M.I.A.

Greetings and Salutations!

By looking at the date post on my last blog you can tell that it's been a while since I've last graced you all with my presence (ethnocentric sarcasm). Let's just say that I went on a bit of a self discovery. I've realized alot of things about my self in these past few months. The phirst is that I am not a slave to regiment. I'm never consistent in anything I do except as it relates to completing schoolwork and the like. This is evident in my walk with Christ. I often fail to prioritize Him and therefore my devotions have fallen to the wayside. I can be inconsistent when it comes to following my goals. For example, I have made it a goal in my life to get back into my "athlete" shape. This would all be well and good if I were diligent enough to MAKE myself excercise on some type of set schdule. But as I stare down at my less than perfect abdomen, I realize that this goal never became a habit. Finally, as my followers can see, my blogging has also been something that I struggled to maintain over these last 5 months. It's not that I didn't want to blog or vent my frustrations, but by practice I am a self proclaimed procrastinator. This works for and against me at times.

I've come to the conclusion that some changes need to be made so I've revised my list of priorities and goals. I will not, however, list them here as I still do appreiate my privacy; just be satisfied with knowledge that I have in fact revised them. It is here in this post of mine that I make a resolute promise to myself that I maintain my relationship with God, put my biological family before all others, manage my academic and career aspirations with more diligence, get a handle on my phat arse(slight humor), and finally maintain my sanity by blogging on a consistent basis. I'm not sorry that I've no more to say in this post but trust and believe that many more with come in the near future.

Get Back Jo Jo....

I find it amusing when people resort to calling on the name of Jesus only when things go haywire in their life. I say this because I am guilty of the same. Immediately following when last I wrote, certain events had taken place that really caused me to analyze who I called my "friend". Needless to say, my circle of friends became even smaller. For the sake of this passage, I must acknowledge that I tend to have trouble "cutting people off" if you will. Coincidentally, my two closest friends, Bridgett and Courtney, do not possess this attribute and unapologetically weed out associates on the daily who over step their boundaries and think nothing of it. To put it plainly, the year 2011 has already begun to teach me new lessons about the world and myself, but I digress. Following the pending incident, I turned to God for advice on how to deal with the situation. He subsequently led me to a sermon recorded at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC a few weeks prior. Pastor Steven was reading from II Kings 2:10-14. In the passage, ELIJAH had just been raptured to heaven while his prophetic prodigy ELISHA looked on in disbelief. Following this miraculous event, ELISHA tore his clothes which was symbolic for grief and was then led to the river Jordan which is a place that has always symbolized a time of transition in Bible times (by the way, the river Jordan and its symbolization of "transition" has been very appropriately named). ELISHA, at this point, slaps the waters of the river with ELIJAH'S abandoned clothes and the waters seperate, allowing ELISHA to cross over. Why is this significant? Right now, I'm in a time of transition. Once I cross over my river Jordan, I can obtain what God has in store for me.

Cousin Conversation

On Saturday, January 22, I had an all day texting festival with my cousin Jonathon. The conversation ranged from academically charged questions to traveling aspirations and finally to relationships. For me personally, I don't typically prefer to talk about my personal relationships regarding the opposite sex mostly because it is non-existant. This is not because I'm asexual or gay or anything regarding my sexual orientation. My "singlehood", if you will, is brought on by what my friends call pickiness. According to them, I am way too choosy and overly critical of the male species and therefore I have absolutely no one. When I initially heard this, as one can imagine I was taken aback. There's no way I could be picky; I just had expectations. I want someone who loves the Lord like I do, who has goals and aspirations and is actively working toward them. I want someone with common sense that will question me when my logic makes no sense at times. I want someone who can essentially be my best friend and take care of me at times. While these are only just a few of the qualities I admire in a man, I hardly thought they were overly choosy. I must admit, however, that after hearing this analysis of myself repeatedly during my freshman year, I began to question my own so called "expectations". I would talk to different guys who had different personalities and different takes on life. Needless to say, the majority either barely met half of my preconceived expectations or didn't meet them at all. Something in my spirit just wouldn't let me settle.
This brings me back to my conversation with my cousin. Throughout the duration of our texting conversation, he informed me that at this point in my life I should be more concerned with what country I'd like to study abroad in instead of fretting about when I'll meet "the One". At the age of 26, John has obviously been through more relationship experiences than I and I highly regard him as an excellent authority on teenage "love". While finding one's life partner is somewhat of a priority, experiencing life during the college years is of a higher priority. There are things as a single college student I am able to partake in that, had I been "locked down", "tied down" or "wifed up", I would not be able to experience. He helped me to understand that relationships mean sacrifice whether it means to sacrifice time, friends and money. If I prematurely sacrifice these things, I might not have the zest for life I am so well known for. Of course I knew this already but as most of us know it takes someone outside of our immediate family to provide that needed epiphany.

My struggle...if you want to call it that

I believe that speaking a situation into existence can change your outlook and confidence level toward the situation; however, I don't believe that having a positive attitude can in fact change the outcome of the situation. I first heard of the book "The Secret" on the E! reality show "Pretty Wild". The girls were all three of them home schooled and the foundation of their curriculum was based on this book. From what I understand, "The Secret" explains that the situations in one's life are controlled by one's thoughts whether they be positive or negative. For example, if an individual were up for a prestigious job interview and they had postive, confident thoughts about their interview and about getting the job, then the person would surely be hired. On the flip side of this, if the same individual had a negative outlook on the likelihood of receiving a job offer then it would be more than probable they would not be hired.
To me, this sounds a little preposterous: thinking yourself into a job? Really? Obviously I strongly disagree with this mentality; however, i do believe that one's attitude toward a situation can change one's performance and through that one has a better chance of succeeding. Success is like an equation: hardwork + confidence= possible success but like all problems there are many ways to solving it. I would like the reader to notice I said "possible success". Success is not guaranteed to everyone in this life, therefore it would be dishonest and illogical to put an absolute equation on how to be successful. There are only aspects one can improve on to better one's chances of becoming successful.

Average Part 1

"Have you ever met an average guy who tried to be different?" was the question posed to me by my friend Ceslie. I affirmed that I had. (I will expound on the previously mentioned question at another time.) I decided to post this question on Twitter like the millions ofother tweeps who pose thoughts or questions to the site just to see whose mind is "on some other ish" or who can be the most spooky deep; however, I digress. While most of the responses I get from my tweets are no more than just RTs(retweets) or those who are in accord with my post, I received the most thought provoking question in response from my friend Shaequan. Simply put, it read: "What do you define as average?" This was a puzzle to me for the simple fact that I'd made a statement in which I hadn't thoroughly processed each aspect; however, I appreciate @Steadysoul(aka Shaequan) for holding me accountable for my public statements and I subsequently accept his challenge in defining "average".
It is easy to give a Webster definition of a word because I believe that dictionaries only offer surface definitions; but to give just a hint of clarity, I will provide Webster's definition:

Average-typical; common; ordinary; lacking special distinction, rank or status; lacking exceptional quality or ability.

Typically, "average" is used as an adjective to describe a person. For example, if I were to say "John is of average intelligence" the majority of the population would interpret that statement to mean that John is "lacking in special distinction or ability" in the intelligence department. In other words, he ain't nothing to marvel at. I look at being average as just meeting the status quo, completing the bare minimum or failing to think outside of the box. Now when it comes to judging men, "average" is a common attribute amongst them. Often, men fail to think outside of the box when it comes to women. They treat all women the same and this lack of distinction is what separates the ordinary from the extraordinary. Any average thug can yet "What's up ma" from cafe; however, it takes an above average individual to think outside of the box systematically can come up with a different approach.

Of course people's perception of average does differ. So when I say I believe someone is average, my personal definition of that person is that they lack a certain special distinction.

Meanwhile back at the ranch....

It's been a few days since I've written and rightfully so. I am back in Durham County otherwise fondly known as "Bull City". As much as I missed my family, I can't help but admit that I missed the company of my friends and the freedom my college education provides. I don't find my preference to the four walls of my dorm selfish but slightly liberating. In addition to this, today was the first day of classes. I have to admit that I'm satisfied with the way things are looking this semester. Of course this week will serve as a trial and error week. I need to evaluate my class exercise and work schedule to make sure my time can be used in the most effective way possible. Well that's all for now....tomorrow will bring more experiences.

P.S. I realize that this is being posted on the morning of the 6th

On the road again....

So I touched down in the Queen City at about 7:45 this morning and I must be honest here: I did tear up after my mother dropped me off. It reminded me of a sceen in the Bourne Ultimatum. Bourne tells Julia Stiles' character that leaving only "gets easier" over time. I don't see how. It just seems as though the longer I stay in school, the less frequently I see my family and friends. I honestly have the Peter Pan syndrome: I never want to grow up. These are my thoughts for now...I leave for the Bull City.