I would go natural if my hair looked like yours ...

Most people would probably take this compliment and run with it, but I've always been very analytical in my thinking ... Why? WHY would someone say this? "I would go natural if my hair looked like yours ..."

What we're talking about is something that's attached to your scalp, your head, YOU!

I understand that not everyone is the same, and that some hair types might be more difficult to handle / frustrating than others - ESPECIALLY in the beginning when the hair is shorter and you don't have lots of any experience dealing with it, but from the beginning I'd decided I would embrace my napps no matter what size my coils turned out to be. I had my hair relaxed in basic school (In the Caribbean, Basic schools [or kindergarten] come before prep school, and I started prep school at age 6 in the 2nd grade), so I had NO memory of my hair in its natural state.

- And there lies another problem. So many little girls in this race get relaxers at an early age and never learn to do their own hair and because they never learned...they don't know how to do their daughter's hair... and their daughters don't know how to do their daughters' hair...and their daughters' daughters don't know how to do their daughters' hair - but that is another post all together, uhhh probably more than just 1 - 

ANYWAY

It is just so hard for me to hear the people around me say things like their hair isn't good enough for them to be natural. 

It makes no sense - you can't be natural because your hair isn't...right? Is it wrong then?

It takes a lot for me not to just start preaching, beseeching and teaching every time someone makes comments like this.  

If people would say 'they just prefer relaxing', I'd accept that without another thought, but them saying their hair isn't good enough is just sad.

I know the world won't change overnight, but I have to hope that sometime soon other members in this race of mine will stop devaluing what makes us unique. 

*None of the following pics were taken by me or are of people I know, they were taken from different websites and saved in a " Beautiful Hair " folder.


VEER:

A GAP ad in their window at Metrotown mall that made me stop and stare:

H&M ads that made me smile in their store:

and this one below I didn't see in the stores at Coquitlam Centre Mall or at Pacific Centre, but it is gorg!

And Lastly, random pics found via GOOGLE

Below: Model Sabina Karlsson

 

British Columbia vs. The United States

Anyone ever feel like where they live isn't the place for them? Like there's a 'thing' that's missing?

Canada is beautiful. Truly beautiful. The people in British Columbia are friendly and culturally, British Columbia is a real melting pot. There are East Indians, Japanese, Fijian, Chinese, Caribbean, African, Malaysian, Iranian - you name it.

Depending on the street/city you're in, you could be in any part of the world. I've been on road trips, but here's what my immediate area looks like:

Whistler Blackcomb - Ski resort town

BC Natural Parks

Historic Gastown

Now what about one of my favorite things - shopping?!

There are many great shops and cool spots to get clothing. BUT British Columbia is no Toronto. I can't help but feel like people here all look the same. If I had an abundance of cash then I could afford the overpriced signature pieces every girl needs. Since I have a budget, I venture across the border to Seattle when I can to get things that are more unique and jeans that FIT my...shape. Seattle is MUCH closer than Toronto is to me.

I might be generalizing here, but from my visits to places like Florida and Atlanta, I see a trend in the U.S. where people there are more - should I say - R A C I S T,,,shhhh. I'm not saying that people were using different bathrooms or anything, but I saw far more segregation there than I do in Canada. I felt like a minority in the U.S., here in Canada, minorities are what build each community so you don't have time to feel different. In Florida, the black people stared at my mother and I as we walked through the malls. I asked my Aunt who lives in Florida why that was and she said simply "You look different". So, I started to look for differences.

I carried an Abercrombie shopping bag and was dressed in a floral skirt and bright colored tank; Girls my age in Florida had Ecko shopping bags and wore jeans and hoodies from Coogi and Fubu...FUBU? I didn't know people still wore that brand! My hair was devoid of any type of extension, whereas girls in Florida wore their hair in long braid, synthetic and human hair extensions. Did those things make me THAT different? I mean, I wear extensions too from time to time. I started to notice speech differences too - I started to understand what some black people were talking about when they went on talk shows to speak out about being teased for sounding 'white'. I sounded more like a white American compared to the black Americans in Florida and Atlanta. If I had grown up in America would I have been teased too? If I decided to have children in America and trained them like my mother trained me in Jamaica would they?

What are the benefits to living in the U.S.?

• Well there's the fact that you can (according to shows on HGTV like "Property Virgins") buy a decent HOUSE for $200,000.00. In Canada, a starter CONDO sells for an average of $345,000.00. You can also rent an apt. for $400 a month in the US? In Canada, you'd be living in someones basement for that price. 

• Food is WAAAAAAAY cheaper...like really. Target and Kroger had me dropping my jaw when I saw all the deals.

• Hair Salons!!!

• Sally's Beauty Supply...heck - ANY beauty supply

• MACY'S!!!

• Jeans for my...Shape

What are the benefits to living in B.C.?

• Downtown Vancouver

• FREE Health care! Walk in - Get 30 tests - Walk Out...Oh, say thank you before you leave!

• Lots of Natural Land

• Multiculturalism

• Green Living. I appreciate that everyone tries to recycle / bike to work etc.

• SHORT Winters! One year we saw 2 days of snow. Usually there are about 8 - 10 snow days a year in the Lower Mainland and most of those days start with snow, but by the end of the day the snow melts.

• Beautiful Summers with Caribbean events

I think I need to live somewhere for 6 months - 1 year, then go somewhere else. Has anyone else ever felt like they need to move around to feel fulfilled?

Lil' Jon in Vancouver at Caprice

When my girlfriend told me Lil' Jon was coming to Vancouver and asked if I'd like to go, I said "Sure - Let's get CRUNK" haha Why not? How often am I gonna get the opportunity to party with a 'rockstar' right? I found a decent dress at Forever 21 and decided to wear leggings since it's still cold outside and freezing club goer is NOT a good look on me.

Dress was gold/black Leopard print, paired with dark Leggings and a black leather jacket. I wore 1 gold cuff on each wrist and gold leaf earrings with aqua accents. Twist-out on dry hair. Nails were painted aqua. Black leather booties on my feet-ies.

My girlfriend asked if she could bring another girl over to my house so we could all get ready together with the intention of everyone returning to my apartment afterwards. My thoughts were - The more the merrier!!! (plus I'd met this particular girl about 4/5 years prior and hit it off with her) So OK - the girls came over and we got dolled up and left in high spirits.

Outside the club my girlfriend saw a couple ex-classmates sitting on a bench, so we stopped to chat and make introductions. Both girls were supposed to be part of a larger group already inside the club; Turns out, one of the girls was denied access to the club because she was drunk. They say first impressions last right? This particular drunk chick was so gone she could barely speak, said chick proceeds to pee on herself while sitting on the bench (Don't sit on public benches! I don't) Aside from being grossed out - I was SAD.
Women, NO L-A-D-Y should have to go through that. Period.

We called drunk chick's boyfriend and he came and got her before all 4 of us went inside. We met the rest of the ladies inside and we danced a little, drank a little and saaang a little before we got the first glimpse of Lil' Jon. At first, I didn't know it was actually him. Lil' Jon is literally a Lil' man. lol. Really...
They parted the crowd for him to walk through and he disappeared. Poof. Who would'a thunk it?

Lil' Jon was - AMAZING! He wasn't performing, he was spinning beats, and the beats were en pointe. Me, My Girlfriend and her Girlfriend were at the front of the DJ booth for awhile until the competition for space became too much. At one point a girl behind me said she couldn't see over my afro, and she was sweet about it so I ducked down so she could get a couple pics. People kept trying to push their way to the front and at one point there was a pushing/kicking match that led to a bottle being thrown into the crowd a few people away from where we were. Needless to say, we HAD to get out of there.

We grabbed a seat to catch our breath and continued to rock to the beat when a girl from the larger group asked the 3 of us to come over to where she was. Now, I realized that the area where she was was elevated, but I had no idea that it was actually the VIP area of the club. Anyway we go to the entrance and a bouncer tried to stop me. I thought he must be kidding, but I wasn't about to argue my way anywhere since I was alright where I was. I ended up walking past him with the girl from the larger group holding my hand pulling me in (who happens to be mixed with curls and cute as a lamb) and when we get to the roped off area the bouncer there flat out got in front of me to keep me out. I was - MORTIFIED.
Now y'all KNOW everyone be looking at me like damn she got rejected.

It was actually my friend's girlfriend who was pissed, which surprised me. I didn't know how to react or how to feel, but I already knew I would lose NO sleep because I wasn't hot enough to make it into the VIP. lol!!! Maybe it was the kinks in my hair? Maybe it was the not showing enough skin? In any case - we went back to our original spot on the dance floor and had a great time until we had to leave to catch the night-bus back to my place.

I got approached a couple of times, so my ego wasn't hurt toooooo much =P