I'm always amazed to hear of air crash victims so badly mutilated that they have to be identified by their dental records. What I can't understand is, if they don't know who you are, how do they know who your dentist is?
Paul Merton

A quickie but goodie...

The Reassurer
The reassurer brings peace of mind
and takes your optimism even further.
But when it comes to checks and balances...
who assures the reassurer?

Okay, that one was pretty brief, but hey, that was from way back in high school! In any event...

Hey guys!
Da kat unda da Kangol cap here, and I just ran out of greetings to use. Umph.
In any event, how funny is it, when the moment you finally decide to take your friends' advice and acquire a fotolog, is the moment they decide they can no longer accept new members?? Pretty funny, right?!
Well, the good news my camera phone pics are all saved on zip disk. So whenever the thing gets fixed again, I perhaps may have a fotolog.

This week has got to be the oddest week for me. I call it,The Week of Familiar Faces, because almost everyday for the past week, I've seen a face I have never seen in months, or years.
I start off with Shola, whom I thought when we last spoke, we were on mere speaking terms. It has been well over nine months since I've seen the dude, and last Thursday, we took about 10 minutes to catch up on our lives, realize that we haven't changed much, and notice that there might've been a fire further down Fulton Street. Right now, he's at Brooklyn College, and working afterschool. Hope all that works out for him. On the way home, I couldn't help but recall the many memories (even the background picture you see right now); I can only hope there is life after the altercation...
Hours before meeting Shola, I bumped into Mary Jane, one of the Hunter College Super-Seniors (since 1995), a woman who had all her accounting classes with me, and I thought graduated over the summer. As it turns out, she graduates in December, and she really misses the good times we had. Well, all I can say is, hope everything works out with her...
Backtracking to Wednesday, when I had jury-duty (yes! I had jury-duty!). Well, it was nothing. For the first time, I went downtown, sat with a bunch of other possible juror candidates, waited for our names to be called, walked around a bit, went into another room to wait for our names to be called, went to a courtroom, gave a speech about myself, had lunch, came back and waited once more for our names to be called, and be excused from jury duty. Why, you ask, because I'm a student. While the experience in itself was exciting, boring, and tiring at the same time, I did enjoy the 1-1/2 hour lunch break. And it was while I was on break that I caught another familiar face, Sean, a kat I haven't seen in some 8 or 9 years. We barely remembered each other's faces; but when we did, we had a blast talking about the old days, and about the present. Turns out, he's a security guard working to get his G.E.D..
Whoa, I just realized something. We left Junior High School 265 together in '95, and he's now tryin' to get his GED?? Well okay, different strokes for different folks. Maybe something happened in his life that prevented him from finishing High School. In any case, I hope things turn out well for him too...
Backtracking once more to the beginning of the week, Sunday. In PathMark, where I used to work back in high school, I was stocking up on my necessities for midterm month (next month, by the way). When lo and behold, I ran into Latahsa!! Okay, I have never mentioned her before, but it has been so long, I thought I'd never see her again! About six years ago, when I worked at PathMark as a home-delivery guy, I chilled out with this girl named Latasha, who I felt just there with me because she wanted someone to talk to. No prob, I thought; maybe there might be something there. That relationship pretty much lasted until she left PathMark, and I left for higher heights. And that was about six years ago. Now, she works somewhere in SoHo, and goes to BMCC (ahh, who else do I know that goes to BMCC...). At the time, she felt to stand on line, wait for the next available U-Scan machine, and have a full-fledged conversation with me; but alas, I had to rush home. Stupid me does not get her number though, so there goes that one. But perhaps we might meet again...
And where have I heard that line before...
On Thursday, I met with Tavie, and I helped her finish her summer duties so she can finally move on to her fall tasks. What exactly did I do? I walked with her to Central Park, and we walked around for a good fifteen/twenty minutes before we ran to class. Damn that fotolog, when I finally want to post these pictures, the thing won't let me!! Blast!
I'm pretty sure I ran into someone else over this week. I'm trying to remember who, but's it's not coming back to me...

As Danillo tells me, Kirby,of New York, 10021 fame, was discharged from the college. Reason being: low GPA. Well, whodathunkit!?!
Tomorrow, as an addendum, I will post my review of The Rock's The Rundown; but little does he know the real reason I'm seeing it is for Rosario...

Some more things to note:
The cold dissipated on Thursday. If you can't get your hands on that Nitacengel, Nitracel or whatever it is that Vee is taking, try the more simple, natural, yet horrible-tasting ginger tea; it has been proven effective to stop a cold before it starts...

Nights In White Satin
Moody Blues

Nights in White Satin, eh? Try this oldie for size:

Fallin' In Love
Hamilton
Billboard Top Hits 1975

Why this one? It just made me remember that one crazy night when we (me, my parents, and my brother) took the non-stop drive from Florida to BK in pop's 1993 Hyundai Excel. Nighttime on Interstate 95, at 65 MPH, the drive felt endless. And we were still in North Carolina. How we managed to still smell average after the whole ordeal amazed me at the time. And this song was one of the songs off of pop's old WPIX Penthouse Collection audio cassette tapes that he played...

Baby baby fallin' in love
I'm fallin' in love again
Baby baby fallin' in love
I'm fallin' in love again

It seems like yesterday
you and I first loved this way
but now I know how love can grow with each and every day
As we lay at Midnight's hour
and feel love's hidden power
So strong and bold as life unfolds a mystery to me

Baby baby fallin' in love
I'm fallin' in love again...

Take me home, Pop. Take me home...

Remember Nedra, whose blog I found some days ago? Well it turns out that she and her significant other just had a baby recently. So big-ups and best of luck to her on that one...

After realizing I'm fighting a losing battle (with now 2185 songs and exactly 2.3 MB of space left), I've decided that there is only one logical, and sensible, and costly, thing to do:
Acquire the brand new 40GB iPod.
$500 will get me the top of the line, most spacious model, but that only means I have to wait until November to get it. Which is a shame, because I would have only had my 2nd-Gen 10GB model for a little less than year before I bought a newer model. I can only imagine the looks on my parents' faces when I bring it home...

Besides school (next week starts Midterm Month), and work (same 'ole, same 'ole), everything else is cool at da crib! And with that said, I bid you adieu! Enjoy yourselves!!!

Here's something I noticed, as I finally submitted my blog on The Weblog Review, that there are a lot of shy-guys blogging!

This is a list of blogs I've found:
Shyguy's Fortress - someone who has puts a lot of links on his blog, and even has his own page!!! I recommend you check this out...

Shy-Guy's Blog - An Asian dude who obviously knows more about HTMLs than I do.

myOtaku.com's ShyGuy - A Disneyland workin', Buffy-watching, Cali bred dude named Josh who apparently has no talents whatsoever. Fascinating.

Evan's Super Blog! - A real cool guy who loves golf and weightloss. You gotta read it for yourself.

i.y.m.c. knobbers - the-shy-guy is one of three guys who rave/rant on this page. The shy-guy here is a wrestling fan who was kind enough to define "knob" for me. Basically, it's another term for my jabroni. Hope those guys are successful with their DVD-binge.

Okay, two blogs I now know for sure are from katz n' kittenz in the Crown Heights, BK area...

Bitchfest - Pretty self explanatory. A woman named Nedra who wore a dress from the early 70's to work, and listened to Debarge's All This Love. Nice legs, from a man perspective...

Inf3kted: The Life & Times of D. Joesph - the gif with the little kid was hilarious. A guy named Dennis who shares some interests with me; namely Gene Simmons' Sex Money Kiss.


I checked out this site, and found it very informative. While it brought up very bad memories, it still was a cool site, with a nice photo.

Okay, I'm moving on...

"There is one thing I would break up over and that is if she caught me with another woman. I wouldn't stand for that."
Steve Martin

Holla back, from da Kat unda da Kangol Cap! Another week, another post, another series of events that bring me closer to graduation.
This week's thoughts might seem incoherent, and forgive me, I do not have the luxury this week of planning everything out. So they come as I think of 'em...



Yup, brand-spanking-new 15" TiBooks are here! Yeah, I know I said I was going for the 12-inch TiBook, but with no Firewire 800, and no PC-Card slot, and adding the fact that a 17-inch TiBook is too much for me, I was glad to know that the folks at Apple thought about peeps like me. My only complaint...

No G5??
What the hell?!

Oh well.

In any event, i took Vee's test, and got the same result:


Poseidon


?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla

I'm usually not one for these tests, but it gave me something to do while I waited for an email reply.

Fallen
Mya
Moodring

Here it is again! Another album in which I can't find fault in. In the quest to not upgrade my iPod by cutting down song count, I have been unable to find a song from this album to delete! I can't believe that Mya, like John Mayer, 50 Cent, and Beyoncé, is making good music!
While on the subject, I happened to have read her interview for King Magazine. And while I was stuck on the pics for a while (who wasn't?), I couldn't help but ponder on her "new found sexual independence." Are these sexual adventures, none of which I mind partaking in, part of her growing up, or are they just devices to sell her album? After My Love is Like... Wo, that question does raise some debate...

My grandmother just returned to Trinidad an hour ago, from a two-week stay at the crib. Having her here was just wonderful; especially with the lengthly conversations she and Pop had. It allowed me to watch my Bret Hart compilations in peace; and as it turned out, my grandma used to watch wrestling! Now that's hilarious. She's 80, and my grandpop is 84. I hope next time she comes, grandma brings him with her!


I finally acquired the SONY MDR-EX71SL Earphones last week. After a week or so of testing, I have concluded that these are beyond all shadow of doubt, the best earphones I've had. Though a bit pricey (@ exactly $50), I've seen earphones for 3 times that amount. Though the phones go inside the ear, they have a snug fit, and generate excellent bass, reproducing all of the sound very accurately. They get a 10 out of 10 from me; with my only complaint being the warranty and earphone information are in Japanese...

Union Square had a special seamstress special on Sunday. I saw the largest yarn sale on Earth, and immediately I thought of Tavie. But as she relayed to me, she'll only end up buying the entire lot, and cash is low. So I offer her credit, to which she declined. Oh well, I tried.

In almost surreal timing, or perhaps after reading her blog today, I'm starting to develop a cold. Very weird that Vee and I develop colds right around the same time.
Too weird.
At least I have something to fight it: ginger tea. My brother balks at it, but as I tell him: All ya gotta do is let it cool down, hold your nose, and guzzle it down the system. With any luck, in two days I'll be fine. I hope...

All right, folks. I need to rest for work tomorrow. Catch you next week...

You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 today and we don't know where the hell she is...
Ellen DeGeneres

Okay, where was I? Oh yeah, the rest of the week...

Well, it's now two weeks, and not much has happened. All-righty-then, that may not totally be accurate...
Earlier this week, my Grandmother from Trinidad came up to New York for the third time in her life to visit! She and my pop certainly had a lot to talk about, being that they both have been through a lot since this millennium started. Coincidentally, while pop was getting past his temporary illness, grandma had defeated cancer! Well, that's a bold statement, but in general that's what happened. And not only does she beat it, but she amazingly gains enough strength to travel again! She came to us on Sunday, and stayed with us until Wednesday, when a very close cousin of Grandmother's literally begged us to bring her over to their house. Well three cheers to my pop & grandma, who spent hours talking when she arrived at da crib; I was even able to get about an hour of conversation between the two on videotape. That way, we all will have that memory of pop beaming from ear to ear as they talked, and talked, and talked...
Come to think of it, Grandmother is indeed very courageous; only someone brave would travel to NYC weeks after the country's largest blackout, and days before the 2nd anniversary of the 9/11 massacre.

And yesterday, I celebrated the 2nd anniversary of 9/11 by doing something I might have done that day had it not occurred:
Shopping.
I hit J & R for some blank CD's, some stereo cables, and a scratch remover kit for CDs, with the high hopes that it will work on my iPod as well. Century 21 was next, and I got some new scents, including Azzaro's Chrome, which I must admit does smell refreshing. Then, it was on to ChinaTown, as I attempted to find the Sony Nude MDEX71L earphones in white. That was unsuccessful, so today, I go to 14th Street and try my luck there. Furthermore, I upgraded my cell phone! Finally, after two months of patient waiting, and a lot of other people's opinions, I finally walked out of 34th Street Verizon Wireless Store with my brand-spanking-new LG VX6000 Camera phone!! I will get some of my daily pics up on webshots as soon as possible.

Ah, my last year at Hunter College. It's the same old story here: cold, boring, dry atmosphere. The only catch this year is that there are new heads here; in fact, there are a lot more new faces this year than normal. I said my last year may be my most challenging, but this is ridiculous! And already, I'm getting some heat from the Hunter regulars about me being here for a fifth year. My only solace is that I changed my major three years ago, and ended up being in a totally different 4 year program. A sod off later, the conversation changes.
Also of note, the Geology 101 class I thought I registered for turned out to be Geography 101; you can imagine the anger I was feeling being in that cold, desolate auditorium at 7:15 at night, with a bunch of total strangers. I bolted out of there so fast, the professor probably thought I had a case of diarrhea! Okay, what does that mean for me, you ask? Well, it means one thing, one thing only:
I must take BIO 102 at Hunter College next spring.
Principles of Biology. Part II. Spring 2004. The Ultimate Challenge. The long highway of hell to graduation. Katz, it doesn't look good from here...

The new 20GB and 40GB iPods are now available! I must admit to you, getting 20GBs of music for the same price I paid for 10GBs is a very attractive offer. Hey, even getting 40GBs of music for $500 is amazing. But I do not see myself filling, or attempting to fill, 10,000 songs on an iPod. Then again, I also didn't see myself filling a 10GB iPod with more than 2000 songs; and now I am playing the game of eliminating the songs I do not want.

Naughty Girl
Beyoncé
Dangerously in Love

I can't believe that I have not found one song off this album that I do not like, or wish to rid of. These new artists are actually making some pretty awesome music! I also can't believe that the RIAA has turned up the heat on their war against music piracy. It's gotten to the point where they sue a 12-year old harmless honor student from right here in the city! My heart goes out to her, I can't imagine the grief they went through this week. Though my condolences won't help pay her $2000+destruction of all acquired music settlement, I still offer them, and hope that no one else has to go through similar situations. It is a shame that the war has reached this point, I can only imagine what they intend to do about bootlegged music...

My iPod turned nine-months old yesterday! And through diligent work (yeah, the scratch removing kit worked), it looks as smooth and clean as it did when I brought it out of the box in December! As of this writing, there are 2154 songs on it, and 122MB (yes, 122MB) of space left.

Got It Right Here
Sizzla
Da Real Thing

My personal life? Well, it's improved slightly over the months. The job's cool, and people sit next to me on the bus more often (why I write this, I dunno; but hey, you ask.) In fact, I wrote the draft of this post on the Q32, sitting next to this woman who I called the other day. We had some rather fascinating conversations on the bus, and on the phone; but as to whether somethin's there...
You'll find out later.


Didn't I promise you guys a freelance?
Well, it's not awe-striking, but it is something. So I bid you adieu, and hope you enjoy the rest of the week. Until next time, from the other side...

Starting Over

I had to rewind my clock this morning,
with fresh cold water running against my face.
The beginning of a new search was here,
and I, like the early bird,
wish to acquire a running headstart.
But, my baby called me during breakfast,
and said she wants to start over.
From which point she wishes to accomplish this
was the thought that stuck on my mind.
For I remember not when it all began,
and never time-lined the turning points
of this crazy and amazing relationship
whose race I thought ended yesterday.
So I replied, how far do you wish to relapse?
Back to the first date? First kiss?
Or maybe the first time,
to see if we read all the signs right in the beginning?
She smiled as her gentleness and warmth
was felt halfway across the phone line.
She realized she never had a specific point either,
but was intent on making a lasting one.
A conversation that never was supposed to occur
so early in the new day I had prepared for,
took hours to get past.
But the resolution was partially formed:
"We rendezvous later, to discuss it then."
I look at a 1PM clock and realise
starting over is easier as a thought, not as an action.

I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He said I was being ridiculous - everyone hasn't met me yet.
Rodney Dangerfield

Aye-yae-yae! For the first time since my last post, I have access to a computer (not necessarily mine, but I have access.) It's been an ankle-cracking, backbreaking week for me! Carnival, school, work, parental-carbon-based-units, I don't know where to start! Well, here's the song in my head:

"I had to rock the boat
I had to shake a tree
to see what falls
down on me;
I thought well maybe I can make it
If I never give in
I've been down before,
I ain't goin' down again.

I was making some noise
I was a working boy
Up at the top of my voice
saying 'Look at me mama, I'm making some noise!'..."

Makin' Some Noise
Tom Petty
Into The Great Wide Open

Okay, greetings & blessings first and foremost from da Kat unda da Kangol cap! Now, if you were looking for me on Monday, you probably didn't find me because I left the cap at home! Not that I need a new one (actually, I do...), but I just forgot to wear it.
After quick deliberations, I decided to start with Carnival on da Parkway, which was just awesome! Despite the heavy pushing and shoving, and the guy who was killed for knocking into the wrong guy at the wrong time, which is essentially what happened, I had fun. I left da crib around 12PM, and met my friends fifteen minutes later. After getting a layout of the parkway, we realized that getting on the street was going to be a lot harder than last year, with all the tight security and such. But as Bloomberg and the late James Davis (R.I.P.) found out, there are cracks in the system, and though it took three hours, we found them. So the deal was made that the first to get in the street gets a buck a head for getting the rest of the kliq in; and the first to get a wine would get $5 from the last person to get one. At 3:10PM, I was the first to get in! I fell ass first, but 'twas well worth it, and just in time for the Def Jam Island float! Four dollars and 7 minutes later, for the first time in 4 Carnivals (1 in Atlanta, the rest in NY), I was the first to get in, and the first to get a wine! The beaming grin on my face healed the pain I still felt up my butt. And the $5 didn't hurt either.
It didn't take long for the police to make attempts to bring order to the parade; and they brought on the huge, big-time barricades, literally flushing us down the parkway. We blended in the crowd, and eventually jumped back into the service roads. As I got frustrated and started walking back home, the VP Records float passed by, and next minute, I was back on the main road, jammin' with the rest of the crowd. I even got my Trini flag signed by Lexxus!! While it wasn't Tanto Metro and Devonte, whose autograph I wanted so much, Lexxus signed it, and that's good enough. There were lots of push'n'shovin', which led to a gunshot, and even more push'n'shovin. Luckily, police were there to catch the gunman, and order was restored.
But before I move on, I must tell ya about this girl my boy Dennis and I met before the gunshot. The nickname all the guys nearby gave her was Miss Movie-Star, because every time the camera was on her, she was lighting her ass on fya!!! No underwear, no bra, just a skimpy t-shirt, and a white see-through pair of shorts that would attract every man on the parkway within a five mile distance; she might as well had a sign on her that said "I want attention, wine up on me!" We bumped into her, wining on this Jamaican dude, and those two went all the way. It didn't take long to realize that she was also Jamaican, and she was doing it for the attention. Dennis, Bajan by blood, Bajan by nature, couldn't help but grab it. Turning my head, I felt her hand smacking my ass, thinking I was the one who grabbed it! Next thing, a huge male-dominant crowd gathered, all getting some of her; and they all took turns grabbing her ass, while she smacked theirs back. She eventually shied away after awhile, and while her attempt was futile, to some degree, it was successful. Some time elapsed, and she teased us for a wine. Normally, I would've jumped in, but it was clear she was way out of my league, and the last thing I need to see is her wining on me on videotape at the nearby video store. So I let Dennis go in, which he had no problem doing, because he has no forethought. Several wines later, Miss Movie-star and we parted ways, only to bump into each other again on the VP Records float. Not that I minded, it was around 4:16PM, and half an hour since I last took a wine; and she didn't mind, since it would garner her just a little more attention. So she me gave a slow one, and a rough one, and yes, I got my grab back before time ran out on me. Moments later came her man, the same Jamaican dude she was wining with when we met her, and they rushed to the head of the VP Records float, probably in an attempt to get inside the float. About ten to twenty minutes later, the gunshot sounded, and total rambunction ensued.
But for me, the best was yet to come. Because around 5:30PM, the Massive B float arrived on New York Avenue, with the combo of Sean Paul, Elephant Man, Bling Dawg, and Bounty Killa performing atop! Did you hear me?! Ele and da Warlord performing on top of da float! I would have never had guessed it if that Trini-girl with devil horns on her head hadn't passed me by, and teased me with a wine invite. I had to let her know that while I'm a Christian at heart and spirit, I will take the devil down by the horns. No need to discuss what happened after that; as we wined down the road, she noticed BK, and I caught a glimpse of Ele. We joined the revelers, some of which were already gettin' busy, and flooded around the float. Leaving the trini-devil (heheh), I proceeded to find Dennis, the only guy at this time with a camera phone. (Oh yeah, due to the fact Dennis is the only guy in the kliq with a camera of any kind, I have no pics until he releases them. That is of course, if you want to see my Lexxus signed Trini flag.) This time around, the crowd was just totally out of control, and massive shoving occurred. By the time it was all over, I was so dizzy, I passed by my own crib! But before I even made to that point, I met this short Jai-ai chick, who wined with me several hours prior. When we finally recognized each other, we wined some more, until the crowd went nuts. To my immediate right, a guy who drank too much and was sweating bullets, passed out on the road. The nearby Carnival-goers had to escort him to the service road, 'cuz Dennis was trying to get shots of the da Warlord, and I was too busy wining. The woman, due to the insanity of the moment, kept dropping her belongings. So I had to actually provide a shield of sorts to help her out, making it harder for everyone to just push their way around the road, buying her time to retain her stuff, in which she was very grateful. Minutes later, we finally escaped the maddening crowd, and had to catch our breath (and our toes), regaining our composure from the melee before we started walking back home (well, I walked her to her sister's location, a few blocks from home.)
The conversation, aside from feeling very dizzy and a tad bit on the drunken side, was very cool. She was a true Jamaican in nature, accent and all, and we really enjoyed each other's company. Fortunately for her, she met her sister, they were all okay, and nothing was broken. Unfortunately for me, I found out all the preliminary info that I needed to know except the two most important pieces; her name, and her phone number. To this day, I still dunno why I forgot to ask her, and she at the time was probably wondering the same thing. And an ass isn't the term I'd use to describe how I felt as I got a stronghold of my surroundings. This is between you and me; I haven't had the heart to finish the story to the rest of my kliq...
Other than that, Carnival was fun! Slow for the real action to begin, but once it did, I got my 365 days of waiting's worth. I drank a little bit when it was over, but not too much. With school starting, and my work schedule mixing in with school for the first time, I needed to be at 100%, or at least 85%. When I finally got off my feet, I was so tired, my back was actually talking to me with words. My ankles felt dislocated, my thighs over-contracted; I was a mess physically. The seven-hour rest wasn't even enough to help me make it through Tuesday...

I'm gonna have to put the rest of the week and such for tomorrow. In any event, with the fun I had, and the Trini-flag signed, I give this Carnival a 10 out of 10, and it was better than last year. The only downs I can consider were the facts that one, the crowds were out of control; two, I couldn't get Tanto Metro and Devonte's autograph; and three, I didn't see Rupee, nor Krosfyah. Dunno if they were supposed to be there, but it's not the same without them. Okay, gotta go. Later...