English 91x, F '06 :: Blog

The cultural event I attended was held by Grind & Glory and it was called The DJ Project. I heard about it by two guys who approached me outside a Jamba Juice, they asked me if I was interested in rap and I told them that I was highly interested in rap.  That in fact, I had been writing rap lyrics for a year and a half now.  I singed up on their little clip board and registered on their official Grind & Glory web site.  From that point on I was seeing billboards, posters, and was receiving fliers about the event.  I gained access to the event because I registered online on their site and because I sign in on their clip board.  I chose to attend this even because  I was interested in learning about how the rap industry ran in the independent rap scene.  How you start getting noticed and known by others and start gaining fans.  I also was their seeing how others were trying to get them selves known.  The purpose of this event was too show us how to work with others and which people to work with, who to choose and how NOT to get screwed.  I was mainly going to go no where with this experience really, since I am only a writer and not a vocalist.  I was trying to record my vocals on a recording program I downloaded onto my computer so I could start making demos and sell them to get some money.  During this progress I was at one of my friends homes and he already had the program so I was going to try this out in his house.  When I started to read my journal of raps I for some reason couldn't read and sing or change the tone of my voice on words that had to sound differently for the rhyming to work and be sync. I tried to improve my vocals but I just kept on messing up.  Also it had to do with my lung capacity, as in how long I could keep going before needing to take a breath.  The time I had begone writing was while I had my back surgery and I was recuperating.  So my lungs were not as good as they were before the surgery, they got worse.  Also the pitch of my voice recorded is different, when I record my voice on an answering machine my voice sounds very different and to me, stupid.    

       During the time I was writing was summer of 2005, when I started school again I was with one of my friends who is also interested in rap and who also had started writing lyrics to rap.  We started talking about this and then decided to work together.  On a paper I would write my lyrics and when I was done with my verse he would jot down his, this is how we were going threw out the school year.  Then he got a hold of a recording studio and started working on a solo project.  I was like "HEY!  I need to go there to a spit my rap there and record something!"  I went there walking and wow, it was a long walk.  When we got there it was just me, Hector, and 3 of our friends.  The beat maker, one of Hectors friends Angel, wanted us to hear his latest created beat.  Then after we heard it I went first in the recording.  In the first try my voice of too low, in the second try 2 or 3 black intimidating males came in and got me nervous.  So my next try my voice again was low and jiggy.  The 2 guys who just stepped in started saying uuuh hmmm.....how do I say this another way.... I apologize, I will have to say it the way it is said.  The 2 males started saying $|-|!T to me.  I got defensive because I do not like being "stepped on" and my friends had to get in a fight with the 2 or 3 black males and that sucked, even tho the fight was awesome!  We were kicked out of the studio and that was that.  The next day I was told by Hector that the others were upset with the way I reacted to the situation but I replied, "Well they would've done the same thing!!  The others are intimidating looking and look at me!  You probably wouldn't have said anything but your friends would have also said something back and the fight would have gone on either way!"  From then on he didn't want to write with me so I stopped writing for the rest of the school year and all of summer.            

    At the Grind & Glory event I felt like I didn't fit the "look" or "appearance" of a hard core thuggish rapper.  But once there I noticed one of my friends was there.  I approached him and asked him why he was here, he told me he worked with the Grind & Glory group.  SO when I knew that I knew some one at this event I wasn't as nervous.  I didn't eat anything nor did I interact with nay one other then with my friend.  What I enjoyed was listening to the experiences of those who have been in the industry and how they got screwed in the game and other interesting things.  I like the vocabulary the artists use, then when you here the producers or managers speak they speak proper and intellectual, it's kinda funny.  Maybe because they are the ones dealing with record labels or other important people that they have to be able to be understood by the person with whom they are speaking with.

           In conclusion, what I learned about myself was that I can mainly do half of something.  As in, writing lyrics but not being able to sing them.  I have courage to attend an event that is full of intimidating people and not be fully scared just a little but not really.  I also interacted with one of the inspiring new comers and I bought his cd.  Now when I am in the streets and see someone selling their independent cd I buy it from them.  I still want to have a part in rap but I can’t do it alone, well no one really can, well maybe you can but I don’t know.  I need to find someone who is willing to read my raps and give me money for them, that is all I want out of it.  I can kind of record vocals but I would have to stop and continue numerous times to get it sounding right.  The future will tell if I will have a role in the rap industry.  Who knows, maybe I’ll start writing the lyrics to many artists and earn a lot of cash!  I do not regret attending this event.  And really, I am a metal head.  Marilyn Manson all the way!     

What’s the greatest job in the whole wide world??? You don’t know... It’s being a Child Caregiver!!! I work at Sunnyside Elementary for the YMCA Mission after school program. It’s my first job ever, and I’m proud of myself. I got interested in this field when my teacher, Ms. Schulman, saw that I have a “Knack” for it. She is close friends with Erin Miller, the director of the YMCA Stones town. She told her about me and everything took place from there.

But it wasn’t all good at the beginning. I was scared!!! Why??? I wasn’t ready for life- THE REAL WORLD!!! It just hit me real hard. Out of high school, going to college, suppose to have a job, responsibility, just the whole growing up part. My life seemed like it was moving too fast, not enough time for me. Now that time has passed by… things are great. I called up Ms. Schulman again, let her know that I am interested going in child care, and can she help me make that call to Erin Miller one more time. And she did. I felt like I needed more than just school and homework to fill up my time. Or I felt it was my responsibility.

I’ve been working at Sunnyside for the pass 3 weeks. And I love it. The staff and kids are nice and fun. The staff and I got along really good from the first day. It’s Jocie (The Director), Allan, Chris, Sandra, Tiara, Jennifer (Gigi), and me. The kids are so cute!!! They’re from K- grade to the 5^th.

When I get there, the kids are just about to come in. All the kids have to be sited and ready to listen. It’s our little assembly. Then we split the kids up from grade to see who has homework or not. Those from K- grade to 2^nd have homework stays in, we help them, and the rest goes out to play on the playground. Then we switch from 3^rd grader to 5^th grader. Around 3:30 or 4, that’s snack time. We sometimes would have PB & J’s, graham crackers with an apple or cheese, pretzels with cheese, and other foods. The kids would drink milk or apple juice.

I love my job!! Being around the kids, playing, and doing activities like making aquariums with shoe boxes, macaroni mazes, create new games, etc… But I hate yelling for the kids to get there attention when they’re not listen and when they get hurt like falling, getting made fun of, or someone accidentally push or shove them.  

What I expect from this job is to give me more experience with kids than I have already. I want to be able to transfer in 2 years to a YMCA in LA so I’m closer to my boyfriend. And plus, I can’t wait to get out of San Francisco.

The Sound of Music- “Do Re Mi”

Let's start at the very beginning
A very good place to start
When you read you begin with A-B-C
When you sing you begin with do-re-mi

Do-re-mi, do-re-mi
The first three notes just happen to be
Do-re-mi, do-re-mi
Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti

Let's see if I can make it easy

Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name I call myself
Far, a long, long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow Sew
Tea, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to Do

Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do
So-do!

Now children, do-re-mi-fa-so and so on
are only the tools we use to build a song.
Once you have these notes in your heads,
you can sing a million different tunes by mixing them up.
Like this.

So Do La Fa Mi Do Re
Can you do that?
So Do La Fa Mi Do Re
So Do La Ti Do Re Do
So Do La Ti Do Re Do
Now, put it all together.

So Do La Fa Mi Do Re, So Do La Ti Do Re Do
But it doesn't mean anything.
So we put in words. One word for every note. Like this.
When you know the notes to sing
You can sing most anything

Together!

When you know the notes to sing
You can sing most anything

Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name I call myself
Far, a long, long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow Sew
Tea, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to Do

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do
Do Ti La So Fa Mi Re
Do Mi Mi
Mi So So
Re Fa Fa
La Ti Ti

When you know the notes to sing
You can sing most anything

Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name I call myself
Far, a long, long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow Sew
Tea, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to


Do . . . So Do
Re . . . La Fa
Mi . . . Mi Do
Fa . . . Re
So . . . So Do
La . . . La Fa
Ti . . . La So Fa Mi Re
Ti Do - oh - oh Ti Do -- So Do  

             Everyday seems pretty much seems like time isnt enough for me. It seems like im on tight schedule everyday because of that. I go to school, out till whenever, come home and go to sleep and repeat the process. I feel as if i dont do much but when it comes down to monday then time passes its already friday. In some cases its good but in other its not. It seems as if its going by to fast.

             I guess it feels fast to since i procrastinate on alot of the work i need to do for school. Thats another reason i feel like i dont like to read or write. It seems like i have no time for either or so thats why i dont do it. I guess you can say im ok at it but just dont have the time to do. In my opinion it just seems school and work affliated, not something i would really wanna do in my freetime. Lately its been pretty harsh with the whole time thing in order to do either of those two things.

             The only reading and writing i do is probably just in school and sometimes at work. Another reason why i dont do it out of school is that since i have school and work alot ill just keep doing those things at school since school takes up alot of time also. In some sense i do wanna practice on it but just really feel like theres no time since i feel im busy. Maybe one day i will and become a famous writer.

           Spare time in my definition is to take advantage of life. Everyone should live their life to the fullest, so why not me? I’d like to do almost anything, anything from taking a simple relaxing walk on the beach to partying it up with the boys and my lady. Heaving spare time in my means is to relax, to be myself, to get away from any problems and just have a good time. I mostly kick it with my girlfriend, Naira, she’s a dime piece, has a good sense of humor and a lovable personality which is what I adore, it makes the time just fly by. She helps me relax and together we make the most of our spare time. Sometimes, once in a blue moon, I would just draw anything that comes to mind. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a hobby, just a little something that takes my mind of all the nerve wrecking things. I would sit behind my computer for hours creating visuals on photoshop. The computer’s a friend of mine, as weird as it might sound but without it being home alone just sticking to the TV would drive me nuts and I know for a fact I’m not the only one. Movies play a big role in my spare time as well. I love them, action, horror, whatever, they’re all interesting. Going out to a restaurant I cannot resist, I love food. I wouldn’t mind going to a bowling alley at my spare time either, even though I suck at it, it’s still fun. I try to find some spare time for the gym, play ball, workout, it’s a good way to get lost in your mind and feel better about your self. I use my spare time to the fullest or at least I try.