My good friend Olivia is so talented (and oh so beautiful). She is my co-VJ (and veteran!) at MYX, and before I left for NYC, she was a huge support system (and still is!) towards the pursuit of the dream. She had my back 150% during the Alicia Keys campaign, and I am so happy that I am able to return the favor. She is currently in the running to become gaytravel.com’s newest host, where she’ll travel for 6 months around the world to do what she does best: bring you the scoop while being gorgeous, charismatic, and engaging. Please VOTE for OLIVIA , and help her get her dream job!
I blogged about Rafe a few weeks back, and now he’s coming to the Bay Area. Bay fam, check out the work. It’s a remarkable journey of a sports journalist who fell in love with the Philippine nation.
With summertime and energy filled teens, there’s never a dull moment in Harlem. Pizza snacks are on hand, and chatter slowly fills the room as the girls walk in. Fifteen minutes later, it’s full blown girl time, with giddy giggles fluttering like hummingbirds inside our classroom. Everyone is laughing and catching up with each other, exchanging exciting pieces of news from the week prior: someone bought a new dress, another had an adventurous day at the Children’s Village, and another had a meal outside the ordinary. We’ve all become friends now, so all of this chatter is just as necessary to our sessions as our writing exercises. (I’m happy about that.)
Last week, I sent the girls home with a writing assignment to re-tell a life defining moment in their lives. Some of them brought their stories in, and some had yet to begin. Some were almost convinced they didn’t have a story to tell, and I asked them to dig deeper. My request was met with some discouraged sighing, but gladly, nothing a few jokes couldn’t cajole. Brainstorming was coupled with a chatter that can’t be contained (these are teenage girls, after all) but I was satisfied in knowing that they are writing and trying.
Some of the girls felt concerned that their stories are too personal, too “deep”, too honest. I assured them that in this way, being a writer can be hard, mostly because you offer a piece of your story to share to the world, and offer a vulnerability that you may not even know existed. I assured them that they only need to write about what they are comfortable with, but to know that their honesty and story are valuable- you never know who can read it and feel the exact same way.
We talked about the difference between “showing” a story versus “telling” a story, and asked them to recall what metaphors and similes can do to a piece of writing. After a few visits “in my office” (my corner of the room), I was able to chat with the girls and give them individual attention and advice to make their writing paint pictures with descriptive language. Their drafts are getting better, and I hope we can have a few to post on the blog soon!
Coming to spaces like these is the reason why I’m always going to feel young. Is it wrong that at 27, I still feel like a teenager? I talk about fashion with the girls, giggle uncontrollably, and play both Drake and Stevie Wonder in my iTunes as they get their writing groove on. They might make a few jokes about their mom being the only person they know playing Stevie Wonder, but even they know it’s classic!
Some things just don’t get old: like being a teenager, loving music, loving love, and loving the discovery of owning our words. That, will always be a wonder to me.
Sometimes, the best connections happen in an instant. During my brief stint in Atlanta, GA, I met a very kind gentleman by the name of Ismael AbduSalaam, journalist extraordinaire and writer for one of the biggest hip-hop sites, Allhiphop.com. We’ve stayed in touch over the past few years, and I am so grateful that he’s given me the grand honor of his support. Now it’s my turn to show some love for his new undertaking, “Beats, Boxing, and Mayhem”, a blog site merging his two biggest passions: music and boxing.
Check it out for the latest news on Pacquiao, Outkast, Nicki Minaj, and everything in between!
Ever since I came back from London, I realized that I might as well be working for somebody over there, because all I’ve been blogging about lately comes from that side of the pond: Chantell Walters, the Candy B*tches, Thai Matic, The Whorington, and tonight I’ve become enamored by VV Brown (again) and Ebony Bones (again). Particularly, what intrigues me is the marriage between creative fashion sense and out-of-the-box music that these artists have so gracefully embodied. Hmmm. Between Topshop, Harry Potter, and The Mighty Boosh, it’s safe to say I’ve got quite a thing for London…
My good friends over at DLRN (previously Delorean) are doing it big: they’ve got two new singles, and are about to drop their record, “The Bridge”, in just a few weeks! Needless to say, it’s about to go down.
Check out their site, and be sure to treat those eardrums to a whirl round the tracks below:
When my friends Paloma and Bibang showed me this song, I melted. It was like it was made just for me. Teeehee. Classic Tagalog song. The title translates to “You are the Miss Universe of My Life.” Swooooooooooooon.
A few months ago, I wore a standout jewelry piece by Krystal Rae to London, of which Swizz Beatz commented, “Hey, that’s a nice chain”. Nice chain is right indeed. Krystal’s bold and unique pieces are for fearless women who dare to push boundaries. Wearing one is like infusing a fine piece of sculpture into your wardrobe, an instant style upgrade that bridges your everyday wear with some kind of cubism- inevitably, you’ll be a walking piece of art. And who wouldn’t want that?
Krystal Rae invited me to shoot for her jewelry with photographer Dan Keinan a little while back, and here are some of the photos, including a video for her Traveling Necklace segments on her blog. Check out her website/blog HERE!
Yesterday was our second day trekking up to the Polo Grounds for another breakthrough workshop for the LitWorld Teen Girls Club, and Lauren and I arrived with colorful index cards emblazoned with powerful quotes! Staying true to LitWorld’s mission to create “words that change worlds”, last night’s workshop further instilled each young woman’s ability to harness the power of a positive voice.
The girls came in fluttering with excited chatter, and upon overhearing conversations about how disappointed they can be with their neighborhood and environment, I jumped in to ask what good and positive things they can find there. Immediately, they replied by saying, “Nothing’s good here, I wouldn’t even invite my friends up here. Everyone knows this neighborhood is bad.” I smiled and said, “But this is space is good, right? This Girls Club? This space we are creating for each other, this is positive, no?” They shyly agreed. I reminded them that if we don’t see what we like, we all have the power to draw from ourselves and help to empower each other. No matter how small, our intentions and our strengths are bigger and stronger than we know. I think that little by little, they are beginning to believe this more and more.
After our opening check-ins, I asked the girls to get on their feet. I divided the room into three sections: YES, NO, and MAYBE. I instructed the girls to go to the part of the room they felt they belonged to after I read some statements out loud. The statements went something like this:
I have a woman I look up to.
I have a lot of girl friends and get along well with other girls.
I have a story worth telling.
I want to change the world, and I have goals and dreams.
After the girls went to their respective corners of the room, we had mini discussions. Some of them responded that they don’t have many girl friends because girls can be “catty” or tend to talk negatively about other girls. I reminded them of one of our seven strengths, “Sisterhood”, and asked for them to remember that as women, we should continue supporting, empowering, and uplifting each other, because all in all, we are in this movement together. I saw a nod of agreement come from each of them, and I felt proud to watch them trust each other more.
What I love most about these young women is their energy, excitement, and enthusiasm for books, words, and reading. We laugh often, make jokes, and get serious when it’s time.
Our next activity used our powerful quotes cards. I had the girls pass the cards around and identify which quote spoke to them most. They exclaimed with excitement when they found “the one”. Tiffany was moved by a quote from Nelson Mandela, Mandy gravitated toward one by Reverend Run, and Zena was drawn to one by Dr. Seuss. They wrote a reflection in their journals about why this quote is one they live by, and shared. They are such powerful young women backed with a strength they don’t even (fully) know yet.
I can’t wait for next week. As always, I will keep you posted. More pictures to come soon!
All rights reserved