Work Out - J. Cole (Official Video)

I know a posted a video for this track a few weeks ago and it so happened that it wasn’t the official video. The official one was released yesterday and here it is.

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Kanye West & Jay Z - Otis (Official Video)

So I am going through my usual morning drill – finding out what’s happening in the world. I come across this video and I am excited to see what “The Throne” did with the video to this song. Of all things to do, I never thought that these guys would take a Maybach apart and do some crazy stuff like they do in this music video. Especially in times like these when the US is suffering economically and there are thousands of people dying of starvation every day in Somalia. It seems like these guys are really taking it to another level with this unorthodox approach to music. It’s good to see that right at the end they say that the car is going to be auctioned and the proceeds donated to the East Africans drought disaster.

I still think this is an incredible song though. That Otis Redding sample is just outta this world crazy. Apparently they paid a hella lot for it and Kanye went H.A.M with the production. I guess this song is just one expensive piece of art. Well, they did justice on the song, that’s for sure. Check out the video and let me know what you think.

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Work Out - J. Cole (Video)

Last night I was so excited when I came across this video on some random site. I posted the news on Facebook and it seems like no one could find the video. It’s a rough finish of the upcoming video of J. Cole’s new album. This is just something for the J. Cole fans out there. I hope it will look the same when the video if finally released. Enjoy it!

Work Out Music Video

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A Typical Day in Guangzhou

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, part of the reason of my travel to china was for an intensive summer camp. I figured it would be necessary to let you know what my daily routine was. That way, a lot of what I would talk about would make sense and it also gives a glimpse into my life while I am out here. Being an “intensive” camp, you can be rest assured that most of the time was spent in class. However, this was probably the most interesting class I have had in my entire college career.

The day was essentially divided into four parts. In the morning, we would have the Mandarin classes. The first hour and a half would be dedicated to learning Chinese characters and the second hour and a half would be for talking and listening. The classes were conducted by young Chinese teachers who I am pretty sure are still students at SYSU or are recent graduates. The fact that these teachers were young coupled with the fact that they were really excited to be hosting African students made this class so easy going. I promise you, if every class at UCT was conducted like these classes, no one would have DPR. These were classes where the end of class came more as a surprise rather than a long awaited event.

The afternoon was dedicated mainly to Chinese culture. The first half of the afternoon was when we were taught either Chinese songs or something about the actual culture, such as table manners, paper cutting and Chinese architecture. The songs were always the most fun because they usually came with a video and we would have to do the dances as well. Unfortunately, I cannot remember any of the songs so if you see me on the street, please do not ask me to perform any of these songs. The second half was the best part of the day. It was when we had Tai Chi and Kung Fu lessons. Yeah I said it!!! This was something I had always wanted to do and what better place to do than in China itself. Y’all better not mess with me anymore

The period between 6 and 10 pm everyday was a time for shopping. Since the entire day was packed with classes and stuff, after dark was the only time we could actually go out shopping. Luckily, if they actually close, most places in Guangzhou close after 10 pm. I have to say, this place is quite ridiculous when it comes to shopping. I don’t know how people here live with all these things in their face. Being a person who is infamous for “liking things” Guangzhou was like a little heaven. I never thought I could go out every night looking for stuff to buy. However, when you are in Guangzhou, you might find yourself doing many things you never thought you would.

The last few hours of the day – after midnight – were the time to go out. Guangzhou has a nightlife that is matched by none I have heard of or seen anywhere. People in this city make it seem as if every day is a holiday. I was surprised the first time I went out, on a Tuesday, to find that the place was as alive as ever. As a result, going out became part of daily routine. Though I didn’t go out every night, I definitely went out way more than I would if I had been back home.

Being in Guangzhou was the definition of working hard and playing hard…well, and shopping hard as well. Ha!

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So, Why China?

It’s interesting how a lot of people have been asking me why I chose to go to China yet when I traveled to the USA everyone had theories as to why I had made that trip. Well, I waited to hear what kind of conspiracies people would come up with this time since I had no connection to China whatsoever prior to this trip. The most common one was that I was coming out here to hustle and look to expand my business. Obviously untrue, I still have no idea what business it is exactly that I am accused of being in. Oh well; this is nothing new in the life of Juan-Thembie.

Truth be told, I am in China because I am on an intensive summer camp for my Mandarin class. As some of you might already know, I was taking Mandarin as an elective during the first semester. Our professor so happened to arrange a summer camp for the class where we would spend 10 days of intensive mandarin classes at San Yat Sen University in Guangzhou. This would also serve as a platform for us to practice our Mandarin and learn about the Chinese culture first hand. After the first 10 days, we will be spending another 10 days traveling across China, visiting several cultural and historical sites. It is as a result of this arrangement that I have found myself in this magnificent country.

I actually was never excited about coming to China and even for the first few days I was out here, my roommate and I had to remind each other ever few hours that we were actually in China. Like Hellen said, “who goes to China dude???” This isn’t exactly the best tourist destination in the world and there aren’t many good things said about China besides that their economy is doing great. Unfortunately, the economics didn’t excite me that much. However, 13 days into the trip, I can safely tell you that this has been one hell of an experience. I’m glad I took the chance to come out here. It’s truly unbelievable!

Although I might have claimed that wasn’t out here to hustle, a man of my caliber cannot help but think of starting some serious hustling after traveling to China. But I guess that’s a story for another post…

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