easier said than done

i'm on the pursuit of happiness...
and as of late i have many highs and lows, which feel are on repeat- on one hand i'm having a lot of genuine fun and one the other hand i am subscribing to the same poor habits i'm trying to void. gosh, why is this sooo hard!

AfroChic: Artist Call-outs

AFROCHIC IS BACK FOR ROUND THREE!

Are you a visual artists, fashion designer, vendor, or business looking for a worthy sponsorship venture? On Saturday June 9th at The Great Hall (1087 Queen St. W.) AfroChic is hosting it's 3RD Annual AfroChic Arts Exhibit. With 300 attendees last year, this is a great opportunity to network and receive great exposure. To meet our mandate we are seeking youth artists [16-29] who identify as belonging to the African Diaspora.

Books + Glasses = My life

I got some new glasses today- I encourage all four-eyes to check out clearlycontacts.ca. It's a Canadian online company that has frequent promotions on glasses including a free pair of speks! (+ shipping and handling). The last store bought pair I purchased cost me $300, so I think $15 is a incomparable deal. You can get a promotion code from their facebook page. And according to their website, they give a proceed of their sales to provide glasses for children in developing countries.

And in the spirit of nerd, I am feeling brave enough to share the video of the Toronto Library "keep Toronto reading" campaign. I warn you it's really cheesed up and I am definitely the most extra person but I am always down for a good cause :)
Don't forget to visit your local library, you'd be amazed at the amount of resources they provide aside from books. For example...there are infant/child/youth/adult/senior programs, events, workshops, and free Wi-Fi!

Show Time

Yesterday I watched the very entertaining Think Like a Man, and let me just say that the trailer just touches the surface of the amount of jokes I endured. It was so funny that I missed some jokes because I will still laughing- like, when is that ever a problem? I can't remember the last time I clapped during the movie, mmhhmmed out loud and blushed with the rest of the audience, it was so live! (Mind you this was at The Queensway, not even Rainbow Woodbine cinema.) Now what I loved about this movie, aside from KEVIN HEART!!!, was the moments of letting go. Most of us are so stuck in our ways that it suffocates the potential of new experiences and joy awaiting us.

You know, I thought I was pretty confident and spontaneous in my willingness to be silly and care free. But it turns out I'm a bit of a prune. I've been having a few 'outside my comfort zone' experiences in multiple endeavours and at times I can be as receptive as a WBLK signal. Word.

Chapter 3: Young Adult

At 24 and 110 lbs. I can’t honestly say I fully feel like an adult. Then again there isn’t much I feel that I am not ready for, but financially- there’s plenty (can I get a witness). That is essentially the 10 ft wall that I must climb over to prove to myself that I have safely made it to the next stage in life. Currently I live with my supportive parents and siblings and still have to beg a likkle change here and there to take the bus. Not cute…But what I’m doing with that $3 is volunteering in my community for great initiatives…that currently have little to no capital. And notice I said ‘initiatives’ –plural. I am taking on 3+ positions within any given month that generally take a commitment between five and twelve hours a week. It’s a bit crazy when I notice that I am helping out others when I myself am struggling. 

Rule of 21

Starting tomorrow morning I am embarking on my first publicly documented personal challenge. It may not be surprising that this will not be my first attempt at such a challenge but I am in great spirits to try at it again. You know the saying: Fall down seven times, get up eight.

The Universe is Conspirering With Me!

I have never felt hopeless, and I know that's more than the optimist within me speaking. Or maybe that trait allows me to be more receptable to all that life has to offer. Within my world I am aware of a universal safety net that literally comes to catch me in my moments of need. Just when I'm brinking on three dollars and six dimes...minus three dollars- out of no where I get an email or a call or a random government GST checque in the mail (you know those ones) and I immediately know it is a gift and not a coincidence. And I'm not solely speaking about 'miracle bailouts,' since I just as commonly find that I receive guidance and signs specifically planned for me when in a situation of confusion or distress.

Jam 4 Jamaica!

I'm a lover of reggae & dancehall this event will deliver a sell-off jam for good cause!

Jam 4 Jamaica is an annual party for a purpose. This year it will be taking place at The Sheraton Centre Hotel (123 Queen St. W.), doors open at 10:30PM. Ticket sales support education scholarships for children in Jamaica. This year we will support 10 kids.
$20 advance tickets sold out!
$25 available at www.jam4jamaica.eventbrite.com, at Play De Record and Broadway Fashions.

Check out the website for profiles on the kids and other details: www.jam4jamaica.com

rock.paper.sistahz festival May 4-11

b current is proud to announce the line-up of the 11th Annual rock.paper.sistahz Festival. This year’s event promises something for everyone! From May 4-11, 2012, the highly popular, one-o f-a-kind festival will showcase some of Toronto’s most creative visual artists, creators, and hand-picked performance work by Black women artists and artists of colour.

+ I'm performing at...

SpeakEasy
Saturday, May 5: 11pm-1am
A late-night basement performance bash; featuring spokenword, comedy, and other live
performances by Jude Delsoin, Najla Edwards & Helen Yohannes, Angelique Lazarus,
Ariel Len, and Adiyana Morris. Hosted by Naomi Abiola of Trinidad & Tobago, a
comedic, theatre and spokenword artist.
Where: Ellington’s Café, 805 St. Clair Ave. W.

Obsidian Theatre: The Development Series, April 7th

The Hallway

By Leah-Simone Bowen

Directed by Philip Akin

Starring: Karen Robinson, Raven Dauda, Martin Julien, Natasha Adiyanna Morris, Peter Bailey

Music by Andrew Penner

Set in 1936, during one of the worst heat waves in history, the tenants of a Negro rooming house struggle to cope with daily life while a Russian immigrant tries to escape his past.

April 7, 2012 2pm
The Ernest Balmer Studio
55 Mill St. Building 58
The Cannery, Studio 315

Tickets $10

sisters

i love this poem. it embodies the bond between sisters, by lucille clifton

sisters

me and you be sisters.
we be the same.
me and you
coming from the same place.
me and you
be greasing our legs
touching up our edges.
me and you
be scared of rats
be stepping on roaches.

me and you
come running high down purdy street one time
and mama laugh and shake her head at
me and you.
me and you
got babies
got thirty-five
got black
let our hair go back
be loving ourselves
be loving ourselves
be sisters.
only where you sing,
I poet. 
         -Lucille Clifton

we meet again

Good Morning
Good, good morning
Peaceful, bright, sweet, glorious morning
What a blessing it is to wake up with warm blood
Traveling throughout your body
Easy...
Breathing and birds waking
But nothing is more loving than the Sun
Our magnetic, beating Sun
Red, golden, fiery Sun
Who lifts off the cool
Left by our shape-shifting Moon
Color tinted curvaceous Moon
White, yellow, blue and orange Moon
I love how you follow my steps
In the night
Good Night
Summer, winter nights
Quiet, mysterious, powerful nights
Carry my dreams into the rising dawn
And into the new day
Where we meet again

Spring Cleaning!

this is how it all starts out...

I love the thought of New Years Resolutions, and that tends to be an overarching issue for why I rarely accomplish such annual goals. Their 'thoughts,' that rarely mature into plans that eventually blossom into actions. And what is more apparent is that this yearly ritual is faced with yearly disappointment. During each countdown, my focus lies on a specific tasks such as 'maintain a vegetarian diet' or 'design my own outfits' - all the while overshadowing my root problems of commitment.