Old Blogs from 2009 (September 1-29)
// May 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized
ME Day
Today was my day and I am so glad I made this day all about me. If you’re keeping then you know I took all of the morning and good portion of the afternoon for myself. By the time I left for West LA to go hang out with my friends I made the choice to just take the entire day for myself. I packed my bag and got my bike ready to head down to West LA and I was even going to do something I had not done in over two months. Yep, it’s been two months since I have been down to the beach.
Now two months may not seem like a long time to many but for someone like me two days is a long time not to get down to the beach and I have been away for over two months. WOW, was it nice to just spend time on the beach with just me, myself and I. However I didnt get there right away. I hung out for a while and had lunch with Andy and his sister Ana. That was sweet, she is pretty funny and a damn good cook too. She made me a veggie burger, yes I said a veggie burger and I enjoyed it. Stop laughing!!
At around 6:30PM or so I made my way down to the beach. WOW, it felt so nice to be back on the West side and to be able to simply jump on my bike and be down at the beach in less then 15 minutes. I took my time getting down to the beach and when I got to 20th street I decided to take a detour and head down tot he church I grew up in. Calvary Baptist Church.
Calvary is the oldest Black church on the West side and is by far the largest Black church on the West side. It’s in Santa Monica and was built with a full educational center and a balcony which was not the norm for Black churches, but Calvary was not like any other Black church. As a kid growing up we called Calvary “the fashion show” because of all the high hats and high fashion that came through the double doors and many times the fashion came long after church had started.
Calvary was by far the church of choice for most Blacks from the Santa Monica and Venice areas. As a kid is was mostly people from Santa Monica and some families from Venice. Not too many people from other areas, but that’s not to say that people not from Santa Monica or Venice were not there. Back then Santa Monica was a sleepy town and people knew one another a far cry from what Santa Monica is today.
As a kid I recall the Evening Outlook which was Santa Monica’s newspaper, I even remember the Blue Bus or Big Blue as Blacks and Latinos called it was only 25 cents and 3rd Street was the only Mall Santa Monica knew of, there were coy ponds and people knew who their neighbors were. Santa Monica High was truly the Queen of the setting sun and for Home Coming there was a huge parade up Pico to the then very small Santa Monica College. The Viking Marching Band was the best band around and the Vikings were always on top of the Bay League. Yeah growing up in Santa Monica was cool and the people of Santa Monica were tops. Not at all like they are today.
As I rode my bike towards the beach I rode right by where A&W restaurant use to be, I recalled Lucy’s, All American Burger and Main street was a sleepy little street with Ma and Pop shops that were owned by residents who lived here, nothing at all like it is today. But I guess change is good right?
Once down to the beach I thought to myself no matter how much Santa Monica changes, no matter how much of the rich culture that use to call Santa Monica home and no matter how many people move here thinking they are the real Santa Monica I saw the most awesome sunset and I thought, with all the change the sunset remains the same.
While the sun was setting I made my way down to Venice and once again I noticed all the changes that have taken and are taken place down on the beach. A skate park is about to open, but one of the things that made Venice so cool was the roller skaters and the loud and cool music that they danced to, this has long been gone to make way for things that are more acceptable like a skate park, but again just like in Santa Monica I look out on the sand and I see what will never be changed, what will always be Venice, just like Santa Monica will always be Santa Monica. I saw the ending to an awesome sunset and surfers in the water enjoying the surf just like they did when I was a small kid growing up in Santa Monica bike riding down the bike trail to Venice beach to see my cousins and friends that lived there.
Just as I was about to leave and head back to my friends place I bumped into someone I have known pretty much my entire life, in fact it was no way we would not know each other because our parents went to Samohi together and our grandparents were even friends as well. So there was no way we could not have been friends.
Olivia’s family lived on Euclid, her family has lived in that same house for as long as I can remember and after talking with her today, they still live there and her grandparents still own the property on 19th street near Pico. I walked over to her and said hello and she smiled and jumped up just like we had never been out of touch. “Oh my God, Louis how are you doing? It is so good to see you. That smile is still the same as it has always been.”
I smiled back and said I am fine and we sat on the sand and spoke for a bit. She was married and has two three kids, but she is single now, well she is dating her childhood sweetie pie and like me she wishes how things never changed and how Santa Monica just isnt the same place we grew up in, but also like she now works a lot in the community and her singing in the church choir days are long gone, replaced with a love for humanity over community. She spoke about the community work she doesn and how she would not have it any other way. How she was happy with the work she created and could not wait to get back to New York to jump right back into what she now does.
She said she had heard all sorts of things about me from people we went to school with, but she said people that knew me and my family had nothing but nice things to say about me.
“Isnt it funny how some people will always be the same small minded people doing small minded things going through life doing nothing but the same old shit they did in school?” We both busted into laughter and I then started telling her about what I have been up to what I have been through and how things are for me right now. It was so cool laughing and talking with her and seeing what she has done with her life and how she gives back to humanity, how she cares very much in the same way as me and how today was a day for her.
She was in town for a family funeral and would be leaving on Thursday, but she gave me her cell phone and started to tell me her parents phone number and as she was doing so I quoted it to her and we both laughed. So much change around us, but certain things have remained the same. We talked for a bit more and then it was getting dark. I walked her to her car and we hugged each other and said how nice it was to see one another. She made me promise to stay in touch and in fact she has texted me twice to make certain I had her number.
I jumped back on my bike and headed back towards my friends place and I had this huge smile on my face as I rode past what will soon be the new Santa Monica Place Mall. Not because it will be a great mall or that I may or may not shop there,but because what the area means and holds for me. I recall the corner doughnut shop that was there, that served the best baked goods in town. I recall the green uniforms the staff wore and I recall how cool it was to sit up front at the counter and get Carnation Malts that only my grandma could make. The shop was owned by my grandparents. I rode past where Locke Dry Cleaners use to be that is now a loft buildings, old lady Johnson had a small candy store that is now a raw food place.
Once back at my friends place I smiled even bigger because I have tow awesome friends to share my memories with and they always seem to be all ears when I tell them how tings use to be here in Santa Monica. It’s cool how we share stories from our childhoods and how we grew up worlds apart but some things are just the same.
Today was a day for me and it was so nice to have time for me and take time out for me and recall what an awesome childhood I had in an awesome city. It’s cool to now know that I am sitting here looking at 40 and I am right where I am supposed to be, I know my folks would be so proud of me and what I have done with my life and I am so proud of the people I now have in my life to share it with. I love the friends that are truly my friends and people who are in my life because they love me and who I am.
As I prepare to go to call it a night and get ready to go to sleep I am at peace, my life is cool and I love where my life is right now.
Make the call and save lives.
Community work and activism is nothing new for me, I recall the very first time I spoke out about things that would affect not just me, but people who came after me. I was in 5th grade and under prop 13 our school would no longer offer the 6th grade camping trip. This was such a huge deal for me and many of the kids who went to school at Will Rogers and Franklin. It was the time where we got to meet the pen pal we picked at the beginning of 6th grade and then at the end of the year we’d meet them at the 6th grade camping trip to Camp Canyon Meadows. Under Prop 13 my 6th grade year would be the last time that trip would take place. In class I asked if there was something I could do to help and later that month I spoke at the Santa Monica~Malibu Unified School Districts Board of Education meeting on the subject.
There has been so much in my private life that I’ve raised my voice for and spoke out to draw attention to, some people seem to think that this only happened when I became homeless here in the very place I grew up and love, but that isnt true at all. I’ve always had a strong love for humanity and I’ve always had a desire to be a voice for issues that affect people. Homelessness has only been a small part of a long journey of community work and activism that started when I was just a small kid.
I am HIV positive and I have no medical insurance, but the grace and favor of God I am not currently on any medications, my body is doing a great job defending itself against HIV, however thousands of people are not in the same bout as I, the need life saving medications that help them life longer, stronger, productive lives. Like me they depend on Ryan White funded clinics to allow them access to medical and support services. Without such things these people do not stand a chance against HIV or AIDS
Ryan White Funding is set to expire leaving thousands of men, women and children across this great nations with no where to turn, no where to go, no access to doctors and clinics, no access to life saving medications, but together as a unit, as a caring nation of people we can send a clear and loud message to our leaders, the people we employ, that they must not cut life saving funds to Ryan White. We can lift our voice right from out own private homes, apartments, campers, trailers, dorm rooms, offices or what have you and TELL not ask, but TELL our leaders, our employees that they must do the right thing and not allow Ryan White Funding to expire
I am asking you to do the right thing, make the call and ask your friends and families, loved one, co-workers, church members and all that you know to please make the call asking that Ryan White funding not be allowed to expire. It really doesnt matter who you are or where you live. HIV and AIDS affects all of us all the time every single day. So please do you part and make the call that will save lives, the lives of our friends, family, co-workers, the lives of our fellow countrymen.
As Americans we out pace the world when it comes to giving, we even out pace our own government, I am asking that once again we out pace our government and tell them to do the right thing. Our leaders dont know the right thing to do unless we tell them. Please make the call that will save lives.
SAVE THE DATE – 9/11 -MAKE THE CALLS – 9:11AM
On Sept. 11th, help get Ryan White funding extended past the September 30th sunset date. Ryan White funding helps provide life saving medications and other services for financially challenged HIV positive American men, women and children.
How to help: Starting at 9:11AM (Your time zone), call Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius and your members of Congress and ask them to extend Ryan White funding. If you get a busy signal due to high call volume, please call back. You will be speaking to a member of these officials’ staff and not the elected official themselves.
Please keep calls short and polite. After all, we are asking for their help.
To call Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius, call 1-202-690-7000
To call the White House switchboard and reach your members of Congress, call 1-202-224-3121.
If you do not know who your elected officials are go to: http://www.votesmart.org/index.htm
What a cool day of helping people
The past two days have really been awesome. I am house sitting for my friends while they are away at Burning Man and this allows me some cool relax time near the beach. The one thing that has been very cool is the fact that I am able to bike ride on the beach. As I said in the other blog, it has been hard for me to get over to this side of town to get some beach time in and I really miss being able to go down to the beach and see an amazing sunset each night. That was also one major way I was able to unwind, relax and clear my space which is so very important for me. So this time down near the water is really going to be awesome.
Last night I got a call from my new friend Alison who is down sizing and wanted to donate some things to people in need. Because of her awesome donations I am able not only help a family in need, but I will also be able to help women with HIV or AIDS with the awesome clothing donations she gave. Plus I am will be able add an outreach to Shriners Hospital for children which I knew I wanted to do, but through her amazing donations I now able to not just think about doing an outreach to the hospital but really doing one. This is really awesome. So thanks to the Alison I am ale to help many people.
On top of the awesome clothes Alison gave she also gave some cool items that I was able to use to help a family who is in need of so much help right now. They have recently moved into a much better place which is a far cry from the place they were living in in Compton. The family told me how the place in Compton was unsafe and not very clean. They are super happy to be able to be in a place where their children are safe and things can start to heal for them.
The Hawkins family is far from out of the woods, they still need many things for their home. Pots and Pans and window coverings as well. The boys also need things like bedding for their beds and to be honest new twin mattresses would be a huge help for the family. I will do all I can to help this family move forward into the bright future that is in front of them. Not because I am so great but because it is the right thing to do to try to do all I can to help those who are in need.
It is very easy for anyone to just sit back and make sweeping judgments about people and how they now find themselves in the situations they are in. However it takes courage and great deal of humanity and love to reach within ones self to try to do all they can to help those in need and do so not looking for praise or anything else in return. Most times when people reach out to help there are always conditions and “cut off” or “I need to know” attached to the help that is offered.
I was able to visit with them and make a video of their new home and take a tour of the home with each of them talking about things they need and things that would make things a little easier for them. When I left the home of the Alex and Ranota and I had the feeling that things are stating to look up for this amazing family but I also know they still have a very long road in front of them, but I am sure they will be able to get through what has been a very hard time for them.
Once back in West LA I was able to jump on my bike and head down to the beach to take some time to clear my space and do some prayer and meditation with the sounds of the ocean and the peace of a dark quiet beach. The bike ride back home was just as relaxing and cool.
I wasn’t inside for more then 10 minutes when my cell phone started to ring with a number that I didnt know. Since I was going to use the rest of the evening to get ready to do some potting of some plants I was able to pick up for a great price I almost didnt answer it, but I am really happy I did because the conversation I had was awesome and once again I know the power of social networking and the good that can come from it.
The caller was from someone who has been watching my youtube channel and is now on my friends list on FACEBOOK and also on POZIAM. He has been very supportive and his comments have always been very nice. He reached out to me to offer me his number when I was dumped by the guy I was dating. His message was very cool and while I didn’t call him I also gave him my number and told him to all me whenever he wanted to talk. So I was happy that we had the chance to talk and get to know each other.
Micahel and I talked for a few hours and it was so cool to laugh and share and have a great conversation with someone who shares many of the same thinking as I and also because Michael is just a very cool guy who is easy to talk to and someone I know would be an awesome friend. It was a great way to end a day that was just awesome all the way around.
This morning I slept in since I ended up talking to my new friend Michael for over three hours. After taking my showers and taking care of things around the apartment I jumped on my bike and headed down to the beach for a bike ride. I surprised myself because I was able to ride all the way to Malubu and not get too tired. I too the bus home and took care of getting my mail and doing my recycling. That took three trip in with the heat in Hollywood that really took a bit out of me.
Since I was in the area I went down to see if I could find Judy and check on her and collect her cell phone to charge it and add some time to the phone so she can be in contact with me when she needs to be. Judy loves to be able to call me when she feels the need to, but she really doesnt fully understand that she cant just simply talk all she wants to. She also doesnt fully understand that she must end the call. Since I am the one who adds money to her phone I am not always able to keep minutes on her phone. I must take care of the things like my rent, bills and transportation cost first and then what is left over I use to help people as much as I can. With so little and the need of some many people, Judy must come in what I now do on a rotation. This means that when I see her I cant always get things like cell phone cards or all the hygiene things she may need. So when I see her I must address the basics. “have you eaten today?”
Once I got back from seeing Judy I had to honor the request of someone who did not want to be a administrator for Project KengiKat and I also needed to do some administrative work to remove inactive accounts from my blog network as well. In do this I thought to myself that I really needed to make sure I was spending as much time as I can building and growing the awesome organization I created as well as taking as much time as needed for me. Today as I sat and took care of things for me and my organization and blog network I could hear my Pops say. “You’ve been given this to do and only you can do it.”
This evening I spent the late evening putting some plants in new pots and talking with Tina and Andy. They called me once they got to the playa at Burning Man, by now I am sure their Burning Man adventure is in full swing and they are having a blast. I got a call from my niece and she invited me over to spend the night with her and her family. We laughed order pizza and now it’s 12:05Am and I am looking at the ending of Nighline and now about to watch Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Tomorrow I will again take some time out for me, but I will also spend time working toward making my outreach to people living with HIV and AIDS down on Skid Row on the 19th a complete success. I know that in order for this to happen I must remain on track and focused on what needs to get done. I also know that in order for this to happen I must be selfish with how I spend my time outside of of my organization, blog network and the time I take out for ME.
I’ve uploaded two new videos so please feel free to check them out on Project kengiKat II which is my youtube channel.
Big shout out and thanks to Alison for the donations and support and thanks to Michael for the awesome conversation and laughs.
Days and Nights….Life Rocks
This week has been pretty cool. I’ve been able to make lots of things happen for my outreach to people living with HIV and AIDS and thanks in huge part to my friend Alison not only have I been able to get things in order for the Unpluggin HIV outreach on the 19th of this month, I’ve also been able to add an outreach to Shriners Hospital for Children as well as an outreach to Common Ground in Santa Monica. Common Ground is an agency that helps people with HIV and AIDS on the West side. According to their website there are about 3360 people living with HIV or AIDS on the West Side of Los Angeles. I have done several clothing outreaches to Common Ground before.
Even with all the headway I have been able to make with Unpluggin HIV outreach many things are still greatly lacking and this is making me work that much harder to make certain this event is a complete success. I have many people who say they will help, but I have learned from experience not to count this as something that has taken place until it really happens. People sometimes say things and then dont follow through, the sad thing is that they dont even bother to give an explaniation as to why. This is turn only create far more work for me and really causes me not to believe that they ever wanted to help at all, they simply wanted to say they would.
Thursday was pretty cool. I was able to spend some time over at my place doing some planting and washing some clothes. After doing this I took some time out for myself. Made a quick lunch and headed out for a bike ride. Once back I got a call from Alison and I was able to spend some time helping her with some things and visiting and getting to know my new friend. This was cool because we got to share with each other and for me this is all part of my growing process and it allows me to have time out to spend with quality people who I happen to think are not just pretty damn special but also pretty solid as well.
Alison is great we spent some time moving things over to her storage unit, drinking Trader Joes Lemonade with sparkling water and really just enjoying the time we spent with each other. This was so cool because I feel like she is able to get some much needed work done as well as have time to get to know me and the same goes for me as well. I am able to get to know this awesome woman and really discover how cool she is. Even though she went to UCLA. LOL.
Our afternoon was awesome, we talked about so much, but the cool thing was that I had the chance to open up and talk about the guy that I was in a relationship with for a very long time. A mojor chunk of my life and how he is still very much a huge part of my life. I think I have shared that he was one of the first people at my bedside when I found out about HIV and he has always been right there whenever I call on him and many times I dont even need to call on him. It was nice to have a new and fresh opinion on how I should proceed with some things. At the end of the visit I was once again able to get some awesome items for the outreach, a DVD player and a very sweet Ben Sherman bag that Alison would like for me to keep.
Originally I told her the bag really isnt my style and it isnt, I am more of a backpack kind of guy, but while we were together she said, “I really wish you would keep the bag” and at first I didnt hear her, I mean I heard her, but I didnt “hear the request” In the past people have given me things that they really wanted me to keep for myself and I have given them away to people who I think need them. However I have learned that when someone says something is for me, I should keep it for myself and not feel bad about doing so. When I picked up clothes from my friend Krystal and Patrick, Krystal gave me a leather jacket that was Patrick’s and she made me promise to keep it for me. I laughed it off and said the jacket would be donated and this is when she said “I would be so insulted if you gave this away Kengi, it is for you. We want you to have this.” In that moment just like the moment with Alison I had to “be still” as Ma use to say and honor the request of someone who truly cares for me and loves me. So am am honoring the request of a friend and accepting the gift of the Ben Sherman bag. Thanks so much Alison. Look Tina, I am learning right?
I headed back over to West LA to chill out and get in another bike ride with two friends. I was really looking forward to this, but this plan fell through when my buddies had some visitors come in from out of town and they were forced to come up with a plan on how to deal with some things they have been wanting to deal with and now are forced to deal with because both sets of parents have come to town. They called me in a panic asking me what they should do. They are both close to my age, only three years separate us and they have been dating…..well in a relationship for 5 years year but neither of them have shared this with their parents. They have wanted to but just not sure how to do it. I simply told them to relax, since they have awesome relationships with their parents and they both have told me they want to tell their parents and both know their parents wont have a problem with it. I told them what they really should be worried about is how dirty their place is. We all laughed and they decided to to got pick some things up from the store and clear their awesome place and get ready for a great time with their folks.
Just as I ended the call with them I got a text message from Salenas asking me if I wanted to go down to the Santa Monica Pier. It was the last night of the Summer concerts that are at the Santa Monica Pier. We made plans to link up at her new place. I jumped in the shower and hopped on my bike and made my way down to her place on 5th and Wilshire. Wow was this fun.
Salenas as many of you know is the lady who I have known for over three years now. She is formerly homeless just like me, but she has kids, awesome kids and as a family they made it through the hardships of homelessness and the struggles of having to sleep on the beach, at the pier and on buses. It is so amazing that our homelessness ended right around the same time, so to now have a night where we hang out, laugh and have a great time and then be able to eat some food and sleep in beds that are in our own apartments is just awesome and for me that is so cool.
The Santa Monic Pier was packed, just like I knew it would be. The night was very warm once again and for Santa Monica it was what most would call hot. We rode our bikes from 5th and Wilshire and then spent an awesome night under the stars on the world famous Santa Monica Peir. The last time I had the chance to spend at the Santa Monica Pier was the day after my 40th birthday doing a Do Something Saturday outreach at the top of the Santa Monica Pier and then spending an awesome afternoon with some the volunteers from the event and my great friends Tina and Andy.
This night was no exception, we had so much fun, laughing and talking and catching up. Ridding the Ferris Wheel and just really enjoying an awesome night in Santa Monica. It simply do not get better then an awesome night in Santa Monica at the beach with cool people.
My night ended with a late dinner back at the home of my friend Salenas, more laughs, candy water and the beginning to Jurassic Park before I headed out. The bike ride back to West LA was so cool and many people were blowing their horns and smiling at me because I must have had this really goofy smile on my face. I got inside talked to a great friend for a bit and then took a shower and headed to bed.
Sunday Dinner for Homeless People…KICK START MEALS rides again
This weekend I set a goal for myself to feed at least 25 people. Whenever I set such goals for myself I am always so happy when I am able to reach the goals. This weekend I once again reached beyond that goal. I fed 60 people.
I started my meal program shortly after starting my outreach to homeless people and from the very beginning my thought was to provide high quality meals that would not just feed the body, but feed the soul as well. I knew first hand what it was like to get meals that were spoiled or leftovers from some restaurant the night before. I knew what it was like to be handed a moldy old sandwich with fruit that was beyond rotten, so my goal was to reach far beyond what was being offered
Right away I named the program Kick Start, because I felt like a great meal could really Kick Start the day of a homeless person. At first the meals weren’t really meals at all, instead they were snacks like granola bars, protein bar and Cliff Bars. It was things like fresh fruit and then moved into baked goods. These items were passed out in the morning along Santa Monica Beach.
This outreach grew pretty fast and soon I was able to offer full meals, today the Kick Start program has a new life behind it and already has served home cooked meals to homeless people and people living with HIV and AIDS. The Kick Start program is very basic. Provide a high quality meal as often as possible. The goal have never been about how many I can feed, but about the quality of the meal. I never serve things that I would not eat myself.
A few months ago I started a outreach called Sunday Dinner in honor of the three amazing women who I learned a great deal of cooking from, Ma, Grandma and Nana. Sunday Dinner is awesome, because I get to prepare a home cooked meal that is so lacking for homeless people. Not just any home cooked meal, because I am sure there are plenty of places that will tell you that they too offer home cooked meals. But when you compare their so called “home cooked meals” to the meals I prepare, you will clearly see that simply boiling water for pasta and dumping a can of sauce over it is not what most would call a quality home cooked meal.
This was the 5th time I have been able to do Sunday Dinner for homeless people and from the very start they all have been great and I’ve met some pretty cool homeless people. This past Sunday was no exception. Each person I met was so happy to get the meal and then very surprised at what they saw when they opened the container. I recall asking one lady of she was hungry and she looked at me and said “Is it another sandwich?” I smiled and told her what I had prepared. Her face just lit up and she sat up and asked me what church I was from. “The Church of Humanity” I smiled ans she said “well that’s the best one to be from.”
Deciding what I am going to cook is always a major deal for me. The very first time I did it I only had $60 in food stamps on my card, so I knew the meal would have to be somewhat inexpensive and even with this the meal was still a major success. This time around a had a food stamp card that was full with over $100 on it, so this gave me a little room to make the meal a bit better. As I have stated before, this program isn’t about the amount of people I try to serve, but the quality of the meal. Since I had already served baked chicken, BBQ chicken, pork chops, spaghetti and pork roast I went with one of my favorite meals I like to cook. I went with enchiladas, refried beans, and Mexican rice.
Since I didnt have much planned for Saturday and I was starting to fall into a funk over being dumped by that dork, I quickly made my mind up to stay busy and make my Saturday a Do Something Saturday and get the items I needed for Sunday Dinner. I looked through the sales papers and tried to come up the best prices for the items. I knew the 99 cent only store was going to be on the list because at only 99 cents for every item in the store you just cant go wrong. However you do have to be careful of things like expiration dates, I also really dont like to get my produce there either. But I knew I could get my corn tortillas there as well as a few other things and this would help to keep my overall cost pretty low.
My next stop would be Smart and Final where I would get larger items like my #10 cans of enchilada sauce, refried beans and cheese. Smart and Final can sometimes be a higher then regular markets, but on these items I know I would get a great price. I also got my boxes of Uncle Bens rice from there. There just arent many places where I am able to buy the large boxes that are the same boxes caterers and chefs use. The last stop was Pavilions to get my green and white onions and a few other things.
After all the shopping for the outreach I wanted to make certain I got some things for me, so I headed to Trader Joe’s and got some items for myself. Mt friend Alison introduced me to these Ezekiel whole grain sprouted tortillas and also in speaking and spending time with her she also encouraged me to try to do my very best to eat a bit better by introducing things like whole grains, mineral water and some organic products into my diet. So a trip to Trader Joe’s was awesome for me.
I followed her advice and got the Ezekiel tortillas, the yogurt cheese, the mineral water and I even picked up some awesome all natural chicken sausages along with some pomegranated line juice and the organic Trader Joe’s Pink Lemonade. What surprised me about Trader Joe’s is the fact that I am able to get many things there and still remain on my very tight budget. I cant do all my shopping there because I would only get about a weeks worth of food with the money I have to spend each month on food for myself, but by using things like local food banks for things like can goods, I am able to get a little bit more and buy better more healthy food from Trader Joe’s. The other thing is this, the prices are far better then Whole Foods and not only that, the staff is much nicer and far my helpful then the staff I have experienced at Whole Foods. I think I will write a YELP review for Trader Joe’s simply because they ROCK.
I did some of my prep work Saturday night and then I was up at 5:00AM to finish the prep and then I got back into bed and took a nap before watching This Week which is the Sunday morning news program on ABC. I’ve been hooked on this program ever since I can remember. While it has changed a great a bit with the new host, I have come to like George as well. I do however wish Sam Donaldson and Cockie Roberts were still at the round table. George Will can be replaced.
By 9:00AM I was up and getting things going in the kitchen. I had some music in the background and also made sure that my camera was fully charged so I was able to photograph and video many parts of the preparation. I also had the chance to speak with, laugh with and share some awesome moments with my niece, she is even part of one of the video which was pretty cool.
Late Saturday night I got a email from an old friend on my old gmail account that I hardly ever check. I used this old gmail address when I was cooking and catering all over the place. Those days are behind me, but from time to time I do check it. More so now since I have been applying for private cooking gigs. When that she had reached out to me I was very surprised and very happy to hear from her. There was a nasty rumor going around that she was upset with me for not telling her I was homeless, but mostly she was upset by the fact that I was gay. Well that wasnt true at all. In fact she had no idea, the person who told me these things is just a some evil person who wanted to make me feel bad. That didnt work either.
Vanessa and I had lost contact while I was dealing with homelessness. I use to speak withher all the time and when I lived in San Francisco she came up one long weekend to to visit with me and then when I moved back to Santa Monica from the Bay Area she would also come visit and hang out with me as well. We never got around to her coming out to New York while I lived there, but we remained in close contact and the very best of friends. So it was so nice to get an email from her and then even better to know that what I was told was not true but some made up hateful lie cooked up by a evil, hateful, bible carrying, shout Jesus in the noon day, going to bust hell wide open Christian woman who has nothing better to do then to try her very best to make people feel bad. What is is like to have a life where all you do is try to make yourself look good or feel better about the lousy life you lead by trying to make others unhappy. She always tells me how she loves me and how she is praying for me and I just think to myself, “keep you no good love and those damn prayers to yourself. I dont want either coming for you.” Vanessa and I exchanged a few emails and Sunday morning she called me and we made arrangements to hang out after I was done with the outreach to homeless people.
I was done cooking a little before 3:00PM and I was scheduled to start the outreach at 4:00PM, so I was right on schedule. While I was cooking I thought about where I would go to pass out the meals. I also placed on both my Twitter and FACEBOOK page asking for people from the Los Angeles area to join me to help me pass out the food. So many people say “I will help and even if it is short notice I really want to help” but when I call on them they are no where to be found. Even if I plan an event for in advance and people send emails and comments about how they will help and what they will buy, it just never happens this way. So many people think I have this large network of people helping and planning and showing up at each event I have, but if you look very close many of my outreach are solo events done completely alone with no help. This isn’t to say that I dont have some awesome people who always show up for the larger events because I do. Eric, Willow, Tina, Andy, Lourdes, Aunt Emma, Krystal, Patrick, Ryan, Moina and Niambi are very loyal supporter of the larger events, but with such a small pool of people who are willing and able to help I must be very careful not to wear them out or do so much that they dont have time for the many things they are working on or taking care of in their own person life. I also have some people from other states who help and always do all they can to make sure what I am doing is a complete success and I am so thankful and humbled by all of this.
So while I was cooking I made plans to hit the park near WestWood and I also made plans to go to a new area that I dont get to all that often. I am so gald I made the choices I made because I was able to pass out and meet some pretty awesome homeless people and I even had the chance to bump into people I knew when I was on the streets. Each person was so happy to receive the meal that I had prepared and each one was so ready to share their experience and how they were doing. Each one was very thankful and happy to get the meal and every person who got a meal said “thank you” and they were very polite.
In over two years of doing this, most of the time I was homeless myself and I can honestly say that what most people think homelessness is or how homeless people are and even what you read in the newspaper or see in the news is not an accurate. Just like all Black men are not in jail or on parole and not all White people are out to get Blacks, just like all Mexicans are not field workers, not all homeless people are drug users, drunks or crazy. If funny how we have allowed a small percentage of all the is bad with this country become the measure of how things are. Every time we see a Black man break the law, then all Black men are the same and are treated the same, each time we see a Mexican cross the boarder illegally we assume this is how they all got here. Well I know this to be untrue, just like I know that homeless people are not the scum of the earth and I also know that each person deserves love and respect.
Someone said to me the other day that she had the chance to volunteer at a shelter and what she saw shocked her. She was appalled by how homeless people are treated as well, but what stood out in her mind was how the face of homelessness isn’t what she was led to believe it to be. She spoke of the huge talent, education, Black, White, Latino and all else, she told me how kind and gentle homeless people were where she was volunteering and she said after that experience she will no longer allow popular opinion to shape her way of thinking. “It was really shameful and hurtful to see that people are forced to live like this and the way they were spoken to by so many people really just hurt my soul.”
It took me nearly all day to prepare this meal and about 45 minutes to pass them all out. My last stop was at Lincoln Park in Santa Monica. A place that I know all to well. When I was homeless this is where I would come to try to get some sleep in the day time, especially on days where I was not able to sleep at some points through the night. Days when I was so sick from Chemo I would also come to this park and do all I could to fall asleep to get rest for so I could be ready for the long night that I would have to deal with.
Before I knew it all the meals I had cooked were gone, but this time everyone I ran into was able to get a meal and once at Lincoln Park in Santa Monica I had enough meals for everyone there in the park. In fact I had one left over that I later handed to a guy in front of the 7-11.
As I left the park my I made a video and after doing that I started walking and just as I passed the woman who gave me a hug she looked at me and said “Kengi I am so glad you now have your own housing and thank you so much for not forgetting about us who are still out here. Thank you for smiling at us and for doing all you can to help us. We love you Kengi and we appreciate all you do.”
I leaned down and gave her a kiss of the forehead and as I walked away my eyes filled with tears because I know that could very easily be me again, my tears began to fall when I was walking toward people who just came out of a Saint Monica’s Church say “I am so damn sick at looking at all these fucking homeless people. I wish we could just ship them all away.” I wasn’t shocked by what came from her mouth, I hear it all the time and some people even put it on my youtube channel, but on youtube I can remove comments I dont like and even ignore the person, but in life that isnt always so easy.
I turned around and said “excuse me” the ladies turned around and said “yes”
I looked at both of them, each of them with kids and what appeared to be one husband and I asked. “Is that what you just learned in the building you cane out of? Is that the message of love or the awesomeness of God? Is that really how you want your kids to think of humans who are suffering? Does talking about homeless people the way you just did make you feel better about yourself?”
One of the small kids said “I told you that was wrong mommy. You always say mean things like that to homeless people.”
As I turned to walk away I said “Maybe you need to go back into that so called place where God lives and tie yourself to the alter and not leave until you bring some God out with you.”
Once back in West LA I took a shower called my friend Vanessa and made my way to her place and hung out with her for until pretty late. I got back around 11:00PM. I looked a the pictures I took from the day and said “Thank you Lord for all you’ve done for me” I took a shower and went to bed.
My last blog positing here on NIng.
For the longest time I have wanted my blog to be on my website and after learning that I do not own my own content here on the ning platform I have wanted to find a better place where my blog can be shared. As many of you I stay very busy with my community work and the blog and all over places where I blog take up a great deal of time, So I have asked my friend Ryan to try to find a way for me to be able to have my blog and website all in one location. Well he has come up with this and this will be my last regular posting to my blog network here on ning.
Now I am not taking the site offline, nor I am leaving it. This will still be my blog network and I will still run it and make posts from time to time, but as my organization grows, so must I. A lot goes into the work I have created and I need to make sure there is a balance between work time and ME time. I also need to try to make everything that deal with work a bit easier for me, since 99.5% of the work done for my organization is done by me. This leaves very little time for me.
I love what I have built here and it will remain, I love the very dear friends I have made and some of you are very much liek family to me, so I hope you will continue to read the blogs that are here and continue to blog as well. I will still post here, just not as often as I do now. However I will post the conversations with Kengi and the Cooking with Kengi videos here. I will also keep you up to date with events like Do Something Saturday and Unpluggin HIV, however my full blog will now be located in my main webpage.
I will be adding links to people who blog here on Project KengiKat to my new blog on Do Something Saturday so people will be able to come over and read all the awesome blogs located here. So if you are already a blogger her I hope you will continue to blog here. If you are new and dont post much, I hope you will begin to.
This will always be my network and I will check in daily. You can still send me massages and comments here just like you always have and I will answer them just like I always have. I want to express my many thanks and love for all of you who have continued to blog and support what I am doing, my blog nor my work is ending, it is growing and I hope you will help me continue to build and grow this site just like many of you have doen since the day you joined.
My new blog isnt really new, it is just moving to a new location www.dosomethingsaturday.org scroll all the way donw on the left hand side and you will see “Kengi’s Blog” I hope you all take the time to check it out, continue to read and comment. I think you all will love it. Everything is located there all in one site. Again I will create links to blogs here on this network to highlight the awesome blogs and people that are here. People that I love and respect.
This is not goodbye by any means, I am just moving across the street, so we will still be in close contact ok. I LOVE YOU and please keep bloggin because I will keep reading. I will also become more active in the awesome groups here which will leave the main page to showcase all your awesome blogs. So get to bloggin so I can now make some comments on your blogs.
90 Day Challenge…Awesome Weekend
So I’ve started a 90 day Challenge and it is going awesome. if you like to read how things are going, please check out my new blog.
90 Day Challenge…Awesome Weekend
“Unphazed”
My Unpluggin HIV outreach went well, in fact it was very successful. After some hard work and plenty of people backing out at the last minute and others showing no interest at all, I was able to pull it all off in grand stayle.
If you would like to read my new blog please visit “Unphazed”
This is week two of the recharged Loving Me Journey that my friend Jacque started on YOUTUBE. During the last journey I met some pretty awesome women and learned so much about myself as well as them. Many of us decided to make the journey a life long one, so two weeks ago we launched Loving Me 90- 365.
Washington DC for AIDS WATCH. The goal of the fast is to get centered, remove any bad energy and also pay close attention to my spiritual needs. In addition to the fast I also spent time today creating a sacred space for myself. This is something I did on the 90 day journey and many other people on the journey did this as well. It was so cool to see how others created their sacred spaces and hear what they meant to them.
The coolest thing I did for me was I went out an got roses for ME. After paying my bills, rent and getting food and treats for Dodger I had 20 bucks left for the month. Now I know I probably should have saved this just in case something came up, but I really needed to do something for me. Since I am fasting treating myself to ice cream or a burger is not something I could do and 20 bucks is not enough to see a movie, plus there isn’t anything I really want to see. So I used the 20 bucks to buy myself red and orange roses.
this week and the rest of the month.
This past weekend marked two years that I have been HIV positive, I also celebrated the outreach I created for people who are also HIV positive or battling AIDS. So much has happened since I created this outreach and it has grown as well.
now “Unpluggin’ HIV~empowering a positive life. I also renamed the Do Something Kit to Life Kit (hygiene kits), however I added information on HIV and AIDS, as well as a condom and lube pack to promote safer sex practices.
Skid Row is a tough area to be homeless, so add to this being gay and homeless, plus HIV or AIDS. Now I know how to defend myself, but while on Skid Row I was constantly thinking of the gay man or woman who could not defend themselves and were now forced into the lions den. I recall Scott from the AIDS Service Center telling me that Skid Row was my only option. I also recall thinking to myself when he said this that he would not last one night on skid row without getting his ass kicked, but since I was homeless and in his eyes worthless, Skid Row was my only choice. He even refused to refer me to other temporary housing options in other parts of the city.
USC. In fact I was only able to do one outreach before I was told I could not do another because I was not a non-profit. I know this had nothing to do with being a non-profit, but everything to do with the many problems I was having at the clinic with scheduling appointments, lousy care and then the problem with my doctor refusing to sign my housing forms.
Unpluggin’ HIV is now one year old, it continues to grow and gain respect from the people I try so hard to serve. In addition to the very successful Skid Row outreach which takes place bi-monthly for 40 residents, Unpluggin’ HIV also also provides Life Kits and gently used clothes to many ASO’s through out Los Angeles including AIDS Project Los Angeles, Common Ground in Santa Monica, The Jeff Griffith Youth Center in West Hollywood and I still maintain the outreach to people with HIV and AIDS who are homeless.
Already this year I have been featured in HIV Plus magazine, I was considered for a seat on the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV, a guest speaker two for two days at USC speaking about homeless, HIV and AIDS and later this month I will travel with to Washington DC with AIDS Project Los Angeles for AIDS WATCH.
This has been an awesome weekend for me for so many reasons, the first being that is was a Do Something Saturday weekend which marked the 3rd time I was able to do my Easter Basket outreach for low income children thanks in huge part to the love and support of my friends and supporters. It was so cool to be able to do this again this year and once again I was able to increase what we did last year.
I did on Sunday morning and I also remember the kids Easter choir I was in a few times. Most of all I remember the Easter play “The Risen Christ” I played Jesus and man was that ever cool. There was one part in the play where I needed to jump back and say “touch me not” Well when I did it the morning of the play I guess I must have jumped back so far the entire church let out the “ahhhhh” because they though I was going to jump off the stage.
As an adult it was always nice to come home around this time of year of attend church with my parents and enjoy an awesome Easter dinner with them. It was also cool to see people that I haven’t seen in a while and catch up on how life was going for us. It was cool to hear the awesome sounds from the choir which was always followed by an uplifting message from the pastor. Church has no been the same for a long time for me and the messages that I hear from many churches is not one of love that I grew up hearing. However I am so happy that I was able to get those messages in my spirit, because when the message changed I knew that what I was hearing and seeing had nothing to do with the message of LOVE God has for us.
Today was the Thai New Year and there was a huge street festival pretty close to where I live. I had no idea about this until my friend Eric emailed to tell me about it and invite me to hang out with him and Willow. A week ago Eric told Tina and about the Thai area, so Tina thought it would be cool to maybe pick a day where we could all get together and hang out. So thanks to Eric sending me the email I didn’t have to do any work at all. I simply needed to ask if it was cool to extend an invitation to Tina and Andy. I knew it would be, but I just hate when I invite someone to hang out and they invite other people and never even mention it to me.
The highlight of the day was the place that Eric and Willow suggested for lunch. I tend to be very adventurous when I am with my friends when I am eating and today I took the suggestion of Eric and Willow and man I am so glad I did because it was great. I didn’t even shy away from the fact that it had “spicy” listed for the dish. We had lunch at SAPP, so if you are ever in the Hollywood area you should stop in and have some great food. I must do a YELP review of this place.
was great too. Tina always lays out such a nice spread and I am always stuffed when I have the chance to make it over for a meal. Tonight was no exception, however it was the first time I had ever eaten parsnips and to be honest they are not something I want to try again. How the cool cucumber salad and the ham….oh man the ham was awesome. She even made this sexy glaze that was both tangy and sweet. The sweet treats after were awesome too.
I had a great weekend that was filled with giving to others and then replenishing myself by being with my friends, people that love me and people I truly love. So I guess you can say my weekend was very balanced. Now as God washes down my canvas, I will finish my laundry, get ready for bed and give thanks for all the awesome blessings I have in my life.
