EXCLUSIVE: Paul Walker was planning to GIVE UP acting to be with his daughter: Close friends reveal 'anti-Hollywood' star's plans to retire and make up for lost time with Meadow, 15

'Fast and Furious' star Paul Walker was due to give up acting this year, so he could spend more time with his daughter Meadow.

The 40-year-old actor, who died in a car accident Saturday, wanted to make up for lost time with Meadow, now 15, after she spent the first 14 years of her life in Hawaii, where her mother, Rebecca Soteros, lived.

This is according to two of his closest friends, Ronn Shikari and Vince Krause, who both live in Hawaii.

Paul and Ronn Paul and Ronn Long-distance friendship: Whenever Walker (far right) would come to Hawaii to see his daughter, he would spend time with Shikari (center)
They were introduced to Paul seven years ago through their mutual love of jiu-jitsu. Ronn has a school there called Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Ronn Shiraki Academy (RSA), where Meadow also used to learn her moves.

They've both seen the love Paul has for Meadow and say he was sick of filming abroad and away from his daughter. That is why he was due to retire from acting and lead a life away from the limelight, so that he could get to know his daughter even more.

Ronn says: 'We were really good friends and whenever he was in Hawaii, I would always see him. He's such a great guy and about as anti-Hollywood as you can get.

'There's this image of the movie superstar with the swagger and arrogance and being the big man, but Paul was none of that, he wanted to just be a regular guy.

'He was a family man and I know it hurt him to be spending so much time away from Meadow on location; he loved being with his daughter, she was his world. That's why he wanted to retire from acting and talked to his family about it, as he'd achieved everything he wanted to achieve.

Loving dad: Friends said Walker, seen here during filming in Montreal, wanted to spend much more time with his daughter, Meadow (pictured right) to make up for 'lost years' Inseparable: One of Walker's other closets friends was Vince Krause, pictured in the center with Don Lee
'He earned millions from the last Fast and Furious. The big reason he wanted to quit acting was so that he could spend more time with Meadow. It's a shame that it could never happen.'

Friend Vince Krause confirms that the most important thing in Paul's life was his family and not his acting career.

'Paul was one of the best people I have ever known,' he added. 'He was as selfless a person as I have met. He loved being a father and it was very clear that his daughter was the most important thing in the world to him.

'Being a father myself, it was one of the topics we discussed most.'

Earlier this year, Walker admitted that he only recently found out just how important his daughter was to his life after she moved from Hawaii to live with him in Santa Barbara.

'She's the best partner I've ever had. I've never had anything like this in my life. I've been so transient; I've been on my own since I was 16,' he said. 'There's a part of me who feels like I'm making up for lost time.

Happier times: Paul, Vince (crouching) and friends, May 2010, Lanikai Beach House Kailua, Hawaii Male bond: Vince Krause, pictured from the back far right, said Paul was fiercely loyal and loved his friends unconditionally
Before this, Paul would be to-ing and fro-ing back to Hawaii and built up a rapport with Ronn and Vince, who could never believe they were dealing with a superstar as he looked more like a tramp!

'We developed a great friendship, one that lasted to this day. As with any sincere and fun person, it was easy to like Paul: he was just like your everyday awesome, cool dude that loved to laugh, joke around and have fun,' says Ronn Shikari.

'I remember on many occasions, girls would walk by or waitresses would serve us at a restaurant and not even recognise Paul because he looked like one of the boys, wearing flip flops, surf shorts and a T-shirt, often sporting a scraggly beard.'

He added: 'There's a side to him that I think people didn't really know about. He was an amazingly positive person and loved to play and live life to the fullest but those close to him recognised that he was a heavy thinker and felt on a deeper level than most people.

'I don't think fans or the general public knew that about him. He analyzed life and we would converse on all topics, from relationships to struggles to humanity. This was the true Paul in my opinion.

Extended family: This picture was taken on the Fourth of July last year in Kailua, Hawaii, showing Paul, Vince (second row, second left) and Ronn (second row, third left)
'I think that some people may decide to do charity work because it's fashionable or strategically good for their social status, but Paul was the antithesis of superficiality.

'Paul Walker was no ordinary man. Even now, in his passing, he is teaching the world to give more, teaching his friends to love and forgive more. It makes me more want to be like him,' says Shikari.

Krause added: 'He was humble, accommodating, sincere, appreciative, grateful, fiercely loyal, and loved his friends unconditionally. There was no ego to his outlook.

'He always showed a deep thirst to learn more, and gobbled up knowledge wherever and whenever he could. I'm sure that's why he knew so much about so many different things. He challenged everybody to be the best versions of themselves that they could be, while expecting the same of himself.

Retirement plans: Walker's friends revealed that the actor (center) was planning to quit Hollywood so he could spend more time with his beloved daughter
'People will think that he had such an impact on others because of his celebrity status and fame, but they'd be wrong to think it. Paul was larger than life and lifted everyone up around him because of his heart and soul. He was genuine. He was real.

'You felt like a better person just being around him. He will be greatly missed and we should all honor his memory by being the best people we can be.'

Krause and Shikari's characterization of Walker dovetails with the words of his other close friend Ricardo 'Franjinha' Miller, who told MailOnline that the tragic actor was more interested in being a good father and than a movie star.

Ricardo and Paul struck up a close bond after the Fast and Furious star came to him asking for help in perfecting his fight scenes nearly a decade ago when he was living in Santa Barbara, California, where Ricardo has a Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy.

Since then, the pair have worked together on almost all of Paul's films, with Ricardo being on set helping to co-ordinate fight scenes.

Long friendship: Brazilian Ju-Jitsu trainer Ricardo Miller (right) was Paul Walker's personal trainer and close friend for nearly a decade In training: Walker relied on Miller to help him with his fight scenes on film sets
Only last May, they were working together in Montreal for Brick Mansions, which is due out next year.

Ricardo says: 'He was a really great guy, so down to earth. His life was really special, he had a lot to live for. He loved to have fun, he wanted to help everybody and he illuminated everyone's life.'
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New Lecturers Resume Work At AAUA ToReplace Striking Ones

The crisis between the embattled members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities [ASUU], Adekunle Ajasin University [AAUA], Ondo state and their management is now deepened as new lecturers have been employment to replace the striking lecturers.

Recall that when DailyPost visited the campus last Monday, some old lecturers were seen in various lecture rooms teaching , thinking the AAUA authorities and the striking workers have agreed to end the five months old strike.

However, with a statement later issued by the AAUA ASUU's Chairman, Dr. Meruyi Mekusi, insisting that they will not call off the strike until their national body orders them to do so might have forced the management to recruit new lecturers.

Relatively, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Femi Mimiko, has charged the newly recruited lecturers to key into the work ethics of the Institution and always observe the values of the teaching profession.

Prof. Mimiko, who also enjoined the academics to be loyal to the University at all times, gave the charge on Monday last week at the Opening Ceremony of a two-day orientation programme organized by the Institution for the new academics.

The VC said, "Our expectations from you on the job are to be in constant search for knowledge and devise the innovative way of dissemination. There must not be mention of you in anything that is not worthy. Be role models to students and enhance their moral standard. You must be like counselors to them at all times. Be shapers of opinions. Engage in constructive criticism of society. Be solution generators. Be focused and play a big role in national development.

"AAUA is a public trust that is dedicated to building leaders. You must, therefore, be loyal to the system. We expect you to give to this University an undiluted loyalty. We just launched AAUA ALWAYS as a new campaign. The message is that you must think about this University at all times."

While the VC commended them for being found worthy of employment after rigorous interviews, he said that the orientation became necessary to expose them to AAUA culture.

He said, "This induction is to expose you to our own peculiar form of pedagogy that we want you to imbibe and to continue to sustain."

The VC was one of the four resource persons at the orientation programme and he spoke on "Who is an Academic?" He said the new intakes were supposed to teach, engage in research and community service.

Prof. Mimiko urged those among them who were yet to earn Ph. D. to pursue it vigorously, saying, "For us, Ph. D. is a must have. Those who are yet to possess the Ph. D. should know that the most important thing that we will ask when you get here is, 'How far you are going in the pursuit of knowledge, leading to the award of the Ph. D?"

He promised that the University would give them support to undertake Ph.D. Programme in any University of their choice.

Other speakers were the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Rotimi Ajayi, who spoke on "Academic Profession in the 21st Century"; Prof. Francis Oyebade, who examined "AAUA Academic Culture"; and Prof. Niyi Akinnaso, who spoke on "21st Century Teaching".

http://dailypost.com.ng/2013/12/07/ASUU-strike-aaua-finally-recruits-new-lecturers-replace-striking-ones/
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