let the Tigers play at the home field

 My alma mater McKinley High School (aka Honolulu High School)

always played their "home" football games at our rival's campus Roosevelt High School. 

This even though the school has renovated its field with new turf a few years back! The field is used for practices. 

photo copyright to McKinley High School

practice at the new turf of

McKinley High School (aka Honolulu High School)

However, the bleachers and the night-lights needed to host football games weren't installed due to complaints by residents of nearby condos (buildings that weren't even there yet when I was a student at the school) who worry about the noise from the games.

learn more from 

Denby Fawcett, “Mckinley Students Still Unable to Play Football On New $5m Field,” Honolulu Civil Beat, October 27, 2020

https://www.civilbeat.org/2020/10/denby-fawcett-mckinley-students-still-unable-to-play-football-on-new-5m-field/

Here's a quote from a complainer

Residents of the nearby Moana Pacific, Pacifica Honolulu and 909 Kapiolani condominiums say if there are night games at McKinley, then besides glare from the lighting and noise, there also will be traffic jams, illegal parking and strangers walking through the neighborhood.

Look, I live near UH-Mānoa's lower campus which has Stan Sherriff Center, the home arena for the university's basketball and volleyball teams.

Being that UH-Mānoa is a state university, it will obviously have a larger fan base than a public high school!

I've been able to adjust to the dealing noise of fans going to & from the games at Stan Sherriff Center. Sometimes, I even join in and watch the games.

Strangers walking by your building after the games? I get WAY MORE STRANGERS walking by my apartment building after a UH game than will EVER pass by your condo after a high school game!

Because after all, a state university has a larger fan base than a high school!

If I could adjust to the noise & the craziness of UH fans leaving the arena, then the people living near McKinley High School (aka Honolulu High School) could easily adjust to the lesser amount of people at a high school game! 

---

And I love the school administration's response

Principal Okamura says nearby residents should be more realistic: “When you buy property close to a high school you should expect there are going to be changes and activities might be noisy.”

McKinley athletic director Bob Morikuni says, “There has to be some give and take here. It’s not like football games at McKinley will be year round and inconvenience everybody for the rest of their lives.”

I will also add that living near Stan Sherrif Center, that arena hosts basketball & volleyball games for both genders, means that it hosts WAY WAY WAY MORE games than a stadium that hosting a football game! 

And the UH games has WAY WAY WAY MORE fans than a high school game!

So those whining losers in the condos near the high school campus need to suck it up and learn to embrace it all! 

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

* on an unrelated note, being that the high school is named after a controversial figure, I will from now on, on my blog posts, refer to my alma mater as McKinley High School (aka Honolulu High School) to emphasize that the school should revert to the original name of Honolulu High School.

Learn more at https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/05/put-tiger-statue-on-oval.html

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urMaL-gWuhc

new music: "The Spooky Abandoned House"

 Today,  Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior  has a new single now available on various online platforms (ie iTunes, Spotify, YouTube & wherever else music is sold or streamed!

That single is titled "The Spooky Abandoned House"

A creepy dark ambient instrumental track that  sounds like a horror movie or video game score  where the characters are walking around an  abandoned house on a Halloween night.   Perfect track to play at Halloween haunted house activities!

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If Halloween music is your thing, don't forget to check out another dark ambient instrumental track that Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior released as a single back in 2018........."Slow Walking Through a Haunted Castle"

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In other music news, Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior  has another album of instrumental tracks coming soon. This time, it will be an electronic music album with a science fiction vibe!

The tracks are all completed, but I have not yet settled on a release date! 

Stay tuned!

I'm 4 decades old

 I'm now 4 decades old! 

That's right, I'm now 40 years old!

So much for the big 4-0 party plans

This was supposed to be my big year.  This is 2020! Being born in 1980, that means I have lived 20 years in the 20th century, and 20 years in this century!

From last year, I was looking forward to having a big celebration for my 40th birthday. Maybe a karaoke party, then dancing at the nightclubs. I did something like that for my 30th birthday, but I wanted something like that on a bigger scale for the 40th. 

 

I was also looking forward to Halloween this year since it would be on a Saturday! Partying on a Halloween Saturday would've been epic!

However, everything changed with the pandemic!  All large scale gatherings are canceled for the rest of the year!  No big parties for me this time around 😢

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Remembering my 30's

Off my top of my head, my favorite things about being in my 30's

• My time as a graduate student at UH-Manoa from 2013-2015 working on my degree in Library & Information Science (LIS). Not only taking classes, but also joining student organizations, and enjoying all the perks of being in college again. Also, spending hours at the library is like heaven to me!

• I joined Friends of the Library of Hawaii (FLH) during my time in the LIS program and I'm still a member. I mostly volunteered with their annual booksales as well at their mini-bookstore Books@Mark's on First Fridays. Sadly, much of that has been canceled by the pandemic

• I had plenty of adventures at the nightclubs during my 30's. Though some people had their best nightclub adventures in their 20's, mines were in my 30's.  During that time I experienced Rumours, Villa, Rumfire, SkyWaikiki, Tiki's, District, Moose, Oceans808, Haus, Heart Moon, and more. Being that nightclubs are a fickle business, many of what I listed already shut down ever before the pandemic, and some might not even survive the pandemic.  It might be years before the club scene will ever go back to what it was. But I can say I was blessed with some wonderful experiences during my 30's.   I'm proud to say that it did all sober!  Great music and great people is all you need!

• I did become more proficient with computer technology during my 30's. Don't get wrong, I already was blogging in my 20's.  I was on social media since the myspace days. However, I relied on libraries & internet cafes to do my computer work. My time as a student in UHM's LIS program helped me in learning to do more with the computer including power-points, spreadsheets, databases, websites, digitization & more. I finally joined the smartphone era in 2013, and I finally got a desktop computer & internet access at home in 2015.  And with my desktop, I learned to use music-making & video editing software to expand my multi-media outreach beyond just writing blogs. 

• I finally got around to becoming a music maker in my 30's. I did some talent shows in high school & college.  I was seriously considering becoming a rapper/singer/producer but didn't want to be signed to a label because I wanted to do my own thing.  But starting a label was too expensive and I spent most of my later 20's and early 30's focusing on getting steady work to pay for my immediate needs. It was only when I was 35 when I got a desktop computer that I started making music on the computer. Had I been born 20 years later, I would've been able to do this in my teens but this technology wasn't available to the general public when I was a teen.  Anyways, in the 2nd half of my 30's, I  started working on & selling instrumental tracks under my alias Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior.  I did make some money on it, but not enough to pay my rent. But you can always help by going to iTunes  😉!   I do have some new music coming out in the near future.

• Reconciliation with family. Whatever grievances I had were dealt with. I wrote letters, I had discussions. We had a greater understanding of each other.

Mid-life crisis

Some people tend to be insecure about their age, reluctant to share information  like "what year you grad from high school?"

As for me, I have no shame to admit I was born in 1980, grad from high school in 1999.

What's the point of hiding that fact? You are what you are!  It's useless to pretend you're still in your 20's when you're 40!

There's already a generation gap between me and the new generation of young adults. Our life experiences are different!  That's not to say one is better than the other, it's just different.

I'll admit, I am facing a mid-life crisis. 

 I expected to be richer than I really am! I expected my career to be at a higher level than it really is.

I had a lot of dreams earlier in my life to be a musician & record label executive. That got put on the side as I focused on getting steady work to pay for immediate needs. I did reconnect with that dream when I started making & selling instrumental tracks back in 2016, but I'm nowhere near the opulent lifestyle you see in rap videos.  It's made harder by the chump change in the streaming era! And let's forget being a teen idol at my age! 

I did finally got a full-time library job last year, but I left due to knowing that I didn't have a compatible partnership with the head librarian.  The drama just wasn't worth my time!  Why waste my time putting my mental health at risk in that situation?  

I did some temp jobs recently and I'm now between temp jobs at this point. I don't like talking about job searches because every single time I tell anyone "I'm applying here" or "I'm interviewing there", I never get the job. It's only when I keep it a secret from everyone else that I get the job! 

And for me (and many people my age), it's hard not to feel outdated. Libraries and music work was already in the decline before the pandemic, and it's gotten even worse with the pandemic. 

I did gain some weight recently and I do get more tired than before when going up hills. And I sprained my ankle 2 months ago. I can walk unaided for now, but I have to remind myself to walk slower to avoid accidents that causes sprains. 

I already know people my age who have either died from health problems or have become disabled due to health ailments! 

I think that's about all the pessimism I want to express for now. I just needed to get it out of my system.

Room for Optimism

However, not everything has to go downhill from here! 

People have accomplished things after dealing with various struggles. People have accomplished things in their 40's. 

Who knows, some wonderful opportunities and adventures might come my way!

Hopefully, the world can eliminate (or at least greatly reduce) the coronavirus pandemic!

And hopefully, I can not only survive but also thrive in my 40's! 

My goal is to have more bragging rights when I write my 50th birthday blog post. And more importantly, to be able to express pride in my accomplishments with humility by then!

Eddie Van Halen

 Last week, on 10/06/2020, rock & roll legendary guitar player Eddie Van Halen passed away due to throat cancer. He was 65 years old.

Associated Press
Eddie Van Halen

Because his band's name is also his last name (Van Halen), he will be referred to as Eddie for the rest of this past.

Eddie & his brother Alex were born in the Netherlands to a Dutch father and an Indonesian mother.  The family immigrated to California when the brothers were still children. 

(note: it would be interesting how many Trump supporters who yell "build the wall" and other racist chants are fans of Van Halen's music without knowing about Eddie's mother)

Eddie & Alex inherited their interest in playing musical instruments from his father, who played clarinet, saxophone  & drums.  The brothers experimented with various instruments, with Alex settling on the drums and Eddie with the guitar. Eddie occasionally played piano & synthesizers for the band too! 

Eddie & Alex recruited Micheal Anthony for bass and David Lee Roth as lead singer for the band Van Halen! 

Starting in the late '70s into the early '90s, Van Halen made hit record after hit record playing some loud, hard rock with a party vibe. 

Eddie was the real star of the band with his legendary guitar solos. He can do many things with the guitar that many try to imitate but very few could come close.

When Micheal Jackson, who usually did soul/R&B songs, wanted to make a hard rock track, he recruited Eddie to play the guitar solo. That track was "Beat It", a mega-hit that transcended genres. Eddie actually did his part of the song for free, though he could've made millions from royalties.

Eddie's music was also sampled by hip-hop artists like 2 Live Crew.

====

In 1985, David Lee Roth left the band to pursue a solo career. Some people predicted that would be the end of the band's popularity. However, the band found a new lead singer Sammy Hagar, who had some hits as both a solo artist & as a singer from Montrose.

The band had a different vibe with Hagar.  David Lee Roth was more of a pop/showtunes kind of guy. Sammy Hagar had a more serious personality and the band went in a heavier direction. 

In my opinion, the band's best work was with Hagar for the 1991's album "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" with featured the hits "Poundcake", "Right Now", "Top of the World" and my favorite "Runaround".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKFp0QTGF8M

Van Halen's "Runaround"

In 1996, Hagar left the band. Van Halen recruited Gary Cherone who was the lead singer for Extreme, a hair metal band that gained the most popularity for the very non-extreme acoustic ballad "More than Words". However, at that point, the music world has changed with more fans embracing alternative rock and leaving the 80's hard rock behind.  The one album featuring Cherone didn't sell so well. 

Since then Van Halen did reunion tours with David Lee Roth and/or Sammy Hagar.  While the ticket sales did well, the band's relations with the singers didn't always go so well. The camaraderie wasn't there, it was just "go on stage and get it over with".

Meanwhile. Eddie's health was declining for years. He had hip replacement surgery and had cancer on his tongue and throat. It was believed that decades of drug use, drinking, and smoking contributed to his cancers.

Eddie did reconcile with the band members before his death.

Though Eddie Van Halen has passed way, his music will live on for generations.

=======

Great articles on Eddie Van Halen

Jim Farber, “Eddie van Halen, Virtuoso of the Rock Guitar, Dies at 65,” New York Times, October 7, 2020 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/arts/music/eddie-van-halen-dead.html

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Harrison Smith, “Eddie van Halen, Guitar Virtuoso with a Shimmering Sound, Dies at 65,” Washington Post, October 6, 2020,

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/eddie-van-halen-guitar-virtuoso-with-a-shimmering-sound-dies-at-65/2020/10/06/33ca1c22-ee8f-11e9-8693-f487e46784aa_story.html.

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On Eddie & Alex Van Halen dealing with racism as biracial kids

Kimmy Yam, “Eddie van Halen Endured a 'horrifying Racist environment' Before Becoming a Rock Legend,” Yahoo, October 9, 2020,

 https://www.yahoo.com/news/eddie-van-halen-endured-horrifying-132736945.html

---

Popular Mechanics republished a 2015 article by Eddie Van Halen all the ways he adjusted his guitars and amps to make new sounds for his music

Eddie Van Halen, “How the Late Rock God Eddie Van Halen Hacked His Guitar,” Popular Mechanics, October 6, 2020, https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/a15615/how-eddie-van-halen-hacks-a-guitar/.

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Tributes from other musicians

 Metallica's Kirk Hammet

Ben Sisario, “Metallica’s Kirk Hammett: Eddie van Halen ‘blew Open Everyone’s Minds’,” New York Times, October 7, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/arts/music/eddie-van-halen-metallica-kirk-hammett.html.

---

Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine, Prophets of Rage, Audioslave)

Tom Morello, “Tom Morello: Eddie van Halen Was ‘our Generation’s Mozart’
,” Rolling Stone, October 6, 2020, https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/tom-morello-eddie-van-halen-tribute-1071947/.

------

from other Van Halen's bandmates

Jem Aswad, “Alex van Halen Posts Touching Tribute to His Brother, Eddie,” Variety, October 8, 2020, https://variety.com/2020/music/news/alex-van-halen-eddie-tribute-1234797355/.

Liz Calvario, “Sammy Hagar Shares He Reconnected with Eddie van Halen Before His Death,” ET Online, October 8, 2020, https://www.etonline.com/sammy-hagar-shares-he-reconnected-with-eddie-van-halen-before-his-death-154464.

Kory Grow, “Gary Cherone Remembers Eddie van Halen: ‘he Was Truly One with the Guitar,” Rolling Stone, October 7, 2020, https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/gary-cherone-eddie-van-halen-interview-1072436/.

Update on my ankle

In previous blog posts, I mentioned about getting an ankle sprain last month.

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2020/08/sprained-ankle.html

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2020/08/recovery-from-ankle-sprain.html

I can now walk without a cane. The ankle doesn't hurt like it did last month, but sometimes, I have to remind myself to slow down just to protect my ankle. 

It's like my mind & most of my body wants to move faster, but my ankle wants to move slower. 

Out of respect for my ankle, I am having to slow down my pace while walking! 

Notes on recent deaths (Hawaii edition)

 

These are some notable people in Hawaii who have recently passed away!

1) Willie Talamoa

Of all the people who have died in Hawaii from the coronavirus, Willie Talamoa probably got the most attention. He was working with the community in various capacities including youth football coach, security in public schools and hospitals and service assistant at a homeless shelter run by the Institute for Human Services (IHS). It was the IHS shelter that had a coronavirus outbreak, which most likely led to Talamoa's death. 

I've met Talamoa before back in high school. He was a few years younger than me.  He was part of the school's football team. Fast forward years later, I did a temp job testing mobile communications at a local hospital, and Talamoa was working security there.  

I've never had a chance to have a real conversation beyond the usual greetings.  I wish I had at least reach out on social media when he was still alive. 

Learn more 

https://www.kitv.com/story/42531113/36yearold-dies-of-covid19-associated-with-ihs-cluster

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/08/24/hawaii-news/covid-victim-was-beloved-farrington-football-assistant/

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/08/22/year-old-oahu-man-who-died-covid-remembered-always-upbeat-positive/

2.) Raymond Perty (aka Tuxedo Man)

In tropical and sometimes humid Hawaii, most of us would avoid wearing tuxedos unless going to a special function at night.

Raymond Perty wore a tuxedo every day, and it made him stand out from the crowd. He spent a lot of time on the campus at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, especially in the libraries. I would also see him walking around Manoa valley. 

He was also known for carrying a lot of plastic bags with him. While I was in the past accused of having a plastic bag fetish (all because I opposed a ban on plastic bags being given out at stores), Perty carried a lot of plastic bags with him at all times. People wondered if he was homeless, even though he dressed as if he was working with the symphony. 

Perty has died last month. The cause of death was not publicized. 

Learn more at 

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/09/10/editorial/island-voices/column-an-era-ends-with-passing-of-tuxedo-man-raymond-k-petry/

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

Now, for the next few individuals, they died months ago, but I was too distracted to blog about them until now.

3.) Willie K and Kaulana Pakele

Both are longtime Hawaiian musicians.

Willie K would be the most well-known one since he's a solo artist. He could do all genres of music, from Hawaiian, reggae, rock, Latin, blues, country and even the opera! He could do it all.

He even gained the respect of famous musicians from far away like Willie Nelson and Steve Tyler. 

He had a powerful voice that was sadly cut short recently due to lung cancer. 

----

Kaulana Pakele was a lead singer with two famous Hawaii reggae bands, Ehukai and Manao Company.  With Ehukai, their most popular song was "Molokai Slide". With Manao Company, they already had some hits before Pakele joined in, but the biggest one with them together was “Spread A Little Aloha.”

Pakele died in May from drowning while swimming off the shore of Makaha. 

Learn more at

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/05/19/hawaii-news/hawaii-music-legend-willie-k-dies-at-age-59-after-2-year-battle-with-cancer/

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/05/19/hawaiian-music-legend-willie-k-dies-after-lengthy-battle-lung-cancer-battle/

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/05/26/breaking-news/kaulana-pakele-lead-singer-of-manao-company-dies-at-47/

This blog is to document my thoughts as I'm living, not when I'm dead

There's controversy over how Herman Cain's twitter account is being used after his death! 

It's being used to comment on things that happened after he died!

And interestingly enough, it has been used to deny the seriousness of the coronavirus, even though Herman Cain has died of the coronavirus! 

Learn more at
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/08/31/herman-cain-twitter-account/



So this will be my statement for my blog (and all my other social media accounts)

Before I die, I want it to be known that

• This blog (and all my other social media accounts) is only to document on my thoughts when I'm alive 

•  I do NOT consent to any postings on my blog (or any of my other social media accounts) to comment on anything that happens after I am dead!

• After I am dead, the blog (and other social media posts) shall live on only so readers can learn what I thought when I was alive!

• In other words, leave my blogs and social media accounts as is when I die!

=====

Before I die, I want it to be known I don't want this account to be used after my death to comment on things happening...
Posted by Pablo Wegesend on Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Before I die, I want it to be known I don't want this account to be used after my death to comment on things happening after my death! This twitter is only to document on my thought when I'm alivehttps://t.co/QlCQkxPzXE

— Pablo the Mad Tiger Warrior (@PabloTheMdTgrWr) September 2, 2020