American Idol contestants

This years American Idol has come a surprise in more ways than one. Firstly, i was shocked at some of the people that weren't chosen for the main part of the competition, these few seemed to have genuinely good voices. Some of the early people they did choose were vocally far from what they were looking for. I think this year the women are out shining the men, although Phil had a very good voice and shouldn't have been voted off. I do think it's unfair that Blake was chosen over Lakeisha because she has a much more powerful voice than he does, but you know like last years contestant Jennifer Hudson, who was voted off because voters were apparently racist. Not saying this was the issue for Lakeisha, it's just that when your future lies in the hands of the public, you don't know who's voting for or against you, they have their reasons why they like you or no don't like you. Well now there's three left, Jordon, Blake and Melinda. Because of past shows it's so obvious to see who will be voted off next and who will win. Jordon is a young, talented girl, who (unfortunately) visually 'fits' the image that singers have nowadays. Similarly Blake is like Justin Timberlake, he's a white guy who has a soulful black sound and can dance hip hop. Then there's the powerful, shake your bones, singing Melinda, who could without a question win American Idol, but in this unfair industry which selects looks over talent, has her age playing against her. Well who knows! If Melinda wins it would definitely be a surprise, although she's an amazing singer. American idol hardly chooses black people as their idol, unless they are mixed with another race. Just like any other reality T.V show. it's very sad and discriminative, because again it's like the media has it's ideas of who fits the look and who doesn't, they want someone who will appeal to everyone, which results in everyone looking the same. It's such a shame. But you know what, Melinda is going to make it in the music business whether she wins American Idol or not, her voice is timeless and you can't deny talent like that.

R.I.P Steve Irwin, but there's not a copy-cat is there?

I have to say that I was sad when I read of the death of the Australian crocodile hunter Steve Irwin. But this may sound harsh, but i wasn't surprised. If someone has chosen to do dangerous stunts with animals and basically risk their lives every single time they did a stunt, what on earth do they expect. Personally he should have stopped all of that when he had the chance, he would've still been alive today. I just don't believe in people who do these animal stunts for show. What exactly are they showing? OK... so yeah they are brave to jump on a crocodiles back and tackle him to the ground, OK.. i didn't know there was a qualification for that. I just think that doing this kind of activity is dangerously unnecessary and we don't need someone to demonstrate how vicious animals could be, we've all watched nature programs before and have heard what their animal nature is. To my surprise, I accidentally came across a Steve Irwin look-a-like and copycat, his name was Austin Stevens and he a general animal hunter. He was holding poisonous snakes by their necks, catching a violent turtles and showing how violent it could be by pushing his foot into its mouth! All that comes to mind is why.... why would you do that, it's like having a death wish. Steve Irwins death was ironic, he wasn't even trying to catch the animal or aggravate it, he was just doing a normal documentary on jellyfish. But it was strange how this time he was the one under threat.

What I miss about Guyana....

I miss waking up and seeing my Granny every morning, we'd have to hug each other first before we did anything else. She would then put on her classic Gospel music and then open up the veranda doors and some of the windows in the house. She would then go to sit down on the veranda for 30 Min's or so, to watch Georgetown wake up. I liked joining her, it was peaceful, i loved being around my grandmother, we got a long so well, i was soo much like her. For breakfast, as she always did when i was a child, she'd pour me a glass of orange juice in my favorite glass, the one I've used since i was a child, then she'd make breakfast.

I miss the hot sun and the noisy traffic on the road. The bus conductors risked their lives every time they were working on a bus, because they'd skillfully hang onto the inside of the bus with one hand and wave people in with the other, this all happened when the bus was moving.
I miss the old sweet shops at the corner. The sweets the shops sold were always kept in a big glass jar, for some reason they'd looked more mouth watering that way.

I miss the music that would blare out of peoples houses on the main road on the way into the market. I miss the ice cone man who sold refreshing ice cones for 10$ on the street corner. I miss eating fudge from that one market stall in Georgetown i use to buy it from. I miss sitting in the bus when i would go to see my family in new Amsterdam or Linden and looking through the window at the fields, palm trees and sea. I miss feeling the breeze on my face.

I miss going to my granny's church and sitting waiting for communion to come because i liked how the bread tasted, i miss asking my granny for sweets during the Church services. I miss going to my auntie Marilyn's house, going around town with her and her taking me to see her friends. I miss the food. I miss falling to sleep at the sound of the crickets and the hum of the fan when lying in bed under a netting.

I miss the friendly faces and smiling passerbyers who would say hi even if they didn't know me. I miss getting tired after being out in the sun all day and just sliding down into a chair and falling asleep to a black and white movie. I miss home.

The song has some truth!

Unlike a lot of songs nowadays where all the artistes are singing about is sex and the general physicality's of being in a relationship (or in most cases an open relationship), it's refreshing to hear artistes who actually take time to sing about the natural feelings of love and what being in a relationship actually means.

When i first heard Danity Kanes' 'Ride for you', i loved it. This is 5 member girl group, compiled by P Diddy, they sing, dance and have personality. This song of theirs basically speaks about being there for someone and staying with them throughout the good and bad seasons (this is depicted by seasons of the year in their video). I just thought that this was different because there's a line in the last part of the song which state 'oh, don't tell me that we've gotta let it go, we've been on top for too long just to let it go under....i don't want to start off with another..' and i personally feel this is quite deep. instead of moving on and going onto the next relationship, it's makes you think 'hang on this takes work, it's not going to work out by itself' and encourages both people in that relationship to work at it.
I think the main reason I like this song is because it denotes commitment which is not a popular word in our society today. Obviously be wise in relationships and don't let songs or rash feelings make decisions for you, think things through, but what i admire is that the song is encouraging people to stick through things, it's a reality, it's not going to be peachy all the time, maybe in the beginning but not always.

What happened to the positive black TV families?

My favourite American black sitcoms have have all stopped showing. Well the Cosby Show and Diff'rent Strokes (which I've started watching recently) stopped years ago...but i have to say i do miss sitcoms like those which show the black family in a positive light. I was sad when i was watching the last episode of The Fresh Prince of Belaire, this show was my weekly dose of jokes. The Cosby show takes me back to my childhood days, when i watch the classic re-runs now it's like I'm taking a dive back into the 80's. The most recent black sitcom to end is the Hilarius My Wife and Kids, when i my friend had told me that the producers had stopped filming the show i thought 'arrgh what am i going to watch now!'. Not to say these are the only type of TV i watch but they're the only ones i can really relate to.

The one thing these sitcoms have in common is, they're all American! I'm trying to think now...i don't recall any black British sitcoms...oh wait 'Desmond's' was one, that was great, Desmond was the owner of a barbershop and most of the comedy happened right there, it was soo funny. Oh and i remember that he was of Guyanese heritage! This showed around the early 90's and stopped filming after Desmond's death.

I'm trying to think of any other show..there was 'Baby father' which aired around 2002 and ended shortly after. Oh and then there was the seriously unfunny sitcom which i can't even remember the name of! and not to forget the popular comedy sketch show 'The Real McCoy' which was like the black communities answer to 'Goodness Gracious Me'.

Anyhow, although a few black comedies have aired on TV, there hasn't been any quality black sitcoms like the good old Cosby Show. I miss watching the warm, loving and successful black Dr Huxtable teach and educate his happy children beside his equally successful wife. Things like this aren't on TV anymore, and i just don't understand why. The only black family i see on TV are on Eastenders and it's not very positive. Black families are hardly ever shown on TV nowadays and when they are shown, they seem to be struggling, working menial jobs, unglamorous and disappointing. Why can't they convey BOTH the successes and struggles together, like any other race, black people are not always poor. Why can't the son's be successful and daughters be ambitious, instead of being portrayed as 'no good' and a threat.

My question is why can't black families be shown more positively on television here, in the same way that black families in America are portrayed?

Rain Rain go away!!

Oh my gosh! hasn't the weather taken a dreary, windy plunge this week!?

I was very pleased with the hot weather a week and a half ago and was looking forward to it getting better. But then, the weather did become hot quite early in the year... so we might be experiencing April showers in May.

Looking at the extended forecast, it seems that more rain is coming. So all of you out there who have Afro's, it's cornrow time, make sure your hair is wrapped up nicely. I had to do mine in twists fast, my hair is not for this weather! It prefers nice, hot and sunny weather! But, truthfully, my hair thrives in hot weather, well i was born in Guyana and lived there for 6 years, so it's just what my hair is use to. When I was in the USA and the Guyana for a 2.5 months my hair grew much more in those two months than it did when i was in the UK. I think it's also to do with the hard and soft water too. Apparently (not questioning whether it's true, its that I'm unsure) the water here is hard, and Afro hair doesn't benefit from this. That's the difficult thing, for me, for 75% of the year I have to take extra good care of my hair and so now you know why i'm wishing for a hot summer! Anyway, just as long as the summer is hot, I'm not bothered, it's exam season anyway so having to stay in because of bad whether is probably a blessing in disguise!

Disney fantastic!!

Cheetah Girls 2, Jump In, High School Musical and That's So Raven are a few of the shows that broadcast weekly on the Disney Channel. That's So Raven is a kids comedy, full of antics and animation. Kid actress Raven Simone is the main star who has psychic ability which is always getting her in trouble!
I'm a big fan of the films Cheetah girls 2, Jump in and High school musical, they're all packed with song, dance and drama for the whole family. Parents don't have to worry about explicit content, because they're all Disney films, they're kid friendly!

The catchy songs and skilled dance moves will have you and your bro's sis's and even parents singing and dancing along. You're never too old for these type of films.

Big up to the Disney Channel!

Ding! Ding! Round 8!

Super model Tyra Banks is back with cycle 8 of America's Next Top Model. This cycle seems to be the most ecclectic of all the cycles. Every girl seems to be an amalgamation of past characters times 10! We are at episode 11 and there are four girls left, cha cha diva Jaslene, mouthy mum Rene, Russian girl Natasha and talkative Dionne. All girls are strong and the competition is on. Usually the winners seem to alternate between black and white every cycle, last cycle Caridee won and so i'm expecting that either Jaslene or Dionne could take the America's Next Top Model title home. oooh it's a hard one, but we'll have to wait and see.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0, a phrase coined by O'Reilly Media in 2004,^[1] refers to a perceived second-generation of Web based communities and hosted services — such as social networking sites, wikis and folksonomies — that facilitate collaboration and sharing between users. O'Reilly Media titled a series of conferences around the phrase, and it has since become widely adopted.

Though the term suggests a new version of the Web, it does not refer to an update to World Wide Web technical specifications, but to changes in the ways systems developers have used the web platform. According to Tim O'Reilly, "Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform." ^[2]

Some technology experts, notably Tim Berners-Lee, have questioned whether one can use the term in a meaningful way, since many of the technology components of "Web 2.0" have existed since the beginnings of the World Wide Web.^[3]

The 'Eye Candy' era

As my mum says, "Today's music has gone to the dogs!"

Well, I don't agree entirely with my ma, but I do think that music has gone down hill, it's not about the quality anymore, just the looks. Take for example, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross, all are powerful R&B singers whose careers have lasted. Their voices tell a melodic story that encapsulates everyone who listens, no one can can doubt their talent.

But nowadays singers seem to come as often as the 197 bus to Peckham, they all seem to look the same and they can't carry a tune! Unlike our (or our parents ) most loved singers, today's artistes do not have any individuality. There's a whole lot of quantity but not a lot of quality.

MTV and all the other music channels are churning these generic artistes out one by one and the shocking thing is people are buying it! But you know what? They all fit into today's fashion conscious, aesthetically pleasing society, where a pretty face sells more than good music. It's disappointing because it means that people who can actually sing but don't 'look the part' won't get a chance.

Take Cassie for example, pretty face but can't sing, Lumidee (for those of you who remember Busta Rhymes featured in her Uh Oh video) can't sing and most recently Mr Sanjaya, can't sing! amongst others.... All have a look, but no voice.

I'm not being mean at all just stating the obvious.

Maybe the meaning of singing has changed.
Lets take a look:
1 make musical sounds with the voice, especially words with a set tune. 2 perform (a song) in this way. 3 (of a bird) make characteristic melodious whistling and twittering sounds.

Maybe now it's:
1. To dress well and have a pretty face 2. To have have basic knowledge in singing, nothing special 3. To have limited talent, if you are already well known, this is a bonus

It's undoubtedly all about advertising. Record labels are basically selling a product, these Eye Candy artistes can earn stashes of cash without actually having a 'good' voice. Appearance comes first and voice comes secondary to that.

I remember browsing through You Tube and finding a video of Cassie singing 'Me and You' live. It was horrendous, I had to laugh. (I'm sorry) Firstly the singing was off key, she had two backing singers to support her voice and the track was playing in the background. I'm not being funny but, the song isn't a Mary J Blige hit where backing singers are there to compliment and harmonise the song, no, in Cassie's case they were there to cover up her lack of vocal talent!

Now Mary J Blige, Faith Evans, Kelly Price are all singers who definitely don't need back up singers. Their voices are and still is amazing. However these 90's female singers were not marketed on their appearance, though they looked well, their voice sold it for them, it wasn't about looks at all.

Long live the raw classic talent.

The Pursuit Of Happiness

The Pursuit Of Happiness stars Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith. This is film is an accoint of a true life story, where a single father is left homeless after his divorce and struggles to make ends meat selling his inventions. At the same time he pursues an unpaid internship in hopes to get the high paying job at the cost of living out of a suitcase and finding a place to sleep every night.

I can honestly say that Will Smiths performance in this film is incredible, this is the best acting i've seen him do so far. His real life son is obviously following in his fathers foot steps and skill, he too does an excellent job.

The film makes the everyday reality of life apparant, it's struggles, ups, downs, everything. I think that everyone who has seen this film can relate to it in one way or another. It could make you cry, make you realise that you're not alone when you've been through the heavy times in life, make you thankful to God that you've made it through alive and encourage you not to give up. I love the biblical undertones of the film that tells the audience not to give up because the hardship is only for a while and even though it seems like it won't end, it will and when it's over you'll appreciate the fruits of it even more.

Definately one to watch if you haven't already watched it.

Spiderman goes emo!

I wouldn't say that I'm a huge spiderman fan, but I've watched the first and the second one and so I had to watch the third. This is all courtesy of my little brother who use to eat, sleep and drink everything Marvel, not anymore though, he's eleven now and so finds Yu-gi-oh and Drake and Josh, a little more interesting.

I was looking forward to the film because the previews looked so good. I was ready to see some fighting action.

Warning! Here comes a spoiler for those who haven't seen it yet-

BUT, I wasn't expecting to see Peter Parker sporting the emo look and bustin' John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, moves. It was funny...suprisingly funny. It was kind of weird too, because, as you followers of Spiderman would know, the character of Peter Parker is the total opposite. Well I suppose that's the whole point because he changes from the red Spiderman to the black Spiderman and this transition is not only physical but mental too; he changes into his alter ego. Geeky Peter Parker turns into an arrogant womaniser (with a side fringe and black eye liner) who thinks hes 'all that and a bag of chips'.
The producers obviously took advantage of the change by adding some humur to it. But I'm not sure if it fit in, but it was funny, my mouth was open in shock for about 5 mins.

Anyhow I liked the moral themes of the film. They stood out. Commitment, being yourself (and not letting power change you) and forgiveness. There were a few lines with pearls of wisdom for they guys, so pay attention men.

Modern Design

Design*Sponge is a blog that showcases cool modern home and product design, trends, design reviews and sales as well as promoting any other type of design you can think of. If you want to get the latest information on whats hot in the design world, this site has it all.


The site is run by NYC based writer Grace Bonney and has been running since 2004.

The eye candy elements of the site are made up of cool pastel and rich colours in the banner, the same colour scheme is used throughout the blog. The font of the Logo and the pebble shaped images, compliments the colourful design.

The photographs of the various products also compliments the design of the page, as they too can be seen as elements which add to the pages creativity, it's almost as if they are pieces of artwork themselves.

The square, boxed allgined composition of the page makes it readable and easy on the eye, everything is spaced pretty evenly and set out in a way that makes it easy to see. The font used for the main writing suits the blog well. It's plain and simple.

Each page has the same pastel green back ground in it which again pulls it all together and keeps it simple. The navigation at the top are clear and have the same font as the mast head, only smaller. The design sales promotions are on the right hand side of the page and there are adverts of other design products on the left hand side, ranging from designer handbags, furniture, keyrings and paintings.

I think what this site shows is that less is more. It lets the content speak for itslef. If it had a lot of graphics, I think it would look confusing and wouldn't create the minimalist composition that it exhibits.

Artistically Brilliant

When I was searching for blogs I liked, I came across a blog with a title that stood out called 'The French Toast Girl'. I thought it was a funny title so I clicked it and was immediately presented with a colourful, creative page of art work.

This blogsite is a portfolio of art in all it's forms, Abstract paintings, sketches and fine art.

The artist Elena Nazzaro is a illustrator and water colourist. This site showcases her talent in a relaxed, enjoyable and fun way. French Tast Girl- (as she calls herself) keeps her artist lover audience up to date with her work with a laid back account of what she's done, how she did it and what she plans to do next.

French Toast Girl has lovely, colourful and fun illustrations of people from different races and dream-like abstract art. She mainy focuses on the human form and expressions.
Her artwork actually reminds me of Roald Dahl illustrations, it has a very child friendly appearance and I could easily imagine these being illustrations on a childrens book.

This site is not a rigid portfolio of artwork but it's like a journal of the French Toast Girl's everyday life, as she mentions her motherly tasks when tells her readers about a page she found in a magazine, that she took advice from, which had the writing 'Be gentle with yourself'.

In the 'about' section she mentions'
'The basic philosophy of the french toast girl site is this: life (like french toast) is made up of simple ingredients that combine to make up a marvelous concoction we often take for granted. It's time to relish all the wonderful flavors in your life. And by the way, if you aren't crazy about the way your life tastes, remember: you're the one who controls how much sweetness goes on top, or if it's soggy and underdone'
I think this is a cool analogy of seeing things. It's inspirational and makes me want to get more out of life.

When I use to do Art and Design, it was a neccessity to always make a written and illustrated log of my thoughts and ideas to show my progression throughout a project. This site is kind of like an online logbook of the bloggers artwork. It's probably an online CV of her work too.

I would give this site a 9/10. It's eyecathing and inspiring, it makes me want to pick my paint brush up again. It's easy to navigate and the blogger gives the viewer external links to other works that she has done.

A creatively cool site!

Right and wrong

I came across this video on the YouTube Website when I was searching for a clip of 'The Tyra Banks show' when she talks about becoming westernised for the modelling world.
Instead of being able to get that clip, I came across this one. The title read, 'Tyra stands up for her gay friends'. I saw it and thought, oh ok, thats interesting let me have a look, sounds deep.
Whilst watching it, I questioned myself on the topic and then asked God about it.

I thought it was very brave for the the Phelps family to go on national TV to tackle such a controversial issue from the view of a Christian. I think that their intent is right, they want people to know about God as God has asked. I think where they may have gone sideways on the matter is on their approach, they did not appear very loving, which is opposite to what God wants us to be.

Mark 12:31 says 'And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.'

My take on the disscussion and how it played out is that a lot of what is said from the Phelps is biblically correct, their approach however is not a good one. Sometimes they came across as a bit aggressive and i don't think that this is a sound representation of God.

Following Jesus is not about being better than others or being perfect, it's about giving your ways over to God and letting Him be your guide and ruler of your life. We shouldn't judge or discriminate either.

However Tyra's reactions are expected and I wasn't surprised at them. The bible explains that non-Christians will disagree with the word of God and it will be foolishness to them.
1 Cor 2:14
'But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.'

Tyra has been known to be very giving and kind to her fans and audiences, she has a sort of 'spiritual' moral side to her. At some moments in her shows she may mention God and his blessings etc. But funnily enough on this occassion when she is part of a heated and controversial disscussion she doesn't seem to regard God at all.

1 Timothy chapter 3:5 'Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.'

However, she has a few points that are considerable, like when she asks the two daughters why they watch ANTM if they are against homosexuality, that question seems to stall them.
This takes me to the scripture below:

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." 1 Peter 3:15

According to Gods word, this is what He says about homosexuality:

'For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.

Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.' Romans 1:26-27

I know i'm bombarding this comment with scriptures but I want to show you what the bible says, it's not good enough for me to just say things. (which could be misinterpreted as my own perceptions)

Foundamentally, I do agree that homosexuality is wrong, but my approach to the whole issue would be to love those who are like that and pray for them. Pointing the finger is judgemental and worthless because it's like something I heard the other day when you point at someone there are four fingers pointing back at you.

What do you think?

A piece of Heaven

Reading Christian Minister Mignon Murrells accounts of Angels, Gods word and Healing really encouraged me. I felt a piece of heaven when I read it, it is anointed.Questions that I've had in my mind were answered through her sharing her experiences. This site is very encouraging and i'm glad I came across it.
Highly recommended.

The not so fairytale

I remember when I use to get lost watching Cinderella.
The happy, magical parts were my favourites. Like when she is transformed into the 'bell of the ball' and is given a horse and carriage by her fairy God mother.

I'd imagine that when I grew up I'd have the fairy tale life, a charming prince who'd marry me, live in a really big mansion and have lots of money. My fantasy didn't include bad moments or sad times.

But hang on, didn't Cinderella lose her mother, then her father and was taken in by her evil step mother? She was treated like a servant by her step mother and her 'ugly' step sisters tormented her like crazy.

So why is it that we wear fairytale tinted glasses and totally ignore the struggles we saw in our favourite films by focusing on the magical ending?

Remember, Cinderella had her share of problems too.
So did Snow White, Bambi, Simba, Ariel and a whole cast of other Disney characters. Whether they'd lost a parent, their entire family,their soul or their soul mate, all of them had to endure heart ache, struggles and pain before they got to the best part of their lives and were happy again.

But did you notice how much happier they were when trial and tribulations are over?
"Weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning" Psalm 30:5

It's as if by going through lifes challenging times not only helps us to appreciate what we have and how much we value people but it makes us realise that God has better plans for our lives and that nothing we go through is in vain or lasts forever, even though it may feel like you're trapped and things won't ever change.

God loves us now, tommorow and forever. He never changes.

In the testing situations we face, we need to take time to realise that we can make it through. You have to tell yourself that there will be a day when it'll all be over and you'll think, 'how did I ever make it through without having a nervous breakdown, go into depression or commit suicide?

Thank God each and everyday. He is worthy and He is able.

Just as Hercules was sent to earth to save the world. Jesus did the same.

God sent Him to show the vulnerable, imperfect people that we are, how to live, how to love and how to regain the lost relationship with God that we once had.

He is our Salvation in those times when crying is all we could do. We don't even know who to talk to because we feel that 'no one understands...God is listening.

We are not our hair, but we should be proud of it

Black women are always talking about hair, it's our crown and glory. like many women I too have gone through dozens of hairstyles from the curly perm to the cornrow. Whether you have long , short , thick, thin or soft hair, this issue always seems to crop up in conversation. I'm sure many of you can relate to me when I say hair has been an issue since our childhood because according to our parents we are representing them.

Appearance was everything and still is everything....

As we know slavery has a lot to do with how we see our selves in modern society. I know many people may think that, that was centuries ago, well it was, but the psychological aftermath of it can still be seen in how black people see themselves today.

I've always had discussions on what the good hair, bad hair thing is all about with my best friend and we both have come to the same conclusions. Good hair is opposite to the norms of the black hair, straight and commercial. Well to me this sounds all too similar to European hair, which ironically, we could never posses. This is why black sites which insistently preach black roots and black struggles in society and refers to black hair as 'tuff, unmanageable, kinky' etc gets me annoyed because they give a negative connotation to the make up of our hair (therefore pointing to a standard of hair) instead of encouraging black women on how to love their hair and themselves.

I came across the blog site 'The Angry Black Woman' which covers cultural, cosmetic, social etc issues concerning black women from an opinionated point of view. This site has some good elements to it. The writer discusses her personal experience of her hair from childhood to adulthood. She also confronts the good hair, bad hair terminology that we use and she's honest about how she feels about her own hair.
One thing that I don't like about this, is that although her blog reads well and there are elements which any black woman could identify with, towards the end i feel that she re-iterates what we are trying to get away from. In the beginning she states her struggles of dealing with her hair and then at the end she almost seems enlightened when she finds out that she actually has 'white girl hair'. It's worrying and concerning, because it shows how confused we are about our identity.

One day during my sophomore year I stepped out of the shower, looked in the mirror, and noticed something extraordinary. Half of my hair was wavy. Really wavy. Trying to be curly. This was the top half, the bottom half was straight - leftover from my last relaxer, so many months before. I never knew that my hair was wavy/curly, I always thought it was just bushy, kinky, and untamable.

What else was I supposed to think? I had black people's hair.Good hair, certainly, because it was thick and styleable. But certainly not
I decided to let my natural hair grow out to see what it really looked like. The result: I have fabulous hair, y'all. I have, naturally, the hair I always dreamed of having. It curls in coils/ringlets and will either curl in big locks or small sections, giving me a modicum of control over the amount of body it has. I have white girl hair.

I appreciate her honesty, as she's saying things that a lot of black woman are probably afraid to say, but at the same time she's giving mixed messages to her readers. It's as if she's saying that for most of her life she had to 'deal' with her natural hair instead of embrace it and as soon as she found out her hair was curlier and wavier it was like 'a breath of fresh air'- she no longer had to deal with the 'burden' of having natural black hair.This again is just another representation of how confused we can be as a race, like many say, we have been westernised and as a result we've been taught what beauty should look like- and it's everything but being black with thick hair.
She even notices this herself.

Now wait a damn minute, you're saying. Didn't we just go over black people's hair esteem issues and didn't you basically express an opinion that wanting hair like white people's is bad? I did, yeah. But that's an intellectual view of the situation. Emotionally, I was so happy to have white girl hair I flaunted it all over the place. I found the perfect product to keep it from going over into frizzyness and proceeded to flip, play with, and highlight the merits of my hair every chance I got. I went a little crazy for a while

This exhausts me and perplexes the issue even more.

My take on the whole issue is that I disagree with the good hair bad hair thing, it's like saying if your hair isn't a certain texture, have more defined curls, then this means you have bad hair. At the end of the day your hair condition comes down to maintenance. If you don't look after your hair, eat properly or generally look after yourself then your hair will show it. Obviously different genetics equals equals different people with different hairtypes. But why should there be a standard? Why should black woman aspire to have hair that only Latinos, whites and Asians have? There is absolutely nothing wrong with black hair, it's abundant, full bodied and beautiful. We need to focus on our self esteem and confidence then hopefully we'll learn to love ourselves and not put ourselves down.

We are made in our Fathers image (everyone) we all need to stop looking around at each other and comparing ourselves. We need to love our individuality and not give in to thinking and changing ourselves to fit the schedule of the World, it's forever changing. Black women, love yourselves, in your skin, hair, features- everything.

As India Arie says: We are not our hair. (that's not the most important thing)

The Hippie Shopper

The Hippie Shopper blog advertises environmentally friendly toys, food, clothes and products. Both Eco-lovers and those interested in Eco-friendly things would enjoy this site. It's not entirely an original idea, but this site holds it's information together quite well.

It tells its readers about unusual new Eco-friendly inventions like the 'Compact sit-down shopping cart' which is intended to encourage people to stop using their cars when shopping. I'm not an organic follower, but after looking at the site I've become interested in the different products and clothing they advertise. This site advertises things which could potentially be boring and turns it into innovative and interesting ideas.

straight faced teenagers

I'm walking into a 155 bus full of Chestnut grove secondary students, minding my own business and generally avoiding eye contact to hide my tiredness. It's eight something in the morning but that doesn't seem to stop teenagers from talking non stop and playing their music for everyone to hear. well I use to talk just as much when I was their age, so I can't complain. I randomly look behind me and notice that there's a familiar young boy (who lives in my area) on the bus. I haven't seen him in a while. Eager to say hi, I smile and say a ' how are you'. In response, I'm greeted with a stiff nod. This is the same boy who used to shout 'hi' and wave to me from across the street. His tall height, black cap and serious expression looks nothing like the happy, carefree, fun-loving 12 year old he used to be. But he's only 14? whats changed within two years?

I look ahead and see another young boy on the bus who used to happily speak to me after church service. Now, my presence is ignored and he pretends that he doesn't notice me. What has happened to these teenage boys? I think it's more than puberty.

I'm taken back by it all. I don't understand. I mean, I look back at how I was at their age and yes I did have my my moments but I would usually snap out of them whenever I was out and saw someone I knew. I was taught manners; to respect your elders. Am I the only one who thinks this? I think being cool has taken on a new meaning.

I pray that my little brother doesn't change his sweet character and re-in act the 'Kevin' transformation of becoming a teenager. There seems to be a law that I can't see, one that tells these youngsters that they have to wear a hood, low jeans and swagger when they walk to earn street cred. Saying hello is no longer being mannerly, it's being foolish. As my mum asks 'is being a teenager about being rude and moody?'

well maybe it is?.......what do you think?