Why, no matter what they say, I Will Always Love Sex and The City

      "He's totally a Season One Big," my girl says to me during one of our crossfire girl-talk sessions. How many of you out there can reference your relationship situation by naming one character after it? Have you ever had someone bust a 'Trey McDougal" on you? And how a man feels about Charlotte's character speaks volumes about his view on commitment. Love her = cupcaker! Hate her = fear of commitment.

     I remember watching the VHS Tapes at my girl Jenn's house and having SATC parties every Sunday while the homeboys sulked around. "Shhh! Shut the fuck up!" we'd tell them if they asked us a random question during the dialogue. I remember one of the homies rang the doorbell during an episode and all four of us on the couch didn't even look up. "Come back later! Sex And The City is on!" we shouted through the door.

My favorite SATC skit on SNL

And during "relationship issues" I would go over my cousin Leah's house, raid her fridge, and watch an entire season drowning my sorrows in Haagen-Daz. When it finally got syndicated, I hated the fact it was censored but loved the fact that the gods magically played the right episode for whatever love-sickness ailed me.

I grew out of that time in my life - as we all should - looking for answers in whatever sitcom, horoscope, book, or movie that even resembles our infinite ways of finding and forgetting love. I've memorized each season, played the Facebook trivia game until I could type no more, and drooled over the designer labels I could never afford. Now I'm over it, and many people, it seems, are too.

There is tons of Carrie-hating to go around. I mean, jeezus, this woman is purely fictional and people still want to tear her to shreds. Not to mention Candace Bushnell, Maureen Dowd, ex-Gawker editor Emily Gould and any other women who wants to share the ups and downs of their dating life with a curious audience.

To the most vulgar, the characters are rapidly-aging, privileged slutbags who's life couldn't be more different than my (or your) own. It's a world where the only thing we have to worry about is what shoes to wear to what event and whether or not we should get back with Big. I know the difference between "real" and "make-believe" but it's easy to oversimplify in retrospect.  Could it be because they're women? For the record, I don't think Carrie Bradshaw is a narcissistic, dude-obsessed, fairy tale character.  Fairy tales don't have impotence issues and STDs.  I'm happy that someone talked about women having sex and did it with humor and humility. Maybe it really is how women think when men aren't around, and isn't that a story that hasn't been documented enough?

 In the meanwhile, I'll be at the theater, pouring out some Cherry Icee for all the homegirls that couldn't be here, and happy to see that chapter close when it should.

Branded: Photography Show in SF at Club SIx

   If you're in town, check this show out.  It got a whole bunch of my friends and family in it like my girl Kirstina Sangsachart, Amanda Lopez, Nina Parks, Whooligan, Tiffany Eng, Matt Reamer, Shane Nash and Dave Luraschi.  

Wish I could be there!

To Scarf or Not to Scarf

Dunkin Donuts recently pulled an ad featuring their spokesperson Rachel Ray wearing a paisley scarf that looked like a keffiyeh to ignoramus right-wingers.  And guess who the fuck responded to the shit...one of the dumb bitches that I am planning on getting arrested just to bitch-slap when I finally meet her...MICHELLE MALKIN!

What did the five fingers say to the face? SMACK!

Fuck her.  Anyway, before I digress and go off about wanting to physically strangle her for being the living, breathing example of monkey ass colonial mentality BECAUSE, unfortunately, she IS Pinay, I'm going to talk about the social implications of fashion and why its important to be respectful and conscious of accessories you find at Urban Outfitters.  (If you want the break down, go to my sista's page, Rough Draft).

Vice Don't:  I smell like whiskey, sarcasm and self-importance.  Check out the Asian girls with the white guys in true hipster fashion!

Hipsters annoy the shit out of me, because they seem to find anything that is of cultural value and rock it so ignorantly. Yes, VICE-lovers, I'm talking to you!

But the funny thing is, I recently bought a scarf with a similar pattern and thought to myself, "Have I become one of them?" I bought it for $10 at a store on Melrose and was immediately conflicted. "What if I am Pro-Palestine? Can I still wear it in solidarity?" I took a look at it and the design resembled a scarf that Phatty got Bam when he went to Vietnam, one that the Viet-Congs wore and the symbolism was too much to ignore - to the critical and educated person.  

SO the question is:  Should I be annoyed at the dumb ass white boys that wear them with tight pants and baseball hats that think Lil' Wayne is the best rapper alive?  Or should I be pissed at Urban Outfitters and Abercrombie for making culturally-relevant attire another bastardized commodity?!

You know what I think?  If you're gonna wear it, at least do your best to educate yourself about the significance of its symbolism.

Ask Mazzi.  

(Aye yo Mazzi, if you out there, I respect your stance on this topic, and your shout outs to the Bay!)

Why I Don't Mind Watching Cartoons with My Son

Wow, Wow, Wubbzy!

It's hard surfing the boob tube and finding sustenance in today's assortment of smut-filled reality shows. Sometimes I find myself watching them because nothing else is on, and drama is always interesting to watch. Besides my usual diet of Flavor of Love 3, the Tila Tequila crapfest, and Top Chef, every morning, I watch cartoons with my lil' boy.

It starts with The Backyardigans, then Go, Diego, Go!, then Ni-Hao, Kai Lan, and eventually Dora, The Explorer. Sometimes I'll watch a little Avatar later on, or sometimes I only catch a little of SpongeBob. Either way, it's a welcome escape from the debauchery happening on other channels.

I remember when I was a kid, I would watch my mom watch her favorite Chuck Norris action movies and wonder, how in the hell grown-ups can not like cartoons? That must be a sad and meager existence, I said to myself, and found out I was partly right.

Kids have this innocence and wonder about the world that is to be envied. While I'm here seeing that everything I ever thought about the way things work is completely and utterly wrong, he's over here happy to have a toy in his mouth. And every morning, cartoons teach him how to be a well-mannered boy.

What's gonna work? Teamwork?! says the little duck, turtle and hamster from the WonderPets. They're off to save a baby Jaguar that needs their help. Or singing about saying sorry and helping to fix what's wrong, or any other golden rules that our adulthood forgets to remind us about. It's kind of nice to be in a place where everyone is sharing and not stabbing each other in the back because "They're really here for Flav". (He didn't pick none of y'all triflin' beezies! )

If you find yourself growing mentally retarded with every new episode of The Hills, try tuning into a cartoon not on Adult Swim and you might find yourself entertained and enlighted. Maybe you'll save yourself from the puke taste in the back of your throat that usually precedes watching the New Kids on the Block get back together on VH1. Who the fuck cares?!!!!'

That's Just My Baby Daddy...

      You might not recognize him with the mohawk and painted lips, but yes, that is my future husband  taking down Harry Ford in the new Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull movie!  It's  a dream come true for this Star Wars nerd to be working with "Steve" and George Lucas, so just in case the red circles ain't enough, keep your eyes peeled.

     Happy Friday and enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!

Forget Chivalry, Ladylike is DEAD

    Far too often, I've heard my girlfriends mourning the death of chivalry, usually after they've had to go dutch one too many times, or they find their Prince Charming to be a belching, Maxim-worshipping lush.  And while there are definitely some Euro-centric and privileged characteristics associated with acting like a "gentleman", I do believe that this breakdown of etiquette and moral repugnance is happening all across the board - ladies that means you too!

   The Times of London has an article out about what the writer considered to be "gentleman-like" and it goes as follows:

How to be a (modern) gentleman
1. Some things don't change: say please and thank you and ask questions about other people rather than talk about yourself.
2. Be punctual. Tardiness does not make you look important, it turns you into an arrogant incompetent who thinks that his time is more important than other people's.
3. The modern gentleman cares about the planet. Be environmentally aware (but not obnoxious about it).
4. Open doors for people and stand up when they enter a room, but do this for men as well as women. The modern gentleman doesn't treat women like porcelain.
5. Be modest. Bragging is distinctly ungentlemanly.
6. Be a good father. Nothing is less charming than a man who leaves childcare to women.
7. Be honest about wherever you have come from in life. Pretension is spineless.
8. Flirt - with everyone. Good flirting is a form of politeness. Pay compliments and put your companion at ease.
9. Do not phone/text/check your BlackBerry incessantly.
10. Dress tidily. Whatever style you are going for, scruffiness just isn't in.

For the most part, I agree. Regardless of background, class or income, having good manners and being courteous is always appreciated by men and women alike. Another interesting tidbit was that this modesty - when actually pertaining to the accomplished - also means not to participate in conspicuous consumption ... and boy is this a time in capitalism for that!
Not only is "bling" a steadfast entry in the current language, but "making it rain on them hoes" doesn't even phase the normal partygoer, especially because Hip-Hop is the numero uno representative of UBER conspicuous consumption.

I find myself trying to tightrope this comparison of old values versus new: being seen and not heard, as opposed to being seen in a sex tape and making a career in Hollywood. While the "old me" might have went around ridiculing those who find the latter more appealing for notoriety, I really do make an effort not to be so judgmental about the way other people carry on. Not only is it a losing battle for so many reasons (sex sells), but it's really more important to lead by example so that other impressionable ladies can find a balance and make a decision for themselves.

I'm lucky that I run with such ladylike womyns: MISS CREW!!! They have a dope series in their blog called Always A Lady that explains how to keep your composure in such vulgar times.

But I also advocate that being a lady does not connotate meekness or a desire to please others. There are times and places to be a lady and there at times and places to put 'em in their place! Above all, it really is important to have a level of respect for everyone you meet, and especially with how you are presented to the world - despite what the media would lead you to believe.

Remembering Ka Bel (January 7, 1933 — May 20, 2008)

Crispin 'Ka Bel' Beltran was a Filipino politician and a labor leader. A staunch critic of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, his imprisonment in 2006 and 2007 on disputed charges of rebellion and sedition drew international attention. As a member of 13th Congress of the Philippines with the Anakpawis or the 'Toiling Masses Partylist' and former chair of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), a militant and progressive labor movement, he had been a major figure in contemporary Filipino history.

Labor leader

Beltran joined the Kilusang Mayo Uno in 1955. He became the Chairperson of the organization in 1986 following the murder of Rolando Olalia. From 1993 to 1999, Beltran was the Chairperson of BAYAN. He was elected to the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 2001 as a party-list representative of Bayan Muna.

Detention and release

On February 25, 2006, Beltran was arrested shortly after a state of emergency was declared by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He was charged with inciting to sedition. He was subsequently implicated in an alleged plot to overthrow the government of Arroyo.^[1]

An international campaign was organized calling for the immediate release of Beltran. One group, the 'Free Ka Bel Movement' has local chapters in Southern Tagalog, Davao and Cebu and international chapters in Hongkong, Japan, US, Canada, Australia and Switzerland. ^[2] Some 99 parliamentarians from across the world supported the release of Crispin Beltran coming from 11 countries and 13 parliaments, including the Netherlands, Cambodia, Burma, New Zealand, Belgium, Chile, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the European Parliament, Switzerland, Denmark, and the Flemish Parliament.^[3] Beltran also drew support from Keith Locke, MP, Foreign Affairs Critic of the Green Party of New Zealand^[4].

Beltran remained in detention until June of 2007, when the Supreme Court of the Philippines voided the charges against Beltran and several other leaders affiliated with leftist groups.^[5]

On January 4, 2008, Beltran filed House Resolution 299 with the House of Representatives of the Philippines to investigate the murders and harassment of trade union / labor leaders in the Philippines. He cited the 2007 annual Survey of Trade Union Rights Violations of the International Trade Union Confederation: "33 of the total 144 cases of trade union killings worldwide happened in the Philippines; and 800 cases of beatings and torture of trade unionists in the country."^[6][7]

Beltran was hurt in a vehicular accident in October of 2007 in Intramuros, Manila, when hisToyota Hi-Ace van was rammed by a Ford Everest sports utility vehicle. Beltran was at the Philippine General Hospital after having lacerations on his left eye and suffered nosebleed.^[8]

Death

On May 20, 2008, Beltran fell 14 feet from the roof of his Bulacan home, which he had been repairing. He sustained severe head injuries and was declared dead at 11:48 a.m. by attending physicians at the Far Eastern University hospital.^[9] He was survived by his wife Rosario, with whom he had eleven children.^[10]

Upon his death, Beltran was lauded by his colleagues in the labor sector as the "Grand Old Man of Philippine labor".^[10] Malacañang Palace also released a statement through a spokesperson calling Beltran "one of the most respected labor leaders in the country" and a "vital figure" in Philippine labor.^[11]

[Source]

The Things People Say When You Leave the Room...

Bam and I had an interesting conversation a couple weeks ago about how people perceive you - honestly - and how you think others perceive yourself. So much of this has to do with life experience and nature versus nurture, but as necessary and wonderful as "character-building" can be in immediacy, it can be sobering, and oftentimes painful.

Call it what you want: critique, venting, or just plain talking shit, but everyone does it. What some would call "non-confrontational", others would call "passive aggressive". What others would call "witty and sarcastic", might just be "smart-ass" or "jerkface". But the truth - in all of its god-awful glory and nakedness - is more of what we need in our relationships, and especially what we need in ourselves. The only problem is...truth is relative.

An interesting epiphany came to me when I came over my cousin Lisa's house to have my astrology chart read, and she told me about my rising sign, which is Scorpio. I'm not too versed in what zodiac my moon is in, or what house Saturn will be in when it returns but I do know that Scorpio is the other side of my coin - and it couldn't be more true.

You see, all this time, I was thinking that people saw my Sagittariusness - my optimism, my thirst for higher-learning, my extroverted personality, my bluntness to a fault - and only my enemies or lovers saw my Scorpioness. Boy was I more wrong, because according to my cousin, who is a well-read and versed astrologer - Scorpio is how other people see me: intimidating, mysterious, and ready to sting in defense, and subconsciously how I portray myself in my most vulnerable moments. Still a little unclear? Here's a helpful excerpt...

From Astro.com:

If you were to think of your Sun sign as your soul -- your inner personality and potential -- and your Moon sign as your heart -- your emotional core -- then you could say that your rising sign is your physical self or the face you present to the world. For example, though your Sun sign might be Taurus, your rising sign could very well be Gemini. While you're feeling laid-back, others will tend to see you as a ball of nervous energy and cerebral wit.

At times, your rising sign may act as a mask, hiding some aspect of your inner self you don't feel like revealing.

So here is my list of what I think people say about me, not because I want to beat you to the punch, because so many people are afraid to face their ego. And I also think that in the name of progress, we first have to revolutionize ourselves before we try to make a change in this world.


MS. KRISH as seen to OTHERS:

DELTAS (critique)
- loud!
- bigheaded/snobby/conceited/arrogant
- ready to throw down over whatever, big or small
- mean or intimidating
- "ghetto" or "immersed in my ghettoness"
- bossy, or likes to order people around.

PROS
- accomplished at a young age
- funny and entertaining
- smart
- honest
- a people person
- refreshingly candid (not fake!)
- representative of where I come from


How MS. KRISH sees herself:

- a work in progress!
- a survivor
- proud of my humble beginnings and my people
- dedicated
- striving towards diplomacy (it's on my resolution every New Year)
- extremely loyal
- unafraid
- bad at verbal communication = good at written communciation
- welcoming to becoming a better person, for my partner, for my son, and for my community's sake.

So there you have it. And as much as I would looooove for all the people that know me to chime in =/ , it's really an exercise for all of you to get to know yourself a little bit better, especially if your job is to become an example - in an organization, as a teacher, or as a representative of all those who came before you, and a role model to all those that will follow.





(For those in the S.F. Bay Area who want more astrological and personal insight, please contact Elizabeth Travelslight at etravelslight@gmail.com $30-60 sliding scale for 30 minute consult. $60-120 for 1 hour)

Gnarls Barkley Uncensored, Part 2

This video, by far, is the best I've seen in years.  The kind that makes you understand what the song really means to the artist.

I'm seeing Gnarls Barkley everywhere right now...on MTV commercial breaks, on Adult Swim, doing a Nickelodeon-remake of "Kung Fu Fighting" for their Panda flick; it's pretty amazing to see a machine like that work. I still think that Gnarls is a concept that most people can't wrap their head around, and in about 50 years people will be a little closer to appreciating the specialness of this dynamic.

Maybe because every song sounds the same (_______ in the Club), every video looks the same (_________ in the Club), and every woman is a ho or a trick, I'm a little disheartened about the direction of Hip-Hop. But to say this was Hip-Hop is to say that chocolate is a flavor. It's so much more than a flavor...


Anyway, they truly are an Odd Couple, and I was blessed to be able to speak to the both of them at once. With a handheld pointed to the space between them on the couch at the Roosevelt Hotel ("No filming!" says Danger. Cee-Lo pops his head in the frame as an occasional joke), I listened to them explain the effortlessness of their pairing, and the fun they have throwing people for a loop. Later on, I got Big Gipp of Goodie Mob on the phone and was able to dig a little deeper about their place in Hip-Hop, and why he always knew that Cee-Lo was meant for greater things...

Cee-Lo on a Goodie Mob reunion:

Is the Goodie Mob Reunion for real, or just a rumor?

It is real. What people should understand is that each contract and formal agreement that you have with a label is exclusive and binding, so you just cannot freelance….Goodie Mob does not have a deal. If a record label picks up Goodie Mob, Gnarls Barkley is still exclusive to Atlantic, so there would be a litigation to go through unless Atlantic wants to pick up Goodie Mob as well.

It’s not that I don’t want to do it, it’s just under those circumstances I can’t do the two things simultaneously.  

If Gnarls was here on tour, aligned with an album release, and Goodie Mob is across town at another label and has an album release and a tour, which one am I supposed to do? I can’t do both simultaneously. Everything has to be strategically placed so that I’m not stretched too thin between projects. An awful lot of it does depend on me.

Cee-Lo on what he thought about the representation of "Dirty South" music during his time as Goodie Mob:

I do believe that a couple of stereotypes about the South were reinstated after we had abolished them, but to each his own, because my aspiration surpassed the city limits. They don’t associate Gnarls Barkley, Ceelo, Outkast [to be] confined by locality.

I would like to be an example, coming from the same place. And it’s not an insult, it’s simply an observation.

Cee-Lo on leaving the group:

A wise man can play a fool, but a fool cannot play a wise man, so as I evolved, it is now obvious what has happened to me. This was always for me. Who knew it would come and at what point would it have manifested itself. And I don’t regret it now, it can only be applauded at this point, and that’s the reason why there is no hatred or hard feelings. I could not expect any support on that, it was too far beyond us. But it calmed me. I had to go.

Big Gipp of the Goodie Mob on material for their upcoming reunion:

We already recorded like half the Goodie Mob album, but what’s so funny, Cee-Lo won’t let nobody hear none of the music, so I can’t even tell you ‘bout the songs. None of us have any of the music. Until we get up in the studio and finish the record, then I’ll be able to expand on some of the songs we’ve done. But I really love the direction that we’re gonna go.

Big Gipp on the presidential election:

I really feel like, right now, I want Barack to be the president, but if some reason, in some way I think they gon’ steal it, and I think its gon’ give us a bigger plateau to come back and really let everybody know that, man, we still haven’t made it to the American Dream that people think we are.

I want them to do that because really right now, man, the ‘hood, if you think about it, we’ve been partying in music since ’94, and it’s really time for us to go back to havin’ something to say in the music. I think a lot of people gettin’ away from that and a lot of people are waitin’ on us.

Ms. Krish and Gnarls Barkley at the Roosevelt, March 2008. Yes, that's the elusive Danger Mouse to my left!

My Very First Mother's Day

When I was single, I subsisted on a diet of ramen and hot sauce, 2 blunts a day, and 4 hours of sleep. When I was pregnant, I alternated between ginger ale, Korean BBQ, and red velvet cake, and spent 2 hours getting ready to go to Target. Now, my life is much different. Now, I'm a mommy.

Whatever food I can shovel down my throat before the baby wakes up (preferably low-carb, high-protein roughage!), and however many seconds I can apply my eyeliner before the whimpers turn into a full-out wail is precious to me.

This weekend was my weekend, and it started off with a certain Korean bathhouse for some moderately - priced, Third-World style pampering. For me and Bam's anniversary last year, we went to Burke Williams and I had my 7-month prego self bathed in milk and massaged for a hefty price tag. This time, I checked out this cheaper spa, and it definitely was an interesting experience. It was women - only and no bathing suits allowed, so you can imagine my post-partum anxiety of being butt-booty naked around total strangers. But when I walked in, there was a chorus line of older Korean women, squatted and scrubbing themselves with reckless abandon.

Rather than feeling judged, I felt a wave of relief as I looked at these perfectly imperfect representations of femininity, especially after constantly being barraged by Photoshopped images of celebrity bodies on all the mags I subscribe to. It felt like I was in another country, at another time where women could congregate and bond without fear of being sexualized by men, or even each other. I saw teenage girls with their moms, and 80-year old grandmothers with their daughters in different stages of undress, and was comfortable in my skin (especially since a nice lady named Kang scrubbed my two top layers of epidermis off with a loofah mitt! And I mean that in the most amazing way possible.) So when my two guys picked me and my butter-soft skin up a couple hours later, I took away more than just a pricey spa package and temporary euphoria. I was more happy that there were still real women in this world who were happy with their bodies exactly as they are.

And then I spent the rest of the weekend at The Americana, this crazy-ass outdoor mall they just built in Glendale, that resembles a retail Disneyland. My phone died early in the morning and when I turned it back on, it was awash with text messages and voicemails of friends who wished me a happy 1st Mother's Day. By the time I got home, I spent the rest of the day hanging out with my man, and my 4-month old son who "sent" me (*wink) the most beautiful bouquet of lilies, tulips and irises to look at. So while I'm eating a little more than ramen these days, and spending a hell of a lot less time primping in the mirror, I must say that I've never more happy.

I'm sure I'll be coming back to the Americana just for this...

...a Family Restroom!!

It's Friday

Quite a somber afternoon it is here in Los Angeles, even though Mother's Day Weekend is here. While I'm planning a spa treatment, a mini-shopping spree and a dinner to celebrate my first six months of motherhood with Bam, I am deeply saddened by the crises going on in Myanmar and the surrounding areas where the cyclone hit. Let's send out some positive energy that way, and not take our petty situations for granted.

Gnarls Barkley Uncensored, Part 1

    


   My third and latest cover story is out for your reading pleasure.  I usually grab three copies from the newsstand, but boss man Ryan Ford invited me over to grab a couple from his New York shipment.  So I might have to just come over and do that from now on!

       Anyway, this story was one of my most inspired and I had such a great time with Cee-Lo and DangerMouse.  I would like to think of myself as resourceful for not wasting such great material on quotes that never made it to the 2000+ word piece, so of course, you lucky folks are the first to get it.  

Cee-Lo on their new album,  The Odd Couple:

It’s like deciphering a hieroglyphic, something that seems very ancient. It seems like the lyrics are there already and you’re blowing off the dust to the scrapbook of my life. It’ll make my whole life make sense.

The still water does run deep, and maybe that’s what resonates with people. They know that we’re not fucking around.

Danger on classifying their music:

It’s such a cliché for us to say that you can’t categorize us, or that you shouldn’t, but it kind of does everybody a disservice to keep doing that. At some point, we have to be the first ones to insist on not doing that. It implies so much when you call something “Hip Hop”. It really implies some stereotypical shit and it doesn’t help anybody. How are they ever gonna be inspired by it?

People get stuck in that so much, especially with supposedly “urban artists: it’s not about what you’re able to do – they always talk like, “Use your abilities” – but it’s not about that. You should do what you love and what you want to do. You’re big and tall, doesn’t mean you have to play basketball.

I think that calling stuff “Hip Hop” does nothing but hurt it at this point – in all forms of it. If you’re black, and you’re making music in the 90s, you’re going to the Hip Hop section. Or if you don’t it’s because you’re deliberately trying to do something than what you’re supposed to be doing, which is bullshit.

Cee-Lo on the most emotional song of the album:

Me: What is your writing process? Do you have to get into a certain mood, especially since your lyrics are so profound?

Cee-Lo: I don’t have a formula. Danger’s production has this ability to provoke and compel life experience from me in a way that is unparalleled.

For example, the track “She Knows”. This track is not supposed to remind me of my mother, who is deceased, but it did. and I can’t believe I’m about to consider trying to sum up that universe of emotion in about two minutes and 36 seconds. But in some awesome way, I’m able to be affective in that short amount of time. And I’m challenged by it as well.

If anything, when we are aspiring to contribute to music as a whole, that people should demand more of themselves

To simply say, we’re doing what we can, but it’s easy in that way.

Go ahead and pick that up at the newsstand to get the cover story in its entirety, andcheck back tommorrow for Part 2 of Gnarls Barkley Uncensored with quotes about the upcoming Goodie Mob reunion and Big Gipp!

SMH (Shaking My Head)

This is on some shuck-and-jive-yes-massa shit. RoughDraft got some insightful words for this embarrassing display of colonialism from the motherland.

Iron Man

Taken from my trusty camera-phone at the Arclight

This was the first movie I've seen in the theater since Kahlil was born (almost 6 months ago!) and it didn't disappoint. Check out the entire recap on the hubby's blog HERE.

Finally Recovering

My girls Nani, Lea and Elayne took their Girls Trip to L.A. this weekend and boy am I tired! It was the first trip for Nan and Lea so between taking those El Heffas to Roscoe's, Natalie's and All-You-Can-Eat Korean bbq joints, we burned Santee Alley and Melrose down with the shopping sprees. They're all Kahlil's godmothers and I was happy to have my bathroom abuzz with girl talk, makeup swap and 80 degree breezy sunshine. Not to mention a pair of extra hands so mommy could eat! Here are the pictures from this weekend...

Fresh off the plane and already at Roscoes

MMM....you know you want some

Lea, Kahlil and his tasty leg chop

Before we hit up Korean BBQ


Here's Kahlil, tuckered out from all the activity


I know Nani's on vacation, but a chef's gotta cook!

Usually, all the smoke is coming from somewhere else....


The guys in solidarity with each other during our gabfests

Santee Alley, snitches! Mango sno cones and fresh churros for these gorditas

I Got it for Cheap

At The Derby, getting our swerve on

Looks like we're not the only one (Bam, you fuckin' wit some heavyweights!)

Elayne, Blue, and I....Frisco 'til the day we die!

*Australian accent* ...and here she is, a beezy in her natural environment

Take One...

Take Two (get yo bacon-wrapped hot dog out my face, Nan!)

Take Three (gotta get the shoes!)


And the three lucky gentlemen accompanying us, Peter Graham, Bambu and Nick Diamond

'Til next time, ladies...I love you!

In case you missed it...

Photography by One Hit Wonder

You can listen to the audio version HERE