Movie Review :: 1 Thumb Up

Out of 2 thumbs way up.. I am hereby awarding Why Did I Get Married Too? 1 thumb. Let's sandwich this review Good-Bad-Good. Good #1: The movie does make an effort to expose black relationships with successful individuals to mainstream appearance. The characters in the movie tend to have some relevance to real life situations that individuals may experience in life. The Bad: The characters never really reach the peak of true acting or interacting with one another. In the beginning I kept feeling as if the acting were faking their lines...almost like something you see on bloopers. The conflicts were extreme and were rarely explained in depth...I was left wondering why somethings happened and why others did not. Each actor had a moment in which they shined independently, but it never quite quilted together for a collective effort. The characters left me wanting more, more explanation, more clarity, and more acting. Janet had some compelling moments as well as Jill Scott. The women for the most part in this movie tended to be the devious ones, while the men seemed to be "trying" to do the right thing, only to have such misunderstandings by the women. Unlike the original Why Did I Get Married, the conflicts and characters were not as significantly developed. The Good #2: Again, I have to acknowledge that at least Tyler Perry made an effort to demonstrate that black relationships do exist; Black marriages can include successful individuals; and Black relationships can work.

It definitely wasn't a waste of time; although going on opening night was quite an experience with babies crying, people answering their phones, and talking. Nonetheless, no not a waste of time...you can pick some parts of out for conversation; however, don't expect to be blown away by acting and provoked into a deep dialogue by it. Still a tad sweet and entertaining for a night at the movies..

Next Movie: Clash of the Titans

PS- Still wondering if anything in 2010 will make me remove Avatar as the best movie!

The Scent of Attraction

I absolutely LOVE perfume and fragrances! Smelling delectable is one of the small pleasures of being a woman. It's like a purse or an accessory. Loving the way you smell is just as important as loving yourself. I don't have to go anywhere special....to spray my favorite perfume. Here are a some quick reviews of some popular and new womens' fragrances.

The 1st: Harajuku Lovers Perfume "The Summer Collection" by: Gwen Stefani

These cute little dolls are part of the package. Each fragrance has its own doll associated with it. Each one carrying it's own distinct smell! I personally love all of them but especially like the Gwen, Love, and Baby fragrances. I think there is something here for everyone. The only downfall is how little they are. Maybe I just need to shop around more but the one I bought was only 1 oz! You can choose to buy all of them but I really wanted one so that was not ideal. Either way they smell great and I can easily see this being my new favorite!!

The 2nd-Kim Kardashian Perfume : A new fragrance on the scene...I like this one too. It's very strong so you have to be careful not to spray too much! It definitely smells good throughout the day and you won't need to continuously refresh your fragrance. Once in the morning should last until after-work or school (whatever your vice) ;). Its got a unique floral smell but it's unlike a lot of other floral based fragrances! In short, it's great for various occasions but is probably too strong for those who like to spray more than once or twice! I thought I would need to keep this in my purse to refresh, but it's not necessary at all! I can definitely see this being in heavy rotation in the future for me!

The 3rd- Beyonce's Heat Perfume- A new fragrance from the amazing Beyonce. This perfume has a very unique smell. I can't decide if it's more sandalwood in nature or musk. Either way it's a nice fragrance. I think it may be more appropriate for the night scene or more up scale events, instead of everyday wear. It's great for a first scent...and I am sure it will be the first of more to come for her.

The 4th- Escada, Moonlight- A not so new fragrance, but a heavy rotation fragrance for me. It's a floral scent combined with a hint of musk..the two come together for a playful yet intriguing combination. This works well for outdoor events in the summer as it's not to strong, but just enough to last in the warm weather!

Here are some other noteworthy fragrances some old & some new:


-Viva La Juicy, Juicy Couture
-Marc Jacobs, Lola
-Marc Jacobs, Blush 
-Ralph, Ralph Lauren 
-Vera, Vera Wang
-Mac Fragrance Collection by MAC Cosmetics
-Butterfly, Mariah Carey
-Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue
-Dolce & Gabbana Sicily

Enjoy!

The Letter Q

There are some things that go unappreciated. The letter Q is kinda like that. There are so many times that we take the little things without appreciation. Think about the one letter Q. It's not used all that much, but when you need it you definitely need it. Or like in a game of scrabble, if you can make a word with Q you are definitely likely to earn a high score. I think sometime in our society there are a lot of things like that. Life itself is probably the most frequently taken lightly. There's family, friends, life, breath, love, and I don't know how many other things. The other day I heard a song on the radio and for whatever reason I thought about all the suffering people in the world. I thought about how down I get about my own situation, but then I thought about all the people that have it a lot worse. I guess in a way of speaking I shed a tear for humanity and society and all the things that go on in a day to so many people. I think about love, do we really show the people we love how we feel? Is it possible to ever do that so long as we hold on to ego? I mean what is the greatest treasure in life? What can you really not live without? I like nice clothes, but I can live without them. I like eating out at nice places but I can pass on that. Of course I I know we all need essentials like food, water, clothing, shelter, and health care...but we don't need the elaborate stuff like designer labels etc..I'm guilty at times of being brainwashed into believing that I do. But I don't...I need God, family, love. Outside of God, family, and love I don't know anything else that gives life significant value? I mean really? I need God because I know that his love, forgiveness, and grace is the only thing that keeps me sane in this world.  Family because this is the place where you can find peace and sanctuary. Love because it is the staple of all peace and hope for anything. But even those three things are like the letter Q- they have the greatest of value, but are often overlooked in the daily scheme of things. I guess what I'm telling myself is that don't forget to value the letter Qs in life. And always, God hears prayers-so take some time  pray and ....get in tune with yourself and see what's important to you.


Look for the Q in your daily alphabet-

Athena must be growing again in My Head-

In Greek Mythology Athena, the goddess of wisdom, was sprung from her father's great wisdom during a massive migraine headache! I can only imagine what type of wisdom I must be birthing in my head with this headache I have. 

So last time I talked about all the expectations I felt like I was dealing with at my age. Here again lies an issue with expectations. So I am 26...I am a teacher. I like my career field and I could see myself continuing to work in that field. It's a rewarding career even though it doesn't pay the most...and you're not always rewarded by society it's still a nice job...Anyway so I feel smack dab in the middle of what I was saying earlier. So I want to keep being successful in my job, but I also want to have a good relationship with the man I love. It seems so hard though because we both have so much that we want to do with out life. He is smart and intelligent and naturally wants to make the most of his intelligence as well, and of course I want him to be successful as well. So in us both wanting to be so successful within our own careers and fields where does that leave our life together? I want what most women want, to be in a loving situation with the person they love. And deep down I think men want the same thing as far as being with the person they love? I don't know, I mean I want us to both get what we want without either one of us having to feel like we're not getting something. I don't know how to make our relationship work and our careers work too. I want to be close to him, but does he want the same thing? Trying to read emotions of the opposite sex is next to impossible. I don't want him to see me as a lame girl that just wants to run behind a male because I'm far from it...but dang is it so wrong to want to spend your days with the person you love. I don't know...just when I thought things were going down an road where I might be able to tell the direction, dang if I didn't run into another fork in the road...Guess I will have to see where this road takes me? I am in love that's the clearest point...but love doesn't always take us where we want it to or think it will...


Guess that's part of the headache in my brain...lol that and this horrible mix of bcps I keep taking yuk! lol

26 Miles an Hour

If age were transferred into speed, it would be a major oxymoron. At 26 miles an hour, you don't feel like you're getting anywhere...but at 26 years old you feel pressed to do just the opposite...get there and get there fast. Wherever "there" may be is negotiable for different people in different situations.I have found there for some people to be this sense of stability...which translates into little more than having it together. "It" being a nice place of dwelling, a house or townhouse most likely. An account with more than 3 measly digits before the decimal, a budding career, a nice car, not a compact, trendy attire...moderately reflective of your personality when possible, an circle of friends with similar stability, a reputation of the prior listed accolades, a significant other with similar noteworthy characterization, a knack for modernity...just to name a few societal expectations. It's overkill taken seriously. 

I find myself treading water somewhere among those overkilling quantifiers. Wanting to be stable, have a nice home, have a nice bank account, the budding career, the nice car...blah blah so drab right. Is this the new grain to flow with? Not bad though and quite likely if this is what we are all out for then there may be a generation of mild aristocrats in the making. Emphasis on mild. I don't know, I mean most of my friends are at a point where the main thought revolves around career and love... which in the absence of one the other takes precedence. Or in the presence of both, it becomes about advancement and management of both. In the presence of career without relationships, there's an increased emphasis on career. With relationship and no immediate interest in career, the relationship takes the role of emphasis. I guess neither of the two scenarios is per say wrong, but it does make it hard to find yourself in either aspect. If you are focused disproportionately on work, then you lose focus on yourself. If you are disproportionately focused on a relationship, then you often forget that taking care of yourself is just as important as being there for someone else. I guess that is life though. There seems to be a wave of marriage sweeping my network of people, which is a good thing. I am all about rebuilding the value of commitment in relationship, deep connection between a man and woman, and creating strong loving families. Yet, for so many women this is the focus the 20s. Finding or being in the right place to be found by "the one". But it's all so complex for colored girls...the weight of the world weighs just as heavy upon our shoulders as it does our black brothers. I mean is it wrong to want a loving relationship? Is it wrong for women to become disenchanted when they don't find it? Is it wrong to want what we see so many of our other ethnic counterparts getting in marriage? I could be mistaken, but I don't think its wrong to want those things at all...no matter how cliche people attempt to make it. So is the career oriented girl wrong for becoming uninterested or is the girlfriend girl wrong for wanting to become the wife? Is either wrong for secretly wanting both? Why does it have to be a choice? What's the meaning?

I digress- back to my point of this characterized standard we are all so feverishly seeking. I'm torn between tradition and modernity. I'm pregnant with desire to experience my life with passion and love. Maybe much like the passion you always seem to hear in Erykah Badu's voice that kind of passion that is not always in Souljah Boy's ...Don't get me wrong, I like him..but it's a passion not a norm or temporary mainstream fix that I seek. I want more. I want more than just a house. I want it to be a place of company, a warm dwelling that houses people of passion, purpose, and value. I want a career..but not just for a name. I recognize I'm likely never going to really LOVE work...but I don't see why I can't reap so value out of it. I want financial security..not so I can spend all my money and be flashy, but so I can do for myself, others, and still have enough to save. I want a circle of friends that also have a passion for what matters in life. I want a relationship with a man that is deeper than physical attraction, but a passionate connection of mind, body, and soul. A relationship that we both nurture everyday in a way that brings us closer together every night and every morning. (That's deep) And I don't believe it's impossible. I pray for my marriage now even though I'm not because I value it in advance. I pray for my children in advance because I want them to be blessed in advance. I don't care if it sounds unconstitutional...We put emphasis on the things we can see, why not put emphasis on the things we want but cannot see? I want more than just middle class or upper class..or whatever other class. I do not want my life to be quantified by how others perceive me or spend a lifetime trying to fancy my way into an group of pretentious individuals just for the sake of association. If I had an Aston Martin V12 Vantage someone would still have something to say about it. 

So I am here at 26...feeling like I have to be in a hurry. Feeling like if I don't get in the race I will be a Nokia 5190 or 3110 trying to maintain in a world of Blackberries and IPhones. I want the same things ..I just want more from it.. Passion I guess. If that in itself is not inundating? 

Carpe Diem 26!! Imagine when we meet 27!