Nestled in a sling, a good size rock picked up off the ground is now in the pocket of a slingshot ready to be projected through the air at an acclerated speed.
Pull back, hold it now, aim... then... let go and WHIZZZ>>>>> propelled forward indefinitely...
weeee...
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Sankofa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Adinkra symbol for Sankofa
Sankofa can mean either the word in the Akan language of Ghana that translates in English to "go back and take" (Sanko- go back, fa- take) or the Asante Adinkra symbol.
The Asante of Ghana use an Adinkra symbol to represent this same idea and one version of it is similar to the eastern symbol of a heart, and another version is that of a bird with its head turned backwards taking an egg off its back. It symbolizes one taking from the past what is good and bringing it into the present in order to make positive progress through the benevolent use of knowledge.
Adinkra symbols are used by the Asante to express proverbs and other philosophical ideas. These ideas are numerous and are used throughout the world because of their aesthetic and spiritual beauty. Sankofa has since been adopted by other cultural groups in the area and around the world.
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from http://www.sankofa.com/
Sankofa is an Akan word that means, "We must go back and reclaim our past so we can move forward; so we understand why and how we came to be who we are today."
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Here's a journal entry,writing from my own personal past, (just a little over 2 years ago) that is NOW shooting me foward. If you read my last blog, "breaking the rhythm," the following forgotten-remembered words will make more sense.
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Thursday, September 07, 2006
6:49 AM
Chase harder
But Live S l o w e r
Make small ripples that in time will amplify and turn into head high, peeling, glassy waves.
At the same time Remember to be Still and Pause for Reflection, look Back and look Ahead.
These thoughts fill my mind as a chill begins to set in. It's early morning, foggy, quiet, still. Every one is still asleep. I have the day off today to do whatever I want. I hope to spend a good portion of the day cleaning out my room: sort out junk to donate and organize the rest of my "stuff." I really want to minimize my possessions, to NOT be so fixated on things. Sure, some things serve as reminders of special people or of times long past; these things keep memories fresh and remind us of who we were and where we've been. Nonetheless, my objective is to minimize the clutter and free myself of useless things.
A purging and renewal process if you will.
(Oh yeah, that's why I just cut my hair a few days ago; to change my energy)
So . . . thinking ahead on the day before me . . . I am calm, at ease, relaxed, I am "quiet happy" (nice typo, meant to express being "quite content") to be sitting here, typing, writing, thinking, sipping coffee from this mug. Ahh . . . this is life.
Right now, right here. Just being with my self and my thoughts. . .
Peacefulness, Tranquility (ha! like my tattoo says) I guess it is a running theme in my life.
So I think ahead to rest of the day and wonder:
who will I speak to today? what will we talk about?
what will I see? what colors and textures will catch my eye?
what will I feel? what will I experience?
what will I learn?
how's the Surf gonna be?
what am I gonna eat for lunch?
what music will I listen to?
will I really clean out my room?
who do I want to see?
what are friends going to be doing with THIS day.
THIS DAY! What a thought.
Hmmm. . .
To wake up everyday and say to yourself: What am I going to do with THIS DAY?
And you know . . . it doesn't matter if you have to work or not. Wherever you go and whatever you HAVE to do, there will be opportunities to interact with others. And you never know who you might meet or who might drop by or who might surprise you. Heck! Why don't YOU try surprising someone else today! Or even try surprising yourself in any way you can think of!
Yeah! I like these thoughts.
Well, let me see where THIS DAY takes me . . .
Keep it lively. . .
Chase harder
But Live S l o w e r
Make small ripples that in time will amplify and turn into head high, peeling, glassy waves.
At the same time Remember to be Still and Pause for reflection, look Back and look Ahead.
make positive interactions with folks
7:16 AM
Friday, October 24, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
breaking the rhythm
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
6:56 AM
Change, the world is changing, (the world is changing everyday, but more so NOW): the economic crisis, the recent election, the green movement to deal with Global warming ….etc etc yadda yadda.
Change, I need to do some major changing.
I‘ve been smoking, drinking, and not exercising as much. That needs to change.
I’ve been letting important tasks fall to the way side: personal statement for Grad school app. Even minor chores I procrastinate on: laundry, washing and vacuuming car…
I look at myself now and it’s interesting how there is change going on, but subtly…
Years ago when I was deep in depression I wrote “I don’t want to be a part of anything.” I remember feeling hopeless how I wanted to detach from everyone I knew and just fade away—resigned, succumbed to the numbness.
Now I am older, I feel wiser, and there is a different sadness, a lingering longing, a stuck feeling, again, but now I’ve been thinking lately and will now write: I long to be part of something—a relationship, then one day a family of my own. I want someone to know my intimate details, and I to know hers…and for us to be part of each other’s world…you know, all that lovey-dovey romantic mess. And maybe I am just succumbing the mainstream's answer to the 30 year old blues—go attach yourself to someone.
So realizing that, I also know that I always want adventure! Meeting new people, visiting new places: New experiences!
So what do I want? A Romantic Relationship? Personal Freedom? Who knows? We human beings are so fickle. We get so sure of ourselves and then change our minds at the drop of a dime. But I do know I want change, a break from the monotony, to BREAK THE RHYTHM, and start a new one.
I need change. To stir the waters; Stagnancy makes me stir-crazy… these days melt into one another, nothing separating one from the other, other than sleep.
To cope, we, you, I, somebody do/does the following:
Nostalgic, we look to the past for comfort in the familiar (and up until this moment, the forgotten, but now recalled). I’ve done that. And I also sulk. I have an indifferent, blank, facial expression when dwelling on today; I smile at the past, and tomorrow… I’ve been so fixated on brooding and reminiscing that I have not thought deeply about the future, my future.
So let me do that now…
Let me get excited about what the lies on the other side of the horizon. Let me chase it!
This is where I am at, getting excited about tomorrow.
It’s funny, I spend much of my time inspiring others, but what I need is to get MYSELF excited--to feel that passion again. This is where I’m at.
Where you at?
7:35 AM
6:56 AM
Change, the world is changing, (the world is changing everyday, but more so NOW): the economic crisis, the recent election, the green movement to deal with Global warming ….etc etc yadda yadda.
Change, I need to do some major changing.
I‘ve been smoking, drinking, and not exercising as much. That needs to change.
I’ve been letting important tasks fall to the way side: personal statement for Grad school app. Even minor chores I procrastinate on: laundry, washing and vacuuming car…
I look at myself now and it’s interesting how there is change going on, but subtly…
Years ago when I was deep in depression I wrote “I don’t want to be a part of anything.” I remember feeling hopeless how I wanted to detach from everyone I knew and just fade away—resigned, succumbed to the numbness.
Now I am older, I feel wiser, and there is a different sadness, a lingering longing, a stuck feeling, again, but now I’ve been thinking lately and will now write: I long to be part of something—a relationship, then one day a family of my own. I want someone to know my intimate details, and I to know hers…and for us to be part of each other’s world…you know, all that lovey-dovey romantic mess. And maybe I am just succumbing the mainstream's answer to the 30 year old blues—go attach yourself to someone.
So realizing that, I also know that I always want adventure! Meeting new people, visiting new places: New experiences!
So what do I want? A Romantic Relationship? Personal Freedom? Who knows? We human beings are so fickle. We get so sure of ourselves and then change our minds at the drop of a dime. But I do know I want change, a break from the monotony, to BREAK THE RHYTHM, and start a new one.
I need change. To stir the waters; Stagnancy makes me stir-crazy… these days melt into one another, nothing separating one from the other, other than sleep.
To cope, we, you, I, somebody do/does the following:
Nostalgic, we look to the past for comfort in the familiar (and up until this moment, the forgotten, but now recalled). I’ve done that. And I also sulk. I have an indifferent, blank, facial expression when dwelling on today; I smile at the past, and tomorrow… I’ve been so fixated on brooding and reminiscing that I have not thought deeply about the future, my future.
So let me do that now…
Let me get excited about what the lies on the other side of the horizon. Let me chase it!
This is where I am at, getting excited about tomorrow.
It’s funny, I spend much of my time inspiring others, but what I need is to get MYSELF excited--to feel that passion again. This is where I’m at.
Where you at?
7:35 AM
Sunday, October 19, 2008
I was/am a nutcase!
I was searching through 3.5" floppy disks for an essay I wrote many years ago. I found that essay and so much more! I came across some funny/crazy sh*t that I wrote in a journal assignment for a professor I was crushing on at the time.
Check it out! Dang, 8 years ago!
Philip Jucaban
Professor Gimenez-Rosello
Due: 10/5/00
Assignment:
Personal Language Narrative
Word Count: 616
Language is in constant flux. New words are added to the dictionary every year, words change meaning, slang becomes popularized through music and movies, the rules of grammar loosen up and words that may have been considered obscene in the past lose their shock value. Diversity is the buzz word now days, and so it is with language. In the United States, language once seen as deviating from mainstream pop culture has become mainstream. It diversifies our society, so we accept and sometimes embrace the differences in language. And hey, it’s fine with me.
Have you ever been browsing through the reference section of the bookstore and seen those dictionary covers with “NOW WITH 1,000 NEW WORDS!” written in big bold face type? Do you ever wonder where these new words came from? I don’t know the formal process of how a word gets put in the dictionary, but I’m sure it has a lot do with how frequently and how wide-spread the word is used. But where did such words come from? Was it by accident that people started using them or did someone consciously create a word to fulfill a need, such as words for new technology? (Yes)
Or. . . . . did someone like me decide to make up a word and started using it like everyone else knew what it meant (even though it didn’t exist prior to me using it) and gradually a few people who heard the word figured out the meaning and began using the word as well and taught it to their children, and used it in their writing and taught the word to their English teachers and these teachers believed it was a word because so many students used it in their speech and in their writing, and then linguists discovered the word and felt compelled to petition to have the word put into the dictionary? It’s possible. So to prepare you for the new “Jucaban” words that are coming to your dictionary in years to come, let me tell you about my personal language.
I am a multi-dialectal schizophrenic. I speak English, Spanish, and Tagalog and my own weird dialect. Now, mix those together and you get Span-Tag-lish! In different social contexts I speak differently (I‘m sure most people do).
There are times when I’m feeling spunky and will talk in my weird, crazy, hip , cool, “ghetto” accent/dialect using slang like: this and that and like woo, woo, cuz I be getting all loco and sh*t, ya know what I’m sayin’? Like the other day I was postin’ at the library marinating on simmer, loungin’, doin’ my thizle, you know. . . then this fine ass breezie came through and I was like Dzamn, she lookin’ proper, but then I did me a double take and saw her face was lookin’ kinda janky. Actually she was hurt. Just straight toe up. I didn’t know what I was thinkin’.
Other times, I’ll speak Spanish and my identity changes. I am speaking specifically of when I used to work in a grocery store where over half the employees where bilingual Spanish/English speakers. I spoke to them in Spanish. They were convinced I was Mexican. They said the Spanish I spoke had a Mexican accent and I looked Mexican. Sometimes it’s funny how language is linked with identity. In my life, I have been mistaken as being Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, and once African American. I take it as an indirect compliment that I can speak with different accents and mannerisms. So let me say this to end: nada, wala, nothing, zilch (they all mean nothing).
Check it out! Dang, 8 years ago!
Philip Jucaban
Professor Gimenez-Rosello
Due: 10/5/00
Assignment:
Personal Language Narrative
Word Count: 616
Yimmy Ya
Have you ever been browsing through the reference section of the bookstore and seen those dictionary covers with “NOW WITH 1,000 NEW WORDS!” written in big bold face type? Do you ever wonder where these new words came from? I don’t know the formal process of how a word gets put in the dictionary, but I’m sure it has a lot do with how frequently and how wide-spread the word is used. But where did such words come from? Was it by accident that people started using them or did someone consciously create a word to fulfill a need, such as words for new technology? (Yes)
Or. . . . . did someone like me decide to make up a word and started using it like everyone else knew what it meant (even though it didn’t exist prior to me using it) and gradually a few people who heard the word figured out the meaning and began using the word as well and taught it to their children, and used it in their writing and taught the word to their English teachers and these teachers believed it was a word because so many students used it in their speech and in their writing, and then linguists discovered the word and felt compelled to petition to have the word put into the dictionary? It’s possible. So to prepare you for the new “Jucaban” words that are coming to your dictionary in years to come, let me tell you about my personal language.
I am a multi-dialectal schizophrenic. I speak English, Spanish, and Tagalog and my own weird dialect. Now, mix those together and you get Span-Tag-lish! In different social contexts I speak differently (I‘m sure most people do).
There are times when I’m feeling spunky and will talk in my weird, crazy, hip , cool, “ghetto” accent/dialect using slang like: this and that and like woo, woo, cuz I be getting all loco and sh*t, ya know what I’m sayin’? Like the other day I was postin’ at the library marinating on simmer, loungin’, doin’ my thizle, you know. . . then this fine ass breezie came through and I was like Dzamn, she lookin’ proper, but then I did me a double take and saw her face was lookin’ kinda janky. Actually she was hurt. Just straight toe up. I didn’t know what I was thinkin’.
Other times, I’ll speak Spanish and my identity changes. I am speaking specifically of when I used to work in a grocery store where over half the employees where bilingual Spanish/English speakers. I spoke to them in Spanish. They were convinced I was Mexican. They said the Spanish I spoke had a Mexican accent and I looked Mexican. Sometimes it’s funny how language is linked with identity. In my life, I have been mistaken as being Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, and once African American. I take it as an indirect compliment that I can speak with different accents and mannerisms. So let me say this to end: nada, wala, nothing, zilch (they all mean nothing).
Thursday, October 9, 2008
back, back, forth and forth
I was working with one of my students the other day, reading a narrative essay together. We read aloud taking turns at every paragraph. After each paragraph we discussed plot, theme and words and phrases that seemed confusing to the student. To make sense of it all I told him whenever you come across something in the essay that you don't understand, look at the paragraphs/sentences before it to see if there are clues that can help you understand the confusing idea. If you're still confused, keep your questions in mind and continue reading to see if your questions are answered later in essay.
The student caught on with this reading comprehension process, searching for meaning thru context. He seemed eager to finish reading the essay on his own.
Yes this is the reason why I do what I do. But No this is not a blog attempting to inspire ya'll to be educators because it is a fulfilling and rewarding vocation, not financially of course. No this is not one of those blogs.
I think most teachers will agree that they learn a great deal from their students... this is one of THOSE blogs.
what I learned from my student:
Gosh darn it! I have to get ready for work.
Ok let me give it to ya quick style:
Having a process(es) in place to tackle a percieved problem can make things so much easier and maybe even entertaining!
Huh, this ended up turning into "a blog attempting to inspire ya'll to be educators because it is a fulfilling and rewarding vocation" after all!
hahaha
The student caught on with this reading comprehension process, searching for meaning thru context. He seemed eager to finish reading the essay on his own.
Yes this is the reason why I do what I do. But No this is not a blog attempting to inspire ya'll to be educators because it is a fulfilling and rewarding vocation, not financially of course. No this is not one of those blogs.
I think most teachers will agree that they learn a great deal from their students... this is one of THOSE blogs.
what I learned from my student:
Gosh darn it! I have to get ready for work.
Ok let me give it to ya quick style:
Having a process(es) in place to tackle a percieved problem can make things so much easier and maybe even entertaining!
Huh, this ended up turning into "a blog attempting to inspire ya'll to be educators because it is a fulfilling and rewarding vocation" after all!
hahaha
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
out of nowhere all of a sudden
Local News
"Son Finds Father Mortally Wounded In South SF"
CBS 5 CrimeWatch SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) ― South San Francisco police Wednesday are investigating the city's first homicide this year, a fatal shooting that left a 29-year-old man dead Tuesday afternoon. Andre Jamil Townsend's 9-year-old son came home just after 3:30 p.m. and found Townsend near the front door suffering from gunshot wounds, South San Francisco police Sgt. Joni Lee said. Officers responded to the home in the 3700 block of Radburn Drive and pronounced Townsend dead at the scene, according to Lee. No suspects have been arrested in connection with this homicide, Lee said. The shooting is being investigated as a homicide because no weapon was found at the scene, and the location of Townsend's gunshot wounds were not consistent with a suicide, Lee said. An autopsy was scheduled to be conducted on Townsend Wednesday morning, according to Lee.
http://cbs5.com/local/SSF.South.San.2.830166.html
Andre was a friend of mine from middle school.
"Son Finds Father Mortally Wounded In South SF"
CBS 5 CrimeWatch SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) ― South San Francisco police Wednesday are investigating the city's first homicide this year, a fatal shooting that left a 29-year-old man dead Tuesday afternoon. Andre Jamil Townsend's 9-year-old son came home just after 3:30 p.m. and found Townsend near the front door suffering from gunshot wounds, South San Francisco police Sgt. Joni Lee said. Officers responded to the home in the 3700 block of Radburn Drive and pronounced Townsend dead at the scene, according to Lee. No suspects have been arrested in connection with this homicide, Lee said. The shooting is being investigated as a homicide because no weapon was found at the scene, and the location of Townsend's gunshot wounds were not consistent with a suicide, Lee said. An autopsy was scheduled to be conducted on Townsend Wednesday morning, according to Lee.
http://cbs5.com/local/SSF.South.San.2.830166.html
Andre was a friend of mine from middle school.
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