A Milestone Article from Yahoo!

Yes, there is a hint of sarcasm in the heading. Before in the days of yore, when online articles address the beauty need of dark-skinned women, it was very rare and almost always in the dark cave of the http:// world. You could spend hours searching for that *watchamacallit* that keeps your hair soft, or the natural no scented oils that does not ravage your eczema sensitive skin, with nary a peep of info. Then something happened and changed the way how beauty is pushed down our throats, and whatever it is, reinvented the way we look at ourselves as what we are, and what we have, as opposed to what we can be. It can even be summoned up into one word:

'NATURAL.'

Interestingly, this word has sparked a long list of 'natural accessories', like: jewelry, hair products, skin products, etc. Now don't get me wrong, these things were here for a very long time, I mean if you really think about it, people who lived during the time the Jesus was on Planet Earth, and before that (B.C.E. wise), was equivocally natural. They used olive oil (and I mean the "real unadulterated version"), ate lots of fruits and nuts, built natural homes by the materials they made themselves, and cooked natural food and meat. At least that is what I read in the bible. I must add though, that Egyptians had some pretty questionable means of getting rid of illnesses. Ok, I will name one: using feces of any kind as a cure for anything. Look it up!

"I am getting my hair did y'll."

Then, when the Israelites came around, you began to hear of 'natural' food like barley, honey, leeks, garlic, fig, nuts, grapes, olives, etc. I mean, even in the hot arid desert, can you imagine anyone of the women back then waking up looking like LiLo in the morning? Their bodies were pure, smooth skin, voluptuous shiny hair, stuff like that. 

Today, we cannot escape the fact that chemicals are everywhere. And you could forget about the Low-Fat anything, what do you think they use to make 'low-fat coffee-mocha whipped cream moccachino alpine nutrasweet frappe with a cherry', huh? That is right, chemicals. If you doubt me, ask yourself, do you know one cow who insists on eating low-fat grass, and is always on a diet? Drinking evian and chai tea? 

Talking about the Egyptians, I could do with some of their cotton fabric, that would be lovely.

So, there I was browsing through the web on a break, and I stumbled onto a an article in Yahoo, that spoke about natural hair and relaxer. Huh? This is one of many sites who under an article stating "The Best foundation for those under 100* years old (*hint)" states various shades under a variety of brands. I see the shades, I put my swarthy hand next to them and hiss, "As usual, nothing for me." If I have to get a foundation at a make up counter, I sometimes have to ask, "Anything darker in this brand?" One too many times of that, and I now only wear pressed powder, cream-to-powder foundation against very oily skin in a humid climate makes my skin very slick, so I avoid them. In addition, they had Essence magazine links! 

By the way, walking around as an "Afro-Natural" is the most exhilarating thing I have done so far. It feels so good not to spend extra money on relaxers and others. I use coconut oil alot, my skin has taken to it beautifully, and my hair as well. One thing though, why do people keep wanting to touch it?

Grow Yah Own!™©

2012©LisaMarieBonaparte

Just a little note

Lately, I have been under some intense stress, and I have been having panic attacks. My panic attacks usually come when I perceive that a terrible event, or an experience that I had before, or something new, is going to occur.

And last week, I had three panic attacks, and so I slept alot. I slept so deeply, that I did not dream, and I always almost dream in full vivid colour. Before I get a panic attack, I become highly observant, and I can focus intensely. It is funny how I can even explain what is going on in my head. What I hate is that, I can almost always tell, when something is going to happen...this does sound crazy, but it is true. 

Anyway, my PA sensors was right, and I received a bombshell on Thursday. In addition, I came to the realization that, sometimes, even those closet to you, do not know YOU. What is sad is that, the feelings that was there before has effectively dried up, and I no longer feel obligated to act as before. Instead, its like my mind and body has put up a large fortress with an active dragon living there. And I feel as though I cannot process anything simple, only complex things are being actively solved at the moment. After the solution, I forget what I was thinking and my mind needs to rest. If you do know what is happening to me, please leave a note. I am thinking I am heading for a big whoop, and my body is stocking up on ammunition.

Or maybe, I need a vacation. 

Next month I am having another interview, an old school friend of mine, she is beautiful and talented, and  very willing to be interviewed. I will take a break until then, to get my bolts checked and rest, because as I write to you, my eyes are closing.

Check out this link on panic attacks.

2012©LisaMarieBonaparte

Decisions and Implementations

Implementation is a very valuable word in this here country... the media especially uses it as a word of high regard, so I am hoping that you fine folks read this essay with an expeditiousness only unparalleled by the the book, 'the Great Gatsby'...

 ...sorry to end your violin segment, my boss just gave me something...

Decision...

I ain't gonna lie, straight hair is one of the most glamorous things you can see in shampoo and conditioner advertisements. The way how the full glossy strands move in unity to hold your gaze for just a little while longer...as your hands reach out to... touch what you don't really have...

(Entering the hair-crack/relaxer story and the bright bulb idea to go natural.) 

Lets just say I needed to save money, and my scalp from the chemical beating that I have subjected my head to since the age of 12 years. I have had a variety of styles: dry curl, S-curl, jheri-curl (never liked it), relaxer, braided, weaves, texturized, bleached red-head, bleached-blonde, jet black, crisscrossed corn-rows, lately a long, human hair wig and now, an afro. Most of the hair styling was done by my mother who trained in England to be a hair-dresser. And although she is a nurse now, I will continue to let her do my hair when she feels like it. She is the only hairdresser I would allow on my head at will. In the past, I have had a few other great hairdressers: Roxanne, Pajotte and Adolphus.

Implementation...

I am going all-natural, growing my hair, though, it is not easy. My hair was made light, straight and soft by chemicals for more than half my life, returning to my coiled natural reminds me exactly why I went to chemicals in the first place. With the change 'back to the past', I hope that I can take the challenge of effectively styling my hair, which has taken on an almost rebellious stance, textural-wise. It is dense, thick and my normal conditioners no longer do the trick of keeping my hair soft. I am now purchasing oils like shea Butter, and looking up for products that has shea butter as its main ingredient. I am glad that hot-combs, curlers and relaxers are a thing of the past. For the future, more large combs and brushes may be needed, also I hope I can find more natural products, oils, pomades and conditioners for my hair, as a result, I hope that this can also lead to better skin. 

I was born with Atopic Eczema, so my skin has a tendency of breaking out and getting scaly. No, its not contagious, it is an early indication of asthma, and steroid creams are almost the only effective defense against it. While I dream of being a dark brown, bronzed all-natural woman, I have to work on that dream, and it will take a while. I have changed my diet to include more cereals, fruits and less sugar, although I love my skittles and gummy bears! Its been two months and so far my skin has taken on a different texture, but I still get the breakouts. So next month will be focused on my eczema.

What are you doing to improve your health?

2012©LisaMarieBonaparte

Living in the Caribbean...

Is way cheaper than living in the USA. This of course is dependent on a few scenarios, for instance, which state you live in, what job you have, where in that state you live and if you rent or own a home.

For instance, in Trinidad and Tobago these are the average monthly expenses, and by average I mean in a general term:
Car Installments to the Bank - Republic Bank (Barclay's), Royal Bank of Canada, Scotia Bank
Mortgage
Health Insurance - Sagicor, Algico, Guardian Life, etc
BIR - Board of Inland Revenue
NIB - National Insurance Board

These are the bills that are paid otherwise, and if you rent, it can either make or break you:
Water Rates - every three months (WASA)
Electricity Bill - every two months (T&TEC)
Car insurance - every year
Land Tax - Every year

Compared to North America and Europe these are quite cheap. We don't have to pay heating and oil costs, and our homes are built from a lot less materials. For example, a typical caribbean home in the early 20th Century was built out of quarry stone (river stone), red brick, wood (mahogany, pine, teak, green heart, purple heart, etc), mud (these were plastered to a wood foundation and painted) galvanize/tin roof, and depending on the wealth of the owner, a slated roof made of various stones.

Today, the average home in the caribbean consists of materials like red brick, concrete brick, some wood (bathroom, kitchen counters, furniture), PVC pipes (water systems and waste removal systems), etc. What was interesting is that new homes are no longer built with a soakaway. A soakaway in the Caribbean is usually a hole about 6 feet or more deep, with some large stones and then some small stones, or is it the other way around? Somewhere, the explanation is that when the waste comes from the toilet, it goes into the soakaway area where it is broken down naturally by the earth. Now we have plastic sewer tanks, I am not sure if that is a new building code requirement. In addition, there are more sewer truck presence, especially in my area, and around Port of Spain.

In the early 20th Century, most homes had an outside latrine far away from the house, sometimes it was up a hill (I really want to know why? I can think of a thousand reasons why this was a really bad idea), and when you wanted to go, you had to light a candle, and I am guessing that during those times, with folklore like Lagahoo (local werewolf) and Papa Bois (local satyr), you really had to be brave to go out there alone. Later, with the advent of electricity, many latrines were fitted with electric bulbs, even to this day. I used one a couple years ago... on a hill... it was rickety... wooden and old... and I was so scared, that everything happened quickly. On some of the smaller islands off the North-West coast of Trinidad and down south inland, there are still some of the original homes, latrine and all. I am going to have to get a picture, because the internet does not have what it looked like in the tropics.

Ok, I sort of went off-topic, and I forgot what I was going to say.

Right.

In the US I found that they pay bills every single month, the State of New York
Car Insurance
Car installments
Property Tax
Health Insurance (Medicare?)
Mortgage
Electricity
Fire Insurance
Water Rates
Heating Rates (for winter months)
Sewer Bill (yep, when you go to the toilet)
Then if you don't really keep at the top of your game, you can be cited for violations, like: Health, Environmental Control Board, etc.
And some more bills

One time, in New York, I guy I knew ran a red light, he thought he would not be found, after all, Brooklyn is home to millions of inhabitants. Just to be sure, he skipped town for sometime. Later, when he opened a special envelope on his return home, there he was in a series of pictures, speeding from a red light, wheels a-blazin', and he was summoned to appear in court. Once, I witnessed nine cars, two panel vans, an SUV, a truck hauling a 20 ft trailer, and a motorcycle, running past a red light. Who is going to find and summon these "drivers" here?

While it seems that we get away with almost anything here, I must admire large countries and continents like the USA and Europe and Australia, who have to keep at the top of their game in the best way they can to keep law and order, because like my 'run-the-red-light-friend', I don't know who else would take the time and track down a few errant drivers. Maybe, that is why they have so much bills to pay? I don't know.

2012©LisaMarieBonaparte

Simple Quotes

Some of us simply talk too much. Locally, we call it "Run yuh mouth!" I will give it a science name Runyomouitis. It is a term used to describe a condition that affects the majority of us. It can happen in happy or angry moments. However, I think it would be best used for sad moments, because talking out your problems can help you.


The following is some quotes I found on the internet. They are pretty simple to understand and they don't take up much space. Some of them are pretty hilarious. I am starting off with one of my most favourite persons, Eleanor Roosevelt. She may not be a beauty queen, but in my book she can win the crown on brains, bravery, and loyalty. I am referring to the the person Eleanor Roosevelt, and not the politics.


In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.
Eleanor Roosevelt


I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou


We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.
Eleanor Roosevelt


We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don’t know.
W.H. Auden


Hollywood is the only place you can wake up in the morning and hear the birds coughing in the trees.
Joe Frisco


She doesn’t not understand the concept of Roman numerals. She thought we just fought World War Eleven.
Joan Rivers


Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at it destination full of hope.
Maya Angelou


Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized.
Albert Einstein


It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
Confucius

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.
Maya Angelou


Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
Confucius



Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong.
Muhammad Ali



And no, we don't know where it will lead. We just know there's something much bigger than any of us here.
Steve Jobs



Taken from Wikipedia: 
When a well-known Washington senator was discovered to have been having an affair with a young woman less than half his age, Alice Roosevelt Longworth (italics ours) quipped, "You can't make a soufflé rise twice."



There are so many quotes in the world, and there is only so much CafféLatté magazine can put. I hope these have perked you up in some way.


2012©LisaMarieBonaparte

CafféLatté Magazine Likes - Advertisements

This list is in no particular order. Lately, advertisements have taken a new high and some are just as entertaining, if not better than the primetime series. Superbowl ads are usually the must see, and some of them are really good. Some companies, like Orkin (Pest control), are really hilarious and have been consistently great lately, in this case, the one that really impresses will be shown here. Or just one will be randomly picked from the lot. Others may not be as impressive, but they are there for sentimentality. So lets get it on!

Orkin
Pest Control

Imagine you return from a great vacation with your family, only to return home and find two huge grimy rats in your room playing expert Guitar Hero. Grimy aside, those strings were the bomb! I liked how they are grimy, right down to the nasty claws and the gosh-be-gosh sickly yellow teeth and the sewer-looking matted fur. This is definitely one of my favorites.

Zazoo
Condoms

That child needed a Caribbean mother. Had it been me acting like this kid, my mom would first freeze, give the looks of all evil, drop her bag and give me the best whopping in the entire world, heck, the entire of world history in all the world! Genghis Khan would not even top that. And it would happen right there in that supermarket.

How many times have you witnessed a scene like this? Very good ad. If you can't stand the embarrassment rubber up! I prefer sex after marriage. Keep it simple.

PEPSI
Soda ad featuring Michael Jackson and his brothers

I was almost moved to tears for this ad, because I have almost forgotten how much Michael Jackson has influenced the world of music in the 80's. Some folks say alot of rude things about him, even now that he has passed away. However, I believe he was damaged emotionally, and that was the result of all his inner thoughts displaying itself on his lifestyle. Say what you want, you can never stop listening to his music.

This is a great ad, see young Alfonso Ribiero dancing like MJ only to meet the real MJ on the street, and then there is an impromptu street dance. Cool!

Volkswagen
Das Auto
The Force

This one is too cute to pass up and expertly acted in. Star Wars is definitely more than a cult classic and George Lucas must have thought that either, he would make alot of money, or he would make a Classic that would never die, or its possible he was just experimenting. Mr.Lucas, did you ever think that Star Wars would become one of the Best Fictional Movie franchise in the World? Sadly, I cant say that I was happy about the last three Star Wars movies. Something was missing from them.

The little Darth Vader tyke is played by absolutely adorable 6 year old Max Page. I hope to see more of him in the near future.

Twix
Candy Bar

This could happen. I think he burnt his finger on the iron. Which is awkward. It is funny though.

Not everyone can produce a great ad, but these here have some creative juices and were well thought of. About the Volkswagen ad, many ad agencies can have a Star Wars themed tv ad, but how do you put the Star Wars in the background and use the moment to sell your product. It was very well done, and the best for the year!

2011©LisaMarieBonaparte

Funny Conversations

Overhearing other people's speech is an honor, especially when it is a funny observation, or remark. There is a website dedicated to all these overhearers, some funny and others, not so much. Here are some of my favorites.

For more Overheards click here. Warning some of them can be quite graphic.