Get Rich or Die Trying: The trilogy

No doubt you've seen the posters for the new 50 cent movie plastered everywhere. To me, the expression means striving for everything that you can, and if you don't get it, at least you gave it your all. Well maybe not exactly. Fiddy was a drug dealer/thug, and he was determined to make it rich and was shot 5 times in the mouth and almost ended up dying. Here's my version of the real life movie.

Get High UAI or die trying

Lil brother done did it - finished the HSC. Want to know what he got for his UAI? He got approximately the same mark as the year the Bulls won their 4th championship. For those non-basketball fans, tough! Go ask someone.

It always interesting asking him or anyone for that matter what they are going to do at uni. I remember I was stuck in a dilemna - which course, which uni? My brother is in the same position now. He actually had two scholarship interviews at UNSW for IT courses. Problem was, he didn't know much about the course, let alone have a suit or tie to wear.

Like any career obsessed older brother, you know that I prepped him hardcore. I made him do research on the course, and did a mock interview, prepare responses for questions, made sure he dressed right, did the "hard" handshake. With my other brother, we made him sit down and do a 1 hour interview. We did a bit of roleplaying as there were meant to be two interviewers. I was the industry rep and my other brother was the academic.

Let's just say, I grilled him hardcore like any loving brother would, asking him "where do you see yourself in 3 years time?", "Why should we give you the money?", "why do you want to work in IT?", "What are the current industry trends in IT?". I mean you can't expect a 17 year old to answer all this stuff, but I wanted him to give it his best shot.

Get Filthy Rich or Die Trying: RIP Messers Packer

Sadly Kerry Packer, the richest man in Australia passed away two days ago. Dude was worth a mint - $7billion fortune to his name. He definently was larger than life. This guy had his fingers in every pie - Media, Sports (Da*m, he owned the cricket), Casinos, IT, Real Estate, Managed Funds. True mogul, Rockafeller style. But at the end of the day, his poor health took him to the grave. It shows, money ain't everything. So Get Rich or Die Trying, young one!

Money ain't a thang

I think to be successful in life you don't need to be rich like Kerry. You don't need to own half the world. Money is only one measure of success and a poor one at that. Too often in life, I've made decisions or treated people or viewed certain individuals with a certain disdain, based on what? Money.

Take my parents for example. I think they've been relatively successful - they've come from overseas, educated themselves here, raised a family in Australia, we've got a nice house, two cars, own an investment property. Two of their sons are highly anal to argue with because they've both got law degrees and the third one just got a ripper of a HSC mark! In their eyes and mine, they've made it. Compared to most families, we are very well off. Most important to them though, is the fact that they raised three good sons.

That my friend, is true success.

I leave you with one of favourite bible verses to reflect on: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" - Mark 8:36

Peace Out.

DJ Ho.

Christmas reflections

Firstly, just want to say Merry Xmas y'all. It's a day late but you know what I mean. Hopefully, we'll all get a chance to have a break and spend it with our family and friends. Usually, this time of the year we'll eat and spend $$$ like crazy......but it's all good.

Secondly, I think the true meaning of Christmas gets lost in this commercialised environment. As a Christian, it probably means a lot more to me than most people. It is the time that Jesus was born into the world, the day that our saviour arrived. I think even for Christians, that meaning gets lost with all the presents, the family commitments, the holidays.

This time three years ago, I made the decision to become a Christian. It wasn't a light or rash decision. Being born into a Christian family, it probably was a lot harder for me to make a rational, independent decision. And if you read my post, you can probably tell that I'm very analytical, logical person (codewords for anal and slow decision maker) - so making a decision like this took a lot tossing and turning. I took one of those baptism courses and at the end of it, I decided to give my life to God and there hasn't been any turning back since.

On a different note, I think about all the food and presents that I have recieved. This time last year on Boxing day, I arrived on the coldest place on earth (well to me anyway): Beijing. And it was here, that I saw true poverty. People in real need. People are always in need, but it just seemed like these people were just a lot poorer than the beggars I've seen on the streets of Sydney.

As tourists in a country with favourable exchange rates, we ate like crazy and bought fake goods like they were out of fashion. Still remember polishing off 5 Peking Ducks amongst a group of 13. And paying like $8 for the pleasure. Hitting up this Beijing DVD store, which seemed like a video ezy/blockbuster and had every movie you could imagine for $2.

After visiting other cities, like Shanghai, Xian, Hong Kong in my travels, I feel that:
1) I had more interesting stories to tell at parties
2) I want to travel again to other parts of the world
3) Most importantly - I became a lot more worldly

The most important thing that you gain, is the experience - being out of your comfort zone, meeting new people, the new experiences and being free from the commitments back home. Just being able to chill out and relax. Although we were on a backpacking tour, it felt like it was Me & Tim against the world. I realised that hardly anyone in China could speak a world of english. This place was absolutely freezing. The lack of white people around. That some people were definently living beyond their means. That not all of us were going to have a nice cooked meal that night.

It was interesting spending Christmas holidays in China. It wasn't even really celebrated over there. I think I saw one Xmas tree the whole time i was there, in Xian. New Years was an uneventful event in Beijing - no celebrations at all. I spent it in a 3.5 star hotel room, watching replays of Chicago Bulls championship game, drinking cheap Chinese beer with some American and French backpackers.

Peace.

DJ Ho.

Let me take you to funky (new) town

The city of men dressed in leather skirts, an eclectic bunch of residents, the Dendy theatre, and a thai restaurant on every corner.

Here are some pics from the Newtown Community Festival, putting on display the best food, arts, crafts, music the town has to offer. Pics taken 2 months ago. Inspired by Pickos.

They came out in their thousands!~ People everywhere on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

People as far as the eye could see.












Soul Food baby!.

Thai food on display. The most unhealthiest thing at the festival - a banana springroll - real greasy.

Newtown is a city of tatts. I've never seen so many tatts in my life. So I had to get a tempoary one. And I was grimacing too!~

A bunch of orange haired people supporting Orangutans in Indonesia who I donated money to. I think they liked me cause I had a bright orange backpack.

An old skool keyboard? Retro!

Newtown is very much a lefty society - very out there . So you know there were going to be selling t-shirts like that. Loved this one - except it cost $30.

Crips do bleed: Founder of the Crips is executed

Hundreds gather to mourn 'Tookie' Williams

Staff and agencies
Wednesday December 21, 2005

Hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of the former gang boss Stanley "Tookie" Williams, who was executed in California last week. A series of celebrity speakers at the service, held in south Los Angeles, criticised the California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, for his refusal to grant clemency to the 51-year-old convicted murderer.

More than 1,500 mourners, including religious leaders and gang members, attended the service at the Bethel AME church. Speakers included the hip-hop star Snoop Dogg, the anti-death penalty campaigner Bianca Jagger, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan, and the motivational speaker Tony Robbins.

Williams, who co-founded the Crips street gang and was convicted of murdering four people, was executed by lethal injection at San Quentin prison last Tuesday. He was killed despite a high-profile campaign for clemency in which supporters claimed he had become a reformed character during more than 20 years on death row. At a service lasting for more than four hours, speakers denounced capital punishment. Ms Jagger said Mr Schwarzenegger's actions "revealed disregard for human rights, due process and the US constitution".

Snoop Dogg recited a poem entitled Until We Meet Again, in which he referred to the execution. "It's nine-fifteen on twelve-thirteen and another black king will be taken from the scene," he said. A stanza that read: "I don't believe Stan did it," drew wild applause from the car park outside the church where more mourners - including some gang members wearing blue, the colour associated with the Crips - were watching the service on large television screens.

Williams was executed for the shotgun murders of 26-year-old convenience store clerk Albert Owens and motel owners Yen-I Yang, 76, and Tsai-Shai Chen Yang, 63, and their 43-year-old daughter Yu-Chin Yang Lin in 1979.

He had always claimed he was innocent, although Robert Martin, one of the prosecutors who sent Williams to prison, recently claimed the evidence had been thoroughly scrutinised by the courts and was "rock solid".

Mr Martin questioned arguments that Williams had redeemed himself while on death row, where he wrote children's books warning against gang life.
There was a high police presence in the area surrounding the funeral. After the service, many of those outside the church dropped to the ground at the sound of what appeared to be three gunshots being fired nearby. There were no reports of injuries or arrests.

The death of Williams - who asked for his ashes to be scattered in South Africa - was an "abuse of power," the Reverend Al Sharpton told mourners by telephone from New York. Mr Farrakhan compared Williams' trial and execution to those of Jesus. Both, he said, were innocent men executed for political reasons. "Every true revolutionary, every man that will not bow down to the forces of this world, will be rebuked and scorned," he said.

He called on gang members to become "natural leaders" of the black community, and urged them to down their guns. Williams "is the patron saint of all those struggling in gang life," he added. Rev Jackson said that, at the end of his life, Williams saw himself as a "healer, not a predator".

Several dozen gang members watched the service in the car park. One who identified himself as "Killowatt the Third" said of Williams: "That's my role model, man. That's the CEO of the Crips."

Other mourners included Al Birdsong, a 54-year-old school security officer who said Williams did not deserve to be executed after more than two decades in prison. "I'm here to pay my respects to humanity, and that goes to Tookie and everyone else they do in ... what if it was your son?" he said.

A message recorded by Williams in prison was played for the mourners. "The war within me is over," he said. "I battled my demons and I was triumphant."
He asked listeners to spread a message to their loved ones, saying: "Teach them to promote peace and teach them to focus on rebuilding the neighbourhoods that you, others and I helped to destroy."

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I'm not sure what to say. This guy did start up the Crips, one of the most violent black american street gangs. Let's not kid ourselves here. He was no saint. I'm sure he did murder people - but if the evidence wasn't rock solid and he didn't kill those people, well I can't agree with that. If he did, then he deserved to be in prison. Not down with the whole capital punishment thing.

On a different level, he must have influenced a lot of young African-Americans to join the Crips. Although he did reform and discourage gang membership, think about how many Crip gang members there are in Los Angeles. Think about the killings, the drive-bys, the drug deals that happened amongst the crips. He started it all - kinda like the guy that created the nuclear bomb.

For those of you that don't know, I actually know a lot about gangs. It was just something that I found interesting to read. I still remember borrowing a book from my the library on "Gang dynamics" and having Brett pay the sh*t out of me. Or how I was explaining to Fergo the difference between different prison tattoos. Knowing obscure stuff like some Crips wear British Knights, because the initials are "BK" which stand for "Blood Killer" (Bloods is a rival gang you see).

As you see, I must have issues. I used to study street maps, and learn which streets certain gangs use to hang out, how to read their graffiti - trust me its hard, understand gang identifiers (clothing, police web reports, tattoos). It wasn't just African-American gangs I was interested in. I was also particualry obsessed with Asian gangs as well - in fact there is triad book on my shelf "The Dragon Syndicate".

And all this makes for interesting party conversation.

Peace Out,

DJ Ho.

Thought Leadership Series by DJ Ho

The Agile Corporation
By DJ Ho B.Bus (Accounting) LLB (Hons) Grad Dip Legal Cert

The phrase “agile corporation” was first coined by Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft to describe a new style of corporate entity that was nimble, flexible, fluid and responsive enough to meet today’s ever-changing corporate environment. The term agile corporation invokes images of a large semi-visible skeleton that is able to jump, hop, sidestep and maneuver with ease. The concept of agile corporation was relevant to Bill Gates as his company was faced with ever decreasing software production costs from the sub-continent, rapid globalization through the internet’s capabilities to unlock new areas of commerce, as well as anti-trust litigation threatening to split up Microsoft’s dominance.

Is the concept of the “agile corporation” relevant to today’s managers? Yes, because agility is the only way that corporations can thrive in today’s rapid white water environment.

The rapid and fluid environment that we live in consists of major changes to the status quo. We have been through and are continuing to experience privatization and deregulation of our traditional industries. Consider that industries that were once dominated by fierce competition of several major players have now been forced to merge to continue their growth. Our workers and their needs are also changing, as they look to develop work-life balances and the gradual influx of generation Y employees to workplaces dominated by baby boomers and generation X. Our ability to communicate more rapidly has reduced time lags on market movements. What happens at the NYSE will be reflected almost simultaneously seconds later at the Hong Kong Stock exchange. And more importantly the way we do business is changing. Before personalized service was a key factor in deciding who we did business with. Now, we pay our bills over the internet. We order stock in real time from our suppliers using just in time systems. We can service millions of customers using e-commerce platforms instead of stores and cash registers.

But are we changing at a rate greater that the past? Yes and No. There is an argument that today’s changes are no different to changes in the past. Is the internet all that different from Gutenberg’s printing press that resulted in the explosion of information? Are rapid advances in science any different to when Madam Curie developed radioactivty? Yes, because as society becomes more educated, as society places more money into research and development, as industries become more competitive over time, as people become globally aware, advances in society will continue to grow at an exponential rate. Therefore the rapid water environment will only become more turbulent.

Therefore, the corporations that recognize or pre-empt the changes of this rapid white water environment can gain a first mover advantage and adopt a market leading position. By the time the “inflexible” competitors respond, the agile corporation has already entered the market, determined which sectors are worth servicing, and grabbed the attention of the potential customers. In addition, a first mover advantage is that customers will already recognize the brand name and can quickly build up a reputation.

But what makes a corporation agile? Agility refers to the ability to respond quickly and to move with ease. Experience shows that larger organizations, particularly multi-nationals tend to be less agile that their smaller competitors. This is obvious as bureaucracy levels increase with organization size, as well as the longer time experienced to implement plans and decisions. More formal procedures create a culture that is resistant to change. Flatter organizations with less links in the chain of command can respond at much greater speed.

But will responding quickly be good enough? More is required that just making fast decisions. Companies need to foster an innovative culture, develop forward looking plans that are flexible, anticipate market movements as well as having employees that can create change.

By that time, the agile corporation will be the first one paddling up the rapid whitewaters.

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I wrote this article when I was in my fifth year of uni. This article didn't count for anything - it wasn't a uni assignment. I just sat down one day at the uni computer lap and wrote it straight off from the top of my head, so its raw and unedited like a Jay-Z freestyle in a studio.

It has and will always be a dream of mine to be a business journalist and this article was designed for the opinion section of the BRW. The plan was to write a whole series, like the McKinsey Quarterly News Update.

I think the biggest compliment I got from my brother was like "You sound exactly like those people in the BRW" lol.

Tell me what you think.

I'm out like the three remaining workdays,

DJ Ho.

p.s. Those academic qualifications are for real playa.

Thanks for coming everyone!

Just want to say thankyou to everyone that came to the DJ Ho/Chuck birthday drinks @ Red Room at Hotel Chambers. last night. The place went off, as the alcohol flowed throughout the night, with old skool rnb tunes filled the air and being surrounded by all you beautiful people.

About 23 people turned up, from high school friends, uni peeps, work people, Dawen's friends. We occupied this corner lounge seat area at the front and was real good, because it was behind this massive wooden pillar which blocked off the rest of the place and gave us privacy to mingle, catch up and dance.

I love Red Room @ Hotel Chambers coz it plays the best music on the planet - . Old skool hip hop and rnb. that's where its at! In fact it aint even that old skool. Mainly the 90's type music, everything that I grew up on. I think Bosco/Tim was in some kind of musical ecstasy, cause i know I was. They played 6 Janet Jackson songs (only my bro knows stuff like this), Biggie!!!!, Soul for Real's "Every Little Thing I do", Drop it like its hot, Groove Theory's "Tell me", Return of the Mack, Earth Wind and Fire, Monica, Sexual Healing, OPP, Mary J Blige's "Real Love" twice.

Plus I got two birthday shoutouts from the MC! What more could a birthday boy ask for?! Well two things - that Rahul (rocking the Bouncer unfriendly red sports shoes) and my man ivan coulda been let in. Will have to catchup with you guys soon.

Highlights/Random scenes during the night:

1. Hoi Tak headbutting everything in sight.
2. Tim and Chuck grabbing some random ass from chick's they met the night before.
3. Having a dedicated poetry corner for Me and Bosco, discussing my latest poem with Bosco and Alvin.
4. Free alcohol! From memory I had bout 3 or 4 coronas, 2 bourbon and cokes, 2 tequlia shots, and a red face after one drink.
5. Presents! Who woulda thought?!
6. Alvin on the dancefloor constantly saying "What!...... What!" even after I told him it wasn't cool anymore, just kidding dawg.

Once again, thanks for coming everyone. And I would like to go back there again maybe next year in January or Feb cause that place is just simply awesome (hardly any asians in the place except our massive group) which is so much better than having 18 year old gangsta asians and five foot asian chicks running around in Martin PLace bar.

Peace.

DJ Ho.

Sons of the Shire v Lions of Lebanon

I'm a son of the shire
Sticking up for what I believe in
Gathered in our thousands, this ain't no choir
Defending ourselves not committing any sin
They've invaded our beaches
They're loud and they're proud
I'll show them Aussie pride if they dare to reach us
Hey wait...how dare one come towards us
So I grab my bottle and clench my fist tighter
I reach him first and unwind like I'm a fighter
Feel this, and feel that
It's all my aggression
Feel this and feel that
Your body be stretchin
After this one sided boxing session
Feel this and feel that
For 9/11
Feel this and feel that
For those gang rapes
Take this and take that
For beating that lifeguard into another shape
It set it off but this ain't what its about
It's protecting our white culture from you louts

I'm a Lion of Lebanon
Yeah I'm loud and I'm proud
Feel this and Feel that for your aggression?
Well feel this fist for my oppression
Planned 9/11?
You ain't seen nothing
Like random acts of violence
No longer stand by and be silent
Gather my boys and show you true force
Rocks, iron bars, molotov and baseball bat
Break all your car windows and show you who's the boss
With little remorse
Hit us and we'll hit back harder
We'll make you jump higher than Vince Carter
Won't let me come to your beach?
Better pray to Allah that you can't be reached
When you come runnin'
I'm gonna be gunnin'
One sided boxing session?
Ha! Come to our town and your police force be stretchin
You know what also brings the anger in what you see
The media which marginalises me
And makes us violent like Bruce Lee

I'm DJ Ho, and this war has to stop
We can't progress with this fighting
As it brings too many blood drops
Living in a multicultural society its going to bring stress
With different values and cultures
Some say we're a cesspool, a mixed up mess
I see it differently
Its about diversity and living together, no more no less
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My first poem since Year 9. Inspired by Bosco.

Peace out,

DJ Ho.

Riot Akt - Race Motivated Riots

The stuff that went down at Maroubra and Cronulla on the weekend is just plain disgraceful. I never thought Australian society would go downhill like that. People just acting like savages and animals. I've always said that Australia is a multicultural society and a very tolerant one. But after this weekend, I might be reassessing my opinion.

Fueled by hate, alchohol, heat it just got real ugly. What's the point of beating up random Lebanese people with a mob of 5000 people?

I must admit though, there is a minority of Lebanese people that do cause a lot of trouble and make the rest of them look very bad. I work with and am really good friends with lots of Lebanese people. There's a huge population where I'm from and I've grown up with them. They are good hardworking people.

The problem is with some of them when they are in those massive groups. I've been chased/almost robbed by gang of Lebanese people. My brother was robbed at knifepoint on the way home by a Lebanese person. I've seen a pretty Australian girl get hassled by a gang of 6 Lebanese men and having to deal with sexual taunts on a trainride. And this was at 3pm, in a train full of people, at the time that those rapings were going on.

By the same token, I've also experienced racism first hand from Australians. When I was 15 or so, I was walking along Beamish street in Campsie with my cousins and aunty. We walked past this pub and this drunk Aussie came out. He spat on my cousin. Reloaded, and spat on my other cousin. Then spat on me. And the worst part, he spat on my Aunty. I was so mad that someone could make me feel like I didn't belong, like I was some second class citizen. If I wasn't so young and my aunty wasn't there, I'm sure my cousins and I would have beat the **** out of him.

But if I look at the larger picture though, I've had many more good experiences with Australians and Lebanese people. I'm not going to let a few very bad experiences and a bunch of idiots ruin my opinion.

I still remember having a heated arguement on a train ride with a dark Fijian man. He was telling these American tourists that Australia was a racist society. I was minding my own business but I couldn't put up with his biased crap. So I stuck up for all y'all - the Lebs, the Aussies, the Aboriginals, the Greeks, the Asians, you name it. But I can see where he is coming from. I believe he was talking about his experiences where he faced a lot of racism in the 70's and 80's in Australia. As he left the train, I told the Americans that Australia was not like he made it. What they told me I will never forget: "He's got a lil' bit more colour than you".

Something tells me that this mob violence won't die down soon. At time of writing, I just saw on the news of more riots at Lakemba Mosque and at Brighton-Le-Sands.

For once, saying "Peace" never had so much meaning.

Peace Out,

DJ Ho.

p.s. For some laughter check out George Bush.

Tribute to the Greatest Sidekick: Scottie Pippen

Before my room was renovated and painted, I had two posters on my wall. One dedicated to His Airness, Michael Jordan and the another one with Scottie Pippen.

On Friday, Scottie Pippen was given the ultimate tribute an athlete can recieve (besides being on my wall) - his jersey was retired and hung up as a banner in the Chicago stadium where he spent the majority of his career. It also means that no other player can wear #33 on the Bulls. Pip will always be one of my favourite players of all time.

Unfortunately, he lived in the shadow of the greatest basketball player of all time - the guy that wore #23, Michael Jordan. However, I see it the other way around - it was fortunate that he played with Jordan. Because that helped shape him into the player that he became - Jordan gave him the drive, the motivation, being able to practice against him every day.

I think Pippen will be remebered as one of the greatest defenders - check his 8 NBA First Team selections. Coaches acknowledge that Pippen could shut down an entire wing of a basketball court. He was verstaile enough to be able to defend four positions on the court, play point guard, and must be considered one of the best all around players in the game. Pippen also sacrificed a lot by being MJ's sidekick, but honestly, I think he preferred it that way.

Unleash the Dobermans,

DJ Ho.

p.s. Question of the day: Who is the better defender - Ron Artest or Scottie Pippen in his prime?

Congrats are in order

Two reasons to celebrate:
1. Dawen got a promotion! A long time coming, since she's been moved up to the level she should have been on ages ago.

2. Aadesh got engaged! it's about that time playa!~

One reason not to celebrate
Blackstreet concert got postponed til late Jan. Word on the street is that ticket sales were slow. Hopefully won't clash with Common.

Two new insights
I remember the comment Ivan left on my blog saying I should keep telling y'all how it goes down at work.

1. I became directly responsible for someone. It's not a major thing - we have these new interns over the summer and I've been allocated one. I'm showing them the ropes, being their first point of contact for questions, introducing them to key peeps, and just being their mentor. It's like the roles have been reversed. That used to be me two years ago - the noobie!

2. Went to a networking dinner and heard a speech by Jane Halton, Secretary of Department of Ageing and Health. She basically runs a goverment department with 4000 people. And she is responsible for kinda everything in the health system - that doctors give you the care that you require, you get processed quickly in a hospital, the drugs that we buy are safe, and how to contain an outbreak.

The one key thing that I walked away with from that speech was her talk on how leaders motivate people. It much easier to motivate someone when you can advocate to them directly - eg face to face. In an organisation of her size, its not feasible for her to do that, thus its very hard to motivate each person individually.

But with 4000 people how is it done? Or in an organisation like mine with 100,000 people globally? As a leader, you've got to be able to find that connection of what motivated yourself in the first place. It's finding the reason that she worked that extra hour beyond the 9-5 day, what made her put in an extra 10%. So the first step is to understand the reasons that pushed you to work hard, and using those reasons to motivate people. Hopefully, i can now motivate my intern!

Peace out,

DJ Ho.

I'm excited! COMMON IS COMING!!! oh and my bday too

First off, my actual birthday is on the 14th of December but I'm organising something for Saturday 17th of December. Keep that date free! The place where I want to go is Red Room at Hotel Chambers. It plays old skool rnb (mid 90's mostly), all the stuff that I grew up with like Groove Theory, R Kelly, Monica, Boyz 2 Men, etc. I figure if I go to a place like Martin Place Bar, its going to isolate a lot of my non-asian friends. Plus the crowd at Red Room is funky and diverse.

And secondly, Common (aka Common Sense), the best hip hop artist out there at the moment is coming to Sydney! Hold it down! He's playing at the Metro on Wednesday, 25 January 2006. Its $50 and tickets are on sale this friday. Common is the best! Although I've downloaded this concert he did in Switzerland, it wasn't that great but it mostly to promote some kind of beatnik festival and the crowd was mostly wack media types. how could you not feel Common?!

Just in case your wondering, (and I know you are) here's my list of what I would give my left arm for a birthday present:

1. Common concert ticket (see above!)
2. Ben Gordon (Red) or a Dwight Howard (Blue) jersey.
3.Cancellation of world debt for the poorest 52 countries
4. For you to be at the Red Room this Saturday

Common! Common is coming! I used to love her! Just Be! Testify! Like water for chocolate! One day it'll all make sense! I reckon if I could go to one concert next year, I'd go to Common.

Why am I so excited at 4am in the morning?

Cause if you ask me where hip hop is going, it's Chicago-ing,

DJ HO.

A year of reflection: HOcean Eleven.

Eleven things to reflect on.

1. I've never seen a greater divide between rich and poor. And I've never seen such blatant commercialism yet so much commerical potential. Standing on the Huang Pu River in Shanghai, I swear I saw the past and the future in the same glimpse. China is the future y'all.

2. I've going to start studying for Masters from the START of the semester (been saying this for 5 years). But cramming does work.

3. I'm going to be a lot more aggressive when playing basketball.

4. There's a big adjustment from being a graduate to working full time. Time and the quality of work that you produce is much more important than at uni.

5. Credit cards are good! Bank statements are not!

6. NBA TV on broadband is the greatest thing to happen to the NBA in years. Who knew that Nate Robinson could dunk?

7. It's been a year since Ron Artest punched that guy in the stands. Ron might be hot headed, but would we have done any differently?

8. I need to work more on my relationship with my significant other.

9. I miss uni and the good mates that I saw every day.

10. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. And lots of $$$.

11. I will be 24 in 8 days. I'm getting old.


Peace Out,

DJ Ho.

Gangsters don't dance we boogie

Lot of things to blog about. Feel like I've got blogger's itch - gone cold turkey for like 1/2 a week, need to say something. Firstly, finished my exam today for my second masters subject. Let me say this - nothing's changed. Still cramming, still allocate too much time to one question, and not to the next one. Oh well, better luck next time.

Some people are just anal

On Saturday, my brother and his "crew" was at Bankstown square, doing some breakdancing to raise money for their PCYC Breakdancing competition. They were doing their thing selling $2 raffle tickets, had permission from Centro (the centre's management), had a allocated floor space, and things were going well. There was a nice little crowd building up and they were doing flares, windmills, flips, somersaults, etc.....

Miss OHS Officer (occupational health and safety) walks up to them and demands to know who is in charge. One of the boys pipes up and says they're in charge. They figure she wants some tickets but instead she says "I'm gonna fine you $5000 for endangering the lives of the public". Word for word quote. Centro management shows up and the $5000 fine is levied on them, with $2000 on the boys.

Although PCYC (Police Community Youth Centre) will be paying, its ridiculous. Ok they didn't have a barrier to separate themselves ffrom the public, some of the flips came a bit close to the public but they each stopped themselves in time. No once was injured, and it was a fundraising type event.

These guys will probably have to work twice as hard now to raise money and help pay off the fine. Some people just levy their rules strictly. She could have easily ignored it or simply said guys you need to stop, you might run into someone. Not walk straight up and be Judge & Jury and fine them $5000 like its strict liability offence. Maybe it is, but still its too harsh.

Enough ranting, more about the event. Unlike the "Danceoff" event I read on Emily's blog, this is a bona fide hip hop event. PCYC crews from all over Sydney and interstate are coming down to compete in a battle knockout style competition. Its four on four, mano el mano (there are some females as well) but you know what I mean. Its the first time they've done it, and its being held in Bankstown, my local area (City of Thugs and apparently breakdancers). I think the event is in mid-December and they are $5 at the door.

Peace out,

DJ Ho.

Violence ain't necessary

Is it just me or society too violent these days? Or maybe violence always existed but we just oblivious/desensitized to the killings, deaths, beatings, lootings that are going on. I've never come across more violent lyrics than songs written by Notorious BIG, but they are a sign of the times.

Ready To Die

"I'm ready to die and nobody can save me"

In several hours, Van Nguyen will be weighed & measured to determine the right length of rope to make his neck snap when he is hanged. In less than 24 hours he will be dead. Why does Singapore insist on hanging people convicted of drug offences? They are the only first world country to do so. As if killing people really deters drug offences. Is this violence necessary?


Gimme the Loot

"Then I'm dipping up the block and I'm robbing bitches too/
up the herring bones and bamboos/
I wouldn't give f*ck if you're pregnant/
Give me the baby rings and a #1 MOM pendant/"

Last week, a Vietnamnese man who owned a newsagent was stabbed to death by two other Viets that robbed his store. I was reading this and was amazed at the guy's contribution to his own community. Another brother lost to the streets. Is this violence necessary?

Machine Gun Funk

"The rocket launcher/
Biggie stomped ya/
High as a motherfuckin helicopter/
That's why I pack a nina, fuck a misdeameanor/
Beatin m*therf*ckers like Ike beat Tina/[What's Love, Got to Do]/
when I'm rippin all through your whole crew"

A few months ago, a 20 year old Asian man was playing arcade games at Parramatta. He had beaten all challengers, but two Asian teenagers weren't down with that and they stabbed him in the back and he died shortly after. A friend of mine knew him and I was with him when he recieved the phone call that he had passed away. I actually had read this on Emily's blog and that death really shocked me. Another innocent life lost to the streets. Is this violence necessary?

It Was Written

I don't want to make this post too long, but this is an interesting article about how French rappers were telling the story of how things were about to erupt.

"Three weeks of riots, arson and attacks on police ripped the cover off problems that French hip-hop artists like Disiz have been rapping and raging about for years"

"What are we waiting for to set everything aflame? What are we waiting for to no longer follow the rules of the game?" NTM rapped. "We have nothing to lose because we had nothing to start with. I wouldn't sleep soundly if I were you. The bourgeoisie can quake, the scum are in town."

Click here for more. Was this violence necessary?

Peace.

DJ Ho.