Why I Am the Founder of RPMWEST

Elon Musk just released his blueprint for the Hyperloop, a new mode of transportation that would forever change the way people travel, commute, and live their lives. Period. It’s a vision that, if realized, changes everything. We could live in Los Angeles and work in New York, or we could visit distant friends and relatives in the time it takes to shop for groceries; there’s some real socioeconomic benefit here. But that is not what this blog post is about.

Elon Musk did a lot more than announce a very audacious idea. He inspired me and an entire generation in pursuit of starting the next Instagram or Pinterest--ideas that, while definitely novel, have little to no impact on our lives. And while these ideas turn ordinary people into overnight millionaires, their creations could vanish tomorrow without being a real loss to society. Ask yourself: would you really care if your Instagram or Facebook news feed went away?

Why, after all, do we participate in this thing called “life”? Why do we exist as entrepreneurs, students, teachers, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers? What’s this all about? Money?

This quote has been stuck in my head since my roommate pointed it out to me this morning: “Be ashamed to die ‘till you won one victory for mankind.” Isn’t our responsibility in life--as individuals and as a society--to be the change that we’d want to see ourselves? Shouldn’t we be rallying behind impactful ideas? Shouldn’t we embrace and encourage those people brave enough to stand up for these ideas? Shouldn’t we feel like our future will be fundamentally more exciting and prosperous than our past? For me, the answer is a resounding “yes.”

I don’t think I’ve ever felt the way I’m feeling today. This might be the first time I’ve felt genuine inspiration, and it’s enough to make me forget about money, power and whatever else consumer society has taught me. This feeling makes me want to do something so big and so radical that it might just change everything as we know it.

People often compare Elon Musk to a real life Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne. But for me, he’s the modern day John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King Jr; he helped me understand what it must have felt like hearing JFK announce the space program, or to be standing in the National Mall listening to Martin Luther’s dream--these events allow us to be apart of something greater than ourselves. Like those moments, this one has helped me think beyond everything I thought possible.

I’ve come to realize that the Hyperloop and other ideas of such magnitude really need our help--they’re too big for the Elon Musks of the world to tackle by themselves. Let’s all do something: share this post, inspire people, and write your own story.

Thanks,

Manuel

Founder of RPMWEST

www.rpmwest.com

PS: Wanna get in touch? Email me at manuel@rpmwest.com.

Read More

38 Days Around The World

Follow me on my travels: San Francisco - Singapore - Hyderabad - Dubai - Dusseldorf - Crete - Strasbourg - Paris - Dublin - New York - San Francisco

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube

Here are a few videos:

Read More

48 Hr Film Festival: "Throwing the cross" feat. Me :)

"Throwing the Cross" was submitted to the San Francisco 48 hour film festival and debuted this Tuesday at the Luminiere Theatre in San Francisco. I am one of the actors!



The movie has a great script and it was a fun change from the usual stuff that I take part in. It was written by my roommate Evan Tsao (@doubleoevan) and captured within the time span of one weekend due to the restrictions of the 48 hour film festival.

All participants of the festival had to incorporate a specific genre, a line of dialogue, an object and a character name and occupation. This year it was film noir, "You're not going to believe what happened", "a plate", "Geoffrey Cook" and a consultant type of occupation (e.g. a priest).

I am very proud of all the hard work that went into this project and I am excited to be part of it. The following are the credits:

Production
Directed: Mike Zahir and Jason Tessler
Written: Evan Tsao and Mike Zahir
Music: John Mananquil
Visual Effects: Aleksandra Zvonar and Kathleen Hirai
Storyboards: by Kathleen Hirai
Story Ideas: Adi Ben-Ami, Jason Tessler, Kierstyn Werth, Jamie Deacon, Kathleen Hirai, Federico Marchetti, Artur Rivilis and Aleksandra Zvonar

Main Actors
Manuel Rappard as Martin Cross
Kierstyn Werth as Katherine Cross
Federico Marchetti as Detective Allen
Artur Rivilis as Father Geoffrey Cook
Jason Tessler as The Warden

Additional Actors
Party Goer #1: Jamie Deacon
Party Goer #2: Aleksandra Zvonar
Party Goer #3: Kathleen Hirai
Party Goer #4: Evan Tsao
Party Goer #5: Mike Zahir
Captain Sideburns: Mathew Feldstein

If you like to know more, check out the following:
Original script, 48 hour film festival

Read More

Caribbean Diary: Our first vacation together

If you ever get a chance to visit the caribbean, go to Culebra and Vieques. Click on the image to see all our pictures and read up on more thoughts below:

Culebra/ Vieques

Alex (@adhays) and I started our journey thanks to free Airtran airline tickets. We flew out San Francisco on a Wednesday night and arrived via the red-eye flight in Puerto Rico the next day. We were welcomed by 95 degree weather and bright blue sky!

At the airport in San Juan we quickly got a cap to help us catch the ferry from Farjado to Culebra Island. The ferry ride was well worth the $2.5 - smile - and got us into Culebra's harbor (e.g. one dock) about 1.5 hours later. Walking onto the island, we felt adventurous, spontaneous and generally excited about where the next five days would take us.

Day 1: On our first day we stayed at a little hotel called Mamacitas in the main town. The hotel was very close to the ferry doc and had a decent bar and restaurant in the back. After dropping off our backpacks, we went to a nearby beach and enjoyed out first sunsets of several to come. There is no shortage of stunning beaches in Culebra and during the dinner at the dingy dock we realized what could be in store for us in the upcoming days.

Day 2: Our second day started with an early breakfast and a hike to the camp grounds which would be our home for the next 2 days. The first view of Flamenco beach was breath taking. It felt like we just arrived in paradise! Not only does Flamenco beach have a wide stretch to fly a kite or set up for a bunch of people but it also has far stretches of deserted beach. It is especially cool that the camp ground borders the beach pretty much all along the bay. Since we wanted to have a quite time, we chose to setup the tent the furthest away from all sorts of civilization - other of course a tank that seem to have magically appeared in the middle of nowhere (there are no streets anywhere close!).

Day 3: Waking up in the morning and being able to see Alex standing on the beach enjoying our little hide out post was more than I could have ever asked for. We started the day slow and only did what you do when you realized that you are living the life of Robinson Crusoe; catching and eating coconut, snorkeling, reading and sunbathing. In the afternoon we decided to take a hike back to town in order to buy some fresh fruit and drinks for the next day. On our way we got asked by a local guy if we needed a ride to town. People in Culebra are extremely welcoming and people generally don't need to fear any secondary motivations from them. Our new friend, a local elementary school teacher and Flamenco beach vendors, ended up taking us all around the island. He sure was a interesting and pleasant tourist guide. At the end of the day we finished our day at the dingy dock again. We had a couple of beers and excellent rum punches. As you can see we were happy :)


Day 4: On day four we left for Vieques. It was a spontaneous endeavor and we took the flight without any hesitation as it only costed us $25 to appreciate the beauty of these island from way above. Initially we had planned to go to St. Thomas and Virgin Gorda but flights prices had reached beyond our price range. Note: I had been to Virgin Gorda before and suggest everyone to go there as well - I consider it almost a world wonder! Vieques is a larger island and has more accommodations in terms of food and entertainment  than Culebra. Nonetheless it is very non-commercial and untouched by many tourists. On Vieques we stayed in the small beach town of Esperanza. The highlight there is a beach promenade that offers local vendors a place to set up food and clothing huts.  While eating strolling around we started talking to one of the locals. He was a rugged looking guy with shaggy hair and eyes that tells you he had been there for a long time (everyone called him "The local beach bum"). Dave, which was his real name, came up with the idea that from we would be called team D-A-M (Dave, Alex, Manuel). That in my opinion was 'mad' funny :) Dave offered us to take us around the island in a boat but before we knew it another local 'gentlemen' suggested to show us the island by car. We greatly accepted the offer and found ourselves on one of the most breath taking sight seeing tours ever. Noel, now also a friend of ours, took us to phenomenal beaches (e.g blue beach), his house where he kept 3 horses and several dogs, his niece's birthday, an old colonial prison (e.g. museum) and all around town. Later we all ended up at one of the best restaurants in town where we enjoyed the best food and a nice glass of wine. It truly was an amazing day and we will always be thankful for the time, generosity and hospitality.

Day 5: Our last full day was comprised off a great breakfast at Bellybuttons, more time on the beach, chicken on the street, playing around and Salsa dancing.

Thank you Culebra, Vieques, Dave, Noel and all the other people that made our trip so special.

What did I take away from this trip?

1. Go to Culebra to appreciate a deserted island (a la Robinson Cursoe)
2. Visit Vieques for great food, local vendors and wonderful (non-commerical) entertainment and people
3. Take the single engine plane to fly from Culebra to Vieques, it's breath taking
4. Make friends with David (the beach bum) and Noel (a local vendor) in Vieques
5. Have an open mind and see where things go!

Wanna take this trip? Check out the following resources:
Guide to Culebra - Guide to Vieques - Carribean airline - Ferry Schedule

Read More