Goat

Witness For The Prosecution

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Witness For The Prosecution

Well, I didn’t expect that, so many twists and turns. I really thought Mr. Vole was innocent, I thought he was set up for sure. He pleaded his case with defiance. There’s no ways he could have murdered Mrs. French in cold blood, she was his friend. So what he inherited all her money and was looking at boats the week before her death. These things happen, besides death comes for all of us. Yes, Mr. Vole is a young handsome man with his whole life ahead, is unemployed and had everything to gain from Mrs. French’s death but it’s lazy to label him a murderer. He could have been framed. I was suspicious of everyone earlier in the play. Myself and the gentleman sitting next to me were not convinced of the charge brought against Mr. Vole and when his devoted wife Romaine, was called up as a witness for the prosecution, the alarm bells rang louder. The beautiful foreign girl lied to the jury and was a poor alibi. Instead of helping her husband, she made things worse! She fabricated details whilst his husband was protesting. I felt sorry for Mr. Vole, he vehemently protested his innocence, he was sweating, he was lively, active, on his feet, letting the jury know that he did not kill Mrs. French. That’s when I knew that he was innocent and that it was his wife Romaine who had murdered Mrs. French, the gentleman next to me concurred. Romaine played by the super talented Sharon Spiegel-Wagner is clearly a femme fatale, she oozes sexuality, is dressed in red and when we are first introduced to her, smoke is released from the stage and she makes her grand entrance, music in the background and she takes her sweet time walking. She’s a siren, a real work of art, it’s easy to see why “Leonard kisses the ground she walks on”. She strikes me as the murderer because of the fact that she’s a foreigner and her dubious character. It’s also revealed that she is not even married to Mr. Vole, she’s actually a Helm, still married to her husband living in Belgium. I disliked Romaine more and more as the play went on, a big cognitive dissonance. Sir. Wilfrid played by Graham Hopkins and his junior counsel John Mayhew played by Craig Jackson work exceedingly hard to prove Mr. Voles innocence. They succeed as the jury deliver their verdict – NOT GUILTY! But there’s a twist, it turns out he was guilty and his wife knew, she protected him and fabricated evidence to get him out of the hook earning charges of perjury in the process. That’s not all, it turns out Mr. Vole has a blonde mistress she was planning to elope with, leaving Romaine behind. In a heated exchanged, Romaine stabs and kills his husband. All this happens while still in court with Sir. Wilfrid and his assistant watching in the distance. So in addition to her perjury charge, Romaine will also be trialed for the murder of her husband Leonard Vole.

Unbelievable show! I didn’t know where to look, what to expect. Shocking! Thriller! Drama! Suspense! Agatha Christie is a master, great show. Respect to Graham Hopkins, a true legend, his acting was a masterclass, how he delivers his words, the accent, his posture, mannerisms and stature, it was his show, everything revolved around him, he killed it! Shout-out Peter Terry who plays Mr. Justice Wainwright and Mike Huff as Mr. Myers.

I thought the show had Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” influence. It’s centers around the same topics, murder and human nature. It’s clear I don’t have a clear understanding of both, I thought Mr. Vole was innocent despite the overwhelming evidence against him. Dostoevsky’s character Raskolnikov, doesn’t murder to inherit a fortune, he murders in cold blood because he is vile, ugly and because he can. He murders because he is in a position of power over the elderly woman, because he doesn’t see the use of the elderly woman living, because God won’t stop him. Dostoevsky documents Raskolnikov’s psyche, he is in a mess, he is haunted, he can’t sleep, he loses weight, he is sick, he is overwhelmed with guilt – the magistrate in charge of murders and equipped with a shrewd understanding of criminal psychology sees all of this, he torments him with his appearance, questions, he sees right through him. Ultimately Raskolnikov confesses and hands himself over. Leonard Vole didn’t exhibit all of this behavior, could he be a sociopath? Stories like this teach you a lot about human nature, it’s interesting to contrast them. “Witness For The Prosecution” is a thought-provoking show that depicts how absurd the human condition is, Albert Camus would be so proud.

I am not going to act like Sharon Spiegel-Wagner isn’t my Achilles heel, she’s the best and she delivered yet again. If I had my way, I’d see her every day. She’s an incredible, amazing, beautiful, talented woman and the show is exhibit A. She performs at a high level and everyone shines. Graham Hopkins and Craig Jackson are the pulse, they hold the show together, some of the shows best dialogue comes from them, they have amazing chemistry and synergy. Greta, played by Dianne Simpson was one of my favorite characters, she was amazing and funny. Brett Kruger as Leonard Vole is excellent. The show was well-written, the performers were amazing and the direction and lighting perfect. The lighting and smoke was pretty awesome! It’s an experience, I felt like I was in that courtroom. I loved that the set was not fixed, it kept on changing, that was appealing to my eyes and it helped with the mood that the director tried to evoke and convey. Some actors committed to double shifts, playing more than one character, wow, the mastery you have to achieve to do that, unbelievable craftsmanship. Congratulations to Alan Swerdlow and the whole team for a great, great show and a deserved standing ovation!

antakalipa – Witness For The Prosecution

FC Barcelona

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FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona is more than just a club, it’s a way of life. It’s serious, philosophical, it teaches one how to live, it is life itself. There’s principles, philosophies and values we adhere to. We prize commitment and development above everything else. We work hard with humility. FC Barcelona represents a whole nation of people. FC Barcelona play for the freedom of the Catalan people. It’s about pride and dignity. It’s about playing beautiful football, we never play ugly that would defy the core of our identity. At Barcelona we’d rather lose and get relegated than play unappealing football. To be apart of Barca is to be a winner, unashamedly so too! We have structures in place, we are governed by a culture that reinforces that winning mentality. We are the best team in the world. At Barca we incubate talent and prize human relationships above all. We plan for the long haul, we make sacrifices to be the best. At Barca, we are consistent, we are relentless, we provide a blueprint on how to play the beautiful game. Joan Laporta is more of my president than Cyril Ramaphosa because unlike Cyril, he cares. At Barca we follow the principles and blueprints outlined by Johan Cruyff, we love him, he is our Godfather. We revere Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique & Frank Rijkaard. At Barca we worship Lionel Messi, the greatest soccer player in the history of the game. We created him at our farmhouse but the rest of the world call it La Masia. In addition to creating the greatest football player ever, we produced Spain’s most decorated player Andres Iniesta, the greatest midfield player Spain has ever seen Xavi Hernandes and the greatest pivot of all time Sergio Busquets. The trio are considered to be the greatest midfield trio in football period! We also produced Puyol, Pique, Cesc Fabregas, Victor Valdes, Pedro Rodrigues and countless other superstars. We were able to do this because we see the bigger picture. We still doing it today with Balde, Gavi, Pedri and Ansu Fati. We will continue doing so because we have vision, we see into the future. We hone talents, create an environment that is optimal for our talents and ensure that they are happy with the confines of our systems. At Barca, discipline and effort is paramount, you play for the badge, you sacrifice yourself for the team, you die for the team. At Barca, there are no egos, you keep your head down, stick to the task at hand, do your job and celebrate the teams goals regardless of whether you are in the starting 11 or the sidelines. Failure to celebrate the teams goals will lead to a transfer away from Barca, this is non-negotiable, we celebrate together, we are a unit. There are no superstars at Barca, this is not the Galaticos of Real Madrid, everyone is equal under the scrutinizing eye of the badge. At Barca we are professional, humility reigns, no coming with your Ferrari to practice Ibrahimovic! Barca is more than a club, it’s a way of life. Dedication, commitment, hard work, sacrifice, humility and winning are at the core of our DNA.

Leather Jacket

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Leather Jacket

“Disrespectful, arrogant, weed, Alexandra, leather jacket! The audacity! Who do you think you are? You are so forward”. Thank you so much for your projections and stereotypes. Funny how I am reduced to a few words, an attempt to marginalize and control me. I’ve reached the ceiling and breaking out is the next step but to keep me grounded is the plan. I have become too big for my shoes and the plan is to keep me barefoot. Cause if I realize my worth and get new shoes it exposes their raggedy shoes. “Stop being so brilliant, you exposing us! Keep it down, slow down, dim down the shine, fly lower, don’t forget where you come from, Little Alexandra kid”.

Arrogant, weed, Alexandra, Leather Jacket, you are nothing without me, I made you! Made who? The entitlement! If you made me, make another me. Move out of my way, you are a hindrance. Stop searching for relevance you are a fossil. The leather jacket is a staple of who I am. I smoke chronic and I live in Gomora. I am arrogant because I know my worth and you need audacity to be successful. Disrespectful? Only when it suits you? Being older doesn’t hand you privileges. Respect is a two-way street. Why should I respect you when you don’t respect me? You marginalize me to keep me beta. Stick holes through my confidence with knife edged words to affect my frame and string me along like it’s a game. But you are so lame. I’ve met people like you and you all the same. Plagued by insecurities and the need to always be on top. Penis envy has you contemplating penetration but it’s the womb that starts a nation. You hate me and my leather jacket because I have a dick! You are blocking the path, get out of my way, you are slowing me down! Success and fortune is ahead, I’ll never stop until I am ahead cause I’m disrespectful, arrogant, smoke weed, from Alexandra, forward cause I am the future and wear a black leather jacket like a character from ‘The Sopranos’. Screw you, your words don’t affect me. I am going to do and be everything I want and nothing is going to stop me. I am the best, I am the greatest. If you insist on being an obstacle then I’ll make you the way, I’ll smash right through you. You try to break me down because you are intimidated by me. You assign labels because it gives you a grip. You are frightened by me and my leather jacket. In the end the little kid from Alexandra will have it all.

Receipts II

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Receipts II

I am a cool guy, I ain’t got beef with anyone. I serve up what you give out. If you treat me good and with respect you’ll receive that a thousand fold, but if you an asshole I am happy to dish out shit. No excuses, no privileges, control yourself. I am a pro at your passive aggressive antics – what? Did you honestly think that you were smarter than everybody else? Funny guy, out of sync, you ain’t shit. I see through disguises too, masks can’t fool real eyes. If you want beef I am happy to serve it on a platter. If you organizing a hit, make sure it sticks cause if you botch it, I am coming for your soul. I am tired of being humble, I am the greatest of all time, come close and I’ll show you, anytime, any place. Receipts, receipts, receipts I am happy to reflect your tastes. If you want a battle, I am happy to oppose you. Words don’t count, it’s your actions that are gold. I am a fucked up person too and I am ready to exercise my repressions. Receipts, apologies don’t mean much prepare yourself for my comeback. I hold grudges, I never forget and I am coming for your ass. Receipts, don’t start wars you can’t finish. No negotiations, no treaties, everything will end up in fire and smoke. Cause I don’t give a shit, I am narcissistic, grandiose, egotistic, irrational and envious, so please give me an opportunity to exercise my nature. Receipts, cross the line please, I am begging you! Disrespect me, slander me, make me the scapegoat and I’ll show you why I am the goat. Receipts, receipts, receipts you on an imaginary pedestal, time to take you down and humble ya. Receipts, cause I also don’t care, I am after power, I am merely a reflection of you.

euphoria

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euphoria

J. Cole apologized for a reason, you don’t want beef with Kendrick Lamar, he is brutal, real life not AI and he will end you. Step to the side brother Jermaine, you are exempted from this slaughterhouse, be a fan like the rest of us and enjoy this from the comfort of your house. To the Rap Gods, we thank you for this gift, bars on bars we are appreciative of this gift. Kendrick, his a menace, he just caused a shift, hip-hop was on snooze, the game needed a lift. So much much for the Taylor shots, Drake was too swift. Damn! We said Kendrick needed a Hit em up kinda response and he topped that with that response. No pun intended, he PGLang now and there was nothing PG about that response. The runtime is six minutes, the beat changes 3 times. He starts off calm and mellow, beat soulful and voice low, then the beat changes and intensifies, you thought he was zen but hell no, the grim reaper is about to take souls. I get the feeling he hates Drake, something about his mannerisms, how he dresses, how he walks and how he sneak dissing on his songs. Kendrick asks an important question, namely is he battling AI or ghosts. I don’t think he was too impressed with Drake imitating a ghost. He went out of his way to be a visitor when he was the host. The type of things that will be exposed by a goat. I am ashamed to have conceded that Drake has my vote. Kendrick ripped him apart, called his use of the “n-word” cringeworthy and disbarred him from ever using the “n-word”. He revisited the Pusha T beef that Drake had to take the L in and covered how he hates women. He further assassinated his character and destroyed his reputation. He communicated he likes back-to-back and he’ll come back to that. I don’t think his done, his about to go back-to-back. Somebody should stop him, it’s a bloodbath, he killed him, it’s done. On a random Tuesday for that matter, Lord have mercy. Drizzy could respond but he has been rebuked, AI won’t do it, he needs an atomic bomb, something like Hiroshima to burn this bitch to a crisp. I don’t he has that, he’ll bite his lips and get a lisp. Kendrick will bury him and all his ghostwriters on the list. There we go again, me judging based on a singular angle rather waiting to see the broader picture. Good luck “Drizzy” Drake. Hip-hop is great again and I am feeling euphoric. Kendrick Lamar is a blessing for the culture – such euphoria.

antakalipa – euphoria

Heisenberg purity

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Heisenberg purity

Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns on my socials for years and there’s still some confusion about my position in the mortality spectrum. I do whatever to win! I thought my position was clear when I stated that ‘I am on a heel turn’. I despise purity because it’s pretentious, disguised and filthy. It’s the pure ones that do all the manipulating, they have learned to camouflage themselves with the consensus of the majority while aligning themselves with virtues that seem righteous but are two-faced like a coin and leave much to the imagination. Hypocrites, they hide under the morality that plagues their existence. They are fakes, they smile in my face and start smear campaigns when my back is turned. I like the bad guys more, there’s no pretensions, anything can happen, things are out in the open and your life is in danger. There’s no mirrors, smokescreens and theatricalies, no need for passive aggressive antics, just the consciousness that if you get out of line, I am going to whack you. I don’t like the pure ones because they secretly yearn for power, it’s in their actions, their demeanor, the disguised sly commentary, passive aggressive behavior, the perceived innocence white as snow, the victim mentality and their righteous indignation. Meek is dangerous ask Gandi and the English. How can you trust an individual who has blood more pure than Christ? I wish human beings were good, saintly, creatures who lived on love and farted butterflies. But it’s not like that isn’t it? A dark side exists and people want what you have, violence and if you’re stubborn death is a means for reposition. How can someone be truly whole when they don’t acknowledge their dark side? To claim you are white as snow is to refute you’re black as death. Arrogance, do you think that you are a better human being than me? White privilege can’t save your soul. I don’t like the pure ones, they make me uncomfortable, everything is a show and their smiles are fake. Face drips off schadenfreude through their pores every time I have a bad day. Nah, I don’t like the pure ones, I prefer drunkards, wife-beaters, criminals and prostitutes, at least they are real, they don’t try to be what they are not, they are flawed, vulnerable, confused, human and roaming about a maze they didn’t create and attempting to survive. Psychopaths exist but they are a product of this maze so they have my compassion and understanding. All of life has my compassion and understanding. Existence is difficult, no one has the answers and we all are going to die. Why would you want to be Jesus Christ? Did you forget his best friend was Mary Magdalene? I’d rather call Saul.

Breaking Bad

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Breaking Bad

What is good? What is bad? Cause when Walter White started cooking crystals to secure his family’s future I was with him. Life is not fair and sometimes it makes no sense at all. I mean what is the alternative? He has cancer and can’t afford to pay for Chemo because he works in a profession that doesn’t pay much. He is overqualified and his teaching job isn’t maximizing his talents. He has kids and has been diagnosed to live for a couple of months. Even if he reached into the family’s savings to pay for the Chemo, its not guaranteed that he’ll survive, cause what if he pays the 300K for the treatment and perishes anyways. What then? What about the kids? What about their futures? What about the house? The unsurmountable debt? No college fund, what about the kids dreams? No insurance, what about that safety net? Is that the legacy you want to leave for your family? Are you really going to leave behind your kids hungry, scrambling for survival, living off bread crumbs? What about your honor as a man? What about your pride? What is your use? You lived your whole life as an honest man, working to secure your family’s future and now cancer is wiping off your whole existence. Maybe you know of people who can pay off the treatment but is that a way to live? Being a charity case for people who screwed you over? People who built their empire on what you started and claimed it for themselves. It’s guilt money, a bribe, they are paying you off! Of course that’s not how they will present it because human beings are sophisticated creatures and theatricality is the order of the day. Maybe they do care and genuinely want you to beat the cancer but deep down you’ll know. You’ll feel the bondage and entitlement. Sure they stole your work to get to the top but they also saved your life, let’s face it, you owe them. How is that fair? You screw me over and still manage to get the last laugh. Nah fuck em! If I can do something to alter destiny then I will, even if it means cooking crystals. I am already on borrowed time, I am knowledgeable, I might as well go all out. This way at least I have a chance, I can procure the funds for the Chemo treatment, I can secure my family’s future, I can be useful, I can be a man, I can be proud of myself. It’s not like I am stealing the money, I’ll be earning it. I understand that drugs cause harm and death is a relative but what is the alternative? Give up to cancer and die? Leave my family broke, leave them with nothing except a memory. A memory that was stained by suffering and a prolonged death towards the end. Everything I do, I do because of my love for my family. What’s so bad about that? What’s the use of having the knowledge and not putting it to use? Laboring years for a system that rebukes you. What does “overqualified” even mean? Everyone else is flourishing as a result of their hard labor. Why can’t I be the best that I can be? What is ethics and morality in a Godless Universe? Everybody dies, time forgets and nothing matters in any case. You tell me, what is good, what is bad? Is your criteria subjective or objective? Cause if the people want crystals I am happy cooking it for them, we are adults with freewill and it will be the best, most purist crystal meth in the world.

You think you got a good wife but when the kitchen gets heated she dashes out and goes fucking her boss. After everything I’ve done for the family, after everything I’ve sacrificed. I did everything for the family, she doesn’t recognize that, she doesn’t acknowledge me. All she does is criticize, criticize and criticize. How I wish words were sufficient to make you see the broader picture. It’s like I’ve become an outsider, an enemy, she wants a divorce, she doesn’t love me anymore, it’s like we don’t have a history. Sure I lied but it was to protect you and the family. I wasn’t fucking random bitches, I was working to secure the family’s future. A man’s job is to provide and it has been that way since the beginning of time. How you gonna persecute me for doing what comes natural? Watching the show, I was disgusted with Walts wife Skylar, she abandoned him. She had a righteous aura about her, she judged Walt, she elevated herself above Walt. The balls on her to sleep with her boss. Walter Jr, is correct, she is a bitch! I mean sleeping with your boss to spite me, to get me to react, to get your way? That is devious, beyond Machiavellian. How is that morally justified? I cook crystals to secure the family’s future and you fuck your boss because you disagree with my methods? Where’s your loyalty? You made an oath to be by my side. Nobody’s perfect but how you gon consciously do that? Repeatedly at that! You don’t respect me. You don’t support me. You don’t want to see my perspective. Who made you God to judge over life like that? You are a bad person Skylar, an example of what a wife shouldn’t be. Fuck you too bitch, here are your divorce papers all signed, you got what you wanted I am leaving! Hope you choke on that assholes dick and die!

“Woah! Slow down big fella don’t make this personal”, I’ll try. The show made me emotional and my moral compass was tested. You might make a point for Skylar and suggest that she was only thinking about what was best for her and her family. When it comes to family self-preservation and survival triumphs all. Distancing yourself from a drug dealer is a good move as implications might lead to a difficult life. Stay and you are an accomplice, an accessory, a collaborator of all the crimes. Stay and everybody is a murderer cause you all enablers. Who wants to be on the front pages of morning papers and grace the tabloids columns? It’s disgraceful and worse you might lose everything you worked so hard to achieve. Good points but there’s holes, Skylar was already flirting with his boss before she found out the truth about Walt. It was just a matter of time before something metastasized. She just wanted an excuse to fuck him and she got one. Lines are blurred, I don’t know what is good and bad anymore but I do identify with the protagonist, that’s my nigga, I am with him, I understand. I progressed with him on his Arc. In my view good and bad is a matter of perspective, they are labels that don’t mean all that much – life goes on, we all make our choices and then they make us. Life is not black or white it’s far too complicated because we are complicated creatures who live in a world we don’t understand. There is no definite blueprint for a successful life and everybody is doing their best. Everybody in the show transgressed, everybody in the show is bad, everybody in the show is guilty. I salute the creator Vince Galligan and everyone involved with the show. The characters of the show are complex and troubled. How do you save somebody like Jesse when he believes in his heart that he is a bad guy. The criminals are super professional, have high levels of empathy, supremely intelligent and hide in plain view. Judge one of the characters and it reflects back at you, you feel like a hypocrite because you see yourself in their actions. It is an absolute masterclass, one of the greatest shows of all time. The acting is unbelievable and the writing superb. I was addicted to the show, I couldn’t stop watching. It is excellence. It gripped me, I loved it!

Young Proust

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Young Proust

Young Proust moving with the times,
rolling,
trying out new combinations,
conquering different nations,
winning,
seeing the same results.

Still with the petty insults?
Flipping overboard to land me like moonsault.
Your punches are too light to be assault.

Reality is weird isn’t it,
cause one moment its there and the next it’s gone,
discombobulated,
entropy,
destruction.

Young Proust remains,
Tea and madeleines the basis of what remains,
Life-bearing and conclusive to get your mama laid.

Young Proust moving with the times,
I’ve been here since day one and I am never gonna stop.
Young Proust consistent and always on top.

Acknowledge Me,
make things easier for yourself,
I am not going anywhere.

Young Proust moving with the times,
Every day is my time,
I am the greatest of all time.