Tj Kendama… I mean Tj Kolesnik just released a new EPIC video showing off Kendama’s new series of Kaizen Half Splits. Tj’s style is just so fluid that we are starting to think Kendama is his last name. We love having him as a part of our entourage as his energy is beyond contagious and he embodies all that Blenders Eyewear stands for. Let’s just say it’s hard to get any work done when he comes by the office. If you haven’t heard of Kendama head over to KendamaUSA to see what the madness is all about. To see it in action, their Youtube Channel is always firing off new videos of the pros, you may just want to get your hands on one.

Gareth Emery’s second stop on his Electric For Life Arena Tour was at the Los Angeles Shrine Expo Hall and in his own words “the lasers were not f*cking around” Saturday night.Emery was beyond appreciative of his LA fans, we drove up to witness the madness, and gave out 250 shades with custom pouches designed specifically for the tour.He gushed on instagram saying: “A year ago nobody had even heard of #electricforlife and last night together WE DID THIS! Biggest show on the tour and one I will remember very fondly for the rest of my life. Can’t even imagine how we top last night but we’ve got a long time to think about it.”To top it off not only did we deck out the audience but also had 2 pairs of custom shades made for Emery and his whole crew. Whether you make it to one of his shows or not these custom Electric For Life sunglasses are a must have for your Blenders Eyewear collection and is unlike anything we have ever done and would only do for Gareth as he has been a fan since day one. Hit mark@blenderseyewear.co.nz up and we can try and source a pair or 3 out of the States especially for you!

We love his music he loves our shades it’s that simple and we couldn’t be more stoked on this collaboration with him. His stop in Sydney is your last chance to catch him on tour before his last show and sold out show in London. Grab shades and tickets while you can and shine like neon diamonds. It’s time to get Electric for Life! // 

For all things Gareth Emery and more info on the Electric For Life Tour head over to his Instagram, Twitter, and website.

After an extended weekend on Groove Cruise, that took off from LA and made stops in Catalina and Mexico, our co-founder, Chase, finally made it back to the office on Tuesday where we were missing him dearly. Not long into the day, the aftermath hit, and he had to go home early… because well… it was just that good. The teaser photos are in and the rest of the Blenders Crew shed a tear wishing we too had been a a part of all the madness. Maybe next year, so until then, if you weren’t there here is a sneak peak of what went down, and if you were there, here are some photos to help you relive the magic.With after hour parties going into the wee hours of the morning, and DJs like Paul Okenfold and Dirty South killing their sets, all the while being on the beach or sailing the ocean, it’s safe to say this one was one for the books. Next stop, Groove Cruise Miami to Jamaica January 22-26 2016.

Photos by Veranmiky & Handonam Photography

Join the party Captain and visit: www.TheGrooveCruise.com

Summer is just around the corner! Check out this short video from Spectrum Innovations and follow them on Vimeo and Instagram!

Blenders Eyewear – Summer Passion from Spectrum Innovations on Vimeo.

In this video our boy TJ Kolesnik walks you through the Air Whip on a Kendama. A Kendama is an extremely addictive wooden skill toy (co-founder Blake can’t get enough of it in the office) that comes from Japan. It strengthens hand eye coordination, balance, and reflex. It can be played by young and old alike. There are endless trick possibilities for both the beginner and the seasoned master.

The Kendama is made up of the “Ken” (handle) and the “Tama” (ball), which is connected by a string.  The Kendama tricks are done by variations of juggling the ball in the 3 cups, spiking the ball with the Ken spike, and balancing both in new creative ways.  Mastering the Kendama takes practice, focus, patience, and creativity.

We love that the Kendama is a simple, productive, interactive toy that strengthens mental and physical skills while you play.  In today’s world of toys bombarded with flashy lights, computers, and mainstream entertainment, the Kendama stands out with its simple design and creative new ways to have fun.

Kendama History: 

The KendamaUSA staff was first introduced to Kendama in 2006 while touring in Japan.  Their good friends were always playing while they waited at train stations, bus stops, and while walking around the cities.  They got their first Kendama in Downtown Tokyo, and showed all of their friends when they got back home.  Their entire pro team even had the golden Mugens before they were discontinued.  Everybody’s curiosity and enthusiasm inspired them to start KendamaUSA and help introduce people from all over the world to this great skill toy.  People from all over the world have now been exposed to the Kendama, and they are proud to say that if you live outside Japan and have played, it is almost surely because of KendamaUSA.

Fun Fact # 1876:  The Air Whip was named after a weird sound TJ makes when he does this trick. Its the sound of a DJ Scratching.
AAIRRR WWWHIP!

For more from TJ check him out on Instagram.

To learn more about Kendama  and to watch more videos like this one check them out on Youtube, Instagram, and Website.

Kyle Jetter is a student at La Jolla High School, and though he may be young, he has talent beyond his years. The freelance photographer/videographer has already been featured in well-known magazines like Surfing and Stab. He has worked with professional and up-and-coming surfers like Peter King, Derek Dunfee, Jake Halstead, Skip Mccullough, and Jacob Szekely and photographed the likes of Julian Wilson and Gabriel Medina.Yet his photography style is all over the map, and spans more than just surfing and skating, as he is an equally excellent lifestyle photographer. Blenders Eyewear got the opportunity to chat with Jetter to get a better look into what makes this kid tick. Get the inside scoop, and what we can expect from him in 2016, right here:

Tell us something that we wouldn’t know by looking at you.

I spent the first 11 years of my growing up in a small town in North Western New Jersey. My family had 24 goats on our property.

Name the three things that you cannot live without.

Soul/Motown music, Pizza On Pearl, my cameras.

(Blendz note: We cannot live without POP either)

Secret talent?

I make a super mean breakfast.

What person would you like to swap lives with for a day?

Chris Burkard

What is your biggest inspiration?  

My biggest inspiration is the people I surround myself with, as well as all of the legends that lived before me. Everyday my friends will accomplish something amazing that inspires me to push myself further. My friends and family are all very unique and have such varied perspectives on getting the most out of life.  When I see them succeeding and enjoying life, it inspires me to do the same.When I find time to relax, I tend to study the accomplishments of many people I idolize: Martin Scorsese, Quentin Terantino, Christopher Nolan, Cory Richards, Aaron Huey, Todd Glaser, Chris Bryan, Chris Ray, Aaron Lieber, Taylor Steele, Ed Templeton, Chris Burkart, and the list goes on and on.  The time I spend studying is my favorite part of the day because I have so many ideas to draw from. I find myself constantly inspired by this long list of people. I also try not to get to ahead of myself, I take everything step by step and try to accomplish goals that inspiring local people in my area have done. John Maher, Peter King, Julian Clark, Todd Glaser, Peter Taras; all local legends that inspire me.Music is also a huge inspiration of mine. Everyday I wake up and rock out to songs from artists like Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, CCR, Bob Marley, and much more. Overall, I am inspired by music and everyday visual art.  

Favorite breakfast cereal?

Chocolate Mini-Wheats

Most embarrassing song on your IPod?

I don’t think I have any embarrassing songs; I make sure my music library has the best of everything I like.

Tupac or Biggie?

Biggie, gotta rep that East Coast. His lyrics are insane.

If you could meet anyone, who would it be?

So many idols and legends I would love to meet, but it would come down to Larry David or Quentin Tarantino.

If you could photograph anyone, who would it be?

That’s a hard one. It would be a choice between Andy Irons (if he was still alive) surfing or Lance Mountain skating.What got you interested in photography?

I don’t remember the exact time that it drew me in; it was more of a gradual interest. Day by day, I got better and I would find myself enjoying it more, especially when others enjoyed my work so much. I would find myself taking photos of skating, surfing, scenery, people, the beach, lifestyles; just about anything that surrounding me in my daily life. After really seeing that the images I created told a story behind all of these good memories, I was hooked. So I became interested after coming to understand how my images could tell a unique story.How would you explain your photography style?

I would say my style would relate with Fine Art Photojournalism, because the revolving concept of my photos deals with showing the daily lives of my friends, the town we live in, and myself. But while I use photojournalism to show these things, I also try to incorporate many photography skills to make the art more fine and appealing.

More often than not, I love to use black and white as my genre. I love black and white because I feel it expresses photographs in a deeper perspective, as you have to focus more on the subject than color.What was the turning point that made you realize that you could do this as a career someday?

I’ll never forget the day I sold my first photo print, or the day when I was first hired to travel and film surfing in South America.

What advice do you have for aspiring photographers looking to make it?

Find an artistic style that makes you happy. Be consistent with this style. Try to create new ideas everyday and also learn along the way. Make sure you network yourself well and work with the right people. Finally, don’t let failure bring you down because failure is what we learn from  and improve upon everyday.What do you have planned for 2016?

For 2016 I hope to be enrolled in the USC Cinematic Arts Program (if any Alums out there have a connect, hit me up!). Once I secure an acceptance from USC  I’d like to amp up my professional networking over the summer and land some freelance work and apprenticeships that will enhance my skill set. I really want 2016 to be the year that will start take me to the next level in the film or photo industry and start pushing my creative boundaries further.What importance do you place on networking?

Networking is key if you want to be successful. If you know how to network yourself the right way, then you can reach your art out to all the right people. I spend plenty of time thinking of who I want to contact, when I want these contacts, and what is the best way to contact. So if you can network properly, it will not be hard to get your work out there.

How did you get to where you are today?

I would have to thank a number of people that have helped me progress to who I am today. My mom, my dad, my sisters, Jake Halstead, Christian Zvetina, Skip Mccullough, Fano Rakigjija, Jacob Szekely, Collin Duguid, and much more. I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without the endless support from my friends and family. Everyone would always be willing to contribute and help me create new ideas that I would then turn into a reality. These ideas more times than not ended up being well liked when published, which brought me to meet more people and be apart of different jobs that have led to where I am today.

What does social media mean to you? How can it/ does it help/ hinder your success?

Social media is everything to me. In today’s world, It is the best and most efficient way to promote anything. Social media is fast, easy, and reliable. Social media has the same idea of networking, if you can do it correctly with the right people, you will do well.

For me my social media is everything because it is how I get promote my most recent videos, photos, and stories of my life.What is the hardest part of being a self made business man?

Time management. I try to take as many jobs as I can get, but when it all adds up it is hard to find time for it all. You must do all of the advertising, marketing, editing, selling, creating, and thinking on your own.

Do you think that a college degree is beneficial to the take you to the next level in your career? Or do you think it is more about who you know?

I’m not exactly sure one this one.  I think the next level of your career depends a little on both concepts. I certainly think a degree would help you find a job and make you more marketable. At USC, for example, the alumni network is outstanding. For a kid from Jersey, I don’t have as many connections as I’d like to yet in the industry and graduating from USC would help in that regard. I think that in any endeavor you choose, ‘who you know’ is paramount.  

What are some daily challenges you face?

Time management and completing projects would definitely have to be a huge daily challenge for me. I have so many projects that I still need to work on, I’m always busy.

Another challenge would be trying to create something new and unique everyday. Making my ideas reality.

A constant challenge is also how could I promote myself better.Were you ever afraid of the feedback you would get or did you ever think your company would not succeed?

Of course I was afraid of the feedback and not succeeding. I would not say that I have completely “succeeded” yet anyway, but I am happy to be where I am today. At first I would always be skeptical on what others would think and how they would react to what I was trying to do. Sometimes I even like the criticism, when it is constructive. I like it because it helps me critique my work and see what areas I need to improve in. Obviously nobody is perfect, so it is nice to hear directly what should be done to improve the project.

How would you summarize your success story?

Moved here from New Jersey and got connected with the right group of friends. Once high school started, photography and filmmaking really caught my interest. I would film skateboarding and finger boarding to fill my time. After doing this for a while, I started to see my creative interests become clearer, so I targeted new things, such as landscape, lifestyle, and surfing.

Landscape motivated my artistic side of things, lifestyle motivated my creative/journalistic side of things; surfing, well it was just fun to travel and share fun memories with close friends.Surfing is what really took me off my feet. I started to do work with companies such as Billabong, Rusty, and Brixton. These companies would promote me to others on social media and so forth.

After being exposed online and locally time and time again, a good amount of people started to recognize my name and share my work to others.

All of this exposure leads me to where I am today. Constantly doing jobs, weather they are simple shoots for friends or commercial videos for big companies, its all-amazing fun.I have a large growing social media following. I have sold plenty of photos and have many more in local shops. I am the editor in chief for our yearbook this year at La Jolla High Sschool and I help out with many other media related projects for the school. Everyday I am contacted to do some type of photography or film project. Now that I somewhat have a name for myself I am always busy with something.

However I would not summarize this as a success story, I am just getting started. It is only the start of something new in my life. I have plenty of goals I still have set for myself and I will continue to push myself everyday.

Can’t get enough? For all things Jetter check him out on Instagram, Flickr, Vimeo, and Youtube.

Tokyo 2020: September 28 2015 – Eighteen Additional Events in Five Sports Proposed to the IOC by the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Organizing Committee – The Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee today announced that it has proposed 18 additional events from five sports to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for inclusion at the Games of the XXXII Olympiad (Tokyo 2020). It has become the first ever organising committee to be given this unique opportunity to contribute to the design of the Olympic Programme, thanks to Olympic Agenda 2020.

The 18 proposed events are (sport alphabetical order):

This package of events represents both traditional and emerging, youth-focused events, all of which are popular both in Japan and internationally. They will serve as a driving force to further promote the Olympic Movement and its values, with a focus on youth appeal, and will add value to the Games by engaging the Japanese population and new audiences worldwide, reflecting the Tokyo 2020 Games vision.

This possibility for the OCOGs to propose events in new sports to feature at the edition of their Games, is a completely new and fresh approach in the development of the Olympic programme. It builds on the ongoing focus of flexibility, innovation and youth, allowing Tokyo 2020 to reflect the sports culture of Tokyo and Japan, destinations that have always captured the imagination of the world’s youth.

The 18 proposed events were selected by the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and its Additional Event Programme Panel through an open process that was initiated in May 2015. Twenty-six IOC-recognised International Federations originally applied, and eight of these were shortlisted in June 2015.

The final decision, in line with the Olympic Charter, will be made by the IOC at the 129th IOC Session in Rio in August 2016.

“Each of the eight shortlisted international federations amply demonstrated their potential to add to the value of the Games and I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to each of them for their outstanding efforts. We firmly believe that by connecting with youth, bringing to life Olympic Agenda 2020 and the Tokyo 2020 vision, our proposal constitutes the best possible package that will add the most value to the Games.” said Fujio Mitarai, Chair of the Additional Event Programme Panel.

The 18 events will result in the addition of some 474 athletes to the sports programme for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Tokyo 2020 believes the proposed additional events will inspire young athletes involved in these events around the world to strive to achieve their cherished dream of competing in the world’s greatest sporting spectacle.

1.Marble Caves in Chile

Thousands of years of Lake General Carrera’s waters splashing up against the walls these caves have created the swirling texture. The azure lake reflects on the inside of the cave making its marble look appear blue. Just a 3o minute boat ride and you can glide through this cave for yourself.

2. Waitomo Glowworm Caves in New Zealand

These caves are home to a species of glowworms, the Arachnocampa luminosa, that are found only in New Zealand. You can take a boat ride through the cave filled with thousands of glowworms that are each only about the size of a mosquito. The guided tour runs all year long, 7 days a week, $48 for adults, and $21 for children.

3. Hang Son Doong Caves in Vietnam

This cave is the largest in the world and was just recently discovered in 2009. It is so massive that it even has its own jungle, river, and climate. It is over 650 feet high and almost 500 feet long and visitors have to repel in harnesses down over 250 feet to enter the cave. Yet the experience of exploring this wonder is worth it.

4. Batu Caves in Malaysia

This cave is home to a Hindu temple and shrine and thousands of visitors and worshippers flock to it every year especially during Thaipusam an annual Hindu festival. These 400 million year old limestone caves are also home to macaques monkeys.

5. Fingals Cave in Scotland

This cave is located on the uninhibited island Staffa in Scotland and is known for its natural acoustics. A boat is needed to access the cave and tours are available where you can hear the eerie sounds the ocean makes crashing inside. The scenery with coastal and mountainous views makes the journey to the cave and the cave itself the spectacle that it is. 

6. Giant Crystal Cave in Mexico

Inside these caves are some of the largest crystals in the world called selenite crystals, however, to see them for yourself,  you have to have certain protection otherwise you can only experience them for 10 minutes. The caves’ air temperature is extremely hot and unpleasant at 136 degrees and 99 percent humidity. 

7. Benagil Sea Cave in Portugal

Off the Algarve Coast lies a pristine beach home to this sea cave that is always topping charts of places to visit. The crashing waves has created its structure and is now a playground for boaters, swimmers, and sun bathers alike.

8. Reed Flute Cave in China

This cave is illuminated by multi-colored lights and gets its name from the reeds here that you can make into flutes. Inscriptions on the walls date back to 792 AD and though the lights are just for the experience it truly makes the interior of these caves surreal. The limestone walls, pillars, and rock formations are only made better with the colors of the rainbow.9. Melissani Cave in Greece

This cave is surrounded by forests on the island of Kefalonia in Greece with crystal clear waters perfect for swimming. The cave creates a cenote like pool and the sun shines down in illuminating the breathtaking views. Sights from below and above the caves are equally beautiful. 

10. Tham Lod Cave in Thailand

Kayak down the Nam Lang River which flows through this cave in northern Thailand and look up at all the stalactites and stalagmites (the drooping rock formations). Guided tours provide paraffin lanterns to light up the dark surroundings as you walk through the cave’s trails.