Hello All of Those Who Read My Blog! How are you on this dreary and wet Tuesday? I hope all is well.

Anywho, this is an article that a writing buddy of mine found and posted on TST (The Sweetest Taboo) to be discussed. This is an Asian man's perspective on us African Americans...

I really don't know what disturbs me more: the fact that there are people like Kenneth Eng who actually feel this way or that this is how we are still viewed in 2007. It's upsetting. The article would be laughable if it wasn't so upsetting. To say that it was our fault that we were enslaved for 400 years, that we didn't fight back sooner?

Dude, come on! America and the enslavement of Africans in this country, better known as chattel slavery, never happened anywhere else in the world, or through out history.

It was the Willie Lynch Letters were followed to the T. Africans were separated from their homeland, their language taken from them, their identity stripped away, any resemblence of their homeland was taken from them and then they were kept ignorant.

The brutality of chattel slavery has been unmatched in this world, especially considering the length of time that it had gone on. Should Mr. Eng ever do more than superficial research from reliable sources, he would find out that Black People are some of the most intelligent folk around. Without us he wouldn't know about science to be a science fiction author. Maybe he didn't get that memo.

Or Maybe he didn't get that memo about Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the woman who fought tooth and nail for prayer to be taken out of public schools. If Mr. Eng picked up a newspaper he would know that homegirl was not just killed, but chopped up. You can only go on for so long cursing God's name before he gets pissed. People always want to talk about the loving nature of God and him being merciful, but there is a Wrath of God too. And everything that you do has consequences (in the science world I believe that's known as Newton's Law of Motion *wink*) Look at what happened to Soddom and Gomorrah. I would really like to hear the scientific explanation for people being turned into pillars of salt.

Don't get it confused that you can talk trash about God like that is appropriate. It's not. Believing in him is a choice. I can't knock anybody's hustle should they choose not to believe in Jesus. Beating them over the head with scripture won't do anything except probably make them more resistant. If your swagger is different from mine, I can only respect that. However being disrespectful b/c my swagger is different from yours...That's not wassup. Saul found that out the hard way, being blinded on the road to Damascus. Madalyn Murray O'Hair found that out being chopped to pieces. God won't be mocked.

But I disgress. At the end of the day, Mr. Eng needs a hug. A big one. He is consumed by way too much hate. I wouldn't be surprised if he had ulsers in a few years. Something or someone offended/hurt him or someone he knew and he hasn't let it go.

On behalf of whoever hurt you, I apologize Mr. Eng. I hope you can find it in you to forgive yourself and let go of whatever is holding onto.

...and Ward Connerly had the AUDACITY to say that we have arrived in this country!

Bernadine...

Well first and foremost, I would like to say Happy Black History Month to all my African Americans. Here in this lovely country we do adhere to the 'one drop' rule, which means if you are light, bright, and dag on near white (such as myself) but have a drop of African American blood running through your veins, then you are an African American. (Sorry to bust the bubble of all of those hopefuls living in denial about your ancestry. Whether you can pass for white or not, at the end of the day, you are still one of us.)

But I must say I am not a person who feels Black History should or could be celebrated in just one month. Every month for me and my family is Black History Month. American History is Black History whether or not society wants to acknowledge it. Being in a country for 400 years, its kind of hard not to become ingrained in its fabric, ya know?

Anywho, I had the privilege of watching 'Waiting to Exhale' last night, again...for the millionth time. While it isn't my favorite movie (that spot is securely held by G.I. Jane) but there are parts of the movie that I simply adore. At the top of that list, Bernadine.

"Get yo' SH*T and GET OUT!"

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED WHEN SHE BURNED ALL HER HUSBAND's STUFF! See what happens when you push a black woman to far? Your feelings end up getting hurt. Bad.
Hopefully men of all races will take heed to this should they ever marry a black woman. Every woman, has a bit of Bernadine in them. I know I do. She is named 'Simone' and we don't like for her to come out. Even I get nervous when she makes an appearance b/c Simone is not the most rational individual. It is through much prayer that she doesn't come out often. Thank You Lord!

I found this video on YouTube. It's Bernadine losing her mind to Beyonce's 'Ring the Alarm'. This is hot! So here it is ladies: A tribute to all women who have a bit of Bernadine in them, and what happens when you push us too far.

The Evolution of Robin Thicke

I have known about Robin Thicke since his debut single When I Get You Alone in 2002. After not really hearing him in the main stream, I kind of forgot about him...until recently. My husband (thank you baby!) told me about the new Thicke video 'Lost w/o U' featuring his wife (yes, he's married and has been with her for 12 years) Paula Patton (her resume includes the movies Idlewild and Deja Vu with Denzel Washington. Apparently Robin has a bit of a brown sugar craving, if you know what I mean ;)) I looked the video up on YouTube, and once I saw it, I was hooked! I bought his new album, The Evolution of Robin Thicke, the very next day and I have to tell you, this joint is off the chain! From beginning to end, I listened to every song and didn't feel compelled to forward on to the next track. How many CD's can we say that about? It's soulful, it's sexy, it's incredible! I loved it!

Lost w/o U is one of my favorite tracks, but so is All Night Long, Ask Myself, I Need Love, Shooter , Got 2 Be Down and (Lawd forgive the man for naming this track this) Cocaine. But so are track Complicated, Everything I Can't Have, Wanna Love You Girl, and Can You Believe. Dammit, the whole album is hot! All 16 tracks! So, if you are a major R&B buff like I am, I go buy it the album! You won't be disappointed!

Here is the Lost Without U video


P.S. Here is another bit of randomness for the week... I'm a normal girl

You Are a Normal Girl

You are 40% Good and 60% Bad Sure you've pulled some bad girl stunts in your past. But these days, you're (mostly) a good girl.

Are You a Good Girl or a Bad Girl?

Back to 'Stomp The Yard'

Your Aura is Violet

Idealistic and thoughtful, you have the mind and ideas to change the world. And you have the charisma of a great leader, even if you don't always use it! The purpose of your life: saying truths that other people dare not say Famous purples include: Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Susan B. Anthony Careers for you to try: Political Activist, Inventor, Life Coach

What Color Is Your Aura?

That was a bit of randomness for you this morning. I was on the site On The Other Side, and someone posted the link to check it out. As you can see, I am Violet. What exactly does that mean? I have no clue, but considering purple is my favorite color, that can only be a good thing, right?

Well, last night, my cousin saw Stomp the Yard, and she agreed with me that the movie was actually pretty good; not as hookey as one would've expected.

But the real story of interest took place after the movie when she and her husband, David, went to the restroom. Apparently, a group of Caucasians who had just seen the movie felt the need to comment on it. And again this is heresay, but her statement went something like this:

I don't think that that is how real stepping is. Isn't it Irish anyway?

I know! I know! She came all types of incorrect out of her face! Irish? C'mon dude, pick up a history book, or better yet turn on a PBS Special. It seems that we are going to have to have a little history lesson:

Stepping originated in Africa. It was called the Boot Dance, and was done by miners in South Africa. The reason it is called the Boot Dance is because the miners all wore Wellington Gum Boots while working. The Boot Dance also served as a venue of entertainment and competition between the miners to keep their spirits up through long and back-breaking days below ground. It then became a mode of communication between the miners while in the mines.

Here is a link that provides you with a little more information and below is a YouTube clip of The Boot dance done by South African Children.

That looks like stepping to me, but hey I do where glasses.

As someone who has studied dance for years (and years, and years) I have actually done a boot dance or two in my life. Before any of the dances were taught we were got a history lesson on the significance of the dance. In Stomp the Yard, when they were stepping, they made it a point to actually show you the boots that they were stepping in. No, it was the Wellington Gum Boot, but it was the evolution of what the step boot has become here in America.

Nowhere, no way, did the Irish orginate stepping. Sorry boo! Nice try, though. Better luck next time.

Furthermore, why were there a group of white people going to see Stomp the Yard anyway? Expecially if you don't know the history behind black sororites, fraternities, and what the act of stepping actually means? The target audience of the movie was the Black Community. It seems the movies purpose was completely lost on them. What a waste.

My Fantasy is Over...

I know it' s random that I post twice in one day, but I have to get this off of my chest.

Yesterday I saw the movie, Stomp the Yard, starring actor Columbus Short. (Isn't he so dreamy?) Anywho, I told my husband that I went to see the movie, and after idle chit-chat and comparing the movie to Drumline as well as other Black, teen, coming of age movies, my husband dropped a bomb on me. My dreamboat was a dog. Apparently Mr. Short used to be hot and heavy with Britney Spears. Yes, that same exact Britney who looks like she needs to get a rabies shot and take a shower with a bottle of bleach after marrying and having sex with K-Fed. (Is it me, or does he looks like he smells?) What makes the situation go from sad to absolutely tragic is that he was married at the time and his wife was pregnant with their first child. In an article I found online Columbus is quoted as saying:

"It’s true I slept with Britney, [but] we never had sex because another person was in the room at the time. We shared a bed and were really close, kissing, and hugging. The chemistry was magical…our feelings were so strong...It would be fair to say Britney caused major problems in our marriage. Sadly, we’re now getting divorced"

Britney cause problems in his marriage? Is he serious? Dude! Like, Man up! Do some push ups or something! I promise, I was crushed by this news. Utterly hurt and devastated. I mean I have had a thing for this man since Save the Last Dance 2 (Okay, so I know I am like the only person that watched it, but so what? When he did that thing with the microphone and made a beat to a song from her heartbeat, I was done! I know Prince did it first with his then wife's baby sonogram but so what! He was Hella HOT!) And to find that out that he is shifty and down right tasteless (you gotta be to date Britney after K-Fed. He just looks like he needs to be hit over the head with a bar of soap...repeatedly) My fantasy is so over :(

BTW: Are we not noticing a pattern with Britney and men with pregnant girlfriends/wives? No? Just thought I would put it out there...

Wisdom Teeth

This past Wednesday I had my widsom teeth extracted from the right side of my mouth. Can I tell you how that was not the best time? As it turns out, my mouth is too small to accomadate, my wisdome teeth, so the doc said they gotta go. But glory be to God, because I prayed, and prayed hard, that the procedure would go well. I told Jesus that he is the master physican working on my mouth and that the doctor was just a vessel. Everything went off without a hitch. The bummer is that for the next week or two my diet will consist of oatmeal, applesauce, mashed potatoes, and extremely soft pasta. That is sooooooooo hurt to someone like me, because I LUH to eat! It makes ya happy baby! (Thanks for the saying Uncle D.)

Next month, I get to miss two days of work and have the other side done. Just imgaine me over here doing cartwheels at the thought of that. (if you didn't catch it, that statement was LOADED with sarcasm)

The most annoying this about the whole process though, is the amount of pills I have to take. The doctor's prescribed me Vicodin, for the pain, and Amoxicillin to prevent infection. You should've seen the release form they had me sign before the procedure. It was crazy! Basically if my mouth rotted off, the Doc couldn't be held responsible b/c I was opting to have the surgery. I would've laughed had I not been in so much pain. But like I said to God be the Glory because it all worked out. Amen? Amen!


I am actually feeling kind of inspired at the moment so I am going to go write, while the house is still quiet (my poohs haven't woken up yet!)

CiaO!


SD

Happy New Year

Okay, so I KNOW that this post is about 13 days too late to be spouting cheery greetings of a Happy New Year, but so what. It's my world, everyone else is a squirrel just trying to get a nut, ya dig!

So...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I also want to give a major shout out to my girl Sav, who is in the process of getting her writing published. Being Plumville will be out in April/May of this year! Manna Tree (I will give myself a small pat on the back for helping her come up with the title!) she just finished and Reconstructing Jada Channing are being shopped around. Y'all I am telling you, her writing is phenonmenal! Seriously! She thought I was joking when I said it was like good fried chicken: you always want more! Check out her Blog site

I just hope that when she is on Oprah's Book Club, she remembers the little people ;)


As for me, the new year has ushered in a new set of priorities. For the time being school is being put on the back burner. I will go back, but for now I have to take care of my family, (mi hijo y espouso)! Maintaining a family is hard work! Juggling work, school, motherhood and being a wife...dude, stress was my first middle and last name. Not the best time when you have a 16 month old. My husband and son deserve more from me than that. But that is my 'cross to bear'. Everybody has to do what it right for them, and at this time, this is right for me.

It is that time again...

Starting tomorrow I will be starting class again...and I am not looking forward to it. This is one of the times where I would really like to be done with college education, ya know?

For those who don't know, I am an aspiring writer. I have like four books in the works and would like to have at least 2 of them complete and published by the end of next year. With class starting tomorrow, I don't see myself as having much time to write. I am struggling to keep my eyes awake at the moment and it is only 7:24pm.

Lawd, help me! Oh well, We'll see what happens over the next 5 weeks. Right now, I need a 20 minute nap.

CiaO!

Sebine

Stran Ge!

That's the word of the day, Ladies and Gents! Stran Ge!
Not to be confused with the commonly used and similarly spelled, strange, Stran Ge has a meaning all of it's own and it has nothing to do with how strange something is.

Although I am not necessarily clear on Stran Ge's meaning, in the context that I have heard it used, I have derived that it means: You Go Girl!, Bravo!, or anything else along those lines.

My most recent citing of this word was when I was watching BET Top 25 Money, Power Respect, not just in the black community but the movers in shakers in USA and even the world who have the money, power, and respect to affect change and are leaders in the world of business. The list contained some of the more well known black icons such as Irving "Magic" Johnson, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Russell Simmons, Sean "P.Diddy" Combs and Michael Jordan. It also contained a lot of unknown power African Americans such as Bob Johnson, Founder of BET, or Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, US Senator Barak Obama (D-Illinois), Merrill Lynch CEO Stanley O'Neal, Time Warner President Richard Parsons, Debra Lee COO (Chief Operating Officer) of BET, and Catherine Hughes, founder/CEO of Radio One. Ladies and Gentleman this people are not in just the million, but some are in the billion dollar club.

The word Stran Ge came up when a commentator on the show was talking about Cathy Hughes and how she took Radio One, which she started in college at Howard University and made it into the conglomerate it is today. She pioneered the airwaves for African Americans. Ms. Hughes' has accomplished much over the years, but her pioneering efforts of what she created with Radio One alone and becoming not just an African American icon but an American icon. For that her gave her an ovation and said, "Stran Ge!"

So, Stran Ge I say, to all the African American's making moves and paving the for younger generations such as myself. And to all the up and coming African American movers and shakers such as myself, I say Stran Ge! Success is not something that should elude us no matter what our background or upbringing was. You can only point the finger and take offense at society but for so long. If you don't like something in you community, put yourself in a position to affect change. Surround yourself with positive people who will add to your vision, not detract from it. In the years to come, I will be on the BET's Top 25 Money, Power, Respect. And when they talk about me, and my accomplishments, I will get a standing ovation and a very swanky STRAN GE!!

I Think I May Be Losing It...

Okay, so last night I had a diversity paper due for my Organizational behavior Class. Can I tell you how I don't think the paper I wrote was what my professor was looking for? Yeah, can we say I was angry? How about I let you guys read the first paragraph and you tell me what you think:


If you are not a white, heterosexual male in today's society you are at a disadvantage in the business world. Anyone else is seen as a subordinate group and members of subordinate groups "often encounter more prejudice and discrimination in the workplace than do their counterparts." (2006, Winter) The reason for this is that white heterosexual male culture is considered the norm in America. They are the standard to which everyone is measured against. And if you are not a white, heterosexual male, you can never measure up.

From there I went on about norms and deviants and the Willie Lynch Letter and it's affect on African American Society and how slavery still exists . Jesus Lawd! I promise you my hands were typing but I couldn't believe what I was writing! It was crazy to me! And being that my teacher is a white heterosexual male, I am 99.99 percent sure that he is going to be offended.
With the week I have had with his class, his feathers getting rustled really doesn't bother me all that much. Besides, I have come to realize that white society chooses to be ignorant and not acknowledgedge what is right before their eyes. I'm guessing they have adopted the mentality that if they are ignorant to the ongoings of the world today, that they don't have to acknowledge certain injustices that they see. All in all, my paper was directly indirect in saying that there is no diversity in the business workplace. I'm sure he'll have a lot to say about that. I am looking forward to my teacher's comments. They should be interesting, to say the least. Am I losing it by actually writing the paper? Who knows. But I am pretty positive that I have given Professor U something to think about.
CiaO!

SebineDareau

For those who don't know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For it is a time of reflection as I lost my grandmother to breast cancer last year. Talk about a tough time! I was eight months pregnant with her first great grandchild. I will never forget the day she passed away....

I was in Lamaze class with my husband and for some reason I just wasn't getting into it. It's not that it works anyway. With all the pain I was in when I was giving birth, I told them to cut me any way they felt necessary. They could've made a design if the spirit moved them, I just wanted it Out! But back to the story, I wasn't really into the class that day and my husband was dozing off next to me, and all of a sudden, my son started going crazy in my stomach. It looked like some Sh*T straight out of alien. I remember looking at my belly and asking, "Dude, are you all right?" And I looked at the clock in the room, it read 6:10. I remember thinking, "Okkkaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay..." And at then he stopped. Mind you all that week, I kept saying I needed to go see my grandmother. I didn't think this hospital visit was too serious. She had been in the hospital before for an extended period of time, and when I would go see her we would be laughing and joking and taking about her great grand child. I remember leaving class and my honey and I going across the street to get a bagel with butter and I checked my cellphone. I saw that my baby cousin had called so I called her back. When she picked up the phone, she was bawlin'. And just like that I knew. And the only thing I said to myself was, "Oh sh*t."

When we got to the hospital it was surreal. I mean I could believe it, but then I couldn't, ya know? My grandma was gone. I really don't remember much of what happened in the hospital. I mean, my 'uncle' from Cali was there and my uncle's friend's from High School were all there; those who grandma had taken in and loved as if they were her own children. I didn't cry though. It was like I was kind of expecting it. I mean, I knew grandma was sick but the fact that she had decided to stop fighting still had me in a state of surreal shock. It seemed I was everybody's major concern and all but I was cool. When I got to see the body, I looked at her, held her hand and kissed her goodbye. My mom gave me a big hug like only my mom can and I hugged her back. Her and my grandmother may have bumped heads on many occassions, but it was only because they were so much alike and couldn't see it. My aunts and I would have good laughs about it whenever they would fight.

Anywho, it was later that I found out the exact time my grandmother passed away. Would you believe it was 6:10pm? Til this day I still believe that my son going haywire in my stomach was his way of telling me that my grandmother had passed.

It wasn't until an exact year later that I cried. The anniversary of her death hit me like an emotional MAC truck and once the tears started they didn't want to stop.

So I encourage anyone who has a loved one who is suffering from this disease, to spend as much time as you can with them. You never know when they will no longer put up a fight and let the cancer consume them. Show them that there is a million reasons for them to stay around and fight for another day of life. I wish I had done that for my grandmother. Maybe if I had she would have at least seen her great grandson be born.