My Little Brother's 8 today!!

Happy Birthday Jabari!

Fashionista Fridays: Blue Magic Update & Forever21 Nails

A week ago I installed these 2strand-twist using Blue Magic hair grease [ooooh yea so tabo]. Well...the results are in aaaannnnnddd...I love this stuff. I've come to the conclusion that while this stuff weighed down the crap out of my relaxed hair, my natural hair loves it. It's helped my retain so much moisture and it makes my hair super shiny. 

In the two pix above I re-twisted a few twist in the front [after wetting in the shower] and applied a tad bit more grease. As I unraveled my hair it felt really soft. Because I didn't notice any extreme build up I will wash next week. I only re-twisted the front to freshen up the look. As of right now...Blue magic may be my hair's holy grail!

To be honest I'm really not into painting my nails. I have to be extremely bored, have an ample amount of time on my hands or it has to be a special occasion. But theeen [lol] I saw this picture on Forever21's Facebook page and since two of my classes got canceled yesterday I thought I'd give it a try. I can't say I'll be willing to waste another 20 mins of my life doing this anytime soon, but I think the results are pretty cute. 

NEVER do this rushing is my only advice! Of course I had to put my own little spin on it with the glitter...I like glitter don't judge! I just pray that between washing my dishes, washing my hands and washing myself this fancy little get up lasts through the weekend!

Thriller Thursdays:SB Cruise 2012

Ok..please don't hate me guys :( something's up with my camera editing software so it's taking me a minute to get the footage together...till then...we can still look at some of the pictures of my adventures! Yeeeaaaa you liked that :) lol

These pix are actually from when we stopped in Cozumel [Mexico]. I liiiiived for this! I had never encountered a rocky beach before this! There was some sand, but as you can see it was mostly rock. Beautiful.

W.O.W= work+out+wednesdays: progression pics

I have a long way to go if I want to make oxygen LoL! 

I'm proud of myself though! my arms have always been twiggy so its cool to see

them all buffed up! I'm contemplating whether I'm in good enough shape for 

a bikini competition. I've been checking a few out but based on pics from 

previous shows I still have a ways to go...

Oh well! Gotta start somewhere! 

This looks like a good start to me!

Workout Wednesdays: JLovesMac1's Brazilian Butt Lift

The only time I really invest in doing at how dvd work out's is during the summer. This is because usually its too hot outside to go jogging and because my University's recreational center is closed (and I don't want to pay for a membership anywhere else). However, if you're into at home work out you may want to give this a try! I'm definitely considering adding it to my summer list! 

Tasty Tuesdays: How I survived my vegetarian weeks

Ok let's recap! The first week of March, I went on a 7 day cruise in which I through all my healthy eating habits  overboard. I definitely paid for it when I got back home only to discover that I felt sluggish, my metabolism had slowed down and I gained 5lbs. Why did I become so obsessed with shaking these 5lbs? 1. I needed to get my self-discipline back or else those habits would continue which meant more than likely I would continue to gain weight on to high of an increasing rate. 2. I aspire to be a bikini/fitness model so the gut had to go.

I challenged myself to be vegetarian for a week but what ended up happening was I bought more than enough groceries which managed to keep my fridge full for about 2 weeks. After I completed the second week [and lost the 5lbs] I had every intention of starting back up with my fish and ground turkeys, but when ever I reach for it in the freezer I felt guilty! Not the guilt from eating some poor little fluffy animal (because I love meat as much as the next person). I felt guilt like I was cheating on my challenge. Thus, I continued to my "vegetarianism" into week 3. 

I'm not declaring vegetarian (as a matter of fact, the other night I went out with some friend I had 4 chicken wings lol --and later felt guilty about it?!?!). I'm not sure how long I will keep this up! Especially since Theresa over at The fame of health and fitness is about to make April's fitness challenge a vegetarian month -__-. We shall see! 

Here's a list of some of the things I've been eating:

• home-made soup in my Betty Crocker crockpot. (carrots, celery, parshnips, potatoes, onions) 
• Salads with spinach rather than ice berg lettuce (spinach has more nutrients). I usually sweet peppers, carrots, almonds and a teaspoon or so of organic light Goddess dressing
• smoothies with yogurt and frozen fruits
• protein shakes ( this month I am trying out vanilla Whey rather than my syntha 6, so far, not in love with it
• whole fruits (bananas, apples, oranges)
• protein pancakes
• hard boiled eggs
• pasta variations (as in I'll add random veggies to my pasta..usually no sauce)
• sweet potato fries
• Organic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches :) (I've actually been slowing down on the pb&js since I've been introduced to the protein pancakes
• veggie/ soy patties ( I haven't been eating them as burgers, I usually cut them up and add them to my salad or pasta.

Here are the two brands that I tried over the past two weeks. Each pack contains 4 patties. I honestly prefer Morning Star rather than the  Boca brand. Here's my review/comparison:

• Both are of good quality and the actually really do resemble meat (which really helped get through the weeks) However, Morning Star cost more than the Boca brand
• Both "chicken patties" taste like chicken, but I prefer the M.S. They seem to have more flavor like McDonalds or where the Boca Burgers remind me of Wendy's chicken. *disclosure I don't eat fast food but I remember always favoring Mickey Ds chicken rather than Wendys*
• I've always been a fan of morning starts Veggie patties so those work delish as expected. Maybe this portion of the review isn't fair though because I haven't gotten to the Boca Veggie patty yet so sit tight.

When I buy again I'll be sticking to Morning Star (at least the "chicken"). I prefer there taste. However, if you are looking to save a dollar and some change, you may want to go with Boca. 

*I purchased everything from Walmart with my own money :) 

Motivational Mondays: Swagger Jackers

        We scratched the surface of this topic months ago but now I'm ready to dig a little deeper. Remember when you first went natural and everyone looked at you like you had ten heads? Remember when you decided you wanted to make your health first priority? You started waking up extra early in the morning to go to the gym and even started shopping in natural and organic grocery stores and started buying protein shakes and all that healthy crap? People lost their minds! And let's not even talk about your passion for the great outdoors! Meditating, camping, rock climbing, running 5ks.

      Total. Outcast. But for you, solitude is bliss! Your individuality totally defines who you are! Who cares what everybody else thinks and what they're doing! All that matters is you are doing what makes you happy and THAT, that's good enough for you.

And then...it happens. Perms fade. TWA's become the new black. Bohemian, natural and organic all become main stream. Yoga is where it's at. Everything that proclaims your uniqueness is the new fad and you just get lost in the sauce. Your "swag" has officially been jacked.

That was my clever vent. For a while I was beginning to feel like that. I use to get picked on, talked about AND ostracized because I was "weird". It really use to eat at me. What made it worst was when people started mimicing the same stuff I was after they looking down on me about the same things! And then to but the icing on the cake, I wouldn't receive credit for anything! But real recognizes real. 

So how do we deal with the swagger jackers? We embrace them! Why? :

• It let's us know we are actually doing something right! Imagine! People want to be like YOU! Your not a total outcast after all!
• It's a great opportunity to show your expertise. S.J. are usually superficial. They do things because it looks cool but that doesn't necessarily mean there's a passion behind it.
• Chronic S.J.s usually are searching for themselves. Instead of getting your panties in a bunch and whining "Stop copying me!" try encouraging them. Sometimes self discovery is a little difficult..imagine if we all had a little guidance.
• Maybe...juuuust maybe they're not jacking your swag after all! Maybe they made the discovery a little later than you and are growing a love for it. It never hurts to have a couple things in common with someone. Who knows maybe that person will turn out and become your best friend! 
• Piggy backing off of the previous point, you may actually be able to learn something from the S.J!!

   Ultimately I needed a few friends to break it down for me to get past this lol. But unless you're a swagger jacker yourself, no one can truly take away your individuality. Our unique personalities, our up bringings, how we live our lives from day to day, those are things that separate us from the mass. So keep doing what you do trendsetters! *Whispers behind hand* They can't keep up!

Update via Youtube

Enjoy :)

Scholarships & Internships

Journalism (Communications/ Broadcast/ Graphic Design/Etc):

• Scholarships:

http://www.collegegreekbooks.org/cashaward.html
http://www.dcinternships.org/IPJ/Awards/index.asp

• Internships:

http://interactiveone.com/
http://profinterns.disneycareers.com/en/default/
http://www.wctv.tv
http://www.thejudahcollection.com/
http://www.dcinternships.org/IPJ



***If you would like me to post specific scholarships/ internships for your major please leave a comment saying what your major is!

Scholarly Sundays: "Woman at Point Zero"

      This is my current reading for my Women's Lit class. Boy does my professor know how to pick a great novel! [Thank Jesus! It's a skill apparently most professors don't have..]. As You can see I checked this book out in the library and even though I'm only about 70% finished, I will be ordering this just to have it in my collection!  

Here's a summary via SparkNotes:

" In Woman at Point Zero, Nawal El Saadawi describes her experiences as a psychiatrist in Egypt, studying the psychological effects of prison on female prisoners. She states in her introduction that when she was conducting these studies, she had no idea that one day she would be imprisoned by the government. On one visit to Qanatir prison, Nawal meets a doctor who tells her that there is a prisoner there who is truly remarkable. She is awaiting the death penalty for killing a man, but the doctor cannot believe that this woman is capable of killing anyone. He wrote out a request for a pardon, but the condemned woman refused to sign it. Nawal desperately wants to meet with this woman, named Firdaus, but Firdaus keeps refusing to meet with her. Finally, the day before she is to be put to death, Firdaus agrees to meet with Nawal. 

Nawal goes to Firdaus’s cell, and Firdaus commands her to sit on the ground. Firdaus begins to tell her life story. She was born into an extremely poor family in the countryside. Her father often beat her mother; sometimes he beat her as well. Firdaus used to play in the fields with other children. A boy named Mohammadain was her special playmate, and when they were young, they used to play “bride and bridegroom.” Firdaus got pleasure from her sexual experiments with Mohammadain. One day, her mother performed a clitoridectomy on her, and after that, Firdaus is no longer allowed to play with Mohammadain, nor does she ever feel sexual pleasure in the same way. Soon, Firdaus’s mother and father die, and Firdaus is sent to live with her uncle, a sometime scholar, who lives in Cairo.

At first, everything goes well for Firdaus in Cairo. She and her uncle get along well, and she is allowed to go to school, which she loves. She and her uncle share a bed and are close. Her uncle gets married and the new wife does not like Firdaus, so Firdaus is sent to a boarding school. Firdaus is an excellent student and works hard. Unlike the other girls, she does not fantasize about boys and marriage. She spends most of her time at the library and in the courtyard, where she encounters a teacher named Miss Iqbal, with whom she forms a friendship. When Firdaus graduates, she is given an award, but she and her family are not at the ceremony, so Miss Iqbal accepts it for Firdaus. When school is over, Firdaus’s uncle comes to get her.

Back at her uncle’s house, Firdaus is miserable. One night, she overhears her aunt and uncle discussing whether they will marry Firdaus to her aunt’s old uncle, Sheikh Mahmoud. He is sixty and has a facial deformity. Firdaus runs away, but while she is on the streets, she is terrified by the strange men who approach her, so she returns home. They marry her to Sheikh Mahmoud. He is selfish and stingy and beats Firdaus. His facial deformity is a large swelling on his chin with a hole in the middle that leaks pus. After one bad beating, Firdaus runs away. She ends up in a coffee shop, where she meets Bayoumi, the coffee shop owner. She goes with him to his apartment. At first Bayoumi is kind to Firdaus. Then Firdaus announces that she wants to get a job, and Bayoumi is enraged. He beats her and begins to lock her in the apartment when he leaves. He brings his friends home and allows them to have sex with her. Firdaus escapes with the help of a neighbor and flees Bayoumi’s apartment for the city...." 

Spontaneous Saturdays: MEN to love: Miami Heat

This is powerful! Good job guys!

Fashionista Fridays: Blue Magic Hair Grease

 Some of you aren't going to like this post just because of the title. I'm expecting some people to give me extensive lectures on why I shouldn't use this product and I'm also prepared to be called a hypocrite (as I too believed that such a disgrace to the natural hair world). But please...bare with me...and pull out your open minded caps.

Upon taking out my mini twist earlier this week I went through the "I need to buy a new product" phase. With other natural icons including Curlynikki, AfricanExports and NaturalChic coming out and confessing their use of hair grease that contained "no-no" ingredients like petroleum and mineral oil I can't lie..I became a little curious.

What had me sold on revisiting some of these products was the fact that everyone who had success using them said they weren't putting the product near their scalp which kept the scalp build up free, which means no clogging of pores, no slowing of hair growth, etc. Moreover, they claimed these products to be the ULTIMATE sealant.

So yesterday while picking up some conditioner (Hello Hydration) I ventured to the "ethnic hair section" and picked up some Blue Magic (coconut) hair grease. One, its a product that I'm familiar with; my mom use to use it on my hair as a child. Two, it was only $2.99 for a 12oz jar.

It's only been on day but dare I say it? I think my hair loves this stuff :( LoL. After rinsing my conditioner out I didn't add anything to my hair so I could see how the raw product would work on my hair. You know when you put product in your hair and it just feels right... :( It was too good to be true! And yet..it was true! It gave me sealed in the moisture, added light hold, provided slip AND added shine! (I applied it to each [wet] section of hair as I twisted. 

 

Long sigh, it's going to be an adjustment mentally, but before I make the final decision on whether this will be a stable or not, I'm going to see how things go for the next week or two. 

Tasty Tuesdays: Veggie Chips

These have totally been my new favorite snack! I've only been able to find them in my local organic/ all-natural grocery stores so depending where you are you should be able to find them at Wholefoods and stores of that nature. I've also heard they're in Publix (produce).

 Actual"Chip" form (Not these)

Not to be confused with the actual "chip" form, these veggie chips are actually whole vegetables that have been cut, dried out (like dry fruit), and seasoned. The vegetables may vary by where you purchase them, but usually they contain carrots, squash, green beans, and taro.

Not a vegetable person? They actually taste really great! Upon this great discovery I had to force one of my girl friends to try them. Annamarie HATES Veggies but she actually really liked these and even considered buying them on her own! #winning!

Motivational Mondays: When Life gives you Lemons

This semester seems to be one of the most overwhelming! A lot has been on the rocks: relationships, my job, and even school. 

The important thing is to remember that when life gives you lemons, *pardon my French* but turn that ish into Lemonade!

A few days ago I was ready to have a cry session. It feels like I've been going through the works this semester! Not nessecarily everything has been happening, but ENOUGH has left this diva down!

However, this diva can't be down for long! It's only in my nature to be constantly in motion. Post cry session I had to do a little reflection. Where am I really? What have I accomplished? Are things really as bad as they seem right now? What can I do to make things better? Where do I want to be? What do I have to do to get there?

This was just the motivation I need. I turned that negative energy into something positive. Out of that session I decided that I need to focus more on my passions. You can never go wrong with focusing on your passions. I love traveling, writing, making videos and cooking. So if it's not necessary to consume myself with all this non-sense that's causing stress, I'm going to forcus on those things that truly make me happy.

I get it. Maybe you don't know what your passion is yet. Don't stress out about it! Take this as an opportunity to start experiencing new things! That new club on campus that you've been curious about-- go check it out! Been thinking about trying out yoga? Go for it! That story you've been thinking about writing--girl write it!  

Trust me! You won't regret it! Whatever it is you decide to do make, sure it's something that makes YOU happy! Discovering what you are passionate about concurs a huge step in discovering who you are. And who know's, maybe you'll be able to find people who enjoy those things just as much as you!

Girlmetoo's getting a mini makeover!

     I've been feeling like I haven't been balancing the blogs content very well. Sometimes I can go on for days discussing food and nutrition, but when was the last time I discussed fashion or even MY hair? So to ensure that everything gets covered and as an attempt to balance things out I'll be doing a little reconstruction that I hope you all will find a lot more favorable {and it goes a little something like this *scratches record*}

     I've split all of the topics and pillars Girlmetoo was build on into different days of the week that will go as followed:

• Scholarship Sundays- A day dedicated to learning whether your still in school or not!
• Motivational Mondays- Get your week started off the right way
• Tasty Tuesdays- Will feature different recipes and what I'm up to culinary-wise
• Workout Wednesdays- It's all about fitness baby!
• Thriller Thursdays- Seek adventure whether your destination is in the Caribbean, or right in your backyard
• Fashionista Fridays- Fashion favorites from natural hair to outfits of the day
• Spontaneous Saturdays- You all know I love randoms: My idols, A man to love, etc

Enjoy! I love feed back!  

African Export's Blown-out Twist-out

It just occurred to me yesterday that I've been rockin the same hair style for almost two months -___- 

While I am excited that I stuck with a protective style that long I am a little anxious to see my fro! During my Youtube marathon I came across on of African Export's latest video and I'm definitely considering this style when I take my mini twist out.

Check it!

My New Favorite Youtuber: JLovesMac1

Sooooo she's totally not new to Youtube just new to me! I came across JLovesMac1 in my section of suggested videos and I hope you all fall in love with her just as much as I have! She's hilarious, random and super energetic! What's not to love! Her video's are very informative but fun and entertaining to watch as well!

This is the vid I came across! Enjoy!

Post Cruise Detox

Ok ladies...I'm ready to come clean...figuratively and literally...

After the cruise I took last week I brought hope new insights, nifty souvenirs, lots of wine! oh yea...and five extra pounds. Now..before you all break off into why I shouldn't be overreacting because I only weigh an oz anyways -___- here my plea...

I have no problem with gaining weight. The fact that I gained 5lbs in one week is what has me worried. Now i'm no expert, but I believe weight gain and weight loss should be steady..progressive. I believe that if weight is loss or gained too fast, than it can be unhealthy and in some cases even dangerous. So that's more so why I am a little on edge. 

Moreover, let's not forget my aspiration to be a fitness model! Earlier this week, when I made this discovery, I was convinced that the new additions were waste so I got in the mindset ready to shed. I wanted my method of detox to be natural and light [after all I just wanted to shake those 5lbs]. I opted for prune juice (brand in picture above) and dedicated this week to strictly vegetarian meals. Things were going great!  My system began.."cleaning itself out", I felt more energetic, it was going great.

It's now Friday, and despite hopping on the scale with grade aspirations, the pounds haven't budged! W.T.F!? LoL...Then the thought came to mind that it could be muscle weight? After all I did keep up my protein on the ship, and I did manage to squeeze in 3 or 4 workouts while sailing. 

I chatted with my aunt, who's a bit of a health fanatic herself, and she explained that a lot of the crap I was eating still may be in my system...I'm not exactly sure what the case is or even where the pounds could have went. I'm not worked up about it, more so curious. I will extend vegetarian week into next week (because apparently I went overboard on groceries) and resume my regular eating habits the following week.  

Jokes on us...

Oh yea people...they know exactly what they're doing!

A man to love: Jerry LaVigne Jr

This guy his HILARIOUS! Some of you may find him a little graphic but this is comedy at its best! He's taking over Youtube with more than 280,000 subcribers! I can't wait until he really blows up so I can see him live! And let's not even front...he's fine <3

Daylight savings > Updates

If there's one thing that could kill the excitement of Spring Break [besides the fact that it had to end] it's daylight savings -___- Me no likey. Getting up and out of bed alone has been a pain in the rear so I haven't even thought about posting my trip...*lowers head* forgive me...

Here's what's going to happen...

First..I'm going to go get a snack :) LoL but no..really..The best way for me to share my SB experience is through my second favorite medium..Videography..so I'll be working on that and when I finish I'll post. Till then you'll just have to deal with all the random wonderfulness I encounter on a daily basis :)

Enjoy!

What am I listening to?

Somebody pass me a Corona...

'CAUSE IT'S SPRING BREAK TIME!!!

Can you here the seagulls? Can you smell the fresh tide? Aaaaahhhh yes, Spring is in the air! 

I'm really excited about this year's destination*S*! But you'll have to stay tuned to see where I'm headed ;)

Just know, I'm beyoooond tired of these grey winter skies!

"You can eat whatever you want...you're skinny"

Enough said...

Naptural85's Vegetarian stuffed peppers

I'm Youtubing and I came across this! Looking forward to trying this in the near future!