Monday, February 25, 2013

What Would Happen If...


What would happen if you didn’t have your cell phone?  How would you manage?  What would you do?  Well, these are some questions I had to recently deal with myself.  My cell phone just went dead on me one day.  No explanations at all, it just stopped working….

I’d had the Blackberry Bold 9900 for almost 13 months; taken really good care of it and had never did any serious damage to it at all.  As a matter of fact, when I took it in to be serviced, the technician told me that “it’s in pristine condition,” while looking puzzled as to why it wasn’t working.

Well needless to say, I ended up contacting BlackBerry…  And after spending hours on the phone with BlackBerry’s tech support trying to connect it to my laptop so that I may retrieve my backed-up information, we came to the realization that it was unsalvageable (Couldn’t even get the light to turn on). 

Before accepting no as the final answer, I called a local cell phone repair company, explained the situation and was given the same diagnoses…  “Man was I crushed!!!”  No Cell Phone…  Then I started thinking about all of my creative thoughts, notes and recorded messages from spur of the moment ideas and other thoughts.   You see, when a thought comes to mind, I either record it or write it down and the cell phone makes it very easy to do because it’s very accessible and usually nearby. 




Anyhow, I’ve got to start anew…  Although I don’t quite understand this one, I’m rolling with it…  But in doing so, it made me think about how technology has crippled us to a certain extent. Examples…

  • Not remembering numbers: Back in the day, we had to remember numbers.  How many of you can recall a phone number if you had to without looking at your cell phone?

  • Remembering dates, appointments and meeting times:   How many of you can honestly say that you commit to your remembrance things of this sort?  (No cell phone alarms to remind you.)

Although technology is a very useful tool, we can become overly dependent on it…  So, in the event that you should experience the same thing…  Be prepared; begin by thinking “What Would Happen If There Were No Cell Phones!”

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Niece Going Natural

Go Natural or Not?


Is it a Trend?  Fad?  Fashion Statement? Or Conscious Choice?   Many teen girls are thinking about making the transition from relaxed hair to natural hair…
 
Are these teen girls doing it because they see others doing it?  Or are they making the decision to return to their natural hair texture on their own?  Whatever the decision is, teen girls who have decided to make that transition will test their self-esteem, confidence and self-worth, ultimately measuring their inner strength against the likes of good old “Peer Pressure” and society’s perception of what beauty looks like.

Yes, I'm Going Natural



A few weeks ago, my niece told me that she wanted to “Go Natural.”  I was all smiles, yet at the same time wondering if she truly understood the decision she was making and what it would entail for her….  So you know me, I asked a few questions and this is what she said:


Q.  At what age did you receive your first relaxer?
A.  I don’t even remember being natural; I think I was about 6 years old???

Q.   When was your last relaxer applied?
A.  My Mom did it sometime in December 2012.  (Mom: Former Cosmetologist)

Q.   What made you decide to return to your natural hair texture?
A.  I was tired of seeing my hair break off and it looking unhealthy.  I also didn’t like how the early morning weather would make my hair puffy.

Q.   Are you excited about your natural hair journey?
A.  Yeesss.  I’m excited to see the new changes in my hair and doing different styles that are healthier and satisfying than flat ironing and being unsatisfied with the results of damaged hair.

Q.   What challenges do you foresee ahead of you?
A.  I see the challenges occurring outside myself meaning “getting different” comments whether good or bad from my friends and peers.  There may be some people who won’t like it and there may be others whom I inspire to make the switch too. 
Q.   What are your expectations/goals during the transitioning process?
A.  I expect my hair to be much healthier, and my confidence boosted a little more.

Q.   What did your parent(s) say about your decision?  Do you have a good support system?
A.  My Mom is supportive although she didn’t say much about my decision.

Q.   What advice would you give other teen girls who are deciding to return to their natural hair texture?  Why?
A.  I would advise them to take some time to seriously think about it first because you want to make sure that you’ll like it and it’s something you want to do.

Looking Forward to BEing Natural; My Natural Hair Journey Begins


After spending some time with my niece and discussing some of the social objections she may encounter throughout this process, it was very clear to me that she’d made a conscious choice based on her own understanding of what “returning to her natural hair texture” meant.

Although my niece has watched me from afar over the years, it’s apparent that she’s observed how I’ve handled both positive and negative encounters as it relates to comments being made about my own hair.  

So, needless to say I was still very honest and forthright with her in sharing my joys and conflicts because I wanted her to know that as a “Beautiful Dark-skinned Woman” she too would be susceptible to some of the same ignorance in individuals who lack understanding of our hair and its texture.…  

In spite of the social ills and external oppositions, she’s still confident about her decision and wants to move forward with the process of “Going Natural.”  So stay tuned as we take a journey in the life of a teen that’s transitioning and transforming her mind and outlook about natural hair and what’s BEaUtiful.  

#YoungHipNatural

Monday, February 11, 2013

Young Girls and Goals

Create a Visual and Make It Plain

 On this past Saturday, I had the opportunity to work with some young ladies and other mentors from the “Sister to Sister” Mentorship Program here in Atlanta.  This was our first meeting of the year, and to kick it off, we did vision boards for our “Short-Term Goals of 2013.”
                                                       
Creating A Visual

Although I’ve worked with both boys and girls alike, I have a special affinity with young women between the ages of 12 to 21.  These years are very impressionable and set the stage for future endeavors, which brings me to the creation of vision boards.  This activity was an excellent way to get the young ladies (and mentors) to think about their “short-term goals” and make them plain by placing visuals on their boards to represent the goals they plan to achieve for the year 2013.

This exercise helped us to pin point some things we wanted to focus on and work towards achieving.  It also allowed us to examine if what we were imagining was doable within the next 12 months…  I must say, I really enjoyed the process myself.  It gave me the opportunity to think about my own goals as well as talk with the young ladies and share our visions for what we plan on doing for this year.

Once the task was complete, everyone had a chance to go before the audience and discuss their individual goals, utilizing their vision boards as a visual representation of their aspirations for the year.   This gave the young girls the freedom to express their visions and speak their visions into existence as many of them took pride in doing so.

I noticed quite a few of them became excited about their goals and began to speak with power as they presented them, taking pleasure in their creation and exuding enthusiasm in the possibilities...  This is the magic that comes from creating vision boards…  It’s not enough just to speak your goals; they become more powerful and impactful when you write them down.  And adding visuals to the written word builds a sense of “I Can Do This” because you can now see it on paper, which makes it authentic.

It’s been said that “2013 is the year of opportunity,” if this be the case, then the young ladies are well on their way to accomplishing their goals because they’ve already taken the first step of writing the vision and making it plain…  Keep in Mind, Vision Boards are a Powerful Tool for “Young Girls to Express Their Goals!”

Monday, February 4, 2013

Waxing or Threading????







What’s the big whoop-tee-do about waxing and threading eyebrows?  Both methods remove hair right?  Yes they do, but there’s a big difference in the hair removal process and its effects…  Here’s some interesting information.

Just the other day, I was getting my eyebrow threaded.  It is something that I’ve started doing within the last year because it’s a healthier beauty regimen as opposed to waxing… This is just my analysis, and here’s why:


Waxing:

This method of hair removal for the eyebrows pulls the hair from the root and over time, your hair doesn’t grow back.  Now this is good if you don’t desire the hair to ever come back again (LOL).  And the down side to this method is, it’s a one shot approach.

Meaning “if” it’s not done to your liking, you’ll have to wait ‘til the hair grows back, providing that the hair follicles haven’t been severely damaged.  I can attest to this, from personal experience, so I know first hand! Gotta use the old eyebrow pencil to filler in…  

Some other things to consider with waxing are, waxing pulls the hair and the skin (hence redness), it’s not equally hygienic as threading and it can become very expensive because the hair grows back in about 7 -10 days (depending on how fast your hair grows).


Threading:  

Having your eyebrows removed via the threading procedure cuts the hair away.  It gives you a more defined shape because the thread is easier to manipulate, creating an arch that’s more flattering to your face.  Threading is also very hygienic since cotton thread is used and thrown away afterwards. 

This process last longer, is inexpensive, leaves no burning sensation like wax does (especially if it’s overheated), nor does it irritates the skin, unless you’re allergic to cotton.  I will say, if it’s your first time having your eyebrows threaded, then it may feel like you’re being pinched a bit...

If the treading process hurts (Tears in your eyes… Hurt), then the technique being used just might not be being performed correctly… There is a method to threading properly, so keep that in mind.  This brings me to some interesting information that I gleamed from Sabina Ahmed, Owner of "Brow Arch The Threading Studio".

 A Little History Lesson:

In the Middle Eastern countries like India and Turkey, many of those women have no concept of “waxing the eyebrows.”  Over there, threading is an ancient practice of hair removal and is used more so for eyebrows, although it can be utilized to remove other facial and body hair as well.  Here in the U.S., threading has become very popular over the last 5-7 years which is why you’re seeing more threading studios and salons. 


 Waxing or Threading????  

Well, the choice is yours!  Just be informed…  I personally prefer threading because of the price, technique used and because it’s very hygienic and a healthier beauty regimen.  If I had to do it all over again, I’d have my eyebrows threaded over waxing them.

So here’s a message to the teenage girls who are “getting their eyebrows done.”  Your skin is nice and tight for now, but as you age, it will change.  Keep in mind, waxing tugs at the skin, whereas threading cuts the hair… Remember, over time, you’ll maintain the elasticity in your skin longer by using a healthier method.  Waxing or Threading???  You Decide!!!