the CHRONICles: rappers luh some whacky tobaccy

"Ayo, I smoke like a chim-in-ney

Matta fact I, smoke like a gun

When a killa see his enemy

I smoke like Bob Marley did

Add to that, that I smoke like the Hippies did back in the 70's..."

- Styles P. ("I Get High (Good Times)"

  

Dr. Norman Finkelstein: Radical Intellectual

He's been pegged as not just an "anti-Semite", but a "self-hating Jew". Some have even gone so far as to call him "an enabler of terrorism". But one person I've looked up to and respected greatly, and informed myself about at lengths is Dr. Norman Finkelstein.

This is a man whose parent's have been directly affected by the horrors of the Holocaust- both being the only to escape slaughter from each of their families- but who continues to maintain one of the loudest anti-Zionist voices in America and abroad. His distinctly strong views, rooted in a well-researched academic past, have gained notoriety among respected intellectuals, like Nom Chomsky. But hearing interview responses and speeches he's done, Dr. Finkelstein continues to assert he is not at all deserving of "being put on a pedestal"- anybody in his position should and would be doing the same. He's published a lot of work, including his controversial books The Holocaust Industry, and ‘This Time We Went Too Far’ – Truth & Consequences of the Gaza Invasion.

Although his resume boasts of impressive positions at top Ivy League schools, critics have claimed "he's not a teacher, he's a propagandist". People continue to harass him on a daily basis, going so far as to vandalize his property and relentlessly call for his eviction from his New York home. He's been banned from travelling to Israel for 10 years, infamously made a slew of different remarks in defense of Hezbollah, and travelled throughout Lebanon and the Occupied Territories on a speaking tour (any Jew reading this will understand the gravity of that gesture).

Next Wednesday, February 16, Dr. Norman Finkelstein will be making an appearance in Toronto at York University in an event called "Israel, Palestine and the Muslim World: Where are we headed?" You can click
right here to check out more info on this event, and some similar ones in other areas of the country.

Anyways, I continue to observe this fascinating man with a vigilence. His opposing sides are highlighted very well in the documentary "American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein".

HERE, is perhaps one of my favourite clips because I think its such an accurate portrayal of who this brilliant man is:

Scattered Thoughts about Egypt

Hours turned to days, then days now to weeks. I sat by watching, my mind eager to SNATCH any new breakthroughs or information. My energy went from being fully devoted to listening to the stories from the front lines, to feeling weary and almost wishing the entire situation would just end.

I've had trouble eating and sleeping, and have obsessively spent my time flipping between CNN and BBC, to getting live streams of Al Jazeera online. It borders on hysteria.

I've Youtubed the same videos over and over, marched with hundreds of Torontonians for 2 Saturdays in a row, and have relentlessly pounded my cousin with questions about what its REALLY like down there.
I've engaged in debates, explained what was happening to anybody who will listen, and brushed up on historical accounts of the power struggle that has ailed my country for decades.

I'm tired.
The other day, I scolded myself for feeling this way. I thought "What on earth gives YOU the right to feel weary and over-informed when these heroes are out there on the streets, determined to find an end that can satisfy them?!?"

But am I really wrong for needing a break from all this overexposure? Have I betrayed my country and fellow Egyptians every time I've given a half-assed answer to people's questions in order to avoid launching into a full conversation?
----

I'm at the point where I can look back at the full range of emotions and ideas I've had since January 25, and almost pinpoint the days when my attitude went from an excited, curious, hopeful observer, to a weary, almost paranoid bystander who got sucked into a dramatic scenario unwillingly.
I remember feeling, albeit selfishly, PROUD and EXCITED that my country was making headline news. For once in my 21 years in Toronto, people recognized the flag on my bag. For once, I could head downtown and find hundreds of other supporters of the Egyptian people, speaking my language, sharing my vision for the future of our homeland.
And I ate it right up. I stayed glued to CNN, collected any newspaper headlines (most, making front-page) about Egypt, and shared videos via my page.

It wasn't until the 5th or so day that I began questioning the over-saturated coverage. WHY was CNN (which has, in the process, became the manifested representation of Americans for me) so deliberately covering every nuance and detail of the unfolding "crisis" as they put it? WHY could I now pick up any newspaper, conservative or mainstream, and see the word "dictator" beside Hosni Mubarak's name?
I've always been a firm believer in a lot of conspiracy theories. But with the relentless, almost "Big-Brother"-like involvement of the US in everything that has transpired since the fateful day in January, I've taken an unhealthy approach to the apparent American conspiracy being played out in front of us.

How could people be sooo eager to listen to Obama's statements about Mubarak and the protestors, when Mubarak himself (the man at the centre of this drama) hadn't even made an attempt to comment. How could American diplomats and Israeli power-houses continue to taint the mainstream opinion- to demonize the protestors and insist that Mubarak is a pillar of stability in the region.
Could millions of people- some on the streets, some unable to go public with their feelings after experiencing a brutally repressive regime for decades- be wrong?
Are Egyptians, Arabs, Middle-Easterners- are they all too stupid to choose who they would like to represent their state? Is the right to self-determination reserved for Western countries whose political representatives are nothing but mere puppets of the same system?
Is it really a crime to demand that your country undergo a period of restoration?

I've absorbed CNN with an almost sadistic pleasure. I hate the way they make us look on TV. I resent the images of people fighting off men on horseback, burning pictures and flags- this is merely a snapshot of a situation that the rest of the world wants to dismiss as black-and-white, ignoring the multi-faceted colours emerging with every new image, testimony, story of a protestor's disappearance, or minute "change" in the government. These all help tell the story of a country, a people, torn between the lives they have come to know and the unpredictable, intimidating change that "threatens" to swoop in.
But I love seeing my country on there...

Mother- Daughter date > O.C style!

So what if my guilty pleasure is junky "reality" TV shows? Is there something so wrong about tuning in to Jersey Shore ever week, soaking in The Real Housewives whenever I see it, or being glued to A & E for hours on end? Don't even let me get started about The Real World...
But this isn't really about my obsession with poorly-scripted TV shows masquerading as reality, but moreso about a specific episode I was watching.

Let me just start by saying, in no way do I take any of my moral cues from the cast of The Real Housewives: Orange County. If a snapshot could speak on the decline and decay of America on all fronts, the land where people literally over-consume till they die, it would probably be shot of these ladies (see picture).

But all that aside, while I was getting my weekly dose of O.C reruns in, I saw a moment in a particular episode that made me cringe.


In the episode, one of the characters (Lynn) goes on a "plastic surgery date" with her daughter- she to get (wait for this): a facelift, browlift and necklift, and her daughter to get a nose job. Did I mention the daughter just turned 18?
Its a little unnerving to see a mother encouraging and aiding her daughter in becoming obsessed with beauty ideals that are not real. And at such a young age? I'm sorry- whatever happened to mothers telling their daughters that they're perfect just the way they are? That stupid little imperfections make them the perfect versions of themselves? That rather than spending so much time and efforts on trying vainly to look flawless, they could be, like, I donno- saving the world or something?
I'm so happy to have been raised the way I was- millionaire spawn or not. At least I've been able to equip myself with ideals that are more true to me...

But what do Lynn and the rest of the cast think about encouraging your kids to be shallow and rely on surgery whenever something isn't perfect?
I guess Alexis put it best- she had unsuccessfully tried forcing her 2-year-old twin daughters to sit through manicures & pedicures.  She said "I think it's important to teach them about taking care of themselves."
Thats right, O.C Housewives, the real lessons of life lie in being able to keep up your physical appearance at all costs.
Now excuse me while I go get some ass implants....

the CHRONICles: random shit

Ahh, the random things my stoned self stumbles on....


Who doesn't remember Chris Bale's infamous 2009 meltdown

Well, now you can sear the incident into your brain. After hearing this ridiculously stupid and catchy song (all "sung" by Bale, naturally), you can get mental flashes of the raging Batman...





Happy kush hour to you too...
And remember,
"I'm gonna f*@$in kick your f%#!in ass!!"

Power is revealed only by striking true

“ Power is not revealed by striking hard or often, but by striking true.”

-       Honore de Balzac

I’ve been examining the whole situation (for lack of an adequate word) going on in Egypt with a bit of divided perspective. On the one hand, I feel the way I’ve felt since my 2010 visit- the moment I first saw a civil protest in Cairo’s main downtown square (ironically “Liberation Square”-Tahrir in Arabic). That I’d grown up largely listening to my father’s own memories of living in a repressed, paranoid military state probably led me to feel as awed and curious as I did when I saw the demonstration.

Here was a country in which anti-government opinion was strictly restricted from all media. A country filled with stories of police aggression- some made notorious (like the apparent brutal 2010 murder of blogger Khaled by Egyptian police), and some only whispered amongst terrified neighbours when nobody’s listening.

And these are just things my generation and I have been exposed to as the country’s 30-year “state of emergency” remains.

To fully understand the scope of today's Egypt would mean diving into my father’s memories, and those of the generations before him who lived to see numerous wars, an independence from the British, instability throughout the entire region, and a military revolution.

But that last point is one of the most fascinating, to me, and has been for as long as I remember.

Growing up I would listen, stunned, to my father nostalgically, and more importantly, proudly recount the story of how Colonel Nasser and some other important military figures overtook the British-led monarchy and installed their own Egyptian leaders. It was as if he, like every other Egyptian lucky enough to see that proud day, was directly involved in the cause of liberating their country. It wasn’t so much that they were living vicariously through Nasser and his comrades, but living alongside them- when they took over state radio to make the announcement, when they spent countless months planning and re-planning every step without leaving a paper trail, and when they paraded through the same Tahrir Sq. to, again, thousands of people…

Now I must make mention of the 2nd perspective I have, one almost diametrically opposed to the first, one grounded in pragmatism and an understanding that things are never as black-and-white as they seem.

 From the first reports taken of the protests, to the powerful images surfacing up everyday, the message has been the same- there is an unspoken and strong bond between the Egyptian people and the military. Maybe this is due to the fact that Egypt has a conscription law still in effect- essentially, every male must serve in the military. Thus, the military and the Egyptian citizens are synonymous. Or maybe it has something to do with the history of military operations in their country—indeed, the military leaders at one point created the Egyptian Egypt. That feeling of pride and identity, and knowing what it means to be an Egyptian- and not an Arab, North African, Middle Easterner, etc.- was reinforced by Nasser and the other decorated leaders. Whatever the case, the famous image of the old weeping Egyptian woman kissing the cheek of a young, uniformed Egyptian solider with piercing eyes, perfectly captures that soldier-civilian relationship. However disillusioned the people have become by their government’s strict system of security, they have found a way to embrace their soldiers wholeheartedly.

Which brings me to my main point. Much has been said about Egypt’s current president Hosni Mubarak- he’s a tyrant, a peaceful leader of the region, an incompetent president whose relied on American aid too often, a beacon of stability in the Middle East, a dictator (a label Western news outlets have avidly embraced for the first time), a wealthy, aged power-hungry lunatic, etc. But there hasn’t been much mention of Mubarak’s rise to power and his role in the 1952 Revolution.

Mubarak actually got his background in the military, graduating from the military academy and climbing the ranks to finally become Commander of Egypt's Air Force & Deputy Minister of Defense. In fact, he was rewarded and promoted for his outstanding services in the military during the Sixth of October War. With such noted roles in the military and an intense pilot training past, Mubarak's role in the 1952 Revolution cannot be undermined or ignored.

Maybe thats what continues to draw people like my father (he himself grew up in a military household and dreamed of being a soldier after witnessing the Egyptian Independence Movement) to the aged Mubarak. Ideas like loyalty, death before dishonour, and dying a hero are ones highly valued by people with close ties/sentiments to the military. And as I outlined before, Egyptians really have no choice but to feel this way towards their own soldiers.
That's is why its so difficult for me to maintain an agenda that is 100% compliant with the protestors. Maybe a bit of me relates to the sentiments my father has. Maybe as an Egyptian it's difficult for me to watch one of my own go through this public debacle. Like I said, the issue is grey at best- never black and white. Who will replace Mubarak? How will the USA continue to interfere in Egypt's domestic happenings? If Mubarak is the lesser of 2 evils (the other evil being the Muslim Brotherhood), how can we ask him to step down and instill one of our own? And finally, what about the transition? How will a new government be integrated? Will there be an interim government in the meantime, and if so who decides who that government is? The questions are endless.

However, an important thing separates me from my father and other Egyptian supporters of the regime. I grew up in Canada. This is a country known for promoting it's democratic ideals and a traditionally liberal, capitalistic agenda. We enjoy regular elections, political stability, and (almost always), a transparent government. I, like most other Canadians and even those Bush-electing Americans, can never imagine a system in which we were forced to sit by and watch a leader, who none of us seem to remember electing, continue being in power for 30 plus years. With all opposition prevented from having a voice, its not like an election would do the job anyway.
I can sympathize with those supporters because I know what they want: life, liberty and the freedom to pursue happiness. I know, because living in Canada, I am given those things without ever really facing the threat of losing them...

My sister got me one of those cool day-by-day calendars of Inspiring & Enlightening Quotes. Everyday I rip off a day to reveal some insightful-sometimes ideological, sometimes overly cheesy- advice/knowledge/ideas from different artists, theorists, writers, teachers, etc.

And on January 29, four days after the fateful demonstrations began, I ripped off another day to reveal the insight for that day. The quote was from French novelist Honore de Balzac, and came at such an appropriate time that I was compelled against all laziness to sit down and right this post:

 “ Power is not revealed by striking hard or often, but by striking true.”

And, as Hosni Mubarak has learned the hard way over this past week, his hard-struck, often-used power has essentially come to an end. Let's just pray and ensure that whatever future awaits my homeland, there will be eras of truth-revealing power.

Egypt: Nasser to Mubarak

Nasser speaks to a homeless man.

Mubarak meets with foreign diplomats

Nasser sits with Che Guevarra

Mubarak sits with Bush Jr.

Nasser is carried by soldiers & civilians

Thousands demand Mubarak step down.

The Last Pharoah

"The Warrior-President Gamal Abd Al-Nasser, through his spirit, courage and creative thought, and through the dream of the greater Arab homeland, is not a memory, nor is he yesterday's cause. He is the present, today's cause, the cause of the shining Arab tomorrow, to which the Warrior-President Gamal Abd Al-Nasser devoted his whole life and died a martyr, as a pan-Arab nationalist and Egyptian patriot and as a Palestinian resistance fighter on the soil of struggle and confrontation against colonialism, both old and new; against the usurpation of Palestine and its colonization; and against division and fragmentation.

He is glory and dignity. The cause of the Warrior-President Gamal Abd-Al Nasser and his message and struggle is the cause of each and every Arab from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf, whether he be a ruler or an ordinary citizen, because the principles of Abd Al-Nasser are the principles on whose basis our Arab nation is rising up and taking its place in the sun.

The Warrior-President Gamal Abd Al-Nasser devoted his life to the glory of the Arab nation and its unity and dignity, and to expelling the forces of colonialism from all regions of the Arab homeland...[It is Abd Al-Nasser who proclaimed], 'Colonialism should now pick up its walking staff and leave,' 'from now on, there is no place for colonialists, occupiers, and invaders,' and 'this land is Arab, and no flag but that of the Arab nation shall ever fly above it.'

 The Warrior-President Gamal Abd Al-Nasser is alive in his nation and in Arab minds, and in the Arab hands that carry his message about Arab liberation, unity and progress. They will never abandon his principles and never lay down the banner that president Abd Al-Nasser raised - a banner that is a lighthouse shedding a bright light for the whole [Arab] nation... he is not a memory but the soul of the Arab nation....

...I say to you with confidence that the Warrior-President Gamal Abd Al-Nasser is with us in the trenches, with us under siege, with us in self-sacrifice [in battle]. [He is with us] with his thought and his manliness, creative spirit, and stature that neither bow nor retreat, no matter how difficult the struggle and how great the sacrifices...

We therefore have no path other than that of steadfastness and sacrifice for the sake of the homeland, the [Arab] nation, and the future. We salute the Warrior-President Gamal Abd Al-Nasser, the lantern shining before the nation and its [future] generations. The warrior Gamal Abd Al-Nasser - the president, the commander, the leader, the pioneer - is alive in our midst and in our [future] generations. He has not died and shall never die. Peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you."


- Yasser Arafat
(delivering a euolgy on the 33rd anniversary of Nasser's death)

Out with the old, in with the NEW

I guess you probably noticed things are a little different around here.


Different theme, different colours, and a different header- yay!
Let's just say its time for a bit of an early spring cleaning. 
Consider this a fresh, crisp pair of undies on your romps... ahhh... smell that? that's fresh. :)


Anyway, maybe I got some 'splaining to do.
I cannot stress how much I appreciate blunt honesty and abhor white lies/people lying to protect my feelings. So when my friend and I randomly started discussing my blog and he told me it sucks, I could've bear-hugged him. His beef? That the "beautiful struggle theme" was kinda corny, and that my header (which featured a- and I quote- "CHEESY" photo of me smiling up at the sun) especially sucked. 


So, what did I do? Took that constructive criticism and had some fun with my header. That's right, FRIEND, I got rid of that cheesy picture to replace it with several more and some rookie graphics! HA!
Anyway, in the process of smoking a doobs and having fun with the collage tool, I decided to come up with a new name. And I kid you not, that shit came to me on the spot. 
Why "Journey of a Self"?
Because, as the good cliche goes, life is but a journey. We're basically thrown in front of an infinite number of windy, confusing, forked, scary, appealing paths and with every conscious and unconscious decision we make, we take a step on one of those paths. Thus, each one of us is "a self" on the "journey" of life.
What makes me any different?
I'm on this journey as a:
self-indulged 
eccentric 
lost 
female.


My worst critics and best supporters have always made a remark or too about how much I allow myself to indulge- in shopping, in food, in spending my time, IN LIFE. But what can I say? You try living with me for 21 years and tell me if you don't fall in love :)
(* NOTE: if anyone messages you protesting the often argued about use of the world "self-indulged", I will put a curse on you)


I'm eccentric and to try to explain or prove that to any of you would just be uncharacteristic of me. You either get it or you don't.


And finally (on the assumption that I need not explain the "female" part), I'm lost. But that's okay, I can admit it. Indeed, the only thing I am quite certain about is that I'm not sure about anything. That's why I'm still on that journey. And one day, I'll spot a metaphorical street sign, turn round its corner, and finally know that I've found my direction.


So cheers to all who follow and continue to read, and a big "hollaaa" at all the newbs. 
Hey, I never promised it would be the best ride of your life. I just told you I'd give you some quality writing in return for some of your time...

Equal rights for all

"So let me get this straight. Larry King is on his 8th 

divorce, Elizabeth Taylor is possibly getting married for a 

9th time, Britney Spears had a 55 hour marriage, Jesse 

James and Tiger Woods, while married, were having sex 

with EVERYONE; 

yet the idea of same-sex marriage is going to destroy the 

institution of marriage? Really?? Re-post to your page if 

you agree. Equal rights for ALL!!!"

The CHRONICles: comic relief

- I couldn't agree more!

Egypt's "People's Revolution" comes to Toronto

I've been so caught up trying to find out all the information that I can about the current movement taking place in Egypt right now.
I've been flicking through mainstream news channels, searching for independent media sources, and clicking away at various websites.

Today, I was very excited to take part in Toronto's own show of solidarity with the Egyptian protestors.
People started gathering at Dundas Square (Yonge & Dundas, Downtown Toronto) well before 2:00, the hour the demonstration was slated to start in.

I was definitely feeling the crowd's energy-which by some reports, numbered over 600 at some points. I instantly had an overwhelming sense of pride as I watched people of all ethinicites chant along in the crowds. I wore my huge Egyptian flag proudly, and just took in the collective force that I swear I felt.

Snapped some of these photos before my battery died:

The CHRONICles: convos between my psyche

As I sit here inhaling the sweet smoke, allowing ever puff to tickle the back of my throat before it slides its way through the rest of my person, I am consciously allowing her to penetrate my psyche, too.
That familiar hazy feeling slowly washes over my mind, and I think about the effect she will behaving on my thoughts.
Kid Cudi's psychadelic "Marijuana" track is playing quitely in the background, but save for the manual clock ticking away to remind me of the time constraints that control my (and indeed your) life, I am surrounded by silence.
Silence and smoke.
And, of course, my consciousness. And right now it's asking: What of my relationship with mary j? On the one hand I have Cudi (who is at this point just the phsyically audible manifestation of one part of my mind)- "pretty green bud... I know you want to smoke..."
Perhaps the alluring voice of mary j, herself, i ponder...

That same side is the one who propels me to hook up with mary j everytime I do. It tells me that its never really a big deal, anyway- lotsa adults do it regularly, plus you're still functioning in life. It reminds me how good that effect will feel, how it'll calm me down, allow me to think in a different dimension, reassure me that things will always be okay, even if it doesn't seem that way in the moment. Most importantly, it reminds me that this very act of consuming mary j is simultaneously allowing me to hook up with other people, too- people with whom the only common denominator in our relationship is mary j.

But that leaves the other side.

Thats the one who scolds me, asks me- since when was functioning good enough? At which point do you snap out of the literal and metaphorical high and "smell the roses" (vs. the kush-bush?)... Thats the side that attributes to some of my insomniac spells...

It tells me that I can be doing better things with my money, energy, time, and focus.

That's probably the thought that resonates most...

"Cabs are Hea" and other reasons why I LOVE Jersey Shore

I was talking to a couple of friends today and the conversation randomly turned to Jersey Shore. Apparently, out of all those present during this conversation, I was the only person who'd watched more than 20 minutes of Jersey Shore. And believe me, I've watched A LOT MORE than 20 minutes of this (I think) hilariously entertaining show. But when push came to shove, I really cannot explain my fascination with guidos and guidettes of the Shore.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not really a "TV person" anymore (I get in a like 5 hours a week), and I don't even really watch that "genre" (can you call it that?). As a matter of fact, there's only a small handful of shows I actually follow. Most all of those are documentary type shows (Discovery Channel, anyone?)

Yet something draws me to these over-tanned, overly-dramatic, publicity whores.
I mean I get it. I'm sure "Snooki" doesn't go home to her adoptive parents' home dressed like an overweight cougar, chugging on a bottle of Patron. Just like I'm sure (or at least, I sure hope) Mike isn't actually the douchebag he appears to be every week.

But there's something that's appealing, hey even satisfying, about watching these over-exaggerated characters on TV. They make me laugh, they're in-your-face, they drink like fish and party like, well, guidos- AND, they're harmless. They may get drunk on every episode, sing catchy cab-themed songs, fight and bang each other, but the worst crime they commit (aside from their innumerable fashion faux pas) is to churn out annoying catch-phrase after annoying catch-phrase.
Plus, that accent is just so damn catchy. It's like a never-ending "Goodfellas" (minus the incredible cinematography, classic roles, grade A acting, and well, mob-themed content). But the big hair-dos, chit-chatty gossip, Italian references, and charming Jersey-style goofing around are all there.


The Jersey Shore is the 21st century equivalent of pulp fiction. 

So maybe I don't have the best reasons, but whatever the case, you can say that Jersey Shore is a guilty pleasure of mine ! And the next time you find yourself fist-pumping in the club, I remind you that there's a little tanned, hair-gel-abusing drunk in all of us...


I leave you all with this HILARIOUS interview, done by MTV Canada's Paul the Intern and Jersey Shore castmate Ronnie.

30 Day Challenge: DAY 13: My favourite artist

Day 13: A picture of your favorite band or artist.

"Nas is like..

Sex to a nympho, but nothin sweet
I'm like beef, bustin heat through your windows
I'm like a street sweeper, greenleaf reaper
Like Greeks in Egypt, learnin somethin deep from they teachers
I'm like crime, like your nine, your man you would die for
Always got you, I'm like Pac, dude you would cry for
I'm like a whole lot of loot, I'm like crisp money
Corporate accounts from a rich company
I'm like ecstasy for ladies, I'm like all races
combined in one man; like the '99 summer jam
Bulletproof Hummer man
I'm like being locked down around new faces, and none of em fam'
I'm the feelin of a millionaire spendin a hundred grand
I'm a poor man's dream, a thug poet
Live it, and I write down and I watch it blow up
Y'all know what I'm like, y'all play it your system every night

"Nas is like life or death.. I'm a rebel.. "
"My poetry's deep, I never fell.."
"Nas is like.. half man half amazing.."
"No doubt.."

- NAS

The CHRONICles: munchie time

The Chronicles: munchie time

Just a midnight munchie #BecauseIGotHigh:

- Mint-Chocolate Chip ice cream sandwiches

- Goldfish Crackers

- Peach Rings

stupid shit Americans buy

THE "OPENER-HAT": for convenient beer-popping activity

Yes, I randomly Google stuff (can you tell my choices are a little odd, with no cohesion/rhyme or reason to them whatsoever)...

Luckily (lol), I came across the OpenerHat!
That's right folks, CoolerGadgets.com features a line of one-size-fits-all caps with bottle openers built right into the brim!









Plus, the hat comes in a variety of colours/designs! (sigh...)

... God bless the families of the people who decide to purchase these hats to make their drinking experiences easier...

30 Day Challenge: DAY 12: I love...

Day 12: A picture of something you love.

 I love travelling.
If you know me, you know how obsessed I am with speaking about places I'd love to visit, and asking people questions about different places they've visited.
I'm just so curious. I get bored very easily, and I'm consumed with imaging different places I can possibly visit or travel through.
I wanna know how other people in the world live, and I like waking up and not knowing what to expect.
Maybe its all the books I read as a child, and the incredible imagine I had. Perhaps it's all the summers spent travelling to, and then around Egypt ever since I can remember. Or, maybe its all of my father's romanticized, idealized stories (that I can recount by heart) of the whimsical cities he's seen.
I think its a combination of all these and my need to explore what's around me.


I've always thought I was a restless kind of soul, and when you really think about it, don't most of us spend our lives looking for the fulfilling feeling of being home?
I guess that might be what I'm looking for...

(K, fine. I cheated with 2 pictures.)

The River of January

Random fact of the day:
On the first of this month in 1502, the island of Rio De Janeiro (or River of January), was first explored...

The city is one of the largest in Brazil, and ever since my childhood obsession with everything associated with rainforests began, I've been dying to visit it.
Thus, today I thank those Portuguese explorers all those years back that set sail to this beautiful city...

The city is set to host the 2016 Summer Olympics (taking place mostly at this district, Barra da Tijuca).

Its no wonder the city is nicknamed Cidade Maravilhosa (or "Marvelous City").

Rio de Janeiro is known for it's Carnival, probably the most famous in the world.

Aha, so this is what  a "New" Wonder 
of the World looks like...
("Cristo Redentar" statue)
















Again, it's clear why this is the most visited city in the southern hemisphere (true story)...

Martin Luther King Jr.- the man, the dreamer

"I don't know what will happen now, we've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountain top..." 

-(Martin Luther King, Jr.)

For those of you who are unaware or simply don't give a damn, today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
On April 4th, 1968 the world lost one of it's foremost non-violent freedom fighters and revolutionaries.

By now, its almost impossible not to have heard MLK's famous "I have a dream" speech, either in reference or in its entirety. But while that particular speech may serve as a testimony to the kind of man King was and what kind of vision he had for the future of Americans and anyone who struggles worldwide, it is by no means his only engaging presentation.

Thus, I will share another excerpt from a speech that King delivered in 1968, his last public speech before his own untimely assassination. In this clip King speaks about America's involvement in foreign wars, the complete dismissal of human rights, and then comments on the increasing aggression against his non-violent civil rights movement.

What is especially touching are the moments in which he almost seems to prophesize his own death:

"... I just want to do God's will. And he has allowed me to go up to the mountain, and I have looked over and I've seen the promised land.

I may not get there with you, but... we as a people WILL get to the promised land. 

... I'm not fearing any man, my eyes have seen the glory..."

(MLK)

In true MLK style, he ends the speech with a Bible quote in regards to the Vietnam War that the US was involved in at the time:
"For I was hungry and you fed me not..." (Matthew 25:35)

After watching this speech in it's entirety I'm left with some lingering thoughts:
How can a man that preached about love, equality and basic rights be seen as such a threat to the Hoover regime? And better yet, how is this same scenario being spawned out in the 21st century?

I'm especially troubled by how relevant MLK's speech is in this day and age, and how the more things change, the more they stay the same.
How long will we allow MLK's legacy (and by this I speak of the man behind the legend) to be tarnished by our unwillingness to improve these situations globally?

With that in mind, have a thoughtful Martin Luther King Jr. day, and please allow yourself even a few moments to reflect on his contributions, his selfless courage, and the plight that one mortal man took upon himself (because he was after all a person like you and I, and not a saint like they would have us believe) to improve the situation for himself and others...