The Simple Voice

WTF is the first thing that comes to mind. In a time where imminent economic doom seems more and more certain for many organizations, it’s easy to understand that pinching pennies is necessary but cutting JV sports… Come on now.

Athletics is something that allows for kids across the world to learn about themselves, work with others and ideally(but not always) be a part of healthy competition. The opportunities for most sports with kids to play competitively ends as high school approaches. There are always the parks and recs and PAL games, but those seasons aren’t as intense as what goes down in high school sports.

Eliminating JV sports will also dilute the talent pool of young athletes we have in Hawaii. Don’t think so? The experience practicing and in games in JV helps athletes prepare for the same at a higher level of competition. Repetition is a word heard often in athletics and it’s true, the more one does something, more it fits and the muscle memory takes place.

Here’s an idea, why doesn’t the DOE somehow get some funds from the rail project to assist it. Since they are only talking about cutting one million dollars which is a mere piss in the pot for the controversial Oahu project which has a projected budget in the billions.

(sigh). If this happens, even more so am I glad for the growth of MMA which will allow youth (and people of all ages) to come together and learn, train and compete.

Today I began my training at Egan Inoue’s The Studio with Grappling Unlimited. I took my free class last week and that was enough to sell me on it. It was the third time I’d ever rolled and alot of fun albeit it kicked my butt.

So again today I went and got to business for real taking the no-gi and gi classes. The classes I took before were with two Relson Gracie schools and they were cool and their people were very skilled as well. The reason I chose to go with this school is two-fold: One, Egan Inoue has been a professional athlete for close to thirty years and I knew that the training with GU would be top notch, and Two, and most important, there is a high level of professionalism, respect stressed, an ohana feel(maybe that’s not two-fold but professionalism and respect are parts of ohana to me).

I trained Muay Thai for a year straight while in college and on my own as best as I could since. I trained with three different schools and the thing I wanted was to feel a part of a team, of a family. I had this in different bursts. What kept me there was trying to learn about my spirit. Muay Thai is heavily influenced by Buddhist thought and that gave me some peace for awhile but with the exception of one school, the two-fold thing I was looking for wasn’t there.

So, long story short, I decided to begin my jiu-jitsu training with Grappling Unlimited. Today was very hard. While there were certain things I felt like I was picking up there is so much that I have to learn. I also have to get my body to a point where it can “flow with the go” as the Brasilians say.

I’m pretty excited for this new chapter of my life to unfold.

To be continued.

I used to tink
Brah, F*** change!
I like how my life is.
No need do anything different.
I’m comfortable.
Isn’t dat it?
Isn’t dat life/

I started to tink one day
Ho would be nice if I could change
Change dis, change dat
Change, Brah, just Change.
But I neva knew how
Neva knew wot.

Now, ho killah!
Change is da bomb.
I wen realize dat
I am change
Every second of muh life
And you know wot?
I no need search for here or how
I just gotta feel and trust
And go and adapt and
Expand
Not in da waistline
Though dat could happen
But expand my awareness uh.

Yeah, das wot I tink about change right now.

Today as I was walking I noticed that there were jellyfish swimming up the Ala Wai. There were over twenty of the weird but pretty looking creatures and the friend I was with stated why would they be swimming away from the ocean.

That got me thinking/paranoid. Why would they? And of all places, why the Ala Wai? Granted, jellyfish aren’t the most brilliant of creatures but they were swimming deeper and deeper to their deaths in the Ala Wai and isn’t self-preservation and survival ingrained in everything?

I am quite possibly blowing this out of proportion but what if there is something out there that drove them inward? Some vile thing that the jellyfish ohana would rather risk death in the polluted Ala Wai versus going back out to sea? As I wrote that I heard it aloud in my head and realized how conspiracy theorist it is. I’ll stop.

No, but really…

Why?

Nah, joke, I don’t know but it was pretty cool to see. Maybe that’s all it was supposed to be.

Signing out.

Shoots.

JMAW

It amazes me how Spam has spread and spread. It began as but a lowly over-salted canned meat from a little town somewhere in the middle of the US. It became the “Hawaiian” steak. It has evolved into online junk mail and now comments, friend requests, and messages.

Hence the name of the blog, Spam-sas, as in it’s so big it is like a state of it’s own. I log on to www.TheSimpleVoice.com and get excited when I see there are new comments. For the most part though, it’s always spam. I get an occasional comment which is awesome but I’ve deleted spam in the form of porn, music, and most recently prescription drugs. Which makes me wonder…

Where does Spam come from? Who is the douche bag who says, today I make a new spam comment? How much money does said bag get for doing this? I would hope alot since the work of spammers is irritating and time consuming for such a large number of people. I’d hope it is worthwhile cause as far as I’m concerned, they sold their soul to the devil in that job.

Which makes me wonder even more, who clicks on the obviously lame fake spam messages, comments, etc. I’ll admit having checked the authenticity of certain new spam that sounds cool, as spam online is not as easily recognized as spam in the can. But after seeing a new one once, it’s pretty easy to steer clear. But for these f*** d**n*t things to continue they have to have a market.

It is fitting seeing how even though there is a challenge in some form, someone, some thing, or both and/or many are contributing to the issue at hand.

There isn’t too much of a point here. Just airing some issues with spam. Leave me alone spam. Get out of WordPress, MySpace, and Gmail. Harbor your ill will elsewhere.

Shoots.

JMAW

The State of Hawaii is exploring the possibility of changing it’s days and hours of operation to 4 days a week, 7a-6p. This trend is picking up around the nation.

News report state that 20% less energy would be used each week because of the amount of electricity is used to run offices and a/c. The Governor is supportive of this initiative but wants to be sure the people of Hawaii will still have good services offered.

I like the 20% reduction in using energy. I also agree with speculations that employees would have one less day to drive, possibly alleviating traffic(possibly not). I can’t say I think services can be at an optimal level.

It’s hard enough to get good service at some of the offices as is, no disrespect but that is a sentiment shared by many.

I’m more skeptical that this will work because what happens on the four day weekend? Three days is already too long for some people to receive any notice or support. Can you imagine the fourth day? We got alot of holidays that fall on Monday…

Then, are people going to really drive less? More people are using services like the bus on Oahu and carpooling and etcetera. But the busiest days to drive are the weekends. There are more cars on the road at different times throughout the day versus just the morning and afternoon/evening rush.

But all in all speculation. I commend our leaders for looking at ways to reduce our energy usage. I just can’t say cutting down service by a day is really going to help as cool as it would be to have a three day weekend every week.

So I’m small kine behind on the YouTube curve. Some really awesome local short films are up there. What caught my eye though is this one.

There are nearly a hundred videos and the editing is insane, no seriously, some of the videos are look professionally put together. Where was this program when I was in high school?

And user is only 17 and been at it for two years on YouTube. The Big Island has another YouTube star in Ryan Higa and is nigahiga videos. I found myself watching more and more. The most time I’ve spent going through one users videos. Insane.

It’s talent like this that makes me think we are about to see a rise in local filmmaking. Right now, you could really make a killer doc or original piece shot on all the different islands by different people.

Hmmm, someone should orchestrate that(dot dot dot).

In the June issue of MMA Hawaii magazine, UFC Lightweight and former Welterweight World Champion and Hawaii’s own BJ Penn was asked what public office he would consider running for. “The Prodigy” replied Governor.

Now Governor Lingle still has a few more years left in her second term so we can’t all rush to the polling places and select Governor Penn just yet. And at just 29, seems like BJ has many more years in the beautiful sport of MMA.

So one can only speculate. What would happen if BJ Penn were Governor of Hawaii?

Well, let’s back it up, would he even be elected? I think he would. He is visible and loved by people all over the world. His exploits in the ring are legendary but so are his advocacy for Native Hawaiian and local issues. It’s a shoe in that local people would support someone of this nature.

Now then, since that’s pau. Let being speculation. First of all, Hawaii would see a business boom. Penn and his family has successfully built up and marketed their Academy in Hilo. Not only is it a booming business, but top notch fighters and jiujitsu players from around the world come in and train with our local fighters. One can only think Governor Penn would do the same in bringing in qualified parties to help run Hawaii and build up and create economic and other opportunities.

Next, I would think Hawaii would see it’s first legitimate push for some type of recognition for the Native Hawaiians. While, there are supporters of the Akaka Bill, there are just as many if not more detractors, so I don’t think that really counts much for legitimate push. In his last three fights, Penn has entered the ring to Bradah Iz and his shirts has spread messages all over. One can only think Governor Penn would work hard in doing the same in governance.

What else? How about: You wanna know what’s on Governor Penn’s mind? Go to Hawaii.Gov/Gov…

All seriousness and kidding aside, I don’t know much about “The Prodigy” outside of what we see in the ring or at BJPENN.com. I think his dedication to being a champion outside of the ring is a great mentality and could be beneficial to Capitol. If you look at his early beginnings, he has changed alot and really in life, change is all we can ask of each other as we all have done things that are less than desirable.

That being said, I think having someone who could give mean cracks to every politician(not that he would) could create an interesting dynamic and demand respect. Not to mention he was honored this past session by the Legislature so it’s possible the opposition past governors have faced would not be there (very slim though since it is politics and I swear politics is defined as conflict over common sense).

At any rate, this is all highly hypothetical and my opinion only. While I may write for MMA Hawaii magazine, in no way, does this represent any views other than my own. Now that the disclaimer is done…

Shoots.

JMAW

So I was walking uh
Wen all of a sudden
Splat!!!
I wen get shit on by one bird
Da buggah stay up in da tree laughing
I neva get mad
In fact, I wen ingeniously figah a way
Fo clean my shirt since I neva had one nother one
Why I even getting all
Sensitismal ova bird shit
So wot, uh?
Cause da kine
I no shit you
Had one guy get bombed by one bird too
Like ten minutes earlier kind
And I went tink
‘Self, you lucky cause dat neva happen long time.
And wow, da guy is smiling, how cool is dat?’
So da moral of said story
Goin get shit on, gotta keep smiling
And, guess wot?
Da birds are listening…

I dreamt that
I was covered in dead leaves
Dose buggahs were stuck to me
So I wen peel um off
As the leaves fell to the ground
My true being emerged
It seems that this life
Is meant to shed leaves
So that the trees can grow
The earth can be renewed
Have you peeled away some leaves today?