Motivation

We all need a little motivation every now and then. This helped me through this week but there's still more to do.

"I am enough, I have enough, and there is enough".

Something interesting I learned while studying Buddhism in my Religious Studies class on evil.

Only experience comes with age, maturity is a choice.

Kylie Minogue

This song is pretty catchy and the video is trippy, it's also a plus that Kylie Minogue is pretty attractive haha.

Tim Ferris

Just recently stumbled upon this guy after looking at travel blogs and packing minimally. Tim Ferris is the author of 4 Hour Work Week and 4 Hour Body. He's pretty interesting to say the least and I kind of want to get that first book of his, I feel like it'll be a good read.

Random thought:

Sometimes it feels like my mind is disjoint from my body. It's as if my mind is just occupying this body in order to interact with this physical world, but really it doesn't belong here. My mental image of myself isn't exactly what I see in the mirror and I don't know what it is. It's a weird feeling to say the least.

Ever get that weird feeling that life is one big conversation and you just showed up in the middle of it?
It seems like there is so much that went on before you and the only way to participate is to try and catch up with what has happened.
It's such a weird feeling...

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

It's raining here in Dominica and I'm stuck in this freezing classroom looking over notes with tea in hand. lol emo post kind of sort of.



Just re-watched this movie after awhile. Man it hits close to home. No matter how bad shit got with THAT ex (lol) and everything I'll never want to forget it all. You also realize how you could have and probably should have acted (But no regrets!). There are those moments that you just treasure.

I really like how in the movie he lives through the scenarios of their past and then snap back to the reality that he's going to forget it all. The good and the bad. You only feel the bad because of the absence of how good things were. I wonder what it would be like to go through each moment again with that someone in your past.

Great movie. Great acting. Great soundtrack.
PS. I don't know how to add tags any more to posts haha

Amy Smith shares simple, lifesaving design

Amazing ideas. This is what I want to be able to accomplish in my life.

Sherry Turkle: Connected, but alone?

She makes a valid point. We're becoming less self-aware and most of the time people are too afraid of being alone. I do see the irony as I post this on the internet haha.

RETHINK THE LIFE YOU LIVE

On the way to Kincardine

Reminds me of that scene in Pleasantville where

they drive under cherry blossoms while At Last by 

Etta James is played in the background.

Random Thoughts:

It honestly hurts when someone close to me decides to flop. I have been trying to figure out why this happens because when other people flop it doesn't affect me. It might be because I might still gauge my worth as a person by the approval of the people I surround myself with. That is kind of the reason why I do not like to keep a social profile. Sometimes it seems as if it is a cry for attention/acceptance by my peers, and so I choose to rely only on myself. But there are those people that you let in a little closer and unconsciously you begin to want their approval. I think it is this wanting to be recognized and respected that allows myself to be affected when I am brushed off.

I could be over-thinking this but then again it may just be that "season" again.

Random Pet Peeve: People who mistreat/take advantage of others that care for them. Any kind/level of physical or verbal abuse in these situations just rubs me the wrong way. Be grateful for what you have at all times because there will always be someone out there that doesn't have what you have.

The Science of Procrastination - And How To Manage It

Truth. haha

Fall Out Boy - Sugar, We're Goin Down (Concept Version)

Haven't listened to any rock for a while but this song was stuck in my head when I woke up.

sometimes in the long run, less history more mystery is better.

Time and space are relative and life is a subjective experience. Something that may be significant for one person may not be so for another.

Not Tonight - Elle Varner

Elle Varner. Breath of fresh air in the soulful music department. It's a bonus that she's gorgeous too.

2chainz!

Romantic at heart. Realist by thought. Rationalist by action.

D12 - My Band

LOL

Chief Keef- I Don't Like ft Lil Reese (Back From The Dead)

ATL and stripper culture

lol. yeah my southern slang is picking up again down here in Dominica. YEAH, hopefully a good torrent comes out. skype movie date? #nofrankocean haha man school sucks...

Movie Marathon

Drive:
Dope film but you can definitely see how some people did not enjoy it.

Hugo:
Amazing story. Keeps you hooked till the end.
Definitely going on a movie spree before school starts. Also Paul, I realized that we never did get around to seeing the dark knight rises hahaha. Oh well maybe a good torrent will come out soon enough.

Dance Films

Flashdance (1983) Another Decent dance movie. I swear old school dance films are so much better than the ones we have today (Ex. Dirty Dancing & Footloose). I just felt like watching some of the "classics" in dance films, so I have been downloading them and watching them. Still need to work my way to the old school breakin' films. Funny fact: The Rocksteady crew was in this film including Mr. Freeze and Crazy Legs, where Crazy Legs was actually Jennifer Beal's body double when "she" does a backspin in a leotard at her audition hahaha.

Non-possession: seeking intense simplicity and the good life

This is kind of what I strive for but it is a little extreme.

Frank Ocean - Thinkin Bout You (Chopped & Screwed by Slim K)

Time to reassess my whole life haha

Footloose

Entertaining movie. I realized I never watched it before so I decided to watch the original 1984 version and the remake. Let's just say the original is more believable haha. Oddly enough, the story is about a young guy name Ren McCormack who wants to make a difference by bringing dance back into a town that has made it illegal. Haha just thought that was a little funny because the only other movie character I know of with the name Ren was Lucy Liu's character in Kill Bill, O-Ren Ishi.

Films

The Five Year Engagement: Hilarious movie, at least I think so. So awkward and funny, just my type of comedy haha.

Monsters: Good sci-fi/adventure movie overall.

The Divide

CRAZY MOVIE! Different take on the end of the world. I personally thought it was amazing. It's more about human flaws and how people would react at the end of the world.

8Ball & MJG - You Don't Want Drama / Don't Make (HQ / Dirty)

Way Back Playback

Summer tune

shawtyyy you the hottesssttttt #noflex

JULIE LONDON - CRY ME A RIVER

Anger is Fleeting but Despair is Lasting

I never stay mad for long. Instead of immediately expressing that anger I stop myself and try to understand why a person would do the things they have done. If you truly understand the person behind the actions all is left is sadness. Sadness because you understand the their own pain and anguish. Sadness because they sometimes fail to realize that what they do is a vicious cycle of pain in which your actions always find a way to come back at you. Some call it karma. It is unfortunate because most of the time even if you yourself notice it, the person themselves do not do anything about it. That is why they say ignorance is bliss. In this sense knowledge can be depressing but it also presents the possibility of fixing the problem despite how miniscule that might be.

Maxi Priest - That Girl

So I woke up this morning with this song stuck in my head. This one goes out to all the ladies. Especially the ones that can dance haha. Let's just say you ladies make me love dancing LOL.

Kid Ink - Time Of Your Life [Official Video]

Track on constant replay. Dunno why. Paul you on this yet? haha

It's been a while since I've watched movies, you know with books being so awesome haha. But decided to randomly download some movies that sounded interesting.

New Year's Eve
Decent Movie with multiple story lines that converge. All of that sappy romance stuff included but it's been a while since I've watched something like this so I decided to indulge haha.

I Don't know how she does it.
Another decent movie. Interesting take at juggling work and personal life. I think Olivia Munn was pretty funny in this movie and awkward funny much to my delight hah.

Now that lectures are over and I have some time until finals, I can take a quick breathe before diving into studying. I've been steadily doing better in school but I want to top it off by killing these exams. I think I've found the sweet spot for balancing dance and school. I just have to be in charge of my own time and not make major commitments to dance but that doesn't stop me from dancing when I like. Also now that I'm not too worried about assignments and stuff I can schedule study time as well as working on other side projects now and maybe get some reading in if I'm lucky.

On that point I wish you homies luck with whatever you guys are up to.
Take it Easy.

Cuban Salsa

Best way to spend two hours on a Tuesday night. Cuban Salsa with a couple of cute girls haha. It was an awesome class despite everyone sweating buckets haha.

SARAH BEE vs. MEDA | Gare St. Lazare Final | Red Bull Beat It 2012 | YA...

Probably the dopest and sexiest bgirl I've ever seen. And the guy is pretty jokes too hah. Should watch the semi-finals too.

"You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time." — M. Scott Peck

Sarah Kay TED Talks

Internet of food: Arduino-based, urban aquaponics in Oakland

Amazing stuff. Combine this with Tiny Homes and you can almost completely live independently. The future is awesome.

Life is all about relationships but that does not necessarily mean its all about being in a relationship. #independence #community

Munny:jewelry holder

 

Finished my second munny (a while ago, just haven't had time to get some good pictures of it)!

This was my gift for my girlfriend. 

The first picture is what I used as the kind of design I wanted for the munny. The blank munny was a glow in the dark one, since they didn't have the normal white ones. 

I had the whole idea of making the head open by a hinge in my head, but I didn't know how to actually make it, so I pretty much winged it the whole time, making mistakes along the way. I thought i could add clay and shape it by hand to close, but it never closed properly. Another challenge was trying to figure out how to fit the hinge on the munny. What i did instead was use the clay to reclose the head, but with the hinge and the screws in place so i didn't have to worry about cutting more of the vinyl on the head. After i baked it, I sanded down the clay and cut the head open again for a smooth sharper edges. 

I painted the munny by mixing red and brown for a kind of mahogany colour and used a thin paintbrush to add the gold lines. I was totally making up the design as I went, and after I finished I realized the lines in the head made it look more like a ninja... and the layer of gloss I added didn't look smooth. It looked too sloppy. A shiny mahogany ninja that could open it's head...

So i scraped all the paint off and repainted the whole munny and simplified the design. I didn't use the glossy finish. In my opinion it looked a lot better with a matte feel. It makes the colour look more uniform and simple. 

I originally wanted it to be a jewelry box, but the head was too small to hold anything, so I rolled some foam paper and hotglue gunned felt over it, then fit it into the head to make it a ring holder. It didn't turn out EXACTLY the way I expected it to, but it turned out great in a different way. 

- Mike

Gregory Isaacs - Cool Down The Pace

Decent Sunday morning find. Easy on the ears.

You're living right if you can make your family your friends and your friends become like family.

I found myself talking about my friends and I realized how much I owe who I am to some of them. They might not realize it but the little things I learn from them have helped me become a better person and get through tough times even when they aren't always there to talk to. (Cheesy sh!t but its true)
I probably would have given up on life if it weren't for some of these people because it's people like that who make you want to change the world for the better.

Good times with new friends, old friends, and CUPCAKES! hahaha

Mark Morrison - Return Of The Mack [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

Really feeling some oldies. If you guys know some please post.

I wanna love like

Despite all efforts, we are still flawed. Yet the successful use those as opportunities for change.

It's kind of funny how so many people get smartphones are used primarily for games. They never realize the true potential of these machines. I've read articles on the bus, answered emails in bed, written down numerous quotes and ideas and somewhere out there someone is still only playing angry birds. I find this hilarious because technology can be used to hinder you but also empower you. It's a weird thing, at least I think so.

There seems to be a recurring theme in life. Dichotomies dissolve and barriers fall. In the end everything is connected and definitions are constructs of the mind trying to make sense of it all. But we never really get it right.

LOL the random conversations about drugs with my roommate, when he is definitely high as a kite.

Kill the Light

First off, this new Blogger format is confusing to me. Second of all, I'm home sick once again. Haha. Man to see tall buildings, patios, drinking beers in the summer time with good company. To longboard around the city at night. To smoke one and stare at the sky. The vibe of a living, breathing, active city. This song makes me play a mini movie in my head of shenanigans during an amazing night in the city of Toronto. Hope ya'll are living it up for me. 1Love. - Paul

Why are people too afraid to change the world?

This will be quite the term. 3 courses - 2 actsci and one about Society, Tech, and Values. Also joined a volunteer/charity club, an entrepreneurship club and a mobile app developers club. I don't know how much time will be left to find a job or dance. We'll see.

Organizing, I can do. But prioritizing, scheduling, and initiating are a different matter. I'll work on that for now.

Learned how to make pork adobo this weekend and fam said it was pretty good. Awesome.

How do I lose myself so easily?
There are days where I'm completely introverted and others where I talk random nonsense like a fool. Does anyone else deal with this?

"Rise and let us be on our way"
- don't let fear of letting go of the past hold you back
- don't let fear of what the future may bring keep you from moving forward

The Help

Amazing Movie. Also it's kind of shocking to believe that this was still the norm back in the 1960's.

Sean Paul - Never Gonna Be The Same ( Official Video 2010 )

As much as I hate change, I have to force myself to adapt. If not I'll be stuck.  The most you can do is remember the past because in the end that may be all you have left. Remember the past, look forward to the future, and live to the fullest in the present moment.

Worktime hilarity

So the funniest/most awkward thing happened at work yesterday. My boss decided to show mine and Nila's concept video during the HR meeting. Needless to say I was a bit embarrassed because I don't feel I'm ready to be put in the spotlight. To top things off at the social where everyone takes a break to have beer, one of the older women that works in the Payroll division asked me if I'll be doing some dancing for the social and while I'm at it I should take my shirt off. Haha she's quite the joker and she's an older columbian lady that is still in pretty good shape but I stil think that may be sexual harrasment? haha I dunno but it was quite the awkward situation where the only thing to do ws laugh awkwardly.

Your harshest critics are some of your greatest teachers.

Notorious BIG- Nasty Boy [Original]

Finally figured out the track. The choreo was to Biggie's first verse.

Just took a Lenny Len class downtown. It was alright. He taught pretty fast but you get use to it. The only thing is now my back hurts. There's a lot of core movement. Once I find out the biggie track I'll post it

Everyone has a breaking point. There's only a finite number of times you'll get shafted before you realize you need to put your guard up and react. ... this zen thing isn't working as well as I would hope.

Hadouken! - Evil

Sometimes all you need is an open ear.

Tupac Lives haha

Flying home!

Found this great song while listening to another great song. Can't wait to put this in my phone and listen to it while at the airport. hahaha. Exams done. Not sure how they went yet, we'll know for sure when grades get posted.

I can't wait to come home.

Toilet Epiphanies.

While taking a dump today I came across a thought. The meaning of life is to experience things. It's about the end of a journey its about the journey itself. So the meaning of life is to live and experience things. Anything that stops you or others from experiencing life is against life. Inevitably life does end but it should be by natural decay. But there are also things that seem to be against life but are really only hurdles that make you stronger after you overcome them. When things get stronger and expand then it creates new opportunities on how to experience life and this cycle goes on.

There is no reason not to live life and not experience things. Because if you cease to exist then you cease to exist and it becomes a constant that has no reason to exist. So enjoy life because there will always be something new to learn and explore.

Random I know. The things you think about while on the toilet hahaha.
Peace.

This zen this is difficult. It's hard to understand and respect someone if they cannot do the same. “Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile.” ~Thich Nhat Hahn

Song Spam

Jagged Edge - Lets Get Married (Remix) feat. JD

Ahh shiet. Heard this on the radio. Way back playback.

Just a quick note for you guys. Do not miss out on 8 hours of sleep. It ruins your cognitive functioning, your health and it especially gives you mood swings.  Today I found myself happy, then hungry, then mad and finally sad. That can't be right haha there was definitely some sort of imbalance.

I take that back. That was the longest day of work and I felt braindead. probably won't be doing that again.

Whoa running on two hours of sleep. YOLO hahaha

Exam inspirations

I was looking on youtube for that epic Immortals pump up scene. Too bad it's not up yet. Haha would have been perfect for exam time.

Best of luck guys. Haha

Was thinking about dance lately and what it means to me. Sometimes I'm so conflicted because I really enjoy it but there are times where I completely withdraw from it. I don't know why but I always seem to have such an extreme attitude/stance towards it. I know you guys (Mike/Paul) have noticed it too haha. I just want to find that happy medium in life.

Also sidenote: Street/Urban Dance was originally a dance to break the bounds of dance and bring it back to the people and to the roots. Who is anyone to say where one urban dance style ends and another begins. Dance is free expression and even more so in urban dance. The only requirement is urban music. So this goes out to all the haters, which I may have been at times in the past, stop trying to define something that doesn't need to be defined and just DANCE.

Good Ideas

Joe Gebbia: The Airbnb Story from Piers Fawkes on Vimeo. Watched this video and a couple others from the guy who posted this one. It shows us that businesses can come from such small opportunities you just need to take advantage of that opportunity when it becomes available to you. This one and many other videos speak of creativity as a catalyst for change, motivated for the need of money, food, shelter and survival. Watching these videos has begun to inspire me because it makes starting your own business seem like a more viable alternative to working for some corporation that usually shows little to no means of instant verification or quantifiable feedback.

"You’re going to die and any illusion of happiness you may feel while in this life will be fleeting and short lived and eventually the crushing reality of losing what you had will destroy you and you will die alone and your genetic line will eventually be diluted and lost and any trace of you that ever was will dissipate and dissolve past a subatomic level until not even your atoms are left and all of this will happen in a relatively short amount of time and you will not leave one singular trace or impact on this whole world" - Anonymous

Read this today and I beg to differ.

Saturday Morning Reading

I'm Christian, Unless you're gay. This post is a must read article. It puts into words some of my views of religion and people these days. So many people blindly follow the doctrines of their faith and forget that they need to challenge their own faith in order to find the pure essences of it. I don't usually get philosophical but this post just hit all the right notes and talks about something that's close to me because I've witnessed this first hand and it makes me sad. So I encourage anyone reading this to open their minds and understand the message of this post. And I agree that some parts of it may weaken the argument but again try to understand the main message.

Awkward.....

Damnit. Why am I still so awkward? First, I engage in a conversation only to end off awkwardly by grabbing food after a period of silence. And I'm pretty sure I unknowingly insulted the other people. Secondly, I still find it difficult to talk to the pretty girl I work with and when given the opportunity I just walked by her without saying hi. WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME! Gahh no wonder I enjoy dance. To me it's an easier form of physical expression then the complex use of words. FML.

“Coming back [to America] after seven months in Indian villages, I saw the craziness of the Western world as well as its capacity for rational thought. If you just sit and observe, you will see how restless your mind is. If you try to calm it, it only makes it worse, but over time, it does calm, and when it does, there’s room to hear more subtle things -- that’s when your intuition starts to blossom and you start to see things more clearly and be in the present more. Your mind just slows down, and you see a tremendous expanse in the moment. You see so much more than you could see before. It’s a discipline; you have to practice it.” - Steve Jobs

UWHH Ren Nila Collabo

While editing that last video, I forgot that I had this still in my iMovie. This is before we finished the whole piece for Love & Truth.

UWHH RainHeart

So Earth Hour messed up my sleeping schedule and I was up from 2AM to 7AM. And what did I do instead of sleep... you guessed it, watched old dance videos and edit this video (pretty haphazardly though).

F*** YEAH! I can swim one pool length (25 meters) I know it's not much and I do mess up every now and then but it is definitely an improvement from noob status. I just had to find my rhythm to breathing and then now I can focus more on form. My goal is to at least do 100 meters by the end of the year at the latest.

Nneka - Do you love me now (live session @ streets of Paris)

One of my favorite tracks currently on loop.

Start everyday fresh

Got introduced to this song last night. Instrumentals are sick. Last night was a rough night. I saw the girl I like with her new man. And it's painful to see, but I woke up this morning to a beautiful sunny day.

Despite the problems of yesterday, got to make the most of the new day. Every day is a blessing.

-Paul

It's amazing to look back and see the many chapters of your life. I just went through several old photos and so many memories came flooding back in. Each photo seemed like a lifetime away. So much has happened and so much has changed for the better and for worse. It's really humbling and hopefully I can learn something from all the lessons given to me throughout my life. Eventually I will post them all chronologically online so that they are immortalized. Life is an amazing journey that you definitely shouldn't miss and it never hurts to look back every now and then.

Sara Bareilles - Gonna Get Over You

 Chilled with an old friend and had a fun night. Also got introduced to this song. Pretty catchy haha

Medical school is easier to understand than girls

Medical school concepts are heavily researched with defined results. Girls.... will forever be a mystery on how their minds work.

The random nights always make for the most interesting stories.

The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest.

“It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

So the Lorax by Dr. Seuss turned out to be hilarious. I'll admit that I was originally hesitant because I knew nothing about the movie but to my surprise I was cracking up quite a lot.

Random Thought,

The physical realm is only limited by the mind.

Florence + The Machine - Shake It Out

A good friend of mine once told me, "if you don't like the situation you are in, then CHANGE IT!"
At the time I heard this it felt kind of blunt, but now every time I find myself in a deep funk I say this to myself and I find a way to get motivated again.

Some people's definition of dance/dance music is lost to me