Fabulous Finds for this Fall

So as the summer begins to wrap up, I always start to think about what colors to wear this fall; what fashion trends survived the summer; and what new pretty things to adore, but be unable to purchase.

From Michael Kors Fall 2009 collection. Gray is in and when I find my job I too will be rocking power suits with thigh high slits.

Again Michael Kors 2009 collection. Very sleek look. I especially love the booties.

Oscar De La Renta. I'm really into the power suits right now (You could only imagine why). This look is so saucy British C.E.O.

Dolce & Gabbana Yes!! I love gold! I like the flowy-ness of this piece and how it cinches at the bottom.

There's nothing like fashion I can't afford to get me geared up and ready to double my job search efforts.

We are Still Brainwashed

In today's society, you only have to look as far as a magazine to see what American media has deemed beautiful. Magazines, t.v., and film are saturated with images of thin, light-skinned, straight haired women who sell sex and beauty to the public. All we have to do is observe what is the first thing that comes to mind when we hear the phrase "All-American girl". Most likely someone blond, blue-eyed, thin and young came to mind. Someone white.

I'm becoming ever-increasingly exasperated with people who have difficulty realizing the simple fact that we equate white with American, and have normalized white as beautiful. Beauty is on a spectrum where thin and white is on one end and everything and everyone else is on the other end.

Too many people buy into this standard without realizing it. Every time a black woman buys a hair relaxer to straighten her naptural away or a a child gets ridiculed because he/she is "too dark" or a guy says he prefers his girl with straight hair but can't really give a reason as to why, they are stating that their natural is not enough and that they prefer to move closer on the spectrum to white.

The saddest part is these people refuse to allow the veil to be lifted. For every reason you give them as to why they have a whitened standard of beauty, they will give you a defensive excuse as to why they do the things and think the way they do. Always. Each and every time.

This is too huge and complicated a topic to cover in one post, so you can be sure there will be more posts about this one, but for now, I just want to say this is not simply a black and white problem.

Slip of the Tongue

Amber Rose

I don't know why I think this girl is just so fly. All I know is I do. I love her haircut, her swag, and her always hit-or-miss fashion. The way she is always stealing the spotlight from the oh-so-egotistical Mr. West is no small feat.

The on-again/off-again girlfriend of Kanye West has a style as unique as his. Granted she's kinda a video ho and I don't support them(right?), but she just used Kanye as a stepping stone to get her name out there and her picture in all the fashion blogs and I can't help but love that.

I am truly impressed that this woman manages to rock such ridiculously out-of-control outfits. Take for example

Zebra print shoes with matching purse and pink spandex. It's different and I like...definite hit.

Hit. I have to respect the bold red lipstick, the bold red pants. Love it.


Major miss. This outfit always reminds me of Pretty Woman. It's like Amber is Julia Roberts before she meets Richard Gere(Kanye) and he takes her on a shopping trip through Rodeo Drive.


Too fly. Love those shades.


Hmm. The teal hair color really threw me off on this one, but I still like the color coordination.


Putting a diva spin on that classic black and white look. Def hit.



See, this is what I mean by fearless--she is one bold female. I want to give it to her, but this is an undeniable miss.


Not a big fan of the dress, but she's still rockin it. Love the shoes and gloves. Hit.


And the girl can even do classy! I love the dress; I love the upscale look(I'm glad they left the shades at home). Kanye could have put on some socks though. Hit.

Amber is fearless and rocks some out-of-order ensembles that only she can manage to not only pull off, but look pretty fly in. People like to hate cause she is a gold digger and a ho, but her style is so captivating, I can't help but root for her. When Kanye drops her, I hope she manages to remain in the light cause I can't wait to see what she tries to pull off next.

Comic Con Fans FREAKING out Over Shirtless Vampires and Werewolves!!!

These are two sneak peeks at New Moon that were shown during Comic Con. I guess it was a surprise because the females in the audience flipped out. I couldn't help but laugh when the audience went berserk as the vampire and werewolf have a shirtless scene in each clip.

Team Jacob or Team Edward?

Obama Sparks Controversy with his Comments on Arrested Harvard Professor

While reading a little news today, I came across a story that had me shaking my head; it's a shame some of the things that still happen in our country today.

According to CNN, President Obama made a comment about the Cambridge police department "acting stupidly" in their arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr., a prominent African American Harvard professor. As we know, being arrested for doing nothing wrong is every black man's nightmare and it happened to Gates in his own home! The big debate is whether President Obama should have expressed his opinion about an incident where he admits he did not know all the facts.

"Arresting officer Sgt. James Crowley -- who handcuffed Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. last week --said he was dismayed that the president....would opine on the issue without all the details".

Gates is a personal friend of Obama , so Obama did admit that he was biased. According to the news article:

"Crowley, in the police report about the incident, said Gates refused to cooperate with him and repeatedly accusing him of racism when he went to Gates' home following a report of a possible break-in July 16.

Crowley said he tried to determine whether there was someone else at the home and wanted to ensure Gates' safety.

Gates, however, told him "that I had no idea who I was 'messing' with" and was being so loud that he could not give pertinent information to the department when he was calling in, the sergeant said.

Authorities have said they may release tapes of the officer calling in, in which Gates is heard in the background

Crowley's report said that when he asked to speak with Gates outside, the professor at one point responded, "I'll speak with your mama outside."

Gates' attorney, Charles Ogletree, said the professor never made such a remark.

The full story will show that Gates did nothing wrong -- and that Crowley did not identify himself at first, Ogletree said."

Lol at "I'll speak with your mama outside". From a Harvard professor?!

President Obama was surprised by the controversy surrounding his comments, and frankly, I am too. I know he is the President of the United States , hence all public comments will be criticized more harshly, but it seems as though this public outrage is a little much. President Obama was simply commenting on a friend's unfortunate and disgraceful ordeal at the hands of Cambridge police.

The professor was arrested after he had already proven that he was indeed in his own home. Police need to keep their anger in check when dealing with the public and stop always trying to cover up their racial prejudice. There is NO way this man would have been arrested in his home if he had been white. The police officer would have approached him in a different way and the outcome certainly would have been different. It's like Kim Coleman, a Washington radio host said, "There's a reason we don't here about prominent white people arrested in their homes: it doesn't happen".

If a department has not had a racially motivated incident in some time, it does not mean racism has been abolished(as much as we would all like that), it could simply signify that police officers are doing a better job of suppressing their prejudices. The problem with suppression is that those instincts and prejudices almost always bubble to the surface and explode.

Cambridge Police Department needs to check itself.

Maxim's Sexiest Ladies

I'm not sure how long ago this came out, but I just ran across Maxim's List of 100 Sexiest Women for 2009 and I must say the list had me raising eyebrows left and right. I'm not exactly sure who chooses these women or decides where they go on the list, but it seems a little arbitrary. Apparently these women are chosen from music, film, modeling, and even politics. Now, I can't take this list too seriously considering it's a degrading way of rating women, who then pose in this men's magazine, usually half-naked. But that being said here are a few of my thoughts on some of this year's women:

#93. Michelle Obama
I don't even know where to start with this one. Should I be happy that the first black lady is in Maxim as sexy woman, ashamed that her publicist people decided it was even a good idea for her too be in such a lewd(in my opinion) magazine or offended that people have had such a negative reaction to her being on the list, citing that she is not hot enough(which, considering the rest of the size two 20-something yr old white women on the list, just seems whack....the woman's rockin it and people need to expand their view of sexy.)


#82. Emma Watson
Hermoine Granger?! Really though? I mean the girl is pretty(for a Brit), but Maxim sexy...who knew? But the lass does have some of that Granger intelligence as she is rumored to have turned down Yale to attend Brown University in the fall. There's nothing like that good old American education system....you know, after you get past our shoddy primary and secondary public school systems that fail to teach our disadvantaged youth. Instead, it favors the rich and well-connected, while stimulating a cycle of poverty that makes it near impossible for underprivileged children to obtain educations at top American universities. But I digress.

#52. Beyonce
As much as like to hate on this woman; frankly, I was surprised she wasn't higher on the list.

#45. Fergie
Am I the only one who thinks this woman is busted? I mean even with her copious amounts of make-up, I'm still a bit frightened by her face. But I will admit, her darker locks are much more fitting for her face.

#44. Avril Lavigne
Really though? This girl hasn't had a song out in a hot minute and she seems too angry and confused to be sexy but whatevs.

#10. Jennifer Love Hewitt
Whaaat? She's still around?! I didn't know people still watched her Horse Whispering show. I keep seeing this chick in all the mags with the titles referencing her weight gain, so I might have been pleasantly surprised if they had a thick JLH, but sadly, not the case. She seems slimmed down and photoshopped up. I remember her best as the "What are you waiting for?!!" chick from the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise. And I gotta give that movie mad props; Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillipe as co-stars, that movie was loaded with A list teen heartthrobs of the 90s. Ahh the good old days....

#8. Rihanna
I don't even know where to start with this one. I guess I'm glad her face healed enough to be on anybody's Hot List. I still don't appreciate her trying to make C. Breezy look bad like that though. No, but in all seriousness, I know hearts don't heal the way our bodies can and I really don't feel it's fair that so many people have criticized RiRi for not speaking out on behalf of battered women everywhere. She's dealing with her own pain, how can she be expected to take on anyone else's until she's ready? And only she will know when that is. Violence is NEVER the answer!
Chris, I know your next album will be fiyah.

#3. Bar Refaeli
Her name's kind of fly. An Israeli model, she is known for dating Leo DiCaprio and being the first Israeli on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. I don't know what else to say about her...those seem to be her only accomplishments. Oh and coming in 3rd on Maxim's 100.

#2. Megan Fox
Of course, we all knew she'd be on this list somewhere. After seeing her in Transformers 2, I've determined the chick can't act, but as a male friend of mine said "that's not what she's there to do". Besides her nonexistent acting skills, I can't hate on the girl, she is gorgeous and personally, I think she should have been number 1. Which leads to:




#1. Olivia Wilde
Now if you find yourselves wondering, "who?", you're not the only one. I hear she's on House M.D., but I don't watch the show, so I don't really care. Oh, she was also in the Black Donnellys( a show I actually kind of enjoyed), but it got cancelled, so she wasn't of much help to it. Well hopefully garnering the "coveted" spot will help that career of hers.


There you have it. Maxim's List of 100 Sexiest Women abbreviated. There are only 7 black women on the entire list so WOMP to that.

What's Really Good With All These Vampires?

I just finished watching True Blood on HBO and I must say, America's obsession with vampires is oh-so-fascinating to me. With New Moon, the latest installment of the Twilight series coming out in a few months, I have to wonder why we love blood sucking, ashen, night crawling, oh yea, and dead men with robotic personalities.

Is it the fact that these sexy? creatures of night are falling in love with irritating chicks? Maybe women are thinking: if she can find a man to love her and fight off other vampires for her, then I can find a man to, well, at least like me a lot. I guess these women forget the tiny detail that these men are creatures of myth, fallacy, and straight up malarkey.

I mean, I too can appreciate the vampire's appeal: mysterious, dangerous, old(so chivalry probably means something to him), protective, sensuous. But there is nothing sexy about blood. As I was watching True Blood, I couldn't help but wonder, "Isn't all this blood affinity an HIV transmissions risk?"

All I'm saying is the glorification of bloodsucking is not cute. In fact, it's just downright creepy. Our love affair with mythical creatures illustrates how we, as a culture, avoid the monotony of reality(for an hour or two) in order to enter a world where dangerous men can be brought to their knees by the most ordinary of girls; where people can be beautiful and alluring on the outside but evil on the inside(hmm....that one seems a little like reality); and where sharing blood does not lead to infectious diseases, but rather to superhuman strength and intensely disturbing sex scenes.

Of course, one can say vampires are just plain fun. This is true, essentially, these characters are simply alluring escapes, ways for us to vicariously fight off demons and find our oh-so-true love.

Thirsty?

A few days ago, my younger brother said to me; "Nobody wants to be friends with an alcoholic". Now I don't really consider myself an alchie and I certainly haven't been drinking that much at home. A glass of wine here and there (or nightly) is not considered a problem....is it? But if brother has noticed enough to start commenting then, hmmm.... But in my defense, my family could drive anyone to drink.

Due to the fact that I haven't been visiting the bars recently(lack of funds, plus I'm not really much of a bar-hopper), I have kept my my drink of choice to refreshing summer wines such as chardonnays and pinots. At times I do wish I could order a gin and tonic(so very Gossip Girl). Or one of these:

3 of My Favorite Fab Drinks.....for Now

Whiskey Sour: There's just something about Mr. Jack Daniels hooking up with some lemons and sugar that just really does it for me. I once tried to drink whiskey on the rocks, but apparently those are really left for divorced women who reek of cigarette butts working the 10pm-6am shift on the corner. Basically people with far too depressing lives. The whiskey sour, on the other hand, is a classy drink and my all time favorite.



Cosmopolitan: This was my first legally purchased drink and I must say it was a fabulous choice. A cosmo says sophisticated and classy, or you're trying really hard to be. I like to think of myself as simply upscale, but I may have just seen one Sex & the City rerun too many. These tasty drinks can come in so many different flavors, concoctions, etc, it's like a differnt drink each time(except not really). I especially like the ones with the sugar rimmed glasses. What can I say, I'm a girl.




Daiquiri: I once went on vacation to a tropical paradise where I had the most amazing mango daiquiri. It was delectable, made with fresh mangoes, and drunk on a beach while looking out at the Atlantic Ocean. I like to order these to pretend I am back on vacation, soaking up sun without a care in the world. Sigh...nothing like a cocktail made with fresh fruit...



Hmm...listing some of my favorite drinks...if that doesn't say alchie, I don't know what does.

Sunday Morning...

Sunday mornings always start with church. I love church. It's a good place to worship, to meet wonderful people, and to just be surrounded by loving energy. Today after church as I walking to my car I saw one of the young guys from my church and we stopped to talk.

He asked me how old I was and how come I haven't been coming to the youth services. I replied that I haven't been at the church that long and I'm still learning who's who in the congregation. He was like "give me your information and I'll let me know what's happening so that we can keep in touch". So I gave him a megawatt smile and my info of course cause homeboy is pretty good looking and we talked a bit. I won't lie: I sometimes find it hard to concentrate when he's in front of me during the service cause his body.....well, it's bangin.

After sometime he introduces me to another guy in the church who is also on my list of eligible bachelors I'd holla at(or rather, let holla at me). So then he and I talked for a little while and exchanged numbers and I was really feeling the conversation; giving him my oh so fabulous eye-batting and smile combo. So after that lovely interaction I continued to exit the church.

On my way out, I ran into this guy whose always a little too friendly....we exchanged pleasantries and then he started talking about how he should take me out sometime. "Maybe I could take you out to show you around sometime." I believe were his exact words. "Umm...maybe....." was my reply as I smiled politely while glancing around frantically for someone to help me out of this unnecessary situation. Don't get me wrong the guy is ok(but in his early thirties so a little too old for my taste). I just really dislike when people try to come at me blatantly in the church. I mean, I really couldn't tell you what his name is and we haven't had that many conversations so I'm not really sure where he was trying to take me or if i even wanted to find out.... i don't really feel as though dudes at church should be comin at me the same way dudes on the street do--and the encounter just felt mad sketch like I was on the corner of Main St. and Broadway, Anywhere, USA.

But anyways, the encounters all together had me feeling pretty appreciated. I mean it's pretty hard to deny all this fabulousness....

I finally get to the car where my brothers are waiting for me. "Eww..." my little brother says to me, "what's that on your teeth?" WHAT?! I check the car door mirror only to discover I had lipstick stuck on my front teeth. WOMP.

Keeping up with Culture

Today I went to the airport to pick up some family friends that will be staying with my fam for a few weeks from Nigeria. He's only been here a few hours but already I'm starting to see ways in which I've become even more disconnected from my cultural heritage.


I found that even though I understood everything they were saying, I heard our guests voices as accented, which never used to happen. My mother's voice wasn't an accent, it was just the way we spoke. My aunts and uncles didn't "talk funny" (as my friends would say) they just talked differently to others--but never to me. It was an accent I was used to so it didn't sound foreign or like an accent to me, everyone else was just confused.... But now, probably after spending 4 years in an isolated college environment, my own people's voices sound with accents. Tré sad...


I need to find new ways to reconnect with my people. Perhaps, local events, more wedding receptions, baby showers, or 2 year olds' birthday parties.

I could also def use some new traditional clothing...sigh....maybe I should just go do Nigerian Youth Corp... .www.nysc.gov.ng/forignnysc.php

I am seriously beginning to comprehend the idea of living in two different worlds. I'm not all Nigerian, but I most definitely can not be that all-American girl either. It's silly to try to choose, but it is impossible to not feel as though each part wants all of you or nothing at all. As I continue to mature into the stunningly fabulous, devastating diva I strive to be, I truly hope (and must find ways to ensure) that both parts of my upbringing and cultural are nourished and treasured.

Currently Unemployed...So NOT Fabulous.

Here are my top 10 reasons why being unemployed is so unfabulous:

10. Your life goals get put on hold...indefinitely.

9. You start counting every dollar you spend and it's a little too depressing how much of that money is spent on food.

8. You start to feel as though your productivity value is significantly decreasing and your use as an American citizen is withering away..because let's be serious: it's hard to help others if you can't help yourself.

7. It's boring.

6. There's nothing fabulous about not being able to afford to go out on a Friday night.

5. After awhile you just want a different answer for the "How's the job search coming?" that people love to ask week after week after freakin week.

4. You start to question those four years of undergraduate pain and suffering.

3. Somehow feeling exhausted after a day of doing nothing just doesn't feel as worthwhile as being wiped after working somewhere you hate with people you can't stand.

2. You have to think twice about buying yourself that Cosmopolitan at the bar. And if you can't buy yourself a Cosmo, how's a guy supposed to buy you your second round? Sure he may buy you that first drink, but come on we're in a recession...men aren't look for freeloaders.

1. Your fashion suffers tremendously. It's kinda hard to stay up on the newest looks when you can't afford to pay for them. And unlike many Americans today, I cannot afford to put myself into debt so One-day sales pass me by...semi-annuals go unvisited...Clearances stay uncleared, and my closet remains unchanged.

Christian Louboutin Dillian Pumps
(so so fly...umm can I just charge em? lol. womp...I need a job)

My Workouts Get Me Hot and Bothered

While doing my morning workout, I came across this abs workout video:




Is it wrong that I kinda got turned on by a computer animated workout model? Well, exercise does get those endorphins going...and he looks mad real!! Try the workout if you like! It's not too bad and it's only 8 minutes.

ON A SLIGHTLY SEPARATE NOTE:

I ran across this photo on the web and I was quite impressed. Dude has some rockin abs! But then as I looked a little closer I spotted something that made me say "oh my..." Now I'm not that much of a prude(I don't think) but umm, was this necessary? Can you spot the jaw-dropper? loll
Still though, yumm.

They Finally Put MJ to Rest

But what crazy things will they accuse him of next?
Am I the only one that thinks now that Michael Jackson is dead we should be allowed to think of him as a great entertainer and not a child molester or addict? I mean, Heath Ledger died of an overdose and I really don't remember this much drama about that particular fact. Everyone remembers him as a freakin awesome joker, or that gay cowboy, or the hottie from 10 Things I Hate About You. Anyway, it was his talent that eventually rose above all the hoopla and drama.

I hope it will be the same with MJ. I'm not on that Al Sharpton status, trying to get MJ a national holiday or anything, but I do believe he was a hero in his own right to music lovers everywhere.

"You can't take black from him just because he has white kids". My favorite line form the guy arguing with Bill O'Reilly. Check out this video of O'Reilly's thought on MJ...what does he honestly expect the family to do? Talk about Mj's acquittal of molestation charges at his funeral?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaqaoGUNjvc
Check out the video and dejame que tu piensas(tell me what u think).

My Neck... My Back... My *****

I went to a chiropractor today to see my x-rays of my spinal cord. Mind you, I def thought my posture was bangin but apparently not. The chiropractor whipped out my x-rays, hung them on the white lighted thing and declared "Your neck is messed up". Is that a medical term?

Apparently I had a severe head trauma...my chiropractor insists on it though I can't really remember any such thing. WOMP on doctors...they're always tying to make money on their invented illnesses and problems. Lightbulb moment: Maybe that's my true career path...

Today I started what I hope will be my first successful DIEt. I have to wonder whose dying...me or the pounds. But this time around (the 1 millionth and one), I am believing for success because I've made an actual plan. I PLAN to lose 41 pounds by December 15th. Why is losing weight such a priority to so many women(and men). A billion dollar industry that just won't stop, yet we continue to grow and grow and reach an exploding point of obesity. Well though I haven't reached obesity level (at least for black females) I need to get in shape cause I'm 21, gorgeous, blessed and highly fabulous, so I'm going to make these years count. Got to. Stay tuned...

Pretty Woman

Pretty women wonder

where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built

to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.

I say
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips
The stride of my steps
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

--Maya Angelou