Ahead of the Curve

For a different yet rational viewpoint on everyday life and musings. 

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Wanting attention is normal

It’s always a fact that I have always wanted attention from others. It’s completely normal and necessary (http://bit.ly/1geSVFW) for survival. People and entities always want attention. When movements like Black Lives Matter, Occupy, (insert the blank POLITICAL MOVEMENT) are screaming and shouting, it’s seeking attention from others and to potentially change folks minds. Attention is always needed to seek love to. Healthy or not is up to debate.  The fact of the matter is, wanting attention more often than not means that we have something to say about something. It’s how the arts (music, dancing, writing, drawing, etc.) is a forefront of a political movement/statement like seen in the great Netflix documentary Hip-Hop Evolution (http://bit.ly/2b4yNIc). It’s how art, in general sells and it’s how you the entrepreneurial artist make ends meet to prevent yourself from being a “STARVING ARTIST”.  

Without attention-seeking behaviors, it’s most likely that one does not know the definition of love. Why does love come into factor here? Having good intentions in mind to want attention is almost like love. You are putting yourself out there so that you can have others come to you for whatever purpose/self-interest that you have that you can share with one another. 

Think ahead of the curve today and seek attention for the right reasons because you yourself deserve a group of people ready to share love. 

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I only want friends for business purposes, for now

In these times of loss in direction and figuring out what direction to point north to, it’s easy to feel comfortable and rely on friends. We always seem to think that friends will get us through the darkest paths and will even get us out of feeling less lost. Sadly though, that’s not always the case because often times even the people we know are lost as well. The friendships we rely on are only emotional and we all know that business is not emotional and emotions don’t get business done. In fact, emotions without actions or anything to progress your loss in direction simply is not a path worth taking and will only make you wither further in (whatever psychological problems). 

You may read this and think, wow this guy is super shallow and superficial. However, keep in mind that your self-interests is a business in itself. Even if it does not involve money, it still involves things that are human-like (boundaries, learning how to say no, etc.) Hell, boundaries themselves are a form of business. Business is the means of getting things done so that BOTH parties are happy with one another. It would be bad business to do things that are not in your interest leading to yourself being played by yourself. 

If you are constantly lost without direction, emotions aren’t gonna get you far. And given that you’re lost, you probably want to get on the right direction and the only way to do that is to know what’s your best interest and whom you need to surround yourself with as part of your interests. I know that I have a hard time making friends stick and keeping a job, so the best way to help my self interests is to think of all my friends as business prospects that will help me become successful. 

And truthfully, we already do that. Whether we are looking for a new job, a recommendation, or even other means to expand business, your friends already are a means for business purposes based on what your self-interests and what you are seeking... 

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You’re asking me all the wrong questions

For the past month and a half, I’ve been on a job search. Where I want to end up and how I want to get there has been a frustrating mission. I keep losing myself and I have no choice but to get up and keep going even if the direction I am heading to is still a dead-end job anyway. Honestly, the job search and the soul seeking isn’t what annoys me, it’s all the questions interviewers seem to love asking that seems so generic, trite, and most importantly doesn’t do anything to know if someone is right for the job or not. 

Here are some of the questions that I get asked that I think are stupid:

1) What are your passions?  2) What are your strengths and weaknesses? 3) Who are your heros?

I can go on and on but there are simply many questions interviewers ask that everyone probably has an answer to simply because they study those interview questions. Here are some questions that I would ask to get an idea of if someone would be suitable for said job or not:

1) What do you think are the problems faced by (said position) and how would you be able to solve them? 2) How will you boost profits for the company? 3) Can you tell me how you can work alone/with a group (depending on company’s way of doing business) all day? 4) I think you suck for the job. Can you convince me why you’re better than others for the job? 5) Can you solve problems by yourself without the need of your colleagues and your boss? 6) Tell me how you can separate work and pleasure while working for us?

Truthfully, there are other questions that I would ask but the point is, if you want to interview me or anyone else for the job, ask questions that are relevant to the job. Seems like most questions asked don’t really have relevance on the job. After all, when someone works a job, they must be the one that proves that they are boosting profits ON A DAILY BASIS to keep their respective job. So why not ask questions that are strictly relevant to the job at hand and the needs needed? 

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RIP to your beloved venue, deal with it

It seems as though December is beginning of a bad month for the Bay Area music scene. The Ghost Ship fire (http://lat.ms/2hfwW5R) and most recently this week in San Jose, Johnny V’s shut down out of the blue (http://bit.ly/2glKeQX). 

As much as it sucks that Johnny V’s shut down and I was not too involved with the scene to know the significant impact on the scene, let me go ahead and list some other famous venues throughout the nation that has shut down as well to put things in perspective. Here are some well-known venues that have closed:

1)  CBGB. One of the staples in giving way to Punk bands like Ramones, New York Dolls, Agnostic Front, other NYHC bands that have established their mark on the Hardcore scene. Closed: October 15, 2006

2) 924 Gilman Street. This is the West Coast answer to CBGB that provided a space for bands like Rancid, Green Day, Offspring, and (insert 1980s & 1990s Punk bands) to play and be established. Although still open, they closed back in 1988 due to a slam dancer/mosher breaking his legs and suing the club. It didn’t take until 2 years later for them to reopen again with the help of volunteers.

3) the Pound SF. This was one of the greatest venues that brought some great touring acts and was the creme de la creme in taking great tour packages as well as supporting the local bands giving them a chance to open for their favorite band(s). Although it was in a seedy area, it filled a niche for those into Hardcore, Metal, Punk, whatever. Closed: Octtober 22, 2006

4) London’s Fabric. Although recently reopening (yay!) they recently closed all because of someone not knowing how to handle his or her drug usage. Well known for bringing in Dubstep, Drum & Bass, and House DJs, not only were they the great venues that I wish to visit on day as a Drum & House DJ but also their business model is very admirable. Can you name a venue that also is a record studio all in one brand namesake? Exactly... Props for doing this and furthering the scene. I could go on and on about great venues that have closed completely and venues that have closed and then reopened but that’s not what this post is even about. It’s about being ahead of the curve on 2 things:

1) A venue has a 50/50 chance of closing. That is a SIMPLE FACT OF LIFE and nothing that we can do about it

1.5) Or... A venue will close and will reopen with due diligence of the scene banding together to make magic happen again.

2) Most importantly, when a venue closes, life does not stop for you as a musician/DJ. Someone will reap the profits of a closed door leading to someone else opening a door for all of you. So here, RIP Johnny Vs and lets make 2017 an opportunistic year for all your music needs. 

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Keep your head up and hide negative emotions

If there is anything I have learned over the years of going through things in life (jobs, friends, etc.) is that everyone is always wearing a mask to show how happy they are. We do this to sell to others that we’re okay and that it’s needed to get whatever it is that needs to get done. Truthfully speaking, there aren’t any advantages to being pessimistic and negative so much even if it does lead to new avenues in thinking. 

If you feel lonely, depressed, sad, lost, (insert any negative emotion), keep moving around. Just walking around helps you clear your mind and staying active with whatever it is you puts your (insert any negative emotion) into better perspective. One can always sit around and let (insert mental disability) affect himself or herself or one can at least pretend to be feeling a positive emotion to keep the momentum going. Victimization is the worst thing to fall prey to because then you feel like you’re worse off than you are. You are no better or worse than anything. That is just a label to weigh you down. We all wear masks and with other people, the best mask to have is a positive one that has a smile on your face because truthfully speaking, it’s the only way to stay sane. Fine, don’t talk about how you feel but at least find ways to keep busy anyway. Who knows, it may lead to something big. 

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Success stories are a sham

You often hear of people/publications/media shining a spotlight on someone that has defied the odds and became successful. It’s even more obnoxious when they label someone as a “overnight success” and refuse to recognize the hard work, blood, sweat, tears, and so many closed doors. It’s even worse when said individual has a mental disability an that gets overlooked as well.  The thing is is that when it comes to a “success story”, it’s only one perspective of things to come. What we get with this over-sensationalized idea of success is that it comes in some form of “mindset”. Little tedious tasks to do to make yourself more confident and feel like you’re “successful”. Like I get it, it’s supposed to reinforce the idea that you “fake it till you make it” and you tell yourself “today is going to be a good day today!” Hell, I woke up thinking I’m gonna have a good day today all because I read an article from Forbes ( (http://bit.ly/2gcWykU)) about how Calvin Harris became a successful DJ. But does that mean that my path toward success will lead to the same outcome as Calvin Harris? Most definitely not. 

There are simply a lot of factors that led to his success and also his background is music. Now as someone that is looking into DJing and production as well as other means of cash flow in this realm, I’ve learned many things that have made me think of success differently. 

1) Pay attention to and worry about yourself as the success story.  2) Turn off the TV, get off facebook, etc. and do something that you like 3) Create your own routine/mindset for success. Just like being creative means thinking outside the box, look at your routine(s) and mindset(s) and apply it toward your success story. 

And like always, follow these tips (I am following them day-to-day as well) and you’ll be ahead of the curve. 

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Even when you have the information in front of ya, you’re still screwed

No no no... I am not gonna be pessimistic that you will never know anything or whatever. I am talking about drowning in information. When trying to research something or try and figure out your life, it’s easy for someone to tell another person “the information is out there stupid, right on your phone/whatever device”. However, what about having too much information presented to you and you’re just as lost as if you didn’t even have the information. 

A lot of times when trying to learn something, most are probably trying to dumb things down to the point where a little kid or even an idiot understands what you’re talking about. That’s just simply how to learn things quickly even when information overload takes over you like being brain frozen from that slurpie.  Point is, when someone is asking about something, simply telling them to find it on his or her own isn’t going to make them know something more than before they asked ya. If anything, just guide someone how to look for the information. I mean in my conquest to learn how to produce those killer House and Drum & Bass beats, all the information in the world (from videos, to people showing me hands-on, etc.) could only do so much if one were not drowning in information. 

So be ahead of the curve, not a jerk when guiding someone finding something. A little bit of direction in where to point the arrows can only do more good than harm. 

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Embarrassment is a learning opportunity

There are many situations where one does not understand what is currently going on or things simply become overwhelming to the brain. There is this mindblindness that sets in simply because one is trying to figure just “what the hell is going on?” At times a social cue is missed, the body language portrayed simply does not comply with the other individual, or there is no way to see what the other person sees due to lack of eye contact.

In times and situations like these, one must rely on tone of voice, actions showing an emotion, and simply put, rules on how to remedy a situation to make things better than they were before. When all 3 things (body language, social cues, and eye contact) doesn’t work with certain individuals, sometimes embarrassment or being verbal, with angry tone of voice, helps one to put things into perspective.  You see, shame and embarrassment are often looked badly because of how they make one feel. And I get that and it’s perfectly human. However, at the same time there is a survival function for embarrassment and shame. The function is to fall down in failure and then get back up and avoid embarrassment/shame by learning a lesson in it. Is it pretty when someone is yelling at someone simply for not “getting it”? Hell no it’s not but for long term purposes, it’s a sure way to learn not to do something again.  It’s almost like a knee jerk reaction where you touch the stove and you burn your finger(s) except applied to feelings of embarrassment. Some people even after feeling the latter emotions still don’t get it but to be ahead of the curve, know that embarrassment helps with questioning things and helps as a learning opportunity to be better. Embarrassment simply means being uncomfortable and we gotta ask ourselves why. 

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News can be just as deceptive as always

http://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2016/11/25/does-facebook-generate-over-half-its-revenue-from-fake-news/#4e5a7dc72f33 I’ll just leave this here so that all you folks know what I am referring to. When it comes to the news, people are always saying “it’s biased”, or “it’s rigged”, or whatever excuse people can think of the discredit the news. It’s fine, it is what it is and I can see merit into that. However, as I have been hearing the news about it, people seem shocked and concerned that there is “fake news” on Facebook or some social media site. While it is a valid possibility that people voted for Trump due to the information distributed on Facebook, one must ask if Facebook should be responsible for managing what news is TRENDING and what isn’t.  Should an entity or organization bear the burden of this type of regulation? Should we even make an outrage that there is fake news out there? Ignorance is no one’s fault but your own. I will admit that I have in the past I have been fooled by fake news, until I realized the importance of researching and fact-checking. I realized this and was able to think ahead of the curve to not be deceived by anything I hear. Whether it is CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, the Daily Show, or any news source, always assume that there is some deception to the news. There are ways to make your viewpoint “factual” somehow because you believe it is true. Even some of the the news we subscribe to can be fake. Just look at Fox News and even the more radical version of Fox News, Breitbart.  Overall, it is not up to any entity or organization to determine if you get suckered into fake news or not. It is up to YOU to be ahead of the curve in the internet age. 

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Look for more problems in life

When I want to hire someone to do something for me, it’s probably because that “something” is a problem that I cannot solve no matter what. Don’t worry though, I’m not advocating looking for trouble or starting problems just to create problems. I’m merely talking about a weakness, a problem plaguing your business leading to lost profits, etc.  The fact of the matter is, problems always pop up and there are 2 options we can deal with this: 1) be the problem turning the problem into a plague/virus that you cannot contain or 2) be the solution that reduces or solves the problem(s). For obvious reasons, number 2 would be the best option and also the best mindset and mentality to get into. 

And with all this in mind, part of being ahead of the curve in job-hunting, business, gig-searching, etc. is to look for how you can be the SOLUTION to someones PROBLEMS. Everyone has problems and everyone wants/needs a solution to it. Be a problem-orientated person and be the solution. 

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Why physical relationships are important to me

When you read that, you may think that all i want is sex and that is all that is all my mind. I’m not going to even go there simply because sex is meaningless without the motivation and investment. A physical relationship is more than what’s on the outside and the hobbies that I do on a day-to-day basis to connect with individuals. To me a physical relationship requires that you would even want to be around me, to spend time with me, even to stand me and most importantly, TIME. When you want to spend time with someone and be there for that person, most valuable asset is time being spent. Why would you ever want to spend time with me if you don’t even like me or you can’t stand me? 

To me, happiness is being around people. Happiness is seeing that people will acknowledge me even if the relationship is nowhere deep. Happiness is hearing the laughter of people and you don’t know who they are but the event is positive.

I’m not shallow or superficial, I just don’t emphasize emotions but instead proximity. Sometimes, you need people to associate with that are not too deep into you so that you get a sense of how you behave and how to not mess up on things.  So be ahead of the curve and value your superficial relationships. Sometimes, words are meaningless (and sometimes confusing) and the act of being there for that person makes his or her day. I know it does on my day-to-day basis.

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Do holidays exist anymore?

It’s easy to say that a holiday exists simply because it’s on your calendar, your smartphone, your facebook reminder, etc. You can wake up one day and say “it’s (insert some national holiday)” but do people ever stop working on those days that are called “holidays”? While everyone is worrying about the state of the politicals and it’s surreal satirical reality, why are we not worrying about folks working on holidays?  The best example of this are the retail workers that have to work on THANKSGIVING DAY during dinnertime. I mean I thought people got those days off. Heck growing up, I remember many stores closing on 4th of July, New Years Day, Easter, etc. Nowadays, all we see are retailers and even other companies just working through the holidays as if it were a regular day.  I mean why even bother calling it a holiday if all you’re gonna do is work like a regular day? Long behold, you’ll start seeing folks working on Christmas Day too. And that’s where I’m ahead of the curve in realizing that holidays are slowly becoming extinct and that we work too hard to ever know the meaning of a holiday.  

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Your life is for all to see

In the information age where knowledge is power and ignorance is no excuse, you can now be searched/stalked by others for whatever purpose. Whether a boss wants to know if you’re ruining the companys’ reputation, to your -ex wanting/missing you, the information is out there for people to look you up.

Now i know this is all scary and you want to say (insert some conspiracy theory/faux movement of yours) but then again, isn’t there a better way to be ahead of the curve and prevent yourself from being known in notorious ways? Don’t you want to be able to control what people know about you and what they don’t know about you? 

Folks this is where I say I’m ahead of the curve with these points in mind in terms of controlling what you want and don’t want people to know:

1) If what you are about to publish is not Politically Correct, explicit, not kid friendly etc., don’t post it. BIG ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM 2) Stalk your co-workers and superiors and block them from accessing your personal social media. 2.5) another alternative would be to utilize your restricted list too 3) Separate business and friends. In fact, start thinking of social media as a business tool to promote your business or wear a badge that you work for so-and-so company. Even better, start using social media as a business-orientated proposition.  4) Most importantly, stay ahead of the curve and always think of old school ways to channel your thoughts without anyone (except maybe someone super close to you) knowing your thoughts (e.g. journaling, rants on a notepad, etc.). That is how you stay ahead of the curve in this 21st century/information era by thinking old school/analog.

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Post-Election madness

Seriously, what can I really say that no one else has really said... I can sit around and be upset about the results and the will of the voters or I can sit down and reflect on how all this happened. So far, my reflection has come to terms that this is not an accident one bit and that several factors have led to this. The anger, the resentment, the racist/sexist/xenophobic ties to American society, and most importantly, the downfall of Social Morale once again (last time it was low was probably the 60s, 70s, etc.).

Most importantly, what people did not account for in this election was the global worldview of social politics. Most of the world seemed to want Conservative leadership in it’s most ugly form. Given this, it seems as though people want that “strongman” type of mentality and ya know what, it’s happened.

And that folks is how I see this election and how ahead of the curve I was in looking at the factors. Lets think further ahead of the curve and fully brace ourselves for changes (just like any other election cycle when power is transferred).

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introduction

My name is Andrew and I love music, video games, comic book movies, and politicals (especially if it’s funny). I love all those things so much that I am making a blog all about things being “ahead of the curve”. Just like I love the Joker so much for his antics and always looking at things from different angles as opposed to what everyone see, I too am like that. Always questioning the way things are done and most importantly, filling in the gaps of knowledge that have not been discovered yet.