It’s a work in progress but I felt like sharing tonight. It’s my latest design for Haribon Republik shirts. It’s a little out of character for the brand so I’m not entirely sure if I will use it just yet. It may turn out to be a separate line (like, a cutesy/funky style). It was inspired by one of Sarah Meier-Albano’s tweets (http://twitter.com/smeieralbano):
Wise words from my little brother: “If you want to quit it, fall in hate with it. It’s the only way.”
It’s actually not the first time I heard that before but it’s the first time I heard it put so simply. And the reason I am inspired by it is because it’s something I’ve been doing myself in the past couple of months. If you want to change something, whether it be negative or just a need for something different, you have to learn to detach yourself from it. And although hate is a really strong word, it can also be used in a powerful and positive way. Hate racism, hate junk food, hate laziness, hate ignorance, hate cubicles… And another thing I learned recently; if you want to make room for growth in your life, you’ve got to be willing to take out the garbage!
So as much as you love to love love, go ahead and hate a little. It’s ok to admit. I’ll be the first. I’m a little hater. And if you hate the design, that’s cool. Let me know how I can make it better! I’m all for criticism! It’s the only way we can make positive change.
Anyway, thanks Sarah! I’ll send you a medium for your bro if I print these out! LOL
I can’t believe I’m actually posting this. About three years ago, when I was still actively producing music, I wrote a song called “Third World Universe“. The song was inspired by one of my trips to the Philippines where I was slapped by the existence of poverty and struggle in a country that should be past corruption and greed. The resources available versus the resources utilized was a little shocking to me because it seemed the rich lived in excess luxury while the impoverished suffered in a daily struggle to survive. Granted, a lot has changed for the better, there is still so much that isn’t being done to make a positive change in a country with so much potential and talent. I don’t know if it’s because of greed, a lack of education, or the challenges between classes and social reputations but it got me to stop and think about it. Is there such a large division and rip in community that people are willing to turn the other way when a child begs for food? Do the poor really need to rely on kidnapping the wealthy so that they can provide their families with homes and an education from ransom money? I won’t get into politics because I’m not a politician. I won’t get into corruption because I don’t want to be killed when I visit the Philippines. LOL (I’m only half joking). I certainly am not trying to make anyone look bad or feel guilty. I’m just offering my humble opinion and hopefully get some people to take a second look at their environment. Are you doing anything positive, if not for your community, for your future?
What you do ultimately impacts your surroundings as well as the people around it. One small act of good faith can mean the world to someone who in turn may follow that action with a similar or greater endeavor. I hope I’m not sounding too preachy and I hope I don’t come across like a douche bag with a cause. I think I’m thinking out loud through this post to figure out what I want to do to impact my community and my future. Trying to find my place in this third world universe we’re all still living in. Speaking of (and the main reason I’m writing this), here’s the song I wrote and produced. It’s not great and I’m not trying to sell my music. I just wanted to share it, that’s all. Hope you enjoy it.
Ok, some of you who caught the very first post are probably wondering what the heck I’m doing talking about Twitter. I can hear it now… Didn’t you commit social networking suicide? What’s up with the anti “Viva La Anti-Social Networking Revolution”? Why are you back so soon? Why are you back, period?
Short answer? Basically, I don’t think it’s exactly the same thing. The accounts I deleted or canceled were personal. The new Twitter account I created is strictly for Haribon Republik. Like I said in the first post, it’s impossible to stay away from. What successful business at this moment doesn’t have a twitter account? Ok, maybe that was a cop out answer but it’s the best I will give you for now. Please forgive me and just add me to your twitter posse, alright? LOL
It was late April of this year. I was on the phone with my friend, Jonathan (Rock and Roll Kids; www.rockandrollkidsonline.com), and we were discussing the upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton. Who’s been training harder? What round will it end? Are you wearing your lucky boots? He mentioned that he was on his way to the Forum Shops in Ceasars Palace on the strip to get some Pacquiao gear. It sounded like a great idea. I checked online to see what the stores were offering. After half an hour of browsing I came to the conclusion that there really wasn’t anything worth purchasing (due to unexciting designs at rediculous pricing) but I was pretty intent on wearing something new despite the fact that it might possibly throw off the luck factor (we usually watch it at Jonathan’s house, we’ve got semi-assigned seating, he wears his lucky boots and I wear my lucky shirt). With a bit of thought I decided to take the chance and design my own shirt. I wanted to create something I could wear with pride, that contained significance, and something that would hopefully stir some interest. I jumped on the drawing board and within two days I had my design completed on Illustrator and printed at the T-Shirt Diner (http://www.thetshirtdiner.com).
Fight night came and I was ready! I was headed to Jon’s house, food and beer at hand, and most importantly, I was sporting my new shirt. Anxiety and delight flooded my insides as people left and right complimented me on my shirt and inquired how they could get one. It quickly dawned on me that maybe I should consider making t-shirts of the like and sharing it with friends and family. One thought stemmed from another and pretty soon I was formulating what would later become Haribon Republik. But before any of that could happen my shirt had to pass one test. Fight night.
The energy increased in the room as bodies gathered around the TV, everyone leaning forward with anticipation for the fight to begin.
Fully Focused
Thoughts began to race in my head. What if I jinxed the fight by wearing a new shirt? What if I threw off the balance of the universe and Pacquiao loses? What if… (ding, ding, ding). The fight was on. The room exploded into cheers, joyful cursing, and backseat coaching. Round 1 passed by like Conan the Barbarian on a Ducati, frickin’ epic and quite graphic all at the same time! No sooner than we absorbed the violent first round was the second under way. It was just as vicious as the first. Pacquiao was on top of his game. No doubt. Second round was coming to a close and then… BAM! It was over. Knock to the out. Way the hell out. A triumphant chaos exploded in the room. Pacquiao had won. As in, he won so hard it was almost disrespectful how good he was. The camera moved to Hatton who was on the floor in the center of the ring looking quite un-alive. Uh-oh. I think my shirt worked a little too well. Oh crap. Is he… No, he’s moving. And he’s up. The pandamonium detonates a second time. Fight night is a complete success again and so was my shirt.
I gained a new confidence that night and captured a feeling I wanted to share with everyone I knew. It was the pride of my heritage, the love of a sport (and most sports, at that, where friends and family, even strangers, gather and celebrate in the moment), and a peculiar humbleness I felt wearing a shirt I designed that people actually liked. It was positive, enlightening, and a start of something great. This was my inspiration for Haribon Republik.
I’ve recently committed social network suicide. I’ve been on almost every popular social networking site since friendster (remember that guy?), myspace, multiply, facebook, and twitter (who isn’t on it?) to name a few. I’ve worked hard to grow my networks and admittedly added a few (ok, a ton) of people who I haven’t spoken to in more than a decade, have only met a few times in passing, and even (gasp) never met before (sorry, mom, I talk to strangers). I’ve pushed friends and family to jump on the band wagon (most recently, pressuring my good friend, Collie (http://twitter.com/colliehoey), for over a year to sign up on twitter only to commit my social network suicide a week after he joined). Even my parents are both on facebook. I had one huge, happy network. So huge, in fact, that all I found myself doing was “socially networking” every free minute I had. I became counterproductive, developed refreshonitus (the act of hitting the refresh button time after time just waiting for a new post from “friends”) , and was becoming very unhappy with the way I was using my free time.
I was in the middle of debating with myself whether I should stop juggling twitter and facebook for the night and start working on a project I had been putting off for weeks when I realized, “Holy friggin’ crap! I could have been done with this project a month ago but I’m planted in front of my computer observing other people live their lives!” It was a disturbing moment and to try and grasp the rationale behind it perplexed me. Was my life so boring that I was living through OPP (other people’s posts)? Did I really have so much time to spare that I could put off something that could inevitably become my life’s work? Were my dreams and goals really worth procrastinating over tweeting about whether I should go to the gym or not? Did anyone even really care?
Not coincidentally (the universe makes things happen for a reason), a good frind of mine, Gerard (http://twitter.com/gerardramos), introduced me to Sloane through email and eventually we became facebook and twitter pals (wow, that’s irony). This was his introduction to Sloane:
Short, sweet, and life changing. Yes, life changing. Her blog was enough for me to get off my lazy, procrastinating ass and get motivated to make “it” happen. Her work and experience slapped me hard across the face and woke me out of an incalculable amount of daydreaming. It was painful but much needed. A real eye-opener. Sloane truly was a philanthropic goddess (seriously, if you get the chance, check out her work) and (ironically, again) one of the many reasons why I committed social networking suicide. She was making a difference, helping others, blogging about it, and living and experiencing life while I was surfing the web aimlessly and downloading time-wasting games on my iphone (all of which have since been deleted). So one night, I decided to do it. I realized it was not the end all to my problems but it was a start. It was over dramatic and extreme, yes, and I got a lot of “don’t-do-its” (including from Sloane) but I decided and I was going to stick to my guns. I committed social network suicide and I don’t regret it one bit (not yet at least). I pulled the plug on every single account I had, including ones I hadn’t used in years. Cold turkey. Just like that. It was difficult at first but exhilarating. I tweeted about the whole thing up until I hit the “disable account” button. Ever since the burden of posting and tweeting had been lifted off my shoulders I have become so much more dedicated to my work. No distractions, no time wasting, no excuses.
So what’s this goal, this dream, this “it” that I keep rambling about? You’re on it. Well, a piece of it, at least. A few months back I decided I eventually wanted to stop working for someone else and start working for myself (doesn’t everyone?). I wanted to do something positive, enlightening, and creative. I wanted to share my love and interest in art and music. I wanted to share my culture, create an awareness for it, and inspire others to do the same. This my mission for Haribon Republik, a humble clothing company with the belief that only through action can you make a difference. The objective of this blog is to create a community where I can share my thoughts and ideas and most importantly, hear yours. Together, I truly believe we can all contribute a little something to make an impact on this big blue world.
So what about the social networking thing? Well, I’m not entirely done with it forever. There’s just no way to get away from it completely. My social network suicide is like Jay-Z’s Black Album, a short lived retirement but a necessary evil. I know I’ll be back all in due time. I just have to make sure that when I do, I hit the ground running. And I’m not telling you to pull the plug on your networks. It was just something I had to do for myself. But I’m also not telling you not to do it.
I guess since this is also my first entry, I should give you all a warm thank you and welcome. So here it is. It’s official:
“Welcome, and thank you for visiting Haribon Republik!”
