This is MADNESS!!...

Hey guys, hope everyone had a great 4th! Today I've got a special treat for you all... It's STORY TIME!

So yeah, I wrote this short story a while back that was inspired by a song written by Gary Jules, you have probably heard it before, it's called "Mad World." Anyways, I wrote this story and I don't want to give too much away right now, but I will say it's a mystery/thriller (kind of Twilight Zone-ish) tale, so if you are easily spooked you may want to send this link to your mommy and let her tell you about it! Haha.. I joke, I joke.. Without further a due, this is Mad World. Hope you enjoy.

--(Part 1)

This is the story of Eric Winters and the events that eventually lead him to discovering the dark truth about civilization. Upon reaching a destination of thought, he will unknowingly become forever trapped in a place filled with one of two cognitive realms of existence, pure insanity or absolute freedom.

Eric Winters was your everyday elementary school math teacher; he had a wife named Josie, two kids named Adam and Samantha, and a golden retriever named Butterscotch. He woke up every day at 4:30 am to make the finishing touches on his lessons for his classes. Next he would get the kids ready at 5:30, and by 6 am breakfasts was already steaming and prepared. Josie loved to cook, which always made Eric feel like the luckiest man alive.

One morning as Eric was preparing his lessons he had a weird feeling, as if he shouldn't go to class this day. He quickly dismissed this feeling as ridiculous because his duties as a teacher must always come first. All of a sudden he hears a loud BOOM outside, almost as if the moon suddenly decided to belly flop down into the earth’s atmosphere. He barreled up the stairs to check on the kids only to notice that they were sleeping soundly as if nothing happened at all. Thoroughly shaken by the noise he rushed to his closet and yanked out his 1978 autographed Louisville Slugger and bolted to the front door.

Upon opening the door there was nothing to greet him more menacing than the early morning birds chirping away as usual. This was the disturbingly odd welcome to the most mind bending day of his life.

(Part 1 end)

(Part 2)

After the morning's strange occurrence there was nothing Eric could do to help shake the feeling that something was wrong. Classes went on as usual and students were just as eager as always, to learn where to place all those pesky zero’s and finding out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop.

Finally after grading the seventy-fifth math quiz, he was ready to pack up and head home. On the way to his 2005 Honda Accord he spotted an oddly proportioned man heading in his direction, tall, long arms, a broad chin, with cold eyes that melted the very core of his being. Eric’s first instinct was to run but for some reason he wanted to see what this bewildering creature of a man wanted.

“Eric Winters?!” the man shouted from about five feet away, “How do you know my name?” Eric stuttered as he replied. “We don’t have time for introductions, follow me if you want to live,” said the man, Eric clinched his brief case and was prepared to strike the man with it, just as he heard another loud BOOM go off in the distance. “What on earth is going on,” Eric shouted at the man! “No time to explain” said the man, “just follow me, they know you can hear it!”

Dropping his school supplies Eric walked towards the man, just seconds as he stepped away from his Honda Accord, it exploded into larges flames that could only be imagined by the most sinister, yet clever pyrotechnician. “Oh God Help me!” shouted Eric as he jolted behind the man down the street.

Just as Eric was about to run completely out of breath the man stopped and led him into a fence covered with Ivy and towards a house that would have almost seemed abandoned if it weren't for the lights shining through the windows. Just as he entered the home and slammed the door behind him it hit Eric like a ton of bricks, “My wife, and my kids! I have to go back for them!” The man looked into Eric’s eyes with his cold and haunting gaze and said “They only want you; your family is not in danger. I brought you here to let you know the truth. The sounds that you have been hearing are the transmitters implanted into your mind by the "dark cloud" suppressing your knowledge of what is really happening here on earth. If their hold on you was to break it could mean the end of their power as they know it. The reason I know this is because I broke free two years ago. It didn't make sense to me either but I understand everything now!” Eric looked at the guy with a puzzled face and said, “Wow you’re insane, this must be some kind of a mad house!” The creepy man pulled him close and yelled into his face “No it’s a mad world! They're all mad! If you don’t believe me it’s because the final transmitter hasn't broken yet, but once it does you will see the truth!” BOOM, and as the dimly lit room spins Eric falls to the ground.

(Part 2 end)

(Part 3 conclusion)

            *Buzz buzz* It’s 4am and the alarm is going off, Eric jumps up out of his bed only to find that Josie is laying there in her nightgown and Butterscotch is looking up at him as if he were a ghost. Eric runs to the bathroom mirror and washes his face. He hurries down stairs and turns on the TV and for some reason no matter which channel he turns to they all have the same multi-colored patterns flashing on the screen. “What is this, I know I paid the cable bill!” he yelled and tossed the remote into the wall breaking it. Josie stumbles down the stairs and asked him “Honey are you ok?” He notices that her pupils are dilated shockingly larger than normal, he screams and runs out of the front door with nothing on but his boxers. He hurried to his next door neighbors home and nearly banged in their front door, his good friend Ted opens the door with his pistol hidden on the side and mumbles “Eric its 4:30 in the morning, what’s wrong?” Eric looked into his eyes and they are also dilated to a shockingly large size, “No this must be a dream,” Eric yelled as he ran to the only place he could think that might bring him some answers, the ivy covered house with the stranger from his dream.

            After miles of running he finally made it to the home only to find that the door is cracked open, he pushes it in and there lies the man on the ground with a bullet in his head. As Eric tries to turn out of the door he is tackled to the ground by a hefty police officer.

Five months later**

“Mr. Eric Winters you are charged with first degree murder of Andrew Cane, how do you plead?”

As Eric looks up around the room in handcuffs at all the people staring at him, with sadness and regret, he sighs and begins to eerily sing a song that started with these words, “All around me are familiar faces…”

(The End)--

That's all folks! Hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to respond! I'm also including a link to the original song at the bottom because I believe it ties the whole experience together. If you'd like to check it out give it a listen! 

Until next time, Adios!

Where did you go Coco???

Hey guys! Sorry for disappearing! It's been a crazy past couple months.. I decided to do this blog to help catch people up on where I've been, discuss what new projects I've been working on, and how #ProjectEgypt is coming along...

First let me say, I was not abducted by aliens, kidnapped for ransom, or at basic training in the army (each a very good excuse for not being online). But I have been in the studio, writing a lot, and getting my life on track. I believe sometimes before we can lead others, we have to make sure our lives are together first. So that's what I did. I stopped blogging, and started acting.. such as.. Putting together songs and ideas for my next album (tentatively titled RSVP) which is scheduled for release in the fall; gathering more information on how to get #ProjectEgypt in ACTION (talk more about that later); and last but not least I actually enrolled into college and got accepted into University of Michigan (Thank God!!), where i'll be studying Psychology in the fall (ewww so much paperwork!). So yeah I've been juggling a lot lately... That does not mean I'm giving up on this blog! I still plan to constantly update my blog with more fun post and inspiring tales, I just needed these past two months to "get it together." But as of now, I'm back so expect to see a lot more post from me!

Next, what projects have I been working on you say? Maybe the next Bat-mobile?

Not quite... But I have been working on plenty of music! I just did a feature with a local rapper "8k8" (coming soon), and I have been working on my collaborative project "Sturr'd" with my friend/partner in crime Klassical.

I also released a freestyle/remix to Gotye's big hit last year "Somebody that I used to know" (Click to view) --> http://youtu.be/e5vSqBq3Fkc .. Sadly upon release it didn't get too many hit's on Youtube but I just figured it was because people were out enjoying the summer weather (either that or everyone decided to hate me now *sad face*). Also, I have been working on a basic outline of what I want my new mix-tape to feel like this time around. The first one "For Better or Worse," was kind of like an introduction to my music and zany rhyming styles (it was really experimental). But this time around the message will be a lot more solid. It should still be fun though, as I have made it an effort to include a few more dance songs for the people to get HYPE to. So yeah, I'll be putting up more info about that in the weeks to come as well.

Last but not least! #ProjectEgypt! Just in case you are wondering where my post on #ProjectEgypt have gone, I decided to create a totally new blog/website dedicated specifically to the Project. Here is the link --> http://theprojectegypt.blogspot.com/. So please go there for all information and post related to #ProjectEgypt! That's where i'll be operating. I have been working on getting the Project either listed as an NPO or affiliating it with different churches, charities, and NPO's to get this thing going and impacting the community! It's one thing to talk about making a change, but its another thing to get up and start doing the hard work. But as I finally get the project up off the ground you can go to my website www.cocofuego.com for an official link dedicated to the Project and for new information... So just bare with me, it takes more than a notion to end mental slavery and free a nation from a mindset that it took over 250 years to get itself into. But I believe that I can make a difference, so I will give it my best shot! 

So yeah that's about it. Thanks for reading my blog and catching up with me! If you want to contact me directly, hit me up at my twitter page @cocofuego (I usually update and monitor the page frequently!). Also keep an eye out for my next blog because I plan on doing something exceptionally different this time around *wink*!

Until next time, Adios!

Super Swagg??!!

Hello everyone!! This week's blog topic is exceptionally random but I think it should be fun... Super Heros! Haha, yeah I can feel it slipping away, all of my cool points that took me years to build. But never the less, I feel this topic deserves some discussion for a few very important reasons! One, people of all nations, ethnic groups, and religions are recently becoming more fascinated by these fictional characters who all represent a common theme: fighting for the good of humanity! Two, regardless of how "nerdy" comic books and heroes have been painted out to be in society, even the coolest kid in the back of the school bus would love to have a super power, if he could gain one. And last but not least, super heroes are awesome!

Therefore, this blog will feature two main topics: What is it that makes these stories about super powered beings so interesting? And what would CocoFuego's "super power" be if I could choose any one that I could think of? Sit tight, or else I might have to get my henchmen to hack your computer and force you to watch YouTube videos of "Rebecca Black" singing for ten hours straight!! Muwahahahahahah!!!

First things first, what makes these characters so incredibly interesting? Even grandma's know who Batman is these days! Well one thing I learned about the process of creating these common characters and stories, in a class I took about 'leadership,' is that they all follow a certain pattern. Yes it's true, there is actually a science behind writing these tales which dates back over many many centuries... Not to get too deeply into the details, but basically every hero in a story has to follow a certain path, which is similar to what we humans face in many of our everyday lives. One element of that path is a challenge bigger than they should be able accomplish... For some of us that challenge is passing a math quiz, while for Superman it is taking down a fleet of heavily armed robots (I'd say the challenge is about the same).

In addition to the challenge, there must also be a "main villain," which in our math class scenario would be that 'dog on' teacher who likes to speak an alien language instead of simply saying "You add this to this, subtract this from that, and you get this"!!!!...Grrrrrr... *breathes deeply and sighs*... So we have our "challenge" and our "villain", next for our story we need a "companion" (this would be the "geek kid" who knows all the answers), to help us as we accomplish the challenge that we face.

After these main keys to the story are in place (excluding other factors such as an love interest), there is obviously the ending (which is you passing the test after hours of studying with "geek kid"/ or Superman smashing the Robot King to bits). Endings are usually open ended; which reflects our lives as always continuing (this explains why the bad guy always gets away)! And this my friends, is called the "Hero's Journey scenario," and basically any story that you will see that represents heroism will follow this common path or plot line...

*I know... I just blew your mind.*

This is why super hero's are interesting to us, they represent every human to an extent, and they give us hope to believe that if Batman can stop Joker from detonating a factory full of nuclear gas, then we should be able to deal with our annoying boss at work, corrupt government officials, nosy parents, and even spoiled children. They represent hope, which for many of us in our chaos filled world is not always so obviously shining forth.

So now the good part.. What would my super power be if I could choose one?.... I think I'd have to go with electricity! I don't know if you guys have ever heard of "Static Shock" but that kid makes electricity powers look mad useful. Of course I would come up with my own ways to implement these powers.... Such as, causing my microphone to glow while I'm rapping, or over heating a co-workers coffee (ouch did that burrrnnn??). Better not give me super powers, I'd probably be a Tyrant haha.

Well that's all for this week! If you'd like to share some of your own ideas for your super powers or to make comments about this week's blog, hit me up on Twitter (twitter.com/cocofuego) and use the hash tag #SuperSwag, or leave a comment on my Facebook wall (facebook.com/welovecocofuego)! Who know's if you have an interesting enough of a comment maybe i'll shout you out in my upcoming Youtube video *wink*...

Until next time, Adios!

CocoFuego's Tales from Disney: Part 1

Hey guys! I'm back with a brand new blog topic.. Today will start a possible mini-series titled "CocoFuego's Tales from Disney!" Just in case some of you may not know, last year I signed up for an Internship to work at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Prior to enrolling for the program, I knew absolutely nothing about Disney. I had never been to the parks, I wasn't a big time "OMG there's Mickey" fan, and really had very little desire to go. But I figured "hey, I'm young, never been away from home, Disney sounds safe enough, lets do it" (my exact thoughts before quickly paying 700 dollars to travel across the country for six months).

Needless to say, it was one of the best experiences I've ever had in my entire life! But with those awesome experiences there were also those "wow did that just happen" moments as well. Those are the moments that this mini series will feature! So hopefully everyone will enjoy my tales as I relive the crazy moments of a Disney College Intern.

P.S. (I will be VERY careful not to post any details or information threatening the reputation of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney World, or any other Disney Affiliates that could result in the random disappearance of myself and/or any other friends, relatives, coworkers, or neighbors).

Tale number one: Coconut Cabana

The first story I'm going to share is about my dear friend and ex roommate from Costa Rica, we will call him Pablo. But before I actually tell you what happened, first I'm going to tell you a little about Pablo. He was about 5'1, very energetic, and totally random. He was that guy who walks into a room of laughter and says "Hey guys, whats funny I want to laugh?" which just makes everyone burst out into a second chuckle at his over-expressive interruption. He had a heart of gold but was completely unaware of his comical attributes, and the questions he asked would just blow your mind.

 <---- Pablo

Hopefully that description paints a pretty picture in your head of this outlandish personality which should set the scene for what I am about to share....

So one Disney morning like any other, as I awoke Donald Duck passed me my slippers and I went out of my room to get my daily cup of coffee (ok... maybe the 'daily coffee' part is a bit exaggerated). As I walked out there was my friend, we will call him "Captain Jack Sparrow," on his laptop blasting his favorite morning jams, such as "Moscato" by Roscoe Dash, and "Well Done" by Tyga. I danced for a minute, hit up my dougie, and grabbed my breakfast in a very stylish fashion.

As I'm enjoying my meal I see Pablo coming out of his room looking very tired and sighing loudly as he always does. "Do you gotta work today?" I asked Pablo... "No, I'm just going to stay home and clean today,"  he replied (Oh yes I forgot to mention Pablo loves to clean; dishes, cars, sinks, you name it, it gets shiny!). I didn't bother finding out more about why he wanted to clean (as opposed to enjoying the sunny weather outside), I just got ready for work and left out the door. If Pablo wants to clean, then by all means Pablo can clean (I hated doing dishes).

*Fast Forward Ten Hours*

So I got off work pretty late, yes ten hours is normal for a CP shift (CP stands for College Program and is what full time Disney employees call their college Interns; it doesn't stand for Colored Person but some days it sure felt like slavery lol... *Just kidding I love Mickey...).

So I walked into our apartment and the first thing I heard was some strange noise.. almost as if someone was shooting a commercial about the freshness of Fa-breeze.. but it was some strange music and it was LOUD. I searched around the apartment to see who could be causing this ruckus, only to realize little Pablo was knocked out on the couch and this sound was coming from him! I felt like I was being punk'd because this was just too fuuny to be true... Being the good friend that I am, I simply turned down the music, put a blanket on Pablo, and let him rest in peace.... The End.

HAHA NOT REALLY...  I PULLED OUT MY PHONE and this is what I got! --->

To this day I still don't know why he was knocked out on the couch (maybe it was the cleaning or he ate some bad fish)... or how he could sleep with that extremely loud island jam in his ear, but for whatever reason it made my day...

If you would like for me to continue this series and tell another ridiculous tale just hit me up on twitter at --> www.twitter.com/cocofuego <--- and make sure to include the hashtag #MoreTales.. Who knows the next one might be even better including coffins, Russian mobsters, and yes a wrestling ring.

Until next time, Adios!

Bully Beatdown!

Hello everyone, I hope that you all had a good valentines day! I figured after all the mushiness and love of the valentines holiday it would be a good idea to discuss a topic that features none of that fun stuff! That's right, bullying!

Oh the humanity! Why Coco why! Don't give these insecure, selfish, and destructive people a moment of time is what your probably thinking! But unfortunately for things to change or to at least become noticed, somebody needs to talk about it...

Everyone has encountered a bully at some point in their lives, whether it be a parent forcing their kids to eat veggies and foods that they don't enjoy (yes its bullying), misguided individuals that shove their personal beliefs and practices down peoples throats, and the worst of all, people that actually like to shove their FIST down peoples throats...

So, why do people bully and how can we as humankind prevent this form of dominating our own will onto others from occurring at such an alarming rate?!

First, lets focus a bit on why it is that people bully? Well besides from the fact they are usually insecure and feel the need to gain satisfaction with themselves by controlling others; there are many additional causes as to what can make a bully act so inconsiderately. For example, sometimes they may not even know that they are being a bully! There are many times when people force things on others unknowingly and their intentions may be well placed, but whatever it is they are doing is not being effectively reciprocated.

One surefire way to make sure that this type of bullying does not happen so often is to speak up! If you feel like you are being bullied by someone, do not just hold it in and wait for that person to continue their behavior; Kindly pull that person aside and let them know how it makes you feel. Sometimes a simple "hey I don't like when you do that" is enough to let a person know that what they are doing is violating you and can cause them to stop.

Another reason that some people bully, is because they have been bullied themselves. One thing that we usually never consider is that many bullies are victims of bullying! This does not mean, "hey let's all feel sorry for bullies" (because there is no excuse to do harm to others), but what it means is that we should not take it so personally if we are targeted by a bully. Realize that it is not your fault, you don't deserve it, and there is nothing wrong with you, but there is something wrong with that person. When you change your perception of seeing the bully as being the weak one, a bit of that anger inside is extinguished, and you can stop allowing their insecurities to become your insecurities.

Last but not least how do we help prevent bullying from becoming such a dominant part of our culture and society? The best way that I can think of is to keep talking about it! Do not allow yourself or someone you love to suffer this struggle alone. With social media being so prevalent, and a place where people can commit "cyber bullying," it can also be a source to voice our emotions and seek help from friends and family about someone who is causing trouble in our lives. Get advise about how to handle a bully because each situation is different. Tell a family member, co-worker, or friend and get their opinions and help. But what ever you do, do not suffer alone!

Bullying is an extreme problem and it can scar a person for life, only with lots of therapy and hope from God have I known people to fully recover from these terrible acts. So lets prevent this from happening as much as we can. Talk about it if you are a victim, help to end it if you are a friend, and by all means STOP what you are doing and seek some serious counseling if you are a bully!

Until next time, Adios!

Catfished....?

Hello everyone! Today's blog is going to be about an interesting topic that is just now becoming widely discussed in the forefront of popular culture... getting catfished!

Just in case you have never heard of this term catfish, according to Urban Dictionary, "A catfish is someone who pretends to be someone they're not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances." Therefore, if you are someone who has been deceived by a false online identity, you now join the ranks of the many disappointed people in the world that can label themselves as being catfished.

So one might ask, why does this deserve an entire blog today? For one, I myself was the victim of forming a relationship with someone fake that I met online. Don't worry, i'll share the details later. Secondly, it's becoming a big topic in the wake of the Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax, if you haven't heard about that just google it. Last but not least, to shine a light on the many sneaky impostors that still roam the webs today and may be deceiving you or someone you love!

So yes back to me and my experiences with "catfishing". Throughout my teenage years I was among the few socially challenged individuals who instead of going to public school, chose to receive my entire education at home. Yes you read correctly, at home; that means there were no proms, no jocks, no crowd of friends or bullies to impress. Just me, my family, and unique coursework designed by my scarily intelligent mother.

This made me turn to many social media outlets for friends as my super social personality could not handle being alone. Well one day after my family decided to move to Oklahoma,  I was bored and even more alone than usual (you'd have to go to Oklahoma to understand the boredom I felt..) I met a girl online by the name of Renee (Yes, that is the actual picture of the girl I believed I was talking to below).

Me and Renee had an on and off relationship, we talked on the phone, exchanged stories, provided support for each other through personal problems in life. Basically we became best-friends.. or so I thought. After four years of talking to this girl, one day (I don't know if it was guilt, drugs, or wanting to do the right thing) she texted me a message that turned my world upside down. She told me that she was using fake pictures online, and that this was her real picture (I don't have her real photo any more but lets just say she was 'slighty' heavier set than the girl above).

I always had my suspicions about her, whenever I would ask her to text me a picture she said "oh my phone doesn't send pictures." Looking back, I was pretty stupid to believe her many excuses for not validating her identity. But I really wanted this person to be real, after all the moments and conversations we shared, I could only hope that someone I considered a friend would be honest to me. Unfortunately that was not the case.

Needless to say I broke off all contact with this girl, not only because of her picture which played a 'huge' part (no pun intended), but because she betrayed my trust for so long... and as a result of that breach in trust I lost a really close friend that day. It took me a while before I recovered from her deception and it completely shattered my confidence in online relationships. To this day I have a very low level of trust for people that I meet on the internet and instead of being "innocent until proven guilty" they are "fake until proven real."

Hopefully after reading this blog and my story you now have a greater understanding of "catfishing" and how harmful it can be to a persons psychological and emotional state. If you or someone that you know is in a relationship online and experiencing similar issues to the one I had with Renee, please don't continue to be deceived. Look into learning their true identity because honesty matters in a relationship. If someone can't even tell the truth about who they are, what else will they lie about?

One motto that I will use to define whether an online relationship is real or not is "If it seems too good to be true, then it usually is!"... Time to put those dirty catfish to shame!

Until next time, Adios!

G.I. Jane!

How's it going everybody? This blog post is going to be a little bit more controversial than most.. Following the MLK holiday which represents the celebration of "equal rights," there has been something very interesting going on in the media. Apparently the Secretary of Defense has lifted the ban on women being able to serve in direct combat roles in the military!

The reason I feel the need to address this today is I feel it can directly impact people I know and care about. My stepfather is an Army infantry man, I have many friends, men and women, that serve in the military, and I have even given the idea of joining myself some decent consideration. So this current bit of news is rather shocking to me.

Women going onto the front-lines, with heavy guns, and bullets spraying in their direction. Who else does not see the harm that this drastic change in culture can expose many women to? I am an advocate for equal rights for all mankind and if there is an injustice I myself will support people who take action to correct that wrong. But in what way does going against the traditions passed down for centuries in protecting this countries female soldiers from additional harm help strengthen our military forces?

In no way is my disagreement with this decision related to the notions that "a woman can't do a mans job" or they are not capable of doing the same roles as a man. In fact I am convinced there are many women today that are overall stronger than a large majority of men, physically and mentally. 

What I just can't understand is how we are suggesting that mothers, daughters, grandmothers, sisters, the people that help keep our civilization thriving with the many contributions they make, be allowed to now go running into fire fights. This means that not only will the male to female ratio decline even further, but there will also be more cases of women coming home in wheelchairs, suffering from PTSD, and the many other terrible side affects of war that men had been willing to sacrifice and take on these burdens for themselves. 

If you are a woman that wants to go into a direct combat role, I'd love to hear why. I'd love to know why someone who has the benefit of additional safety would fight for a position in which they have a higher possibility to die in. I'd love to know the reason why you would fight to open up positions for your daughters and many other daughters of our nation, to decide that they would rather go into the battlefield, instead of use the exceptionally gifted brain they were given towards more tactically supporting roles. 

This is one of the downsides to freedom, while many have the freedom to choose life, there is also the option to choose death. If we now have women in our armed forces that no longer want men to take on the sacrifice of putting their lives directly in harms way, then so be it. But before we just celebrate this decision to lift this ban, let's just step back and consider what we are giving up. In a fight for justice and equality sometimes we can find literally anything to argue about and this is just another case of people just not knowing which battle to fight for...

All we can do is have hope that this decision will not damage society or our armed forces in the ways that many of us predict that it can... God bless our troops! 

Until next time, Adios.