“Happy Christmas!” I said to my co-worker as he left the office for the holidays.
“Merry New Year!” he replied.
We both chuckled.
Prior to this exchange, we had just discussed reasons why people wish others a happy birthday, a happy thanksgiving, and a Happy 4th of July, but for Christmas, the same people will wish you a Merry Christmas. He posed a reason that helped elevate my mood and put things in perspective.Read More »
Life sucks.
Jobs are lost. Boyfriends break up with you. Unwanted pounds creep up on you. Schools turn you down for admission. Bosses overlook you for promotions. Loan companies do not forget your phone number (no matter how much you try to avoid them). Bills pile up. Friends get married and forget about you. Diseases occur. Death snatches people away too soon…
But in the midst of these terrible moments, we have to remember that everything – the good, the bad, and the ugly – occur to benefit us. These things occur to make us better than we were yesterday.Read More »
It’s the can’t eat. Can’t sleep. I want you. But can’t have you. You’re no good for me. But I can’t live without you. Can’t sleep without hearing your voice. It’s the – hate you cause we’re not together and miss you terribly when we’re apart. It makes you angry and sad. Happy and mad. Embarrassed and joyful. Exhilirated and humiliated. Insane and clear. Fun and dull. It’s everything in between and everything it’s not. It still is. I miss you but I’m happy we’re apart. I miss you but I’m sad that we’re apart. I miss you but I’m relieved we’re apart. I’m sad but I’m happy. A concotion of human emotions that should have never been present in the start. The same thing that makes you say I can’t live without you makes you say I can’t live with you. We’re no good for each other. What’s the point. And that’s my take on Crazy Stupid Love.
My birthday is on Friday and as of July 25th, I will have approached the tail end of my twenties.
My initial reaction was to feel sad. Older cousins, friends, and co-workers have always told me, Your 20’s are the best decade of your life. Enjoy it! Don’t do what I did and get married. Get your education now before you acquire more responsibilities. And I have taken these words of wisdom to heart and have fully embraced every aspect of my 20’s: the high points, the low points, the confusion, the heartbreak, the freedom, the fun times, the excitement, the happy moments and overwhelming moments.
But like the saying goes, All good things must come to an end, and this second decade of my life has truly been one of those good things.Read More »
Nothing made me smile harder today then the walk I made through my alma mater, Spelman College, today. It empowered me; it inspired me; and it encouraged me to pursue my dreams with even more energy and intentionality than before. I love my College. The professors, my classmates, the administrative staff has helped mold me into who I am today and for that, I am eternally grateful.
Going on a date was the only item left on my bucket list during my senior year in college. It was Spring semester of my final year and all other items on my task list had been checked off. Now, if I could get this one checked off, I would have left feeling pretty accomplished.
We worked in the school bookstore together. Ever since my first day working there several months ago, he always showed me extra attention. It was quite obvious that he was interested.Read More »
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough”
“I feel like a grown woman, now,” I told my girls on my most recent birthday, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”
“For what?” they asked.
I started…
“Ain’t nobody got time….”Read More »
On this blog, I discuss my journey towards self-acceptance and high self-esteem. One of the quickest way to gauge self-esteem is to rate self-respect. An indicator of self-respect is one’s ability to say “no” when needed. It’s only the 16th day of the new year, but it seems as though 2014 will teach me how to say that two-letter word.
For a people pleaser like me, the consequences of telling someone “no” is something I fear. What if the person rescinds their friendship? What if I am no longer perceived as a “nice” girl? Or, better yet, what if I feel guilty afterwards.
At first thought, these fears appear valid. No one wants to be perceived as a jerk. I want to have as many friends as possible, and guilt is a companion that no one wants to live with. But what I have failed to realize until now is that saying “yes” to every request will only make me unhappy, bitter, and a doormat. Thinking of it this way makes saying “no” more appealing.Read More »
Some years ask questions, while some others provide answers. For me, 2013 posed a lot of questions: Do I like my current career? Should I change careers? Am I happy where I am in life right now? Or shall I change that too? Why am I no longer friends with someone I used to be close to? What are my next steps? What was the point of going through such challenges? It is my prayer that 2014 will provide some answers for my questions.
At the same time, 2013 wasn’t a bad year. There were some ups and there were some downs. There were challenges, but there were some lessons. There were some accomplishments and there were some setbacks.
Ain’t he cute?
He answers to the name of Olubankole Wellington. But I call him Banky W.
He is a Nigerian R&B artist.
He has a beautiful voice and impeccable dance moves too.
Don’t believe me? See for yourself:
Jasi – Banky W
Yes/No – Banky W
Feeling It – Banky W
Omoge Too Much – Banky W
Strong Ting – Banky W
Lagos Party – Banky W
I was 9 years old when CrazySexyCool hit stores in 1995. For a little girl with aspirations of being a singer, TLC had a major influence on me. I’d watch MTV while singing their songs at the top of my lungs. One day during a sleepover with my closest friends, we dressed in baggy jeans and mid-drift revealing tops and sang and danced to “Creep.” I can’t believe that was almost 20 years ago.
CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story not only made me a bit nostalgic for the 90’s, when fashion was colorful; Left Eye were condoms on her eye; and wearing baggy jeans were sexy. But the movie also inspired me. The movie portrayed a story of how three young ladies blossomed into beautiful and strong women, who overcame numerous struggles. From Chilli’s relationship struggles, to Left Eye coping with her father’s death, to T-Boz’s determination to win her battle with Sickle Cell Anemia, I found something tender about each of the members that I could identify with. Read More »
According to the life goals that I set for myself at the age of 16 years old, I am a drastic failure. I should be married with one child; have a PhD in clinical psychology; have my own mental health practice; make $85k per year; and drive a Mercedes-Benz.Read More »
Did You Read My Blog?
Prior to starting Scribbles & Tostitos, I started another blog called YaaYaaWrites. Call it an introduction, if you will, to the world of blogging. I was ecstatic and proud of my hard work. I e-mailed the link to close friends and relatives and anxiously waited for feedback. [Cue the sound of crickets chirping here.] I’m proud of you! Was the only response I received and it was from my mother who is required to think I’m the best in whatever I do. I’d ask people “Did you read my blog?” Their response fell into one of three categories
“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
Dear Yaa,
You are an awesome woman. I admire your ability to give of yourself – time, resources, listening ear, advice, sympathy, support – to others freely. I admire your ability to write. Your blog is outstanding. Your ideas are creative and your style of writing is unique. I appreciate your gift. I love that you want to grow. I admire that you want to have a healthy, fulfilling, relationship with a man one day. And I know he’ll appear in your life soon. When you see him, you will appreciate him because he is everything you hoped for.Read More »
Contact:
Daniel Epstein, Founder, Unreasonable at Sea & Unreasonable Institute
+1 (312) 505-2247, www.unreasonableatsea.com, daniel@unreasonableatsea.com
For Immediate Release:
UNREASONABLE ENOUGH TO CHANGE THE WORLD
By: Kobi Ansong (Kobi.Ansong@gmail.com)
Atlanta, Georgia – June 2, 2012 – Take a group of brilliant tech entrepreneurs and world-class mentors, throw them on the world’s fastest cruise liner, and circumnavigate the globe. Sound unreasonable? Good.
In Spring 2013, a grand partnership between Unreasonable Institute, Semester at Sea, and Stanford’s d.School will give birth to Unreasonable at Sea. The program will take a group of technology entrepreneurs to 14 international locations including Japan, China, India, South Africa, and Spain.
Only ventures that have the potential to solve the world’s greatest social and environmental challenges will be selected. Unreasonable at Sea will open doors for participants to expand their ventures internationally. In each port, they will explore economies and form key relationships with top government officials, venture capitalists, and serial entrepreneurs.
Daniel Epstein, 26, is the founder of Unreasonable Institute and Unreasonable at Sea. His experiences abroad with Semester at Sea as a college student changed his perspective forever and led to the creation of the Unreasonable Institute. Now, his program has come full circle and returned to the place it began.
From the rickshaw taxi drivers of India to the street vendors of Ghana, entrepreneurship sustains people across the globe. Epstein began to see the world through the lens of an entrepreneur while on Semester at Sea.
“When you get off at the ports and you walk through the streets, you realize that everybody is an entrepreneur,” said Epstein.
Unreasonable at Sea holds an unwavering conviction that entrepreneurship will solve the world’s grand challenges.
“When entrepreneurs look at problems or challenges, they see solutions and opportunities,” said Epstein. “I think that’s the type of thinking that we really need.”
George Bernard Shaw once said, “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable on persists to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
Unreasonable entrepreneurs may apply at http://www.unreasonableatsea.com.
A few months ago, as part of my orientation to become a counseling and testing volunteer at a local HIV/AIDS clinic, in Atlanta I attended a seminar entitled “HIV 101.” Physicians, researchers, HIV/AIDS advocates, and others affected by the virus shared recent developments on HIV vaccines and other topics such as how to advocate on behalf of HIV patients and the obstacles persons living with HIV encounter in Atlanta and all over the country. Some people even shared personal stories about how they have lived with someone with HIV.
While listening to the personal discussions, I couldn’t help but notice the following:
Stigma is ubiquitous
Scribbles & Tostitos 