Kanye West - New Workout Plan

This has been my workout jam as of late. Keeps me super pumped whenever I go running. I just put it on repeat and I end up running at least an extra half mile more than I planned.

My favorite lyrics are these:

That's right, put in work (Woo!)
Move your ass, go berserk (Ow!
Eat your salad, no dessert (Ugh!)
Get that man you deserve

Donald Glover

My love for Donald Glover has compounded as of yesterday. I already loved him because of Community. Seriously, him an Abhed are the reasons I watch that show. So cute. But thank Idolator.com for introducing me to his music.

Freaks and Geeks from Donald Glover on Vimeo.

I love his rhymes. So witty and geeky. He is like Lil Wayne, but not annoying. Perfect!

I also Wiki'd him and found this.

Glover is known for his work on the NBC show Community alongside Joel McHale and Chevy Chase. Glover has also been a writer for the NBC series 30 Rock where he developed the character Toofer along with most of the writing for actor Tracy Morgan in the first season. He was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award award for Best Comedy Series at the February 2009 ceremony for his work on the third season of 30 Rock.^[6]

Glover is featured in Gap's 2010 Holiday ad campaign.

Man. Such a mega crush now. He's coming to the Fillmore in April. I hope tix aren't too expensive so I can see his stand up and rap. It'll be my first hip hop show.

Four Lions (2009)

Really great film. I was really impressed by how they were able to take such a serious topic and make it accessible to a wide audience. I'll also admit to getting mushy towards the end, I developed a fondness for almost all of the characters.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

To be honest, I wasn't all that fond of the animation style. What won me over was all the weird random shit that Fox would do. Damn that George Clooney, even when he's a fox he is still ridiculously cool. I dunno, not much to say about this film. Been watching a lot of serious things lately. It was nice to have something light-hearted for a change of pace.

New Life Goal

New life goal. Swim next to polar bears, if not with them. At this preserve in Ontario you can swim next to polar bears, separated by a wall of plexiglass. Officially added to my list of dreams.

Full Article Here

Shopping Score

Haven't shopped in about 5-6 months. It felt good to hold bags again.

 

Nudies Grim Tims. So hard to get on, but I love the waxy finish. I'm a sucker for things that are shiny.

 

Diesel Shioner.  Needed new skinnies and they were on heavy sale.  I almost bought them in black for 30% off at Diesel. Good thing I walked to Jeremy's and found the same fit in blue for half of Diesel's price. Love that store. Almost got suckered into buying some Prada boots too. Had to resist.

Aiyah pt. 2

The truth is never easy to hear. Got some more sense knocked into me today. It's just as much my fault as it is theirs for indulging. If I know someone's not emotionally available, why am I playing myself?

I need to take a page from the book of Beyonce. Time to be stronger, one day at a time.

Me, myself, and I
that's all I got in the end
that's what I found out
and it aint no need to cry
I took a vow that from now on
I'm gonna be my own best friend

Aiyah

Why can't life be more simple? Because we bring it upon ourselves. We insist on saving face, protecting our pride. I wish people would just be more forthcoming and said what they were actually thinking.

Instead, we live in a culture that perpetuates this confusion. Texting is now the norm, so instead of speaking, letting our voices carry our emotions, we are critical and we overanalyze. Carefully constructing each message so that we protect our own asses. I'm guilty of this myself, and when I catch myself, I want to smack me in the face.

More and more, as I grow older, I see people using alcohol, or some kind of substance, as an excuse for honesty. And there's all those sayings about how when you get a little alcohol the truth really comes out. Etc..etc.. And to an extent I believe this. Mostly because when I get drunk calls I get to hear what I want to hear. And it's nice.

Thankfully V slapped some sense into me. You can be drunk and horny and call me at 230 AM and tell me sweet nothings, but as nice as they all sound, that's not love. That's lust. If you can't say the same things to me sober, it's meaningless.

Maxwell - This Woman's Work

I think I'm entering a new music phase. Or rather, returning to an old one. I'm shifting away from Nicki Minaj and Keri Hilson and back into my Soul/R&B moods. Instead of my usual Sade and Alicia, I've actually been favoring male vocalists. I'm kind of obsessed with Raphael Saadiq, Maxwell, and Miguel right now. I'm liking this.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

 

Having read the entire series, and seen all three films, I have to say this movie was pretty much exactly what I expected. It was a bit of a letdown since I already knew what was going to happen, and I was already unimpressed by the acting based on previous films. The new guy, Eustace, was so damn annoying. I know in the beginning he was supposed to be, but I was still annoyed of him even after he "turned." Basically, I wouldn't watch it again. I'm unsure if I'd want my 2 hours back though because I'm crazy and like complete sets. So I like to have watched all three, not 2/3.

 

Children of God (2009)

There's another film 2009 called Children of God. Its an LGBT film which looked interesting after I saw the trailer. However, that is not this film. I really wish I could find a trailer online for it. It was such a moving movie. I guess a synopsis will have to do.

Where the dead have more worth than the living…

“A powerful film, the documentary version of slumdog millionaire” —Independent Film Quarterly

Winner! Best Documentary! Jeonju 2009 International Film Festival!
Winner! Best Documentary! Japan, Korea, China Producers Forum
Official Selection! 2009 Hot Docs International Film Festival, Canada!

“Children of God” explores the life of the children who live beside the Baghmati River in Nepal - on the sacred grounds of a Hindu temple in Katmandu – an area forgotten and ignored by the world, but considered the holiest and most sacred to the Nepalese people. The children are undeterred by the daily cries and wailing from the daily funeral ceremonies; instead they rob the corpses for food and dive into the river to grab coins used as funeral offerings by the mourners. Some risk their lives by begging while others fall prey to drugs and disease. The film exposes the social conditions of the suppressed Nepalese people through the plight of their children, where reverence for the old and dead far outweighs the care for the young and living. Experiencing their innocence and their hardship through songs, stories and heartbreaking living conditions, exposes the contradiction of the material world that rests upon perhaps the most spiritual culture on earth. Children of God will remind you of scenes from “Slumdog Millionaire” and is reminiscent of Charcoal People released by Vanguard Cinema.

Earlier I blogged about how emo I was and how I needed someone to smack some sense into me. This film was exactly that. It's good to have a reminder of how blessed I am, how spoiled I am. It keeps me in check and makes me grateful. The children in this film struggle so much, yet the filmmakers managed to make this film relatively light. Focusing on their happiness, the familial bonds that tie them together.  I helps me realize how insignificant most of my problems are. Keeps me driven to succeed, so that I'll be in a position where I can make more of a difference.

Matchbox 20 - Push

I always look back on choices I've made and second guess myself. Have I missed out on something great? The opportunity of a lifetime?  Overlooked something that I shouldn't have? It's a horrible habit, that comes along mostly on days like this; when I'm alone for the day. Most of the time I'm overly self-satisfied, and then days like this come along. I make myself crazy because I'm over-analytical. I see things that aren't/were never there. Reminder: Not everything means something. (The crazy in my head is saying "But what if this is one of those things that DOES mean something???) Someone please come along and smack some sense into me.

Eh

I feel really disconnected from everyone today. I hope today picks up.

New Years

Here's to a great New Year, cause god knows tiger year was shit to me. My fortune said it would be, so I knew it was coming. At least I got through it. My fortune for this year is much better than last's, but still not the best. We'll see how it goes.

Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit!!

Kanye West - Slow Jams

Unexpected jam of the night. Had some forgotten choice lyrics. I forgot how much I love this album. Looks like I know what I'm gonna play to work tomorrow.

"Got a light skin friend, look like Michael Jackson. Got a dark skin friend, look like Michael Jackson."

"My dog said you aint a freak, so you gotta prove my man wrong."

For Colored Girls (2010)

I wanted so badly to like this film. It had so many elements that make my day. Thandie Newton, Loretta Devine, Phylicia Rashad, Kelly Washington all in one film. Plus the plot was so dramatic and full of Law and Order SVU type things. I eat that shit up. It just didn't add up in the end. That's not to say it didn't have it's evocative moments. Points to Kimberly Elise and Thandie Newton for getting me to emote.  Poor Tyler Perry, no Oscar for you. I blame it on the spoken word. I feel like that works on stage, but in a film, it was lost on me.