6:45 a.m. I wake up for work, rubbing my eyes, trying my best not to hit “dismiss” on my phone alarm. I get up about ten minutes later, and walk to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I look in the mirror and I look like hell. I get over it. I put on my … Continue reading
When my grandfather passed away, I moved into his old room. It had the best sunlight in the house. “Very cheery,” my mom would say. After his wake, family friends visited our house to pray and show their condolences. Half serious and half playful, they asked me, “You’re going to sleep in your grandpa’s room? Aren’t … Continue reading
Why are you so wonderful? No really I once read something out of a college literary book. (Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name. I promise to figure it out sooner or later.) In the back, there were letters and essays from different authors: what to do; what not to do; reasons why young writers should … Continue reading
On a dreary Monday morning, even the sun says to bug off. It sleeps in—unlike the millions of other worker bees who continue on into their morning commute. Each drone slowly coming down from their weekend high. Today I woke up at 8:30 AM. Not at all missing my nine-to-five, I took advantage of my … Continue reading
If you are writing, singing, rapping, dancing, painting, drawing, acting, _____ing with the intent that everyone and they mama’s mama’s mama should like your sh*t… then you’re doing it for the wrong reason. The beauty of self-expression is the “self,” which a lot of people might relate to, but certainly not always agree with. As soon as … Continue reading
Originally posted here on Tumblr. If I had a dollar for every time I heard an uncle or aunt say, “Marry a doctor,” I’d have at least 50 bucks. When I was in high school, I did something stupid: I told my parents I wanted to go to med school. Little did I know, I’d … Continue reading
So far, it’s been a tragic year for hip hop. First Nujabes, and now Guru of Gang Starr. The 43-year-old hip hop legend passed away on Monday after succumbing to a long battle with cancer. After his surgery last February, I was hoping that he’d hang on for a while longer. I remember my sigh of … Continue reading
Growing up I had two main role models: my sister, Lorraine, and my mom, Norma. Both changed my diapers when I was one, and both made fun of my clothes when I was 15. They dealt with my adolescent “You just don’t understand!” phase, and years later, I’m proud to say, they finally saw me … Continue reading
I can only listen to certain artists when I write. Nujabes was one of them. Yesterday Hydeout Productions announced that Jun Seba (aka Nujabes) had passed away in late February. I’m guessing that the information wasn’t released out of respect for his family’s privacy. Today when I woke up for work, I heard the news … Continue reading
“I don’t have a good job.” “I don’t make enough money.” “What if I can’t do it?” “What if I’m not good enough?” “I just wanna stop writing.” “I just want—to quit.” Welcome to my world of insecurity. Where everything good is bound to go wrong, and everything bad is bound to get worse. I … Continue reading
