Little Lion Man- Mumford and Sons
For one of the youth in the community, David Ansari. This guy gives me hope about our future generations. A young artist himself (whose apparently amazing), he has a mind, heart, and soul that refuses to listen to the crap that people try and call music. More than just refuse, he can articulate with great passion what music makes him feel, which also seems to be a rarity. We have been meaning to trade music every Tuesday as a way to share musical tastes with one another. We have both slacked, hence why I’m writing this post.
Anyway this song made me think of you man. You and Zia. 
Thanks to Eric for showing me this song. The rest of the album pales in comparison to this song, but its still worth checking out. The music is beautiful. For the other songs, just ignore the lead’s cheesy, sometimes redundant lyrics.
PHOTO SHOOT
How bout a virtual high five for talented friends! Saman receives a lighting lesson from Jordan and I get to be the “model”. She’s so good, I get some fresh photos from the process. My question is, if she is this good just learning, how phenomenal will she be later? Again, talented friends.. and amazing women.
Now I need to step my creative game up a few notches. Lets vie for service shall we then?
(photos taken from Saman’s Blog, click here to see more and other projects she is working on)
New Link for Macklemore’s THE TOWN (Official Video)
PEOPLE…We had to change a scene in the video. Unfortunately we lose all the comments/plays that were building at an insane rate. SO…If you left a comment before on youtube, it’d be tight if you’d re-typed it, played the video 17 times and spread this all over kingdom come
Read and watch (yes there is video lol) what went down in the last 24 hours by peeping Zia Mohajerjasbi’s blog, Love and Shoestrings.
If it wasn’t for Ms. Saman Maydani, we would have been screwed. EVERYONE THANK HER.
The Town-Macklemore (Official VIDEO)
Director: Zia Mohajerjasbi
Producers: Kirby Grey and Sam Toloui
YES. Some of our best work, collectively. I love you, Seattle.
Women’s oppression: Not knowing one’s self
Thanks to Saman for sharing this excerpt.
“Over the Centuries, the subordination of women has given rise to ideological and social structures, the function of which is to maintain women in a position of inferiority. It is not an exaggeration, then, to state that the situation faced by women is one of oppression. The most fundamental way we know to define oppresion is the use of power to deny access of some group of human beings to knowledge. In the case of women, not only have they been deprived of knowledge about the external world, but also of self-knowledge which is the basis for everyone’s reaffirmation as a human being.
Having taken away from women the right to know themselves and the great potentials with which they have been endowed, society has perpetuated attitudes that have turned into norms and customs. For centuries women have been, and today they continue to be, objects of masculine conceptions; their real nature and being has been lost among desires, the experiences and fantasies of men. To be continually exposed to images of oneself that do not correspond to reality causes one to become a stranger to oneself.
Women have lived to please men and to turn their speculations into reality. It is sufficient to look at history to see that very few women have been recognized for their own deeds, their own acheivements, their own being. Rather they have been remembered as the mothers, the wives, the daughters or the lovers of famous men.
Understanding oppression in terms of depriving human beings of the right to have unimpeded access to knowledge helps us to explain how, in spite of notable advances in establishing women’s rights, oppression continues. This is not a simplistic statement that divides the world between women as the oppressed and men as the oppressors. We are concerned with a condition that permeates society. Overcoming this condition of oppression implies changes in structure- mental, social, economic and political. The principle of the equality of men and women as an element of our conceptual framework, then, demands among other things the abandonment, the reform, and the creation of institutions. And, of instutitions we have already said that their validity is determined by the principles of justice.”
This has been cause for much contemplation.
Fresh Espresso
Its been a hot minute since I posted. School got in the way. Thats a good thing.
Lets bring in my comeback with this excellent song and video from Fresh Espresso, right from the 206.
This beat is the hottness. Oooooweeeeee.
Top 3 mixtapes of 2009 (for now)
I use this expression alot and ill use it again, these mixtapes I’m about to share with you are HELLA filthy.
And what, in my opinion, makes a good mixtape? A couple of things:
1. Good music (duh)
2. WELL MIXED. There is nothing like getting into the groove coming from a great song and have the dj eff it up.. and it only took 5 seconds for him or her to do so. Its called a mix for a reason.
3. Purpose or intent behind the mix. This may be a little more intangible, but all I know is that with these mixtapes, they took me somewhere. and i liked it. alot. From the beginning, through the journey, and to the destination, I took that ride and had no desire to venture off. And maybe I didn’t know I wanted to be there, but they certainly led me to believe I did. Thats some really good persuasion. Or perhaps it could have been that I am already on that journey and I was able to find a mix that became the soundtrack for my life.
That sounds about right.
Anyway, allow me to list the mixes and the dj’s they came from, provide you with the link to download each and experience the journey for yourself.
1. DV One- Music and Me: A Michael Jackson Tribute. (scroll down to find it)Dood, no lie, this made me cry. and Laugh. and inspired me to do alot of amazing things. AND by hitting up this site, I just found out that this dood has HELLLLA mixes. like HELLLA. Im hoping I just hit a musical jackpot here. Ill let you know…
2. Sabzi- 69 Rolls and Oof: A Jawaiian Mix. So, this took me home. I don’t mean home as in a particular place or location, because I’ve never had that type of home. I mean more of the home that’s in my heart. The home where my soul rests and finds comfort. The feeling felt from this mix is very similiar to when I am on the dancefloor and nothing else matters. anyway.. enough of that. Just listen.
3. Plot Twist- Peace Out Chicago Mix. So yeah.. this is the mixtape I would have made. But he made it first. damnit. I have not been able to stop listening to this mix for the last 4 days. That alone makes it a winner of my top 3. End.
taking the mask off.
An excerpt sent to me from a fellow student in my program. Nothing can be said from me just now. Ill let this excerpt do its job. My only question is, what mask are you wearing (if any) and what are you trying to hide?
All I ever want to see is you true self. Whatever that is.
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Uncover Your True Face
Underneath the Mask Many of us know the feeling of being stuck in a particular role within our families, as if we are wearing masks whenever we see the people we love. Maybe we are the good daughters, expected to always please others, or perhaps we are the family clowns, expected to be jovial and make everyone laugh. This same scenario can play out within a work situation or a group of friends. We may be so good at our role that we hardly even notice that we are wearing a mask, and yet, deep down, we know that we are not free to simply be who we really are. This can leave us feeling unseen and uneasy.
There is nothing inherently wrong with wearing a mask or playing a role. It is a natural part of any social dynamic and it can even be creative and fun. It only becomes a problem when you feel that you have no other choice than to wear that mask, and this is especially challenging if you realize you are never without one. Perhaps you have forgotten who you really are˜a vast and unrestricted being of light˜and have identified yourself completely with a role. You may be the dutiful, caring son who keeps his parents‚ dysfunctional marriage intact. You may be the angelic wife who enables your husband to continue on a destructive path. You may be the cheerful daughter to a deeply depressed mother. Whatever the case, knowing the motivation behind your performance˜the function of your mask˜can help to uncover your true face.
Anytime we find ourselves stuck behind a mask, it is an indication that we are entangled in a dysfunctional dynamic in which our true self cannot be seen. We have been placed in this situation for the purpose of our own healing and, in some cases, the healing of others. From this perspective, life can be seen as a series of situations that call us to remove our masks˜gently, and with great compassion for all concerned˜to reveal the beauty underneath.
Current Projects
- Reggae/Dancehall Party with Soul and Sabzi. All ages, Vera Project. Nov 28. Confirmation in the next 24 hours.
-Viewing Party for Macklemore’s “The Town” music video.
-Choosing what mixer to buy. Im learning how to dj. For real. The name, Kirbaybay, will finally come in to use.
-Sewing Machine. Jillz has inspired this project.
-Kickin it with Junior Youth (ages 11 to 15) regularly. Why? because they are alot more fun then most adults these days. Ya’ll too jaded. These kids are where its at.
-Organizing and expanding my music collection. Who knew the organization NEVER STOPS.
