Thursday, October 7, 2010

Gogy Esparza

On Monday, through the introduction from my good friend Eugene (Hypebeast) and Ephraim, I had the honour of meeting the multitalented Gogy Esparza. Gogy is a Massachusetts native and is currently living in NYC. He is a gifted photographer, as well as a barber when he is not shooting. Gogy mainly shoots with a film camera, and his works show his creative and raw talent.

I had dinner with him, along with Ephraim and Simon, who is also a correspondent for Hypebeast. We ate at a bbq lamb restaurant and the meat was damn good. Thanks to Ephraim on this! If you want to know where the good eats are in Tokyo, Ephraim's your man. Afterwards, we went out for drinks at Kinfolk, where we met some more people; Gérald, Kevin, Pavan and Stefan. It was a good night of good discussions, laughter and smiles.

Gogy is in Tokyo for his second solo exhibition at Le Baron de Paris for his photo book titled "Lighttime". Please check out his work and website at http://www.gogy.me.

Thanks for stopping by and i'll catch up with you all soon.

Peace.

For more photos, click HERE.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Plastic Bags: Gift or Curse?

When you pick up groceries or you go to your local convenience store, do you think twice before getting a plastic bag for your goods? When you go to the store and you pick up a bottle of water or gum, do you tell the store clerk you don't need one? Plastic bags are great because they're convenient but we tend to use them a lot. We buy something, gets put into a plastic bag and then it's thrown out. We are conditioned that we don't even think twice about some things that we use and consume. I know it's not a perfect world, but we can make small changes to make it a better one. Try and reuse your plastic bags when you go grocery shopping; use an eco-bag if you have one, or two or three. Try to reduce your waste.

If you are not familiar with the Pacific Gyre, Google it!

Like Michael said, "Heal the World, make it a better place."

One love. One World.

Peace.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Imperial Troops invade (sightseeing) Yokohama




So, as I was heading to a wedding ring shop with the wife in Sakuragicho, she caught my attention and pointed me in the direction of interest; Star Wars characters. As I saw the Storm Troopers and an Imperial TIE fighter pilot, I was brought back to my childhood. I got giddy, yeah! So what. LOL. Anyways, i'm glad that I had my 7D with me, so I took several snaps of the Imperial Troops. It was kinda funny though, cuz it was blazing hot that day, but they seemed to be calm and cool, and they even took pics with passerbys. I gotta say, it was a good day.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Things that we can do to help OUR Earth...

Living in Japan over the past year has been great. I've been able to eat healthier due to the abundance of seafood and vegetables. I don't know why, but I never ate as much vegetables when I was living in Vancouver. On the downside though, i've been noticing some habits that the citizens here rarely practice or have not been able to even give a try. I'm about to rant because it seems to be more apparent to me here than when I was in beautiful British Columbia.

I've noticed that taxis constantly idle their cars here even while they're waiting for customers. Even when they're talking with their colleagues and hanging outside of their vehicles, their cars are still on. WHY, I ask, WHY!? Another thing too is that businesses, retail, restaurants, whoever, package shit like crazy. Do you really need a bag for your drinks? A tray is not good enough? I know customer service is top notch compared to other world standards, but the usage of plastic and paper consumption needs to be reduced. Carpooling? Does it exist?..... Maybe. But so far I see a good handful of people driving by themselves. You know what? Japan's got a great transportation system; TRAINS. Like i've read in a post, cars are a necessity back home, but is a hobby/ luxury in Japan. Yes transit costs are a bit expensive, but they're so accessible and convenient. These are just some of the pet peeves I have about living here. Yes, yes, they have good recycling programs, but it seems that they consume and waste more than reducing and recycling.

We need to educate on a local level. We need to teach our youth and educate them more on reducing, reusing and recycling. Many people of our world are not aware of the global impact that our actions make. I am not perfect in my practices, but I try to make less of an impact on my carbon footprint. I carry an eco-bag (reusuable), a tumbler for my drinks and use my own chopsticks when I can. I rarely drive here and I use mass transit. When I leave a room, I turn off the lights to conserve energy. So i'm basically trying to practice these habits and teaching my family and my friends too. I'm not changing people, i'm just trying to help change habits. We need to be more conscious now than ever. We are in a time where Mother Earth is suffering and if she dies, WE DIE. Get it?? Mother Earth can heal over time and she can be here forever, but we won't if we don't act now.

Act locally, think globally. We only have one Earth. Try and do your best to make better practices and choices. Teach others, show others by example. Have you watched "An Inconvenient Truth"? "The 11th Hour"? Reading news about the environment? Are people even aware of some the phenomenons that are happening around the world? There are some weather patterns which are not even normal nor natural. Summer's coming late; Winter's coming early. Let's do this people!

I don't know if what i'm saying makes sense, but I do know that it's only a matter of time before something horrible happens, and then people wake up and realize what's happening around them. Get conscious.

I'm done for now. I've never done anything like this before on my blog. I've never felt strongly about something such as this before. But living here and seeing it all around me, made an impact on me.

I hope what i've said will help others and make them act. Just trying to help the Earth that WE all live on.

Here's a link I found from Japan Today. This is an article by Hiromi Matsubara. http://www.japantoday.com/category/commentary/view/living-sustainably-easier-than-you-might-think

Thanks for listening.

Peace.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Dez Einswell @ Kicks Lab Tokyo

Friday, April 30, I headed into Tokyo with the STOKYO Japan crew to the Dez Einswell event at Kicks Lab in Harajuku. Dez is a really down-to-earth, talented and humble individual. You can check out the photos on Flickr HERE.





DJ Premier VS Pete Rock at Manhattan Record's 30th Anniversary

It was a great Golden Week in Japan this past week. Great weather, great vibes and great shows. I was fortunate enough to meet 2 legendary DJs in Hip Hop; DJ Premier and Pete Rock. They know how to really rock a crowd and I was extremely impressed and in awe. I went to the event with STOKYO President, Charles Ono, and Teddy. You can check out the video below of the event.

Monday, March 15, 2010

I'm beginning to see dust....

Hello Everyone,

I have to apologize again for not updating my blog in such a long time. I can't believe my last entry was on January 27, when DJ P-Luv (Defending 2009 Vancouver Champion, 3rd in Canada) was going to compete in the Red Bull Competition. Speaking of Red Bull comps, DJ Flipout (Vancouver 2010 Champion), who is repping Vancouver, flew to Toronto recently for the Reb Bull Thre3Style Canadian Final.

Well since i've been neglecting my responsibilities as a blogger, I will give you a list to check out other bloggers and continue to discipline myself to become a better one. Until my next post, please enjoy and check out the links below.

PAULSKRATCH -- Music + Design; My favourite turntablist!
Nation of Millions -- For your hip-hop fix, with DJ's Flipout and Jay Swing
The Boyscouts -- Canada's veteran party rockin' duo
The Eh! Team DJs -- 2 of Canada's premier party rockin' teams
Fortune Sound Club -- Hottest and finest night club in Vancouver
Livestock -- Canadian sneaker boutique and clothing
W+K Tokyo -- Independent, creative advertising agency with the greatest talent!
Mai Sassy Girl -- She's got the 411 and more, of what's happening in Tokyo
Lovatron -- From NYC; be sure to check out Titty Tuesdays.

Well that's all for now. Passed out in the living room while writing this. It's now 4:07 am. Until next time, good night and good day!

Peace,
.czr.



Wednesday, January 27, 2010

DJ P-Luv on Global Noon News Extra - Jan.27

My homie, DJ P-Luv gave a short demonstration and talk on Global BC's Noon News Extra to help promote the Red Bull 3 Style Competition. This year he is defending his title at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver on Jan.28, 2010. If you're in Vancouver, you definitely don't want to miss this party. It was crazy at last year's competition and it's gonna be crazier this year. For the first time this year, 2010, Red Bull will be hosting the championships in Paris. Good luck to all of the participants! Move the crowd!!

For P-Luv's interview on Global BC, click HERE

For information on the Red Bull 3 Style Competition and dates, click HERE