Oprah has her favorite things shows, and it’s amazing. I have a few favorite things now that I think about it.  But want inspired me to write today after a long absence is the new IPAD 2.

Here is my list in no particular order.

1. Roku Player : you can connect it to any TV and get your Netflix, Amazon Videos and HULUY directly through Wi-Fi connection.  It has a remote and just needs power.
2. Chivas Regal : Long before its popularity in the US, I was a fan thanks to my big brother. It’s the best blended scotch out there.  It grew 61% in the last 8 years.
3. American Apparel T-shirts: This is no shameless plug, I love American Apparel tees. Soft, durable and amazing fit.
4. Campers Shoes: This is going to apply the same theory as in the tshirts; Soft, durable and well amazingly comfortable. And don’t forget its casually stylish.
5. Last but not least it’s the iPad 2, I cant believed I lived 30 years without it. I makes like super easy. The other day I opened an app called epicurious and told it what I have to in the fridge and it told me what to make; it was quesadillas for dinner.

This is a new one I really loved. But I do remember the one below from the 90′s. Although there are a lot of African Mother songs. Most of them terrible.

This one is a very powerful and significant song. Disney knows how to make music powerful. If you have seen Endurance, then you know what they did with Ethiopian Music.

I thought this was an interesting post on hair stuff. Source

Image Source

I know such a serious title to this post. I usually title my posts after I finish writing them.  This is one of those things I somewhat think about but never read anywhere.

I remember Karl Lagerfeld the Chanel Fashion designer wrote a book around five years ago about his diets.  I heard it was his doctor that actually wrote it or something to that extent — half and half of sorts.

Regardless he lost some 92 pounds in about a year.  After wiki-ing it looks like it was an extreme diet that required about 1000 calorie intake a day or so.

He was over 70 when he started his diet.  He is one of the most iconic fashion designers of the last 40 years.  But it was still interesting that a man of his age would go to such extreme to look good. I am not saying he is almost dead but you know what I mean.  It just doesn’t seem like a health issue as opposed to a social issue.

But I have noticed that the cultural trend is more the body shape than the shape of the nose now as opposed to the past.  I think the post nineties trend is the marathon and protein shake than the facelift.  The percentage of porn in the MILF category is closer to the TEEN category than it ever has been. I made that part up, but I think it’s true.

I don’t want to quote the clichéd idiom about beauty but it’s a fad. Cindy Crawford’s mole is not the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, but I think  that was accurate when I was 13 years old.

Apparently a firm body is more important and more fashionable than the color of your eyes and the shape of your symmetrical face.

And yes I have joined a gym and am working out regularly.  At least till this fad passes by, 30 years from now.

The only good thing is that beauty is not a pie that exclusive to Hollywood and the marketing department of Coco-Chanel; it is not exclusive.  Thanks to factions like Black Consciousness Movement or similar empowerment slogans like black is beautiful or black power or hip hop songs — with lyrics  like the ‘dopest Ethiopian’ everyone and especially black people are defining their own definition of what beauty is.

I have a friend who always buys present to girls in his life; expensive ones, considerate ones, cheap ones and significant ones.

A friend, a female one once asked me why I agonize about time; time I spend with potential mates while they are still potential… “as long as you are sharing the costs. I’m just saying.” This way when I was 24 years old and well my time was a gift. It’s funny to think about it now. But it makes reiterates a good lesson in my life.

What is your protocol?

That is what he asked when they were about to pay for whatever it is they were going to do? She asked what he meant, and he recapped; how do you want to deal with our finances?

Meaning, do you want to split the bill, or he pays this time and then she pays the next time. He wanted to make it clear.

Now she is still seeing him casually but I refer to him as ‘protocol.’  The choices in his wording are pretty funny but he is African American; and am somewhat stereo typing but I like ‘lets get something straight’ while you are potential aspect of it in that culture.

For me the little dinners or theater tickets have never been an issue, at the time when I was 25 I was more worried about my time. As long as she offers to share the bill I don’t mind paying for it. And this applies for most guys. I think! As long as she doesn’t take it for granted. I have heard guys say ‘nothing is more a turn off that those who attempt to get too many freebies.’

I have noticed that some females insisting on paying for their fair share; At least from my experience.

So what is your protocol?

We forget how big it is because of the lack of socio-political influence on western culture, I think.

Africa is bigger than North America, China and India combined. Yet, in the news I hear more about China or India everyday. Africa is out of mind and out of sight for the westerners. 

Here is an Original Image where you can check out the True Size of Africa.

I have been struggling with something on my mind. Philosophy is study of problems of many things. For example you could find me starting my sentences with “my philosophy…”

Ethics is a branch or an extension of philosophy that address right versus wrong.

Everything and anything at some level becomes an issue of ethics. Friendships, business relationships, business agreements and arrangements that require two people to negotiate become an issue of morality.

The problem is situation require people to be unethical. Years ago I for example was promised a job and got the job and started and then the employers let me go a few days into the job. This was a contract situation in which I turned down another contract and ended up here.

For years after that I always would set up a backup plan so that I am not stuck without an opportunity. I once accepted three short term contracts, all starting a week after another. This way if the first job was not appealing I would quit and go to the second position followed by another all in a three week period.

This was highly unethical but business and managers are well better off than I am and most likely fucked over a lot more people than I ever have. In fact, I have seen by bosses or coworkers low ball people that were desperate for a little bit of work.

Those at the top of the food chain abuse those that are below them. Unfair and unethical behavior is everywhere! And so I thought it was ok for me to do the same.

The only thing is that I am fair in non-work situations; especially with my friends.

I automatically expect those around me to treat me ethically. If they don’t, I tell them and or protect myself. The problem is that people I think are behaving immorally in certain situations involving me; then I don’t know what to do except pondering seizing and desisting my arrangement with them.

There are many crazes that keep me blissful or the better phrase ‘keep me content.’ Sometimes I go home on a Friday night after picking up a Thai dish or the perfect cheese steak sandwich from the place 2 miles south of where I live.

I fix up the coffee table with my soda, a cup of coffee and some cookies for desert. I tune the TV to stream a foreign film could be anything and enjoy the evening unwinding. If my phone doesn’t ring, I am happier. If I have some project to finish during the weekend, it’s on my mind. But then there are those weekends I could just sit back and relax.

I have never been able to explain this to my friends. Especially significant others, I need to be left alone every once in a while to reboot by short attention span.

I love spending time with my friends; I have about a dozen or so different people I hang out with on occasion. Different crews for different things. Sometime I organize outings.

I would send out an email and ask people to join me for a certain excursion. The people that meet on these occasions are ones that may have never met prior. We have fun; we keep it short and sweet

On the same token my friends also invite me to certain events or outings of sorts. I rarely join them but I do on occasion and it’s usually fun. I tend to leave earlier that everyone, unless I am the one that organized it.

I prefer the planned events compared to the casual meet-ups. Some people just text, I am over here having beer; if you want you can join us on Charles St.

I don’t just show up at a random gathering without knowing who is gathering. I thing being exclusive with your encounters socially doesn’t necessarily equate one as unsociable personality.

I believe I am social but not one of those people that go to a cocktail party and makes elevator talk with random people for no reason other than to seem like I am having fun.

Furthermore, I think it’s not proper etiquette to force someone to socialize with people that don’t necessarily have somewhat similar interests; much like forcing someone to go clubbing when they don’t like clubbing.

But people take it personally, when someone refusing to do certain things. I have never been able to understand that. Some people find me annoyingly blunt, and that’s ok for them to feel that way.

Basically, we should  only do what we want with people of our choosing.  Significant others or friends shouldn’t require people in their lives to be involved in with other people in their lives with different interests.

The words for dating always confuse me. I don’t understand how dating differs from hanging out; if you go on a date does it mean you are dating? Blah blah

I personally just call it talking. I am talking to this girl. If we hang out a couple of times, i.e., we go on a date, does it mean we are dating? Or are we just talking. If it gets physical and we don’t end up talking the next day or the day after then I know it’s a hook up.

The point is, that is mostly depends on the girl. She literally makes the choice initially.

I once was on a date or so I thought and a random female stranger came up to her and told her that she was pretty; and then followed it with a question inquiring if we were married.

I loved the question. It would be interesting to hear what the girl was going to say. If I was on the spot I would have joked about it as I have many times.  Yes we are married! In fact we are from Madagascar on our honeymoon; I don’t think she would have married me if she didn’t get pregnant.

She didn’t joke about it.  She is not the joking type.  She never jokes. She was going to tell her the truth. But I didn’t know if her truth is matched my truth. It’s like poker; don’t bluff if you are going to get called. If she said he is my boyfriend, I probably wouldn’t like it. If she said we are dating, I would most likely think that is somewhat accurate.

She said we are just friends. GRRR! I figured that is the least presumptuous and safe answer.

I didn’t like it! And it got even worse when the stranger at that point wanted to introduce her to someone she thought would be a good match for her. I just sat back and listened to the stranger went on and one about the guy.

At this point, I was done. I dont hang out with new girls just to be friends.  I would have walked away right there but I wanted to make it obvious that I didn’t care! Then I really didn’t care anymore, I didn’t call her or get in touch.

In her own pace, weeks later she contacted me, asking to hang out. I think we hanged out a few times more and things fizzled out through no ones fault. If she had treated me better I think I would have treated her better. Basically I didn’t like her choice of language.

Of course, there are extremes of the language situation both from the males and the females. I have heard one guy say to a girl that they are ‘just f***king‘ after a year of doing just that. I have heard a girl say she is just hanging out after stringing a guy along for unreasonable amount of time.

And I myself have been guilty and or a victim of this in many situations. I am just saying that the choice of language is an important aspect of any relationship — be it a booty call or an LTR.

Disclaimer: not all parts of this story are completely accurate.

I was just browsing the web, reading the reviews of customers who bought a certain products on Amazon; scanning to see if a book is popular or lame.

I found that half the people think that the author is a pretentious bastard who can’t write for shit and then other half either thought the book was a page turner interesting even if the author’s writing style was amateurish or that the book is funny and well written in a straight unpretentious manner.

Interestingly enough I started write posts for bernos in one sitting or in two.  Sometimes I start and save the file and come back to it another time, in most cases the next day or 2 days after.

In this case however, as you may have realized I have disappeared for a while. A while enough that I wrote the first two paragraphs of this post over a month ago; beginning of August or so. Since then I have not only finished the book I was review the reviews of, but also finished reading or listening to audio book of two additional books.

The point I wanted to make at the time was, if I remember correctly that I wished people generally agreed more about everything. The fact is that people who read or see or enjoy a certain product see it from a different perspective. The best party could be the worst party ever depending on who hooked up that night.

The only consensus comes only after an over abundant set of reviews for whatever it is we are reviewing. I love reviews; when there are enough or better yet more than enough of them.

Some films on rotten tomatoes have 3 reviews and all 3 might say that the film is not rotten stupid. And this is not enough. You need 200 or so reviews before there is consensus.

The average of a small amount of people is not consensus. So my gut feeling is more of what I need to judge.

A few months ago, everyone that I talk to including family and friends suggested I do something. Althought I disagreed with the concept, everyone thought it was a good idea. Not even one single person agreed with my perspective of the situation.

It wasn’t a matter of life and death nor was it an extra ordinary venture but it was significant enough that I had to evaluate all aspects of the situation before I made a decision. My decision although was mine to make, but affected others, and thus had to carefully weight their thoughts.

It’s still early to judge the outcome fully but its looking more like I was right and they were all wrong.  All of them!

The point, consensus only comes after the number of feedback reaches an abundance of a minimum set.

I got an email from the PR person for Debo Band, for a plug on bernos. Generally I look at what they are promoting since I get those emails all the time. If its music, I have to like it.

I was familiar with the name, meaning I have heard of Debo Band but I haven’t listed to their music. And well I went to their website and got an earful.

The songs are all of which I love and it sounds like it’s performed by a full orchestra like they are meant to be played.

They are on tour right now, so I highly suggest you check their schedule out and see if you can get some enlightenment.

I am however pissed that they are not coming to DC.