good article about all the Mardi Gras celebrations around the world, from Brazil to Italy.
http://www.10news.com/news/how-mardi-gras-is-celebrated-around-the-world-03032014

In the end, it's not a party thing, it's a spiritual thing. And the real journey starts on Ash Wednesday and continues for 40 days, 40 nights. I'm giving up some vices. Can't discuss it publicly though.

Have a blessed Lent season, eat lots of lentils!

Took a walk, blew my mind.

Definition of mindfulness: 1. a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique. [Google]

2. a state of active, open attention on the present. When you're mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience [Psychology Today]


I. Went for a walk...

In a mindfulness practice, I left my phone at home and went for a walk around my block yesterday (Sunday). It was a beautiful afternoon, cloudy, kinda wet with the morning rain.

I would normally post a picture here, but I didn't take any pictures during this walk.

I wanted to get away from any texts, snapchats, or phone notifications. I felt the warmth of the sun, smelled the (swampy) air, and enjoyed the variety of houses and cars on my block. Colorful. Overall, it cost me a few minutes, which I did not mind investing.

Even though I feel busy all the time with my teaching work, I figure a few minutes of walking wouldn't hurt. And besides, most people FEEL more busy than they actually are. See: Students who play all the time and complain about being busy. HAHAHAHA.

After the walk, I felt a lift in my mood, energy, and mental clarity. I did my laundry, cleaned my room, and made a cherry-mango smoothie. I was getting it all done with deliberate attention on the moment and experience. That mindful type of attention made even the most menial of tasks more enjoyable.

I don't remember who put me on the tip of mindfulness and being extra present, in the moment, but I OWE them! Awesome people... probably Helene or Mi.

II. Then did some research...

So I'm thinking a lot of us could use mindfulness exercises. It would probably benefit our lives. After getting some things done, I started reading about all these benefits to having mindfulness (well-being, lowered blood pressure, savor more pleasure, etc.), and thinking my STUDENTS would benefit from this. They need it more than I do. These are some articles I found on the subject...

PsychologyToday: The Art of Now: 6 Steps to Living in the Moment
HelpGuide.com/Harvard: Benefits of Mindfulness
Reader's Digest: 10 Steps to Mindfulness

And, Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now is a seminal work on the topic.

III. In Conclusion, ...

As a teacher, (not trynna hate, but) I see an appalling LACK of mindfulness in today's students, the majority having to constantly check their phones for texts and instagram updates, resulting in a distracted mental state, not suited for robust learning to take place. So it's apparent to me that I can't just teach math lessons; I have to show these students how to be attentive, conscious, and adopt the habits of more productive students. To FOCUS!

I'm trynna teach these kids math, but they don't even know how to harness their energy or concentrate!
BUT if you learn to focus, harness, and concentrate your energy, it's one of the most powerful things you can do for your life.

Potential unbounded!

There seems to be a push toward teaching mindfulness in schools.
See: http://mindfulnessinschools.org/ -
Their tagline: Mindfulness in Schools: For the flourishing of young minds

And here's a recent article, dated January 17th, 2014: Low-Income Schools See Big Benefits in Teaching Mindfulness


Such recent interest in the topic tells me I'm not the only on this tip at the moment. I bet it's trending. #Post2012

Hahaha... "Breaking teachers are everywhere"

So this little video I made got shared a few times, a few people told me I was viral.
breaking teachers are everywhere

I was like: "Viral? What viral?" Cuz I was SICK at the time too so yeah, I definitely WAS viral or bacterial or had something unbalanced in my system. The video was shared, mostly by strangers,  and liked up to about 570ish, by about 400 people that I don't even know.

Only about 130 of those 570 "likes" were my network of wonderful friends, truly amazing people, most of them. Haha. And I love the hell out of them. I'm blessed for the people I know in my life. They're probably amongst the ones reading this. Thank you for being in my life!

For the other 440, I guess a dancing professional is amusing to people. Refreshing to see. Engaging to students (I hope).

When I made the video, I didn't think much of it. Just responding to my friends tagging me in the Strife.tv video. It only took like 5 minutes, I figure I'd put the quote in at the end, to make it be about Knowledge ultimately. Knowledge reigns supreme.

Anyways, that was a pretty funny experience,

and that's not even my best dancing! Most bboys wouldn't like it, cuz it's not new or dope, it's just better than that older guys', but he deserves props too for getting down in the classroom and nurturing minds daily!!

Original video: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151989988466655

In fact, truth be told, it's not even a great representation of real bboying, just a simple power combo.

To a non-breaking person, it looks hard. But to be honest, even to a 2-3yr bboy, that's a basic combo.

But the idea is POWER.

You thought it was hard?
What if I told you it's actually easy?

You can harness it, and it becomes easier once you have the Knowledge.
Everything is easier once you Know how to do it.
Knowledge makes things easier.
Knowledge is Power.
And having knowledge of your power makes doing powermoves easier.

Anyone can learn it.

So I had to wrap up at the end of the video: It's easy once you have the Knowledge, so the key is the Knowledge. That unlocks your abilities to do amazing things.

What did Kenneth Bae do to be imprisoned?

1/8 - Kim Jong Un's birthday - Rodman blows up on CNN, defends basketball game in North Korea

See video here:
http://www.newsmax.com/newswidget/dennis-rodman-cnn-north-korea/2014/01/07/id/545638

Rodman, in this interview, is not a coherent speaker, sounds like he's on one, but Charles Smith is delightfully articulate. Too bad the CNN host kept interrupting him.

Interesting part to me:
The host kept bringing the topic back to Kenneth Bae. Rodman, sounding offended, replied:  "Kenneth Bae did one thing ... If you understand what Kenneth Bae did. Do you understand what he did in this country? No, no, no, you tell me, you tell me. Why is he held captive here in this country, why? ... I would love to speak on this." But he didn't speak on it. And no, no one really knows why Bae is held captive, that's why people are mad that Kenneth Bae an American imprisoned in a PRK labor camp. So what did Kenneth Bae do?? That's what I wanna know.

In a quick search, I found that Bae, an American, gave tours of North Korea, from a business he ran, based in China. From CNN: "[In 2006] [Bae] established "Nations Tour," a China-based tour company that specialized in tours of North Korea."[1]

So I guess Bae would drive into North Korea and give tours???


"He created a tourism company called "Nations Tour" for North Korean special economic zone visits that were secretly Christian missionary trips"[2]. Gotta mention, it's illegal and punishable by death to practice Christianity or to own a bible in North Korea[3]. And if he gave tours of outskirt areas? What do you think his tours would have been like? Not a good depiction. And that's why the Kim Jongs would be mad. Plus they, Bae and his tour groups, were trespassing. He invaded North Korea with his tours. That's why he was imprisoned. Now we know, right?



From Wiki, North Korea claims these are the reasons Kenneth Bae was prosecuted:

• Working with evangelical organization Youth With A Mission (YWAM), Bae is accused of preaching against the North Korean government in American and South Korean churches.^[33]
• Planning an anti-North Korean religious coup d'état called "the Operation Jericho", a reference to the biblical city whose walls were toppled by the sound of the Israelites'trumpets. Which began in the US, South Korea and China long before Bae traveled to North Korea.^[33]
• Admitting to setting up bases in China for the purpose of toppling the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
• Encouraging North Korean citizens to bring down the government.
• Conducting a "malignant" smear campaign.[2]

What's messed up in NK is the executions.[3]

But screw it, they're there to play basketball! I'd like to see the game, America vs N. Korea!


Sources:
[1]http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/07/us/who-is-kenneth-bae/
[2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Bae
[3]http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/11/11/north-korea-executions_n_4254893.html