You know, if there's one important lesson that I've learned this year, it's that real life isn't anything like the movies. The bad guys tend to win more often, you don't always get the girl at the end, and you don't wake up one morning and suddenly realize that you might actually be the most important person in the world (or better yet The One). On top of that, the majority of the people running this planet are a bunch of egotistical apes driven soley by their insatiable appetite for dead presidents.
Last year, one of my best friends got deported to Peru; him and his family. It's not like me and the rest of my friends are going to go on some crazy rescue mission to bring him back to the states. We just accept things the way they are and try to keep in touch with him whenever possible because what the hell can we do? Just last week, I found out my other friend's mom was having heart problems and she needs surgery. I can't tell you how painful it was for me to see all 3 of her kids break into tears when she said there was a chance that she might actually die. What hurts is that sometimes, in life, no matter how hard you try to pray for grim situations to work themselves out, it won't always happen; we're not always given a miracle.
Sigh...I don't know. As you get older you tend to notice more and more that the world is a depressing place and as an individual, you can't seem to do anything to change it. That's why I try to live my life by being the best person I can possibly be. You know, be kind to others, take care of yourself, do what you love, and to believe in something positive. At least there's a chance that I can make a good difference in the life of another person. It's not the whole world but it's a start right? I just needed to get this off my chest. I'll see you all later.
-Alex M.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Hip Hop
Since we're talking about entertainment and music this week, I figured I'd talk about my favorite genre of music: Hip-hop. I listen to Rock also and a small percentage from other genres but Hip-hop is my favorite one. I guess I'm writing this blog entry mainly to discuss why I love the genre and why people should stop saying "Alex you think your a gangster or something?" when they don't even listen to the music.
Most people criticize Hip-hop or Rap or whatever you want to call it based on what is heard on the radio or music videos. The reason why the majority of the music is so mediocre these days is because Hip-hop is not only one of the youngest genres of music (if not THE youngest) but also one of the quickest in gaining such popularity. It's more than music; it's a lifestyle and a freedom of expression. It was originally a freedom of expression and addressed many issues from personal to political; it was more intelligent compared to how it is today. Naturally like all original and creative ideas, the industry saw it as being profitable and the genre became commercialized to the worst degree. Now, the majority of the material you hear on the radio and television is all about guns, drugs, cars and sex because that is what sells.
The majority of the Rap I listen to is either older or underground (noncommercialized Hip-hop). The music itself is deeper and more complex. I do listen to mainstream music too but I get tired of the majority of the songs (from oversaturation) quickly except from the ones from my favorite artists (Kanye West, Ludacris, T.I., just to name a few). I think I enjoy the genre so much mainly because I want to be a writer and there is a lot of poetry and wordplay involved in the lyrics. Also, the sound is great because it samples from famous songs of many other genres so in a way, Hip-hop contains sounds from every genre of music. I develop an appreciation for other types of music this way.
More importantly, I'm tired of people giving me crap for listening to it when they don't listen to it at all. What I do find funny is that my friends who do listen to Hip-hop tell me that I'm the most "non-ghetto" kid who listens to it. That and the fact I know so much about it. Anyway, that's the end of my little rant. I'll see you all next week. Peace.
-Alex M.
Most people criticize Hip-hop or Rap or whatever you want to call it based on what is heard on the radio or music videos. The reason why the majority of the music is so mediocre these days is because Hip-hop is not only one of the youngest genres of music (if not THE youngest) but also one of the quickest in gaining such popularity. It's more than music; it's a lifestyle and a freedom of expression. It was originally a freedom of expression and addressed many issues from personal to political; it was more intelligent compared to how it is today. Naturally like all original and creative ideas, the industry saw it as being profitable and the genre became commercialized to the worst degree. Now, the majority of the material you hear on the radio and television is all about guns, drugs, cars and sex because that is what sells.
The majority of the Rap I listen to is either older or underground (noncommercialized Hip-hop). The music itself is deeper and more complex. I do listen to mainstream music too but I get tired of the majority of the songs (from oversaturation) quickly except from the ones from my favorite artists (Kanye West, Ludacris, T.I., just to name a few). I think I enjoy the genre so much mainly because I want to be a writer and there is a lot of poetry and wordplay involved in the lyrics. Also, the sound is great because it samples from famous songs of many other genres so in a way, Hip-hop contains sounds from every genre of music. I develop an appreciation for other types of music this way.
More importantly, I'm tired of people giving me crap for listening to it when they don't listen to it at all. What I do find funny is that my friends who do listen to Hip-hop tell me that I'm the most "non-ghetto" kid who listens to it. That and the fact I know so much about it. Anyway, that's the end of my little rant. I'll see you all next week. Peace.
-Alex M.
Monday, November 10, 2008
*GASP*! My Weakness...
Nobody is invincible; after all, we're only human. This week, I have decided to share some of my greatest weaknesses with you all.
1) Pastries- Well, food in general but, pastries in particular. You have no idea how hard it is for me to pass the pastry section in the grocery store and not have the urge to buy some pie, or a cinnamon roll, or even a pastelito. I guess you could say, there's a fat kid trying very hard to break out of this manly shell of manliness but thankfully I've been able to keep him at bay...for now.
2) Short shorts- Women in general are the average hetero male's weakness. I'm no different in that aspect but I consider myself to be someone with pretty good self control when it comes to women. There's just something about seeing an attractive girl walking down the street wearing a pair of short shorts that just show off her legs and wrapping themselves so tightly around her waist that brings out my inner sex panther. Even if I see an average looking girl wearing short shorts I go nuts. I can't explain it but it's like their hotness level goes off the charts. Like, I don't even know what to do with myself.
3) Furry animals- Yeah, I'm a big animal lover. My icy heart melts everytime I see a dog panting heavily with that stupid grin on it's face. I'm especially fond of dogs with big eyes like the Pug (the dog from Men in Black. You can call it ugly, but I call it adorable). Not just dogs, but cats too and even hamsters. I guess you can say I turn into a "petophile" like we talked about in class earlier.
So yeah, those are some of my weaknesses. Don't you dare think that just because I've revealed my kryptonite, that you can use it against me. I know some of you guys are hating on my six pack, but don't think you can screw me over with a dozen donuts. Ladies, it's going to take more than a pair of short shorts for me to submit to your will; you gotta try a little harder than that. Furry animals? I love animals but I don't take their crap either. My dog loves me (and by love, I mean fears and respects me as her lord and master of her pathetic existence j/k).
I'm sure you all have your own set of weaknesses. After all, we're only human, and that's a lesson that has taken me 18 years to learn. I can't shed myself of all my flaws, fears, and fatal imperfections. What the heck can I do? I'm just a man. Well, that's all for this week. Take care.
-Alex M.
1) Pastries- Well, food in general but, pastries in particular. You have no idea how hard it is for me to pass the pastry section in the grocery store and not have the urge to buy some pie, or a cinnamon roll, or even a pastelito. I guess you could say, there's a fat kid trying very hard to break out of this manly shell of manliness but thankfully I've been able to keep him at bay...for now.
2) Short shorts- Women in general are the average hetero male's weakness. I'm no different in that aspect but I consider myself to be someone with pretty good self control when it comes to women. There's just something about seeing an attractive girl walking down the street wearing a pair of short shorts that just show off her legs and wrapping themselves so tightly around her waist that brings out my inner sex panther. Even if I see an average looking girl wearing short shorts I go nuts. I can't explain it but it's like their hotness level goes off the charts. Like, I don't even know what to do with myself.
3) Furry animals- Yeah, I'm a big animal lover. My icy heart melts everytime I see a dog panting heavily with that stupid grin on it's face. I'm especially fond of dogs with big eyes like the Pug (the dog from Men in Black. You can call it ugly, but I call it adorable). Not just dogs, but cats too and even hamsters. I guess you can say I turn into a "petophile" like we talked about in class earlier.
So yeah, those are some of my weaknesses. Don't you dare think that just because I've revealed my kryptonite, that you can use it against me. I know some of you guys are hating on my six pack, but don't think you can screw me over with a dozen donuts. Ladies, it's going to take more than a pair of short shorts for me to submit to your will; you gotta try a little harder than that. Furry animals? I love animals but I don't take their crap either. My dog loves me (and by love, I mean fears and respects me as her lord and master of her pathetic existence j/k).
I'm sure you all have your own set of weaknesses. After all, we're only human, and that's a lesson that has taken me 18 years to learn. I can't shed myself of all my flaws, fears, and fatal imperfections. What the heck can I do? I'm just a man. Well, that's all for this week. Take care.
-Alex M.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Bloggers Block
Yeah, I've got nothing special to write about this week. I guess I'll just give you some of my thoughts on this week.
Obama's in office, which I think is awesome. The historical impact of this election is just incredible and on top of that, this was my first year voting. My only hope is that he doesn't get shot like Kennedy (don't lie, you were all worried during his acceptance speech). I got a lot of school work to take care of this week, so I'm stressing as usual. I had a freaky dream that the Devil was trying to contact me which resulted in a whole other fiasco with a friend of mine that left me sh***ing bricks (I'll save that story for another time). My appetite never ceases to stop, my life is still crazy and women are still crazy.
That's all for this week I guess. Peace.
-Alex M.
Obama's in office, which I think is awesome. The historical impact of this election is just incredible and on top of that, this was my first year voting. My only hope is that he doesn't get shot like Kennedy (don't lie, you were all worried during his acceptance speech). I got a lot of school work to take care of this week, so I'm stressing as usual. I had a freaky dream that the Devil was trying to contact me which resulted in a whole other fiasco with a friend of mine that left me sh***ing bricks (I'll save that story for another time). My appetite never ceases to stop, my life is still crazy and women are still crazy.
That's all for this week I guess. Peace.
-Alex M.
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