Missed the photo op. But proud of the crew. Hippo squad. Full effect. #hipposquad #spartanrace2014 #sjbb #Sacramentosuper #

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@vr-designs
Missed the photo op. But proud of the crew. Hippo squad. Full effect. #hipposquad #spartanrace2014 #sjbb #Sacramentosuper #
Quest for six. #questforsix #hunt4doubletrifecta #spartanrace2014 #spartanready #aroo #trifecta #bostonready
Are you Ready?
I've found the past few months wrapped in episodes of crossfit, running, hiking, trail running, spartan racing, and tough muddering.
After unplugging from the digital world for awhile I found a spark again in my everyday life. I found enjoyment in the dripping sweat drawn from an intense workout. I began finding a little joy in the aches, pains, bruises and scars found on my body after events and workouts.
Each scar is a new story, each bruise hard won. Over this past weekend I found myself speaking with a team mate. We spoke of backgrounds, joys, and well, just how we got where we are.
One of the things i told her was that I've walked a complex life. My life has been full of ups and downs. Like many before me and many after me. I told her that even after everything I've been through. I wouldn't change a thing. Good, bad, ugly, sad.
Whatever the moment that came about, it partially made me who I am today, and I'm great with that. Every trial before me was hard won, Every mistake was a lesson learned, Every love lost a heart endured, Every broken and bruised part was strengthened.
All these things don't just apply to me. Hell we all do these things to some degree. It doesn't have to be in a obstacle course or a run, it can be in facing every day tasks, feeding children and juggling family, running a start-up and having your own business, hustling in whatever your own hustle is.
When friends and family ask me ..
"Why do you pay money to put your self through pain and suffering", they are of course talking about the many Spartan and Tough Mudder events that i run.
Quite simply put.
I do it because of two reasons.
First and foremost... I enjoy it.
Second, well i think you might have caught on to the idea behind this story... because it is hard won.
Is it easy?..... no!
Is it worth it?...
Every mud jumping, rope climbing, mud crawling, vertical wall ascending, weight lifting, ice dipping, shock inducing, mile passing, team pushing, team building, breath taking, adrenaline pumping, sweat dripping moment...
Every bit!
Everything worth having in life is worth struggling and hustling for.
So I have to ask....
"Are you ready?"
Life Unplugged
Recently I have found my days full of reflection. Pondering about this, that, and everything.
During this time I have realized how though social media, devices, and popular sites claim to bring people closer and closer together I have felt more and more distanced to my friends and family.
In an attempt to change this. I will be attempting a social experiment for myself.
My days already are tech filled being a software engineer. But I find myself almost bound to social sites, once i get off of work. Liking, following, or comment on some randomness or event that has unfolded.
So for my experiment I plan to unplug after work. No Instagram, no Facebook, no chatting online.
However due to my field i will still be checking emails so, unplugged but with some features still on. lol
Simply to try to go back to living life outside of the digital world.
I will attempt this experiment starting this evening and going on for well, However long I can.
There is life past this digital expanse, and i plan to reconnect with it. So you may be receiving actual phones calls from me, or actual visits rather than pokes.
We are always changing, always adapting, always learning, and always feeling. I will still document my journey through the eye of my digital vampire…
and it is inevitable that i someday return… till then… here is to a life unplugged.
Let the music play
Music….
What more can i say about this that I haven’t already said. Music is, and i truly believe will always be my blood, it makes my heart pump, it can brings my blood to a boil, make me sad and want to cry, brings me true moments of clarity, make me fall in love all over again.
As long as i can remember I have had a love for music, growing up as the youngest child in my family, I have to say i was very lucky. My family introduced me to all sorts of music while i was young.
Hate to admit it, but my parents even tried to make me into a lil mariachi boy. I even had the lil outfit, just ask my mom. She would love to show you the pictures, lol
But yea, even as a kid, I was introduced not only to listening to it but playing it. My father tried to introduce my brother and I to playing acoustic guitar.
I do find it very unfortunate the lessons never stuck. But the love for music and the inspiration never wavered. My family listened to everything.
From my older sister I was introduced to 80’s music, the Cure, Twisted Sister, Depeche Mode, and many other Modern Rock artist of the 80’s.
From my brother i was introduced to more Modern Rock, Freestyle, and breaking. I still remember growing up in our old house having the linoleum tile in our garage.
All the neighborhood kids would come over and we would practice break dancing. Windmills, around the worlds, flairs, headspins. They were epic times.
Lol, omg and i used to have this Michael Jackson-esque jacket with the white glove. omg, So classic!
Even that too, I mean being inspired by a generation of true dance Idols.
Michael Jackson and his Moonwalker movie! I remember practicing his moves over and over in front of the TV.
Oh and don’t think my music styles and interests ended there. No way!
My parents made it a point to broaden our horizons. They introduced us very young to plays, orchestras, symphonies. Granted as a kid, I really wasn’t into them. But now i can still remember them and the music…
I still remember mornings growing up where my parents would use the Mexican alarm clock.
No, not a chicken though eventually we did end up getting on of those too. But not for that reason. lol
I digress yea my parents would wake up all of us by playing music super loud and have it boom through the house every weekend. Sleep in, not in our house. lol
They would play Texano, Son Jalisciense, Huichol, Banda, and other Mariachi music. Let me tell you waking up to a grito in the early morning. It’ll wake you up real quick. lol
We would listen to that, classical, country, oldies, everything.
Then when i got old enough I started my own search for music. Listening to Metal, Rock, Electronica, Techno, Hip-Hop, Underground, Garage, Jungle, Dub, Hardcore, Classical, Reggae, Jpop, Kpop, …
Hell my list goes on and on. There isn’t any one style i do not like. Even the oh so dreaded Country that most people avoid. I’m a Tex-Mex, lol
I was raised with Country too, and yea i can line dance a little.
I not only enjoy listening to music now a days, but dancing to it, watching it being produced, learning from producer, MCs, artist. Spinning a few tracks myself on my own tables.
And yes Vinyl will always be king, recognize the truth!
Even as i write this i am listening to music. When i travel, when i run, when i workout, when i need serenity. I find it in music.
Music is essential to my character and i believe has also been the reason i have shared so many epic stories, memories, and journeys with everyone who has crossed my life.
To all the artist, bboys, bgirls, MCs, producers, dancers, and music lovers around the way. Always let the music play….
Whatever style calls to you, whatever note courses through your veins, whatever bass-line makes your heat beat, or makes your feet groove, your body sway. Whatever voice stops you in your tracks, creeps through your mind, awakens a memory, a feeling…
whatever music does for you, enjoy it, cherish it, and now a days
Do what you can to continue it. People need music, It is one of the few things in this world that is universal it crosses all barriers, all languages, it is an unspoken bond between all who enjoy it.
I’ll see you on the dancefloor, I’ll see you in the crowd, I will dance with you, I will jump and mosh with you We will rage, and cheer, We’ll feel the build up, and jump for the ceiling on the drop.
Let the music play!!!
No requests!
A few days ago i was asked a simple question. Since that question was asked, I have found myself sinking further and further down the rabbit hole.
What’s the question?
“What would you do if all the jobs in the world had the exact same pay, and you could get any job you so chose?”
Interesting question isn’t it.
What would you do?
Would you be an artist? Who’s every feelings and thought invokes inspiration.
Would you be a poet? Whose command over the written and spoken word can breathe passion into common words.
The possibilities are endless. But this is the plight which we all face.
Which road do we choose? We walk a path, a job, a career, a 9-5 if you will.
We do it for family, for debt, for money. There are even some who do it for the love of it.
Even before this question crossed my path, I’ve found myself at a very familiar crossroad. I’ve been here before, wondering about the choices I’ve made, and those i will make someday.
I look at my life, the journey I’ve taken.
The mistakes, the joys, the inspirations, and yes the travels.
Every thought, every decision, every choice…
So before I continue to ramble on, you’re probably thinking…
We began this with a simple question. So what’s my answer? What would i do?
Quite simply i’d want to inspire. I think deep down, and many who know me won’t be surprised by this…
but i think i’d want to be a DJ, a producer.
lol, yea… music….
There have been a great many loves that have come on gone in my life. Loves of the flesh, loves of the heart, loves of the materialistic.
But there has always been one love that has remained constant.
The symphony of my soul, the music that runs through every fiber of who I am. I have always been in love with music. Even as a child i would dance ever chance i got. Still do to this day, me and my crazy happy feet. lol
But a DJ, yea to create music, let it flow, to inspire a dancers movements with every beat, drum, and drop… to inspire an artist to draw through pure inspiration of the sound coursing through their mind.
Every note and rythm opening a palette of colors and vision. Every pause controlling the eb and flow of anyone who would listen.
I’ve learned through my travels, music is everywhere.
Every culture, and language, every style. It exsists. Do i love but one style,
no!
I love them all equally but favor some more than others. Music transcends all barriers. It invokes passion, fear, memories, worries, thoughts, and true moments of clarity.
Does this mean I am going to change my career and become a DJ? Nah, my love for music is there. My friends inspire me with their sounds, their beats, their voices. I’m content with that.
For me I am happy to be a dancer who is inspired.
For those with the gift and control of the beat, though, I applaud you and I thank you.
Whether you are mainstream or underground, jazz, classical, electronic, jpop, kpop, country or metal.
Whatever you produce, know that there are those in the crowd whose night, whose moment, whose inspiration, can be found through your beats, and your sound.
and if i could make one thing happen for all of you…
I’d ask that there were no requests!
just the let the beats play…
Ghost ninja #bushido #kendo
True reflection #matsumoto #castlemastumoto #castle #kyoto #goldentemple #reflection
Find your own path. #japan #tori #fushininari #kyoto
Panoramic photos of china #panoramic #china #forbiddencity #greatwall
California panoramic shots #panoramic #yosemite #missionpeak #twinpeaks #sfbay
Panoramic scenes of Japan. #odaiba #castlematsumodo #castle #matsumoto #kamakura #greatbuddha #zen #floatingtori
Mt Fuji summit. A moment above the clouds #mtfuji #summit #sunrise
Legacy....
How do you honor a legacy at all?
Let alone a 95 year legacy.
This weekend my family lost a great woman. A mother, grandmother, grand-grandmother, grand-grand-grandmother, and yes even a grand-grand-grand-grandmother. My grandmother lived through five generations.
Five generations!
This whole weekend seemed unreal. Every moment was mixed with sadness and happiness. Sadness for the great loss we all felt. Happiness for the knowledge of the full life she lead, the happiness and enrichment she shared, the joy and love in heart, and the peace that she finally shares.
I am but a grandson, and yet I feel the weight of this loss. I have many fond memories of times gone past. Months having lived with her oh so many years ago. The story which she always enjoyed to share To any who would listen.
Oh the stories, It seemed she had a story for us all. Every child, generation and generation down. Even friends of friends, of friends knew her and loved her. For every person who walked into her life or knew of her. There was a story. And oh how she loved to recall them. She would hold out her hand to call you forth, and as you got close, she would call you closer. “Ven Conmija”
She would grab you by the back of your neck hold you close to her she would tell you her memories, tell you her past. She would make you laugh, and smile, and amaze you all at once.
I’m not alone in this memory, no we all shared these moments. At one point in time. We all shared this embrace, From our matriarch our leader, our mother, our grandmother.
Oh how ill miss those stories, and that embrace, to see you laughing, and clapping as we entered the room. To see you dance and smile, when those truly happy moments arose.
Each of us holds to our memories now. Each of us tries to go on. We are her legacy. and that alone is reason to go on.
To continue the life she led, to bring others the joy and love she shared.
Even as i write these words, my tears continue to fall. I feel these words need hearing, i feel they must be said.
Our words and lives are her legacy. our memories and joys hers too. Each step and journey we experience is present because of her. We all breathe here today because of the life she led.
As cousins and uncles told us She’s finally home at home, together with our grandpa dancing above us all.
With all my heart I’ll remember and each day that our eyes do open, each moment that we go on, For all your children’s children your legacy will not fall.
Forbidden city, Beijing, China #china #forbiddencity #beijing
Just showing off #peacock
How many pandas do you see? N yes they are sleeping like that!