Today I am one of the featured bloggers on Bloggers.com !

   I've posted about bloggers.com here. But for those who are unfamiliar with the site, it is a social networking site for bloggers. You set up an account and link you blog(s) to it. Each time you update your blog(s) the new posts show up on your profile as well as the dashboard of your friends and followers. So far I've only gained a few friends and followers but being that I am a feature (on the homepage) today I've gained so much more.


I am sooooo very excited about this. I'd like to thank everyone for supporting me and my blogs!
See more great bloggers & blogs on http://bloggers.com/ !!

Can black people be racist?

Well here's what youtube personality Jerry LaVigne jr. says:




    Now, I get what he’s saying but I do not fully agree. I feel if you dislike a race, you are racist. Your hate for a whole race is discrimination. You are generalizing a group of people. You are not oppressing that race but you are certainly racist. Black people are not racist but there are racist black individuals. I feel if Jerry worded this differently it would make more sense. What he is saying is that Black people can be racist against whites but we cannot oppress whites.

Strike a pose with Christian Siriano

I went to the event I posted about and got my photo with designer Christian Siriano! I went with my friend Aliyyaa http://luvyourselfsomeesteem.tumblr.com/. Here are a few photos of the wait. (which wasn't very long at all

me

Aliyyaa

The line inside

And Here are our photos with Christian Siriano!!

He was sooooo nice! and he complimented my shirt ^_^. While walking to Columbus circle, Aliyyaa and I found a large sculpture of some sort and decided to climb on it. lol

See more photos from the event here:   http://www.facebook.com/payless 

10 Day Thought Provocation Challenge

[Day 09]: Why was is that in a lot of different cultures the men always used to come first and never the women?

    It's the whole hero/golden boy thing. Like the theory, when a man saves a woman's life and she falls in love with him. Men are usually the ones with the strength/physical power and the ones who go out and get the food. Men are the protectors and that role get more praise than the roles women usually play. Such as the provider and caregiver. Just the way it is. Now, of course things are changing.

Quote

This represents everything I'm always talking about. Own up to your responsibilities! If you're a murder say "I am a murderer" Don't just stand there with a knife in your had, blood on your shirt, with a confused look on your face. I mean that figuratively, because there are murderers with serious mental disorders. But yea. OWN IT!

10 day all about me challenge

Day 1: List your first and last name. List your birthday and your favorite year celebrating it. 

• Kearah-Armonie (I'm not putting my last name) 
• My Birthday is October 31st (Halloween) and I've had a lot of great birthdays but so far my favorite is last year, my 18th birthday. Because I went Trick-or-treating for the first time with my bestest friend and family.

I was Nicki Minaj

Book Review of "Tar Beach" by Faith Ringgold

     Faith Ringgold teaches the importance of imagination in many ways with the story book Tar Beach. This story is about the summer nights when a young girl’s, Cassie, family would picnic, party, and sleep on ''Tar Beach'', the roof top of their apartment. Cassie is an eight year old girl who imagines herself flying over her neighborhood, Harlem. The young girl describes in great detail what she sees, how it feels to fly, and what she wants. ''I will always remember when the stars fell down around me and lifted me up above the George Washington Bridge'' Cassie begins. While flying, she makes her dreams come true. Everything she flies over she claims to be her own, including the union building, so her father can be allowed to join the union. This book shows that imagination is very important by showing that while flying Cassie is set free. It shows children that they can be anything they want to be. As Cassie learns, anyone can fly. "All you need is somewhere to go you can't get to any other way. The next thing you know, you're flying above the stars."

How to put Cowrie beads onto your hair!

   If you noticed in my most recent photos, I have cowrie/shell beads in my hair. I put them in a couple of weeks ago and have attempted at creating a video tutorial but it just hasn't worked out. So I decided to create a photo slideshow on which I narrate step by step how to do it. So, FINALLY, I give my tutorial "How to put Cowrie beads onto your hair"!! :



   I know it's very short, but that's the best part! It's THAT simple. Thank you for watching, I hope to have inspired you :).

Christian Siriano shoes at payless!

Christian Siriano (born November 18, 1985) is an American fashion designer. Siriano first gained attention after winning the fourth season of American reality show Project Runway, becoming the series' youngest winner. Shortly after winning Runway, Siriano launched his fashion line, Christian Siriano, which as of 2010 has brought in revenue of over $1.2 million.On December 4, 2008, it was announced that Siriano had signed a deal to design a line of low-cost shoes and handbags for Payless Shoesource with products to be available for retail in Payless stores in Fall 2009. Siriano's line at Payless expanded in 2011, when he signed on to release four collections for the chain annually, including a higher priced "Gold Collection."



Here are a few items from the gold collection

these are my favorite!

    I LOVE this collection, prices start at $60.00. This is expensive to me but for all the shoes lovers out there who spend hundreds of dollars on one pair this is perfect for you! The shoes are great and relatively affordable.

  Christian Siriano is hosting an in-store event for fans to strike and pose and get their photo with him tomorrow September 26th from 5:30pm-7:30pm. At 716 Lexington Ave. at 58th Street, New York, NY, 10150. Attendees will also get a look at Christian’s new expanded fall ’11 Payless collection, including an assortment of shoes and handbags, and be able to shop all the latest fall styles from Payless. I don't know if I'm going but if I do I will definitely post all about it.

10 day thought provocation challenge

[Day 08]: At what point are we ‘good enough?’
When we feel fully content and happy with ourselves. When we feel that we are good enough, as individuals.

I LOVE Box braids has reached 1,000 followers!!!

I am so excited.


http://iloveboxbraids.tumblr.com/

10 day all about me challenge

10 DAY ALL ABOUT YOU CHALLENGE

Day 1: List your first and last name. List your birthday and your favorite year celebrating it.

Day 2: Write five things that not many people know about you.

Day 3: Create a list of your favorite things to do when you’re off from school.

Day 4: Write your outlook on drugs and alcohol.

Day 5: Discuss how you feel about homosexuals.

Day 6: Tell your followers how you do your makeup.

Day 7: Write about the person that means to most to you.

Day 8: Write your favorite book or movie and explain why.

Day 9: Describe your favorite outfit.

Day 10: Vent. About Anything. Let it all out.


So you could totally learn more about me =]. I'm gonna do them once a week.

Outfit of the week

The best time to wear a vintage sweaterrrr is all the time! The weather was quite confusing yesterday but this outfit was suitable. Because I wore the large sweater, I didn't have to wear a jacket. The body-con skirt is a cute and simple addition. Skirts like this one are ideal for all womens’ wardrobes. I love the way this outfit of the week came out, I feel it is well put together.

DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE

Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.
                                         Edith Sitwell

Blog Radar! "Black Girls Killing It"

http://blackandkillingit.com/ is a photo blog which posts photos of beautiful black women who look good! Whether its the hair, outfit, head to toe-the women on this blog are indeed killing it! Tumblr i all about photo blogs now-a-days and all about what looks good. Also, fashions blogs are taking over. But this is not only a fashion photo blog, this blog uplifts black women of all nationalities, backgrounds, shapes and sizes! Here are a few photos on the blog

There is much more where that came from on http://blackandkillingit.com/

I'm making a documentary !

For this blog, I've always had ideas for short films/documentaries but I'm serious about this one. I base the term "Bohemia" off of this scene from The play/film RENT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czJHTEeEJmU& . If you are in the NYC area and interested, contact me =]

Urban Word

   Founded on the belief that teenagers can and must speak for themselves, Urban Word NYC™ (UW) has been at the forefront of the youth spoken word, poetry and hip-hop movements in New York City since 1999.
   Urban Word NYC believes that free self-expression - matured in an enhanced critical literacy environment - improves selfconfidence and strengthens educational achievement for NYC’s inner city youth. We promote active literacy, critical thought, and positive social dialogue across boundaries of age, race, class, gender, culture, and sexuality. Our many workshops are designed to enhance critical thinking skills, leadership, and to ignite a personal commitment to growth and learning which leads to heightened inschool performance, and greater interest in pursuing higher education.
  I discovered Urban Word  a few months ago and have gone to a few of their events. One of which being the Brooklyn Open, which is a monthly open mic at the Brooklyn public library at Grand Army plaza.
Here is one of their feature poets, Timothy DuWhite, performing his latest piece "Set it off"



Find out everything about Urban Word NYC at http://www.urbanwordnyc.org/

10 day thought provocation challenge

[Day 07]: Why do we say “I’m sorry” when a person passes away? What exactly are we sorry for? 

  I don't know. I've never said it, because I wasn't taught that way. I wouldn't say "I'm sorry" because I didn't do anything and I wouldn't say "I'm sorry to hear that" because then it sounds as if I didn't want them to tell me. Usually when someone tells me that their family member has passed away I'm either silent(because I have no idea what to say) or I ask if they're alright and try to say something encouraging. Saying " I'm sorry " just doesn't make sense to me.

Swagger Jacked!

    As you can see this outfit is inspired by an outfit Chris Brown wore a few months ago. I wear my harem pants with these sneakers pretty often, but I wasn’t sure what to wear up top. Then it dawned on me. Chris Brown is one my favorite celebrities. I love him and his ever changing style. This look is appropriate for the weather and is very chill. Not long before I wear it again… I guess that makes me a swagger jacker and an outfit repeater!

The opposite if war isn't peace, It's creation!
                                             -La Vie Boheme, RENT

La Vie Boheme from the movie RENT

"La Vie Bohème" (French: the Bohemian life) is a song, which is broken into two parts ("La Vie Bohème A" and "La Vie Bohème B"), in the musical Rent. The song is a celebration of bohemianism, especially the type present in the 1980s Alphabet City, Manhattan, and begins with a mocking of the character Benny's statement that "Bohemia is dead" [1]. In between the two halves of the song is an interlude featuring a romantic duet with Roger and Mimi ("I Should Tell You"), during which they each learn that the other is HIV+ and tentatively decide to begin a relationship together. In the stage musical, the second part of this song opens with a brief dialogue between Maureen and Joanne in which Joanne tells of the riot in the lot. The song then continues with the celebration of bohemianism from the first part of the song. Like the first part, the second part of La Vie Bohème lists many ideas, trends, and other symbols of bohemianism. It is a song featuring the characters of Rent holding a toast to bohemianism and shouting out what inspires them.

The FAQ of I LOVE Box Braids

I get asked a lot of the same questions over and over again on my blog I LOVE Box Braids. So here is our FAQ(frequently asked questions) =]


What to do to the ends of my braids? There are many options but the most popular (&what I do) is to dip the ends in boiling hot water. You could put them in curlers or leave them straight.

 How much hair do I need for the super long thick waist length Janet Jackson/Poetic Justice/Solange inspired/Patra braids? At least TEN packs & do not cut the hair in half

 What styles to do with my hair?/ How do I do one of those buns? I will automatically direct you to click our "Videos" tab http://iloveboxbraids.tumblr.com/tagged/video Most of the videos I've posted are tutorials of different styles as well as helpful tips.


 Do you know any good places in (your city here) to get braids? NO I do not. Sorry. I live in Brooklyn, NY and I go to one place in Bed-Stuy called Nene's hair Braiding. If you're in the NYC area I suggest you go there because the prices are cheaper than anywhere else I've checked. Also I hear that places in Harlem are good. Other than that, I cannot help you. Try yelp.com, that site has reviews of businesses/shops and what not.


 What are good prices for braids? It all depends on where you go. If you want long Janet Jackson braids they'll probably cost $150+. The place I go to doesn't even do them large but for the length would be $120. I paid $100 for my hairstyle now. To get a good price call multiple places and tell them exactly what you want and ask there prices for anything. See if you can haggle. Also ask friends/colleagues/ or any random person you see with a hairstyle you want.


 Which style is better/last longer? In my opinion Braids last longer but twists are more classy there are a lot of styles to choose from. Click our "Specific Styles" tab then click the link to photos of the style you want to see. Make sure you look at all the photos just to see if you really like the style and if it's what you really want.


 How do I take care of my hair? I always say Oil your scalp daily and wrap your hair every night. When your edges/new growth start to grow in brush them up each morning. Also use hairspray. I recommend olive oil. Another tip is to use a silk scarf/head wrap. Cotton bandannas adsorb the moisture and dry out your hair. Also wear a shower cap in the shower. again, check our videos tab :).

Did you get my submission? YES I get all submissions and add them all to the queue if you do not see them right away, wait.. Do NOT submit the same photo twice. Click the "Submissions" tab to see all submissions.

 What are other hair blogs you follow/like? My faves are
http://fuckyeahnaturalhair.tumblr.com/ 
http://hi-imcurrentlyobsessed.tumblr.com/
and http://fuckyeahdreadlocks.tumblr.com/ :)

9/11 Tiles memorial

   Photos I took of the 9/11 tiles memorial in Greenwich Village during Pridefest. I heard of this memorial but never knew what it was, then stumbled across it while walking around.

   Tiles for America began on September 12, 2001. In the aftermath of the tragedy, crowds gathered in large numbers in front of Saint Vincent's Hospital, located at the corner of 7th Avenue and 11th Street. This was the hospital that was prepared to receive the thousands of survivors that many people were hopeful they would be. Lorrie Veasey, owner of OUR NAME IS MUD, also located on 11th Street, began to create what she hoped would be an inspiration to recovering victims. From raw clay she fashioned approximately 5000 small angels and American flags, which she and friends attached to a fence that faced the hospital on September 14. The angels and flags were attached with ribbon, and before two weeks had passed, most of them had been removed from the fence. Lorrie is a member of an organization called the Contemporary Ceramic Studio Association. They have a web site with a bulletin board where "Paint Your Own Pottery" studios correspond with one another. Studios across the USA were understandably horrified at the events of 9/11 and eager to find a way to help. The idea of a tile memorial took hold, and soon studios all across the USA held individual fundraisers in which tiles were created for the NY Memorial. Soon, case upon case of tiles began to arrive. Studio owners often drove through the night to bring their tiles to the site (such as Patti Bowman from Glazenfyre in Virginia Beach VA-who drove up with 1500 tiles), and many studio owners worked in freezing weather to install them, (Most notably Deb from Garden City Doin the Dishes and Meredith from Art and Soul). What was once a small section of fence has grown to encompass more than a full city block. Approximately 6000 tiles now hang on the Memorial. Most CCSA studios have participated in some way, and tiles have also been received from Europe and Japan. Word has also spread through the clay community, and the Memorial has received several hand made unusual tiles from prominent ceramic artists.

For more/clearer photos go to : http://www.flickr.com/photos/16403464@N00/1882402896/

The importance of children's books

Just thought I'd share another essay with you, from my children's literature class. The Importance of picture books:

     The picture book form of children’s literature is very important for childhood development.

The most important aspect is word association. Just reading words at young age can be

confusing, especially when starting a new book which may have larger words.  Pictures in books

help children to easily identify and recognize nouns and verbs. Another importance of picture

books is that they are attention grabbing. Children, especially at younger ages, are very visual

and animated. Books with bright colors and photos interest children more. The connections made

by children when introduced to said books are the identification and entertainment aspects.

Colors, sounds, animation and comedy all give children the fun circus feeling. The youth is

attracted to what catches their eyes initially and what strikes their interest afterwards. Picture

books are a child’s gateway to the love of reading. Once their attention is grabbed and is

continued to be grabbed the child is sparked to read more and will gradually grow out of picture

books without noticing. 

September 11, 2001

   I was 8 years old about to be 9. In the fourth grade. I went to catholic school, My class was just leaving church that morning crossing the street to go to school and I saw black smoke in the sky. I assumed a building was burning down not to far from us. Then nothing. We learned nothing in class and a large amount of children were picked up early from school. I can't quite recall what my teacher told the class but either way, I didn't understand. I went home and saw new coverage of what happened and was in complete awe. Over the years all I knew was what the media told me. To this day I still have no idea why any man would attack a nation like this. I have no idea what George Bush sr. did to offend Afghanistan or anyone in the middle east. To this day I am confused but more hurt than anything. Thousands of innocent people were killed and I will never forget.

Later on this week, I am going to watch "George Bush: the 9/11 interview" and give my opinion on it.

Man in the Mirror

"When you close your heart, you close your mind".

 The song speaks for itself. This song has some relevance to my life right now.

Art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.

Outfit of the week: Hello Fall

   
     I am in love with this look. Today was a rainy day, the start to a lot of rain coming in New York. But I didn’t let the water cramp my style. I've been dying to wear that skirt but I didn’t have anything to wear it with, this outfit instantly popped into my head this morning. While every else was wearing sweat pants I was CHIC on my rainy day. The top, the skirt, and the leggings go so well. Not to mention THE BOOTS. I’ve worn these boots a few times before but the look so good with his outfit. This look has a preppy/girly feel as well as a punk rock feel, I’m not quite sure what exactly to call it but it works :).

See more of my photos at http://chictopia.com/kearmonie

Book of the month!

  I know I didn't have a book of the month for July, nor August but hey... it was summer. Now I'm in schoool and I'm reading, on my own! I downloaded the Google Books app onto my phone and started reading The Scarlet letter.

  The Scarlet letter is an 1850 romantic work of fiction in a historical setting, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston during the years 1642 to 1649, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an adulterous affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Throughout the book, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.
I've heard of thios book, as well as the movie adaptation, but I've never read the book... nor have I seen the movie.

  So by the end of this month, whether I am finished reading it or not, I will post all about the book and how I feel about it. For all my readers who read, you should be excited. Stay tuned.

Blog Radar!!

Women with golden words. http://storiesofgold.tumblr.com/

    A blog based on the beauty, culture, and presence of women of color. This blog brings it's followers the art and expression of women thorugh photos as well as writing. Women with Golden words is just getting started, Here's a sample of the photos this blog has to share:

 

 

There is much more where that came from at http://storiesofgold.tumblr.com/ !! Please Check it out! Thank you.

College!!

I just started my 3rd semester of college a week ago. I plan to incorporate things school relate into this blog. Things like essays, events, or topics that come up in class. I am taking a Children's literature class and our first assignment was to answer the question "Are moral lessons provided in childrens literature meant to teach life lessons or individual resposibility. Here's my essay:

    The 20th century introduced us to a wide range of Children’s literature. This literature includes a wide range of stories, themes, and lessons. There is always a message being conveyed through these stories and lessons to be learned, that pertain to the everyday life of children. Moral lessons depicted in children’s literature are to teach us about individual responsibility as well as general life lessons. At times stories may tie in both means of teaching in one. For example stories about firsts or new adventures express the individuality of the main character and can teach valuable life lesson along the way.
    Most children’s books share lessons that teach individual responsibility. This theme is most commonly found in “coming of age” stories. A coming-of-age story is a story in which the main character experiences new adventures, challenges, and/or obstacles in his/her growth human being. An example of a coming of age children’s book is Junie B. Jones and the stupid smelly bus written by Barbara Park. Junie B. Jones and the stupid smelly bus is a funny story about a young girl just starting kindergarten and the experiences that come along with. One of her most prominent experiences is riding the school bus to and from school. The first time Junie B. rode the bus wasn’t enjoyable, therefore, throughout, the whole story she spent her time trying to avoid taking the school bus. Eventually Junie B. learned how ridiculous she was being and that she was going to have to deal with taking the bus, she had also made a new friend to take the bus with. Individual responsibility is a very important lesson to be learned especially at a young age, in order to be respectful productive citizens of society. The life lesson taught is that change is inevitable but growth is intentional. Junie B. had to experience change and learn to grow on her own.
    General life lessons are almost always taught in children’s books, whether directly or indirectly. In these books there are stories to be told and experiences to be shared, as the main character learns the reader learns. In few cases the lesson or moral of the story is plainly stated but in others it can be interpreted. The significance of life lessons in children’s stories is that they can be learned from anything. For example there are multiple life lessons to be the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz written by L. Frank Baum. Nearly every is familiar with the wizard of Oz but many may fail to realize the lessons to be learned from this story. The most important/obvious lesson is that there is no place like home. Dorothy originally wanted to leave home but once landed in Oz all she wanted to do was go back home to her family. Being away from home taught Dorothy responsibility and not to grow up too fast. This teaches children that running away is never the answer and that in the end everything will be alright.
    Children’s books express both individual responsibility and general life lessons. A prime example of this is the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. In the first novel of the series, Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone, orphan Harry who is raised yet poorly treated by his aunt uncle discovers that he is a wizard. Harry’s parents were killed and Harry survived. Throughout the series Harry attends Hogwarts School of wizardry and, with the help of friends, goes on several epic journeys to discover his own history and defeat the dark wizard who had killed his parents. Individual responsibility is great deal for Harry. Harry has a lot of weight on his shoulders after a while; many are depending on him to defeat the dark lord. But, the life lesson taught in the series is stay true to friends. Harry has a lot of allies helping him throughout the series and at times he may have been under the impression that they were all solely protecting his life. His friends were helping him to protect all wizards and Hogwarts.

Feel free to give me feed back. :)

10 day thought provocation challenge

[Day 06]: Give your 20 favorite songs - why do you like each one?

1. I would die for you- Prince
2. I will always love you- Whitney Houston
3. Lady in my life- Michael Jackson
4. Ashin' Kusher- Kid Cudi
5. That's all I ask of you- Raphael Saadiq
6. Your Body's callin'- R. Kelly
7. Hair- Lady GaGa
8. Wanna be startin somethin'- Michael Jackson
9. Sex me- R. Kelly
10. Just Good Friends- Michael Jackson
11. Christmas came today- Chris Brown
12. Cosmic Journey- Solange
13. Rude boy- Rihanna
14. Cold Case Love- Rihanna
15. Human Nature- Michael Jackson
16. These Worries- KiD CuDi
17. All falls down- KanYe West
18. Beat it- Michael Jackson
19. The way you make me feel- Michael Jackson
20. New Day- KanYe & Jay-Z

I LOVE each of these songs for the lyrics as well as the song itself. The each give me a feeling I cannot explain. These are all my favorite artist of all time.

Summer's over

    Labor Day always marks the end of summer but this outfit seems to be the last "summery" outfit I'll wear to school for a while. Of course, though I try to avoid redundancy, I am a t-shirt and chucks kind of girl. I'm wearing  little miss sunshine t-shirt and my favorite shorts. I don't often wear these sneakers, which was my min reason for wearing them. I carried the cardigan with me in case I got cold due to air conditioning or the constant/random breeze. I don't know if it's just New York weather but one minute you're cold and the next you're burning hot! Always carry a cardi. This look is simple, cute, and very appropriate. I love this look.

The West Indian Day parade

aka The Labor day parade, is an annual celebration held on American Labor Day (the first Monday in September), in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. This event attracts between one and three million participators. The spectators and participators watch and follow the parade along Eastern Parkway. I went today. My mother is from Jamaica so I had to represent. Here's a video/photo slideshow I made of the event:



 and here are some photos I took:

 Overall, I enjoyed myself. My feet are hurting but I am glad that I had fun and got home safe :). See more about my outfit here http://chictopia.com/kearmonie
Here is a song played constantly at the parade which everyone knows word for word, "It's Carnival" by Destra: