BUILD YOUR OWN WORLD

Simplicty

2009-07-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

I think we miss out when we only seek to have fun experiences because real growth occurs in any new experience period.

07042009

2009-07-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

You protest, signs in flights

That there is no need for us to fight

You're assured your family is in safe arms

Only because soldiers for your sake, bare arms

The value of your rights are far from free

You ungratefully steal them from the soldiers who fight bravely

A true patriot waves the American flag

symbolizing we have not turn our backs

Signs Down, March On

Live Peace, Then It Will Live On

Our Generation

2009-06-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

I have found the youth of America so blind of the magnitude of the events going on within our own history. From the falling of our Twin Towers as the only attack on US mainland soil to the Iraq War on Terrorism peaking at nearly a decade of struggle. 200 years after President Abraham Lincoln took a stand for the liberation of minorities, our new President Barack Obama has stepped to the throne to complete Lincoln's dream. The evolution of technology has given us clear perspective of The Iranian Revolution as passionate teenagers fighting for political reform. Our generation has seen the country in a few short years completely revolutionize. As we take a more prominent stance in guiding our future, it is important to remember the changes we want our children to speak of and be brought up under.

Emotions

2009-05-25T14:47:00.001-07:00

Like almost any other young girl, I look at my father as being one of the most wise men that I know. Growing up, my father always told me to never play with anyone's emotions, no matter the situation. When I was younger, to me that meant no taunting on the playgrounds after school but as I'm experiencing life more, I'm beginning to see the power of what he was trying to teach me.
Emotions are much like the switchboard for the actions of any man. With a few warps and changes in the settings, a man can be guided and cornered to do and feel the most pleasurable or most awful of feelings. Great persuasive speakers all through history have first identified the emotional state of their audience and followed by delivering the setting changes that are desired.
This has always been on my mind until I realized that in our most personal of relationships, only the emotions which are offered out in the open can be altered. These relationships include professional,domestic, romantic, platonic, etc. relationships we create our whole lives. An entire switchboard of emotions are to be made available to all the paths that we cross in life. By the end of our lives, we would be lucky to even have a small remnant left of ourselves if that was the case. If we make specific emotions unavailable and untouchable, we further reinforce their safety.

Bad picture, but Hibachi bar was great!

Tick Tock

2009-05-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

Time is often a forgotten part of our decisions and viewpoints in
life. Time is more than blank moments of life. At any moment over the
span of time, life is happening and thoughts are forming. In that same
time there is the potential to move, intentionally or not. No one has
to touch or speak to you to influence you, your mind simply must pick up
bits of information that you observe. It's foolishness to dispose of
time thinking it has no value as long as it's seemingly empty.
Time can be our worst nightmares, as well. When our determination has eyes set on a desired destination, time can be your nemesis. Always
constant, time will never bend in your favor. It keeps equal game hovered over us all.
Karma uses time to sting us for growth. It's never hard to keep your
lips sealed together in trying times, but we struggle to sit patiently
as time ticks away.

Companions

2009-04-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I get a chance to browse through my previous entries and being that I started this blog in 2007, I can see the mental growth that I has developed.
Passion creates satisfaction in our lives and even better, a comfort zone. Not all comfort zones can be negative, it still can give the drive to push for more. That 'more' we strive for is just found in an area our hearts are committed to. We begin to strive whole heartedly with the anticipation of success and happiness rather than the fear of failure. When you get to the point that you are afraid of letting your happiness slip through your fingers after a taste of its satisfaction, you find yourself in a dangerous place. To fear the one thing that gives you satisfaction the most, is followed by a collapse in our drive to move in life. Men grow weary and time gets long, but in these events, the role of companionship comes alive.
Our companions are not to be our clutch in bad spirits but to be our wind when we have forgotten there is a world to discover. Friendships are not to blow us chaotically down a road, they are to lift us as we spread our own wings.

The world has forgotten true companionship in all the many forms that they come in. Friendship is deteriorating and in its place is rising network association. When more than half of American marriage end in failure, we refuse to see what we have molded companionship to be in the past. As friends barter each other in return for temporary financial gain, do not be surprised to see their bloodshed on the corners of your hometown. When your neighbor is an attractive face void of human emotion, no one can complain any longer of being used. Humans use and take for granted. Its become our culture. Finding someone where you can have connection in an intimate and genuine manner has become a fairytale. (Intimacy is not sex, but a close emotional interaction with another person).

Free Writing

2009-04-07T18:11:00.001-07:00

Freehand Assignment (March 23, 2009)

What good is the wait and pricey airline ticket if you forget the sky and never take a glimpse at it.
What good is the culture of a far foreign land if you see its men as immigrants and not as fellow man.
Setting aside all the stereotypes that Ive previously learned, I will take my time to watch the world turn.
How can I expect to fully understand who I am if I never stop to consider my fellow man...
As much more than a color, shape or size? Id much rather be looked at straight in the eyes
I want people to see the heart MLK described, then everyone will see what I am trying to make of my life.

Your Life

2009-03-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

When I was young, I became friends with a girl 4 years older than me who was raped by her father on several occasions and due to her fear she never could make a report or take a stand for herself. Now, with a more mature mindset, I can better understand why she made the decisions that she did. Like any other child, food and shelter was needed, she just chose to pay a higher cost for it. This week I have been enjoying life as much as I can with camping plans, spring break, and going to the zoo. I know the importance of embracing the world around me and with all the different cultures that have formed across the face of the globe, there is never an opportunity that I can not learn. Ive always treasured the foreign land or the romantic language across the seas but its easy to forget the world right next to us, behind the wooden doors of our neighbors home. An airline ticket, or a thousand mile road trip is not needed to discover, an open mind is the only requirement. The 'world' that we should seek to discover is not the world that we cannot see past the horizon, its the world that we cannot see with a quick glance.

I have found that there is often too much to take in on how we are supposed to live our lives effectively and to the fullest. It all comes down to good balance between the most drastic ends of the spectrum. Much like the concept of the id and the superego (Look it up - Freud's theory of the Ego), the two opposite ends of the spectrum show you who you are. If you can understand not just your best assets, but the dirtiest corners of who you are as well, you can have a more accurate understanding of not just who you are, but also where you stand in the grand scheme of life.
Fulfilling life is not about remembering the quotes, the rules, or the norms. Fulfilling your life is about finding you. The quotes come after all of that, they reflect the wisdom from the journey you took to find yourself, not your quest for wisdom first.

Pictures from the zoo on Sunday evening
Ryan and I playing at Urban Outfitters

Flashing Lights

2009-03-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

Sitting on a couch watching music videos, I noticed that all the youth seeks after is the flashing lights. When I was coming up in high school, a special speaker once mentioned that he thought we were a generation that sought after nothing but truth despite how harsh it was.
Now whats happened, we seek the flashing lights not for the illumination but for the blinding effect. With a glow dead in our eyes, we can't see what behind the light, everything including the harsh reality of life becomes a white distant area that we no longer have to stare dead in the eye.
For those currently blinded by the glamour, lights dim over time, the batteries begin to run low, and you must face the real scenery. The time spent with no attention to problems makes the situation grow unruly with no control.
The universe gives a natural illumination through the sun and discovery, our man made glitter is weak competition.

Cafe Brazil in Dallas, Texas with Clavell

Recipe for Life

2009-03-06T20:44:00.000-08:00

Through adolescence I remember changing my aspirations almost on a weekly basis. Depending on my surroundings and discoveries as I was growing up I continuously found new things I was curious about that I wanted to dive into. Now, no longer in that phase, I'm beginning to wonder about the details.
Everyone has a desire and goal that they want to achieve, but rarely do people acknowledge the formula. Like any other area in life certain key ingredients are needed for a specific result. You can never forget to pay attention to not only pouring in each ingredient needed, but also it must be remembered that the right portion keeps your result tasting sweet.
Danger is an experience we all face in life but continuous jeopardy in excess may end life all together. For all decisions, new faces and defining situations keep in mind the recipe you are creating because when its time to reflect on where you are in life, you were the only chef.
People in our life are so much more than passing conversations, social accessories, and familiar faces. The people we surround ourselves with are our environment and what we usually adapt to. Pick wisely the stencil you choose for your own molding. I don't mean to take away the hope that you are an independent person, thats the fuel for most of the youthful generation. But our minds and ideas can only be as much as what we have taken from the world around us.

My Sweetest Lover

2009-02-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

I have the sweetest lover. He floods my body with goose bumps as his breath sprinkles across my ear. Even in the absence of words, his heartbeat is enough to soothe me. He's seen more of the world than my life span will allow but with every conversation he takes me to the corners of eath and feeds me the voice of a people. He understands the voice of humanity because it is them who have shaped him into who he is. He is no idle man. He rallies the nations for political change without rising a fist but the rise of his voice has echoed across for impact of every path he's crossed. I have a lover I gladly share, no jealousy attached, for my lover is music.

Diversity

2009-02-18T12:02:00.000-08:00

I was sitting on a couch when someone made the comment, "You know so many foreign people" directed towards me. I had this brief epiphany that they said nothing but straight truth that I never ever would have realized without them. Puerto Rican, Persian, Greek, African, Brazilian, they're all different and worth the experience. The exploration of culture is so belittled and many people lose sight of the entire world going around them. You can not function effectively and to your potential without knowing your surroundings and history. Origin is more than founding fathers, geography and language. Its truly everything summed together to shape your present, yet we never want to give attention and recognition to our origin or others origin for that matter.
Do all that you can to experience the world around you. You have about 196,935,000 sq miles of pure earth before you, don't settle with the 5 feet of couch next to you. Explore and discover.

(Thank you Aiden for my coffee you shipped)

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T07:03:00.000-08:00

Its been a while and I planned to make a post specifically on Valentine's Day, but that apparently didn't happen. I spent the majority of my evening looking for a perfect gift (which didn't happen - I'm human). As well, I was helping friends prepare something special for their significant others. Valentine's has always been a very uncomfortable holiday for me, but this year was wonderful. Many people mistake Valentines Day for a special day you show your love and care for someone, for me, Valentines is a day that you drop your normal day to day guard, it's a day of vulnerability. To say that it should be like this everyday is ideal but highly unrealistic. We are human and we err, but the flaws and imperfections you find in someone you love tend to come together to draw you into them more. In the light of true love, imperfections are embraced with care, not criticism. It takes two very strong people to find solid love, because that strength is made of their willingness to be weak.
I've always been blessed with the paths that intersect into my life, and to have one special one show affection even enclosed into the box of tradition, its always warming.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Holiday

Surprise Valentines gift in the morning from my wonderful boyfriend :] .... yeah be jealous
Ran around town all day to make part of gift

Honest Reflection

2009-02-01T23:08:00.000-08:00

Desire and expectation create a harmful mix of illusion. So many people forget the one never failing quality of man kind, imperfection. Never can we let the things we desire and hold high in expectations portray perfection. That's the surest way to miss your target. If your target is inaccurate, your shot will be as well.
I read a blog that said, "I know I'm not perfect and I know well enough she isn't gonna be perfect. But together we can be the best imperfection ever seen." (source) and that's apparently a lesson i missed until now. All types of relationships are made of flaw-filled people, but the space between perfection and imperfection is bridged with love and pure intent, that's what makes the difference.

I used to have a bracelet with a peace symbol and it was supposed to be my reminder to find peace in everything that I do and everyone I meet. Somehow, I've lost the significance of peace and closure with everything. Peace creates better stability for tomorrow.

Misconception

2009-01-21T20:22:00.000-08:00

"It doesn't matter what anyone thinks of you, who cares?"

People say it doesn't matter what others think of you, but I see that as an excuse of apathy. The amounts and quality of love that you receive in life from those around you are dependent upon how you are perceived. As well, the doors that open to you through social networking are dependent upon the same. I feel as though we have completely lost the essence of this one statement. Everyone's perception of the world around them is extremely valuable. This idea of apathy should be geared more towards securing the intent of our actions.

The Correct Force

2009-01-18T15:17:00.000-08:00

My mind has been so crowded with everyone else's thoughts and situations except for my own. As the world moves around you, you can easily get lost in the objectives of everyone else's life and lose sight of your own. A helpful spirit can be your biggest curse. We need an external balance to keep us from being self-centered and also keep us from being oblivious to our own position in the universe.
Unknowingly, we walk through our whole life in roles that we feel we fit into. Role barriers usually stop us from exploring certain grounds in life that may seem appealing but far fetched. The greatest victories are rarely in their actions but the value comes from walking on the roads that others were fearful to walk in. I will use Martin Luther King Jr. (since we celebrate his leadership tomorrow). I'm sure many men and woman would have been able to prepare heart-throbbing speeches concerning the liberation of all mankind of every caliber, but how many took the step out into that zone of danger to not just march, but to become the face of the march. We must remember that our lives are not roads and paths that we follow because of our fathers before us, but our lives are open spaces of life in a grand universe. An unmeasurable universe that has no physical boundary. Gravity, a week force, can be defied with the right knowledge and strength. Our personal trials are the same, with the correct knowledge and force, we can overcome.

Emotions

2009-01-06T21:08:00.001-08:00

(Taken when I was last at Versailles)

When it comes to emotions, I see a couple of various traits that all people cling to. For many, not only are their hearts worn on their sleeves, but all of their emotions are easily offered to those willing to accept. I see this as a portrayal of not only optimism but a desire to share and exchange affection in all of its multiple forms.
For others, emotions are only offered as a result of mutual trust. These people often see the sparkle left in the heart of man but have a balanced evaluation of its corrupt nature. The fear of that corrupt nature builds a temporary guard to sift through all who come to its entrance.
Last are those who keep emotions to only themselves and only communicate though actions and works of the hand. I, in no way, am trying to attribute hierarchy in its favor or belittle its refining quality but those who follow this suit often have a keen sense of corruption in mankind and are not easily fooled.

As I am sure this sounds much like any teenage astrology article, I find these qualities seeping all through society. I will not attempt to set any specific hierarchy for the three, I will let you create your own self-evaluation. Know that emotions are more than laughter and tears, but the evidence of the life inside of you reacting to the world around you.
For all the wounds we acquire, time is the best remedy.

Spending time with my cousin, Phylicia bowling
Katie got a new tattoo "You're my better half" with her fiance
Ryan & I went to paint pics on the sidewalks with chalk one evening
Went to DMA to see a killer exhibit with Clavell

What is Love

2009-01-01T23:19:00.000-08:00

In Greek, love has multiple meanings and I feel our modern translation completely excludes its primary essence. Modern Love has fell to the hands of spontaneous desire. Though there are many exceptions, cause and effect relationships have been forgotten. This age has been established on instant satisfaction and those of genuine spirit are being deprived of a once treasured asset of life; Love in its multiple forms.
Felio, Greek terminology, which is the love of a friend or brother has transferred from unadulterated loyalty to a link in social networking. Agape has become ignorant infatuation with the unknown. Culture will undoubtedly progress, but our essential elements stay true to humanity. The lack of detail in our human emotion's definition has left a lot of room for errors.

new book - why I am so wise by Nietzsche
trip to Austin - pray for a safe visit

I am...

2008-12-23T13:54:00.001-08:00

Semi Eclipse
Originally uploaded by theGentleman™

I am Janiece Lincoln

I am Janiece Lincoln (today)...Who will I be in 10 years? Will I be Smith, Williams, or Brown? Will I fit the American box of immigration? Will I declare the heritage of my lover's family? Will I be dubbed with Lee, Rodriguez, or Flynn, creating a new heritage for the generations that will follow me? I've never thought of names as a revelation to my origin and love's heritage. The pens that sign my signature seal the identity of my family I have always been oblivious to. The paper I use in the future will be penetrated with not only the origin of my love, but the formation of roots for a family of tomorrow.

Oh the stories the earth could tell

2008-12-18T13:44:00.000-08:00

Oh the stories the earth could tell...
Stories of pirated voyages across all known great seas of that time and stories of romance in the midst of domestic turmoil.
Stories of waiting for discoveries of its natural glory to unfold and stories of the formation of each civilization, alive and passed.
I'm sure the earth could tell of its miraculous conception, scientific or divine, the earth has seen beyond or wildest imaginations.

I pity the earth because I am sure for as many breath-taking stories of peace it holds, there are equal amounts of stories of hate and war.

Oh the stories the earth could tell...
Stories of bombs choking its oxygen in the battle fields and stories of the bloodshed poured into its soil.
Stories of betrayal and tears in the midst of its provided beauty.
I'm sure the earth could tell stories of its inhabitants raging war in the name of the non-exsistant, past or present, the earth has lost many souls.

Oh the stories the earth could tell...

Iran: A nation of bloggers from Mr.Aaron on Vimeo.

Connection & Attachment

2008-12-16T22:58:00.000-08:00

Perhaps I may be stripping humans of the remains of their self worth in society but I see it that we are never attached to actual people but more so to the summation of their individual qualities. Thanks to the motion of life, we cycle through groups of human qualities, rarely through people and minds. The mind creates connection, qualities create attachment. The thing about attachment is that it is held simply by magnetism, not like a connection which is bound like clockwork.
---
For clarification of phrases:

"cycling through group of human qualities"....meeting someone is just meeting a cluster of qualities, we rarely get to the point of seeing them as people, or minds, but just as another human to interact with with no purpose...

"connection".. i think of links that when pulled at on separate ends do not break...

"attachment"... i think of magnets that can easily be pulled apart and matched with other magnets.. clockwork isnt like that. you need the right piece in the right place for it to fit...

Waiting

2008-12-11T09:25:00.001-08:00

(image taken by The Gentleman)

"You'll go places" is what she always heard
"Just the temptations is all you must endure"
Dozing through the hurdles, never to cease
Never did she see the vastness of all she could be
Unaware of her weakness, she always gave in
A full year of her life, for a little taste of sin
No religious foolery, just sin to her time
To let the undeserving say, "Shes Mine"
Wavering back because she was there
She's losing that quality that first made her rare
Time never fails, time will always tell
It's been no surprise of why her spirit fell
Perfection over reality is hard to pursue
But to live a life with a standard, its just what you must do.

Friends

2008-12-02T21:31:00.001-08:00

I dont think people really understand what it means to live life to the fullest. Its not just about having fun at every moment available. I understand it as packing life full of experiences. If you have the option of doing something that can be signaled to a greater good, what holds you from embracing it whole heartedly?
Those who are passionate in life, those who live without the ideas of regrets, they keep the world in motion when others go idle. Life is in constant motion. You do not work to attain conflict, you work in life to rebuild after tragedy. We thrive off of the passionate people in life. It is their innovative ideas, their desire to discover, that give us a new world for tomorrow. They understand that life is all about experiences.
Of course there are days that we should take a break and look at the beauty of the world around us, but in those brief moments, we must keep our eyes open for insight and revelation. When you do this, you begin to value the people around you so much.

Ive gained the title of being a busy bee according to my friends. I never forget to take a breath in the middle of my busy life, have a cup of coffee with my closest friends and just look at the motion around me. Those are the moments that I begin to understand whats laying underneath all of the motions and activities. That's when I begin to see these common minds as friends.

Jason - I had to give you a personal shout out, you need some cheering up! :]

Follow Your Dreams

2008-11-23T22:42:00.000-08:00

As we grow up, we are bombarded with so many ideas to keep a fragment of hope in society. By the time adulthood has set it in, rarely are these ideas cloaked under truth in our minds.
'Follow Your dreams' was always the hopeful statement embedded in my life. Still in my youth, I've found that following dreams is ideal, but only a reality for a few and pure folly for the rest. I've never seen a hopeful spirit as a positive quality, its the rejection of rationality. Real passion does not have to be a concentrated effort from 9-5 at a day job. The beauty of passion is that its a part of you & operates in harmony with the rest of your being. Passion is not a personal activity, it is a component of your existence.

Happiness will not feel so distant when we see the true location of its source.

(Ryan kept taking pictures, so I gave him a piece of my mind)

The Star Strangled Banner

2008-11-17T12:40:00.000-08:00

Oh say can you see, by the dawn's early light
What so proudly they bombed, then said it was right...
See, I'll stand by my country but I wont stand by the choices
Especially when they didn't listen to the youth's voices
The Red, White, and Blue will forever fly over my head
But I'd rather it be freedom that reigns instead
And the rocket's red glare, The bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night, That the war was still there
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
Over the land of the free, can you see the road we've paved?

We were not a nation founded on common geography, but on common desire.
Freedom, not FREEDUMB.