Life starring Jake Gyllenhall, Rebecca Ferguson, Ariyon Bakare and Ryan Reynolds is a scientific thriller with an Alien that basically could give two flying figs about any life form other than itself. Six astronauts are aboard a space craft making the important discovery of alien life. It is a nice diverse group of people all holding hands, singing, “kumbaya, we are about to change to world.” All is going well until it turns bad really fast. Ryan Reynolds plays, Rory, the same character he always plays in almost all of his movies. That is really all I kept on thinking about as I watched him. That and he is the cute white boy with all the snarky jokes. Ariyon Bakare plays Hugh, the scientist who seems to have bonded with the life form (named Calvin) early on as he is the researcher bringing it to life and caring for it. So much more I would like to say and ask but don't want to spoil it. Jake Gyllenhall plays the reclusive (so much so he has decided to practically live in s

Stress less with the help of nature, more specifically a plant in either your work space or home space. There have been ongoing research on the overall effect of nature and being in nature on mood and stress levels. There has also been some studies that have looked into the positive effect of plants on stress indicators. Several studies have show plants to have a positive effect on productivity, blood pressure, perception of space, and anxiety to name a few. There can be several contributing factors to this like if you are the one caring for the plant, perceived attractiveness of the room or  improved air quality and etc. Nevertheless, having a plant in can prove to be beneficial. Now if you do not have a green thumb like myself, get a plant that is easy to manage and hard to kill. No reason to stress out over caring for the thing that is supposed to help with your stress relief in the first place. Take ownership of this little effort to make life better and contribute to the envi

Stress is inevitable. It is our reaction to change no matter how big or small. What we have to try to do is not fall into the trap of constantly being stressed out, i.e chronic stress. One way to handle this is to be mindful. Sometimes we are so busy going through life that we react without stopping to give thought  to ourselves and well being. This is why a meditative practice or regular prayer is helpful. Give attention to yourself. Look into yourself and how you are feeling at a moment in time. I am not only talking about physically but emotionally as well. Do not ignore yourself. When you do take a moment to reflect, tell yourself that you are loved, and beautiful, and smart and worthy. Remind yourself that you are a fighter and that is why you keep going. Be mindful and engage in positive self talk. Remember, you are worth the effort.

Jidenna's The Chief dropped in February and what a lovely gift it is. The album has a little bit of everything: rhythm and blues, hip hop, rock, strong impactful rap lyrics, something for the ladies, and a little bit of pop action to bop your head too. Mostly, it's about the lyrics. Like J. Cole's 4 Your Eyez Only , you have to look pass the fan fare to the message of empowerment, perseverance and triumph despite the obstacles. In addition to the powerful message, The Chief tells a story. I have the album on repeat. Out of 14 tracks, I do not skip a single one. Do I have my favorites? Of  course. I am partial to the R&B flavored tracks but the entire album is worth ten of some of the garbage currently playing on the radio. The take away from this album is to have self confidence. Know that you have the ability, skills and strength to not only get through the toughest times but to rise above those circumstances. Now I got the clean version because I like playing it