Update!

Hey guys! I haven't posted in such a long time. That's because I was too caught up in my solo trip to Mexico. I will be posting soon, and I am planning on making a video of my six day journey in Puerto Vallarta. Stay tuned! :)

Unfriending Facebook Friends

   I have more Facebook friends than I actually have in real life. After the Trayvon verdict was read I cried. I was surprised that I cried, because I had a feeling the verdict would read "not guilty" with how the case was poorly presented. But the emotions were too strong to hold inside.Therefore, I decided to take action by signing the NAACP petition and sharing it on Facebook for those to read and sign as well.

   Well, I couldn't help but to scroll down and see what everybody's  reaction was  to the verdict. Well I scrolled down to a girl  I used to hang out with in high school, who I remember as kind of a funny person. She posted #teamzimmerman on her timeline! She even got 28 likes for it, which is saddening. I was flabbergasted that someone would post such an insensitive thing. I know she is white but that doesn't mean you have the incapability to not post such a horrendous thing even if you believe it!  Then and there I just wanted to delete my facebook, because she wasn't the only one who thought Zimmerman had the right to kill an unarmed teenage boy. Instead I commented on her post to tell her why there was no justice in this trial, but I learned a valuablue lesson: Don't argue with fools!

 Here are the captions of the mess: The girl is in black everyone else is in red. 

                                        

My last comment (The rest of it said God Bless you)! 

   She proceeded to say that her niece is half black causing her niece to be considered only black, and that same equation applies to Zimmerman thanks to the one drop rule used in slavery . Thankfully, other Hispanics posted that Latinos can be racist to black people making it definitely a race issue, but she continued on with her ignorance, and I realised that this argument was pointless. Consequently, I  unfriended her and anyone else that had agreed with her. It was hard knowing that someone I had joked, hung around, and had a sleepover with was this person, but I thank God I know now so I can cut her out.

   We tend to keep Facebook friends even though we haven't talked to them in ages I guess to compete with who's more popular. That's why I am seriously thinking of just deleting it. I mean maybe I'll need it for networking, but for what else? I don't really care about where they're vacationing at, or who broke up with who? I'm not in high school anymore.

How To Relieve Stress!

   Stress is that pounding indicator, that comes knocking through your door waiting for you when you are just about to reach the peak of happiness. So why not pour out the stress  from our bodies, so we can paint a better picture of  our goals and life plans. Here I compiled a list that helps me when I am stressed, and if you haven't, should try as well.

                                                 

    Source: learningmeditation.com

1. Meditate

     I remember at sixteen-years-old first hearing about meditation and how it can relieve stress, pain and anxiety. I went inside my room, shut the door, turned off the television, silenced my phone, sat on the floor with my legs crossed, closed my eyes and then deeply inhaled and exhaled. I started chanting "Om" breiflly before my sister, talking profusely on the phone next door, interrupted me.

     My eyes went wide open and I stormed into my sister's room. I yelled, "I told you I was going to meditate, you're being too loud!" My sister apologized sarcastically, and I went back into my room to start  meditating again. Then the smoke alarm started to chirp loudly as a result of the batteries needing to be changed! I was frustrated, but continued to close my eyes and chant "Om" but it didnt last long. I got hungry at the thought  of  tender cheeseburgers awaiting me, and decided that five seconds was enough!

    Now after reading Iyanla Vanzant's book, One Day My Soul Opened Up, I realized that meditating isn't about being surrounded by the peaceful sounds of the ocean waves on the beach (although it would be ideal). It's about blocking the outside noise and stress and becoming center with the universe! Now I can meditate with the fan blaring and the smoke alarm chirping (I really need to change those batteries), and if I can do that I can relieve any stress I'm having.

Source: myfaithcoach.org

2. Pray

    Like most people that are forgotten to be acknowledged,  I over think and it can effect with the tasks I need to do and my emotions!  I remember one time I was visiting my older cousin in Philadelphia, and I told her I was stressed out about going to college and finances. She told me to just pray, and that it works for her all the time. My cousin is pretty smart, graduating from Oxford University, but I kind of questioned her logic here. It just seemed too simple--prayer. However, it's not just clasping your hands together and closing your eyes and saying ,"Hello there God!" It's actually believing and having faith that things will come into fruition. That whatever you are going through shall pass!

       I sound corny and all, but the sense of believing that situations will turn out okay makes you a more positive human being. Soon you will start attracting positive events and people. God listens to us even when it feels like He doesn't sometimes, just ask and you shall receive. If it wasn't for prayer I wouldn't have been ale to get out of some circumstances in the past.

                                                                       

Source: glamqoutes.com

3. Joy

     When I ask people what they want most out of life, the answer is usually happiness. I don't know anyone that doesn't want to be happy. While happiness is great and all,  it usually is an emotion dependent on a tangible thing. Sometimes we can be happy or we can get mad and sad, why is that? Because happiness is a reaction to something. A reaction to getting a new car, a great job, friends, a relationship, clothes, and multitudes of other things. But what happens when we lose all those things, should we give up on life? No!

       Joy, is a feeling inside of you that never goes away. Regardless of what is stressing you out, you need to  have joyful, by being grateful of what you do have for now. Because it encourages you to know that things will turn out alright. Unlike happiness, joy is intangible and isn't the result of the good days or even the bad days, but a result of good things to come.

                                             

Source: colipera.com

4. Do Nothing!

    Ugh!!! I am stressed beyond belief I just feel like pulling the hairs out of my scalp! Really, you are? Well than sit down on that chair and just relaxed. Much like meditating doing nothing can really help me out when I am stressed. Having an illness like sickle cell anemia, has helped me to realize that I need to take the time out of the day and just relax my body. In this world, people can over work themselves and that can lead to stress. Before you know it you've ended up in a hospital bed with IV fluids running through your veins.

      Now if you are those perfectionists who laugh at the thought of sleep, you can still do nothing for at least ten minutes! Do your nails, eat a tub of organic ice cream, browse online, take a nice walk, how about a nap? When you take the time to give your body and mind a rest you will be more productive during the day and can actually think clearer.


      I stopped at four, because like I just advised you guys I am going to rest my mind a little lol. Of course, I will be back to add more to this list, but until then Om Namah Shivayah to you all!

Tumblr-http://misskemi.tumblr.com/
Instagram- kemz247

Introvert vs. Improv

    As every American knows Independence Day was on Thursday. While most headed out near the spacious lakes, hearing the raw slabs of ribs sizzling on the grill, and gasping at the colorful displays of the fireworks with their loved ones, I decided to take an Improv  class. My parents are Nigerian, so the  4th of July isn't something they plan to celebrate like most Americans. So, since the 4th of July is kind of a family affair, I figured that taking this Improv class would give me something to do instead of laying on my bed all day.

    Now, I am kind of shy, I speak very low, and crowded places are something that I try to avoid if possible. So why the heck would I consider even going to this Extrovert's Haven? Because this blog is about me going from shy to confident 'tis why! What better way  to pull out from my shell, than an improv class? So let me set the scene for you.

   I arrive at 7 PM, after fighting floods and hurricanes to get there, thankfully it was fairly close to my house. I open the door to a small bar where people are sitting around grabbing a drink. At this point, I'm thinking I'm at the wrong place or that I arrived (although on time) early. So I do what was comfortable at the time and sit down next to a mahogany table and start scrummaging through tumblr. I hear voices from my left ear and see that behind a patterned curtain there is a chubby guy talking  and whispering to a group of people. I think they are talking about me, which makes me uncomfortable.

   Then, I figure that's probably where the meeting is going to be, so I walk in and say, "Is this the improv class?" The chuby guy looks at me and says, "No, it's over at Tijuana Flats!" Embarrassed I head out of the curtains and then he starts laughing along with everyone else there, and tells me he was just joking and to come back.  I laugh but I feel dumb, then we all form a circle in the area. There's about eleven of us, and they all just start clapping at each other. I am looking around like, what is this? When a guy with large hands and glasses claps his hands at me, I get nervous but I only messed up a few times in this very choreographed clapping scheme.

    When we started to play a word game, is when I  realized the chubby guy is the leader of this class and makes up the rules of the game. In the game we all picked a word from one subject,  "i.e fruits", after saying what fruit we pick, "ie: grapes", one points to someone else and they say their fruit and point to someone else. This continues until everyone has been chosen. After everyone has said their fruit, we all have to remember our fruit and who we pointed to whom. I was good at the game for my first try, to my surprise. I even caught myself smiling as the game got harder juggling three different subjects around.

    But then, we all had to face each other making two rows. One person from that  row would say a random word, and the other person across from them  would have to quickly say a word that comes to mind. This was hard, because one of the reasons why I am quiet, is because I like to think before the first syllable  parts from my lips. During this challenge I kept saying umm and the leader, let's call him Mark (yeah I know I finally gave him a name), would come to me and me only and tell me to stop thinking. I felt that he was growing frustrated with  me, and it made me realize that my awkwardness was too bright almost  a ghastly bright orange in a middle of cool blues. I did start to get better though, and that's when the challenge ended and the next one began.

The stage!

    After another word game, we went upon the stage where we split into two groups: actresses vs. screenwriters ( I was on team actresses). Basically two people from each group took parts  being the who and where and what. Every time it was my turn to improvise a scene Mark would tell me to speak up, or stop fidgeting your fingers, stop giggling! But I couldn't help it! I didn't like the stage part, although I got a few laughs, it just made me highly aware and awkward in front of the few people that were watching me. I didn't know if I was doing a scene right or if I just looked entirely stupid.  After each scene, I just kept over thinking what I should have done differently. However, that's just Improv, you can't really change the past scene you just have to move on and  work on the present scene.

    When the two hour session ended, I was relieved. I admit that something that I was quite excited for turned out to be a bit of a disappointment in terms of improvement. Maybe, I'm just negative or I can be a bit of a perfectionist at times. But, like I said before I just felt that I could have done better. I thought that after this session, I would feel confident with my head held high smiling, but I did not.  On the plus side though, I did get a few laughs during the session, I think what I learned from Improv, is that confidence takes time and practice. It's not just a one shot thing, even those with confidence have to make an effort to maintain it. Also, life can be like Improv, you have to forget the things you've messed up in the past and work on now!  So two points for trying out this shindig!

       P.S-- The day after July 4th the community where I live in decided to showcase fireworks so here's some pics!

P.P.S- I have an instagram now, so please follow me @kemz247!

My First Meetup!

    Hello everyone, I am trying my hardest to be confident and I try to do this by doing The Self-Esteem Workbook and getting out more! I am introverted, more specifically an INFP ( Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving) it is an MBTI personality thing. But yeah basically I generally prefer to be alone.  I still  enjoy people, and being alone all the time is kind of sucky and not just something that society will downcast on.
 
   So, during the summer while I love that there is no school and getting a job seems to be impossible now that I'm moving in less than two months, I am a lot more lonely now than I was before. Instead of beating myself up that I lost my friends, I decided to join a meetup group. I have been hearing about meetups since last summer, but last weekend I finally had the courage to join and it was fun!

    All five of us went to make chocolates, and since the location was familiar I decided why not I love chocolate! I was scared at first because I did not know what to expect. But after the initial meeting and getting to know everyone my shyness eased out a bit! We all went to eat dinner at a Chinese/Turkish restaurant where I ate chicken jasmine fried rice, and I got to know the Chinese couple, the guy from Hawaii, and the two white best friends. The only downside was that they were all older and starting their in their careers, while I'm still in undergrad, nevertheless we all laughed and joked with each other which is all that matters.

Source: chettyskitchen.blogspot.com--This is similar to what I ordered.

          After receiving our checks, it was straight to the chocolate factory where we joined the couples party  and  had fun making pounds of chocolate. I must have not been listening to the instructor though, because my chocolate came out like crap. However, she said that you can eat your chocolate in the dark, but I am going to show you my horrible looking chocolate  anyway!

Look at that sexy chocolate!

White chocolate fish with marshmallows!

Truffle heart with white chocoalte on the bottom!

More truffles!

         

Just a touch of coconut and graham cracker crumbs!

chocolate chips!

   The fourth picture on the bottom is suppose to be a chocolate molding of a prize ribbon. Anyway, even though it costs $22 for a pound of chocolate, it's well worth the mouth-watering chocolate in my mouth. With that being said,  this will not be my last meetup  and I will continue to take risks and get out of my shell this summer.

 

                                                                     Stay tuned!

We Made It!

    It's the six month mark, meaning we have made it to the half of the year! I'm celebrating, because I was really depressed and just couldn't think of a better life for myself. However, this past week I have been bombarded with a list of positive things that can help anyone feeling depressed about themselves. Here it is:

 

The Draw My Life videos are inspiring, because it shows the journeys of certain people and how they have overcame their battles to be where they are now. I have seen a lot but this Youtuber DeStorm Power is by far the most inspiring from dealing with jail, homelessness, and death to become successful is...wow! 

 

This Draw My Life video is about social anxiety, which i feel from time to time. The video has two parts so make sure that you see both of them by MrAk101786 , even if you don't suffer from social anxiety.

Oprah Winfrey just got an honorary doctorate degree from  Harvard University! Is there anything she can't do? While she received this prestigious award, she gave a commencement  speech for the graduating class of 2013. Oprah shares her thoughts of wisdom about success and failure, and I encourage anyone to see this video whatever stage you are at in life.

     Also, over at xoJane, I read an article about a woman who was greeted by her dentist that thought she was dead. It just brings another perspective of this world, and that people really do care more about you than you might think. I am determined to keep going strong for the remaining of the year, and many years to come and I hope everyone else does as well!

Celebrities Who Embrace Their Flaws!

  Hello everyone! I hope you guys had a great mother's day! I got my mama a candle because I am a college student with no job! But she said she likes it and it was kind of  expensive for a candle, so I'm glad she does. Anywho,  I am making this post about celebrities and their physical flaws and how they embrace it, because a lot of people look up to celebrities and think ohmigod they are just soo perfect. However no one is! I don't understand how being famous makes you perfect, but okay here's a list of celebrities that embrace their flaws.


1. Anne Hathaway--Prominent Features



      I've liked Anne Hathaway since the Princess Diaries. I just think she is gorgeous and she has prominent features like big eyes, ears,  and teeth but she still looks stunning whenever I see her on the red carpet. It actually makes her unique and shows that you dont have to have quaint little features to be beautiful! Yeah you go Hathaway with your shiny Oscar!


2.  Grace Jones--Androgyny



I love Grace Jones from her razor-sharp cheekbones to her high top fade! Even though the Jamaican singer, actress and model is androgynous, it's what made her the fashion icon she is today. Like Hathaway she shows that having strong features can be a beautiful thing.Plus, it's her fashion and flair that has influenced big pop stars like Madonna and Rihanna!


3. Padma Lakshmi--Scar
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Padma Lakshmi is a model and has written award-winning cookbooks like Easy Exotic, and also hosts Top Chef on Bravo. Another seemingly confident celeb whose physical flaw seems to be her scar located on her right arm. As someone with many scars myself, I admire Padma for not hiding her scar, but wearing outfits that reveal the scar she got from a car accident like the one above.

4. Rebel Wilson--Plus size



  Rebel is pretty and funny what more could you ask for? Even though the world is obsessed with being the perfect size, she's fine with who she is. She brings in the confidence that has leads her to star in blockbuster movies (do people still say blockbuster?), hosting the MTV movie awards, and  now her own show on ABC called Super Fun Night !

5. Tyra Banks--Big Forehead



Tyra! Tyra! As stated in a  previous entry, I loved the Tyra Show, some may have found it annoying I guess but I really wish the show did not go off the air! Anyway, if anyone knows this supermodel/actress/children's book author/ Emmy-award winning talk show host/ ANTM host is that she embraces her big ol' five head. That's right you wont see her wearing bangs much, nevertheless she is still beautiful! Honorable mention in this category goes to Rihanna.

This is the list I've compiled so far, but stay tuned because I might add more to it!