BIG Kids & LITTLE Adults

We Are 3X DOPE

What’s up people?

So I was just at the airport a few hours back and had to deal with a certain type of person that we all have come across at one point or another. That certain person that is so into him/herself that he/she is willing to inconvenience others and disrupt the flow of things all for the sake of making a point. Who knew that in 2012 you can still have a plan delayed for over and hour and held-up from taking off all to appease one person and their issues with the airline? The only Afrikan that I know with that status who still got that kind of juice in 2012 is the one that occupies the White House off Pennsylvania Avenue here in the DMV. However, it seems that all you still need is a particular pigmentation, use of your U.S. government employee status and actually verbalize a threat in an airport of all places and airline officials will accommodate your whinny a** and disregard the fact that little children being held up on a tarmac. SMH!           

Ok people; let me get focused…

This has been a very kid friendly week for obvious reasons. I got to see several posted pictures of all the Kool Keedz on FACEBOOK kicking off their Back to School week and they all looked FANTASTIC! My special little threesome are still on vacation so I decided to play hooky and hang out with them as we took in a field trip all the way out in Baltimore because in the “MY OMO NAIJA” camp EVERYDAY is a HOLIDAY. So after watching the three of them play, fight, fuss, make-up, eat, compete, fart on each other, call each other names and pass-out in the back seat, I came to the realization that everything kids do, we the adults are equally guilty of and are totally no different. So here are some highlights of my four day experience with my Kool Keedz;

DRAMA – Kids are always in crisis over the simplest things. Hmmmmmmmmm; know any adult in your life this may apply to? Just saying....

SHARE – We tell kids to share amongst each other all the time. Why is it that when adults hit you with that “Lemme hold that for a min” = I’m taking that don’t expect to get it back!  

FAKEY FAKEY – My niece Bilo asked that I include this one; she can cry on the spot for some attention. I mean she is a PROFESSIONAL. Fellas; we all have a female in our lives that are very good for this fo sho!

Same Thang Make You Laugh = Gonna Make You Cry… I think this one is self-explanatory. Basically it’s all fun and games until the shoe is on the other foot and somebody done caught feelings. Usually, it's the one doing all the lauging that those all the crying at the end from my experiences.

I WANT; I WANT – This is that syndrome many kids start in their toddler phase that many of us adults never grow out of. That’s why you got the new iPhone, iPad2, Dre Beats, Red bottom shoes, Jordan XVI and still ask your momma & daddy for gas money.

MEANIE – Be it kids or adults, mean people SUCK! Be nice to people… It’s a wonderful legacy to leave behind.

Now let me see some A’s on those report cards Kids.

It's BACK to School...

What’s up people?

So I wake up this morning and check my twitter and what you know, some loony tune went off at the Empire State Building and started shooting at innocent lives all over some job related dispute. It is so true when I hear this statement, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” and that folks is the bottom line. Then I continue to scroll down on my timeline and look it here, Lance Armstrong is now considered the “Great American Cheat”. Hmmmmmmmm; whoever coined the term “if you ain’t cheating – you ain’t trying” never lied. My thing is who gives a you know what dude really did cheat anyways; all the money and research his LIVESTRONG foundation contributed to cancer research and treatment is still worthy of praise and admiration. America is GREAT at frowning upon those it builds build-up I swear.

Ok people; Let me get focused…

Wait a minute, is it really back to school time already? Just like that summer is OVER again. SMH! That means back to school shopping, early bed times, crazy traffic, teenagers riding on the metro looking like they up to some trouble and finally the site of YELLOW buses.

Actually, back to school season was always fun for me I when think back on it. Who does not look forward to wearing their newest pair of sneakers, new wardrobe and catching up with friends on how they spent their summer break. Now some of us already know how a small percentage of our peers spent their summer…SUMMER SCHOOL.

The first day was always the best for me because we never got homework for like the first week. And all that nonsense about reading three books over the summer, “I was never on it like that”. The kids today you all got it ROUGH. I was only focused on looking fresh and seeing what new hot girls transferred to my school district or who got better looking in the span of three months. Hey, a lot can change over the summer break.

Those back to school jitters were goof for keeping you up all night before the big day though. Some of us become thankful that school is back in session, others dread the idea of sitting in classrooms, taking notes and doing loads of homework. School is meant to educational not a just a big social hang-out. Something that has stuck with me over the years is something my math teacher said way back when, “those same kids you guys spend all your time teasing and laughing at will soon one day become your Bosses when you grow older”.

As for me, “P” never been one to like school too tough. I hated Algebra but I loved to multiply, didn’t like economics so I studied HUSTLE-NO-MICS. But I always stayed with that back to school fresh cut, dressed to impress looking like a million BUCKS!

Go Learn Something.

Learn From Those Around You

What’s up people?

It is amazing how I have become a slave to my computer and mobile phones. Seriously, I was unable to access my emails and work calendar for five days and it was quite evident that I was a mess. I grew increasingly irritable and very annoyed with idea that I had to actually schedule work affairs on a piece of paper and god forbid make phone calls to people in order to communicate my needs and status on projects. Who knew that a planner and using the telephone to make calls were still viable options to consider in getting things done nowadays? I am now also barely a week into my Kool Keedz summer vacation break and boy let me tell you I am TIRED. Man my two nieces are wearing my old a** out and I have TWO more exciting weeks left with my favorite little people. And rumor has it that one more of my Kool Keedz might be making a special guest appearance in the DMV in the coming week. If/when my mini-me shows up, it will be an official Kool Keedz DMV TAKEOVER.

Ok people; let me get focused…

We all can learn so much from the little and big people in our everyday lives. I have always been a firm believer that the number one asset and commodity worth investing in are human beings. Rather than running to the local Apple store and turning it into a mad house for the sake of buying the latest iPhone or iPad, why not have that same enthusiasm and determination towards making a difference in the lives of people. Plus all that peanut butter & jelly nonsense will all waste so much money own purchasing always loses its value and luster over time anyways.

Family, friends and colleagues all have something to offer one another. The challenge is getting past the bickering and fighting in order to tap into each others strengths. And unlike technology and manufactured machinery that dominate our existence, humans do not require a rebate or a two year contract with a provider before they become operable.

Something personal that I experienced a few days back was the FANTASTIC exchange I had with my nieces in the mixed of making my morning prayer. The fact that they both showed a genuine interest in learning and wanting to part-take in the prayer with me was so awe-inspiring. However, that was already their in part due to the foundation built by their parents to value God as the creator of all things.

So where am I going with all this you may ask? Well starting this fall I have agreed to serve as a mentor/tutor on a voluntary basis for middle school students and work with them on their academics three hours a week. You know I never once had any thoughts of spending my fall volunteering especially when I have English Premiere League Football (Go LFC), College football and NFL football all starting up in a matter of weeks. But the irony of it all is I think I will be more focused on how my little mentees perform in classroom throughout the school year than how my fantasy football teams rebound from a miserable 2011 season. It is about to be on and popping, maybe I can help inspire the next young brilliant mind to do big things. Who Knows but like Mickey-D "Am Loving it".

Reach One; Teach One

Olympics - Why Not Every Year?

What’s up people?

By the time you read this week’s blog post, we will officially be entering the final week of our month long RAMADAN. So in the words of Damian Marley & Nas in their collaboration “Only the Strong Will Continue”. We are now in week two of the Olympics and still no Olympic medal for Nigeria (NWO)! A country with a population of over a hundred million people and all we have had to settle for is watching young Nigerian male and female athletes represent other countries and make them proud. I just love how countries like Great Britain dehumanize African immigrants but can’t wait to parade the same group up and down inside the Olympic stadium in hopes of winning the country a medal. Let me get of that soap box and salute the FANTASTIC Usain Bolt. Brother you are truly a LEGEND and as an avid track and field sports fan your scintillating display on the world’s largest stage was simply EPIC.    

Ok people; let me get focused…

At this point I don’t know if am more excited about the anticipation of the end of this brutal hot summer or the beginning of all the fall sports as in NFL football, College Football and my favorite English Premiere League football. I do know however that I am going to miss the Olympic spirit of one community, athletes giving it their all and the joy that comes with along victory.

You know as I come to think about it a little more, the Olympics should be held every summer. I mean why must we wait four year intervals to see spectacular performances the likes of Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and off another 100 point beat down of Nigerian basketball by team USA.

I am a sucker for the back stories that come along with the Olympics too. I heard this past week from my brother that Usain Bolt has a sponsorship with PUMA that requires the company to fix up schools for young kids in his home country. Then who did not root and cheer on the South African 400meter double amputee sprinter who advanced into the semi finals against able body runners and the fantastic sportsmanship at the end of his race with the would be Olympic winner from Granada.

The one thing the Olympics did also prove was that it is not immune NEGATIVITY and HATERS like the rest of the world. I mean why did they have to go after the young African-American female gymnast and the grooming of her hair? Why did trashy gossip outlets feel a need to share with the rest of the world the financial status of the families who support their children to see them achieve their life long dreams? And the one that really had me perplexed was the ripping of female sprinter LoLo Jones who was crushed by the New York Times a very reputable news outlet as being over-rated and the product of beauty over substance. In the famous words of R&B legend R. Kelly; “Haters Gonna Hater and Ballers Gonna Ball”.

See you in Four Years.

VERY PROUD

What’s up people?

We are now entering the halfway mark this Ramadan folks. Hope all my brothers and sisters are still grinding it out and keeping with their DEEN this holy month. Before we know it Eid Mubarak will be upon us all very soon and the man up above will be showering us with his many BLESSINGS. AMEEN. Now; I have had a very interesting week to say the very least. Some good and the other parts not so fun but hey who said life would be easy. But it is somewhat difficult to try and get a good night’s rest when all that keeps popping up in my head is the image of Carmelo Anthony and the rest of the USA Olympic basketball team hitting one 3 point shot after another. I think my homeboy Krime put it best; “Nigeria definitely made history in basketball this week but only the wrong kind of history”. We shall now be forever remembered quite possibly as the most inferior and inept group of assembled athletes to participate in Olympic competition. I think the big irony in all of this basketball disaster was that not once did a Nigerian sports devotee such as myself feel cheated in the effort of the guys competing. Only if that could be said for the famed Super Eagles in football who have no ounce of patriotism and honor these days when they put on the GREEN/WHITE/GREEN shirt and represent our country.

Ok people; let me get focused…

So I think I just witnessed a new Braveheart moment after watching Nigeria play the United States in the Olympic basketball competition. I have said in the past how I loved the part in the movie Braveheart when Mel Gibson’s character William Wallace is repeatedly told to beg and ask for mercy for the sake of saving his life. Time and time again he refused, to the point when the crowd is pleading with him and he just finally bellows the word FREEEEEEE-DOM. Now that dude “Young William Wallace” is the TRUTH. 

You see that almost 100 point beat down we all just witnessed should be a part of Nigeria redefining herself as a country. At some point in time you have to face the music and take it on the chin in order to achieve growth. And quite frankly, one must go against the very best in order to assess how far the maturation process will take in order to achieve excellence. We should never hide or be fearful to have our flaws exposed if we ultimately want to strive for success. As a nation, we have failed miserably in this endeavor. We love to take short-cuts and look for the “Quick Fix” all for the sake of hiding our imperfections.

Nigeria is repeatedly looked upon by the global public often for what is wrong in government, terror like behavior and having some of the worst human qualities in people because of our propensity to mislead others. So it was very fitting and almost poetic justice like to sit there and watch basically the USA men’s team in a sense take out their and the world’s frustration on our poor American born players representing Nigeria so proudly in the Olympic games. It was almost as if they world was saying Nigeria you disgust me at the moment, so for that we are going to give you an old fashioned beating today and hopefully this will spark an ire in you in order to regroup as you need to rethink your priorities.

So it is now back on us and just like the basketball team did not throw in the towel in their plea for MERCY, I ask that the rest of us not do the same and continue to fight.

This is no job for one person.