"To express oneself honestly is very hard to do." -Bruce Lee/"Honest Expression" -Binary Star

^for the ladies

Ultimately "Martial Art" means honestly expressing yourself.
It is easy for me to put on a show and be cocky,
So I can show you some really fancy movement.

But to express oneself honestly, not lying to oneself,
And to express myself honestly, that, my friend, is very hard to do.

Bruce Lee
(From a soundbyte used as an intro to a Binary Star song)



THIS SHIT BLEW MY MIND WHEN I WAS 15 YRS OLD.
And it was THE SONG got me into NON-COMMERCIAL Hip Hop.
If you've never been introduced to underground, let this be your introduction.
If you've been into it, then you already know the deal. Classic track:


Binary Star {HONEST EXPRESSION}

Like sands through the hourglass,

So are the days of our lives.

And for that live moment we thrive.

Awakening as we make the dead come alive.

Rise and walk, my son, come into the light.

Inside the dark, we illuminate mics.

Give Knowledge to Mediocre,

The Will to Neanderthal.

Filter to the smog,

Digital to analog.

We steady advancing,

Rhyme enhancing,

Simple minds can't keep up with this.

[Senim Silla]

Imma put it on the table.

I ain't a thug n***a and player, I ain't playful.

I'm just Senim Silla a man without label.

Standing on my own 2, just trynna stay stable.

Speaking what I know, doing only what I'm able.

...

[One Be Lo]

I ain't hardcore, I don't pack a 9 millimeter,

Most of y'all gangsta rappers ain't hardcore neither.

Whoever get mad, then I'm talkin' bout you.

Claim you fear no man but never walk without crew.

...

I ain't got nothing against nobody trynna make a decent living,

It ain't the money that's the issue.

Only if that's the reason why you ain't making decent music,

THAT'S what I got beef with you.

This stuff hits the heart, and transferred a feeling that I hadn't gotten from Pop music.

But I knew from FEELING it, that I was into it.

I can't do this song justice by just writing/talking about it... You just have to isolate yourself from other distractions and be focused on the music.

-I know for many people who dig underground, there is that moment when you realize the difference between what you THOUGHT was hip hop on the TV/Radio, and what was ACTUALLY hip hop in the Underground and in Real Life. 

-And the main distinction with that is that the REAL RAW hip hop is an organic thing, not a manufactured thing. It's not cooked, processed, and presented on a platter for sale. But you don't need me to tell you what "REAL hip hop" is, you can see it for yourself if you know someone involved in the culture, OR if you are that involved person yourself. The manufacturing/packaging/marketing side is the business side, the commercial, it's commerce, which is important too, but that's not what makes it RAW. 

How does it become NOT raw?

-When an artists' sound gets TOO manufactured, and taken away from the essence in which it was created, it loses authenticity. (See: Nelly Furtado, Black Eyed Peas) 

-The plus side is that artists get money, the down side is that the culture, or whatever they originally stood for, is slightly watered down. It seems to be the pattern, the more you water something down, the wider an audience it can reach. Another way of saying it is "the best way to destroy a good counterculture is to water it down and turn it into popular culture." (See: Beats, Hippies, Rock n Roll, Punk, and Hip Hop)

-Change is necessary though, and so is making money, to an extent, so you can't fault any artist for that.

BACK TO HONEST EXPRESSION

-For me, It just blew my mind, back in 2003. And it blew the door open for a whole undiscovered genre of music to flood my brain.

-But this song (along with "Reality Check") particularly changed my perception of what HIP HOP music could be.

-I didn't know this type of stuff could have even existed.

After discovering Binary Star, I got into BLACKALICIOUS....GIFT OF GAB and CHIEF XL.... Alphabet Aerobics,  then Chemical Calisthenics, then 

Make You Feel That Way

 and Swan Lake... Then I got into Pete Rock & CL, and once the floodgates open. They don't close. 

"85 percent represent ignorant"
^the significance of this single line was not realized to me until college when I learned about the 5% Lessons.

But BACK TO HONEST EXPRESSION.

-Maybe it was the Bruce Lee sound clip too. 

Listen to the song here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSeE4QvYC7o

What you must hear is Binary Star's MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE album. 1998 Classic!

"I figure dancing's less about being a good talker, and more about being a good listener"

From my experience, the above statement has also applied to sales/business, teaching, and relationships.


It's interesting... the 14-year old me started dancing back in 2002-2003, because I didn't feel like a good TALKER, or at least I felt like verbal communication had its limits. And I thought it would help me get girls (it didn't). But in terms of being tested and challenged, dancing can certainly help build strong character, and abs (and that gets girls better, I think...Idunno haha ;P).

^breaking changed my life

I think EVERYONE, especially people of color, has had some form of SOCIAL ANXIETY... issues with self-esteem, introverted traits, shyness, timidity (due to media portrayal maybe?), and I've learned that dancing can bring great relief to that anxiety.

It brings HAPPINESS! And it's HEALTHY! So dance... even if you suck!

My wise friend Brian once eloquently said:

"Dancing is a natural way to express positive vibes in a social environment."

As anyone who has ever danced would know, it feels really good to just move.
Forget anything else, just enjoy the music and the moment. It's a gift.


Talk is cheap. And skills pay bills. There's people talking shit within the dance community; that's a fact, and that is WACK. Most of it is just bboys hating on bboys that they don't know very well... Competition is cool, but talking shit on people you don't know is some weak shit. Skills speak louder than words.

So in dancing, it's not about how well you can speak, it's about how well you can LISTEN...and REACT.

~~~

In contrast, the 17-year old me picked up WRITING RHYMES as a serious habit because of the limitations I then perceived in communicating with no words. Although communicating without words is amazing, because it transcends borders and can be felt as a spiritual practice, words that are carefully chosen, and emotionally charged, can have TREMENDOUS value.

That's why I write AND dance... 2 swords are better than 1.

"Hip Hop Lives." -KRS-ONE

If you haven't seen this video, view it immediately:

KRS-ONE & MARLEY MARL - HIP HOP LIVES (2007)

Because the Harlem Shake viral videos have made a joke out of a real dance, and a low-income area that is rich in history, I figure it's important to reaffirm that hip hop is still alive. There are forces watering it down, but hip hop lives.


Here are lyrics from the song about HIP HOP:


Hip means "to know" it's a form of intelligence.
To be hip means is "to be update and relevant."

Hop is a form of movement
You can't just observe a hop, you gotta hop up and do it.

Hip and Hop is more than music.

Hip is the knowledge
Hop is the movement.
Hip and Hop is intelligent movement.
Or relevant movement
We selling them music.

So write this down on your blackbooks and journals:
Hip Hop Culture is Eternal

Run and tell all your friends,
An ancient civilization has been born again.


These are the lyrics of KRS-ONE.
He's expressing the view that Hip Hop is ancient. Different people's scope of hip hop is different, so some people might think it's just music, some just fashion. For some it goes deeper than that. It's like some timeless, borderless, formless Bruce Lee shit. Many think hip hop is some commercial shit, which it is ALSO. There's an entrepreneurial side, a sort of hustler mentality.

But now that it's here, IT'LL REMAIN HERE, from '73 til infinity.


HIP HOP
Her Infinite Power Helping Oppressed People

Holy Integrated People Having Omnipresent Power


I have more to say, but will save for later, and wrap it up for now.

Back on the Scene

Crispy and Clean.


I'M BACK!

'been cookin' some shit'

Sincere apologies for my absence. I see views coming in of people visiting the page for updates. :(

Sorry guys!


Here's the update:

After about 2 weeks of studying for the Praxis II Math test, and getting familiar with the duties of a new job, I have not been blogging as often as I've wanted. (Especially because I'm on another Google account most of the time now.)

But there's no stopping. Only breaking.

Here's a special treat, some RECENT FOOTAGE of me dancing without using much of my right hand:

But since I'm still injured, I will still keep writing, making rhymes, meeting people, and teaching classes/workshops.

Fun things to do while I'm not dancing all the time. Catch me at a local spot.


On a very positive note, I passed the Praxis II Math test, and I am now VERY  LIKELY to be teaching Math in New Orleans!!!!!!


Got a lot of great posts ahead!!!

Hint: Life-changing KRS Concert!

Go HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FadzGGJiLTg

HIP HOP LIVES!!!!

Fuckin Upward (pt. 2)

This isn't a pity party. 

It's one thing to fuck up, and stay down.

It's another to fuck up, then MOVE UP!

It's all about FALLING FORWARD.

Then doing a roll, conserving momentum, 

And getting back onto your feet.

I'm not blogging to say I'm a fuck-up, but I want to acknowledge that it's OKAY to fuck-up.

And since I wrapped up my last post rather quickly, I want to fill in what I had left unsaid.

It's OKAY!

When a fuck-up is made, it's in the past.

LEAVE IT THERE! Don't let it fuck up anything else!

One can dwell on it, or acknowledge the accident and move on from there.

I practice the 2nd strategy. The "Acknowledge and Move On" method.

Find the best practical action, that will lead to a desired solution, and then act on it.

That's how I deal with break-ups, injuries, mistakes, getting lost, etc.

So don't just fuck up, but fuck UPWARD. In an upward direction.

For example. 

I tried to get with this one girl, Pearl, back in college. She was pretty cute!

She didn't go for me, and I was bummed about it. 

Cuz she was smart too. And from norcal. Major bummer.

I was SO bummed that I almost didn't go to an open mic where I was planning to perform. 

INSTEAD, I went to the open mic anyway....fuckyeah! 

And this was back when I was new to open mics.

So I did my thing, performed on a broken heart, and afterward felt MUCH BETTER.

I even wrote my popular piece "What Is Love" the following week, as a result of that break-up.

(People have told me they like that one)

Then after that, I courted the best girlfriend I've ever had in my life!

So even when things don't work out well, you can flip it into something better!

As the saying goes:

"It's not what happens to you that matters, it's what you do about what happens."

Complaining is not a good solution to your problems.

Neither is blaming others for your mistakes.

Understand that other people will make mistakes too.

It doesn't help to criticize or complain, it's better to encourage/advise!

So don't fuck up, fuck upward!

(It's the same cat)

Another example.

Despite my thumb getting injured back in December, my energies turned toward writing, rhyming, blogging, and business have given me great advantages, including new job opportunities, new networking options, and new time freedom to set up meetings and learn!

I am blessed beyond belief to be able to enjoy the next few months in California, before moving to Louisiana, without working >10-hr days. The perspective and the set of the sail is up to the captain. 

Problems only make room for miracles to happen.

Finally, although I'm not the craziest illest bboy on the West Coast, and although I've probably lost more battles than I've won, bboying has given me countless blessings, opportunities, and experiences, and it has introduced me to great people. Dancing has helped me believe in myself

 and get rid of social anxiety at party/social events... it even helps for working with students!

I got my foot into the door of education, and it IS the good foot, so it's starting to boogie.

Fuckin Up

I was gonna write something sad and overly-political about America's problems, then quote some underground hip hop lyrics, but decided to spare the trouble. Maybe another time.

Instead, I think posts that are self-reflective and honest resonate better...

...As opposed to being outwardly critical, and completely fallacious.

So... lemme talk about my fuckups as a bboy. They're kinda funny.

Always a lesson learned.

And not just THESE fuckups:

My face almost blew up right here, that woulda been fuckin up.

So not just fuckups like crashing... during important battles. That's definitely a fuckup. 

But also, not going to jams and practices, and being as involved as I once was.

See.... Back in high school, I danced every day during lunch and afterschool (see video above).

On Friday's we'd practice in the garage til dinner. It was the greatest time to break,

High school dances were the funnest shit ever.

And that's sorta when I was at my peak.

I couldn't dance a lick, but I was at my physical peak. At least a local maxima.

I'd say I'm a better dancer now, with more moves, more understanding,

But there are SO MANY people doing it, I'm still far from the best, even locally. 

And lately I've been injured. Why? Cuz of FUCKIN UP! (see video below)

So I've had to turn my energies away from dancing.

That's partly why I've been blogging and writing and rhyming more. Grinding more.

At the base of a tree, not the top, so I'm climbing more.

On the topic of climbing and elevating,

Just got the news that I got accepted to go teach Math in New Orleans!

Speedway to teaching math! That's a dream! 

From one Saint City (Santa Ana) to another!

~~~~~

For those who aren't bboys themselves, you might know me as 'the dancing guy,'

and if you know me as that, you've probably seen me dance, and you MIGHT think I'm good.

But let me assure you, although I've picked up some stuff in the 10years I've been doing it, I've still got a long way to go in the dance game. And there are people who practice a lot harder, and take it much more seriously than I do. The ones who practice harder are better than me. 

That's why I didn't win this jam:

Although, up to this point, I was practicing regularly:

But right around 4:00 minutes in.... I started fuckin up! It was all downhill from there.

My thumb's still not the same. 

All good though.

Better news to come in the future.

MLM, OR ML-LAME?!

Isn't this how most organizational structures look anyway?

Audio option if you can't read (suggested):

Intro:

~Alright, so most people know, I did MLM. We should just be real clear about it. Multi-level marketing, network marketing, "friendship" marketing, relationship marketing, however you wanna call it, it's a direct way for good/services to be exchanged, no middle-man, no retail store. At its core, it's simple.

~And I'm gonna share my experience because most people are going to be approached with this as a unique job opportunity, many already have, and it's gonna sound tempting working from home, I'll tell you the ups and downs about it.

-----------

MY TOP TAKE-AWAYS:

~First of all, you CAN make money, and it's legit. Cash flow. It works. The question is, if you want to make money this way or not. What I hate are the "tactics" that some network marketers use, and I'll get into that later. If you're driven, got that entrepreneurial drive, then it's a way to succeed. You CAN make money.

~Secondly, It can be pretty fun! I had a lot of good times when I actually had a team; the most fun came from getting together with people and having that face-to-face interaction with people I LIKE, than the marketing opportunity itself. It was fun when we invited new members onboard, or made money together, but I enjoyed going to eat afterward... road trip. Just being around.

~Thirdly, these companies usually have a really good product, which lends to the direct side of the marketing. It's very easy to show someone, "oh you wanna lose weight? I got something that guarantees you'll lose weight." or, "oh you have pimples? I got something for that." People just love that face cream. So as good as these products are, it seems like a lot of groups focus more on recruitment than on customer acquisition. If the product was really good, you should be able to acquire and retain a lot of customers, as opposed to having the majority of customers being retained as distributers themselves.

~So what I didn't like most was the idea of recruitment and prospecting my own friends. It just wasn't fun. It makes sense as a business model, but as a relationship model, it didn't seem very genuine most of the time. "hey. sup. how you doing? cool cool. come to this meeting. hehe."

~Having said that, it was probably my biggest mistake to do MLM, in 2012. I should have just focused my energy on my own plate. Not to say I regret it, cuz I did learn a LOT, and it's good people involved, not all bad, but it's definitely not the best thing for me at my station in life. If I was old, older, and all my friends understood multiple streams of income, and a few hundred wasn't a big deal, then HELL YEAH I'd do it... economically, it makes sense. You're GONNA make money. At least a little. They have a system for it.

~Now a lot of people think, Tom, You'd be great at Network Marketing, you're so positive, uplifting, and high-energy, and can talk in front of people, and you can dance, and all this other shit. Let me tell you then, just because I'm good at OTHER shit doesn't mean I'm automatically good at Network marketing. In fact, from what I've seen, most of the people who are really really good at Network marketing, got to that position because they WEREN'T good at anything else! Doesn't mean it's a free ride either, cuz they had to grind as hard as hell to get on top, just like with anything. Of course I could be good at it too if I wanted to commit all my energy and focus into it, but I do a lot of other shit, so that's not gonna be my best option. Essentially, I was a TERRIBLE network marketer, I stayed up late, I avoided correspondences, my work ethic was inconsistent, I didn't know how to close a sale on people who came to ME expressing interest, but just cuz I couldn't do it doesn't mean it can't be done. Anyone can do it, I've seen the lamest people do it, just cuz there's a system they can learn, and they're probably more disciplined than me. 

~I WOULD do it again... But not now.

MLM tactics:

-"we're making so much money, I'd had for you to miss out."

^FEAR OF LOSS

-"the time to join is NOW, the wave is coming!" "Timing!"

^URGENCY

-"sooo many people are joining, ___ joined, _____ joined, ____ made money."

^JONES EFFECT

-"we don't need you. you need us more than we need you. how long do you wanna stay broke for? you don't have x amount of dollars? how long do you want THAT to be the case?"

^INDIFFERENCE

Okay, so, my formal apologies.

1: To my friends/family that I reached out to, chatted with superficially, in attempts to get you to see it. most of you didn't get to see it. so you probably still don't get it. and most of you probably got annoyed. i encourage you not to judge it until you actually get a good grasp on it, seeing it yourself. or just ask me questions. But to my friends and family who I reach out to, let's actually kick it. Let's get together. Because the only reason I reached out to you is because I LIKE you, I respect you, I could see you as being successful. My intentions are pure.

2: To my direct team. If you were on my team... I let you down. I'm sorry. Giao, Robert, Michelle, Jona, Johnny, Christy, Vivi, Mi, Viv, Brian, Lennon, Kenny, Alex, Michael, Chris, Riverside crew, we had good times! We were doing good for a while, but I got talked out of it, and essentially broke the cohesion we had as a team. It was starting to get shaky, and I wasn't the first one to stop, but when I stopped, the team really fell apart. And it was one of the hardest decisions I had to make, to stop, but I couldn't go on promoting something that I didn't believe in anymore, especially when I saw more people struggling than thriving.

3: To my support team. a lot of you are still in it. thank you for the help, the mentorship, the support. I learned a lot from you all. Judy, Barb, Simon, Helene, Mi, John Wayne, Jae, Ian... everyone except Julian Doan who blocked me on facebook. AHAHAHAHAH.

I've had about 3 attempts at direct/network marketing. Each time I got better, and each time I had fun. I can detail those experiences another time.

If you're driven, even a mistake is a detour on the way to success.

For more info, this guy: http://simplygovind.blogspot.com/2012/10/does-multi-level-marketing-mlm-really.html

And if you do MLM, there's nothing wrong with it, here are good tips for you and your team: http://vincentstlouis.com/mlm-insider/

For the record, MLMs aren't get-rich-quick schemes. It's a get-rich-slow or medium-paced depending on what you're work ethic is. It can work, and residuals are real if you get recurring customers.