There are some people I follow on Twitter for their quotes. Every morning @Kay4NJ drops jewels that either make it to facebook statuses or saved in my Blackberry for later use … She rocks. The people she retweet (s) rock … And of course the originators of the quotes rock as well.
Lately, I’ve just been an uber positive person living by the motto, things will work out. I used to (and occasionally still) fret about the “what ifs” and “what could be’s” but why? What good will it do? Now, I’m not constantly worried about the small things or the whys and hows. I’m more at peace with myself and the world I’m in. I want to enjoy the good moments in life and focus on them instead of tarnishing them with thoughts of how it could be better or why it isn’t another way, or even how quickly it could change.
I have to say that I have @Jess_Dubb to thank for my amazingly new positive outlook on life… In junction with all the good things that have happened to me (like a new job) Dubb has always given positive yet REAL advice and comments when we chat. And reading her blog is always inspiring because she’s open and honest about herself on her blog. We used to have these bbm convos where I would be incessantly worrying about things I had no control over. For what! Dubb would make me realize I was only harming myself by worrying. I am sooo appreciative of that. It allows me to just enjoy the good in life. And you know what, life is good! Even if I don’t have everything I could want. I have all that I need and by having a positive outlook I’m opening myself up for more good to come. (Do I sound like a groupie? ) Although we don’t talk as much these days I still <3 Dubb. And one day we shall parlay all over the ATL, NYC, or even better Cali!
I find myself trying to share these good spirits with friends and others and that makes it even better! Check out these two posts by the big homie Diq and see if you can figure out where my influence comes in. I’m happy that my friend has discovered an outlet in blogging and hopes she keeps it up!
Let me not pretend I don’t get angry or frustrated or annoyed. I do.. But its fleeting. I’m very content to just be. When things go wrong (and they have) I know someone / something will work out. I think about a quote my friends mom said a long time a go. “It’ll all be OK in the end. If its not OK, its not the end. ” #wordstoliveby
It’s been a long time, I shouldn’t’ve left you. . . yep shouldn’t’ve. I’ve always been a fan of pointing out obvious errors and idiotic moments that most people miss.
So imagine how I felt the first time I heard about the prepaid Visa card, or as it is better known by my constituents as, “The Rush Card.”
For those of you who don’t know what a Rush Card is, it is a Prepaid Visa card endorsed by Russell “Def Jam” Simmons. What exactly does it do? Well, I’m glad you asked. The Rush Card allows you to put your money on a card so you can have access to it whenever you need it and it’s better than a bank account because you can only spend what you have on the card. Also, it allows you to avoid those pesky check cashing fees if you go to a check cashing place. You can even get your check direct deposited onto the card! It’s better than a credit card there are no nasty interest rates!
But wait, this sounds too good to be true. What’s the catch? Ohhh, the fees.
Ok, here’s a rundown of their monthly access plan:
Activation Fee: $3.00; Monthly Fee: $9.95; Transaction Fee: $1.00 for each time you enter your pin, $0 for credit transactions; ATM withdrawal fee: Two (2) FREE each calendar month. $2.50 for each ATM withdrawal after first two (2).
Umm, what’s the difference between this card and a bank account? No credit check. That’s the main selling point. But when was the last time you or anyone you know got denied for a checking account for bad credit? The only way this happens is if you have had accounts at every bank in town and overdrawn them, then decided not to pay them back. If that’s the case, I understand why you can’t get a checking account. You really don’t deserve to be trusted with anything at that point.
But most major banks have FREE CHECKING ACCOUNTS! These accounts have nominal fees if any at all. I mean. . . I got a bank account and I didn’t pay an activation fee nor do I pay a monthly fee. If I go to my bank, I pay no withdrawal fees. And I don’t pay a fee for using my debit card as a debit card.
So here are my real issues with this P.o.S. I saw the commercial for this card on BET. I’ve heard the commercial for this on every urban station in my listening range (Hot 97, Power 105, Power 99, etc.). I have yet to hear it on Z100 or Wired 96.5. I’ve never seen this commercial on MTV or VH1 EVER. This fact leads me to the conclusion that this “product” is aimed at a certain demographic: young urban youth, a majority of which are of African or Hispanic descent.
Oh Russell, you’re an asshole for this one. You are now bankrupting the community you claim to love. Just taking our money with no remorse. But then again, can I blame you? You might just be a puppet, a figurehead to appeal to the demographic that will use this product. Like Chris Tucker said in Rush Hour 2, “Behind every big crime there’s a rich white man waiting for his cut.” This is a crime of epic proportions, in my humble opinion.
Not everyone can be financially literate, but I still wish for that day. In the mean time, we should all have common sense, Like Water for Chocolate. Russell, if you were that hard up for cash, you should have compiled a “Def Jam’s Greatest Hits” album, hell, even an series of albums like the “Body & Soul” collection. I would order that from an infomercial. What happened with Phat Farm? I loved that line. And I know you still get a cut from anything Kimora does. You were her launching pad, and someone as business savvy as you wouldn’t let her divorce you without getting a chunk of that Baby Phat machine.
People, since corporations will continue to try to rape folks who don’t know any better for their little bit of cheddar, please sit them down and teach them before they give these legal con-artists another dime.
The first thing I did when I saw these shoes in the Kenneth Cole store on Saturday was take a picture and tweet, “I need these in life”.
It’s true. They are essential to a fall/winter wardrobe. If I save hard enough I can afford the $295 price tag … I’m going to hope for a sale. Things are sooo much better on sale!
Kenneth Cole Talk Tough
These feature Kenneth Cole’s 9-2-5 (too much to explain, but its supposed to make them uber comfortable.. Perfect for all day wear). They have a 4″ heel, 1″ platform, and an 8″ shaft.. wait .. wait .. mmm .. I’m drooling just thinking of my winter in these boots. Must Haves!
I <3 Solange. I also happen to love Beyonce, but for different reasons. I don’t subscribe to the idea that in order for me to adore Solange I have to be anti Bey.. I’m not that kind of person. They satisfy two different parts of the matrix that is me.
Solange’s music radiates to my soul, her whole style and persona speak to me. Maybe its because she actually seems to have a personality. My ex said he thought Bey was very plastic, and I agree but I still love the part of me that she satisfies. But Solange, I want to actually hear what she may have to say. I completely adore her ‘if you don’t like it, It wasn’t made for you’ attitude. Its exactly how I feel. I also love her funky style. I love that she acknowledges that people would give 2 shits about her if she wasn’t Bey’s sister. She rocks. Her article in Refinery 29 rocks!! (I am also in <3 with them now!) Peep the ar
What’s your secret style weapon?
“Shoes! I’m all about the shoes! I order a ton of them online and play with my entire wardrobe until I find the right shoe. Unfortunately, so many people get it right from the head until the ankles. The shoe is very important. I can’t even fuck with you if your shoe game is slacking.”
her shoe's for the photoshoot!
But because I’m Beyoncé’s sister, I’m an easy target to say, ‘There’s no way those two had the same parents, and have one be naturally this way…this has to be a ploy for her to appear cool!’ It makes me want to pull out pictures of five-year-old me next to nine-year-old her wearing a tutu over polka dot stockings and an old scarf over my head. It would be so much easier for me to put on a little black dress, straighten my hair, and sing about dancing in the club, but it’s not my job to prove anything. I’m here to make music, to inspire myself. I’m not selling my likability, I’m sharing my journeys. If you don’t like it, believe it’s real, or understand it…then keep my name out of your mouth.”
LOVE this photo
Here are some of my fav Solo tracks .. I incidentally like Beyonce songs written by Solo, like Why don’t you love me, which I featured a few posts back ..
So … it’s been a while since I’ve done a shoe post … and these are THE perfect way to bring back shoes .. I low-key love fall because 1. the weather is awesome when its not raining because its not so humid. I love the brisk air in autumn .. and I LOOVVEE cute boots! In case you need a refresher, some of the MUST have for me in shoes are platform, 4 inch heels, and FUNKY! I love something that’s just a little different, after all shoes can make or break an outfit!
Meet Raphael Young’s Autumn/Winter collection. I don’t know who this Paris based designer is, but I am into it. He has a big fall collection too, but here are my 3 favs.
1. If I could wear thigh highs, these would be MINE. I’m freaking drooling! Platform: CHECK. 4 inch + heel : CHECK … *drool*
2. Me + these boots + straight leg jeans= PERFECTION. I neeeeeeeeeeeedd these .. more than I need to pay rent in September. #imjustsaying.The ONLY thing that could make me LOVE this shoe more would be if it had a rugged sole, almost cleat like .. it’d be wrap from there …
3. Blue? Ya’ll know I love blue (despite the bright pink background). I love this bootie (my 2nd favorite shoe style). I’m looking for a bootie to add to the rotation this winter. These shall do JUSSTTTTTTT fine!
Here is where you can check the rest of the collection online. I have no info on how to purchase or pricing yet, because their website is still on the way. They have an email contact, but I don’t know if I’m ready to take that leap yet into emailing them. But oh my I sure would!
Everyone says they want to meet that nice guy / girl that they can take home to meet mama … And this may be true, and all this dating tom-foolery is just a means to get to the end result. However some people you meet may be . full of shit . .for a nice term. Usually a person who falls into this category will reveal themselves in their approach. It can be easy to miss the signs or it can be obvious. You have to be wise enough to know and be able to shut it down. Trust me. You’ll be better in the end..
One of my pet peeves is this :: You are approached by a guy. And he asks or hints if you have someone special in your life. You say yes (whether this is true or not doesn’t matter) and he hits you with some of these lines ::
1. I’d still like to keep in touch with you..
2. Your man doesn’t let you have friends?
3. I just want to get to know you..
What kind of scalawag do you take me for nword? Sometimes they don’t even stop there. They continue with the infamous line :
‘Does he make you happy?’
What the fuck! If I was the kind of girl who wanted to fuck around on my Boyfriend, I would have said NO I don’t have one. When a guy hits me with any of the above his intentions are immediately clear- you just wanna smash. I’m sorry kind sir, I’m not the good-time girl you’re looking for..
Immediately I’m turned off to this approach by guys and NOTHING you can say can convince me to give you a way to contact me. No you cannot have my BBM pin number, nor can you add me as a friend on Facebook. What you can do for me is drive off a bridge. Get some respect. I blame the girls that fall for this for the reason it perpetuates.
This post was inspired by the gentleman who approached me in the waiting area for the train the other day after a long day. (btw commuting is tiring). I happened to be sitting there, typing up something in my Blackberry while listening to music in my headphones. This person sat next to me for a few minutes before tapping me on my shoulder. Um, do you NOT see my headphones? Not only was I not interested, I just was in a bad mood. After I said I had a boyfriend, the conversation proceeded as this:
“How long you been together?”
Me: A few years.
Him: Oh why ya’ll don’t live live together?
Me: Um, it aint for everybody.
him: I’d like to keep in touch with you.
me: o_O. No, thats not appropriate.
Thankfully my train approached at that precise moment. I walked quickly to a seat next to someone else. Leave me be.
*sigh* This song has been on my mind for a few days now. FEAR. How many people are ready and willing to admit what they fear?And I’m not talking, fear of heights and spiders. I’m talking when was the last time you thought about the fears Jazz Sull is talking about (by the way, when is her next album coming out??)
I recently acqiured a composition notebook and labeled it ‘The Book of Truths … or my version of it’
My first entry was about fear. Fear of letting go. I can be pretty lackadaisical about many things in life, and I am for the most part .. but I’m very guarded. I fear letting that guard down. Many people think they know me because I share trivial stories about my day to day life (which can be pretty entertaining and amusing in my own small sort of way) but not many know about the nuts and bolts of Cleo.. and I’m scared of that. Being vulnerable is one of the hardest positions to put yourself in. At least to me. So the next entry .. while on a totally different topic tackled fear of a whole different nature. It’s amazing how many of life’s problems can be attributed to fear. When was the last time you asked yourself, what am I scared of? Is it possible to be scared of success and greatness? Fear doesn’t always hold you back, it sometimes catches you when you least expect it. Fear prevents you from letting go of long time friends and habits. Fear can prevent you from taking a detour in life that may show you a better route. Fear can cause you to constantly compare yourself to others. They aren’t scaring you, you’re scaring yourself.
I vow to tackle my fears (slowly) one by one. I feel like we’re constantly calling ourselves ‘A work in Progress’. When have you met someone who said I love me, allll of me flaws and all? Well, I love who I am. Who I’ve become. I’m not a work in progress. I am progress.
@MsTerryMcMillan: Writing is a way to attack pain instead of hiding from it.
@MsTerryMcMillan: There is ALWAYS something to write about.
-There are some people who fill my twitter timeline with the inspiration I’ve been missing in my life. Thank you Ms. McMillan …
I’ve decided to re-establish my original blog, www.desiresinspiration.wordpress.com as a haven for my writings … I’ve updated a theme, added a new pic, and I absolutely adore the new look. Please check it out sometime and give honest feedback.. I’m also going to be updating this blog more frequently .. I am trying to get my <3 back!
One day I awake to a text instructing me to look up Pegging. Now, being the curious journalist that I am, of course this is the first thing I did when I finally climbed out of bed. Google had many different links and after finding a forum and reading the handy urban dictionary I texted back:
” so.. Um.. Let me get this right, pegging is a woman doing a man with a strap on. ”
O_o.
I was completely not expecting that. And I wanted to tread lightly because this text came from someone I like. I didn’t want to offend him if this was something he was into (which he is NOT! *whew*). I guess we learn something new everyday, and the world of sex is constantly changing as people become more sex obsessed at younger ages. Maybe I’m boring because I’m not into group sex and other variations of sex that exist these days… When I hear of things like this so many questions come to my mind
For instance:
1. How do you introduce this into a completely hetero sexual relationship?
2. How does a man determine he potentially might like this? Or does a woman happen to think, ‘hhmm.. I wanna ass rape my husband. I wonder how he might like it..’
3. Does this mean that the guy might potentially have homosexual tendencies? And how does this go with what people say about men actually liking a little anal stimulation?
seee.. I could just go on and on and I’m not joking…I’m really trying to get a feel for how this comes to fruition.
On the forum I discovered there was a girl interested in trying it on her present lover. I immediately got a flashback to the episode of Sex in the City where Charlotte proclaims ” I don’t want to be Mrs. UptheButt.. No one marries the up the butt girl” ..
Now forever this man is going to be Mr. UptheButt ..
Hhmmm..
I didn’t post a pic because they were too explicit and I, of course, am very PG. I am here to inform, not corrupt the babies. Gotta love the babies!
Lately I’ve been trying lots and lots of new make-up items. And some I’ve loved and some I’ve only barely liked. So here are a few of my New favorite things because why would I tell you about the things I didn’t like? You can find most (if not ALL) of these things at your local Sephora. And definitely sign up for the Sephora Beauty Insider to earn free things. Life’s so much better with free things.
Stila Smudgestick eyeliner in Peacock :: Oh my gooodness this color prevails on all! I wear it and so does my friend of a darker complexion, and it looks good on both of us. A+ Stila. And its $20 bucks at Sephora. I might like this better than Lancome’s Black Lapiz. Maybe ;/It goes great with anything. If you like to keep it casual in neutral color clothing, this will add instant jazz to that outfit. Or if you like neutral eyeshadow shades (I usually wear gold) this is great to line with.
Nars EyeShadow base :: I never thought of using a base/primer until I got this sample. Even then I debated on using it. But I got tired of days when my eyeshadow would cake into the creases of my eyes. No bueno. This is just a little tiny brush and you swipe the eyelid. (or at least that’s what I did since it didn’t really come with instructions). It gives great long lasting eyeshadow.
Lancome Cils Booster XL+ Clinique Lash Doubling mascara :: I have short thin eyelashes and mascara can help them look thicker. But THIS combo gives me LASHES!! Total adoration for this. I’m giving up Maybelline great lash. More $$ but well worth it. I’ve tried many mascara’s but this one takes the cake. I’ve been instructed by Diq to try the Lancome HYPNOSE Drama mascara… but this works so well I don’t want to find something better. More money than my old Maybelline, but definitely well worth it.
And last but definitely not least –
Nars Stylo :: I’ve had this for awhile and man, I totally love this as eyeliner. It goes on quick and easy and stays all day. On days I want an EXTRA dramatic eye, I use the Clinique very black pencil as a base liner and lay the Nars stylo over it. BOOM dark eyes that last aaaallllll day, no fade. (Thanks Diq for the tip!!) One day I was at the Nars counter in Nordstrom and the nice young gentleman told me that tip is reversible, after I told him that I think it was time for a new one because it wasn’t going on AS dark. So I promptly went home and flipped it. Got some all over my hands, but who cares, it was just like new!My friend Diq is like my make-up consultant. She spent many years working for Clinique and is always giving me tips and hints. But if it was up to her my whole makeup/beauty regime would consist of only clinique products. At least she’s brand loyal. I now spend way too much money at Clinique. Macy’s loves me for it though
If you can’t try ANY of these by way of FREE sample (as I did) I highly recommend you do so! PRONTO
Even though I know how the story ends, I swear I’m Team Jacob. Even though he’s childish and tempermental and volatile. I <3 Jakeypoo! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE how ‘IN LOVE’ Bella and Edward are, but they are so mushy its disgusting.
Eclipse was suuuccchhh a better movie than New Moon. But then again, New Moon was a horrible book- filled with Bella’s brooding and crying. That’s the great problem the creators of the movies have to deal with. I say that because these books are a bunch of teenage angst, so to take that and make it a motion picture that people swoon over is awesome talent. But New Moon was too heavy on special effects to make up for the weak story line.
Eclipse had a story line + some action so it just HAD to be a better movie- right? I mean, I’m not a die-hard Twilight fanatic, but here are a list of my pros and cons for the flick:
My cons::
One thing I didn’t enjoy was the way they ‘disposed’ of the vampires. Really though- they were hard concrete?? It was like breaking dishes.. Not cool.
Jacob always had a dramtic entrance. I mean, seriously? Does he need a surprising head turn for each entrance? For EVERY one of his scenes? And someone give this boy a shirt. This is kiddie porn.
Hate bella’s engagement ring.
The fight scenes are over so quick
Pros:
I loovvee how creepy Jasper is. He is amusing
Loved her graduation speech.
Can’t remember if that was in the book..
I don’t rememeber Jane having that role in this movie .. I might have to reread the book.. But I don’t remember her being in the clearing or even watching the newborns wreck havoc. #whoknows
Can we please lower the price of the iPad? I’m not saying you have to lower it to the prices of a Kindle or Nook, but can we idk, drop the price to about $350 for the base model and $450 for the 16 gig + 3g? This would greatly aid me in my quest to own an iPad.
Cleo Sunshine is a lover, friend, blogger, writer, journalist. I love to live life and enjoy it. I'm a Jersey girl tried & true! This blog isn't strictly news or entertainment, but its definitely opinion. Come join me & experience life under the sun w/ Cleo.
eat to line with.
combo gives me LASHES!! Total adoration for this. I’m giving up Maybelline great lash. More $$ but well worth it. I’ve tried many mascara’s but this one takes the cake. I’ve been instructed by Diq to try the Lancome HYPNOSE Drama mascara… but th
is works so well I don’t want to find something better. More money than my old Maybelline, but definitely well worth it.
My friend Diq is like my make-up consultant. She spent many years working for Clinique and is always giving me tips and hints. But if it was up to her my whole makeup/beauty regime would consist of only clinique products. At least she’s brand loyal. I now spend way too much money at Clinique. Macy’s loves me for it though 
