Friday, December 31, 2021

With Friends Like You, Who Needs Enemies!

Dear "Friend" who Betrayed me,


Good morning; afternoon; and evening Nargiss and Pamela! Namaste. 🙏🏾 How are you? Before I say anything else, I want you to know that I love you. I have always loved you and I will never stop. I need to tell you that I am grateful. I am grateful for all the wonderful memories that created amazing friendship we once had. I will never forget the days at the beach, or the countless hours drinking tea and chatting about this, that and whatever else. I will remember the parties and crazy evenings spent with you.


From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for all the times that you saved me from myself. When I needed someone to vent to, you were there. You would listen, and you would tell me that I was being an idiot, or that I was not. I want to thank you wholeheartedly for the hours spent trying to pull me out of dark places in my mind. Thank you for the lengthy conversations we had. Thank you for telling me how much you cared when I thought nobody did. I am endlessly grateful for your persistent attempts to support me when all I did was push you away. I know I didn't always show it, but I appreciated it more than you will ever know.

 

It is all these things that have instilled an everlasting love and admiration for you in my heart, but it is not enough to keep our friendship intact. You hurt me. You hurt me at a time when I didn't think I could hurt any more. You treated me like gold, you built up my trust, and then you smashed it into a million pieces when I was most vulnerable. You turned your back on me when I needed you, and for that I will never forgive you. I truly believe that you do not understand how much pain you caused, and I hope you never do. I hope you never have to experience the guilt of knowing what you have put me through. I know that you are a good person, and that your actions were unintentional, but that does not make it any less painful for me.


Our friendship is over now, and that void will never be filled. There is no going back, but I need you to know that I will always support you from afar. I will always wish good things for you, and should you ever need a shoulder to cry on, mine will always be there for you. If anyone asks me about you, I will have nothing but kind words to share. You hurt me, and I will never forget that, but that is nothing in comparison to the amazing impact you've had on my life. So this is goodbye, goodbye and thank you. Thank you for being you, and thank you for making me, me.


I would like to say that I can see us being friends again in the future but that'll be a lie. It would never be the same again and if I happen to see you one day, I'll smile and walk away. And although, my heart will break a little and memories will hit me like a train, I'll be grateful for the times that we spent together.


They say that, some people just aren't meant to stay in your life forever unfortunately, you were one of those people. But they also say that, some people come into your life to teach you a lesson and leave, but the most important ones leave a mark.


Well, you left a mark on me, and I am grateful that you came into my life, when you did.


I also know that you may never see this but, I just needed to get it off my chest. There was a lot left unsaid, a lot I wish I could've said. So, I guess I'm writing this to get some closure, for myself.


I sincerely hope that, you and your family are doing well. I wish you get everything you want from your life, and more.


Know that you'll always hold a place in my heart.


This is a letter to you to say a few things I didn't get to say previously. No, this isn't here to bash you or list reasons why I hate you. Because to clarify, I don't hate you at all. In fact, I still have a place in my heart just for you and our memories. So keep in mind, if you ever see me out one day, say hi to me. Cause there was once a time when we would've looked forward to seeing each other. Now, here's the real kicker and best part of the blog! Nargiss, if you're claiming that I am being "childish," learn to say it to my face and only milquetoasts sit behind technology and resort to name calling. How very mature of the both of you to talk shit about me behind my back instead of speaking to me first for my side of the story. LOL... You were supposed to always look out for me - but then you were talking behind my back. However, I realize I may not be able to prove that you both are talking shit about me behind my back but I am going to go with my first instinct and as the saying goes, your first instinct is NEVER wrong! What's even more childish is that I would not be shocked if you and Pamela are talking shit about me behind my back instead of being "adults" about this situation. Now, who's being infantile? Yet, you accuse me of not being "adult" enough when in reality the both of you are doing the same exact thing behind my back by talking about me. Conspiring against me along with my own mother, Shiu, is never a positive sign, especially since my mother doesn't have any friends in her own age group so out of sheer desperation and most likely out of fear of being alone in a friendless way; nonetheless, she steals my friends who are within my age group but how mature of my mother as well. Moreover, the sad reality is that I know I will never be good enough for my own mother for all of the personal reasons I am mentioning this and in the end I know she loves my sister, Gwen more than she will ever love me. I'm a fiercely loyal person, and I will do everything in my power to keep a friendship alive. That is, until I have been hurt too many times and need to withdraw for my own sanity and protection, or until life's wind blows too hard and I am forced to let go in comparison to those who are two-faced; hypocrites; backstabbing; pompous; ungrateful; jaundiced; ignorant; conniving; manipulative; stool pigeon; egocentric; captious; and yet condescending assholes in the world... I'm not insulting you. I'm just describing you. Oh no, no, no sweetheart, you both have it all twisted, I refuse to pull the victim card and give you both the mental; emotional; psychological; and most importantly, the spiritual satisfaction but learn to get your facts straight next time before talking all that childish nonsense about people! I'm much too classy to fall for such act of yours. You play the victim. I'll play the disinterested bystander. How would you both like it if the shoe was on the other foot and I did that to you? What would you say and what would you do if I did that to you? Let it be granted that both of you would be fucking pissed! Right? Now you know what I mean, would you say that I am two-faced; hypocrite; backstabbing motherfucker? For instance: Pamela, would you want me to go behind your back and tell your mother that you need to pay rent; the electric bill; and etc.? And that she should begin preparing your funeral because of your ex? Now with that Order of Protection simply does NOT ACT as a bullet proof vest for jack shit because it will only motivate men with such violent mindset so much more to commit murder and exes can always find ways to commit homicide without blood being on their hands! How would you know if he's not going to hire a hit-man dressed in a United States Postal worker uniform or even a FedEx delivery person and point a gun at your head, pull the trigger killing you instantly right then and there once when you open the front door and go right after Johnathan? People are very clever and super creative if they play their cards right and still get away with murder! In the end, I hope you are fully aware that people can find just about anything on Amazon these days and just be mindful of that! Take my colleague from Staples, James' wife and daughter were both brutally raped and murdered by his wife's ex-boyfriend... Oh, did I mention weapon of choice of the ex-boyfriend, it was a hammer? James mentioned that there is not a day that goes by that he doesn't think about ending his own life. Another way to harm people is through brujería; Santería or Voodoo/Hoodoo and all your ex needs is something that belongs to you such as hair, a picture of you and your date of birth or whatever he can get his hands on at the moment (keep that in mind as future reference and you'll thank me later), depending which direction he's heading towards. There are ways to spiritually protect yourself and if your ex believes in dark magick, then he'd be spending a fortune on making your life very, very miserable by going to a bruja or doing this himself. Be very vigilant of people who are into dark magick because they want what you have and I have no intentions of harming you whatsoever through brujería, unless you cause me harm first then I'll do what it takes to protect myself. I am not done yet because I'm just getting started!!! Nargiss, would you want me to go to your parents behind your back and tell your family that you're not a virgin and how you were raped at the age of 12 or 13? Let's. 👏🏾 Not. 👏🏾 Get. 👏🏾 It. 👏🏾 Twisted! 👏🏾 There had been several times when you've mentioned that you wished your parents would divorce and you can't backtrack on what you've said in conversation because that's what you've mentioned in a past conversation. I was going to purchase a Back-To-Back Separation Candle Black; and several oils [Break Up Oil; Separation OilBreak Up Sachet Powder; and Separation Sachet Powder] from Original Botanica or there's always that option of them Separate Custom Big Al Candle but now that I think about it, I have completely changed my mind because you are on your own with that! All you need are your parents full names; date of birth; and a picture of them together for the spell. As the saying goes, be careful in what you wish for because your wish will eventually be granted. Do your parents even realize they're living proof that two wrongs don't make a right? Don't be ashamed of who you are. That's your parents' job. I can't help imagining how much more awesome the world would be if your dad had just pulled out earlier. Life is like chess, and I don't always have to announce my next move to either one of you or to anyone else because I don't have to answer to neither one of you. I don't keep secrets; I just keep people out of my business. My business isn't your business. Unless you're a thong, don't be up my ass. Yeah, most people just love to insult my intelligence because people have nothing better to do with their time [and energy] since they're so miserable with their own lives, people will do anything [and everything] in their power to make my life so very miserable and I am not as incompetent as I look because I am a lot smarter than I look (looks can be very deceiving) ... However, instead of accusing me of being a liar, when you were with José and he got you pregnant. Before you even told me that you had the baby aborted, you went on Facebook and lied that you had a "miscarriage" due to "stress" between José and yourself with that level of conflict. For some reason, I had a feeling you had the baby aborted until you came out and told me confirming what my instincts were already telling me. Now Nargiss, since you failed to provide any legitimate examples (three at most) of how I'm being negative, so therefore, your accusations tend to be: tedious; ineffectual; void; very inconsistent; irrelevant; ignorant; sneaky; conniving; very condescending of you; total bullshit; and extremely preposterous. Unless your name is Google, stop acting like you know everything! You know what Nargiss, you should become a comedian someday! People say that laughter is the best medicine... your face must be curing the world. Too bad you can't Photoshop your ugly personality. Why don't you pick up your own dirty laundry before you complain about mine!!! Don't throw stones at my glass house when you live in a glass house as well. Which I can knock down with just one stone! With friends like you, who needs enemies. By the way Nargiss, nice try getting Donald to conspire against me and as I've mentioned before, I know you so desperately want that satisfaction of me talking about you behind your backs to Donald. Bravo, bravo Nargiss! 👏🏾 (*Standing ovation is much needed at this point!*) You'd be in good shape... if you ran as much as your mouth. Your ass must be pretty jealous of all the shit that comes out of your mouth. Life is full of disappointments, and I just added you to the list, Nargiss. By the way, my tolerance for idiots is extremely low today. I used to have some immunity built up but obviously there is a new strain out there. Life is short. Smile while you still have teeth. As for my mother, I don't agree with what she had done and it's an unforgivable act of behavior on her end because she is in the wrong for what she had done. This is not normal behavior to befriend someone who is old enough to be her daughter and you know as well as I do, she is in need of deep psychological assistance something awful whether if you choose to openly admit it or not. Do not include my mother in on our fight! I personally don't find this behavior at all normal to befriend someone who is old enough to be your own mother and besides, what could she have in common with someone who is old enough to be her daughter anyway? No, I'm not hating on anyone because I have better things to accomplish than be around people who stab others in the back and laugh about it in the process. This is not my mother's fight (and you know it...) and if you're going to include my mother in on this, where in the world does she fit in this equation, Nargiss? Riddle me that because I can't seem to figure it out! If you can't come up with an honest reasonable response than do not include my mother in on this since it's the three of us, as in you, Pamela and I and no one else. Please get that through your thick head, Nargiss and quit wasting my time with trying to get my mother involved when it's none of her concern whatsoever. I would totally understand that the only available option to have my mother involved with this is if I was abusing controlled substance such as drugs and/or alcohol then it would be logical and yet understandable in staging an intervention. Since I am not abusing drugs or alcohol then it should result in zero excuses as to have my mother involved with this when it's none of her concern whatsoever. All in all, you both have no idea who you are messing with! 😏 Don't you get tired of putting makeup on your two faces every morning, Nargiss? Keep rolling your eyes. Maybe you'll find a brain back there. If it looks like I give a damn, please tell me. I don't want to give off the wrong impression.


You said some brutal, heartless things to me, which really crushed me. I loved you so much. But there were misunderstandings. Life became a competition, mutual friends took sides, and even being friends with others seemed to be a competition with you. Then it was almost like others took our places in each others lives. Then in the end, I had to pull away from you more. How else was I supposed to react when you stabbed me in the back? I know you thought what I said was unfair and unfeeling. But would you listen to me when I tried to explain? No. But I wish you had. We could have reasoned with each other. I would never have tried to hurt you or do anything unfair or unkind in our friendship. But why did you have to backstab me??? I guess I will never know. But I need you to know that I was devastated by what happened. We are not friends, and we are not even acquaintances. Let's not pretend like we don't know each other. I couldn't tell you when, and I couldn't tell you why or how, but one day I knew our friendship was coming to an end. A year ago, I would've blamed others, I even would have blamed you. But to be quite frank, I don't think anyone is to blame. I truly believe that life ran its course and we exhausted what we had to offer each other. I thank Yahuah that He showed us that things really do happen for a reason, and that we should always trust the process. I wish the both of you the best of luck on this journey in life, may it be mentally; emotionally; physically; [definitely] psychology; and yet spiritually.


I want to start by saying that I hate the term "ex" best friend. I think it's pretty dramatic if we are being honest. I think the reason that term fits here, however, is simple. We aren't friends anymore. We don't associate, and we don't even follow each other on social media. Gasp, I know.


I hate how things ended between us. I feel like neither of us ever said bye to each other, and I'm always going to be upset about that. If I'm being honest, I'm still a little mad at how our friendship stopped. I don't have any hard feelings towards you personally, but I can't believe how you just let me go so quickly, and how you haven't reached out to me in over a year. You made me feel like everything about our friendship meant nothing to you, and that really hurts me.


And even though we are no longer friends, I just want you to know that I could never hate you. Trust me, I've tried. It sounds awful, but I thought it would be easier to get over losing you if I could hate you - but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was hurt when you left, but I will never hate you. You were my best friend. And despite how things ended up, because of that, I will always love you.


Friendships are a two-way street; I felt as though I was traveling down a one-way dead-end lane. You became so absorbed in your own life that you forgot to appreciate the friendship I was so carefully cultivating.


I understand that each friendship is unique. Some friends are there to get you through a finite period of time. Some friendships last a lifetime.


I am a damn good friend. I will be there in good times and bad. I always give more than I receive. I deserve someone who appreciates and respects me. Am I perfect? Absolutely not. But as with all relationships, friendships have highs and lows. You have to learn to stick it out when times get tough.


I hope you find happiness in life. But I encourage you to take more time to appreciate the friendships you find value in. Because the moment you stop trying is the moment your relationships will suffer.


And one day, part of me hopes you regret the fact that you let our friendship die.


This letter isn't to shame you for our past, but I hope it serves as a reminder to never take the people in your life for granted. Because one day they'll realize they deserve more.


If you care about someone and value their friendship, tell them. Show them. They deserve to know.


Betrayal taught me not to be so open and so giving to people who don't deserve it. It taught me to be a little more guarded. I'm still FRIENDLY, but now I have BOUNDARIES. It taught me that I don't need to like everyone and not everyone needs to like me.


I realized that I can't change people. Feeling sorry and remorse comes from within. In life, you will deal with people who, no matter what, will not admit for being wrong. Unfortunately, you will deal with people who just don't care about your feelings and have no regard for your emotions.


I also have learned to appreciate the people in my life who are REAL, GENUINE and have proven to have my best interest at heart. I am thankful for all the LOYAL people in my life, and I have learned to not care about the "FAKE" people who were just part of my life, TEMPORARILY.


I want to thank you for showing me that I shouldn't have to question our friendship. I'm done hearing you talk about other people and then act like you're their friend, all the while wondering if you're doing the same to me. A true friend is one that I can trust implicitly.


Lastly, I want to thank you for helping me understand that losing a best friend isn't the end of the world. That I can move on and be happy. That there are people out there that do care for me and are my true friends. I do hope you figure out what you're looking for and eventually find it.


"Fake friends believe in rumors. Real friends believe in you." ~ Yolanda Hadid


Good night and sweet dreams when you go to bed tonight. By the way, "How have you been sleeping?" ~ Bonnie and you may want to be careful on who you're dealing with next time, if there's a next time!


Thank you for your consideration. Take care. I'll love you forever, Your ex best friend.


Sincerely,

Jennifer, The amazing friend you let go

P.S. QUALITY MATTERS MORE THAN QUANTITY WHEN IT COMES TO FRIENDS.


 

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Update: New York City Five Borough Tour

"Art is what we call... the thing an artist does.

It's not the medium or the oil or the price or whether it hangs on a wall or you  eat it. What matters, what makes it art, is that the person who made it overcame the resistance, ignored the voice of doubt and made something worth making. Something risky. Something human.

Art is in the... eye of the beholder. It's in the soul of the artist." ~ Seth Godin

Good morning; afternoon; and evening friends and fans! Namaste. 👋 I know this blog is mostly about photography and I hope to keep it that way or unless if it's something important, I'm not saying that my previous blogs aren't important. Okay, as I'm here writing this blog listening to some music on Spotify [specifically, Music for Writing playlist for now] and once when I'm done with this, I'll watch some videos on YouTube on photography since it's been a hot minute since I've watched anything pertaining to photography and in recent months I've been watching The Angry Prepper/The Angry Truth; A Call For An Uprising; Prepper Nation; and several others, it's been a while since I've watched the Canadian Prepper or Blackscout Survival. At any rate,  I wanted to write something that isn't a scary bedtime story that we've been hearing so much about in recent months about this nonsense about the Coronavirus; a majority of us know that this is some fucking bullshit to keep families apart and it's nothing but the flu. The more I think about it, the more annoyed and pissed off I get and having my monthly friend isn't helping in any kind of way. I need to take my mind off of the fake COVID-19 and Omicron (B.1.1.529). I'm just annoyed with everything going on but enough on that and just to make this clear, I am not vaccinated regarding my own personal reasons why. I suppose for my own comfort sake, I've seen several people use this 'Cool Protection Stand - 3D Mask Bracket - Face Mask Inner Support Frame - Plastic Brackets - More Space for Comfortable Breathing Protect Lipstick Washable Reusable' and it looks a bit more comfortable than having this mask smothering you and making it impossible to even breath or speak properly in these masks.


Just to let you all know that I am cootie free! I know I sound like I'm in grade school but people will not care if you're COVID-19 free and I'm tired of people asking me if I've gotten the vaccine. Already made up my mind, not getting the vaccine and if my job fires me for refusing the vaccine then I shall quit my current job and go on my photography career instead of scrubbing toilets because I have way too much to offer.

-New York City: Five Borough Tour-

"A photographer is like a cod, which produces a million eggs in order that one may reach maturity." ~ George Bernard Shaw

I had gone on a photography walk in mid October just to help me clear my mind and be in my own reality for several hours before going home. I had gone to Grand Central Terminal to finish up a roll of film that I was already using in Manhattan and the following day, I had gone to Long Island City by the Pepsi Cola sign since it was my first time going to the Pepsi Cola sign. Refer to Pepsi-Cola Sign in Queens Gains Landmark Status on one of several landmarks throughout the Queens area. On my way to the Pepsi Cola sign, there was a film crew shooting a scene for Blue Bloods but didn't stick around long since I didn't know who was in that particular scene since they were shooting a scene at one of those outdoor dining areas. It was still cool as anything and I believe it was either the next day or the following week, I went back to the Pepsi Cola sign, the film crew was there and I got to see Steve Schirripa and (the dude who played Bobby Baccalieri from The Sopranos) and Donnie Wahlberg. I did once some time ago have a dream about Donnie Wahlberg once and I would have approached them for a selfie but I was too shy. I got pictures of them on both phone and on my trusty Minolta X-370. I'd have to either get my Minolta X-370 repaired or invest in another Minolta camera so I can finish my project that I had started originally as a class project in 2013 and passing the class, I want to make this project with no specific deadline. I'll often check with Professor Gordon's Wordpress' for syllabus to see what's good.

"Photographers tend not to photograph what they can't see, which is the very reason one should try to attempt it. Otherwise we're going to go on forever just photographing more faces and more rooms and more places. Photography has to transcend description. It has to go beyond description to bring insight into the subject, or reveal the subject, not as it looks, but how does it feel?" ~ Duane Michals

With my project, I have places  picked out for when I go to Brooklyn between the months of April 1 until September 30. As far as Staten Island is concerned, it will be tricky because I'm unfamiliar with the Staten Island area and I feel like Staten Island will be a challenge since I'm not from there. I hope to find a camera of choice and if in the even that I'm unable to have my Minolta X-370 repaired then I'll consider getting another Minolta camera so the 50mm and zoom lens won't go to waste. I'm considering in having three to four additional film cameras but two of those cameras I will put to use and if in the even that one of the cameras end up being temporarily out of commission then I'd have an extra camera on hand. Two cameras will be for black and white and the other will be for colour. I already have ideas on what I wish to accomplish in the upcoming months and I want to have something that I can be proud of, something that I've created on my own and something that I can show off to people. There's no specific deadline but I want to view this as a personal goal of mine. It's similiar to walking across that stage to accept your college degree at graduation knowing that you've poured every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears into all that work you've put into doing what you have to do. In the end, I'm very much looking forward to seeing the end result of my project and it'll feel like a kid on Christmas morning. Since I have friends who live in Staten Island; the Bronx; Brooklyn; Queens; and a small handful of family who live in Manhattan. I would ask my friends to meet me in each of these boroughs so we can go on photography walks and I'll include them in on my project. I hope to at least work on my project roughly for another eighteen months and towards the end of my project, I'll spend time putting together the book, chapter by chapter. Heck, I'll even add in a preface to my book and I'm very excited about my book. All in all, I hope to speak to my friend, Chris and see if he wants to tag along with me on my photography walks in the upcoming months. I'm going to include at least three links to three of the New York City: Five Borough Tour books for people to have an idea what this project is about.

Since winter is around the corner, I hope to have enough funds to get another Minolta camera so I can get back on track of going on my photography walks with my headphones; phone; and portable charger fully charged; with enough film to last me for an entire day. Considering that it's cold outside, I may end up shooting one roll of film but three at most out of five rolls of film.

Blessed be,

Jennifer