Da Shores

Da "Shores" aka La Jolla Shores. A fairly mild beach break wave that can get epic 1-2 times a year, usually after big swell events that manage to rearrange all the sand in the lineup. Truth be told, there was a lot of good to really good days out there this winter. Plenty beat downs, hold downs, and epic rides stored in the memory bank.

photo: riding my 9'1" Paddle Surf Hawaii Ripper

"Shores" is also my daily before work, dawn patrol action surf spot. In the water before the sun comes up, surf for about an hour to hour half and I'm out and at work by 8:30am. I like surfing in between or off the edge of the main packs of laydown surfers, usually catching the waves that swing wide or picking off the insiders. Hey, it's better than sitting, waiting and cold just hoping a set rolls through and 3 people don't drop in on you.

photo: NW swell, South winds and 5 guys ready to snake you!

There's some guys who take pictures every once in a while and I think it's really cool when I get to see a picture of myself. Not because I like seeing myself, I actually think seeing pictures of yourself surfing helps you learn and perfect your technique. That's the reason I liked my Go Pro so much. When you think you nail a turn, watch it back in video and realize you got some chicken wings. Haha!

photo: compression is key! this is what not to do! haha

Anyway, if you're in the area, don't be afraid to try the "Shores". Surf with aloha, have fun and it's all good!!

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Chopstix Too - Lunch Time Grinds!

Today I had a random craving for some Japanese food. My office is in Kearny Mesa... yes, Asian food central! Chopstix Too was the call. Why? Their food is so ono and best of all, CHEAP!

Chicken Katsu and Spicy Tuna roll combo was the choice! 6 pieces of Spicy Tuna goodness, about 10 pieces of panko covered chicken (with Katsu sauce) and choke rice... all for under $7. It actually comes with salad, but I had to go straight Hawaiian style and request "all rice".

photo - broke da mouth!

If you're in the area, check it out:
Chopstix Too Sushi & Teriyaki
4380 Kearny Mesa Road
San Diego, CA 92111-3786
858) 565-1288

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South Winds and Sashimi Fingers

Woke up to some smoking south winds this morning. There's only a handful of spots that handle south winds, so that's where I went.

The paddle out was fricken brutal! Major current and no lulls in the sets meant that getting your ass kicked in the shorebreak wasn't a matter of if, but when. I ended up drifting about 75 yards before I made it out and just as I made it out, I spotted a set swinging wide with all the laydown surfers scrambling. Scratched over the first wave and spun around for the second, which ended up being a roping, grinding right. On my paddle back out, I was in a little incident which ended up giving me some sashimi fingers.

photo: I didn't need that skin anyway

Well, at least it's my fingers and not my head. Long story short, my board ended up flipping on me and my fins decided that I had some skin on my fingers that I didn't really need. Let me remind you that this was after my FIRST wave. Going in wasn't an option... not after I got beatdown in the shorebreak. haha!

I got to meet a cool local braddah named Chris. Sorry Chris, I didn't get your last name. We talked stories and saw him catch a few roping waves. It's definitely fun to watch an experienced surfer/SUP'er rip and I wish I still had my Go Pro to get some footage. Maybe next time bah!

I also got to catch up Nelz in the parking lot. I spotted him early this morning at the main peak catching some bombs. He said Manny Vargas was out shooting water shots of him. Got to meet Manny and see some shots he took today and it looked killer!

Check out Manny's website: http://www.mannyvphoto.com/
Manny's shots from today: http://www.mannyvphoto.com/Surf-Photography/Surf-Sessions/May-22-2010/12272626_qhnfd#875269158_WJytD

Overall, good day with some good people! Aurrrryte!!!

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Tahitian Drumming - Tō'ere

Ok, so if you've ever seen a live Tahitian performance before, you've probably never noticed the people drumming the beats, right??? C'mon, admit it... HAHA!!!

Well, in my free time, I do Tahitian drumming. There are several different instruments in a Tahitian drumming group and I play the tō'ere. Here's a quick tō'ere crash course...

photo: milo tō'ere - front side

The tō'ere (toe-wed-day) is a Tahitian percussion instrument hand-made from a single hollowed-out piece of wood, typically milo (me-low). Depending on the desired sound, tō'ere's can range in size from 2ft (higher pitch) to 6ft (low/deep pitch) in length. The tō'ere is played one-handed using a ra'au, or tapered stick carved from Tahitian or Hawaiian ironwood. A single tō'ere can produce multiple tones based on where the tō'ere is hit and with what part of the stick it is hit with.

photo: milo tō'ere - back side - little flame lookin' grain

photo: ironwood ra'au - 16 1/2" in length

I play 2 tō'ere's: a bigger "lead" tō'ere and a smaller tō'ere piti, meaning "two" or "second" in Tahitian. The tō'ere piti can be played with 2 ra'au, like a normal drum, but it is more commonly played in the horizontal position (using a single ra'au) to provide a high pitched sound in a Tahitian beat.

photo: lead tō'ere and tō'ere piti (both made of milo)

In "modern" Tahitian drumming style, at least 3 tō'ere drummers will play in a group, but they all have a different pehe, or a predetermined interlocking beat. The 3 main pehe are: mua (ahead), ropu (middle) and muri (behind). When these 3 pehe's are played at the same time, it creates the effect of a bigger drum sound, so 3 tō'ere's might sound like 5 or 6. Yup, it's confusing. Hearing 1 person play a tō'ere is not that impressive, but put that person with a few other tō'ere drummers and you'll be able to hear the intricacies of the tō'ere beats.

photo: the inside of a hand-carved tō'ere

The tō'ere in all of these pictures is my new drum. It was made by a family friend in Kea'au, Hawai'i. It was made from Hawaiian milo and the carvings at the top and bottom of the tō'ere are called the hei, or the lei around the head of the tō'ere. The plant leaves carved above the tō'ere opening represents the kou tree.

photo: the leaves represent the kou tree

photo: hand-carved hei design

Here's a few of my favorite tō'ere videos. See if you can hear the different pehe's... good luck!

video: Tevakanui of Las Vegas
good example of different pehe's at 5:14 (in order: mua, ropu, muri)

video: Heretama Nui from Oahu, Hawai'i

One of the craziest 'oro'oro's I've heard:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLdgQt0twN8

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Expanding The Horizon!

Sorry guys, things are getting busy, especially with our wedding coming up in a couple months (July 24 on the Big Island)! Invitations, reservations, deposits, photographers, flowers... you name it, we're doing it. A wedding planner would be fricken awesome, but we can't afford that luxury. Luckily, we have family helping us out big time, so if any of you guys are reading this: mahalo nui loa!

After some thought, I think I'm going to start blogging about some non-surf related activities in addition to my stand up paddle surf ramblings/rants/useless info. I know, I know... Cubicle Surfer, let's talk surf dammit!! Well, that would be awesome if I was traveling the world and SUPing insane spots in Indo, French Polynesia, Mexico, Australia, Hawai'i... but there's a lot more to me than just surfing. The ocean is a big part of my life, but so is spending time with my better half and having fun doing non-surf stuff. It's time to expand the horizons!

I'm sure I'll have more to say regarding our upcoming wedding, our honeymoon trip to Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora and my other non-surf hobbies. Thanks for bearing with me guys!!!

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