Weekend Outing: Labor Day 2009

Well... being the Trini to De' Bone that I am, of course I had a blast this weekend repping my beautiful island to the fullest for Labor Day Weekend. By the time the actual Labor Day Parade rolled around on Monday I was completely exhausted... so no, I didn't make it out to the Parkway. But I had so much fun taking part in all the festivities leading up to the big Parade.

I started my weekend of festivities by heading straight over to the Hookie Reunion Party @ club Venus. I saw lots of familiar faces from my junior high/high school days. It was the perfect warm-up to a long weekend.

Me & Alicia @ the Hookie Party:

Friday night I had a ball at Brass Fest: The hottest Soca artists of today performed: Machel Montano, Iwer George, Bunji Garlan & his wife Fay-Anne Lyons, KMC... etc.

The museum was packed!:

Don't mind the Blackberry pics ;) ....

Repping my set:

KMC:

Husband & Wife:
Iwer George (the wildest man in Soca)

and the main man himself, Machel Montano:

(pics courtesy of TriniSoca.com/not taken at this year's Brass fest)

Then on Saturday I headed to the Museum once again for Panorama. I can't lie I was extremely disappointed as the best band was cheated out of the #1 spot. CASYM Steel Orchestra were the true Champs this year but the judges gave it to, Sonatas. On the low, I heard there was alot of politics involved with this win, as many big-wigs flew in from Canada and Trinidad to play with the band. Hey, that's Trickidadians for you.

The true Champs (C.A.S.Y.M.):

I ran into my favorite boy in the Museum taking in the culture:

On Sunday night I went to Volume 2's afterparty to Amnesia (one of the best parties this weekend!)

My brother & I:

Lastly, after Volume 2, I stopped thru my girlfriend Aviance's baby shower held @ the Picnic House located in the middle of Prospect Park. The spot is beautiful and so was the mommy to be. Unfortunately I don't have pictures to share at this time because my friend Arlene is a Major procrastinator and hasn't sent them to me yet!! ugh! I'll update as soon as I can.

Overall I must say that this Labor Day Weekend was one of the best I've had in a long time. The weather was great, I hung out with family and close friends and it just feels really good to get in touch with you roots every now and again.

If you have anything to share about how you spent your Holiday weekend please leave a comment.................................

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We Thank You

Have you ever passed a soldier on the street and wished you could tell them just how much you appreciate their sacrifice.

I'm sure all if not most of us have family and/or friends that are in the service and have put their lives on the line because they were called to duty. Leaving behind everything and everyone they love to go off to a foreign world for months & years at a time, some never having the chance to return home. People my age and younger are experiencing the realities of war ever day and I respect them for their bravery and selflessness more than they would ever know.

Well, now there's a way to show our thanks with a simple hand gesture. This sign was created in France and brought to America in the 1816 by the famous Thomas H. Gallaudet (the inspiration behind the founding of Gallaudet University). While the sign has been modified to start at the chin when used in normal everyday signing it's original form has been revisited and adopted as the official expression of gratitude towards soldiers.

I love this!

For more on this campaign chack out the official website @ http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/

(Just wanna say "Thanks" Ty!)


At the end of the day... this is my favorite sign!

Now, I know this is a national campaign and all but I still wonder... do the masses know about this? And furthermore, do the soldiers know about this? I would hate to greet a soldier and have him/her look at me like a loony :)... so I'm gonna try this out and see if they know what I'm saying. You guys do the same and let me know the feedback you get!




Please feel free to leave a comment if you have any family and/or friends away at war, or if you yourself have toured in Iraq, or just let us know what you think of this new "Thank You" gesture..............

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We'll never forget our BabyGirl

I honestly can't believe that today marks 8 years since we lost our precious Angel, Aaliyah. Every Friday I listen to what's called my "Friday song" (I know, how did I ever come up with that name lol). It's Aaliyah's "Back & Forth" and it gets me ready to tackle the weekend. It's also my way of remembering her.

Over the years we saw her change and evolve from a beautiful young girl to an even more beautiful young woman. Through out her many looks Aaliyah always kept her style original. There was never a moment when I ever thought Aaliyah was trying to be like some one else.

(funny how only this year Beyonce & Ciara both released albums with shots similar to this)

From day one Aaliyah's originality was evident as she busted on the scene with her dark shades, pants hanging low, boxers showing, abs popping and hair covering half her face like some kind of pretty thug. We quickly learned that she was doing things her way, when rumors started to emerge of her marriage to R. Kelly. She was a rebel and an angel all at the same time. The original "good girl gone bad".

Her voice has it's own sound. Something that the game didn't have before her and hasn't had since. Mellow & Beautiful! (*tear)

And let's not even talk about the choreography... Fatima Robinson (Aaliyah's go-to choreographer and friend) used to do the damn thing for her babygirl. Always keeping her moves sexy, suductive and smooth, sultry but cool at the same time. We always looked forward to Aaliyah's next video not only because we knew she would come with a sick concept, never done before, but because we knew her moves would be equally as entertaining.

We Need A Resolution:
Rock the Boat:
One in a Million:

Aaliyah's talents didn't stop there. Her roles in Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned were just glipmses into what she had in store for the world. Now-a-days it's the norm for singers/rappers to jump on any random movie roles that come their way. I'm not by any means implying that Aaliyah was the first to ever do it, but to her contemporaries she really was a Trend-setter.

Aaliyah could do no wrong in our eyes... and somehow the rumors of her many love intertests never seemed to taint her image of innocence.







Now that's what I call a SMOOTH Operator lol!!!

Aaliyah's highly anticipated biopic is in the works and singer Keisha Chante, the Canadian "Princess of Pop" has been tapped to portray Hip-Hop's babygirl. (I smell a Major movie night coming on)

Keisha Chante:

This girl is extremely talented and I think she'll do a great job in this role.

So what do you guys think? Do they look alike?

This is one of my FAVE Aaliyah pics:

FAB!

In Central Park there is a Weeping Willow Tree planted in memory of Aaliyah located in the Cherry Hill area of the Park. Stop by there sometime.

Park Map:

Check this out:

If you have any memories to share about Aaliyah please feel free to leave a comment.......... Read more!

BK we gotta do better!!!! SMDH

For Hip Hop News & Entertainment at DimeWars.Com

Now I definitely had my reservations about putting this extremely disturbing video on my blog... I kinda felt like I was encouraging this kind of foolery by posting it. But then I figured that if more people saw this footage then the possibility of someone recognizing this idiot would increase and authorities would have a better chance of finding him. And when I found out that Brookdale Hospital is trying to stop the viewing of all copies of this footage then I knew for sure that I wanted to share it with you guys!

For any "man" to assault a woman like this is completely unacceptable... he needs a good old-fashioned a$$ whooping by her man, brothers, cousins, uncles, etc.
(Peep the sneak hits tho)

BK we gotta do better! SMDH


Furthermore... where was security during all this drama and how could the hospital staff allow for this brawl to go on for so long??? Shorty should sue!!



Please feel free to leave any thoughts you may have on this ridiculousness...... Read more!

Fabulosity: Nails Edition

OK, so I already knew that my best friend Major A had the sickest nails in Brooklyn but when I saw what she got done for her birthday two weeks ago I was in absolute shock and awe. I mean I thought Minx nail coverings were hot!! But this Japanese artist Naomi Yasuda from Hello Beautiful Salon in Williamsburg Brooklyn is taking Nail art to another level!! I love it!


I finally was able to book an appointment with her today so I'll update you guys on how my masterpeice turns out...

UPDATE: Here's my girly girl set... Hello Kitty!! ;)

While I was getting my Nails done Naomi told me she was booked to do Amber Rose next week for a Magazine shoot.... and Jordin Sparks called in to get a Makeover at the

Glamor Garage (the sister store of Hello Beautiful)

Now don't get me wrong Minx is the ish! You can put pretty much any design on your nails and it lasts for weeks. In case you've never heard of Minx it's one of the newest crazes in nail designs and celebrities have been swearing by it due to it's stylish patterns and durability. Beyonce & Solange were two of the first fab girls I noticed rocking them:



Right now there's only one tech in NYC doing Minx designs so as you can imagine she's extremely booked up. Her name is Honey and her # is 212-920-1066.

You can find out more on minx nail coverings online here:
http://www.minxnails.com/cylantscart/index.php?p=catalog&parent=10&pg=1

(don't say I never hooked you up lol)

Major A's Obama Minx:

tip: Minx lasts longer on natural nails than they do on acrylic.

But I think Naomi's work is so fly because it's not just a pattern that she's putting on your nails... she's creating these designs HERSELF with gel, shaping them and everything right there on the spot! Check this out:

One of my favorites:

I can totally see Gwen Stephanie rocking a style like this

:

Here's what A got done for her Bday!
(the pic doesn't even do it any justice. Talk about bling!!!)

Naomi's done art for Keri Hilson and Teyanna Taylor to name of few and her work has been featured in Magazines like Complex and several others. Look her up!

If you've ever gotten Minx or designs by Naomi on your nails please feel free to leave a comment. And even if you haven't... what do you think about her Nail art?.........................

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