Getting Old Is Mandatory, Growing Up Is Optional

Just this past year I’ve reinvented myself again. Hopefully this will be the last time I do so. From this point in my life I feel very content with who G is. It’s weird because I had thought I’ve grown into a man the day I got married, but I was wrong. 2009 into 2010 I went through a transformation. I began to realize and it hit me.... “ it was time to grow up”. Growing up is a very difficult stage in life in my opinion. It was a Tuesday morning not too long ago. I woke up and on that very day everything just hit me. I can’t really explain it but it was a feeling in my gut. It was like I reminisced certain thoughts on my past and what I’ve been through. It was a trip down memory lane, from who I have known in my past, the ex-girlfriends, friends, trouble I had caused my parents, being on top of the game, being popular. I guess you can say at that moment in my life that Tuesday morning, all of that BS didn’t matter to me anymore. Don’t get me wrong, all of those events in my life are what made me the man I am today. And I don’t regret anything I have done in my past. I’ve realized that I didn’t have to prove myself to anyone anymore. The only two people I have something to prove to is GOD and myself. It was time to take off the baseball cap and sneakers and put on the fedora and button ups you feel me?  Just the other week, I was watching television. And I was flipping channels, I was intrigued with this song and video by Jay-z. It’s the song “On To The Next One”. The lyrics in that rap song were so fitting to me. Jay-Z has a couple of song that I can totally relate to. Another song is “30 Is The New 20”. If you ever have time, Google the lyrics to both of those songs and read them, “It’s very en-lightning”. 

I feel it’s time to hang up my cool factor, and hand my trophies down to the younger generation. Everybody who really knows me, knows what I have been through and how

I stood in popularity, style & swagger. It was time to switch cigarettes to cigars, Hennessey to Champagne, G-shocks to Chronographs, Sneakers to leather tie ups. I’m at that point in my life where it’s time to enjoy the finer things in life and move forward.

I really thought I would be a kid forever, going out partying and drinking. But things do change. I will always have that kid in me at heart. Progressing into a man was one of the most life changing experiences that I had to go through. It’s hard to let go of being cool, now it’s more important to me to economize and put money into the right places and not be selfish to my family. It’s better to measure twice and cut once than to keep cutting, that’s something everybody needs to think about if it’s that particular time in your life. The reason why I decided to blog about this is because this was something that was important to me in my life and I wanted to express this to my fellow bloggers. As for my “ending blog quote”, it comes from the Ferris Bueller movie........”Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

                                                                               -G- 

G'z Top 5 Famous Iconic Figures

Growing up I looked up to a lot of people. Those few people that I did look up to made me the person and character I am today. Have you ever looked at someone and said to yourself that he or she looks like a famous person? Or talks and walks like a famous person? If so it’s probably because he or she admires that superstar. Most of the time it’s quite true, people who look up and turn to famous icons for inspirations usually incorporate them in their own life somehow. 

So in this blog I will give you my top 5 icons that I’ve always admired and looked up to. These 5 famous icons got me through a lot of good times and bad times throughout my life. For those who know me, maybe you can see bits and pieces of these icons in me. I will rate them starting from number 5. So please read on while I give a brief explanation on why these famous icons have inspired me.

#5 OPTIMIUS PRIME          

When I was a young boy, I’ve always been infatuated with Japanese animation, comics, and the underground cult that follows it. I’ve been into X-Men, Batman, G-Force, Robotech,Dangard Ace, Voltron. But one certain cartoon that I instantly fell in love with was Transformers. For all you 80’s babies, you all knew how much of an impact Transformers left in culture. Just a couple of years ago, my dreams came true, when Optimus Prime came to life in the big screen, trust me I was star struck even if it was CGI. I guess the reason why Optimus Prime means so much to me, is because he is a leader, and me being a Leo, I was attracted to that. He was always in control, Top Dog! And more importantly he’s just fucking bad ass.

#4 TUPAC SHAKUR

What more can I say about 2pac. He was probably one of the best rappers that ever lived. His poetry and ego gave rap music a new edge. I respected him so much because he never held back on emotions and feelings. Whatever he was feeling he made sure you felt it also. His rough swagger and gangster image was one of the many reasons why I have so much confidence in myself. Also a lot of the things that he rapped about I related to some how. When 2pac passed on it was like I lost a part of me also. 

#3 PRINCE

Don’t look so surprised. For those who really know me, you’ve should have seen this coming. Since the 80’s Prince has been making awesome music. His style that he created what I like to call “Secret Style” is what gave him that edge. He is never scared to cross or push that boundary. His music is like poetry, if you just read the lyrics without the music you would see what I mean. As you can tell music played a big part in my life, His music has inspired me to create art whether it be on paper, canvas, style, and love. Out of all the artists out there, I admire his sense of style. It’s dark but clean, not too rugged but yet not too formal. His music is timeless, everybody knows at least one if his songs whether you like it or not.

#2 KISS

I was 16yrs old. One of my best friends and older cousin showed me an old 70’s vinyl record. And on it was 4 crazy figures. One was a Demon, the other Star man, some weird Space man, and a Cat man. I was totally blown away by it. At the time I thought it was a comic book. But as he explained to me that it’s actually a rock group I was mystified. I wanted to know everything about them and what they stood for. There is so much information on what the group is about and what they stand for, that I would have to write a separate blog on just that. So I’ll give you a brief idea. It’s basically a super hero rock group. All 4 of them have their own mystical powers. They incorporated their alter ego’s in the songs that they write serperatly. They believe in black and white nothing else. They have this kind of music that makes you feel like a bad ass. Not only that, you really didn’t know who they were at the time. One of the best rock groups ever in my opinion.

#1 DARTH VADER              

Darth Vader has almost everything that inspires me in my life. It’s kinda weird if you think about it, but it makes perfect sense. He’s a leader, Powerful, You really didn’t know who he was at the time or what made him tick. He did’nt take shit from anyone, everybody feared him. He’s dark, all black, but there was a sincere side to him. I’ve always been fascinated with him since I saw Star Wars for the first time back in the 70’s. He looks like a fancy car, clean, sleek, and fast. And when he walked George Lucas incorporated The Imperial March song which made him extremely larger than life. 

So there you are my top 5 Iconic figures that  gave me many inspirations in life. Please leave comments, I love criticism. Just drop me a little message here and there. I know there are some of you out there that are enjoying my blogs. Please stay tuned there will be a lot more to come. Thanks again for reading. Until the next blog. 

                                                                   -G-

                                                          

"Family Matters" Directed & Written By:G

Since the beginning of life the term family has always held a certain priority. Every living creature in this world abides by that by nature. Flocks of birds that travel together. Schools of fish that swim together. Coyotes that walk in packs. Horses that roam the land. And there is always that one thing that ties the family together, it’s called blood.

Blood in and blood out. No matter what you will always be linked. Me personally, I’ve always been a family man. I’ve been brought up to respect family. In my heart it’s always family first. Sometimes we all tend to forget where we come from and who we really are. We get caught up in everyday life and everyday interactions with other people, places, problems, and situations. We keep on living on and adapting to life. We meet friends, close friends, lovers. Sometimes the priority list changes. What was on top is now last, what was 3rd is now on top so on and so on. With family comes loyalty and with loyalty comes respect. I was brought up to always honor thy family. I will always honor my family. I’m honored to carry my last name along with my middle name. I will never turn my back on family. 

Family is not always about blood even though blood is the straight descendent. Family is

also connected through marriage, it’s connected through very close friends that are considered family. Even though this is a really bad example, but family is shown in gangs,

Mafia's, cults. The way it’s portrayed in those examples also show respect, love, and loyalty.

I’ve done a little research on the definition of family and values and these are the results that I came up with.

Definition of Family: A family is a primary social group, a small community, in any society, typically consisting of a man and a woman, or any two individuals who wish to share their lives together in a long-term committed relationship with one another, raising offspring and usually reside in the same dwelling. Family is the main building block of a community; family structure and upbringing determines the social character and personality of any given society. - Family is where we all learn: love, caring, compassion, ethics, honesty, fairness, common sense, reason, peaceful conflict resolution and respect for ourselves and others, which are the vital fundamental skills, and family values, necessary to live an honorable and prospers life in harmony, in the world community.

Definition of Family Values: To have a sense of Family Values is to have good thoughts, good intentions and good deeds, to love and to care for those whom we are close to and are part of our primary social group, our community, such as children, parents, other family members and friends. And to treat others with the same set of values, the same way we wish to be treated.

To close this blog I want to leave you with this thought. Don’t ever forget who you are and where you come from. Some people tend to forget who really is important in their lives. Because through it all when everything has faded away and the dust settles, the only 

people who will be left is family.

                                                                                   -G-

"Thirty-3" Written: Sept.15,2009

I am owned by the year 1976, I am the property of August.

The sign that you read off me are those of a four legged feline.

I am born and raised in the misty fogs of San Francisco. 

Like the bible, my life has many chapters in it. Page after page of life stories and rediscoveries.

Let me tell you all who I am. Who “G” is, And what you already think you know. 

For those of you who think that they know who “G” is , you got another thing coming. Let me begin to explain my complex life. This poem, letter, or note was inspired by the “Hater In You”. There are allot of you out there who step to me about being cool and being on top of the world. I’ve been there, done that. The 4 Elements you ask? I’ve spun on my back and head, I’ve tickled the vinyl, and owned a couple of Krylon bottles. Nice cars? I’ve had 3. One muscle car, one import circa 95 when the import scene was big, and one SUV with the larger than life wheels at one point. Clothes? Let’s not really get into that. Let’s just say that I’ve inspired quite of few of you out there. My personality is based on “Swagger”. Friends or so called friends, I’ve known too many. I’ve simplified my life......”True Friends” and “True Enemies” that’s it.

To all of the kittens that I have scratched, I don’t regret any of you. To M,B,B,A,N,M,M,J,C,G,D you all know who you are, it was fun. Everything changes

though when you find the right cat. And that’s why I’ve walked down the long aisle of God’s house and professed my love in marriage. Money? I’ve got my own place, pay for all my own bills, and own my own car. What does that tell you? My inspirations in my life are the reflections in my eyes. Those that I see and feel that make the difference to me. I know some times I may disappear behind the shadows, but that's just because I’ve moved on to bigger and better things in my life. The more you get older you begin realize that there is

more to life than what’s on your feet or on your hip. It has always been a struggle for me to grasp life. I’ve always had to battle through it all, but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I live with no excuses and love with no regrets. There comes a time when you have to choose between turning the page or closing the book. Getting old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

-G$-2009

The Essence Of Black

With age comes wisdom. I’ve come to learn so many things about meanings of life, fashion, love, and understanding of many other things. Just this past year, I’ve reinvented myself. I’ve taken what G was before and did a full 180. I’ve done a lot of research of the color black and I’ve found out what it represents. Now I’ve dedicated to myself that I would wear only black, white, and grey. It felt only natural to me when I looked in the mirror wearing all black and say to myself that this is what G is about. To get a better meaning of why I’ve chose to do this statement, I’ve gathered some of the intel that I found when doing the research.  In my own opinion, I think black represents nothing, but deals with everything. The color black is all the colors united but not separated.

Nature of Black:

Black is the absence of color. In clothing, black is visually slimming. Black, like other dark colors, can make a room appear to shrink in size and even a well-lit room looks dark with a lot of black. Black can make other colors appear brighter.

Ultimate Dark:

Considered the negation of color, black is conservative, goes well with almost any color except the very dark. It also has conflicting connotations. It can be serious and conventional. The color black can also be mysterious, sexy, and sophisticated.

Black is not a color. It is the absence of all color. Black absorbs all aspects of light. While white reveals, black conceals. It is also mysterious, providing a sense of potential and possibility. We do not believe in the obvious or being predictable, as we learn and grow we want our collections to grow with us.

Black:

The Color of Sin: White and Black Are Perceptual Symbols of Moral Purity and Pollution

That’s what black gives you. Solid, grounded, powerful, in control, protected, shielded, confident, and fearless.

One Of G’z Favorite Quotes:

Color can do anything that black-and-white can. 

Vincente Minnelli 

Let's Talk Cigars

I’m a huge cigar smoker. I’ve been smoking cigars now for about 2 years. It started from a trip to Las Vegas a couple of years back. I used to smoke cigarettes back in my teens. After a eye opening E.R visit I stopped cold turkey. So Tobacco was no stranger to me. I was in one of the fancy clubs out there, you know what clubs i’m talking about? The clubs that have people in the restrooms that basically wash your hands and comb your hair for you. You really are suppose to tip them for the service. With keeping that in mind, I wanted to make the best of my tip and grab some mouthwash, a stick of gum and choose between a cigarette or a cigar. I happen to choose the cigar because of my history with cigarettes. I’ve always known that cigars are related to rich people, gangsters, older men and upper class men, one good cigar can cost up to $100.00. Crazy huh? Of course the one that was handed to me was a cheap one. They were just basically giving it away for free with a friendly tip.


After that moment, it would never be the same. I was hooked. The taste was candy to my mouth. Automatically I was an addict, The way it smelled, tasted, and felt in my hand. I began to understand why you would feel like you are the shit. Why you feel like you have respect. It’s definitely a part of a lifestyle. It’s totally different from cigarettes, You don’t smoke because of the nicotine and how it feels in your lungs. You smoke cigars because of the taste and status. 


Rule of thumb
If you are a beginner, start off with milder cigars. As your taste evolves, so will your choice in strength.


Enjoy your cigar when you have the time to relax. There is nothing like enjoying the taste with no worries, and nothing so disappointing as having to cut a good cigar smoke short.


I prefer a cigar puncher than to cut off the whole tip.


Always light cigars with wood stick matches. Lighters may ruin the taste of the cigar.


G’z Top 5 Cigars
Kahlua
Tobac Especial
Cohiba
Coronado
Padron

LOVE In The Eyes Of "G"

Throughout the different stages in my life, I’ve had so many different perspectives on love. It was so hard to cope with all the heart breaks, tears, back stabbing, one night stands, and broken dreams that I went through back in my childhood till this very day. There were so many times where I thought that certain girl was the one. But to my findings, those many girls were just merely stepping stones. I’ve always looked at my ex-girlfriends as stepping stones. Just like how I look at obstacles. Without those obstacles or stepping stones, You would’nt be the person you are today. The things you pick up from those old relationships you use to better yourself and your knowledge in life. The older I got the more I forgave. I don’t hate any of my ex-girlfriends. Hate is such a strong word, I use that word very carefully. Your ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend are human beings too just like yourself. It’s just trial and error until you find your sole mate. I personally believe in the soul mate theory. I believe that there’s that certain person in the world that was put here for you. And you have your life to find that person. Your sole mate is that person that believes in you and everything you stand for, wrong or right that person has your back. I’ve been married for 3 years now, and I have never doubted my love for my wife. 

In my experiences, you will know who that person is the minute you see each other. It will be instantaneous. Of course there will always be that one person that you think about no matter how many years have passed. It’s only natural, that person is called your first love. I don’t care who you are, everybody has a first love. I have a first love, I won’t lie and from time to time I do think about her. But it does not compare to anything I have now.  I remember when I spoke to my father about love when I was a young boy. He brought up this word to me that is usually used when there is infatuation involved. The word is puppy love. Infatuation is totally different from love. Infatuation usually involves physical attraction. Believe me, there is a total difference. Emotion’s and feelings are things you should take seriously. I’ve been through it all, name it, I’ve probably have been in that relationship, of course though i’m talking about male and female relationships. Not to say that gay love is bad. I’m not saying that at all. I think love is love no matter who that person is. Love is something you die for. Love is something that you would go to the ends of the earth for. Love conquers all feelings in my opinion. No matter what kind of mood you are in, love will take over. To finish this blog I will leave you with a quote for you to think about........" In the arithmetic of love, one plus one equals everything and two minus one equals nothing. "