Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Times are a Changin'


Because I’m going through a transition time in my life, I’ve decided to discontinue this blog.  I hope to start blogging again soon but possibly on a different platform that will allow me to express who I am more easily! Keep you posted. Thanks for everything guys!

Friday, May 1, 2015

Decision Day: Which Path Will You Take?!


Today is the day! The day you will make a decision that will change your life forever! This day will determine if you end up poor or rich, sick or healthy, happy or sad, till death do you part...THIS DAY IS...COLLEGE DECISION DAY. 

Ok. I'm just trying to scare you, I'm  really not one of those people that believes college has anything to do with life success...in fact, me and my friends also call this day senior skip day. By the time this post is out I'll be hitting the beach or the mall or someplace none school related! So you see, relax it will all be ok! But if you were wondering, YES I have made my decision. 


In the fall I will be attending NYU's Tisch School of Arts in Neeeww Yawwwwk! I'll be majoring in Theater with a minor in film. If you too will be relocating to New York or currently live in NYC let me know! It would be great to have a few friends before I head out! 

This was a quick post but I just wanted to wish you luck in making your decision! I would love to here from my seniors...where are you be next year, what's cooking, what have you planned!? 

If you have a Pinterest follow my "My College" board that has a bunch of nice dorm ideas, college advice, and stuff like that! Hasta la vista!  


PS: I'm considering moving this blog to Tumblr because why not, right?! I'm heading off to college and I think  Tumblr will be easier to manage. What do you think??? Tell me in comments! 

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Nigeria Arising

Abuja at Sun Down
If you’ve been following this blog you know that in June of 2014 I traveled to Nigeria. The trip, which I wrote a lot of blog post about, was absolutely incredible and is still the peak of my life so far.

It has been almost a year since I was in Nigeria and since then, I have been working on the documentary about Nigeria, which I filmed while I was there. And now (drumroll please) it is finally complete!

What inspired the creation of this film started with the innate need to discover a part of me that I proudly claimed but did not fully understand, that being the Nigerian side of me. I knew from experiences such as meeting fellow Nigerian Americans, interacting with my Nigerian family, and even seeing Nigerians like Chimamanda Adichie, David Oyelowo, and Chiwetel Ejiofor rise in America, that there was something special about the culture I was from. But at the same time I was being bombarded by conflicting images of Nigeria; the ones I saw in the news of the slums, terrorist attacks, corruption, and chaos! I knew that I was making a judgment about Nigeria based on fragmented pieces of knowledge but I wanted the full picture so that I could fully understand the place and culture I was from. To do that, I needed to go to Nigeria…and when I did, I found so much more than I could have imagined.

I shot over 100hrs of footage while in Nigeria and I wish my documentary could elucidate every piece of my trip, but a 100hr documentary is not possible (sorry!)…I do hope however, that this 10min documentary allows you to catch a glimpse of the people and country I claim so proudly to be a part of.

Check out my mini documentary called “Nigeria Arising”

 

THANK YOU to all the interviewees, sponsors, friends, and family who made this project possible and have taught me little about NIGERIAN PRIDE. My wish is that you learn something from this film and feel compelled to share it with others.

*Because I had to limit this film to 10min unfortunately not all of the interviews could be included! I do hope to make short follow up videos featuring some of my experiences in Nigeria not shown in this documentary.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Texaaaas


Spring break 2k15 lead me and my family to Houston, Texas! *said with a southern drawl* 

I’ve never been to the south so, in the past,  whenever I pictured Texas, my mind filled with images of cowboys, cacti and the desert. Although, I did see a few cowboy hats and cactus house plants but, for the most part, the Texas I saw reminded me of Florida while Houston itself was just like any other American city (it's actually the 4th largest city in the US). 

Why Texas? Well I have a whole lot of family that has been migrating there over the past few years, so we went to see all of them. It’s easy to see why my family is there... Houston is like a firkin’ mini Nigeria! There are parts of the city that resemble Nigeria exactly! Streets filled with African immigrants, African groceries and restaurants, add the hot sun and BAM your in Nigeria. 

I was in Texas for a week (Saturday to Saturday) during this time, as well as visiting family, I went to Kemah Boardwalk, The Museum of Fine Art, The Museum of Natural Science, and the aquarium. I swam and ate steak and enjoyed the warm weather; it was a pretty chill week. Texas was fun!!! I hope to be going back soon...

Kemah, TX
Houston Sunset
They have white tigers at their aquarium...
Museum of Natural Science

Throwback to Spring Break 2k14 in Flordaaa > Click Here 

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Because I am Eighteen


It's quite a beautiful thing to be eighteen. Eighteen is a number of progress, intuition, and self discovery.  I now have the freedom to buy cigarettes, win the lottery, purchase sex toys and rent my own porter-potty if my heart so desires. I couldn't do these things just a week ago when I was seventeen but because of the magical number eighteen, the world suddenly sees me as grown. Friends "introduce" me to twenty-something year old guys, my parents don't seem so surprised when I stay out late, and people now ask how I plan to support  myself (?!?!)...but I  feel like a little girl playing a grown-up role! I may strut around with a cute purse yet still,  my instinct is to run to mommy to fill my purse will bills. 

Because I am eighteen I feel the need to explore, and rebel, maybe get a tattoo, but more than ever,  I feel this innate drive to take ownership of my life and take responsibility of the direction it is going. This week that direction led me to the local Walmart to get my cartilage pierced , and the local pet smart to get a job (baby steps ok!) but who knows where I will be lead a week or a month from now.  I fucking* own the words independence, freedom, experimentation and growth  because I am eighteen!!!

*I can say fucking now b/c I'm eighteen

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Happy Women's Day! 20 Inspirational Quotes From Badass Feminist Trailblazers



It’s March 8th which means…Happy International Women’s Day! But don’t even try to limit us women to just one day of celebration! You may not know this but March is also Women’s History Month, that means you get 31 full days to delve into the history of women! To be honest,  that is by no means enough time, but  it may be just enough for you  to learn something about the women of this world that you didn't know before! 

In honor of today's very important celebration, my friends over at BUST compiled a list of awesome quotes from our favorite feminist trailblazers. You know, the badass ladies who impacted (and are impacting) our history in unforgettable ways. From Jane Austen to Malala Yousafzai, these women have inspired us to stand up and fight for what we believe in. And here’s to many more years of celebrating YOU, lovely readers! Because, well, you rock and are totally inspirational for us as well.

1. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"At some point I was a happy African feminist who does not hate men and who likes to wear lip gloss and high heels for herself and not for men." 

2. Beyonce
 "We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead."  

3. Cheris Kramarae“Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings.”
4. Malala Yousafzai"We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.”
5. Annie Lennox“We all fight over what the label 'feminism' means but for me it's about empowerment. It's not about being more powerful than men - it's about having equal rights with protection, support, justice. It's about very basic things. It's not a badge like a fashion item.”
6. Audre Lorde“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.”
7. Gloria Steinem“A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.”
8. Hillary Clinton“Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights. Let us not forget that among those rights are the right to speak freely — and the right to be heard.”  
9. Maya Angelou“I’m a feminist. I’ve been a female for a long time now. It’d be stupid not to be on my own side.”
10. Betty Friedan “No woman gets an orgasm from shining the kitchen floor.”  
11. Mindy Kaling"I always get asked, ‘Where do you get your confidence?’ I think people are well meaning, but it’s pretty insulting. Because what it means to me is, ‘You, Mindy Kaling, have all the trappings of a very marginalized person. You’re not skinny, you’re not white, you’re a woman. Why on earth would you feel like you’re worth anything?"

About BUST: With an attitude that is fierce, funny, and proud to be female, BUST provides an uncensored view on the female experience. BUST tells the truth about women's lives and presents a female perspective on pop culture. BUSTing stereotypes about women since 1993.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

The Center of the Universe


Last week I spent my weekend in The Center of The Universe...also known at Time Square, New York City. It was a fabulous time of course, the energy of the city streets, the lights, the smell of falafel (Mmm!), Hollister (yes!), and occasionally...weed (uhhh). It all makes ones senses quite convoluted. 

Why was I in NYC? Because college, college, college! It is audition and interview season for those wanting an acting career. I spent most of the weekend being  nervous out of my freakin' mind! But all went well and I feel very confident about my audition! If you've wondered why I haven't specifically mentioned what schools I've applies too that's because I'm making an effort not to tell you but the big reveal will happen around March or April when I begin receiving certain  letters in the mail, although, the fact that I was in New York should give you a hint. 

Now check out some of the fun things I  saw last weekend! And I should tell you, I'll be in NYC a couple of timed over the next few months so look out for more Center of the Universe adventures.

Legalize Weed Man
Johnny Depp - Madame Tussauds
Broadway's Aladdin - Amsterdam Theater
The Center of the Universe

Monday, January 19, 2015

The Rise of Ava DuVernay & The Black Female Film Era


Ava DuVernay is the Black female director that has recently received a lot of buzz for directing the critically acclaimed movie Selma. But  way before the bright  lights were cast on her; I looked to her as a role model. I hold her in high esteem because she is one of the only Black females who are making waves in the film industry. She is an example of the type of person many of us Black women I aspire to be.

About four years ago I heard a short segment on National Public Radio about some female African American filmmaker that was receiving attention for a couple of her films. The moment I heard the words Black- Female-Director I was astounded! Never in my life had I heard those words together in one sentence! I did a Google search; I visited her website, her Wikipedia page and viewed the trailers of the few films she had made. I was curious about her story, I continued to repeat “wow this is the first time ever I am hearing about a black… female… director” and it seemed to me as if she would really have a  shot at a successful career.

I was right. The next year (2012) she was interviewed on National Public Radio again, this time to celebrate becoming the first African American woman to win Best Director at the Sundance Film Festival for her film Middle of Nowhere.

Seeing Ava become the first Black woman to win that award felt amazing but at I was also thinking seriously - it took this long?  I realize that there are not  many black or female filmmakers out there. Let’s be honest, if you ask people to name successful black directors they may only come up with two names Tyler Perry and Spike Lee. Ask them to name females and you might get Kathryn Bigelow (the director of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty [yes a woman directed those film]) There should be more out there! I know there are more out there!

Being an artist, creator, someone who likes to lead and wanting a career as an actress and director, Ava is a huge encouragement and guide that it is possible. She is not just influencing African Americans and those within the film industry, she is also  opening the eyes of society and making it acceptable to watch films by black or female filmmakers.

Over my past four years in high school I have watch Ava DuVernay rise. Just as I am getting ready to graduate so is she. As the director of the critically acclaimed movie Selma, nominated for a Golden Globe and Oscar, she is headed for the film equivalent of the Ivy’s. It is very exciting! It is like watching a family member win the lottery.

For the first time in film history I have someone that represents me and someone that I see myself in. The fact that society is now able to say, although you don’t look like Steven Spielberg or Quentin  Tarantino you are going to make it, we will support you, you will do great things - it is a huge sign of progress. As Lupita Nyong’o said last year at the Oscars “your dreams are valid” and Ava DuVernay’s success affirms that. We are making amazing progress and I am so excited to be alive at a time like this. I hope to see more women like DuVernay take the lead, and I hope that one day I too can be an example for young black women as she has been for me. 

Like many of you, I am extremely disappointed that DuVernay was not nominated for an Academy Award!!! But With Lupita Nyong’o’s  Oscar win, Uzo Aduba’s Emmy, and the success of Shonda Rhimes I still have hope that we are  not far from an African American Female winning Best Director sometime soon. 

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Sam Smith Live at The Liacouras Center!

Sam Smith Opening Act at The Liacouras Center in Philly
Believe it or not, I have never been to a live concert, that is, until yesterday when I saw Sam Smith live at The Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. 

When you experience Sam Smith you are experiencing what it feels like to transcend into a higher state of consciousness. Not only was the perfection of his voice magnified but as an audience member I had the opportunity to experience the beautiful person behind the music!  Sam Smith is the type of person I would like to have as a friend, I would have him sing me to sleep every night.
Sam Smith Program and Poster
The moments when he talked to the audience, were my favorite. He told us the stories from his own life that  inspired many of his songs.  For example "Good Thing" was based on his experience of letting go of someone he was deeply in love with that didn't love him back, "Money On My Mind" was written to express his anger with someone in the music industry and "Make it to Me" is a love letter to his soul mate that he has yet to meet. 

In the middle of the concert he jokingly assured the audience that although many of his songs sounded depressing, that he wasn't some dark, sad, always frowning guy. He said his next album will definitely have a brighter tone because he doubts anyone would want to buy The Lonely Hour...Part 2 (haha!). I'm looking forward to it because this means he will be able to smile more, which is very exciting because as I discovered at his concert, he has the most adorable smile! 
Throughout the concert he had me, my friends and the whole  stadium up on their feet. In one moment we were two stepping, in another we were making the place light up like a galaxy and a few times I just kind of sat in total aw and tried to absorb the perfection of the moment. Thank you Sam Smith!
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