Was I missed?  Did the queue that I left you at least keep you from suicide and soften my absence from Tumblr yesterday?  I hope so.  I’d hate for anyone to kill themselves over me.  Actually…that’s a lie…that would be totally awesome.  Not because someone died, but it would seriously be an ego boost; I can’t lie.

Most of my twelve hours in San Jose were spent at a cool event at Independence High School that was part martial arts tournament, part hip hop battle, part breakdancin/b-boy/b-girl battle, part tricking competition.  It was energetic and there were a lot of talented martial artists and b-boys and b-girls participating.  It also made me feel old because there were times were I thought the music was too loud, the outfits were too crazy, the piercings were too weird, and the dancing was too outrageous.  Also, I got tired just from watching.  I really am turning into an old woman.

The event was packed with participants, competitors, and spectators, though.  There were tons of people — tons of young people — and the groups were diverse, but there were no problems, everyone was respectful, everything was peaceful, and the competition was tough, yet everyone shook hands and hugged afterwards because it was all in good fun, for the love of the art, and peaceful.  It’s good to see something this take place without any major issues or violence or even disrespect.

I’ll post some pics throughout the day that I took.  They are high-quality and taken half-heartedly with my state-of-the-art Samsung camera phone, so you will feel like you were right there in the midst of the action if you close your eyes while looking at it and imagine that you are right there in the midst of the action rather than viewing a photo that appears as if it was taken through gauze of a foggy city on fire, shot by Michael J. Fox as he’s being hugged by Muhammad Ali.  Yes, the photos are THAT good.

In closing, I want to give some love to the crew at Capitol Roots, which is a fantastic urban arts studio and events production company based out of Sacramento.  I hooked up with them yesterday through my friend, Cali, and they adopted me and I’m looking forward to working with them in the future on some cool projects.  Don’t let anything I’ve said in the past taint what I’m saying about Capitol Roots right now.  They do great things for the community, their artists are top-notch, their martial artists do things that I couldn’t even dream of doing even when I was young and talented, and the role models who lead the group of young artists involved in Capitol Roots are inspiring a very positive movement amongst urban youth here in Sacramento — giving these kids and young adults an opportunity to follow their passion, be creative, perform with the gifts that they’ve been given, and use all of that energy in a thoughtful, visual, exciting way.  I know I don’t do “serious” too often, but seriously, this is a great organization that does something important to me — takes kids off the streets, gives them the opportunity to use the gifts that they have, and makes something entertaining for all people in the process.  Check out their website at www.capitolroots.com for more information, check locally for similar groups in your area that makes it possible for inner-city kids to explore their talents in hip hop, breakdancing, popping, locking, tricking, turfing, krumping, and martial arts in a positive and respectful manner.

So, thanks again to Capitol Roots for adopting me and making me an honorary member.  It looks like my honorary membership might result in, you know, actually doing stuff, so I’ll earn my keep.  Also, I should thank the Capitol Roots leadership and my buddy Cali for making me an honorary Filipino, too.  The last time there were that many Asians gathered in one place, millions of math problems were tragically solved and thousands of Hondas were poorly driven.  (Yes, I made two…count them TWO…cheap, stereotypical Asian jokes in one sentence.  Oh yes, I am back, Tumbleros.)  I can’t deny that I felt somewhat out-of-place yesterday in San Jose before being adopted as an honorary Filipino.

Interestingly, upon becoming an honorary Filipino, I instantly became related to every single person in South Sacramento, San Jose, Fremont, Hayward, Oakland, San Francisco, Livermore, Salinas, Alameda, Pleasanton, Martinez, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Richmond, and, obviously, Vallejo.  It was quite amazing how many whole roasted pig dinners I have invitations to for the remainder of 2009.  I’ll never be hungry again…find me if you need some lumpias at lunch.

Yo…Capitol Roots, represent.