One Thousand More Words.

images via papertissue

Image via papertissue

Janet Jackson's Essence Cover

Janet Jackson will grace the August cover of Essence magazine. She looks amazing!

...#4

I wish I understood why people try to squeeze through the throngs of commuters walking up the stairs of the subway during rush hour. Better yet, I don't really care to understand... I just wish they would stop. I mean, there are 300 people on the stairs right now. Even if you get past me, chances are you'll fail miserably at getting past the old man directly in front of me.

Someday, I'll be in a bad mood and you'll try to push past me and I'm going to channel superhuman strength and propel you from the mid-way point of the staircase aaaaall the way back to the platform, using only my pinky finger.

Then, of course, I'll feel bad and walk back down the stairs to see if you're okay. But note, we could've avoided this whole catastrophe if you would've just minded your manners and stayed in your place...

Failure. Lol.

I'm failing terribly at posting to the blog everyday. I am writing in my journal though.... so, bare with me lovies....

This Week's Random Quote...

"Be kind, for everyone you meet
is fighting a hard battle."

— PLATO

Michael Jackson Tribute. 1 year Later.

Eclectic Method - Long Live The King (Michael Jackson Mix) from Eclectic Method on Vimeo.

...#3

Seated near a window facing her favorite burrito place,
she struggles to resist the urge .

Channeling discipline...

...#2

Pleasure.

Devotion.

Worldly enjoyment.

Divine transcendence.

Today I had a re-awakening.

2 books, 3 days, and an epiphany.

I am on a spiritual journey this summer.

So far, it's been a crazy ride.

Holding on tight.

And grateful.

_______________________________________________

Today I also made a vision board. I put it on my wall as a reminder of what I want and how badly I want it. Take a look:

...#1

The air conditioner on the subway created frigid temperatures in the fourth car. Goose pimples tickled Mary from the nape of her neck, all the way down to the very tips of her toes. Dressed in a white tank top, cut off shorts and flip flops, she shivered.

When the car stopped and opened at 59th Street, Mary stood and stepped out for a milli-second in an attempt to absorb the heat that tends to linger on the subway platform. The conductor announced, "Please stand clear of the closing doors." Mary quickly shuffled back into the car and to her seat.

The seat wasn't as cold as she remembered. To her right, where an elderly woman was once seated, sat a young man. His dark brown skin was smoldering from the 90 degree air on the platform. From the corner of her eye, Mary slowly inspected the warmth that was emanating from her right.

She noted the tight curl of his hair, the droplets of sweat that had collected above his top lip, the tattoo of a large tree that covered his entire right shoulder, the length of his legs, the blue and white sneakers on his feet...

Mary gasped and giggled to herself. He was gorgeous! And, with him sitting next to her, her goose pimples disappeared. Surely this was a sign.

They rode three more stops as she contemplated what she was going to say and how she was going to say it. "Canal Street. Change here for the C and E trains." The young man stood up quickly and exited the car with urgency.

The doors closed and (whew!) the fourth car was freezing...

Dear Summer...

They say if you want to be a writer, you should write something everyday.

Hone your craft.

Experiment with it.

If you don’t use it, you lose it.

So, this summer… my goal is to write something (no matter how long, or short) every single day until school starts again. It is only fitting that I start today, on the first day of summer… Wish me luck!

xoxo

Lady Gaga for Rolling Stone...

Is something funny going on with that booty? *falls out laughin*

Get em Gaga!

Happy Father's Day...

I was gona write a whole blog... but I think my lil bro summed it up pretty well. I will say that my Daddy is, and always will be, my guy. He's a father deserving of his own day.

CLICK HERE to read what my lil munchkin had to say...

:-)

BLOG 31: Can't Stop the Boogie.

my body dances

leaping feverishly

and uncontained

without notifying

the neurons in my brain

because it knows that

my heart is beating

to the rhythm of the music

that is emanating

from the joy

that fills the gaping holes

that once existed

in my selfless soul.

Happy Birthday, Tupac.

Tupac Shakur died when I was in 4th grade. I was, and still am, a true fan. He was a controversial figure in entertainment, but I really became transfixed on him as a poet. Tupac's public persona was so contradictory to the thoughts that he transcribed in his personal diary...

In public, he was a larger than life. But in private, he still identified so passionately with the underdog. On some level, I think we all do some version of that in our day-to-day lives.

So, below is a poem entitled "The Rose That Grew From Concrete." It is very illustrative of who Tupac was, and who we all are.

Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it
learned to walk with out having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping it's dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.

This Week's Random Quote...

"We love because it's the only adventure."

-Nikki Giovanni

BLOG 30: Perfect Sweetness.

"It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion. It is easy in solitude to live after your own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

I wore a tank top today. My shoulder was exposed and, much to my chagrin, every man I walked by in New York City felt the need to ask about my tattoo. Knowing that they, like everyone else I've ever told, would not understand the significance of the words, I let them read... and kept it moving.

The words "perfect sweetness" have adorned my right shoulder for nearly two years now. When people read it, they tend to think I'm just another young girl with a foolish tattoo. But to me, the words DO mean something.

I'm ever-evolving, but one thing that I maintain is my uncanny ability to be me... no matter where I am or who I'm around. I truly, madly, deeply love being me.

So, don't take my shoulder tattoo too lightly. It's not there to be a cutesy reminder of how "sweet" I am. It's there to acknowledge my growth, my endless journey to becoming a complete person. It's there to acknowledge a gift that God has given me.

Self-love is... so perfectly sweet. Have a taste.

One Thousand Words.

images via papertissue

This Week's Random Quote...

"all shades of beautiful.

how ‘black’ was and continues to be constructed as ‘ugly’ has perpetually baffled me. there is no greater liar than the white supremacist and his perception of the world which has unfortunately been pervasive into all aspects of our life, locally and globally; structurally, socially and psychologically. i am grateful that i know otherwise, that his lies have not convinced me and i am free to enjoy beauty in all its shades, sizes, shapes, ages. God’s creation is as such. and i cannot and will not deny the Lord in His work."

- inbetweenlove

BLOG 29: Today was a good day.

Today was a day on which I smiled without prompting. A day on which my heart leapt for joy. A day on which God blessed me in ways that I could have never imagined just one week ago. I can’t share what exactly happened. But I can say that confirmation comes in the most unexpected ways sometimes…

Karma is real. I’ve been sewing good seeds and, in return, I am being tremendously blessed. For weeks and weeks and weeks I wondered when my light would come shining… why my kindness was being met with inconsideration… how I would endure without flipping out. Lol.

And now, I get it. Had these weeks been easy, I wouldn’t have appreciated the victory as much as I do right this second.

Karma is real…and I am grateful

Someday I’ll look back on June 4, 2010 as just another day. Hopefully, this blog will stand as a reminder that today was an amazing day.

B.o.B. Performs "Lovelier Than You"

This song....his live performance of it.... gives me life. I saw him perform it on The Mo'Nique Show last night. He's different. The words actually say something. And I love it. :-)

"If I could rewind

Both the hands of time

Still I would never find

A lovelier design

Than you..."

I love this song more than I can articulate. Lol.