Every now and then an altercation breaks out down at the barber shop, lines are drawn, challenges are issued and, hopefully everyone walks out with very few blood stains. All over a pretty simple and harmless question: What is the greatest sport on earth?

Some say football. Some say baseball. Canadians say hockey. The rest of the world says soccer…well, football, but you know what they mean.

What does Nelly say?? !Kissing! Yes, kissing is the greatest sport on earth. (This is the part where you ask why.)

Kissing is the most versatile sport around. There are so many types of kisses to choose from – at least one for just about any occasion. There is the quick peck on the cheek kiss, the peck on each cheek kiss, the peck on your nephew’s cheek kiss while grabbing the other cheek flab with your hand, the wildly passionate kiss, the elegant kiss on the hand, the dreaded kiss of death, the “Hey you! Kiss this!”, and even the Florida town of Kissimmee (founded, no doubt, by early Italian pioneer kissers…think about it…think about it…ahhh, NOW you get it!)

The Art of Kissing Is Easy

Kissing is easy to transport. It really doesn’t matter where you are. You can kiss: at the gym, in the boardroom, on top of an airplane, even in Alaska from June through September.

Kissing requires barely any equipment, which means you can do it even when not prepared for the occasion, and even when you have to travel light. This makes it the ideal participation sport for businessmen, world travelers and marsupial groupies.

Kissing always livens things up. Try this: the next time you are in an oh-so-booooring meeting that seems to last oh-so-foreeeeever, why not just kiss somebody. Go ahead; try it. See how it livens things up?

Kissing is legal in all 50 states and most earth-bound countries. Rumors are circulating that kissing will even be legalized soon on Mars, Jupiter and in Afghanistan.

Kissing is 100% biodegradable, so when you kiss somebody, you help the environment.

Kissing is safe to do in a moving vehicle, as long as you are not driving.

Kissing is non toxic…unless you kiss somebody who has just swallowed a bottle of Drano. Even so, kissing is still safe, as long as you do not use your mouth.

Kissing is non-fattening. This is perhaps the best news of all, because dieters now have something to keep their mouths busy while not eating, and smokers can quit smoking without having to chew candies until they a) need to diet or b) induce diabetes.

Kissing is organic, low in sodium, preservative-free, low in saturated fats and does not contain dozens of delicious ingredients that cannot be pronounced, like javelchromopntheoremicherbicidic acid.

Most kisses are not tested on animals, but who am I to stifle your sense of adventure?

You can kiss just about everyone: your boyfriend, your aunt, your wife, your veterinarian, the Prime Minister of the Duchy of Grand Fenwick and your pet aardvark. Don’t try kissing them all at the same time, though…especially not your boyfriend and your wife.

Kissing meets the toughest safety regulations of any national or international sporting organization. Kissing has a tremendous safety record, except for the occasional locked braces. But a quick call for a AAA tow truck fixes that problem (CAA in Canada, AA in the UK, the local plumber in France)

Extreme Kissing NOT Recommended

The only recorded deaths involving kissing are by third parties, usually wives, husbands, spurned lovers and other spectators who somehow get past security and storm onto the playing field like that well-dressed gentleman at the Superbowl.

We do NOT recommend “extreme kissing”. For instance, don’t kiss an on-duty garbage truck; it is considered dangerous. Don’t kiss a metal fencepost in sub-zero weather; readers in northern climates know exactly what I mean. Don’t kiss any electrical outlets to avoid looking like Beekman’s World.

Are you paying attention? This one is important. Don’t kiss the vacuum cleaner if you want to retain all your vital organs. It’s OK to kiss sandpaper, just don’t use your tongue. Don’t kiss a chainsaw; we feel this one is self-explanatory. And don’t kiss your office manager while on duty…unless you happen to be a work-from-home hermit.

But overall, kissing is so great that it makes baseball, hockey, football and soccer seem like bush league sports. Next time you hear a brawl at your local barbershop, just go in and give everyone a kiss. I guarantee that you will win the argument hands down. And if not, at least you will make some new friends to argue with.

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1. What I’ve Learned From “The Wire”
2. New Words To Use At Work
3. Top 10 New Slogans for BP

I’ve been home all morning trying to digest this story about a recent drug bust in Brockton and none of it is making sense. Well, it does but it’s totally being blown out of proportion! I’m no drug dealer, nor do I ever plan to be, BUT, it does not take a genius to see how ridiculous this whole ordeal is. This story got me riled up so bear with me! This is going to be a long one.

If you’re from New England and have been living under a rock the past day, let me give you the facts of this drug bust. The Boston Globe reports that roughly 300 federal, state, and local officers “arrested 25 people on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and possession of heroin,” in the amount of one kilogram. Most of the kids arrested were from Brockton and surrounding areas. The investigation started in December 2009 but didn’t really pick up until about June. Authorities identified 4 of the detainees to be “large-scale heroin distributors,” by use of court-issued wiretaps. Those are the primary facts.

Now this is where I come in. I do understand the danger of heroin; it’s killed hundreds of kids in Brockton alone and is the number one killer of teens in Massachusetts. I get that. What I don’t get is why this thing is being blown out of proportion. It’s one fuckin kilo! You don’t need to be a hustler to know that one kilo ain’t shit. It’s really not. A “large-scale heroin distributor” doesn’t sell only one kilo. Maybe business is slow, LOL, but this seems like small potatoes to me. Over 300 officers to arrest 25 people for one measly kilogram of heroin. These are not major players they arrested. They are all low level street dealers. But of course the the media and the city of Brockton is going to make this out to be a major bust. The Abington marijuana bust was WAY bigger than this as far as street value and amounts go. But they needed 300 officers to arrest 25 kids for one kilo thats worth about $80,000 at the most. Law enforcement spent A LOT more than $80,000 to conduct this investigation, so what does that really tell you, lol.

I read a comment about a neighbor who said he was afraid his 12-year old would come across drug dealers on his way to school. What’s the fear Pop? That your kid is going to be approached to buy drugs on his way to school??? News Flash! That doesn’t happen in the real world! This guy has been watching way too much TV. “Hey kid, you wanna buy some dope?” Is that what he thinks is gonna happen? Is he more afraid that dealers are gonna approach his kid, or that his kid would actually buy some drugs? That’s what I want to know. I remember being 10 years old, leaving my karate school at 9 or 10pm to walk home down Main Street without even thinking twice about it…and this was in the 90′s! People will say times were different and they’re right. They were worse in the 90′s, LOL.

How does this tie in to The Wire? Well first of all, if there is anything I learned from the show, don’t use your cell phone if you’re selling drugs! “Nelson, you can’t compare this to a television show.” Yes the hell I can! Everyone knows that The Wire was as close to real life as any show on TV. That’s number one. The other thing I learned is that the media and politicians will use every opportunity they paint a story to serve their purpose. In this case, arresting 25 people. One thing the locals don’t know is that of the 25, only about 4 or 5 will actually get served and do time. The rest will have charges dropped or pay a few fines, small probation sentence, something like that. They’ll get most of them to sing and point all the blame on 4 or 5 of the main guys and they’ll be free to go for the most part. THOSE guys will probably get a real harsh sentence since the media already blew this story up so it can’t end anti-climactically (is that word?). That’s the most that will happen. This will have no effect on the drug trade in this area as much as they claim it will. It’s only one kilo. The REAL suppliers have already closed up shop and moved on to another location.

So before you BELIEVE everything you read, look into everything in more detail and make form your own opinion.

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1. Dancing With the Sucks
2. The Love Scapegoat
3. New Words To Use At Work

I’ll be honest, I don’t really watch this show, for one reason only…I think the show sucks. I did watch it when my boy Floyd Mayweather was on there, but as soon as he got booted that ended my DWTS-watching career. I do read  news every morning and I can’t help but notice how everyone is surprised that Bristol Palin is STILL on the show. How is this possible? What is wrong with this country right now? I even heard there was a voting conspiracy going on to keep her on the show. It’s really hard to believe that Americans are voting for her every week when you have contestants like Brandy that I hear has been in the top whatever every week…and SHE just got voted off??? WTF? What am I missing here?

Either Americans are really voting for this no-talent chick due to Palin fever…or there is some conspiracy going on here with ABC and the Palin camp. This makes no sense at all. Why she’s even ON the show is mind blasting since the show is called Dancing With the Stars! She’s a star now? Really? Why? Because she got knocked up and her mom is a looney toon? I mean, I know reality TV is fake and scripted but this is on a whole other level.

This is what I think happened. I think originally everyone was anti-Bristol Palin but that whole voting conspiracy thing went down and she got her votes. She automatically became the underdog, or The Little Engine That Could, and you know Americans love them some underdog stories. So, after a few almost getting cut scenarios everyone rallied behind her and start voting for this loser. Of course, the judges are going to play along as say shit like, “Oh this is your best performance yet,” which is not saying much if you still suck! I read that the audience booed when Brandy got the axe…that tells you something right there.

Back to the conspiracy thing, I read on KBS Radio’s website that a bunch of conservative websites have been ganging up and voting for this chick with fake email addresses. Apparently, ABC.com does not need to validate your email address so you can vote with a phoney address as many times as you want. No wonder she’s always winning! Why would ABC do this? Well, so they can gloat about how many votes they’ve tallied every week which ABC’s advertisers would love to hear!

All I can say is if this dumbass ends up winning the contest, I’m moving to Zimbabwe. What are your thoughts on this fiasco?

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1. How To Connect With NellyNandes.com
2. Top 10 New Slogans for BP
3. Where’s The Blue

I came across this list in the Atlanta Post because it’s very rare you see Blacks in a list of real estate moguls. The folks you usually hear about are Donald Trump and Ted Turner. But there are highly influential real estate developers in the Black community and I’m not even sure if the Black community knows about it! So let’s get this list started!

1. R. Donahue Peebles

Don Peebles is by far my favorite developer. Donald who? I remember reading about him in an article a few years back and it mentioned Peebles ran “the country’s largest African American real estate development company.” That alone was impressive! As CEO of The Peebles Corporation he oversees a $4 billion portfolio that includes the Royal Palm Hotel in Miami and the Las Palmas Hotel in Vegas. I found out he wrote a book, The Peebles Principles, and of course I bought it. By far the best real estate bio I have ever read. It gives Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal.

2. Quintin Primo III

Primo is the co-founder of Capri Capital Partners which oversees a $3 billion real estate portfolio primarily invested in multi-families in the Midwest and South.

3. Herman J. Russell

In 1953 Herman J. Russell extended the family plastering business into general contracting. The result was H.J. Russell & Company which today operates as a construction and real estate development corporation. The marriage of the two has proved successful for Russell. Forbes estimates his net worth hovers around  $200 million.

4. Thomas Baltimore, Jr.

Thomas J. Baltimore is the co-founder of RLJ Development (you’ll see this name come up again) and runs the day-to-day activities of the company. He’s a former hospitality executive having spent time with Hilton and Marriott which comes in handy since RLJ Development has quite a hefty hotel portfolio with 128 hotels! What does RLJ stand for? We’ll get to that in a minute.

5. Victor MacFarlane

MacFarlane runs MacFarlane partners investing in neighborhood-serving retail and affordable housing in inner cities, luxury residential and mixed-use high rises. His portfolio totals roughly $6 bilion and includes the Time Warner Center in NYC. You should see his condo in San Francisco!

6. Tate George

Remember Tate George? Neither do I, but George is a former NBA player who spent 5 seasons with the Nets, 76ers, and the Bucks. Now he heads the George Group, a real estate development firm responsible for countless affordable housing projects in Newark, NJ. His portfolio is now worth $500 million. I know he never saw that much money playing ball!

7. Mo Vaughn

Another sports star, this time a much bigger name! Red Sox fans remember Mo Vaughn. Shit, I’m a Yankee fan I have nothing but love for Mo Vaughn. Well since retiring from baseball he formed Omni New York, LLC which has bought and rehabilitated 1,142 units of distressed housing in the New York metropolitan area. The company also manages these properties to provide low cost housing using government tax credits.

8. Emmitt Smith

Wait, three athletes in a row? I guess we know what they’re getting into after retirement. He teamed up with another Cowboy legend, Roger Staubach, and formed Smith/Cypress Partners LP in 2005, which is a real estate development firm that works to build “commercially viable properties anchored by national retail giants.” Smith is also co-founder of ESmith Legacy, Inc. in Dallas, a premier real estate development and asset management firm that is  100% minority owned.

9. Kenneth H. Fearn

Kenneth H. Fearn is Founder and Managing Partner of Integrated Capital, LLC, a private equity real estate group with a focus on hospitality. The Company owns assets within the Marriott and Hilton family of hotels, located across the United States, from Southern California to the Eastern Seaboard.

10. Bob Johnson

Had to start and end this with a bang. If you’re Black and don’t know who Bob Johnson is you should jump in a river. Bob Johnson was responsible for BET and became the first black billionaire when he sold the channel to Viacom. Now he runs the RLJ Companies and it’s subsidiary, RLJ Development. Remember Thomas Baltimore from earlier? Yeah, same company! Don’t forget to check out his book, The Billion Dollar BET.

There you have it. The Top 10 Black Real Estate Moguls. Notice a trend here, especially with sports stars. What should I do with all this money? Real Estate. Development is even richer since your costs are lower, but you also need lots of up-front cash. If you can do that then your returns are exponentially higher. Definitely check out Don Peebles book, The Peebles Principles if you are interested in real estate investments. Very inspirational book!

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1. The Love Scapegoat
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Enter Tim Leffel

Like an annoying house guest who keeps packing but doesn’t leave, this recession keeps dragging on. That downsized international vacation can still be exotic though—if you pick the right destination. Or if you really want to alter your finances for the better, move to one of these places as an expat.

The dollar is in healthier shape than it has been many times in the past in relation to the euro and pound sterling, but a trip to one of Western Europe’s capitals still feels like a shopping trip to Tiffany’s. Australia is not much better, and a trip to Japan could drain your whole life savings in a week.

Here’s a better idea: go someplace where your travel dollars are still worth a bundle.

Below are some of the best deals on the planet right now, destinations that are relatively easy for travelers and also easy on the wallet.

1. Egypt

Photo: Jungle_Boy

Despite having some of the world’s best-known monuments, Egypt struggles to fill its abundant hotels. With less-than-wealthy locals far outnumbering the tourists, it’s easy to find a bargain meal or a guide or taxi driver. (They’ll find you whether you need them or not.) Admission prices for the ancient pyramids and temples are reasonable, generally ranging from $3 to $14.

Sample deals: a first-class train ticket from Cairo to Luxor for $17; a Nile-view deluxe double room in Luxor for $60 with breakfast; a private room by the sea in Dahab for under $20; entrance to the Nubia Museum in Aswan for $4; a falafel sandwich at a Cairo street stall for 40 cents. There’s no great independent travel site for the whole country but Egypt’s official tourism site is better than most.

2. Indonesia

Photo: Erik K Veland

This Southeast Asian nation is one of the most diverse and attractive destinations in the world, with a long string of volcanic islands and a range of topography and culture. It could also be the best value on the planet, with cheap hotels going for $5 a night, often right beside great snorkeling spots. Bali is the most developed island, but even there you can find plenty of deals. On Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi, however, it’s easy to branch out like an intrepid explorer or get pampered on the cheap in the most popular spots.

Sample deals: a double room with pool and breakfast in Yogyakarta, Java for under $20; a five-day small ship cruise between Lombok and Flores islands via Komodo for $200 per person including meals; a first-class train seat from Jakarta to Yogyakarta for $25; an hour-long massage for $8-$15; a day’s motorbike rental on Bali for $10. Indo.com has a good listing of mid-range hotels in Bali and some other areas while the official Indonesia tourism site has travel info and enticing photos of the diverse islands.

3. Mexico

Photo: Tim Leffel

In mid-2008, the peso was at 10 to the dollar. Now it’s close to 13. That’s a discount of more than 25 percent in a country that was already a deal. Plus Swine Flu followed by drug gang violence on the U.S. border has meant that travelers have tremendous bargaining power on hotels and tours. To find the best values, visit the historic colonial cities or beach areas where Americans don’t outnumber the locals. (As in places where there’s no Señor Frog’s in sight.)

Sample deals: a three-course lunch at a market stand for $4; nice hotels in centuries-old colonial buildings for under $75 double with breakfast and Wi-Fi; a round of Negra Modelos for five at nearly any bar, including gratis snacks, for $10; and some of the nicest deluxe buses in the hemisphere for $6 to $8 per hour of travel. It’s a big, diverse country, but here’s an extensive set of links and the best books on one page: Mexico travel resources from Travelers-tool-kit.com.

4. Honduras

Photo: Tim Leffel

Few people knew anything about this country until it was all over the news last year when the president got forced out of office. You can find fabulous deals on scuba diving packages on Roatan Island. This Caribbean island sits next to the second-longest coral reef in the world, and every hotel seems to offer attractive package plans no matter the season. On the mainland you’ve got tropical national parks, the rugged Moskito Coast, and Copán, one of the key Mayan sites in the Americas and a great little colonial town.

Sample deals: $35 white-water rafting trips; weeklong learn-to-dive packages with room, breakfast, and transfers for under $600; a cold coconut with a straw for 40 cents; and admission to the Copán archeological park for $10. For more info, see the Honduras Tips site or Roatan Online, or see more travel prices in Honduras here.

5. Guatemala

Photo: Tim Leffel

This is only a shade farther to fly than Mexico, but it is a truly exotic destination. The descendants of the Mayans still dress in traditional clothing in the villages surrounding stunning Lake Atitlán. The Spanish colonial buildings in the city of Antigua are older than anything left standing in our historic city districts. The sprawling archeological park of Tikal is the granddaddy of Mayan ruins, and still surrounded by jungle.

Sample deals: taxis in Antigua for $4; great hotels with a view on Lake Atitlán for $60 a night; a week of private Spanish lessons including homestay starting at $180; a zipline canopy tour near Tikal for $30; three pounds of bananas or avocados for a dollar. La Ruta Maya Online is the best resource for hotels, tours, and Spanish language schools.

6. Peru

Photo: Tim Leffel

Machu Picchu alone is worth the journey, but it’s just the start in this value-packed country. Inca ruins are scattered all around the Sacred Valley, and Cuzco is one of the most attractive cities in South America. There is also hiking in the Andes, admiring colonial architecture on the streets of Arequipa, trips through the Amazon, boating across the highest lake in the world, and flying over the strange Nazca lines.

Sample deals: Bus from Arequipa to Colca Canyon – $6; a big traditional lunch and a beer for $7; simple restaurant meal in the countryside $6 for two; entrance to the Inca Museum in Cuzco for $1.50; cheap single room or hostel bed $4-$10; airport taxi in Cusco $4. Andean Travel Web is an exhaustive resource site for trekking info, hotels that are a good value, and general travel info.

7. Thailand

Photo: ccdoh1

As with Honduras and Mexico, visitor numbers plunged when Bangkok was all over the news recently, so there are plenty of deals on airfare, tours, and hotels. This is a popular destination for travelers of all budget levels. Thailand continues to be one of the best bargains in the world in terms of hotel prices, and with a well-developed infrastructure, it’s easy to get around and see what you want to see, be it historic ruins, Buddhist temples, or tropical beaches.

Sample deals: a standard double at a true 5-star hotel in Bangkok for $250 or less per night—or a cheap place to flop down and sleep for 1/20th of that price; admission to the main ruins in Sukothai for under $2; a first-class round-trip sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai for about $40; a Skytrain ticket across Bangkok for about $1.30. The hands-down best travel resource for Thailand is Travelfish.org. They also put out some great iPhone/iPad apps on specific regions and islands.

8. Czech Republic

Photo: Tim Leffel

In much of Europe, prices in the big cities are often double what you find in the countryside. This is especially true in Eastern European countries like the Czech Republic, where vacationers on quick weekend breaks have driven up hotel and restaurant prices in Prague. In the smaller towns and cities, however, the country is one of Europe’s remaining great values. Castles on hill crests, some of the world’s best beer for a dollar or so in a pub, and winding cobblestone streets without crowds—Ye Olde Europe without the new Europe prices.

Sample deals: a room at the best hotel in town across Moravia for under $100 with breakfast; fully equipped hybrid bike rental for $25 a day; sommelier guided 12-bottle tasting at the Wine Salon of the Czech Republic in Valtice for $19; a train ticket from Prague to anywhere in the country for $12 or less. The official Czech Tourism site is excellent while MyCzechRepublic has good general info on different regions plus a message board. See more Czech prices outside Prague here.

To dive in deeper on any of these cheap destinations and see the current situation on the ground, check the message boards at LonelyPlanet.com and BootsnAll.com.

###

Travel writer and website publisher Tim Leffel is author of “The World’s Cheapest Destinations” and runs the Cheapest Destinations blog.

[This post is an updated version of an earlier article that appeared in the Boston Globe travel section.]

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1. Passion vs. Career
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3. Top 10 New Slogans for BP

1. BP: Coming to a beach near you!
2. BP Gasoline. Now with sea salt.
3. BP: Made you forget about Enron, didn’t we?
4. BP: Your world. Our toilet.
5. BP: Fill ‘er up, then scrub a duck.
6. BP: Hey, how bout them Yankees?
7. BP: Bringing oil right to your doorstep. Literally.
8. BP: Move over K-Y! We’re lubing America now!
9. BP: The world leader in underwater cameras.
10. BP: Be glad we don’t make condoms.

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1. The Love Scapegoat
2. Honesty Is The Best Policy
3. How Not To Die Poor, Part 1

I’d also love to get your feedback in comments below to help me keep improving my blog.

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There you have it. A bunch of way to keep in touch with NellyNandes.com. As always if you’d like to share a particular post with your friends there are Facebook, Twitter and Email ShareThis icons at the end of every post that you can click on.

Give us Your Feedback?
How do you follow what’s going on at NellyNandes.com? I’d love to hear your feedback to help me continue to improve the site.

Related posts:

1. The Love Scapegoat
2. 21st Century Love Letter
3. How Not To Die Poor, Part 1

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook then you might have noticed a recent quote I put up from one of my favorite websites, Income Diary:

Entrepreneurship is about living a few years of your life like most won’t, so that you can live the rest of your life like most can’t.

That’s some powerful shit right there! Now, this not only applies to entrepreneurship but to life as well. Make your sacrifices early in life so you won’t have to when you’re older. Think about it, we are old a lot longer than we are young. So once you hit 30, 35, if you don’t have your shit together you’re basically fucked. Sorry to say. I’ve made plenty of sacrifices over the years and I’ve always encouraged my friends to do the same. Some listened, most didn’t. If I were a man of religion I’d pray for them. But since I’m not, they’re on their own. Suckers!

Us young people, we love to live in the moment, forgetting about our future and living each day as if it were our last. You know that quote, right? Well I fucking hate it! Live each day as it were your last? Life is short? Bullshit! You know what’s wrong with living each day as if it were your last? What if it’s not your last? Then what? You are SCREWED my friend. Spend all your money on meaningless items that have no importance or significant impact on your life and let’s see how far that gets you. Keep that up and you better hope you die at 35 because if you live longer than that you’re going to die a very old man/woman with nothing to show for the life you’ve lived. Do you want to be the 45 year old, still renting, working 2 or 3 jobs whack ass jobs just to put food on the table, no health insurance and not a dollar to your name in a savings account?

I made, and still make sacrifices every day in order to set myself up for success. I’ll give up on what most people deem as “fun” so that I can live a very comfortable life for years to come. I sacrificed a college education so that I could work full-time and save money. I didn’t drink or party all that much in order to save money. I drive the same car I’ve had since high school and have the cheapest cell-phone plan I could live with [although I need my unlimited texts ]…in order to save money. All of my sacrifices paid off and I was able to purchase my first home at age 24. I’m about to honk my own horn here but I only know a handful of people that were homeowners at that age.

So I leave you with this. Consider every purchase you make as an investment. If your purchase will not have a significant impact on your life, then you don’t need it. And by significant impact I do NOT mean “it’ll make me look better/be cooler,” so that will nullify any shoes, purse, rims, Jordans, or flat screen purchases right there.

That’s it for Part 1. Stay tuned for Part 2 where I’ll make some suggestions to help you on your way to financial freedom.

Thoughts? What are your biggest financial weaknesses? What sacrifices have you made recently to help set your self up for success?

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If you have always been “spoken for” and never had a long stretches of being single, how valid is your opinion of relationships when you’ve only seen one side of it? Same goes for myself and my situation, but I’ve already stated that I’m no Dr. Phil. But they don’t come to me for advice for no apparent reason. Maybe it’s because I actually listen or that my advice means something to them. Who knows? I don’t think it matters and the fact remains I still get the “Nelson, what should I do?” questions.

I look at relationships in the most logical way possible, break it down to the simplest of pieces. Yeah love isn’t logical and can make you do the darnedest of things, but too many people use love as an scapegoat in overshadowing their own internal conflicts. I see girls with assholes for boyfriends, guys who absolutely treat them like shit, unfaithful bastards who question their every action. You ask this poor soul why she continues on with this emotionally abusive relationship and she gives you a copout bullshit answer “because I love him.” Meanwhile deep down inside she refuses to confront her fear of being alone and since she’s already invested so much emotionally and physically she decides to put up with him and his outlandish behavior claiming she can change him. I find it absolutely ludicrous how we thrive to change others when we are usually the one who needs the changing.

Ladies, please do yourselves a favor and assess your situation. Any man who cheats on his girlfriend, understand that it’s a conscious decision. You don’t accidentally cheat on someone, there’s always intention, and yet all it takes to amend heartache is a couple I’m Sorrys and a few I Love Yous. It’s like a kiss on the booboo. And she still claims that he’s the one? Give me a break! “Oh he still loves me.” He loves you so much he shares his love with homegirl down the street. “We worked it out.” What the hell does that mean? How do you work that out? That’s like a slap on the wrist, go in timeout, all is well. Anyone who treats you like shit is shit. That’s not love so don’t give me that “he beats me because he loves me” story.

Quite frankly I have no respect for people who put up with bullshit like this. I’ll keep it real. Not all relationships are meant to be. Your current partner might be the one for you, your soul mate or may be just a test on your character. Who knows? Endure it if you must because you’ll learn a lot about yourself but understand also that you are still young and Mr. or Miss Right is probably waiting for you at the bus stop. You deserve the best person out there, remember that. Contrary to popular belief not all guys are dogs and assholes. There are nice guys waiting for you to give them a chance.

Related posts:

1. 21st Century Love Letter
2. Honesty Is The Best Policy
3. Nice Guy vs. Asshole

The phenomenon of the moon in the water is likened to human experience. The water is the subject and the moon the object. When there is no water, there is no moon in the water, and likewise when there is no moon. But when the moon rises the water does not wait to receive its image, and when even the tinest drop of water is poured out the moon does not wait to cast its reflection. The moon does not intend to cast its reflection and the water does not receive its image on purpose. The event is caused as much by the water as by the moon, and as the water manifests the brightness of the moon, the moon manifests the clarity of the water. Everything does have a real relationship.

- Alan Watts

We are not simply isolated entities that stand apart from the universe, but are instead dynamic components of it, facets of the much greater whole – an active and capable part of the totality through which nature’s power flows. Western logic has a rule entitled the law of identity whereby things are what they are (i.e., an apple is an apple) and that it is impossible for one thing to be and not to be something in the same space and time.

In the Eastern philosophical mind, however, this either/or way of looking at life is innacurate; it is indeed possible for something to be opposite and yet the same. For example, man and woman, opposites one would think and yet the same in that both are human beings. In fact, man and woman are not so much opposites as they are complementaries; divided in such a fashion as to be able to reproduce themselves with their union. Man and woman, then, are the legs upon which the life of our species stands, and when one half is absent, the whole perishes.

Related posts:

1. The Strength of Weakness
2. The Tao of Bruce Lee
3. Honesty Is The Best Policy