Night on the Town: Mosaic Lounge

Night on the Town: Mosaic Lounge at Power Plant Live! Baltimore.  'Twas a good night.

Curly Fro - Wash and Go

Major Flat Twist All Around

Naturalista In Me

Sample Outfits (When It was Warm)

Summer Flat-Twist Updo (Natural Hair)

"Nothing Even Matters" Cover by Rudy Currence

For your enjoyment.

Original song: "Nothing Even Matters" - Lauryn Hill feat. D'Angelo

Ruby Bridges - Brave for Education

Ruby Bridges Painting by Norman Rockwell

Ruby bridges was such a brave little girl. I don't know if I would have been able to do this. It must have been terrifying, but education is so worth it. Don't forget about what the people before you have work so hard to put in place. That's why it's important not to take for granted the privilege to learn, sit anywhere you please on the bus, or simply coexist with people who are different from you. There is a lot of history for me to learn about. I shall no longer use the excuse that I am not very interested in history. How will be know where we're going if we do not know where we came from? Good question right? But really think about it. It holds much truth. In order to not make the same mistake twice, we've got to remember what went wrong before. I give thanks to those before me. In this modern society, we have many struggles of our own regarding civil rights of a different form. Let's get it together.

Embrace Your Body

Today, I decided to message the owner of a blog that I follow on my Tumblr called CurvesInColor.  What prompted me to message him was the realization that I had a change in perspective in how I view the beauty of people, the human body, in different forms (sizes, shapes, colors, ethnicities, etc.).  It's just very interesting how so society perceived nudity to be so wrong, when in reality we were born this way.  It's all about perspective and how it is placed in context.  Here is the message I sent and the response I received tonight.  The response was so heartwarming.

My Message to Curves in Color:

Hi, I just wanted to express that I appreciate the way that you present women of all shapes, sizes, and colors in their truest & most candid forms. It definitely takes a lot of courage to post things that most would view or interpret as obscene. That's where the problem lies. Honestly, it's all about perspective. To be honest, when I first saw your blog, I was a bit startled, because 1) I hadn't really seen images like yours so frequently, 2) I didn't know where you were coming from or what you were trying to portray, 3) and I had a few insecurities of my own that hadn't yet been addressed. After taking some time to look within and examine the root issue, I realized that what's considered "acceptable" is determined by how I view things. The world is not filled completely with negative people who degrade others. I'm just very happy that I can see past what looks unacceptable to others and admire the true essence of beauty as you have presented in your blog. Thank you for providing an outlet for inspiration and admiration of women who look like me.

Response from Curves in Color:

First and foremost I’m moved and humbled by your kind words Maleshia. I also appreciate and want to thank you for supporting the blog. I started this blog because when I joined Tumblr I didn’t see images of real black women or women of color period. I didn’t see stretch marks, textured afro’s, big thighs, and eccentric and eclectic style that I know and love about women of color. I’m from Texas, but I live in Brooklyn and I wanted to create a space that promoted and celebrated all things that’s considered negative by the mainstream. I post raw and real images of women that I believe to be beautiful. I catch a lot of heat for doing so, but people forget that it’s natural and GOD like to be naked in our skins. That’s why we are all born nude. Somewhere on this planet there is a girl with dark skin that she dislikes, somewhere there is a woman with wide hips, somewhere out there is a very skinny young lady with curly hair. Somewhere is a woman that’s a size 22, the point of this blog is to act as a stage of beauty for dark skin, thick hips, big lips and everything in between. So that if any of those lovely women may pass this blog, they will know that they are celebrated to the highest power by individuals that love their beautiful dark skin, thick hips, big lips and everything in between.
— curvesincolor

Check out the blog for yourself and tell me what you think.

Night On the Town - Adams Morgan (September 2012)

Blog Post In Due Time: Life's Intervention

When life intervenes, blog posts stop.  Sorry, but that's just the way it is.  That is the reality of my circumstances.  Life's workings, unfortunately, have precedence over the things I consider to be my pastimes.  These things include journaling, sketching, dancing, reading interesting articles... I think you get it.  It just shouldn't be that way.

I'm just too busy nowadays, but I just have to keep things in motion.  The reality of how important sleep is to the human body was brought to the forefront of my attention the other day in my 100 level psychology class (which is very interesting, but requires *a ton* of outside reading).  Based on a mini-poll taken in class, my professor came to the realization that majority of college students are sleep deprived.

Guilty as charged.  Some days I just feel so exhausted that even when I get 8-10 hours of sleep, I still manage to wake up with a restless body and mentally exhausted mind.  My memory is starting to become greatly affected, forgetting some of the little things that happened only the week before, or even an hour ago.  My physiological clock is OFF, way OFF!

I honestly feel that no extensive amount of planning could solve my problem.  I just need to do what I have to do and take my but to bed.  But what about finding my muse through other outlets like the one's mentioned before?  Those are very important as well to my overall health.  Exercising is important, and so is eating healthy, but I'm always on the go.  It's all a balancing act that I will figure out in time.

I don't dream as much anymore.  I miss it.  My mind needs to be set free and unconfined to the societal norms of today.  Operation rejuvenation underway.

On a positive note, here are a few things that I have been into lately or have happened recently:

• Coldplay albums have been playing on repeat; there's something special about their music
• Romantic classical music is very relaxing and intricate
• I officially got my driver's license today!!! (3/6/12) I'm official!!!
• Helping build a prototype for a micro-mouse
• Felt inspired and moved after seeing "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" this weekend; It brought back a few Dr. Seuss childhood memories
• I so want to read more books.

Bantu Knots: DC Adventure

For my DC Adventure this Saturday of MLK Weekend, I decided to rock a bantu knot hairstyle.  What I really like about bantu knots is that they are very quick and easy to do. In my case, I washed my hair, provided the necessary moisturization, and was set to start curling. And, I did not have to apply any type of heat whatsoever. The aftermath was definitely to my liking, as you can see in the photos below. Enjoy!

Are You Really Living?

Live (verb)
to have life, as an organism; be alive; be capable of vital functions; to continue to have life; remain alive; to continue in existence, operation, memory, etc.; to last; to maintain or support one's existence; provide for oneself; to feed or subsist (usually followed by on or upon ); to enjoy life to the fullest

Live (adjective)
living; full of life, energy or activity

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As I sit here in my living room on my laptop and watch an assortment of television programs, I make exchanges between my computer screen and my mother, who is relaxing on the couch along with me. My mind begins to wander about the idea of life. We, as individuals, are all placed on this earth for a specific purpose; what it is exactly is what we have to find out. This is something that I've mentioned numerous times for it holds true.

I began to ask myself, "What is the difference between the state of me and my mom?" *Note: I am only using my mom as an example because she is somewhat the inspiration for this post.* The major difference is that I am actively working towards something for the betterment of myself (college degree, grad school, work experience). Now, I understand that this difference does not take into consideration what my mom's goals may be or what she's actively working towards, but from my perspective it just seems like it is all routine to make ends meet. Wake up. Shower and get dressed. Go to work, school, or whatever may occupy your time. Come home. Eat dinner. Watch TV or use the Internet. Go to sleep. Wake up and repeat.

It all becomes second nature to the point that you begin to forget about your passions, the things that drive you to tackle the next big thing, the next big project, the next big dream, and the next big goal. Living should be about actively working towards a better tomorrow and living your life to the fullest. With each day, routine or not, I feel that we all should get at least one step closer to what makes us happy.

Check this out:

“Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think.” 

-Horace, Ode I-XI "Carpe Diem"

In whatever you do, always remember to seize the day and live your life to the fullest, no matter what your circumstances may be. Cherish each moment, love, laugh, and live fruitfully.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Before I close out this post, I pose this last question to you: Are you really living?