Checking in May 19, 2009
Posted by Adrien in reflections.1 comment so far
Our poetry is the best part of our struggle and the best part of our struggle is our poetry. – Al Robles
1. The body knows deep things
Two weeks ago I fell ill with something nasty that attacked me with a fever every day and something that felt like a fish bone lodged in my throat. I took an entire week off of work to heal.
I spent the weekend with my family, which I hadn’t really done in almost a month.
I had been stressing out about life and work in the usual way that a fumbling post-grad does not having a solid thing to grasp.
Now I know, my body forced me into a vacation I needed.
2. Graduation
It’s been a year.
How life does happen whether we like it or not.
3. Al Robles
I attended the celebration for Al Robles this past Sunday at SomArts. It was one of the most moving events I have ever been to. The atmosphere was something between a variety show, a community event, and a large family party. Al Robles. The man brings his people together even after he’s left. I want to say something about how the life of Al Robles makes me want to be a better person.
4. The struggle
Today is Malcolm X’s birthday. His memory and the passing of Al Robles urge my revolutionary consciousness to birth revolutionary action. I am trying compadres. I am trying.
5. Seeds
I have been going to meditation for the past several weeks at the East Bay Meditation Center. I am taking a class on the Eightfold Path right now. I am trying to shift the energy in my life. I am taking on beneficial practices, trying to incline myself towards good health, love, and positive action.
Everything I do right now is a seed. I am planting many seeds. And I do not know when they will bear fruit. But I am assured that they will, in time they will.
I can not force the tree to grow faster, but surely, it grows.
Random thought May 13, 2009
Posted by Adrien in reflections.1 comment so far
What if the Gmail servers crashed and you suddenly lost ALL your emails.
Permanently.
(This random thought makes me giddy.)
Lolo Adoy May 4, 2009
Posted by Adrien in reflections.Tags: Kalibo, Philippines
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I wrote this last week and meant to post it. In light of the recent passing of Al Robles, it brings me to deeper pause.
—
I haven’t been back to the Philippines in five years, this April. This time marks the fifth anniversary of my grandpa’s death. The timing is not coincidental.
Five years ago in March I was with the rest of my family in Fresno. We stood around his quiet. I remember the small chapel in the hospital where we prayed. I guess it makes sense to have a chapel in a hospital.
In a few days it was over.
Al Robles, Rest in Power May 4, 2009
Posted by Adrien in poems, reflections.add a comment
Poet and community activist Al Robles passed away this weekend. A joker, legend, and fighter. I met him once and I’ll never forget him.
for Manong Al
i shook his hand
he all smile and winkdance
as if he already knew me
as if really was my manong
and he kept me then
in his long shadow
we both poets
i just arriving
he leaving
i guess there was something between
him and me
between his linebreakbreaths and
my scribblin fingers
between his windridin scrag hair
and i the wind
whistlin a little soft today
after all he was my manong
really he was.
May Day Rundown May 1, 2009
Posted by Adrien in news, the rundown.Tags: Arlen Specter, ASian Americans, Committee of 100, International Workers Day, Matthew Shephard Act, May Day, San Jose, swine flu, UC, University of California
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via Racewire
Happy May Day, a.k.a. International Workers Day!
May Day is a day of labor action in the U.S. and kos has a neat history of how the holiday came about today. Check out these perspectives on today’s rallies, immigration issues, and photos of happenings all across the country.
On a related note, unfortunately miseducated right-wing pundits are blaming the swine flu on immigrants, calling it the ‘Mexican Flu’.A deeper analysis that involves a look at reality suggests that we should call this infirmity the NAFTA Flu.
The Committee of 100 released a report titled Still the Other? The results of its surveys that showed that average Americans still think Asian Americans are not that American.
Oh and by the way, in case you have any doubts, recent changes in UC admissions policies would directly reduce the number of Asian Americans admitted to UCs. I guess that’s a Take that you smarty Asians from the unanimous vote by the UC Regents.
The House passed the Matthew Shephard Act, to include gender and sexuality under hate-crimes protection law, despite some ignorant statements by one legislator suggesting Matthew Shephard’s death was not a hate crime.
With this sudden rush of civil rights being granted to more people, and the switch of Senator Arlen Spector to the Democratic party, maybe the old anti-equality party is one step short of becoming fossil fuel.
In local news, my home town, San Jose just hit the million people mark! This just after I find out that San Jose has a more than two hundred year-old Chinatown, recently dug up from the ground. Unfortunately these two cool hits don’t knock down the sad news that my high school district has the second widest ethnicity-based achievement gap in the state.
