This Tongan's for Obama...

Yup...I know I've been slacking real bad on the blogging. I've resorted to commenting on other people's blog while completely ignoring my own haha...well, after the type of week its been, I think I've gotten a renewed sense of pride and it kinda started with this shirt.

We were given these blank shirts at work for free (I work stock at the Gap haha) it says "Vote for ______" and it was up to us to fill it in or decorate it as we saw fit and then wear it during work on the 4th. Some had very profound things to say, others saw it as an opportunity to yet again be their funny clever selves and put some stupid thing on it...whatev haha...anyway, I brought my shirt home and could only think of the most obvious thing to put on it! Plus, after finishing it I just thought the painting itself said enough about my "vote for" so I chose not to write anything in on the blank. So here I was at home, painting my shirt and watching the analysts go back and forth over why Obama would win, What McCain needs to do to win...blah blah blah...I was thinkin as long as my dude gets in office (and at that point, it seemed inevitable) I'd be a happy man...

That night (Nov 4th of course) though, several friends and a very close anonymous cousin of mine kept texting back and forth about how big that moment in history really was! I had family from Australia and New Zealand hittin me up on facebook and myspace cheering for Obama! how crazy is that?! This momentous event seemed to give so many in the world hope as to what our future could potentially hold...

yes, it is a lot of pressure to pin on one man. But with the way this guy's been handling success, I can't help but feel that things are only gonna get better. To quote a tv dude if you will...

"Obama approaches success like a golfer who expects to drive a hole in one every time and actually does it or a batter who points at center field before smacking a home run there and then wonders why you're so surprised"

I'm not sure if I heard that on tv or the radio but I heard it and was like...yesss! thats him! hahaha. Basically, I feel confident that he'll do some great things for this country and I am so happy and grateful, as I'm sure many of you out there are, to be alive to have seen that day and to be here for his administration...yep, its gonna be a long road like our President Elect said, but we'll get there...slowly but surely...we'll get there

til next time then

nofo a

What I've been workin on...

So it's been a while since I've been back...however, I've been staying busy workin' on a few things here and there and possibly thinking about new business ventures along the lines of clothing...anyway, above is a glimpse of what's in store...comments, suggestions, critique (constructive!) let me know!

aaaand below...


So thats just the Samoan part...I got the Tongan stuff too but I play that one close to the chest as I am wary of their value to me haha...Shirts will be out on these ones most definitely along with the Tongan designs so hit me up for a shirt!

til next time...

cheerio

and the winner is...

Is Canseco kidding? What happened to his Black Belt in whatever it is he has? Hahaha...That fool shoulda been bobbin' and weavin'. Look at him! lmao...And then all the Tongans rushed the ring without shirts on...cos none of us own any shirts even in America...except for Sikahema lol...Malie Vai!!! Malo e tuki malohi!!! Ha'u a mu'a ko e Mr. Canseco 'o tangutu ki lalo moe fakama hahaaaa

Celebrity deathmatch!!!

Ok, maybe not a "deathmatch" per se but check it out!



Vai Sikahema...BYU Alumnus, former Philadelphia Eagle (Reno Mahe is his cousin), St/ Louis Cardinal, Green Bay Packer, and current NBC Sports Director at WCAU television station in Philadelhia...wow, I've never heard of this guy til a friend told me about it on facebook hahaha...hope he beats Jose. Not that I hate Mr. Canseco or anything, I just want the Polynesian to win hahaha cheeeeeehuuuuuu!!!

Tongan artist: Samiu Napa'a

So after a long while of not uploading any paintings and artwork, I decided to take this great opportunity (It's Friday and I'm at home doing nothing lol) to upload some very interesting, and close to home pieces done by Tongan artist, Samiu Napa'a, who now resides in New Zealand if I'm correct...The above piece seems to be one that reflects a nostalgic past that many Tongans would return...


Just from looking at these pieces, it is easy to see that these are issues he engages are very dear and close to his heart...


This one looks like a self portrait, but it is one that seems to contemplate the uncertain future that looms over his beloved country...


Solidarity...I'm just guessing here. Without any text, or explanation to situate one's thoughts about this piece, it can generally be discerned in several ways. I like to think of it as a response piece to the recent riots, and civil servant strikes that have troubled Tonga within the past 10 years

Island Player

So I was contacted last week by Tusi Sa'au to see if I'd be interested in letting his boy use a design I had done for Polyday 2006. I'll admit, I had a fair amount of skepticism until I saw this guy's stuff on their website and their myspace. There's some pretty amazing stuff he's got there and from the looks of it, he's only looking to expand a rapidly growing base of customers beyond the borders of California. This line, as I see it, is a nice blend of Pacific Island inspired designs with an urban edge which would grant it a larger market.
As you can see, my island girl design was printed and from what Sea (owner of Island Player) has told me, its gotten good reviews and has been selling well. Needless to say, I'm ready to do more hahaha. Although I'm not sure how well I might do with this venture, it's a foot in the door which many of us work hard to get. Yup, look out for Island Player for some fresh designs in the near future...cheeeehuuuuu!!!

Tongan proverb of the week

Ala i sia, ala i kolonga - "Skillful at the sia, skillful at the kolonga" ::: This proverb derived its meaning from the pigeon trappers’ practice of heu lupe or the snaring of pigeons. The mound on which the pigeons were trapped was called the sia, and the (temporary) huts where the hunters stayed and the captured pigeons were stored, the kolonga. Thus, the proverb, which in normal spelling should be written as: Ala ʻi sia, Ala ʻi kolonga, was phrased to honor the trapper who was not only skillful in snaring the pigeons but also skillful at storing them at the same time. Later, this proverb became applicable to individuals that have the ability to successfully function in multiple contexts, a trait kept in high esteem by early Tongans. Furthermore, it captured an element of the wisdom that was known to the early Tongans. That is, human beings have a better chance of surviving if they are adaptable, skillful and functional in more than one environment.

They were people with pride...mana...and spurrit lol

I was randomly surfing through YouTube, as most of us do, when I happened upon this small video...had me rollin for a minute! enjoy



Now cook the man bloody eggs! :)

An old faikava favorite

The faikava circle is where a large portion of Tongan social protocol and custom is observed, enforced and kept alive. Attached is a few of the old songs sung after a round of kava is served to all participants in the circle...



One word...nostalgia. I remember sitting just outside the door of the Kalapu Fa'onelua faikava hall, in Lapaha with the cousins, listening to this song and other moving compositions by the late Queen Salote and heartfelt melodies composed by the late Sir Sofele Kakala (also a product of Lapaha hehe)

With things the way they are back home, its good to know that there still exists a place where people can put aside the harsh realities of their situations, and respectfully share a nice cup of kava with their fellow countrymen...hmmm I guess a bar would qualify under that definition wouldn't it? lol

Jesus Saves - Darvin Vida

Yup...does it seem a little like I'm drumming these guys' work into your head? cos I am! lol well, this is also another piece from the TiKKKi show called "Jesus Saves". Its pretty obvious what the painting is of...its Jesus, we know that. Whats the big deal? Well, he's carved as a Tiki for one thing. Also, I'm not entirely sure that too many people would appreciate this sort of depiction because it seems, dare I say it? "savage" and "primitive". Basically, its not the ideal image for portraying the son of God especially in a Western context. Jesus is supposed to appear solemn, loving, welcoming, basically everything a savior of the world is supposed to embody...Vida's "Jesus Saves" on the other hand, has what could be considered a sinister grin that seems to be turning into a snarl at times. The green flower print in the background seems to legitimize that it was created in the islands and the eyes seem to glow from their sockets and are without pupils, making them all the more...creepy, I guess. This is definitely not an image of a savior but rather a complete opposite I would say...
Why then? Whats with the anti Jesus and Christianity theme with these two paintings from Sua and Vida? Maybe part of their struggle against the trivialization of Polynesian culture is to trivialize a sacred icon of Western religion themselves and in some way put them in our shoes..."a taste of their own medicine" as some would say.
I've had a very enlightening conversation about this with a dear friend of mine and I think there's definitely a line drawn when considering how far back we must take or reclaim our heritage and our culture...even our elders don't practice the religions or customs of ancient times so why then do some younger generation islanders feel it necessary to protest the West altogether along with religion? Not to say that this is the extent of Sua and Vida's message in their work but it is interesting to think about nonetheless...anyway, I think that topic needs a whole new thread of its own so I'm gonna go ahead and leave it there and call it a night

tu'a 'eiki 'ofa atu

one, two, sreeee pieces! ah! ah! ah!

So I bought 3 small canvases (6"x12") the other day so I can start on a painting of my own...not sure what to do quite yet, but I do know that I want all three pieces to be part of one whole painting. That way, when they're mounted on the wall, each piece will tell a story of its own but will be incomplete without the other two to complement it aesthetically

hopefully, when they're done, it'll look nice! wish me luck!

No go for husky tee design...

I guess its all about the CG graffix nowadays or maybe my skills are just not up it...whatever it may be, the husky tee design contest will be awarded to someone else this year...booo lol...oh well, better luck next year...maybe

Happy Hour - Iosefatu Sua

"Happy Hour", by Iosefatu Sua, was done as part of the "TiKKKi" show that was featured for a limited time at the BLVD Gallery, in downtown Seattle. Right away, the first thing you notice is the pointed hooded masks that makes it kinda creepy but also leaves you wondering, whats it about?...first of all, these guys wearing the hoods aren't palangi. Their eyes are brown, their skin is brown, their hair is black, they have what seems to be Poly tattoos, and last but not least, the hoods they're wearing are alohaprinted (if thats even a word lol)

Seriously though, what's homeboy trying to say here? Isn't it the palangi and the Western world that commodified and exploited what was once a sacred and taboo artifact (Tikis)? Is it not Hollywood's fault that these images are played up? Isn't it the missionaries' fault for devaluing the traditions and religions of old? What could it mean?

There's a million questions here but I think the answer is pretty obvious. This painting, at least the way I thought of it, can be looked at as a way to remind ourselves (ourselves as in Polynesians) that sometimes the commodification and the exploitation of our cultures is also OUR fault. We play up the stereotypes of the "big angry islander" or the "seductive island princess" to serve us when we deem them necessary. But if thats the case, then why can't bars like "Tiki Bob's" or "Joe's Samoan Pub" keep doing what they're doing when we (the ones complaining) seem ok about perpetuating the stereotype?

Of course there's other ways to look at this painting especially since I haven't even mentioned the Jesus heads the guys are holding holding which completely changes the mood and the direction of the piece...anyway, I guess thats my rant for that one...til next time

Sad gods of happy hour - Darvin Vida

This is a piece done by Filipino artist Darvin Vida as part of a collection of pieces shown alongside the work of Samoan artist, Iosefatu Sua. The entire series features work from both artists and is called "TiKKKi", which is a protest against the trivialization of Polynesian culture through Tiki culture in the United States. (the KKK is there fro a reason)
Now I didn't do much research on this piece or find out exactly what the medium is, but I do appreciate the aesthetic value in it. The collection of tikis in this piece look exactly the way most "Tiki bars" would portray them in your neighborhood pub which, I think, says a lot about public opinion on this issue. It has been made an accepted norm which comes down to how the rest of our Polynesian cultures are viewed in mainstream US.
Mad props to Darvin Vida and Iosefatu Sua for taking an aggressive hardline approach to educating America on an important issue that only begins to tell of the injustices that are inherent within this country. Yeah, its great country to live in, but there are some things it seriously needs to work on. So, now that we've seen something from Darvin Vida, I will upload a piece from Iosefatu Sua next and showcase his talents as well.
Inspiration...makes me wanna grab that canvas and start working on something hahaha...til next time, hope you take the initiative to own and stand by a worthy cause as these two brave individuals have. I might not right away, but seeing these guys will definitely help pave the way

Huskt tee design 2008

So last year, the ASUW held a t-shirt design competition with a prize of $2300.00 in scholarship money...this year, the pot goes down to $1000.00 which isn't bad either though...I made an entry last year just before 5pm on the day it was due and came out empty handed...oh well I guess right?
Well, I decided to give it another go this year and hope my luck turns. Let me know what you think...



and just like last year, I turned it in just in the nick of time...actually I was late this year...I turned it in 19 mins past 5pm so I hope they accept it *crossing fingers* hahaha

Quite the show these guys...

So I had the privilege of watching this group perform live at Meany Hall last Thursday night. I also attended the reception prior to the show at 6pm and got to nudge elbows with some of the more established individuals in our community, (UW administration, NZ General Consulate to name a few) which was quite an experience all on its own especially when you have company like Dr. Bonus to make fun of..."palangis" cos thats what we do lol

Anyway, Mr Neil Ieremeia, the Founder and Art director of the Black Grace dance company was there to give a few words about some of his inspirations and motivations for starting a company like Black Grace in the first place. I'll be the first to admit that seeing a bunch of polys in a setting like contemporary dance made me uneasy. I mean, we're talking about the kind of dance that make almost no sense...the type where several individuals completely douse themselves in water and then prance and run around on stage like fish out of water...yeah, it makes no sense to me either but its some of what they do

ok, so back to the story...Neil Ieremia, in my opinion, is a pioneer amongst our people...going against the stereotypes of the rugby player or the football player that many Pacific Islander men are so often pidgeon-holed into, and creating an art form that combines the unique talents of his Samoan culture with the interpretive motions that define contemporary dance. Ieremia's talent is made apparent to me just after watching the first of seven excerpts performed that night. Now I'm no expert in dance or anything like that, but I do know good work when I see it...its not a gift, its like common sense! the dancers themselves were a very talented group of Samoans, Niueans, Maoris and Pakeha (white)

To sum it up, you really gotta see these guys live just to appreciate the value of his work. They're also on youtube but I believe they're worth the ticket price...well, thats all for today folks...

catch you on the flip

What a noob haha

Why did I just spend the past half an hour trying to find this blog that I had just created? what a noob. Anyway, I've completely killed the great quote from my last post so I'm just gonna call it a night and hit the sack...have a good night you...yes you!

T

Poppin the cherry - for lack of a better term

Yup...I hear this blogging stuff is pretty therapeutic at times, especially when you want to vent, rant, or just put your thoughts on paper, or in this case, on screen just because. Well, it's about 11:40pm on a Friday night and here I am at home, in front of this screen, writing for an audience of whom I assume will only be me hahaha...ok. What now? I guess this will come easier as time goes but for celebration's sake...here's my first blog. Will do my best to update, manage, arrange and all that jazz that comes with keeping a blog...so here, I leave you with a quote from a memorable movie to pick you up during those tough dog days, which we seem to be getting a generous handful of within the past few years...ciao

"I am the gatekeeper of my own destiny...and I will have my glory day in the hot sun....okay?"