Dominoes is a New Yawkah?

Why does Dominoes feel that in order to promote their Brooklyn Style pizza they need a woman with a fake New York accent?

Sidenote: Stanford-Maryland tonight!!!

Untitled (How Does It Feel)

Let us start this blog with comments that I received a couple times that has me wondering. Just now I was reading the lyrics to "Changes" from Tupac to try to see if I can incorporate it into today's blog. I realized that the 'Changes' that he talks about are completely different from what my supposed changes are. What he is talking about is changes for black people as a whole to become better for the future. It sent me wondering whether I had really changed and if so have I done so for the better. These past few years I have changed a lot and I do credit it to being in college. So it's funny to hear people say that I have changed in recent months because I have been changing for the past three years. I am clearly not the same girl from high school (as a lot of people can attest to). And I'm clearly not the same girl that walked into college as a freshman. So this goes around to the same question again. Have I changed for the better? I know certain events may have changed how I behave in certain aspects but still isn't change supposed to be good. I hope in my case it is. If not, I will change as I forever do.

How does it really feel? I got a registration email from my grad school a couple of days ago and it freaked me out. I think this is the first time it has really sunk in that grad school is no joke. I went through high school with ease; graduated with good grades without trying too hard. College was the same way. I didn't BS my whole academic experience but it wasn't hard. Graduated from there with good grades. Now it's time for grad school and they made it seem like it was a lot of pressure which I don't know if I'm ready for it. First off I'm paying for it basically by myself so hopefully I get a job soon. And usually I don't take the religious route but lately I have been relying heavily on my dwindling faith. Like they say in Papiamentu "Cos ta hodido". Then for my classes they don't accept a grade lower than a 2.75 which is a B- in their book. The past three semesters I haven't made lower than a B but still grad school is different; there's a lot more work to it. Finally I'm going to have to find a research that no one has done, make a good case out of it and probably present it somewhere. After all of this I feel completely lost with no hope of being a success. Hopefully that feeling goes away soon or least I get back on track.

How does it feel? So I think that it is extremely interesting that this little kid Stephen Curry has carried Davidson all the way to Elite Eight making them a Cinderella team. This kid has his whole career ahead of him and I think it's great that he's already proved that he can play with the big boys. Too bad Davidson didn't make it to the Final Four, but hey there's always next year. And since he'll be there for the next two years I would have no doubt that Davidson might be in it again. Well I guess I'll root for North Carolina now. GO TAR HEELS?

How does it feel? I wonder how it felt to see.................

Sidenote: My sister saw Barack Obama speak today at her college and it changed her life. I'm so happy for her. Damn I wish I could have seen him speak. My homegirl made it to the Elite Eight. GO STANFORD.... ALL THE WAY!!!.... I think that it's great to see people that you played against in high school play in a tournament that makes them almost celebrities. And to think I've known them since high school. Good times Good times. LOL

Peace

A Different World (Not Really)

First things first I found out what was sending my sensor light haywire. It was a cat. At first I was seriously considering torturing it for making me go crazy but then I realized it just needs a place to live too.

As far as March Madness goes, Georgia is already out, so I'm just randomly watching the games that I can. On the other hand Stanford is still going strong and I'm rooting for my girl all the way!

I GOT IN! I GOT IN! A couple of days ago I found that I got into grad school and I was overwhelmingly exciting. Now that the excitement has died down, I'm a little nervous about going. I mean grad school is a big responsibility and I don't know if I'll be able to handle, I'll guess we'll see when the time comes. And besides that the whole purpose of me moving down here early was so I can get myself settled. Maybe with that experience I'll be able to be ready to take this new challenge.

Sidenote: Happy Easter everybody!!

March Madness...... In More Ways Than One

So the beginning of March marked March Madness which for all you NCAA basketball fans that means bets, pools, and all out college hoops craziness. On the men's side I don't really have a favorite. I saw two of Illinois' games and I was sort of going for them but since they lost to Minnesota (I think, I can't remember right now), I guess I can't go for them. Oh well...... I guess since I went to high school with someone on the Georgia team and that team is the closest to where I live right now I guess I'll go for them. Go Bulldogs? On the Women's spectrum, there is no doubt that I'm going for Stanford. Not only are they a good team but one of my best friends plays on that team. So even if they didn't have a prayer of winning I still would go for them. That's my girl for life. GO CARDINALS!!!!!!!!!! Anyway since I have no cable and my TV currently doesn't work, I wonder how I'm going to watch any of these games.

On another note disgraced governor Eliot Spitzer stepped down following a scandalous affair involving prostitution rings. I didn't really know much about the New York governor but I knew he was one of the few politicians that did something positive for New York so I give him credit for that. But in any light, this gave way for a new governor to come in which meant that New york just sworn in it's first black governor, governor David Paterson. And not only that he's blind! Who would have thought that a blind black man would be governor of New York. This will definitely be interesting to see considering the current bids for the presidential elections.

I also think that it's funny that immediately after he's sworn in he says that he's had extramarital affairs. According to the New York Times he did this so there wouldn't be any more interferences. In any event I want this man to succeed so like the rest of nonsense that has nothing to do with politics I'm going to dismiss this and focus on what he does for New York.

On the last bit of personal March Madness my BFF came over yesterday and I think it was the best thing for me. I forgot how being best friends with a guy helps you in so many ways when it comes to relationships. He gave me some good advice which I will definitely try to adhere too. And considering this whirlwind craziness that I recently experienced, I think that we had a great talk. And the best part of having him as a BFF is that he doesn't dictate to me what I should do. He just lets me know how guys think and what he thinks is best for me which is great. Because combined with his advice and what I already was thinking this is definitely going to be an interesting week that I'm going to have.

I finally saw the entire "City of Men" movie, and once again I think that it is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Not only is the cinematography ridiculously great but the actors are also so realistic it's makes the movie even better. I guess it helps that they came from favelas themselves so they know about real life out there in the hoods of Rio de Janeiro. I saw the premiere at Lincoln Center in December but I came late so I didn't get a chance to see the whole thing. But going with my BFF yesterday it couldn't have been any better. PLEASE GO SEE THIS MOVIE if it's playing in your area. Well I don't want to give away anything for you City of God/ Men fans so I'll leave it at that. But seriously go see it.

Sidenote: I just read that a guy sued a stripper and the club for a lap dance. What is the world coming to that a girl can't even lap dance without getting sued. Haha

Anyways, Peace

The Curse of the Mysterious Tracks

So a couple of nights ago the sensor light kept coming and since I'm by myself I was so scared I was prompted to call the cops. Ever since that night, when I was home it has never happened again. So yesterday as I was about to leave I saw tracks in the sand behind the bamboo plants. Since it was raining I saw that it walked from there all the way past my car. What the hell is this thing that has me paranoid? I can't even figure out what type of paws it has. Anyway I think it lives in the bamboo plants and it's main purpose is to scare the living daylights out of me.

Sidenote: When life gives you lemons should you really make lemon juice or leave it alone?

Whatever Peace

Back from Vacay

I'm really getting bored and tired of cleaning this damn house.




On another note I am so glad I went to Curacao for my mother's birthday. It was release in a sense for me. For one it was nice to get away from my minuscule problems that have been plaguing before I went. It sort of felt like a retreat for me. Too just get away for a minute was great. Not only that it was good to see my parents and my sister again. I think all of being apart really took a strain on me. I didn't realize how much I missed my family until I saw them again. As for my dad this trip was the best thing for him. Recently my father has been extremely sick. So sick that some people said that it looked like he was going to die. I guess for me I didn't really want to believe it because as much as your parents bug you they are supposed to be the strongest people you know especially my dad. To hear that he was just unbelievably sick; I chose not to believe because I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it. When I saw him at the airport in Miami I hardly recognized him. He was so skinny and frail that I was in complete shock. I didn't want to leave his side. Well as soon as we land in Curacao my father saw one of old friends and it was a wrap. It was as if he was never sick. He just fell into his old self; kidding and playing around as if he wasn't sick at all. As for me, not eating that much for weeks before that was the best thing for me. Being the fat kid that I am the first thing that I did when I got off the plane was get a sate batata which is the Chinese version of sate and french fries. I literally gained like seven pounds when I was down.


I also forgot how much I loved Curacao. So rich with culture and history it was like an anthropologist's wet dream. I was completely in my element. Everything from the people to the way Otrobanda and Punda was situated almost as if untouched and unharmed by tourism. It was great; I couldn't be happier. The food was great, the people were great the atmosphere was perfect. I couldn't ask for anything more. And then when we went to Kenepa beach, it just solidified my trip. To be at the clear blue water secluded from the rest of the world was perfect. Of course because it was the weekend there was a bunch of tourists and locals there but I didn't mind because it reminded me of when I was younger. Going there with barbecue and awa lamunchi and staying in the water until you became all prunelike was the time of my life as a child. Anyway so I see some of the kids from Bandabou jumping off this cliff and I'm just like damn I want to do that too. I want to feel like a local. So as one of them finished jumping he swims towards the shore so he could he jump again. My sister is just like stop being a punk and go ask them if you could do it. So I ask homeboy in Papiamentu if it was easy to jump and he's like yeah. So I'm like I want to do it and he's like come on. So I go with him and literally as we get closer my stomach is going crazy. I past my mother and my aunts and my mother is looking at me as if I better not kill myself because she'll do it for me. So we're at the edge of the cliff and everybody is looking at the water. In the back of my mind I'm like oh shit someone just got hurt and here I am about to kill myself. Come to find out one of the kids in the water found a blue fish so everyone was looking at that. Anyway I'm standing there and homeboy is like just jump. I looked at him as if he was crazy I thought he was going to jump first. So I'm like where should I jump and he's like just jump where there's sand it's that easy. I'm looking at him like yeah right. So all the locals in the water is like don't look down just go and jump don't think about it. So I moving to the edge looking like I'm about to go jump double dutch and then all of sudden I let go of all my problems and fears and when I open my eyes I'm in the air. Then all of sudden I feel the sting of the water on my butt and it was the best feeling ever. I had never done something so liberating before. I guess that how those women felt burning their bras in the sixties. I'm glad I did it, next time I go I'm just going to go jump and not even think twice about it.


Anyway the whole purpose of that trip was for my mother's birthday party. And trust me I have never seen my mother so happy. First off the party was a success with easily over a hundred people there. Then my aunt gave my mother one of the best presents ever. She brought a folkloric dance group to come and dance. And since my mother was a dancer this was perfect they even got one of the traditional outfits and let her dance in it. Then to top it off they got one of the from Gio ( a very popular band in Curacao) to come and sing for her and my dad for the 25th wedding anniversary. It was perfect. My grandmother also turned eighty so to see her in her element as well and to see how emotional she got when she saw how we were all there it almost made me tear up. Sidenote the best part for me was this lady that they hired to all of the cooking. She cooks right there in front of everyone and the food was ridiculously good. I swear if I had the money that lady's sole purpose would be to cook for me. That shit was so good.
Anyway everything was a success and I'm glad my mother got the party of her dreams, my dad got healthier and me and my sister were able to get away from our hectic lives.




Sidenote: I'm really sick and tired of cleaning this damn house.

Another Waking Thought

Am I really part of the norm? As much as I try to be outside of the box, I feel like my individuality is nonexistant and I'm just part of the masses. Sometimes I feel like I'm in 1984 (the book not the year)

Sidenote: If your a homeless person and you carry around a board saying that your homeless and that you need food............ where do you get the money for the materials to write with? Couldn't that money be put to better use. Nothing against the homeless, just wondering

Another Night Up Thinking

So this past Saturday certain events changed my perception on a lot of things.

Let's just say, I'm more confused than ever even though things has been made clear. I know how this certain person feels and I have nothing against it but geez this has been the weirdest situation I've ever been in. And lets just say that certain emotions don't die easily no matter how hard I work at it.
DAMNIT!!!! I swore to myself that I would never get into this situation but here I am looking almost like a fool sometimes but whatever, trust me I'm learning from my mistakes that I've made. And this surely will never happen again.
It's funny before this whole thing started, a lot of friends told me that I was too hard on relationships and that I had a bad perception of guys. So the one time I actually open myself I get burned continously. And even though we're still friends there's just a lot of ups and downs that keep me eternally confused.
But anywho I'm taking a much needed vacay to dushi Curacao for the next couple of days. Hopefully there I can clear my mind and get back the real me who didn't give a crap about stuff like this.

Sidenote: I'm really trying hard not to curse, but sh*t being from New York it's like second nature to us.

Peace

Insomnia

Ok so maybe it's not fully insomnia since most people are usually up around this hour anyway.

But I do have a lot on mind, starting with uncertainties that I should or should not pursue. But whatever. I just miss back in the day when life wasn't so hard. All you did was turn on 98.7 KISS fm or HOT 97 to hear you favorite joint and for that brief moment you were taken out of that complex world that we all unfortunately live in.

Whatever let me go to bed. Peace

Confused but Still Enlightened

So I just quit my job today, learned a lot from that job that I will carry with me for life but that job was just not for me and I didn't want to hinder mine or the company's success. So for right now just on a chill but I'll be back on the grind. I don't stay down for long.

On another note, life gives you weird signs in life. We'll see where this goes.

The Need for Change or Maybe is it the Time for Change?

This morning when I woke up I was reading the "Autobigraphy of Malcolm X as Told to Alex Haley" and a certain passage struck me that I think is relevent to the current events of today. I've decided that I want to share with my fellow bloggers and readers. And even though I might not completely agree with Malcolm X's teachings some of the things that he has said were profound. Let me show what I'm talking about.

Excerpt from pgs. 320-322:

"The black man in North America was economically sick and that was evidentin one simple fact: as a consumer, he got less than his share, as a producer gave least. The black American today shows us the perfect parasite image--the black tick under the delusion that he is progressing because he rides on the udder of the fat, three-stomach cow that is white America. For instance, annually, the black man spends over $3 billion for automobiles, but America contains hardly any franchised black automobile dealers. For instance, forty per cent of the exspensive imported Scotch whisky consumed in America goes down the throats of the status-sick black man; but the only black-owned distilleries are in the bathtubs, or in the woods somewhere. Or for instance--a scandalous shame--in New York City, with over a million Negroes, there aren't twenty black-owned businesses employing over ten people. It's because black men don't own and control their own community's retail establishments that they can't stabalize their own community.

The black man in North America was sickest of all politically. He let the white man divide him into such foolishness as considering himself a black "Democrat," a black "Republican," a black "Conservative," or a black "Liberal" ... when ten-million black vote bloc could be the deciding balance of power in American politics, because the white man's vote is almost always evenly divided. The polls are one place where every black could fight the black man's cause with dignity, and with the power and the tools that the white man understands, and respects, and fears, and cooperates with. Listen, let me tell you something! If a black bloc committee told Washington's worst "nigger-hater," "We Represent ten million votes," why, that "nigger-hater" would leap up: "Well how are you? Come on in here!" Why, if the Missississippi black man voted in a bloc, Eastland would pretend to be more liberal than Jacob Javits--or Eastland would not survive in his office. Why else is that racist politicians fight to keep the black men from the polls?

Whenever any group can vote in a bloc, and decide the outcome of the elections, and it fails to do this, then that group is politcally sick. Immigrants once made Tammany Hall the most powerful single force in American politics. In 1880, New York City's first Irish Catholic Mayor was elected and by 1960 America had its first Irish Catholic President. America's black man, voting as a bloc, could wield an even more powerful force.

U.S. politics is ruled by special-interest blocs and lobbies. What group has a moreurgent special interest, what group needs a bloc,a lobby, more than the black man? Labor owns one of Washington's largest non-government buildings--situated where they can literally watch the White House--and no political move is made that doesn't invovle how Labor feels about it. A lobby got Big Oil its depletion allowance. The farmer, through his lobby, is the most government-subsidized special-interest group in America today, because a million farmers vote, not as Democrats, or Republicans, liberals, conservatives, but as farmers.

Doctors have the best lobby in Washington. Their special-interest influence successfully fights the Medicare program that's wanted, and needed, by millions of other people. Why, there's a Beet Growers' Lobby! a Wheat Lobby! A Cattle Lobby! A China Lobby! Little countries no ever heard of have their Washington lobbies, representing their special interests.

The government has departments to deal with the special-interest groups that make themselves heard and felt. A Department of Agriculture cares for the farmers' needs. There is a Department of the Interior--in which the Indians are included. Is the farmer, the doctor, the Indian, the greatest problem in America today? No--it is the black man! Ther ought to be a Pentagon-sized Washington department dealing with every segment of the black man's problems.

Twenty-two million black men! they have given America four hundred years of toil; they have bled and died in every battle since the Revolution; they were in America before the Pilgrims, and long before the mass immigrations--and they are still today at the bottom of everything!

Why, twenty-two million black people should tomorrow give a dollar a piece to build a skyscraper lobby building in Washington, D.C. Every morning, every legislator should receive a communication about what the black man in America expects and wants and needs. The demanding voice of the black lobby should be in the ears of every legislator who votes on any issue.

The cornerstones of this country's operation are economic and political strength and power. The black man doesn't have the economic strength--and it will take time for him to build it. But right now the American black man has more political strength and power to change his destiny overnight."

-Copyright © 1964 by Alex Haley and Malcolm X



Even though this was written in 1964 I believe this still applies today. Not only does it apply to today but if you put in any ethnicity that can vote in this country in places where he says the black man, it applies to them as well. To me it was interesting that a lot of what he was saying back then is happening now forty-four years later. How many black people we know who are soley interested in just having the nicest car and bling. I'm sure that the $3 billion dollars that was put into the car industry by the black man in the '60s has nearly tripled within the last couple of years. And yet black Americans as a whole are still the poorest people in this country. If black Americans could actually build businesses where there are more than ten employees and support it, black Americans would be better off. Look at Jews for instance. Most own their own businesses and they all support each other. This is why they are one of the richest people in America maybe the richest people in America. And as for his political comments, he is right on the money about black people and minority people as a whole voting. Can you imagine if every one of us voted what sort of power we could have? what type of people we can put in? Somenone who is there for the minorty vote, who cares about what we want not what serves their personal interest best. I also liked the fact that he said that blakc Americans tend to forget that their are more than Democrats and Republicans. I think that this comment applies to Americans as a whole. My response to this is people should vote for who they think represents them the best not because they are Republican or Democrat. Remember we also a hundreds of other parties that run in the presidential elections as well.

I leave you with this: don't vote for someone because they are black or they are a woman or don't not vote for them because of these reasons. Because if you do, you are not voting logically but rather on impulse because everyone else might be doing it.

Sidenote: I need to make some life changes starting with my job, maybe I might do Teach for America.

Anyways, peace

(please comment on this note, I think it's very important, you can be anonymous)

I Graduated Now What

So two months after I graduated I figured that I would be a little well off at least with a steady job. Two months after I graduated college I'm working for this company that pays totally off comission. I really wouldn't mind it but the fact that i work 12 hours a day and depending on how much I sell I can make more or less at a job sitting behind a desk. At first I was determined to do it so I hauled ass but today I was more determined than all the days combine and I worked harder than any other day and I made less and way below average than usual. This sucks. What was the point of graduating college if I can't a decent job that pays pretty well. People who don't graduate high school and earn a GED can get a better job. Those people get assistant managers at a place like McDonald's and things like that. And then the people with the Masters and Doctorates get these great jobs making over a hundred thousand dollars. But to get into grad school you have to get amazing grades and be some ultra student in college which if anyone can relate that is harder than shit to do.
Anyway I was a watching a Disney commercial about this fairy helping this little fish swim upstream (don't ask me why I was watching Disney). She puts the fish in a bubble and lifts it out of the water to help it go upstream and all I kept thinking was that little kids were watching this and relating to the little fish thinking maybe there would be a fairy that would help them overcome there problems. All I kept thinking was that these kids are going to grow up thinking that life will be fine just as long as there is a little fairy there. Whatever
Hopefully things get better or else I might have to move back which I really don't want to do right now. Oh well

Eli: The Most Loved Man in NYC

GIANTS WON GIANTS WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you haven't heard by now that Giants won the Super Bowl then you're definitely living under a rock. It's so interesting to me how they are calling this one of the biggest upsets in NFL history. I mean yes the Patriots when undefeated up until now and they were supposed to seal that deal but the Giants wanted it more. Matter fact they need it more. Everybody thought that Giants would not be able to handle the Patriots because they are such a winning franchise. And for the past three times that they went to the Super Bowl they played against better teams than the Giants and they managed to kick their ass while doing it.
You want to know why the Giants won. The reason is they had more heart for it. They knew that if they won they would be a part of history and they made it happen. With my boys David Tyree, Amani Toomer, Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, Ahmad Bradshaw, Osi Umenyiora, Jay Alford and Plaxico Burress contributing for the win we were difinitely going to win. Tyree was a beast out there by catching 32 yard passes and touch down passes through all thes guys. He really made it seam easy out there. Michael, Osi and the rest of the defensive killed it with sacks. For a moment life just seemed to get better everytime Peyton got sacked. And my boy Jay with the last sack of the game. To be a rookie straight out of Penn State and to play in the Super Bowl, this kid is definitely part of the the dynasty.
I do have to give it up to Tom Brady and especially Randy Moss for killingit out on the field. Moss did have me scared for a minute that we might lose.
And last but not least my boy Eli. Everybody said that Eli Manning wasn't Super Bowl material and that he wouldn't be able to take the Giants all the way. And by having a brother like Peyton made it worse. But my Eli proved them wrong. Not only was he able to murder them out there but his biggest supporter was his brother. Peyton was rooting for him throughout the whole game and there's nothing better than brotherly love.
Now because this is a NYC team, NYC is going crazy right now. I doubt that people might make it to work tomorrow. If you thought that we were cocky before then you'll definitely hate us now because we are not letting this go. We'll gloat until it gets old then we'll continue to gloat.
"And I'm not cocky I'm confident"- Jadakiss/Ja Rule/Fat Joe- New York

oh and by the way all of next week I'll be playing New York songs..... GO GIANTS!!!!!!

Blogging

This is my first blog so bear with me. I recently moved to Orlando, originally from Queens. A lot of diffferent thoughts have been racing through my mind about being in a place that's so different from where I'm from. It's a lot more slower paced but it has some remnants of New York in it that I like. But whatever a change of pace.
So my beloved NY Giants are in the Super Bowl today and I believe they can go all the way just as long as Eli is on his game. Which he better be on his game or NY will definitely kick his ass.
By the way I was watching a Spurs game the other night and I realized that Tim Duncan is the shit. He's not fancy or anything but he can win games based on fundamentals alone which I think is the truth. Basketball has become too much of show anyway.

Anyway in a couple of hours the Giants will be at the Super Bowl. All I got to say is GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!