Thursday, April 10, 2014

Two Worlds?

"You are in a changing world and you should know both worlds."

Those words were uttered by a retired teacher. and i know it should'nt bother me, but they do. He didn't mean anything by them to offend me at all. Maybe i am just easily bothered or my patience for teachers is very short. I don't know what it is. But let me try to explain:

When i graduated from high school
and teacher, a good teacher,
said to us in his speech:

"you are starting now, you are entering the world
you have started in a life that you can now decide what you want"

The key words there: entering the world.
I have been part of this world right from the minute i was born.
I am the world. I am a citizen. I am breathing and
using up the world's resources.

I have been a teacher and i oddly consider myself as a teacher
up to today.

and we assume that the students are not yet able to contribute or
be part of the process.

And the changing world? two worlds?

Well, he should have assumed that we live in one world
that this is all one ecosystem

The phrase of two worlds got me to thinking that
that is what separates us from each other,
the thinking that there are two worlds
that we cannot fit into either one

I love the world that i live in
it is fabulous, it is full of knowledge
it is full of adventure
even in small towns such as Pang
same in bigger cities of the world

There is no Inuit world
or a qallunaaq world
or a chinese world
or an american world
neither canadian

we are all one.

so, if you are a student and have thought about
two worlds, i hate to shatter your worlds,
you are the same scum and beauty
that this world is.


Saturday, April 5, 2014

Article 23

I wrote this back in 2009, August. I hope i didn't post it on this blog already.

To get the best effect, listen to Naughty by Nature's OPP.


been thinking about it, been floating the idea around my head
so, what you think? i'm hoping to make your eyes blink
because if you have a number like i do, with letters NTI attached to it
you are more likely to be afflicted, severely affected.
i'm not sure about the exact history of it, and why they thought it
but i assure you they had good intentions and i'm not trying to create tensions
this is part of law, a federal law, which requires that the amount of Inuit participation
should be at a representative level, which at the current population of Inuit,
say 85%. 85% 85% 85% which is hard to reach at the present

Hey Paul K, you down with Article 23 (yeah you know it)
Hey Paul O, you down with Article 23 (yeah you know it)
Hey Jean Chretien, you down with Article 23 (yeah you know it)
Hey Leona, you down with Article 23 (yeah you know it)
are you down with article 23? do you think it was free? 
if i were having a job because of it, i'd go on a shopping spree
are you down with Article 23?

all them government employees who are inuit, thanks to this, you have a job
the government is obligated to have preferential treatment, which is supposed to alleviate
our livelihood, out economic status as individuals, do you circumvent?
have you read your departments Inuit employment plans? 
or have you been on the computer and googling the mating acts of japan?
and coincidentally enough (or is it?) on December 10 of 1948, United Nations
enacted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and guess what, it has are article 23
which states that everyone has the right to employment, and you have the right to enjoy it
everyone, thanks to article 23, has the right to form trade unions to protect his interests.

Hey Vladimir Putin, you down with Article 23 (yeah you know it)
Hey Barack O, you down with Article 23 (yeah you know it)
Hey Ban Ki-moon, you down with Article 23 (yeah you know it)
Hey Chavez, you down with Article 23 (yeah you know it)
are you down with article 23? do you think it was free? 
if i were having a job because of it, i'd go on a shopping spree
are you down with Article 23?

Friday, April 4, 2014

Being an Inuit Representative

I haven't blogged about me being elected into a political position.

Back in December of 2013, I got elected
as a Community Director For Qikiqtani Inuit Association
Representing Pangnirtung

I am really enjoying my position and the people that work with
are really good and keep me informed, most of the time.

There comes a time when the people you represent,
ask of you for information, to act on their behalf
to bring up an issue.

There are times when you feel worthless and that
you are not doing enough for your community
that you could do more

And then there are times when you just shrug
your shoulders and say, i cannot do much about that
and just leave it as is

I feel like i have a civic duty for my community
that i have to keep them informed
that they should feel included in the process

You need to have a pretty thick skin though

you need to be able to deal with
all sorts of requests
all sorts of people
all sorts of papers
and all sorts of bullshit

But in then end,
you really got to feel that you are doing it for your community
the people that elected you
the people that wanted to see you there
the people that need the help

And you got to enjoy it
be happy that you are in the position that you are in

So, to end this:

I am happy

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Rumi of the North

I have been on about a two year break from reading and writing.

It feels that i was in a relationship that just didn't nurture the spirit of reading and writing.

I loved her and I still do, some relationships just work and some don't.

So now I am back. Maybe with a vengeance. And I have been feeling like I have to write and I have been getting some books from Chapters through the mail. Its good. I am liking it, and i want to keep doing so.

Yesterday, through the mail, I received some books of poems by Rumi. I got about 4 books of his poems. They are translations from his language (Persian) into English. He is from the Twelfth century.

He has poems that are just beautiful.

"Humble living does not diminish. It fills.
Going back to a simpler self gives wisdom.

"When a man makes up a story for his child,
he becomes a father and a child
together, listening."


Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Big Scary Eskimo with an Indian Name

You look like an abnormally large Japanese.

I think the title and the first line are the funniest things that one ugly person has ever wrote to me. I find them very funny. I'm sorry if you are very sensitive and find this offensive, because i am simply trying to express my joy in being called those things.

These awesomely funny words
might seem racist if you don't know me
and they might sound
insensitive and basically rude

But they are from a person, who has the same
awesome sense of humour as i do

I call him the most ugly person
this world has ever produced
that the world should be writing him
thank you letters for never producing an offspring.

But the thing is, we have a real understanding
what is acceptable and what is not
we are really good friends and unfortunately
he dates my little sister

He is an alright guy. He is pretty funny.
he paid for my dinner last time i had dinner with him
and then he ditched me couple nights in a row
so that he can hang out with my little sister
so that kinda makes me happy

You see, this world needs people like him,
who can take any insult and take it by stride
be proud of himself enough
that words can hurt him but knows
which words hurt and who they are coming from

This young man, I've said worst things to him
and he still want to be my friend.


Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Connection

Have you just ever been connected?

There are people we meet sometimes,
that we just feel connected to, from our thoughts
to our work, but most importantly
through love

I am completely connected to a person
we think the same way
we have the same sense of humour
we can feel each other's pain

from a single word uttered,
from a single text exchanged
from a single glance of faces

We know what the other is thinking
feeling and doing

I seriously have never had this connection
where the person means so much
where i am completely affected
where i finish the sentence
and think that's what we thought

I know that its love

often times, we have talked
and followed through with the same thought
just worded differently

our bodies seems were designed for each other
our laughs are followed by more laughter
our embrace followed by wanting more

I have never been more connected like that
love flows through so easily
words are connected like puzzle blocks

And i used to think i was in love before.

Monday, February 3, 2014

High And Mighty

There a comes a time in a man's employment
when he just has had enough of all the bullshit
when he just feels that it is too much and just writes about it on his blog.

Ok, i have been quiet about this.
I think i used to be like that before,
being racist and had an attitude towards other races
as if they don't deserve the respect

But, fortunately i have matured.
although, not by much. but i have much better understanding
and its in the matter of how you approach people
we all have jobs

i have co workers that just slam
the qallunaaq co workers
speak inuktitut to them as if they understand
when they really have no clue

but a rude attitude is a rude attitude
in any language

just because you live here and work here
as an inuk.
does not give you a right to be a bitch about it
does not give you a right
to talk down to people
in any language that you speak

you are not the absolute
these qallunaaq's you speak so rudely to,
are here because they want to be, not
because they want your job

they are genuine people, people with
hearts, heartbreaks, issues of their own,
children, family and spouses

sometimes, i seriously just want to slap you
because they're our friends, families and everything else in between
some people just really need to learn
the concept of love, generosity and empowerment