25 February 2009

Letter to NAACP on Cartoon Depiction

NAACP, I definitely stand behind you all on this issue. The cartoonist and the editorial staff made an extremely poor judgment to post such a racial insensitive. A publication such as this further divides America and opens the wound of racial degradations. This thoughtless act should not be tolerated, jokingly or not. It has been America's goal for some time for blacks and whites to rise above the hurtful separating times to become a beacon of hope for the next generation. Please America: we can do better; we want to reach a new tide of positive expectations.

Texas Giant

About two years ago, a friend and I decided on taking a last minute trip to an amusement park. He was surprised when I told him that I had never been on the Texas Giant. With much anticipation, our first course of action when we arrived was to get on the big high-rise. Waiting in line, I remember my heart was beating so hard that it could have jumped out at any moment. The thought of going up over 140 feet in the air, on wood, was scary. Therefore, I asked to sit closer to the back.

The relevance of this ride in comparison to life is that often times, we have slow ups -- the challenges or situations that we avoid because they appear minor but eventually blow up in the end. Then, there are the fast downs -- when obstacles appear to be stacked on top of the other and the only alternatives that seems hopeful are: to quit, give up everything and walk away, throw a self-tantrum or to quit. Then, the side-to-sides are the opportunities that looks promising one day and then all of a sudden, swift change occurs without adequate notice. Finally, the rollercoaster was rather bumpy with heavy shakes. Hmmm. Sounds similar to life, right?

This proved to be one of the most interesting rides because when I got off the Texas Giant, I had a massive headache; one that I had never experienced before. The odd part is that the headache lasted for only a few minutes. The small pain that I felt then equates to natural struggles that appear hopeless in the moment, but once surviving what seems insurmountable, the growth, laughter and simple experience makes life all the more enjoyable. Now I'm thinking... I just can't wait until opening day on February 28th, so that I can hop onto the Texas Giant and experience in 3 minutes what life sometimes feel like.

*knockout*

07 February 2009

Will.i.am

This has to be the greatest song I've heard. Will.i.am did a fantastic job gathering these high-profile celebrities to produce such a song for the time. I am still getting goose bumps! See for yourself: