Naija on my mind

Recession or Renaissance

...and the world keeps turning. People are loosing jobs left and right, yet new opportunities are being created everyday. Conservatism is attracting people back to their comfort zones, yet liberal thinking is encouraging people to explore new horizons and accept new discoveries. There is an aura of fear in the air for what is going to happen next, yet the times are full of hope and possibilities. Are we in a recession or a renaissance? Actually, I think the answer to that question is personal. Only you can answer that for yourself: Am I in a recession or a renaissance? For me, a little while ago, the answer varied depending on the day you asked. Money was up and down, opportuntiies were here and there, excitement and bleakness swoped places freely. However, I started writing a script recently and it has been inspiring me through the process. One of the main themes is choice and thus I am taking it upon myself to choose my direction. It's like even when hope seems lost you can choose to find it in the minute things. When you are having a bad day, you can choose to laugh at yourself and your situations, knowing that nothing is permanent. For example, banks are not giving as many loans these days and foreclosure is on the rise, yet they say now is the best time to buy if you would like to own a new home because the market is so bad. I am not in a position to purchase property at this time but I like this type of thinking: See the opportunity where there seems to be none. Choosing to act on it could just make you better off in the long-run...and it could be a very long run. Of course, I am not saying that is easy, I am just saying that it is possible. It is possible to choose better, see better, be better. It's all up to you. It's your choice. So, on that note, the answer to the question posed earlier, without a doubt, is Chike Nwabukwu is experiencing a Personal Renaissance...because I choose to do so.

O que e Mandinga

So many things are going on right now: acting gigs, teaching, performing music, applying to grad school, women, seeking the right type of employment, and of course, capoeira. It gets hard to manage them all. Even more so, how to manuver in and out of these different disciplines and be in the moment, giving them the attention they deserve, is even harder. However, something from that mystical game I play, capoeira, is showing me the way. They/we call it mandinga. It's hard to explain exactly what it is. It's almost one of those things that "just is". But if I were to try to translate it into English or layman's terms, it would be something near the equivilent of street smarts mixed with cunningness with a side bit of charm. Add in the Hand of God guiding you and this is getting close to what Mandinga could be interpreted as. Mandinga is moving with grace in the face of terror, exuding the confidence that you will be all right when it's all said and done because everything is always all right. Mandinga is feeling hurt and in pain but rising to each and every occassion because you don't know how to do anything else [Please note that rising to every occassion doesn't have to mean winning every match. It just means not loosing].

I could offer a million definitions of what Mandinga is but none will completely capture its essence. Rather, I am simply giving thanks to the Great One for dashing me with a little bit of this magic potion to be able to make it in this crazy world. With all that I am handling, and being nervous about the state of my job/finances, I still feel confident, clear-headed, and progressive. I know the Great One didn't bring me this far to fall short on my journey. Thank You. The game of life is gaining in intensity right now but I am still able to "jogo bonito."

I...

I write because I write
I learn because I do
I create because I am culture
I am because we are.

Congrats

Congrats to Barack and Michelle Obama for being inaugurated as the 44th President and First Lady of the U.S. of A. Not only is Barack Obama leading by example the way the country and our moral characters should go, but his union with his beautiful wife and family is just as inspiring and worthy of admiration. Hats off to you President Obama. Indeed, this is change we can believe in.

Dealing with Haters

It is good to be cordial and communal yet I prefer not to shake the hand of a Hater. Rather, simply give them the finger. We don't see palm to palm.

NY is getting smaller

...at least for me. That big, gigantic, intimidating place that everyone says New York is supposed to be is feeling smaller, more intimate to me these days. Granted I don't hang around Times Square that much (any more), and stay away from other touristy spots, but still, other boroughs are just as crowded yet I'm not feeling cramped.

I have found my own niche, my own lane in NY and maybe that's what allows me focus in the crowds. Or it could be my travels around the world that play a part in this, constantly reminding me through memories that the world is bigger than this big city. But I am not even sure that either one of them is it. I think in the end, NY is a city like any other city. It may look grand and mysterious at first, but once you settle in and get to know your way around some of that mysticism looses it touch. Eventually, you run into people you know on the streets, go to house parties where everyone knows your name, and are able to give directions to other newcomers to the city. This is a very interesting observation for me. I am at home...no matter where I am at.