elementary, my dear Watson
Sep 17th
This morning, around 7:30 a.m., I received the following over Blackberry Messenger:
cyu’s friend: U know what I realized about u..
cyu: ?
cyu’s friend: U live life rather than exist in it….
cyu’s friend: I really admire that about u..
cyu (who doesn’t take compliments well): Er… Why, thank you? lol
end
A brief exchange, yet it submerged me in thought. As I moseyed around my one-bedroom flat, readying myself to leave for work, I pondered the distinction between living life and existing in it.
The obvious distinction, of course, is life’s function as a verb in the former and it as a noun in the latter. In the latter, life is a structure that already exists by someone else’s measurements and design. And you? You are placed within it. An observer admiring another’s masterful architecture, so to speak. You admire the boldness and freedom of the artist who created it and live vicariously through their audacity.
In the former, however, you have this thing, this “life”, in your hands. It’s vulnerable to your manipulation and exists solely for you to shape it whichever way you’d like. It is a means for you to build your own brilliant masterpiece.
If broken down using elementary logic:
To Live = to have life.
Life = the entire period during which somebody is, has been, or will yet be alive.
Essentially, living life equates to having life while alive.
Fairly simple hunh? Having or possessing life and not merely existing in another’s may seem an easy feat. But let’s examine more closely. If we were to list the amount of times within the past week we were not existing for someone else or within another’s reality, how many things would be on our list? If we had to remember the last time we felt alive, alive defined here as experiencing exhilarating and sustaining happiness for more than five minutes, how far back would that take us?
Here’s today’s homework boys and girls:
Think of (and think hard about it) one thing that makes you feel alive. And if you haven’t experienced it yet, think of what might give you that feeling. Think long and hard. Now, make yourself find time to do it. Even if you have to schedule it in like an appointment. Lastly, actually DO it. Follow through.
That’s the beginning. That’s the start to completely rewiring your thinking. That’s the first step to realizing you only have one life to LIVE. And YOU are the one who should be enjoying it the most.
That’s when it all starts to add up.
plus tard,
cyu
white privilege
Sep 16th
The following was written by Tim Wise, the author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son. A little something to think about this Tuesday afternoon. And yes, Tim Wise is a White man. (Thanks Willie D)
This is Your Nation on White Privilege
For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.
* White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.
* White privilege is when you can call yourself a “fuckin’ redneck,” like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you’ll “kick their fuckin’ ass,” and talk about how you like to “shoot shit” for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.
* White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.
* White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re “untested.”
* White privilege is being able to say that you support the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance because “if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me,” and not be immediately disqualified from holding office–since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the “under God” part wasn’t added until the 1950s–while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.
* White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you. White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was “Alaska first,” and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you’re black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.
* White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do–like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor–and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college–you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.
* White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a “second look.”
* White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.
* White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.
* White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a “trick question,” while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.
* White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it a “light” burden.
* And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole “change” thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.
White privilege is, in short, the problem.
(Wise’s editorial review on Amazon.com: Wise works from anecdote rather than academic argument to recount his path to greater cultural awareness in a colloquial, matter-of-fact quasi-memoir that urges white people to fight racism “for our own sake.” Sparing neither family nor self, Wise recalls a racist rant his antiracist mother once delivered, racial epithets uttered by his Alzheimer’s-afflicted grandmother and the “conditioning” that leads him to wonder, for a split-second, if people of color are truly qualified for their jobs. He considers how the deck has always been stacked in his and other white people’s favor: his grandmother’s house, which served as collateral for a loan he needed for college, for instance, was in a neighborhood that had formerly barred blacks. Resistance to racism, Wise declares, requires support (it’s better for a group to speak out against racial tracking than for one “crazy radical” to do it), and that’s presumably part of what this volume means to provide. And while Wise sometimes falls victim to sweeping judgments—the act of debating racial profiling, he declares, is “white-identified,” because only whites have the luxury to look at life or death issues as a battle of wits—his candor is invigorating.)
i be on that kryptonite, straight up on that kryptonite
Sep 16th
“Even when I’m a mess, still put on a vest with an “S” on my chest. Oh yes, I’m a superwoman.” – Alicia Keys
Yesterday was the worst Monday I’ve had in a while my darlings. A lot of incompetence. A lot of confusion. A lot of unnecessary work that could have been avoided if things were done correctly in the first place. Freelance projects to tie up, PR reps to call, pieces to write etc, etc. I had to get water. I needed water. For some reason water soothes me. Makes me feel as if I’m cleansing myself. Washing away the evil of the day that has contaminated me.
The toxicity level was so high that I almost forgot I was leaving for Paris this weekend ( 
!!) As I walked from the watercooler in the kitchen of my office, asking Allah to shed some happiness on this scab of a day something happened that I wouldn’t believe if it hadn’t happened to me.
Glass doors separate the offices from the elevator corridor in my office building and I almost had my face smashed against them. My mouth hung open as if my bottom lip were numb and it took me about two whole minutes to snap out of the “Nuh-unh, that can’t be” daze I was in. There in a light-hearted discussion with two other men in suits stood Mr. Underwood. Blair Underwood to be exact. Blair “has never aged a day in his damn life and must have preserved his sexy in some type of formaldehyde” Underwood to be more descriptive. He stutter glanced at me (a move I’ve seen him do in almost all his movies and was all-too-GIDDY to find was actually a natural motion for him). Then he threw me that classic side smile and my knees almost gave out. LOLOLOL. I opened the glass door slowly and he continued to glance at me throughout his conversation, until finally… “Hi.” I couldn’t reply. His baritone was AMAZING. He waved–more so to bring me back to Earth than to reiterate his hello.
“Oh! Hi!,” I half-laughed/half yelled. I was borderline down-syndrome at this point. He chuckled that chuckle that gives away when someone is used to being flattered. I manage, “If I run and get my camera may I have a picture with you?” If you’ve ever seen the movie Anchorman, I sounded like Will Ferrell the first time he invited his lady-love to lunch (YOU CAN USE MY OFFICE AND THEN MAYBE WE CAN GO TO LUNCH!). “But of course,” he replied smoothly. I was back in two seconds flat, camera in hand, Full-Retard. As I gave the camera to his associate, Mr. Underwood leaned in close for the picture and half-whispered, “What’s your name love?” I don’t remember if I answered him. Actually, I’m pretty sure I didn’t. I managed a sound close to the kind you make when you choke on a small piece of food. The first picture was taken. Mr. Underwood wasn’t satisfied. “C’mon man you can do better than that. Give her a nice picture.” Lord, he smelled good. I was saying all types of prayers for forgiveness at this point. C’mon Allah, you KNOW you ain’t right! Why make them like this and then NOT want me to notice! Dang! The second picture was taken. “Thank You!,” I gushed. “Any time sweetie. Thank YOU.”
I almost walked into the glass door. I panicked. I hadn’t brought my card key to get back in. He stood there watching me struggle with the door. I laughed nervously and turned away, heart pounding and utterly confused at the power God had given this man to drive women crazy… Well, specifically me. lololol. I’ve never been that starstruck. But hey, every superwoman has her Kryptonite.
cyu
un-cut estelle convo
Sep 13th
As I promised, here’s my convo with Estelle. She’s a cool kid. Definitely rocks wit’ her. Enjoy!
Interviewer: Qimmah Saafir
Interview: Estelle
Date: August, 24th 2008
Q: Hi, is this Estelle?
Estelle: Hiiii.
How are you dear? You sound busy!
Yes I’m in the studio.
Okay let’s just jump right into it.
Okay
What’s your average day like since your album dropped?
Oh, a different city each day.
How many cities have you visited?
Oh god, let me think about this. Let me think. How many cities have I been to? All the cities? Let me think. I’ve been to like several million others. It’s been insane like I’ve always wanted to travel. I do. I love it. It really is extreme right now.
Are you used to performing now?
I’ve been used to performing. I’ve been doing it for ten years. This is a lot more fun for me. The album I had out before we toured like seven years straight laughs…in the beginning so this is just like “Here we go again.”
How has touring been going like it’s been a good turnout? Good response?
Great. It’s fun. I mean the scene is cool. The band is pretty crazy. Um you have to have your energy up but other than it’s fun. It’s a different thing you gotta do for every show every time.
Well I’m seeing you out everywhere at different parties and things. When do you rest??
I don’t. I don’t. I’m so tired. I don’t even know anymore. Laughs
How are you functioning? Do you drink coffee?
You know, I started. But I HAD to stop because it’s addictive. And it makes me crash really hard. It’s like a drug, it’s terrible.
UMMM… it IS! Estelle caffeine is a drug man. Laughs
Laughs
Not cool.
I know right. I need to stop.
Okay, so, how would you describe your fashion sense because every time I see you, you’re pretty cute. You stay pretty cute.
Why thank you!
So what would you describe it as?
I go from Day Trainers to frikkin’ EB Sedgwick . But just comfortable. You know?
Right.
Just comfortable. The thing is I like to do shoulder pads. I do all the edges and the corners on clothes. I love them. I think they’re great. But I still want to be comfortable. I still want to be relaxed. Like I’ll wear shoulder pads on a regular day and it’s like “what the hell?” and I’m like no, it might be shoulder pads but I’ll wear it with some boy jeans you know. That’s kinda how I go on a regular day so. I mean it works so…
Are there any certain designers you like?
There’s a designer… Jean Pierre Braganza. He’s from London. He’s insane. He’s just wicked. The thing I wore, did you come to the Fader party?
Yea, I did.
You know that dress I was wearing? That was him.
That was pretty dope.
In-sane. But that was him. I feel like he makes things for me. Like he measures my body and he ‘s like Oh here Estelle. I’ve never met him but I feel like his stuff is just perfect.
Yea.
His ideas are just crazy. It’s exactly what I like. Like real, see ’cause I’ve got no hips with boobs but he always seems to make it happen.
Laughs
So I’m smashin’ on him right now. And then also um Kristian Aadnevick who I wore in the American Boy video? The big summer dress?
Uh hunh
And you know stuff like, you know how Diesel is kinda Grace Jones-y, kinda edgey, I love that.
You love Grace Jones?
Yea! I think she’s the shit!
Of course.
My ultimate like high-end designer is Fendi and individual designer would be Karl Lagerfeld.
What’s your favorite place to shop, like city, state, country, store?
TopShop all day. When I’m at home it Harvey Nichols, Southbridge and Sloan Street.
And when I’m here I’m at the vintage shops because you can find like thirty-dollar bags… Then later on you’re like OMG it’s real snakeskin.
Right.
Switching gears, you’ve collabed with a lot dope artists. Is anyone on your radar to collab w….?
MARY J. BLIGE, MARY J. BLIGE, MARY J. BLIGE .
Dang Estelle I didn’t even say it yet!
Laughs. Can I tell you that I met her once and people were telling me that she listens to my album like “that’s my girl.” And I’m like oh my god I’m Mary’s girl!
Laughs
I think she’s… I mean if you know Mary then you know me, you know. On a real level like I love listenin’ to Mary J. Blige tapes.
’Cause Mary is REAL.
Giiiiirl, she opens her mouth and it’s like YES! She opens her mouth and it’s like oh my god.
Any producers?
Producers? Ow! Sorry someone’s grabbin my toes. Laughs. Um producers. Oohh. I think I’ve worked with the majority that I love. Oh you know who I’d love to work with? Simply because of how he came back just now?
Who?
Babyface. How he came back on that Lil Wayne song? Oh my god. Sick. Nobody else could have did that for him. Nobody out now. Ne-Yo, none of them. It had to be Babyface.
You need to throw that out there with Mary J Blige.
Laughs. Please!
What’s your next single to drop?
Next single is probably gonna be “Come Over”.
Okay can I just tell you that is my FAVorite track on the album.
Yay! I wanna get Sean Paul on it. If I get Sean Paul on the record it’s gonna be insane.
I love that song.
Thank you! That is the song though. That song was so easy to right and it was a sunny day. I feel like you can feel the sunshine rays in it you know?
Yea. The first time I heard that I saw it on YouTube. It was when you performed it with John Legend.
Oh yeeeeaaaa.
It was so sick.
Wicked. Thank you. I’m so happy. When people say they love that song I’m like, Yes! ’cause that’s like me growing up you know? That’s like my wish when I was a kid like Rita Marley and all that stuff? That’s like since twelve years old.
That song you did with Wyclef, how was that?
Oh the love song or Push em out the way? Well the love song we wrote that as like my love letter for my ex boyfriend. He basically started the whole journey, this whole journey for me. You know?
Mhmm.
He was a good one… I realize I haven’t pinpointed anything about the dramas we went through on the album. I mainly talk about other guys after the fact. So that was the last like…let me talk about.. You know how it is.
How do you feel about comparisons to Lauryn?
It’s Lauryn! Laughs. She’s sold like ten million records! I listen to her album like it’s the first day. Laughs. What do you mean? Lauryn’s Lauryn. At the same time I‘m like I mean well I think it’s just because we rap and sing. She’s been in hip-hop for a while. They go with who starts out with it you know?
Right. Have you ever met her?
No. The first I saw her live was in 2006. Can you believe that?
What?
I’d never seen this chick live ever. I’d seen her on TV, you know back in the day but I’ve never been to her concerts. I grew up on Mary J and LL. So when I seen I was like ahhh she’s wicked! You know?
Okay so this is my request and I’m gonna state this one record. This is Qimmah Saafir: I’m gonna need for you to do a song with Lauryn, Estelle.
Laughs. That’s if she wants to do a song with me! Shit! I’d love to. Me, Mary and Lauryn that would be INSANE.
That would blow people away. Have you heard the comparisons between you and Amy Winehouse.
Yea but I think that’s just because we’re both British. Laughs
Pretty much.
Yea. Other than Britain I don’t see any other similarities. But the girl is bad though man, anytime she opens her mouth it’s like she sings with conviction it’s like she gets possessed by like the frikkin Ronettes when she gets on stage. And the spark in her eyes it’s like ooohh Look at the devil!, Look at the Brit! It’s that kind of moment you know?
Is it true you met Kanye at a chicken spot?
Yup.
You went to get chicken and you met Kanye West?
Yes. Laughs
Who does that Estelle?
You could never imagine that, you could never like, you got dressed to get some chicken and meet Kanye. The good thing though is that it was in the beginning of his career. You know when he first started…
So he wasn’t that Hollywood? I mean I’m sure he’s always been Hollywood but…
Well he’s as Hollywood now as he was then but I think it was my personality that really drew him. I was like Oh I’m a big fan or yours but I want to meet John Legend. He was like er..really?? and I was like yea, yea. You’re good but I want you to wanna work with me. I wanna work with John. Where’s John? I know he was like You have balls!
Well, that’s what you need. Laughs What’s your social life like? Since you’re always working, do you have one? Have you ever dated an American boy Estelle? Laughs
They’re great. They are Fantastic. They are FUN. This is the thing. I never frikkin date. I never date. I never date at home like that. You talk for ten minutes on the phone the next thing, it’s over. And the past four years have been dating disasters and have been boyfriend disasters for me. Here, just getting to know different blokes, I’ve gotten some really good friends out of it you know?
Listen you need to scoop up Jackie Long who was in your Please Love Me video!
Laughs! Stop playin’! Oh my god! Sexy guy!
Scoop that up REAL quick.
He’s a sexy guy, I mean a really really sexy guy.
You betta stop playin’ and put your dibs in shiiiet.
I know!
So do you have a preference between dudes from the UK and dudes from the US?
No. Boys are boys. They’re crazy and they’re good.
Laughs.
Wherever you go in the world. I’m agreeing to that. I tried to find differences. Now I don’t they’re all crazy and they’re all good in the same way. I think style-wise I like that. I mean I’m into fashion so I look at that. I like British boys.
You like the British boys.
I do. I like their fashion. But like here, it’s together, the swagger is together. Like it holds… like that word swagger isn’t enough. They have their li’l strut. Where British guys: There’s a couple of them that have it and a couple of them just don’t have.
It’s their fashion.
Yea over there it’s a lot more fashion. Over here it’s a lot more swagger. It’s a lot more of just their attitude you know?
Yea, I can vouch for that. I can vouch for that. So do you have a residence in the states or?
In Brooklyn.
Brooklyn? How do you go from the UK to BK?
Laughs. Well I was in Long Island for a couple of weeks. For a couple months. That was fun. It was just mad quiet. Then I stayed on frikkin Wall Street.
You stayed on Wall Street? Ew. What was that like?
Dead. Laughs. It was so dead. Then I moved to Brooklyn and now I’m like Yes! It’s fantastic.
Ok, lemme ask, what’s the difference in the music scenes between here and London. I read something that said you about the White artists getting different treatment from the Blacks.
I’m confident. The guys over here they’re like we love artists like that where at home they don’t know what to do with an artist like that. They’re like you’re too cocky, you’re too this. You know?
So do you find any racism in how they handle things?
I think it’s more like with… like combined with racism because they’ll still come at you and you’re like “really? Like how stupid do you sound?” But combined with that I think that’s just a space of ignorance. You know? I think all racism is ignorant. You know, I think it’s more of they don’t know how to handle it and they don’t know about they see it as threatening. Like I said if I have confidence then they see it as cocky. Or you think you’re getting too big for your britches ’cause you went to America. Nope. I been this big in my britches, since I was a kid. You know? I’m a confident young woman. My mom raised me like this.
And there’s more of a platform for that here?
Right, people here take things at face value. Like it is what it is. You know it’s more about the dollar than it is about the class and the systems. You know? more about how much money you have. Which I can appreciate to a point because then I don’t have to deal with people telling me “well it’s never been done by a Black girl before.” You know? It’s more about let me show you how I do it and let me give you a plan. So that you can make money out of this. I think it just works. The system’s here to work for you. You know? And for me as well, it’s just like they’re way of working. And I don’t like (inaudible). I don’t like all that shit.
Are you looking to eventually branch off to other ventures outside of music?
That’s all in there. It’s all in there. It’s all in there. That’s all already happening um but I mean it’s been happening for all. I’m just trying to make it all come together appropriate. But um yea. I do all that. I’m doing other things outside of …I have other interests outside of music, so I want to make sure that continues.
Okay, when do you plan on going into the studio for the next album?
Oh, I started already!
Oh ok.
Like when I’m tired already, I still write. No matter what I’m doing I just write. You know? So I’ve already started to do that.
So you mentioned Mary J, who are your top five artists?
Hmm let me think.
It can be now, it can be from whenever.
Well Mary would have to be one of them. I love Kanye. I love Ne-Yo. I love Ella Fitzgerald. And I love……. Let me think….Oh! Michael Jackson.
Laughs. How could you forget that one!
Laughs. I know right?! Yea those five do it for me any given day.
Why?
Just you know there’s so much depth in their shit. Not in their shit, in their music. It’s just like you have something different every time you listen to it. Or that might be something where you say oh I relate to that! I get that!
Okay when’s your next show?
We have a festival next weekend. Then San Francisco and LA
Where are you now?
I’m in BK now.
Are you performing in NY again before you leave.
Oh yea. In October. End of October. I can’t remember the name of the venue but it’ll be somewhere huge.
Um, Imma need you to let me know so I can be there.
Oh hell yea.
So I think we covered everything is there anything you want to say?
Check me out on my MySpace. Go to Amazon.com the album is out now, go to Amazon and get it. And I have a blog called adventuresofbeingfamous.com. It’ll be up in about three weeks so check it out. They’re gonna love. They’re gonna love it I promise you. They check my MySpace blog when I write and stuff. Yea, they’re gonna love this. Laughs
Laughs
I’ve got so much to tell the people.
Dope. Well thank you for your time Estelle.
No problem babe.
And don’t forget to get back to me about the show.
NO problem, it’s all good.
Alright. Thank you.
Thank you. In a minute.
it’s a beautiful day
Sep 13th
Some time ago, I posted my favorite U2 song and asked you to make your day a beautiful one. I realized this morning that this involves a decision. It lies in your hands whether or not your day will be beautiful. You have the choice. You have the power. You have the means.
I woke up this morning after a night of confused sadness to a message from one of my dear friends whom I consider somewhat of a counselor. He opened my eyes to the fact that the only way I am going to accomplish everything I set out to do is by deciding that I am going to and just doing it (Damn Nike’s deeper than I thought). Thank you K.E.M. I rolled over in bed, thanked the Almighty for breath and life and decided that outside of Him, nothing can stop me.
I also want to thank all of my readers. I posted my hundredth post two days ago and I’ve been getting the most heartwarming comments on and off the site about my blog. I cried when I read some of them. Didn’t know I actually touched people LOL. Thank you again for ridin’ wit’ me yall! Now, to business: open your window and shout to the world “IT’s A Beautiful DAy!!” (then dodge the glass bottoms that come flyin’ at you from your neighbors lol.) and go Accomplish What You Will!
ciao!! (SEVEN DAYS TIL PARIS!)
cyu
’Ye hates deez ni@@as more than the Nazi…
Sep 11th
So, I’m sure you’ve all heard about the ’razzi/’yezzi incident, that has Kanye reportedly being held on $20,000 bail.
For those who haven’t, get the story here.
For those who have, you can share in my interest of watching the insanity ensue.
Click the link to view
promises promises
Sep 11th
As I promised I would, my peppermints, I’m sharing my writing as I do it. Remember when I posted the Estelle “Pretty Please (Love Me)” video a while back? And I promised I would tell you about the side-eye I gave her management? Well, I attended a FADER party to interview Miss Estelle, who by the by is HELLA cool, for my fam over at fab Parlour Magazine. I was “promised” a slot to chat and ended up waiting outside her dressing room for about two and a half hours for a chat that never happened. I did grab a photo with her, but I was quite pissy.
BUT her crew redeemed themselves by setting up a phoner with her shortly thereafter and Estelle and I chatted for approximately an hour about everything from boys to clothes. Henceforth and hitherto, I promise I will post the entire convo (and my pic with her) one day but for now, my piece–which if I do say so my myself (and I do) is quite kickass–is up over at Parlour. Enjoy!
cyu
for the one hundredth time already…
Sep 11th
Ladies and Gents,
This is officially my 100th post. I want to take this time and space to say merci beacoup to everyone who has become a regular reader of my random rantings. See! I told you you’d come back for more of my insanity. Danke, ありがとう, obrigado, you get the point. I love my readers! Stick with me people; it only gets better.
as ever,
tanto this one’s for you babe
Sep 10th
Happy Birthday shout-out to my brosef.
Tanto, Qimosabi can’t be there now, but know that this is what’s goin’ down when we do finally partake in the festivities. Come come with the kick drum.. come come. (Shout-out belated bday to Chocolate Man as well. Waddup Jam!)
aahh the struggles within…
Sep 10th
Ramadan is like Pro-Activ. Yes, the acne wash.
The first week you are ultra positive about your spiritual journey. You’re feeling lighter, more productive and focused. Then week two hits.
Not to say that any of the good stuff goes away but, much like the acne wash Ramadan pulls out all of your impurities and places them right ON your face like: Damn am I that ugly on the inside -or- damn I never knew that was even hidden in my mind -or- my all-time favorite “damn I guess I DO have a vice… go figure.” Abstaining from damn near everything makes one realize what they are dependent on. Be it voluntary or in-, it is shown to you during this month of cleansing.
As ugly as truth can seem, it is just.
The blessing stands in the fact that a whole lot of people go their entire lives never knowing what their vices or weaknesses or flaws are and in turn are never able to confront and change them.
The curse is that when you are shown a good portion of them within a month, you are faced with a decision. You can A. Drop Pro-Activ like a bad habit when you can’t find your face under your acne (Which I am guilty of. The actual Pro-Activ, not Ramadan, that is) or B. You can continue the process and pray that you are blessed with clarity in the end… and in the case of actual Pro-Activ, that the serum doesn’t magically transform you into its sponsors and leave you unable to figure out why your mouth can’t close because you now have Diddy’s Chiclet front teeth and the intellect of Jessica Simpson.
séjour fort,
cyu