Sidebar.

When I 'grow' up I want to be as egotistical & arrogant as him.. .

I'm close -- but I still got a lot of catching up to do. 

Blame It On The Alcohol.. . #2.

Meet victim #2: Y. Peter. 

Due to the complaints & 'threats of a lawsuit' from Y. Peter -- I removed his pictures. Some people aren't good sports like A. Turner. Smh. 

This is just another case of what happens when you get lean't earlier than everyone else. You get 'dick'd'. (& yep -- I was the artist this time. Ignore the scribble that was a bad attempt at a tear drop.) 

All & all another great weekend that consist of me drunk every day starting from Thursday night up until tonight.. well Sunday night. Oh, the SVA portfolio review went awesome -- another reason why I celebrated so hard Saturday night, only to wake up around 6AM on Sunday to vomit. Yea, I party hard -- a self proclaimed 'professional party-ER'. Now, I should take my ass to bed since I have to wake up for my 9AM class -- but have no fair, I'll post the videos & rest of the party pictures from the weekend in a later post. 

Beauty Tips?

So lately I've been gettin a few emails -- yay, ppl are actually using my email address: TheHLSociety@gmail.com -- asking me to share my 'beauty' tips & secrets w. my readers.. I've noticed lately -- or maybe just lately to me -- that a lot of other females share advice on great hair & skin tips, which I think is pretty cool. So I figured I'd share what little, if any skin & hair tips I have w. you guys.

Skin.
Fortunately, due to genetics neither I or anyone in my family has ever had acne. I don't get zits, only 'stress' bumps here & there. Oh, and I get small heat bumps in the.. winter. But as far as keeping clear skin -- I do absolutely nothing. My morning routine consist of bypassing all the Avecado Scrubs & Clean & Clear Morning Burst Cleansing Gels only to end up splashing water in my eyes and mouth to get the crust out and toothpaste off. Then I'm off. If I do shower in the morning then I'll wash my face w. a rag -- get behind the ears & all that goodness & keep it moving. I used to use all those fancy scrubs, but honestly got tired of it -- so now I just buy them to arrange nicely in my bathroom to look as if I'm doing something wonderful to my pores. :)

Hair.
I respect all those who are on their journey to go 'natural' -- but eff that. My hair is just too thick & I'm just too lazy to dedicate myself to that commitment. 'Dirty hair grows faster' -- I've always been told that & its been true. I don't wash my own hair -- only in emergencies. In the summer, I get a wash & set every week. In the winter, every.. month or so? It's not smelly or dandriff infested -- I swear, lol. I also don't grease my scalp. Oops. I got so used to getting it done weekly I found it no point to make it heavy w grease so I don't. Ever. I get new growth like crazy every month, so I usually either flat iron the shit out of it OR get a touch up. I use Creme of Nature SUPER perm & sometimes I have to use 2 boxes worth. :) I use Jam 'Regular Strength' to gel down my edges occasionally & that's how that goes.

Body.
I don't lotion my whole body in the winter unless I'm goin to have sex -- other than that I feel its pointless. I just hit the main spots: feet, shins, knees, butt, arms & face. I use a mixture of Vaseline Cocoa Butter Lotion & Baby Oil Gel. I bangs w Caress soap, or Vitabath Body Gel -- if my aunt buys me Bath & Beyond stuff, then I'll use that occasionally, or the Lever 2000 gels -- either the green or blue bottle. Uh, I hate body hair -- so I shave often & an avid believer of the Brazilian wax. Not a fan of body splashes, but love my Marc Jacobs 'Daisy', A&F 'Fierce' (yes, the men's cologne) & 'Classic' & Burberry 'Chance'.

Uh, I think I'm done. So yea -- that's all my little beauty 'secrets' .. . All written from my Blackberry at 350AM, when I should be sleep since I got my SVA portfolio review in the morning. Wish me luck!

So Beautiful.

I wish everyone could have a love like theirs. 

It's just so beautiful -- it reminds me of me & Los in a weird kind of way. Sigh. I love that family -- & no matter how much I'd love to 'beat' President Obama, I don't want to break up a happy home. (LMAO). Instead, I'll work to building mine to be as strong & loving as theirs.

I absolutely love Michelle Obama, she's my role model -- intelligent, independent, beautiful, strong (the list can go on.. .) & most importantly, is a 'ride or die chick' for her husband. Behind every strong man stands a stronger woman -- & that is First Lady Michelle Obama. 

The Change We've Been Looking For.

Our president is black. 

It's now official, our 44th president is an African American. Not only is he hot, but it's finally great to have such a intelligent, articulate president who can speak w. great poise & motivation. His inauguration speech was absolutely wonderful, it even brought tears to my eyes as he showed how far African Americans have progressed. Once upon a time we weren't able to sit in the same restaurants as white folks, but now look -- we have an African American as our United States of America president. 

So I usually would follow along w. the Obama-Biden progress on Change.gov -- but when I went there today I saw that they have now moved to Whitehouse.gov. Curious, I went on the website & the first thing that caught my eye was Obama's agenda. We spent numerous amounts of months hearing about the change that Obama was going to bring to our nation -- I actually wanted to see all that he had planned. So aside from all the changes that he campaigned during the election -- you know, tax-cuts, bringing our troops back home & all those goodies, I found some of his plans that were less mainstream that I thought were excellent & I'm looking forward too, as well as some changes I thought were pretty interesting & I'll even explain why. 

Civil Rights Agenda will include: 

End Racial Profiling: President Obama and Vice President Biden will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice. 

-- About time. Although they are going to attempt to end this, it's still going to happen. It's one of those inevitable things that we can't avoid, no matter how hard we try. There will always be a group of ignorant people. 

Eliminate Sentencing Disparities: President Obama and Vice President Biden believe the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.

-- So basically, if charged w. selling of crack cocaine (which, is typically found in the urban areas .. . meaning us black folks) you could face up to life in jail -- although, I question this because I know plenty of people that have & do BUT.. . moving on. W. powered-based cocaine (which is typically found in the suburbs) you could face up to several years in jail as opposed to life -- which wasn't fair. So now, whether it be a couple of years or life its the same ordeal now, which is fair..

Expand Use of Drug Courts: President Obama and Vice President Biden will give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.

-- I think this is a great change. Keep our jails available for the real criminals out there -- like the murderers & such. 

Education Agenda will include: 

Make Math and Science Education a National Priority: Obama and Biden will recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession and will support efforts to help these teachers learn from professionals in the field. They will also work to ensure that all children have access to a strong science curriculum at all grade levels.

-- We just might be giving Russia a run for their money soon & show them that the US really isn't as dumb as we're portrayed to be. 

Prepare Teachers: Obama and Biden will require all schools of education to be accredited. Obama and Biden will also create a voluntary national performance assessment so we can be sure that every new educator is trained and ready to walk into the classroom and start teaching effectively. Obama and Biden will also create Teacher Residency Programs that will supply 30,000 exceptionally well-prepared recruits to high-need schools.

-- I never looked at this a problem since I went to Catholic school all my life, so I thought all schools were accredited. Come to find out.. . that's not true. 

Support College Credit Initiatives: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will create a national "Make College A Reality" initiative that has a bold goal to increase students taking AP or college-level classes nationwide 50 percent by 2016, and will build on Obama's bipartisan proposal in the U.S. Senate to provide grants for students seeking college level credit at community colleges if their school does not provide those resources.

-- Because of all my college-level & AP courses that were mandatory for us, I am a semester & a half ahead w. college credits. If every child could have this opportunity, 4 years of college could be lessen down to 2 or 3.

Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama and Biden will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Recipients of the credit will be required to conduct 100 hours of community service.

-- When it comes to college, any amount of money helps & $4000 is definitely a great start. 

Simplify the Application Process for Financial Aid: Obama and Biden will streamline the financial aid process by eliminating the current federal financial aid application and enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form, authorizing their tax information to be used, and eliminating the need for a separate application.

-- Anyone whose ever had to fill out that damn FASFA form can be happy about the new change. Unfortunately this change should have occurred 3 years ago to save me the headache since I'm that person that always forget that stupid 4 digit PIN. 

Require 100 Hours of Service in College: Establish a new American Opportunity Tax Credit worth $4,000 a year in exchange for 100 hours of public service a year.

-- Now everyone can have a nice looking resume. This would save so many people the hassle of trying to make their resumes for companies during their senior year of college as opposed to balancing it out all four years of your undergrad. 

Promote College Serve-Study: Ensure that at least 25 percent of College Work-Study funds are used to support public service opportunities instead of jobs in dining halls and libraries.

-- Sounds way better than cleaning tables or sitting behind a desk staring at people all day.

Women Agenda will include:

Investing in Women-Owned Small Businesses: Women are majority owners of more than 28 percent of U.S. businesses, but head less than 4 percent of venture-capital-backed firms. Women business owners are more likely than white male business owners to have their loan applications denied. President Obama and Vice President Biden will encourage investing in women-owned businesses, providing more support to women business owners, and reducing discrimination in lending.

-- The bank shall be hearing from me as soon as I work up my business plan now. Holla! 

Fighting for Pay Equity: Despite decades of progress, women still make only 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. Throughout their careers, President Obama and Vice President Biden have championed the right of women to receive equal pay for equal work. In the Illinois State Senate, President Obama cosponsored and voted for the Illinois Equal Pay Act, which provided 330,000 more women protection from pay discrimination. In the U.S. Senate, Obama joined a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce the Fair Pay Restoration Act, a bill to overturn the Supreme Court's recent 5-4 decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. The bill will restore the clear intent of Congress that workers must have a reasonable time to file a pay discrimination claim after they become victims of discriminatory compensation. The President was also a cosponsor of Senator Tom Harkin's (D-IA) Fair Pay Act, and President Obama will continue to promote paycheck equity and close the wage gap between men and women.

-- Since I will soon be entering the 'real world' I am looking forward to this new change in the US. We now have a black president -- & now women can get paid equally. 

Family Agenda will include:

Extend Paid Sick Days to All Workers: Half of all private sector workers have no paid sick days and the problem is worse for employees in low-paying jobs, where less than a quarter receive any paid sick days. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will require that employers provide seven paid sick days per year.

-- The way I look at it is can take a day off every month.. for 7 months, or take a week off. Lol. Either way, I'm demanding my paid sick days.

Anyways, enough of my commentary -- read more of his policies & plans at whitehouse.gov/agenda & feel free to leave comments on any of the things you read from that site that you considered interesting & why. :)

Blame It On The Alcohol.

A typical Sunday night for Los & I.. .

Usually, we go to our little spot in the Lower East Village, get tipsy & watch the free comedy show. Last night, we took a trip to Old Westbury to visit Alex & his boo (whom I love soo much -- she's soooo cool!) Chevon. Niccas started sipping on Devil Springs (160 proof) while playing Monopoly. Needless to say we never finished the game because Alex was out earlyyyy -- & the pictures are just a result of what happens when you get drunk around us first & we find a sharpie somewhere in the room. All & all.. . great night. 

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back?

When it rains, it pours.

 

It's my last week in New York, and it turned out to be the complete opposite of how I expected it to go. One flop after another turned what was potentially supposed to be a great week -- horrible. And to top it off, I had to be wo. my boyfriend for two days due to more bullshit that I don't even want to discuss now -- just know, I hate the federal system. It's made to screw a person over, no matter how hard they are working to change.. . someway, somehow their past always comes back to haunt them at unexpected times. So basically, I spent all of my Wednesday crying periodically throughout the day & by the end of the night, my eyes were all swollen, puffy & red. Sooo not hot. 

On a better note, I was able to spend the day w. my bestie at the tattoo parlor. I was going just to get out the house & take my mind off of things & to watch get her finger tattoo -- but it turned out me getting my third tattoo as well, followed by her getting yet another one, this time behind her ear. 

Nothing major -- & actually, the photo booth camera has the tattoo backwards, the numbers come first (so like view it from right to left). Anyways, it's from my favorite Biblical scripture: John 8:7 -- "Let he who is without sin, be the first one to cast the stone at her," located on my inner left wrist. And since a lot of people were confused about what the scripture meant, basically in modern terms it means: Only God can judge me since he is the only person I know who is without sin. Everyone else can kick rocks.  Then I got questioned to why I choose to get a Biblical scripture in Arabic? Simply because I love Arabic. I've been exposed to it since I started high school, when a lot of my family members, including my mother -- converted to Islam. I loved the way it sounded, loved the way it looked. So I said, Arabic it is. And the good thing about this tattoo is that when my hand is in 'typing formation' -- you know.. . palms flat down, the tattoo is barely visible. Now how conservative and cool is that? :) 

Well, this post took a complete turn of where I wanted it to go originally. I was going to talk about the amazing weekend I had & whatnot -- but then this wack ass week happened & just ruined my mood. Sigh. Maybe once I feel better after finally seeing Los tomorrow. I miss my boyfriend. :( 

Well, I Got My Logo.. .

So let the marketing myself begin! 

I have this big infatuation w. crest & after much alteration I was able to convert this crest into something of my own. And what are the odds that I'm a Leo in the zodiac horoscope & a dragon in Chinese horoscope. Now that I finally have my logo done, the business cards will be printed out next week, which I will post up here as well. This year I'm really going to be on my grind when it comes to my photography, my graphic design & my styling. So stay tuned.

Oh, so all the Vicoden is gone -- the pain is still there a little, but I got Ibuprofen 600mg to knock that out. Today will be my first day back outside since.. .  Tuesday, and where am I headed? To work.. . great. 

Thoughts While Under The Influence.. .

.. . Of Vicoden, that is. 

Not my drug of choice -- but who am I to complain? It's been easing the pain from the wisdom tooth I got removed on Tuesday, which was awesome might I add. I didn't know what to expect since I never had any type of operation done on my mouth before except for a cleaning. Went in, Dr. Pompa shot me w. about 4 'local' needles that numbed me up & made me both 'legally high' & drowsy as fcuk.. . & well, the rest was history. So.. . once the numbness wore off & I got the feeling back in my lips & gums, that's when all this pain has kicked in. Now I'm supposed to take one pill every six hours as needed for pain -- but when I didn't feel the first pill doing any for like 20 mins, I popped another pill.. . only to feel nauseous & in more pain than ever. I laid down, knocked out for probably 30 minutes.. like a deep sleep, and now im up typing this feeling slightly.. high? But it's totally legal.. . since my dentist prescribed it. Anyway:

• I'm starving. I've been starving since yesterday. I can only eat ".. soft foods such as soups, blenderized meals & gelatin desserts the first two days." First, fuck blenderized meals -- I attempted to put BBQ chicken, collard greens, yams & mac in the blender.. . it came out a disgusting vomit green & tasted nothing like any of those foods. So I've been living off of Chef Boyardee 'Spaghetti-Os' & McDonald's Sundaes -- & I'm fucking starving. A grown ass woman cannot survive off of those things for more than an hour. I swear tomorrow I'm going to eat oxtail, rice & peas & whatever.. 
• I hate the side effects of this medication. I feel high, then I feel light headed.. then I feel like I have to vomit.. & I'm having hot flashes.. .

Okay, I feel really sick again. So I'm going to go lay down & hopefully feel better by the time the Real World Brooklyn comes off so I can share my commentary w. you guys about the show. 

This Is How Every Wednesday Is Supposed To Be.. .

So, Ava showed me this lovely flyer.. . 

For those of you that know me, you know that I loveeeeee Sex & The City -- whether it be the movie or any of the six season episodes. And you also know, I loveeeeee cocktails. Not an alcoholic, but I do enjoy cocktails, shots.. & just the whole bar/lounge scene -- I mean, who doesn't tho? So when she showed me this, you can only imagine how excited I was. Plus, they play episodes while you sit back & drink?! Sounds like a 'Sex & The City' heaven to me.  

Needless to say, this Wednesday.. . I'm there. So everyone grab your IDs, or fake IDs (like I will be doing, since I'm only a vibrant 20 years old) & meet me there. No admission charge -- you can't beat that, or the $3 shots or $6 Cosmos/Martinis. I don't mind being smashed by 4PM. I'm young & deserve to have fun -- shit, New York is my playground. 

So, whose w. me?! 

Dogs Don't Bark At Parked Cars.. .

.. . They only bark at cars that are moving -- you know, cars that are actually going places. 

As I've been reading away messages, blogs and just talking to people, it is obvious that everyone is on some kind of 'grind' or 'flow' for 2009 -- whether it be sticking to the fraudulent New Years Resolutions they've made, or just continuing to make their money.. everyone is trying to do something w. their lives for 2009. And don't get me wrong, I think that is absolutely wonderful. Obviously, everyone wants to be somebody in life. No one wants to hang around people that aren't doing anything w. their lives -- it's just not hot. But the thing I failed to differentiate in 2008 was the 'talkers' against those who actually are doing something w. their lives. And I'm going to admit for the longest.. fuck, for the majority of 2008 I could categorize myself as one of the 'talkers'. I always came up w. these nice ideas that I wanted to carry out -- I'd network w. a whole bunch of other 'talkers' & obviously all of my dreams, plans, goals never got carried out. It was all talk. And I was the main person telling other people, "Less talk, more action" but wasn't practicing what I was preaching. Call me what you want.. . but, the thing that makes me different from the 'talkers' is that I've actually realized that I spent a whole year being a fraud. If I could get a nickel for every time I was going to make a business plan, make a business card, buy a domain name, buy this.. buy that -- shit, I'd probably have enough nickels to start up one of my plans. 

In 2008, I tried to be big on this whole 'networking' scheme -- realizing all along, I was doing it all wrong. As Los & I sat today making a list of all these people I've 'networked' w. -- there was only two people remaining on that list that is actually doing something w. their lives that could potentially help me out -- Keith Major & Bill Hayward. And instead of going hard trying to better myself w. them -- I was trying to 'network' w. a bunch of nobodies, frauds & 'talkers'. I tried to seek popularity amongst a group of people that over time I realized were nothing but frauds, scammers (literally) & a bunch of people that swore they were doing stuff w. their lives --- had nothing to show. Obviously, everyone wants to be something in life. Realistically, most wont. 

Dreaming is free -- everyone can do it. Talk is cheap -- everyone can afford it. It's the sacrifice that most people aren't willing to take when it comes to making all that talking & dreaming come true. You have to lose to gain. It's a given. In 2008, I was content w. thinking that Myspace was the only 'social network' I needed to make my 'dreams' come thru. Obviously, I was wrong. The people that are really doing something w. their lives, don't have time to be sitting on the internet talking it up, sharing ideas & plans & goals.. . instead, they're actually out doing it. 

Dogs don't bark at parked cars, they only bark at cars that making moves. I refuse to sit around watching other people live out my dream, because I'm too lazy or too afraid to take chances. I always was strong believer that a new year didn't mean shit. Well, that's out the window. Despite all the bullshit I said in the past, 2009 is a new beginning for me. I've let go all the people negative in my life, fixed whatever friendships I felt will get better in years to come, let all the 'talkers' go & I'm just ready to start new. Less talk, more action -- & to think it only took me 5 days into the New Year to realize that. :) 

Commercial of the Week.

I love commercials.. . 

& this one happens to be one of my favorites. Great concept. Great message. 

I love this girl.

First 'Diva', now this.. . 

I swear I used to hate Beyonce back in the days, but as I'm getting older I'm beginning to appreciate her music more & more.  I absolutely love this video. 

Hello, 2009.

It's 7:13PM, why am I still dizzy from last night?

I didn't have time to write an 'ode' to 08. I didn't feel like sitting here analyzing friendships I've encountered or experiences that occurred during '08. No need to reflect on the past for it has come and gone -- only time to focus on the future, and since I don't know what that's gonna bring I just have to sit back & await it.

Hello, 2009.