Gosh Darn Right, I'm Feelin' Myself.

Well, we're feeling ourselves.

If you listen to the music on this very blog, you're awesome beyond most awesome. If not, I suggest you get to a PC and turn the speakers uppppppppp!!!!!!

A big 'thank you' to the readers who have commented or sent me e-mails about my music. It's all deeply appreciated!

I said it before, and it won't kill me or you if I mention it again...in my playlist, all tracks that are a creation of BlackMuzik is marked with an *.

I suggest you take a listen to the first song on the playlist. I think it's jammin'.

I've finally decided to start talking a little more about my joint venture with my fam. I was apprehensive at first; I'd like this blog to maintain a non-commercial feel, but I also realize that the internet is a very powerful tool...and there are a lot of people reaping the benefits of wackness whilst I sit back in amazement at the newest dance craze via Youtube (wtF is a Ricky Bobby?!). I'm also no fool, I know networking is a small piece in the puzzle to my success. So, why not use it and try my chances just as others have? Right, Susan Boyle? I won't bombard you with polls, try to sell you "I Heart BlackMuzik" t-shirts or remind you that a mixtape is dropping. But; there will be member introductions, and I will inform you on the music we're making, the moves we're going to make, and our overall progress as a company.

Curious or not, this post is the intro to the series of posts that will be about BlackMuzik--who we are, what we do and our plans of world domination.

Stay tuned.

(deuces.)

A Different Kind Of Thriller

This find is a result of one of those periods in time where you have absolutely nothing to do, so you YouTube surf...and I like to watch just about anything for a laugh. Or anything that intrigues me.

This vid definitely had both factors on lock.

Call me crazy, but I think the song is rockin'! I'm tryna find it online now to add to my collection, lol.

Enjoy!

(deuces.)

Juuuust A Reminder...

This is totally pointless.
But...
Click here and follow your girl.

I just hit my 200th update (woo hoo?), so just because of that I'm unprotecting my updates from today until next Friday. After that, it's back to private mode (would you believe I really have stalkers?!). Start following while you can, or send an add request after!

(deuces.)

Ziggy's Friday Forethought 7: It Started With A Random Keystyle...

For "my" sake

My sanity

You utter the sweetest blasphemy

From your lips to my heart

Creating its own heartbeat

But quickly dying

The root of it all is decaying

As I watch you fall to pieces

Three words to end you

You chose slowly

Not wisely

Know that I am able to soar without you

HE and I control my existence

Loved me before you "loved" me

So I can be all I need

You fail to see that is not I that can save you

You must save yourself.

THE MORAL:

Low self esteem seems to be a trend these days. It can be subtle, but it's there. I had a lot of things running through my mind while I sat at this PC, and the poem above is a result. This won't be a long FF entry for today. The message is simple: before you can love anyone else, you must love yourself first. Love yourself harder than anyone else does. You really can't love a person the way they deserve to be loved until you love yourself in that way first.

That's why I start each and everyday by looking in the mirror and saying, "Ziggy, YOU are THE SHIT!"

Joking. But mantras work, if you're into self affirmations.

Digressing...people often jump into relationships thinking that they'll feel better about themselves if they can find someone else to love them. Wrong. Pay attention, and after a while, that person that you wanted to love love love love you, alllll the time, is going to be out the door. You should not need a babysitter/parental figure in a significant other. Why would you even expect someone to love you if you can't love yourself?

Trust me. Self love is the best love.

Be blessed, and enjoy this beautiful weekend!

(deuces.)

btw: I'll probably have a couple of random posts in the next few days. And be on the lookout for a BlackMuzik update. :o)

a few random things that made my week AWESOME:

-Quality time with my niece

-Getting more hours at work (=more money!)

-Buying a new phone

-Finding someone to buy my old phone

-Not feeling bad about spending money on a phone because I'm getting more than half my money spent right back for selling the old phone

-Finding a check while cleaning up, meaning I know have more than half of my money back from buying the new phone

-Seeing my name in the credits beside "Audio Engineer" at my new job

-Seeing old family and friends at Nu World rehearsal earlier in the week

-Going to the movies twice in one week

...and it's only Friday! Hope your week/end brings you just as much awesomeness.

(dueces.)

Ziggy's Friday Forethought 6: Standards

This post will be short and to the point, and it piggybacks off of the FF post a couple of weeks back. The only different is that it applies to the estrogen powered human beings.

But fellas, that doesn't mean you can't learn something as well. :o)

I'm officially tired of the men/women who complain about their significant others.

What pisses me off more is the whole "there aren't any more good black men" statement. It's become a mantra to some females, and it's sad and funny to hear them chant it--all the while, still dating the same dude they've been unhappy with for years. Oftentimes us women get into relationships and do something we shouldn't do until (you feel it's) necessary--settle. We put up with things that we know we can't stand, but out of fear of being alone, we put up with whatever it is we dislike in hopes that "he'll change". Which of course is another strike. Why try to change a man/woman, when you can simply go and find a better person that suits your needs? What's even funnier is this excuse...

"If I leave him/her, I'm gonna be mad to see him/her with someone else, doing better than he/she was with me. Especially after I put in all this work..."

I get it, I get it. It's like...leaving a pot after you've been waiting for it to boil, and as soon as you turn your eyes away, it boils over...right? Right.

In a galaxy far, far away, I used to be one of those women. Low self esteem, putting up with just about anything. I used to think my standards were too high, but as I got older I soon realized that I'm really not asking for much. I'm not a golddigger; I don't need a man's money/legacy/empire to complete me. Give me the basics and we're good. If I find myself unable to deal with a man's flaws, then it's my call to sever ties and keep it moving. I will not waste my own valuable time trying to make a man, or anyone for that matter, into something they're not or don't aspire to be. Also, come to the grips with the notion that there's nothing wrong with having standards! You should always want something/someone equal or greater than yourself. The key is growth, and if you feel yourself growing but your partner isn't, it's not time to change him/her. It's time to move on. As much as it may hurt, sometimes these things happen, and how you deal will eventually become a pattern in future relationships.

If you don't have standards at all, therein also lies your problem. There's nothing wrong with a mental list of pros and cons, but getting into a relationship and complaining because your partner isn't exactly who you thought they'd be won't cut it. Standards are starting to dissipate for us women because we lack the patience (and sometimes the sense) to figure out our likes and dislikes. You can't change anyone but yourself, and a man won't change for you because he already thinks he shouldn't have to...especially not for a woman who he thought was down for him from the beginning.

I'd really hate to see standards become cliche in 2009. Let's get it together, people!

Be blessed, and enjoy your weekend!

(deuces.)

Harold and Kumar Go to...The WHITE HOUSE?!

photo and story courtesy of cnn.com

"Actor and longtime Obama supporter Kal Penn is joining the Obama administration, the White House confirmed to CNN Tuesday.
The actor will be part of the White House Office of Public Liaison, which is run by Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett. Penn will be primarily involved in dealing with Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and the arts community."

One more thing that makes Obama look awesome in my eyes.

FYI: If you don't know who Kal Penn is, I'm sure you've been living under a rock. Underwater. On Mars.

And...if Obama is cool with putting Kal Penn on his administration...I'm pretty sure other things will be on the way.

420 things, to be precise.

:o)

(deuces.)

an example of how I get through my day...

A conversation with KC via text message:

KC: Once again, somebody mistakens me for Lebanese. *sigh*

Me: LMFAO! Word?

KC: Word. This makes the 4th time this month...I don't even know where Lebanon is

Me: Lol, maybe you should look it up :o)

KC: Naaaahhhhh. I'll just tell them I'm Persian...I know where that is.

Me: LMFAO

With slow Mondays like this, a good laugh is always welcome. Especially during work hours.

I love my friends.

(deuces.)

Ziggy's Friday Forethought 5: Sunspiration.

I had another post in mind, but as soon as I started, the sun came back out and I literally felt my energy level shoot through the roof. So, I learned something else about myself today: the sun serves as my inspiration!

Allow me to explain. I love all seasons, but we all know that fall is my all-time favorite. I started noticing that when it started to get colder and darker, not only did my body shrink (as does everyone else's--it's science!), but so did my motivation to do anything worthwhile. Not a depression thing, but I just couldn't get inspired to write any poetry, or write anything for that matter. My mind was just collecting dust. My blog suffered as well, I couldn't find anything to post; and when I did, by the time I reached my PC the thrill was gone. I chalked it up as another loss and tried again, only to meet the same fate. I thought something was wrong with me.

But then...

All this beautiful weather comes about, and now I'm filled with lines, stanzas, music, blogs...EVERYTHING! It's funny how we as human beings tend to take "little" things for granted. You never really know how much something like the weather will affect you. If you check the news, suicide and clinical depression rates rise during the winter months. Surprising? Not to me. It's dreary outside. Not motivational at all. The Sun serves as our energy source. It's like...chakra food. And a little note to my...um...not-so melanin challenged folks, but our ancestors literally thrived on the energy given off from the Big Star, so it's in our blood to be at our best during the times of the year where it's warm and full of light outside.

I'm going to test my theory on the weather, and I'd like you all to pay attention as well. My guess is that there will be some inflation within my blog posts come May-October, as those are the months when the weather warms up, gets hot and cools back down. I'm sure it'll happen; it's beautiful outside today and I'm already getting the itch to no longer be behing this desk. Looking at the outside from the inside on a day like this is pure torture. And, I'm challenging you guys to give it a shot as well. Having a crappy day? Just go sit outside, with no music to accompany you, and meditate. You'll be surprised at how clear your head will be after just a few minutes. Personally, I like to go out into my backyard, find a nice piece of grass (lmao. Meaning the grass on the ground) and just breathe. It feels great! Trust me. You'll like it.

I'm finally off! Gonna go and enjoy the last few hours of this awesome day.
The picture I posted makes me want to leave the country all over again. *sigh*
Be blessed, and enjoy your weekend!

(deuces.)

UPDATE: Missing Pieces

As promised, I told you that I would have an update on my meeting my older brother. Well, everything went great! Jungle and I are still talking about it. We went out to eat last Saturday; my younger brother and I, and my brother and his wife. Moms joined us a little later. We sat and talked for almost two hours before we even ordered anything! When we first got there, Jungle and I played the "do you think that's him?" game, as he had called and said he was 4 minutes behind me. Finally getting inside and passing the brief awkward moment of looking for someone with no knowledge of what they look like, in a public place no less, someone stood up in front of me and said

"Z? I'm Mooney. This is my wife Trina."

This man looks exactly like me. He's short and stocky. That's me in a nutshell, sans the anatomy. Of course I didn't see it as soon as I saw him, but after sitting for a while and examining facial features; trying to catch a glimpse of daddy, I finally started to see the resemblance. Him and little brother's hands are exactly the same. Overall we had a great time. He explained to us that his children wanted to come along, but they all had prior obligations, but they're down for the next time. Jungle already has a 2K9/Madden challenge from his nephew, and both our nieces are eager to meet us. We tripped about the fact that Mooney's favorite thing to do is cook, and his specialty is lasagna; so he's like his father in more ways than one! My dad's lasagna is a crowd pleaser, so hearing my brother say that he loves to cook--without knowing that his father's a beast in the kitchen until I told him--was amazing to me. Him and his wife have been married for 20 years, so not only did I find my brother, but I now have a sister-in-law. The blessings just keep pouring in.

There was a lot of questions asked, catching up and story sharing. What made the both of us excited was the fact that he almost seemed more excited to meet than we did. When he picked up the check once it came, my mother told him that he didn't have to pay for everything. I was so happy when he looked at her and said

"I met my little brother and sister today, so this is nothing."

There were so many highlights of that evening, but I feel I'd go scatterbrained if I tried to reiterate them all. Just know that it was a beyond perfect reunion. We're all supposed to hang out this weekend; the four of us, his children and our younger sister he'd like to meet. There were short bursts of conversation about our father, so I'm taking that as a good sign. 2009 is looking like an excellent year for me. I've found my family, so who knows what else I will accomplish this year!

(deuces.)

The only poetry I can muster up amidst this brain fart.

Just like the rain does

Love flows endlessly through me

Watch the storm begin.

*I'll be bringing the poetry back to the forefront as soon as this brain fart has passed...maybe some vlog rants...we'll see.

(deuces.)

Chronicles of the Bestie.

She's Mexican.

She's a photographer.

She's tatted alllll the way up.

One of the coolest people you could ever meet, screw a celebrity!

She's from everywhere.

She's my best friend!

Andddd she's awesome.

Go and welcome her to the blog world. Tell her Za sent you, and tell her that I said "Stay your ass put this time!"

If you're into dope photography and randomness, this is the blog for you.

http://kescamilla.tumblr.com/

(deuces.)