Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Jersey What?

(photo found here)

Sigh.

Are their 15 minutes up yet?

I appreciate what they've accomplished. Totally. But, as a young person I feel that they give me and many alike a bad rap.

While they're here I will laugh and love 'em, but when they're gone I won't miss them much.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Avatar.

I finally saw Avatar for the first time and it was nothing short of amazing.



(photo found here)

I know people are angry about the racial implications, but it doesn't bother me at all. The work that was done on this film is evident by the CGI work, creative designs, and unique world. In my opinion, a great film stays with you and makes you think about controversial subjects. No lie, I was talking to myself as I drove home about the movie. It stirred me up. James Cameron makes a huge statement about America and how this country came to be, which wasn't fair for many people and races. It's honest, beautiful, and heartbreaking all at the same time.
There are things I'd love to focus on, but most of it would give away details about the film. I would hate to blow it for those who haven't seen it. But, I will say, that I was inspired by the love story and how it survived a war, literally and emotionally. It was a great experience. Go check it out if you haven't. Even if the story doesn't stay with you, the images and colors will.

I'll Take Some Words.

Welp, I think it's obvious that I haven't been blogging as much these past few months.

I'd love to blame it on something tragic like cancer. Or, on something not so tragic, like getting a full-time job that has me so busy I can barely make time to sleep.

But, I will admit it here and now, that the main reason is because I haven't felt very inspired to write. And, I know there are some of you who are thinking, "Be real, gurl. It's because you were dating a hot mamacita." Sure, that may be part of the mix, but it ain't most of it.

Also, I figured out that since the conversations I blogged about were at bars and clubs, I had to always be there. Well, peeps, I haven't been out to a bar in a long time. As a result, I haven't had my usual conversations with other women and men.

(photo found here)
But, today's a new day. No more excuses from this point on. I'm going to keep on writing and staying inspired if it kills me. Well, not if it kills me...you know what I'm sayin'. Sometimes we get off course in life, and I hope you're more forgiving than my grandparents who were very angry after not hearing my voice for a few weeks:
You know how this goes. I sigh --
I sit in my room talking to Wisconsin on the phone. It's a beautiful day outside and I am dying to go for a walk. I hear a beep on my phone and check it. My grandparents are calling. Time to switch on ova.
Me: "Hey grandma."
Silence.
Me: "Uh...hello?"
Grandma: "Oh, you're alive. I tell ya, we never hear from you."
I think it has been three or four weeks, but okay...never works, too.
Me: "Oh, I'm sorry, grandma. I know it has been a few weeks, but I've just been going through a lot in --
She interrupts, not hearing anything I am saying. She has been waiting to lay into me.
Grandma: "We used to hear from you all the time. You used to be so good about that. Now you never call."
Me: "Grandma, I have always called you guys every week since I was a young girl. Come on now. That's not fair."
Grandma: "Look, I'll tell ya one thing. You better stay outta trouble. Stay outta them drugs and bars and quit that drinking."
Okay...since when did I start doing drugs and drinking? Her imagination has been running wild. But, I understand. She's worried that her jobless granddaughter is going downhill.
Me: "Grandma, I am fine. I don't do drugs or any of that stuff. I am taking care of myself."
Grandma: "Mmmhmm. I told your grandfather I wasn't going to call you. That I'd wait to hear from you, but I thought I would call anyway."
Me: "Okay, well thank you. I love you very much. How are you?"
Okay, good. We made up. Now she'll get off my tail.
Grandma: "Fine, but you should be better about calling us."
Spoke too soon I guess.
Yeah, my grandparents were a little harsh, but that's life. I know she was upset because she cares and is concerned. I share that conversation because it's funny and speaks to what a lot of folks are going through. Sometimes you'll face adversity and people, like family, who think you're not doing enough. My grandparents love me, but they'd love it if I moved home and got a job doing what I hated as long as it paid my bills. They don't care about my dreams or what makes me happy. Now, this isn't because they don't love me. It's because they're scared that I may fail and, in the end, all they want is for me to be taken care of.
I say to you and to me, be strong. Follow your heart and do what makes you happy. There will be those telling you to move back home or to give up on your dreams in life. Stay positive and know that you have a purpose on this Planet. We're all made up of incredible gifts and talents. We just have to bring them out, not tear them down.
Besos.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Chronicles Of A 20-Something, Staying Positive.

Joel Osteen is a pastor at Lakewood Church in Houston and book author. In my eyes, he's also

Da Man.

(photo found here)


To be real, Mr. Osteen is bringing out my bright Spirit, which hasn't been so visible these days. His book, It's Your Time, touches my heart and makes me realize how we sometimes hold ourselves back.

There are a lot of negative things happening in the world. The economy. The war. Health Care. But, it's our choice to either wallow in the destructiveness or take it as a way to reinvent who we have always been.

Steve Jobs didn't give up. Even when Apple board members voted him out of the company he created at the age of twenty, Mr. Jobs continued to shine by creating a few more companies. And, after realizing that they made a mistake, the board members asked him to rejoin Apple. Look where he is today.

Think about Thomas Edison. He tried hundreds and hundreds of times to create the light bulb only to fail. If he had told himself, "Well, this clearly isn't going to work. I might as well give up," the world would never have been able to use his invention -- the light bulb.

Or, Mary Bethune who grew up poor in South Carolina as a child. She had a dream to teach children in Africa but was rejected, despite her amazing reputation, from an African missionary. Did she give up on her dream to teach? No. She decided to open up a school for girls and boys in her home state. For the first few years they used cardboard for desks and had no books. It later became the Bethune-Cookman School, going from six kids to a large institute. She later became the first black woman to be President of a college and the first African-American woman to serve as a presidential advisor under Franklin Roosevelt.

These people, among others, didn't give up. They were at their lowest and, instead of giving into depression or self-pity, they adapted and went after their dreams. If every single person believed in themselves and their ideas like they did, we'd be better off.


Joel talks about how we all have the right components within us to reach amazing heights. But, that we have to try and reach before we can hold our dreams. That job you want ain't going to knock on your door. We have to try our best by applying to jobs every day and networking with others. It's the same with getting into shape. We have to have the motivation to walk to the gym and get on that treadmill. And, once we do, it'll be easier the next time and the next time. That's what growing stronger and more confident feels like.

I definitely know what it feels like to attend a self-pity party, but that's ova. Now is the time to look within and go for it. Sure, I've been kicked down a few times in the past year, but I'm still here. You're still here. When I read Joel's words, I believed that all I have been through has happened for a reason. Not having as much dinero as I'd like. Being unhappy with my career. Struggling to get interviews. All of these things happened for a reason.


In my opinion, when you're at the bottom, spiritually and emotionally, two things can happen: you look within yourself in a positive way or in a negative way. Take that lay-off as a blessing. Maybe it will lead to you discovering a new talent or skill that will change your life. Like that woman who didn't become an opera singer as a young girl because her parents said she wasn't good enough. It wasn't until the age of 90 that she finally became an opera singer, but she did it. People came from all over the world to watch her sing.

It's never too late.

So, let's make a deal, you and me. Let's live for today and reach for our dreams. They are there waiting on us to snatch 'em up...if only we knew it's our time.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Rite Aid - Game of Life

I am a little obsessed with this game. If you don't know about it, check it out.

Oh, and I need game piece #8.


-Peace

Monday, February 1, 2010

Welcome, February.

Oh, February, how I love thee.

(photo found here)

Yeah, you may not last that long, but you're the shiznit.

Kisses
Candles
Chocolate
Love
Soft gazes
And, most importantly,

(photo found here)

That's right. Black folk. This month is all about my peeps! I can smell the appreciation in the air as I walk outside my door every day. We've come a long way and brought a lot to this world. Hip hop. Dance. Jazz. Straight up coolness. Strength.

This is also a time to thank those amazing leaders who came before us to give individuals like me the rights I have, like walking down the street or getting to sit anywhere I want on da bus. These are things I definitely take for granted and don't think about. But, today, that changes. I'm here to say --

Thank you.