I'm a Hater

Don't judge me, you're a hater too...

I hate...

Right Size Smoothie commercials
All commercials on the radio
When all my fave radio stations are on commercial
When the only station not on commercial is the one playing those damn Eminem songs
Detours
When the navi can't find a location
Arguments with no resolution
Arguments with an idiot
Arguments
The pinky toe
Snobby people
Liars
No toilet paper after you sit down
Windshield wiper sounds when it stops raining
When people start a sentence and right before they get to the juicy part they... Nevermind.
People who outstay their welcome
Loud music that makes your speakers rattle
Loud people
Loud black people
When black people say Ni99a around "other" people
When I cuss aloud and King says I need a filter
When radio dj's don't say the title and artist of a good song
When my blackberry freezes
Rebooting my blackberry
It freezing again
When its free before 11 and its 11:01 when I get there
When ex's say "what if"
When promoters request me on facebook
Rejecting promoters... Who are my friends in real life
Removing promoters who are my real friends and they send me an inbox message
Line drying after washing my clothes
Waking up half hour before my alarm goes off
Falling back asleep 5 minutes before my alarm goes off 
People who don't hold the door
People who don't say thanks when I hold the door
When I gotta let the next door slam in their face
Heels when they start to hurt
Chics who wear flats in the club
Tipping bartenders who make whack drinks
People who make the same mistake
Dudes with 3 baby mothers
Dudes who make the same mistake
Making mistakes
When my fingers hurt after getting my nails done
Sleeping in socks
Stepping in water with socks
When I can't find socks that match
Mosquito bites
When my phone is about to die
When my phone dies
People with public service jobs who hate their jobs
People who hate their jobs
When I hated my job
Bbm for telling people I read their message when I have no intention on responding
When someone reads my message and they don't respond
Texting "lol" when I know I didn't crack a smile
Complainers
Lists with no point
Lists with no end
People who hate

Oh... Ok I'm done.

EYEListen.

The Power of a Label

It's not what they call you, it's what you answer to.


I'll never call you my b*tch or even my boo. There's so much in a name, there's so much more in you.


My name is Kunta... Kunta Kente...

Right off the top, these quotes popped in my mind. The POWER of a label. Ahhhhhhhh... Ya know, labels define, right? They describe, inform and stamp an impression in your mind of what's to be expected. You can either control your own destiny by determining who you are, hence creating your own label... or you can have your image altered by what you let other people label you. SB: Random prank I heard on Z100... go to your best friends house and remove all the labels from their canned foods in the cabinet... Off the vegetables, the broths, the soups, sauces... everything! Can you imagine opening a can of beans, hoping for the tomato sauce LOL... Don't judge me!

The first thing I do when I go to buy food or drinks at the grocery store is check the label. I need to know calories, sugar, sodium... vitamins, percentage per serving... the whole shuh-bang! How dope would it be if only people had a label on back that would reveal the percentage of lie over truth, reliability, trust... good sense of humor, creativity or how equipped they are in time of need.

Oh but wait! Ah, Ha! There is a label found on each and every person... its called REPUTATION. In order to get a crash course on a new friend or a new love, you either A) Facebook stalk or B) find someone, or preferably someONES, who know them. 15 minutes with a few high school buddies and a few people on the block, you'll know which label has been stamped and certified. Not saying that every man's word is his bond, but hey, no one should buy a used car without that good ol' carfax!

My homeboy was on a find love hiatus... and when asked what qualities he was looking for, smack-dab on top was "I pray to God I don't find a hoe!" If he met a girl, he switched to Private I mode and started digging through trash bags to discover this girl's truths. And once a man labels her a hoe, mission complete, on to the next one.

Common Labels that will send a man running:
The Hoe
The Party Girl
The Liar
The (Self-proclaimed) Model
The Gold Digger
The Baby Mama
The No Career, No Job, No Schooling, Uneducated, Classless, Insecure, Lobster taste with Micky D's money, Hopeless Girl

And that's not it... there's...

The One with the crazy ex-boyfriend
The Happens on vacation stays on vacation
The If I do 'it' with an ex, it's not considered cheating
The Spend my last on my hair and nails but baby can you give me gas money

Don't be "That Girl"!! Furthermore, label's have the power to do psychological damage. Believe me, I know because I just finished taking this psych class and we studied the effects of children when you smack them with ADHD or ADD. Can you imagine what happens when you smack a girl with "The Hoe" label or any other label for that matter... and the best way to describe it, is a scene from Sixth Sense:

Cole Sear: I see [insert label here... for argument's sake, let's just use "hoe"]... I see hoe chics.
Cole Sear: Walking around like regular chics. They don't see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don't know they're hoes.
Malcolm Crowe: How often do you see them?
Cole Sear: All the time. They're everywhere.

This psychological damage clearly results in delusion and oblivion!! Followed by denial and reluctance to admit the truth. Trust me, I got an A in psych!
But anyway... back to the power of labels. Labels become your identity, they become who you are. Have you ever tripped in front of a group of people... now every time you see those people, you are now known as "Clumsy" or "that chic/dude who bust their @$$". Or better yet, you were the man in high school and you picked up a cool nickname like "Cool Breeze" or "Hollywood"... and now you're pushing 30 without a thing to show for yourself. But every once in a while you run into Hak or Fu from high school and they say, "Damn Hollywood, let me hold something." Then you feel rejuvenated and you poke your chest out for the rest of the day. All thanks to a LABEL. They either curse you, or bless you...

I thought I was gonna figure out what point I ultimately wanted to arrive at by the close of this post. Thought I'd think of something clever, or inspirational to say right before I finish with "EYEListen"... but ummm, nope.... I got nothing. EYEListen.

Be yourself, everybody else is taken! (Figured I'd squeeze SOMETHING useful in there.) *shrugs*

Ok wait, that was completely random... here's something better... Don't label people cuz it's bad, bad, bad! *bbm thumbs up*

What's On YOUR Mind, Facebook?

Honestly, I don’t blame you for blurting ALL your business on facebook… I mean, it DOES ask, What’s On Your Mind…

Facebook is like the #1 outlet for channeling the world's emotions during times of crisis and enjoyment alike. There isn't a small household situation or an absolute disaster that hasn't met a facebook status with the intent to release personal thoughts, feelings, frustrations, pleasures and everything in between. Aside from my homeboy Jesus, social networks are the only other guaranteed shoulder to cry on when the rest of the world has turned its back. So what exactly is the world talking about?? Well I only have a smidgen of FB friends compared to the networks population of zillions but I've created my very own list of the top ten types of FB statuses.

1- Relationships: It’s “my boo is the love of my life and the best thing to happen to me…” to… “just found out my girl’s a hoe…” or… “that nicca straight up aint $h!t…” Like seriously, no one takes you or your relationship serious cause everyday you break up and every other day he’s the love of your life… meanwhile, the chics that he’s messing with, oh her statuses talk about how she cant wait til he leave yo @$$... scandalous lol

2- Huge imaginations: the infamous "grinding", life is so perfect, “Can't nobody steal my high” statuses. But if you know these people personally, they're broke, hate their lives and are the biggest complainers. Like Beanie said, “Grind from the bottom just to make it to the bottom…”

3- Promo: “Pretty please come to my party, my grand opening, my house for some nookie, my bail hearing, the clinic cuz it’s starting to burn…” Always begging for your presence at something you have no intent on attending. These people usually get deleted after resting on my nerves too long. Friends and strangers alike… *shrugs*.

4- Sports: Black Mamba this or King James that, who's better than me/meet me on the courts/field/track/2k10, etc. Or there's the “Your team sucks cuz my team jus beat them.” Then when their team loses the next weak they follow up with, "It’s all good, we'll bounce back!" Just one question, who’s writing your checks??

5- Debates: Facebook what do you think, should I wear the red pumps or the blue peep toes… who’s better lyrically Weezy or Fab… if ya man can’t work it but he treats you right, do you leave him or do you stay… Who hates Bron Bron now… I mean is this information being statistically logged?? Or is someone fishing for comments?? *bbm raised eyebrow*

6- Inspiration: a wise man once said... God loves you… Carpe Diem… and any other source of inspiration that people never really comment on, but will “like” button the mess out of.

7- Gossip: “Ooooooo hunny, did you hear about…” These people must think they work for CNN, Bossip and the Wendy Williams show… cuz they always got the latest scoop on which celebs split, what reality show just debuted, who just got indicted, who’s gay/lez, who’s a homewrecker… and at this point I’ll take the time to say shout out to Alicia Keys who doesn’t NEED to steal anybody’s man… that man went willingly. People kill me criticizing a person based on media filtered information!! *venting ends here…*

8- Hi Haters: Nowadays, even the cornballs seem to have haters. Can’t trust your friends, family, neighbors, police, grocery store clerk… damn. And Saddam Hussain thought he had it bad, sheesh.

9- GM/GN Facebookers: The most pointless, hands down, of any status… except for the popular “facebookers”, I guess… I’ve seen a GM status followed by like 40 comments!! Straight dialogue lol. I mean really, who needs text messaging?

10- Telling too Much: And don’t let me forget about my absolute fave… the status that actually tells people what YOU ARE doing… the “I'm leaving town for a 2 week stay in St Croix, my flight leaves at 7am, so I’ll probably leave my house round 5am (when the sun is barely up) and if that doesn’t help, I left a spare key under the flower pot… feel free to make yourselves at home because I won’t be back any time soon to realize I’ve been ROBBED!” SMDH

So do us all a favor, the next time FB asks, what’s on your mind… just say NOTHING (literally or figuratively).

SB: Just Kidding =)

SB++: For real though, be aware that ANYBODY can be looking at your page.  So be mindful of it's contents. EYEListen.

EYE See Why You Love My Eyes

"Look me in my eyes... and I'll take your word"
How many times have you heard or even said these words before accepting or rejecting someone's word??  As if magically the truth will go spewing from their pupils revealing their deep, dark secrets. As if the connection of their eyes to yours forms an invisible lie detecting filter.  As if every convicted murderer breezed by the polygraph and the Bible but couldn't help breaking down at the glare of the prosecuting attorney.  But yet it's still so believable! The power of the eyes outweigh any other facial feature, bodily expression or unique flavor of personality.  It's like the binocular view to the soul...

I was driving to my train this morning ("my train" like I own it lol). And on the way I heard a commercial about preventing the eye disease glaucoma simply with regular eye exams and early detection. But what if you don't have regular exams at your disposal?  What if your idea of regular is the frequency of a lunar eclipse... What if you heard that commercial too late... This led me to imagine a world without vision (literally and figuratively). Shit!! Its one thing to be born blind and not missing something you never had. But to go blind after a life of love at first site, deja vu, witnessing miracles.... SHIT!!  Like a race horse who goes blind, somebody please put me to sleep!

The other nite I was catching up on some DVR'd ANTM... Ya life is void if you don't know this acronym. I'll  wait while you google it cuz I refuse to elaborate... Ready?? So yeah Tyra was teaching the girls about smiling with their eyes and how much it impacts their modeling. The energy, the story, the imagination behind emotionally fueled eyes is orgasmic.  The lustful surge between a man and woman, the unyielding trust between a mother and child, the magnetic force between a man and his PS3... Wow, I'm getting chills.

Ok ok I'm rambling but in the past few days the eyes have increasingly been on my mind (and on my face... I'm corny, shoot me lol). I was talking to a friend about getting a tat of the Eye of Providence from the dollar bill but its so deeply associated with free masonry, of which I'm not, so I abandoned the idea. Maybe I'll jus get the eye of willEYElisten. =)

Last but certainly not least, the Motivation for this Post Award goes to my buddy who sent me this pic:

Many would have deleted this self imposed off frame shot. But I think its perfect! Of course he was tryna get his sexy on with this lip shot. But I love it simpy because neither eye is revealed. The left eye is almost visible, showing just a beautiful eyelash or two. But the other eye is completely out of view giving this shot a deeper mystery. Sparking lust and desire to know where those eyes are and what's behind them. To find out the truth that will magically come spewing from his pupils...

I'm going to share a secret with you... I tried tilting the pic a little to see if I could manage the slightest peek at his eyes *BBM embarrased smiley*

Hook-Up Bracelets

So I'm watching Degrassi on Teen Nick (don't judge me lol).  It's a tv series about a group of teens who attend Degrassi High who all have issues seemingly larger than life.  Growing up in a single parent home or dodging bullets in the hood are almost child's play when compared to the issues these teens face.  From school shootings, to issues with drugs, kids who cut themselves, relationship abuse, homosexuality with hate crimes... I'd take a day growing up in the hood over any day in the life of these melodramatic, problematic teens.  But I'm not in the business of promoting some play-play semblance of real life, no matter how entertaining I think it is.  I just want to focus in on something I just witnessed that I had only heard about before: hook-up bracelets.

Slow-Rolling on the Posting

I had a hamster once. He died. If it went to trial, the judge would have thrown the book at me. Negligence, endangerment of a minor (he was only a year old), and Man 1 (manslaughter in the first degree for all of you who don't catch up on your Law & Order). But I had a life to live. Who else was going to talk to my 8th grade crush until way after 11pm? If I didn’t pay close attention to the radio to record that Aaliyah song, who was? Not to mention the educational, physical, and social responsibilities I had… which consisted of knowing all the latest dances at all the parties.
I cried, though, when I tapped his cage and he didn’t move… the only pet I ever had…

I say all this to say, WillEYEListen will live on… a week without posting but I’m back to smother you like a proud owner would =)

You're on in 5, break a leg...

I planned on posting Saturday night to get back into the flow of things after the turkey stuffed holiday, and that didn't quite happen. Why?? 'Cause I broke my leg...

Yes, There's Still a Pulse

Just letting you know there's still a pulse over here.  The holiday overpowered my free time... that and a combination of eating, sleeping and shopping...

I will post later on tonite and I have a special guest author coming tomorrow like I do every Sunday.  So check back tomorrow evening for that.  Ummm what else, oh I do have a few things...

Happy Birthday to my very good friend, almost like a sister, Zereisha!!  We went to Cuban Pete's yesterday evening in Montclair.  Very nice restaurant.  And the food is awesome!!  But its a BYOB so don't go empty handed.  Jay, Sha, Scoop and Tay - Dunns 4 Life!!  That's my clique of girls I grew up with and love and cherish til this day.  The four of us accompanied by our new friend Ciroc made for an enjoyable evening.

Tomorrow is the newest edition of "The heART Gallery" at Dolce Lounge in Elizabeth.  This event is comprised of a live band with elite vocal and poetic talent, wine tasting, live painting and creative photography.  It's a very eclectic and creative event hosted monthly by Rodney Rikai Thomas, Femi Fresh-Prince Adedoyin and Cue Gibson.  Check them out on facebook for more details.

The boo and I checked out the movie The Ninja Assassin late last night.  Totally not my choice.  But if you're into that sort of action filled, sword swinging, blood spilling madness, you may want to check this out.  My bf, who's lifelong dream is to name his son Ryu after the American Street Fighter (yes, from the video game) is now willing to compromise if the main character of this movie's name, Raizo, can be the runner up.  I have given up arguing lol

Until later...

Why You So Mad?

Is it just me or does every woman you meet have an attitude? I'm not saying that a woman has to be engaged in anything that she does not want to, but where did the mean streak come from?

Genetics Driven

Not too long ago, I had a facebook status questioning who the worst drivers are. And though I don't express the views of my fb friends who responded (disclaimer), a vast majority said either women or Asians. And if you’re an Asian woman, perhaps an exchange should be made: your license for a bus pass. Well, to bring light to the situation, I have discovered an article illuminating bad driving (funny how people can claim to have discovered something that was already there). Turns out, these hindrances to the road, particularly when I’m running late for work, is attributed to genetics.

No More Mass Messaging!!

After reading this post copy and paste it into a new email message and forward to 13 of your friends, not family, FRIENDS and in 27 hours you will be granted 12 wishes. But if you fail to complete this, you will be cursed by 88 demons who will follow you around for 49 seconds.
And while some of you are actually opening your aol, yahoo and gmail accounts, the rest of you are as frustrated as I am about forwarded mass messages.