"The only one who can tell you 'you can't ' is you. And you don't have to listen."
- Nike
"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."
- Confucius
If you treat LOVE or a relationship as a game, you don't deserve to be in it. Stop playin games 'cuz in the end, ALL players of the game gets played.
After a long awaited season, my kick off finally started late last month.
The playbook is filled with strategies and I never felt this confident.
Crowd is roaring and cheering just behind the side lines.
Confidence and motivation is at its highest level.
As the quarterback, nothing and no one can get me sacked.
I throw the ball and my dreams will be spiraling towards the end zone.
As a wide receiver, no obstacle can tackle me to the ground.
There is no such thing as out of bounds, penalties, and incomplete passes.
Forget the downs 'cause I'm be pulling a hail mary on this bitch!
There is no room for failure. No space for disappointments.
And not if, but when I make that touchdown, you can watch me do my game winning dance!
The playbook is filled with strategies and I never felt this confident.
Crowd is roaring and cheering just behind the side lines.
Confidence and motivation is at its highest level.
As the quarterback, nothing and no one can get me sacked.
I throw the ball and my dreams will be spiraling towards the end zone.
As a wide receiver, no obstacle can tackle me to the ground.
There is no such thing as out of bounds, penalties, and incomplete passes.
Forget the downs 'cause I'm be pulling a hail mary on this bitch!
There is no room for failure. No space for disappointments.
And not if, but when I make that touchdown, you can watch me do my game winning dance!
Yeeeeeaaaaah! See you on the greener side of the field!!
[ps. And on another note, today is the first day of the NFL season! Happiness all around.]
Hip Hop. One of my loves.... because of this:
Ode To The Golden Age Of Hip Hop Music
"Not one artist in particular stands out as the sole proprietor for that era of hip-hop music. Each artist’s contribution was paramount in bringing hip-hop music to the forefront of American culture and most importantly, its globalization brought cultures together through MCing, DJing, b-boying, and graffiti art. This is an ode to the Golden Era of hip-hop music (between 1988 to 1993 til infinity):
Remember back in the day when we were Naughty By Nature and acting like Souls of Mischief? All we did was Kid N’ Play or be scolded by our mom or Big Daddy Kane for things like throwing a Pete Rock at a window. We used to lie on our backs, stare at the sky and pretend to see Digable Planets or dream big by wishing upon a GangStarr. Nowadays, hip-hop thinks it’s Slick Rick, making money and only concerned with being able to rock her or Rakim on the dance floor. Personally, I’d rather be taken away by true school hip-hop natives like A Tribe Called Quest, some Jungle Brothers or an X-Clan where I can listen to music that’s simply Nice & Smooth. Music that comes strictly from the mind and De La Soul. Hip-hop today needs an examination from an EPMD who can prescribe a treatment to keep it from being a Public Enemy or Black Sheep. We need Leaders of the New School to focus on various Boogie Down Productions that aren’t commercially controlled. Where have those days gone? It flew by faster than a Stetsasonic plane or a baseball player trying to steal 3rd Bass. Commercial radio makes me want to Run DMC up a Cypress Hill and scream. It’s always a good idea to give props and Monie Love to the music of yesteryear. Remember when “Yo! MTV Raps” had videos without too many special Das EFX? If things come full circle, hip hop will make a UMCs turn and go back to days when music wasn’t too Heavy D or too MC Lyte in nature. It poses the question: how do we get back to that mental state of hip-hop’s Golden Age? It doesn’t take a boy genius like Kwame to figure it out. As a matter of fact, it’s so Eazy-E that someone from Special Ed can do it: put down the guns, relax and sip some Ice-T. Don’t degrade women, but treat them as though they were a Queen Latifah. Be Kool Moe Dee and battle with mics instead of fists. Don’t show off material wealth because deep inside, we’re all just Poor Righteous Teachers. MCs, Djs, and producers, let’s develop and promote fresh music so that we can all feel Brand Nubian all over again."
I came upon this great article off of Assemble Online Magazine. This online fun magazine consists of writers from different area codes informing and inspiring us of art, music, fashion, lifestyle, and film catered to the hip hop community. They also have an online radio station for your listening enjoyment. Check them out.
"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain."
- Bob Marley
Music Mondays has not been restricted to just Mondays. I need music every single day! Trust! And on this very ordinary Thursday, it becomes far from ordinary when I pop in an album that has been one of my many favorites, "Of Gods and Girls" since it's release in 2007.
Let me introduce you to Mr. J. Medeiros.
You'll be blown away with how underrated he really is both to the music world and to humanity. He's a member of and the very one who formed the known group, The Procussions. Mr.J. Medeiros has performed, been on tour, and shared the stage around the world with artists like Run DMC, Digable Planets, De La Soul, The Roots, Common, Mos Def, Blackalicious, and A Tribe Called Quest. He wrote, recorded, and/or produced music with/for such artists as Talib Kweli, Ohmega Watts, Pigeon John, Crown City Rockers, and many many more! In addition being the featured artist on many albums and tracks, his music was showcased in movies, video games, and television shows.
Mr. Medeiros also does some extraordinary volunteer work for the AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, and etc. He is involved in social activism and also ran a campaign against sexual abuse and human trafficking! In addition, Mr. Medeiros has gotten involved with the environmen's needs by volunteering time to build nature trails, working with endangered species, and becoming a Red Carded forest firefighter. One word: Wow!
Aside from all the mambo jumbo of who he was featured for, who he was on stage with, or what and how he contributed to the world, I personally love him because of his very own lyrical content over the beats he produce himself. He has a humanitarian view with non-religious Christian “like” under tones and a hint of feminism, which is quite rare coming from a male artist. Not to mention I am a huge fan of live instruments weaved into their beats!!
My ultimate fave from this album is "Her Wings." And towards the end, when the saxophone solo comes on... omg... I love it! I can never get tired of this track. Mr. J. Medieros' lyrics is straight beautiful ... pure poetry! We need more hip hop artist just like him in our world!
"She walk like she got headphones, rockin Aretha
Lady of light, type you like to speak to
Hard to read, sort of speaks like a drink of water
Far from a leaf though it’s hard being the king’s daughter
Not really into order but her expectations call for a man to be strong
Plus patience, see you can admire the flower
But understand, you dealing with a woman in a higher power
And my father in Heaven musta gave her the Earth
Cuz the money don’t impress me, yo she know what she worth
And she knows me birth, she can feel it
Went through too much hurt to conceal it
It’s not what she say, it’s the way she reveals it
And now the world wanna steal it
That spirit in which her body’s a home to
Sorry world, she’s outgrown you
Outta the gates to the wild blue
Sky’s too great, she gotta escape, fly through
With a smile too, kinda remind you
You gotta look ahead and not behind you
She said starin at the sun won’t blind you
It’s just a lie used by the world to confine you
But I know a place they won’t find you
And if you believe, you can fly like I do
Absolutely beautiful, the type that make you feel unsuitable
She’s uncommon, ain’t nothing about her usual
If you’da known her before the transition
You’d be amazed by the change man, listen
She used to go from this one to that one
To feel complete, she looked for men to make it happen
Until she started askin, if all things in this world should pass
Show me somethin that’s everlastin
That’s when she met true love, not the word but the action
Takin her to way back when she was Eve in the garden of Eden
Before the apple was eaten, before she used to be the Queen of Clubs
Now it seems she’s a wild card, born again, child of God
With a style a little odd for any normal man to marry
But she fits in just fine with the revolutionaries"
To me, music is a form of poetry. You can never have too much music nor poetry in your life! Poetry opens my mind and soul. It stimulates my thoughts and expresses my feelings. Recently, I reread one of my favorite poetry books... "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" by Tupac Shakur. Just this 6-word title is a poem in itself. It's so deep and powerful in so many ways I cannot begin to explain. And as you unravel the words he wishes you to hear, you will find it amazing that this hard core thug had a warm soft heart.
The book is a collection of personal poems from 1989-1991, starting when he was just 18 years old. Afeni Shakur (Tupac's mother) expressed that her son's poems,
"...represent the process of a young artist's journey to understand and accept a world of unthinkable contradictions..."
Get the book. You'll love it. This book is a very intimate and personal collection as each printed poem in the book is beside its actual handwritten copy by 2Pac himself. It's all real people! And if you're a fan of 2pac, you'll have goosebumps just like I did. Here's one of my favorite poems of his I want to share:
Untitled
Please wake me when I'm free
I cannot bear captivity
where my culture I'm told holds no significance
I'd wither and die from ignorance
But my inner eye can c a race
Who reigned as kings in another place
the green of trees were rich and full
and every man spoke of beautiful
man and women together as equals
War was gone because all was peaceful
But now like a nightmare I wake 2 c
That I live like a prisoner of poverty
Please wake me when I'm free
I cannot bear captivity
4 I would rather be stricken blind
than 2 live without expression of mind
Simply beautiful.
I've read "The Gift" by Daneil Ladinsky, which are Poems by HAFIZ, many many times. Hafiz, the great Sufi master, is one of the world’s most adored poets. He's affectionately known as the “Tongue of the Invisible” and Ralph Waldo Emmerson himself stated that “Hafiz is a poet for poets.”
"Faithful Lover"
The moon came to me last nightWith a sweet question.
She said.
"The sun has been my faithful lover
For millions of years.
Whenever I offer my body to him
Brilliant light pours from his heart.
Thousands then notice my happiness
And Delight in pointing
Toward my beauty.
Hafiz,
Is it true that our destiny
Is to turn into Light
Itself?"
And I replied,
Dear moon,
Now that your love is maturing,
We need to sit together
Close like this more often
So I might instruct you
How to become
Who you
Are!
Hafiz expressed in poetry love for the divine, and the intoxicating oneness of union with it. He wrote about 5,000 poems in his lifetime.
"It Felt Love"
How
Did the rose
Ever open its heart
And give to this world
All its
Beauty?
It felt the encouragement of light
Against its
Being,
Otherwise,
We all remain
Too
Frightened.
If you haven't picked up this book yet, you should! It takes us into a deeper space within ourselves and brings us out into a more peaceful outlook in life and love. Take a break from the usual New York Times Best Sellers, order your favorite tea (or coffee), and get cultured!
Never is it denial.
But rather, it is being selective of the reality you choose to accept.
Music.
I've been in love with this phenomenal kind of art ever since i could remember. Dad played vinyls that ranged from Nat King Cole, Blondie, Elvis, Al Green, and to Mozart. Every Sunday evening, we'd watch a jazz and soul music show on network tv. I collected cassettes to record mixes from local radio stations. We not only listened to music but we also played music. Dad played the violin and my brother and I played the piano. One day, I will learn and play the violin.
I cannot even begin to describe how music means to me, how it inspires and motivates me, and how it's a vital part of my life... but Lauryn Hill explains it best in a verse from Angie Stone's track, Music ...
"Colors of sound
Scales and beauty
Audio scenery
Electric love and
Rhythmic symmetry
Written in memory
Beautifully crafted scenery
Complex or simplicity
Sonic energy
Piercing insensitivity
Sympathetic poetry
For some even identity
Collective entity
Something to belong to
A source of energy
The possibilities
Wave lengths and bandwith
Higher vibration
Energizing entire lands with
Something to stand with
Or stand for
Lovers to walk hand in hand with
Then plan for
Sanctuary chords
Harmony, melodies, even riffs can be
Disguised human essence
Sonically bottled ecstasy
Or melancholy
Agony blues angst
Exercising anxieties
Fueling entire societies
Making economies
Stimulating, generating
Inspiration synonymously
Entertaining, expression
Intangible, invisible but undeniable
Plays the language of excitement on survival
Some call it tribal
But perspective is everything
Connected to everything
Some say collectively
Everything"
I say, it IS MY everything!!!
So, after Rachel inspired me to make some blog on this thing, i gave in. Here I am. I've always written journals and kept dairies, but never exposed myself, nor had anyone break through my inner most feelings about everything and anything.
It was summer of 2002, the most dreadful summer of my life. I was dealing with a stupid cheating boyfriend, who in fact verbally and emotional abused me. I was dealing with parents who turned their back on me for some ex-boyfriend in the past. I was busy with nursing school and trying to keep myself sane at the same time. And I was trying to recuperate friendships that I've grown away from due to that stupid cheating insecure boyfriend.
Laur, the bff, gave me an inspirational paperback book compiled of quotes and poems from various artists. I eventually bought more similar books. As my first blog entry, I decided to post a poem i remembered . This poem changed my life.... it made it better. This poem gave me strength and motivation to seek the happiness i deserved.
Autobiography In Five Short Chapters
By: Portia Nelson
Chapter I
I walk down the street, there is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I fall in.I am lost ... I am helpless.It isn't my fault.It takes forever to find a way out.Chapter III walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I pretend I don't see it.I fall in again.I can't believe I am in the same place.But it isn't my fault.It takes a long time to get out.Chapter IIII walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I see it there.I still fall in... it's a habit ... but,my eyes are open.I know where i am.It is my fault.I get out immediately.Chapter IVI walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I walk around it.Chapter VI walk down another street.
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