Roads. Signs. Messages. - Original Prose

There are times when I feel like I'm all alone in the world,

sometimes its unbearable, other times it feels like it's a protection against myself...

There are times when it feels like no one knows that I exist,

yet sometimes, when I least expect it. I'm told "I love you" from the most unexpected sources...

There are times when I feel like I can't do this anymore, to just give up because it's easier that way...

yet there are times when after pushing aside the loneliness, and after being lifted from the fall... I suddenly realize...

I... didn't... know... MY OWN... STRENGTH!

...sometimes the loneliness begets you, but to feel lonely you first must feel loved....

My strength is not my weakness...

My weakness IS my strength...

Because I am strong enough to recognize the danger... posted like a rusted hazard sign on an old country road...

its been there seemingly forever, but right as you are pull up to the edge of the cliff, the headlights reflect it's cryptic message... "beware - hazardous road conditions ahead..."

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Beyonce & Lady Gaga - "Video Phone"

Let me just preface this commentary by saying, I love Beyonce and the wonderfully-talented Lady Gaga. Yes, I do! ...again, yes I do! When it was announced that these two ladies would be joining forces and remixing my 2nd favorite track from the Bey's "Sasha Fierce" album, I was more than elated! Even more greater was knowing that there would also be a video for the collabo... what more can you ask, right? ...right??? I have to admit, this whole idea was an epic fail.

First things first, the SONG! Gaga's chorus and additional ad libs don't even fit the theme of the song. It leaves you kinda like, "um, okay... hmmm...*awkward silence*". So I say to myself, perhaps this is going to be one of those songs, you have to see in a video to really get the picture... yet again, I'm left asking myself, "um, okay... hmmm... *ackward silence*".

As expected I assumed Beyonce would gloss over Gaga in this video, after all it is her song, but let's just compare the stats... Beyonce - approx 15 costume changes vs. Lady Gaga - one outfit, that just so happens to match Beyonce's. ....yeah, exactly! It's one thing to focus more on the primary artist, but to "white wash", literally and figuratively one of the greatest divas of eccentricity in our era was kinda a low and deliberate blow, but what can I say, again it is Beyonce's video.

The video starts out with a sexy intro, nothing new here, yet I'm talking to myself yet again, "Riri is that you?" From the hair, makeup, outfit and even the facial expression, Beyonce channeled Rihanna almost better than Rihanna if that is possible. Then we move on Lady Gaga... it was nice to see her a little toned down, but come on now, the few flashes we see of her all she is doing is mimicking Beyonce ala "Beautiful Liar"... I kinda felt like this video was not a real collaboration, more so an attempt to say, "look what I can do!" -- as in "I can make you look less important, relevant and hot than me!".

As I already stated, I love these two women, but ya know, sometimes, it's best not to combine two of the things you love, that's why they say, "there's room for everyone", so perhaps, each one needs to stay in their own bubble of celebrity, because this duo performance let me empty inside... ya know, come to think of it, I should have had a V8!

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Song of the Week - "Whatcha Say" by Jason Derulo

New up and coming R&B artist Jason Derulo, is taking over the music scene with the #1 single on Billboard's Hot 100. Derulo has a refreshingly different style than a lot of the urban music acts out today, and he forging his own path on his musical journey. "Whatcha Say" is following the current trend of infusing dance\pop beats and musical elements into R&B, thus making an all new fusion of genres. It seems this fusion is working in Derulo's favor as he has recently been announced as an opening act for Lady Gaga's "The Monster's Ball" tour. If you search the Internet you will more than likely be able to find a lot of tracks that may possibly be on Derulo's debut album. One of my favorites of these unreleased tracks is "Broken Record" which shows Derulo's crooning ability. With such a huge and successful introduction into the music scene, let's hope that Jason Derulo's music career will crescendo into greater and more successful avenues!

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Life is "Precious" indeed...

"Wow"... is all I can say about indie movie "Precious". I have never experienced being in a movie theather were EVERYONE responded to each of the heart-wrenching and at times overwhelming scenes in this picture. The vocal and physical reactions from the crowd caused me to reach to emotions I never thought I would express in public, let alone to characters on a movie screen. This movie is powerful, intriguing and very necessary.

It sheds light on various subjects affecting many communities, not just the ghettos of Harlem as depicted. Sadly statistics show that across the board, more and more young people are experiencing some form of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Worst case scenario, the culprit is oftent times a family member or shockingly the parents themselves.


"Precious" is very necessary, because it is far past the time that someone has stood up for the for those who are unable to sand and speak out for those who remain silent. Aside from the message of the movie itself, I must say I am more than impressed with the introductory performance of Gabourey Sidibe, who was able to capture the grittiness of the subject material and also impart the innocent nature of her character in several multi-faceted ways.


Also, look out for the stellar performances from Mo'Nique and Paula Patton who play Precious' mother and teacher respectively. Based on the buzz that has already been generated and from me own viewing experience, we should expect to see several accolades associated with this film.

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...is my work desk doing a little "too" much?

...hey, you gotta find something to keep the day moving! :)

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"Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart" - Alicia Keys

...the wonderfully gifted and talented Alicia Keys is back with another smooth single... I really love when Alicia bridges out of the laid back grooves of her piano-laced signature tracks and does something totally unexpected. This track proves that point, but doesn't fail to give us the quality lyrical content we expect from Keys catalog. Key phrases likes, "tonight I'm gonna find a way to make it without you" brings back to mind moments we've all shared in the game of love and hate - sometimes you have to force yourself to find a way to get through the present situation to finally be "okay" in the end. Be sure to add this latest single to your music playlist, it just may help you through your own moment of sleeping with a broken heart...

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