May the light of God open our eyes and our hearts.

One of the worst things we do as humans is to make ASSumptions about situations.. about people….

Relationships are broken because of ASSumptions.  Relationships stay broken because of ASSumptions.  Relationships never START because of ASSumptions.

In our egocentricity, we naturally believe ourselves to be right.  Don’t worry.  It’s not just you–it’s a natural feeling everyone goes through.  We’ve been taught to defend ourselves, so the intention is good–we’re just trying to protect the things we hold dear to us.

But we should know and keep in mind that if we don’t get our facts straight or SEEK to get our facts straight, we fall into the trap of eventually looking like fools in standing so boldly before the things we accuse.

It’ll take a lot out of us to break through that HUGE wall of pride we build… but we have to believe that good relationships are worth the energy and worth the pain.  We need each other to get along in this world.

None of us can make educated guesses without gathering as many facts and truths as possible. This is true about the things you learn in school and it’s true about forming relationships with people.

Before we ASSume, we should try harder in figuring out the truth and in putting our egos aside to learn understanding.

Then, bend in humility and admit your wrongs.  Here’s a secret: It actually takes a very strong person to do that.

PS.  MOM, God bless your head full of wisdom.
Despite my rebellious life, you’ve always been the
one person who keeps it real with me.  I know
you check up on my pages!  I’m not ashamed.
I        L O V E       Y O U       S O       M U C H   

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

People have recently asked me if I’ve read “The Secret.”  No I havent… I’ve heard about it and I’d like to one day, to get a better understanding of it… but here’s why…

The word of God teaches us to:

- ask, and you shall receive.
if you don’t ever ask and don’t push for what you want or need, you won’t get it.

- believe and always have faith,
because the blessings you need from life will come to you based on the philosophy of faith that you bring to contact with your life experiences.. and if you don’t have faith, by misdirecting your focus, you’ll miss the gifts God intends for you.

- your eyes are the windows to your soul… focus your eyes on dark and negative things, and you’ll only drown the light and the good spirit living inside you. protect your soul by focusing on the light and the good.  the light will shine through you.. and naturally, all things find hope in and want to gravitate towards the light = the holy spirit inside you.

People say that the universe will bring you good things, if you believe it will.  I believe God made the universe.

Trusting in “The Secret” is a little risky for me and before I read it, I don’t want to forget what I’ve been taught.  I think that the philosophy behind the Secret works… only because it contains God’s truths and God’s teachings… In my opinion, the people behind “The Secret” have taken God out of it, erased him from being the creator and originator of these truths, and instead make us believe that all of the power lies completely in US, without HIM… like someone else biting a dance move and claiming that they created it themselves… or some dope dancer claiming he was never taught or inspired by anyone–just learned and created everything on his own.  Taking it back to the beginning of all things, I believe that God is the source of all truths… and the Bible was written long before “The Secret,” only most people don’t care to read the Bible.

Life is VERY short, and I think about both life and death everyday, because I’ve lost people dear to me, and we never know when our own end will come even if we’re young. If I believe I’m gonna face God when I die,  I would be afraid to discredit him by giving myself or someone else credit for the truths and the powers he intended to pass down to us.

I get pretty upset when people bite dance moves and take credit that isn’t theirs.  I think God would be furious over something like this… it’s life we’re talking about… and he’s testing the kinds of things we put our faith in.

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

Thank you to Sero, Can, and Actin’ Poetry for bringing me out.  Being in Switzerland was such a pleasure–definitely a breathe of fresh air for me.  I really loved every part of my trip:  foreign food, Doner boxes, kebabs, the provinces, the cities, the dancing, driving through green pastures, the snow-topped mountains, the culture, and most of all the amazingly kind-hearted and generous people I’ve met.  Thank you to all of the cities for welcoming me–Luzern, Lausanne, Zurich, Bern (Limited Edition–familia… I miss you already!), Prilly, and Solothurn.

Stopover @ Amsterdam Schipol Airport

foreign soda

Actin’ Poetry Dance School

That thang was buggin the whole car ride.
Happy to have a familiar face from home with me.

Special hot dog maker!

Bomb chinese restaurant in Bern–Boky

Cream filling!  Do they have these in the U.S.?

Solothurn

Limited Edition Folks

St Ursen – Kathedrale

i need my fried chicken…

Where my Narbonne Gauchos at?!

Some more friends!  Pat X So Real.

Stupid camera for all these blurry pictures :*(
tm X soreal X essence.legacy in Switzerland

Cran . Red Bull . Grey Goose

Dr. Dre headphones.. why do they cost so much!!

Adobo . Pancit . Lumpia . MMMMMMMmmm!

Traveling on clouds.  Very surreal.

Again, being here on Thanksgiving–my first Thanksgiving away from family, really allowed me to spend some quiet time reflecting on dance, life, the world, and everything that’s happened to lead me up to this point of traveling and experiencing places and people like I never thought I would.  For the good times and even the bad, I’m very thankful to Father God for his blessings.  In reflection, I’ve realized that in the coming year I do want to grow spiritually stronger and God has really opened my eyes and my heart through this trip.  No, I’m not perfect and I don’t think I or anyone else will ever be… I’m not–we are not God … but it’s only a matter of time that my faith and the spirit inside me reaches it’s next level of enlightenment, and I know that it will get there, because God continues to reveal himself to me everyday of my life.  As the Christmas season approaches, my prayer for everyone is that we all will reach higher levels of our spirituality through the giving season and reflecting on the blessed and fortunate lives we’ve been graciously given.

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

Being out here in Switzerland, especially during Thanksgiving, has really given me the opportunity to reflect on myself… being alone.  I believe that everything happens for a reason, and for some reason, God did put me out here during this holiday and I think it was probably so that I am forced to spend time quietly to just listen and hear him.  Though I wasn’t able to experience a normal Thanskgiving holiday with my close family and friends, I am here in Switzerland, living an opportunity I never thought I’d have, and I can’t complain.  Thank God.

I realized in reflection that it’s been a long time since I’ve turned to God for direction.  I’ve realized that though I want many things in my life, I’ve forgotten what I should want first and foremost:

God, I pray that I do not lose sight of your will.  I believe you’ve given me the gift of dance to do good things.  I hope that in dance, I’ve inspired, I’ve touched lives, I’ve made connections to souls… These are good things for ME, but help me to move away from selfishness, and instead act towards completing YOUR will.  None of my work, past, present, or future means anything if not to glorify you, praise you, or be in your will.  It’s very hard on a second to second basis to resist temptation and keep focused on your will, but I don’t wan’t to be selsfish, as I owe you my entire being, body, and posessions.  I am weak, but I have faith in Jesus.  I act disobediently, but I remember Jesus and call upon you to fix me.  Please convict me of selfish intentions when I do things purely for me and out of your desires.  Nothing I accomplish is good without you and without your divine blessing.  I pray to see more of you, to grow stronger in faith, and to let the Holy Spirit living within me shine through, so that I may do good things in your name.

Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Amen and God bless if y’know what I’m goin through.

ps.  God has created a beautiful world.  I don’t deserve it, but I thank him for the opportunity to see the world he created.  I pray for strength.. to remain in faith.. and to turn away from things I know I should.

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

inspired by Bruce Wilkinson’s Dream Giver

The only one who can stop you from achieving your dreams, is you.

One day, the Dream Giver gives you a dream.  From that day on… for weeks, months, and years, you hold your dream close.  You think about it everyday and it makes you feel good, but for some reason it exists only in your mind… maybe because your dream is so wild and so much different than the life you lead, that you can’t imagine it to be something REAL.

There are people who can’t escape the desire to pursue their dreams… and it is CRAZY… because  when you really think about it, the YOU in your dreams might be a totally different YOU–and we don’t always embrace what’s different.  In your dreams, you do things you’ve always wanted to do, but are afraid to do.  In your dreams, you possess all kinds of treasures and talents that you don’t currently have, but constantly wish for.  Your dream is the closest thing to PERFECT, isn’t it?  Many people deny their dreams though, because the road to perfect will lead them to this completely DIFFERENT world.  Naturally, we want to be comfortable, and are afraid of the unknown.  This FEAR is what stops most of us from living the life we dream of.  The road to dreams is foreign… risky… full of challenges, surprises, roadblocks, and detours when you least expect it… and you’ll find yourself in the SCARIEST and most uncomfortable places once you start your journey.  Are you willing to face your biggest fears?  Because your dream will FORCE you to face them.  Once you start walking the glorious path to your dreams, the only way out is to take courage and keep moving forward–or you can turn around, and go back home.

You’ve heard many success stories about people who have almost nothing and rise up against the challenges to become the great people they are… so you should know that anything is possible even for you.  These people decided to stop hiding their dreams and turn it into reality.  Of course, BIG dreams require BIG actions on your part.  Sometimes the pressure is too much and people have backed out, but we must never give up or settle for comfortable when we KNOW that we are destined for greater things and when we’ve worked so hard to get to where we are.  The Dream Giver has given you your dreams for a purpose.  Don’t forget that He’s there to help you and fill you with hope even in the scariest and darkest times.

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

Even nice people have their moments.  If Joesar hadn’t kept pushing ol’ girl away, I almost would’ve hit someone at the club last night.  It’s a little dangerous that when I’m drunk I feel like I can do anything–but I guess, that’s how self-centered alcohol makes people.. and that’s why people like it… and that’s why people shouldn’t do too much of it.

Anyway, this girl hellamadd ran into me as she was dancing.  I turned around, expecting her to acknowledge that she pushed  me… instead, she walked away.  She wasn’t the problem.  I could let something like that go.  It was her OTHER friend.  Her friend jumps in front of my face, and says

Eyy.. I saw you looking at mah homegirl!

Me:  Uhh… ya she bumped into me.

Well, you’ve been bumpin into me ALL NIGHT!

Me:  Really… all night?!

ALL NIGHT.. ALL NIGHT! .. ALL NIGHT!!  (as she pushes up closer and closer)

First of all, we were the ONLY people up in that boo-boo club on a Tuesday night–there was way too much room.  Why are you that close to me! I was chillin and barely dancing… I clearly was NOT bumping into her all night.

Before I could say anything, Joesar was pushing me back.. and all of homegirls’ friends bum-rushed her and forced her out of the club.  Aggressive much?!  Apparently, her friends knew better.  Get crazy girl out of the club!

Girls love the attention and the adrenaline rush when they’re drunk, I guess.  Nothing happened, but I was pissed off at that girl for being stupid and coming at me for no damn reason.  I spoke and intended to do immature things, as can be told by Tweets that night… but I do know better.  I’ma chill out on the alchie for a while–it’s bad news.  We all have faults and weaknesses that we struggle with, and we should not let them take over us.

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

– Constantly praying for the strength to obey
and resist the natural desire to do wrong.

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

]]> http://apesxessence.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/lead-us-not-into-temptation/feed/ 0 Apes http://apesxessence.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/hip-hop-vs-urban-choreography/ http://apesxessence.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/hip-hop-vs-urban-choreography/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:38:54 +0000 Apes http://apesxessence.wordpress.com/?p=1328 ]]>

In class a LONG time ago, one of my first Hip Hop dance instructors told me…

“This isn’t Hip Hop.  It’s Urban Choreography.”

After a few years of experiencing the dance community, I’ve realized the need to re-evaluate my title as a Hip-Hop dancer.  As a beginner who was very NEW to street dance, I didn’t understand what he meant and continued to believe I was training as a “hip hop” dancer, when I really wasn’t.

Different languages of the world (chinese, spanish, english) are kinda like different dance styles (ballet, jazz, hip hop).  We’re able to distinguish between different kinds, because each language uses its own unique rules of grammar and sentence structure, just as each dance style uses its own steps and technique.  Over the years, languages and dance styles have changed.  We’ve used the term EVOLUTION to describe what we see now in Hip Hop versus what it was in the past.  On the other hand, I think what has emerged over time isn’t Hip Hop itself, but instead a different dance style that was INSPIRED by Hip Hop.  Urban Choreography–an entirely separate language, born and inspired by a collection of the earlier languages.  For example,  Tagalog (Filipino) was formed and influenced by the Spanish, Malaysian, English, Arabic, and Chinese languages.  Couldn’t we say that like Tagalog, our dance style was inspired by Hip Hop as well as other styles of dance, and has collected all of that to become it’s own language with it’s own unique structure?  We wouldn’t call Tagalog “Spanish-evolved” or “Chinese-evolved,” simply because the three languages follow entirely different rules.

Nowadays, people have a few different names to refer to the style of dance being taught in many Hip Hop classes:  LA style, West Coast style, commercial Hip-Hop, new-style Hip Hop, but to call it Hip Hop is to assume that it follows the basic fundamentals of Hip Hop dance–techniques in breaking, locking, popping, wacking, funk, groove, swagg etc.  I’m no Hip Hop head… I’ll admit it.  But when I SEE breaking, locking, popping, and all other styles of true Hip Hop dance, there is no denying that there is a totally different look to THAT kind of Hip Hop compared to what we call “new hip hop,” which varies greatly according to individual interpretation and also lacks greatly in strict rules and technique.  In true Hip Hop, there are basic names of steps and techniques that aren’t completely present in this new style… so though we may dance as freely and as creatively as we want to Hip Hop and R&B music, can we REALLY say that it is Hip Hop?.. or are we just over-generalizing things to spare ourselves the trouble of analyzing & truly understanding Hip Hop history?

With so many new dancers coming up in the next generation, I think it’s very important for all those capable to educate them wisely and accurately… and that we don’t discredit or undermine the value of Hip Hop’s history.

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

Dancers who don’t dance for artists don’t matter.

I won’t mention who said this or where I heard it (you might be able to guess that it came from someone who does dance for artists) but as someone who doesn’t dance for artists, hasn’t had the opportunity to dance for them before, and lives off of teaching others to cultivate their talent… I find this a little offensive.

To dance for an artist is definitely a great accomplishment for a dancer, but there’s a load of other things that factor in to getting booked, and I hope people understand THAT, before they let someone else tell them they don’t matter or that they don’t know how to dance or that they aren’t talented.  To book jobs after jobs after jobs in the industry requires more than an ability to dance.  Your looks are a factor… the way you look standing next to the artist themselves… your ethnicity.. your body build.. your hair… your face…. WHO you know… what you’ve done before… etc.

Don’t get me wrong.  Dancing for artists builds a lot of credibility and respect because of the competition.  I idolize lots of people who continue to book jobs over hundreds of dancers who audition.  I would LOVE to dance for an artist someday soon, and haven’t even done so myself cuz it’s not easy.

But on a personal note, there’s more to dance than dancing behind an artist.  Though it may be a great goal, it’s not EVERYTHING.  People express themselves through dance.  People are able to create and turn their imagination into reality through dance.  People are given a positive outlet through dance.

People who haven’t danced for artists yet, might have some more to work for… but as someone so experienced in the field, you should educate… not belittle or devalue other people’s hard work.

Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great
–Mark Twain

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

Proverbs 14:1
The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

Artists face big challenges once they decide to make a living out of their talent and their passion.  They approach unknown territory, not knowing what they’re getting themselves into… fueled by the single, motivating desire to turn their craziest dreams into reality.  It gets pretty scary.  Routine and familiarity is something we’re so comfortable with, but many working artists don’t follow that kind of schedule or lifestyle.  Artists have chosen the adventurous route.

As a dancer, I find myself going through repetetive cycles of ups and downs… inspirations and voids… fire and laziness.  When I rely so heavily on my creative ability to provide food on my plate, I can’t afford to be un-creative.  This is a big challenge, when naturally, I’m a pretty chill kinda person.  I like to kick back… sip drinks… listen to music… enjoy scenery… pretty much, relax!  Don’t get me wrong.  I learn quickly… I work hard.  I can easily do things once I know what to do.  An artist’s line of work requires more than action, though.  It requires imagination…  constantly giving birth to ideas and nurturing them to survival.  It’s exciting, and I do thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to exercise my passion as my work.  I do thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to turn my dreams into my reality.  I thank him for giving me the eyes to see what I’m capable of and the surroundings to support me.  I just need to get off of my butt… and remember that He didn’t give me this opportunity for nothing.

Sloth is killer.  Diligence is life.
God’s plans for my life is my motivation.

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

Probably…

These kids are so cute.

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence