Saturday, December 31, 2016

2016: year in review

2016 is about to end!


So much drama this year! A crazy election where a crazy businessman whose campaign opening statement was an appeal to racist  won an election! A year where so many celebrities passed away!  


So many things!




But what about my personal life?



1) search for work opportunities


At the end of 2015, I graduated from UH-Manoa with a Master's degree in Library and Information Science (LIS).

So it was time for me to search for library-related job opportunities.

My major goal is to stay where I'm at in urban Honolulu!  I refuse to be away from the urban Honolulu lifestyle that I love so much! So I just look for jobs that can accommodate that!

I applied for a few library-related jobs in urban Honolulu. So far, nobody hired me yet.

A few others who graduated the same time, as well as this past Spring have run into the same problem.

However, a few positions opened up this month and I sent a few cover letters and resumes!

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So yes, I'm still working as a substitute teacher. An adventurous job that pays well per work-day. The problem is the  available work-days are  totally non-existent during summer & winter vacation!


So, this summer, I applied with a temporary work agency.  The temp agency sent me to a printing facility that publishes the ballots used in the state elections.

At that facility, I was inspecting ballots for errors, as well as folding & moving boxes. For a while, they had me passing wrapped ballots that came out of the shrink-wrapping machine.  But as soon as a new guy came in around the same time I took the day off (for a library job that somebody else got hired for), I was back to inspecting ballots for errors, which was my favorite activity there!   At workplaces, it takes a while for the managers to figure out who best fits with what tasks.  They eventually figured I was best at inspecting ballots for errors, and I trained a few.


That was just for the Primary Election.  The printings & inspections were done in June & July, so that the ballots were ready for Primary Election Day in August.

I was asked by the temporary worker agency if I wanted to do the same job in preparation for the General Election.  I declined mostly because


  • the pay for the job was so low
  • the school year was back in session and
  • I make more money as a substitute teacher than as a ballot inspector
So I could make more money as a sub teacher in the daytime. I was also asked if I could do part-time night shift. 

The problem was it was circa 5pm-11pm.  Waiting at the  bus stop to go home after 11am? That would mean a long wait in an area that is dangerous at night, plus, those buses don't go directly to my neighborhood so I would have to transfer which means more waiting.  So it was Thanks but No Thanks! 



I occasionally contact the temporary work agency if I'm available for the week. We'll see how that goes.


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Talking about elections, I was also working on Election Day as a precinct official!

Primary Election was chill!

General Election was BUSY!  I saw way more people at the voting precinct than I ever seen in past elections.

I was the guy standing by the machine that accepts ballots.  A usually easy job ..........usually!

But on General Election Day, that machine broke down, so we had to pile the ballots on the side, which got more complaints about ballots being placed out in the open.   It took a while before I figured that I should put a lid over those ballots, while the TV news crew were there!  They didn't report that I placed a lid over those ballots even though I explained it to them! But they did show an angry woman who claimed that the uncovered ballots was a sign of "corruption".


A few hours later, the machine was fixed and the problem was over!

But long lines persisted.

Here in Hawaii, the state voted mostly for Hillary Clinton. My precinct was near the university, and university communities tend to be ultra-liberal.  Guaranteed the fear of Donald Trump motivated the turnout there!



2) Music biz


This year started with an identity crisis, in which I figured out what should be my stage name

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2016/01/identity-crisis-nickname-edition.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2016/01/identity-crisis-trademark-edition.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2016/01/identity-crisis-solved-for-now.html


I then declared myself Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior



 I then announced that I am now a professional digital musician.

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2016/03/im-now-professional-musician.html

Earlier this week, I had a blog post "One step closer to be a professional musician!" 
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2016/03/one-step-closer-to-be-professional.html

My entrepreneurial dreams are being realized. I have become a digital musician and independent contractor. 



Now, Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior finally has some music for sale!

As mentioned in the blog post, I chose CD Baby as my distributor!



I started out selling 4 stand-alone instrumental singles:


  • Jam with the Arp Stab
  • Spaceship Track
  • Real Buzzer Industries
  • Wouw Islandbell

Then I decided to sell my debut album: Urban Honolulu Jams: an instrumental album



The album is called  "Urban Honolulu Jams: an instrumental album"

copyright: Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior
album cover art



Here is the theme for "Urban Honolulu Jams: an instrumental album"
Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior grew up in urban Honolulu in the 80s & 90s listening to lots of West Coast hip-hop, which sampled many funk jams of the of 70s & 80s.With digital technology, Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior has created some instrumental funk jams with an air of nostalgia! 
These instrumental jams are perfect for any fun activity in urban Honolulu, whether it's riding in your car/bike, going out clubbing or throwing a house party! 

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Now I'm working on my next album! I already chose the songs. I already started working on my album submission to my distributor  (CD Baby!)

I just have to start working on the album's cover art!

This album will be a collection of electronic music instrumentals with elements of chiptunes, dubstep and more!

The theme and title of the album will be announced soon!

But it should be available for sale before the end of January



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As for being a professional musician, I announced it on March, but only this month did I finally get a small payment for my tracks.



today's facebook announcement


I finally got a small payment for my music  :)
Not enough to pay the rent, but I'm happy to at least have some revenue coming in. Most of it is Sync Licensing revenue, and some of it streaming revenue! 


How it works is that CD Baby collects revenue from streaming, downloads, CD sales, publishing revenue and licensing revenue! CD Baby takes their small cut of the revenue, and there's my cut! Once my cut is above a certain number, CD Baby sends me a payment!  So that was why it took 9 months since I first applied with them to be my distributor.


With another album on the way, more payments should be coming in 2017!



3) other personal stuff


I continue to be a major commentator, whether it's through


I have been making waves in the world of ideas, with my blog gaining readers towards the end of this year



screenshot from my Blogger dashboard


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I think the most radical change in my commentary world is my post-election declaration that I want to Make Hawaii Independent Again!


I was already leaning that way due to my frustration with the Jones Act  (plus solidarity with all the indigenous peoples of the Pacific), but Donald Trump's election just confirmed that I should stand my ground for Hawaii's independence.



I first announced it on YouTube speeches


Video 1: it's time: Hawaii should become independent after Trump election
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGwunh5km4k


Video 2: Hawaii independence (nothing personal against the USA)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14clKuEmC0k


Then I made a facebook page for Make Hawaii Independent Again : https://www.facebook.com/MakeHawaiiIndependentAgain/




and these blog posts
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2016/11/its-time-for-hawaii-to-declare.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2016/11/a-petition-to-make-hawaii-independent.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-letter-to-newspaper-hawaii.html



Obviously, these all got criticisms.  Any requests or demand for change will be criticized. People are uncomfortable with change, especially when it comes to ending dependency on a world super-power!


I've long been a USA patriot but my biggest loyalty is to Hawaii. I think it's time for Hawaii to move on. It's time for USA and Hawaii to look at each other as equals instead of master-subordinate!

It's time for Hawaii to stop being dependent on the mercy of Ohio & Florida voters!

It's time for Hawaii to control all its tax revenues!

It's time for Hawaii to stop living under laws made 4000 miles away by people who never been here!

It's time for Hawaii to gain more access to international trade, and reduce our economic dependency on the USA!

It's time for Hawaii to join the sibling-hood of nations again!

It's time for Hawaii to take the lead as the example of small island nations that can do great things!

I love a lot about the USA, but my loyalty is to Hawaii first!



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I've long said I'm not on Twitter.

This year, I set up a Twitter account. https://twitter.com/PabloTheMdTgrWr


But I still use facebook way more often than Twitter!


I just use Twitter to promote my music and blogs!


Facebook is where most of my interactions with my social connections take place.

This blog is still where you can get the most in-depth glimpse of my thought process!


I still think 140 characters are way too limiting, so don't expect me to be a major force on Twitter.

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4) non-personal stuff



I'm so happy that the UH football team got a new coach with Nick Rolovich!

He allowed the  UH footballers to have their long hair again, after Norm Chow banned them!

Now the Warrior spirit is back on the team.

The team struggled with road trips to Australia (to play Cal), Michigan and Arizona, but was able to beat conference rivals Air Force, Nevada (Reno), San Jose State and Fresno State.

They had an average season, but even average was an upgrade from Norm Chow's reign of error. Now that we have so many bowl games, even average is good enough to play in the bowl game.

In the Hawaii Bowl, UH beat Middle Tennessee State.  UH ends the season with momentum, which can help with recruiting as well as morale for the upcoming spring training and August's training camp!
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Well, anyways 2016 is coming to an end.  It's time for me to end this blog and be ready for 2017!



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2016 memorials

  I mentioned about Prince in my blog post "Legacy of a Prince"

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-legacy-of-prince.html


I also mentioned about Muhammad Ali and his impact on sports & civil rights.
"The Life & Legend of Muhammad Ali"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2016/06/muhammad-ali.html


There's been more celebrity deaths in 2016! I don't have much time to go over all of them.


But I do want to mention about David Bowie, George Michael & LaVell Edwards


David Bowie

I briefly mentioned David Bowie in my blog post about Prince, on the part of how they show that men don't have to conform to traditional masculinity to attract the most beautiful women on the planet. I also mentioned how having  stereotypically "feminine" tendencies doesn't mean that man is homosexual (not like there's anything wrong with that).


I don't have much familiarity with David Bowie's muscial catalog, except for the ones that were sampled by rap artists, the most obvious being "Under Pressure" (collabo w/Queen) was sampled by Vanilla Ice for "Ice Ice Baby".

I also know David Bowie's "Let Dance" for being sampled by Puff Daddy's "Been Around the World" (featuring Ma$e and Notorious BIG).  It was later in life that I appreciated "Let's Dance" not only for being sampled by rap songs, but a great song on it's own, as well as that song's video in which David Bowie explored Australia and partied with that country's Aboriginal population.  At the time, this was a revolutionary act of solidarity with a historically oppressed population.  This later inspired Midnight Oil's "Beds are Burning" which was a more overt show of solidarity with the Aboriginal peoples.


David Bowie's other anti-racist activism included (but nowhere near limited to) his demand that MTV start playing music videos by non-white artists.   Sony Records later took a bigger step and withdraw all their videos until MTV played one by Sony's African-American artist: Micheal Jackson!

Something like that is so hard to imagine by today's younger generation who grew up listening to radio stations that mix mostly-white EDM artists and mostly-black hip-hop artists in the same rotation!  Add to that many musicians are crossing racial boundaries where the biggest EDM songs have African-American singers, and white hip-hop artists are generally accepted by their African-American peers.  Latin@ artists are making major hits not only in traditionally Latin genres but also in hip-hop, pop,  EDM and rock. Add to that, so many mixed-race singers  from Hawaii (ie. Bruno Mars, Nicole Scherzinger) fit in so well within the mainstream that today's young people take it for granted.


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George Michael

For George Micheal, the first song I remember from him was "Freedom" which came out in 1990. I was in elementary school that time, so I didn't remember his earlier hits when they first came out! Because the word "freedom" is so associated with the USA, I assumed that he was an American, but was actually from the United Kingdom!  The video for "Freedom" had so many female supermodels (including big names like Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell) that everyone assumed he was the stud who was able to get the hottest women into his bed.


But years later in 1998, George Micheal was caught found by the police in a sexual act in a public restroom in Los Angeles.  At that point, George Micheal had to confess that he was homosexual. But at that point, so he was so rich & famous that it didn't ruin his career, just made him a butt of jokes about doing things in a public restroom when he had more than enough money to rent a room!

Also, by that time, Elton John was already out of the closet, Ellen made her announcement, and people eventually became more tolerant about the LGBT lifestyle (well, at least in the Western world).

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LaVell Edwards

 LaVell Edwards was the legendary football  coach for BYU!  Before he came on the scene in the 1970s, BYU was an average team and many assumed that the school's Mormon affiliation was limiting its attraction to football recruiting. But while many people in the USA stereotype Mormons as being "mostly white", their religion did gain a lot of Polynesian converts. LaVell Edwards used that as an advantage in recruiting Polynesian talent to his teams.  That gave many UH  football fans headaches because some of our  local players played for BYU!   BYU's success with Polynesian players got the attention of other college coaches who poached on Hawaii's football talent, which gave UH football fans even more headaches

To add insult to injury, UH kept losing to BYU in the 1970s and 1980s. Urban legend had it that elderly UH football fans begged UH football coaches to at please beat BYU before they pass away!
Those who survived to 1989 & 1990 got their wish as UH beat BYU two years in a row!


BYU also had an impact for college football in the interior West. Much of college football's attention was towards the South (SEC, ACC), Midwest (Big 10), Great Plains (Big 8 which became Big 12) and the West Coast (PAC-10)

But the Rocky Mountain region with it's small population was long ignored until BYU made major waves in the 1970s and 1980s. LaVell Edwards and his assistant Norm Chow had innovative offenses that gave big-name opponents headaches.  Other schools in the Rocky Mountain region (ie. Utah, Air Force Academy, Boise State) eventually stepped up their games with their own innovative offenses and became teams with great reputations for working with under-rated talent

BYU not only had under-rated talent, but also NFL-bound talent, some of whom included Super Bowl winners Jim McMahon & Steve Young!



To learn about LaVell Edwards and his legacy, check out these articles

Honolulu sports journalist Ferd Lewis on LaVell Edward's relation to Hawaii and Polynesian athletes
http://www.staradvertiser.com/2016/12/30/sports/ferds-words/edwards-left-a-lot-of-fond-memories/


ESPN on LaVell Edwards, his Mormon mission and his impact on football in the interior West
http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/18373089/college-football-lost-legend-former-brigham-young-cougars-coach-lavell-edwards


LaVell Edwards retired in 2000. His assistant Norm Chow was expected to take over the head coaching position but didn't get it!  The race card was pulled out, being that Norm Chow was of Chinese & Hawaiian ancestry.   But as UH learned the hard way from 2012-2015 that Norm Chow just wasn't head coaching material! Maybe BYU knew that all along, but the race card is so easy to play!
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2016 music in review

As I do every year, I write a blog post about my favorite music of the year.

Yes, I do my own music (as mentioned in my previous posts) but this blog post is dedicated to music by others.

I will mention top hits as well as songs that were over-looked by the mainstream.

These are purely my opinions and not to be taken personally. So if your favorite song of the year is not mention, it just means I didn't rank it as high as the ones I mentioned.


====================

First off, I got to give it up to my fellow Hawaii musician Bruno Mars,  who came back with another hit. The former "Little Elvis" has made songs in the past reminiscent of James Brown, Micheal Jackson and more. This time, he made "24K Magic" which is so inspired by my favorite funk musicians Roger Troutman (of Zapp) and his #1 sampler DJ Quik). The spirit of the 80s & 90s live on with "24K Magic"

Bruno Mars "24K Magic"






Now for the best non-Hawaii musician of the year, I got to give it up to Chainsomkers!
They started the year collaborating with Daya for  "Don't Let Me Down".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMH0Xglh7GA




Then they made the ultimate love song of the year with Halsey "Closer"



Chainsmokers w/Halsey "Closer:




They then ended the year w/Phoebe Ryan "This is all we know"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEi_XBg2Fpk

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The 2 Justins of pop had some major hits as well



Justin Timberlake had the summer classic "Can't Stop the Feeling"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru0K8uYEZWw



Justin Bieber  had his EDM slow jams
"Let Me Love You" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMs0GnYze34

and  "Cold Water"(featuring MØ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a59gmGkq_pw





And while we're on the topic of MØ, she had her own classic "Final Song", a song that will ring in the final minutes of banquets to come

MØ "Final Song"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUcXQ--yGWQ


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Rihanna had her  collabo w/Calvin Harris ""This is What You Came For"


Rihanna w/Calvin Harris "This is What You Came For"


 but her huge hit was w/Drake "Too Good" and of course .......... "Work"

But Rihanna wasn't the only lady working this year.


5th Harmony also put in some work this year,  with guest feature Ty$ helping them "Work from Home"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GL9JoH4Sws


5th Harmony gave a 90's reggae flashback, sampling Mad Cobra's "Flex" for their hit "All in My Head" featuring Fetty Wap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsbeemdD2rQ



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As for Drake, he also had hits without Rihanna.

He had "One Dance" (featuring Kyla & Wizkid) and "For Free" (w/DJ Khaled)



But my favorite rapper of the modern era is Flo Rida, who continued his string of hits including his mega-hit "My House"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo35R9zQsAI



 and his over-looked song that should've been a bigger hit "Who did you Love?"

Flo Rida w/ Arianna "Who did you Love?"


and with his fellow Miami rapper Pitbull came  "Green Light". Miami rappers always come with the greatest music!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7xbhKIiw4Y


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Weeknd had the mega-hit last year with "Can't Feel My Face" which is a very hard act to follow. But he make some more hits with "Starboy", but my favorite which was released towards the end of 2016, and would likely peak in early 2017 is "I Feel it Coming"

Weeknd w/Daft Punk "I Feel it Coming"





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For a while, people wondered if Mike Posner was a one year wonder. Wonder no more, because he came back in a major way with "Pill in Ibiza"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUFgjTuvAvs


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One of the former Jonas Brothers had his own band "DNCE" with some cool rock hits. The most popular was "Cake by the Ocean" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWaRiD5ym74


, but my favorite DNCE jam  was  "Toothbrush"  (w/Ashley Graham in the video)

DNCE "Toothbrush"



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Jerry Heller (who happened to be another victim of the 2016 curse) once bragged that he managed the "Black Beatles", his term of endearment for the rap supergroup NWA!

But 2016 had a new set of "Black Beatles"........................Rae Sremmurd w/ Gucci Mane


Rae Sremmurd w/Gucci Mane "Black Beatles"




Also in the hip-hop world, Iggy Azalea didn't back down from her racist detractors and came back with the great club jam "Team"


Iggy Azalea "Team" 



Iggy wasn't the only white rapper making it big this year. We also had G-Eazy who had his slow jam
w/Bebe Rexha  "Me, Myself and I" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSfpSOBD30U

and his reggae collaboration with  MarcE Bassy  "You & Me"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUYjxf9rHCY



Also reppin the white boy rappers, we had Dirty Heads "That's All I Need"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjD_R8kWgNY


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Chance the Rapper was hottest rising rap star coming up independently. He refused to sign with a major label, but he still made hits without them.  My favorite song from Chance the Rapper was "Angels" (featuring Saba)

Chance the Rapper (w/Saba) "Angels"



Chance the Rapper and Kanye West weren't the only Chicago rappers with impact this year.  Common invited his one-time enemy Ice Cube to his Chicago neighborhood and made  a great record of reconciliation and unity

Ice Cube w/Common "Real People"





Tech N9ne was long known for his 00's underground hit "Slacker", his crazy personality  as well as his red clothes (symbolizing Bloods affiliation). This year, he surprised many with  a great socially conscious song  &  video "If it was Me", which showed an understanding of youths shot by police, as well as an understanding of a police officer, as well as a police officer who hesitated and got shot.


Tech N9ne (feat. Krizz Kaliko)

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And off course, the hip-hop political statement of the year came from YG & Nipsey Hussle.  Both aren't really political rappers, they're gangsta rappers who part of the revival of the West Coast gangsta rap scene this decade.  They're from rival gangs (YG was a Blood from Compton, Nipsey Hussle was a Crip from Crenshaw), but they did unite to express their dislike of Donald Trump and his anti-Latino rhetoric.  While much of the reporting about black-Latino relations has focused on deadly gang rivalries between African-American & Latino gangs,  both YG &Nipsey Hussle expressed that they grew up with both African-American & Latino peers and they wanted to show unity against Donald Trump.  They also emphasized that they're not against the "white folk" when criticizing Donald Trump.

So definitely their song "FDT" gained major traction. The song was first released online, and their video shoot got shutdown by the police but by then, there was more than enough footage for the video.

However, as we all know, Donald Trump did get elected.  Also, YG later had racism allegations against him, as one of his other songs mentioned that Chinese homes are perfect targets for home invasions.  Learn more at http://kore.am/sf-supervisor-calls-rapper-ygs-song-anti-asian-american/


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Beyonce made wajor waves this year for her Super Bowl performance (whose symbolic meaning went over my head when I saw it live, since I didn't know about the Formation video until afters) and her Lemonade album.

But my favorite Beyonce song of the year was her collabo w/Coldplay "Hymn for the Weekend" (which was also played in the Super Bowl but got overlooked by the Formation controversy)


Coldplay w/Beyonce "Hymn for the Weekend"




Beyonce was the Queen of Pop, but the princesses also made some good hits.  Ariana Grande had her reggae hit w/ Nicki Minaj "Side to Side" but my favorite was "Into You". Selena Gomes song of the year was "Hands to Myself"

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For the retro vibe this year, we had Kungs sing "This Girl"

Kungs "This Girl"




Shinobi Ninjas had their heavy metal version of Montell Jordan's  "This is How we Do it", which also added Busta Rhyme's verse from Scenario.



Shinobi Ninja "This is How We Do It/Scenario" 



Another 90s hit reimagined was British alternative band Blur's "Girls & Boys", which inspired hip-hop mega-producer will.i.am and Guam's pop queen Pia Mia for their own version of "Boys & Girls'

Will.i.am w/Pia Mia "Boys & Girls"





Other Retro hits included

Cheat Codes "Sex" (EDM version of Salt n Pepa's "Let's Talk about Sex")
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN5IQOx3s8Q



Tory Lanez "Luv" (remake of 90's dancehall hit "Everyone Falls in Love" by Tanto Metro & Devante)     & "Say It"(remake of  90's R&B hit  "If You Love Me" by Brownstone)


===============


A movie soundtrack that made waves was the one for "Suicide Squad".  The soundtrack produced Kehlani's singing for a desire of a  "Gangsta", and 21 Kings singing about their friends who are "Heathens".   Alternative rockers Imagine Dragon called themselves "Sucker for Pain" along with rap stars Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Ty$, Logic.

============





Now, here's a list of other classics of the year


Kid Ink w/Fetty Wap had their ultimate rap/sung collabo of the year  with "Promise"

Kid Ink w/Fetty Wap "Promise"





Zara Larsson  & MNEK "Never Forget You"


Zara Larsson & MNEK "Never Forget You"







DJ Snake w/Bipolar Sunshine "Middle"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOKqNxN4jWM




Hailee Steinfeld "Starving"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwjwCFZpdns


Fitz& the Tantrums "Handclap"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2V6yjjPbX0


Sean Paul, the Jamaican dancehall king of the  00's came back with some hits, the most popular being "Thrills" (W/Sia)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYh-n7EOtMA

Sean Paul also had a great collabo w/Jay Sean "Make My Love Go"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovhm9TIQFws


Kent Jones express his love for women worldwide with "Don't Mind"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n49qi-dU9IE



Alan Walker w/Iselin Solheim "Faded"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60ItHLz5WEA



Lost Kings w/Katelyn Tarver "You"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAgGxPtC36Q


E40  kept hyphy alive with Nef The Pharaoh & DRAM    "Slappin"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxgTmM-7rm0



Area 21 "Spaceship"   (not to be confused with my "Spaceship Track")
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7jRV_rgagM


Daya "Sit Still Look Pretty"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPHKkewD1G0



Natalie LaRose w/Tiesto& Oliver Heldens "Right Song"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxEiIeoet6Q


Moby & Void Pacific Choir "Are you lost in the world like me"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VASywEuqFd8



MIA w/G-Dragon "Temple"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fGoOEGojY0


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Again, the songs included are just based on my personal opinion of what great songs I heard in 2016. Don't take it personal if your favorite song is not on this list!


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Friday, December 23, 2016

Stop Shaming Silent Bystanders

[note: some clarifications have been added to this post since I first posted this post]


I just posted the following on facebook, after seeing the millionth-plus post on "why didn't anyone step in when someone is causing trouble!





It's so easy to talk tough and say "I'll step in and show them when I see someone causing trouble". Easy to do that when you're not in the situation where you're in the physical presence of a troublemaker who is tougher, louder, and more psycho than you! Let's face it, most of us would really just think "why bother reasoning with that jerk?"

Which is why I'm so tired of these self-righteous fools who are watching from a screen and saying "why is nobody stepping in and saying something?" And I can guarantee that John Quinones (a guy who base his career on shaming CIVILIANS for not confronting trouble makers) would be reluctant to step in if he's in public without a film crew, when all of a sudden trouble pops off!

I'm not saying "be a silent bystander", I AM SAYING "stop shaming silent bystanders when you've been one a thousand times, you just lucky you haven't yet been recorded being one"

As for me, I usually get out of the situation and call 911 where the troublemaker can't see or hear me! But I can guarantee the camera won't catch that, and whoever's watching on the screen be like "omg, nobody stepping in, everyone's a silent bystander"




minutes after posting that, someone asked if something like that happened recently.

I did mention this
Reminds me of New Year's celebration at Kakaako Waterfront Park a few years back. I saw a drunken fight broke out, people were taking out their cell phones to record the fight. I ran to get security to break up that fight. The cellphones probably didn't record me trying to run to notify the security guard, so whomever was watching the recorded fight on the screen is probably thinking "why didn't nobody step in, why is everyone a silent bystander?"




=================



Now to clear up some potential misunderstandings that can come from reading the above



#1) I am NOT discouraging people from having courage! 
Discouraging people from having courage is the act of lowlife scum!

 However, that is NOT  the same as me asking people to be patient with those who may not have the courage to confront a troublemaker alone!

#2)  yes, I work in the education industry, and I can tell you that discipline is not as simple as it looks on TV!
Each educational institution has different protocols for each situation that requires discipline of students.

Some actually give only certain staff members the authority discipline certain students!
(this is especially true in Special Education contexts, but not limited to that)
People watching video clips of such situations may not know that context! Because they don't know that context, people watching on the screen will saying "why didn't that staff member do nothing" 

 Back in 2011, when I was a para-professional tutor at one public school, I was given certain protocols (which I felt was lenient) to deal with one student. Another staff member who wasn't aware of those protocols called me a "patsty" for following those protocols. That scumbag staff member is named Nadine Chun. Nadine Chun who called me a "patsy" acted like a patsy and called the police when I wrote an angry letter to her!   I wrote about all that at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-battles-at-pes.html



Also, I was a para-professional tutor at another school before that, where the protocol was to be a silent bystander during incidents where the classroom teacher was excessively lenient. Because those incidents didn't involve the student I was assigned to work with, I had to be a silent bystander. I wrote about that at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/08/my-time-at-nvms.html

Since then, I refused to work as a para-professional tutor again. Being a substitute teacher is somewhat easier, since you are given more authority. But still, you have to follow official protocols which differ between schools or even within the same school!
It reminds me of when I was at a middle school subbing at a Special Education class with really vulnerable students. The students had outside recess, and nearby I saw another group of students (not in my class) playing in off-limits area. I had to ask another staff member what are the protocols for such situations, being that I had to supervise my group of students (who need constant supervision due to their vulnerabilities)  but also that the whole situation (with students playing in off-limits areas) could be filmed by some stranger who may not understand the discipline protocols.


 Same is true in many workplaces, which is why you may see retail workers not directly confronting rude customers because  their employers have certain protocols that prevent confrontations.



So you may want to think of that the next time you watch some YouTube clip of silent bystanders!

 #3) Don't EVER under-estimate the Element of Surprise!


The Element of Surprise is the most powerful weapon, more powerful than a knife, a gun or powerful punching skills!
The reason is that when you are caught off-guard by surprise, your brain goes into panic mode  (regardless of how tough you are) that you can't think clearly! By the time you figure out the best plan for action, it is  often TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE!  The troublemaker is now gone! 

Troublemakers KNOW THAT, which is why they target the unprepared.

Police and other security officials tend to be trained in constant vigilance.

 Most people aren't!


People shopping in stores expect to have a leisurely experience, so they are caught off guard in situations in which they're not trained to handle!  Which is why many stand around when a rude customer goes bezerk! Their brains are in panic mode of "what shall I do". 
Do you think they like being in a panic mode? Do you actually believe those people don't have regrets 10 minutes later (when it's too late?) without being reminded by keyboard warriors?  

So you may want to think of that the next time you watch some YouTube clip of silent bystanders!
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Thursday, December 08, 2016

blackberry changes and the future of physical keyboards

The world has been so focused on this year's strange election that I wasn't paying attention when BlackBerry announced that it will be moving away from manufacturing smartphones and just focusing on software security.


http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/29/technology/blackberry-phones-earnings-q2.html
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Stepping away from its signature product, BlackBerry will no longer make its own smartphones, the device it once defined.

 Before being overtaken by iPhones from Apple, BlackBerry’s phones were so popular that they were nicknamed CrackBerry, and President Obama battled security officials to retain his BlackBerry when he took office. But the distressed Canadian company’s decision, announced on Wednesday, means the BlackBerry name will now be found only on handsets made by a group owned by phone companies in Indonesia, which has licensed the brand.


BlackBerry’s market share long ago collapsed to single digits in North America and Europe, despite the introduction of a new operating system and the company’s decision to make phones based on the Android operating system from Google.


The abandoning of the phone business that made BlackBerry a household name is a major step in a strategy begun by John S. Chen, the executive chairman and chief executive, to turn the money-losing company into a software and wireless device security business. When Mr. Chen joined BlackBerry almost three years ago, he made it clear that the fast-declining phone business was living on borrowed time.

“We have decided to discontinue all the handset hardware development,” Mr. Chen said Wednesday on a conference call for analysts. “We believe that this is the best way to drive profitability in the device business.”
and also this

 BlackBerry has the option of reselling the phones carrying its brand name and made by BB Merah Putih in Indonesia throughout the rest of the world. But Mr. Chen said the company had decided not to exercise that option. As a result, he said, sales of BlackBerry phones outside Indonesia will finish before the end of February 2017, the close of the company’s fiscal year.

This was very heart-breaking news for me because BlackBerry was the only smartphone manufacturer that made smartphones with a physical keyboard, which I find easier to use than use a touchscreen keyboard.

 As mentioned in previous blog posts

  I  hate   typing on touchscreens because they are either
  • too finger sensitive
OR
  •  requires a hard press on the screen.
My BlackBerry Q10 still works well!

 But my fear that it would get broken or stolen has a new meaning for me!
Those whose iPhone gets broken or stolen can go to a store and get a new one easily!

 Even those whose flip-phone gets broken or stolen can go to a store and get a new one easily!

 For those who like the convenience of a physical keyboard on a smartphone are out of luck soon! 

 That is .....unless some other company picks up the slack in manufacturing the smartphone with the physical keyboard as indicated in E-Commerce Times and Bloomberg News





https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-10/blackberry-s-keyboard-is-coming-back-for-one-last-dance

Under Chen, BlackBerry has gradually shifted from smartphones to software and said in September it would completely stop producing, stocking and distributing its own phones. Instead, it will license the BlackBerry brand to outside companies to put on phones they build themselves. The physical keyboard is BlackBerry’s best-known smartphone feature, with many former users still lamenting its absence as they clumsily tap out e-mails on their iPhones and sign off with words like "pardon the typos."

 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84085.html

Google and Apple were able to bring the smartphone to the masses with touchscreen-enabled devices, but that leaves open the door for another market segment.
"Not everyone likes touchscreens, so there is a niche market for a BlackBerry with a physical keyboard," said William Stofega, program director for mobile phones at IDC.

"There are executives and others who like the physical keyboard, and if BlackBerry can make a case that they can fill this need, then they can have a small part of the market," he told the E-Commerce Times.

More importantly, "BlackBerry can still make money serving its legacy tail, and this move appears aimed at that market," said Steve Blum, principal analyst at Tellus Venture Associates.

"Assuming they're contracting out manufacturing and they have a reasonably accurate sales forecast, there's no reason not to keep targeting their legacy market, so long as it's at least minimally profitable," he told the E-Commerce Times.

With partners doing the manufacturing, the risk could be low, added Stofega



Whoever is manufacturing that physical keyboard phone, they better do a better job marketing it!

As I mentioned in previous blog posts, BlackBerry's main reason for their business failure is the failure to market their products



 http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/10/adventures-on-my-new-smartphone.html


The problem is that BlackBerry doesn't have a real marketing strategy!

A marketing strategy for smartphones isn't just about its usability. 

It's about marketing it as a fashion accessory. 


That's what Apple does everytime they introduce their product. They make it an event, a place to be seen while standing in long-lines. This makes the Apple i-phones "cool" in the eyes of many!


This was from a mass-email from advice columnist John Alanis that I got on March 2012 



Here's the interesting thing you should know about the iPad:  every attempt to create a knockoff of it has been a miserable failure. 
No other company has been able to make a tablet computer that people want.
Why?  Because they think they are in the tablet business.  But no one wants a tablet computer--they're mostly useless.  However, everyone wants to be cool, and only Apple realizes they're in the coolness business.
You see,  having an iPad is considered cool. Having a Samsung Galaxy is not.  Apple is cool, everything else is uncool and they've built their whole company around that.  Not only that, but having the latest iPad is extremely cool, while having an old one
is not so cool anymore.
Apple has figured it out.  People want to be cool, and will pay for it, even if it involves forking over $700 a year for a mostly useless device (did you hear about the new HD screen on the latest iPad...cool, huh?).



Well, apparently, Samsung had gotten hold of this mass e-mail because they responded with this ad!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJafiCKliA8

That ad made the people who stood in long-line for Apple stuff look like suckers!  The slogan "The Next Big Thing is Already Here"

That ad made the SamSung Galaxy part of the "coolness business" that the mass e-mail was talking about! 



And Microsoft must've gotten a hold of the same mass-email because they responded with this ad!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE7AQY5Xk9w 

That ad mocked the i-pad as "not user friendly" AND for not having a keyboard!



Now many say that BlackBerry's marketing campaign was to just focus on the business users and to not get caught up with pop culture fads.


When Kim Kardashian and Leonardo DiCaprio were photographed using a BlackBerry, many BlackBerry fans said  "hey, this is an opportunity, they're using, might as well hire them to appear in your ads!"

 BlackBerry's CEO  responded that he was happy that they were using a BlackBerry but would prefer to use a different marketing strategy!

Are you kidding me?

 Any company losing market-share that notices a high-profile celebrity using its products should be contacting them IMMEDIATELY for an advertising campaign! 
BlackBerry wanted a business-oriented marketing campaign but didn't realize that business-people are also pop-culture oriented people who are fascinated by anything trendy, whether it's a celebrity-endorsed device, and device that was advertised by a funny commercial (ie. SamSung) , or a device whose release is seen as a major event (iPhone).

Once iPhone and SamSung made their marketing blitz and became pop-culture phenomenon, business oriented people get caught up in their craze like everyone else!

BlackBerry shoud've supplement their business oriented marketing strategy with a pop-culture oriented strategy!  A strategy that shows that their device is useful for work AND play! 


I really hope whoever gets to manufacture any future physical keyboards could come up with a great marketing strategy to make physical keyboards "retro cool", good for "work & play".

 I'll even supply some music for a soundtrack if they need music (and yes, they will need music)
(check out https://pablothemadtigerwarrior.blogspot.com/p/tracks.html for my music)

 But whatever happens, I hope that if my current BlackBerry Q10 gets broken, lost or stolen, that I will still be able to get a smartphone with a physical keyboard.
My mental health depends on it! 


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PS: also check out my blog post from January 2014  http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2014/01/blackberrys-response-to-competition.html
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