4 Moments That Made Back To School Funny As F

Ah…September. A new season slides on in. Our favorite shows come back on TV. Our summer break is over. And for some of us, it’s time to go back to school. Speaking of which, remember when you were a youngin’ and you had to go back to school? Remember all the funny shit we used to do back then? Let’s go down memory lane! Here are 4 moments that made back to school funny as f:

1. Those damn back to school commercials. Remember when you were out and about, enjoying your summer days, going to the cookouts, to the parties, to the mall, watching your favorite videos on The Box and then flip through the channels and see this shit…

 Wasn’t that like the most annoying thing ever? You were just living your best life two seconds ago until you were reminded that your break is almost over. Thanks Staples for letting me know that my fun is almost done. Appreciate it!

2. Being low-key excited about those new school supplies. Despite the fact that those dreadful commercials would come on over and over again, you have to admit that you were ready to get that brand new trapper keeper and those pastel pens and those folders with the cool designs and that composition book that wasn’t black and white. Don’t lie. You were ready to show off your new book bag to everyone at school. Don’t front.

3. First day of school was the original New York Fashion Week. In addition to those new school supplies, you probably were getting your wardrobe revamped or trying to at least until your mama said “Hayle no” and you were stuck trying to make the old threads look brand new. Either way, we all can remember how everyone tried to put on their finest threads by the most top-notch designers like Karl Kani and LA Gear. New York Fashion Week had nothing on the first day of school.

4. The HGTV makeovers in our lockers. If you were fortunate to have lockers at your school, then that meant you could practice your interior decorating skills and get your Nate Berkus on with the inside of your lockers. Lockers weren’t just about personal belongings and books. Nah… lockers were a reflection of your style, of your life essentially. People used to put stickers, posters, mirrors, a refrigerator, couch… everything! I am still amazed at the artistry of it all.

And now that I think about it, none of these moments really pertain to actual learning which makes me realize how much the media and consumerism has really made us put value on things from a young age…

via GIPHY

But nevertheless, it was still funny as f! Ha!

Now, I know I ain’t the only one who remembers when back to school was lit on the low! Let me know of your back-to-school stories as a youngin. I’d love to read your experience and laugh my ass off!

treat yourself the way you want to be treated

“Treat others the way you want to be treated” is a classic saying that you have probably heard many times. However, “treat you the way you want to be treated” is not a common saying but just as important.

If you were able to objectively view your inner dialogue with self, what would the conversation be like? Would it be a loving rapport? Would you consider yourself a best friend or a worst enemy? Do you belittle yourself every chance you get? Do you empower yourself sometimes? Do you tell yourself how wonderful you are? Do you say “you’re beautiful” or “good job” or “you’ll get there” or any other positive affirmation that you would normally tell your family or friends?

If you were able to objectively view your actions towards yourself, what would the relationship be like? Are you loving, kind, compassionate, accepting? Do you treat you like royalty? Do you give yourself gifts, take yourself out on fun dates, spend quality time with you? Do you go on nice walks and have great talks with yourself where you understand you so much better? Do you forgive yourself and notice the blessing in the lesson? Do you abuse yourself mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically? Do you care about your emotions and treat them tenderly? Is there a high level of respect in this relationship? Is there unconditional love in this relationship, the kind you truly want in a relationship with others?

How can you expect someone to treat you like gold if you are treating yourself like a piece of coal? Even if another person is trying their hardest to treat you as the priceless human being that you are, there is only so much he or she can do without pushing your own limitations of you.

How can you expect someone to treat you like gold if you are treating yourself like a piece of coal?

There are a number of ways to treat yourself better. Here are three quick ones:

1) Seek a dream of yours and follow through on it. It can be as simple as meditating for one hour per day or as elaborate as publishing your very first song. Whatever the case may be, find one dream of yours, develop a plan and then execute it. Automatically, you will be giving yourself the chance to make a dream into reality and that is the most surreal feeling in the world once you see it in fruition. It will boost your self-worth tremendously.

2) Be nice to yourself. Whenever a negative thought about you comes to mind, try to stop it midway and think of a positive one. For instance, as soon as you think of a physical trait that you view in a negative light, find a physical trait that you do find attractive. This may take some time to get used to but mindfulness brings many opportunities to be more kind to yourself and confidence will build as a result.

3) Take yourself out sometimes. You, yes you, DESERVE time for yourself! Celebrate you. Get out your favorite outfit and paint the town red with love! Go to your favorite restaurant; buy that book you were eyeing; go to the festival that features your favorite artist. Hell, if you can, make a day all about you! Go to the spa. Go to the movies. As one of my favorite YouTubers, Shameless Maya, says, “Do you, boo!”

So yes, the classic saying is classic for a reason but please remember that the way you treat you is just as important because if you feel good about you then you will, of course, want everyone else to feel good with you so go on and make this saying a new classic in your life “Treat you the way you want to be treated.”

What are some more ways you treat yourself? Please share and let's uplift each other! 

5 definite signs you're super single as f&^%

Happy Valentine's Day lovers! I pray you guys have the most romantic day ever. I really do. No bullshit. I already hooked you guys up yesterday with some sweet sounds from the one and only Mr. Brian McKnight so y'all good. Now, I got to spend some time showing love to my fellow super single folks. You know, this day ain't so bad. We get to scratch our asses whenever we'd like; we get to buy ourselves whatever we want; we get to netflix and chill by ourselves and we get to wear our favorite comfortable PJs tonight. It sounds like a great Valentine's Day night if you ask me or is this another sign that I am super single as fuck? Maybe. Speaking of which, here are 5 definite signs you are actually super single as fuck too. Enjoy!

1. Everyone gets a little more attractive. Who needs liquor when you have a dry spell for much longer than you care to admit? The struggle can be real which makes your eyes a little less discerning when it comes to looks and makes your mind less demanding when it comes to other qualities that you would've deemed as deal breakers in the past. Hey, it may sound wrong but it's true so if you find yourself with tipsy shades 24/7, then you, my friend, is super single as fuck.

2. The empty side of your bed and passenger car seat is filled with stuff. Have you ever laid in bed and noticed your purse is snuggling right beside you along with some additional random items like a pair of pants and mail? Or your passenger seat looks like an episode of hoarders? Yup? Well, you are 9 times out of 10 super single as fuck.

3. You have absolutely nothing sexy in your closet. You pick cozy over cute. Why purchase anything silky when cotton is so much more comfy!? In fact, your cutest piece of "lingerie" is your grandma high-waisted drawers with the strawberries on it. Hey, some guy may dig it! In the meantime, you'll probably be super single as fuck.

4. You are totally oblivious to flirting. An attractive guy walks up to you, smiles, asks you 21 questions, maintains eye contact, jokes with you and you? Well, you answer all the questions, look away after each one and chuckle slightly when he jokes. You're too busy thinking about what great meal you're going to have when you leave. Damn shame when dinner could've been on him or hell, dinner could've just been him. However, you are super single as fuck so you don't even notice all the signs of interest at all. I bet your friends tell you when someone is interested in you more so than your own brain.

5. You get a pet cat and treat Mr. Snickers like your only child. I don't think I need to say anything more than that.

So what are some other signs you can think of? Also, are you super single as fuck and loving it? Let me know below so we can share some laughs on this lovely day.

what's that on your neck? oh just a tracheostomy

You can say I didn't have the typical entrance into the world. I was scheduled to say hi to Mother Earth in November but my anxious ass decided that I wanted to come out during Leo season in August. (No offense to Scorpios, I represent via my ascending sign 😉) Anywho, I was one hell of a premie which caused some complications to say the least. I couldn't breathe that well and so the doctors had to do an emergency surgery and bless me with a tracheostomy. If you are like, what's that? Well, I'll have Mayo Clinic help you out.

Tracheostomy (tray-key-OS-tuh-me) is a surgically created hole through the front of your neck and into your windpipe (trachea). The term for the surgical procedure to create this opening is tracheotomy.

A tracheostomy provides an air passage to help you breathe when the usual route for breathing is somehow obstructed or impaired. A tracheostomy is often needed when health problems require long-term use of a machine (ventilator) to help you breathe. In rare cases, an emergency tracheotomy is performed when your airway is suddenly blocked, such as after a traumatic injury to your face or neck.

When a tracheostomy is no longer needed, it's allowed to heal shut or is surgically closed. For some people, a tracheostomy is permanent. Source)

With such a major surgery, you could view this as a rather traumatic way to be born and I'm sure there's some truth to it but I'd like to look at it as more so an interesting unique story to share with folks who are curious about my indentation on my neck.

I also have some cool memories of my time in and out of the hospital for the first years of my life. Two of them, of course, relate to food. What can I say? I guess my greedy ass was just born this way. Anyway, I remember one of the nurses sneaking me chocolate pudding in the middle of night, and being so excited about it in the dimly lit room. I also remember hanging out with my medical staff and being asked if I've ever tried corn flakes. I've never had them but I was always curious about what they tasted like when I saw the constant commercials on TV. So once the opportunity came to try them, I was ready and guess what? I was absolutely no fan. The last memory is unique from the other two. I remember being scared when all the doctors and nurses surrounded me with their masks and then waking up in a totally new space, puzzled by what just happened. Anesthesia was a foreign concept at that point.

So my little tracheostomy is a wonderful reminder of how blessed I am to be alive and how wonderful my family - blood-related and medically-unrelated truly is to have worked so hard for my life. I will always be grateful.

I'm sharing this story because I just want all of us to embrace our differences and realize just how beautiful our uniqueness truly is when we engage and learn more about our scars!

3 ideas I'm willing to try to become a better blogger's blogger

Is it weird that I am a blogger and have the hardest time keeping up with my fellow bloggers? It's not that I am not interested either. I'm very much curious about what my fellow bloggers are writing about on the interwebs but for some reason, I am not good at reading a bunch of bloggers on a consistent basis. I do have my faves that I go back to on a somewhat consistent basis but even with them, they see my participation like once or twice a month. The struggle is real y'all. I see some bloggers who have a huge family, 18 kids, a million friends, 5 side hustles, 3 main jobs, a youtube channel, a daily blog, and a pet chicken and still able to read more blogs than me. I'm like... How sway!?

I got a full time job, this blog, a slight addiction to YouTube and Instagram, a huge love for music and food, and a problem sleeping at a decent hour. That's it and I'm struggling. So this year, I am going to try my hardest to improve on this so I am working on some ideas on how to get better. Let me share them with you and you can tell me what you think.

Idea #1: Figure out a way to turn all blog posts into mini audiobooks. I can listen my way through them. Play a little Stevie Wonder and then a little "5 Fashion Styles That'll Get You A Bae in 5 Minutes."

Idea #2: Ask bloggers to study telepathy so they can send their posts via the mind. That way, I can just know about all the bloggers' content on a pure conscious level. It works for me.

Idea #3: Develop smell-a-blog for all blogs. Some may smell like chocolate, others may smell like buttered popcorn and my ultimate favorites will smell like mama's cooking with a different speciality each week like grits on Monday, mac and cheese on Friday and freshly-baked apple pie on Sunday. I would be on those blogs faithfully like the greedy mofo I am.

So that's just the three main ideas I have for right now. I believe one of them will help me, for sure!

Of course, you may have an even better idea, especially my fellow bloggers who are reading this so can you guys please share your ideas and thoughts with me on how you stay on top with reading all the blogs while living a busy lifestyle? I need help! 😅

that moment when you realize you and j. cole share the same controversial view of god

"See I believe if God is real, he'll never judge a manBecause he knows us all and therefore he would understand"

That's just a couple bars from J. Cole's latest album - 4 Your Eyez Only and I must say they are my favorite lines on the entire album. If you are a fan of his then you know he got plenty of bars to choose from but these few lyrics really resonate with me, not only because it is featured on one of my favorite songs, Change but also due to its deeper meaning. And when I heard this record for the first time, I realized that J. Cole and I share a very similar, if not the same, controversial view of God.

You see, there is a duality with everything in life. There's black and white, big and small, male and female, love and fear and I could go on and on with simple examples but I'm sure you get my point. There's even a duality with how we view God. Some people, who usually follow certain religious practices, view God as a vengeful being who will damn people to hell if they do not follow a certain righteous path. Others, like myself and J. Cole, believe in a more accepting God that loves unconditionally and would never judge any of his/her creation because he/she knows and understands all, even if we, mere mortals, have no idea why a person would do such a horrific action towards another. Granted, there is a lot of gray area in the middle but the majority of people have a tendency to lean towards one extreme or another. For J. Cole, he leans towards the second view of God, which ironically, is the more controversial belief in our society because it goes against many religious doctrines. In his new Eyez Documentary, that shows the making of his newest LP, Cole shows his strong alignment with this way of thinking, when someone tells him a crazy true story about a young man who, after a major blowup with his family, commits an unfathomable crime.

As you can see from the video clip, he truly follows the latter perspective of God, making him able to shift the scope, even in this extreme case, from the murderer being deemed as a "bad kid" to a "good kid" at heart who went down the wrong path due to issues and other major mishaps.  In addition, he believes everyone should really view others from this vantage point, no matter their race, which shows great compassion and unconditional love towards humanity. I also wouldn't be surprised, if this empathy stems from witnessing so many men and women who look like him being mistreated and prejudged due to a false narrative of being "bad" when really the narrative should've been about the institutional oppression that happens while being Black. If you think about it, this viewpoint could influence a positive shift in police brutality,  the prison system and mental health awareness. However, all of these drastic changes would have to start at the root - the Spirit and that may be the hardest aspect to change, leading us into a never-ending debate that will never get resolved anytime soon.

So in the meantime, I'll turn up J. Cole's song and remember that "Life is all about the evolution" and keep being open to the many layers of God, the Universe and what it all means, which leads me to you guys. Let's have a conversation about this. 

What are your thoughts on this duality with God? Is it possible to see a gray area? And how do you feel about J. Cole and I's stance on it all? Let's talk about it!

5 signs you love food a little too much

There are people that love food and then there are people that LUV food to the point when they can't even spell right. The sight, the smell, even just the mention of food makes their whole world stop and they can only focus on that piece of pie, those french fries, that bbq chicken or that cheese plate. It's an attraction that can't be broken because food is so lovely, so kind, so dependable, especially when you have the taste for something and then you are able to appease that craving with pure delight. That's relationship goals for real. Whether you're #teamcarnivore #teamvegetarian or #teamvegan, one thing that can bind all of us is our level of greediness because we are all truly on the next level with our love for food. So if you're scratching your head and wondering whether you're on our level, then I got you!

Here are 5 key signs that you love food a little too much (if there is such a thing):

1. You can binge-watch cooking videos with no problem. Facebook is the devil when it comes to this or perhaps, Facebook is really a sweet angel. It depends on how you view it. Either case, you find yourself clicking on one cooking video that is randomly on your timeline and end up watching a playlist of 55 other recipes. The funny thing is you don't ever cook any of them. You simply are watching marathons of Buzzfeed's Tasty for the pure joy of it. That is some greediness for ya!

2. Your favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. I mean the best thing about the holidays is the food... I mean family. 👀  But you know damn well you are more so thinking about that Thanksgiving spread though. It's like you've waited all year for this moment and then thee food gods just open up a plethora of deliciousness! Yeah, you can tell I love that food porn when I start getting Shakespearean about it. Don't judge me.

3. You plan your whole day around food. Every day, your first thoughts are about what you are going to have for breakfast, what you're bringing for lunch and what you'll have for dinner. Oh and let's not forget about the snacks. The rest of life will just have to just work around those golden moments of flavors and fun.

4. You love going out to eat by yourself or with friends. Sometimes, you give no fucks and decide that food is more important than company so you take yourself out to eat because you remember that succulent steak that you couldn't resist so you, the go-getter that you are, will sit at the fanciest restaurant with your best threads for the best date ever - Filet mignon. I mean who needs friends when food is around? Just saying...  And whenever a friend ask you what you want to do, you immediately say "Let's go to that new restaurant. I heard they got some good food there." You really know you got it bad when you are down to go out to eat no matter the time of day because you're game for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dunch and dinner.

5. You have that signature dance move when you are eating something really good. Let me just let Janet take this one for me.

janet, janet jackson eating, love food dance, food, eating, greedy

Looks familiar? Then you, my fellow greedy friend, may love food a little too much just like me. :)

Now it's your turn, tell me how much do love food? Are you part of the greedy committee? Let's talk about it!

10 things from back in my day that millennials probably have no clue about

As a person in her early 30s, it is always a little frustrating when people group me with millennials. Granted, I am too young to be in the Generation X category but I am sure that most people around my age feel too old to relate to those who were born in 2000. I always felt like there should be an in-between category, maybe "Generation X and a half"  because we definitely have a unique set of experiences that the millennials can't fully relate to. Ask a millennial or better yet, if you are millennial, ask yourself, do you know anything about these ten topics?

1. Nintendo & Super Mario Bros. Oh Mario, Mario, Mario. He went through some shit to save the princess but we enjoyed the full journey as we helped him step on mushrooms, avoid random ducks and hop over deadly plants. If it sounds like a game about being high, you could be right but as kids, we had no herbs around us, just Nintendo and that weird ass game.

2. Records, Cassette Tapes & Compact Discs. If you've ever heard a record scratch in a song, at some point, that sound was quite literal and DJs proved their skills by showcasing how well they were able to tear up a record and make it sound hot. Cassette tapes were probably one of the most annoying forms of listening to music because we had to rewind and fast forward to get from one song to the next and trust me, it could take awhile to get to the perfect spot. Lastly, I'm sure you're familiar with compact discs a.k.a. CDs. They were the most recent forms of portable audio storage and unlike records, scratches on these were not really cool at all - more of a nuisance causing a certain part of a song to repeat itself over and over. Ah...the good ol' days.

3. Slow ass AOL. You know, the internet wasn't always this fast. In fact, we remember a time when there was no internet. 😳 I know. What did we do before Facebook? In any event, the internet did come along in our life time, probably around our early to late teens and we had to learn a very valuable trait - patience. When we logged onto the internet, we had to wait for about 10 hours before even getting to our email. I know, the horror but the wait was all worth it when we heard "You've Got Mail." Hearing that was like getting a notification on Facebook - it was special!

4. Portable Cameras. Before Instagram, there was insta-go-to-the-store-to-drop-off-your-portable-camera-and-wait-for-prints-a-day-later. I guess that process wasn't so instant after all. Also, we didn't have the convenience of putting all of our photos into one device. We either had many envelopes stuffed with random photos or 30 specific photo albums. I'm sure you've seen these collections around and probably even took a few photos of the photos for the Gram. 🤓

5. Physical Maps & Spoken Directions. On the road and lost? There was no Google Maps. There were barely any GPS systems. There were only actual maps, which I never understood how anyone could follow them. Yet again, I am not that great with direction so it makes sense why maps are frightening to me. There were also moments where you had to trust a friend and/or stranger to guide your way to the right direction so you follow their pathway and pray you get there safely. Fortunately, most of the time all went well and if you did end up on a longer detour than planned, then you had a great story to tell your friends so I guess you can say there was a little bit more adventure back in my day. I'm going to make that assumption and stick to it.

6. VHS Tapes & VCRs. Ever worried about your favorite movie being recorded over? If you know about that life, then you are probably familiar with VHS tapes and VCRs. Tangled tapes, tracking buttons, warped sounds were all a part of the VHS Tape/VCR life and we just had to deal with it. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, just ask someone 30 or up.

7. Face-to-Face Conversations. In a world where texting and social media has become the normal form of connection, face-to-face connections seem to be sadly going out of  style. People are quicker to send a text message than actually calling people and even when people are face to face, we can all be caught looking at our phones instead of being engaged with each other. This is an issue across generations but more so with the younger ones.

8. Rappers with Lyrics. Trap music, arguably today's most popular form of rap music, seems to barely have lyrics. They may not even have actual words. Mainstream rappers almost seem to be mumbling incoherent sounds over a banging beat. Back in my day, the rap game was fueled with how well a rapper's lyrics and delivery were in a song. Now, I am starting to get why my parents said they could barely understand rappers in my day. I guess this lack of understanding goes from generation to generation.

9. ABC's TGIF. Topanga. Urkel. Jesse. If none of those names ring a bell, then you truly missed out on some of the best classic teen-friendly programs at night. Fridays used to be lit with Boy Meets World, Family Matters and Full House. The good news is you can probably catch some episodes on YouTube and laugh at our cheesiness while we sit back and enjoy the nostalgia.

10. Remembering Phone Numbers. Can you imagine a world where you have to remember your family and friends' phone numbers? Pretty strange, right? We were like walking phone books that could recite plenty of phone numbers strictly from memory. I guess the closest thing to this now-foreign phenomenon is how many passwords we remember through our many online accounts.

I know there are plenty more that could be added to this list. Do you have some additional items? And millenials, are you familiar with some of these?  Let's talk about it! 

10 Funny Moments that Only Those with the Name Tunisia Would Understand

Shakespeare once asked the noted question, "What's in a name?" If I was able to travel through time in a cool Back To The Future vehicle, I would meet him and immediately reply to the legendary writer, "Quite a bit, sir." A name has the potential to bring folks together for many reasons. I can use a recent experience that happened to me as an example. As most of you probably know due to my large font size for my website's title, my name is Tunisia. A few days ago, I met another Tunisia on Pinterest - Tunisia Nicole to be exact. She sent a private message, asking whether or not that was my real name. I responded with a "Yes" and an instant bond happened. As we were talking back and forth, we noticed that we had some very similar stories regarding people's reactions to our unique name so I thought it would be great to collect those stories (the first five being hers and the last five being mines) and compile a list of ten funny moments that only people with the name, Tunisia can relate to. To all my fellow Tunisias out there, let's compare notes! Have any or all of the following happened to you?

1. Having to break down my name phonetically so that people can understand how to pronounce it.

2. Attaching associations to my name so that people can relate it to something. (ie. Tunisia - like the country." Immediately, people go "Ohhhhhh, what a pretty name!"

3. Having to inform the receptionist at the doctor's office repeatedly that the name is not Tanisha or Tanesha. Even though I've been coming to the same doctor for 5 years.

4. I was once asked if I've ever been to Tunisia and if I know the name of my tribe. This luckily was an exception to the usual responses.

5. Having to repeatedly explain why my parents named me Tunisia. My answer: "My mom was a big history buff."

6. Hearing the craziest mispronunciations of my name that are way off. One fine example is Tundra. I wish I could say that I only heard it once but I heard it a few times in grade school and it wasn't the kids who were saying my name like that.

7. Realizing that everyone's favorite song suddenly becomes A Night In Tunisia when they meet me.

8. I silently judge anyone who is Black and has no clue on how to pronounce my name but then I remember that if my name wasn't Tunisia, I'd probably be tongue-tied too. Therefore, I silently judge myself for silently judging someone else. This is all happening in my head right at the introduction. They have no clue. :)

9. It's pure amusement when I see the confused facial expressions when I say my name for the first time to someone.

10. Getting super creative when trying to explain how to say my name is fun! So far, "Tunisia... like 'I need ya.'" works like a charm.

So that's our list but I'd love to hear yours! Do you have a unique name and can relate to the struggle? Please share! The more, the merrier (and funnier). Also, if anyone has the name, Tunisia, please join us in our convo! We would love to meet you!

new age ideology can get you f@$%ed up

Before you start cursing me out and calling me a hypocrite, let me explain. I would be considered a member of the "new age" crew. I am spiritual but not religious. I love doing angel card readings for myself and friends. I would like to align my chakras, and I believe in the third eye. I am also all about positive vibes and raising frequencies. I listen to meditative music at night. I even think I may have had a kundalini awakening around the age of 25. And the list goes on and on. I mean those are the qualifications for that "new age" life right? By the way, I don't honestly think new age is really that new but that's another story for another day. To make it simple, I will embrace the new age tag on my spirituality. However, I find a certain segment of new age ideology very dangerous if it is not balanced with a dose of practicality.

In life, it is always best to balance yourself in all respects especially when it comes to your livelihood. I have seen the following so many times in so many ways: "Follow your passion. If you don't like your job, quit." My reaction is "Bish what?" I understand that jobs can be a pain in the ass but let's take a step back and really think about that statement. Okay, so the first part is fine because I totally believe in following your passion. However, I don't know if it is smart to just up and quit your job because it does not align with your passion at the moment. You can always work your current gig and do your passion on the side until it becomes a full-fledged business for yourself. I think that is a nice way to follow your passion without going broke and hungry. I mean, the bills won't just disappear no matter how much we wish we can make those go away which leads me to my next point.

Law of attraction can only work if you work.

Another message that I see being pushed in the "new age" world is the law of attraction. I believe that the law of attraction is real and can work to our benefit. In fact, as I am writing this, I am on my way to a friend's house to create a vision board for the new year so that I can visualize my future with nice imagery. However, I know that you cannot just will things into your life by this superpower "law of attraction." The Universe still requires you to pursue the goals you set in order for the attraction to work. In other words, law of attraction can only work if you work. I feel that very important part of hard work is oftentimes missing from the law of attraction rhetoric and it is probably one of the most vital parts of making the law of attraction work in your life so yes, use law of attraction but be ready to work your ass off too!

In conclusion, if you are not careful with certain aspects of new age ideology, you will be fucked up and wonder what happened. Just keep balance in mind when raising your frequency, aligning your chakras and meditating on your future. All your dreams can come true but it takes a lot of focused energy, time, discipline, hard work and belief in self. So like my girl, Janelle Monae says, just stay on the tightrope and be balanced my fellow "new age" friends!

So, if you read this whole thing and still want to curse me out, please feel free do to so in the comments section below. Also, if you have anything you wish to add to this conversation, I'd love to hear from you as well. Let's talk about it! 

oh winter, we meet again...

Well, well, well winter...

You are a mysterious one this year. I am not sure whether to give you a handshake or the side eye. I mean this strange up and down of temperature and lack of snow makes me wonder if the honeymoon will soon be over and mountains of snow will come and keep going through March. I truly hope not, Winter. I mean you should just take your loss like a lady and let Spring come with her warm sunshine because I'd like to not think about the terrible flashbacks of snow, ice and hell on earth. Sure, your picturesque beauty, when snowflakes fall fresh from the pale blue sky, is perfect for the two seconds it stays white but then someone has to shovel piles and piles of those flakes. And guess who does that for my home? Me. Of course, it is nice to feel the crisp, clear air that breezes through when you are here but then I recall the horrors of cold hands, cold feet and a cold nose that is always red. Rudolph has nothing on me.  It is true that being indoors for long periods of times is great for an introvert like me but being trapped inside with no way out is another story. Moreover, I do love watching figure skating during the Winter Olympics but I can't help but reminisce about all the times I was stuck in the middle of thick and black ice thinking that I may not see another day because I am not a figure skater at all, with or without skates. Perhaps, if I think long and hard, I can come up with delightful qualities of you that do not remind me of the horrors of you but my time is precious and instead, I will be daydreaming of beaches, margaritas, and sun rays. It's the only way I can cope with you in my life.

Readers, do you have the same thoughts on winter? If not, can you please enlighten me on the good qualities of this cold season?  Let's talk about it!

3 tips to having a happy hangover day i mean... happy new year's day

So today is January 1st which means it is a brand new year. If you're reading this, then congratulations! You have made it through another year and another night of ridiculous amount of drinking. If you are the rare breed that do not partake on New Year's Eve, then kudos to you and I hope you have a bright and sunny day! However, this post is dedicated to my fellow drinkers. 21 and older only. :) Hangover Day, as I like to call New Year's Day, can be a very happy one once you finally get over the headache, the queasiness, the exhaustion and the dehydration so I'd like to share what has worked for me over my 10 years experience of drinking. (Am I really aging myself? Yup I am.)

Before I share my personal tips on getting over a hangover, I want to state that I am not a doctor or any type of medical professional so please do not take my word as gospel. I am only sharing what has worked for me and many others so please proceed with caution. Okay so with that out of the way, here are my 3 tips of getting over a New Year's Eve hangover so that your new year's day can be a happy one.

1. Sleep for as long as you need. Don't make the mistake I made last year and schedule your bus travel early in the afternoon after partying all night long. I ended up walking around like a zombie and barely ate my meal because I was that hungover and exhausted. Sleep is your friend so become best buds with it on this day!

2. Eat a hearty meal. For some reason, the best thing for me after a long night of partying is greasy breakfast food - pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, grits, french toast, butter, syrup, lard a.k.a. a heart attack in a meal. I am not sure if that is the best thing to eat after a hangover (probably not) but it does wonders for me and it gives me an excuse to eat a huge breakfast/brunch.

3. Drink lots of water. Whenever you drink large quantities of alcohol, it is best to hydrate your body throughout the night with water but if you forgot to do that then you can start to drink water, tons of it, right when you wake up. I usually like to drink water as I'm eating my meal and then continue to drink glass after glass of water afterwards, depending if my stomach feels queasy upon waking up. You can also do what some of my friends suggested and continue to drink and keep the buzz going but I wouldn't recommend that.

What are some of your hangover cures? Let's help each other out in our drunken New Year's stupor!

an open letter to hollywood

Dear Hollywood,

We, the people of color, are not stereotypical props. We are human beings. Emotions do not elude us, and depth has not escaped our character. We feel. We cry. We laugh. We smile. We joke. We think. We hurt. We live. We love. We contradict. We are whole. We are scared. We are strong. We are not a singular background story to your main one. We are more than that.

If you do not honor and respect us, then we will pack our talent up and move the hell on. We will gather our resources and show you how much we truly matter in the world. Believe it or not, our stories are aligned with everyone else’s, even yours. The connection between viewer and filmmaker of color will be made once vulnerability is shown from a genuine perspective because we, the people of color, will be the ones with the pen and the lens.

You see, Hollywood, we know what you are thinking but you are sadly mistaken. There is an audience for us – a huge one in fact so you can go ahead and play in one shade. We will be over here, playing with a multitude of colors.

We, the people of color, shall not be your puppets anymore. We will gain control. We will be powerful in all of our lovely imagery that you so failed to show throughout the years because we are more than you ever believed us to be and for that, we shall say once and for all “Goodbye Hollywood.”

What are your thoughts on diversity in Hollywood and the entertainment industry as a whole? If you could write a letter to Hollywood, what would it contain? Let's talk about it!