My Optimistic Thoughts on Racial Tension.
By: Rock Kitaro
Date: February 15, 2014
Epik High ft. Dumbfounded – “Life is like a Maze”
Rock Kitaro – 27
The following is an empirical observation given by a 27-year-old black man living in the state of Florida. Yes…the same state of the Trayvon Martin incident, and most recently, the Michael Dunn case.
I don’t claim to be an African-American. But simply an American. Does this mean that I don’t have any pride for my ancestors? I don’t know. But regardless of what I claim to be, it’s undeniable that my skin is dark and that I am an African-American. I don’t see this as a bad thing or a source of pride. It is simply a biological technicality. Very similar to my stance on family members who I don’t know or care about.
When I come across a rude and inconsiderate person, a stranger who gives off a rude vibe with disdainful stares and a fearful caution of me. The type of people who would rather project invisible friends to stare at in order to keep from making eye contact…
I’m the type of person who likes to give strangers the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they had a bad day. Maybe they are under a lot of stress from either a job, or difficulties in the family. Maybe they’re not feeling well and just want to keep to themselves and go on about their day. Maybe its just their personalities to be reserved and in their own bubble. Or maybe the person is just flat-out, an asshole. Or an uneducated person who was never taught the simply concept of common courtesy.
Regardless of the reason why, I simply don’t like assuming people are racist. I also go so far as to take in the consideration that I’m a big guy. I may come off as intimidating, so they’d rather not make any moves to get on my bad side, ignoring the possibility that simply avoiding me or not reciprocating a greeting could just as easily land you in the pile of people I wish harm to.
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This editorial… If I’ve learned anything over the course of the past few weeks, its that the media outlets like CNN, Fox News, HLN, and MSNBC always seem to put the worst of us Americans in the spotlight. This is a good and a bad thing. It’s a good thing because with the media spotlight on such situations, the window of avarice and corruption is relatively smaller.
The bad thing is the effect it has on the general public in which people are quick to assume that the emotions conveyed by one group of people is the same as the general consensus. And when I say “group of people” I’m not even talking about ethnic groups as a whole. I’m talking about a handful of people who have gathered under a particular cause and just so happens to be of one race.
47 Ronin, the Battle of the Alamo and the Will McAvoy Speech – By Rock Kitaro
By Rock Kitaro
Date: February 10, 2014
Dragon Ash – “Walk With Dreams”
Let me begin by saying that I plan, by no means, to turn my website into a movie review site…But I confess…After watching Keanu Reeve’s “The 47 Ronin”… It was the first time in a long time that I was actually moved to tears inside an actual movie theater. Why? You might ask? I’ll tell you.
When I was nine-years-old, my parents took me and my brothers on a vacation trip to a city called San Antonio, Texas. The history behind Texas’s independence is, I think, both controversial and admirable. Since I was born in 1986 and know all too well that history is written by the victors, all we’re left to go on is what’s written in history books and passed on from generation to generation.
“47 Ronin” That movie was quite beautiful to me. I know quite a bit about Japanese culture. The idea of avenging one’s master and fighting for the right to commit suicide with honor…that may sound absurd, but living these days in America, I don’t think anyone has the right to judge the Japanese or their ancient ways. When I was younger, I’ll admit that I used to think it was idiotic of the Japanese to willingly want to commit suicide. But it just goes to show how ignorant I was.
The culture of the United States is not a universal culture. Meaning, that just because we deem something appropriate or inappropriate, it doesn’t mean everyone else in the world has to agree with us. And I think one of the reasons why the U.S. is spited and abhorred by so many in other countries is because we have a habit of trying to impose our culture and morals on other nations. Especially when our own culture is all over the place with standards that are constantly being lowered.
Featuring YG Entertainment’s Team B, Winner and TVXQ’s Yunho, to Five Finger Death Punch’s “Coming Down” I put together an energetic video that showcases the evolution of Big Bang’s dances over the years. I added text to the lower left hand corner to identify each Artist so you can do your own exploration after watching this. I hope you like it.
Big Bang
Favorite Big Bang Song – “Haru Haru” –
Big Bang or Bigbang (Korean: 빅뱅; stylized as BIGBANG) is a South Korean male group under the management of YG Entertainment. Formed in 2006, the group consists of G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, Daesung, and Seungri. Big Bang is known for their unique urban-originated music and fashion style. The members’ involvement in composing and producing their own music, most notably leader G-Dragon, has earned the group respect and praise from music industry experts.
The group’s popularity grew with their hit song Lies, which stayed at number one on Korean charts for a record-breaking seven consecutive weeks. Their follow up releases, Hot Issue and Stand Up, furthered their success, spawning hits such as Last Farewell and Haru Haru.[4] From 2007 to 2008, Big Bang received many awards, including “Best Male Group”, “Song of the Year”, “Artist of the Year”, and the Grand Award at the Seoul Music Awards.
From 2009 to 2010, Big Bang expanded their endeavors to Japan, and were voted “the Korean group that Japanese fans wish to see the most”. They became the first foreign group awarded “Best Newcomer” from the Japan Cable Broadcasting Station and “Best New Artist” at MTV Japan. Amidst their Japanese group promotions, the members branched out to do solo activities. Daesung, Taeyang, G-Dragon, and Seungri have released solo albums. G-Dragon and T.O.P also collaborated on an album under the sub-unit GD & TOP. Seungri and Daesung have acted in both TV dramas and musicals. T.O.P became a highly acclaimed film star. Daesung also hosted many of Korea’s most popular variety TV shows.
After nearly a two-year hiatus in Korea, Big Bang reunited in 2011 with their successful album Tonight. However, promotions were cut short when multiple members encountered legal issues. In November 2011, representing the Asia-Pacific region, Big Bang emerged as the inaugural “Best Worldwide Act” winner at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards.[5][6][7] This was the first time in six months all five members were seen together. In 2012, Big Bang released their fifth Mini Album Alive in Korea and Japan before embarking on their first ever World Tour which concluded in early 2013 and 2014 Japan 6 Dome Tour(First Foreign Group)
– Source: Wikipedia
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HPHMJXWPious and good-natured college student, Aida Jennazzo, reminisces about the day she first met the infamous leader of August the 18th, Eliza Christie. Even as children, Eliza exuded the personality of someone who would one day make men bow down before her. And while the two were initially thick as thieves, equal but opposite and joined at the hip during their waddling days, there was one incident that would scar Aida and change the way she saw her childhood friend. It was the day that Eliza released an inner demon that would go on to dictate her violent need for retaliation for the rest of her life.
This will be the last e-book that I publish for a while, so I can work on my second novel before the temperatures heat back up. I dunno, there’s just something about the winter months that fuel my creativity and I can’t let it go to waste.
I’ll still be posting my thoughts, God knows I have a lot of them… But for the next couple of months, my mind will be floating between two worlds as I focus on my next novel. I already have an 83 page treatment for it and created and updated character bios for it. All I have to do now is go through and fill up any holes or connect any dots that are still left unattached. And then start to write! Starting with the prologue and going chapter by chapter.
I tell you…it’s the coolest thing, to have the framework down and you’re primed and ready to simply start churning out pages. It’s the best part of the process. The months of hard work leading up to this moment…well worth it.
If you haven’t checked out any of my other e-books, I encourage you to click on the E-Book tab and have at it! I welcome any and all comments. And of course encouragement is always uplifting.
*bows humbly* Thanks you guys. It’s been a pleasure! 😀 😀 😀
By: Rock Kitaro
Date: December 23, 2013
Jamie Cullum – Don’t Stop the Music Remix –
I wrote this a couple of weeks ago and planted it on my facebook page. While the concept of “no longer diving in headfirst” pertains to the tactic I plan to use in most of my future endeavors, it obviously pertains primarily to the aspect of romance.
lol…No.
One reason why, is because I understand that I can be quite difficult to understand. I’m not like most men. And that’s not to brag, because sometimes I wish I was. It would make things easier to just fit in, rather than being that nail that sticks out. Trust me, there is nothing noble about being rebellious. I blame it on my education. Once you’ve become aware, there’s no going back. But that’s for another editorial.
Yoko Kanno – “Where Does the Ocean Go”
My upcoming e-book will be the last e-book I release for a while. But while it may be the last, it certainly isn’t the least. After I write any story, I go back and proofread what I’ve written, and it’s usually the most difficult process for me because mentally I’m like… “I’ve already finished this project. I want to move on.”
But with this upcoming e-book, it didn’t feel that way. It really is my favorite story, involving one of the most arrogant, sophisticated and conflicted characters I’ve had the pleasure to create. While I’ve already written a novel and I’m working on my second novel involving Eliza Christie as an adult, this upcoming e-book will reveal what Eliza Christie was like as a pre-teen. It’s a narrative told by her best friend, Aida Jennazo. Aida sees first-hand accounts of how Eliza didn’t just roll out of bed and become a vigilante outlaw. Defiance is simply in her DNA.
Being raised by a single father who’s the lead detective for Tampa’s organized crime unit was difficult to say the least. But despite the long hours her father had to pull, his devotion to her was undeniable. And even as a child, she didn’t hold his job against him. She didn’t cry about not being able to go to the park or get that Barbie Doll. Instead, she embraced being raised by the police unit, the officers treating her like she was one of the boys. That being said, Eliza’s never really gotten along with her peers, subconsciously thinking herself above them and their petty individualistic problems.
At a young age, she was exposed to the violence, obscenities and lewd behavior no child should have to witness. But instead of falling into a hole of darkness that only therapy could pull one out of, Eliza reveled in it.
It was only when things got too dangerous that Eliza’s father brought her to live with Aida Jennazo’s family. And that’s the way it was until she reached the age of fifteen.
On one faithful night…the outstanding work Eliza’s father put in finally caught up to him. You see, Eliza’s father, Detective Emil Christie, began to theorize that the city’s entire criminal body was under a single umbrella, a Syndicate, with only one faction pulling the strings for every other gang. From the patterns of murders, extortion, kidnappings and missing persons…only one entity seemed to benefit from it all…The Pierce Corporation with Isaac Pierce sitting at the head of the throne. Isaac Pierce is the richest most influential man in the world at this time.
So when a young assassin scales the high-rise building of Emil Christie’s apartment complex. It hardly came at a surprise to him. What was surprising was that this assassin happened to be no other than Isaac Pierce’s own nephew, a rising enforcer who was already beginning to make a name for himself as a prodigy swordsman. Eliza Christie walk in on the tail end of this grisly murder to see the young man standing over her father’s body.
Her father’s last words… “…Braden Pierce…”
That moment forever changed Eliza’s life, unlocking a chest of fury and igniting a blaze of determination that would never be extinguished.
This stunning blonde green-eyed woman would go on to train in ninjutsu and capoeira before forming the unauthorized militia known as, August the 18th. This militia is a small band of war veterans, mercenaries and ex-police officers who have lost faith in the justice system to do anything about the blatant offenses inflicted by the Syndicate. And while Eliza thinks of herself as just and honorable…on occasion, she willingly and knowingly makes herself a hypocrite when she appoints herself as judge, jury and executioner when it comes to dealing with anyone affiliated with the Pierce.
Smart and philosophical, Eliza knows when and where to show her true self. While attending university and out in general public, she’s your average 22 year old respectable college student. But when she’s with her militia and out on missions, she’s a revered, dominating general who does just about everything except for waiting on the sideline. Only with Aida and Inspector Gazi, does Eliza not concern herself with appearances. It’s only with those two that she can truly be relaxed and free. But despite her growth and maturity as a young woman, two things remain cemented in her psyche. Her deep love for the color green and her need to erase Braden Pierce from existence.
– Eliza’s traits….Dormant pissy attitude. As an adult, she tries to act professional in the face of others, but deep down she’s selfish and unpredictable. She likes Yoko Kanno type music, reflective and instrumental. As a civilian she’s always wearing a long hooded green overcoat that was passed down from her mother. Aside from that, she almost always wears a jeweled bracelet even in combat and has a short katana sword down by her lower back, often concealed but easy to get to.
That saying…”If you can’t handle me at me worst, then you don’t deserve me at my best…” I think the use of the word “worst” is what throws that quote into a fallacy. Because technically, if something happens that’s so bad that you just can’t stand to be with the person anymore…isn’t that the worst? So if you’re in a relationship right now, how do you know that the worst has happened already? Don’t get me wrong, I think relationships are difficult and I applaud those who stick with it. But that’s not my point. This little paragraph is simply an attack on that STUPID CLICHE of a hand-me- down statement that ticks me off because when someone hits me with it…I know it’s wrong, but I’m too slow (and probably in a state of regret and guilt) to come up with the words to articulate how full of shit it is.
A former U.S. commando turned Syndicate enforcer recounts his first and only mission with the infamous Black Creek Security firm. It’s on this mission that he has the honor to witness the Godfather’s favorite nephew in action.
When a young street tough stabs a nonviolent door-to-door preacher, a small town urban neighborhood becomes infected by several of the most notorious criminals in the world. Continuing with the “Tales of Ybor” stories, this title contains graphic violence and street level language. While “The Godfather’s Sword” revolves around Braden Pierce, the prodigy syndicate enforcer, “Seven Deaths” introduces us to one of the few individuals who can match him in skill and execution. Gavin Hassell is an indiscriminate mercenary who sets his own agenda based on the highest bidder and his own private personal constitution.
It’s Okay If You Don’t Like To Read
By: Rock Kitaro
As I get further and further ahead in my writing career, more and more I’m bumping into friends and acquaintances who hear of what I’m doing, and wear a look of shame. They usually begin to say things like:
“Ah man, I’ve been meaning to get around to reading that.”
“Dude, there’s not enough time in the world.”
“Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me of that. I’ve been meaning to buy your book.”
“I’m in the middle of it, but things keep popping up that keep me from finishing it.”
Etc. etc. etc.
With a light-hearted smile on my face, I want to tell them that it’s okay if they simple have no interest in reading my work. I didn’t start writing to burden my friends and acquaintances by adding yet another thing that I’m expecting them to do.
Besides, putting myself in their shoes, I know that my style of writing or subject matter might not appeal to them. I don’t write with a focus on prose or clever wordplay. I’m a story-teller who writes clearly and direct as if I’m speaking to you personally. Some people don’t like this. Some people like reading the literary and poetic arrangement of words more so than the story, however pretentious and pointless it may sound.
And if I do write about something that catches your interest and you start reading and get too distracted by something else to want to continue on…Then I take responsibility for that. All that means is that my story wasn’t interesting enough to keep you coming back for more and I need to step up my game. Hmph…and that’s fine. I’ll accept the challenge. All that means is that I have to be more provocative and engaging, connecting with my reader so much to the point that my words hook into their brains, refusing to let them go.
Stage In The Sky 