Inspiration can appear in the oddest places. It can also come from a “something” or a “someone”, a specific moment in time or maybe from the least expected.

You know those times when you’re looking for something but just can’t find it? You are certain that you know where you saw it last but just can’t remember? And when you’re not looking anymore, you find it and you see that it’s just sitting there. Just in plain sight. Inspiration presents itself just that way.

Notice how I intentionally used the word “just” excessively in an attempt to come up with some smart point and I actually think that it worked. Fuck.

 I am back. This, by the way is the second “One Of These” I have written this month. If you are reading this now, it’s the second Monday of the month and I did a short intro on last week’s Monday. The intro was in the form of a “Pointless Narrative” so to speak. A preview of sorts of what I had to offer and how my shit works.

On this second one, you can say that it is still quite pointless, but it is something pointlesslynew courtesy of my “bored to the point of -I’m actually writing” days-off.

Going back, you cannot choose your inspiration ahead of time and say that you were inspired by it. You just can’t. True inspiration can pop-up in an instant or it can stare you in the face for years but the timing must also be considered, if not perfect. It takes patience to become truly inspired and it takes a really long time to identify what inspired us in the first place or what still inspires us. I am sure that most of us know this to be true…Patience can be a fucker.

 “What the fuck is this guy talking about?” A question possibly asked by someone who would disagree. Or maybe “What does he mean?” A question possibly asked by someone who may be a kindred spirit that he or she actually understands the pointlessness raised in this blog or someone who is just so utterly bored like everybody else unless they aren’t.

 I no longer wish to pursue this topic at this time or any other time. Fuck you. I look forward to your comments, good or bad. I’m going to bed but I leave you with “Lost in the Supermarket” by The Clash.

It took me a while to realize that what I experienced was similar to a computer’s hard drive running out of free space. My head was full of ideas and I had only to choose which files to delete and which to print out. In simpler words, what to write? It took even longer to admit to myself that I was up for it.  

Fuck it.  

I welcome this opportunity to unload some. I can probably write about absolutely anything that my heart desires, but I’m not that mushy. So I’ll be writing about absolutely anything that is contrary to the desires of anyone’s hearts; But, I think I’m supposed to have a point when writing one of these.         Or am I? So what’s the point? Or more importantly, what’s my point?  

Since I am unable to come up with a topic of substance for this chapter, or even raise an issue that could maybe arouse the interest of your regular reader, there really is no point, thank you. (laughs). I feel a lot better though and that’s what this is all about, anyway.  

I write not to please but plainly to pass the time and not get bored. Don’t get me wrong. I can definitely think of many things that could entertain me in between my day job, chores, and most importantly my successful career as a regular, everyday, normal individual. Yep. “I Turned Out A Punk” in the famous words of a Mr. Mick Jones. And indeed I did (turn out to be a punk). A working class punk.

Fuck you, you know!? 

Now That I have your attention, you can comment on this and I encourage you to do so. Your comments, good or bad are welcome. But you can kiss my ass if you think that I’ll be interested in writing about any issues within your comments that may appear to be potential subjects or topics for a next “one of these”.. .Ha-ha. Fuck you. I was just kidding. There Is No Point But It’s Nice To Meet You. 

Allow me to leave you with a little entertainment.

The opinion of the blogger does not in anyway, in partial or as a whole, represent the opinion of the Tribe of Tees website

For the September instalment, I went to support fellow poets but did not read. I went there to meet up a new partner and member of +O+, Skateboxx Skateboarding.  We met up too discuss possible future projects.

Anyway, since I just listened to the poems read two weeks ago, I would like to share a poem I very much enjoyed. The poet is Dakila Cutab, also a Tribe member. He is both a poet and a street artist who is one of those who spearheads the Dolphins Love Freedom movement.

One time, we will talk to him about his love for Dolphins but in the meantime his poem:

Ayoko na makainuman ang aking sarili

Ganito pala kung madalas kang

magsolo—

Minsan masaya.

Palaging malungkot.

(Pero hindi puwedeng tumawa o umiyak.)

Dinadaya ang tagay.

Titingin sa paligid bago itapon ang alak.

(Baka kasi may makakita. Nakakahiya.)

Pinagninilayan ang nilalamas na baso.

Panay pa ang pagtanggi tuwing oras nang tumira.

(Mumuni-muni muna kung susuka, susuko, o sususo.)

Umay na umay kausapin ang maingay na bibig.

At nauuyam makinig sa sariling sermon at payo.

(Dahil di na nais pang makipag-away sa anino.)

Nangangarap habang sumusuray-suray.

Pikit-matang binibilang ang umiikot na mga tala.

(Napapadasal. At nangangakong hindi na uulit.)

Iwinawaksi ang kamunduhan.

Tinutulugan ang inuman.

(Sapagkat ayaw nang gambalahin ang katawan.)

Gigising nang tanghali.

Babangon bago maghapunan.

(At muli, iaasa ang bisyo sa iba.)

And that poem was brought to you by Dakila Cutab, Tribe of Tees’ featured artist for September. I call him the great formal poet. I’m sure his barong will not disagree.

the opinion of the blogger does not in anyway, in partial or as a whole, represents the opinion of the Tribe of Tees website

“Man can will nothing unless he has first understood that he must count on no one but himself; that he is alone, abandoned on earth in the midst of his infinite responsibilities, without help, with no other aim than the one he sets himself, with no other destiny than the one he forges for himself on this earth.”

-          Jean Paul Sartre

Very well said JP. So what do we do now?

Let us assume that the understanding has been done. The next thing to do is ask yourself what you want with the only thing you have. At this stage it is a given that you have undergone extreme anguish in a journey that leads you to this enlightenment. It is at this point toward the end of your MEANINGFUL ANGUISH that you start gaining consciousness that the only thing you have is TIME.

If not for this prelude, the following would have been the options:

1. Surrender
2. Linger
3. Go around in circles

BLINDNESS

Let us call that stage without enlightenment, blindness. From the time you gain consciousness to the time you undergo meaningful anguish you are blind. Until you achieve the kind of understanding we mean, you have been so. When you are blind, and you meet several unpleasant experiences and frustrations, you fold. When the things, people and ideals you thought kept you significant fails you, you surrender.  It’s like losing a loved one whether literally or figuratively leaving you empty. Then you surrender. Then  you continue breathing keeping your body alive but your spirit dying.

The other option can actually be a natural reaction to the surrender. You go on wandering about the what ifs and the what could have been but do not take action to take control.  You linger hoping hopelessly that one day arrives a welcome turn around.

Sometimes, you will figure out whether you are in the first or second options that you just have to keep on going. Then you work hard to get out of this trap that you one day found yourself in. I have noticed that there are many people in this state. Few questions you have to ask are:

What is the end goal?

Is the end goal what you want?

How do you get there or what is the plan?

The quality of answers you have for the above questions tells you the difference between going around in circles and and transcending what is done to you. To begin with, are there at least answers to them?

YOUR CROSS

In the face of emptiness, do not surrender. Do not linger. Do not go around in circles. You were born empty but you were born to fill it. It’s all entirely up to you.

You have to go back to your experience of meaningful anguish where the greatest enlightenment emerges. At that point, you become aware that the only thing anybody ever had is time. This is a gift and you should not waste this. Do not waste your time trying to find yourself. Instead, make valuable use of your time creating yourself. You were born to create and to fill up your being. To do this, you have to know the things you do that when immersed in it, you lose track of the tick of the clock. What is that thing you do that makes you oblivious to everything around you? What puts you in a zone that gives out a vibe from within that says you are where you need to be. Whether that is art, music, community work, business, livelihood, service to the poor or voluntary work to whatever advocacy, only you know the answer. Resolve this first. Then be at a trance of creativity. Create yourself.

This is your cross. It is all about the passion to make the most of the only thing you have in this world – time. Battle for it. Never stop and never settle for when you have started, the energy of creativity will feed on what you put in it.

Before we close, +O+ leaves you with a message that underpins the importance of making the most of the time we have. It is better to recognize this now than in that moment when heaven and hell is born.

“They say that in the second before our death, each of us understands the real reason for our existence, and out of that moment, Heaven or Hell is born. Hell is when we look back during that fraction of a second and know that we wasted an opportunity to dignify the miracle of life. Paradise is being able to say at that moment: “I made some mistakes, but I wasn`t a coward. I lived my life and did what I had to do.””

-          Paolo Coelho

Go ahead, take courage and get out of your house. Create yourself.

For contest details, please check out poster announcement:

The opinion of the blogger does not in any way, partial or in full, represents the opinion of the Tribe of Tees website.

Have you ever wondered how something you’ve never experienced is like? I have. Okay, maybe everyone has. But it’s frustrating when you long for something that’s over before you even get the chance to be there. Legends, that’s what I wanted to experience, and one of the legends I’ve always heard of was of Club Dredd’s.

It was a legend.

Club Dredd housed the music of Eraserheads. The fact still gives me chills to this day.

How amazing is that?

“The concept was to provide a venue for budding Filipino rock musicians and the growing followers of the Pinoy rock scene. This was not to be a venue for bands covering pop music. Its customers didn’t know it then but many of the bands they watched then would eventually become the most popular recording acts in the 90s. Within a just few years, Club Dredd became the centre of the Metropolitan rock scene and the home of many musicians and bands of the existing music scene.”

They saw potential when nobody else did. That’s what I never knew, and that is what I miss. Seeing potential in things other people would never think of. Dredd gave that to OPM. They gave musicians who had nowhere to perform a stage; The Youth, Afterimage, Athenas Curse (presently known as Alamid), Grace Nono, Joey Ayala, Bazurak (whose members eventually became part of RiverMaya), Color It Red, Parokya Ni Edgar, The Wuds, Razorback, Wolfgang, and Advent Call to name a few. The list is breathtaking.

I would have killed to see all these artists in one place, and to think it actually happened!

Now they’re big.

And this all happened because they knew what Filipino Music needed, somewhere to perform, a place where their potentials were seen, and standards are meant to be exceeded, that’s what Club Dredd gave them.

For some reason it feels nostalgic even if I wasn’t there, maybe it’s because I wanted to be there that it feels like I miss it.

I don’t want to miss anything anymore, I want to know all that I can. I don’t want to miss what I don’t know.

So I’m getting out there so I won’t miss potential in all things, big or small.

You should too.

Potential is not inside your house. It’s out there.

Find it.

The opinion of the blogger does not represent the opinion, whether in part or in whole, of the Tribe of Tees site.

Why do we punish ourselves for being wrong? What is so wrong in making mistakes?

All answers are answers, it may be wrong to some questions, but it can also be right to some.

You know how things never go as they were planned because of one silly mistake, but you still end up having fun, even better than you imagine? Today x Future is where it happens.

It’s where everything just flows so naturally, and smoothly. Good times can be planned, but unforgettable ones are the ones that are never planned, and that’s how it exactly is, every time at Today x Future, unforgettable.

Mistakes can be the right turn you’ve been meaning to find. And the less you think about it and the more you feel it, wrong and right won’t matter, even the questions you ask won’t matter. What matters is what happens, because that’s what you will never forget, not the questions that needed answers, but the things that happen around you. And for me it all happened at Today x Future.

There was no need to be right, or wrong. You just had to appreciate the good time, with the feel-good-not-so-ordinary vibe you get with the different kinds of people around, the music will surely open your eyes to something completely new, and beautiful, especially to the very artsy-fartsy decor, that will surely catch your attention. The place screamed, awesome.

So stop questioning things whether they are right or wrong, because the questions don’t matter.

You do.

Stop punishing yourself.

Take a risk. Get out of your house and live.

 The opinion of the blogger does not represent the opinion, whether in part or in whole, of the Tribe of Tees site.

Good thing she’s not a child anymore because I would hate to prove Whitney Houston wrong.

She used to be a child but now she’s a monster enabled by a major television network.

To put everything in context, yes we are talking about the bride of Chucky, Charice. Now like all of you, I was amazed at her singing prowess in the beginning (up to now in fact). But what happened?

I am not a very articulate person in the sense that I cannot properly express how a feel most of the time, well not in specific words anyway but I’ll try my best anyway.

I do not hate Charice just to be clear, I’m just infinitely irritated by her and it just so happens that I’m more often than not in “Hater” mode. I cannot hate her as I do not know enough about her, as do most of the people who are irritated by her which comprises about 90% of the Filipino population (not exact numbers) thanks to X-Factor and her stylist.

Now just for fun, let me give a short summary/ history of how I got to the 90% figure…

Charice was discovered by Ellen – 0% of Filipinos hate her

Charice as judge on X-Factor – 89% of Filipinos hate her

Charice as Bride of Chucky @ X-Factor – 90% of Filipinos hate her

Now remember, the remaining 10% have not heard of Charice, and when I say hate I actually mean irritated, but hate is just a better term for my purpose (which is what again???).

I’m not just talking about how irritating she looks with all the changes with her looks. There’s also the matter of her being a judge of talent contest. Yes she is a very talented singer, but having an eye for talent is a different thing, and she does not have that “thing”. 

A lot of people when or if they read this will say “well what does this guy know, he doesn’t even know her personally”. You’re correct, but so what? Check the title of the article again.

Again I do not know much about Charice except for the fact that she’s a very talented singer, not so talented actress (Corazon from Glee anyone???), and a horrible judge, and a horrendous judge of good hairstyle.

Oh well, what can I do? I’m just a hater hating. So who’s next…? Anthony Taberna? Kris Aquino? Whoever I decide to hate next, I’ll try to do more research to make a better case.

The opinion of the blogger does not in any way, in partial or as a whole, represent the views of the Tribe of Tees website.

“It was always about the music. At the risk of sounding just a tad too militant, SaGuijo’s prime objective is to provide a proper venue for the music lover.

SaGuijo is about genuine fun and good conversation. And if, along the way, you happen to make a new friend, enjoy a few beverages and listen to some really good tunes, you can rest easy knowing that you’re always welcome to come back.”

- Chris Carlos on SaGuijo

It’s nice to be surrounded by complete strangers that you can connect to without having to go through the hassle of actually talking to them,(not that it’s bad to talk to them, but you get what I mean) their being there signifies something you all have in common. There’s no need to pretend at all, it’s a judgment-free zone, where anyone can be themselves. No games. No faking. Then after listening to good music you’ll find that they aren’t strangers after all.

It was always about music. Why deprive yourself the knowledge and experience of something new? Music is feelings, thoughts, and even learning. Music is honest, and so should the listener be, too. Why the need for prejudice and excuses? You just have to listen, you might feel lost at first, but you’ll find yourself soon enough. This is what I realized when I was inviting a friend of mine to go to SaGuijo with me last month. I remember her saying, “It’s not my thing,” and I was like, What thing? I mean, why have a thing, when you can go for everything? Because that’s me, I go for every possible thing I can go for, in my head, everything is for everyone. The moment you say you have your thing, you disconnect.

This is what I love most about SaGuijo, you don’t get disconnected at all, you’re there, so are others, and they are there not necessarily with you, but you’re with them. You’re part of it. You’re part of the community that encourages you to be who you are and to discover new music; you just don’t know it yet.

Why limit yourself when you can be limitless?

I really don’t get why some people can’t appreciate something for what it is, they try to fit it into their own preferences, it’s like trapping themselves into their own little boxes, which is no fun at all. What they don’t realize is that, the fun, is out of it. More often than not, we think our comfort zones protect us, but they don’t; they limit us. Our boxes close us in from the things that are important to us, they keep us away from the things we need most, which are the things we don’t know yet because they are not in the fucking boxes we trap ourselves in.

Somebody once said, that everything you need is right outside of your doorstep. I’m pretty sure I need something, and so do you.

You are your own kind of music, you are not a genre.

As Carlos puts it: “Genres be damned, we seek the fresh, the vital and, above all else, the original in contemporary Filipino music.”

So, get out of your box, and be limitless.

you can also follow the blogger at www.myspotlessmind.tumblr.com/

The opinions of the blogger does not in any way, in partial or as a whole, represent the views of the Tribe of Tees website.

-Andy Warhol

August 6 was the eve of the typhoon that was not supposed to be a typhoon. It was the one that left us scrambling from home in the early morning of the following day. We then ended up that day in a hotel. Woopee!

To back track a bit, I spent an hour the previous night at Tomato Kick to witness and take part in the resurrection of Happy Mondays. This is the country’s longest running poetry reading community. I have been a part of this in the past when it was still held at Mag:net gallery some years back.

And so as the rains poured, I sit there and enjoy the  company of fellow poets sparing a short chat and exchanging courtesies. The rains keep coming gathering strength and I had to request the two nice ladies organizing the event to line me up in the next possible slot so I can read and leave.

I did just that. Allow me to share the poem I read (best read while having coffee):

BLOCK PARTY

Like coffee on my office desk,

this afternoon is a forgotten prayer.

Nothing is more common than such treat as an offer.

A little more difficult,

is resumption, maybe.

It’s tougher the second time around,

even if you may not agree.

Greatness is made weak.

You made a mistake,

Thinking for a century you were right.

As with other afternoons,

it must be a block that I can build.

I think of something worthwhile.

It is things like these that make me cling,

to what my father taught me:

Impossible is nothing to the person that is willing.

But mortality is me,

and control is a matter of influence and strategy.

Needless to say,

to stay or to go I don’t know.

In moments when we rebuild,

certainty is not a norm.

Add three to ten what you will get is a go,

But an advice is not omniscient,

I might just respond with a no.

A couple of things that I need.

A go requires a centipede of sorts,

In case you don’t know.

The first is a spotless mind,

then a renegade of name and act.

Now it’s time to build the block.

To let be,

I sit with a nice lady,

finding myself in the future of today, we chat away.

About the origins of the community,

nothing but a bemused sensibility.

It is not enough to start a building block,

under the skin you need to go back.

The name renegades itself without much tick of the clock.

Suddenly, a fascinating thought:

it happens that the other side is on the right.

It is a convergence of everything you call street,

seemingly brought back to life.

A few messages on my disjointed device

is necessary to join the flight.

With a mosquito horde,

now we can start the night.

Get the right shots,

we want the article right.

In every post, the future we will make bright.

But to undertake, allowances you must make.

For in every great creation, a margin of error -

And in five minutes the renegade in act does not betray this fact

Not to stop and not to settle,

for the block will test your mettle.

Like a forgotten prayer,

It will be lost in the offer.

Hats off to the resurrection of being happy on a Monday. Great job done by the people behind HM in bringing it back. Yes, Happy Mondays didn’t die. It just went to another venue (Not the department store, Andy). The community of HM can only hope for more great years to come.

And to our good friend in Singapore who opted to enjoy the rains and other poets reading the last time, we will keep you posted.

the opinion of the blogger does not in any way represent the opinion either as a whole or in part of the Tribe of Tees website.

]]> http://tribeofteesshop.com/resurrection-of-being-happy-on-a-monday-by-out-house/feed 0 http://tribeofteesshop.com/just-do-it-by-big-bad-jiggs http://tribeofteesshop.com/just-do-it-by-big-bad-jiggs#comments Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:41:36 +0000 trib5154 http://tribeofteesshop.com/?p=1518 Continue reading →]]>

A question to the victorious greek goddess:

“Can Japanese shoes do to German shoes what Japanese cameras did to German cameras?”

This was the question Phil Knight had on his project at Stanford University to build a marketing plan for a small business. This was the time Adidas and Puma were at the dominating forefront of the athletic shoe world in the 60s. It was a good paper but nothing more at that time progressed. Few years later, Knight found himself on a trip to Japan and an opportunity to interview with the owner of a Japanese athletic shoe company called Onitsuka Tiger. He was a very convicing bluffer saying that he had his own distribution
company in the US that he was able to convince the owner to be the distributor in the US.

And then a bigger idea – He thought, why not go to the manufacturer of Onitsuka shoes instead and sell under his own brand. That’s what he did. He initially wanted to call the brand Dimension Six until a team mate in the athletics team suggested the brand name Nike – after the greek goddess of victory.

A few decades and a lot of defiant spirit later, Nike was at the forefront of the sneaker industry.

So in the spirit of the Tribe of Tees (ToT) design contest, Rebel With A Cause, we share you this story. We believe that anybody can slay a giant.

JUST DO IT.

but GET OUT OF YOUR HOUSE FIRST.

You can check out the theme blog for the Rebel With A Cause design contest at  http://tribeofteesshop.com/rebel-for-a-cause-by-big-bad-jiggs

the opinion of the blogger does not in any way represent the opinion either as a whole or in part of the Tribe of Tees website.