Healthy Glow: Healthy Eating, La Mode & Ramblings

Happy Friday! Q-Tip “You” Relationships and New...

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:49:23 -0400

Happy Friday! Q-Tip “You” Relationships and New Love.

Q-Tip’s album, “The Renaissance” was released in 2008, but it to date is easily one of my most played albums. The words he speaks ring so true. The situations Q-Tip describes aren’t something I have actually gone through, but his lyrics are so heartfelt. What does speak to me in this song is how a relationship that feels so right at the beginning, can go so wrong so quickly. Right now, I am at the beginning of a healthy, exciting, mindblowing, exhilarating, different, full of communication, full of sharing, loving relationship. I never thought I would find something or someone so quickly, but it makes my heart race just thinking about us together.

Enough of the mushy. Happy Friday everyone.

Fashion Attack! Kate Spade's Surprise Sale! Discounts up to 75%

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:45:54 -0400

Hey all!

I was deathly ill yesterday, hence no post yesterday. Thanks to my boo, I am feeling much better.

Even though the website sale says the sale is techincally over, you can still make purchases! Head over to surprise.kate.spade.com before the sale is over!

Nana Kwabena, The Voodoo Child For Your Entertainment: Mixtape Magic by Nana Kwabena, Voodoo...

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:03:00 -0400

Nana Kwabena, The Voodoo Child

For Your Entertainment: Mixtape Magic by Nana Kwabena, Voodoo Child

I am always obessively looking for new music to listen to. “DJs” are a dime a dozen and good ones are particuarly hard to find. A guy that I went to school with at the University of Ghana put out this mix and I really dig it. Sharing is caring. Listen to his mix here. Happy listening readers!

p.s. This mix serves as perfect workout music!

Music Monday: Part II Kendrick Lamar - Bitch Don’t Kill My...

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:13:11 -0400

Music Monday: Part II Kendrick Lamar - Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe

Finally a video for this track. Bish Don’t Kill My Vibe is my new phrase. It is kind of like Y.O.L.O but less annoying.

Music Monday: “La Negra” por La Santa Cecilia I am a...

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:09:30 -0400

Music Monday: “La Negra” por La Santa Cecilia

I am a certified fan girl of NPR’s Radio Show, Alt Latino. Alt Latino is a weekly program dedicated to new Latin Alternative music and issues. Last Tuesday, I was listening to and I found this La Santa Cecilia. According to the lead singer, La Santa Cecilia, is the patron Saint of Music.

As soon as he eschuado las letras, me encante!

“cuando la negra te invita a bailar

no le digas no…”

Happy Monday mis amors!

Happy Mother’s Day! Teenage Diaries, FosterCare to...

Fri, 10 May 2013 17:54:45 -0400

Happy Mother’s Day! Teenage Diaries, FosterCare to Becoming a Mother

In 1996, after 12 years living in the foster care system, Melissa Rodriguez recorded a diary about getting pregnant and becoming a mother. Now, her son Issaiah is a teenager, and she shares her teenage diary with him and reveals things about her past that she’s never mentioned.

— Teenage Diaries Revisited: Mother And Son Listen To The Past

Also, check out earlier parts of the NPR series: Teenage Diaries Revisited

Have a great weekend!

Fashion Attack! The Style Evolution of Leonardo...

Thu, 09 May 2013 17:59:06 -0400

Fashion Attack! The Style Evolution of Leonardo DiCaprio

“Before he hits the big screen in Gatsby as one of literature’s best dressed gents, we look back at the leading man’s stylish progression from kid actor to A-lister.”

Delving Deeper: The troubling viral trend of the “Hilarious”...

Wed, 08 May 2013 12:49:02 -0400

Delving Deeper: The troubling viral trend of the “Hilarious” Black Poor Person
May 7, 2013

Healthy Glow Perspective: I just posted on my personal facebook profile an article about the troublesome trend of exploitation of Black Americans on social media. This article delves into the current trend of “Poor Black people speaking candidly about various serious incidents isn’t a hilarious joke. What is your opinion?

Charles Ramsey, the man who helped rescue three Cleveland women presumed dead after going missing a decade ago, has become an instant Internet meme. It’s hardly surprising—the interviews he gave yesterday provide plenty of fodder for a viral video, including memorable soundbites (“I was eatin’ my McDonald’s”) and lots of enthusiastic gestures. But as Miles Klee and Connor Simpson have noted, Ramsey’s heroism is quickly being overshadowed by the public’s desire to laugh at and autotune his story, and that’s a shame. Ramsey has become the latest in a fairly recent trend of “hilarious” black neighbors, unwitting Internet celebrities whose appeal seems rooted in a “colorful” style that is always immediately recognizable as poor or working-class.

Before Ramsey, there was Antoine Dodson, who saved his younger sister from an intruder, only to wind up famous for his flamboyant recounting of the story to a reporter. Since Dodson’s rise to fame, there have been others: Sweet Brown, a woman who barely escaped her apartment complex during a fire last year, and Michelle Clarke, who couldn’t fathom the hailstorm that rained down in her hometown of Houston, and in turn became “the next Sweet Brown.”

Granted, the buzzworthy tactic of reporters interviewing the most loquacious witnesses to a crime or other event is nothing new, and YouTube has countless examples of people of all ethnicities saying ridiculous things. One woman, for instance, saw fit to casually mention her breasts while discussing a local accident, while another man described a car crash with theatrical flair. Earlier this year, a “hatchet-wielding hitchhiker” named Kai matched Dodson’s fame with his astonishing account of rescuing a woman from a racist attacker. But none of those people have been subjected to quite the same level of derisive memeification as Brown, Clark, and now, perhaps, Ramsey—the inescapable echoes of “Hide yo’ kids, hide yo’ wife!” and “Kabooyaw,” the tens of millions of YouTube hits and cameos in other viral videos, even commercials.

It’s difficult to watch these videos and not sense that their popularity has something to do with a persistent, if unconscious, desire to see black people perform. Even before the genuinely heroic Ramsey came along, some viewers had expressed concern that the laughter directed at people like Sweet Brown plays into the most basic stereotyping of blacks as simple-minded ramblers living in the “ghetto,” socially out of step with the rest of educated America. Black or white, seeing Clark and Dodson merely as funny instances of random poor people talking nonsense is disrespectful at best. And shushing away the question of race seems like wishful thinking.

Ramsey is particularly striking in this regard, since, for a moment at least, he put the issue of race front and center himself. Describing the rescue of Amanda Berry and her fellow captives, he says, “I knew something was wrong when a little pretty white girl ran into a black man’s arms. Something is wrong here. Dead giveaway!”

The candid statement seems to catch the reporter off guard; he ends the interview shortly afterward. And it’s notable that among the many memorable things Ramsey said on camera, this one has gotten less meme-attention than most. Those who are simply having fun with the footage of Ramsey might pause for a second to actually listen to the man. He clearly knows a thing or two about the way racism prevents us from seeing each other as people.

Source

Fashion Attack! The best of the Menswear at The 2013 Met...

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:47:00 -0400

Fashion Attack! The best of the Menswear at The 2013 Met Gala (Click here for more).

Shiny fabric, European cuts, and bow ties dominated the scene of menswear at the 2013 Met Gala last night in New York City. Above are my favorite looks of the night. These men are clean cut, with perfectly tailored suits, with faces full of smug looks.

Music Monday: Adrian Marcel. I’m Still. Just a little something...

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:18:48 -0400

Music Monday: Adrian Marcel. I’m Still.

Just a little something different. I hope this week is full of positivity and love. I have a lot going on today, actually this week. My bid list for my next diplomatic posting needs to be figured out by tomorrow at 8am. I have a date today (swoon). I have to figure out my appointment to address my health concerns head on. I NEED to go to Crossfit today.

All of these things will get done today.

My American Culture: One of the Best Ad Campaigns Against...

Thu, 02 May 2013 13:59:00 -0400

My American Culture: One of the Best Ad Campaigns Against Ignorance…Ever.

Sexist and homophobic words are a problem.

Everyone has a backbone. Use yours.

Healthy Glow Travels... It is Time to Pick My Next International Post

Wed, 01 May 2013 11:48:00 -0400

It is Labor Day here in Mexico and I am spending the day trying to narrow down my next diplomatic posting. I have to pick 30 different international jobs from a list that has 522 jobs. I leave Mexico in August 2014, but the Department of State says it is time for me to mentally wrap my mind around going somewhere else.

As soon as I know where I am going and what job I am going to have for August 2014-August 2018, I will let you know!

picture credit

My American Culture: NBA Center, “I’m Black. And I’m Gay” “I’m a...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:31:19 -0400

My American Culture: NBA Center, “I’m Black. And I’m Gay”

“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay,” - Jason Collins

I am always one for people staying true to themselves. This story reinforces that you should not wait for timing to be right or perfect. Being true to yourself is a imperfect process.

“The recent Boston Marathon bombing reinforced the notion that I shouldn’t wait for the circumstances of my coming out to be perfect. Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully? When I told Joe [Kennedy, a Massachusetts congressman and Collins’ college roommate] a few weeks ago that I was gay, he was grateful that I trusted him. He asked me to join him [at Boston’s gay pride parade] in 2013. We’ll be marching on June 8.”

Music Monday: Nina Simone “Love Me or Leave...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:41:30 -0400

Music Monday: Nina Simone “Love Me or Leave Me”

After this weekend, I am full of love. My brother and sister came to visit me this weekend and it was amazing! I loved being able to show them the life that I have After living overseas for quite sometime away from my family, it is easy to forget how great time with family truly is. There is nothing like time with family, nothing. I am also, crushing hard on a guy that I am seeing. I am not sure where this dating thing is going, but I have a good feeling about it.

What makes is making your heart swoon right now?

Happy Friday! Words of Wisdom for the Weekend

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:01:10 -0400

This week I had a lot of time for self-assessment, personal growth, and thinking. I have spent the last couple months of 2013 really pushing myself out of my comfort zone and doing things that would create some kind of indelible change within me. There are so many things that I want do, I want to work on, I want to improve…

One thing I did realize about myself this week is the power of my words. Words can cut deeper than ANY sword. It can create more pain than any physical wound could cause. But words can also uplift. It can create change, it can create deeper connections, words can create closer relationships among lovers and friends…

This weekend I dare my blog readers to focus on how they use their words.

I leave you with this poem that I found floating around on the internet. I am sorry, I don’t know who to credit for the poem!

“I have a collection

of weapons

with

sharp

teeth

I think…

I call them words”

picture credit via her social network

Surround Yourself With More Beauty: Photo Series of Chicano...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:42:10 -0400

Surround Yourself With More Beauty: Photo Series of Chicano Movement in the U.S.

I have what some people may refer to as an obsession of how American minorities are portrayed and displayed in popular culture and in mainstream media. When I read about LA artist, Harry Gamboa Jr. pictures I knew I had to share it on my blog. My favorite photo? The gentleman covered in tattoos (although shouldn’t be a surprise to my close friends who read my blog).

“When Harry Gamboa Jr. saw Chicanos in the mainstream media, he didn’t see himself, or the people he knew. And he wanted to change that.

Growing up during the 1960s Chicano movement, the Los Angeles-based artist resented how Chicanos were often portrayed, he says. His photo series Chicano Male Unbonded was his response.

“What was used in the media was this idea of creating inferiority or guiltiness,” he says. “But these [Chicano] men had contributed to and saved my life.”

Chicano Males Stare Down Stereotypes”

Photo Credit: Harry Gamboa, Jr.

Via nprradiopictures

"It’s very hard to stop doing things you’re used to doing. You almost have to dismantle yourself and..."

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:36:17 -0400

““It’s very hard to stop doing things you’re used to doing. You almost have to dismantle yourself and scatter it all around and then put a blindfold on and put it back together so that you avoid old habits.” Tom Waits (via fthef)”

- Delving Deeper: Changing Yourself & Handling Rejection & Putting Yourself Back Together

This quote above is everything! It directly applies to how I am feeling as of late. I am always in transition. Whether changing my attitude, changing my eating habits, changing my way of thinking, I am always changing something about myself (self-improvement is my motto for 2013). Right now, I am focusing on how I deal with rejection and how I can change it.

For example, As I date more and make myself more available as a single female, I am also putting myself right in front of the door way of rejection. I have dated a lot recently, but I have also had my fair share of rejection. Not every relationship or date is going to work out.

I can count for the five or so men I have dated, I have also been rejected at least 10 times (Oh girl, that is a lot for me to handle considering I am naturally a very introverted person and it takes a lot of energy to be social).

My natural inclination when rejected is to rehash the situation over and over again. I want to know what I could of done better, why did this happen to me, I question my attractiveness, my personality, my desirability… But rejection is apart of life. I am working on acceptance and learning from my experiences in rejection in all facets of my life, not just dating.

If you are also dealing with some kind of rejection whether it be in dating, in your job search, or anything else please read this article (the internet has a step-by-step guide for errrrthang).

picture via freelanceswitch

What are some things that you are used to doing that you are having a hard time in changing or stopping?

P.S. I find out the next country I am serving in about a 4 weeks! I can’t believe it is already time and I haven’t even finished living in Mexico yet…

Delving Deeper: Why I Can't Live in Fear and Examining My Own Mortality

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:52:07 -0400

“Everything Dies. That is the law of life-the bitter unchangeable law”
― David Clement-Davies, Fell

Since moving to what was once one of the most dangerous cities in the world, Ciudad Juarez, my mortality and death have been on my mind almost every day. The memories of the height of the drug violence that once plagued this dear border city, surround me every day. The shattered glass in a empty store front, the empty store fronts of the businesses that the memorial Teddy bear of a child who died on the side of the road, the memorial statue that stands in the entrance of the U.S. consulate of the Mexican staff that were killed years ago during the drug violence, my own dog that died here in Juarez…

The events of 2013, throughout the world, including the death of American diplomats and our safety around the world, the death of my Mexican colleague this past weekend, and the deaths of the Boston marathon have only heightened how I think about my life.

LIFE is short. I used to think that if I avoided danger, I could avoid death. However, as I get older, I realize that when it is time to go, it is time to go. Because of this new self-actualization, I don’t want to waste moments doing things that I do not enjoy, being with people that bring me down, and holding myself back from how I feel.

I want to live, I mean really LIVE. I want do things that bring joy and scare me, I want to truly be myself and be true to the people around me. Right now, I am going through a serious health scare. I find out the results of series of tests next week. Until then, I want to live in the moment, but also think of the consequences. I want to take myself to new heights, without negative consequences. I want to dream of the future, without forgetting about the now.

My motto that I say at least once a day is “LIFE IS FOR LIVING.” I mean it every time I say it. What are you going to do that makes you feel more alive?

After all, “After all, how often do we get a second chance?”
― Jay Asher, Thirteen Reasons Why

Music Monday: Cassie “Numb” Isn’t this track...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:53:00 -0400

Music Monday: Cassie “Numb”

Isn’t this track truly everything? It is the perfect mix of electronic, pop, and hip hop. I see you Cassie. If you really like this track download the rest of her mixtape entitled “Rocka Bye Baby here.

This Music Monday I would like to start out with a affirmation for this week:

Here we are again Monday. I am starting this week with positivity. Here is to a better week, with more trusting of my gut, trying not to undermine my feelings (being true to how I feel always), sharing more love with others, loving myself, no second guessing, living life every second of the day, trying harder, loving my alone time, and spending more time with the people I love.

What do you want your week to look like?

Happy Friday: Up in the Air Y Por Fin Un Post en Espanol!

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:38:54 -0400

Picture via the Sartorialist

Isn’t this picture absolutely everything? Mi doy quenta que nunca escribo en Espanol en mi blog! Que raro porque vivo en Mexico y la mayoria del dia hablo solo en Espanol. Bueno. Estoy planeando salir Mexico por el fin… Que vas a hacer este fin de semana? Mi fin va a ser una sopresa e olaja sea divertido. Voy a decir mas lunes. Que tenga un fin excelente! Besos y Brazos!