20 July 2011

Thoughts.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so why don't you see it?
Life is what you make it, but I can't make it what I want.
I've never seen silver in a cloud, the thing is I probably never will.
There's a reason why this happened, but what happened to chance?
You lie to spare feelings and cut yourself to feel good.
Pleasure is pain and pain is love.
And all this down here came from that place above?
Everything, not one word you utter.... lacks contradiction.

18 July 2011

The Friend I Made

Today's Rescue Mission
What are shelters good for? I've been dialing for hours and have spoken to one useless piece of human who directed me to an animal rescue organization located 4 hours away because her shelter doesn't accept big dogs. But I know what she really meant to say is that Pitbulls aren't welcome there.
It sucks that these beautiful dogs are looked at as such a liability. My new friend is so friendly, despite his malnourishment at the hands of the most harmful being on the face of this earth.
So while vets and shelter workers are busy "saving" animals, this poor guy is panting for a drink on my front doorstep. Go figure.

16 July 2011

the appetizer swindle... !!

Why the fuck are restraurant appetizers better than the fucking entrees?

An intentional mishap. The price of the appetizers (especially if eating with a party that loves to get the grubs and order the three platter sampler) is nearly as much as the entree. We just see them first and see what we like. We've subconsciously been taught that when we order an appetizer the big ass entree comes next! But truth be told we look forward to the appetizers more. And most times they're more "appetizing" than the damn entree itself. [So THAT'S where the name came from?]

Of course they wouldn't make a switcharoo of the menu [which would make us go whoop dee doo] and put those crap-for-shit entrees as the teaser.
haha at myself though. This wouldn't be an issue if I was breaking pockets in a high-class, or just higher average priced eatery.

Moral of the story: more often than less we need to build a meal out of those front of the menu delights.

**I am just a little frustrated because I can never make it past the appetizer section of Friday's menu. Quick spazz.**

Now I Get It

Success is all in branding yourself.

Sean Carter said it best: "I'm not a businessman, I'm a business man." You are what you make yourself. When looking at the a woman like Oprah Winfrey one has many rights to ponder her undeniable success despite societal disadvantages in a society of "-isms". Take what matters to you most and construct an empire that has one main goal: make that shit happen.

Deliberate. Design. Do.

*inspired by Michael Skolnik*

14 June 2011

words

I'm stuck trying to find a title to this post. It's like, what do I say to the people that have been tapping me on the shoulder "what's going on with the 'L' Word Chronicles?" I've prolonged this enough.
When i thought I was ready to come back, I wasn't. I now realize that I didn't have much to say. I just hated the thought of neglecting my writing, not admitting that the block was there.
Mid-last sentence I found the title: "words". Because who knows what this whole thing means. All you and I know is that the words are coming from my fingertips. Not sure if you care, just thought I should share. But it's clear that it may mean something since you're here. So I won't fluff this any further.

07 February 2011

Quote of the Day


mshindi manning

Be brave enough to be vulnerable.

The most head-strong people miss out on something good because they aren't willing to give their heart an opportunity to think. It takes strength to be courageous, but it also takes the willingness to succumb to weakness, hurt or pain.

03 February 2011

Self Realization: The Perils of Composition

Too often during my writing (whether it be a blog post, a school paper, or even simply a text message) I find myself stuck at a single thought. The common goal we have in composing any type of piece, both factual and narrative, is that the reader "gets it". More times than less, especially when addressing a topic we feel passionate about, we tend to be wordy or trip ourselves up (so to speak). In turn we lose direction and our audience. I know what I want to say; my thoughts are clear as day to me. But how do I convey my thoughts so that the target audience understands?

The challenge is not just finding the words, but fashioning those words to be comprehended by more than just oneself. 

02 February 2011

It Starts with Us

Can you believe our future lies in the hands of someone 2 feet tall?
Last week I went along with a few others to Horace E. Green daycare, a non-profit center that caters to children of low-income families in Brooklyn. Along with us we took over 200 books that were collected during a children's book drive. We talked with them, we read to them, we gave them books and then we left. But we left something important there: a message to those children and their parents that someone else cares.

As I sat with a group of about 15 kids on a classroom floor, I listened to the compassion in their teacher's voice as he went over the moral lesson in The Little Red Hen. It reminded me of something President Obama touched on in his State of the Union address. He called everyone to take responsibility for instilling educational values in children at an early age. He also brought pride to the title "teacher," regarding them as the most important people in our nation.

I couldn't agree with him more, for what would our world be if we had no one to teach us about it? The moment we leave our parents arms we are left in the hands of a stranger, someone who knows nothing about us but seems to know everything. From these people, these strangers, we gain an appreciation for learning. They're the first to help us turn on that brain vacuum; the one with a life-long battery, but a manual control panel. It starts with them... the missionaries.

We benefit just as much, maybe even more, from the presence of street teachers. Those being the people outside of the classroom that bestow knowledge beyond academics and citizenship: neighbors, dance instructors, coaches, even the ice cream man. From these familiar faces we gain perspective and receive guidance on life and the lessons that come along with it.


With my favorite quote ingrained in my sub-conscience, I remind you that "it takes a village..."
Take the responsibility.

01 February 2011

Muse, My Muse

The one person I can't resist taking pictures of...
 featuring the mean snake from upstairs.

123.

30 January 2011

BlackBerry Chronicles: "God"

14th Street F station


I saw this one day as I was leaving my internship in the city headed back to Queens. It reminded me of an excerpt from the book I am currently reading Uncle Tom's Children by Richard Wright.
Yeah, but its different now, son. Its the people! Theys the ones whut mus be real t us! Gawds wid the people! N the peoples gotta be real as Gawd t us! We cant hep ourselves er the people when wes erlone. Ah been wrong erbout a lotta things Ah tol yuh, son. Ah tol yuh them things cause Ah thought they wuz right. Ah tol yuh t work hard n climb t the top. Ah tol yuh folks would lissen t yuh then. But they wont, son! All the will, all the strength, all the power, all the numbahs is in the people! Yuh cant live by yoself! When they beat me tonight, they beat me.... There wuznt nothin Ah could do but lay there n hate n pray n cry.... Ah couldnt feel mah people, Ah couldn't see mah people, Ah couldn't hear mah people.... All Ah could feel wuz tha whip cuttin mah blood out....
God, in an interpretive sense, is deliverance from transgressions. God's (or any higher being for that matter) presence is felt through collectivism. That is, the people on separate paths working towards one common goal keeping in mind the well-being of one another. When there is division amongst a people, their strength is diminished, leaving them to be easily targeted and persecuted by outsiders. History has proven that "a people united will never be defeated." 

For us to be united, we must believe.

29 January 2011

The Resolution

After much stalling and excuse-making, I've decided it is time for me to return. For a while I've been searching for the words to convey the necessity of my extended hiatus. I thought they had come to me, those words, but I was taught that when you think you know the answer to something, think again. Today, not more than five minutes ago, I found those words. Like much of my inspiration, it came to me in music. The words of McKenzie Eddy at the end of Currensy's track "Silence" said it better than I possibly would have myself.

"How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live."

How beneficial is my message to you if I'm ignorant to the world we live in? In my last post I talked of the journey I set out on, not to find myself, but my purpose. As my perspectives began to change I realized that I lacked a platform; I had no mission behind my words. Now from a matured mindset I speak with a vision.

The journey is far from over, and I doubt it will ever end. But with each bit of insight I gain, there's another piece of the future I can pave. I have discovered my purpose. My voice will be the one people sometimes don't want to hear, but it's what they need to. You may not feel me now, but I'm convinced that later you will. I have challenged myself to change the world I live in by changing myself. Now, I challenge you all to join me. There is work to do.


To put it simply, I'm back.