G is for...Good Music

I like listening to all kinds of music. Pop, R & B, Hip Hop, Spanish, Classical, Gospel, Contemporary Christian, Neosoul, old school, new school...the list goes on. My iPod has a mixture of music; from Jay Z to Taylor Swift...From Celia Cruz to Daughtry. If the song has a cool beat and gets my body moving, chances are I'll like it. This becomes hard sometimes when I listen to the lyrics. The beat is tight, the rhythm gets me moving, but the lyrics are all wrong. The lyrics may be too profane or just plain cheesy (like most of the Disney songs). Most of the time, I can ignore the lyrics and just feel the beat. Sometimes, I can not. I've been known to get the edited version instead of the explicit one.


Looking for good music? Music with both tight beats AND awesome lyrics? I have a close friend of the family, Lee-Lonn, who's starting his journey in the music business. I remember when Lee was a youth, he used to always sing. We always knew his voice was amazing. I'm so glad he's using the gift God has given him. When his cd comes out (not sure when, but it WILL happen), I'll definitely be one of the first in line. Here's a video of one of his singles, my favorite song of his so far. It's all him...background & lead vocals. VERY talented artist whom I'm very proud of. LOVE this song! 

Tickle-Me Tuesday

This week, I'm posting Beyonce's official "Run the World (Girls)" video. I must say, it's...different. The song is catchy and it gets your body moving. Plus, it's all about girl power...and I'm all for girl power. I'm still trying to figure out if I like it, though. Both the video and the song are getting mixed reviews.

I heart Beyonce. She's majorly talented (and gorgeous). I do believe she has a lot of haters in the midst, but whatever. Hate if you must, but the girl is talented. And loved. And did I say gorgeous? She represents Houston, TX well! One thing I can say, one of my life's mission is to be able to dance like these women in the video. To be able to move my body like them would be so awesome! I'm going to start working on it now. In my room. Alone. Away from public speculation. That way, the only ones who'll see me make a fool out of myself will be my stuffed animals. And I've already sworn them to secrecy.

So anyway, what do you think? Does B have another hit? Is her video hit or miss?

X is for Xtra Cool

Ok, so I had to be creative for my X post. I'm posting 2 vids that I think are xtra cool.

So, we all know about the First Lady's "Let's Move" Campaign for raising healthier kids, which I think is awesome. Heck, adults need to follow along, too. Anyway, Beyonce has joined the "Let's Move" bandwagon by creating, Move Your Body, a song she wrote to the tune of her song, Get Me Bodied. The first video is the actual routine and the second one is the official video taken at a school (with Beyonce actually in it). The 2nd video is my favorite. I love how she included kids (you know I'm all about kids, right?). They were gettin it! I love it! And you know what else I love? The fact that not all girls in the first video are skinny minnies. Most of them are thick. Yeah buddy!

I LOVE to dance and let me tell you, this makes you move your body and it's a great workout. Did I mention that I love to dance? I'm so learning this routine!

O is for Old School

In five months, I'll be 35 years old. I keep thinking, "Gah! Already?" Twenty years ago, at 15, I thought I had a loooong time before my 35th birthday. Ha! It's here and it arrived faster than I thought it would. But I'm not tripping though. I look forward to 35 and beyond. So, in honor of my approaching 35, I've decided to take a walk down memory lane...reminisce about some of my favorite things as a child and teen. It would take forever for me to post all of my favorite things, so I only posted some. Care to join me?

During the 80s, I went from 4yrs old - 13yrs old. I had a wonderful childhood, so thankfully, I can look back at the 80s with a smile. Well, besides the fashion. I can't smile too much on the fashion. I was so into Cyndi Lauper and Punky Brewster, that I wanted to dress like them. Problem was, I didn't have their money nor their stylists to make my outfits look as good as theirs. I don't even wanna think about my fashion sense in middle school. *shudder*

During the 90s, I went from 14yrs old - 23yrs old. I have to say. My teen/early adulthood years were pretty good, but I wouldn't wanna go back. I love being an adult, despite the bills/real life thing I have to deal with. In the 90s, Will Smith came into his own. I loved his show, Fresh Prince of Bel Air - watched it faithfully - but I didn't think he had cutie status til towards the end of the show...during his box office reign (Independence Day, Bad Boys, Men in Black, etc). Other shows I watched faithfully were Saved By The Bell (I mean, come on...SLATER with those dimples), Martin (HILARIOUS show I still love), and Caliente, a show that introduced me to Puerto Rican cutie, Ricky Martin and Spanish musica.

Here are a few of my favorite things of the 80s and 90s...

NOTE: The pic on the left is of The Last Dragon, one of my favorie movies. Yes it was corny, but I still loved it...especially Bruce Leroy. I had SUCH a crush on him. Taimak, the actor who played Bruce Leroy, was a cutie then and he's definitely a cutie now. He's aged soooo beautifully, as you can see in the pic on the right *swoon*

 

NOTE: Tupac gets a big pic cos I heart him. RIP

Thanks for taking the trip with me!

N is for Never Wave My Flag

Life can get so hard, sometimes.

Seriously.It's sunny days and tranquility one day, then thunderstorms and chaos the next. On those sunny, tranquil days, life is good. Everything's going your way. You're happy. All's well in your world. Oh, but those stormy, chaotic days. Sometimes you feel like you're in a pit. Sometimes you're drowning. Life is bad. All's definitely not well in your world.

I've so been there. Felt weary...out of energy...asked when will I see the light at the end of the tunnel...the silver lining in the cloud. But there is something within me that keeps me from giving up...from saying forget it. Some call it "will power." I call it "God power." Because of the Holy Spirit within me, I can't give up. Surrendering is just not in me. I may come out of a situation beaten and bruised, but I will come out.

The gospel group, Mary Mary - one of my favorite artists - has a song on their new album called "Never Wave My Flag" that's so awesome. It has a never-give-up vibe to it...a great song that gets your body moving, dancing for God. Let me tell you, their whole album, Something Big, is AWESOME! This song is on it. They don't have an official video, but I'm posting the song on it, so you can hear it.

"I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13). Yeah, life gets hard, so hard sometimes I don't think I can bear it. But I can. And I keep fighting.

K is for Kids These Days

Today, I'm not posting words, but a cute video of a 3yr old singing Justin Bieber's "Baby". He's like seriously into the song. Too precious!

A is for Autotune

I've decided to jump in and join the April A to Z blogging challenge. Basically, the challenge is to blog for 26 days in April (excluding Sundays). Each day is dedicated to a letter of the alphabet. Interested? You can find out more here. I'm joining in late (most bloggers signed up before today). Better late than never, I guess. For this challenge, I'm forgoing my regular blog schedule. This blog challenge is going to be exactly that...a challenge, but hey. I'm up for it. So, here it goes. A is for...

AUTO TUNE

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a Disney fan. Yes, I'm almost 35 and I still like to watch shows like Suite Life on Deck, Wizards of Waverly Place, or Good Luck Charlie. It's the kid in me, what can I say? Plus, I have dreams of one day creating a Disney show. So, yeah. I watch Disney.

One thing I've noticed is all of the songs are now auto tuned. It's like it's a requirement of Disney stars...in order to sing on Disney, you must have your voice auto tuned. It's quite annoying. Some of the songs are pretty good songs, but you can never tell if the singer can actually sing. It would suck if you went to hear them sing live and they end up being bad singers. And it's not just Disney. The music industry is also auto tuning songs now, too. Am I the only one who'd like to hear a song every once in a while without auto tune? Maybe it's just me...

Tickle-Me Tuesday

Ok, say what you want, but I actually think Justin Bieber is a talented musician. I'm not a die hard Bieber fan, but I like some of his music, including, Never Say Never, which was on the Karate Kid soundtrack.

I also think Jaden Smith is just precious. I liked their performance on the Grammys and would have that video, but it also includes Usher's performance (I didn't think Usher did so good that night). So, I'm posting the Never Say Never video. BTW, how cute was it when the camera showed Mama and Papa Smith supporting Jaden?

Tickle-Me Tuesday

I'm not ashamed to say I'm really feeling this song and the video is cute. Not too old for a 9-year old. Good job. *thumbs up*

Random Thoughts Thursday

Quran Burning. So, Pastor Terry Jones has decided not to burn the Quran, because the Ground Zero mosque will be moved (a fact that the group building the mosque denies). I'm wondering if he's reveling in the attention he's gotten from the media. Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt he would've burned the Quran. I just think the media attention didn't make things any better. Now that I think about it, does it (media attention) ever make things better when something negative is showcased? I really think part of this is for attention...and he got just what he wanted. I will be surprised if his church membership doesn't increase after this. smh

And what about him representing all of Christianity? Um....no! I'm a Christian (very faithful and active in my church; in love with God) and I do NOT agree with the burning of the Quran. Do I agree with the Muslim faith? No. But do I believe I have the right to judge Muslims and go about burning the Quran? No. As Christians, our job is to tell people about Jesus and let them make the choice. Whether they choose Jesus or not, we're supposed to love them anyway. How is burning the Quran spreading the love of God? Yes, people around the world probably burn Bibles everyday, but two wrongs don't make a right.

And blaming the whole entire Muslim faith cos of the 9/11 attacks is pure insanity. So, I guess that means African Americans can blame the whole entire white race cos of slavery and the injustice our ancestors suffered, right? Or Jews can blame everyone of German decent because of the Holocaust. Maybe everyone of Native American descent can blame anyone of European descent cos of Christopher Columbus and others following him took their land away. Am I the only one seeing the silliness of this?

Willow Smith. I have mixed feelings about Willow Smith signing on to Jay Z's label. I'm hoping and praying she doesn't grow up too fast. She's only 9. I'm a firm believer in letting kids be kids. On the other hand, I'm kinda feeling her song. I love the beat. It's a great dance song (and I love dancing). Plus, if this is really her singing, she has a nice voice...very Rihanna like. I'd have to hear her live to make sure auto tune didn't doctor her voice up. Judge for yourself.

Random Thoughts Thursday

Katsaridaphobia. I finally found out the name of my fear of roaches. It's actually a phobia! Katsaridaphobia. YAY! Not that I'm celebrating my irrational fear of cockroaches...just that I'm not the only one with that irrational fear.

Rae's Ultimate Career Dream. My ultimate career dream is to be a successful business owner who doesn't have to go in to work everyday (I'll have people who'll run things while I'm gone cos I'll be the boss chick); write books for children and teens full time; continue to research in reading and education...become an expert of some sort that people come to; and travel the world doing conferences and motivational speeches for girls and youth.

Fall Lineup. Shows I look forward to this fall:

Old Favorites. Dancing With the Stars, Castle, NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles, The Good Wife, Glee (OF COURSE), Criminal Minds, Law & Order SVU, CSI, CSI NY, CSI Miami (OF COURSE), Desperate Housewives (only cos Vanessa Williams will be on it), and Grey's Anatomy (only cos cutie pie, Jesse Williams is on it).

New Must Sees. The Event, The Defenders, Law & Order Los Angeles, Undercovers, Blue Bloods, Melissa and Joey (um, 2 words...Joey Lawrence).

Of course some of these shows are on at the same time, so I'd have to choose. I so can't wait til the fall!

Rock Star Dad. My dad was a member of the group, Merge, popular in the late 70s/early 80s. He's the one at the top of the pyramid. This is one of their popular songs, Take it to the Top. Cool, huh?

Tickle-Me Tuesday

AWESOMENESS!!!

Tickle-Me Tuesday

This is a video of my 2 nephews jammin 2 MJ's Thriller. They LOVE them some MJ. His spirit lives on...so glad cos MJ was a classic.

Tickle-Me Tuesday

More musical stylings of Sid Weakly, future rockstar.

Random Thoughts Thursday

The spirit of Michael Jackson lives on in my 5 year-old nephew, Sidney, future rockstar!

Tickle-Me Tuesday

HILARIOUS!

Random Thoughts Thursday Part 1

I've spent most of the day outside enjoying Houston's beautiful, breezy fall weather. Now, I'm paying for it cos my allergies have gone haywire. Ugh! Anyway, my thoughts for the week:

ABDC. NOOOO! My top groups went home Sunday! BOOOOO! It's bad enough this season isn't as good as the previous ones, but now, one of the best groups is now gone. *sigh* So, here's my pick for the remaining three: 3rd place, Afroborike (really, they shouldn't be here over Rhythm City, but whatever); 2nd place, Massive Monkeys; and 1st place: We Are Heroes. I guess we'll see. I'm so disappointed...

VMAs. This year's show was very interesting to say the least. To me, the best parts were the MJ tribute, Beyonce's performance, and Jay Z's performance with Alicia Keys (minus Lil Mama...wth was she doing on the stage). Lady GaGa was mildly disturbing all night from exiting the limo with Kermit as her date (Publicity stunt, I know...I refuse to think she's really that cookoo) to her choice in outfits (What was up with that red number?).

And her performance? *shudder* I totally get what she's saying about the paparazzi, but, gah! That ending...smh Can you say nightmares?

And let's not forget about Kanye taking the mike from Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech and declaring that Beyonce's vid was the best of the year.

While I agree that Beyonce's vid was better - I mean, I LOVED Taylor Swift's vid, but it wasn't better than B's - I don't agree with what Kanye did. Poor Taylor. At least winning her first VMA will be memorable. And what Beyonce did at the end was classy. Say what you want about Mrs. HOV, it was really big of her to give Taylor Swift a chance to finish her acceptance speech on her (B's) time.

And the hoopla about President Obama calling Kanye a jack***...#1, the convo was supposed to be off the record, so it shouldn't have been tweeted (but from what I read, they say it was a misunderstanding). #2, The pres only told the truth. Sunday night, Kanye West did, in fact, behave like a jack***. I know he's since apologized, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he went too far. President Obama only said what other peeps were feeling.

Jay-Z. Made history with his 11th album, Blueprint 3, which pushed him past Elvis Presley as the solo act with the most top albums. Jay Z + Hip Hop = Pure Awesomeness! I guess you can tell I'm a MAJOR fan of Jay!!!

Random Thoughts Thursday

I am just in shock. Michael Jackson, gone. Wow. I'm just...wow. I'm saddened by this news. The only other time(s) I felt the loss of a celeb was when Aaliyah died (still feeling that loss, even 8 years after her death) and Bernie Mac. While I am not crying, as I'm sure millions of people around the world are doing (I did cry when Aaliyah died), I am sad. He's gone. He's really gone.

I hope and pray that #1, people remember him for what he's done for music and entertainment, not for his troubles toward the end, and #2, he's finally found the peace he's obviously been searching for. Despite the troubles he's had in the past, you can't take away from the fact that he was one of the best entertainers of his time. I mean, come on. Beat It. Billie Jean. Thriller...the list goes on. Not to mention the hits from Jackson 5.

I remember when I was little, I had a serious crush on MJ. My crush wilted away (for obvious reasons), but the fact that Michael is one of my fave entertainers did not. More than his music, I loved watching him perform. His dancing...magnificent. Oh how I wanted to be one of the dancers in his videos or on tour. Alot of the performers today, if they were really honest with themselves, can attribute their moves to Michael Jackson. Their performances have MJ written all over it. Justin Timberlake, Usher, Chris Brown, and many more. Even some of Ciara's moves mirror the King of Pop (but on a more feminine and updated way).

His videos were awesome. My favorite Michael Jackson song and video of all time is not Thriller, but Smooth Criminal. I love absolutely EVERYTHING about that song...the track, the beat, the dance moves...I'm absolutely crazy about this song. I'm not the only one, am I? Despite the fact that he'd already started changing, I loved him in Smooth Criminal...like, really, with him dressed in white, hat tilted down, his smooth moves. In spite of his high-water pants & white socks, Michael was sexy in Smooth Criminal. After seeing this video, I secretly wished I could grow up to become Mrs. MJ (oh, come on, I'm not the only girl in the world who had that kind of a crush on him).

Michael Jackson's death (it's just really weird saying that) ends this week of death and sadness. Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett are gone, too. *sigh* In honor of the King of Pop, one of the best entertainers I've ever seen, here's Smooth Criminal. RIP Michael.

Random Thoughts/Fitness Friday

This is my 100th post! Yay me!

iPods. I love music...a lot. I listen to anything that makes me move - from Hip Hop to Pop, Gospel to Latin...if the beat is tight, I'm listening to it. I'm hardly ever in the mood to listen to just one type of music. My iPod playlist reflects that. I'm all about what makes my wanna dance (which is something I love doing). When I listen to my iPod, I usually put it on shuffle and let it play. Like now, I'm listening to 'I'm Gonna Live Til I Die' by Queen Latifah, which has a kind of Broadway feel to it. The next 4 songs are, 'I'd Like To' by Corinne Bailey Rae, 'What About Now' by Daughtry, 'Eres Para Mi' by Julieta Venegas, and 'Right Round' by Flo Rida. See what I'm talking about? Variety...that's what it's all about.

I have the 8GB Nano, which can hold up to 2000 songs. I'm in absolute musical heaven. Has anyone even reached 2000? I know it's possible, but sheesh. 2000 songs! 714. That's how many songs I have and the number is growing. I mean, as long as artists keep coming out with music, I'll have songs to download on my iPod.

Random Fun. I am a BIG fan of wordles/plexers, which are word riddles that make you think. You have to look at the riddle and try to figure out what it's trying to say. For example:

1. The word 'I' is written under the word 'Stand' which gives you the saying, 'I understand'.

2. The word 'deal' is written in big letters, so you get...'big deal'.

3. Can you guess this one?

4. What about this one?

Lenten Season. Today is the last day of Lenten season for me. Technically, Christians fast for 40 days (Ash Wednesday, February 25th - Palm Sunday, April 5th), but my family have always gone the extra week to Easter Sunday. I've been blessed these past 40 days, spending time with Jesus, falling more and more in love with Him. My sacrifice was not food. Giving up eating wouldn't have been a sacrifice for me since I actually don't eat enough in the first place. So, I sacrificed time, pop, and reading. No soda for me. I got up 15 minutes earlier in the morning for devotional time. I don't like getting up earlier than I have to, BUT I needed to start my day off right. The funny thing is, I'm sure I'll continue getting up. My day just isn't right if I don't start off with Jesus. And the reading? Oh boy was that a hard one. I gave up reading my fiction novels for 40 days, which is why my 'Books I've Read in 2009' list has shown the same books for the past month and a half. I think this was the hardest sacrifice because of how much I love reading. Yeah, I'm a nerd, I know (and proud of it). I did it because it got to a point where I was reading my novels more than I was reading my Bible or devotional books. So, anyway, I'm looking forward to reading a good fiction book, but not letting it get more important than reading the ultimate book.

Fitness Friday. I didn't lose another pound, but I'm okay with it. I still have one more week to reach my monthly goal...and even if I don't make it, I'll be happy.

MONTHLY GOAL


OVERALL GOAL

Wordles Answers: 1) I understand; 2) big deal; 3) just between you and me; 4) sitting on top of the world. Wordles taken from: http://pages.minot.k12.nd.us/wordles/set1/; http://http//pages.minot.k12.nd.us/wordles/set2/

Random Thoughts Thursday...On Saturday (again)

I SO need my own laptop! Can you say "perfect Christmas present"?

Living @ Home. My sis and I were having a discussion about the fact that we're grown - I'm 32 and she's 26 - and live with our parents. She's a little bummed about it. Me? I used to be bummed. More like embarrassed. Now, I'm not...well, not as much. I mean, yeah, I miss my independence, ALOT. I moved back January, 2007 cause I couldn't afford to be a full time doctoral student while living in a nice apartment on a substitute teacher salary. I tried and couldn't do it. Moving back in was the last thing I wanted to do, but I had no other choice. It was just smarter to live with my parents 'til I finish my doctorate program (next year, YAY!). So, I'm okay with it now. I think the fact that we're not just moochin' off my parents helps keep my attitude positive. There are grown children who sit around their parents' homes and do absolutely nothing. No offense, but I think that's just trifling. Can't do it. My sis and I have jobs, pay rent, help out with the food, etc. We help out around the house. We are planning on buying house & becoming roommates, but that's not til next year. So, yeah. I'm 32 and live with my parents. I think of it like this: I'm in good company. Jesus was 33 when he moved out his parents house to do what he was called for. :)

Songs I'm Really Feelin. Every time I hear these songs on the radio, I feel compelled to blast the radio and sing/dance along. I am absolutely FEELIN these songs. Now, just so you know, my taste in music is diverse. I listen to almost everything (can't really get into the heavy metal type). This list kind of reflects my taste. Here are 30 songs that get me moving:

• Green Light by John Legend
• Live Your Life by T.I. f/Rhianna - OMG, I'm really lovin this song!
• Bust Your Windows by Jazmine Sullivan - okay so she's talking bout busting the windows of an ex's car. Clearly, I'm not like that...I just like the hip-hoppish tango track. Really.
• I Need You Bad by Jazmine Sullivan
• Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) by Beyonce
• Magic by Robin Thicke
• Flaws and All by Beyonce - This is a beautiful song.
• Big Enough by Ayiesha Woods
• Let It Rock by Kevin Rudolf
• Corazon by Prima J
• Addicted by Saving Abel
• Cry for You by September
• Keeps Gettin Better by Christina Aguilera
• Te Mando Flores by Fonseca
• When I Grow Up by The Pussycat Dolls
• Miss Independent by NeYo - Lovin it!
• American Boy by Estelle f/Kanye West
• Gotas de Agua Dulce by Juanes
• All Around Me by Flyleaf
• Mercy by Duffy
• Pegate by Ricky Martin
• Jamas by Ricky Martin - Don't care what anyone says. I've loved Ricky Martin's music for a while. His song, La Copa de La Vida (The Cup of Life) actually hooked me on Latin/Spanish music.
• Calabria 2008 by Enur f/Natasja
• So What by Pink
• Hot N Cold by Kate Perry
• Burning Up by Jonas Brothers
• Swagger Like Us by T.I. f/Kanye, Jay-Z, & Little Wayne
• Set the World on Fire by Brit Nicole
• Solo Para Ti by Camila: Actually, anything by Camila
• Love Lockdown by Kanye West

So, these are actually a few of the songs. There were too many to name. When you get in my car, you'd see the different kind of radio stations I have programmed: Spanish, Contemporary Christian, Gospel, Hip Hop/R&B, Pop... What can I say? I'm crazy about music. I can't help it - it's in my blood (my dad's a musician).