'Go for Broke with The Fortunate™

Remember about six months ago when i featured the Chicago-based up and coming fashion sensation The Fortunate™?

well, they've just released their first t-shirt that is pictured above. it's pretty self-explanatory for those who are from the 'go (chicago, illinois that is) =]

started in february 2009, the fortunate was created by six teenagers that hail from the south side of chicago & hyde park.

for more information on where you can pick up your own 'Go for Broke shirt, check out the fortunate on their facebook page and follow them on twitter.


http://facebook.com/pages/The-FortunateTM/192775337019?ref=ts
http://twitter.com/TheFortunateChi

☮ and ♥, 

-*csc.

examining racism in the fashion- (documentary attached)

 "i need a black model, but she has to be a white girl dipped in chocolate..."

 



from music to movies, the industries that are driven by millions of consumers around the world seem to have one thing in common: there aren't that many african-americans that promote the products that these industries endorse. after watching this documentary about twenty-four year old model renee thompson, i just thought that this is something i should discuss.

everyday, i see thousands of advertisements about products that push being thinner or lighter or blemish free. as an african american female in america, this can very overwhelming. i'm not the thinnest person in the world, but these advertisements just make me want to try even hard to pursue this unrealistic representation of beauty. in my opinion, instead of promoting universal beauty, health and acceptance, the fashion industry and many industries like it are constantly drilling into young females heads that in order to be perfect, you must be a size 00.

renee thompson is a gorgeous girl and fierce model, but she's constantly rejected by major labels like gucci and prada because simply put "black models don't push products" - which i find extremely ironic since the hip-hop music that a percentage of blacks do listen to are usually talking about these labels (but that's another topic for another post).  there are so many different representations of beauty but until those are exposed and shown to the world, we really can't diverge from seeing a pale porcelain-skinned models on the cover of magazines and on billboards everywhere.

i want to start a dialogue about this topic - why do you think black models are scorned by the fashion industry for having full lips and curvy hips? will it ever change?

☮ and ♥, 

-*csc.

a case of "angry black woman" syndrome?

am i the only who sometimes feels a little guilty at times when i fall into the category of the "angry black woman"? you know, the one with a lot of attitude, rolling the neck and trying to always cuss someone out to prove her point sometimes? here's an example...

now while some (and i do mean very few) of those characteristics may come from me at times, it's not always so. yesterday, one of the people i'm on this trip with blatantly stated (right in front of my face too) that i was mean and seemed "scared" to come up and stand near me for a picture. in another instance, one girl on the trip told my roommate that she thinks that i don't like her. this could easily be because i've usually got quick comebacks and can be witty when i want to or i may be a little stand-offish at times, but other than that, i'm a little taken a back at why this would be.


am i looking into these two instances too much?

these two individuals could just be joking and usually back in syracuse, i throw the deuces and don't care, because that's their problem and not mine. no, i do not (nor do i ever) feel the need to "represent" for my race/culture on this trip nor am i trying to play some sort of victim. this could simply be a case of when i need to check my ego at the door, but i do feel as if though i should be educating these individuals, not only about generalizations of black females, but also about me as a person. sure i can sassy and maybe a little snappy at times, but i'm also sophisticated, sensitive, independent and rather friendly.

on the contrary though,  trips like this have taught me that people only take you for face value, and that's totally understandable. it's only six weeks and personally, i don't expect to share my whole life with these people. i've done my part to be nice on this trip, and that's that. i just don't like the whole notion of people jumping to conclusions about who i am with out really getting to know me because that sh*t right there is for the birds.

but putting everything in perspective, i guess it does give me yet another chance to learn about the type of person i am and somethings that i may need to work on because after all, this thing we call life isn't a destination but rather a journey :)

☮ and ♥, 

-*csc.

A Dedication to the Black Brotha

i tossed and turned all night trying to find the words to explain how i felt, but ms. angie stone seems to describe it so eloquently.


so to all of my hard working black men out there--the fathers, sons, uncles, cousins and friends...i salute you for simply being you. don't let the media with all of their so-called statistics day in and day out tear you down. keep doing your thing and continue to elevate yourselves, one another and our communities. you've got the power and potential to do great and amazing things, and i just wanted to let you know that i've got nothing by love for you.

☮ and ♥, 

-*csc.

BlogLovin'

Hey Guys!

I just opened a BlogLovin' account - it totally makes it easier for you to follow my blog. Check it out here! =)

the daze of sunshyne on BlogLovin


☮ and ♥, 


-*csc.

public displays of affection: the madrid edition

 [aww, how cute.]

***

so i'm going on my fourth week here in madrid and one thing that i constantly notice every time that i'm out and about it the heavy displays of public affection. and i'm not just talking about holding hands or cuddling while walking down the boulevard, i mean intense make out sessions right in the middle of sol or on the metro. and it's not that i'm staring, you just can't help but notice it when you're walking down the street. now personally, i've never been the biggest fan of p.d.a., but after learning why there is such a huge desire to show love here in madrid, i think it's awfully cute and romantic.

according to my tour guide when i first got here, madrid was under the very strict dictatorship of francisco franco from 1939 to 1975.  

***

el ley de vagos y maleantes (the vagrancy act) of 1954, franco outlawed homosexuality, pedophilia and prostitution, making them criminal offenses. so that meant no caking, no boo-loving, no nothing for Spainards. this also meant that women in madrid had to play the "traditional" role of housewife/mom/caretaker and really didn't have any rights to testify in court, be university professors or even have their own bank accounts. once franco died in 1975, it was like the citizens of madrid and in surrounding cities were liberated and so ecstatic to break away from the many restrictions they had under franco's dictatorship, thus explaining the culture of today.

***

it just goes to show that we shouldn't be afraid to show love to one another and that something as simply as walking down the street with your boyfriend/girlfriend shouldn't be taken for granted. now, i know that in the united states, whenever we may see a couple showing massive p.d.a., we always encourage to "get them a room", but here in madrid, they really don't care and would probably feel some type of way if you told them that. being over here in spain has allowed me to be more open-minded and observant. in the united states, we can sometimes be so one-sided about things, but once you step outside of the country, you definitely see things a lot differently. so to my american folk, don't be afraid to show a little love every now and then.

"sometimes it's better when it's publicly..." ;-)

☮ and  ♥, 

-*csc. 

let's see the world & never look back...

so as i was sitting in my new fave cafe here in madrid journaling (faborit, it's a better version of starbucks in my opinion), i began to think about the different places that i would like to travel to. it's still very surreal to me that i'm in spain right now, but i know that this is only the beginning of my travels around the world. originally, i have given myself 12 years to achieve this, but i'm pretty sure that i can do it in ten years (that's when my passport expires!)

in no particular order, here are my top twelve...

1. sydney, australia - not only do i want to go to the opera house, but i also want to throw a boomerang, hold a koala and see a kangaroo too. =]

2. paris, france - the city of love and romance. i want my photo in front of the eifle tower and to people watch while snacking on crossaints.

3. london, england - this seems like a pretty simple one, and achievable like the rest but there's something about the english culture that i find very intriguing. i also want to have tea with the queen *a girl can dream right?*

4. capetown, south africa - this needs no explanation whatsoever. the motherland, period.

5. hong kong, china - just seeing pics from my friends who have studied there, it just looks like it's poppington. and being a business major, i want to embrace the professional culture there as well.

6. tokyo, japan - like hong kong, the busyness of this culture seems very captivating to me, and i want to experience their transportation system there as well (the bullet train? i think so...)

7. egypt, africa - another one that needs no explanation. the pyramids, the history...just seems too good not to be on the list.  

8. mexico - yes, i know it borders the U.S., but i don't just want to go to cabo, cozumel or puerta vallerta, but the historical sites in mexico city, guadalajara and monterrey.

9. central america (jamaica, el salvador, costa rica, panama) - i know it's a long shot squeezing all of these places into one, and forgive me if i'm wrong for that. i just think that they are all beautiful and have very rich culture. island hopping will be necessary.

10. south america (peru, argentina, chile, columbia) - another beautiful country full of culture. i love the spanish culture even more after being over here in spain and i want to learn about another perspective of it by going to these places.

11. rome and florence, italy - the fashion, the monuments, the gelato. what else more is there to say?

12. india - let me just first say that i love bhangra and bollywood #boom. secondly, vividness and boldness of indian culture interests me a lot. lastly, the tahj mahal.



i'm going to try to remain a college student as long as i can so that i can be able to go see a few of these places *LBVS* -- who's coming with?

what are some places that you would like to see?



-*csc.

and this is one HECK of a tea party...

the ingenuity of wade j. robson has astonished me for several years and he shows no signs of stopping himself.

shout-out to @cityfitch for putting me on to this amazing opening performance from so you think you can dance, season 7. =)

-*csc.

harder, better, faster stronger...

today is the 21st day that i've been here in madrid and like i have been saying, it's been a great experience thus far, but all of a sudden, i feel like there is something more that i could be doing right now to maximize this experience...something that could leave a long lasting on me for the rest of the summer and even going into my final year of undergrad.

i love to daydream, that's a fact. and if you know me, you know that i'm always coming up with some crazy idea that originated from a daydream or a song or something else. i was listening to a big sean song yesterday *very intently might i add* and he stated a really dope line, "they say it's meant to be when you sleep to the same dream."


i honestly believe that the many re-occuring daydreams or thoughts that i continue to have about my future, whether it be an idea of a bomb @$$ dance routine or meeting the president of the united states, have some sort of reason behind them. will smith once said, "ideas are physical, if they stay in your MIND, you're robbing the world of experiencing them." and that couldn't have been put in a better way. 


so with that being said, it's time that you and i BOTH start to maximize on our potential as citizens of this world. i'm not saying that you have to stop everything you're doing and go run and try to save the world (i mean, if you don't have anything else to do...lol, just kidding) but simply by starting with you. change up your daily routine, start a hobby that you have been considering for the past few months or finally complete something on that long to-do list you have. whatever it may be, make sure that it's something that can gradually improve you as an individual and then hopefully, make the world a better place. in other words, get up off your @$$, and do something! don't let another day go by without doing something that makes you feel fulfilled. 

for the next 23 days, i plan on taking full advantage of this experience even more, and i'll be sure to update you all on my progress. i challenge you all for the next three weeks to do things that will make you better, faster and stronger. are you up for it? i sure hope so... =]

new sounds : "great expectations" - diggy simmons

i can't wait until "airborne" drops. i <3 this kid.



check it out!

-*csc. 

is confidence in the eye of the beholder?

so as i sit and ponder after a day of classes and exams, i came to the conclusion that being confident comes in several different ways, but it's a continuous process. i can sometimes have days when i feel like i'm on top of the world and could conquer anything, but then there are some days that i just feel like chillin' in the bed and not conversing with a soul. and while i know everyone has days like that because we are all human, my main question is: what makes a person confident?

you could say being able to "walk the walk and talk the talk" is confident, but actions speak louder than words, right?  maybe it's your fashion sense that makes you confident, or your ability to walk into a room and just be the center of attention. Maybe you don't even have to cause a scene when you step in the building, but you can silently just chill and your presence is felt. i'm sure when people think of confidence, names like beyoncé, pres. barack obama & his wife michelle and lil' wayne (wait for it...ok, i'm back) come to mind, but they weren't always this way. so when did it finally click for them that they could literally hold the world in the palm of their hand if they wanted to?

being abroad thus far has given me a chance to really observe not only how life is in another country, but what makes people gravitate to certain people with that charisma, that spark, that extra something.
it's also given me a chance to re-evaluate who i am and what impact i want to continue to have on those that i come in contact with.

below are two people who i look up to that exude crazy confidence. shout out to them. =]

-*csc. <3

my younger sisters, llyoandra (middle) & jessica (left)

come on and go with me...

after a very long weekend in andalucía (south of spain), i've returned with a new mindset on not only my surroundings, but on the person that i currently am at the moment. and while i would love to go into detail, i'm going to keep it brief because i've gotta study for midterms *grrr*

number one : the moment that you think you've got it under control & know who you are concretely, something always comes along to tell you otherwise.
as simple as this sounds, things can get a little complicated with this one. while i am secure in who i am on certain levels, there always tends to be times when certain layers are peeled away because they're just getting old. after a particular situation occurs (where i know that i am in the wrong) i see me taking steps backward instead of forward; mostly reminding me of times when i was in high school. -_-

number two: don't let people get under your skin - no matter how awkward or annoying they may be. 
this is a constantly reoccurring one that i see if i tend to be around people for longer than i would like to be. when this happens, i start to retreat to my comfort shell, get an attitude and have smart comebacks for everything and everyone. i'm not too sure where i get this from (maybe i will find the root of the problem during my psych studying) but i'm definitely working on it. i always have to remind myself that things aren't as bad as they seem and just to take time to relax & release. no big deal.

number three: your mind was specifically designed to create and harbor certain images; images that are both true and false. don't give in to the false and negative ones!
i'll admit - not having access to the blackberry overseas has been very interesting for me, but i'm learning to do without having constant connection with everything in my own little world. stuff like that can make you go crazy! with the lack of communication, the left side of my brain came up with crazy images that the right side of my brain tried to process, but ultimately failed because i came to my senses. i had to remind myself that i am currently on a journey that is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and i should be taking full advantage of it and not worrying about things that are out of my control. sh*t will happen, period point blank! but it is up to me to live my life right not to the fullest and not try to fix thangs that ain't broken. ;-)

maybe any of you can relate to this? i know it may sound incredibly weird, but that's how i roll sometimes. i just gotta get it out some way, some how.


it's always wise to put yourself in check, because it may be worse if someone else has to #imjustsayin. 

ok, enough with the self-evaluation for now. back to the world of academia. deuces!

-*csc.