August Workout/Diet/Life Challenge

I won't even start this post with the usual apology for not posting in ages. Just know that my intentions for this blog are good, but free time is not in abundance. Anyway, I decided that I'd make August 2011 a month that I'd end with no regrets. If you're anything like me you always wish and pray for better things to happen in your life. You think you're trying hard, but you can always increase your efforts. You know you deserve better, but can't seem to get it. If you're tired of the previous statements applying to you, keep reading this post.

Let's begin with the fitness challenge that I decided on this morning when I came across this video. I am 5'3 and weigh less than 115 lbs yet I am just as uncomfortable in a swimsuit as a person who is hundreds of pounds overweight. Most people assume that I'm simply insecure, but that's not the case. Just because someone is small doesn't mean they're healthy or in shape. I have poor eating habits, I rarely exercise, and I've grown accustomed to calling myself "skinny-fat." With this challenge I will begin exercising at least three times a week and eating well balanced meals daily. This means that my dollar menu addiction must cease.

I understand that fast food is convenient, cheap, and sometimes delicious but isn't our health much more important? Let's tackle our diets. We only get one body in this life and it's time that we monitor what we put in it. We often claim that we don't have enough time to cook or exercise because our lives our so hectic yet we find time to either read or write blogs, waste on social networking sites, or watch meaningless television shows. Imagine giving yourself a measly 30 minutes per day. Sounds easy right? Since I'm starting small and I'll only be working out three times per week, the other four days will involve me spending my me-time differently.

Here comes the life challenge. Start reading books, practicing new or long lost hobbies, better yet do anything you can think of that doesn't involve technology. We're becoming too dependent on electronic devices. I know this from personal experience because my cell phone hasn't worked properly in days and I feel incomplete. If facebook, twitter, or tumblr are major consumers of your time, this challenge is for you.

Alex before the workout challenge...

THE BOTTOM LINE

Workout Challenge - I don't know what you need to work on and I'm not a personal trainer so I can't give you workout tips. That would be the epitome of the blind leading the blind. I can say that during this challenge, the actual workout won't be the hardest part. Getting out of bed to start the workout will be. Or if you're planning to workout after work, please do so as soon as you get home or you'll get too relaxed and put the task off until the next day. Consider this the RIGHT NOW challenge because we'll have to encourage ourselves to exercise as soon as it crosses our minds. It's time to stop putting off for tomorrow the things that we can accomplish today.

Diet Challenge - I'm also not a dietitian so I'm not going to try to list things you should include in your diet. What I'm going to do is make sure I eat breakfast daily. This breakfast will include Nutella, reduced fat milk, orange juice (with pulk because that stuff is amazing), some form of fresh fruit, and whole grain bread. Perhaps I'll post photos of how things are going with my diet mid-month to show you guys how I'm doing things.  My lunch and dinner will include tons of vegetables and foods with protein. I'm positive that starches are going to play a large role in my diet as well because potatoes were sent from heaven. I'm simply trying to tone up and perhaps gain a few pounds so if you're trying to lose weight, our diets will differ. The most important thing to remember is to avoid processed foods. Lastly give yourself one cheat day per week. Perhaps Saturdays would be best to eat the snacks that you may crave all week, but remember to eat proper portions. A couple weeks ago I made a pan of brownies and ate them all by myself, that probably wasn't wise.

Life Challenge - This is my favorite part of the challenge. Not only will I be working out, but I will have the opportunity to improve my quality of life. Let this not be the month for complaining, let's take action. As I mentioned earlier, start reading more and practicing a hobby. If you hate your job, spend time searching and applying for a new one.  We may not have all the things we want, but we are capable of getting them if we just work hard at it.

That's all for this post. Please leave a comment if you're with me in this challenge. Let me know what you're planning on including in your diet or exercise routines because I'm interested in seeing how others take on this challenge. I often see blog challenges and other random challenges online, it's time that we challenge ourselves to do something that can actually help us.

Thanks for reading,

Alexandria B.

I went to the 2011 BET Awards...

Nicki Minaj, myself and a bunch of other "barbies" LoL

I'm just now finding time to post about my experience at this year's BET Awards. Not only was I lucky enough to attend, I got paid to go on stage and pretend to be one of Nicki Minaj's "Barbies" so I got to see quite a few celebrities face-to-face. I felt pretty lucky to be one of the ten young ladies chosen and I got recognized by tons of people that I know even though I was wearing a wig. Woop Woop! Moving on, this post won't be long. When I was in the presence of the celebrities that attended the event, I realized that I have a lot of pride. Something in me didn't feel comfortable asking for photos or anything of the sort. I have to really like someone to be thirsty enough to do that. Needless to say I don't have many photos from the awards to share.

I was thirsty enough to ask recording artist, Dondria for a photo though, LoL. Don't judge me, I've loved her for years! I simply wanted to take a photo of her and she and her pal let me be in the picture. I was beyond excited! Even though I only interacted with her for approximately 30 seconds, that brief moment confirmed why I'm such a huge fan of hers. She's super nice and ridiculously under-rated! Folks need to stop sleeping on her music. I swear her song "Still Be With Me" is one of my favorite R&B tracks of all time. Be sure to follow her on twitter to stay informed about what's going on with her and whatnot.



I was also able to get a photograph with Bruno Mars that I was tempted not to post because I look like a goofball in it. I don't have a super cool story to tell about him, but he was nice and his hands were very soft.  = ) Prior to the awards a young lady asked to take a photo with me and some of the other girls that were going to present the award with Nicki Minaj. Little did we know that girl, Tiffany Greene, would become an overnight celebrity after a technical error caused her to announce both Chris Brown and Rihanna as the winner of BET's  Coca Cola Viewer's Choice Award. Since she's "famous" now I decided to share that picture with you guys as well.

These are about the only photos I have worth sharing. I also took a photo of J. Cole, but it came out blurry. Kerry Washington also posed for a photo but my wack phone wouldn't cooperate. Again, I'm really grateful that I was able to attend this awards show. I recently learned that #TeamMinaj is really serious when it comes to being hardcore fans and there are thousands of people that would have given their left pinky toe to stand on stage with Nicki Minaj and/or Justin Bieber. If you'd like to see a clip of the award that we were on stage for click here.  That's about all for this post. I'll get back to blogging regularly in the next few weeks.

Thanks for reading,

Alexandria B.

Why people use Foursquare and/or "check in" online...

Whose bright idea was it to create a method for folks to note their locations on a mobile device and share them with their friends? I can recall the exact moment I got my first Loopt request years ago. It was the first time I ever heard of an application of its kind and I remember being immediately opposed to the idea. From what I understood, if you were meeting up with friends the app would make it easier for them to find you by locating you on a map. I remember thinking, "What happened to good, old fashioned calling and asking for directions?" At the time I rarely met up with groups of people so that was among the many reasons I saw no need to download the app.

Times have changed. Now Foursquare, Google Latitude, and "check-in" capabilities on social networking sites are the norm. People are now able to share their locations with the simple click of a button. At first I could not understand why they'd want to share such information with the public, but then I thought long and hard. As a result, I have compiled a list of four reasons why people opt to let others know where they are on social networking sites. The reasons are as follows:

I. They have something to promote.
An individual that can potentially gain from others knowing their location may choose to "check-in" to let others know they have arrived. For example, if Rihanna had an in-store appearance to promote her perfume it may be beneficial for her to let her fans know her location. Rihanna would benefit monetarily from revealing her location because sales for her fragrance are likely to increase just because fans were able to get a glimpse of her in person.

II. They want to share (or brag) about the excitement in their life.
If someone is at an expensive restaurant and you happen to spot a post like "Jane Doe just checked in at (insert fancy place here)."then it's safe to assume that gloating was the intent. If they choose to reveal their attendance at a club or party then they more than likely just want others to know that they are in the midst of doing something exciting.

III. They want to get stalked and/or murdered.
Anyone who willingly posts their location for all to see wants to be a victim. Privacy should be valued to some extent and if the person's twitter account is not private or their friends list consists of at least one person that they don't know well, they're asking for trouble. I used Rihanna in the previous example, but the difference between her and the average person is the fact that she has a bodyguard on duty.

IV. They are lame.
If you use an app to "check-in" and actually think others want to know what you're doing and where you are all day, you're idiotic. You don't leave much to be desired when you post everything online and if I can simply read your timeline, there's no need for me to ever call to inquire about how your day was.

So these are the only possible reasons I could fathom. If I missed anything, please feel free to share it in a comment below. Lastly, I  must admit that people's decision to reveal their locations to the masses is not the only thing that bothers me. It really seems like some people are incapable of doing anything without sharing. For example, the obsession with the #np (now playing) hashtag on twitter shows that even an activity as simple as listening to music has been altered. Not only do people have to know where you are, they have to know what you're listening to too?

Social networking has changed how we communicate altogether. When I meet a guy he shouldn't ask me for my twitter username before my telephone number. And yes, this has happened... I'm rambling, please excuse me. Back to the topic at hand, shouldn't we just be living life and doing exciting things to share them with people afterward? Or does this new ability to share things instantly enrich our lives in some way that I'm not seeing? Please note this post isn't meant to offend anyone. Maybe I'm just old school and can't get with the latest technology. What are your thoughts? Is social networking and its many features getting out of control or am I tripping?

Thanks for reading,

Alexandria B.

New Posts Coming Soon/ Brownstone Magazine Giveaway

Hello All:

I don't write nearly as much as I should. Forgive me. Things have been pretty hectic lately. I have an awesome topic in mind that I plan to post by tomorrow evening so please stay tuned. This quick post shall serve as promotion for an online magazine that I write for. Brownstone Magazine is a website that is designed to represent the voices of young African-American girls between the ages of 14 and 18. If you or anyone you know can benefit from the site, please spread the word. The Brownstone Team works hard to put out quality articles and it would be great to know that they're reaching the masses. Follow the magazine on twitter @BrownstoneMag and you'll be up-to-date on all the latest happenings.  We have a lot of interesting things going on and you'll surely love them. If you're interested in getting on the mailing list then please feel free to post your email address below OR email me if you don't wanna post it for all to see. Lastly, read below to find out more about the site's giveaway for teenagers in the Los Angeles area.

Brownstone Magazine Nail Makeover Giveaway


Brownstone is hosting it's first giveaway. Ladies, send us your best prom photo and you could win a nail makeover by celebrity nail stylist Hasani. Please help encourage any teens girls you know to enter.


Rules: Must be between 14 - 18 and live in the LA area to enter. DEADLINE: Friday, June 10 at midnight PST. Please submit photos to info@brownstonemagazine.com. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, June 15.

Thanks so much for reading and for your support,

Alexandria B.

For those that read "relationship quotes" often...

I know for a fact that I'm not the only one that reads quotes as a method of coping with things that I go through in life. Whether I'm seeking inspiration or need a boost of confidence to help me finish assignments at work or school, I have a tendency to read and decipher quotes that I think relate to me. Lately I've noticed that others using quotes to deal with relationship issues. When I say others, I'm definitely not speaking code for "myself" simply because I lack both, the relationship and the issues. Continue reading if you're one of these people I'm referring to because I have a feeling this is about to get good. 

I have friends on facebook and tumblr that severely overuse Maya Angelou's quote, "The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them." Oftentimes, this is in reference to a failed relationship or someone disappointing them. I know this simply because of the comments that usually follow. I happen to love this quote, but am tired of reading it all the time. In fact, Maya Angelou has numerous quotes that are wise and inspirational, but this one, in particular, is one of my favorites. If you're in a relationship and an incident occurs that completely shocks you, one in which the person you're dating seems like a totally different person that does foul things, please don't think that it will be a one time occurrence. The person may apologize and you may forgive them, but don't act shocked when it happens again. Foul incidents include but are not limited to the following: cheating, lying, physical or verbal abuse, and many other activities. 

I get it. We all want to be in love with a person that loves us unconditionally so we are willing to accept mistakes that people may make with hopes of it all becoming a fairy tale at the end. We're saddened when it all ends and the fairy tale ending is never achieved. What do you do when that person you thought was the answer ends up being the person that causes you to ask "Why?" You accept it for what it was. I truly believe that people are in our lives for seasons and when they may return when the time is right. I also believe that if a person has you analyzing quotes to cope with the disappointment they've created, they're not the one for you. 

As far as relationships go, I swear by a quote from Andrew Carnegie which states, "As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do." If a person says they like, love, and/or care about you that's great. Do their actions back up their claims? If so, that's perfect! If not, take a step back and evaluate your relationship. There is nothing worse than caring for someone more than they care for you. Well there are worse things, but you get my drift. More than likely Carnegie was not thinking about my love life when he said these words, but I managed to find a way to relate. This awesome quote can be used in referenced to anything. 

So if you're one of those people that are constantly copying and pasting quotes that you think will be seen by the person it's referring to, you should probably stop. I'm a fan of quotes that encourage and inspire me to become a better person. Start looking up quotes that do the same for you. Once you're the best possible you, the person that's "made for you" will come along. At least that's what I'd like to believe...

Thanks for reading, feel free to post your thoughts!

Alexandria B.

Movie Review: Madea's Big Happy Family

Before you say anything, I'll just go ahead and type it. Yes, I took one for the team. I decided to take myself on a date to determine if Tyler Perry's latest film is indeed "coonery and buffoonery" as Spike Lee and many others suggest. I noticed myself not wanting to see the movie at all simply because the previews made the film seem ridiculous. I also read an amazing blog post that criticized Perry's work which made me want to see the movie for myself. If you can't tell, I try not to be the type of person that judges things before experiencing them for myself.

As I hinted above I hated the marketing and promotion tactics used for this movie because after watching previews or seeing billboards, I had no clue what to expect from the film. Tyler Perry dressing up and posing for posters that had nothing to do with his film did not impress me. I knew that many popular African American actors would be in it including Loretta Devine, Shad 'Bow Wow' Moss, and Lauren London. I was surprised to see Isaiah Mustafa (the man from the Old Spice commercials) as a main character in the film. Actually he was one of the main reasons the film could be considered remotely enjoyable.

I must admit that I wanted to leave after the first eight minutes. Loretta Devine and Cassi Davis had the opening scene and it was nowhere near comedic, Davis' character, Aunt Bam smoked marijuana throughout the entire film and many of the film's jokes were centered around this. I could have completely done without her boisterous character. I can honestly say that I laughed no more than twice during the 106 minute film so it is not a good selection if you're looking to see a great comedy. On a positive note, the film's dramatic elements make it bearable.

Shannon Kane, Isaiah Mustafa, Loretta Devine, and Bow Wow gave noteworthy performances that added to the film's drama. I won't go into much detail but they make their roles believable and caused me to want to shed a tear. As far as a review goes, I think I mislead you into reading this post because I'm not sure I can offer a good one. It does not surprise me that the film has 2.6 out of 10 stars on IMDb because the parts that are enjoyable are somewhat canceled out by the ridiculous portions of the film. Madea's antics among other parts of the are not entertaining and contribute to numerous stereotypes, but I wouldn't label is as "coonery." Teyanna Taylor's role as the "typical baby mama" may not have been funny to me, but judging from her twitter page, plenty of people found it hilarious. Lauren London's character seems too similar to the one she played in ATL so no comment.

All in all, the movie wasn't a complete waste of my $9, but I hope that in the future Tyler Perry does better. Putting a bunch of celebrities in a movie doesn't automatically make it a hit. I believe that he has become adept in creating dramatic films, but it is the comedy that needs work. I do see why Spike Lee and many others may want to criticize, but whose fault is it that Black people are entertained by this? Perry should retire the Madea character. She is not good representation of what a Black woman is or should be yet she is what's displayed to the masses. I never once noticed how saggy Madea's breasts were until last night. Really Tyler, really? I could go on, but I choose not to. If I had to give the movie a rating, I'd give it two out of five stars. That's being nice. I recommend that you go see the film for yourself. I'm sure you'll enjoy it more if you don't purchase the ticket for yourself or go for a matinee showing.

What are your thoughts? Did you see the film?

Thanks for reading,

Alexandria B.

Innocent Until Proven Guilty?

Left to right:  Paul Thorington, Anthony Albano, and Ray Laranjo.

One of my readers urged me to start writing about current events so it has been my plan to oblige for the last month or so. However, I never thought I'd write about a news story that hits so close to home. Last week, a female college student alleged that three men held her down and took turns raping her in a Miami Beach hotel room while on spring break. One of these men is my friend from school.

According to a Miami Beach police arrest affidavit,the woman said Paul Thorington, 22, of Lomita; Anthony Albano, 23, of Rancho Palos Verdes; and Ray Joseph Laranjo, 23, of Torrance sexually assaulted her on March 23 after she agreed to go to their seventh-floor room at the Fontainebleau to drop off her purse.

KTLA has been following the story and attempted to speak with the suspects by visiting their homes yesterday. Only Thorington was available and he offered no comment. If I were falsely accused, I'd be screaming "I'm innocent!"Perhaps his attorney has instructed him not to speak with the media, but if that's the case he should not have answered the door. When the general public hears "no comment" they associate it with guilt. In fact, when we see the alleged rapists on television it's hard to imagine the suspects are innocent.  

In this case, the innocence of these men is all I want to imagine. I've had classes with Albano and he is one of the nicest people I've ever met. He has too much to lose and would never have to force himself on anyone. Please don't assume that I'm being naive because I presume innocence. At first glance, this case looks bad. Why would three men be sexually involved with one woman? Then again, why would one woman go to a hotel room that was 26 blocks away from where she met three strangers? There are so many aspects to consider before assuming anything. It's best to remain neutral, but it's hard to do that when images of these "suspects" are plastered everywhere. Commenters on numerous websites have labeled them as "monsters" and wished ill upon them without knowing the facts.

Source

That leads me to question whether or not the general public believes that suspects are innocent until proven guilty. It appears to me that only those that know these men personally care to presume innocence while others look at what's shown in the media and do the opposite. It worries me that the cost for these men to have the opportunity to prove innocence is too hefty. The three Southern California natives will have to return to Florida to fight the case. What started as a trip to enjoy themselves has potentially changed their lives forever.

The alleged suspects were booked on charges in Miami Dade County of sexual battery involving multiple offenders and have been released on $50,000 bail each. Arraignment for them is scheduled for April 14. If charged with sexual battery (the Florida designation for what is called rape in California) they could face up to 30 years in prison.

Even if the charges are dropped, the embarrassment of the issue will live on. One simple internet search and you can find that they were arrested. Their names and photos are easily accessible and the alleged victim's identity is protected. Does the media expose too much information about suspects before actual facts are available? Should the public have a right to know so much? Be sure to post your thoughts and comments below.


Thanks for reading,

Alexandria B.