Because that’s about all I took pics of so Bon Apetit!

I miss Hawaii so much I have to make Macadamia Nut pancakes umm, every weekend until I return.

Love

Mellow Mushroom Calzone’s are really my best friend on Friday’s.

And they say it’s always sunny in FL…

Sweet Tomatoes rules in every way, shape and form. I destroy their salad bar!

Not to mention their amazing clam chowder and veggie soups, I probably go through about 5 bowls.

Vegan Sausage pizza with Tofurky sausage, pesto, sun dried tomatoes and my first time using Daiya “cheese.” Pretty damn good, although as far as vegan cheeses go I think Vegan Gourmet has the best I’ve tried so far.

And sent some orders out

Quite the simple weekend. I was rather disappointed with the Penn fight although as calm and collected as he seemed, he didn’t really seem “there.” I’m already looking forward to next week because not only is it a 3 day weekend, but I’ve been told that next Friday will be the “dudes night out of the year,” sounds like trouble to me.

On the pending late Summer release, i’m still waiting on a final quote from my printer but I should be able to say within a couple days that ALL has been ordered and coming soooooooon.

Until next time, stay classy!

G-SP

My Kauai vacation was amazing. I got to experience awesome Hawaiian soul-food, my favorite sport (surfing), Ohana (aka family, which I can never get enough of) and a lot of classic memories.

When I finally arrived home, it was a bit hard to adjust. Actually, a bit depressing sitting in a one bedroom place when your heart is in another geographic area. There is a certain mentality in Hawaii that is worlds apart of life on the mainland. Hawaii life is laid back, relatively care free, and people are seemingly more connected then on the mainland. For example, after a day of work, it’s not uncommon to find friends meeting up in the local park to kick a few back and “talk story” or to catch some surf before nightfall. I could definitely see myself moving back at some point in my life because after all, home is home.

Being out there really reinforced in me the bond of family as I get to see my dad but once a year. It also showed me how we all have a tendency to let the daily hustle and bustle of life get in the way of our most important relationships. As I’d mentioned previously, before last year (my grandpas funeral), I had not been back for about 8 years. Between school and a job, I allowed that stuff to get in the way of the most important thing we all have, the connection with our families. Had I been back between that time I would have had the ability to learn more from an amazing grandfather, but as circumstances would have it, it didn’t work out that way. I guess my point with this is that if you got family that’s close (geographically/ mentally) to you, don’t take it for granted because none of us are getting younger. Make sure you seize every moment to learn and appreciate them for what they may have taught you either blatantly or indiscriminately.

On a lighter note, here are the last couple of pics from my trip:

Surfing lessons rule and I’ve got long arms, ha

When in Hawaii, make sure you scope out some Saimin. Saimin is the real (legit) version of Ramen Cup O’ Noodles. If you’re on Kauai ask the locals how to get to this joint: Hamura’s Saimin.

“The Special”

Amazing chips

Starbucks actually has island blends only sold in Hawaii. I didn’t get a snap of the Kona but that ish runs $32 a HALF POUND, rediculous!

I’m not obsessed with Hawaiian coffee

Picked up some gear from Maui Built on Maui. Legit clothing company that you can only pick up on Maui, no interwebz. Peep the Jersey trim and tag, locals are very proud of there home, and for good reason.

Kau Inoa is a Hawaii sovereignty movement aiming to take the land back from western control. IMO The feds have overstepped there boundaries in almost every form of political stranglehold on each sovereign state (in the US) and I back this movement not only in my home state but all across the board.

Super stoked on this shirt!

I can always count on my dad to never send me home on an empty stomach, thanks pops! L to R: Fried Chicken, Pineapple Manji and Spam Musubi. A perfect last meal!

And that’s all she wrote folks. If you’ve been following along I hope you’ve enjoyed my kooky, somewhat informative synopsis of a trip to Hawaii. To Hawaii, don’t get too comfortable without me, see you next year!

Aloha!

G-SP

Cheap, good and Hawaiian, GO to Kountry Kitchen!

Sweet decor as well, I think you would agree

Mac nut pancakes round two. They were good, a little airy and not as rich as I was looking forward to. Coconut syrup is bawwwse

Best coffee on Kauai, sorry Starbucks but eat shit

Good quotes, my kinda joint

I tend to agree. Underdog Mentality coming soon, get pumped!Sleeping Giant mountain hikeBeaut

Strawberry Guava, watch the seeds brah

PertyLike

A

Flower

On top of the world, watch out for us!

Although this is the airlines version, when in Hawaii you must try POG juice. It’s a mixture of Passion fruit, Orange and Guava juices. It’s good, trust me.

Hawaiian mix plate with Teriyaki Beef. Yes folks, I love teriyaki. My bros adorable pit. This thing would kill you with kindness, very friendly dog. We support pit bulls!A view of Lahaina (in Maui)Kaanapali Beach, Maui

Highly legit local food. When you see locals leaving a restaurant, pay attention!

Yezzir

FRIED spam musubi, gawwwd

Hawaiians can eat and this dish is proof. This one’s called the Loco Moco. It’s a hamburger patty on top of eggs and drizzled with gravy. On the side is rice and macaroni salad, bed not included.

The Otsuka braddaz all SP’ed out

Ending the trip on a good note. We were watching these guys:  http://www.myspace.com/realrush and they were pretty damn impressive. A mix of island, hip-hop and hawaiian jams. The recorded songs are eh but live they had more of a hip-hop feel.

I’ll spend my last day soaking up the sun and teaching some wahine’s (women) how to surf.

Over & out.

G-SP

Finally broke my three day surf slump late in the afternoon. Besides that, just did more of the same with cruising, surfing and eating. I was supposed to go out last night with my cuz’s friend to “get some chicks” but thankfully that fell through. Between an ungodly brown/ red (bronze) tan, a peeling face (ala vitiligo) and bloodshot eyes, I’m looking a little odd at the moment. Sadly, my camera died again so i was only able to snap a few, enjoy:

A little fuel before surf at this island landmark.

Like my quest for the best burger on the island, I’m also scouting out the best macadamia nut pancakes. These were a little smaller than what I was expecting but damn good! That little red stuff you’re seeing on the side of the plate is guava jelly, dynamite!

Morning surf destinationPrince Kuhio park. The last prince to reign in Hawaii whom would later go on to become a Hawaii congressman in the early 1900′s, sweet. You learned something today.Ancient Hawaiian’s were very good builders and here’s an example of one of their ancient wall creations. They’re also considered very sacred so knocking them down is out of the question.

Spouting HornMy first experience with Vietnamese cuisine. Let’s just say that i’ll be backMaui, here we come, for a night and day.

G-SP

Today was a rather simple one. Just cruised around, ate some grinds and hit up some surf. All in all an ideal Hawaiian day. I could definitely see myself coming back here to live at some point in life. Life is just so much more simple, laid back and care free. Hell, where else is the accepted dress board shorts and slippers? Scope the days pics:

Cruisin

A better shot of the tree tunnel on the way to Poipu

Lunch destination

If you visit Hawaii, be sure to try a Hawaiian plate lunch. It’s the perfect taste of island favorites for a reasonable price. This one came with (left to right) poke, chicken long rice, kahlua pork, lomi lomi salmon, and white rice

Wild high surf spot

Shipwrecks beach

Nothing says Hawaii like shaved ice

Blue vanilla and Passion-fruit orange. Brings back childhood memories

Hawaiian plate #2, this time for dinner, homestyle. From left to right: lomi lomi tomatoes, poi, lau lau and kahlua pork

Eat more poiiii

Just found out that on Friday me and my pops will be venturing out to Maui to see my brother for a day. Maui is where I was born and raised and it’s been years since I’ve been back home, so I’m definitely stoked for this. Besides that, today’s looking like another day of surf. Cheers!

Kicked the day off in the Java Kai coffee shop on the north end of the island. It’s a nice little place that serves all types of locally grown Hawaiian blends and organic coffees not too mention some really good sandwiches and such. After returning to Mermaids for another wrap I set out to get some cool pics of rain falls and canyons. With that being said, enjoy!

Java Kai is actually on the other islands as well, so if you visit and see one, stop on by.

Kona coffee and coconut scone, highly recommended.

Ahi Cilantro wrap ala MermaidsThe Geico lizard’s actually quite friendly.Wailua Falls

Got it.

Lookout on the way to Opaeka’a falls.

Opaeka’a falls with mountain

Opaeka’a Falls no mountain.

Wailua river

North shore lookout, 100 feet from the above one.

Classic Hawaiian juice w/out the bullshit HFCS or Aspartame. Shit’s bananas!

Spam Musubi, another Hawaiian classic. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that spam tastes like crap until they’ve tried this. Seriously.

Here we are.

Greetings from Waimea Canyon.“The grand canyon of the pacific”-Mark Twain commenting on Waimea Canyon.

A faint rainbow over the canyon.

Vacation, the only brewery on the island, why the hell wouldn’t I stop in for happy hour?

Lilikoi fruit beer: a blend of passion and lilikoi fruit, geeze, delish!

House Wheat, like lemonade without the sweetness.

Creepin on the local wildlife.

And that about concludes day three. I will be using my rash guard as a sun deterrent which i’m not sure if it will help but it’s beautiful out and I need to break my losing streak. So latez.

So normally I don’t burn much but today was a whole different story. Made it in the water at about 11:30 and surfed until 4 only to find after that I was lobster red. To make matters worse I caught more sunburn than I did waves AND my camera ended up dying mid-day so I was not able to grace this blog with a bajillion pics.

I’m going to take a day or two off from surfing to allow this redness to dissipate and in that time cruise the island to get some snazzy pics for you all. But first, here’s a small list of films filmed in Kauai: Avatar, George of the Jungle, Hook, Jurassic Park 1, 2 & 3, Outbreak, Starsky & Hutch, Stitch, Tears of the Sun, and many others.

Today’s agenda: canyons, waterfalls and more hawaiian grinds (aka food). Until then, here’s a few pics from yesterday:

Without this, you’re shit upstream without a paddle in the world of surfing. Cool that the wrapper and such is biodegradable.

Girlfriend for the trip

I think I found the most crucial burger place on the island: Kalapaki Beach Hut.

This is the Aloha burger which features Kauai beef, teriyaki sauce, cheese and pineapple. That stuff next to is tarot fries. Tarot is the equivalent of a Hawaiian starch (think of it kinda like a potato). It’s rather bland but in fry form, good as hell and complemented the burger quite well!

The infamous tree tunnel on the way to Poipu.Macadamia nut caramel gelato, soooo goooood! The girl serving it was cute as hell too. Haole girls that live in Hawaii make a brother go weak in the knees, damn.

And that’s all for day two yo, latezz!

A 12 hour plane ride later and we’re in paradise, so aloha to you and yours. The flight was not bad, never really is for me as I always have something to keep me busy (reading or catching up on some SP stuff).  Oddly enough after a long day of traveling I went out for a night on the town with my cuz, got a little tipsy then ended up waking up less than seven hours later bright eyed and bushy tailed and eager to begin the day. Total sleep over the last 3 days equals 15 hours and I don’t feel overly exhausted which is weird.

To any effect, after a jog down to the beach the days agenda was set: cruise to the northern section of the island and hit up some beaches, caves and rocks to jump off of. Being the outdoorsy type of fella I am, I was sold. Peep some photos of the days adventure:

Sup Phoenix? My first experience in really dry heat, brutal!

Airport food, yum.

And a much needed jolt as I had an interview and some new product write-ups to wrap up.

We made it to the pearly gates!

My pops crib.

Beautiful back yard as well, embodies the HI lifestyle.

The view, siiic.

Joggin to scope out the surf brah.

That’ll do.

Beautiful!

Healthy food always has a tendency to find me: green smoothie and papaya.

Home of a phenomenal Ahi wrap.

Bliss.

Me and my cuz.

Cruisin to da north.

Hanalei Bay, apparently voted top beach.

Geesh, not hard to tell who’s from the mainland. Give me a couple of days and I’ll probably be darker than him, real talk.

Entrance to the “blue cave.” The blue part of the name comes when the lighting creeps through and illuminates the otherwise crystal looking water. She’s a beaut!

We went swimming in one of the little caverns and I felt like I was in the movie, the cave. Fun but a little creepy I may add.

An attempt at showing you the sheer size of this beast.

A little lookout point. What I love about Kauai is it’s color. With the rain and lush vegetation it’s always so damn green. I could have seriously filled up this post with just pics of the greenery.

On our way to “Queens Bath” rock we came across this little waterfall. When most peeps think of Hawaii they think waterfalls which is why I’m posting it, moving on.

For all the beauty that Hawaii envelopes their is also an element of danger that lurks in it’s serenity which if you ask me, helps to be aware of.

The plunge.

3 sea turtles, you got to love the local wildlife.

It’s been a good year since I’ve had a “real” burger and on my quest to find the best burger on the island I came across this beaut from Duane’s Ono-Char Burger. The burger itself was nothing special however, the teriyaki/mayonnaise sauce should be illegal. IT WAS THAT GOOD. The irony of the situation is after telling my cousin all the things he should not be eating, we got exactly that. )

And that’s all she wrote for the first day. As I’m writing these closing words I have the biggest urge to get up and jog down to the beach to plot out my initial surf day. So on that note, stay tuned for tomorrows update and don’t forget, it’s My Life My Fight Monday!

If you’ve been paying attention to our universe within the last 2 months you’ve probably seen me post a little bit of this and that in regards to our new release. Well, in fashionably late style, we’re inches away from printing.

The concept of the line will be dubbed “Underdog Mentality.” Save for the first line (a year ago), I like our releases  to have an overall message that is reinforced through each piece. Sure, I could be like: “Here’s the new line, doesn’t it look cool? Now buy it” but being a stickler for meaning, I’d rather put out something genuine that y’all can relate to.

The concept is all about embodying the mindset of the underdog. Always striving, humble and against the odds, underdogs see hope where there is none and always pull through immeasurable odds. We’re all striving for a better life and this collection is all about embracing the character traits of this illustrious achiever.

Now  on to the lowdown of the collection. For this release I’m dropping three (possibly four) new tees,  two tank-tops and a basketball jersey. I say three because I’m still undecided as I’m awaiting a final quote from my printer. I’ll be printing 50 tees per design and for the tank-tops and jersey, quantities will be limited to 25. If you paid attention to the last release, we sold out of some sizes quite fast so if you got the dough then you best act, yo!

Anyhow, the release is the perfect antidote to a hot summer or venue/ party for that matter. I wanted to have everything out by August but with design edits, having to find another tat/ graf artist midway and some other little setbacks, here we are. Folks, I’m just a one-man team hustling early mornings and late nights to keep it moving so bear with me. I’m aiming for a first week drop in September as I’ll be gone to Hawaii from 8/14-8/24. I’m planning to have everything printed while I’m gone and once I return we’ll get some snazzy pics together for our first look-book and then the  product will flood the streets. If we run into any more set-backs we’ll keep you in the know.

I’m very excited with the new line as we were able to incorporate a graffiti and tattoo piece into the mix which is something I’ve wanted to do since starting. This new drop is going to be our best yet and I have a really good feeling about it. We’ve received a very positive response from our big boys club as well, tight.

On the prices front, after much contemplation they will be going up to $20. As I stated here:

“From day one  my goal was to put out the best quality gear at the lowest price and I’ve lived up to that promise. However, quality does come with a price as I’m planning on adding (sick drum roll) legit screen print tags starting with our t-shirts.  Like any addition, this will cost more money and as a result I’ll have to bring the prices up.

Keep in mind that I should have done this with our Spring release because not only did I decrease the quantity we put out per design (from 75 to 50) but I also printed on better quality tees: Alstyle (which is what a lot of skate and street brands use). If you have ever printed shirts before you know that the more you print and lesser quality t-shirts you use the less you spend and the more potential you have to make. This is what bands do. Although some companies shortcut their customers to do this, SP is not one of them! I took a bit of a hit with the latest release but it’s all good as I attempted to keep prices in check and overlooked this expenditure.  If you’re still with me on this think about it this way, the more money I have to fund this operation, the more products I can release and the more consistent our overall release schedule will be. Believe me folks, i’m really itching to expand the product line to include caps, long sleeves, b-ball shorts, belts, wind breakers etc. and these things are not cheap!

For the naysayers out there, one more tidbit on the prices. If you calculated the time I put into this and how much we  pull in you’d probably quit right now but I have no intentions of doing so. To date I have not taken a cent and it’d be nice after a year of hustling to  to at least pay myself back for what I’ve already funneled into this company, I’m hoping you would agree. “

Running a clothing company is not exactly a simple business where you put forth minimal effort and make a lot of money. Maybe for Joe schmo that comes into this trying to snag a quick buck, but for someone who loves it and is committed to it, it can be a rather tedious and seemingly”not worth it” project. Luckily for your sake I’m all about it . Anyhow, I’ve got a list of things to print and need your support to get there so thank you for staying with me!

Another extra I’ll be including are pins. There are 5 designs total. To get your paws on em, all you got to do is buy more than one tee and you get 2 pins with your order! Supplies are limited so the first 100 orders will get the goods.

Being the naturally curious creatures that we are, I’m sure you would like a glimpse of what’s to come so here she is. FYI, the images are blurry because I was taking pics of my computer. Yup, we’re high tech!

Earn Your Respect

Family First

Perseverance

Always Prevail Jersey

Diamonds & Dice

Arrrreeee Yoooouuuuu Rrrreeeeaaaddddddyyyyy?

G-SP

A little motivation for the day that you should DEFINITELY watch:

Now take on the world!

G-SP