It's A Lazy Monday

Hey y'all it's Monday; I know everyone hates Monday's but I hope my blog can be at least one good thing you can look forward to on a Monday. Today i'm going to switch things up a bit; some people close to me might have seen this already while to others this will be a new experience. Today I will be sharing a bit of myself with you as I let you read a story I wrote once upon a time ago. I'm hoping you like it and its something that will pull you in for an enjoyable ride; i'm thinking i'll let you have the first two pages and you can comment if you liked it or not and that will determine if I post another two pages or more. Honestly I was supposed to write about "changes" today but work has be run down and tired so I don't want to write something I don't put my all into for you guys.

Equivalent Exchange

It was the summer of 2009; if hell was the hottest place imaginable to the mind, then living through this heat was as close as one could get being alive. It was a blisteringly hot evening, as had become the norm during this summer heat wave that had taken hold of Japan. People walking, would randomly look up as if looking to see the sky open up and quench the earth with a shower of rain to take the intense heat away; but sadly the more they looked up, the hotter it seemed to get. From the school kids with the opened blazers and hiked up skirts, to the business men with unbuttoned collars, to the senior citizens with battery operated portable hand fans; everyone was doing their best to deal with the sweltering heat.

As Nika walked off the sidewalk and into the train station, the rousing aroma of fallen cherry blossoms scattered on the ground and being trampled upon by the heavy flow of pedestrians lingered on her olfactory system. She had grown accustomed to that sweet aroma, but the heat that accompanied it was not as pleasurable. It had been four years since she had moved to Japan; yet it all felt so foreign to her. As she stood there on the train platform waiting for the 4 p.m. train to Kyoto, she thought to undo the top two buttons of her blouse to help cool down a bit. She began to gently place her custom-made brown leather attaché down by her feet; but as she did so and began to unbutton her collar, she noticed a small group of men just coming from work; no doubt heading to a karaoke bar in Kyoto watching her and conversing amongst each other. This behavior in and of itself was nothing new to Nika; she had started maturing both mentally and physically at a very young age and as such began to inadvertently command the attention of the opposite sex. Normally she would go along and give a little show and tease them to wet their appetite but with all the heat and her day at work she just didn't feel like it, she just wanted to get on the Shinkansen to Kyoto and relax for a bit on her way home. As the Shinkansen rumbled into the station right on time, she just scoffed at the group of men as she took up her attaché; and proceeded to board the train.

Inside the train was air-conditioned; a perfect haven for those trying to get away from the hot summer heat wave that had Japan in its fiery grasp. Everywhere you looked, you could see people showing signs of fatigue from the relentless heat and a wide array of ways to try and cope with the heat. As Nika sat there in her seat on the crowded Shinkansen going into Kyoto; she couldn’t help but drift off into the depths of her mind. As she sat there seemingly staring out the window of the train admiring the rapidly passing foliage; no one could tell that this young lady was actually deep in thought, replaying the major events of the past eight years of her life  that had inevitably led her to the current path she had chosen to walk down. 

This was the only time that she had to herself; this daily train ride reflection was her ritualistic means of introspection after another boring day at work pretending to be something she was not. She longed for the day when she could be herself and not have to be something she was not; it was as if everyday a little piece of her died and was swept away with the hustle and bustle of the city. Always having to be alert and have a watchful eye for occurrences outside of the norm that might indicate they had gone back on the agreement. With a sudden jerk, the Shinkansen started to pull out of the station and begin its journey cross country to Kyoto; Nika placed her attaché underneath her seat and leaned back on the soft cushiony train seat. And so the ritual began; her dance with the past as she strolled down memory lane, wondering just what exactly had gotten her into this predicament.

Was it the fact that she had been an average girl but suddenly skyrocketed into the spotlight of popularity when she hit puberty, or maybe it was her parents who could never say no to her adorable little face growing up? Whatever it was, she had grown into a strong willed and manipulative woman that always knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it. She had always been that way since high school, she was head cheerleader, head of the science club and upon graduation school and district valedictorian. Nika in one form or another was always commanding the respect or attention of her peers around her, whether through academia or through envy.

As she sat there mulling over the endless possibilities that had gotten her to this stage in her life, she couldn’t help but dwindle on the memory of Brett Davis. His piercing blue eyes and beach blonde bowl cut hair, he was the intellectual type but somehow he had the body of an athlete. He was the type of man to always be punctual, whether for work or recreation, never to be seen slovenly dressed or displaying outlandish and boorish behavior. Brett held him-self accountable to high standards, he set for himself both in and out of the workplace. He stood at a whopping 6 feet 2 inches and you felt like a small plant in his presence. His charming and witty demeanor lifted you to his level so you never viewed him as overbearing or felt inferior to him. He was what many would call a man’s man, at first glance you would be wary if not intimidated by his demeanor as he commanded a high level of respect as soon as he entered any room, however once you engaged him in conversation it was easy to tell that he meant you no ill will and was an excellent conversationalist. Brett flipped her world eight years ago to the day; but its presence in her mind felt like it had just happened yesterday...

So what do you guys think of my story...?

(more to come possibly)

more.

ONE LOVE: JAMAICAN BLOGGER TAG

So yeah I got tagged by this idle ass niggah named Alwayne AlterEgo Brown who runs a blog called theincompleteid10t so now i'm obligated to do this and help spread the fame and wealth of blogging around for one and all. Above you can find the most Jamaican picture of myself that I own; honestly not much of a Jamaican except by birth cause mostly grew up overseas. I'm kinda like a double stuffed Oreo at this point, where i'm only black on the outside but everything on the inside is white, from my personality to my speech to my choice in foods and music. So excited I got to share; lets find out what this Jamaican Blogger Tag is all about...

The rules for this tag:

· Title your post “One Love: Jamaican Blogger Tag”

· Link back to the blogger who tagged you

· Copy and paste the rules at the beginning of your tag.

· Copy and paste the questions as well so readers know what’s going on.

· Answer the questions because quite frankly questions were made to be answered

· Tag seven other Jamaican Bloggers to continue the trend. (this is not gonna happen cause I really don't even know that many Jamaican bloggers to be honest.)

The questions are as follows:

1) Why did you give your blog its name? (If it is named directly after you, try and make your answer interesting. eg: Did you feel nervous at all about putting your name out there? Did you just lack creativity at the time?)

2) Why did you start blogging and why do you blog now?

3) Do you think being Jamaican influences your blogging style?

4) What do you think about the increase in Bloggers in Jamaica?

5) What is your favourite thing about being Jamaican?

6) Ackee and salt-fish or “ (mackerel) run down”?

7) Stew peas or stew chicken?

8) Tastee Patties, Juici Beef Patties or Mother’s?

9) Pantucky or KFC?

10) What do you hope to be the future of blogging in Jamaica?

So now that we have that out of the way:

1) Why did you give your blog its name?

Honestly i'm a sucker for alliteration. I think its a pretty cool literary device and it takes a bit of skill to implement at times but it helps to have a large vocabulary. So that was just my little bit of fun; but a better example of alliteration would be this video; shit gets real around the 0:35 second mark.

2) Why did you start blogging and why do you blog now?

It was always something I was interested in because I like to write but kept putting it off because of laziness. Granted my grammar sucks at times; I usually wrote creative short stories from time to time, but as time marched on over the years I wrote less and less. Eventually I only found myself writing when I had no access to the internet or a video game. Anyone who knows me in real life knows that this is a rarity. So when I tried to apply for a job as a video game journalist and they told me I needed to have a blog or online presence that demonstrated my use of  the craft I kind of took that as the proverbial fire under my ass that I needed to get started. Currently I still maintain blogging because I have come to amass a small following of sorts. People count on me to provide them with either something entertaining or a bit of gaming news to help them out. Gaming is a priority always and forever and it is important that I carry on providing people with an outlet to experience it and other important life lessons.

3) Do you think being Jamaican influences your blogging style?

Nope cause like I mentioned before i'm pretty much a white boy on the inside. I usually joke about it but I would reckon i'm more Canadian in nature than Jamaican at this point. After living there all these years and meshing with the culture and people I find myself very happy and at peace there. So yeah moving right along...

4) What do you think about the increase in Bloggers in Jamaica?

I think its a pretty cool thing; its a step in the right direction showing we are moving forwards as far as social media and technology are concerned and that's always a good thing. As a third world country its good to know we are making strides to at least keep up with growing and emerging trends on the world stage. The tools are there to be used; its just the people that have to find the desire to use them for the greater good.

5) What is your favorite thing about being Jamaican?

I think that would probably be my easy going nature. I think that is a typical staple point of Jamaica on a whole because of our way of life here we aren't as stressed out or frantic with the dealings of everyday life. Through this demeanor we are able to overcome most if not all trials and tribulations we are faced with. That would be my diplomatic and proper answer to that question. My honest answer however would be the lack of copyright laws here that enable us to freely download any and everything from the internet.

6) Ackee and salt-fish or “ (mackerel) run down”?

Definitely Ackee and Saltfish cause it has way more substance and taste than 'run down' has to me. Feel free to cast your own opinions after clicking the links of both.

7) Stew peas or stew chicken?

Stew peas without a doubt. BEEF > CHICKEN all day every day. CASE CLOSED!!!

8) Tastee Patties, Juici Beef Patties or Mother’s?

This is a highly debatable topic and many a time I have had this conversation, for those who don't know what a patty is feel free to check this link out. Now to the matter at hand; Mothers is the poor people's patty restaurant of choice but because of this their food is of an inferior quality. All their food is of a paler color which i link to the aforementioned point as well as their patties have a papery taste/feel to them. Tastee patties are OK for the most part but they are flat, they don't have much sense of them being a baked item where the flour rose while being baked. A perfect example of this is their coco bread which while big and good value for your money is flat and more like unleavened bread instead of being soft and airy like you would expect baked dough to be. So our winner is Juici Beef; while they may seem the most expensive you pay for the quality of service and goods that are being served to you.

Now Thats Juici Beef Goodness

9) Pantucky or KFC?

Neither to be honest if possible. Yes le gasp I know; a black guy that doesn't like fried chicken or such. Such a travesty but oh well; I kinda have a phobia of bones I guess you would call it. Ever since I was a kid I always hated bones and would always waste the chicken and get cussed out by my parents so I kinda just stopped eating chicken unless its like the Breast which is mostly meat and minimal bone so I can just peel off the big chunk of meat and eat that. However just in-case I had to pick on I would choose KFC cause they sell Popcorn Chicken and Zingers which have no bones.

10) What do you hope to be the future of blogging in Jamaica?

Honestly just that it becomes a more recognized and appreciated form of journalism. Maybe even companies taking an interest in buying ad space on blog sites to reach their target demographics more or such. Hopefully maybe even having a personal blog can be used on a resume as more than just a hobby but instead be seen as practical work experience.

Let The Tagging Begin

Lucky Blogger #1

Lucky Blogger #2

Lucky Blogger #3

Lucky Blogger #4

Lucky Blogger #5

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