Natural Hair Challenge!

Hi!

So as you all know, i've been natural for about seven months now, and while I have noticed growth, I am looking to retain a little bit more and get better with my regimen. So the lovely Jamila at College Curlies has decided to take a six month challenge that was started by Curly Nikki & Kim Coles which will include me documenting my hair journey and becoming healthier along the way.


Starting February 1st and ending July 31st, here's what the challenge entails:

Guidelines:

• Drink at least 64 oz of water each day (or half your body weight in ounces)
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet
• Take a multi vitamin and other beneficial supplements
• Handle hair gently at all times
• Seal your ends every time you moisturize
• Minimize (direct) heat usage
• Deep treatment at every wash session
• Develop and follow a consistent hair routine, tailored to your specific needs and desired goals
• Document your progress, observations, and frustrations on your personal blog
• Encourage your fellow curlies by sharing tips, advice, and chiming in on their blogs
• Have fun and enjoy the journey!

I'm excited taking this challenge and being able to maintain strong and healthy hair. I encourage all of my naturalistas out there to take the challenge. Let's help one another as we continue on this amazing journey! :) 

-*csc.  

trying to beat this emptiness, but i'm running out of time...

[this is an open letter to any one who may be going through a tough time right now. i just want to encourage you that things will get better and that after the storm, there is always a beautiful sunshine.] <3


my dearest sister,

it seems like when one of us is hurting we all hurt,  and at this particular moment in time it seems that we are all trying to find our way through this dark space.

i can stand as a witness to say that much is demanded of us on a daily basis. from lousy professors to boastful family members to stupid pressures of society, you are pulled in a number of directions and you feel like 24 hours is never enough time to do it all. but as the good word says, "to whom much is given, much is expected" (luke 12:48).

God has blessed you as a woman to be care giving, hard working, and a lover of and for all. you've been blessed to be this fierce, multi-tasking beauty for the world to marvel and while it may not seem like it, you are appreciated.

whatever the problem may be, trust and believe that you and i will get through it together. that's where our friendship have comes into play. we have to support each other no matter what the circumstance, and i want you to know that i've got your back.

you are a strong individual who is able to conquer and face anything. sure, it may take sometime to readjust and gain composure, but once you've taken that time out you have to get back in the game. like free bird lil wayne has stated, "i know the process is so much stress, but it's progress that feels the best", so keep it movin' forward girl.

as i close, i leave you with a line from a movie that was a staple of our childhood:

"you've got troubles, i've got 'em too. there isn't anything i wouldn't do for you. we'll stick together to see it through, cause you've got a friend in me." :-)

☮ and ♥, 

-*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... =]

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. 

What's your definition of Love?

it's a question that i often have to take time out of my day and ponder about, but i think that there is more than one answer to it. before i even get into my answer,  have to shout-out my home girl amanda for posing the question and giving me that chance to flex my brain cells. ;-)

but when she asked me the question, i must say that i was caught off guard, but it made perfect sense considering the topics that we were discussing at the time. so after taking time to think about it, i gave her this definition:

"love can come three fold: love for family and friends, love for your Creator, and romantic love (this is basically agape, philos, and eros love). the love that i am most eager to experience is the latter because i have yet to know what that is like. that love that gives you butterflies everytime he texts you, calls you or lets you know that he's thinking about you. that love that reassures you that he's down for you no matter what, even when there are tough times. it's that love gives you the warm and fuzzy feeling everytime you close your eyes and imagine his presence..."

i gave support for my definition with my current favorite song, "there goes my baby" by usher because everytime i hear that song, it just makes me swoon and only imagine how it would feel to be the main topic of this song. but amanda made a good point: sometimes those butterflies are bees that sting, and you will have to, more often than not, continue to love that person through the stings. *still love that analogy, btw*

but what i've discovered from our conversation and even reflecting on the person that i am at this moment is that you have to consume a certain love for yourself before you can invite anyone else in to love you. by that i mean, fully accepting who you are, flaws and all--your good attributes, your not so good attributes and the things that make you, YOU. no one is perfect of course, but i feel at this point in my life where i am constantly evolving into this woman i see my self becoming, it's kind of inevitable. but i know with God's help, I that special person, who ever he may be, will walk into my life at the right time. in the mean time, i'm just going to continue to learn more about who i am, accept blessings that are coming my way and by loving me more, maybe even attract person without even trying.

love is more than just a figment of the imagination, it can and will be my reality.

-*csc.

lovely day - bill withers

it's the beginning of november and it's 71 degrees outside....

bill withers soothing voice just lights up insides this morning. while he is talking about his significant other, i'm taking it as me looking in the mirror this morning and telling myself, "today is going to be a lovely day."

i think we can sometimes get so caught up in the tests, quizzes, projects, deadlines, work study jobs, internships and millions of other things that we as college students and working individuals tend to worry about on a daily basis. but i personally feel that it is essential to take time out of your day just to have a calming moment with yourself amongst the chaos. back in the day *maybe about three or four years ago* i would literally drive myself insane if i had seven million things to do on my list for the day. i wouldn't eat or sleep properly, and i would bite the head off of any individual that would come my way.

but fast forward three years and several college credits later, i find myself prioritizing much more adequately and finding time to make ME happy. i love college, and all that fun, craziness and rachetness that sometimes comes with it. but at the end of the day, if i'm not falling asleep with a smile on my face and thankful to God for bringing me thru yet another day - then there is terribly something wrong.

i'm at the point where i want to get back to the simplicities of life - having a good conversation with a friend, reading a good book, writing a journal entry & having the music take me away.

my goal is to have moments like this at least 5 times a week, or more.

continue to live for what makes your heart beat everyday - be happy & spread that joy to others.

peace, love & happiness.

-*csc.