It has never occurred to me before how I am so attached to my memories until I was on a long bus ride through the Toronto neighbourhood I had grew up in for entirely all my childhood/ teenage years. It seems now that every time I travel through the streets of my past, I get a cold shiver down my spine and goose bumps all over my body. I feel a sudden urge to run and open the door of that house I once called home, which is now occupied with strangers. I restrain myself to avoid criminal charges of trespassing. Trespassing? Am I violating them or are they violating me by trying to share and to stain my childhood. How could the place that was most familiar and comfortable become so alienating? Your suddenly a stranger in the place that you once felt no greater joy then to be in. I’m part of a new world, an obnoxious world, which is strange to me and my past just seemed to brush me away by a new beginning that does not value the worth of memories . I belong no where now. In my house, a new child is making their memories…memories that belonged to me and all I can do is watch the exterior of the house through that bus ride only imaging what’s taking place inside. My house is not longer home.

Okay, so every new year people create a long list of new year’s resolutions that they never fulfill. I know that don’t intend on carrying out my plans of getting  a new gym membership, finding a part-time job or God forbid, spending my time productively, so i’ll stop making resolutions of that sort. What an optimistic way to start the new year right? Below i’ve listed some words of wisdom that I learned the past year, and worked for me during 2008 which I plan on living by for the years to come.. enjoy:

When you give all you got, disappointment awaits around the corner… whoever said to give anything 100% was wrong, you should actually give 95% of all you got because God Forbid you’ll need the 5% to re-charge. Life is a struggle and indeed a beautiful one… you’ll overcome. Happiness can be found and maintained if it is searched for in your inner soul, not in another material possession or a mediocre human being. The truth will always prevail, lying to others is a sin but lying to yourself is a tragedy. Always be aware of your ability to profoundly change a person’s life, and if it’s for the better, act on it. Faith in God will definitely help you succeed all endeavours. Love cannot be searched for. You find in others qualities you’ve never expected. Never ever say Never. Humour works, take the time to laugh at yourself and the world around you. Life is a blessing and so are the people in it, do not take it for granted under any circumstance. Don’t do others wrong, Karma is vicious. Time will reveal eventually, decide what’s worth waiting for and be patient. Knowledge empowers you. Wish well for others and help them without ulterior motives. Prioritize life; eliminate those who don’t value the greatness of your existence. Blood is thicker than water.. believe that!! Respect is mutual. When you are confronted by your feelings and a loss of words to describe your hurt or joy, its okay to not say anything at all and let your tears communicate the deepness of your emotions. Live in the moment; don’t get caught up in the future…one day at a time baby. Always be in control of your life, do not allow others to steer your life in a different direction and throw you off the righteous path… Sky is Not the limit, potential is farther than the cllouds we could observe. Some of the closest people to you do not even exist yet in your life, look forward to encountering them. Money cannot substitute emptiness, it can only contribute to it. Let ish slide sometimes… shake them haters off! Death does not discriminate, it strikes even the strongest of people when they least expect it. Change your attitude, be optimistic and tackle every oppurtunity presented because you just never know..when you’ll come upon a blessing in disguise.. Reflect always, Reminiscence often and then dismiss the past, a new chapter of life awaits. The future is yours to conquer, realize your power to triumph. Stay Focused and Embrace 2009, with open arms…. Happy New Year.. wish you all a proserpous, progressive and blessed 2009
~Cheers~

I was casually strolling at my local supermarket and couldn’t help but notice two familiar faces on the front cover of the magazine racks. I looked at the headings in disbelief and then burst out in complete laughter. I did not anticipate a Obama-Winfrey war EVER let alone so soon after the US elections especially since Oprah was so active in promoting Obama’s campaign, and after her Emmy award winning waterfall tears scene live on television. Was the effort out of respect for his policies or flat out affection? Michelle is on to Oprah’s home wrecker scheme and she’s made it clear she doesn’t want Oprah in her man’s presence.  Oprah’s crazy in love and equipped with a gazillion dollars, determined in getting into the presidential pants. Michelle’s prized possession is the only thing that her money can’t buy, or so she thinks. The beef is simply that Oprah is trying to be the third wheel in the relationship and Michelle is not having it. Michelle claims that she is trying to have too much control over his policy and taking the glory for her husband’s win (*starts humming Nivea’s joint). Michelle says there’s only one room for a first lady in the white house and that’s her…. in other words, i’ll bust a cap in your wrinkly ass chi-town style. It certainly looks likely that someone’s million dollar weave is gonna end up on the floor…The Oprah Winifrey show,  Jerry Springer edition? Possibly.  It’s a shame that some people can’t stand the union of two successful and strong individuals. Fall back Oprah.

♀[♥]♂= ☺☻☺☻

 

BABIES ARE NOT ACCESSORIES..

It’s pretty common to see a young female, barely 15, with a swollen belly carrying herself like she’s got it going on  and her baby daddy is Shemar Moore. He might look like him, but he’s ten times more broke! It seems that is the newest trend, chicks rocking a designer baby duffle bag to match their white on white Air Force Ones. Someone must’ve convinced young mothers that they are participating in a nation-wide breeding fest. Evidently, illegitimate children is the new status symbol in mainstream culture. It’s completey disgusting to learn of the reasons why some of these teenagers deliberately become mothers! I witnessed it myself, a group of high school girls dreaming about giving birth just so they could dress it cute. Again, chicken heads, hoodrats… Babies are not toys, they are not accessories. If you want something “fun” to dress I suggest you go to the nearest wal-mart and pick up the cheapest barbie doll, they are inexpensive and they don’t eat up tax payers money. The worst reason by far has got to be the girl’s who are f-ugly and make it their life’s mission to enhance the genetic make-up of their child, note: the guy’s good “hurrr” is not going to pay your rent. Others think a child will tie the father down and prevent him from leaving, another enormous mistake! If a man wants to leave, better believe it, nothing will stop him from doing so!! This should be evident by the rapidly growing lone parents in the West. Call me traditional or conservative, but I still promote Nuclear families, and Nuclear families only. What good is a partner if he is a parter in only a nominal form? Children need care financally, emotionally and pyschologically… all which could be achieved only in a stable family. Before having children, one should consider the circumstances they are bringing them in.  Let’s work together to eradicate mass reproduction and if absistence is going to kill you, there are birth control alternatives. And we wonder why the world is increasingly becoming overpopulated.. our babies are having babies.

 

The dangers of the working world

Entering a workplace at 9:00 am every morning is something to look forward too for some people, to others who have to look over both shoulders and proceed with  extreme caution for landmines and pay extra attention for espioange, it is a dreadful experience. Being at work is similar to being in a war zone if you don’t fit the several characteristics imperative for your survival in mainstream office culture. I don’t have a kool-aid grin plastered on my face from 9-5,  I don’t engage in small talk and conversations with people if I don’t genuinely care or I am generally uninterested. I tend to speak my mind and I’m usually very straightforward. Most importantly, I get the work DONE. so I’m perceived as unpleasant… My performance is great, and I get along with others but I can’t help but notice the constant ass-kissing and duplicity of my co-workers contaminating my air.  Any company that tells us “honesty and integrity” are one of their main guiding principles are flat out L-I-A-R-S,  because being fake seems to get you faster advancements in your career than this honesty they speak of….  While by following a few simple steps I can easily integrate myself into their world.

 1. Smile without any apparent reason,

2. bite my tongue at murder

 3. fraternize with people I’d rather strangle,

4. compliment and agree (no exceptions).

 I could but I refuse to be a workplace puppet… I’d much rather hold on to my dignity… and that might be my own downfall.  Being surrounded by these coffee-powered robots might be one of the most tedious  things that one has to deal with, my only inspiration is the payroll and the only escape is the 5:00 o’clock buzzer.

“An international site that offers email, a forum, communities, videosand weblog space”.- Myspace.com

 

This is how it all starts, they use appealing terms to lure us into registration with their treacherous websites. They do a superb job of convincing us that we are investing our time into something both productive and beneficial.

Once we enter, there’s no going back. We find ourselves trapped in a chamber, surrounded by E-thugs, on-line sluts, reject bands, picture whores, metrosexuals, prepubescent girls and guys, amateur porn stars, desperate entrepreneurs, fake celebrities, emos and pedophiles. The above mentioned groups are all linked to the same umbilical cord regardless of their differences, they were bred by the e-thugs and the Internet sluts who are thoroughly responsible for the evolution of social networks, they made possible the existence of all the other awful internet “bacteria”.  many of us are too addicted at this point to even care. We tend to excessively rely on these networks for gossip, because naturally, we have nothing better to do with our lives and discovering that so and so are dating will be achieving the ultimate climax of our existence. Stalking is the newest trend of the 21^stcentury, and websites like myspace allow you to do just that! Nothing says FUN like invasion of privacy, right? Privacy settings’ limited profiles are the internet`s version of a restraining order…get a hint. The prevelance of Privacy settings on social networks these days is a bummer for those who invest in other people`s life heavily for self-fulfillment.

The cyber world tends to be extremely segregated, it would be safe to say that it is even more divided than the world we live in today. While the internet is meant to be an outlet to express one’s self…people abuse that privilege. Anyone who has ever visited youtube will know exactly what i’m talking about (see religion videos). Online forums unleash the inner “beast” of anyone. The people that we have regular and relatively positive face-to-face interactions with on a daily basis could be the same people with online KKK societies preaching hatred and intolerance. Indeed, Communication and confidentiality are a dangerous combination. 

 

The Post Secondary experience can easily become a nightmare. The Ups and Downs and sacrifices many endure to be labelled as educated. 

Many people believe that a post-secondary education is one of the most rewarding things that one can acquire. We are conditioned to maintain this cycle of approval ONLY because of societal pressures. We embark on this journey to “success” with the heavy burden of debt trailing behind.

At this point in life, It seems that everyone is willing to help you get an education, not matter how mediocre. Your ambition, is their salary, so of course, they do whatever is possible to manipulate you into their conniving system. Post-secondary institutions collaborate with other thieving corporations to separate us from our money while both benefit to the highest degree. They designed our society in a way in which obtaining a post-secondary education becomes essential to landing any half decent professional position. Not to mention that we are arbitrarily paying for services as a part of our tuition that we are likely to never use (dental plans, athletic memberships etc…).

They prey on our desires of achieving wealth and stability to provide them with their luxurious lives, while the job market tends to be dominated by privileged upper-class people, e.g. their own familes!! Unfortuantely, many of us are not likely to enjoy this intergenerational social mobility. While almost $10,000 a year to take classes you could have bought books for on your own and learned seems ridiculous, it’s a price we have to pay to be recognized as “qualified” in corporate America.

A rant about society’s diminishing ethics, insecurities and the egotism of human nature

Looking around me today, I can officially confirm that vanity has plagued our society, devouring every trace of modesty in our values.  If you are easily offended or tend to catch feelings, this article might easily come off as offensive but simply consider it a lesson in the school of “tough love”.
I thought I was just hallucinating at the sight of a group of girls checking their reflections and fixing their make-up on the rusty side view mirrors of a parked Chevy on a chilly winter day downtown. I was buried in my cotton turtleneck and endless layers of clothing, observing from a distance. My only concern was avoiding the ruthless wind yet, these unusual creatures were desperately trying to look attractive in that weather, if that was even possible.

I thought that was bad but it definitely wouldn’t be the last time I encountered this open display of self-obsession either. It almost beats the public shows of affection on the “flips your stomach” scale. But the worst by far has got to be the time I witnessed a young Tyra Banks amateur shamelessly strutting herself out on the security camera televisions in The Bay as if she was on the runway of “Retail’s Next Top Model” and her life depended on it. You would think that the security cameras served a sole purpose; you would never guess that they could cause some people to trance into fantasy stardom.
You can usually find the self-absorbed trying to get a quick glimpse of their appearance at any object giving off the slightest reflection. Yes, I’m talking about the shiny dinner plates, silverware, black LCD screens, bus shelters and believe it or not, even other people’s sunglasses. My advice is to put away the designer frames when being approached by those deeply engrossed in themselves because you might just lose them or an eye in the process.

“I’m conceited, I got a reason”

Rap star Remy Ma popularized this particular movement but her reason is unbeknownst to me since it obviously can’t be for her attractiveness. Which brings me to the big question; why do the most hideous people or let’s call them the “visually flawed” for the sake of an euphemism like to flaunt themselves the most?
Don’t get me wrong, I am a firm believer that people are only hideous through demeanour. But when you carry yourself the wrong way or flaunt yourself conceitedly like Remy Ma, people become much more critical of your every characteristic. This is beyond the physical attributes of a person because we constantly hear of inner beauty but I just introduced you to “inner ugliness”.
Your appearance shouldn’t be the only thing of significance to you because other people begin to ignore your positive qualities and intellectual achievements. Vanity is considered to be a type of self-idolatry in many religions. It is no wonder why this quality is prevalent today because people have drifted away from the guiding principles of religion and shifted the focus to themselves. It’s important to always be confident in yourself, but people, please leave the narcissism behind.
I know that this comes off as highly critical of human nature but we cannot dismiss society’s enormous role in manipulating these ideals. Mainstream culture does greatly impact the lives of young people therefore influencing young people’s identities to a great extent. These superficial ideas are widely promoted through the media, having entire magazines dedicated to beauty.
Despite popular belief, if your conceited you really don’t have any reason. This includes the people who are “10s” and “certified 20s”. These are direct quotations from popular Hip Hop artists. Do we really need a range of numbers to know our self worth?

It’s funny how contagious this disease is because I often have to catch myself from doing some of these same things.  Vanity has slowly conquered this generation and if this “syndrome” is not diagnosed, then a single humble individual will cease to exist in the upcoming generations. I know the pressures of following the crowd, but don’t get caught up in the hype.
I hate to sound cliché but we all need to start embracing our inner beauty and become determiners of our own self value. Feel good about yourself without having pounds of make-up suffocating your natural flesh.  Break those mirrors and I can swear on it, no one will suffer from 7 years of bad luck.
Go ahead, ladies.