"Action is the foundational key to all success."
- Pablo Picasso -
G E T U P
A N D
..and if you can but you don't, then
S T O P
B I T C H I N'
"A man doesn't automatically get my respect. He has to get down in the dirt and beg for it." - Jack Handy (SNL) -
..hey, just keepin' it real! haha (but really though =P)
Music
it doesn't matter too much as long as it's got some good lyrics, or at least knocks. but i really love the songs that you can beat out at the club, in your car, or on your iPod so hard that you either blow your speakers or your ear drums out. haha =P j/k but i LOVE to dance so if it can make me get up & move, it'll more than likely get some pretty good air time on my iPod =)
Movies
my all-time favorite movie is...
When Harry Met Sally
BUT i'm not too big of a movie person, soooo... all i gotta say is: don't bank on gettin' the 2nd date IF the first one you take me on consists of going to the movie theaters. haha =P n/k i mean, you gotta admit: there are only a FEW classics out there. & besides, they make movies like 5 million hours long these days! ha! "i'm sorry but..." i'd rather NOT find myself inside a movie theater, sitting in an uncomfortable chair (and no, not even if the theater's chairs are leather--- wait, are they even considered "chairs"?), next to @ least 1 stranger, AND probably (more than likely) right above a group of annoying assholes that don't know what or how to grasp the concept of being quiet after the lights dim real low & the surround sound kicks in. so pfffffff! =P to watching a movie these days. for anyone. well, maybe for God. but Jesus is pushing it! =) haha i'm JUST KIDDING! seriously!!! i LOVE my God! i swear!!! oh c'mon--- you gotta be able to joke around w/ God! geez. if you can't, then damn... you are really gonna hate going to hell. haha i'm JUST KIDDING! ok, ok.. enough. no more borderline-blasphemous jokes! promise!!! =) oooook, so where was i again? oh yeah. watching a movie is a waste of your life people! Americans are fatties because of movie-loving, lazy shits like you! gimme a break! you are NOT Siskel. or Ebert. or whatever that new guy's name is. =P i'm j/k but seriously though: do something just a little more productive, please. like make money. =) (hey, why not?) if not, i'm pretty sure there's always some kind of traffic you could go play in. hehe.. ok. well, i think i've made my point pretty clear.
Television
television? ok.. now this one, i can handle. =) hehe well, my top pick has to be...
-- of course --
SEX & THE CITY
and you can't really default me for that choice since i am in fact a female. =) & if i wasn't straight, my pick would probably be The L Word. =P hehe BUT after all the Mr. Bigg drama, you know i gotta have me some Adult Swim every now & then. =) what can i say? i LOVE to laugh, it keeps me young.
Books
go ahead & click on it (don't be scurred! of a little Mind Sex =P hehe j/k)
ANYWAYS! well...
i love whatever can inspire me cause that's all i've ever looked for in life: INSPIRATION... so you know i love that SPOKEN WORD. i've posted some of my pieces in my blog. "American Me," "He Had A Dream," "My 4-1-5 [An Ode to Frisco]," and "The Daily News" are the better reads-- or, at least, the ones I would personally recommend reading to anyone who would take the time out to actually read thru my blog) you may have to dig thru it, but trust me: they are there =D)
KHALIL GIBRAN
gotta love him. i recommend reading: THE PROPHET --- or, actually, just ANY & EVERYTHING by Gibran. i mean, he's just got hellah game laced up in his writing. for real. & Filipino authors are dope, no doubt. Carlos Bulosan, Tess Uriza Holthe, Escobar, Basco, etc. a good one to pick up: When the Elephants Dance. i also liked Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, & Digital Fortress by Dan Brown, but i still say Angels & Demons was the best read. A few more: The Celestine Prophecy (love those insights), Art of War, The Alchemist, The Tao of Warren Buffett, and Conversations With God. (that last one will mos def blow you away) oh! & i definitely can't forget to mention that
SPOKEN WORD
Bum Rush The Page and The Spoken Word Revolution are both great compilations w/ some nationally acclaimed slam nasty vets, like Saul Williams,
Beau Sia, Taylor Mali, etc. by the way, if you ever get a chance to see Mike McGee live, you gotta ask him to do his piece called "Beautiful." (trust me, it is HILARIOUS! =D)
well, speaking of SPOKEN WORD, here's some spots i definitely recommend checkin' out -
$F's Spoken City
...every 2nd Tuesday of the month @ Cafe Royale. (on Post & Leavenworth). it starts 8:00 PM sharp, & there's no cover, so there should be no excuse not to go! =P and for all the younginz, y'all gotta check out the slams that
Youth Speaks
throws down, because they're always a fuckin' hit! the one in Fri$cO is called FINAL FRIDAYS @ Galleria de la Raza (on 24th & Bryant), every last Friday of tha month. there's 2 in Oakland-- Nuttin' Betta Ta Do is @ Youth Uprising Center (on 8711 Mac Arthur Blvd.), every 3rd Friday. & tha other one is @ Pro Arts Gallery (on 2nd & Clay), every 2nd Friday. all tha slams thrown by Youth Speaks are free, and they start @ 7 PM. now, back to tha regular spots... if you're ever up north (Sac), the
Mahogany Poetry Slam (formerly known as The Jamaica House) has some great slam nasty vets (and also, some good Jerk chicken =D) every Wednesday, $5 cover. and on the east bay, there's a bunch of joints to hit up. the slam to definitely look into is the
Berkeley Poetry Slam @ The Starry Plough (on 3101 Shattuck Ave.) every Wednesday, $5 cover, with a discount for students so bring your school IDs, too. & there are also 2 more slams in Oakland: the
Oakland Slam goes down every 3rd Thrusday of tha month, usually w/ a $6 cover. and
Tourettes Without Regrets kicks off every 1st Thursday of tha month, $6-10 sliding scale for tha cover. (hey, artists are a starving people! =P haha but seriously, that show has gotten nothin' but GOOD reviews) well, luckily, they're both @ the Oakland Metro in Jack London Square (on 201 Broadway).
ooh! and IF you're ever on the East Coast, you HAVE TO check out the
AS 220 Cafe in Providence, Rhode Island.
is one of the hosts there, and he's got skillz for dayz. for real. that's the very first spot i ever heard the spoken word. and i was just absolutely blown away & AMAZED.
but newayz... in most cases, if not all, sign ups are at 7:30PM, shows start at 8:00PM and last until God knows when -- or whenever you feel like cuttin' out. but i guarantee y'all will definitely get some manipulatin' stimulation.. 'cause baby, that's
"There are no language barriers when you are smiling." - Anne Klein -
"When God takes your picture, He doesn’t touch up the negatives." - Croft M. Pentz -
PLEASE DO NOT DESTROY THE NAME
& yes, my real name really is Marizen, but the stage name (for open mic & spoken word slam events) is Rizen. so c'mon, say it w/ me now...
Mare + iz + in = MARiZEN
=D GOOD JOB! see, that wasn't hard at all! AND by saying it correctly, you have just given back to humanity by contributing to the preservation of natural beauty! =D but seriously though, first names are first impressions, so please don't make the name ugly! =) thanks. well, now that that's outta the way, here's the real bio...
i was born in the motherland (Philippines) but i grew up in South City. i came here when i was only 4 & i JUST turned 26, so i'm pretty much a "coconut"-- ya know, brown on the outside but white on the inside. (ya, i know. not very funny. well, maybe to some people, but whatever) unfortuantely, i can't speak a lick of & barely even understand my native tongues (Tagalog & Ilokano). but i can say that i've at least made an attempt to learn about my culture, & that's due to the fact that i LOVE to learn and/or experience new things, although there are some things that i would never ever do/eat, like dogs. yes, i said dogs. & yes, Filipinos are known to eat dogs. damnit, who in the hell was the nasty ass Filipino to start that trend? no, wait. who was the friend that actually let him?? the friend is the one who needs to get smacked! haha j/k anyways! let's see... i try to see something for what it's really worth, instead of just assuming its face value. =) another cool Marizen fact of the day: i am very very very picky--- EXTREMELY picky, actually but i just like to call it "CHOOSEY" because I CHOOSE who i want, when i want, where i want, what i want, and how i want things done in MY life so get it straight: i run on MY time honey, NOT yours. & i don't really care if it'll please you or not, because it ain't about you, sweetie--- IT'S ALL ABOUT ME. shiiit... & that's just bein' confident baby, not cocky. (oohwee! did ya hear the collar pop? haha) well, you can more than likely expect to catch me in something that's cute AND matching. =) (hey, i'm just tryin' to give you somethin' a little more... aesthetically pleasing to the eye, so why not? haha =D) BUT don't let the capris & heels fool ya--- i mean, i may scream bloody murder when i break a nail, & would forever prefer it if someone else takes out the garbage, but i'm definitely NOT the typical girly-girl, fem-fem. shiiit... i am NOT afraid to get down & dirty. i will try rock climbing a cliff w/ you, & even get under a hood, like i was "one-of-the-guys," for some car maintenance training. (especially if it's a MUSCLE car! hehe gotta love the sound of a REAL man's engine) i don't get offended w/ belching, spitting, or cursing. i can probably put some of my guy friends to shame in any of those areas. =P haha but speaking of friends... well, you can pretty much find me w/ people who have their heads on straight & like to enjoy life as much as i do. my friends are nothing but intelligent, positive people who love to laugh & clown around. & my family... well, what else can i say but i LOVE them. all of them, but esp. my baby brother Xander aka THE CUTEST LITTLE BOY IN THE WORLD. =) he is my heart, & he is gonna be the one to take over the world one day. haha oh, & my close friends are also considered part of "my extended family" so don't... well, just don't fuck w/ the fam-bam & we should be good. =) (c'mon, that's just an written rule right there!) oh yeah! one more thing: don't forget to check out my homegirl
she will definitely hook you up w/ some CLEAN ass braids. i mean, if you're gonna get G'd up from the feet up, you might as well have the best braids! feel me??? haha seriously though, Utopia really is THE BEST BRAIDER. i swear, i REFUSE to go to anyone else. (damn, already givin' away free endorsements.. haha j/k!)
well, thanks to whoever is actually still reading this, (you do love me, don't ya? i knew it! haha) but i think that's all you really "need to know" for now. the rest you're just gonna have to find out on your own. =) (but that is NOT an invitation to the ugly. haha only the beautiful! haha i'm j/k. seriously though: "stalker status" on myspace is NOT PIMPIN'! haha) later for you.
"Anyone who thinks my story is anywhere near over is sadly mistaken." - Donald Trump -
Who I'd like to meet:
GOD BLESS...
Tony Tolua
Rest In Peace
My Gentle Giant
May 10, 1982 - April 8, 2001
In Loving Memory...
"Simple Moments"
Simple moments are sedated with simple sentiments
And yet, simple attempts at tenderness
Disintegrate within a single night's vigil
And then
EMPTINESS
It was like I tried to
Remember when
I didn't have to
Wrap a dozen red incentives
To place upon your bed
And like I tried to
Relive the last seconds when
I didn't have to
Kiss you through Baby's Breath
And I pray my God forgives me
'Cause I'm still Cursin' Him out for your death
But then again,
I am still blessed
With simple moments
NO---more like,
Just simply golden
Are my simple tokens of YOUR happiness.
yes! i am. but ill be leaving bright and early wednesday morning. ill be back sometime in august i believe. this trip was only a short one. next time it will be longer so ill have more days to chill.
Tony
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