25 Random Things About Me

Alright you FB fanatics...don't act like I'm the only one who got sucked into this. Here goes:

25 Random Things About Me

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

1. When I was a little kid in the waiting room at the doctor's office, unlike many of the "normal" kids who were drawing pretty pictures whenever there was a chalkboard around, I chose to do long division instead.
2. I am the youngest and only girl in my immediate family.
3. Last Friday, I was in NYC at a party in Manhattan and Pdiddy, JayZ, Qtip, Raekwon the Chef, Busta Rhymes, Grand Puba, and Dawn from Danity Kane all came to party with us. It was not a planned event, or a fancy venue. They just came to kick it. We had a good time.
4. I attended Journalism Camp when I was a sophomore in HS, and placed first for feature writing.
5. I am super emotional, and even when I act like things don't bother me, they really do.
6. I know everyone's secrets, because everyone feels the need to tell me their secrets. I probably know enough secrets to get someone killed, divorced, fired from their job, and separated from their loved ones. It's crazy. That's why I'll never tell.
7. I played the violin for 2 years, the flute for 4 years, and soccer for 7 years.
8. When I was 9, I really thought I was going to meet Jordan Knight from NKOTB and that he was going to ask me to be his gf. I created the fantasy and reran it over and over again in my head until I realized it was all a dream.
9. I am really addicted to texting and checking the internet on my phone. Thank God my bf trusts me, and never asks why I'm on it so much.
10. I probably talk on the phone more than anyone you'll ever meet (maybe?).
11. Sometimes when I am alone, I can literally sit there, doing absolutely nothing, and stare off into space for an hour or more just thinking of all kinds of different things. This is a lot of the reason I'm late all the time.
12. I'm always running late.
13. I'm originally from Stockton, CA and once despised living there. Looking back, I'm thankful for growing up in a place that was often close-minded, ghetto, and humble. It taught me street smarts and how to appreciate the simple things in life.
14. We used to hang out on a levy back in high school near the marina in Stockton because that's the only place we could drink, smoke, kick it with our homies, and do numerous other things at the tender age of 13, 14, 15...and so forth.
15. I went to my first rave when I was 14 years old, and to this day have never experienced anything like the rave scene in the mid 90s.
16. I'm 5'0, and I can eat as much or more than a 6'5", 200+ lb basketball or football player. Don't get it twisted.
17. I've lived in San Francisco/Daly City for 10 years and only lived in one house the entire time. This year will only be my 2nd time moving in my entire life since I moved out of my parents house when I was 17 yrs old.
18. I am very close to my family and have a tight knit group of friends who I have been eternally blessed with. Everyday, I thank God for having them all in my life. No joke.
19. I can type really fast, 100WPM+
20. I used to care about the "scene" and all the people I knew/know, and these days I really care less. Those who are true have stepped forward, and those who aren't have stepped back. Scenesters really bother me these days, but I think I may have been one in a past life.
21. I'm a scorpio, a very deep thinker, got straight A's my entire educational career, but have a really hard time figuring out how to open things, or put things back together.
22. I want to have a kid in the next few years.
23. My ultimate dream is to travel the world. I'm halfway there.
24. When I was in 7th grade, I typed all the lyrics to Del's "Catch a Bad One" on my typewriter so I can memorize the entire song. I still memorize the entire song.
25. I am a diehard old skool hiphop fan, and a music fanatic. And I don't feel the need to dress, act, or recite lyrics to prove it. It just lives in my heart.

Social Change, or Social Change?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/4347472/Poor-parents-of-Slumdog-millionaire-stars-say-children-were-exploited.html

Slumdog child stars miss out on the movie millions

Their roles in Slumdog Millionaire have won them international acclaim and seen them rub shoulders with the film's glamorous stars and its British director.

By Dean Nelson and Barney Henderson in Mumbai
Last Updated: 10:34AM GMT 27 Jan 2009

But the reality of life for Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail is far closer to that of the characters they play in the story of love, violent crime and extreme poverty in India.

The child actors' parents have accused the hit film's producers of exploiting and underpaying the eight-year-olds, disclosing that both face uncertain futures in one of Mumbai's most squalid slums.

Slumdog Millionaire has won four Golden Globes and is nominated for 10 Oscars. It is on its way to making hundreds of millions of pounds in box office receipts.

The film's British director, Danny Boyle, has spoken of how he set up trust funds for Rubina and Azharuddin and paid for their education. But it has emerged that the children, who played Latika and Salim in the early scenes of the film, were paid less than many Indian domestic servants.

Rubina was paid £500 for a year's work while Azharuddin received £1,700, according to the children's parents.

However a spokesman for the film's American distributors, Fox Searchlight, disputed this saying the fees were more than three times the average annual salary an adult in their neighbourhood would receive. They would not disclose the actual sum.

Both children were found places in a local school and receive £20 a month for books and food. However, they continue to live in grinding poverty and their families say they have received no details of the trust funds set up in their names. Their parents said that they had hoped the film would be their ticket out of the slums, and that its success had made them realise how little their children had been paid.

The children received considerably less than the poor Afghan child stars of The Kite Runner, who embarrassed their Hollywood producers when they disclosed that they had been paid £9,000.

Rubina and Azharuddin live a few hundreds yards from each other in a tangle of makeshift shacks alongside Mumbai's railway tracks at Bandra. Azharuddin is in fact worse off than he was during filming: his family's illegal hut was demolished by the local authorities and he now sleeps under a sheet of plastic tarpaulin with his father, who suffers from tuberculosis.

"There is none of the money left. It was all spent on medicines to help me fight TB," Azharuddin's father, Mohammed Ismail, said. "We feel that the kids have been left behind by the film. They have told us there is a trust fund but we know nothing about it and have no guarantees."

Further down the tracks, an open sewer trickles past the hut that Rubina shares with her parents, older brother and sister. Her father, Rafiq Ali Kureshi, a carpenter, broke his leg during filming and has been out of work since. "I am very happy the movie is doing so well, but it is making so much money and so much fame and the money they paid us is nothing. They should pay more," he said, wafting away the smoke from a nearby fire. "I have no regrets. I just had no knowledge of what she should have been paid."

His daughter has been overwhelmed by the glamour of her experience and idolises Freida Pinto, the screen beauty who plays her character as an adult, with whom she attended the Indian premiere of the film last week ."I want to be a star like Freida," she said. "I am going to ask Danny-uncle (director Boyle) to take me to London and be in more films."

A Fox Searchlight spokesman said: "The welfare of Azhar and Rubnia has always been a top priority for everyone involved with Slumdog Millionaire.

"A plan has been in place for over 12 months to ensure that their experience working on Slumdog Millionaire would be of long term benefit. For 30 days work, the children were paid three times the average local annual adult salary. Last year after completing filming, they were enrolled in school for the first time and a fund was established for their future welfare, which they will receive if they are still in school when they turn 18.

"Due to the exposure and potential jeopardy created by the unwarranted press attention, we are looking into additional measures to protect Azhar and Rubina and their families. We are extremely proud of this film, and proud of the way our child actors have been treated."

Last night, Mr Boyle and the film's producer Christian Colson defended their arrangements for the children.

In a written statement they said that that they had "paid painstaking and considered attention to how Azhar and Rubina's involvement in the film could be of lasting benefit to them over and above the payment they received for their work". It added: "The children had never attended school, and in consultation with their parents we agreed that this would be our priority. Since June 2008 and at our expense, both kids have been attending school and they are flourishing under the tutelage of their dedicated and committed teachers. Financial resources have been made available for their education until they are 18. We were delighted to see them progressing well when we visited their school and met with their teachers last week."

A "substantial lump sum" would be paid to the children on completion of their studies, the statement added.

Imeesita Old Skool Pick: Treats for the Kiddies (indeed)

January 2009

It's been a crazy, busy month folks. My horoscope predicted and recommended travel for me this month, and that is exactly where I've been.

Tahoe, Vegas, New York, Qtip, JayZ, Diddy, Grand Puba, Busta Rhymes, Raekwon the Chef, Dawn from Danity Kane, DJ Premier, and Tortured Soul all in one month.

Updates and pics very soon.

"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America" - Barack Hussein Obama

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers ... our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

From a Father to his Daughters

WASHINGTON (AFP) – In an open letter to his young daughters, US president-elect Barack Obama said Thursday that he entered the race for the White House "because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation."

"When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me -- about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world," Obama said in the letter published in Parade magazine, a weekend newspaper color supplement.

"I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfilment in yours. In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation," wrote the soon-to-be Dad-in-chief.

Obama's wish-list for children includes challenging and inspirational schools; equal opportunity to go to university, regardless of their family's financial standing; and well-paid jobs with benefits such as health care and a pension plan that will allow them to "retire with dignity."

The 47-year-old father of Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, said he wants to "push the boundaries" of discovery to encourage the development of new technology and inventions that improve lives and protect the environment.

And he spoke of his vision of a United States that has reached "beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other."

He would strive to send young Americans to war "only for a very good reason", trying first to settle differences with other nations peacefully.

"These are the things I want for you -- to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world," wrote Obama.

"And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure," wrote Obama, who on Tuesday will move into the White House with his two daughters and wife, Michelle.

My Muse

He was truly a rebel in disguise...yet he always believed in peaceful, yet impactful revolution.

"We should really love each other in peace and harmony, instead we’re fussin’ n fighting like we ain’t supposed to be " - Bob Marley

Reminiscing

I have never been one of those people that keeps friends around only when its convenient. My palette of friendships have spanned years and years of memories. My oldest friend I've known for 22 years. And I'm only 27. I guess that's why it comes as such a reality check when I look back just 4 short years ago, and the people I thought were friends, rather than lifelong, turned out to be for just a mere "session" - maybe out of mere convenience. Who knows? Whatever the case...I started looking at pics of where everybody is now, and feel a little saddened. LOL...maybe because I'm rarely the one doing the letting go.

We had some GREAT times...no doubt. Funny, that's the beauty of time. You have to savor it like an unforgettable flavor or a captured moment. I definitely look back and am thankful for the good times, but feel complacent knowing they were only meant to be in my life when they were. Maybe we'll cross paths again someday.

Or not.

And we meet again...

What better way to start off the new year...

Vegas - Jan 11-13: Affiliate Summit, Booth 317 - come visit us! www.revenueloop.com

NYC - Jan 21-25, Location: Manhattan, BK, and the BX!!!!!!!!!!

Come see us!

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