Verse of the Day

20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. 

Matthew 18:20King James Version (KJV)

God Works in Mysterious Ways

... Sometimes, in seemingly unmysterious, most mundane setup.

I've been taking antibiotics since last week for some infection. Then yesterday, I called Walgreens for more questions. In the course of our conversation, the pharmacist recommended probiotics. So I bought some yogurt, had some, but then later, I started to worry about the sugar in it, being pre- diabetic. Should I take the yogurt? What about the sugar content? I was terribly concerned. I prayed and prayed... and prayed for answers.

Today, I was tuned in to Dr. Oz show on TV while going in and out of the living room as I was preparing to go out. Just when I went back to the room to turn the tv off, guess what Dr. Oz' topic was - YOGURT!

He had a guest who was an expert on yogurt and they said to always check the sugar content on the package before buying - It should not be more than 18g. Dr. Oz was holding a set of small containers of yogurt like the ones I bought last night. And what did he say, "Throw these away."

My jaw dropped!  It was unbelievable that their topic was on yogurt, to begin with, but when he said those words, it was like him talking to me directly. I sat down for the rest of the program - Flabbergasted!

God talked to me through Dr. Oz... Dr. Oz answered my questions... God answered my prayer.

How great is that!

Word of the Day

HAPPY

Lately, I've been seeing this word, HAPPY, everywhere - on billboards, TV, Facebook, blogs, etc. Funny because I've been thinking what music I will do next for my gig with MANNY MOKA's BAND in July or so, and my song, "Be Happy Be" has been coming to mind at the same time the word keeps appearing from everywhere. Which came first, the signs or the thought about my song - Coincidental, serendipitous? Doesn't matter, I like it. I'm loving it.

So "Be Happy Be", it is!😀

Snack Time

Junk food - Pepsi and potato chips?! Yup, unhealthy, right? Especially for me, basically, a vegetarian. I eat fish and fowl outside the house but at home, we're vegetarians.

But today, somehow, my body wanted chips and soda. I saw this Spicy Sriracha potato chips at a health food store and, I thought, "This will go well with soda."

Plain and simple, I followed the urge - I bought them!

... and I loved it! It was great. It was fun.

Sometimes you just have to break the rules and not feel guilty about it.  If you're happy, that's what it's all about. As long as you're not hurting yourself or others, enjoy it. Moderation is the key.You're not gonna get fat with a few junk food! If you're eating "Unhealthy" once in a while and enjoying, that's healthier than if you're eating "Healthy" only to impress.

The secret to life - Be happy!

Inspiring... and Inspired!

I got discount tickets for tonight's ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT at SF Jazz Center as a BERKLEE alumna, specifically as a member of the SF BERKLEE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, Robert Glasper being Berklee alumnus himself, crossover star pianist between acoustic jazz, hip hop, contemporary R&B.

The concert started with a footage on the big screen about Bruce Lee talking about Karate. That while, he says, it's easy to do his act just to show off his skills, "it's really all about expressing yourself." 
"... Honestly! Not lying, but being honest with yourself," he says.

And while the video slowly fades, Robert Glasper also slowly comes to the stage with his band, first, the drummer setting up the tempo, as the rest start walking towards their instruments. And the band plays mightily! Funk, jazz, R&B! Two songs in a row, then he introduces his band members - Awesome!

Then he pops out his first question, "What's jazz?"
He specifically talked about jazz tonight, being a Berklee night at SF Jazz Center. And like Bruce Lee, he says, "It's about expressing yourself."
Being honest, not lying, not showing off, but just expressing yourself.
He says there are 2 words that made him break the rules, make changes, be fearless in music - FUCK IT!!

I've never been so inspired! I tend to limit myself, hold back my music sometimes for whatever reason - insecurities, inadequacies, etc.. As we all know, we're always our worst critics.

After watching him, I realized why he named his band Robert Glasper Experiment. It's an experiment of all kinds of music!  And jazz, specifically, being so creative, is really about expressing yourself, in whatever form, free form, no form, whatever, as long as it sounds good... OR, even awful!

As he kept repeating his mantra for the night, "Fuck it... Express yourself!"

... So fuck it! I'm gonna express myself!! 

Yup!... Now I'm Fearless.

Muhammed Ali (1942-2016)

The fondest memory I have of Muhammed Ali was the "Thrilla in Manila"fight in the 70s. Everything else pales before and after. Ali's pictures were all over the newspapers and I particularly saw one where he was standing on a weighing scale and his penis was showing underneath his shorts.  I was initially shocked. But looking alongside the other photos, there was nothing extraordinary about it. It was the most natural thing like all the rest, very matter-of-factly, no malice - I liked that!

On the day of the big fight, my brother, Jesse, went to work at about 4 in the morning and finished everything he could before 9 so he could see the fight live! It was really a "Thrilla"!! Needless to say, Muhammed Ali won. Of course, as he always self-proclaimed, "I am the greatest!!!"
In the beginning, I thought he was all ego until I realized, it was all about self-confidence. Beyond self-confidence - It's knowing yourself.

And who can forget his most famous quote, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." - Love it!


Today, just now, it was announced all over the news, Muhammed Ali, the greatest American boxer, passed away.

Muhammed Ali is simply beyond words for me. I'll let the news talk -

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/03/us/muhammad-ali/

http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/look-back-boxings-ali-frazier-thrilla-in-manila/

Rest in peace, Muhammed Ali. Your memory lives on...

Quiet Time

This is Live webinar right now.  First time for me. After that, it must be just audio, I don't know.  But I'm loving it... Anything about TM excites me, uplifts me, fulfills me, and I always wanna share with you all. Very interesting!

Enjoy!