A step back before a great step forward...

So business is handled, bags are packed, and the time has come to go get on that plane to the UK. I guess this is a personal reflection more than anything. I just wanna tell myself where i'm at before this milestone. Whatever happens in the next 8 weeks, dopeness is guaranteed. The post is going to be personal... so a.k.a, if you don't know me too well or just don't really care, it could be boring. I want to be able to look back at this though to see what, if any, changes happen...

I'm going to start out where I am in relation to my personal goals. I guess you could say I'm on cruise control right now. Last semester was alright. As I said in an earlier post, it felt like I had a good season but couldn't get to the championship. Like the Celtics without KG. That is really consistent with how it played out. I feel like I proved to myself that the potential is there. I just gotta do a better job being disciplined and staying on point. the GPA did drop but nothing significant. So yeah, in that department of life, I'm good... not great... but I'm not trippin'. Next year though, I got no excuses. Let's just say that metaphorically, I'm 100% healthy for the season and I will pull a Lebron if I don't go all the way with straight As.

As far as P4 goes, I feel good about the team. Straight up, we may be a little undermanned but we are all-star status again. Talent wise, I have faith in everyone to be able to go above and beyond. I've been getting to know people a little better recently. Thanks again for coming out to Zachary's. I think that we all compliment each other well. We got big plans and I know we can handle it. Ill do everything I can and I know you all have my back.

For friends and family, all I can say is I am blessed. The people I'm close to... y'all are amazing. I thank God for all of you. You all know I got your backs no matter what, and that's only because I know you'd do the same. I know I may be bad at showing that I care in general, y'all aint never gonna see a scrapbook or nothing like that from me but trust that I do.

Back to my personal level on things. At the moment, I'm attempting to do the best I can to balance living life to the fullest... just enjoying the present and at the same time, making sure the future is in check. How this works: well, you wont see me going too hard on the enjoying side. I'll get as gone as anyone occasionally but probably not on the weekdays and just not too much in general. Definitely not enough to affect school. On the flip side, I will no longer sacrifice for anything more than the lifestyle I want in the future. Let me break that down. I want a six-figure salary, a nice house in a nice neighborhood, enough to pay the bills and college money for my kids (That's future talk but it is what it is. I want to settle down eventually). I won't kill myself working extra hard to get stuff above that like... A Ferrari, a Yacht, a G4, or other excessive things of that nature. I can turn on MTV, close my eyes and just imagine I'm there without the trouble. Don't mistake that as I am lazy. If I have my mind set on something. I'll get it done. That's what I do. I just ain't going to compromise my relationships for material things anymore. I didn't always think like this. I used to want it all. With a chip on my shoulder, I used to tell myself I'd die to get to that level. Nowadays, if that shit comes... of course i'll take it but I mean, I wont miss out on a good movie with friends, a family gathering, or even something as simple as NBA 2k9 or I guess 2k10. I guess I never realized how much that kind of stuff was worth back then because that's all I had. Up to before this year, my mindset has always been... damn, I gotta keep my hustle up to be a baller in the future. Recently it just clicked. That future starts now. I'm grown. I'm 21 and there is a world out there to see... Hence this European trip i'm about to go on. This is the stage of my life where things get interesting. I'll never be able to go back to this age so I will make damn sure I take advantage of all the opportunities I have today. For the future part... I guess I've been hardworking my whole life to the point that I can't really let shit slide even if i tried. That plus prayer and faith in God will be enough to make sure I'll be good.

Lastly, I want to reflect of the relationship-relationship part of my life. Currently there is none. I honestly don't know where I'm at. If I'm ready for anything right now. I'm not going to lie. I am definitely insecure about my ability handle one. I've been hurt real bad in the past and the type of person I am, if I sense at all that you can get to me, I'll build a wall and just block you out. I know that's wrong but its just how I am. I wish I could change it. That being said... I hope whoever it is, I trust them enough to change the way I handle things. I'm still a hopeful romantic and all that... I still believe that the one is out there... As with everything, I'll just wait to see how that plays out.

OK, feels good to get all that out. Now im off to Sussex. Ill try to blog about dope stuff! Peace out.

Look at 50 now... how times change

In 2003, 50 Cent dropped 21 Questions. Not the best rap song for the ladies but It wasn't bad. I'm sure y'all remember this...



"I love you like a fat kid love cake, you know my style, I do anything to make you smile"

Now I just came across 50's new ladies song Ill Do Anything. I usually stay in the middle but even i'm offended with the opening line, "This for the B*tch*s, N*gg*."



"You like girls, I like girls too, we got something in common. Now how the hell could that be a problem?"

And that wasnt even the worst line! the whole song is IMO hot garbage... you cant really play it in your car with ur girl... and u gotta be a dummy to play it by urself cuz even the so called "swag" is not right.

P.S. Megan Good was a waayyyyy better video chick. +1 more point to the throwback.

Co-Signing B.o.B. vs Bobby Ray

Just wanted to co-sign this mixtape. Just came out today and been lightweight listening to it. Doesn't have the same instant appeal as Drizzy Drake (Who the hell has in the last 5 years? Kanye..?) But I can already tell that the lyrics are there with this dude. He's under T.I.'s Grand Hustle label too. Don't sleep on it.

Up vs Wall-E

So about a week ago, I had dinner with the P4 partners and a great debate ensued on whether Up or Wall-E is the better movie. Up is the hot Pixar movie this summer and Wall-E got instant classic status a year ago. The debate is sort of like Kobe vs Lebron a month ago. People stick to their sides and defend it vehemently, all the while acknowledging that the other movie is dope as well.

I was stuck there in the middle because I hadn't seen either one. Not the case anymore though. In the last week I saw 2 more Pixar movies than I had the previous 3 years (I last saw Cars and it wasn't even that dope... atleast not even close to these two).

Now I can offer my 2 cents on the argument. Here i go...

Wall-E
This movie was really a lot better than I expected. I really haven't seen an animated film get to me like this since I was little... and that's because the movies back then got to my "litte-kid" emotions. Wall-E was deep though, offering (to me anyways) insights on today's society as much as a lecture from one of my Media Studies or Political Economy classes. I saw the whole movie as a metaphor about modernity, industrialization, capitalist consumerism, the lack of community in today's society, devaluation of relationships, etc... I guess it compliments what I learned about instead of offering any new insights, but since I'm fresh off a fairly theoretical semester, watching the movie through this lens was very enjoyable.

The movie showed that heart (ironically from a tiny little robot) can be a catalyst for change and that society can be inspired by the nobility and courage of individuals. It was very powerful stuff (albeit idealistic) for me and it was very surprising that I would find it in an animated film intended for kids. It was at this point I had realized that I was really sleeping on Pixar lately.

Up
This movie was extremely enjoyable. I could download the scene that shows Carl and Ellie's life and probably shed a tear every time I watch it (a man-tear). The characters are very well developed. I guess I can't really discuss this without ruining the comparison to Wall-E so I'll just move on.

To me the better movie is Up. What can I say? Pixar blew me away with Up, even more than Wall-E. If Wall-E is a masterful commentary on the macro-level of humanity, Up looks at the micro-level... at an individual's life and puts the viewers through a roller coaster of all the emotions involved in it. Up was just as deep as Wall-E to me but the difference is that I could relate to it better. I could really feel the emotion more... that's an abstract way of saying it but to anyone who watched both, i'm sure you know what i'm talking about. Now going back to Wall-E... i'm not saying that the robo-love wasn't touching, nor am I saying that the plot wasn't inspiring. In fact the movie was very touching, inspiring and definitely entertaining. But its just that with Wall-E, it seemed like I was watching the events from the third person (which is also the case with 95% of other movies). What makes Up extraordinary to me is that it hits so much closer to home. Not only could I see the emotions that the characters were digitally evoking, It was as if I was going through them as the movie went a long as well. In terms of cinema, this is an extremely impressive feat. I rarely come across movies that get to me like this. It almost get's to me like a Final Fantasy video game... condensed into 1.5 hours.

Catching up on the blogg-site...

I can't really say ive been busy but I have been keeping it moving lately... its cool though, right now things are slow and i can blog a little bit. Ima get a couple of posts up tonight, updates on things happening on me and on the summer. So hey there blog world, I missed ya.

Summer Jams

I just updated my iPods, here's my top 10 to cruise around with the windows down this summer so far.

10. D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)- Jay-Z
9. It's My Time- Fabolous
8. Best I Ever Had- Drake
7. Kobe Bryant- Lil' Wayne
6. Shining Down- Lupe Fiasco (Ft. Matthew Santos)
5. I Poke Her Face- Kid Cudi, Kanye, Common
4. I'm Going In- Lil' Wayne, Drake, Young Jeezy
3. Every Girl- Young Money
2. At It All Night- T.I.
1. Successful- Drake (Ft. Trey Songz and Lil' Wayne)

LOST

Man, I missed this season (5) cuz of the busyness of the semester but now i'm back to it and LOST is the dopest show on TV right now!! Well... aside from Entourage. Its 4:24am right now and I just finished the first 2 episodes. I'm really contemplating to watch another episode before I knock out.

Isang Araw

Isang araw, babalik din ako
Isang araw makikita ko ulit kayo
Sana magkatotoo ito
Talagang mis na miss ko na yung kinalakihan ko

Isang araw, pagdating ko
Sana maintindihan nyo
Pasensya na. ngayon lang ako nakabalik dito
Kung kaya ko lang sana, hindi naging ganito

Isang araw pagbalik ko dyan
Akong bahala, ako naman ang balikbayan
Asahan nyo sagot ko yung inuman
Basta sagot nyo ang kwentuhan at tawanan

Ok naman itong buhay sa tate
Nakakapagod, parang palaging nagmamadale
Di katulad s'atin patambay tambay lang sa tabe-tabe
Pero sanay na ako kaya hindi na bale

Ok lang naman
Pana-panahon lang yan
Basta sa dyos ako umaasa
Isang araw, lahat ng gusto ko makakasama

Back to Back NBA Posts- "Kobe Bryant" by Lil' Wayne

This is just too dope. Kanye took the playoffs with "Amazing" but Weezy kills it with this Laker anthem for the finals.

My Thoughts on Lebron James's post game actions

So i've been seeing at lot of hate directed to Lebron because of actions following the season ending loss at game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. After the game, Lebron snubbed reporters and the Orlando Magic, heading straight for the locker room and the team bus. Before going further with this, let me say that I am not writing this because I am a Lebron fan or a Cavs fan or because I am mad that the Cavs are done from the playoffs (even though all that is true). If Kobe, or anyone else for that matter, did what Lebron did and got hate for it, i'd write this in their defense too.

The main thing that the media and sportswriters accuse Lebron of is poor sportsmanship. OK, in that moment where he walked straight to the locker room, he did show poor sportsmanship. I'm not going to argue that. It would've had been cool if he went and congratulated the Magic and then bounced. BUT, does that mean that we now put Lebron with the T.O.s of the sports world as "immature brats?". I personally don't think so.

For me, being a poor sportsman basically comes down to whether you respect the game. Lebron proved that he did throughout the playoffs. That man did literally everything in his power to get the job done and fell short. You saw his heart in game 5 and for that, He should already have the respect of everyone that watched that game.

Now, dude seems like he's a genuine guy. He definitely doesn't walk out on games on a regular basis. Take into account where he was at and try to put yourselves in his shoes. At the moment when game 6 ended, that dude just failed at something he probably worked all year for... A goal that he probably dreamed about since childhood eluded him once again. He'll have to go through another summer and another season just to get back to the position he was at. MVP, 66 wins, He felt this year was his time and doubts creep up on whether that kind of a season will happen again. With the talent he possesses and the role he had on that team, you know he puts that loss on his shoulders. Whoever is reading this, you will most likely never be in this position exactly, but undoubtedly life has thrown something to you similar to this. Ask yourself... would shaking the hands of the other team, something that is really a formality, be the first thing on your mind? And if you did forget to do that because of anger or frustration, would you really give a shit?

I know I wouldn't. Lebron himself said that he walked out because he is competitive. People don't think that's a good enough excuse... but really, what would you do? The dude already lives his life under a microscope 24/7 because of the fortune and fame. At least respect him when he shows an outburst true emotion. If you were a fan of anything he did this season... or even a hater because of how dope he really was, he desereves to atleast act out his frustration in return.