"bitches can't hang with the streets"

contemporary covers of classic gangster rap songs are one of the best things since gangster rap itself. if there's one thing the world needs sorely in these times of universal trial and tribulation, it's a sing-along ready version of dr. dre's "bitches ain't shit". i was thinking about the questionable content of the song, but in the end it doesn't seem so contentious at all. peep: "bitches ain't shit" is clearly the seminal response of an early 90's african american male to the anti-male rhetoric that has become seemingly popular with, if not ubiquitous among north american females since the middle of the 20th century.

so listen, learn, and enjoy. find the original and do a comparative analysis, if you a supa-scientifical nigga.


"it's real conversation for your ass" - bitches ain't shit, ben folds (orig. dr. dre)

"now everybody fast-forward to the future - the year: two-oh-four-four - and let me tell you what's in store..."

david suzuki spoke here a short time ago; one of the points he made that struck me as interesting was that humans are ostensibly the only creatures on earth with the capacity for conceiving what we call the future. as a result, we're able to exercise foresight. we can imagine what might happen in the future, and to the best of our beliefs we can then plan for what we think are the most realistic of those possibilities.

like so many of the other things that make us human, foresight can be both a blessing and a curse. planning for the future can be a beneficial thing. it allows us to have a better life later through the choices that we make now. we're blessed with the truly amazing ability to consciously influence our lives before they unfold, which is something that, as far as we know, only we as humans can do. the implications of this ability are countless, and whether or not we appreciate the fact, this ability is immensely influential in our experience of life and consciousness. however, from our unparalleled ability to think also stems our ability to overthink. this is where, for myself if no one else, the ability to realize the future has the most potential for causing problems.

there's a lot to be said for living in the moment, in part because it keeps us from overthinking the future. it's easier to appreciate what you have in the moment if that's all you're thinking about in that moment. the basis of zen buddhism is just that - living, breathing, and existing only in the present moment, as it is, and in nothing that it isn't. zen masters learn to be better than anyone else at leaving the bulk of our human conceptions out of their minds while living in the moment. i haven't experienced it myself, but the clarity and joy of such ability to live in the present is touted as the ultimate goal of zen practitioners. it's called enlightenment, and the simplicity of the name belies the difficulty we as humans have in practicing something so simple. just live in the present, that's all there is to it.

the problem isn't just the inherent difficulty in letting go of our human conceptions of the world; we also have to deal with the ease with which we can get caught up in overthinking the future, and overplanning for things that we ultimately have little (some would argue none at all) control over. it's easy to get so caught up in the future that the present passes you by entirely. it seems to me that especially here in north america we have an ability to live our lives almost totally in the future. it's no surprise, since much of our society is geared towards our living in the future. from elementary school age we're asked what we want to be when we grow up. we're told to get good marks now, because it will determine what school we're accepted to or what job we'll end up working in the future. we're always working today to save for something later - the things that we want to buy that we're convinced will make our future selves happier, our kids' future tuition, our retirement plan. and it's not to say that these are inherently bad things; planning for the future can lead to a better quality of life in years to come, and a lack of planning can leave us wishing that we had employed our foresight to better end.

for myself, though, when i spend too much time thinking about the future, i lose sight of what i have here and now. i pass up good things in the present for the sake of having good things in the future. but at the same time, i'm constantly questioning what i want out of life, in every respect. it seems that would be futile if i weren't to also question how i can possibly help myself to find that future, or something like it. and when i forget about the future, and focus on enjoying things in the present, i'm sometimes givng up good things in the future for the sake of having good things now. finding a balance between the two is the toughest task of all.

"50 years down the line see i'll be chillin', like it ain't no thing with little shorties on the swings talkin' 'bout 'my grand-daddy had mad flow, he got some old school year two thousand and ten tapes'..." - 50 Years, All Natural

in the mouth, and down the hatch.

cinnamon coconut milk rice. it's a meal-dessert combination made in tropical heaven. i'd share, but i only made enough for two.

that's right, both portions are for me.


jh..

it's like a million degrees in there.

it's amazing how empowering it is to make an important decision. moreso when you make that decision true to yourself. even moreso when in making that decision, you're also making a stand. it's even nicer when as a result of your decision things begin to come together and your quality of life improves, sometimes almost immediately.

sadly, it will probably fade sooner than later, but for the time being, i'm excited. i want to create things. i want to accomplish things that i'd only jokingly entertained in the past. i want to reach goals, and then set new ones and reach those, too. i want to devote my life to my passions and loves. i want to be in iceland. australia. egypt. costa rica. everywhere but here. and here. with him. and her. especially with her.

having a sense of purpose drives life, it seems - even if that purpose is to do nothing for a while. it's the knowing of what you genuinely want to do, and the doing of it, or at least working towards it, that feeds the furnace of the soul.

my soul, anyway.


here's to you finding your fuel, and firing that furnace.
jh..

get out your best voting 'X', kids.

three hours left, so go! vote!

and remember, your party of choice gets money when you vote for them, so every vote does count. no excuses!


jh..

when life hands you lemons...

i'm up late because i can't sleep. i'm exhausted, but i still can't sleep. maybe it's the splitting headache that i have at the moment. maybe the headache was caused by being on my feet all day in an environment lit entirely by fluorescent lights. maybe the headache has something to do with mechanically repeating the same menial and intellectually void tasks all day long. it's hard to do something that you totally don't care about, even if paid handsomely to do it. apparently aversion to working a mindless job is something that the cognitive scientists would say is "cognitively impenetrable"; no matter what you tell yourself in an effort to make it seem okay, that shit is hardwired into your brain as being bad times. hell, maybe it's hardwired to give you a splitting headache.

but alas, those menial tasks will soon be no longer. my dams of tolerance reached a threshold and thence burst, hopefully never to be built again. my mind, if not my bank account, will certainly thank me in the months to come.

go for yours, kids. if you don't, someone else will.
jh..

"maybe if we didn't spend all of our money on riiiims..."

working in retail, i've found several things to add to the list of stuff that grosses me out. the latest addition to the list, you ask? make-up. when someone tries a shirt on and leaves their fake face foundation on the fabric afterwards, it sort of makes me want to throw up. i can't help but think, "what is under that layer of paint that this person wants so badly to cover up? disease? an old person? a cyborg?" furthermore, i can't help but feel sorry for their skin, which i can't help but imagine is choking for air through pores clogged with sort-of-skin coloured goo. fact: the epidermis is the largest organ in the body, and yes, it needs air. try going for a jog with a saran-wrapped torso some time and you'll understand (note: i haven't done this personally, but oh, how i wish i could say i haven't seen it done before.) the funny thing is that many people use make-up to conceal slight blemishes, yet the make-up itself and the subsequently used make-up remover can actually make the skin less healthy and create even more blemishes. oh, the vicious nature of vicious cycles! skin needs sebum, kids, so don't wash it all away.

it's also seemingly ironic that many beautiful girls will wear so much make-up as to render themselves unattractive.

it's further strange to wonder how many people we see on a daily basis, whose real person we may not see much of at all. fake nails, dyed hair, artificial tans, make-up... is it all just lies? chris rock says yes, but he makes it hilarious. but then he makes almost everything hilarious.

"check it out, man - i got some raisin toast sittin' on 22's. and they spinnin', nigga, they spinnin'!" - cr

to all the girls, and yes, boys, too -
here's to you being beautiful as you,
jh..

just one of the "s" words that currently rock my world.

ah, school.

i'm glad to be back. i like it far more than work. always have, probably always will.

i even like dropping crazy money on new textbooks. to be honest, i even like reading the very same texts.

even moreso i like sleeping in, and this semester is set up for just that. now to get rid of this whole "job" thing i seem to have going on. i'd fill my days with books, music, track, and shortbread if it were all up to my fancy.

jh..

"the smooth criminal on beat breaks - never put me in the box if your shit eats tapes" - nas, ny state of mind (as quoted by vi levin. i'm even biting lyric quotes from friends' blogs. where did my game go?)