Heard of Def Tech before? They are by far one of the most phenomenal musical duos in Japan. Their rise to fame is exponential! Literally from zero to hero!
I was introduced to thier music by some Japanese friends of mine, and i must say that i was totally blown away! Their brand of music is know as "Jawaiian." From what i gather, "Jawaiian" incorporates Jamaican & Hawaiian raggae music, Japanese J-pop, as well as Hip Hop/R&B. It's a smooth blend of musical styles, to me at least. But what really impressed me was the things that they sing about. They're not just a bunch of boyband wannabes who sing only about love, relationships and sex (although I don't think that's a very bad thing either), rather, they sing about issues like discrimination, women's rights friendship etc.
One of the Def Tech members, Micro, happens to be a very active SGI member as well, which probably explains lyrics.
I love the SGI!
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Saturday, October 07, 2006
Monday, October 02, 2006
Book review...
What can i say about "The Buddha, Geoff and Me?" It's an awesome book! Buddhism equals daily life is being incorporated into this book perfectly. It is a Buddhist book written in a non-Buddhist fashion; it totally defies the stereotype about Buddhism that most people might have. The author is Edward Canfor-Dumas, a very active SGI-UK member. A significant point to note about the book's publication day, Thursday, July 7th, 2005, is that it coincided not only with the terrorist attacks in London but also with the opening of the "Gandhi, King & Ikeda Peacebuilders" exhibition in The Harlequin shopping centre.
Below is the summary of the story written at the back of the book:
'Ed is having a hard time at work, in his love life and, well, generally. Then he meets an unlikely Buddhist who drinks and smokes and talks his kind of language. Bit by bit, things begin to change... Ed doesn’t always take Geoff’s advice. Or, when he does he lapses at the crucial moment. His path to understanding is not a straight one, especially as life keeps throwing more and more ‘stuff’ at him. Often he fails like most of us, in fact. But sometimes he manages to get it right. And when he does, surprising things begin to happen...'
To give a brief description, the novel is set in London during the summer of 2000 and follows protagonist Ed, whose life is falling apart. While looking for solace in a pub during lunchtime, he gets roped in to help Geoff, who has taken it upon himself to flush out the blocked tank in the gents' toilet, in completing his task. Opening the cover of a blocked sewage tank and plunging an arm into the vile contents to clear a blockage might sound like unusual behaviour for a spiritual teacher, but that is exactly what the friendly Buddhist Geoff does in the opening scene. It's not a pleasant job but, as Geoff explains, it needed doing and he wasn't prepared to ignore it, as the stench was affecting everyone in the pub.
At first Ed's problems seem to get worse, but he receives unexpected advice from Geoff who explains some of the principles of Nichiren Buddhism to him. As Ed struggles to deal with his problems, Geoff's wisdom starts to make sense, in spite of Ed's cynical attitude towards religion. Geoff is not a monk or a priest, he is but an ordinary working man living in the real world. Although they aren't old friends, Ed would somehow always look for Geoff and pour his problems out.
Through Geoff, Ed also got to meet a Buddhist recruitment consultant who encourages him to become a best-selling writer by following Buddhist principles.
I shall not divulge too much of the story. However, to me, one of the factors that made me so attracted to this book was the way Buddhist principles were being explained. For example, does any one of you have any idea what WCC is? No? Well, go find out for yourself! :-)
Oh, and by the way, i'll let you in on a little secret embedded in this book. The opening letters, the ones that are in bold capital letters, of each chapter (there are 16 chapters by the way), form a really wonderful word. I strongly urge all of you to get a copy of this book! Please don't just read it, enjoy and learn from it to the maximum!
Below is the summary of the story written at the back of the book:
'Ed is having a hard time at work, in his love life and, well, generally. Then he meets an unlikely Buddhist who drinks and smokes and talks his kind of language. Bit by bit, things begin to change... Ed doesn’t always take Geoff’s advice. Or, when he does he lapses at the crucial moment. His path to understanding is not a straight one, especially as life keeps throwing more and more ‘stuff’ at him. Often he fails like most of us, in fact. But sometimes he manages to get it right. And when he does, surprising things begin to happen...'
To give a brief description, the novel is set in London during the summer of 2000 and follows protagonist Ed, whose life is falling apart. While looking for solace in a pub during lunchtime, he gets roped in to help Geoff, who has taken it upon himself to flush out the blocked tank in the gents' toilet, in completing his task. Opening the cover of a blocked sewage tank and plunging an arm into the vile contents to clear a blockage might sound like unusual behaviour for a spiritual teacher, but that is exactly what the friendly Buddhist Geoff does in the opening scene. It's not a pleasant job but, as Geoff explains, it needed doing and he wasn't prepared to ignore it, as the stench was affecting everyone in the pub.
At first Ed's problems seem to get worse, but he receives unexpected advice from Geoff who explains some of the principles of Nichiren Buddhism to him. As Ed struggles to deal with his problems, Geoff's wisdom starts to make sense, in spite of Ed's cynical attitude towards religion. Geoff is not a monk or a priest, he is but an ordinary working man living in the real world. Although they aren't old friends, Ed would somehow always look for Geoff and pour his problems out.
Through Geoff, Ed also got to meet a Buddhist recruitment consultant who encourages him to become a best-selling writer by following Buddhist principles.
I shall not divulge too much of the story. However, to me, one of the factors that made me so attracted to this book was the way Buddhist principles were being explained. For example, does any one of you have any idea what WCC is? No? Well, go find out for yourself! :-)
Oh, and by the way, i'll let you in on a little secret embedded in this book. The opening letters, the ones that are in bold capital letters, of each chapter (there are 16 chapters by the way), form a really wonderful word. I strongly urge all of you to get a copy of this book! Please don't just read it, enjoy and learn from it to the maximum!
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