Shihan -- "Type Love"

Saw Shihan perform live this weekend. Reminded me of this poem I watched on Def Poetry Jam a few years back. It makes me smile...



"I want a love that makes me need to change my cell phone calling plan
to something that allows me to talk to her longer,
'Cause in all honesty,
I wana avoid one of them high cell phone bill type loves..."




YESSSSSSSS!!! *snaps*

Q & A.

Went through ALL of my Shake Something emails today and have decided these three things:

(1) you are all nuts. (haha)
(2) i kinda love you.
(3) i am truly blessed.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I have so so so so so much to thank God for this year. One, in particular, is the relationship I've been able to develop with you -- my readers, my loves... As a token of my appreciation for all of the love you've given me, I've decided to post some of your questions with the realest answers possible. Here you go...

and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

xoxo
Nadia

Q: "You never write about TV. Do you watch? What's your favorite show and what's your guiltiest pleasure?"
-- Shanae -- Queens, NY
A: Haha. Of course I watch TV! Not as much as I'd like to, but believe me I get it in. My favorite show right now is Law and Order: SVU. I watch it with my roomie all the time. And my guiltiest pleasure? It's a tie between Real Housewives of Atlanta and Bad Girls Club. I hate how much I love em.

Q: "Do you date? If so, who was your last date? Was it that mysterious 'Brooklyn' character? How was it? I love reading about your love life. It's like you're living my life -- except you're in Brooklyn and I'm in frickin Nebraska."
-- Jenn -- Bellevue, NE

A: Oh, wow. That's a lot to answer. My last date was pretty recently. No, it was not with 'Brooklyn.' When I write about Brooklyn, I tend to actually be talking about the borough (...most times hehe.). What can I say about my last date? In a sentence: We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we should join up with them and fall into mutual weirdness, but sometimes the prospect of that is simply terrifying. <-- yes, that was a very long, run on sentence. whew!

Q: "What's the last book you read? Would you recommend it to a friend?"
-- Bobbi -- Chester, PA

A: It's been a while since I've done any leisurely reading. The last full book I was able to read was Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert over the summer. I would recommend it to any young person trying to find his/her way in the world. It will take you on a journey to your own self discovery.

Q: "You don't post many pics of yourself. Take a pic of yourself right now and post it! I wanna see you!"
-- JRock -- Little Rock, AR
A: That's not a question. My last post DID include a pic of me! Lol, but here you go... via Photo Booth. I'm bumming it out today.

peace.

Right Now, Law School Makes Me Feel Like This...

I'm literally pulling my hair out. Too much work, too little time. Reading and briefing cases. Writing professional articles. Researching legislation. It's enough to make you want to commit a crime of your own. Whoever said law school gets better your second year lied through their teeth...

One good thing though: I don't feel guilty when I go do something for myself anymore. Life is about balance annnnnd I'd be a very surly individual if I wasn't able to make time for a little frivolous fun. I don't want to look back and say, "Hey, I should've lived a little more in those three years."

Nope. I'm carpe diem-ing the heck out of life right now... and proud of myself for it.

My Only Question Is....

What's the point in the scarf? Lol.

BLOG 35: On Terrorism.

This week on a crowded rush hour subway, I watched an elderly man very deliberately pick his nose for 3 whole stops. He did it so boldly, and even looked me straight in the eye as I scrunched my face in disgust. Then, he proceeded touch every single bar and handle in the subway car.

I watch the news a lot. Reporters and legal analysts are always discussing bomb threats and chemical warfare. Political pundits sometimes spew ill-bred opinions about our Muslim-American brothers and sisters, but what about the elderly man spreading his germs on a jam-packed subway?

Now that man -- in his oversized sweater, flood pants and oxford shoes -- he was a terrorist.
I feel terrorized.




Lol... Just saying.

House ethics panel convicts Rep. Rangel on 11 of 13 counts of rule violations - TheHill.com

House ethics panel convicts Rep. Rangel on 11 of 13 counts of rule violations - TheHill.com

Dang, this sucks.

So Many New Videos, So Little Time...

Rihanna feat. Drake -- What's My Name?





Jazmine Sullivan -- 10 Seconds

Keri Hilson -- Pretty Girl Rock

I LOVE this song so so so so so so much! <3




"No question that this girl's a 10. Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful..."


*doing the pretty girl rock*

Note to Self.

RePost: BLOG 16: Love Sucks.

I'm re-posting this blog because so many of you have written to me about your love woes. Also, a lot of people in my life seem to be experiencing the excruciating part of love right now. I hope this is a reminder to stay strong, and remain steadfast in your pursuit. LOVE -- the real-true- reckless-honest-pure-unadulterated kind of love -- it never ever fails...



After I finished with finals last week I made an honest effort to call people I hadn't spoken to in a while and catch up. It was when I spoke to my old high school true blue that I had my latest epiphany...

LOVE IS EXCRUCIATING.

The funny thing about pain is, people will endure it over and over and over again. Our brains can't compartmentalize a memory for pain. It's the same reason why I keep getting more tattoos. Foolish, yes. But once the pain fades, all that remains is the poetic piece of artwork that I love and enjoy.

Movies tell us the same thing. Big left Carrie in tears sooo many times before they learned how to love each other. Q got big headed and proposed to Tyra Banks. Thennn, Monica left basketball and took an office job before either of them risked their pride and expressed their love for one another. Remember Slumdog Millionaire? That little boy commiserated over Latika until he was a grown man. He got beat up, chased and betrayed by his brother before he could get to his girl. He had to get on a game show and win one million rupee to get that girl to come to her senses! Lol.

Moral of the story: Apparently, love sucks before it gets really, really good. And, because our minds have no memory center for pain, we will keep trying and trying and trying... blindly walking into relationships, waiting for that reckless, crazy, dangerously unconditional love...

So, whether it's the tiniest crush or a full blown committed relationship, love will induce what will seem like unbareable pain at times. Remain steadfast in your pursuit because just when you've almost lost hope, love will come along and sweep you off your feet. It is destiny.

That's what the movies tell us at least...

Kelly Price, Marsha Ambrosius, Jill Scott & Ledisi for BLACK GIRLS ROCK!

This performance was amazing! It's from Black Girls Rock, which aired on BET on Sunday, November 7th.

Black girls do, indeed, ROCK! :-)

BLOG 34: The Check-In.

I checked in with myself today. It went like this:

Nadia: “Self?”

Self: “Yes?”

Nadia: “Are you okay?”

Self: “I think so.”

Nadia: “Good. Just checking.”

Lol. I know. It seems crazy, but sometimes something as small as that can push me through the rest of the week. Some afternoons, days and weeks go by so fast that I just NEED to check in… and so I do.

Waiting around for other people to check on me is just selfish. Only me and God truly know when I need someone to ask the simplest, most important questions. I can’t expect my loved ones to read my mind [[even though sometimes it seems like they do]]. I also can’t guarantee that I’ll always be completely honest when answering someone outside of myself. So, I do my own check-ins.

I laugh at it sometimes. The fact that I am so in tune with what I need, even the tiniest things. It lets me know that I’m prepared. For what? I’m not exactly sure.

Anyway, I’m here. I’m studying. I’m alive… and I’m okay

Fantasia -- I'm Doing Me

"Nothing more beautiful than knowing your worth
And finally, I know exactly what I deserve"

Nice video. Nice Message. Rooting for Fantasia. :-)

Rock The Vote: "The rent is too damn high..."

Just a reminder: November 2nd is election day!!! If you care about what's going on in the world, I know you'll vote, my readers, my loves...

This is a clip from the New York gubernatorial debate, held on October 18th. I don't know about you, but he has my vote. The rent is too damn high!!!! Lol...




...*still crackin up*