Va$htie Kola

    Literally the most amazing woman in the whole world. Well, in my opinion. She is talented, Beautiful, and a HUGE inspiration. Visionary Director, Party Producer, Style Maven, Lady of Leisure, Jordan 3 Villain, TomBoy Extraordinaire, Luxury Handbag Queen, Vintage Don, Fashion Addict and Art Nerd. This is Vashtie Kola, or as she is often called “Downtown’s Sweetheart.” With a friendly demeanor and uncanny ability in bridging the gap between underground cool and industry mainstream, Vashtie can take a meeting with cigar chomping execs and chill with graffiti crews on the streets of the East Village in New York City, where she currently resides.
   Born and raised in Albany, NY as the youngest of three children of Trinidadian parents, Vashtie moved to New York City in 1999, when she attended The School Of Visual Arts in Manhattan to study directing/cinematography.
   In 2006, she was asked to re-vamp the company of Island Def Jam as Director of Creative Services. Antonio “LA” Reid, president of Def Jam, said she would be “the one to keep the building cool, someone in tune with downtown cool and pop mainstream.” The corporate work environment took its toll on Vashtie. She found her creative expression was stifled. In 2007, she left her job at Def Jam to once again pursue her directing career.



  She has directed music videos for Solange, KiD CuDi, Justin Bieber and more. This woman is literally my idol. She has her website http://www.vashtie.com/, youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/vashtie#p/u, as well as a twitter page http://twitter.com/#!/vashtie and her newest Tumblr http://vashtie.tumblr.com/. On her Tumblr blog she posted:



So this is a message to all photographers out there ! This is a wonderful opportunity.

Outfit of the week

I bought this dress from H&M and wasn’t too sure where to wear it. i decided to pair it with a pair of chucks to make the look casual. Then I went to the park. I finished this look with a vintage bag from GoodWill.

Talk about oops!

Last night was the 11th annual BET Awards. Now in my opinion there were way too many performances, The show went nearly an hour over, it was just far too much. Aside from that it was enjoyable. But what really stole the show was this moment:


Contest winner Tiffany Greene had the chance to announce the winner of the viewers choice award. The winner what was on the tablet, which was BET's alternative to using envelopes this year. Tiffany read the winner but looked up to see that the teleprompter said something completely different. What's awkward and hilarious is the whole Chris Brown/Rihanna thing. But it turns out that Chris Brown actually did win the award, the teleprompter was wrong or the person in charge of the teleprompter rather. I believe that this was a little prank and the contest winner was in the middle of it

My Samsung SL600 camera !

  My camera/The camera I've used to take all of the pictures on this blog and record all of my videos. I actually won this camera in a contest at school. It was almost like a godsend because I've been wanting a digital camera and I won it about a week before my birthday. It is great. There's a mode for nearly every setting, such as Landscape, Portrait, Beach/Snow and more. You can edit the photo size, quality, resolution, everything. This camera came with a disk which had a photo-editing program called intelli-studios. The program allows you to edit your photos like most programs. Although, it is limited, compared to programs like Photoshop or the website Photobucket. But it has the basics. The program automatically saves new pictures on your camera(or memory card rather) to your computer in separate folders according to the date they were taken. As well as opens the folders within the program for easy editing. Here's some additional information on some of the features:

Zoom lens reflex cameras (sometimes referred to as ZLRs, megazooms, ultrazooms, or bridge cameras) are designed to be an intermediate step between compact digital cameras and dSLRs. They are larger than compacts but offer more versatile manual controls and lens systems, including greater zoom capability. Unlike the typical digital SLR, they do not have interchangeable lenses, but filters and adapters can be used on many megazoom cameras. The sensor size in this type of digital camera is smaller than in a dSLR, which limits the range of ISO settings.
When using handheld cameras at slow shutter speeds, or with high optical zoom, image stabilization (aka anti-shake) will help with capturing sharper images. There are two types of image stabilization, optical and electronic. Electronic, or digital, stabilization works by shifting pixels within the image frame to interpolate sharpness. Optical sharpness is attained by physical movement within either the camera body or the lens element, which compensates for handheld shaking. Of the two, optical is generally considered more favorable by most photographers.

Read more: http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/samsung-sl600-red/4505-6501_7-33998278.html#ixzz1QVcS5LtI

I have not used any other samsung products but I highly recommend this one. It is convenient, compact and easy to use. There is no hassle or struggle. I love my camera and you will love it too ;) lol.

Outing of the month: PRIDEFEST !

Now lets start with my outfit. This shirt (which I've posted about here) promotes the fight to stop bullying, The sneakers go perfectly. I wanted to carry a handbag rather than a shoulder bag which would cover my shirt or a backpack which I would have to constantly remove from my back to put things in it an take things out. Luckily the Ed hardy bag worked. I was ready for my day. What is most important about Pridefest in NYC this year is that this past Friday the bill to legalize Gay Marriage in New York was approved. Definitely an iconic moment for my city, so of course a lot of people came out to celebrate and there was tons of excitement. It feels as if I am part of a revolution, a fun revolution lol. I didn't get to see the actual march/parade but I was there for all the festivities, performances, and over priced food ! I saw a lot of people with wonderful outfits, t-shirts, and nothing but rainbows. I took as many pictures as I could of me and my friends and of course other things that caught my eye. Think of this post as a picture diary of the event:

The audience

The best pic I could get of the march

My friend Vanessa's t-shirt

More people

I really liked her outfit, and she wasn't the only one half
naked Lol

There were a few people giving out free hugs

This shirt is epic

My aunt, and two of her friends

a man dressed as wonder woman

Also, there was a performance of one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite musicals. Seasons of love from Rent.:


Overall I enjoyed myself greatly, i had a lot of fun. and I am proud to say that I am a New Yorker !

To be black and conscious in America is to be in a constant state of rage.
                                                                       -James Baldwin

    The other day I stumbled across this quote literally right after I was thinking it. I didn't exactly word it this way on my head, but I was thinking "I hate my people". Now, not necessarily hate, but every time I turn on the television or go on the internet and I see minorities doing ridiculous things it makes me sick to my stomach. Also I notice that my peers complain about things of that sort, very often. Which is not good at all. People are constantly going to be stupid/ridiculous or just something you don't approve. I know everyone has an opinion, this whole blog is based on mine, but if you keep posting, tweeting, and blogging about what "grinds your gears" you will forever be angry. I am conscious, but I can't let things which I cannot control get to me, or at least I try not to. Anyway this was said by American novelist, writer, playwright, poet, essayist and civil rights activist James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987).

Another Saturday night

So when I was younger whenever I'd go somewhere with my grandmother we had one CD player a splitter and two pairs of headphones and were practically forced to listen to Her Sam Cooke CD. Which is how I know and love this song which I based my little movie on. Here I am Bored and alone in my room and "Another Saturday Night" by Sam Cooke has some relevance.

Teaching myself how to do Box Braids

   As you probably already know, the hairstyle I have now and have been getting for a while is box braids. Also I run a blog dedicated to the style and other styles just like it on iloveboxbraids.tumblr.com/
    I already know how to braid, but not with extensions. This morning I decided to teach myself :).

Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveils bill to legalize gay marriage in New York State

 

   The Assembly Wednesday passed a bill to legalize gay marriage while Senate Republicans battled over whether to let the measure come to a floor vote.The measure passed 80-63, the lowest margin in the four times it has been approved by the Assembly since 2007.The fate of the bill is still up in the air in the GOP-controlled Senate, where 31 senators are on record as supporting it - one shy of the 32 needed for passage.
Senate Republicans discussed the issue behind closed doors for four hours Wednesday. Saying they were unable to decide how to proceed, they were scheduled to continue the talks today. But as of now the talks are still unresolved.
    "For too long, same-sex couples have been denied the freedom to marry, as well as hundreds of rights that other New Yorkers take for granted," Cuomo said."Marriage Equality is a matter of fairness and legal security for thousands of families in this state - not of religion or culture."
The long anticipated proposal requires the same legal rights for same-sex couples who marry as heterosexual couples. And it prohibits local clerks from nixing marriage license applications from gay couples.
In hopes of attracting key Senate Republican votes, Cuomo's bill also offers exemptions from anti-discrimination laws to religious groups and affiliated organizations. The bill also specifies that no clergy would be forced to perform marriage ceremonies for gay couples.
    Gay marriage bills have cleared the Assembly three times in previous years, but has never passed the Senate.
This year, 31 senators, including one Republican, have committed to supporting the measure, meaning one more vote is needed.
   Cuomo's move came hours after New York's top Catholic sought to slow momentum toward a state Senate vote.Sources said those who oppose the bill were split over what the Senate should do.Some senators argued against bringing the measure to the floor.Others are said to have pushed for a floor vote to get the issue off the table in time for next year's elections as the GOP tries to maintain its slim majority.
    The legalization of gay marriage in New York now falls squarely on the shoulders of Republican state senators. Who are under intense political pressure from the important Conservative Party and internal polling that shows growing, but not necessarily majority, support for same-sex marriage.

                 Information courtesy of: http://www.nydailynews.com/ , http://online.wsj.com/

   This morning while checking out the news and weather app on my phone an article about gay marriage caught my eye. i just skimmed the article and realized that Gay marriage was not yet legalized here in New York so I just went on with my day. While surfing the web I saw a post which said Gay marriage is legal in the US, I was confused, so of course I googled. I found three articles on the subject.
   I feel that gay marriage should be legalized. From the information I read, I agree with Cuomo's bill and I feel it is fair. I was shocked to read that bills to legalize gay marriage have been cleared three times in the past but still not approved by the senate. I literally cannot see what the problem is. Why is that one person unsure? May be childish of me to ask such a question, but valid. It makes no sense. I've never understood why gay marriage was illegal to begin. It only shows that this nation was based on religion and still is.

New Yorkers' Thoughts on Gay Marriage

I hate this new trend of referring to women as Kings, like "King B" for Beyonce. We are women trying to be empowered not women trying to be men.
Men are kings and Women are Queens. I see what this is going for but don't be ignorant.

Look of the week

I thought this had a little bit of a hippie vibe with the headband but overall a great summer look. (as you know) I went shopping on Tuesday and this is what I wore:

I wanted to do something a little different with my hair so I decided to wear this headband. I also wanted to go with a semi-hippie look, so I worked with what I have. I think the flats give a nice pop of color to this simple outfit. The peasant shirt is from old navy, the shoes are from payless and the bag is vintage coach. Here are a few more photos:

 

 

Finished the look with Pepsi in a glass bottle, extra vintage ;D lol.

Outing of the month: for the month of May

I hadn't really done much but last week Tuesday I went to the movies. & what did I see you ask?

Well The Hangover Part II of course


    Funny story, I almost did not get to see the movie. My friend could not buy two tickets to the film because you have be 21 or over to buy more than one ticket to a rated R movie (crazy I know). I wasn't able to buy my ticket because I do not have ID. So the woman who worked their told us to ask a man on the line to buy my ticket but he looked creepy, so I asked an older woman. She was very nice, her exact words were "I don't know about these movies, because another movie that came out was about sex, it was almost pornography. It was like wam bam thank you mam and thats it, but thats not what sex is about. They shouldn't be teaching children this in movies, thats not right... You kids seem intelligent though, so I'll buy your ticket". (I assumed the movie she was talking about was No strings attached). This woman was such a sweetheart, and there was truth to exactly what she said. Our youth is very influenced by pop culture, we want top be the people on TV. We emulate what we see, and what we think is good. just watch pretty woman and tell my you don't want to be a prostitute walking down sunset blvd. after watching that.

   But anyways, the movie.. It was HILARIOUS. The Hangover (part 1) was very funny and just an all around good movie. A good plot, truthful,  funny, as well as a mystery. A couple of guys go to Vegas, wake up the next morning completely hungover with no memory of what happened the night before and their friend is missing. not to mention, the missing friend is the one who's getting married the following day. The film was pure comedy and throughout the film us as the viewers also have no idea where their friend can possibly be. Part II is exactly the same but ten times better. It was not like a repeat of the first one, although the story is very similar. In part two the go to Thailand because another friend in the 4 is getting married to Thai woman and the wedding is being held there. This time the man who was lost in the first movie was not hungover with the crew and did not get lost, he was fine, however they lost one of the friends' future brother-in-law. There are little occurrences in this film that you will notice match up with the first film perfectly. The hangover part II was the definition of a "Part II" the definition of a sequel. This film is brilliant. If you haven't seen it yet, I definitely urge you too.

V is for Poetry.

“V is for poetry” is an organization in NYC that promotes the awareness of:

Flyer for the first event.

• Rape
• Domestic Violence
• Female Mutilation
• Child Abuse
• Purity
• Lesbian Rights/Homophobia
• Racism
• Economic Justice
• & AIDS

.....through poetry, dance, music and art

This organization reaches out to women all over the world of different cultures, backgrounds and ethnicities. It is a group that uplifts the image of a strong and virtuous woman. The V stands for Vagina. Which is a women’s temple of purity, reproducing and emotion. But what if the vagina could speak? What would it say? What stories would it tell? Those very stories can vary from a woman in an abusive relationship to a little girl who is secretly molested. This organization was created to bring these issues to the light and help put a stop to it.

Inspired by: The Vagina Monologues (Eve Ensler)

A friend of mine was promoting this organization on Facebook, and I was curious. I find it to be pretty interesting, I've heard of The Vagina Monologues and I think that it is very good that it has inspired others. I will not perform but I will be attending the event.

If you are interested please visit the website : http://visforpoetry.blogspot.com/

About my day

I got out of the house ! Things didn't quite go as planned buuut whatever. Lol



Heres the site I talked about: http://brooklyn.about.com/od/shoppingservices/tp/Brooklyn-Thrift-Shops.htm

Man Down

    The music video for pop star Rihanna's newest single "Man down" off of her latest album "Loud" premiered this past Tuesday, and there is a lot of controversy surrounding it. In the video she is harassed and seemingly raped by a man after leaving a party. The following day she goes on to shoot and kill him.



It is discussed in a Jamaica Star article:

Barbadian singer Rihanna has come under fire locally and overseas for her recent video Man Down which was shot in Jamaica.
The singer shot the video for the reggae-inspired song in Portland in April, which premiered on BET on Tuesday. Since its premiere, social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have been blazing with comments from persons who were not pleased with the content depicted in the video.
The Man Down video opens with Rihanna shooting her male lead, Pulse model Oraine Barrett. The video rewinds to show the events leading up to the dramatic shooting. In the video, Rihanna is seen having fun in Portland mixing and mingling with persons before going to a party in the night where she encounters Barrett. The two dance suggestively before Rihanna leaves the party and is followed by Barrett. What follows next is an implied sexual assault as the singer is seemingly raped.
Before the video's premiere, Rihanna released a behind-the-scenes teaser. "I've always wanted to do a video here. Man Down is just a song that you can't do anywhere else. We need to be authentic," she said, adding, "You can't get any realer than Jamaica."
Yesterday, on her official Twitter page, Rihanna commented about the video saying, "Young girls/women all over the world ... we are a lot of things! We're strong, innocent, fun, flirtatious, vulnerable, and sometimes our innocence can cause us to be na•ve! We always think it could never be us, but in reality, it can happen to any of us! So ladies be careful and #listentoyomama! I love you and I care!"
In 2009, singer Chris Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault charges after an altercation with then girlfriend Rihanna.
In America, according to www.abcnewsgo.com the Parents Television Council is condemning the video, saying it depicts the singer in an "implied rape scene with a man whom she later guns down in an act of premeditated murder."
premeditated murder
Melissa Henson of communications and public education for the PTC in a news release said, "Rihanna's personal story and status as a celebrity superstar provided a golden opportunity for the singer to send an important message to female victims of rape and domestic violence. Instead of telling victims they should seek help, Rihanna released a music video that gives retaliation in the form of premeditated murder the imprimatur of acceptability."
Along with the PTC, media justice Think tank Industry Ears, the Enough Is Enough Campaign are also blasting the video. They have since called on BET and its parent company Viacom to stop airing the video.
Locally, persons were not happy with the result of the Jamaica-filmed video. According to most persons on Twitter.com, they believed Rihanna should have filmed the video in her home country. Singer Tessanne Chin expressed on Twitter, "I don't appreciate it when artistes come inna fi mi country and depict straight BS in dem videos! Go a yuh owna country go film dat not here!!!"
Another person commented on Facebook, "You know, seriously, way to shed more negative light on Jamaica. Why di hell she never go get harassed in Barbados. There was so much controversy when Drake released the video for Find Your Love, I think the name of it is. So many people had so many degrading things to say, and here she comes. And once again it has to b in ... where else? The beautiful Jamaica."
The video was directed by Anthony Mandler, who has shot many videos for the singer. Mandler was in Jamaica last year where he shot Drake's Find Your Love video which came under fire for its depiction of the island. The director later defended the video as being 'art' not meaning to present a negative image of the island. 

http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20110602/ent/ent1.html

   I hadn't noticed the correlation between Rihanna's Man down video and Drake's "Find your love" video, until reading this article. I do not, however, believe that either video shines negative light on Jamaica. They're music videos and they both tell stories. I feel that the Man down video is important, and its real. I do not understand why anyone would have a problem with it. Lady GaGa and Beyonce can kill people in a diner for fun and no one says anything(in the telephone video), but Rihanna kills a man because he raped her and its a problem. This makes no sense. I feel that maybe it is fear. Maybe it is that rape and murder are two things that we just don't speak about, although they are happening everyday. This shows that America is a two-faced country. We say one thing but do another, so many things are "frowned down upon" but those are the things that are getting out of control.
  I like both the man down song and the video, and I don't see what the problem is.

Yo, why they say never say never, 
when they know that ain’t right?
Cause to never say never, you done said never twice
                                                             -Mos Def(The Question)