Quote It

Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I'm not perfect and I don't live to be but before you start pointing fingers make sure your hands are clean.

Bob Marley

WWJRD?

God Hates Lady Gaga

Eeeeeeeek. Would you praise Jesus with that mouth?

Call me crazy (or a sinner) but I happen to believe hate is hate regardless of whether you're a Muslim extremist or a Reverend behind a pew. So despite my personal beliefs, I find stuff like this incredibly offensive.

It's awfully presumptuous to tell people they're going to hell since, you know, none of us are God.

And I personally think those who go around pointing fingers and yelling "SINNER," need to take a chill pill and make sure they're perfect.

So boo Reverend. Boo.

In situations where the principles get lost in the religion, I like to ask myself: what would Jesus really do? Would he be cool with this? I think not.

Does Monogamy Work?

How do these two do it?

Disclaimer: I am sorry in advance for this particular rant.

Thank you.

You know, as I get older and I get closer to being in the position where I can start actively pursuing my dreams, I can’t help but ask myself how monogamy makes sense.

Hear me out:

I love my alone time, I can literally go a week without really seeing anyone. Don’t get me wrong, I love people but being with someone all the time? ALL THE TIME? Why would anyone want to see a person that much?

And change is constant! We as people are constantly growing and evolving. Won’t our needs and the qualities we desire in partners change too?

And what about our aspirations? I’ve heard relationships are all about compromise but when does compromising get in the way of pursuing our dreams?

Then it hit me; relationships don’t sound that fun. Sure, committing to one person forever sounds all well and good in theory but really think about it: a relationship is all about committing. So is that a promise to never fall out of love? Is that a promise to always love a person who is at the moment your world?

Doesn’t sound fair to me. God forbid a person has a change of heart, right?

For the record, I like to think of myself as a realistic idealist. My parents are happily married and celebrated their 30 year wedding anniversary in December. I’m not jaded, I actually love love.
Birds chirping, angels singing, dancing on clouds love. Whatever, it’s all good.

With that said, I’ve seen enough relationships crash and burn to know they aren’t always a bed of roses.
I think the idea of finding one person to spend forever with is great and I used to look forward to meeting someone I could share my life with.

But with age comes more common sense.

I went on a date with a guy who was great on paper; really single, mature, smart, handsome, morally sound and successful. But when presented with an actual option, the thought of settling down right now made me physically ill. Seriously.

But what do I know? I am your quintessential single gal; I’ve never been in a relationship. I have no cred when it comes to love and committing and all that good stuff.

So I am asking all of the happily domesticated people out there: what’s your favorite thing about being in a committed relationship?

JMO: Sex and the City 2

I love Sex and the City, I really do. I love the series and I , like many, waited in line opening night to get "carried" away when the first movie came out.

But Sex and the City 2? Was it really necessary? Of course not; sequels rarely are.

The producers obviously know a cash cow when they see one so they're milking this one for all it's worth. Just my opinion...

But I'm not hating. Go and get that paper ladies.

I'm probably going to sit out on the fabulousness of SATC2 but what about you guys? Will you see Sex and the City 2 in theaters?

Shits and Giggles Mondays: Christmas Edition

Merry Christmas everyone : )

R.I.P. Brittany Murphy

"Cher, I don't want to do this anymore. And my buns: they don't feel nothin' like steel." - Brittany Murphy's Tai, Clueless.

I think it’s just devastating that I’m writing about death. It’s sad enough when people die of old age but Brittany Murphy is dead at thirty two? It just doesn’t make much sense.

While there are tons of rumors flying around about the cause of death, I’d much rather take the time to focus on Murphy’s career as an actress. She may not have been an “it girl” these past few years but her resume is still pretty impressive. No one can deny how talented Brittany Murphy was.

While I’m incredibly partial to her role as Tai (my love for Clueless runs deep), I think my favorite Brittany Murphy movie is Little Black Book. I loved her as Stacy. But that’s just me; I’d love to read about everyone else’s favorite Brittany Murphy role.

Do you have a favorite Brittany Murphy movie/role?

Better Late Than Never: Zoe Saldana in the August Issue of Vanity Fair

“I’ve done roles that anybody would have done...I’ve never helped any girl get the quarterback. I left with the quarterback.” Zoe Saldana

Zoe Saldana is stunning.

She's also incredibly talented.

And this Harlem Renaissance inspired photoshoot (courtesy of Michael Roberts) is sweeeet.

Click here for the interview that appeared in the august issue of Vanity Fair.

Dang, You Smell Good Gurrrrrrrrl

I’ve always wanted to be a smelly girl.

Now when I write smelly, I don’t mean New York in the Summer smelly; I mean Oh Wow, She Smells Lovely, Is That Chanel smelly.

People, I am talking about perfumes or eau de toilettes. I see a delicate bottle of perfume and I think of my glamorous mother getting ready for a party. I automatically associate it with being a woman. I mean check out Monica Belluci in that Dolce ad. There's my proof right there.

I’ve never really worn perfumes or sprays but I think it’s time for a change. I am, after all, a college graduate now. I’m legally allowed to drink in public, I have bills. I’m a woman dang it. I want a signature scent. My mother has a scent. My older sisters have scents; I want one toooo (stomps feet and sucks thumb).

Here’s the problem: I have a sensitive nose so I can’t wear anything that’s going to bring on the sniffles. Does anyone have recommendations for a light spray/ perfume that smells clean but not like soap, pretty but not too girly, kind of sexy but not desperate?

How did you find your signature scent?

Shits and Giggles Mondays: Guido Edition

For all those Jersey Shore loving people out there.



Life is too short not to laugh at our own silliness.

Happy Monday : )

Confessions of a Master Cleanser

I promised I would explain why I’m doing a master cleanse. Here’s my explanation:

I’ve been feeling a bit sluggish recently and decided the best way to combat this was to cleanse. See, while in New York I partook in some pizza eating and since I’ve been back in Florida I’ve been very, very naughty. I’m talking about eating tilapia, a mozzarella and tomato sandwich, ice cream and enough pop-tarts to justify an endorsement deal from Kelloggs. I’ve been a busy girl albeit a bad one.

So I decided to cleanse all that crap out of my body because at the end of the day, I’m much happier as a vegan; I just tend to get lazy sometimes and eat crap that’s toxic to my body. I’ve done the master cleanse in the past and it’s gone well and I figured it would be a great way to give myself a break from food and clean up my body and my life because right now every aspect of my life is cluttered and disorganized.

I also wanted to lose the weight that I think I gained since being back in Florida (I even had a thinspiration box put together because I tend to make boxes for everything).

So I set the date, bought sea salt, lemons, cayenne pepper, maple syrup and two bottles to lug my spicy lemonade around. With my ingredients I started the journey towards fixing all of my problems with 15 days of detox.

Yeah…

I made it to the end of Day 4, said “f*ck it all” and happily dug into the previously mentioned pineapple.

And it was good.

I’m sorry but I just refuse to do it this time around; call me weak, a pansy, or a gluttonous disgrace if you like.

The last times I did the master cleanse, the incentive was to lose weight, which I did. I’m now 146 pounds, a pound away from my happy weight and that was achieved by switching to a vegan diet. I think it’s time to get off my flabby ass and start exercising to get that last pound off.

And all that clutter in my life; it’s still there. But I think I’m going to battle it with food in my stomach.

Eating my Feelings

Some of you already know this but I’m currently master cleansing (I’ll explain why and everything else in tomorrow’s post, readers).

I didn’t feel the need to write on Days 1, 2 or 3 because I was feeling pretty good. Today, however, is a totally different story. I was craving food a bit yesterday but it wasn’t terrible.

Today is different. All I’m thinking about is food! But something happened today that makes me wonder why I'm craving food.

I received a text from my mom this morning saying my grandfather passed away. I’m upset but I’m not going to fake a relationship that I never had with the man. I, unfortunately, didn’t know my grandfather very well.

If I’m honest with myself, the tears and the loss I feel is because I will never get a chance to know the man who helped bring my favorite person into the world. That sucks and now I want food.

So I stayed home today just because I wasn’t up to going to work. I wanted to be able to talk to family and cry without having to run out of my cubicle at Internship # 4.

But staying home was a huge mistake. I was thinking I could clean my room or do some work but I couldn’t concentrate so I decided to forget about my life for a while and watch some soaps. The thing I forgot was how soap operas have commercials and an alarming amount of commercials are advertising some kind of food.

So now, I have Ferrero Rocher chocolates on my mind. Not to mention the fact that my dear neighbor Mr. B brought over a loaf of fresh baked bread that is currently taunting me from the freezer. And I have two chunks of pineapple left in my fridge from last week.

In short, I want fooooooooooood.

Sigh.

4 days almost down, 11 days to go (though I’m seriously considering stopping after Day 10).

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Hi readers!

I know it's been forever and I'm neglecting my blogging duties. It's been an insane couple of months and I'm just trying to sort some things out. Bear with me please!

As you can see, I've changed the site a bit. My Mighty Pen is no longer (weeps)!

Why you ask? Well for one, I googled it to see how many pages it took for my blog to pop up. Color me surprise when I saw that everyone and their mothers had a blog with that name! Boo : (

Reason #2 happens to be because it was time for a change. You like?

By the way, I played around with lots of names. All That Glitters, One Enlightened Chick, Clothes, Books and Gloss; My Mighty Pen was briefly My Mighty Laptop! I finally settled on Nogobelieve. For now...

What can I say, I'm picky and I want this blog to rock everyone's socks off! So, expect more changes and expect more posts!

Yes, more than zero : )

I will be back soon!

New York, I Barely Knew You

Readers, this past summer has been one of the best of my life and leaving New York was one of the most unnatural things I’ve ever had to do. Sorry for the dramatics but it just felt wrong.

Sigh.

I’m going to miss taking the subway everywhere and walking everywhere else. I’m going to miss hearing about nine different languages being spoken as I make my way to midtown. I’m going to miss passing the New York Times offices and the Parsons School of Design. I’m going to miss talking to random people who always surprise me with the kindness that is stereotypically not New York.

I’m going to miss the mariachi bands that would come in the subway cars and entertain the passengers. I’m going to miss coming home from a night out when everyone else is going to work. I’m going to miss all the vegan restaurants.
I’m going to miss laughing to the point of tears with my sister; I’m going to miss her awesome friends. I’m going to miss feeling at home when I’m surrounded by thousands of strangers.

Looking back at this summer, I realize all those moments of complete panic and sleep deprivation were cushioned with these amazing moments of satisfaction with the work I was doing. The summer I once felt I was wasting away on my sister’s couch with my laptop was actually filled with these great little excursions.

My last day in New York was spent writing posts for Lovelyish.com. It almost feels wrong to say I was working when I enjoy what I do so much. I’m really blessed that "work" happens to be something that encompasses so much of what I love. So yeah, I blogged most of the day away, baked some chocolate chip cookies, got in the shower about an hour late, loaded up some bags with the goodies Amber put together and took the R and D trains into the city.

While it was fun going to Times Square and doing all the other “touristy” things, my favorite moments in New York were spent just chilling and enjoying my surroundings. So it was fitting that I spent my last night eating some vegan cookies, enjoying the perfect summer weather and watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind on a big screen in Bryant Park.
It was awesome; the perfect way to end a perfect trip people. We got to the park about three hours before the movie even started and there were already shitloads of people sprawled out everywhere. So we took our blanket, found a pretty good spot, spread that baby out and chatted as we waited for my sister and the moon.

The movie is a favorite from childhood so there were no surprises there but watching it again with a bunch of people who all had the same appreciation for it was just nice.

After the move and a tinkle, we headed to a bar called Hell’s Kitchen (in Hell’s Kitchen) for a few late night drinks before heading back to Brooklyn.

And that my friends, was my last night in New York.

I know this is the part where I say it’s been an incredible journey and thank everyone for coming along for the ride. Puhleeeaaaasssseeee, I didn’t get to blog about half the stuff I did this summer. There are loads of experiences that I wrote about in my journal that I will be sharing with you all in the next week. Not to mention the fact that I am still working for the boss lady.

That’s right, my internship has been extended into the fall peeps! My story isn’t close to being over : )

Click here for more pics.

Happy Birthday To Meeeeeee!

Hello dear readers!

How have you all been? Good? Super duper? We're now in August and I can't help but feel a little sad that the summer is almost over. Is anyone else dreading it? The only great thing about the summer ending is my birthday. Well, for me anyway.

I LOVE birthdays. Since I was a baby, my birthday coincided with the mini-reunions we had in Lagos with all the other Ajayis and Odukoyas. I associate birthdays with Nigeria, huge family gatherings, fried fish, jollof rice and cake.

Family and food, my top priorities!

Well, a lot has changed and it's hard to get everyone together for anything let alone something that's not even recognized as a holiday (I'm working on it people). But as long as I have some cake and calls from the family, I'm a happy gal.

For my 23rd, Yemi and her roommate came down from Boston and our friend Viv flew in from LA and it was an amazing three days which was made even better by all the facebook birthday wishes.

Thanks guys!

We went dancing at M2, went to a karaoke bar near NYU, had some sushi in Bay Ridge, some vegan pizza in Williamsburg, a little craziness in Central Park, sake for me and Viv, cherry bombs for Yemi and Nastia and cake, a HUGE slice of coconut vegan cake.

Cuz that's how I roll.

We never made it home before the sun came up which resulted in some odd looks from the people on their way to work as we dragged ourselves home.

And I got the best presents, like a vegan guide to NY restaurants (thanks Shola) and the book Why Men Love Bitches (thanks Nastia) and the best picture of the sisters (thanks Yemi). But honestly, just being able to spend time with the people I love was great.

Life is short people; cherish every second you have on this earth with the people you love and care about.

Anywho, it was good. It was super. I didn't have a care in the world. Ofcourse, Monday came around and it was back to the reality of having way too much work to do but for those three days, life was pretty sweet.

Swimsuit Season (noooooooooo)!

Hey people!

Check out the feature I put together about swimsuits for ambermag.com! Great advice from the experts for EVERY body type. I really enjoyed this project and I hope it helps!

I'm Too Old for The Warped Tour

Sooo...

Where do I begin? The beginning? Fantastic idea!

While it's not easy to make friends when you spend most of your time in front of a computer blogging about your irritation with skinny jeans being around for yet another season, I've met some cool people through my internships. One of those people happen to be Jamella (yo girl)!

Anywho, Jamella and I have tried to hang out and enjoy our time in this awesome city together. She told me about the Warped Tour taking place in Uniondale, NY and I thought why not? I've never been and it beats staying home on a Saturday.

After getting some work done for the boss lady, I put on what I thought was concert-appropriate attire (for someone who is too vain to be sensible). Donning a khaki hat, gray halter from Plato's Closet and a cute floral skirt from Target, I was ready to rock out like Penny Lane.

Let's fast forward through the ridiculously long commute to Uniondale shall we?

I get to this incredibly normal suburb (they have a Bravo there) and stroll up to the venue of the festival/concert and two of the vendors asked if I was there to pick up my kids. Blank stare. I'm sorry, what? Me? Really? Wow. This is going to create so many issues .

Once they saw the look of shock on my face, they asked me how old I was? I answered with a bit of an attitude but don't judge me until someone asks you if you have teenagers when you're only 23. The men (women wouldn't be so cruel) ofcourse backpedaled and told me I looked great but the damage was done. I am officially on a strict anti-wrinkle regimen.

Moving on...

I meet up with Jamella and we walked around a bit before heading over to the stage where one of her fave bands were playing. I should probably mention now how young everyone around me was. I'm not talking 18. People, I'm talking hormones, braces, acne and underage drinking. I was among adolescents, jail bait, kids. Yes, children. I had to be one of the oldest people actually attending this event. No wonder why those men thought I was middle-aged; they were surrounded by preschoolers all day.

Anyway, we squeeze ourselves in with the rest of the crowd and wait for Breathe Carolina to get on stage. When they did, everyone went wild. I'm not really familiar with any of the bands on the tour so it was cool to hear some different stuff and I was really enjoying myself. Then something happened. It was confusing really. Still is. I'm not sure what to make of it.

The guitarist/ keytarist Josh spit into the audience.

Spit.

And he was really into it too. His whole body participated as he inhaled and cleared his throat to really let a good one out. And it traveled quite a distance as well, not hitting the girls in the front but the girls behind them.

My time in New York has shown me that there's an art form to spitting. Since people here insist on spitting on sidewalks, on the road, outside of cabs and in the subway stations, I've had time to study different techniques. It's something to do when I forget my ipod. Sometimes I get lucky and I'll have a spitter on the actual train.

But back to the spitter on stage.

I was shocked that he spit. I was FLOORED when I heard the squeals of joy his snot-hawking elicited. What the hell is wrong with America's youth?

Moving on to the next band we saw, Escape the Fate. Well before they came on stage, me and Jamella were waiting - with more children- and then I felt something wet splash on my arm. I freaked. A little. I thought it was spit. Irrational? Maybe under normal circumstances.

Turns out it was water (I'm hoping). Besides the water splashing, actual bottles started descending from the heavens. Along with trash, barbecue sauce packets and everything else that had any weight at all. I was the lucky recipient of a bottle stuffed sock. It hit me on my head. See, the children around us were so bored that they decided to pass the time by throwing things into the crowd.

Because that makes time actually go faster.

Once the band came on stage, the bottle throwing stopped and they started a mosh pit instead. Me and Jamella elected to skip the moshing and watched the band's performance from the safety of the back.

I once again started listening to the music and I liked them. Then the lead singer had to go and ruin it by asking all the ladies in the crowd to climb up on a guy's - any guy- shoulders and let the band see their boobs.

And some girls did.

I've been holding it in but I have to ask: what the fuckity fuck?

The concerts ended and Jamella and I headed to the golden arches for some grub and then made the long journey home.

And that was my first Warped Tour experience. I obviously didn't love it but I had a great time hanging out with Jamella. I always love meeting new people and it was fun doing something different. But you won't be seeing me at another Warped Tour anytime soon.

Old folks like me are better suited for venues with a no - spitting policy.

Here are more pictures; video to come!

Anyone feel like fast food (there's some illegal substances involved for your time)?

Hi everyone! How’s everyone doing? Good? Great, okay let’s do this blog thingy. I have more than five projects due preferably before tomorrow morning so we’re gonna do a quickie, fast food style.
Well my friends, the rain stopped so yay to that. Thank God, I couldn’t take another day of bad hair and soggy flats.
I still love it here and I’m now working on my plans for the big move in December. My expenses aren’t really going to increase surprisingly so yay to that as well.
But who cares about that stuff? Let’s get to the good stuff like getting offered cocaine and being propositioned in the same breath (I have so much respect for multitaskers).
I was in serious need of some bad dancing that couldn’t be blame on alcohol consumption so my temp roomie Dave, his boyfriend Jesus and I headed to the East Village to a club called Pyramid. We met up with their friend Charlie and Shola met up with us later. Anywho, we’re standing in front of Cock… and this guy comes up to us and says something. I’m thinking the guys know him or something but noooo. Turns out he was trying to sell us "the powder". Ofcourse the guys turned him down and then he looked at me and asked if I was gay. I was tempted to say yes.

I mean really; why do people go around asking that question? It’s like me going up to a random person and asking if they’re straight.

Anyway, said no and he said I was “fine” and asked what my name was. I then did what I always do in situations like this (ha, cuz it happens all the time) I put my arms around Charlie and Jesus and said I was with my boys tonight.
On to Pyramid, where 80s music played and people danced with abandon. Let’s put it this way, I didn’t look like a bad dancer among this group : )

It did have me thinking about crazy encounters when going out. What's the craziest thing that has happened to you during a night out; when all you wanted to do was knock back a few and drop it like it's hot?

P.S: How funny is it that I'm at a bar in New York and the bartender is a blonde-haired boy displaying his O-town love for the world to see?

I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good

Have you guys seen Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince yet? Wasn't it bananas?!?!?

My god, talk about information overload; by the time I watched the midnight showing, I was swimming in wizardry. To prepare for the 6th movie me and my temp roomie (who is a HUGE fan) had a Harry Potter marathon. It was insane but so much fun; a great way to spend a Tuesday. Amber decorated the living room and made butter beer.

Then we got dressed up - cuz that's how we roll- and went to see the movie. We were scared of missing the previews so we were pretty much jogging. The theaters in New York, btw, are huge. Our theater was on the NINTH floor. Is this weird? Maybe not to you but I'm not used to having to run a marathon just to watch a movie!

Click here for more pics.
What did you guys think of the movie? Yay or nay?

Goodbye Michael

Okay so I'm not a superfan when it comes to Michael Jackson but I cried a lot during and after his memorial. When I think about those kids, my heart breaks. It's such a sad situation. I wouldn't wish that kind of pain on anyone.

The memorial was happy and sad. Some people wore shirts, one man went all out and dressed up. But imo he looked more like he was channeling Elvis.

People cried and sang. It was hot, then it rained, then it was hot again. But everyone kept on watching. It felt unreal. I really can't put the experience into words that will adequately describe the whole thing.

So much of my childhood is connected to Michael Jackson's songs. I know a lot of you can relate. It's funny; I truly can't pick a favorite Michael Jackson song. I love Beat It, Smooth Criminal, Scream, the list goes on my friends.

I want to share one of my favorite music videos with you. It happens to be for a Michael Jackson song.

RIP.

Click here for photos from the Harlem Memorial I attended.

Everyday I'm Hustlin'

Have you guys seen this? Hilarious!



Lol,I crack up like an idiot every time I watch that clip!

Anywho, in case anyone is questioning my hustle, here's a bit of what I've been up to for Lovelyish.com.

A 4th of July Freakshow

Hola amigos! How did everyone enjoy their fourth of July festivities? Did you go to the beach or bbq at home? Did you blow something up? Oh the great American way...

I usually don't do much for the 4th of July but decided I wasn't staying home. I'm in New York bitches! What the hell am I going to stay home for?

No, I went out in the hot weather and walked my ass off (literally, I do believe I dropped a size on Saturday). While this great, magical place we call NYC offered up such entertainment as Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2009 and fireworks, I opted for the unbeaten path and went to the International African Arts Festival with my sister Shola and her awesome friend Shuf. It was a lot of fun; I haven't laughed that hard in public in a long time! And the pieces (jewelry, clothing etc) were incredibly authentic. I'll be featuring a lot of the artists in future blogs so keep your eyes open for that. I also had amazing food (it is me); vegan red velvet cake, vegan meat pies.

It was an all around good time and I'm glad I had a chance to go.

On Sunday, I met up with a friend at Coney Island. The first thing we did was attend the Coney Island Circus Sideshow. It was really entertaining in that campy way and I think they were going for that so mission accomplished.

The highlight of the show was definitely Heather Holliday. The cute as a button chick swallows swords and breathes fire; every guy's dream girl right? Serpentina's set was a snoozefest! She came out on stage looking wasted and proceeded to walk around with her disinterested snake.

Moving on to the rest of the day; am I the only one who didn't realize Coney Island was on the beach? The place was packed but it was beautiful out; great 4th of July weekend weather. People were even fishing and they were catching everything from crabs to cat fish to empty bear cans. But they weren't throwing these poor animals back which made me think: are they actually going to eat what they caught? I mean cool... I guess. Why not? Ignore the third eye that fish has, it probably has nothing to do with toxic chemicals. I actually saw one man using a chicken lap as bait because that's normal. Let's forget evolution and the food chain and feed a chicken's carcass to a fish. Yep, makes sense. I'm sorry, I know I'm getting all "tree hugger" on you guys. It's a free country.

You couldn't pay me to put a toe in that murky water though.

P.S. Here are some pictures if you'd like to sneak a peek

My Neighbor’s either kind of hot or I need a new prescription.

So I didn’t sleep last night (which looking back now didn’t do me any good). I’m tired, I’m sweaty and I have a workload that doesn’t ever get smaller. So I go the kitchen to refuel with some water.
I’m chilling, filling up my cup, humming Smooth Criminal to myself (shout out to the music man). I look out the window and there he is, just standing on his roof.
He’s buff, he’s shirtless, he has tattoos, from far away he looks attractive and I have a camera. What would you do in my situation?

I’m a writer, I document everything.

Saved By The Bell Reunion Update 3 (6/8/09)

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

I Think I Have Hepatitis

You know how I’m having this crazy love affair with NYC? Well, we had our first fight. People, this place SUCKS when it rains. I got home last night (after heading to Midtown then back to Brooklyn then JFK) and all I wanted to do was take a shower. With bleach. I think I may have hepatitis. There are things in my hair that I’m afraid to even touch and I just straightened it yesterday! So now I look like a black Carrot Top; not a good look. Surely, there’s a better way to get around the city when it’s raining. What’s that? Drive? Yeah, that makes sense... I still hate driving.

Anyway, now that the venting is over, what’s up? I know I know; what happened to once a week right? Well, I’ve been so busy blogging for the other internships that I haven’t had time to write anything on mine. Ch-ch-check for yourself.

But I’m here now! What’s good? What’s poppin’ lockin’ yo? I heard about the Magic... Bummer. So are they completely out now or do they get to play again? Is there a second place prize like they do when you’re in elementary or primary school?

I’m still enjoying my stay in New York despite the bipolar weather. Here’s the gist on what’s been up:

Work:
You know when you mess up big time and it’s made worse because you have absolutely no one to blame but yourself? No? I guess that’s just my story. Well, it’s been a week since I royally screwed up at my internship. Some of you were asking what I did. Well amigos, I missed a really important meeting. I didn’t oversleep; I was actually awake writing a post for the blog. I had no excuse whatsoever. If I could beat the crap out of myself, I totally would because that was beyond dumb of me. And then when I was sent on an errand, I left a very important package with the receptionist without having him sign something. MY bad again. It was a very crappy week.

But I wallowed in pity about it and now I’m just working harder and being smarter about things. I started my second internship at Xanga.com; the offices are right across from the New York Times offices so that’s cool. Boss Lady 2 is really nice and I’m learning a lot from that one as well.

Boss Lady 1 sent me to represent the mag at a blog bash to celebrate Zandile Blay and her blog The Blay Report Thursday night. Zandile is a Ghana beauty who just happens to work as a writer and stylist. And she's so very nice. Her party took me to SoHo for a shindig at Bjorn Borg; an underwear shop. I walked over and found myself pleasantly surprised by the male models with their model bodies and model faces. : ) : ) : ) : ) : )
C’mon, that’ll put a smile on anyone’s face. I have never seen so many good looking men in one place in my whole life and they were only wearing BOXERS; I kid you not. I also got a chance to meet some really cool people; editors, writers, models, actors, people who work in PR and Marketing and just fashion people in general. I'm quickly learning that networking is a big part of this industry. Eeeeek. Thank you to Danica and Lola for letting me tag along for most of the night; attending parties solo can be daunting. Here’s a pic of the ladies and me.

Jaslene from ANTM was there and she is as skinny as she looks on t.v.; she’s also very pretty. I met Jason from the first season of Stylista and his amazingly cool boyfriend, also named Jason whose an actor and is actually from Florida. Jason and I had a great time talking about UCF of all things. Go Knights.

Excursions, Run Ins and Everything Else I do when I’m not Working:
So on a personal note, I saw my sister Yemi graduate last Friday! Yemi’s going to medical school to be a surgeon and help save lives. She gave a speech in front of her graduating class that was AWESOME! And I’m not just saying that. I was literally in tears when she practiced earlier in the morning. All the siblings were there and the mama; it was a nice time. I’m so proud of my family.

So I experienced my first “what the fuckity fuck” (excuse the language but get used to it) moment! Here’s the short version because I don’t want to bore you with details; I’m broke like you wouldn’t believe so I was on my way to a job interview and this guy grabbed me from behind. Many people assume that I’m very gentle (ha) and flighty (true) because I’m nice but mama don’t play that. I may not be a New Yorker but my survival instincts are strong and intact. If you attack me, I’m going to protect myself (duh). So I elbowed the grabber and stepped on his foot (thank you very much kickboxing classes) and yelled something at the top of my lungs that I wouldn’t usually say in front of a stranger, turned around - the guy dropped his arms strangely enough- and said “excuse me” when I saw grandpa in front of me. No, not my grandpa. The older fella said “Wha – we were headed in the same direction. We must have bumped into each other.” No, I was walking straight ahead not backward; how do you bump into someone from behind? The guy scared the crap out of me but what am I going to do? Beat up a senior citizen? I respect the elderly and I actually felt bad. I walked away, checked my purse and prayed because I was pretty shaken.

What else… I found vegan cake!!!! Thank you God; I thought I was going to die. Shola took me to the Tea Lounge in Park Slope, a tea shop/bar (cute bartenders) and I figured it was a long shot but I asked if they had any vegan desserts and they had not one but two vegan cakes. I ordered the macaroon one and it was really good. I’ll definitely be going back for the cake (not the cute bartender with the dimples).

It's sunny outside and I'm not working. I should be outside. Any suggestions? What would you do if you had the weekend to explore this city a bit?

Oh What a Week

You know, I started this blog with the intention of posting something new every day. I would love to say that’s going to happen but I just don’t know. This week was INSANE. Insane, but in a good way. In a “wow I can’t believe I get to write every day man I’m tired yay the sun is out and my mommy’s here I’m going to take a walk omg it’s fleet week hello sailor yes $35 for a crapload of organic and vegan food god I love this country whoa that dress is supercute aww cute babies everywhere central park is so not overrated and David Moon is awesome I’ve never seen that before and they have a Indian restaurant in this neighborhood too” kind of way. Like I said, it’s been a long week. I'm gonna do the bullet thing. I can't communicate any other way right now.

• My mom flew in for my sister’s graduation so Shola (one of my other sisters) and I got to spend some time with her. Well, Shola spent time with her. I was busy, frantically rewriting blog posts. My mom managed to take me away from my laptop long enough for us to get lunch in the hood. This place Las Pollitos is a very yummy Mexican restaurant across the street from the apartment. I don’t know what I ordered but it was vegan and it was good. Yes, I’m behaving again.
• So I usually shop at Whole Foods and Publix for groceries. Shola took me to Trader Joes, a cheaper version of Whole Foods. While they didn’t have the biggest vegan selection, they did have the basics and I only spent $35 for groceries that will last me about three weeks. Yay!
• It’s really beautiful outside and it has been for the past few days. And I’ve been inside for most of it. So when Friday came, I didn’t care that the sun was already down for the day. I was just excited about going anywhere, let alone some fancy schmancy party. Cocody Productions hosted a party with Nollywood NYC at Le Cirque and the boss lady sent me to cover it for the magazine. With Shola as my plus one we took a taxi to the Upper East Side. The party was fun; I was a little nervous about getting enough photos for my review but I think I did okay at the end. The yellow cab ride back home was even better. Who knew a person could check people.com while waiting in traffic?
• Saturday was jam packed with stuff. With Shola leading the way, I did my laundry, saw a postal worker delivering mail door to door, made a key for the apartment, stopped at the bank, came home, headed to Manhattan , met up with Shola’s friend Amber and her boyfriend Dave at their friend Dave Moon’s AMAZING apartment across the street from Central Park, headed to the park, chatted a bit, got ready to leave, got on a very busy train to head back to Brooklyn, saw some sailors, ordered some Indian food, bought some wine, watched a depressing French film and passed the hell out. I feel very accomplished.

Stay tuned for a post this week about Dave Moon, the artist who lives in the coolest apartment I’ve ever seen.

Some stereotypical tidbits about the city

I’ve been here for less than three days and I’ve already learned a lot. For example, a lot of those stereotypes about New York are true:

Small bedrooms – My sister’s room is ridiculously small. Not Orlando small, when you have trouble practicing feng shui because of the big screen TV, desk and king size bed in your room. No, it’s small like I can’t cross the room without climbing over a twin size bed. I’ve heard about claustrophobic NY bedrooms before but I always thought it was an exaggeration. And I was so wrong. But the bedroom can’t take away from the rest of the apartment. The living room and kitchen are spacious, a lot of light comes in and the neighborhood is in an awesome part of Brooklyn. Who needs a car when the bar is across the street?

Tap water that doesn’t taste like ass – New York tap water is drinkable. It actually tastes good. As a former employee of a water treatment company I used simple facts to lure people into buying water filters. Fact: NY has the best water in the nation; Florida: not so much (we’re second to last). I won’t drink tap water in Florida unless it goes through my Brita first. When I got to my sister’s Brooklyn apartment, I had some water and it tasted ass free so I’m sold.

NY pizza is amazing – Yep, it sure is. Really good. I’m not supposed to eat pizza. I gave up animal products more than a year ago. Dairy = Big no-no. But I’ve never had NY pizza before so I gave in. I don’t remember the name of the restaurant but I remember the ricotta and spinach slice I ordered. That’s the culprit in the photo above. I’ve been paying for that slice since I ate it but I can’t say it wasn’t worth it.

They really do sell everything here – You can buy an iPhone on the side of the road or have your shoes shined while you wait for the train. You can even buy porn in bars and on trains. Yep, my sister’s roommate was approached by a sweet old lady who walked into the bar offering “cigarette , porn, cigarette, porn” the way a vendor would yell “hot dog, beer, hot dog, beer.” Once you agree to buy something she asks “man- woman, woman- woman, man -man?” and apparently she goes to the different trains to offer her goods as well. Wow…

Everyone looks so put together – I feel strangely underdressed every time I leave my sister’s apartment. You have the hipsters in their fedoras, plaid and leather and you have the Blair Waldorf wannabes (or the inspiration behind the character) toting around their Chanel 2.5 quilted bags. Everyone has some semblance of style. I love it; it makes “people watching” feel like an impromptu fashion show.

There hasn’t been a dull moment and I’m completely enamored right now. It could be the change of scenery or the exciting internship or the 10 different restaurants down the street or all of the above. I even enjoy taking the subway! I’m going into the city on Monday to research an article. Hey, maybe this time I won’t get lost…

First day of internship in the big city!

It’s no secret that I’ve been trying to get an editorial internship in NYC forever; I applied to almost 200 in the last two months. It was disheartening not hearing from anyone and I’m naturally whiny when I stress so you can imagine how much fun my family and friends had hearing me cry about my “nonexistent career.”
When I got my first internship, I was ecstatic. Xanga.com is this network where people (mostly teens) can submit personal blogs. My job is to edit submitted posts and create my own for the Xanga websites. I don’t officially start till June 1st but I’ve been writing for them since April. Check out my blog for Datingish.com
I applied to more publications even though I had an internship for the summer (I must enjoy being overworked). The editor in chief of AMBERmag.com, an online beauty and fashion magazine, emailed me. This resulted in a three day happy dance that lasted till I bombed the phone interview. By some miracle of God, I got the internship anyway and left for New York two weeks earlier than originally planned. I finally met the boss lady in person yesterday.
What can I say about the boss lady? She’s intimidating even though she’s a lot nicer than I thought she’d be. She’s a fantastic dresser and an authority in an industry I’ve wanted to work in forever. She’s cool. After my CMS training I headed to Varick Street for a meeting with an organization Ambermag is sponsoring an event for.
My job was to take notes during the meeting and contribute ideas for the fundraiser being held in honor of World Aids day. I was pretty impressed as I sat in a room full of teenage girls, listening as they debated over which celebrities should host their event. These girls opted to skip the Soulja Boys of the world for “socially conscious” celebs. One girl mentioned actor and activist Hill Harper. Rosario Dawson, Wyclef Jean, Hillary Duff, Kerry Washington, Pete Wentz and Mary J. Blige were also brought up. NO ONE wanted Rihanna because they felt she was no longer a good role model for women. Interesting, no?
So yeah, that was my first day. I’m excited about both internships but the Ambermag one has more to do with what I’m interested in; I get to interview artists, designers and photographers and write about everything from pop culture to the best boutiques in New York. So I’m pretty happy. The boss lady has given me a lot of responsibilities and she trusts me so I’m determined to make up for my lack of experience with my kickass work ethic and my star intern qualities : )
Here’s to not royally screwing up.

Costume Institute Gala

Hey hey hey!

Check out the blog I wrote for lovelyish.com about my favorite event of the year!

Who was the best dressed at the Costume Institute Gala?

Bands that rocked and still do

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

No Doubt managed to make my whole day yesterday! They were the latest musicians to perform for the Today’s show Toyota Concert Series. I knew they were back together but actually seeing them perform made it real. It looks like this is the year of old school tours. With Britney touring as I write this and Michael Jackson prepping for his moon walking return, it seems everything old is new again. And with Green Day and Blink 182 prepping for their comebacks, it looks like I’ll be doing my happy dance for a while. What’s even better than bands that that used to rock? Bands that used to rock and still do! No Doubt performed “Spiderwebs” and “Don’t Speak” and they KILLED it. Seeing Gwen Stefani rock some Bantu knots and jam old-school made my heart flutter. No one pulls off California skater girl quite like Gwen and red lipstick never looked nearly as hip until she came on the scene. Don’t get me wrong, I love Gwen Stefani the solo artist but nothing touches No Doubt in my eyes. It’s nice to know they still got it.

Damn the man!

So I’m on Nylon.com Saturday morning and a quote from one of my favorite movies catches my eye. What’s this? Record Store Day? Well, hot damn; where is it happening and why aren’t I there? I quickly go to the Record Store Day website praying that Central Florida didn’t screw me over by not participating in this awesome event. Thank you Orlando, for not ruining my Saturday! I call my friend Brandon and we head out for some record store hopping. Unfortunately, most of the stores didn’t have much going on but kudos to Park Ave CDs for making up for the lack of festivities everywhere else. Good times were had and it was a pretty decent turnout with giveaways, free cupcakes, 50% off everything in the store and an alligator. Yep, a real one. Why? I have no idea but it was cool.

Because it was RS Day and seeing people come out and celebrate the spirit of independent record stores made me all nostalgic and because sometimes music really does feel like its losing some soul, I did what any kid who grew up in the 90s would do. I popped in Empire Records and reminisced.

Empire Records is one of those movies I have to defend to people until they actually watch it. After that, they’re pretty much sold. Sure it’s not Ridley Scott material but it has a great soundtrack and it’s the poster child of 90s films. In my opinion, it was the best teen film to come out during that time. It speaks to the generation that remembers Liv Tyler as the girl from Aerosmith’s Crazy video, Renee Zellweger pre- Jerry Maguire; the people who remember life before Virgin Megastores, Best Buys and Itunes, the people who know the phrase “damn the man, save the empire” has absolutely nothing to do with Star Wars.

I miss those days…

* photo courtesy of dreammagic.com

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword... or so they say.

Welcome to the first post of my new blog! This is my second attempt at the whole blogging thing and I hope you'll stick with me through the trials and errors.

As a writer, I depend heavily on my words to get my message across. I can speak in complete sentences but not half as well as I can type! So this blog will be my way of communicating to the outside world. I'm going to be posting once a week on everything that tickles my fancy; from politics to fashion. Yes, another blog about everything.

As a vegan, I will have posts on new treats on the market as well as links to articles I write for different publications.

In addition to all that good stuff, I will start chronicling my experiences in the big city when I move there (temporarily) in May. So stay tuned... this should be fun!

Local designer creates couture - Life & Times

My article on Winter Park's Fashion Week

Local designer creates couture - Life & Times

HSM3: not just for kids - Arts & Entertainment

High School Musical 3 movie review

HSM3: not just for kids - Arts & Entertainment

FL uses extra protection - Opinions

Black People and the Gay Community

FL uses extra protection - Opinions

Veganism hits Orlando - News

My article on the Orlando's VegFest

Veganism hits Orlando - News