Across the borders..

"You don't know where

My people comin' from,

'Cause you don't go there

We just trying to get dough here..."

Sooo, I know I'm a little late with this, but my iPod shuffled to this song this morning and I haaad to share it.

The joint is called "Don't Go There", off London hip-hop artist Giggs' album "Let 'Em 'Ave It", and it features none other than up-and-comer BoB.
Giggs is a rapper from the notoriously "ghetto" district of Peckam in South London, known for his slow rap style and street lyrics. He won the BET Award for Best UK Hip Hop Act in 2008, and has released 9 hugely successful official mixtapes. The 10th mixtape- Magical Mr. Hollowman- is due out in December of this year. Giggs' first album, "Talkin' the Hardest", which he apparently created in just under two weeks, sold out across the UK. He is widely successful in the UK- ask any Londoner to suggest some local hiphop artists and they will always name Giggs.

Let me just say, after spending some time in London this summer I have a whooole new appreciation for and curiosity in the international hiphop scene. I also noticed that this particular musical genre has an impressively large following in the UK, contrary to the images of tea-sipping, prim-and-proper, Queen-loving Brits that we often get fed out here in Canada/US.

If you haven't heard of Giggs, I suggest you broaden your horizons and check him out before dismissing him as "just some British guy"...





Also check out some of these UK artists, as suggested by a couple of London friends:
- Kano
- Klash Nic-Off
- P Money

summer music

Since it's 'Adios' to summer, just thought I'd share some of the music that coloured MY summer...

The two albums that received the heaviest rotations were:

and

...so if you somehow fell asleep under a rock this summer and didn't check these out, I suggest you do asap.

Adieu, Summer

Tuesday marked the day we bid farewell to summer for another year. It's time to tuck away our warm, sunny memories of beach picnics, watergun fights, random forest hikes, spontaneous bbqs, and hours of pool lounging.

This was an especially sombre goodbye for me, 'cause it meant replacing vacation memories with political science theories at school.

I guess it's only appropriate to give you all some insight as to how I spent MY summer, in the form of pictures of course!

  

   

  

 

  

  

  

   

  

Goodbye, summer! You've been good to me...

 

"Choosing His Coffin"

"You call yourself a son o' mine?... You come telling me you going to Canada as an immigrant? Where Canada is? What is Canada?"

- Austin Clarke, Choosing His Coffin

This semester, I'm taking a course at my uni called "African Canadian Literature" and among the 16 "prescribed" books, the first one we're covering is Choosing His Coffin. This collection of 20 short stories is written by Austin Clarke, a Bajan-Canadian who currently lives in Toronto and has been received and been nominated for a number of awards.


Now, I've gotta admit- based on the track record of U of T English Profs' Reading Lists, I wasn't exactly jumping at the idea of starting the year with a 384 page book. I'm glad I got around to starting it though, because as soon as I was through with the first story- one entitled Discipline, about an immigrant family man's challenges in understanding Canadian life- I knew I was hooked. 
The stories in this collection are witty and fun, sociological and emotional, honest and hilarious- all while asking the fundamental question of how to reconciliate a Canadian "authenticity" with your unfamiliarity of the land. Clarke's witty style is especially appealing with his no-holds-bar humour and openness to bring up even the most sombre of topics, such as suicide. The characters are dynamic, easy to sympathize with and more than one-dimensional.


If you are any of these:
- a Canadian immigrant
- black
- Canadian
- born to immigrant parents
- of Carribean descent
- a North American resident
- a fan of Canadian fiction


there's a goood chance you'll enjoy this book as much as I did!

thanks

I just wanna thank God/the universe/the powers that be for surrounding me with friends and especially family who inspire me to be a better me. These people continue to challenge and teach me more about themselves and myself. They spark my imagination, inspire me more than they will ever know, and give me strength by exemplifying courage in their own lives. 

Thank you all for the memories, advice, hard-learned lessons, and unconditional love...

Prescriptions for Life

"Dance like there's nobody watching,

Sing like there's nobody listening,

Love like you'll never get hurt,

Live like there's heaven on Earth..." 

AIRPLANE BOYS: SLEEP

"Some people dream of success, while others try to reach it..."

A few months ago I did a little feature on a couple of talented guys I'm proud to call my friends: the Airplane Boys. Since then Beck Motley and Bon Voyage have been working hard to spread their music, promote their image, and just simply CREATE.
Thanks to all that grinding, along with the help of the AMAZINGLY talented Justin Create and Neon Gorilla team, they've released a video for one of my fave APB songs: Sleep. It was shot right in Toronto and I'm so impressed by the concept, and how clean the shots are. And believe me, these guys are taaalented. Look out for their upcoming projects, and request "Sleep" on your local radio stations! To download the single, visit:
http://theairplaneboys.bandcamp.com/track/sleep


Here it is, hope you enjoy it as much as we all have....

balance

Sometime this past weekend, I think I semi-consciously conjured/thought/sent positive vibes... I noticed that, because the past couple of day's I feel serene, well-balanced, and somehow a little wiser. You get these little random moments in life where things become clear- relationships you've been trying to fix suddenly seem harmonious, decisions you've been avoiding making suddenly seem clear as ever, and issues you have either internalized or agonized over finding their solution just work themselves out. I think the problem, though, is that we are sooo caught up in focusing on what's wrong and what obstacles limit us to absorb or appreciate these moments.

But like I always say, whether or not its clear to you in the moment, the universe (that is, whatever you perceive it to be) ALWAYS returns to its balance...

TALENT IS SO ATTRACTIVE

Threw a few of these earlier in the blog, and I realized I haven't in a while.

Came across this video, apparently its kinda old, but this chick plays so well! Not to mention this is one of my favourite acoustic songs and she can sing!

9/11

I remember being jostled awake frantically, and opening my mouth to protest, only to shut it again as soon as the pilot's voice came back over the speaker to confirm what he had announced moments earlier. I remember the utter confusion, the dazed expressions of everyone around me, trying to make any sense of what they had all just learned. I remember watching dozens of my fellow passengers rush to the nearest TV  as we landed back at the airport. I remember stopping in my tracks and finally noticing the hundreds of conversations simultaneously taking place around me- the grief, disbelief, and perplexion I could hear buzzing all around me. But most of all I remember the silence. The hush that slowly fell through the crowd around me- some with their eyes glued to the TV screens, some with disoriented expressions still trying to understand what was happening, and some simply comforting a silently-weeping friend, relative, stranger...

And in the days to follow, I remember witnessing kinship, selflessness and an overall sense of "coming together" that my 11-year-old mind had rarely got to glimpse before. I remember the blankets being shared all around, the smiling, reassuring faces of airport staff, and quite simply, just the very act of "being there for one another" that everyone seemed to be actively participating in.

On September 10, 2001 my family and I boarded a late flight from Cairo, Egypt to Amsterdam for what we assumed was a routine stopover before continuing out journey back to Toronto. On September 11, while en route from Amsterdam to Toronto, throngs of eager fliers, myself included, were interrupted mid-flight by the voice of a confused pilot. He announced that "due to some attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York City, the airspace over North America has been 'closed'", forcing us to turn around and reroute back to Amsterdam. Just like that. Matter-of-factly, but in a way that suggested there was actually an overall lack of any facts. For the next few hours, strangers from all walks of life who surrounded me, joined me in annoyance and confusion as we tried to recollect what had just happened, and plot how they could carry on their plans despite this disturbance to their schedule. I think I may have actually been upset that I would miss yet another day in "Back-to-School" week.

It was only hours later, when we finally landed after what seemed like the longest flight I had been on, did the confusion give way to shock, horror, disgust and disbelief. Who was responsible for this? How did it happen? Was anything else happening that we didn't know of? What would be the global response? Would they catch the bad guys? THESE were just some of questions and thoughts that popped in and out of everyone's mind, while the images of burning towers and crashing planes played over and over again on CNN, which seemed to occupy every TV screen.

This was how I personally experienced September 11. To carry on and retell the rest of my experiences that week- stuck in the airport in a foreign country, contracting a bad liver infection that caused me to wound up in the airport hospital, and eating those god-awful ham and apricot jelly sandwiches- that just seems to overshadow the day itself. The infamous day that caused mass confusion, inestimable grief and loss, and a deep sense of comradery and community. The day that would forever etch itself in history among great wars, life-altering inventions, and revolutions. The day that forced everybody collectively AND individually, to face the reality of time, alter our psyches, look to others for help and condolence, and most of all face ourselves and the truth that only seemed to make itself visible at this time. That, no matter how cliché it sounds, or how hard our parents have tried to drive this notion through our head, time and reality can never actually be measured. That the values, things we've come to "know" about life, and all the reassurances fed to us, are futile and can be irreparably changed at any given moment. And that in the gloomiest, darkest moments when war, pain, and fear run rampant, one only needs to look to his neighbour to find sanity and an anchor again...

Prescriptions for Life

"Heaven and hell are only found on earth, where we have the capacity to create them..."

untitled for a reason

Today something inspired me to write. Maybe it was the feeling of impending doom, mixed with misplaced excitement about the new school year starting next week. Maybe my To-Do List was the inspiration- after weeks and weeks I can finally cross "update blog !!!!!!!!" off the list. Maybe it was the concerned phone calls or confused conversations I've recently had regarding my absence from the writing scene.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was that little thing within me that propelled me to start this little project in the first place. That tiny, almost inaudible voice that reminds me time and again that I simply do not exist as who I am without this outlet. I have forged an identity, I've had opportunities to share what would otherwise have been kept bottled up in me, and most importantly I have been reminded that if you actually believe in what you do, the sky cannot even limit you- all through my writing. Writing has kept me sane and grounded, giving me a sense of purpose and a sense of escape from day-to-day realities.

So what exactly has prevented me from updating my blog since July? It couldn't have been time limits- indeed my break from school, reduced work schedule and long nights spent awake would have been ideal for logging on now and then to write. Clearly, my choice to neglect this project over these past couple of weeks is something fueled from within.

Writing to me has been like your typical love story, full of ups and its share of downs (and anyone who knows me well enough knows I'm a failure in the "love" department). It has been like an honest, spontaneous, unconditional lover that helps bring out the best in me. It has led me to pause and honestly reflect on aspects of my own life as equally as I muse about the world around me. At the same time, I've seen the reproachful, critical side of this lover who constantly forces me to face my innermost thoughts, feelings, fears, and insecurities.

But this doesn't mean I should ignore this huge part of my life like a bad ex you avoid at the mall. That simply isn't even an option, because I LOVE writing. I love it because as much as I have shown my true self to it, I've allowed it to see Me from the inside out- a "privilege" I have long held back from my own loved ones. And because of this, I see my personal writing not so much as a task or chore or something I have to get over with, but a natural reflex to seeing someone's innermost being- mine.

That must be what led me back to this direction.