Barack Obama - Dreams From My Father

It's quite timely that I finished this book, just as Obama marked 100 days in the White House. I did tune into the Newsnight special which tried to pull and prod at every last detail of his tenure worth analysing for an hour...and while I might have been a bit simple to expect anything more colour (although, the shots of the bluesman at a Chi-town club was a cute attempt), I much preferred the aspect this book gave me of the good man, a brother trying to establish his identity and his place in the word.

Personally, it had me thinking about of lot of things...purpose, my life, Africa, helping those in need...the things that drive me to action and the things I embarrassingly ignore...the identity of my own father, who passed away when I was 2. Adulthood. Growing old. Having kids. Making sure they get the opportunity to know who they are, through and through.

Lots of stuff, really.

And I'd recommend it wholeheartedly :-)

As for ANY other business, tomorrow begins my 31 days of May project....all shall be REVEALED! Mwah ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
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Battle of the 'Fro

I'm realising that I've increasingly become the minority percentage of an anomaly of folks born with hair that is so....so, puzzling, unique and frustrating (and to some, plain bizarre because one minutes it's long and to next minute it's short - it's okay, I agree it's weird too).

I haven't buckled under the pressure to straighten it for the sake of manageability or social conformity, so I've been forced to get to grips with the kink in a way I never did the first time when my afro hair was quite lengthy (but I cut it all off after a texturiser experiment went wrong).

Right now - I'm rocking an old-school, pat into shape 'fro, realising this is the best way to keep my hair healthy, moisturised and neat (and avoid pulling it, scraping it and killing it into a style quite simply not designed for my hair length yet). It's getting mixed responses, mostly positive (I think) because it's quite a novel look. Very 70s.

But the plan is the allow my hair to grow long enough to compete with L Hill's quif above, and then try to entertain Rudy Huxtable lengths (it's indeed possible).

I'll keep y'all updated.
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Facebook purge

I'm am COMPLETELY off Facebook now...

I had to purge properly.

I recently received a few emails from Facebook although I deactivated my account some time ago. So I figured the way I could really "be gone" was to delete all my friends, detag myself from all pictures, delete every message ever left on my wall, delete all messages and notifications, remove myself from all groups, and delete any applications I had signed up for.

Yes, THEY may very well have my e-mail address and my full name...but they aint got my LIFE! MWAH HA HA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

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Shaheen Jafargholi on Britain's Got Talent

Not watching much telly nowadays but had to check him out on YouTube after seeing all the papers go ga ga for the little munchkin.

Yea...he gave me goosebumps. Don't know many 12-year-old's that can hold down the melisma LIKE THAT! Check him out here.
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Unordinary People @ Royal Albert Hall

This intriguing exhibition is taking place down my way (West London BayBAY!!), based on the changing nature of youth culture since the 1960s. My kind of doc-photography, really. It's a freebie (unless you wanna check out the talk with US writer/snapper Tom Polhemus for £6.50 on Thursday which includes a complimentary glass of red), and kicks off tomorrow until May 24th. I'm tempted to cop the book as there's an image in there of young lady that evokes black power that's Soooooooooooooooooooooo GORGEOUS, but I'm currently on a budget - so we'll see.

Click here for more info...
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Unforseen circumstances number 001: The Water Leak

So what was supposed to be a productive all-nighter prepping for my new lot of students next week has been 5 hours hanging out with the plumber because Flat 15 upstairs can't seem to keep their spot in CHECK. But...let's start at the beginning...

I come home yesterday evening to a damp smell and the realisation that my bathroom ceiling is leaking. Common sense says it aint the rain (cause I don't live on the top floor of my flats), so it must be number 15. I grab a pen, bit of paper, and scribble out a friendly but firm note that basically says "Sort it OUT please. Love, Matilda 079XX XXX XXX".

I go to bed, wake up. Bathroom is soaked. I go to work, thinking in my heart - Flat 15 will see the note, they'll be embarrassed, they'll sort it out.

Come back from work. My floor and walls are drenched. My poor fake pot plant is dripping. My shelves, a wreck. But I don't trip...I call my landlord who sends out a plumber within an hour. Lovely.

But it would have been all good if he was able to get into Flat 15. Can't bust in because it's apparently breaking and entering. "There's a dead body in there for all I know," he nods, knowingly. "I've seen it before."

So he's gotta call the police. They take like, 2 hours. So, me, a pair of po po and plumber head up to Flat 15. I kinda feel like I'm on Cops, with a lil bit of CSI, hoping they'll find a stash of soaked dollar bills and other suspect paraphenelia which will give my journalism career a whole new spin. But the best bit was when they knocked on Flat 14, and the dude in the boxers who's got his music on blast opens the door looking shook. "I've only been here for 3 weeks," he stutters. "It's my Auntie's place". So he's not sure who's at Flat 15. And Flat 13 already said she hadn't seen anyone since February. Flat 14 turns the music down.

The Lady po po asks us to stand back while she uses the metal battering ram to open Flat 15.

BAM!

There's no electricity and alot of mail, but the water tank is switched on. I won't lie...I wasn't really trying to peek at no dead bodies, so I held back in the hallway. Seems the water tank has started to leak, unfortunately soaking my ceiling and causing the leak. No further conspiracy than that. And there's no dead bodies, confirmed by the fact that po po manage to trace the number of the tenant, who's apparently at work. She hasn't lived in Flat 15 for months, for reasons she doesn't disclose.

Anyway, I've come to the end of this post, and the leaking has stopped. Here's to unforseen circumstances.

Cheers.....

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Mos Def - Flowers - The Ecstatic avail 6/9/09


Mos Def - Flowers

Hmmmm....so he's recording again. Check it - there was a time where I was so in love with this dude because when that whole neo-soul thing kicked off, the only way to really show you were genuine (besides getting into poetry, Stokely Carmichael and memorising Maya Angelou) was to start digging arty dudes, like black Dante here (prior to that it was everyone from Method Man to Sisqo...glad I grew out of THAT one)...and after missing countless opportunities to meet him in the flesh, I grew out of Mos Def. People that know me from BACK IN O' DAY will be shocked.

I wasn't even trying to see him on The Cosby Mysteries, call up a friend of a friend of a friend whenever he came to London or even RSS his website. And as far as I was concerned, Black On Both Sides no longer existed...(with the exception of Ummie Says - can't never hate a classic, really). And let's be honest, follow-up album The New Danger was not that good. It had me laughing till I stopped.

BUT, and I say BUT...I'm mildly intrigued about new album The Ecstatic dropping in June just because...

:-)
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Fusion Unltd - The Sun

This might as well be a PSA for the rebirth of Quality hip-hop (there's a Souljaboy diss in here, which I muchly appreciated)....nice joint...my kind of laidback...makes a change as I really don't do radio.
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Q-Tip On Westwood

Great history lesson...but you stood me up for Westwood?!?!? LOL

(Note - I had a date set up with Tip, but not an eros date...more an interview-which-I-hoped-would-make-us-new-best-friends type date. Maybe next time lol )
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India.Arie: Happier in her soul - The Independent April 10 2009

Third time I interviewed India, second time in New York. Very good catch-up...It's almost like since the first time I interviewed her in 2003 (or 04?) I've seen her grow up out of the insecurities, the media glare, the celebrity and into someone so much more inspirational and relatable. Not that she wasn't before, but when you're a journalist meeting some of these stars, sometimes they're not always what they 're cracked up to be....and she even remembered that the first time we met, she was in a bad mood. So there ya go then. And in fairness, she is really a lovely lady. Regarding the tunes, I wouldn't say her more recent album is my favourite of her set, but it has its moments...like the track "Yellow". Pretty adorable song...

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/indiaarie--happier-in-her-soul-1666625.html

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Goldie - The Kids Are All Riot

New art exhibition from Drum and Bass guru Goldie opens tomorrow in London (Shoreditch to be exact). He's quite a good artist, Goldie, and uses graffiti to portray youth culture and social & political issues. So far, the previews I seen are my kind of edgy. http://www.maverikshowroom.com/
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Google are watching you...

Great channel 4 report this evening about a new monitoring system from Google to record the websites users visit to create your "profile" to ensure they are targeting the right adverts at you. Sorta similar to that scene in Minority Report where Tom Cruise is walking and all these ads are being shown to him as he's being identified by whatever computer monitoring system they had going on (can't remember what it was called)...

Apparently, to prevent the powers-that-be to build this profile, one must "opt out" (which you can do here, but if you read the small print, you've got to download a cookie to do it, and every other computer you use must also have the cookie download too... I hate the fact these people are trying to CONTROL me, because I'm hella lazy....downloadings so long...

But anyway, here's the site: http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html _ )

P.S - Cynics I hear you loud and clear -"they've" already GOT me from the time I have broadband, MySpace, yadayadaya....but I just wanna let "them" know I'll fight in a hot MOMENT whenever I get the chance. Like now lol)
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Monsters vs Aliens

Went to see this @ the Imax theatre IN 3-D!!!!!!!!!!!!! The effects were nuts! The storyline...

DRY.
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Selfie, originally uploaded by Millytilly.

25

So...my cuz must have tagged me about a month ago to write 25 facts about myself...I was just telling a colleague yesterday that I don't really talk much about myself but (inhale lol), here it goes:

1) My first ever visit to New York was on September 11,2001. My mom freaked out, but it was probably the best trip I ever had and the reason why I'm so in love with Harlem (it was the only place we could hang out that day). And just seeing the love between everyone...yea it was good - in an insightful way. Scary as heck though.

2) I was once trapped in a video shop while it was being robbed @ gunpoint in east London. As I just so happened to be working for a different branch of this particular chain, I handed in my notice a week later.

3) I don't like ironing

4) I've been wearing headwraps since I was 17-year-old. I'm not a rasta, I'm not making a political statement. It's just me. It saves me time.

5) I watch the Dog Whisperer religiously, but don't own a dog.

6) I joke alot to detract attention from myself as the real me is pretty fragile, in a strong-fragile way i.e I appear stronger than I am. Sometimes. Other times I am a PLANK (LOL - see what I mean?)

7) I value the wisdom of friends/relatives. I quote them alot.

8) I hate the fact that people don't often use phones anymore. Hearing one's voice is so much more fulfilling than an email.

9) I used to be a tomboy

10) I'm opinionated BUT open-minded

11) I love soul music, gospel....and jazzy-rap. But anything that's melodic really, and uses alot of sharps and flats, changes to majors and minors...

12) I can play the piano and the flute (thus the musical knowledge lol), though I haven't played either for years

13) I once had a part-time job cleaning offices. Found it difficult @ first, but it became a humbling experience.

14) I once mistook a Gap model at a party in New York for actor Hounsou Djimou. At the time, I was tipsy on Champagne and Alize. I don't really drink much nowadays, the odd wine with a good meal, perhaps.

15) Sometimes, when I wake up in the morning and make my way to some job or other, I really miss my childhood in Texas.

16) I really, really love Jesus and hope that somehow, I can show people why they should really, really love him too.

17) I used to self-sabatoge alot. I was fearful that if people knew how good I was at certain things, they'd hate me. Now, I'm like Diddy: "You can hate me now...but I won't stop now...cause I can't stop now...you can hate me NAAAAOOOOOOW!"

18) I'm pretty generous.

19) I love to laugh. If there's nothing funny about, I tend to tell jokes to myself in the privacy of my home.

20) I love psychology; analysing.

21) Something I think the scar on my chin hurts...but that could be the painful memory of the ice-skating accident I had.

22) I used to sell mobiles on the street for One2One when I was a teenager (now known as T-Mobile).

23) I really like curried mutton. Alot.

24) I love the gym

25) The best interview of my entire life was with Stevie Wonder. The dude really cracked me up.

I tag K-Hart. :) You're next!
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