Who Got Them Bangz

Sliiiiiight Werk. Still got it, dont tempt me. ‪#‎Combination3‬? maybe 4.‪#‎50Laugh‬

Not For Amateurs

Skillz. #50Laugh

F@#% Social  PHONY NETWORKS

Just like everyone else, when I first joined Twitter, Facebook, etc I was HOOKED...and unfortunately still am. But every so often I find my self overwhelmed by social networks and need to take a hiatus from it, be it a week, month or 3 months (my longest vacation from cyber networks). After many breaks, I began to ask myself "why the hell do I take breaks from social networks?!" Well, folks, here's why:

1)Please continue to post violent news, images, and videos for it increases my social awareness.

Wrong! it's draining. It's one thing to watch the video of Sharkeisha beating the dog shit out of her FRIEND- I watched and was amused (initially) too. But then people go on to "like" and "favorite" it...WTF does that even mean? you enjoy violence? we all do to some degree but do we have to publicly promote it? But hold on, that's not enough, the world must witness this destruction so I must "share" and "retweet" it to my cyber community. Unfortunately many won't understand the dangers of sharing and retweeting 'till their most embarrassing moment is a viral sensation.

2) Airing your dirty laundry...Or complaints

What ever happened to the days where we would post an inspirational quote or some corny line from a song that encompasses our feelings/situation? Instead we shout everybody who "ain't shit" and/or complain, complain, and complain. Like for real, is there more to you? Does complaining ever get boring to ya? While venting may be necessary there are levels to it. Constant complaining via social networks is not attractive nor helpful. Taking action, aside from on the keyboard is.Complainers kill our vibe. This applies to keyboard activists as well.

3) The Thirst Traps

We all post pictures online to get attention, I get it. But does every picture of you have to display hella cleavage and ya phatty? I mean, the first two pics, ya boy was like "damn guhl" and probably even double taped the "like" button or did a mental "favorite". But then after seeing your next dozen of highly revealing photos, boredom took over me. That must your best feature(s).  Again, is there more to you? Does setting traps ever get boring to ya? 

4) The Pervs

If I wanted to watch porn i'd go to bangbros or youjizz. I really don't want to see that shit when i'm on social networks, especially when i'm at work and my boss walks past as I scroll past a nude pic of Buffy you just shared followed by a lame caption with emojis. That shits lame and you look like a perv, you and everybody who retweets it. Besides make these 'gram models get a real job/hobby, don't gas these heaux!

5) The Boaster

While it's very good news you've accepted a offer from blah blah blah, did you really have to copy and paste your WHOLE acceptance letter. What, you thought we wouldn't believe you if you didn't post the WHOLE letter? lol for real though, that's hella extra of you.

6) The Scholar

It's approaching that time again where those who've been grindin' all semester  finally get their grades back and bam! 2Bs and 2As. You're a rockstar and possibly made the Dean's list! Congrats! For real. But hold on, the recognition of your hard work acknowledged by the Dean's office and your report card isn't enough, you must screenshot your grades and get recognition from Facebook. For if you don't your accomplishment isn't all that significant. Btw, i'm not endorsing boasting but at least if you do, it speaks FAR more volumes if you're enrolled at a respectable institution. If you talking JCs we don't wanna talk!

7) Social Networks ARE NOT REAL!!!!!!!!

Cyber networks these days are like the SIMS 2.0. It's where you create who you aspire to be in the world of your dreams, NOT who you are. We know these people on FB and Twitter who desperately try to be cool, hardworking and/or Confucius-minded, just to accumulate friends, likes, and retweets. Don't even get me started on "ratio twatchers", you know those who aim to maintain a "respectable" amount of follower to following ratio. Pathetic, case closed.

It's not all their fault though, believe it or not Social networks are the new peer pressure. For example, allow me to re-open the discussion about "ratio twatchers."  Apparently, in the twitter realm you're not cool unless you have more followers than people you're following -__-. Like for real, people silently perpetuate that through following someone and then once they follow back, they unfollow. Real mature, right? Smh. A lot of the times we unconsciously post things to recreate the attention we saw someone else receive, or worse, use FB to make-up for the lack up attention we're missing from LIFE and the people who matter in our physical world.
Lastly, people don't keep it real. We're too caught up in being PC and wanting to voice socially accepted opinions. Newsflash! not all society norms are morally correct. More importantly, if you wouldn't respond to an event that you commented on Twitter as you would in REAL life, why fake the funk for cyber world?

By all means create these perceptions in attempt to build the "coolest" social portfolio for yourself, but...don't get caught in the fantasy and lose yourself to the lamelight.

8) I'm screaming Happy Bithday to my.....!
Wishing someone happy birthday via social network is the most laziest, impersonal ways to show love. If that's what you do, in ADDITION to calling and/or texting then that's fine. I consider birthdays to be extra special, hence why I deactivate my accounts weeks before my bday. Damn near everyone i'm friends with on social networks have my number, hml fool! Besides, people appreciate the calls and texts much more and it's extra brownie points for those who remember...or fake like they did but really got reminded by FB.

9) Fools' Media

Almost 80% of what's posted on social media is aimed to get the attention of fools. These are postings that are either distracting or fallacious but we share these posts and comment on them because it caught our attention. Don't be a victim of the trollers.

10) Cyberthugs

Speaks for itself. Don't be that pussy.

11) Debating

 I say debating because social networks aren't the place for arguments, but it can be a starting venue for good conversation. However, many people cannot respectfully debate their views without belittling someone else. And when you're belittling truth, it just looks dumb disputing it with a fallacious argument. Friends don't make it any better though, they will like the hell out of their friend's ignorant comment just to show their solidarity, an attempt to boost their friends ego/intelligence. If someone mentions truth in the face of your invalid viewpoint, bite the pill and learn something. Your ignorance is murdering my newsfeed!

So yeah, these are what grinds my gears and leads to my removal from fantasy land to allow myself to get more in tune with the physical world. Every time I take a break I began to feel so liberated, especially mentally. It's really weird, but not, because on Twitter you're constantly suffocated by others' thoughts and lifestyle that it's easy to lose grasp of your opinions, ideas and life, and begin perpetuating the latest trends. Don't get lost to the tweets!

4years ago

Olawole Aregbesola

CP 105

Aaron V. Smith

A Few Chapters of My Book

I am the product of an African dream. Born to parents struggling to make ends meet; they named me, Olawole which means “Wealth, Come In.” I am a Nigerian-American born and raised on the South Side Chicago, Illinois by Gani and Bolaji Aregbesola. My parents, born in Nigeria, worked hard for their privilege to be in America. Even when they arrived here, their problems increased and their struggle became tougher. They were faced with great adversity but always overcame them at the end of the day. My parents are the origin of my competitive drive to be the best I can be; they ignite and fuel the fire within me. The tenacity, determination, and courage my parents have are instilled in all of their seeds, including myself.

Speaking of their seeds, my brothers are Bolaji and Remi. Being that I am the youngest of three, I was always under their wing. They are the people I look up to and learn from. Whenever I need anything, I can always count on them to be there. Even though they are my brothers and are much older than I am, they still fulfill the role of a friend and I appreciate them for that. My other brother, not biologically, is Romeo. Romeo and I have been friends since the sixth grade. Even when I left for college and we split ways, we still kept our close bond. It feels as if we have been through everything together. We have rejoiced together, cried together, and even fought with one another. He is the first person I notify when there is a problem in my life or if I receive a blessing. What I value most about our relationship is our growth. Many childhood friends, as they become older, they grow apart. We have actually grown together, maturing and are developing simultaneously.

Growing up, I hated some of the way things were, but grew to appreciate them when I became older. For instance, when I was younger I always wanted the newest shoes, best clothes and the latest video games. When all my friends had the aforementioned items, I did not; I did not receive new sneakers until my shoes were worn out and new clothes until they were dingy. That alone taught me two things to live by: be content with what I have and also appreciate what I have. Just like any other person, I still buy things I want, but for the most part I only buy necessities. Another major aspect in my household is respect. Respect is Nigerian culture. Children that are respectful, obedient and stay away from mischief are valued by Nigerian parents. I had to be obedient to everyone in my household and follow every order given to me whether it was from my father, mother or brothers. If I ever spoke back to my parents or brothers after they have given me an order, there would be harsh consequences. Specifically, as a child I remember every night when my parents finished their dinner I had to gather their plates and wash them, if I didn’t they would discipline me. That may seem minute, but that task is part responsible for me becoming the respectful person I am. The home training I received overlapped with the way I interacted with people outside my home, in the American society. For example, I would call all of my friends’ parents by their last, never by their first, while other friends of mine would call them by their first name; I was taught that is disrespectful.

In college and life period, prioritizing is necessary. My parents never let me step foot outside my house to play until my homework was done correctly and chores were complete. As a result, I am a good student till this day, paving a great road for me to continue in life, all due to their parenting skills.

Growth, it never ends. It is a long journey with no destination, only progression. My family started me on this journey and now that I am in college, on my own, I am forced to pick up where they left off. I recently came to the conclusion that I will always be a student. Learning never ends, therefore I will continue to acquire knowledge and incorporate it to my life, enabling me to become the best individual I can be.

Before coming to UW-Madison I didn’t appreciate my culture. I was a bit ashamed. My friends from high school would always taunt and joke about our customs and traditions. The mockery would sometimes lead me to want to be something else, American like them.  When I came to college it was as if I was reborn. I obtained a new outlook on life and myself. I asked myself, what is my greatest fear? After much thinking, it hit me like the rain on a stormy day. One of my greatest fears is losing my culture. My culture defines a part of who I am. If I lose my culture, our customs and traditions, I lose myself. Knowing this, I could not let that happen. I am, and forever will be Nigerian.

Over the past few months I have become closer to God. I started seeking my purpose in life; thinking, why did He put me on this earth. Then I began to think about my interests and what makes me happy. Me helping others achieve and learn is what brings me the most joy. I want to be known as a resource and an advocate for my community. I am currently volunteering as a mentor to younger children and as time progresses, I will continue to increase my time in the community, helping our young leaders becoming the best individuals they can be. Because I feel the children of African descent are most at risk of failure in the American society, I started with them, and I plan on branching out to other races as time pass.

The first student organization I ever joined was in high school, on the boy’s basketball team. Ever since I was in elementary school I wanted to play basketball; I love playing the game. To me, basketball was an organization, sport, and a job. I worked hard all four years in high school playing basketball. I had positive and negatives experiences while playing on the team and I am glad I experienced them all because they taught lessons and helped make me the better man I am today. From playing basketball I learned how to deal with failure. What I mean by that is, when I used to lose games or have bad days, I always came harder the next day or the next game to redeem myself and to put forth my best effort. This attitude is something I apply to almost every aspect of my life.

While in high school, I only had one job. That was with Project Brotherhood; a non-for-profit organization aimed to assist with the health and development of Black men. Because my mother worked in the same office as this organization she referred me to the coordinator who eventually hired me. I worked for Project Brotherhood for four years and can truly say it was a good experience. My tasks included, preparing food, filing papers, designing fliers and other office responsibilities. At Project brotherhood, I was forced to battle my weakness, public speaking. The organization always put me in situations in which I had to converse with a large group. It taught me to face my fears and try my best to overcome them. They also helped me with other weaknesses and strengths I possessed. Like high school basketball, Project Brotherhood taught me life lessons and experience that I will truly value for the rest of my life.

My second job, which is my current job, is at Ingraham deli; I acquired this job freshman year of college. At first, at the deli it was all positive experiences. I learned skills I never had before; I’m always excited to learn things I never knew. I acquired skills such as: performing monetary transaction, preparing pastries/ snacks, and customer service. However, after my first year there it became boring. Although I gained experience with customer service, stocking, cutting pastries, etc., I began to feel underemployed because my best talents were not being maximized.

This year is the first year I joined an organization in college. I am currently members of WBSU (Wisconsin Black Student Union) holding a position on the finance committee and one of the founders of WABM (Wisconsin Association of Black Men). Both have been a great experience for me and are teaching me a lot about responsibility. With WBSU, I am being taught to write grants, keep track of our budget and other financial matters. My role in WABM is not quite as major because I do not hold a position on the executive team. However, I am shadowing the members now so I will be prepared next year when I join the team.

I have a strong passion for math and solving its mind bottling problems. I don’t know what it is but ever since I was in elementary school I was skillful at math. There is no coincidence that when I came to college I pursued a math related major, Actuarial Science. After college, with my degree in Actuarial Science I plan to become an Actuary for a leading insurance company. To further prepare myself for a career as an Actuary, I plan to obtain Actuarial internships during my undergraduate career. However, I view my job as an Actuary as a form of income; it is not my true desire. My desire and love lies in the community. When I have the funding, I plan to establish a recruiting/tutoring service for high school students who aspire to play college basketball. I decided on this because I had dreams of playing basketball collegiately but unfortunately it didn’t work out for me. The institutions that were interested in me were all small colleges that did not have very good academic programs that could compare to UW's. I could not trade a great education/experience for basketball; therefore I declined and chose UW. There are so many of our young brothers and sisters with the same dream as myself, I just want to help them reach them, while helping them become better individuals.

Best day of Summer2K13

I left a lil bit in 2013 but I couldn't move on w/o this. FF 2:07 to see some hyper twins and 2:27 for yours truly. #bucketlist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f16Gl6O8CTI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Naples National Archeological Museum

Day 3 was amazing! To get to the Naples Museum we rode the train, very much like the CTA but only difference was their trains are covered in beautiful graffiti. The collection at the museum consisted of mostly Greek and Roman art. After the museum we then took a brief tour of Naples. We saw all kinds of street vendors, so many shoe and clothing stores, huge buildings, ate pizza, and even got some gelato!

Exploring Pasteum & Velia

On day 2, Dec.29th we visited Pasteum, a city originally home to the Greeks which they named Poseidonia, but was later conquered by the Lucanians and later by the Romans. Lucanians renamed it Paistos and Romans ultimately renamed it what it is known as today. We saw beautiful, illustrious temples built by the Greeks, including the Temple of Athena (1st two photos) and Temple of Hera-also known as Neptune(following 2 photo). In between the two temples were ruins (last photo)from the Romans. Naturally, you can see the influence the founders of Pasteum had on the ruins, very interesting how they not only took over their land but also bit their style in crafting. Hate!

Later in the day we visited Velia where we saw the notable Porta Rosa (Pink Gate). The Porta Rosa road was a BEAST to walk up due to it being a bit uphill and we were walking on thick bricks. Far more rigorous than that hike up Bascom my UW folks know all to well. In addition we saw ruins from Velia made from colorful bricks and stones.

Throughout the entire day I believe we walked about 10 miles. Woo! But without a doubt,  our expedition was worth every step!

What In The World Am I Doing In Italy

Have you ever just sat down and reflected upon your life and all of the things you experienced and accomplished? Ever examine the struggles you've endured and surroundings you come from?  Many times right? I thought as much. That's something I analyze excessively. Given who I am and the world we live in, the life I live and the "problems" I have- it is all a privilege to possess. I love going home, south side Chicago at every chance I can. Not only because I have family and friends there that I love being around but also to be reminded of my stomping grounds and be inspired to reach my pinnacle and beyond. For some reason, when I reflect upon where I am I think of where I'm from.

Right now it's 5am and I'm sitting on the edge of my bed blogging on my phone in Italy. Freaking Italy! Castellammare to be specific.  A place which before now I only learned about via television and textbooks. Now I'm speaking, walking, eating and drinking the culture. Literally. Yesterday, as I sipped red wine our server placed my dinner, fine pasta Alfredo with baked chicken and sautéed vegetables on the table I said "grazie" to show a little gratitude and flex one of four words I know in Italian. Also, before dinner I roamed the narrow streets of Castellammare- taste the air (not as good as the pasta btw) and listened to fireworks while constantly being on guard to avoid being hit by petit cars for they don't view "stop" or "yield for pedestrians" signs as a necessity here. I would've stopped by the gelateria to get some gelato (ice cream) but I haven't converted my dollars yet. Bummer. Maybe tomorrow. 

We'll that's all I have for the half day I've spent in Castellammare thus far. Got a field trip to embark on in a few hours so i'd better get some rest. It's still so surreal being here. I'll be sure to post at least once or twice a week.

Ps, hit me up on fb or twitter if you want to give me a holler.

Ciao!

Amazing

WOWs from Cole

Straight Hoopin' #2

NBA uncensored trash talk

Justice League V Avengers

CRACKING !! Never knew of this feature! Go Justice League!

Cold...Blooded

S/O to KD !! Career high of 52 plus a game winner!

UnBULLevable

S/O to dem Bulls!! #straighthoopin...awwn pick ur face up KG, have some cheerios or sumn !

Kobe System

Ellioitt Wilson's 6 Wishes for Hip Hop

BTW Happy Belated !!

KDot- Backseat Freestyle

Didn't really vibe with the song all that much but the visual is really dope and original!

S/O to Them Hard A** Thugs