"my hair is..."

EDITED: 9/30/2011

(I'm being a tad facetious here but I had the urge to write and the words just spilled out!)

Thick as the jungle

Smooth as milk
Black as the night
Soft as silk

Wild, untamed
With the depth of a mane

It's brilliant, it's classic
You with me? Fantastic

Magnetic hands
Pulled in to touch
Curls upon curls
Don't you love it so much?

I know that it's true
But one thing that's new
You won't get to know
My hair like I do

It's natural, it's mine
With me all the time
And life is much better
Since we've been together

In case you were wondering, I do not consider the above an afro.

underestimate me

EDITED: 9/30/2011

I like when you do that for two specific reasons:

#1. You clearly don't know me
#2. You can be the first person I laugh in the face of when I've proved you wrong

I know that I hold immense power. It may be tucked away behind my inner need to laugh at life and a friendly smile. It is sometimes stored in my heart and mind, places with passwords that only I have access to. Don't forget that it's there, though... I will become fearless at a moment's notice.

And like Rocky Balboa, a Timex watch, or perhaps Rocky Balboa's Timex watch, I will take a licking and keep on ticking.

This is just a word to the wise.

mosquito bite -or- the new Gap commercials?

EDITED: 9/30/2011

Which would you rather have?

They're both highly grating to my eyes and ears, painful to experience, inherently ugly (yes- I'm talking about your clothes, Gap), and move at a speed too fast to keep my attention.

Oh... and I want them both destroyed. Who's got the pesticide to spray Gap?

Exhibit A

 

While I can appreciate the shout-outs to the Winter Solstice (since that day of the year is SO underrated and all), Kwanzaa, and other obscure holiday season events, everything about this feels disgustingly tacky. And that's after ignoring the clothing in the name of objectivity.

Exhibit B

OK, I admit: This is cute stuff. That said, there's something about it that bothers me. Could it be the little girls are cheering their sassy, grade school behinds off to the talk of "I love my comfy sweater!" and "How cute are these boots?" Maybe so. I support advertising but don't support materialism-driven brattiness so much. Commercials like this may be sowing the seeds for the future. Just a thought.

While this campaign seems like it was created to give the Gap brand a zap of energy (and much-needed sales) using "wholesome" and "innocent" fun, this sugar rush is far too intense for me and my money. I'll pass.

time is like the ultimate contradiction...

EDITED: 10/1/2011

How can there be so much of it - we measure it in seconds, minutes, hours, days, years, decades, millenniums - yet it always feels like there's never enough?

Can I get a person to make me a formula and explain how something so abundant could be so limited? I need someone who can do the inexplicable; the ones who created things like financial derivatives. That makes no sense and either does "time."

The worst part is that "time" never feels wasted at the moment. It's always after you realize that what you had before is gone and the shock and frustration hits. It's that moment when you look out of the window, see the first hint of sunrise, and a little piece of your body and/or withers away.

I'm waiting for the day when I accept that time is like spilled milk: You're always ready to drink it up but, as the cup crashes to the floor and your brain processes the word error, what's often left is a mess to be cleaned up.

Unfortunately, I've spilled many a cup in my day. I guess I should work on getting a better grip.

what's in a name

EDITED: 5/21/2012

Maniel

Legend says my name was discovered in a book and that it is maybe, probably Spanish-based. If I remember the tale correctly, "Maniel" was the name of a mountain depicted in this book. Mount Maniel, I take it. As for the title of this book, that information was forgotten. A likely story...

I think Judge Judy would dismiss this case. "If it doesn't make sense, it's not true," she often shouts, and the truth is that they know it was made up. I was supposed to be Mario but, in a spurt of creativity, instead my name became one that Microsoft Word indicates is incorrect.

With that has come years of baffled explanations and pronunciations along with vowels and consonants being added and taken away without my permission. Manuel, Manwell, Emmanuel–you know, names people have heard of before. I even took on a nickname to save others grief. Anything for my fellow man.

"Maniel" has taken the majority of my 22 years to get used to but a change has come. I see my name in a different light now:

It's unique

It's interesting

It has flair

It's ethnic

It's memorable

It's a little odd

All of the above are qualities I consider myself having. 

Maybe my parents made up a creative name because they knew they birthed a creative son too. You never know.

Some say, "What's in a name," but I think names can act as an extension of you as a person. You won't ever see my name on a mug or a magnet because it's not a commodity. Neither am I.

new year's resolutions

EDITED: 10/1/2011

If you couldn't tell by now, I love lists. I'm not the most organized person in the world but they help me to control my tornado of a mind. Speaking of lists, I was thinking about New Year's Resolutions today and how I never make them, much less commit to them. 

These annual plans for a positive year seem more like wishful thinking done during the same time each year. It's nothing deeper. When you get right down to it, everyone's resolution is the same: Make Year [X] Better Than Year [X-1]. Even if yours is "to win the lottery" - a horrible resolution that I would wish you the best of luck with - the point still stands.

From afar, life looks really, really, really good... but what about when the day comes to act? Do we remember what we said on December 31st?

The real question I have is why do we wait for one, specific day to suggest the changes we should make in our lives? I would hope that more people learn from their mistakes and adjust as soon as possible. This is a skill I have been working desperately to perfect. Nothing motivates me more than real, honest-to-goodness, experience. That's probably why New Year's Resolutions don't work for me. I would normally insert an analogy here but I'll spare you.

To those that are passionate about resolutions, I end with this: If you need to make one to keep yourself on track, do it, but realize that the opportunity is actually available 365 days a year...

My New Year's Resolution:

Improve at everything.

what is it about christmas...

EDITED: 10/1/2011

It transforms people. Could it be:

The snow?

The gifts?

The time spend with family?

The time spent away from work?

The eggnog?

The feasting?

The mistletoe?

The music?

The decorations?

The lights?

The stories?

The movies?

The big man himself: Santa Claus?

The Christmas tree?

The birth?

"What is Everything," Alex.

Let's face it: There is no.better.holiday than Christmas and I am so happy that it's here once again to bring joy into people's lives.  

Now go spend money!

testing the fates (part 2 - the picture)

EDITED: 10/1/2011

According to this diagram, if we test the fates and they want us to lose... we lose.

You're not going to be tens of thousands of feet in the air and consider yourself  anywhere near "safe" except on an airplane. On a good note, we've come a long way. On a bad note, the thought of the danger make me paranoid every so often. During the last flight, it manifested itself into the following drawing:

I know it's a little hard to read but the basic point is simple: If something happened in the air, it's a LOOOOOOOOOONG way down.

Like 15 1 World Trade Centers stacked on top of each other.

I mean the Statue of Liberty has nothing on this distance.

What about the world's tallest roller coaster? Laughable.

That's why you should try really hard to care about taking a long, hard look at that safety manual "in the seat back pocket in front of you."

a few more clouds...

EDITED: 10/1/2011

I think the morning hours clouded the quality of my thoughts this time around. I can still make puns though! 

Sadly, I only squeezed out 4 pieces of commentary on my life before the pressurized cabin got to me.

(For the record, creating "mind clouds" is very exciting. You should try it sometime.)

thoughts at 35,000 feet (coming home)

Please bear with me as drink my breakfast

and hate the fact that i am taking a morning flight...

(this is one of my many "i'm mad as hell, and i'm not going to take it anymore" faces)

While dealing with my angriness, I've decided that the best thing to do in this situation (or any situation where one is feeling bad) is to "Make Lemons Into Lemonade." One thing a person should always have is a solution (and a cliche) ready for every dilemma.

This morning's problem will be solved by having another creative buffet.

Orange juice, first. Ideas, coming up next.

no love for ginger ale :(

EDITED: 10/2/2011
 

Canada Dry or Schweppes?

If I take the personal experience I've had with ginger ale and combine it with the evidence I've gathered from being on an airplane tonight, the chance of it mattering is approximately 1 in 535,633,234. 

Just about everyone fails to care when it comes to this beverage. Meanwhile, in Cola Land, people will go thirsty, fight, or, worse, leave no tip when it comes to Pepsi vs. Coke. No one demands Canada Dry.

For that matter, when was the last time you saw a ginger ale ad? Ever? Never? One has to wonder is it even worth it. Ginger ale is a 100% parity product that seems to get the most attention when people have an upset stomach or need a faceless drink that won't turn anyone off. As pathetic as that sounds, I think most people don't dislike ginger ale.

Bringing this back to advertising, I think one of these brands should step up to the plate and take advantage of the fact that no one else in the market seems to care. Creating buzz and interest out of nothing has done wonders. Now, people are paying good money to have their local tap water held in a neat 'ol bottle. THAT'S what marketing can do.

Yes, I know ginger ale tastes like ginger ale which tastes... just like...ginger ale but crazier things have happened. Just my 2 cents

that's quite a sink you got there...

EDITED: 10/2/2011
 

It's smooth, curvy, creative, and was located in... JCPenney?

I know it's just a sink but I was so surprised to see the value placed on ascetics in here of all places. I think times are changing, and people are sick of bland, boring, and traditional. 

I digress to add that my generation - Generation Y - is doing a great job of pushing a message of "change." The individuals that have a clue are making sure they're being heard. We want progress. That also means those who want us to pay attention or be satisfied are just going to have to adapt. With time, of course, but adapt all the same.

I see JCPenney's rethinking their olden ways, at least when it comes to bathrooms. Baby steps.

mind clouds

EDITED: 10/2/2011

It's been some time since I began writing down my observations on this plane. After looking out of the plane porthole for a few minutes, it became clear that they had visually formed into something that actually looks a bit like clouds...

I'm going to call them mind clouds (I reserve all rights to the title). Define it as "A collection of thoughts, organized chronologically, depicting personal commentary floating in cloud-like figures." I think that's sufficiently long-winded enough for the dictionary.

By the way, the 2 hour flight passed quickly and I actually have something to show for my time. Why didn't I think of this sooner?

testing the fates

EDITED: 10/2/2011

Wish me luck.

Actually, answer me this: Why do we even try our luck?

How can being 30,000 feet in the air make anyone comfortable?

We've been conditioned to accept risk to get where we need to go in a few hours instead of a few days. Very well, but this airplane is still only a machine and we're still only human. The pilots are only human too. Great, now I'm anxious. My biggest fear is being in a plane crash so much of my negativity is a reflection of that. 

How can this situation relate to you? Think about how people readily put themselves in situations that they, as destructible organisms, simply weren't made for. Is this human destiny... or something else?

I'm this high up by the grace of physics. Please don't fail me now.

thoughts at 35,000 feet (leaving home)

EDITED: 10/2/2011

I have a long flight ahead of me and no idea what to do with myself.

Now I know you're probably thinking "Flying is tiring so just go to sleep." My response is that I'd rather get hit with an actual brick then fall asleep on a plane and waking up feeling like feel like I did. Sleeping on a plane is flat-out uncomfortable and if I can avoid it I will.

So back to the issue at hand...

I will say that the experience has a distinct mood of its own and, like many things, it can be what you make of it. I'm going to attempt to try something other than playing with the tray table and "sleeping" - AKA being sedated into unconsciousness - this time around. 

Maybe keeping a journal of commentary will keep me occupied? I always have plenty of that.

I dub this the start of "Thoughts At 35,000 Feet."

Takeoff.

Northwest Airlines will self-destruct in...

EDITED: 10/2/2011

Looking out the window and seeing a Northwest Airlines plane next to us gave me a strange feeling.

I feel like this is the last time I'm going to ever witness a plane marked "Northwest." They've been rendered extinct through capitalism.

inspiration equals

EDITED: 10/2/2011
 
* Music (but you already knew that)

* Family

* Friends

* History

* Cities

* Memories

* Conversations

* Kids

* Dreams

* Fashion

* Love

* Reading

* The will to be better than I was yesterday...

the light bulb...

EDITED: 10/2/2011

My blog is named after that tiny piece of cotton that plays a crucial role in a light bulb but that's really just scratching the surface of why this name was chosen.

The light bulb, as an object, has represented more than its functional purpose for ages. It gives light. It gives heat. And it's also a powerful symbol for the word "enlightenment."

Isn't it true that a light bulb is what stands between blindness and sight. Or between darkness and, well, light? With it, one can find their way. Think of the mind as that dark, empty room. Sometimes you'll be going around in circles, never finding what you're looking for. You're close but you can't see the solution.

And then you receive a

and what you were missing becomes clear.

This is a discussion blog because "light bulbs" have often been supplied to me by other people. I merely supply the topic matter, the questions, the basis... The Filaments.

really, Hollywood?

EDITED: 10/2/2011

Why is Saw 6 being made, who's requesting it, and isn't this series tired of its own existence? The most suspenseful question in my mind is "Will the series be trapped and killed this time?"

You know, Hollywood has become quite lame. No originality. No creativity. No decency. It's such a shame considering the movie industry is not going out like its sister, the music industry. That's more or less fate; this is more like pure, shameless laziness. Is it really that hard to create more than one film a year that has an excellent budget, cast, and script, and manages to not also crush your soul and/or brain cells?

I'm going to assume this movie is going to be gore first, plot later. If that's true, what exactly is so new? God forbid everyone asked themselves that question before buying a movie ticket for sequel #6.

I get nothing but gross vibes here and that's because it sounds inherently terrible. 6 is about about 3 or 4 numbers over the limit, and it's disgusting.

I don't intend on speaking for everyone but, please, just let it marinate one more time... Saw ... 6. There's not many things on Earth that warrant that many encores. 

For those that still plan to buy tickets, I'll let Chris Rock describe what I think should happen when you step in the theater:

insomnia...

EDITED: 10/2/2011

A song to set the mood.

Sometimes I feel like I suffer from it. There are nights when I know it's best for me to get sleep but I can't help but keep myself busy. I convince myself to stay up just one more hour. 3 AM turns into 4, then 5. The time passes by and, at times, I regret what I've done.

The truth is that the night is so attractive to me. It's when I can truly have ultimate privacy; I have the freedom to be myself and do exactly what I want, two opportunities which are so important to me. I can just be up, watching TV, listening to music, and passing time in solitude. Ironically, for the time I often waste, my best work efforts manifest after dark. The same goes my best ideas. Night-for-night, the twilight hours benefit me on multiple levels.

I ignore that night is the universal signal of an approaching day and savor it instead.

Insomnia it may be but perhaps this is one problem I can use to my advantage...

"i love to sing-a...

EDITED: 10/2/2011

about the Moon-a, and the June-a and the Spring-a...I Love to Sing-a!"

I feel ya, Owl Jolson. Sing your heart out and forget about the haters.

a taco with a black shell...

EDITED: 10/3/2011

I had a craving last night and drove over to my favorite hate that I love it fast-food establishment, Taco Bell, to try out the new "Black Jack Taco."

(mine looked better)

I went in hoping that the food wouldn't be as pathetic as the name.

The gimmick is that the taco shell is black, which we all know will set the Mexican-American fast-food industry alight. When news of this creation first broke, I admit that I grabbed for the proverbial banana. I started to think about what a black shell would taste like. Spicy? Sweet? Indescribable? A secret flavor?! It was a myself I had to solve.

Yesterday, I paid my change, took it home, and opened it up to see the usual suspects: Cheese, lettuce, and a saucy concoction. I took a bite and was stunned to discover that the shell was... corn-flavored. Yellow corn to be exact. In fact, if the shell was yellow, it'd be the normal Taco Bell shell. Folks, there was no difference whatsoever and, as you'd expect, my disappointment held no end.

Come on, Taco Bell: You can't do better than that? If I can think of about 5 different ideas for what a black shell is "supposed" to taste like, why couldn't they? Creativity lapse? Profit? Stupidity?

Until I have an explanation, I won't be buying another one of these again. As customers, we deserve better!

OK, so, I lied.

so...the more random the ad, the more $$$?

EDITED: 10/3/2011

When did random advertising come into style?

What is it about waking up and seeing The (so-called) King, a stalking, creepy, weirdo-of-a-man wearing a plastic mask in full costume, that's supposed to make me want to buy a breakfast sandwich from Burger King? I'm not getting hungry in any way here. The only motivation I may have is to look up a nearby therapist. And, after thinking about the reasons why The King would be in his bed, this man may want do the same. Again, not appetizing.

What about this?

The freak show nature of this commercial left me feeling strange. I certainly didn't want to look a Sprite can because I was scared of possible going insane. That's probably not the ideal message to present. "Sublymonal Advertising," while creative, is stimulating in the worst way. When placed in between commercials for OxyClean and the new episode of The Office, it's a bit much.

I charge Skittles with the starting the trend. Remember this?

 Uhhhhh... and ...

I have to say that the commercial above is actually one of my favorite commercials ever. In my opinion, this is one of the few examples of today's randomness trend working.

Does this approach to advertising increase the chance of success? I know I'm in the target audience so I should be thinking "Man...I totally want Skittles right now" after being exposed a couple times, right? The truthful answer is that, even after  enjoying the singing bunny operatic talent, I wasn't thinking about Skittles. What's gone wrong in the formula?

Maybe advertisers think they have to go overboard to get our attention nowadays and, in some ways, that's true. Our society is filled with microscopic attention spans and the younger the age, the worst it gets. My point is that there's a fine line  between being "interesting" and being "gratuitous." One is effective; the other, well, I wouldn't be devastated if I never saw it again.

i'll give you ALLLLL this for Boardwalk...

EDITED: 5/28/2012
 

Monopoly.

What is it about this game that can bring the competitive fire out of even the meekest  individual? It's a great friend detector too. When I have doubts, my rule-of-thumb is to take it out. Anyone who either

A) Destroys the board
B) Leaves the room out of anger instead of going bankrupt with dignity

loses their friend card. It's that simple. I spent my entire college Fall Break playing this game with my friends. Monopoly was our full-time job. 

While no one had their card confiscated that doesn't mean it didn't get heated. There were some backstabbing, venomous deals made - the type that made you regret the time you accidentally let that secret out in front of everyone in the cafeteria. And we were cocky too. Supremely cocky, as if our green and blue dollars were legal tender. One particularly confident person sent a mass text message to everyone saying all the players "were going to get their [butt] kicked." The girl was promptly ripped to shreds and escorted from the playing area after being first to go bankrupt. Karma.

I don't believe there's a board game more intense. Everyone starts off cordially but things quickly go downhill from there. Please, don't try me: I know how to "speak lawyer." Trades don't happen in my games, only cartels and partnerships. With all this drama, delicate friendships can clearly be snapped like a twig.

I don't need to describe the actual events of our games but I think there's a reason why we chose to commit our time together to Monopoly. My friends and I are all intelligent individuals. We admire each other for what each individual brings to the table. For three, four, even five hours, each of us was given a chance to showcase our very best performance to the people we care to impress. Our very best friends matter in that way. And when the game has finished and a winner has been declared, the time comes to end the all-for one and share in one-for-all again.

What we really have here is a complete bonding experience... over fake money.

"WACKY DELLY yeah, wacky delly YEAH..."

EDITED: 10/3/2011

 Part 1:

Part 2:

I love cartoons - nothing's impossible in them. And, out of all the cartoons I've watched, Rocko's Modern Life has got to be the best.

When I was younger, I found the show silly and that was good enough for me. As I aged (and I'm using that term relatively lightly), the parodies, pop-culture references, cultural commentary and infamous adult humor allowed the show to grow with me. Rocko's Modern Life was a VERY smart cartoon and its creator, Tom Kenny, did a great job making real-life situations as gross, obnoxious, and exaggerated as they actually are. I mean:

• Isn't going to the grocery store a horrible experience?
• Don't the rides at fairs seem like they were put together with a couple of pieces of Scotch tape, a roll of twine, and less than the required number of screws?
• Doesn't it seem like the stupider the TV show, the more successful it becomes? 
• Doesn't it suck to have to use your brainpower and creativity for stuff you hate to do just because your boss says you have to?

Absolutely, and the show made situations we've all been through into hilariously creative episodes.

As evidence, I presented you with the episode "Wacky Delly." If you haven't heard of/seen it before, I would be happy to remove the albatross from your neck if you would just watch. They rarely make 'em like this anymore. The breed of cartoons that actually talk about something life AND make you holler with laughter seem to have gone out with the cassette tape. 

Enjoy.

if i could describe you in one word, it'd be...

EDITED: 10/3/2011 

Hold on a minute. Do I really want an answer to this question? Is it truly a good thing if my personality can be summed up in one word?

My friend and I jumped on this topic and toyed with it a bit. We came to the conclusion that if one is able to be dubbed with a single adjective, it means one of three potential options:

A) The dubbed isn't letting people see more than a single side of themselves
B) The dubber probably doesn't know very much about the person they're dubbing

C) The dubbed lack a dynamic personality, which is the saddest (and rarest) option

Neither case looks very good.

I'm crossing my fingers hoping that if someone was asked to think of a buzzword for me, they'd be short-circuiting synapses trying to come up with one. And then they'd fail. I'd want to know that I can offer many dimensions and people recognize it.

What I personally appreciate is a person who can be all things: Funny AND serious, confident AND humble, nice WITH an edge. These are the people who are highly sought after. These are the people who attract attention without even trying. They are complex and one word is simply not enough. If you're trying to come across a person like this, remember that old rhyme about "birds of a feather flocking together" - dynamic people will look for other dynamic people. 

Don't ever be afraid to show your layers. Be like this:

Not like this: