Guest Writer #34: Sbaby

Hey friends, I know it's been a while, a really long while lol. I was debating what kinda post I wanted to do since it's been so long, I have a bunch of stuff ready for you guys and I'm gonna try to better manage my time and just write posts in bulk so I can just post whenever, all this time I've just been writing them on the day of or on the spot, but with this I can write posts whenever I have motivation and also won't love my train of thought, so yeah...with that, I'm excited to bring back the guest posts and let's not waste any more time and get to today's guest writer.

#1: SpeakingMyMind 

#2: Letters To You 

#3: TC 

#4: Anonymous Queen B

#5: Someone You Used To Know 

#6: Heartlocked 

#7: LG Slayer 231 

#8: TC

#9: G. Ho 

#10: Golden Frieza 

#11: Ghost Writer 

#12: Pink Precariat

#13: Disconnect 

#14: Daniel 

#15: Golden Frieza

#16: Someone You Used To Know 

#17: Yellow Rose 

#18: SpeakingMyMind

#19: Heartlocked 

#20: My Best Friend

#21: Free Spirit, Wild Heart
#22: Inner Self 

#23: G 

#24: Nuji 

#25: Broccoli 

#26 

#27: Dak 

#28: Carmom

#29: Mike Bibby 

#30: B.C.K. 

#31: WG 

#32: Mike Bibby 

#33: Young Gerald

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Todays thoughts for tomorrow

I tend to overthink. Hence, todays thoughts for tomorrow as the title for this. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t help but think about all the possible outcomes to every situation, every moment, and things that are going on around me. This isn’t to say I am not living in the moment, but rather I feel too deeply. I’m not sure at this point in my life, if it’s better to feel less, or if it’s better to feel in rich and vivid colours and shades, as well as deep colours. Sometimes my days are vivid as can be, but everything around me feels like black and white. This is not to say black and white is bad, black and white is beautiful. Photographing in black and white is just as intriguing, as an analogy. Rather, some times, some moments, I feel so alive, that I have never felt more rich, not in a monetary value, but as a person, whether my brain and the skies around me are all grey or coloured or clouded.

Some people see me on a regular basis and think I am full of colour, because of what I portray to the world, but deep down inside, I’m not sure what it is, that I feel. I can’t just pinpoint one emotion. We are humans. I feel more than one, so I don’t know how to pick sometimes. When someone asks me how I’m doing, I’m not sure how to answer that always, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but I think the pressures of society and the way our generation is, it’s somehow creeping it’s way onto me that it must be an abnormal thing. I refuse to let that take over me; I think in order to grow in a different way, you have to be able to self reflect on yourself, and I think being brutally honest about how you feel or what you are feeling is a really good way. It’s not the easiest, it’s not the cleanest, it’s actually the messiest, but it’s worth it at the end of the day.

The only problem is I might do too much self reflecting. I know that at the end of the day, I can be very blunt with my feelings, because hey that’s how I feel. Why do we feel the need to sugar coat it, or tone things down? Growing up and even throughout early adulthood, I’ve seen multiple situations where people whether close or far from me, either asked others to tone down someone’s feelings or words, or just straight out ignored what someone else was saying or feeling.

People tend to sugar coat the good, to make it look better than it is, and on the other end of the spectrum, people tend to really look down upon anyone going through something sad or bad, tell them all the quick fixes and thing’s they shouldn’t feel, ignoring how the person truly says they are feeling. They teach us to hide our feelings and emotions, and not speak about it. They tell us we are seeking attention, when all we really want is someone to listen, to truly care, to open up and be true. They tell you to be happy, but yet they have not spent a minute inside your confused, empty, full, beautiful and tragic mind at times, and lively soul that lives within you. Be you always. I sure am.

Count Your Blessings

Hello friends, it feels like it's been an eternity since we last spoke. 500,000 has come and gone, I know I usually make a post addressing and "celebrating" it, but it's kinda redundant don't you think? That, and I felt writing about this was more important. I feel like no matter where you're at in life, what stage you are...it's always important to remind yourself to count your blessings. I feel like as bad as life may feel or as negative as a situation you may be in, you should still be able to find some sort of light in your life, you should still be able to appreciate the blessings in your life, even if they don't feel that significant. I think it's easy for me, for you, for anyone...to complain about how much life sucks or how life could be better. I wish I had a girlfriend, I wish I had a better job, I wish I was skinnier, bigger, prettier, whatever, whatever...we all have those thoughts, it's human nature. So I guess here's my friendly reminder to you and for myself...to count your blessings, as little as it may seem. Be thankful for health if you;re healthy, for friends and good company, even if it's just that one friend who's always there for you. I'm so thankful for so many things in my life that I take for granted everyday, my parents being healthy and able-bodied.My brother and I having a great relationship compared to other siblings, him getting engaged and married soon. I know it's easy to want to think about how bad and how much better life could be...but think about how much and what you already have in your life, guaranteed that even if you might see all this negativity there's so many people who would probably kill to be in your shoes. But yeah, I don't wanna drat this out too long cuz it's a pretty simple concept and reminder, just something that came to my mind after having a couple of conversations/ Mindset is a super important thing, it contributes to so many things like how you interact with people and how you approach just life in general. This is just a reminder to you and for myself as well that when things get down and when it feels like life sucks, think about all the good things that you have going for you in your life. Count your blessings, till next time, peace.

The Worst Friend

You know what;s something I find super funny, when couples break up...that super awkward phase of like uh so should I return the stuff that he/she bought me, it was pretty expensive, etc LOL. I mean the debate can go either way tbh, unless both parties are like yeah we should return the stuff, but at the same time if you've been dating for like 10 years y'all have probably bought each other A LOT of stuff, so yeah...the debate can go on forever lol. But for today's post...the funniest thing I find for guys at least is this whole thing of like giving your girl sweaters for her to wear when she's cold and she ends up keeping them and you're out a bunch of sweaters LOL. So all of these instances revolve around the same friend. So there was this one time, I went for a walk with a friend, me being a well prepared person that I am, I brought a sweater because it was night time and it always gets chilly at night...she didn't bring a sweater...long story short, I ended up giving her my sweater and after the walk I just let her take it home. Couple weeks later she texted me she's like oh yeah I still have your sweater, but uh...something happened to it. I'm like what's up? So she worked at a summer camp as a counselor....she's like uh we were working with paint and I kinda got paint on it. In my head I was like bruuuuuh, but obvs I replied to her like soft, it's cool don't worry, probs not that bad....BRUUUUH when she gave it back to me it was soooo bad lol...it was a plain grey zip sweater and she got like grass green acrylic paint on it, so it was permanently stained LOL...I was sooo cheesed, but I was like whatever, it's cool. Fast forward a couple of months later I let her borrow another sweater and I literally had flashbacks of her ruining my other sweater LOL so I was like sure, but this time I gave her like an old sweater I didn't really care about...but I didn't tell her that. Weeks later, she texted me like oh hey I still have your sweater, but something happened to it...LOL wiat what??? Tell me how this girl returned my sweater and there was this huge hole in it...she's like I'm so sorry, I walked into like a wall or something and a nail must've been sticking out or something...LOOOL, again, in my head I was like bruuuuuh, but at the same time I knew it was an old sweater I didn't really care about so I was like soft, it's cool...I guess. Sooo, fast forward another couple of months, so we both had ipod touches, do they still make those btw? Anyways, so somehow, hers got stolen and just around that time I had gotten an iphone, so I was like I don't really need this itouch. I was gonna sell it until I found out hers was stolen and she was really sad, So essentially I gave it to her, her and her mom were adamant she pay for it, at least like $50, I was like nah it's ocol, just keep it, but take care of it cuz I worked really hard to save up for it, which was true. Couple months later, she got an iphone as well, so I was like oh, hey  just wondering do you still have the ipod touch? She;s like oh yeah, I lost it...I was gonna tell you, but I forgot. in my head I was just like bruuuh, are you serious...but I didn't really say much, I was just like oh, wow. What's the conclusion or lesson to this story? I'm not too sure. all you boyfriends out there, if you give your sweater up, be prepared to never see it again...or to never see it in the same condition you gave it away lol. Till next time, peace.

Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone

When it comes to your comfort zone and specifically stepping out of it, I feel like there's different levels to it. Imagine like a video game, you start as a beginner and as you get more experience and you level up, you get better and better at it. When I was a kid for example in school and in class...stepping out of my comfort zone meant things like raising my hand in class to answer a question or presenting in front of the class. As I got older, it became things like being in public settings and talking to new people or just meeting new people in general. There's different levels to stepping out of your comfort zone and it depends on the kind of person you are and what level you're at. I think no matter what level you're at, meeting new people will forever be something that's hard to do because it's not natural for most people I feel. For me, one of my personal goals and challenges to myself these past couple of years has been to step out of my comfort zone, like really make a conscious effort to do things I'm not comfortable with. So like signing up for Teens Conference for one was a big step out of my comfort zone. I've been going to so many interviews lately and been putting myself in so many situations to talk to random people that holding or starting a random conversation with people I don't really know isn't as scary as it once was, it's still scary, but not as scary. I'll forever remember my talking to my cousin and when I was talking to her, I was looking at my feet and she was like Rodmond, one of the most important things to learn is eye contact, it lets people know you're engaged, that you're there and not zoning off somewhere lol. But yeah, one of my goals as of late has just been to challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone...one thing that's kinda been on my mind is to possibly go out of the country to teach...now that's like on the extreme spectrum, that's like full out jumping out of my comfort one at full force, it's also something that's not that likely to happen tho lol. It's funny when I think about the opposing situations because for an introvert like myself, a super loud and in your face situation is uncomfortable whereas I've seen a lot of extroverted people feel uncomfortable in quiet and/or isolated settings because they're so used to being in situations where people are always talking or things are always happening, so I guess it kinda goes both ways. But yeah, that's been the challenge for myself and I'll even issue that challenge to you...wherever you're at on the spectrum...I challenge you to do something that's uncomfortable, that you're not used to. Maybe raising your hand in class, approaching someone new, or maybe it's being quiet and finding time for yourself...what's that thing that's new, that's different, that's uncomfortable for you...and challenge yourself to do it.

Slow And Steady

So I was in the car with my mom the other day and she kept badgering me about work and school. She kept asking me what's the plan, what's the plan? She'd ask me what I want to do but then she'd be like you should do banking, you should do I.T., you should do this, do that. I got hella cheesed cuz she always does this...now I know it's out of love, but damn. Parents love to bring up what your friends or what their friends' kids are doing compared to you. It was a real big reminder to me and hopefully an encouragement to you...that everyone moves at their own pace. That's kinda been my life story, moving at my own pace, taking longer than the norm. Honestly, some people just take longer to figure things out...and that's okay...in this race of life, you're not competing against anybody, you're just trying to get to the finish line. Whether that means taking a victory lap, or taking longer to graduate university than your program intends like I and so many people I know have...it's okay. It's okay to make mistakes, to experience setbacks and to realize some things aren't for you. Whether it's switching programs, switching jobs, sometimes you learn best through trial and error, not everyone is meant to or has to get it right on the first try. Especially when it comes to new things...I had no idea what I was doing when I was picking courses for high school, for university, I still have no idea what I'm doing trying to find a job...it's all about trying things and figuring out what's for you and what isn't. I know our natural tendency is to want to compare ourselves to our friends, to people our age or even younger...but just remember everyone moves at their own pace...that means some people might move faster than others and some move slower...there isn't a right or wrong...and there isn't a set formula for you to follow to become successful because you have to figure out yourself and figure out what works for you. Just remember that, it's not about beating anybody or finishing the race as fast as you can...it's just about getting to the finish line, and you'll get there eventually...peace.

Opinions vs Advice

This is gonna be a very subjective topic, something that's gonna have differing viewpoints depending on who's reading it. When does someone's opinion become advice and when is advice simply someone's opinion on a matter? I googled it and apparently advice is given from someone who is qualified based on their experience versus an opinion from someone who has limited or no experience on a particular topic. So to paint you a picture, imagine I go shopping with a girl friend of mine and she's asking me which dress I think looks better on her, something like that which I know absolutely nothing about...I'd be giving her my opinion...oh this one because the colour is better or I like the style of it. Whereas if I went shopping with my guy friend for jeans or something and he asks me which one I prefer, I'd have more experience with fit, body shape, style and all that stuff and can offer him a better answer and because I'm more qualified to talk about that, it's therefore advice. So where am I even going with this post you ask? LOL, well lemme share with you a funny story first...I was chilling with this dude I went to school with and I'm not really great friends with him, so he goes oh so Rodmond, how'd the blog going? For one, I never know how to respond when people ask me that, I'm just like uh, good, going strong. he's like cool man, hey if you ever want any advice on how you can make your blog better, let me know...there's a lot of things I think you need to improve on. For one, I was still trying to process what he said and how he said it that I was just like oh haha, cool, sure thing. But in my head I was like bruh, I personally felt like he had no experience in that area nor did he know me well enough to say something like that in that kinda tone y'feel? Perhaps that's just me being sensitive, but it's something you really had to hear for yourself to fully grasp LOL. Anyways, back to the whole advice and opinion thing...everyone has something to say and feels some sort of way about everything. If you buy a shirt, if you do a test, if you run a race, if you go on a date...everybody has something to say about it, everybody has their two cents, which there's nothing wrong with. But how do you differentiate between what is just someone's opinion and what is someone's advice? Take your friends for example...you might be struggling with a particular situation and you go to your friends for help, for comfort and all that stuff...but is what their saying actually advice or is it just their opinion? Like there's a plenty of stuff I'll go to my friends for, but there's also plenty of stuff I wouldn't go to my friends for. Does that make sense? That's why you have so many friends and groups of friends right? Imagine if you only went to that one friend about every single thing you go through seeking advice...yeah they might give you some dope advice, but you might also hit them with some stuff they're not experienced in or know nothing about y'feel? I say this because I know so many people who feel so qualified to give everyone advice on everything but I'm just like wait, you don't know much about that yourself, how can you be telling someone what to do? Like take relationships for example, how can someone give advice if they've never been in a relationship? I don't care if you've watched hundreds of romantic movies and studied couples, nothing beats first hand experience y'feel? But that also kinda brings me to the next part of the whole advice and opinions...which is on you, the receiver. As much as you seek out advice, lemme simplify it and say advice is still just someone's opinion, it's just a more qualified opinion. As the receiver, it's still you who has to deal with  whatever you're seeking advice for? Meaning it's nice to get advice and hear opinions, but be careful not to let that become your answer, advice is only meant to help, to hint and to point in the right direction...it's not meant to physically push you and hold your and walk with you. I say this because a lot of times, we'll seek advice, get good advice and constantly keep going to that source for advice, it becomes our answer, we don't think for ourselves anymore, it's like oh, I'll just get advice and do exactly what they say. Advice is dope, but you still have to do and think for yourself. Keep that in mind...advice is still someone's opinion on what they think you should do, they just have more experience on the matter versus someone who doesn't, that's all...till next time, peace out.

From The Heart #4

From The Heart #1
From The Heart #2
From The Heart #3

Hey friends, it feels like it's been a while...has it? I've been lacking motivation as of late...wasn't even sure if I'd get a post out today, but here I am...writing. I guess let's just get straight into it. One of the worst feelings is when things are out of your control...wishing you could do more. When relationships end, friendships weaken, people leave...it sucks because in most of these situations, it's out of your control, I don't wanna say it doesn't hurt, but it definitely hurts less because you tell yourself there was nothing you could do about it anyways. You're kinda just left wondering if you could've done more...if I could've done more...

More to make you stay...
More to make you like me...
More to make you happy...
More to make you feel better...
More to make things feel like they used to...
More to make you feel welcome or comfortable...
More to make you understand...

Each of these statements represents somebody or a situation in my life where I was left wondering if I should've done more, if I could've done more. There's a lot of people in my life that kinda just walked away or distanced themselves...whether from me or in the place/situation that we were in. Again, it leaves you wondering what you could've done to make them stay...whether fixing something about yourself or their situation. The thing is, with people I've been close to...you don't just stop caring for somebody that once meant so much to you y'feel? I always wonder how they're doing, if they're happy or sad, how their life is going. I've seen so many relationships and friendships fail...my own especially...but I guess in the case of people simply leaving or walking out of your life, it never gets any easier. You build bigger walls, you close yourself off a bit more and you make it more difficult to open up to others and vice versa.