Two Decades On EartH;0

Greetings Everyone..It's funny when I have A Happy Belated Birthday to myself. I have been quite crunched on time to post on a regular basis but I'll try to do a quite catch up! My Birthday was actually Monday, August 25 2008! I was honestly not expecting to do to much on my birthday but just contemplate on how far God has brought me all of my 20 yrs..and maybe a birthday dinner. My roommates had a different idea of celebrating my Birthday and through me a Surprise B-day Party at The W hotel in downtown Chicago! The room, food, and everything else was wonderful! I felt soo touched. One of my roomies have been putting in so much effort in making me feel at home in Chicago since I'm originally not from here and this is my second location in the past 2 years. She called my homegirls and homeboys to come out and kick it for my b-day. I was pretty surprise people came out since my bday fell on a Monday and we all had class in the morning!We ate dinner in the restaurant downstairs and than we went to one of the suites and I walked into an empty room. I don't know how they did it but somehow a good 25 people fit in the bathroom and came out screaming with balloons and a cake "Happy birthday ellisa!" it was so sweet, especially since I'm still fairly new to the city! I felt loved and had a beautiful night;0

Yes, You read right it says Mrs. Fiasco!!! Yep I have to claim my blessing..lol

I know many felt as if I was over exaggerating with my reaction to turnung 20. I don't know turning 20 was a wake up call that Im an adult and have been living for 20 years, its pretty amazing because it doesn't seem that long at all! I love the mentality that my best Allison gives on how you should measure each year of your life and make a promise to yorself to make the next year better, This past year has to be the most growth I have ever had in my life. Here's my measurement list...

• Moved to Chicago




• Stepped Out on Faith




• Stood my ground when my family questioned my motives to pursue my dream




• Studying and pursuing Fashion




• Experienced Heartbreak




• Had the courage to go Natural




• Learned how to let go of grudges

• New School




• New job




• New Internship!

..This is just a few blessings that God has given to me the past year of my life! It's actually amazing:) God is Amazing;0 Soooooo I am actually thrilled to see what God has planned for me in this up and coming year;) I have one more gift I get to unwrap for my B-day that I gave to myself and that is the Nas concert on Aug 31,2008. That will have completed a wonderful week of birthday celebrations! Hopefully Ill get some good pics to post;)

God Bless...

"Thrifting" ...it's A Talent!

Greetings Fly People... So yesterday while running around Student Affairs and meeting with my financial advisor i received beautiful news. Our school was closing down for the rest of the day due to issues in the building so that meant no afternoon classes!!!! Of course as i was headed to the library to print out an assignment before I left, I ran into my homegirl Shani! I told her about the news and she was clearly overjoyed! Soo we stood in the hallway pondering how we should spend all of our down time. Hmmmm...THRIFTING!!! Yes, it took us a half a second to agree to our plans. As we were headed out we ran in two other of our homegirls, soo we all headed out for a warm afternoon of thrifting.

The first place we went was Unique's Thrift Shop. It is located off the 35th/Archer stop on the Orange Line. This is a thrifter's heaven Honestly its full of racks and racks of hidden treasures...

Unique Thrift Store

3542 S Archer Ave

Chicago, IL 60609

Scarf (that I will turn into a shirt) , $1.99 Camel Leather Tote ...$6.99

Shoes..$15.99

Leather Clutch...$3.99

Retro Shades $1.99

So those were the fly findings I found at Unique..

So we then headed up to Wicker Park (my favorite area!) And we went to the dope boutique of Una Mae's Boutique. This is located off the Damen Blue line Stop down Milwaukee...

Una Mae's boutique

1528 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Chicago, IL 60622.

This boutique is extremely inviting with the strong scent of incense and oils that lead you into the boutique. Th e first item that caught my eye was a pair of high waist vintage inspired jeans. they weren't truly vintage but just inspired..unfortunately they were too big! Th boutique owner saw my disappoint me and help me get a couple more pairs to try one. They all didn't work until she went upstairs and pulled a pair of TRUE vintage high waist jeans from the 70's. I'll admit I couldn't breathe for a half of second but once I walked around for a minute they became more comfortable...

FAded Glory True Vinatge jeans $24.00!! !

A days worth of thrifting threads ...priceless!!

If you have a chance, make a trip to these fly spots...

GoD Bless...

R.I.P Bernie Mac

Greetings...This morning around 10 a.m. I was awaken by a startling text that comedian Bernie Mac passed. This information completly shocked and hurt that one of our African AMerican men great talents had passed. Bernie mac was one of my favorite comedians as I've grown throughout my teenage years..

"Comedian and Chicago native Bernie Mac died early Saturday morning from complications due to pneumonia, his publicist confirmed.Mac, 50, had been hospitalized for about a week at Northwestern Hospital, according to his spokeswoman.

A few years ago, Mac disclosed that he suffered from sarcoidosis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in tissue, most often in the lungs.The comic born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough could cut an imposing figure. He stood 6-foot-3, was built like a fullback and carried himself with a bouncer's reticence. But perhaps the strongest weapon in the Chicago comedian's arsenal was that voice, that amalgam of thought and a delivery that could rise like a tidal wave, outpace a Gatling gun and remained, to his last days, loud and unapologetic."- Chicago Tribune

Bernie Mac has not only blessed the world with his comedic relief but also with his full belief of community service. He was faithful in giving back to the inner cities of Chicago, IL where he was born.

You will be truly missed but your spirit still lives on... God Bless..

*Belize Fest*

Greetings Fly People! So yesterday after receiving an inspirational message from church I met up with my lovely friend Shani to attend the Belizian Fest In Washington Park Yesterday. It was a perfect day for a festival since it was not scorching hot, the summer breeze made everyone feel relaxed and comfortable. I absolutely love festivals of all kind and am disappointed that this was my first on of the summer! Since I met up with shani I was there earlier and decided to do some browsing around to occupy my time. The first item that caught my eye was a tub full of "yellow gloriousness"!!Raw Shea ButtER!!! That is one of the main reasons I love attending festivals and expos so I can get raw shea butter since it so difficult for them to find in a typical store.

Shea Nut

Next Item that caught my eye were these Hand dipped incense.The smell of these were so rich..




Of course these glorious locs snagged my attention ..these were the best locs I've seen on a male....

Love this wrap...

Fly Art Is a must at a festival

Live Performances...

Of Course you have to treat yourself to some Jerk Chicken..

What I eventually left with... You gotta Love the African Earrings..Eeeek..Im a sucker for huge accesories... Fun Times...

God Bless!!

SoulfuL SounDs

Greetings Fly Ones.. I just wanted to grace you with a couple of songs that has been in heavy rotaion in my life right now. The first vid I decided to post was "The World Should Revolve Around Me" by Little Jackie. I absolutley went head over heel when I heard this song and its now my ringtone!! I was first introduced to Little Jackie as the VH1 star of people "you oughta know" segment.I love the message behind the carefree message that she reveals to the audience. ..

Little Jackie

The World should Revolve Around Me

Chorus

"i've had a lot of failed relationships,
i don't get far cause i'm not equipped
i believe that the world should revolve around me,
i don't see the point of a partnership
it wont be long till i start to trip,
yes sirr-e the whole world should revolve around me,





My second choice is Nicole Willis And the Soul Investigators with "If this Ain't Love I dont Know what is." I know this is an older song..clearly I was missing out!!! My friend Sharon text me about this group last week so I finally found it and fell in love with it. Even though I cannot fully relate to the pure joy of indulging yourself in true love it still leaves such a content feeling in me once I play it. ...Listen And Watch..





God Bless!!

Proper English Is The New Trend

Greetings Fly Ones! So before I collapsed in my bed last night I was greeted by an interesting email. It was an email introducing me to JAM DONALDSON DESIGNS . Jam Donaldson is the creator of the controversial hit BET series starring Charlie Murphy, “We Got To Do Better,” and the popular website Hotghettomess.com. Jam Donaldson has launched a line of pop-culture tees with the same message she conveys on her site and television show, that we must improve as a whole in the African American Community. JAM DONALDSON DESIGNS creates vintage style tees which has broken phrases that many African Americans tend to use throughout a daily conversation. . I love the idea of encouraging people of Color that it is not cute/attractive to not speak proper English. Her designs allow you to read what one says and how it looks in written form.

As AFrican Americans we are continuing to have to fight against ignorant stereotypes that society places on us. It hurts my heart when we as a people continue to keep those same stereotypes flowing because we think that is the best we can do. It is utterly ridiculous on how we feel the need to PURPOSELY speak broken English and then have the nerve to write how it sounds. It kills me when people try to sound intelligent and uses made up words such as "Conversate." And we wonder why children are failing Spelling tests left and right. Children are video cameras that play back what they see and hear on an everyday basis. Stop the CycLe!

JAM DONALDSON DESIGNS can be found exclusively at http://store.jamdonaldsondesigns.com/shop.html. Support Proper English, watch what you say and buy a Tee!

God Bless!!

Why Have A Dream Deferred?

Lights Out!! No literally my lights and power were all knocked out last night by a storm that hit our neighborhood. Not only did our power shut off, but about a half of minute later my cell phone battery died in a middle of a refreshing conversation. So this left me in a candle lit living room contemplating on life with the presence of my mother and sister. This morning I was less than delighted to wake up to find our only source of light was the gloomy sky that sunk into our house. After running early morning errands and complaining to my mother that death was creeping around the corner in the form of boredom. I decided to be half way productive with the only passing time I could think of ..Read. Now, I do enjoy reading and expanding my everyday thoughts. But as they say the hardest step you take is usually the first. That is my issue with reading. I always seem to preoccupy my mind with soo many thoughts its often difficult for me to pick up a book and allow my thoughts to be guided by the author.

I had began reading The Alchemist about a week ago when my best recommended that I give it a chance. I was not doing anything else with my life so I had nothing to lose. So I set out to the front yard, laid out on our swing and got fully consumed with the book. The only reason why I didn't finish the book was because the warm sun encouraged me to doze off. So it was funny when our power went out because I felt as it was God's way of saying I needed to complete this book. And oh how He was right.

This book is a simple read but holds intense power in all 167 pages. This book explains the journey one goes through to reach ones dreams or as the book refers to it as your Personal Legend. The story is expressed in parable form. The story is about a Shepherd that keeps having repetitive dreams of finding a treasure by the Egyptian Pyramid. He then goes through different hardships, joys, and life lessons to achieve what God had prepared for him. I don't want to give away the story because I encourage every male, female, cat, dog, everyone to read this book and allow it to motivate you to continue to fight for your True purpose in life. I'm just going to hit some of the points that I took away after finishing this book...

• To find your true dreams go back to your childhood. This was an interesting truth that appeared to me. It stated as young children we have clear dreams of what we want to be in this world. From an astronaut, to a singer to a model ..these are all passions that bursts into our spirit as youth before we are tainted by society. Once we grow older and older both society and ourselves make each one our dreams seem as if it is unobtainable to reach. So as adults we begin to settle what makes sense of the standards society has set.


• Fear of Failure is the top reason people don't pursue there Personal Legend. Many people have built up fear in themselves that they think once you fail once in life, your life is officially over. This is so far from the truth that it hurts. People have to realize your failures in life is what makes us strong enough to hold the success that God has in store for your life. Live and learn.


• People feel as if they are not worthy of achieving there dreams. In the Introduction it stated that people sabotage themselves on purpose once they see there dream insight. In our minds we see how not everyone has not been blessed to achieve there dreams and feel guilty when we can actually achieve our own.


• Do not be so focused on your dream that you miss out on the present Blessings and Life Lessons that the Lord is providing you with at that moment. As a people we often are extreme. We either are so focused on our goal that we miss out on our everyday blessings that is shaping us or we only live for today and have not true direction in our life. Its all about Balance.


• Everyone's Personal Legend is different. If you keep interfering with others dreams or try to mock them you will never reach your own. Follow your spirit and follow the path that God has carved out just for you.


• True Love will never make you give up your dream. We often sacrifice our dreams for the people we love in our lives fearing that we will lose them. When we sacrifice our dreams for love we often become secretly bitter with ourselves because are dream is out of reach. If we are blessed to find true love it will be able to withstand many miles. Loved ones want to see you achieve your dreams and will often encourage you and not hold you back.


• Follow and listen to your heart. It's that simple

I really do encourage you to read this book. Trust me you will be Blessed. I honestly believe God knocked out our power on purpose just so I could complete the book. I finished the book and dozed off to be greeted by a bright shining lamp in my face. Listen to God....God Bless.