The Fruitful Hustle

Altered Reality: Violence and the Double Standard on MTV

2010-01-02T04:44:00.007-05:00

Over the past two weeks I’ve been guiltlessly indulging in various reality tv marathons, and among my current faves are a couple of MTV offerings: “Jersey Shore” and “Teen Mom”. Although each show has a different premise, both rely on the exploitation of young adults to entertain its viewers. I know, I know, ‘What reality show doesn’t do that?’, and you’re right, but as I watched both shows, I noticed a pretty disturbing double standard…

“The Jersey Shore"

If you aren’t familiar with “Jersey Shore”, it’s basically “College Hill”, for Italian-Americans, complete with embarrassing behaviour and the best of the most obnoxious stereotypes you can think of (think orange skin, super-gelled helmet hair, awful tattoos and funny accents). My favourite characters are Vinny, the down-to-earth “mama’s boy”, (and the only one of the guys with standards, lol) and Snookie, the crazy “guidette” whose life goal is settle down with a “nice, tanned, ‘juiced up’ guy” (I promise you I am not making this up!)

In an early episode this season, the cast was seen partying it up at some dive bar on the boardwalk with a couple of drunk college guys. Now Snookie being Snookie, it wasn’t long before she got into it with one of the guys. Both sides were shouting back and forth for a while, when suddenly, he hauls off and decks Snookie in the eye, right in front of the dozens of cameras rolling! I assume that the guy was either drunk or raging on steroids (or both), but I still couldn’t believe he had the nerve to do it!

The attack was both brutal and shocking, so I appreciated the fact that MTV had the decency not to air the actual punch (they blacked it out), and at the end of the episode, they had a special PSA declaring that “Violence against women is a crime”. Way socially responsible, right?

That’s what I said!

“Teen Mom”

Amber and Gary are a young couple struggling with parenthood on MTV’s “Teen Mom”. In a recent episode, the two get into a heated argument and Amber shoves Gary into a corner, slapping him in the face and threatening him. It’s a very graphic scene, to the point where I was uncomfortable watching, and I know that if the roles were reversed, there would be pickets and boycotts at MTV studios right now. Instead, MTV has continuously used the clip as an opportunity to promote the show –– sans any blacked out scenes or PSAs.

A few minutes later, we see Amber on the phone apologizing to Gary and telling him how much she loves him and how she’ll “never do it again”. Classic abusive partner shtick! If ever you have a little tension in your relationship and you hear the “baby, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it!” line – run, because it’s very likely that the offending party will do it again, and it will get progressively worse:

Taking Responsibility

I guess I really shouldn’t be too surprised at the exploitation on MTV -- it’s what reality tv is, at its core. We’ve also seen violence used to create buzz for reality tv shows countless times, and to be honest, it can be entertaining (i.e. hair pulling, shrieking) but there’s a thin line between low-brow entertainment and “holy shit, are you guys gonna break this up or keep rolling?!” (remember the bloody stiletto attack on “College Hill”? Yeah).

More than anything else, my beef with MTV is in the utter hypocrisy displayed in their approach to both instances of violence; if it’s wrong for a man to abuse a woman (which it absolutely is), then it’s just as wrong when a woman attacks a man. I don’t care if one was a punch and the other was a slap – the threat of violence and the intent is still there, and, Amber and Gary are in a domestic situation, which has even greater potential to escalate over time.

The bottom line is that violence against anyone is a crime, therefore every instance should be treated with the same level of seriousness and social responsibility, regardless of who attacks whom first. Now put that in a PSA and air it!

What do you think of the portrayal of violence in reality tv?

Should the fights be aired?

Is there a double-standard when it comes to gender and violence?

‘09 Reflection part 3: Best of The Rest

2009-12-31T15:36:00.017-05:00

Overall, 2009 was a year that started off strong and with so much promise (see: the Inauguration of the 1st Black President) and then slowly just got worse and worse (see: MJ's passing, Balloon Boy, Tila Tequila)… With so many celebrity deaths, outrageous scandals and the slow descent of Prez O. back down to earth (he is only human people!), 2009 turned out to be a year that many just want to see quickly go away...

In case you forgot, here are a few reasons why:

See what I mean? Just listening to this makes me weep for society, lol…

A thorough and hilarious review by The Wild Girls:

Be sure to check part 2 and part 3!

The Dark Hater sheds some light…

And of course, no year in review is complete without an official Rap-Up from Skillz.

He may only release 1 song per year (the Rap Up), but it’s always on point!

This blog has been so much fun for me this year, and a great way to find my voice as a woman and a writer. I’m still a work in progress, but I’m definitely on my Fruitful Hustle. I started this year off with a promise to carry the lessons of the past with me into the future, and 2010 will be no different. Even though this year wasn't all sunshine and roses (what year is? C'mon people, this is real life!) I plan to keep learning, keep growing, keep moving forward, and I hope you guys will join me.

Please remember to party responsibly tonight, and I’ll catch y’all next year!

Remember to check out Part 1 and Part 2 of my 2009 Reflection series.

‘09 Reflection part 2: Journeys, Lessons and Tea, Girl!

2009-12-31T15:21:00.016-05:00

So, a ~~new year~~ new DECADE is just hours away, and like many people, I find myself looking back at the past 364 days… I didn’t want to try to do a “Best of”, “Worst of”, “Biggest SHOCKERS of 2009” type post because there are so many good ones already out there, I’d just be repeating the same thing.

Instead, I wanted to take some time to reflect on me, and my journey. This is The Fruitful Hustle, after all. At the risk of sounding extra corny, 2009 was a year of self-discovery for me, so for posterity’s sake, here’s my personal Year in Review:

Best Trip – The Inauguration of President Obama

This was amazing for so many reasons beyond the obvious. I mean don’t get me wrong, the Inauguration was awesome (duh), but what sticks with me more than the memory of huddling in the cold in Downtown D.C. at 5:00 am is the people I met (aaaw). Seriously. The very first night, I got wrapped up with 3 girls who must’ve been ho-fessionals or something, because our journey started with the 4 of us heading to LOVE Nightclub in DC, but by the end of the night/the next morning, we ended up with 5 random dudes at an iHOP somewhere in Baltimore! LOL… I was completely terrified/pissed off at the time (these girls were seriously considering heading to NYC with the boys that same day!) but, it actually turned out to be such a fun experience, and a great story to tell…

Thankfully, the next 4 days were much calmer, and though I went on the trip initially not knowing a soul, I got a chance to develop lasting friendships with some very cool, very intelligent people. Definitely, a great way to kick off a new year.

Hardest Lesson – He’s just NOT that into you!

I could not wait to see this movie when it came out! I just knew that seeing all the hilarious/pathetic things that other girls sometimes do to get a man’s attention would be a good belly laugh for me. What I didn’t expect, was to completely identify with the Gigi character, or to get ethered by Justin Long! (FYI: “Ether” is that shit that makes your soul burn slow, word to Nasty Nas).

It was like going to church after a long hiatus, and you feel like everything the Pastor is saying, was meant for you! This movie spit so much real that I felt foolish! Was I really that girl? Yep, I was. I couldn’t believe it! I resolved that same day (literally!) never to fall for the “okie doke” in relationships again. I got in touch with an old flame, inviting him out for some drinks -- just as friends -- to prove to myself that I was now an empowered woman.

…Yeah. If you read my last entry, then you have a pretty good sense of how that went…

Now, anytime I see this movie (or a PC vs. Mac ad), I square my shoulders and remember that “if a guy wants to call you, he’ll call” And if he wants to be with you, he will find a way, without all the excuses. (I know, common sense right? You’d be surprised how uncommon it really is when a man is involved…)

Which leads me to my next award:

Greatest Discovery – Gay Gurus on Youtube

If you like Wendy Williams, you ain’t seen nothin' chile!
“The kids" fathered her whole style, hunniii!

B. Scott was one of the first Love Muffins I was ever introduced to (I think he was talking about trollups at the clubhouse or something), and I fell in love! I don’t know what it is about gay men that makes them so vivacious, but I’m loving the no-holds-barred approach to life! And a lot of them are super fly, too, to the point where if I were a gay man (wait, what?) I would be all over that. Check out Dollface Barbie if you think I’m lying!

What I love most about “the kids” though, is that so many of them give GREAT advice! No, seriously. Just watch the first 1 min 30 seconds of this clip and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. By 4 min 45 you’ll probably be hooked:

I live.

Was that not real talk??

Qaadir is one of my favourite colourful, openly gay personalities on Youtube that can “clock the tea where it needs to be clocked”. Yes ma’am, yes girl! *two snaps* For those who are “slow on the upchuck”, that means he tells it like is, no tea no shade, no shade no tea, girl!

I think I need to find me a real life gay friend for 2010.

Life-Changing Experience – Summer Abroad in Hong Kong

I jokingly refer to this place as my second home after returning from 5 a-maz-ing weeks in HK. My only regret was that I didn’t extend the trip to explore other parts of Asia, but hey, that’s what passports and 5-year plans are for!

I know this will probably sound weird to some, but this trip changed my outlook on life. Seriously. I mean, even going on this trip at all was a leap for me – halfway across the world, foreign culture, foreign language, I didn’t know anybody that was going… but I jumped in and I’m so happy that I did. I made a lot of great friends and plenty of ridiculous moments and memories I hope to never forget. Plus, my passport looks all fancy now with all the stamps I collected :)

At this point, I’m definitely rambling though, so click the pic to check out the slideshow:

For everything you taught me this year, THANK YOU 2009!

Remember to check out Part 1 and Part 3 of my 2009 Reflection series.

‘09 Reflection part 1: Letting Go

2009-12-31T07:11:00.011-05:00

Is it true that there is always someone in the relationship who is giving and one who is taking? I’ve heard this many times before, but I’ve always refused to accept it. Surely that can’t be true of all relationships. At least, not the right ones. Because, if it is, and I end up on the “giving” end…is that not settling? Don’t I deserve more? Is it really too much to ask for a little reciprocity? (shoutout to Lauryn Hill).

The other night I was chilling at home (what else is new?) and decided to make it a Blockbuster night with an old standby: “Love Jones”. If you know me, you know that I absolutely adore this movie! The chemistry between Nia Long and Larenz Tate is unbelievable, and I’m pretty sure that Larenz is singlehandedly responsible for my attraction to chocolate-y midgets with pretty smiles…*sigh.. but I digress. In between reminiscing on past loves and quoting the flick word for word, my mind wandered over to a person I’ve worked hard to forget over the past 7 months. I scribbled a few random thoughts down as I watched, I guess as a way to release it from my system.

I doubt he will read this as we don't even talk anymore, and even if he does -- it won't change shit. Once I let this go, I'm done. Like, forreal forreal. I'm burying all these messed up, backwards, inside out feelings in ‘09 with the rest of the madness.

*dont mind the random nature of my thoughts... this was basically a stream of consciousness/live blog.

That's gonna be me, speeding away on the train like Nina...

I mean even before the train, I was Nina. Laying around for three straight days in my slippers and pj’s. Not eating or sleeping, or doing anything, really. Personal space all messy and disorganized and there I am, motionless in the middle of it all with a cigarette perched precariously between my lips. Well, that last bit is a stretch; I don’t smoke, but sometimes I wish I did. Seems like it might be kinda relaxing…

…I don't need Darius chasing after me though; I'm over it. Well, I’m working on being over it…

I’ve been Darius too… desperate to write, and be productive. Life must go on, right? Then shoving the typewriter clean off the desk. Fucking writer’s block. I can’t do anything right with him on my mind.

Nina: "Sometimes I wonder if I'm going too far with you...”
Darius: “There's no such place. This is a destiny type thing, babe"

*swoon*

Shit, just got a text and nearly jumped out of my skin! Nobody texts me this late, except… hmm, the preview says “Hey stranger…”… that’s so something he would say! And it’s an unknown number, too! (I deleted his contact months ago)..

Oh my God, is this it? And during this movie?! This is fate. It’s gotta be.

Heart’s racing. Giddy now. Should I read it? I don’t want to read it just yet, let me relish in the moment. I can’t believe this. How random! It makes sense though, Christmas is a special time of the year, he must be reflecting on --- wait. Just read the message… it’s from some dude from school. I totally forgot I’d given him my number….

*sigh… Daah well. A letdown, for sure, but so necessary. The last thing I really need is to get sucked back down that rabbit hole, to a place where nothing really ever made sense… I’m glad it wasn’t him. This was for the best..

…but I want to hear from him so bad though. Just to see what he’ll say. How he's been doing. What he's been up to. How he's been feeling… Why did we lose touch like that??? Didn't he miss me? I mean, shit, I was only gone for a month.

I know I’m not that easy to forget.

Will I have to wait a year like Nina and Darius for it all to make sense?
No, no, no, because after that time, they got back together. That can’t happen for us, because… well, technically we were never “together together”… not the way I wanted to be… but I’m done trying to force it. You can’t fit a square peg into a round hole or something like that…. I have to escape this tunnel vision. He is not the only one. Definitely wasn’t the right one. Sheeeiiiit, he wasn't even the best one…

just the one I wanted.

Oh man, here goes my favourite part of the movie…

Nina: “Why is everything always so URGENT with you? You always want what you want, when you want it.”

Darius: “This here, right now, at this very moment? Is all that matters to me.. I LOVE YOU. That's urgent like a motherfucker…”

*cue amazing kiss in the rain*

How many times have I checked my VM’s hoping to hear Darius’ line? But he never leaves me voicemails. If he doesn’t get me when he calls, he’ll just send a stupid text. So impersonal. Man, when did I become such a fool? (That’s really a trick question, I’ve always been this way).

I just miss him so much. And I'm trying –-really I am— to forget about him, but it’s so hard. For me, anyway. That’s because my feelings were real; not sure about his. The funny thing is, I don’t even want to be with him anymore. I just want to understand what happened. How could we have gone on for so long if there wasn't anything there? If it wasn't real? I just want to understand…I know that at times God has to remove the bad things or people in our lives, to make room for something or someone even better. But I don’t want a system upgrade. I’m good with the old version.

I actually wrote this entry several days ago, but was too nervous to post it. I felt like just typing it all out was enough, and reading it over again, I wonder if I’ll regret posting this on the freaking Internet, where nothing ever really dies. I thought about changing the date on it, and burying it somewhere in my archives so the casual reader wouldn't see it, but you know what? Fuck it.

This was me in the early hours of December 27th, 2009. This was my catharsis. I had to purge all these thoughts from my heart and mind for the last time. Gotta get right for the New Year.

“If you don’t open yourself up to the possibility of something better, you’ll never get it.”

Since you’re reading this, you can hold me accountable. If you ever catch me slipping back into an all-give, no-take type situation, please talk some sense into me. I mean, the shame I feel for allowing myself to be taken advantage of for so long with nothing to show for it but some damn proverbs and movie quotes should be enough to prevent me from making the same mistake twice, but... you know... just in case…

Happy New Year.

Remember to check out Part 2 and Part 3 of my 2009 Reflection series.

Excuse me, I don’t mean to bother you but, am I invisible?

2009-12-29T11:36:00.006-05:00

Watch the first 30 seconds:

Yesterday my mom and I dragged ourselves up out of our post-holiday itis to venture into the world for a bit of boxing day shopping. She’d been needing a new pair of boots for a while and received a gift card for a certain store for Christmas, so we figured, “why not?”

We walked into the store to see a male clerk behind the register thoroughly engrossed in conversation with a female co-worker. Neither looked up to offer a hello, hi, or a smile.
Hmm.. the conversation must’ve been sweet.

Now I’ve never worked retail, but I’m pretty sure it’s standard procedure to greet customers when they enter your establishment. Especially when your store is completely empty. But okay, fine; we didn’t really need help anyway, we were just browsing at that point.

10 minutes of browsing later, two more salespeople return from break, yammering on about some foolishness. Ok… still no offer of assistance, and we’ve circled the store at least 2 or 3 times by now. Interesting...

Another 5 minutes later, Mom and I are zeroing in on a pair of boots she can work into her wardrobe; just the right heel she was looking for.

“Did you need help with a size?”

Finally, acknowledgement! Mom spins around to inform the salesperson that she needs an 8, only to realize that “Little Miss Sunshine” is smiling and hovering over some old white lady.

Girl, yes she did!

No shade to the old white lady, but what the hell?

When did she get here? And how did she trump us in getting service? I don’t want to say it was racially motivated, because “it’s almost 2010 (eyeroll)”, and the salesgirl wasn’t white. But how could it not have been? My mother and I had been there 15 minutes, and nobody had said one word to us. And there were at least four of them on the floor, not doing shit. And, they clearly weren’t busy! The store looked as if they hadn’t had a customer in hours.

“So then what happened, Tdot?”

Well, Mom couldn’t take it. She tossed the boot back onto the display counter and left. But me? Oh hell nawl. You ain’t gon’ just disrespect me and my momma like that. No sir, no ma’am. You.Will.Not!

I calmly approached the cash -- where the first salesgirl and some other random were still doing absolutely nothing.

“Excuse me,” I say in my sweetest voice. She looks up. “I’m not sure if you noticed when my mother and I walked in 15 minutes ago… Well *chuckle*, you couldn’t have, because neither you nor your co-workers said a word to us when we did, or during the entire time we’ve been here. So I started wondering to myself, ‘Are we invisible? Or are they just not in the business of actually making sales in here? Because I know my coat is bright red, so I’ve gotta be hard to miss.'

Then this lady *gesturing toward the old white lady* comes in and you’re eagerly offering her a size...”

Her (*blank stare*): “I’m sorry.”
Me (sarcastically): “Oh, well.. that means SO MUCH now!”
Her (flippantly): “Well, what do you want me to do?”

At that point my blood was boiling! It took so much strength for me not to smash a boot in her nonchalant-ass face. I hate confrontation, but what I hate even more is ignorance. What I hate even more than that is not having a good comeback.

Part of the reason I was so angry when she said that was because I knew there really wasn’t anything to be done! In the video clip above, Whitley ends up buying thousands of dollars worth of jewellery to prove to the salesgirl that she really could afford to shop anywhere she wanted. But neither me nor my mother had anything to prove to these people; we were just floored at the blatant disrespect.

I so wanted to turn around and knock all the shoes off of the display counters on my way out, but I didn't want to give her the satisfaction. I just needed to punctuate my exit. So when she asked “Well what do you want me to do?” I said, “I’m not sure, I’ll see if your manager has any ideas when I call them tomorrow!”

Psht.

For all I know, she was the manager. *sigh.... I don’t know, maybe I’ll call head office... But what do I want them to do?

My mom was upset by the situation, but not surprised; she had been through this before. Me on the other hand? I can’t recall ever having had an experience like that, or at least, being so affected by it. I was literally seething, like, to the point where my voice had started to tremble and crack a little. If I didn’t walk away when I did, I would’ve either gotten violent or burst into tears.

*Woo-sahhh*

Did I mention how much I hate confrontation?

Have any of you ever been ignored or disregarded in a store before?

How did you handle it and what did you say?

What would you have done in my shoes?

...Got any good comebacks for me for the next time?

Bah, Humbug…

2009-12-24T13:07:00.012-05:00

The Christmas season has turned me into a monster this year, and truth be told, I can’t wait for “The Day” to come and go…

I usually love Christmas. The lights, the sounds, the food, the traditions... I even love the shopping! There’s something about finding that perfect gift that a loved one mentioned “that one time”, and watching their faces light up as they unwrap the surprise… But this year?? I don’t know what it is, but between the holiday parties, Secret Santa’s, and endless crowds, something’s just off. I can’t explain it, and I wish it weren’t so… but this year’s busy holiday season has got me feeling all types of Ebenezer Scrooge-esque, and it’s making me bitter!

A few random thoughts from the past few days of last-minute Christmas hell:

Dear Girl-in-the-Hollister-Store:

I’m so sorry to have disturbed you in the middle of you doing absolutely nothing! What was I thinking, asking a store employee where an item that you sell is located?Silly me, I forgot they only hired you to stand around and look pretty. It’s bad enough that there aren’t any lights on in this foolish store, and that I basically have to bob-and-weave in between the oddly positioned racks and shelves to avoid busting my kneecaps… but now I have to stare at your butt-crack as you absent-mindedly fold and re-fold the same overpriced sweatshirts over and over while dozens of confused shoppers fail to navigate their way around this place? UGH! Thanks for nothing.

Hey, lady with the newborn baby:

I’m really happy for you, and I’mma let you finish breast-feeding your barely-one-month-old newborn in the middle of this busy store 2 days before Christmas, but… wait, on second thought, I’m just gonna walk away as I fight the urge to put your bratty 3 year-old over my knee. I don’t have a problem with you whipping your breast out in public (they say it’s healthier for the baby anyway..) and hey, I know how restless toddlers can be… but my issue is, why would you choose to come for a leisurely stroll at the mall with your kids at THIS time of night? I’ve only got 15 hours before D-day and I don’t have time to be navigating around you as you saunter back and forth in the Disney store while I’m on the prowl for the new Princess Tiana doll! Ho, ho #hohaveaseat in the food court. We’re doing business here!

The 5 Pains of Christmas
(a song in progress, sung to the tune of “12 Days….”)

On the day before Christmas, the season gave to me:

Fiiiiive screaming braaaats!
Four crowded malls,
Three wrapped gifts,
Two below zero,
and an unpaid credit card billlll!

*sigh…

Hopefully a claymation marathon and a little Mariah Carey will get me back in the spirit of things… Until then,

I’ve decided that this is AWESOME

2009-12-24T13:05:00.006-05:00

Beyonce and Jay-Z to Exchange surnames

Source: http://www.ok.co.uk/

I hate to admit it now, but I literally cringed when I first read that Jay-Z planned to take Beyonce’s last name.

Despite my own parents being unmarried (or maybe because of it?), I’ve developed some pretty old-fashioned ideas about marriage, and the roles of men and women in such committed relationships. Admittedly, I love the idea of cooking for and taking care of my future husband, and would gladly become a stay-at-home mom if we had the means for me to do so...

However (!!!)

I’m still a Millenium girl, so while I do believe in upholding certain household traditions, the concept of “husband and wife” is not synonymous with “man and somewhat-lesser-being” to me. When I actually thought about Jay and Bey exchanging last names, I couldn’t see any real reason why a woman should be expected to give up a part of her identity (i.e. her last name) just because she chooses to share her life with a man with a different one.

Marriage is about gaining a partner, not losing yourself, so I think it’s awesome that Shawn Carter will become Shawn Knowles-Carter to help his wife carry on her family’s legacy, as the two (hopefully?!) begin to build a family and a life together.

In my opinion, the exchange of surnames between spouses shows a great mutual respect and tells the world that “we are equals”. So save the “Mr. Beyonce” jokes (haters! lol)

… we’re making progress over here!

What do you think about Jay-Z taking Beyonce’s last name? Is it a progressive move, or a slap in the face to the institution of marriage?

The WIRe: "It's All About Me"

2009-12-18T22:07:00.002-05:00

I just want to apologize for the s l o w week it’s been on the blog; you know how it is ‘round the holidays, avoiding traffic disasters and fighting the urge to stab slow-moving people in the crowded malls! And if you’re a student, you’ve also got final exams cramping your style.

So since things have been so hectic lately I decided to switch things up just a bit, and take some time to reflect on me. I’m also sending thanks out to everyone who reads the blog and watches my videos, especially if you take the time to comment and/or rate. I really appreciate the support, and I definitely plan to keep doing what I do, so stay tuned! =)

Just wrote my last exam of Undergrad...

2009-12-15T22:55:00.001-05:00

... and all I've got to say is:

No waxing poetic about what comes next (for now)... I just wanna relish in the moment.... Baaaaaaaaask in it! © Thugnificence.

100 More Great Quotes from “The Wire”

2009-12-10T19:19:00.001-05:00

aka another study distraction…

My Top 5 (in no order):

♥ "The game’s the same... just got more fierce" –- Slim

♥ "(Who's winning?) No one wins… one side just loses more slowly" –- Prezbo

♥ "You know what the most dangerous thing in America is, right?
A nigga wit a library card.." -- Brother Mouzone

♥ "World goin' one way... people another yo'" –- Poot

♥ "…shit was unseemly!" –- Cheeze

…and in case you missed it, check out the original 100 Greatest Quotes.

I definitely have a date with seasons 1, 3 and 4 after exams are over. Oh baby.

“Every Wall is a Door”

2009-12-10T13:41:00.002-05:00

In life we all have regrets. Things that if given the chance, we would go back and do differently. One of my favourite shows on tv right now is actually a Canadian production based on this exact premise.

“Being Erica” debuted earlier this year with lead character Erica Strange hitting a crossroads in her life. She had just been fired from her low-paying call centre job, and at age 33 with a BA and a Master’s in English, she had no idea what to do next. Somehow, she ended up in the hospital, and when she awoke she met Dr. Tom, the therapist that would change her life. He asks her to write a list of her biggest regrets, promising her the opportunity to go back in time to re-live and re-do each one.

The reason the show is on my mind at 2:30 in the morning, days before my last 2 exams of university* is one that is just so typical of me. Rather than review my notes, all I keep thinking about is:

“I should’ve never dropped those courses last semester… I would’ve graduated already, and I wouldn’t be here right now…”

“I should’ve majored in a different program… I would’ve been so much happier, and I wouldn’t be here right now…”

“I should’ve chosen a yellow crayon instead of the blue… I would’ve drawn a better picture and….”

Well, you get the point.

It’s so easy to say “I should’ve done this” or “had I known better, I would’ve done that”, but the truth is, this is real life and we’re at where we’re at right now based on the choices we’ve made. And no matter how hard we wish for it, nobody’s going to magically appear to take us back in time to fix our mistakes. Even on Being Erica, when she goes back in time she doesn’t actually prevent her regrets. Bad things do still happen. But the point is, she has the benefit of hindsight and can therefore interpret each situation more maturely to make a positive change in her present life.

It’s not about changing the past,

but changing your perspective of it.

On this season’s finale, Erica had reached yet another crossroad. Once again fired from her job (this time in her dream career field) and unsure of what to do, she meets with Dr. Tom who draws a chalk outline of a door on a brick wall and tells her to “push”.

She scoffs at him – what’s the point of expelling all her energy pushing on a brick wall? It’s a brick wall! A dead end, y’know? – Until the wall starts to give way, revealing a passageway lined with a multitude of doors to choose from, each leading to a new opportunity.

“Every wall is a door” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I guess this quote is along the same lines as “When one door closes, another opens”, or “God never closes a door without opening a window”, but I prefer Emerson’s because sometimes life really gets to feeling like we’ve just hit a brick wall and there’s no way out of the madness we’ve trapped ourselves in… but, if we keep pushing.. we’re bound to make it through on the other side.

Do you agree?
What motivates you to keep going when you hit the proverbial “brick wall”?
Is it a quote? Song lyric? Religious passage?
Leave a comment and let me know!

Just Sayin’…

2009-12-08T09:28:00.008-05:00

Tiger’s fall from grace happened faster than can be explained ...

and I think something is up.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a fan of Tiger Woods, nor do I give a good gotdern about him cheating on his wife. However, I just don’t understand how someone can go from being so outwardly “wholesome” and well-liked to this adulterous freakshow in the span of just 10 days!

He has become the “go-to” story for nearly every North American news outlet, and to service this fascination, there has conveniently been a new development basically every day since the story first broke after American Thanksgiving. If I’m not mistaken, the latest is that Tiger has about 9 mistresses, and some blonde woman staying at his house was recently rushed to hospital.

I’m just waiting for all the paternity suits and maybe-babies to start popping up so we can really get this party started.

*sigh…

Does anyone remember when H1N1 was a National Emergency? How’s that going? Did people stop getting sick and dying from that?

What about President Obama’s war exit strategy? Was anyone paying attention to that? Something about sending 30,000 more young Americans overseas or something? Hmm…

Hey, how’s the American economy going? Are the people still hopelessly unemployed? Are the inner city kids still undereducated? Are Black and Latina women still contracting HIV at a devastating rate?

Oh yeah… something is definitely up.¹

I know that the concept of the mainstream media milking a basic news story isn’t unheard of, but this is the first time in a while that it’s been so ridiculously sensational. Even soap operas aren’t this indulgent, and I used to watch Passions! (hey, hey.. don’t judge me…)

I don’t know what, and I don’t know why, but this whole Tiger woods adultery saga is an elaborate distraction, and we are all falling for it. Whatever we’re being distracted from must be something major, and I’m willing to bet a lot of folks are going to feel pretty silly when it finally comes out.

But not me. I don’t know about you, but I’m fashioning my tin foil hat right now:

As my girl Aartee put it, #societyfail.

What do you think about the coverage of the Tiger Woods saga? Do you think the media is just doing what they do, or are they being irresponsible by focusing so much on this?

¹ I would suggest that this was all a clever ploy by the political right wing to erode our faith in multi-racial brown skinned men, but folks take shots at President Obama freely anyways, so that can’t be it….

Monday Motivation

2009-12-07T00:46:00.002-05:00

Tackling Your Fears

Yesterday I co-facilitated the BP Uncensored: Real Beauty discussion presented by a group I volunteer with called Black Pearls. It was a topic that I have a lot to say about (which you probably already know if you read this blog regularly), but it’s different when you’re standing in front of a room full of people, running the show.

I’ve always struggled with my fear of public speaking… it’s a completely rational fear (in fact, it’s the #1 fear of people – above DEATH! Many people would rather die than speak in public. Thankfully my fear was never that deep). I even took a communications class in university, where I realized it’s not the getting up and standing in front of people I’m afraid of (you all know I love to talk/rant/ramble). It’s the fear of getting up there without knowing exactly what to say.

By the time my brain synthesizes my thoughts and they travel all the way down to my mouth to be expressed in word form, I worry that what I’m saying no longer makes sense. I constantly pause and question whether my audience is still following my train of thought. I need that constant reassurance that I don’t sound like a raving lunatic!

Thankfully, I didn’t completely lose myself in my own thoughts yesterday (as far as they could tell), and the session went wonderfully!

Of course I haven’t fully conquered my fear of public speaking, but I can feel the growth happening. After the session, I was literally buzzing and probably could’ve sat and talked for several more hours to another group if I didn’t have to get home to study. Now I know it’s just a matter of time before I’m running board meetings, directing my staff, and facilitating large scale events. Plus it never hurts to be the centre of attention ;)

I’m so excited for the next opportunity to challenge my fear!

What are you afraid of and how do you plan to conquer that fear?

The WIRe: "Rumours"

2009-12-05T19:14:00.008-05:00

I almost had to force myself to make this video. As much as I love to indulge in gossip, I try to keep my own life relatively drama-free.. so all this celebrity scandalousness lately is becoming more than I care to deal with.

Somebody better put all the controversy queens on TIME-OUT until the end of 2009!

Until next time,

Thursday Throwback

2009-12-03T09:08:00.001-05:00

aka “filler Thursdays”

Forgive me. The changing weather + the start of exams and the the holiday season has me so drained lately. And I just can’t right now with these celebrities and all their dirty laundry. *sigh…

That said, enjoy this throwback video of Jay-Z talking about his “new track” “In My Lifetime” and catch a good belly laugh. Lovin’ the accent and the NY slang. Can you believe this was 14 years ago?? Even then, Jay was a cocky dude. I love it.

Happy (early) Birthday, Hov!

I’ll catch y’all tomorrow.

Daily Dose

2009-12-01T09:02:00.004-05:00

When Brothers Speak...

© Phonte of Little Brother.

True or false?

R. Kelly Teaches the Fine Art of Seduction

2009-12-01T00:37:00.019-05:00

“Girl you make me wanna get you pregnaaaaant…”

R. Kelly recently teamed up with R&B heartthrobs Tyrese, Robin Thicke and The Dream (*cough* *sputter*) for this totally classy track, entitled “Pregnant”.

Okay, so, this is the type of song you hear at the club at 2:50 am, when everybody is filtering out and that one thirsty ass dude is trying to get one last bubble before the lights come up and his dance partner’s girlfriends start c-blocking and throwing mad shade his way. Yeah. Dem ones.

"So don’t get it twisted, for 30-somethin weeks, I’m still gon’ hit it!” – The Dream

To be honest, I’m not sure what exactly these dudes were trying to accomplish by putting their considerable talents to waste on this tasteless song… Are they trying to start a new #babymamaclub? Because Lil’ Wayne clearly has that game on lock:

How mature of them. No, seriously. Lauren and Nivea both had a baby by Wayne this year (Still waiting to see if they become millionaires; word to 50 Cent). This makes baby #2 for Wayne this year, and his 4th overall (he has an older daughter by Antonia Carter and a son by some random chick). But instead of the usual “baby mama drama” we’d typically expect from such a ghetto fabulous situation, these ladies have chosen to be friend...ly…ish... with each other. Hence, the #babymamaclub. Yup, just one big ol’, dysfunctional family!

With such a knack for knocking people up, I wonder why Kells didn’t enlist Weezy F. Impregnator to spit a hot 16 on this mind-blowingly romantic song? Not that it matters anyway, because I already feel like I contracted an STD just by listening to it. No need to add another Dwayne Carter goblin baby into the mix.

But seriously folks, I just need to know: What exactly about this song is "sexy"? I mean, I get that it's got all the crooners doing what they do, but seriously? Who's trying to get nice to a song like this? A chick got plans and goals, and none of them involve getting pregnant by some dude I met in the club. Especially not one that looks like R. Kelly or walks/talks/quacks like ~~a duck~~ The Dream! Hmph!

Geez, when did music get so raunchy? Can a chick get a little romance?!

*Listens to B.I.G.’s “I’m ******* You Tonight” instead*

3 Criticisms of the movie “Precious”

2009-11-29T22:59:00.001-05:00

and why you should go out and see it anyway.

Alright, I first heard about this film at the beginning of this year and was immediately hopeful. I had read the book several years ago, and the story had stayed with me. When I saw the trailer, I was brought to tears and shared it with everyone I knew, and when the film came to the Toronto International Film Festival, I bought tickets to the premiere screening because I couldn’t wait to see Precious brought to life.

I was not disappointed.

I believe “Precious” is an important movie, and not just because Oprah said so! In my opinion, the film does a good job of introducing audiences to a set of complex sociological issues that too often go avoided and ignored, and presents them in a way that allows it to be consumed by the “average moviegoer”.

But that’s just how I feel. Many people would disagree with me. Critics have panned the movie for a myriad of reasons – everything from Hollywood cashing in on “poverty porn” to the newfound popularity of lead actress Gabourey Sidibe glorifying obesity in America! (Seriously….)

After reading all the praise and the backlash surrounding the film, I came up with 3 criticisms of the movie “Precious” and why you should ignore them and see the movie anyway!

If you saw the movie or read the book, let me know what you think!

Did you hate it or love it?

The WIRe: "Let's Talk Music"

2009-11-28T22:13:00.003-05:00

Y’know… Twitter really makes this Week In Review business a difficult job – most news is old news within 2 or 3 days, so by the time I get a moment to film I don’t feel like talking about anything!

I guess that’s why this is an experiment. I’ll try to keep it up ‘til the end of the year, and then decide whether to continue in 2010. (Can you believe that’s only 4 weeks away? Yikes!)

Anyway, this week we’re talking about Taylor Swift, Rihanna’s “Rated R” and Haydain Neale’s passing. Without further ado, here we go for the week of November 22-27, 2009:

Cultivating Self-Hate: A Step by Step Guide

2009-11-27T13:23:00.019-05:00

This post was made possible by Eurocentric Imagery in the Mainstream Media, and Crack Babies of America.

Step 1: Viciously attack your child’s head with the contempt of 10,000 scorned women.

“You ain’t got no got-damned daddy, shut the f*** up and get yo’ head combed!”

If you couldn’t make it past the first 60 seconds of this video, just know that the vicious “combing” of this child’s hair continued on for 5 whole minutes. Please believe, it did not get any easier to watch.

What’s going on in this clip is flat-out child abuse, and is the first step towards this poor child absolutely despising her natural hair texture, and rejecting the concept of her afro hair being her crowning glory.

This little girl has a gorgeous head of thick, fluffy natural hair that could be styled in a million different ways, if her mother wasn’t a raging psychopath! The thing that people have to understand is, you can’t handle natural hair just any old way. Though it is thick, it is also very delicate, and should be treated as such. That means, you don’t brush or comb from the root! That ish HURTS and will give you an instant headache that could last for days!

Natural hair should be detangled while wet, preferably after applying a good moisturizing conditioner for extra ‘slip’. It should be combed from tip to root (not root to tip!), so that the tangles can be worked out gently as you work your way up the hair shaft. If you’re ever unsure whether you’re combing your child’s hair properly,

a dead giveaway is if they are screaming, crying, and trying desperately to get away from you!

.....

Yeah.

Step 2: Teach your daughter from a very young age that true beauty is long, silky, flowing hair.*

*Even if that isn’t what either of you were born with.

If you haven’t already, please take this time to get acquainted with Lacefront Baby:

Quoth her mama, who claimed to have had this lacefront wig “custom made” for her infant daughter:

It’s never too early for my baby to start looking glamorous like Beyonce! … I wouldn’t be caught dead without my lacefront and my baby won’t either!”

Well alrighty then.

I don’t know much about Lacefront Baby, like what her real name is, or how old she was when she became such a glamourous Sasha Fierce stand-in, but I do know that her mother is a complete jackass whose brain has clearly been affected by all the lacefront adhesive she’s been inhaling.

If this is real, (which I continue to doubt, as my heart and mind refuse to believe any parent could be so ridiculous), then I fear that this child will grow up believing that she is only attractive/acceptable with hair cascading down her back (which afro hair, plain and simply, does not do... at least not without an arsenal of styling products).

What’s worse, is that the damage from gluing the wig to LF Baby’s little infant scalp will most likely damage her hairline, maybe even irreparably because she’s so young, so that hair won’t ever be able to grow there.

She will then grow up to resent the hair that naturally grows from her scalp, feeling that she needs fake hair to appear presentable.

In the photo above, you can see someone physically holding LF Baby up – clearly she’s not old enough to be able to stand on her own, and by the looks of it, she’s just learning to hold her head – and now she’s got 5 lbs of premium yaki sitting on top of it, weighing down her poor little neck!

Jesus, take the wheel!

(Common sense, reveal yourself)

Step 3: Don’t talk about it.

All those modified images of black women we see in the media, being lightened in print ads, wearing layers of makeup and pounds of weave?

Fuhgeddaboutit!

So what if our sons grow up to believe that if their woman is darker than a paper bag (word to Young Berg), that she is unworthy of their love and respect?

Why be worried about our daughters believing that they are somehow less than beautiful if they don’t look like Beyonce, or have too much of “this” , with not enough “that”?

Yep, the best way to ensure your child dislikes what they see when they look in the mirror, is to not think critically and discuss the images being presented to them in society. Don’t encourage them to embrace their roots, and their distinctive traits. Curse and scream as you comb their hair, slap a chemical relaxer or weave in their heads as early as possible, and encourage your sons to ridicule dark skinned and kinky haired little girls.

Who needs a healthy self-image, anyway?

And there you have it, folks; cultivating self-hate in 3 quick and easy steps!
Pretty simple, huh?

But wait…

Should you decide for some reason that you don’t want your son/daughter/niece/nephew growing up with a warped sense of self, I've got a solution for that, too:

Black Pearls Community Services and the University of Toronto Black Alumni Association is coming together to discuss “real beauty” in the Black community.

The interactive roundtable discussion will touch on many of the themes of beauty in our community – from good hair to self-esteem – in a positive environment. Join us and share your thoughts on these pressing issues, because if we don’t talk about them, who will?

EVENT DETAILS

Date: December 6, 2009
Time: 3 pm to 5 pm
Location: University of Toronto, 21 King’s College Circle, Alumni Hall
Cost: FREE!

For more information, visit us at www.black-pearls.org.

I’m Shaving My Head!

2009-11-25T00:48:00.005-05:00

And before you even think it, this is not a fashion statement.

This is a serious issue. I am suffering from bi-polar hair disorder, and all this wavering between whether or not to continue relaxing my hair has me so sick that I’m ready to shave it all off and be done with it!

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve been relaxing my hair regularly since I was about 8 or 9 (thick hair + playing in sand = mama ain’t got time to be washing and styling every day!) , so I’m used to the smell of rotting eggs sitting on my scalp every 6-8 weeks. Furthermore, I know that my personal decision to relax (once I understood what it meant to do so) has nothing to do with “self-hate” or wanting to “be like” anyone other than the awesome black girl that I am. I’m just… used to relaxing. After years of doing so, my hair has always been pretty healthy, and if I wasn’t so scissor happy, it would probably be at least bra-strap length by now, but….

I get bored…easily. And often. In the past I’ve rocked a natural puff, wash & go, press & curl, long silky locks, and copper-streaked curls. What can I say? I love variety.

During my first year of university, I went out on a limb and decided to explore my natural, God-given texture.

I got my last relaxer in October 2005 and started wearing protective styles that winter in an effort to grow it out. By June 2006, I was dying to see the head of curly hair I just knew I had sitting up underneath my braids, so in a fit of unrestrained excitement,

I cut off all my blasted hair!

***Note: Here is where I’d normally insert a pic to illustrate the point, however, I was soooo not ready for what I would look like with a teeny, weeny ‘fro. The last thing on my mind was capturing it on film!

For the next 14 months, I rocked everything from twists, puffs, and wash and go hairstyles to short, curly and/or coloured weaves. I had a ball with all the different ways I could wear my hair that year, until I messed around and decided I missed my relaxer.

I had forgotten how lush and shiny my hair could be when it was chemically straightened. Friends and even family members would come up to me asking where I got my “Chinese wig”, because my hair was just so damn shiny and healthy.
Yeah… a fresh relaxer did an ego good.

But, I missed my natural hair... I missed its springy-ness, and the feeling of all the kinks and waves after a fresh wash, and how good it felt to be able to rock big hair whenever I wanted. So in May 2009, I got what I intended to be my last relaxer… it didn’t really matter though, because I was going overseas for a month and would be wearing a weave. Then when I got back to Toronto, well shoot it was summa time, and who wants to worry about hair? So I got some Indian Remy human hair installed so I could be fly the rest of the summer...

Since then, it’s been an endless cycle of weaves, wigs and hairpieces to avoid dealing with my actual hair (which I haven’t fully relaxed since May) and my (in)decision. Lately though, I’ve been feeling like a straight up fraud with the fake hair on… like, I almost don’t recognize myself. And I’m missing my hair (again… *sigh)

Currently, I’m rocking hair that is anywhere from 2-5 months post-relaxer in most places, and heat damaged (from burning it straight to blend with my silky weave) in others! When I wash my hair, I can feel my thick, natural coils desperate to spring back to life, only to be dragged down by the weight of my comparatively stringy relaxed ends… ugh. It’s honestly pretty gross. Not to mention, the products that my natural roots adore do absolutely nothing for my relaxed ends, and vice versa!…

It’s enough to make me tear my hair right out of its follicles!

The way I see it, this could all be pretty easily solved in 1 of 3 ways:

1. Relax my whole head (and continue to do so, forevaaaaaa!)
2. Shave this ish!
3. Keep hiding my hair under braids, weaves, etc until I’m ready to cut the relaxed ends and go back to my natural texture…

I’m so frustrated/annoyed with it all, that even though option #3 clearly is the most sound, my inability to decide whether I want to be relaxed or natural has me seriously considering option #2! (Only the flashbacks from the first time I cut off my hair keep me from doing it… chile, when I say “hot mess” …….)

As of right now, my goal is to be patient, rock some braids/twists and let my natural texture grow out until June 2010, so I can rock a fully natural twistout/fro for my Convocation.

Here’s hoping that I don’t look like a broke-down Amber Wildflower the next time you see me!

Google Adventures (pt. 1)

2009-11-24T12:19:00.003-05:00

People can be so odd.

Trey Songz & Mario at Fall Fest 2009

2009-11-24T05:26:00.001-05:00

Trey Songz concert footage + commentary.

The WIRe: "Hot Mess Week"

2009-11-23T19:57:00.008-05:00

Yeah so… posting this 3 days late.. *sigh*

I don’t know what to say… I had a rough weekend + MovieMaker was acting up…. but to keep it really real, I’m just lazy sometimes. Considering this Monday’s Motivation is focused on Procrastination, I’d say it’s pretty fitting, yeah?

Alright, enough excuses. Here goes the WIRe for November 16-20. Watch, and let me know what you think about the TTC fare hikes, the “Videophone” video, and if you were at the Trey Songz concert, I hope you weren’t the chick who slammed her stiletto heel into my foot! *woo-sah*… alright, just watch the video:

Monday Motivation

2009-11-23T19:33:00.009-05:00

Procrastination

How ironic is it that I am writing a so-called “motivational” post about procrastination when the day is already more than 75% over?? Currently I'm avoiding checking and/responding to over 40 emails (amassed in just 5 days! FTW or WTF???) and supressing hour 5 of my lunch-time hunger pains.

Yes, you are dealing with a professional grade procrastinator, baby!

Procrastination has always been a problem I’ve had, and to be honest, I don’t see myself really changing anytime soon. I mean the way I see it, as long as I get it done, what does it matter whether I do it now or 2 days from now? Or even 2 weeks? (I generally try not to let things escalate to years). I like to do things according to my schedule, and if I’m not feeling up to it, I’ll make a mental note to get around to it when I am.

This approach hasn’t always been successful though, and I’ve actually gotten myself into trouble more than a few times, but I can’t seem to stop. I mean, have you ever tried to force yourself to do something you have absolutely no interest in doing? It’s nearly impossible, and if you do manage to get something done, the outcome is usually pretty terrible, at least in my experience. So I’ve resigned myself to accepting that I am a procrastinator.

Does that make me a bad person?

(Answer: Absolutely not, as long as I learn to procrastinate in a “productive” way )

“Bad” vs “Good” Procrastination

Taking a personal day to shut off the world and just do nothing can be a great way to relax. Taking several “personal days” to lounge around and watch reruns of “Kim Possible” on the other hand, is a great way to ensure that you end up with a million + one things on your plate once you get back to “reality”. This is known as “bad” procrastination.

Personally, as much as I procrastinate, I can never shake the guilt of knowing an entire day has gone by without me having accomplished anything of value. To avoid these feelings, I’ve started keeping a list of everything that needs to be done and prioritize it in terms of importance (based on due date, whether it’s something personal, school or work-related, and what might happen if I don’t do it soon!)

Now, whenever I’m staring in the face of a task I really don’t feel like dealing with immediately, I refer to my list and pick something else a little more, or a little less important, and work my way through the list gradually.

Believe it or not, this is actually considered “good” procrastination, because it’s a way to kind of trick myself into feeling like I’m still slacking a bit (a kind of sick pleasure, I guess), while still getting things done little by little.

Sure it’s a little weird, but it’s been working for me. How do you deal with procrastination issues?

Hump Day Pick-Me-Up

2009-11-18T13:38:00.010-05:00

The Animal Kingdom Edition

It’s been a slow week here at The Fruitful Hustle but here’s a little something to help us all get over the hump:

MONCTON, New Brunswick, Nov. 3 (UPI) — A lioness in a Canadian zoo in New Brunswick will be moved after attacking a juvenile male who didn’t understand her needs while she was in heat, the zoo says.

The male, named Azizi, wasn’t sexually mature, although Kito didn’t seem to understand each time she went into mating estrus, Bruce Dougan, general manager of the zoo told the CBC.

“When she did that she became frustrated with Azizi, who didn’t know what his role was in that situation,” Dougan said. “He was a very young male, and that frustration turned to anger and then aggression.”

Source: http://www.ecoworld.com/animals/lioness-heat-exiled-zoo.html

Ladies, I think we’ve all been there at some point; when you’re dealing with someone who is slightly “underdeveloped” (read: mentally immature and/or a jackass!) and our needs are not being met. This lioness clearly knew what she wanted and was determined to get it by any means!

I am not.even.mad.

I may have even flipped out on a dude myself a time or two when placed in a similar situation. Ladies, is it too much to ask to get what we need, when we need it? I mean it’s not like they’re not thinking about it, too, right? So what’s the furthest you’ve gone to get your needs met?

Holler if you hear me, lol.

100 Great Quotes from The Wire

2009-11-16T19:08:00.000-05:00

Personal Top 5 (in no order):

♥ "N*gga is you takin notes on a fuckin’ criminal conspiracy?
The fuck is you thinkin!?" –- Stringer

♥ "You can do some shit that's like, "what the fuck?!", but never on no Sunday" -– Avon

♥ "A man got to have a code" –- Omar

♥ "It ain't easy civilizin this muthafucka" -- Prop Joe

♥ "The fuck did I do?" –- McNulty

Honourable Mention:

♥ "Sheeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttt" -- Clay muhfkn Davis

Props to hh1edits on Youtube for putting this together.. Damn I love this show....

Just Sayin’...

2009-11-16T13:07:00.004-05:00

Had it been a Black man....

Sean Sexton, the Arizona State University student who shot at police.

Now you know, if Sean was a black man, we’d be reading an obituary instead of an amusingly pathetic news report (which you can find here)… Apparently, this brat flew into a rage over who-knows-what and shot up a cheque-cashing spot, causing over $15,000 worth of damage. Then when the cops arrived, he started shooting at them! What a tough guy.

In a surprising display of ~~racial solidarity~~ professional-restraint, the officers actually didn’t shoot back, as they realized the dork was playing Rambo with an air rifle and not a real gun. Instead they arrested him, and the hilarious photo above is the punk’s mugshot, taken as he bawled for his mommy.

The good news is that the police responded calmly and thoughtfully to this situation. Now the good people of Arizona can sleep safely at night, knowing that this monster is off the streets! </sarcasm>

…. the unfortunate news is, a Black man (or any man of colour, really) in a similar situation with no gun could’ve reached into his pocket for some ID and would’ve been riddled with bullets without a second thought.

Huh.

Monday Motivation

2009-11-16T11:26:00.006-05:00

Your Personal Brand

Happy Monday!

Okay, so maybe it isn’t too “happy”, but it is the start of a new week, which means a fresh start for all of us :). I thought I’d post a video to give your Monday a little extra boost, and something to think about for the week ahead:

This . Is . Amazing -- and not just for the all the hardbodied, sweating, grunting sexiness on display… woo, chile… *takes a moment*…

No, what’s most impressive about this commercial is that the Jordan brand has stood the test of time for nearly 25 years. His Airness isn’t even in the 60-second spot, but his legacy is powerful enough to stand alone. After 25 years of greatness, the name “Jordan” is practically synonymous with passion, determination and achievement.

This got me thinking about my own “personal brand”, and what it might say about me. Even though I’m not a celebrity and I don’t own any endorsement deals, having a personal brand that accurately reflects who I am is an important part of building success.

So, how do you establish a personal brand?

Well, that’s something I’m still personally working on, but one of the most important elements is knowing yourself and the image you want to project.

Are you the person that people go to for keep-it-real life advice or encouragement? Are you the pacesetter, who people look to for cues on how to get things done? Are you the tastemaker? The visionary? Are you a person people want to be friends with, be like, or work for?

The way we carry ourselves in day-to-day life directly affects how we are perceived by others, so you have to decide what you want people to think about you. That doesn’t mean pretending to be something you’re not, but rather working hard to actually embody those traits.

Are you willing to put in the work to be the best at what you do?

It's important that your personal brand reflects your drive. Put your all into doing things well, and don’t give up when you hit a roadblock, because like the Jordan brand athletes, you have to break to build.

The athletes in this ad are seen pushing themselves to be the best at what they do. They sweat and they bleed, and they force themselves to the breaking point almost every day, because they know what they want, and they reject defeat.

Then they become champions. That’s Jordan’s legacy, but

What will your personal brand say about you?

The WIRe: "Dumb Rappers Need Teaching"

2009-11-14T11:37:00.004-05:00

Something new I’m trying out – The WIRe (aka the “Week In Review”) is a summary of my thoughts on some of the stories I found most interesting during the week.

This is the first edition and I’m talking about DUMB RAPPERS who can’t stay out of jail, and just generally make poor life decisions. THEY ALL NEED TEACHING, word to B.I.G.

So please comment and let me know what you think!

Daily Dose

2009-11-13T16:50:00.003-05:00

Dear John:

“Just my thoughts man… just what I was feelin’ at the time”

*kanye shrug*

TTC? Find a Better Way

2009-11-12T15:16:00.011-05:00

The Toronto Transit Commission wants to be your better way.

That's right. It wants to arrive anywhere between 5 minutes early to 20 minutes late, sit you down in a seat that may or may not have fleas on it from the dog that was just sitting there, and take you from Point A to Point B (no stopovers allowed!).

From there, you can head downtown and take your pick of an overcrowded subway, or a traffic-inducing streetcar, in hopes of arriving to your destination on time (Maybe. Unless it breaks down. Or God forbid, someone jumps.)

What’s even better, is that the TTC wants to do all of this for the low, low cost of a coffee and a donut for two (one way!).

You read me right folks. In case you didn’t know, last week the TTC announced that it just can’t stop hemorrhaging money, and thus, may be forced to raise fares. AGAIN.

TTC recommended fare increases:

Source: TTC.ca

The good news is, TTC riders across the city are taking action in protest of the TTC’s plan. If you can swing it, Find a BETTER Better Way tomorrow – carpool, walk, bike ride. Whatever you can do.

And if you’re one of the thousands in Toronto who rely on the TTC to get essential things done (like get to work, make it to a doctor's appointment, or transport your children), you can still stick it to the man buy paying your fare in PENNIES :).

Normally I wouldn’t encourage such a-hole type behaviour, but this is getting ridiculous! Every time the TTC has a problem, they blame "low ridership", even though the public has no realistic way of auditing these figures (because there is no definitive tracking system), and then who do they punish? The riders!

It’s unacceptable that “the better way” can’t come up with more rider-friendly ways to make up their never-ending deficit. Here’s an idea: stop wasting money on silly things like more streetcars (get them off the road!) and needlessly beautifying stations. (Did you know they spent $5 MILLION on Museum Station last year?)

For the social activist in all of us, you might be interested to know that the decision vote takes place next Tuesday, November 17 from 12:30 – 2:00 pm. If you really want to make your opinions known, why not head down to the Commission and have your say, or post your questions/concerns on the Facebook discussion page here: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=322914960299&topic=12124.

Other resources:

A bit of perspective:

- The Transit Trap: Toronto vs. The World

Sammy Sosa: Face in the Mirror

2009-11-11T08:42:00.011-05:00

"I'm not a racist.I live my life happily . . . I don't think I look like Michael Jackson."
-- Sammy Sosa

According to the New York Post, Sosa admits to using some as yet unnamed bleaching cream to “soften his skin”, which after years of use may have “bleached [him] some.” That, combined with the “bright TV lights” from the 2009 Latin Grammy’s (where the latest photo was taken), is supposed to explain Sammy’s newfound paleness, slicked down hair and green eyes.

……………*blank stare*………..

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe Sammy Sosa is a racist. At least, not consciously. He comes from the Dominican Republic, a country plagued by anti-Black sentiments, despite over 90% of the population having African ancestry. And as we can see from Sammy’s example, many DR men and women will go to extreme lengths to eliminate their more African features to achieve the look they really want (ever heard of a Dominican blowout? There’s a reason those women are so skilled at straightening hair!).

Sadly, the desire for the European standard of beauty is really nothing new at all; coloured women in many cultures have struggled with the ingrained desire for straight hair/pale skin for centuries. It’s just odd to see a man take it upon himself to alter his appearance so dramatically. Sosa’s even quoted as saying he may endorse the cream he’s been using!

I wonder what he feels when he looks in the mirror? I mean, he looks a hot mess to me, but I wonder if he’s happier with himself now?

This whole situation reminds me of the “New Color Iris” drama on Youtube.

Several people (black and white) have taken it upon themselves to travel to Panama to have this surgery performed, due to a lingering desire to look “different” or “better”. If you watch some of the related videos on Youtube, specifically LaTerraTV, YourQueenSpeaking or Javis3059, you can understand the severe risks involved with taking such a drastic step to change your look. Ol’ dude spent his college tuition money just to have this done! Only to have to take it out 7 months later due to complications.

We all have our little quirks or little we don’t like/wish we could change about ourselves… that’s why we buy makeup and hair products. The difference is, these people actually took that next step to do something about it.

So, how far would you go in the name of beauty? How far is too far?

And where do we draw the line between a “minor enhancement” and “self-hate”?

Sesame Street turns 40!

2009-11-10T08:41:00.009-05:00

What’s a Backyardigan??

Many children’s shows have come and gone, but no sunny day has ever chased the clouds away the way they do on Sesame Street! Today, the brilliance that was and is Sesame Street turned 40 years old.

40 years of unforgettable songs, inspirational stories, and lovable characters; 40 years of teaching kids the important lessons, like the value of friendship, and the beauty of diversity…

Now, I haven’t watched Sesame Street in a while (at least… a couple years…. I said don’t judge me!) but looking at some of the foolishness that passes for children’s programming today (what the heck is an “Iggle Piggle”? And WHAT are they talking about??), I’m proud to be able to say that I grew up on Sesame Street!

The Top 3 Lessons I Learned from Sesame Street:

The importance of good hygiene.

Getting the last laugh

Planning for the future

What has Sesame Street taught you?

Monday Motivation

2009-11-09T08:42:00.019-05:00

Keeping Sight of Your Goals

What’s up Hustlers, remember me??

I know it’s been over 2 months since I last posted here, and that’s a damn shame! There has been so much that’s happened both in my personal life and the world at large that I’ve wanted to speak on, and it’s not that I didn’t have the time to write; I simply lacked the motivation.

Since August, I’ve been working on a laundry list of goals for where I want this blog to go, and what I want it to become. The problem is, I got so wrapped up in the details of getting the brand just right, and producing the “perfect content” to publish at the “perfect time” that I ended up not producing anything at all. The result? Countless wasted opportunities to connect with my readers, which clearly does neither of us any good at all!

Does anyone else struggle to stay focused on the here-and-now?

My problem is, I always think that there’s something more exciting on the other side of whatever it is I’m currently doing.. and who wants to think about the mundane tasks of today, when the potential rewards of tomorrow are so inviting?!

I’ve spent much of the past 2 months working and re-working my plans for the future, asking myself over and over “Should I go back to school or look for a grown-up job?”, “Do I want to move out of the country, or off the continent?” and “How can my blog The Fruitful Hustle help me in my quest to discover one?”

The answer to all of these questions begins with the pledge to focus on today, because if I can’t soldier through these last few weeks of university I won’t get my degree, and my fruitful hustle may never begin…

That said, here go my Top 2 Tips for Keeping Sight of Your Goals:

1. Declare your goal (whether you write it, recite it every morning, bring it to life on a vision board – whatever works best for you). It’s important to get the goal OUT of your head and into the physical world, so that you can refer to it with a clear mind whenever you need to.

2.Figure out what you have to do starting today to see your goal come to life. You don’t have to have all of the steps, but writing some of them down can help you stay on track (especially when frustration hits and you start to wonder WHY you signed up for a management ethics course!)

Finally, here’s a quote that helps keep me motivated whenever I start getting antsy about reaching my goals prematurely:

"I can't let myself get confused by tomorrow. If I keep focused on what I need to do today, the future will take care of itself"
– Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox Corp.

After all, even the chicken had to cross the road before getting to the other side, right?

The Ghost of Roger Troutman lives on..

2009-08-17T00:14:00.029-04:00

...and I’m not just talking about auto-tune.

I’ve spent the better part of today humming the hook to mah boo Trey♥’s new single (which I sincerely hope won’t really be on the album),

“LOL =)”… <---actual song title.

The song is essentially about hooking up via Twitter, aka the newest form of “Computer Love”, and is awful-ly catchy.

I still remember back in like '95 when my dad promised to build me my own computer and I told him I didn't want my own, because it "wasn't that important" to me and I "wouldn't use it much." Oh, the foolish mind of a child... nowadays I can’t even make it through the day without logging on!

I think as a collective, our society has pretty much reached that stage where we’d rather text than phone, email than write… hell, most days I’d rather watch my favourite tv shows online than on television itself. We’re a cyber-society, and technology is taking over every aspect of our lives – even what is arguably the most human of all – sex.

And this goes way, way beyond the tawdry days of “cybering” in the Yahoo chatrooms (not that I’d know anything about that… Seriously, I wouldn’t). No, today we have way more outlets to express (or repress? Hmmm) our sexuality -- from online hook-ups to sites featuring amateur couples gettin' it in while sporting Mardi Gras masks (TMI? Lol).

Clearly Kanye spit the real when he said “It’s a new form of mackin, / don’t be old fashioned, update ya passion” – (Digital Girl)

In 2009, sexting back and forth is the new way to kick game . Weak dudes who would never be bold enough to ask you to do some wild shit in real life can now just shoot you a lewd text or BBM, and get away with it because they added a smiley face. (You know how much “bitches love smiley faces” © Gin Rummy). And these crazy ~~bitches~~ women (and some of you men, too!) are actually willing to put the goods out there, despite knowing how quickly and easily those things shoot around the internet. Just look at Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Vanessa Hudgens, Cassie and even Jamie Foxx!

Let me be clear. I don’t particularly have a problem with the idea of sending flirty messages back and forth. For some, it could be considered a form of foreplay, or a tease (work that sexy shoulder blade honey!). It’s more the sheer audacity involved in even bringing it up. I mean, if we’re trying to get intimate and the best you can do in terms of romance is a DM saying “twitter me a picture, let me see dat O-KAAAAAAY” with a smiley face attached… it’s a problem!* *(yes, even if it's from Trey♥).

I mean can a sista get a little poetry at least?

I can’t even wonder about the "good ol' days...” though, because I’m a cyber-baby myself. My first real relationship blossomed over MSN, even though we saw each other at school everyday! (Don’t judge me. It was grade 7!)

I’ve actually talked to people my age and older who interact better with their love interests via technology than in person, smh… In my opinion though, technology is a dangerous crutch, and the interwebz is no place for lovers.

Besides.. a cell phone vibration is no substitute for… well, you know…

But why are the songs dedicated to it all so damned catchy??

Until next time friends,

♥tdot

tdot rocks the T-dot!

2009-08-15T19:12:00.016-04:00

In a surprising twist of events, I actually did things this week!

I'm not typically a fan of the "today I did..." style personal blog, mainly because, I'm not really all that interesting. So, I won't bore you with the details, but I will say I had an absolutely awesome week that went something like: "blah blah Jamie Foxx concert blah blah blah BFF blah blah Condom Shack blah blah blah harem pants blah bad chinese food blah blah blahhhhhh FRIDAY!!!!

Friday was by far the longest and most exciting day of my week... After work, my bff Carol and I hit up the Opening Gala screening of "Black Dynamite" at the Toronto After Dark festival. I'd been excited about this movie since I saw the trailer last November and it absolutely did NOT disappoint! there are so many quotables in that movie it's impossible to recall them all, so I hope it gets picked up by a Canadian distributor so you can all experience the Mighty D, lol.. Either way, I will be the first in line to pick it up when it hits DVD!!!

After the movie, Carol and I strolled down to Revival to check out our first ever edition of Hip Hop Karaoke! This is an event that happens in Toronto every month, and has a HUGE following of 20-something hip-hop heads. It's something we'd been talking about going to for months now, and we finally decided this would be our chance, since Carol's going back to Waterloo in a few weeks... but when we got there, we realized that Torontonians take their hip-hop karaoke very seriously! *insert panicked faces here*...

In the end, Carol ended up punking out of performing "Check the Rime" with me, so I decided to be a "G" and perform one of my favourite songs to rap-a-long to when I'm feelin gangster...... "Nuthin' But a G Thang"

Do remember, this was my first time performing on stage and I was hella nervous!! I did win a prize, get a free drink, and get promised a love song by some random dude though, so I think it's safe to say I'll be going back next month :).

Lesson of the Week: The Tdot is a pretty damn cool place, if you're willing to try something new (which from this day forth, I shall!)

Oh, and, always have a Plan B to get home, in case you're ever having so much fun drinking and rapping that you forget the subway stops running at 2 am and are subsequently left stranded at Yonge/Lawerence.... yeah.

Until next time friends,

♥tdot

TheFruitfulHustle presents

2009-08-10T23:08:00.012-04:00

OBSESSED (A Groupie Movements Film)

Last week the "America's Most Wanted" tour rolled into town, and Drizzy came home for his surgery. Me being the twitter-fiend that I am, I just knew that Trey Songz was also gonna be in town, so some of my girls and I decided to hit up the "afterparty" at Circa Nightclub...

....It was ...ehhhh, what you'd expect out of a "celebrity afterparty" -- they come out for about 20 minutes to sit on stage and drink while their songs play in the background... there were also a LOT of kids there (well, kids to me, but I be thinkin' I'm grown and shit) so it was pretty lame for the most part... then againI really only went to catch a glimpse of mah boo, TreySongz ♥...

Finally, after about 3 hours of waiting around, pretending to enjoy the Black Eyed Peas/Flo-Rida set the dj's were spinning (WTF at that, btw)..... the man of the hour finally made an appearance .... YUUUUP!

*shawty where you at???*

I was honestly on some groupie shit that night, walking around in a miniskirt in a rain storm til 3 am when I knew had work at 9, but shoot... I just had to see Tremaine (yes, we are on a first name basis, in my heart) in person .... and why not? The man is gorgeous! (Note: I'm not too sure whether it's cool to refer to a man in those terms but eff it. That's what he is!)

I may not ever meet him (though I did almost touch his hand before I got bulldozed out the way by a DUDE!) but the video clip above should get me through the lonely times, at least until I find a suitable doppelganger.

Hopefully that happens sooner, rather than later.

Until next time,

♥tdot

When that Jones comes down...

2009-08-08T23:45:00.025-04:00

Rainy nights always have me on my Love Jones tip for some reason.

I think it's because of that scene in the movie where Nina and Darius are sitting in their respective apartments, thinking about each other as the rain falls.. they had just met up for the first time in weeks and, as usual, miscommunication led to complications between them and they weren't speaking. Then, just as Darius picks up the phone to dial Nina's number, he hears her voice...

Classic. I want a love like that.

Or like this:

Shoot, I just want to be in love, period. That line about waking up in a third world country and falling in love again in a different language literally had me clutching my pearls, like "dddaaaayyyyuuuumm!" (Seriously, that's what I did when I heard it). But like Savon told Darius at the pool hall....

"when that jones comes down... it can be a mothafcka..."

I know that's right.

Sleep tight tonight everybody,

♥tdot

EDITED TO ADD: I don't need a man, but..

"Light Skin vs. Dark Skin"

2009-08-07T23:52:00.025-04:00

Gather round, wit'cho black asses!

...based on all the typos and the Michael Jackson music in the background, is it safe to assume that this is just a really bad joke?

If I'm giving creators "nico & rod" the benefit of the doubt, I might suggest that this trailer is an aggressive satire on a very sensitive cultural issue. Perhaps a clever ploy to use social media to spark a global discussion on a subject that has plagued the black community since we left Africa. I mean, there's so much blatant ignorance here (from both the interview subjects and the creators) that it just has to be intentional, right?....

RIGHT?!

I tried googling "light skin vs. dark skin trailer" to find out wdfxup with this, but all I found was a couple of outraged bloggers.

I am thoroughly and officially confused, so gather round light skinned "bourgeoisie" and dark skinned "oonfufus", and let's discuss....

♥tdot

"Good Hair"

2009-08-03T18:32:00.011-04:00

Coming to theatres October 9.

“When Chris Rock's daughter, Lola, came up to him crying and asked, ‘Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?’ the bewildered comic committed himself to search the ends of the earth and the depths of black culture to find out who had put that question into his little girl's head!”

I love the premise behind this new documentary, because what father wouldn’t move heaven and earth to make his baby girl smile again?

HOWEVER… (c’mon, you knew this was coming….)

However, I'm hoping that the comedic slant of the trailer is just a hook to draw audiences in, and that there is a genuine education to be gained from watching. The way I see it, the issue of good hair/bad hair, and black hair in general is 20,000 leagues deep and deserves to be treated seriously.

Don't get me wrong, some of the crazy ish we do to/with/for our hair is hysterical (I'm still cracking up at Pepa claiming her lacefront cost $5,000... girl, please!), but at the same time, this is not just a little 30-minute stand-up at the Apollo. This documentary is set for national consumption, so while Rock is a comedian first, I hope he's not just out to crack jokes on black women.

As my friend Web pointed out the other day, North American society hasn't yet matured enough to where it can observe the habits and behaviours of some black people without applying them to all black people. I mean, there are still people out there who think Barely Educated Television (aka BET) is a legit representation of us as a whole! (and trust me, that is another blog post for another day! smh….)

Chris Rock has always been a comedian focused on intelligent observations and satire, so I hope he's taken that same approach with this documentary. I wouldn't want to see a full-length version of this foolishness:

(I mean was that last neck-roll really necessary? Ugh...)

So, what are your thoughts on the videos above? Let's discuss the wild, untameable topic of "black hair"! And if you're in Toronto, be sure to check out the premiere of "Good Hair" at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, running from September 10 - 19.

♥tdot

Caribana 2009

2009-08-02T23:53:00.019-04:00

Alright, I won’t lie and pretend like I’m the biggest Soca fan in the world.

In fact, if we’ve been to the club together, then you know that when those steel pans play, my ~~booty~~ body shuts down faster than you can say “bacchanal”...

However, this year I decided to put on for my city and venture out to Caribana 2009 to do some limin’ and wukin’ up in di streets.

Mother Nature honestly deserves a kiss on the cheek for being so darned co-operative this Saturday. The music and sunshine did sweet mi so much, I've actually been considering playing mas next year!¹

Now before you die of laughter, I

do have my reasons:

1. The Culture; Let’s face it, unless you’re half-dead, the sights, sounds and scents of the parade will wuk their way into your spirit and have you winin’ an carryin’ on bad with the rest of ‘em in no time!

2. The Costumes; I’m not yet familiar with the different bands, but I do recognize beauty when I see it, and I’m not just talking about the array of gorgeous plumes. Masqueraders of all shapes and sizes were out spreading good vibes and showing off their bodies, no matter how fit or fat. Don't get me wrong, there were definitely a few pot bellies and love-handles, but the beauty of it all is that nobody cared. As long as you can move yuh waistline, who cares about a little extra baggage?

3. The Challenge; I am, by definition, a shy girl: Slightly awkward and often apprehensive. By no means do I expect a one-day parade to cure me of these quirks, but my pre-game might! In order to participate the way I'd like to, I’m gonna have to join a band (= meeting new people), sport my costume (= showing more than a little bit of skin) and parade up and down the Lakeshore all day (= time to Socacize and get fit!)

¹ Please note that these thoughts may well be a residual effect of sun-drenched intoxication.

Right now, the notion of me playing mas is extremely hypothetical; more of a distant dream than an actual goal. Still, the fruitful hustle is about trying new things and figuring out what works for me. This could definitely be a worthwhile journey...

Who knows, by this time next year, you might see me jammin’ down di road in some Vincy colours! OH GOSH!!!

♥tdot

An Open Letter to Jay-Z...

2009-07-25T18:01:00.016-04:00

Dear Mr. Carter,

I have a confession to make: I am a fan of yours.

Okay, so that’s not too surprising; you’re a popular guy. But, I’m more than just a casual fan … I have all of your albums and actually believe you won the battle against Nas! I mean you’re Jay-Z, the Forbes list-topping, Beyonce-wifing, 30-plus trendsetting bawse.

But in these times, well at least to me, you’ve been skating by just off the strength of being Jay-Z. I mean, I can’t think of the last track you dropped that was absolute FIRE from start to finish, and this new joint? ~~“Live Your Life Pt. 2”~~ er, I mean “Run This Town”? *sigh..

click to listen to this audio *facepalm moment*

Despite features from mainstream heavy-hitters Kanye West and Rihanna, this song is almost completely unremarkable. Aside from Rihanna’s trademark yodel, the only standout part of the track is Kanye’s verse! Is this what you’re on now? Getting bodied on your own shit? Well, I won't boost, Kanye’s verse wasn’t really all that, but, the streets is talkin’ and it’s not sounding too good for you. What was up with the lazy flow? The weak ad-libs? Can you explain “all black everything, black cards, black cars, all black everything”???

While not your worst lead single (see “Show Me What You Got”), all this track did was confirm my sneaking suspicion that you have reached the "falling off" point in your career. This is the point where a veteran artist will typically jump on whom- or what-ever is hot at the moment, from popular acts to gimmicky singles, just to maintain a bit of relevance in a fickle industry (see LL Cool J). But I believe you’re better than this, Jay!

The fact of the matter is, it’s 2009 and we are ushering in a new wave of talented hip-hop artists like Drake, Big Sean, Pac Div, … and to a far lesser extent, Charles Hamilton… rap music is moving in a new direction now, and your usual habits of grandstanding and hyping up your status as “the best rapper alive” just don’t hold up anymore.

The good news is, you're not quite a hack yet. However, your bars are starting to look like Larry Holmes - flabby and sick - and it makes me wonder whether your heart just isn’t in it anymore where hip-hop is concerned?

You see, every artist has some obligation to their fans and to their craft. Yours is to defend your crown and remind us all just why you’re Top 5 DOA. I know you’ve got your hands in many different pots business-wise, and I can’t knock your hustle, but your musical legacy is being threatened by these wack singles and feature choices. I mean, MGMT, really??? When did the Mike Jordan of recordin’ ever need a pop single to get on?

I'm going to keep hope alive though. The Black Album is a classic, despite the awfulness that was "Change Clothes". With any luck, the rest of BP3 won't disappoint either. Show 'em how to do this, son!

With love and admiration,

♥tdot

P.S. Remember when you said that if you ain’t better than BIG, you’re the closest one? Well I'm gonna need an encore.

P.P.S. Nas still lost :)

It’s been a long time...

2009-07-16T09:39:00.019-04:00

...I shouldn’ta left you!

First off, my sincerest apologies to all those who’ve sent me emails and/or facebook messages that have gone unanswered! The last 3 weeks in Hong Kong were absolutely amazing and I found it especially difficult to devote more than 15 minutes to any one online task during those last few days. But now, I’m back home in Canada, and let me tell you, I am none too pleased about it!

Maybe my vocabulary is too limited but I can’t think of any better way to express how awesomely freaking fantastic my summer abroad was! I met so many interesting people, tried a lot of new things, and just basically lived life on my own terms. Overall, I'd say that the last 30 days have completely eclipsed President Obama’s Inauguration as the new "Best Time of My Life (so far)" …. wait, should I be feeling feel guilty about that? hah..

Anyway, I guess what I’m dealing with now is that frustrating combination of restlessness/jet lag/lethargy you feel after you get back from a brilliant getaway and you wish you could just live there forever while you adamantly refuse to accept that you’re back in the real world. I've actually been feeling somewhat awkward in my own home, and I haven’t really been able to eat or sleep since I've been back. I guess I’m missing the barely bearable humidity and the mystery meats of Hong Kong, lol… but seriously, there are a lot of things I will and won't miss about Hong Kong society, none of which I will get into right now as I’m running uber-late for work this morning! I shouldn’t even be online right now, I just couldn’t let another full week pass without keeping you up to date on my fruitful hustle.

My passport is all stamped up and looking lovely right now, and in addition to being in complete denial, I’ve spent the better part of this week fantasizing as to where I’ll head off to next.

So far I’ve mentally confirmed Jamaica for March 2010 and Lord willin, a graduation Eurotrip! I really want to go to France and Italy for a few weeks and just soak in the cultural atmosphere, then hop on the tube over to London to chill with some blokes and maybe swing by Amsterdam to check out the ~~greenery~~… er, I meant scenery, haha.

Question: What’s your dream destination and how much did you miss me (lol)?

The Comedown

2009-06-28T06:27:00.013-04:00

I wrote this entry on the train back to Hong Kong. It’s been 4 days in Guangzhou, trapped with my classmates, and confined to a rigourous routine of structured activities and never-ending dimsum lunches. All around me, all I can hear are the high-pitched squeals, whines and incessant babbling of these foreign people (my classmates) and all I can think about is buying a quarter pounder combo at McDonald’s and skyping home. The experience has been educational, but mainly frustrating, so I’m anxious to return to a slightly more familiar place.

I've become uncomfortably aware of the knot in my throat that always forewarns a good cry for me. If you watched my “Bon Voyage” video, you saw how I bawled like a baby before boarding to leave Canada. Surprisingly, I haven’t cried or even felt remotely homesick since then, but after 4 days of being stuck with an almost entirely homogenous group, with unfamiliar food and limited freedom (outside of cautiously venturing down Beijing Road one night), I’m ready (beyond it, really) for the comforts of home. .. home, home, not Hong Kong home. Oddly enough, I think MJ’s death is what did it for me. Being unable to discuss the impact of this loss, and unable to find anyone who truly understands the cultural significance of his career just makes me feel like crying. And not because I loved him so much… I just don’t know what else to do with myself. I guess I’m finally coming down from the high of living in this completely new world. It’s still amazing, don’t get me wrong, but it’s been 2 weeks and I think I’m due for a good solid serving of homesickness, heavy on the tears. A good cry always helps me clear my mind, anyway...

So I’m taking a course on the "Social Construction of Gender and Family in Asian Society" and the purpose of the trip to Guangzhou was for us to see what life was like in China, as compared to Hong Kong. Over the course of our visit we explored a number of organizations, including:

Wedding Street... exactly what it sounds like. A street with nothing but bridal-themed stores
An NGO that provides assistance and support to sex workers (they have a frighteningly high rate of AIDS in Guangzhou. Something like 20%!)
The headquarters of a community-based helpline that this awesome guy started after the death of his bestfriend.

He had 3 goals: try to make up for his past misdoings and overall thuggery, get fit, and find a good woman. (This last one is based on the fact that all of his best friend's ex-flames took his belongings and broke out after he died! smh...). Currently he is expecting his first child any day now with his wife :)
The Toyota Factory (very random, and not so interesting, especially because I couldn’t find a stealthy way to film) .

On the third day, we spent all of our time at the Qi Chuang Social Work Development Centre where we learned about some of the initiatives they have going to inform migrant workers about their rights, provide links to legal support and develop training programs to enhance their skills. Overall it was a very positive experience, and seeing how hard some people work for the good of their family members made me miss my fam even more :(. Nothing beats what happened that night though..

Dinner wasn’t too horrible, although we were right next to a restaurant whose menu specialized in “dog and donkey”… that’s when I learned that the Chinese have a policy when it comes to what’s okay to eat. To paraphrase: if its back is to the sky, it’s okay to fry! (seriously, that was the rule our tour guide told us)… our final destination for the night totally made up for it though…

The Chime-Long International CIRCUS(!!!) and it was amazing!!! I haven’t seen a show like that since Cirque du Soleil in 9th grade! The music, the lights, the live animals! I didn’t even think that was allowed anymore, but they surely did have two bears boxing, monkeys riding bikes, chimps jumping through fiery hoops (!!!!) and a lion, just sitting on top of a platform, roaring. Freaking awesome (though I do feel guilty about laughing at the monkeys… but cmon… they're monkeys!!!) All in all, I’d say it was a great way to end the trip.

What I'll Miss about Guangzhou: the swanky Hotel Canton, the cooler temperatures, and how every time we pulled out our cameras, street merchants would materialize from the shadows peddling their fake/stolen wares..

What I Won't: having no choice in food, the looooong busrides and the squat toilets (read: porcelain holes in the ground). I can’t believe I forgot to take a photo of one of these, but I must admit, I’ve never wished I owned a penis more than during those 4 days, smh. One toilet-like device didn’t even have a flusher.. just a bucket of water beside it… *insert me slowly backing away*..

Favourite Moments: Other than the CIRCUS(!), trying to figure out the lighting in our hotel room (3 minutes of your life wasted here), trying to figure out how to get the shower going (unfortunately no video, but that was an ordeal initself. We eventually resorted to dialing numbers on the bathroom phone and pressing the mosaic tiles looking for a secret button to get the showerhead to activate, lol), and of course, “Barbecue socks", lol.

For photos from the full 4 days, check my flickr.

Check out my highlight video of the Circus (!) here.

♥tdot

The Top 10 Things I've Learned in Hong Kong*

2009-06-23T10:01:00.009-04:00

*so far...

10. Shopping is THE national sport here. I must've been to 6 malls in as many days, and they're almost ALL name brand stores (Hello, Giuseppe Zanotti!)

9. You can almost literally walk anywhere. Just know that if you're going to attempt it, to be prepared for the hills. (your calf muscles will thank you the next time you rock some stilettos).

8. If you approach a stranger with a question, they will immediately (and conveniently) forget how to speak English and stare at you with a glaze in their eyes. Just walk away..

7. The voltage is different! This means that while your laptop will probably work without assistance, a curling iron will need a voltage converter. If not, you will burn your hair right off your head. Believe me, I know, smh.

6. EVERYONE delivers. Everyone. I had French toast and bacon for dinner 2 nights ago.

5. Iceskating in June is awesome! (see below):

4. When partying in Lan Kwai Fong, be sure to buy all your liquor from the 7-11… it’s much cheaper that way, and people do so much bar-hopping that nobody will ever know, or call you out on it.

3. Pizza Hut delivery here is like a bad sexual encounter with a guy you really like. You get excited at the prospect every time you’re about to be alone together. The anticipation builds, and you think, “this time, things will be different”. Then, as you slowly open up the packaging, you look down, only to be sadly disappointed with the size. Womp.

2. Corn is a regular topping -- on everything! (pizza included). You can also get a cup of corn as a side order at McDonalds (if you're into that sort of thing...)

1. The toilets here are cleaner than you. No. Really.

♥tdot.

A Father's Day Message...

2009-06-21T03:47:00.006-04:00

*Shouts out to my father, a strong example of what a real man is supposed to be, and who makes me proud to call myself a "daddy's girl"! <3

Sustenance

2009-06-19T08:56:00.008-04:00

Me on Lamma Island, dimsum lunch and dòufuhuā (豆腐花)

Today was such a fulfilling day...

I started my morning by skyping with the fam (btw, if you want to skype with me my username is tdotmarie), then some classmates and I ventured down to Lamma Island (aka paradise!) to enjoy a dimsum lunch by the waterside. Later on we decided to hit the beach and let me tell you, the journey there was absolutely amazing... tiny trinket shops at every turn, adorable children running around with no pants, and sticky sweet air... *sigh... priceless.

Eventually we met up with our prof (who lives on the island!) to discuss our papers while we cooled our feet in the water... later we headed back to a little cabana-style diner to have some sweet tofu (doufuhua) before heading back on the ferry.

Later in the evening, Caelin (my roommate) and I ventured up Pokfulam Rd (we usually go down) in search of a Pizza Hut. The road was long, perilous and tiring, but we found it! Pizza Hut gooooood....and if you're wondering why I'm eating Pizza Hut in Hong Kong... well... I like to mix it up ;p.

I'm sure I could elaborate on the day, but I'm hot and sweaty, and ready for a shower. Just know that today was a fulfilling day, though it basically revolved completely around food.

Sunshine (and tasty treats!) is so good for the soul..

The Search

2009-06-18T11:20:00.006-04:00

Alright kids, so as I explained in my last post, I had a horrible time trying to find an adapter for my laptop. I must've gone into dozens of stores in search of a universal North America to Hong Kong 3-prong adapter... ugh...

One afternoon, I even went so far as to follow the direction of a friendly Western (albeit complete and utter) stranger that I met in town into some random little mom and pop shop. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but I had told my friends to go ahead home without me. They hesitated a bit, but realistically we were only down the hill from our residence, and hey, their ice cream was melting. So we went our seperate ways, they up the hill, and me, down Belcher's Street.

The air on Saturday was thick and sticky, and after a full day of exploring the island, I was actually pretty exhausted. Couple that with my general impatience/annoyance with not having found what I needed... I'm just going to defend myself by saying, I may not have been in my right frame of mind(!)

The shop was easy enough to find, and I headed in eagerly, thinking I'd be able to grab my adapter and still be able to catch up with my friends. Then I spot him; the kind stranger who gave me the directions. Now when I stopped him, he was on his way into a McDonald's. When I saw him in the shop 5 minutes later, he had no meal in his hands. Also, how the hell did he get there before me?? Why was he in the electronics section?

As I hesitated on whether to leave the shop or not, he spots me. Shit.

Him: "Oh hey, I was waiting for you. I mean I'm kind of in a rush (really? I couldn't tell) but I just wanted to make sure you got what you needed."
Me: "Oh... thaaaanks.. (oh...crap...)"
Him: "Yeah, see you'd need something like this... (babble about electricity and grounding and prongs, etc)..."
Me: "Oh wow, you've been extremely helpful, thanks so much I'm going to go ahead and grab this!"
Him: "Yeah... but, you see, I know there's a better one. You know there's a shop just around the corner that probably has what you need."
Me: "Hmm... I don't know, I think I'll just try this one and hope for the best."
Him: "No no, it won't take long, it's right around the corner, let's go check."
Me: "Yeah, no... my ... my friends are waiting for me (*cough*liar!*cough*) so I think I should get back..."

Now this is where it gets weird. I was already creeped out by the guy and knew I wasn't being a savvy traveller by even being around this guy alone, but I decided to go anyway. Screw it, I wanted my damned adapter and thought I could handle myself. Don't judge me (and please, do NOT tell my mother!)

After having no luck at the other store, I walked out and had this odd feeling wave over me. A headline reading "U of T Exchange Student Abducted and Murdered in Hong Kong Alleyway" flashed in my mind, and so I hightailed it the heck out of there. (I am my mother's child, afterall). My "friend" didn't put up much of a fight (thankfully) and we went our seperate ways without incident. By this time I was sweaty, annoyed and more than a little anxious, which is when I decided to film that classy little video clip to vent my frustrations.

It turns out I had taken a wrong turn before heading up the hill, but in my haze I couldn't remember the way back. By this point, I was bloody well terrified and almost ready to cry. Almost. Thank goodness for broken English and the #23 minibus. I got home, took a shower and tried to forget the whole incident. I would have written about it sooner, but you know. No adapter, lol.

*****************

I write all this as a way of excusing myself for basically dropping the ball on this whole "travel blog" thing. I know some of you have been wondering about how I'm doing, what I've done, whether I'm getting along with my roommate, etc, etc..

Well, it's around 1:30 am on June 19 here, and I'm great. My roommate's awesome and kooky, just the way I like, and I've met a great group of people who are down for whatever most of the time. The semi-quarantine we've been on this week actually wasn't as much of a handicap as the humidity has been, but I'm getting used to both. Actually our quarantine ends tomorrow, so I'll be heading over to a tea house with my class and then maybe Hong Kong Disneyland!

If you've already read my previous posts, I'll let you know that I wrote all of them over the last 18 hours, so if they're a little passive it's because my memory is hazy. I just wanted to do a general catch-up so I could guys back on track with what I've been up to.

I actually have more stories and photos from the last few days, but I'm tired damnit, so look out for those either tomorrow or Saturday. Don't forget to comment and if you know of a place I should check out, let me know!

Swine Fool

2009-06-15T11:07:00.005-04:00

It's been a while, I know. Trust me, there is a legit reason for the delay.

First of all, I couldn't find an adapter for my laptop (apparently 3-pronged laptops are an anomaly in this country), so I was unable to post for a while. That was hardly the worst of my issues...

Do you guys remember James, the student on our flight who was detained by Hong Kong immigration?

Well, after we got home Saturday night, I got a late-night visit from one of the OSAs to inform me that James is in fact confirmed for H1N1, aka the swine flu. Now if you recall, HKU was already extremely paranoid about us bringing our North American pig germs over to their campus, and insisted we wear masks for our first 7 days in the country. Now that one of us actually had the flu, they are shutting us DOWWWWWWWWN!!!!!

Everyone on the group flight with James was sent to a special public health clinic to be checked out, and we are now banned from participating in any group activities including tours and classes for 1 week. Do remember: The reason I'm even here is to earn a full-year course credit in 1 month. We essentially have 16 classes and now we have to miss 4 of them. On top of that, I have 3 field trips related to my first assignment so needless to say, I'm p-i-s-s-e-d!!!

After spending the entire morning at the "Happy Village" health clinic we were well restless, so despite instructions to avoid "crowded areas" (really? in Hong Kong?) we asked the driver to drop us off in Central, where we ditched our facemasks and wandered aimlessly in search of food.

Now this is probably going to sound silly, but walking around the streets of Hong Kong today was basically like taking a stroll through Chinatown.. ordinarily, I wouldn't consider this a negative thing, except that lunch was McDonald's. You know I didn't come all this way to eat what I've got at home. I have got to do better. The search for authentic Asian cuisine continues..

Hong Kong - Day 3 in pictures

Monday was a far better day in terms of activity. We started off the day by piling into a couple of cabs to head over to the Wan Chai Chest Clinic for our health monitoring/daily Tamiflu dosage. After that, we explored the Wan Chai community a bit before hopping on the MTR on our way to Mong Kok.

Now, Mong Kok is supposedly the place to be! It's the home of all of the best markets (and therefore the best bargain shopping) in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, when you have a huge group of people, all with different interests and desires, it's very difficult to coordinate. We ended up going in and out of random electronics stores, only to find out that a lot of the electronics here are MORE expensive than back in Canada! Womp womp... I'm here for the clothes anyway.

Hong Kong - Day 4 in pictures

Hong Kong: Day 2 in Pictures

2009-06-13T06:30:00.007-04:00

Hong Kong - Day 2 in pictures

Day 2 in Hong Kong was full of activity. On top of our jet lag, my roommate and I couldn't bear the sticky heat in our room any longer, so we got dressed and headed into Kennedy Town to sight-see. Surprisingly, the residents were already up and bustling about, which made for some interesting shots (click the image above to view my day 2 photostream).

Later on, U of T organized a bus tour into Kowloon and the New Territories to give us a brief overview of the region. I'd just like to point out for those who don't know, Hong Kong is an extremely hilly region;

Narrow streets + Huge coach-style tourbuses and massive hills = Rollercoaster ride

Aside from the heat (which is damn near unbearable!) highlights of the day included a visit to the Chi Lin Nunnery which featured beautiful Buddhist temples. It was a bit awkward at first, because people were actually trying to worship while we snapped pics, but in our defense, the scenery was a-mazing; the contrast of old world religion, backed by gorgeous mountains and peppered with limitless apartment buildings.

After that we went down to the Hollywood Plaza for lunch, which is a huge 5-level shopping mall, featuring a fancy-shmancy Pizza Hut restaurant (according to our guide, "a fine dining experience").

The rest of the day was somewhat rushed unfortunately. We visited Wong Tai Hao Sin temple which was much more of a tourist attraction. We didn't spend much time there because in addition to the crowds and heat, the incense smoke was causing my throat to close up. Before we left however, I did participate in the "fortune stick" ritual (or game? I'm not; we were told it was just for fun but there were people inside the temple who were definitely serious about it). Basically how it works is, you enter the temple with a question or wish in mind. Once you are given a pot of fortune sticks, you kneel before the altar and shake the pot until one falls out, all the while concentrating on your question. The number on the fallen stick corresponds to the answer to your question; mine was 26, unfortunately we left before I could find out what it meant, so if anyone knows let me know!!!

We ended the day with a visit to the Hong Kong Museum of History. Museums are always interesting to me. I love to take photos and pose with the exhibits, but by the time I leave, I never remember anything. I will say that Hong Kong definitely has a rich cultural history that I can't wait to experience more of.

I've Arrived!

2009-06-12T05:47:00.014-04:00

Hong Kong - Day 1 in pictures

Well guys, in case you didn’t know and were terribly, terribly worried – I’m alive!!!
Yes, I survived the 16 hour flight, the uncomfortable airplane seats (Economy status baby!) and weird airplane food. They actually served us “Mr. Noodles” with chopsticks. lol…

The flight itself was surprisingly easy though, all things considered. I spent most of my time watching episodes of Mad Men (which is a great show, btw) and struggling to breathe through the industrial strength face mask we had to wear on the flight, on the insistence of Hong Kong University (because you know, Torontonians are hella foul!). We actually have to wear face masks for our first 7 days on campus to ensure that we don’t spread any pig germs around to existing HKU students.

Hong Kong is actually taking the H1N1 (aka “swine flu”) threat quite seriously, so we had to fill out a health information card and have our temperatures taken before we could proceed through immigration. It was all fairly routine though, and the precautions were perfectly understandable considering the stigma that SARS left on Asia's rep. Most of it was no big deal really, that is, until we realized we were missing a person.

*sigh* Good ol’ James… Everyone knew him, despite none of us actually having met beforehand, because he was extremely active in the Facebook group and just so darned excited for this trip! It would be his first time overseas, and his first time flying –period –

Naturally you might expect him to feel a bit of discomfort on a 16 hour flight! Well, part of the health information card listed “headache” as one of the symptoms of H1N1 and clever James decided to be more honest than was required and tick it off. As you may have guessed, James was immediately detained upon presenting his card to Hong Kong Immigration. Smh…

So, James ended up being sent to the hospital, and we continued on our way across Hong Kong Island to the HKU campus. Can I just tell you how amazing Hong Kong is?? Like, seriously, palm trees, skyscrapers and 88-storey apartment buildings!? A country of unusual contrasts to be sure, but so far it’s FREAKIN’ AWE-SOME!!! '

Reasons, Seasons, Lifetimes...

2009-06-09T13:45:00.009-04:00

You know that old saying about people coming into your life for a reason, season or a lifetime? Well, I ran across the quote recently, and with me about to leave everything familiar for 33 days, it got me thinking about where the people in my life really fit in…

REASONS

My current boss and mentor is someone who I believe came into my life for a reason. The call for the interview came just when I was at my wit’s end looking for a decent part-time job (with images of rusty stripper poles haunting my dreams)...

Although it wasn’t my first choice, working at my university’s Office of Advancement is just what I needed. In the 9 months since I started there, I have developed new marketable skills, new goals and a whole new confidence in my own potential, much of which I have to admit has to do with the motivational conversations and anecdotes I share with my boss. Before this experience, I hadn’t really thought much about the kindness of strangers, but it’s reassuring to know that there are still people in the world who believe in cultivating relationships and motivating others. I'm counting on this "reason" sticking around for a long time.

SEASONS

If there’s one thing I can predict about the weather, it’s that seasons will inevitably come to an end. Summer is just around the corner and this year, it brings the end of one of the most tumultuous “seasons” of my young adult life. I’ve been rained on, frost-bitten and sun-burned, and while my intelligent mind probably knew 3 solstices ago that this person wasn’t meant to be a permanent fixture, my foolish heart insisted otherwise. Things definitely did not turn out the way I hoped they would for us, but I have learned a thing or two from it (like, when he tells you 'you can do better', believe him!) and ... it was fun while it lasted, I guess? I don't know...

Alright, so maybe I'm not completely prepared for this season to be over, but whatever, I’ve been ready for sunnier skies.

LIFETIMES

Yesterday I held a small “Bon Voyage” dinner with a few friends (the ones that could make it on such short notice!) and it reminded me how much like a second family they are to me. I mean, where else can you go to get a good meal, a million laughs, a shoulder to cry on and a kick in the ass, whenever you need it? I’ve actually known these people for the better part of my life (and I mean that literally) and although we’re all fully functioning adults now (in the eyes of Canadian law, at least), each with our own goals, lives and interests, I am so impressed by the fact that we can still get together and enjoy each other’s company (even if it is once every few months).

I had such an awesome time just cracking jokes and sharing stories that I didn’t think too much about how terrifying the next 33 days are going to be for me. So here I am, with less than 8 hours before I board my plane to another country, another continent, another stage in life… here’s the lesson I’ll take with me (a.k.a. my Jerry Springer “Final Thought”):

When you meet people, you can’t automatically categorize them as a “reason”, “season” or “lifetime”, but trust that they will definitely show you their true colours and purpose as your relationship with them grows (or doesn’t). Just remember to keep your eyes, hearts and minds open to the lessons that each of them brings into your life, and be thankful for them, because even when their role hurts you, you will eventually see that it is for the best.

And when you recognize who your “lifetimers” are… just be sure to remind them (and yourself) how much they mean to you.

This is the only group pic from the other night, lousy lazy smokers and their blurry skills...

The What?

2009-06-08T02:02:00.016-04:00

So, what is the Fruitful Hustle?

The name of this blog actually came from a random tweet I posted one day, on my way to my dead-end, soul-sucking (albeit well-paid) part-time job at the time. Yes, the money was good, but I absolutely hated what I was doing, as it was completely meaningless to me. It may have just been crankiness that day, but what resulted from that mini-rant was a definitive "a-ha!" moment and lifestyle philosophy...

Now, if you don't know what an "a-ha!" moment is, clearly you're not watching enough Oprah :). An "a-ha!" moment is exactly what it sounds like: a moment of personal clarity where everything in your life suddenly just makes sense. For me, it was the realisation that I am not a person who is motivated by dollar signs alone (this might also explain how I've managed to avoid the stripper pole for so long, despite my crazy tuition fees). I now understand that what I do with my time, whether it be a relationship, hobby, part-time job or my career, has to mean something to me... if I can't connect with the purpose of a task or goal, chances are its not getting done.

To be on a fruitful hustle is to recognize who you are and what your talents are, and be able to use that knowledge to produce some good in the world around you (in my case, through positive personal relationships, strong faith, meaningful hobbies and a successful career). I believe that the choices we make in our lives have to go beyond just being able to buy out the bar at the club on a Saturday night, so I’m on a mission to lay the foundation for something that will actually still matter to me on Sunday morning.

thefruitfulhustle.blogspot.com is my platform to channel my thoughts and views on everything from politics to pop culture, society and relationships. I hope that my posts will springboard into some interesting discussions with my visitors, so if you like what you read, please comment and subscribe!

Who is Tdot?

2008-11-02T03:05:00.026-05:00

Blood, bones, heart & soul

Who is Tionie-Marie? Most of what you’ll need to know about me will be evident throughout the site, but basically I'm a 20-something year old soon-to-be university graduate with many questions and not enough of the answers.

I’m a bit of a social activist and a major pop culture junkie with a real interest in people. That means that I like to rant, analyze and voice my opinion on just about anything that interests me (it varies from day to day…). I like to know things, and feed my info-addiction on a daily basis in any way that I can: through blogs, videos, news stories, and sometimes, even real human conversation! I am also completely unashamed to admit that I often attempt to live vicariously through the characters in my favourite books & movies... What can I say? I’m a sucker for a happy ending.

Now with a BBA degree (almost) in hand and my teen years behind me, the endless days of 9-5 cubicle-sitting, spider-solitaire playing monotony loom ahead, but my dream is to find a life path that will fulfill me and somehow serve some greater purpose in the world.

A little ambitious? Maybe. But there's got to be more to life than broken hearts and student loans... right?

Armed with a laptop and a near-unhealthy addiction to social media, I intend to embark on The Fruitful Hustle and find out...

Read more about The Fruitful Hustle...

The Fruitful Hustle

2008-11-01T03:16:00.006-04:00

The what?!

Please note: I don't make any promises or apologies here, so take heed potential employers and/or future boos!

The Fruitful Hustle is about a journey: from an overly-cautious, blisslessly ignorant girl from Toronto to a bolder, more confident and thriving 20-something woman of the world.

The Fruitful Hustle is about a lifestyle: all the little things in life that lead to a healthy existence, like family, flaxseed and functional romantic relationships.

The Fruitful Hustle is more than “just another weblog”: it is a collection of thoughts, rants, opinions and reflections on everything from life and love in Toronto, to politics and pop culture, career successes and failures and whatever else happens in between.

“I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood.” – Audre Lorde

Learn more about tdot.