What's Your Take On: Inter-Racial Relationships?

The other night at dinner with my mom, I spotted a inter-racial couple that I had not seen before. It was an Asian woman and an African-American man. It made me smile. We often think of the typical inter-racial relationships (i.e.: African American & Caucasian) but, we fail to forget that inter-racial anything is far from typical anyways. I love it personally. It's beautiful, but I understand not everyone feels the same.

What do you think, and why?

Would you ever date someone outside of your race?

Don't Take It Personal...

Ok, when I get extremely bored, I like to go on Plinky, pick a few prompts, && answer.

Here I Go....Time to get a lil' personal :)

List your favorite alternatives to saying 'no.'
This is my favorite..."ummmhhmmmmmmmm nuhh" from my Wife & Kids [You have to watch the show to understand, lol.]

If you had to wear one color for the entire year, Which one would you pick?
Probably the color grey. I would say black but, I think that's a bit too much. Grey is just right.

Are you a MAC or a PC?
Definitely a PC, No question.

Name something that makes you wish you were a kid again?
When I think of my old Barbie Jeep && when school consisted of multiplication and recess.

You get to start a charity. What is it?
Oh joy b/c I really do want to start one eventually. I want to start a foundation for broken families, especially for the kids. I want them to be able to feel loved (b/c having parents divorce is a tough thing to process, I know) and I want them to continue to pursue their goals. I want to form a safe haven & place where they can be motivated and to continue living life...it will def. be in the works.

Offer a couple of money saving tips.
Why, I would love to ;) 1st off saving money isn't difficult to do, especially if you have money coming in on the regular but, this can also make it that much more difficult. It takes a focused mindset to plan ahead & you have to decide early what you TRULY want out of life. Once you figure that out, you save for that. I think one should have at least 2 accounts, one for spending and one for saving. When I was in HS, I would put 1/2 of my check into my savings & 1/2 into my checking/spending. Also, just because it's in your 'spending' account, doesn't mean "buy everything". Once again, it's all about choices. When you shop be realistic. Every time I go shopping the sales associate will try to get me to take advantage of a buy one (reg. price) + get one 1/2 off sale. But, I only get what I need to get. Yes, it may be a great sale but, you are still dishing out extra cash, just on a marked off product. Same thing in Footlocker. How many shoe cleaners, shoe stuffers, and socks do I really need?! That $2.99 adds up! So, to sum this up: Separate between what you want & what things you really need. Definitely treat yourself every now and then but, be wise about it.

What makes you tick?
People that are loud. People that HATE on each other.

Name something that's inappropriately named.
The "wife beater". Why oh why?!

During which decade of the 20th century do you wish you'd grown up?
The late 70's so I could've at least lived the 80's && experience the 90's 4real. I was born in 89(late Dec) so I would've got whip lash had I even taken a glimpse at the 80's && the 90's was cool but, I wish I was older to remember it all.

What store do you wish you had in your town?
Forever 21. Hands down. B/c I simple LOVE that store!!

--Done for now.

Think Before You Speak Campaign

I saw this commercial on tv a couple weeks ago but, I'm just getting around to posting it. The message is simple, we need to stop insulting the gay community with insults such as "that's so gay". Its demeaning. Although, I'm not gay, I do respect everyone as the humans they are. You might not think that one small remark could be so hurtful but, in reality, it can.

[Think B4 You Speak Ad - this one got my attention quick]


Another [TBYS Ad w/ Wanda Sykes]...you know she had to represent :)


Just for thought: You ever realize how many times you question someone's sexuality? It's like its the Heterosexual vs. the Anti-heterosexual (Homosexual, Bisexual, or what have you). Everybody asks (& I have been guilty as well) whether so and so is "gay". You know, like this: "Is he gay? He looks & talks gay!". But, have you ever thought about how many times the gay community gossips whether or not someone is straight? They don't. Or if they do it's no where near the amount of times we question them to be homosexual.

In other words: Gay people don't sit around talking about straight people being heterosexual, so why should we carry on such childish behavior??

Just think on that.

St. Ives For Dry Skin Issues

For the majority of my life, I've been dealing with dry skin issues, as well as my skin being greasy towards the end of the day. Being that I have both dry & oily skin (a combination skin type), It was hard to find a facial cream that worked for me. I used Proactiv, Neutrogena, Clean & Clear...anything that I could get my hands on to work. Unfortunately, these products didn't work for me. My skin was still just as dry as before until I used products by St. Ives.

St. Ives was indeed a 'savior' of my dry skin. My nose in particular tended to be the most driest part of my face && when I got my nose pierced back in May 2008, it got even worse. I don't know why but, the pores on my nose seemed to open more & sweat when I got it pierced causing it to get both greasy & dry. So, I wanted to just inform people out there that have issues with dry skin because, St. Ives really worked for me. My nose tends to still be greasy every now & then but, the dryness has been minimized. BTW, none of these products are medicated but, simply 'regular' facial creams that work well. && St. Ives is well known for being very effective.

Here is what I used:

1) [St. Ives Apricot Scrub (Invigorating)] It works extremely well as a cleanser. This one has the beads in the cream, which can be a little rough on other people, though I prefer them personally. IMO, it adds an extra "scrubber" in the cream & exfoliates better. [I believe you can get it w/o the beads too.] I do a dab on my nose and rub it in for a few secs & rinse it off. I usually use this about every two days or so.

2) [St. Ives Elements - Olive Scrub] Your probably thinking "Eww, Olive?". But seriously, this is the smoothest 'scrub' I've ever used. Your skin feels like silk as you rub it in, no lie. It doesn't even really feel like a 'scrub' & I don't really use it for that purpose anyway. Mainly, I use this if I need a quick cleanser. I love the 'Apricot Scrub' [above] but, all the beads can take a while to rinse off. Being that this Olive Scrub has no beads, it makes moisturizing skin a lot easier time wise. Also, generally anything with olive is usually good. 'Olive oil' is good for the moisture of hair as well, which I own and use too.

[I own the one on the left side but, the tube on the right is supposed to be the new & improved look. Just in case you wanted to purchase it, that's what I'm guessing it would look like now.]

[Extra]

3) [St. Ives - Oatmeal and Shea Butter (Body Wash)] Unlike the other products above, which I have used for a couple of years, I just started using this product about two weeks ago and so far, I have no complaints. In college, taking showers need to be as easy as possible and lugging around a wet bar of soap isn't the business, so body wash is a must!! I have realized that I have sensitive skin towards strong smelling soaps. Lever 2000, Dove, & Irish Spring bout tore me up! & I was raised on Ivory but, it's really a plain soap to me. So, I wanted something that could be used daily with a hint of smell that wouldn't leave my skin irritated after my shower. St. Ives was the 'go-to' product once again. It smells great but, it doesn't make me itch either, and that my friend is all I need.

That's it for now. Remember, what works for me may not work for other skin types as well.

Good luck in all your skin endeavors :)

If You're Happy, Then So Am I

This morning I was watching Degrassi, as I usually do. Even though, the show isn't real they discuss a lot of reality issues which are relevant in today's world. The episode I watched was about Marco [played by actor, Adamo Ruggiero, who is actually gay in real life] and his difficulty with coming to terms with his sexuality. At first, his parents didn't know he was gay, and he kept it to himself, even though he had a steady boyfriend. When he finally told his mom, he cried out to her but, in the end she still loved him. I don't know much more than that because I wasn't really paying attention but, the episode was a heartfelt one.

What I'm trying to say is, I would accept Marco & any homosexual person for that matter. I know a lot of gay people get bashed and discriminated against on a daily basis, & I personally think it's unfair. People constantly, bring up the Bible issue & that every gay person will go to hell. [Let me add that I'm not the most religious person in the world. I believe in God but, there are some things I feel in my heart are just wrong]. Discriminating against someone because, they simply are attracted to the same sex is wrong. It's not hurting me so, I don't mind it at all.

In fact, I wish more people would openly come out as homosexuals and stop hiding it. There are so many people that live hidden lives & are miserable because they feel the world will hate them, esp. their family.

I say "If you're happy, then so am I". I mean how can you deny a person's love? I don't understand it. I learned in Psychology [along w/ a lot of other info.] that Homosexuality was once labeled as a 'disease'. A DISEASE?! I'm glad we have moved on [a tad bit] away from that term. It's not a disease. It's a preference. Who am I or YOU for that matter to judge?

We as a people need to EMBRACE each other.

Rocsi Speaks on Anorexia

I saw this video of Rocsi [106 & Park] && it really got to me. A lot of times, the hosts of shows never speak on their personal lives, as they're job is to be on the opposite of the table [asking questions]. So when I saw this, I felt like she did the right thing in speaking publicly about her past body issues. & although, I've never gone through anything like Anorexia, I know there are many other people in the world who can benefit from this video. Just to simply speak out on any [personal] issue helps so many people in the long run. In the video, she got a bit teary eyed but, remained strong. Watch the video below: