Girrrrrrrrrl. I've been off the map during April....Actually i've been all over the map. I've been making moves and getting all up in everything. So let me give you a super quick update...
-Went to South Carolina for my God-sisters wedding
-Got into The University of London
-Will be getting a Master's in Ethnomusicology
-Went to London to visit the school/have my interview/and askBEG for money
-Went back on my juice fast. Its day 23 of 60! We outchea!
-Lost almost 40 pounds since March (sounds crazy but it's super healthy)
-Found myself heavily involved in the dating scene (with one person in particular)
-Getting mentally prepared for Commencement in May
-Going to Sunday School and Bible Study, religously (see what I did there!?)
-Reading a lot of self help books
-Journaling daily
-Staying away from social networking
-Mediating, yoga and exerscising daily
-Began the process of creating a "super" blog. (more info on that to come.)
And since Instagram makes me feel like a photographer/model/foodie/etc here's some pics...
Sometimes, even when you try really hard to deny/hide/suppress it, your feelings come as swiftly as the weather. Sometimes you need just one of those days to sulk in the underbelly of depression. Of course it does not do well to dwell in those unhappy moments but it's okay to visit them periodically. And today on this rainy spring afternoon I've decided to succumb to the emotions. But only for today. Tomorrow is Thursday which means a giant step towards the weekend, and everything will be on the up and up again. Until then. Here's my rainy day playlist for today.
A while ago I did a post called, "The Ultimate Put On," where I made a playlist of what music I was frequenting at the time. I decided to do another one. I originally wanted to do it quite frequently, especially since I'm always happily stumbling on some musical gems in my opinion. Unfortunately my little hp computer with it's Movie Maker made making the playlist something like HELL. But I have a new desktop and It worked out so much more smoothly than originally.
So here it is. A compilation playlist of some of the music that has stayed on repeat since at least the beginning of the year until now. It features songs that are recent, old, and hitting many genres. Most from artist you don't really hear on the radio. I hope you enjoy it and tell me what songs you have recently kept on repeat.
Oh and I added a downloadable version of the songs in the playlist if your interested in hearing/having the full versions.
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg Nog! I LOOOOVE it!
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wraps them of course!
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White lights. It may just be me but I think colored lights can be a bit tacky...
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No but maybe I should...
5. When do you put your decorations up? Our family hasn't had a real Christmas tree in about 7 years. But this year I bought a super duper mini size tree for me and my sister.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Cornbread Stuffing!
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Spending Christmas in South Carolina with all of my cousins and family.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? My dad got mad at me for doing something and as punishment he spat out, "Oh and Santa isn't real by the way!" It was harsh and so random since it happened in the summer.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Nope. Not until Christmas Morning
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Well my mini tree has sparkly green and red ornaments with a sparkly Green Star on top.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? HATE IT!
12. Can you ice skate? I use to take lessons when I was younger but now a days....not even a little.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? YES! A purple Tamagotchi in the 4th grade!
14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being with family and doing as much community service as you can. It's hard to steadily help otheres throughout the year but atleast during this time you can help those enjoy the holiday season as much as you do,
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I love Christams cookies!
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Going to my family's house for Christmas.
17. What tops your tree? A star.
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving! Honestly.
19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? I can do with out them.
20. Favorite Christmas show? Well a christmas movie I love is Miracle on 34th Street!
21. Saddest Christmas Song? Ummm...I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus....that could mess up a kids mind, and eventually ruin the reality of Santa for them.
22. What is your favorite Christmas song?I love O' Holy Night. If it's sung correctly It can give my shivers.....Second place would be the entire Patti Labelle Christmas Album. When I tell you my mother played the mess out of that tape. She played it in the middle of the summer in our car.
I'll take the lazy approach and tag EVERYONE who sees this. Comment letting me know where I can find your responses. I'd love to see them =D
I know that I'm constantly putting up music posts. It's because the majority of my life has been spent either listening to music, finding new music, playing music or writing music. This blog is basically about my life so it shouldn't be surprising that music will be heavily exposed on here. People always ask me what I'm listening to right now, or they ask for my suggestions on artist/songs to download. Even though all I do is surround myself with sweet sounds, I only have a mp3 player (from 10th grade!) that I use as my portable music device. Yea the one that plays on a AAA battery. It holds less than 200 songs so I'm constantly changing it up.
Anyway, I was influenced by Brittney: Anti-popular, to make a frequent posting of a video of the 20 songs that you can count on me listening to at any given time. I'll try to make it a monthly segment. This month's features some new and some old (mostly newer). I don't know how to categories it. It's a mix of genres and influences. At one point I thought of calling it a "getting it in" list. Moments later I thought it was a "getting high" list. But then in another instances it changed again. Oh well, regardless of the lack of classification, grab a pen and paper and listen anyway. Hope you enjoy =D
You’re going to be upset for what I’m about to tell you. Basically all this time I've been frontin. I know, I know… I've been lying to you all this whole time. It has to deal with something that very little people know about me. I actually have a secret life that no one knows about…and it’s about time I let the world know…... So basically I’m a hoodrat in real life. I know it sounds ridiculous but I’m for real! Sidenote: I’ll be mad if you already suspected this. I’m serious. I’ll be legitimately upset. It’s like someone has been waiting for the appropriate time to come out the closet, scared of the reaction they’ll receive, and when they finally do everyone’s like...”ummm…yea…we already knew. For years now actually…” How emotional would that be? (I know that was a drastic and hopefully not offensive example but that’s how I pictured it being.) Anyway yea I’m a hoodrat and I’m finally past the point of being too proud to admit it. But now that I’m done with college I think it’s the appropriate time for me to be on my “I don’t give a damn” pedestal when it comes to the views of my peers and basically the views of greater America. And because of that sentiment I feel like it’s time for me to embrace the part of me which I’m not so fond of; my hoodrat ways.
I’m not one for labels, so I had to look up the definition of “hoodrat” before I claimed it. Of course Webster led me nowhere so I had to go to the good ol’ trusty Urban Dictionary. They never fail me over there. So when I looked up the definition it said “A person who partakes in scandalous activity in order to achieve a goal or bad image. Some of the activities may be classified as illegal.”I must admit….THAT SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT
I wouldn’t have even realized that I was one until my friend, Nick, put me on blast about my life. We had a full out debate about how the Maisheda the world sees is just a mask for who I really am/want to be. Of course I tried to use the argument that I was really a shy, motherly type of individual but he blew up my spot, real quick. REAL quick. Obviously when I thought Nick was the only guy I could tell my incriminating stories to without having them brought back up as arsenal against me, I was clearly wrong. He actually had a list of almost everything that he considered to be “hood”. And the list was pretty long…
The List of Hoodrat Moments in Maisheda’s Life:
*Carrying a constantly full purple-snake skin flask in my bra for the better majority of my junior year.
*Fighting a girl in front of Wal-Mart…twice.
* Learning the lyrics to any Nicki Minaj Song during a Directors meeting at work.
*Trying to get Marion Barry’s (the old Mayor of DC), God Daughter to hook me up with his supplier.
*Putting together a legitimate crew to run through Oakdale St.
*Being arrested on U Street, but not telling ANYONE.
*Stealing the liquor out of the refrigerator while everyone was running out the house when the cops busted the house party.
*Trying to sell weed to white folk that I found on the back of a tractor during a hay-ride.
*Trying to convince the world that crochet braids are back in style.
*Getting crochet braids to prove they are back in style.
*Jamming 8 drunken people in my compact car to get food from across town only to make a circle back to my house because we were being followed by a cop.
*Asking my Boss for my next paycheck to be in $100 bills so I could cut up one of the bills up for future nail art.
*getting picked up when I was hitch-hiking with my cousins.
*Being pulled over and surrounded by 4 cop cars at 3am on Capitol Hill.
*Taking shots in the middle of a “Dry Campus” in the middle of the afternoon…from bottles stowed away in my purse.
*Attempting to sell my friends virginity for a box of Krispy Kremes (you would have too if the “HOT” sign was on!)
*Yelling at everyone in a club in London that “I pull niggas….and bitches”
*Dropping everything to drive to a gay club to help my homie fight his one-night-stands’, ex-boyfriend.
* Running around DC trying to find someone selling the “Eat it Raw” and “Lick Me All Over” scented body oils
*Putting an official hit out for The Miami taxi driver, Maria Rodriguez, for stealing my cell phone.
*Taking 19 shots of Burnett’s Vodka in a row….for a drinking game where the prize was monopoly money.
*Threatening to cut someone…at least 4 times a week.
*Getting a guy to buy you a drink at the bar and then sneaking yourself as well as the free drink out of the bar and going to another one.
*Currently having a secret boyfriend that I’ve agreed not to tell anyone about because we don’t want to hear anyone’s mouth.
I’m happy to say that most of that was when I was just getting into college. I was still very childish then. But I can’t lie and say that a good amount of the list has been fairly recent. But I promise I’m getting better. Half of the stuff is illegal and the other half is just off the chart crazy. I know it’s not classy. And I honestly don’t know why I find enjoyment in hoodrat behavior. I guess you can call me Latarian Milton. "I want to do it cause it's fun. It's fun to do bad things...I wanna do hoodrat stuff with my friends!"
I have random moments in my life where I stop and think about how I’m feeling overall. If you've been a follower of mine for a while you know that it's usually in the form of a list. So here you go. It’s another installment of …
“Things I know to be true”
1.So far this season of “The Game” is some ol’ BS!
2.Or is it BET who’s some shit?
3.The fact that Tasha Mack can walk around Cali smoking a black and mild and still be a boss makes me wanna do it too.
4.I consider starting to smoke weed everyday….but then I remember that if I was high, no one would be able to handle me. They barely do when I’m sober!
5.Even if I was inebriated to the point of having to crawl around the streets of DC I would still NEVER get a tattoo of an ice cream cone on my face!
6.The semester just started a week ago and I’m already ready for Spring break.
7.Speaking of which….my va-cay will include Mardi Gras and Miami!!
8.Doing Community Service has always been important to me I’ve been slippin! I must get back on that immediately.
9.I’m going to Uganda for a month this summer for mentorship/teaching opportunities.
10.Michelle Obama’s bob makes me want to relax my hair some days.
11.In exactly 2 weeks I’ll be 22 years old and I’m still such a kid.
12.I’m a lot less reckless than I was this time last year. And yes….that’s a good thing!
13.The New MTV show “Skins”, shows me that I had a ridiculously sheltered high school career.
14.This time next year I’ll be an Alumnus with a career, not a job…hopefully.
15.I might need to start truly saving my money. It’s actually getting really detrimental.
16.I feel like being selfish and fat and take my free vouchers for DC Restaurant Week and treat myself to 3, 3-course meals!
17.Why? Cause I deserve it, geesh!
18.I may be A-sexual…
19.….and that’s fine!
20.Adele’s new Album, “21”, is about to be the truth!
22.I’m really happy that my senior friends are starting to finalize post-graduation plans. Each of them knowing what they want to do and how they plan on pursuing that.
23.I just wish I was a part of the group described above.
24.Jamaican Beef Patties are the truth!
25.Actually any “turnover style” food is my absolute favorite…(ie. Empanadas, patties, meat pies, etc…)
26.“My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” is one of the best albums I’ve heard in a while.
27.Nicki Minaj and Marsha Ambrosias have joined the “best friends in my head” club.
28.Sometimes I need to just stop and give God praise for the opportunity to give him praise.
29.2011 is the year of honesty and self expression.
30.I’m absolutely in love with photography. Especially that of Ryan C. Hamilton.
31.I didn’t realize how self-conscious I was until the “photo-shoot” I had with the above photographer.
32.I have not been drunk since October 11, 2010. It may not seem like a big accomplishment but trust me, when you're 21 and it’s your last year in college it’s a freakin miracle!
33.Someone spray-painted our church van with “Fuck you Nigars” on it….Besides the fact that you couldn’t spell “niggers” correctly who still tags?? *insert blank stare….here*
34.“Can’t stop, Won’t stop” is the mantra for the rest of this semester.
35.#confession: I miss having a male friend that I could tell every ridiculous fuming thought I had without feeling embarrassed. Mainly because my life was actually way less ridiculous than theirs. I just hope that the guy friends I’m getting closer to now aren't my own type of consolation prize. Terrible I know!
I have all these ideas for post this year…but before I head into the new year one post I meant to do before that big ol’ ball dropped was my favs and hates of last year. So Ima do it 4 days later because I freakin can! =D
[*disclaimer* I might be a hater for the next 6 minutes. Don’t be mad; just let me have my moment. I promise my 2011 resolution is to love everything about everything and everyone. *insert side eye…….here*]
Best film of 2010: Inception
I was completely in love with the Matrix trilogy, but this just blew it out the water in 1 movie. The idea that what we think is reality is really something that some has placed into our minds is so scary yet so fascinating to me. The whole theater was on the edge of our seats the entire movie. Simply fantasic!
Worst film of 2010: Why did I Get Married Too?
I really don’t have to explain. All should have to do is say the name Tyler Perry and that should be enough.
Best Album: Corinne Bailey Rae’s- The Sea
Written after a tragic death of her husband, “The Sea” had some of the best singles like “Closer”, “I’d do it all again” and “The Sea”. Not only did her music deliver every emotion she must have felt but it showed us that the best music is written in a time of pain.
Worst Album:Keri Hilson- No boys Allowed
I almost had them with the “Pretty Girl Rock”, video. But then that mess “The Way That You Love Me” came and smashed any hope for me to become a fan. I really wanted to give her a chance so I downloaded the album (I wasn’t about to BUY that ish!) and I could hardly get past the first song, “Buyou”. Sorry but the lyrics are ridic:
“You see this what I like to call Buyou music cause you better buy you a car, you better buy you a phone and you better buy somewhere to stay or I'ma walk right by you”
Well Keri Baby I think you may want to buy yourself a new career cause this one ain’t working so well for you.
Default Album: Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
It’s Yezzy so of course it’s good. And that’s why I put it as the “default album”. I expect it to befantastic (which it was) because nothing less can be tolerated. Kanye West has yet to fail and even through all his crazy he constantly delivers. When his first single “Power” came out I was driving down the highway, windows down, music blasting letting everyone know that I’m the shit. You can call it conceit. You’re probably right. Yezzy taught me.
Best Song:Any track with Nicki Minaj on it….
I don’t care how much you may dislike her. Don’t lie to yourself or anyone else. Nicki took up Lil Wayne’s slack, while he was in jail, and made sure she was on everyone’s track. And any song that in the real world would be consider wack was hype with her on it. For example: Kanye West’s- “Monster”, might as well been her song. People weren’t pressed to learn the male parts of Trey Song’z,-“Bottles up” and Usher’s-“Lil Freak”. Girls and grown women spitting every lyric alike showed that she kept coming off the top as bestests.
Worst Song of the year: 25 for Haiti- We Are the World
This will probably make me sound like an ass but for real!?!? My dislike started when they allowed Justin Beiber to lead this song. Don’t get me wrong, It was beautiful that these people were able to come together for the hope of helping Haiti. I actually commend them for doing so. Also the whole song wasn’t terrible it just got reallllllllllllllllllll bad when Lil Wayne started “singing”, when T-pain couldn’t let go of the vocalizer, when LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes,Will.I.Am and Snoop Dog tried to spit over Michael’s original beat, and Wyclef continued to yell at me the entire time (making me have to yank out my ear plugs every time he came on). I must have all the haters now so Ima just let stop while I’m ahead.
Male of the Year:Lebron James
I never known so many people to care about the outcome of a black man’s life….well maybe President Obama’s, but still in the summer of 2010 every eye was turned on whether this man (that none of us know personally may I add), would make one of the biggest decisions of his life. Yes, the biggest decision. Not who he would marry or what college he would decide to go to but what team he would play on the following season. And when he decided to join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bos to become the "Miami Thrice" people were mad! Infuriated even! He’s my choice for male of the year because if I could get my parents to pay even a drop of attention the world paid him that week I’d be set for life!
Women of the Year: Oprah
Do you realize that this woman makes $10 a second, to make up her yearly income? Even when her last episode airs she’ll still be making the same amount of money because she owns a network. Not just a TV show or a beauty salon (like other black women)..A Network.
Best Music Video: Eminem-“Love the Way You Lie”
Not even discussing how hard the actual song went, the video concept was fantastic. M
egan Fox and Dominic Monaghan (yup little Merry from Lord of The Rings) made it look like a music trailer for a movie. They were so hot that the video actually made me want to be in an abusive relationship (don’t judge me).And this was the debuted of Rihanna’s fiery new hair color, which I love!
Worst Music Video: Christina Aguilera- “Not Myself Tonight”
Her voice is gold but I couldn’t take her sadomasochism,seriously. And this is coming from a sex positive feminist! Ima just post the video and let you “enjoy”…
Best kept secret of 2010: Thrifting
I’ve never seen so many people so hype on wearing other people’s old clothing. But I’m not mad at it! Thrifting has become an art form. Allowing people to create their own signature style with cheapie-priced clothing. I’ve found some closet staples at Value Village and I suggest that everyone continue to keep thrift stores in mind when they are trying to find one of a kind outfits for any occasion!
Best thing to reappear in 2011: Four Loko
Many a bad choices made an appearance last year when Four Loko was involved. When
my best friend cried when she stumbled across a case of the watermelon flavored malt liquor, I just knew that she thought it was Christmas. This liquid crack cocaine had Negros out their MIND last year. Maybe it was the 12% alcohol that had people thinking they could handle it. HAHAHAHA fooled ya trick! The depressing properties of the liquor and the stimulant properties from the caffine, guarana and taurine have you on a physical and emotional roller coaster of DOOM. I’m not gonna lie. When I heard they were banning them and taking out everything but the liquor I was upset. But that won’t stop some people from going down south and buying out stores before they do. And if that won’t work try mixing it into a red bull!
Worst thing to reappear in 2011:Anton Dodson
Someone tried to rape his sister and he becomes a star for expressing his hatred for the man…yea the report was spiked with a whole lot of flamboyancy but for real tho? Another step backwards for black people, dang! Admittedly the “Bed Intruder Song” was funny for the first 2 maybe even 3 times I heard it, but for it to become a mother effin sensation? Sorry Mr. Dodson but please don’t intrude my computer or TV with this mess anymore.
Favorite Restaurant: cheesecake factory Favorite Ice Cream: cotton candy Favorite Candy: the cottony type
Favorite Drink: cream soda Favorite Genre of Music: is ‘good music” a genre? Favorite Artist: margo humphrey and jacob lawrence Favorite Song: today it’s “every now and then”- the noisettes Favorite Book: harry potter (typical) Favorite Movie: imitation of Life Favorite TV Show: PSYCH! Favorite Season: autumn
Other:
Age you got your license: 18
Car: oh memories… Cellular device: today it’s a nokia (im a blackberry girl at heart)
Language(s): english and meccaisms Fear: death Obsession: natural hair/big earrings/cardigans Instrument: many but if you want specifics lets just go with Bass clarinet and guitar
Future Career: teaching your children the dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, aeolian, Ionian and locrian modes.
Goals to achieve: meet j,k rowlings and thank her for my childhood
