Sunday, February 28, 2010

gr00ve.imProV.arTiSts @ Fresh cafe in March

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Fresh Cafe presents...

gr00ve.imProV.arTiSts
3/11 Thursday (9-12PM)
3/25 Thursday (9-12PM)

G.I.A. is a band that thrives on the improvisational element, always with a dance or urban chill vibe. Groove is the foundational element. Melodies & lyrics are composed on the spot in real-time--that’s what makes this band... so unique.

DeShannon: Laptop, trumpet, synth
Paisley: Vocals
Seph: Spoken word
Reggie Padilla: Sax and keyboard
Jon Hawes: Electric bass
Konrad "Stretch" Kendrick: Dr…

Friday, February 26, 2010

On meeting Dr. Belinda Aquino & Tom Coffman (of "The Making of Ninoy and the Rise of People Power") @ UHM today

I just erased three paragraphs, but here's more... ;)

To make a long story short, I am so happy to see this documentary and hope that people are inspired to learn more about Ninoy Aquino's work. His assasination is the last memory I have of being in my country, and in turn has left an lasting impression on me. If any of you would like to view this documentary, please email me and we will organize a viewing session for this very important documentary. The film itself is not that long, but gives a clear photograph of the country's political state and the positive impact this man made in the Philippines (and eventually to the whole world).

Tom Coffman was friendly and immediately greeted us upon arrival. He was eager to find out what led us to that room and I had some personal stories to share. Before we left, he gave us (Seph, Ruben Campos [who is an Anthropology graduate student writing his thesis on hip hop in Hawai'i]and I) each a copy of the film and exchanged email addresses. I really hope to keep in touch with him and get more involved. Tom was a journalist, independent researcher & historian, before he was a writer and producer. He was also a fomer political journalist and the bureau chief for the Honolulu Advertiser and Star Bulletin. He has written a number of books worth checking out as well.

I also had the pleasure of sitting with Dr. Belinda "Lindy" Aquino (no relation to Ninoy Aquino). She was very open and invited Seph and I to come talk to her at her office on any given afternoon. Needless to say, I took her up on it immediately. We sat for about 2 hours, just talking about our personal journeys. We spoke on many things and found that we shared some things in common, such as difficulty/length of time in acquiring U.S. citizenship. She is also a dear friend and patient of my previous boss (Dr. Jorge Camara), when I worked for Aloha Medical Mission on their benefit concert in the fall of 2009. She turned me on to some literary works that she thought I would be interested in, as well as some of her own books. It was also interesting to learn that Dr. Lindy Aquino was blacklisted and could not return to the Philippines.

I am so excited to be able to talk to someone about my experience, as it has come full circle with my gaining U.S. citizenship after over 25 years. This followed Cory Aquino's death a few months later and Ninoy's death anniversary was celebrated a year prior. For the first time, I had found what I had been missing all these years, and felt that pieces of me were suddenly coming together. I was the only one in that room who was actually there in the P.I. during Ninoy Aquino's assasination, but as a child who just 7-year old. I remember attending political demonstrations with my older sister. I also remember how unstable the country was during that time, although the people had finally begun to exercise their fight for freedom through the "People Power" demonstrations. I never realized how big of an impact those early years would make on my life.

I have been inspired by the life of Ninoy Aquino & his wife Cory, the first female president in the Philippines or Republika ng Pilipinas. If you are looking for some inspiration, there are tons on video clips on the Aquinos on youtube, and many books on this topic. Please feel free to email me if you would like to find out where you can get this documentary. Mahalo... Mabuhay!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Book Blog

Aloha SPACEmen... Just wanted to give you a shout. I hope that all of you are in good spirits, and if you are not, there's a great book entitled Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul by none other than Deepak Chopra. I know my homez Deepak has become increasingly popular in the past decade alone, but I think that his ideas really integrate modern science with eastern ideologies. This particular book breaks down the different types of fear, their characteristics and how they express themselves in dis-EASE, and how this ultimately affects our everyday life. (He says that anxiety for example, is multiplied fear.)

For those of you who like to use your own ability to heal your bodies, without synthetic drugs, you may want to check it. It really challenges one to really think for themselves, apart from our social conditioning. I have ready some of his books, but if you prefer reading in story form, his son Gautama Chopra wrote a book called Child of the Dawn, which some consider a parable. It is much like The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo, who by the way writes great books as well. Until next time...

xoxo
Lady Miss Paisley.