Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you.

Isaiah 41:10

On with the new!

- The blackberry bold is set to be released November 4th! Super stoked. I ruv my blackberry! I ruv new gadgets!

- After a stressful week I allowed myself to some MUCH NEEDED retail therapy. Yeah, I blogged about saving money but it was money well spent! I gave myself a budget and still had money left over! Twas a good day of food and shopping.

- I'm ready for a new scene. I'm ready to take over the world! (jk. kind of). I have so much energy that I can't stand staying home! I go to Atlanta next month for a few days and after that it's on with the new. I want to pop bottles with Diddy in Nyc, soak my feet in Miami beach with latino hotties, drank a corona in Cabo San Lucas, visit Obama in DC at the white house (he will be president ;)), go to a rodeo in Dallas, eat a philly cheesesteak in Philly, eat some gumbo in New Orleans, gamble in Atlantic City and see the sunset in Maui. There's so many places I want to explore within the United States! After I've traveled the U.S. it's on to the forgien lands!

- The time is near! I don't like discussing my future plans with anybody but my family and a select few. I like to keep my goals written down and my eyes on the prize. With so many options and decision to make I get stressed out at times. Like now for instance... I should be winding down on a glass of wine and shakin my groove thang. Instead, I'm at home on a friday night with bonchitis, my constant wandering mind and endless possibilities-- for my future. Sometimes there are times that I know EXACTLY what I want and where I'm going. Then, another door of opportunity opens up! I wish God would close all the doors and leave one open. This is where faith and prayers comes into play. Gotta keep praying.

R&B ain't what it used to be

Boyz II Men, Avant, Joe, D'angelo, Brian McKnight, Donell Jones, Faith Evans, Lyfe Jennings, Mint Condition, Jagged Edge, Tyrese, Tank, Maxwell - some of my favorite R&B artists. It's hard to compare the R&B artists of today to the ones from back then. Old school R&B was the best. Don't get me wrong... there are some credible artists today such as; Ne-Yo, Trey Songz, Robin Thicke, Raphael Saadiq and Mario to name a few-- they are doin' the damn thang.


1. Comeback - Donell Jones
2. Heaven in My Eyes - Shawn Powell
3. My Body - Tank
4. Finally Know - Boyz II Men
5. How Does it Feel - D'Angelo
6. Nothing Left to Say - Mint Condition
7. Separated - Avant
8. Let's Get Married - Jagged Edge
9. Get To Know Ya - Maxwell
10. Must Be Nice - Lyfe Jennings


Not necessarily my top 10 but some of my favorite songs!

Music makes me happy (:

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 - is my favorite concerto by Bach. I remember playing it in highschool and again for the Tacoma Youth Symphony back when I was about 13 years old. MEMORIES! It's crazy how our brains can associate songs to an instance in our lives. Out of all the music genres classical music is by far my favorite to practice. I've been practicing a lot of pieces by Rachmoninoff. He's been my biggest challenge since starting the piano and I love a challenge!

Tha Joker - Blow Ya Back Out - I've recently discovered this artist and song while on the hunt for some new slow jams. I wouldn't put the song in the slow jams category... it's more r&b I should say. It reminds me of old school R. Kelly-- the nasty old school R. Kelly. The song is provocative. It brings me back my younger years when I used to sing along to songs and had NO IDEA of their meanings. I listen to them now and I'm like really? I used to sing along to that? I would never want my kids repeating those lyrics! haha! Anyways, this artist has a real southern feel. I like!

Shit Happens

My homegirl's car was broken into thursday and our purses + wallets were stolen. Her passenger side window was broken and there was glass EVERYWHERE. We had several cuts trying to get the glass off our jackets. Whoever broke into the car wasn't very smart because they had dropped their cellphone. It was under the seat and completely covered in glass. I wouldn't have even found it if we didn't clear off some glass. I had to cancel my cards and all that good stuff. It seemed as though the break-in was planned because 15 minutes after we left the car charges were already made on my cards. CRAZY! I despise people who get money the dirty way. Car jackings, identity theft, selling drugs, etc. I work hard for my mother effing money! I've got bills to pay! Then these money hungry f*ckers who don't know how to get off their LAZY ASSES and get a LEGIT job go off and steal from people who work hard. SHIT'S NOT RIGHT!-- hehe. It's all good though. Life has moved on and all my money was reimbursed from the bank. SHIT HAPPENS and life goes on and dumbass thieves need something better to do then ruin people's lives! NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE.

Change is good.

I took some time last night to go through my bank statements. After sifting through all my account information I came around to ask myself... WHY the HELL don't I have more than I should in my savings? and aside from bills, WHERE does my money go? Answer to my questions: Food, food, buying drinks when going out, food, gas, clothes, more food, more gas, food. UGH! So then I decided I need a solution to this madness...

1) No more coffee every morning before work. We have a coffee machine at work and I just need to be more self sufficient. Coffee is a luxery that I can afford to dispose. Stupid Starbucks and their stupid skinny iced vanilla lattes of death.

2) Stop going out so much. I don't know what it is but I CAN NOT stay in during the weekends. After a long work week I feel the need to let loose and get my eagle on. Dancing helps relieve stress and so does a drink or two. Shiet! lol. BUT COME ON NOW, EVERY WEEKEND? It's not that clubs/lounges take up my money it's the alcohal. Drinks add up! It's time to take advantage of my Hollywood video membership and start doing movie nights. Less going out = less money spent on gas and less money spent on drinks.

3) SHOPPING. This one is a disease, I swear. I like new clothes. What can I say? I am a female and we like NEW. I'm one of the MANY females that open up their closet everyday and say... "I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR." while starring at a closet full of clothes and some with tags still attached. As long as I'm working hard for my money there's nothing wrong with a little shopping, right?............ WRONG!!! There's no need for shopping every weekend for a new outfit to go out. This one will be one of the hardest things to work on but it must be done.

4) FOOD! I LOVE FOOD. I love trying new restaurants and discovering new foods to satisfy my ever-so-curious taste buds. Eating makes me happy! -- WOW ok, I'm starting to sound a little weird. ANYWAYS, I NEED TO START GROCERY SHOPPING AND EATING AT HOME. Food and gas is where the majority of my money goes to. Curse this stomach! CURSE IT!

In conclusion, in efforts to better my money management, I've decided these are things I AM GOING to work on. Starting tomorrow. Hopefully in a month I'll be able to see an increase in savings. With this saved money I can do more traveling!

In addition to my efforts to save money, I also want to put in more effort in being a better person. This is an everyday, self conscious reminder. TRYING to make sure I treat others the way I want to be treated, praying for my family and friends, going out of my way to make someone's day, something small to help my parents, etc. I feel like the little things add up but I want to do more. I want to donate 30% of my earings to something other than MYSELF. This all goes leads back to my money spending problem... now, if I had more money maybe I'd be able to spend 30% of my earnings on somewhere it would actually be useful/needed. I told myself last night that I'd start these things in 2009, sorda like a new years resolution, but I'm going to start now.

Biggie said, "mo' money, mo' problems" but I say, "mo' money, LESS problems." Holla if you hear me.

RANDOM RAMBLING

Sundays are the favorite day - It's my most relaxing day of the week. I just chill and relax to prepare myself for a 5-day work week. Speaking of work, I'm so thankful for my job. I have the best boss and co-workers in the world. I thank God for this.

Atlanta Part II - A few girls and I have planned another trip to the dirty souf'! For myself and Kim it'll be round two and for a couple others it'll be poppin' their southern cherry! lol. Out of all the cities I've traveled to Atlanta is my top 2. The southern hospitality, food, night-life, just everything about the south puts me in a good mood. It's one of the most laid-back cities in the world and I can't wait to go back!

Peruvian cuisine is so good! I LOVE FOOD. I LOVE TRYING NEW FOODS.

Comfort

Praise be to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

2 Corinthians 1: 3-4

For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? I wrote as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of my heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.

2 Corinthians 2: 2-4

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Just when I needed some reassurance and comforting God introduced me to a girl, who is now a good friend of mine and I'm SO thankful. When I read that verse it always takes me back to that time in my life when I felt like everything was falling apart. It was hard to keep faith because everything was happening so quickly. Just as fast as everything fell God was right there to build it back up. Through my hardships he built an even stronger foundation. If I never went through it I would've never experience the love and comfort I felt from God during that time. They say you can't truly enjoy the good until you've been through the bad. She came at the right time and I knew it was God sent. I have the best friends in the world. (:

Oxytocin

"Sexual activity released oxytocin, the bonding hormone, and it's very strong in women," says psychologist Diana Kirschner, PhD. "It's easy for a woman to think she's having fun, and then her body takes over and she starts developing feelings for a guy."

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Oxytocin: Recent studies have begun to investigate oxytocin's role in various behaviors, including social recognition, bonding, anxiety, trust, and maternal behaviors. - From Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia

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After reading a recent article of Cosmo I found this interesting. I always wondered why it was that men can go around, hook-up with 50 females and only like 1 of them. Where as women get attached to the men they choose to hook-up with-- whether or not they like to admit it. Which is the main reason I'm against casual sex/random hooking up. It's not my cup of tea. Relationships are also not my cup of tea, for now. The article was also interesting because it covered how dating has changed over the years. In the past, dates were often serious/romantic and men took women to dinner and a movie at the theatre. I feel it hasn't changed much but people my age (early 20's) don't often go on "romantic" dates anymore. From personal experience I find that males would rather me go over to their homes to watch a movie... okay... yeah... a movie... RIGHT. Like a movie is the only things on their minds. Which is why I don't like going on dates unless they're out in public. lol. Ok this blog is getting long goodbye.

Who had the best verse on Swagger Like Us?

A mixed vocal sample by M.I.A. has all the rappers flowin' about their swag. Jay Z had the best verse in my opinion! I wish I could say it was Weezy because he is my overall favorite rapper buuuuuut Jay killed it. Jay Z, Andre 3000, Jeezy and Nas are all going to be on part II of Swagger Like Us on Jay Z's upcoming album, the Blueprint 3 (and he supposedly retired, right? haha).

Jim Jones was fired up about not being invited to be on the remixes. He came out with his own version of Swagger Like Us and disses Jay Z. Go figure. The beef between them has yet to subside itself. I don't understand why he can't just be like P. Diddy and do his own rendition of Swagger Like Us. Whatever.

CHERISH THE OLD, EMBRACE THE NEW.

I'm a big fan of Slum Village. As most of you know Elzhi, the former member of Slum Village, has branched out with an album of his own-- LOVIN' IT. Just copped this album a few days ago and it's been in my cd player ever since. I need to start putting my iPod to use. Anyways, he did a free show on the 13th of September and I was in Atlanta. Sucky. This album = hot like fiyah!



She's the new female voice of hip-hip/neo-soul whatever you wanna call it, she's it. The next Lauryn Hill-- it may be a little far fetched of me to make that bold of a statement considering this is her first album BUT I'm lovin' her sound. While in Atlanta she was all over the radio! Atlanta loves Jazmine Sullivan and so do I! Off-topic but what happened to Lauryn Hill? Hm?

MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC!

My first blog ever.

Nas is a lyrical GENIUS. Out of all his albums I am... (released in 99') was my #1, then Stillmatic (2001) bumped I am out of the #1 spot. His newest album Nas kicks both out the water. Nas is able to convey his thoughts into poetic rhyme schemes that form fluidly into a rap song. It's art in the form of sound. NOW, if that's not talent I don't know what is. I don't know if it's my love for Nas as an artist, or my love for music, or my love for music that makes me appreciate Nas as an artist, but his new album is off the chain! It's artists like Nas that fill my soul with passion. Music is my passion!

Music is what feelings sound like - Author Unknown