I have never been one of those people that keeps friends around only when its convenient. My palette of friendships have spanned years and years of memories. My oldest friend I've known for 22 years. And I'm only 27. I guess that's why it comes as such a reality check when I look back just 4 short years ago, and the people I thought were friends, rather than lifelong, turned out to be for just a mere "session" - maybe out of mere convenience. Who knows? Whatever the case...I started looking at pics of where everybody is now, and feel a little saddened. LOL...maybe because I'm rarely the one doing the letting go.
We had some GREAT times...no doubt. Funny, that's the beauty of time. You have to savor it like an unforgettable flavor or a captured moment. I definitely look back and am thankful for the good times, but feel complacent knowing they were only meant to be in my life when they were. Maybe we'll cross paths again someday.
Or not.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
And we meet again...
What better way to start off the new year...
Vegas - Jan 11-13: Affiliate Summit, Booth 317 - come visit us! www.revenueloop.com
NYC - Jan 21-25, Location: Manhattan, BK, and the BX!!!!!!!!!!
Come see us!
Joint of the Day:
Vegas - Jan 11-13: Affiliate Summit, Booth 317 - come visit us! www.revenueloop.com
NYC - Jan 21-25, Location: Manhattan, BK, and the BX!!!!!!!!!!
Come see us!
Joint of the Day:
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Ode to 2008
What can I say? I think the key themes to this year for me personally have been individual growth, outside the box thinking, realization, family, TRUE friends and of course, LOVE, in its many different forms. It's true when they say time moves faster as you get older -- or is it the contrary? With time actually always on our side but instead us choosing to acknowledge it less as free spirited youngsta'z. Whatever the case, I can't even begin to imagine how much I've changed in the last few years. I remember someone telling me once that the time in between 18-25 doesn't span too much of a distinction in maturity, but the time from 25-30 vastly does. I still don't know how accurate that is, and it's always subjective, but I will say that 3 years ago my mind was definitely somewhere else. Feet still on the ground nonetheless, but ambitions and passions so distinct, you could see what I was thinking and feeling on the creases of my sleeve. I wouldn't say those ambitions and passions have faded in any way, but rather they've developed into more realistic settings and have a greater emphasis on the short term, the here and now. The people in my life have far exceeded quality over quantity, and for that realization, I am grateful. The scene, the people, the limelight...these days, I only seek depth and character in people I selectively choose to surround me.
I sometimes feel like, damn, did I stray off path? The beaten path, perhaps...but who will ever know? This path was meant for me, and I'm going to run with it.
So to all of you who had an impact on me this year...mostly my family, my boyfriend, and my true friends...I thank you with my deepest sentiments. My inspiration came in different forms this year, some of these forms not visible right away, but in hindsight are more clear to me than ever. To all those who have been down for me since day one, I will have your back always. And of course...to music being a constant in my life, and to my faith and to the depth of my life being even more enriched than ever this year. One love.
I can't say it was a bad year for me, and I can only hope and pray for a brighter and more successful future ahead noting where I need to make improvements and strengthen myself along the way.
And to end on this note...Personal highlights of 2008:
The San Francisco Bay...for 10 years of your love, beauty, individuality, memories and good fortune. Thank you. My heart will always be in this city.
Streetwear and the Sneaker Game
Goodbye all over print hoodies and loud pastels. Please leave us forever, although we will forever engrave your name in 2008.
And to the beautiful timeless pieces...
Greatest Rapper Alive in 2008? That's a blanket statement. But I will give it up for his originality, innovation, and to his crown as the king of collabos this year:
Affinity of Travel and Passion to discover more about myself and the rest of the world:
To our brighter future ahead
To my constantly growing career...gratitude and appreciation of the old and optimism for the new
For loving me unconditionally and through it all
To keeping me down to earth
...and to the love of my life for everything that he is to me everyday, every hour and every second...and to the little man who brightens my everyday!
Peace out 2008, and many blessings in the new year!
I sometimes feel like, damn, did I stray off path? The beaten path, perhaps...but who will ever know? This path was meant for me, and I'm going to run with it.
So to all of you who had an impact on me this year...mostly my family, my boyfriend, and my true friends...I thank you with my deepest sentiments. My inspiration came in different forms this year, some of these forms not visible right away, but in hindsight are more clear to me than ever. To all those who have been down for me since day one, I will have your back always. And of course...to music being a constant in my life, and to my faith and to the depth of my life being even more enriched than ever this year. One love.
I can't say it was a bad year for me, and I can only hope and pray for a brighter and more successful future ahead noting where I need to make improvements and strengthen myself along the way.
And to end on this note...Personal highlights of 2008:
The San Francisco Bay...for 10 years of your love, beauty, individuality, memories and good fortune. Thank you. My heart will always be in this city.
Streetwear and the Sneaker Game
Goodbye all over print hoodies and loud pastels. Please leave us forever, although we will forever engrave your name in 2008.
And to the beautiful timeless pieces...
Greatest Rapper Alive in 2008? That's a blanket statement. But I will give it up for his originality, innovation, and to his crown as the king of collabos this year:
Affinity of Travel and Passion to discover more about myself and the rest of the world:
To our brighter future ahead
To my constantly growing career...gratitude and appreciation of the old and optimism for the new
For loving me unconditionally and through it all
To keeping me down to earth
...and to the love of my life for everything that he is to me everyday, every hour and every second...and to the little man who brightens my everyday!
Peace out 2008, and many blessings in the new year!
TIME Mag: Chance Encounter
In 1980, when Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles, he was approached by an aspiring photographer named Lisa Jack, who asked him if he would be willing to pose for some black and white photographs that she could use in her portfolio.
"...A spirit of fun and thoughtfulness"
"...A spirit of fun and thoughtfulness"
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
What's the Big Deal?
So our presidential elect wants to spend some well-deserved time off before his inauguration in Hawaii shirtless....so what?! He's human...so let him! Plus, he looks good doing it!!! First Black President, Check. Hottest First Black President, checkmate.
Obama, Obama, Obama
Friday, December 19, 2008
To Inspire
in⋅spire
/ɪnˈspaɪər/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [in-spahyuhr] Show IPA Pronunciation
verb, -spired, -spir⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence: His courage inspired his followers.
2. to produce or arouse (a feeling, thought, etc.): to inspire confidence in others.
3. to fill or affect with a specified feeling, thought, etc.: to inspire a person with distrust.
4. to influence or impel: Competition inspired her to greater efforts.
5. to animate, as an influence, feeling, thought, or the like, does: They were inspired by a belief in a better future.
6. to communicate or suggest by a divine or supernatural influence: writings inspired by God.
7. to guide or control by divine influence.
8. to prompt or instigate (utterances, acts, etc.) by influence, without avowal of responsibility.
9. to give rise to, bring about, cause, etc.: a philosophy that inspired a revolution.
10. to take (air, gases, etc.) into the lungs in breathing; inhale.
11. Archaic.
a. to infuse (breath, life, etc.) by breathing (usually fol. by into).
b. to breathe into or upon.
–verb (used without object)
12. to give inspiration.
13. to inhale.
Origin:
1300–50; ME inspiren < L inspīrāre to breathe upon or into, equiv. to in- in- 2 + spīrāre to breathe
/ɪnˈspaɪər/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [in-spahyuhr] Show IPA Pronunciation
verb, -spired, -spir⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence: His courage inspired his followers.
2. to produce or arouse (a feeling, thought, etc.): to inspire confidence in others.
3. to fill or affect with a specified feeling, thought, etc.: to inspire a person with distrust.
4. to influence or impel: Competition inspired her to greater efforts.
5. to animate, as an influence, feeling, thought, or the like, does: They were inspired by a belief in a better future.
6. to communicate or suggest by a divine or supernatural influence: writings inspired by God.
7. to guide or control by divine influence.
8. to prompt or instigate (utterances, acts, etc.) by influence, without avowal of responsibility.
9. to give rise to, bring about, cause, etc.: a philosophy that inspired a revolution.
10. to take (air, gases, etc.) into the lungs in breathing; inhale.
11. Archaic.
a. to infuse (breath, life, etc.) by breathing (usually fol. by into).
b. to breathe into or upon.
–verb (used without object)
12. to give inspiration.
13. to inhale.
Origin:
1300–50; ME inspiren < L inspīrāre to breathe upon or into, equiv. to in- in- 2 + spīrāre to breathe
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Innovation and Stimulation
Do you ever wonder why musicians like Automator come up with sounds/production like this? It's the creative genius behind the creative genius. Hope you get it.
Rza on Iron Fist, the Last Dragon and Barack Obama
By: Gene Ching
In 1999, I had the honor of travelling in China with RZA and his shifu, Shaolin Monk Shi Yanming. We journeyed to Wudang Mountain, the inspiration for Wu-Tang Clan. It was a pilgrimage for all of us. Recently, I've reconnected with RZA through his participation with the Hip Hop Chess Federation, a non-profit organization that explores the confluence of hip hop, chess and martial arts. The HHCF has held invitational tournaments and awarded scholarships to at-risk youth participants. RZA has been an avid supporter of the project.
The day after Barack Obama won the election, I had the chance to catch up with RZA and rap about what's been happening in kung fu cinema, along with his own promising projects.
RZA: What up, Gene?
GC: What's this I hear about your involvement with THE LAST DRAGON remake with Samuel L. Jackson?
RZA: Yea (laughs). I've always been a big fan of martial arts movies of course and LAST DRAGON was one of the urban films done by Motown back in the day. I'm a big fan of that movie and I had a chance to meet with Berry Gordy's son and some other Hollywood executives, Dallas Jackson. We met up at Quentin Tarantino's house one night – hanging out – and hit it off each other. He approached me with the idea with Berry Gordy's son about two years ago. We talked about it. We kept talking and talking. And you know Taimak, who starred in the movie THE LAST DRAGON, ironically becomes a disciple of Sifu's (Shaolin Monk Shi Yanming).
GC: Oh really?
RZA: Yeah, he studies at the U.S.A. Shaolin Temple. That's some crazy shit, right? Me, him, Wesley Snipes, hanging out and shit. It's pretty funny – pretty weird in its own weird way. But he also always said somebody should do this – Taimak should make the movie over. So it's been an idea that's been floating around in my head and through a few other peoples' heads. We got together with Samuel Jackson about a year and half ago. He's also a big fan of the movie, a fan of martial arts movies and Wu-Tang music and things of that nature. He thought it was a great idea. We got John Davis over, his company, and we all got involved with it and now we're going to do it.
GC: Don't you think that one of the charms of that movie was it captured the period?
RZA: The 80's and stuff like that?
GC: Right, right, right.
RZA: That's definitely the charm of the movie, but I think that the way that Dallas is writing – you know, Dallas, he's a writer as well – he's a pretty smart kid. He knows a lot about hip hop, martial arts films and black culture. He's writing the script over.
GC: So this will be an update? LAST DRAGON 2.0?
RZA: I think it'll be an update. I think it'll capture this generation. I think this generation is just as good as the '80s generation when it comes to martial arts. I think we are into it a lot, you know, compared to when we got a lot of films, like it was in the old days. We get maybe one a year. In the old days, we'd get like 50 a year, you know what I mean?
GC: Oh yeah. But now it's spreading out with films from Thailand and Korea.
RZA: Thailand is turning out great films as well.
GC: What do you think of kung fu cinema today?
RZA: I think it's awesome. Of course I'm a big fan of Tony Jaa. Even that other kid, Johnny Nguyen, in the PROTECTOR, the guy with the white suit on (laughs). He did that movie about Vietnam, the REBEL.
GC: I've heard. I haven't sent that yet, but I hear good things.
RZA: That's a pretty good movie, actually. I enjoyed watching it. I think it's real cool that films are coming out of all these different Asian cultures. It's not only coming out from Hong Kong.
GC: And now Mainland China's been doing these huge epics with casts of thousands.
RZA: Exactly. Like the BANQUET, which is a great one. HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS of course is a classic.
GC: A lot more special effects too.
RZA: Yeah, a lot more special effects.
GC: Tell us about THE MAN WITH THE IRON FIST.
RZA: Yeah, THE MAN WITH THE IRON FIST. I think your readers know that I'm a kung fu fanatic. I'm a fan of the movies and also a fan of the culture. I study qigong with Sifu Shi Yanming. I read a lot of kung fu manuals, not for the moves but for the principles and ideas. I think I've been able to apply those ideas into my life and my business to a way that has helped me as a man, because martial arts is actually about cultivating the spirit. Many people who hear that about cultivating the spirit don't know what that means either, you know what I mean? I have cultivated my spirit through martial arts. I think Wu-Tang has been a big influence in my life, more than I can imagine, more than I can even grasp. It's like a parallel universe for me. And I want to be a person to help show martial arts on the silver screen. I have this project called THE MAN WITH THE IRON FIST, with my buddy Eli Roth. He's giving me his support and we're looking to make a full feature film. It's looking like it's going in a positive direction. We hope it'll be in theaters in 2010 or late '09.
GC: You once said that comedy martial arts, like Jackie Chan's or Sammo Hung's work, “kind of takes away from the true martial spirit.” Does that mean we should expect your films to be hardcore?
RZA: Yeah. I really appreciate Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, you know what I mean? They're masters. Their movies are entertaining – also Stephen Chow – they're the best movies. Whether it's martial arts or not, they make great movies, you know?
At one point, I was against the comedy in martial arts because I felt that it has such a great spiritual meaning – such a unique, underlying philosophy – that when they made fun of that, I got offended, know what I mean? But going to China helped me grow, I think, because you have a laughing Buddha, a sleeping Buddha, a fat Buddha, a skinny Buddha, a drunk Buddha. And that to me means that these are all different ways that different men have found enlightenment, or found that serenity within themselves. Through wine, through ecstasy, some through women, some do just laughing, some do crying, some do sleeping all day, they find this bliss, this harmony, this wuchi, which is beyond tai chi. There's no extremities. Our bodies, our minds, seek for it everyday. You only get it in your dream world. When you go to sleep, when you're dreaming, you get this wuchi thing. But to have it while you're awake, is what Master Tamo prescribed for us. You have it instantly, when you want it. When you want it, you can turn it on like a TV set, at your will.
Sitting on his stool, the Master was looking more like Buddha than like Bruce Le I think that's what Buddha meant when he said he became enlightened. He's alive. It's instantaneous. It's daily. And when he says you don't want us to be into the cycle of life and death, and rebirth, he meant that when you go to sleep tonight, you wake up tomorrow, you still feel that same blessing. Sometimes you drink yourself, you be in alcohol, be drunk and you may feel happy, but then you wake up the next day depressed. Therefore you're reborn again, back into your hell again. You got to go back and find heaven again, you know? But when you truly realize it, you could be there at will. I think that's what Buddha was able to do and what Bodhidharma was able to do. I think that's what Wu-Tang means. I think that's what General Wu did when he jumped off that mountain and then turned into this great dragon. He emerged from death and became this god. I mean that's the myth of it. He found himself. And once you find yourself, it's eternal.
GC: I'd dub you the leading martial arts soundtrack master. There's you, Lalo Schifrin back in the day, and maybe Tan Dun but he's a different trip. How does that feel to you?
RZA: Well, I love action movies. I'm glad I've had the opportunity to add into action movies. I'm down with AFRO SAMURAI PART TWO. I love making music. It's really fun. And with the martial arts, well, you were there with me at Wu-Tang Mountain. And many of the monks when we were up there had CDs and tapes. Their music – that's part of it.
Music, it's all mathematical. It's all flowing of waves and frequencies. They have very much in common. The Buddhist texts would go "the five tones deafen every ear." I think there's some big synchronicity – the resonance between martial arts and music. And I'm glad that I get the chance to kinda do that when I do these action movies. It's been a good experience for me.
GC: And now, Wu-Tang is reforming like Voltron for the 8-Diagrams tour. WU: THE STORY OF THE WU-TANG CLAN is about to drop. How's the feeling there?
RZA: One thing that's unique about Wu-Tang that I'm seeing is that it just keeps evolving, reaching new people, even without mass media, because it's real. It's like the old kung fu manual, the Wing Chun manual that Master Yip wrote. It's still in circulation. It's still a popular book. Bruce Lee's JEET KUNE DO book – it's still in circulation. It's still a popular book, because they're good books, good information. With Tamo and the 12 postures of qigong that he first taught the Shaolin monks – yijinjing – it's still relevant a thousand years later.
Wu-Tang Clan, for western society, is a way to introduce young people into the eastern society and philosophies. Wu-Tang music borrowed from the kung fu movies. From the kung fu movie, they check out a kung fu book and from a kung fu book they join a kung fu school. I see some guys walking around with– Mexicans with Asian wives, Asian women with Black husbands, seeing all these people from different cultures expressing. There's also chess, you know, the Hip Hop Chess Federation, where you see a big, big, big movement of the Asian culture. All these things are so connected, man. We all knew it was and we all felt it. I'm happy to be somebody that's helped to add some cables to that bridge.
GC: So I got to ask you about how you're feeling about Obama.
RZA: Ah man. Actually I've been up all night (laughs). It goes back to what we do in the martial arts – about the principle that's written being practiced in a different way. At one point, the American Constitution and the Declaration of Independence and all these documents, they were not being practiced. But this is an example of us practicing our principles passed down by our forefathers.
I had a conversation with a cab driver the other day in New York City. I said, "The one thing we should realize is that when the founding fathers wrote these words – the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence – they were men that were well into mature age." It's not until you get to the mature age of a man that you realize these things anyway. That we are all created equal – that things are not based on color, height, male or female gender. You realize that, but as a kid you don't know these things. You don't understand it, you know? It's like, "Why's that baby crying?" Because he can't say what he wants to tell you. As an adult, we forget, you know? Then you get this re-growth as a mature man. And they wrote these documents as mature men. I think when they got old, they missed it. But then, as time went on, these young men and women who get it again, who just don't understand it and grow up with these bad ideas and bad practices. They don't practice the principles that we've had for hundreds of years. They were not being practiced in this country. I think yesterday showed that this generation is willing to practice the principles of the founding fathers. Give everybody a fair chance, you know. Not because he's Asian or Black. Who's going to say that Lucy Liu is not one of the prettiest women in the world? Before they thought that slanty eyes were not beautiful. With cosmetic surgery, you can get rid of that (laughs). To think that Tony Jaa can be a sex symbol. Even Bruce Lee. I was watching Bruce Lee with my girl, and she says, "You know, Bruce Lee is a handsome guy." You know what I mean? Now I don't like guys but I can see what she means. He has a nobility about his face. He's not just a martial artist. He's a great man. That's what martial does for him. I think that's an example of what we had yesterday when people looked at this particular man, his nobleness, his stern way of reflecting the way that he feels, like he feels for all sides, you know?
GC: Obama looks very presidential.
RZA: He looks like the leader that we need, not only for our country, but places around the world respect him. It's like, no matter what, you wouldn't mind having a meeting with this guy, you know what I mean? Some of these other guys, you wouldn't want to meet. You can't judge a book by its cover, but it's great to have a nice cover sometimes.
In 1999, I had the honor of travelling in China with RZA and his shifu, Shaolin Monk Shi Yanming. We journeyed to Wudang Mountain, the inspiration for Wu-Tang Clan. It was a pilgrimage for all of us. Recently, I've reconnected with RZA through his participation with the Hip Hop Chess Federation, a non-profit organization that explores the confluence of hip hop, chess and martial arts. The HHCF has held invitational tournaments and awarded scholarships to at-risk youth participants. RZA has been an avid supporter of the project.
The day after Barack Obama won the election, I had the chance to catch up with RZA and rap about what's been happening in kung fu cinema, along with his own promising projects.
RZA: What up, Gene?
GC: What's this I hear about your involvement with THE LAST DRAGON remake with Samuel L. Jackson?
RZA: Yea (laughs). I've always been a big fan of martial arts movies of course and LAST DRAGON was one of the urban films done by Motown back in the day. I'm a big fan of that movie and I had a chance to meet with Berry Gordy's son and some other Hollywood executives, Dallas Jackson. We met up at Quentin Tarantino's house one night – hanging out – and hit it off each other. He approached me with the idea with Berry Gordy's son about two years ago. We talked about it. We kept talking and talking. And you know Taimak, who starred in the movie THE LAST DRAGON, ironically becomes a disciple of Sifu's (Shaolin Monk Shi Yanming).
GC: Oh really?
RZA: Yeah, he studies at the U.S.A. Shaolin Temple. That's some crazy shit, right? Me, him, Wesley Snipes, hanging out and shit. It's pretty funny – pretty weird in its own weird way. But he also always said somebody should do this – Taimak should make the movie over. So it's been an idea that's been floating around in my head and through a few other peoples' heads. We got together with Samuel Jackson about a year and half ago. He's also a big fan of the movie, a fan of martial arts movies and Wu-Tang music and things of that nature. He thought it was a great idea. We got John Davis over, his company, and we all got involved with it and now we're going to do it.
GC: Don't you think that one of the charms of that movie was it captured the period?
RZA: The 80's and stuff like that?
GC: Right, right, right.
RZA: That's definitely the charm of the movie, but I think that the way that Dallas is writing – you know, Dallas, he's a writer as well – he's a pretty smart kid. He knows a lot about hip hop, martial arts films and black culture. He's writing the script over.
GC: So this will be an update? LAST DRAGON 2.0?
RZA: I think it'll be an update. I think it'll capture this generation. I think this generation is just as good as the '80s generation when it comes to martial arts. I think we are into it a lot, you know, compared to when we got a lot of films, like it was in the old days. We get maybe one a year. In the old days, we'd get like 50 a year, you know what I mean?
GC: Oh yeah. But now it's spreading out with films from Thailand and Korea.
RZA: Thailand is turning out great films as well.
GC: What do you think of kung fu cinema today?
RZA: I think it's awesome. Of course I'm a big fan of Tony Jaa. Even that other kid, Johnny Nguyen, in the PROTECTOR, the guy with the white suit on (laughs). He did that movie about Vietnam, the REBEL.
GC: I've heard. I haven't sent that yet, but I hear good things.
RZA: That's a pretty good movie, actually. I enjoyed watching it. I think it's real cool that films are coming out of all these different Asian cultures. It's not only coming out from Hong Kong.
GC: And now Mainland China's been doing these huge epics with casts of thousands.
RZA: Exactly. Like the BANQUET, which is a great one. HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS of course is a classic.
GC: A lot more special effects too.
RZA: Yeah, a lot more special effects.
GC: Tell us about THE MAN WITH THE IRON FIST.
RZA: Yeah, THE MAN WITH THE IRON FIST. I think your readers know that I'm a kung fu fanatic. I'm a fan of the movies and also a fan of the culture. I study qigong with Sifu Shi Yanming. I read a lot of kung fu manuals, not for the moves but for the principles and ideas. I think I've been able to apply those ideas into my life and my business to a way that has helped me as a man, because martial arts is actually about cultivating the spirit. Many people who hear that about cultivating the spirit don't know what that means either, you know what I mean? I have cultivated my spirit through martial arts. I think Wu-Tang has been a big influence in my life, more than I can imagine, more than I can even grasp. It's like a parallel universe for me. And I want to be a person to help show martial arts on the silver screen. I have this project called THE MAN WITH THE IRON FIST, with my buddy Eli Roth. He's giving me his support and we're looking to make a full feature film. It's looking like it's going in a positive direction. We hope it'll be in theaters in 2010 or late '09.
GC: You once said that comedy martial arts, like Jackie Chan's or Sammo Hung's work, “kind of takes away from the true martial spirit.” Does that mean we should expect your films to be hardcore?
RZA: Yeah. I really appreciate Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, you know what I mean? They're masters. Their movies are entertaining – also Stephen Chow – they're the best movies. Whether it's martial arts or not, they make great movies, you know?
At one point, I was against the comedy in martial arts because I felt that it has such a great spiritual meaning – such a unique, underlying philosophy – that when they made fun of that, I got offended, know what I mean? But going to China helped me grow, I think, because you have a laughing Buddha, a sleeping Buddha, a fat Buddha, a skinny Buddha, a drunk Buddha. And that to me means that these are all different ways that different men have found enlightenment, or found that serenity within themselves. Through wine, through ecstasy, some through women, some do just laughing, some do crying, some do sleeping all day, they find this bliss, this harmony, this wuchi, which is beyond tai chi. There's no extremities. Our bodies, our minds, seek for it everyday. You only get it in your dream world. When you go to sleep, when you're dreaming, you get this wuchi thing. But to have it while you're awake, is what Master Tamo prescribed for us. You have it instantly, when you want it. When you want it, you can turn it on like a TV set, at your will.
Sitting on his stool, the Master was looking more like Buddha than like Bruce Le I think that's what Buddha meant when he said he became enlightened. He's alive. It's instantaneous. It's daily. And when he says you don't want us to be into the cycle of life and death, and rebirth, he meant that when you go to sleep tonight, you wake up tomorrow, you still feel that same blessing. Sometimes you drink yourself, you be in alcohol, be drunk and you may feel happy, but then you wake up the next day depressed. Therefore you're reborn again, back into your hell again. You got to go back and find heaven again, you know? But when you truly realize it, you could be there at will. I think that's what Buddha was able to do and what Bodhidharma was able to do. I think that's what Wu-Tang means. I think that's what General Wu did when he jumped off that mountain and then turned into this great dragon. He emerged from death and became this god. I mean that's the myth of it. He found himself. And once you find yourself, it's eternal.
GC: I'd dub you the leading martial arts soundtrack master. There's you, Lalo Schifrin back in the day, and maybe Tan Dun but he's a different trip. How does that feel to you?
RZA: Well, I love action movies. I'm glad I've had the opportunity to add into action movies. I'm down with AFRO SAMURAI PART TWO. I love making music. It's really fun. And with the martial arts, well, you were there with me at Wu-Tang Mountain. And many of the monks when we were up there had CDs and tapes. Their music – that's part of it.
Music, it's all mathematical. It's all flowing of waves and frequencies. They have very much in common. The Buddhist texts would go "the five tones deafen every ear." I think there's some big synchronicity – the resonance between martial arts and music. And I'm glad that I get the chance to kinda do that when I do these action movies. It's been a good experience for me.
GC: And now, Wu-Tang is reforming like Voltron for the 8-Diagrams tour. WU: THE STORY OF THE WU-TANG CLAN is about to drop. How's the feeling there?
RZA: One thing that's unique about Wu-Tang that I'm seeing is that it just keeps evolving, reaching new people, even without mass media, because it's real. It's like the old kung fu manual, the Wing Chun manual that Master Yip wrote. It's still in circulation. It's still a popular book. Bruce Lee's JEET KUNE DO book – it's still in circulation. It's still a popular book, because they're good books, good information. With Tamo and the 12 postures of qigong that he first taught the Shaolin monks – yijinjing – it's still relevant a thousand years later.
Wu-Tang Clan, for western society, is a way to introduce young people into the eastern society and philosophies. Wu-Tang music borrowed from the kung fu movies. From the kung fu movie, they check out a kung fu book and from a kung fu book they join a kung fu school. I see some guys walking around with– Mexicans with Asian wives, Asian women with Black husbands, seeing all these people from different cultures expressing. There's also chess, you know, the Hip Hop Chess Federation, where you see a big, big, big movement of the Asian culture. All these things are so connected, man. We all knew it was and we all felt it. I'm happy to be somebody that's helped to add some cables to that bridge.
GC: So I got to ask you about how you're feeling about Obama.
RZA: Ah man. Actually I've been up all night (laughs). It goes back to what we do in the martial arts – about the principle that's written being practiced in a different way. At one point, the American Constitution and the Declaration of Independence and all these documents, they were not being practiced. But this is an example of us practicing our principles passed down by our forefathers.
I had a conversation with a cab driver the other day in New York City. I said, "The one thing we should realize is that when the founding fathers wrote these words – the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence – they were men that were well into mature age." It's not until you get to the mature age of a man that you realize these things anyway. That we are all created equal – that things are not based on color, height, male or female gender. You realize that, but as a kid you don't know these things. You don't understand it, you know? It's like, "Why's that baby crying?" Because he can't say what he wants to tell you. As an adult, we forget, you know? Then you get this re-growth as a mature man. And they wrote these documents as mature men. I think when they got old, they missed it. But then, as time went on, these young men and women who get it again, who just don't understand it and grow up with these bad ideas and bad practices. They don't practice the principles that we've had for hundreds of years. They were not being practiced in this country. I think yesterday showed that this generation is willing to practice the principles of the founding fathers. Give everybody a fair chance, you know. Not because he's Asian or Black. Who's going to say that Lucy Liu is not one of the prettiest women in the world? Before they thought that slanty eyes were not beautiful. With cosmetic surgery, you can get rid of that (laughs). To think that Tony Jaa can be a sex symbol. Even Bruce Lee. I was watching Bruce Lee with my girl, and she says, "You know, Bruce Lee is a handsome guy." You know what I mean? Now I don't like guys but I can see what she means. He has a nobility about his face. He's not just a martial artist. He's a great man. That's what martial does for him. I think that's an example of what we had yesterday when people looked at this particular man, his nobleness, his stern way of reflecting the way that he feels, like he feels for all sides, you know?
GC: Obama looks very presidential.
RZA: He looks like the leader that we need, not only for our country, but places around the world respect him. It's like, no matter what, you wouldn't mind having a meeting with this guy, you know what I mean? Some of these other guys, you wouldn't want to meet. You can't judge a book by its cover, but it's great to have a nice cover sometimes.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Around Every Corner
In this devastating and volatile economic recession so many of us are facing, it is a time of giving and thankfulness. I am thankful for having a job and office to sit in everyday giving me an opportunity to make money, pay my bills, have food to feed me and my loved ones, and to afford the luxuries of this Hallmark-created holiday season. These and so many more reasons this should, instead, be the season of giving...
A skeleton crew boxed up the booze at the TGI Friday's in San Bruno Tuesday after their Florida-based employer abruptly closed that restaurant and two others in San Mateo and Cupertino, firing dozens of people without warning.
Eyob Tibebu, general manager of TGI Friday's, pauses on t...TGI Friday's: the San Bruno restaurant has locked its doors.TGI Friday's employees gather in the San Bruno restaurant.
"We went from contributors to liabilities in about one minute. I guess that is the new way," said Cesar Arguello, who had been bar manager at the San Bruno restaurant until he and several dozen fellow workers were handed their final paychecks Tuesday morning.
The closures come at a time when employers are handing out pink slips instead of Christmas bonuses amid a global recession.
The closures also stunned Sherwin Chin, who had worked at the San Bruno restaurant for 25 years. "Basically I was a lifer here," said Chin, who was a host.
The three TGI Friday's were closed by their owner, CNL International of Orlando, according to property owner Eric Brandenburg, who had leased the San Bruno location to the Florida firm.
"A hundred families have now gotten about the worst Christmas present I can imagine," said Brandenburg, who said he hopes to find a new operator to reopen the restaurant.
Calls to CNL's Florida office were not returned. The three closed locations were franchises of TGI Friday's, a restaurant concept that began in New York in 1965 and has spread to more than 900 locations in 62 countries. The franchise is ultimately owned by Carlson Cos. of Minnetonka, Minn.
"These closures were not authorized by TGI Friday's Inc. and we are still in the process of gathering facts," a Carlson spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
A handful of managers lingered at the San Bruno restaurant, taking the chairs down off one of the tables as they gathered to share their shock at the unexpected shutdown.
"It never would have crossed our minds," said general manager Eyob Tibebu, who got his first inkling of trouble Monday when he was told not to order or accept any supplies and to summon the entire staff of about 75 to a 10:30 morning meeting Tuesday.
Cinthia Lowry, who managed about three dozen servers, bussers and hosts, clutched a plaque that lauded the San Bruno restaurant for breaking $20,000 in sales on Mother's Day this year.
"Business was off about 5 percent, but you don't believe this would happen for that," said Lowry, who can fall back on a part-time job as a dental technician. "I feel really, really sad for the people who don't have another job. The timing is just terrible."
Kitchen manager Bayardo Martinez said he has worked for the TGI Friday's chain since 1990, when he immigrated to the United States from Nicaragua. This is his second closure. After the February 2002 shut down of the TGI Friday's near Fisherman's Wharf he was able to transfer to the San Bruno restaurant without any significant unemployment. This time he isn't sure he will be so fortunate.
"It was good luck and good riddance, as they say," Martinez said.
The managers said they handed out final paychecks to the staff, some of whom cried, others of whom simply took them and left. Lowry said they got no severance, nor any notice, raising questions of whether CNL complied with California law that requires employers of more than 75 full- or part-time workers to provide 60 days advance notice.
The managers estimated that as many as 75 people may have worked at the San Bruno location and that the staffs of the other two restaurants were of similar size.
San Francisco labor lawyer Michael Bernick, who ran the state Employment Development Department from 1999 to 2004, said the 60-day notice is intended to give employees time to look for work and to alert the local job-finding authorities to help those affected file claims.
Bernick said employers who are responsible for giving a 60-day notice and who fail to do so can be required to pay employees for 60 days. An EDD spokeswoman said the state labor commissioner is responsible for policing these notices.
A Labor Commission spokeswoman said the commissioner will look into the matter. "We will be auditing the employers' records," said Erika Monterroza.
Reporting labor woes
Employees or others can report a failure to give notice or other labor code violation by calling (866) 924-9757 to be directed to the office nearest them.
Source: 3 TGI Friday's restaurants close without notice
A skeleton crew boxed up the booze at the TGI Friday's in San Bruno Tuesday after their Florida-based employer abruptly closed that restaurant and two others in San Mateo and Cupertino, firing dozens of people without warning.
Eyob Tibebu, general manager of TGI Friday's, pauses on t...TGI Friday's: the San Bruno restaurant has locked its doors.TGI Friday's employees gather in the San Bruno restaurant.
"We went from contributors to liabilities in about one minute. I guess that is the new way," said Cesar Arguello, who had been bar manager at the San Bruno restaurant until he and several dozen fellow workers were handed their final paychecks Tuesday morning.
The closures come at a time when employers are handing out pink slips instead of Christmas bonuses amid a global recession.
The closures also stunned Sherwin Chin, who had worked at the San Bruno restaurant for 25 years. "Basically I was a lifer here," said Chin, who was a host.
The three TGI Friday's were closed by their owner, CNL International of Orlando, according to property owner Eric Brandenburg, who had leased the San Bruno location to the Florida firm.
"A hundred families have now gotten about the worst Christmas present I can imagine," said Brandenburg, who said he hopes to find a new operator to reopen the restaurant.
Calls to CNL's Florida office were not returned. The three closed locations were franchises of TGI Friday's, a restaurant concept that began in New York in 1965 and has spread to more than 900 locations in 62 countries. The franchise is ultimately owned by Carlson Cos. of Minnetonka, Minn.
"These closures were not authorized by TGI Friday's Inc. and we are still in the process of gathering facts," a Carlson spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
A handful of managers lingered at the San Bruno restaurant, taking the chairs down off one of the tables as they gathered to share their shock at the unexpected shutdown.
"It never would have crossed our minds," said general manager Eyob Tibebu, who got his first inkling of trouble Monday when he was told not to order or accept any supplies and to summon the entire staff of about 75 to a 10:30 morning meeting Tuesday.
Cinthia Lowry, who managed about three dozen servers, bussers and hosts, clutched a plaque that lauded the San Bruno restaurant for breaking $20,000 in sales on Mother's Day this year.
"Business was off about 5 percent, but you don't believe this would happen for that," said Lowry, who can fall back on a part-time job as a dental technician. "I feel really, really sad for the people who don't have another job. The timing is just terrible."
Kitchen manager Bayardo Martinez said he has worked for the TGI Friday's chain since 1990, when he immigrated to the United States from Nicaragua. This is his second closure. After the February 2002 shut down of the TGI Friday's near Fisherman's Wharf he was able to transfer to the San Bruno restaurant without any significant unemployment. This time he isn't sure he will be so fortunate.
"It was good luck and good riddance, as they say," Martinez said.
The managers said they handed out final paychecks to the staff, some of whom cried, others of whom simply took them and left. Lowry said they got no severance, nor any notice, raising questions of whether CNL complied with California law that requires employers of more than 75 full- or part-time workers to provide 60 days advance notice.
The managers estimated that as many as 75 people may have worked at the San Bruno location and that the staffs of the other two restaurants were of similar size.
San Francisco labor lawyer Michael Bernick, who ran the state Employment Development Department from 1999 to 2004, said the 60-day notice is intended to give employees time to look for work and to alert the local job-finding authorities to help those affected file claims.
Bernick said employers who are responsible for giving a 60-day notice and who fail to do so can be required to pay employees for 60 days. An EDD spokeswoman said the state labor commissioner is responsible for policing these notices.
A Labor Commission spokeswoman said the commissioner will look into the matter. "We will be auditing the employers' records," said Erika Monterroza.
Reporting labor woes
Employees or others can report a failure to give notice or other labor code violation by calling (866) 924-9757 to be directed to the office nearest them.
Source: 3 TGI Friday's restaurants close without notice
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