My sister Jackie, cousins Jesse and Sam in Hawaii

Just came across these photos of my sister and cousins visiting me this summer.
We all fit into my small studio apartment and somehow never had a problem.
they slept on my floor on fold out mat beds. Good times.

Mahalo means Thank you in Hawaiian

Mahalo to my Big Blood Brother Bob who taught me how to be STRONG than most.
Mahalo to my Brother James Lynch who taught me how to have an insatiable appetite for life and dope information.
Mahalo to my Brother Mike Vargas who taught me how to meet ladies.
Mahalo to my Brother Noah Todd who taught me how to get tech with computer graphics and organize my dolla billz.
Mahalo to my HomeGirl Marisa who taught me how to eat FRESH!
Mahalo to my BrothaMan Eric LIndveit who taught me everything I know about working with wood and how to use a tape measure to the 1/32nd.... and how to make shit TITS...and for teaching me the concept of being Hyper Aware especially when using deadly machines like a table saw.
Mahalo to my Brother Ethan Lau and Christian Hosoi who taught me how to skate with style, Power, and Breath.
Mahalo to my Man Zach who is currently teaching me how to organize my time and incoming information.
Mahalo to my Mom Carol for Being the Best Loving Generous Mom and teaching me how to be good.
I can keep going.
But I'll save it for later.
ALOHA YALL.
Signing off
-MANNY SKATE DA SURFA ARTIST
P.S.
the photo I posted is a the cover illustration I did for
this weeks Honolulu Weekly Newspaper....
which is like NYC's Village Voice.
I'm stoked to see my drawing all over the city and island.

JAMES AND NOAH,

Click on the photos. It enlarges them.
The wave photo is a small day on the North Shore near Banzai Pipeline. This is 2ft. on the Hawaiian wave height scale.



Todays blog goes out to my two brothers James and Noah not just becuase they are the only two people who read my blog at this point, but because these two guys make me feel good. I am stoked and proud to have them as best friends.
I've known James since I was 4 years old, and Noah since 11 or 12. They are both super talented and are my role models, counselors, therapists, and two of my closest friends.

Dear James and Noah,
I am happy to say that at the moment I am actually happy. I like my job, my chick and I are getting along, I am skating, surfing, and creating... and can't remember the last time I was an emotional wreck.

I am currently working at the Honoolulu Weekly newspaper and learning a lot.
The Weekly is like the Village Voice of Honolulu.

Two weeks ago I did my first cover illustration for their smaller sister paper, "The Hawaiian Island Journal" (a paper for the Big Island) which is the photo I put up.

and I just did the Weekly's cover this week. It comes out in two days. I'll post it as soon as it come out.
It will be the most my artwork was ever reproduced.

What else....?

Next month I am pretty positive I will be the featured artist in the local surf magazine "Free Surf"

I'll send you guys a copy when it comes out.
============================================
The place I used to skate with James and Noah in 1985 and 86 was a place we called "The Courts"
A group of 3 tennis courts, a basket ball court, and one racket ball wall with court.
We skated there from junior high into high school.

We would rush down there everyday after school to skate jump ramps that we built.... we couldn't wait.
The skate to this spot was all down hill and was fun too. The uphill walk back home was time to reflect on how much fun we just had or what we just learned or what we wanted to learn.
============================================
I got a few surf and skate spots that are my todays "Courts"... that I am always so stoked and anxious to get busy at...
and I think of you both every time because it is the same feeling as back then.

With the good eventually comes the bad.
that aint right now though... so I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Shout out to James and Noah
Singning off.
Manny Skate Da Surfa Artist

SURF THOUGHTS

I'm sure everyone in living in Honolulu Hawaii has their romantic story of the best sunset or love moment... I sure as hell do... intimate surf moments when I got sexual with waves. Memories always have a tendency to be emotionally magnified.

There is my favorite surf spot on the south side of oahu called... well i'm not going to tell you the name of the spot directly, but lets just say its name means "to kill yourself" and most people call it" Sooeez. Well at this surf spot I hands down get the longest rides, best lip cracks, and cut backs with ease. This is also the spot that I have heard of the most shark sightings... dorsal fin sitings that is.

The name of the spot right next to it means "the place where people are buried". Sorry I really don't want to ruin my favorite spots, but I'm pretty much telling you. If you can't figure it out you aint sherlock holmes enough. At this "cousin' spot" we call the sauce you put on mash potatoes, "Gravies", about a hunderd yards away, from "Sooeez" my good friend Ethan who is a super stylish surfer and skater... probably the most stylish on the island of oahu...
this ill and noble friend of mine saw a shark behind me as I heard it thrash a splash.

Back to Sooeez though this wave is a sexy young lady with boomin' curves.
She's got Mouth watering juice. My magic moments at "Sooeez" are dropping in on a set wave... about a 10 ft face, ... that's 3 ft Hawaiian scale and just riding it and carving it all calm...another time getting barrelled on a mini head high wave. but the best moment I remember was doing a solid floater and the lip breaking sending me back down the face even faster than I was already going..

Plus all my favorite friends surf these two spots.
its like a party out there...
better than a barbeque because no one's gotta clean up.

Aloha Everyone.
Signing off.
Manny Skate DA Surfa Artist.
BREWSKI SKRIPTURES

Skate Memory

I had fun learning lookup judo airs after Hosoi from Street Style in Tempe.
Learned them in my friend Mike's drive way
when I was in 8th grade.
Maybe 1986 or 87
He had a rad street ramp

I don't know what feels better.
Tucking hard tryin' to go 50 down a hill
in the lead racing your friends
or doing a frontside smith in a deep end charging as fast as can.

Its late.
I'm feelin' romantic.

carving a bigger wave than self with finesse...
that feels good too.

hot damn.
GoodNight.
10/01/07
Manny Skate Da Surfa Artist

Going Going and LAY BACK.

"Going Going!"
'thats what a local Hawaiian surfer tells you when he's giving you a wave.
He says it fast, "Going Going" almost sounding like Go in Go in!
Maybe that's what he's saying...
maybe ladies say it too, but I never heard it come out of their mouth...
Girls are usually more calm and say, "You can have it" with a smile...

LAY BACK MEANS LAY BACK

Pitted-Surf slang- to get barrelled, tubed

two drawings i did today.
gotta fix nose wheelie right foot, I drew it backwards.

Quit my Job

Quit my job at the sign shop doing graphics work.
Gotta work extra hard on the dream.
even thougn I just wann surf and kick back.
reality of needin' the dollar bill may noose my neck and drag me in a direction I don't like.
I gotta remember this when I'm Kickin' back too hard.

Just hung some artwork in store called Urban Jungle in Waikiki.
Its kind of hidden and I'm not sure if many people will see my work.
but It was a good excersize in making art and getting it out.

Hung small paintings close to each other...
mini salon style.
Pictures tomorrow.
Next I have to paint for a show at the Honolulu Art Academy.
got 10 days to inspire myself and this art community.

Making art and displaying it is like skating a pool session.
when you drop in the bowl, you are tryin' to stoke yourself, and all the others waiting to drop in.
An art show just adds to the energy of the art session that goes on at the gallery zone.

Gotta Sesh.

Chargin'

Hello my very close friends.
The only people that know about this site are super close to me so...
I know.

Song I'm listening to right now: "Elements of Danger" by MSTRKRFT.

To day was classic.
I was emotionally distressed so I breathed deep and stepped onto my skateboard and headed to the skatepark down the street.

I am lucky to have it so nearby.(Literally 2 blocks away)

I decided to cruise the park as fast as I could handle and try shit.
and just go fuck yeah into every manuever... and it worked.

My longest running homeboy James has been texting me to learn inverts with him, so I started learning them today. I did them better than I ever have before.

I should have them down soon if I keep practicing.

Skateboarding, Surfing, and Art making never fail to save my life.
I must say that skateboarding is my number 1 savior.
Thank you to the wheel.

Sometimes I wanna go so fast that If I bail I skim the surface going who cares how fast and burn skin into blood... its a super sweet burn... Like HOt SAUCE.
I DO NOT LIKE TO BREAK BONES AMEN.

ALOHA TO ALL THAT CARE.
MANNY SKATE DA SURFA ARTIST.

Made it Past Aloha Friday.
Now its Aloha Saturday.
Here is a photo of some essentials.
Bike, Surfboard, shades and shorts.

I love this Quad Fin, but its time for a new board.
Savin'up.
Back to painting and da music.
-Manny Skate Da Surfa Artist

More Surf JOurnAL thoughts.

LIFE IS A Alive with a mind of its own.
YOU never know where it will turn... know matter how predictable you may think it is.
Its all waves.
Sometimes they are there and sometimes not.
Just gotta be patient...
or know how to find them.
One of the biggest lessons I learned from surfing is to
Know where to be and when...
Know where the waves are and why.
Somethin' Li-Dat.

More Surf JOurn

Poetree Movement

My first sold design. To Jef Hartsel's company Poetree Movement.
I did the t-shirt and ashtray that says the company name written in the tree.

Surf Thoughts

When surfin North Shore there's been a few times when I said to myself, "I could die right now if I stopped tryin' to keep my head above water". Some surfers say that when your gettin' tossed and held under, you just relax... well at some point after relaxin' you gotta swim and try to get yourself outta there, or somewhere not underwater. Which means trying with all your might to hold whatever breath you have left and swim to the surface.
It was kind of interesting to feel that experience, that I could die if I wanted too.
I guess I wanna live.
Being on land is a lot more confusing to me than being in the water. Because when you're surfin' its all about having fun and wanting to live... Land is a lot more complicated.

well on another note, ABOVE is one friend on land that I hang with and that I surf, skate, and create with. His name is Ethan Lau. I will probably have some stories to tell you about him later.

Marisa Ibrahim

This is my chick Marisa. She pushes me to work on my art. I work on my art to get hot chicks, and Marisa is the hot chick that I love. When things between us start going sour, its usually because I'm not happy with myself because I'm not working on my art hard enough. She's there for me when I'm down but I don't rely on her for that. Because eventually, I would suck her energy and take her down. I believe that everyone is responsible for making themeselves happy...then you shine light and inspire and are not a parasite.

She also teaches me how to feed my body right, how not to abuse my body,
and helps me discipline myself... pushes me to focus.
Mad Aloha to Miss Marisa Ibrahim.

My friend Noah

This is my man Noah Todd. We have been friends since about 11 years old. The best is when your role models are your friends. And Noah is one of mine. He is a master of organization and handling business.He owns a beautiful apartment in Brooklyn,New York,
and has his own video production company called Marble and Clay. From him I learn how to organize my life and how to focus my talents. In return I share with him my surf knowledge,and possibly how to hang loose. I guess friends fulfill the gaps in our lives. Big ups, Respect, and Mad Aloha to you Brother Noah.

From the Bottom up

Hello everyone. This blog is to monitor my growth from the bottom to somewhere up.
Things are not too bad at the moment, but of course I want to handle life better.
Where am I at now? In Honolulu, Hawaii. Have an apartment with my girlfriend Marisa. Surfin' about three times a week. Workin' as a graphics guy at a sign shop, skateboarding, and making art.
The way I see it...
The reason for living is to give. If you're waitin' for something or someone to make you happy, you're foolin' yourself. We gotta make ourselves happy.

Art is the only thing that's gonna save my ass and take me anywhere. That and giving to my woman Marisa because she gives me what I can't give myself. Art and my knowledge of surf and skate is what I can offer to the world... Surfing is a golden gift from the Hawaiians and the Ocean. Skateboarding is my roots and backbone. Skateboarding, surfing, and art making supply me with metaphors on life... how to be in the moment, how practice makes perfect, how to face my fears put them aside and trust my instincts....
I will share my discoveries as they come.

This blog is to join the party of The Dream Followers of the World, and to share my trials and tribulations. To let y'all know that you are not alone. Or to not feel alone myself... and to share parts of my personal life to my friends and family.
Enough said for now. Gotta get movin'.
Stay Light.
Aloha.
(Aloha means Love)