Tag: thoughts

The Top 3 Reasons I’ll Never Be Considered a Gamer

~ DropaJewel ~ Leave a comment

Greetings! Welcome to 2019. I hope the holidays have treated you well and your New Year’s Resolutions are under way. Over the holidays, I decided to take a break from my usual music search to get into some old school gaming. I took a visit to BoxCar arcade in North Carolina, and went old school style on the likes of X-men, The Simpsons, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Mortal Combat to name a few. As I died, many many times, I thought about my childhood journey through video gaming. I have never beat Sonic the Hedgehog or Resident Evil. I usually get stuck on a part and cut the game off never to return. I can’t tell you any shortcuts or secret levels on Super Mario or Mario Cart. In any event, I give you my top 3 reasons I’ll never be considered a gamer. Tell me if you relate at all…

  1. I often use the term “If Snake were here”… If you’ve ever played Metal Gear Solid, bless you. This is one of my favorite gaming series of all time. Snake was a stealthy CIA agent uncovering secret alliances and global destruction weaponry. The possibilities were endless as you were able to smoke a cigarette/cigar while sneaking up behind an enemy to break his neck quietly. Snake could do the cool stuff: walk around in a cardboard box, camouflage his outfits to hide from foe, and fight the supernatural.  Snake had all the heavy artillery: guns with silencers and laser beams, c4, missile launchers, the list continues. Even controlling him was easy for PlayStation. Since playing and actually beating a few Metal Gears, I’ve wanted all the characters I play to move like Snake. Every. Single. One.
  2. I get an attitude when a new game system comes out. We all know that new gaming systems mean more money. Your favorite gaming systems will inevitably (and probably soon) stop making new games…so you will HAVE to upgrade eventually. Your old games will be sitting there collecting dust as you try to maneuver through game systems for games you want to play. #fail I don’t want 5 different game systems…that’s probably another reason I’ll never be considered a gamer.
  3. I don’t own any gaming systems that came out in the past decade. I sold my ps2 last year with a truck load of games. I didn’t want the clutter anymore.  *Kanye shrug* I wanted a ps3, but then I forgot and the ps4 came out. Hell, the ps5 is probably on the way. I’m not a huge fan of xbox, and my wii works just fine.

God bless all the gamers far and wide! Here is to you, Blade God Syg. May you light the way for all of us. What are some of your favorite games of all time? Feel free to comment below and share.

Happy New Year!

Advertisements

[Thoughts] Oprah’s Golden Globe Win

~ DropaJewel ~ Leave a comment

I didn’t even make an attempt to watch the Golden Globes last night. I was in bed drinking juice, watching Pokemon and reliving my childhood. I DID however hear of some Black girl magic happening when Oprah was the first Black woman to win the Cecil B DeMille award. Let me drop a quick Jewel on you…

I’m glad that Black people are FINALLY being recognized for excellence in their respective fields. I think seeing people as equal is a great way to break your best ‘A game’ in every aspect of life. Imagine if we could all just be on a leveled playing field? I think we often spend so much time comparing our differences, we often forget how similar we are. 

I’m also sad that we have to have so many ‘first’ for Blacks in 2018. That shit is fucking ridiculous. We have ALWAYS displayed excellence, whether the academy sees it or not. 

I guess my real question is…

Should we value these award shows at all?

In any event, good Job Oprah. We’ll deserved. Keep inspiring little girls all over the world. 

Check out the speech in the buzzfeed link below.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/marcusjones/oprah-golden-globes-speech?utm_term=.fpA1qy1xKw#.fpA1qy1xKw

[Thoughts] 4 Ways to Better Yourself…Today

~ DropaJewel ~ Leave a comment

I would usually give you a link to a well written life hack article on the things you can do to make yourself a better person. Today, that’s not going to happen. Nope. Today, I give you my thoughts on things that have helped me on my never-ending journey of becoming the best me humanly possible. I also invite you to share your thoughts and suggestions on some things that have helped you grow. Lets Go!

  1. Consider Others: Too often we are consumed with our own thoughts, desires and plans instead of thinking of others. Try your best to remember, that the slow cashier at Wal-Mart probably isn’t making a lot of money before you snap at her. Consider that the asshole who cut you off on 95 may not have seen you. Feel free to give that homeless guy on the corner a dollar without judging him or wondering what he’ll do with it.
  2. Open Your Mind: Read more books. Take up a meditation class. Listen without forming an opinion on everything someone says. Understand that you can’t control every situation that arises and be at peace with it. Be honest with yourself and your feelings when you are stressed and be open to productive ways to deal with it.
  3. Take Care of Your Body: In an attempt to be productive I was ALWAYS busy and eating on the run. I would eat junk and stay up late in the studio working on different projects. Soda, Coffee, fast food, takeout, alcohol and cigarettes were some of my closest friends. In the end, all that awarded me was an auto immune disease. This is a story I’ve discussed with folks everywhere and most could relate. Either they gained weight rapidly and got sick, or lost weight and got sick. EITHER WAY I encourage you to start taking care of yourselves today. Drink more water, get more rest, take more walks, and eat more green veggies. You will be grateful later.
  4. Do Something You Enjoy Everyday: This is self-explanatory, but trust me, it’ll save your life.

#DoItNow

It’s February- Do You Know Where Your New Year’s Resolutions Are?

~ DropaJewel ~ Leave a comment

Over the last few months I’ve spoken with friends about the things they would like to accomplish in 2017. Some wanted to focus more on health while others simply wanted to pursue a more challenging career. Alas, the sweet smell of February is upon us. Do you know where your new year’s resolutions are? Are you drinking your water and minding your business? Have you finally quit smoking? There is NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW to get started if you haven’t already. I believe in you. #DoItNow

do-it

 

Happy MLK Jr Day!

~ DropaJewel ~ Leave a comment

MLK2.jpg

My earliest memories of Martin Luther King Day include my Dad sitting us down as a family to express his gratitude for the late Reverend. Sure, years later the public school system would try to teach us the ins and outs on the civil rights movement…but my Dad was insistent that we were taught its importance, among many other things, at home. He told us stories on how they, he and my Mom, joined with Blacks worldwide some years ago in protest to make MLK day a holiday. Image that! As a kid I was so proud that my own parents had stood for a cause so great, and I wanted to be as great as Dr. King was. I secretly wished I could march too.

Every MLK day we would go down to Martin Luther King Jr Blvd and watch the parade every year! Marching Bands, Candy, Hot chocolate, non profits and peace organizations were everywhere! People of all colors could be seen on this day, celebrating the dream Dr. King spoke of and the legacy he’d left behind in his quest for equality.

I’m an adult now, and the parade doesn’t seem as great as it used to. Dad hasn’t been up to it since his stroke, but my sister and I still go every year. It’s like our little way to say thank you to all the men and women who died for us to be seen as equal. Thank you to all those who marched to keep Dr. King’s dream alive. Thank you Dad for teaching us the importance of spreading love and standing up for what we believe to be right.

Thank You, Dr. King.

[Thoughts] That Is SOoo Last Year

~ DropaJewel ~ 1 Comment

Greetings fellow bloggers! If you are reading this you are already aware that the Creator has given us another year! Another chance to become better homo-sapiens. Another chance to spread more love is right around the corner from us all!

2016 was a shocker year for me, mostly because of the mass panic occurring on monumental levels anytime ANYTHING  was addressed in media. Donald Trump won the presidency and people literally were trying to flee the country. Side note: My prayer is that people don’t put so much faith in government this year.My prayer is that we wake up from being clones controlled by consumerism and politics this year. George Michael joined Prince and David Bowie in the sky and I wept for the future of music.Is there a bright side somewhere?

Last year was eventful to say the least, but I’m not one to complain constantly and forget that there is always much to be grateful for. After all, the entire year wasn’t a bust was it? I had some good times: My sister got married, my brother got engaged, my health started making a turn for the better, my parents are doing well, and my pockets aren’t as empty as usual. All in all a win! Hey, Metallica even dropped an album, so why aren’t we rejoicing?!I was going to do a list of my favorite albums of 2016, but I figured I would combine afew of my favorite things of 2016 in one post. So hereeeeee weee goooooo!!

Favorite Concert:

Leon.jpg

Leon Bridges with Lianne La Havas

Great Times at The Wolf Trappe in Vienna,Virginia! If you have paid me and this blog ANY MIND AT ALL over the past few years, you will know that I’m completely in love with Ms. La Havas and her finger picking style. The songstress mesmerized her audience from The Wolf Trappe’s outdoor theater setup and I just wanted to die! I quickly turned into a stan as I sang along with her word for word and was sad to see her go. Mr. Bridges was headlining, but its only a matter of time before I get to see Ms. La Havas doing the same.

Other concerts I liked last year: Lit, Everclear, Sugar Ray, Bush, 98 Degrees,

Favorite Reads:

anna

Anna Kendrick- Scrappy Little Nobody

Ha! I was waiting for this come out all year. The book was more of a semi-autobiographical essay book of Kendrick’s thoughts and rise to fame. She comes across as a down to earth, witty, intelligent chick who works hard in an industry we don’t know a whole lot about. Very well done Kendrick! Also, I’m kinda pissed at you that I had to google ‘dolphin rape.’ We now know that we know nothing!

Other books I liked last year: Iron Goddess A Shea Stevens Thriller by Dharma Kelleher

Favorite Album:

Emily.jpg

Esperanza Spalding-Emily’s D+Evolution

I’m honestly SHOCKED  that this album wasn’t in everybody’s top 10 albums of the year! Ms. Spalding introduced us to Emily, her younger alter-ego, who had many existential questions but teetered some of my own thoughts exactly. On top of it all, I would say Ms. Spalding was being experimental in sound, but it soon became clear in listening, that she is just a musical genius and I am late to the party. Bravo! Emily’s D+ Evolution was unlike anything I’d heard on radio last year and I hope she keeps the good tunes flowing. The first time I heard Good Lava, I almost cried because it was the perfect of ever sound I ever needed to hear, but couldn’t put into words. Yessuh!

Other albums I really liked last year: Bruno Mars-24k Magic, Robert Glasper-Everything’s Beautiful, Corrine Bailey Rae- The Heart Speaks In Whispers, Metallica- Hardwired…To Self Destruct

Check me out on twitter: @DropaJewel @Dropapost