The Idea that needs to DIE

Some things are considered sacred traditions like respect for elders, or washing one's feet before entering a Hindu temple, or cleaning the grave of our ancestors.

These traditions may exist for generations to come and should be maintained in order understand our past, and honor cultural values, etc.

The ONE tradition that needs to DIE is the one where "fair-skinned daughters" are highly coveted vs darker skinned ones.

I was watching the WTA tennis tournament in Dubai. It was the quarterfinals match where SerenaWilliams was playing against Ana Ivanovic. Whenever Ivanovic scored, the applause was a roar and it was not vice-versa. Williams won the match, and she obviously played better than Ivanovic. But, then why the crazy screams for the loser? I couldn't help but wonder if it was because Ivanovic is the "prettier" and lighter-skinned one of the two.

The middle east (among other parts of the world) is definitely one of the places where a fair-skinned girl is MUCH more appreciated (no matter how drab she might actually be) than someone who isn't.

Almost all of Asian countries are obsessed with "Fairness creams" that claim to lighten a woman's skin therefore making them more attractive.

Long ago, in the days of colonialism / imperialism, fair-skinned self-proclaimed Gods (aka europeans) landed in countries nearby, and brainwashed the idea of WHITE = GOOD. DARK = BAD. So for those hundreds of years of European occupation, locals associated beauty with the right skin color.

IMPERIALISM IS NOW OVER. THERE ARE NO MAJOR COLONIES LEFT. THE WHITIES HAVE LEFT!!!

India rejoiced at the thought of the British finally leaving. Songs were written, Gandhi was lauded to the max, all the Indian revolutionaries were given Saint-status, and tears of joy were everywhere. India claimed to go back to its roots, its culture, and its traditions now that the British finally left.

Too bad, the whole "white skin = better" idea never left. It's still there.

I can't count the number of times my grandma, and aunts have thanked the Gods for blessing my sister and me with "fairer skin" My dad cries a river every time I go to the beach and come back tanner and darker. Heaven forbid I tan 2 shades darker. I need to preserve my pristine, fair skin because THAT is what makes me beautiful.

After generations of brainwashing, the idea has stuck and never seems to DIE. For every ONE person that thinks color is not important, there are about 10 others who think otherwise.

I really hope my generation redifines the notion of beauty: that it comes from within, and is NOT skin-deep.

FUCK the fairness creams and DEATH to this whole idea!!!!

Valentine's day sucks because..

1) No holiday should make single people feel bad about themselves

2) Carnations are cheap, and smell like nothing

3) Pink + red = UGLY color combination

4) Cheap chocolate in those ugly pink / red heart shaped boxes = gross

5) No one should be forced to think "oh shit, better do something for valentine's day" it should be "Oh wow, can't wait to do something!"

6) A $20 dinner plate is now $50.

the ONLY good thing about valentine's day is that it celebrates LOVE. so FOCUS on the PEOPLE you love, and not ONLY on the significant other. Your parents, friends all deserve the love too!!

Whore-y-dolls

Thanks to many images on CNN of all the slums in India, Americans have one impression of India: Cows on the street + poor, dusty, dirty people.

Whatever. It's not CNN's job to promote tourism and tolerance of 3rd world countries, but I digress.

The point is, after all the images of the slums being a bad thing, apparently it's now MAINSTREAM!

So the new movie Slumdog Millionaire has swept everyone off its feet. The soundtrack to the movie is AWESOME and it has been composed by one of my favorite composers: A.R Rahman. He's a very respectable composer in South Asia and has sold numerous records.

Tell me WHY the pussycat dolls have done a remix to one of his songs on his soundtrack?! Seriously?!

Here is the original soundtrack:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DciW_yuQGCw&feature=related

I can't find the PCD soundtrack on youtube because it's been taken down everywhere.

I just hope it's not a FAD to "slum" it. NOW that the movie has become super popular, all of a sudden, the slums are COOL! YEA!

A lot of artists have sung or written songs about the hardships of life or the world and how it is to come up in life. But, tell me honestly WHY the fucking Pussycat dolls want to remix a song composed by A.R Rahman that speaks of things larger than their breasts? It's one thing for maybe U2, or some other respectable artist who's actually wordly to adapt the song, but PUSSY CAT DOLLS?! SERIOUSLY?!

I like some of their catchy songs, but I do NOT consider their songs to have any lasting effect on me in any way. I think they should stick to singing about being hot, having groupies and call it a fucking day.

Think Cheap part deux

We all want good skin. So we go to extremely overpriced stores like Bath and Body Works and the Body Shop or LUSH to get their ORGANIC SKIN CARE LINE. Oh yea, I would LOVE to pay $30 for some SALT in a fancy container.

Eff THAT!

Home remedies are the best because 1) they're cheap 2) you KNOW what you're putting on your skin.

Recipe #1 - Honey scrub

Ingredients: Honey, salt (preferably any fine sea salt, or dead sea salt powder)

Method: Mix honey with some salt (so you feel it being grainy) and then rub all over your face / skin. Stay put for a few and then rinse with warm water.

Your skin will super soft.

Recipe #2 - Honey + Avocado

Ingredients: Honey, Avocado, few drops of olive oil

Method: Scoop out some avocado with a spoon, and add a few drops of honey and olive oil to the mixture. Mix and apply all over the face. Soak for about 20 minutes, and then rinse with warm water.

As long as you refrigerate the avocado, one whole of that veggie will last you quite a few facial scrubs.

Should I even total this recipe? it seems like a no-brainer to me.

Recipe #3 - Honey + Milk

Ingredients: Honey , powdered whole milk (1 tsp) , refined sea salt (1 tsp), Jojoba oil (can be found at whole foods)

Method: Mix the ingredients together so you get a nice consistency (it should be sort of creamy and you should feel the powder and salt on your face so not too much honey or oil) and apply onto face. Soak and rinse with warm water.

Jojoba Oil - It's a great moisturizer. It can be found at your local Whole Foods, or Trader Joe's. I also highly recommend Sweet Almond Oil. Just a few drops into your facial scrub will be enough! You can also use these two oils as a daily moisturizer and makeup remover!

In toto: Less money, more value, awesome skin, and CHEAP.

DO IT PEOPLE!

Unbreakable

Serena at the US Open in her famous (or infamous?) leather outfit
Her bootay is fabulous!

Serena Williams is one of my favorite players. She came onto the scene in the late 90's, and stormed the game of tennis between 1999, and 2003. She's known for her overall powerful game, serve, quickness, and her nerves of steel. She is a bit wild too, because she wore a black CATSUIT to the US Open, designs clothing, likes to party and be a celebrity.

There have been so many critics of hers that are like:

"Omg, Why isn't she soley dedicated to tennis?"

She lost some of her fire between 2004 - 2005 (even though she still won the Aussie Open in 2005) due to injuries, personal problems (her half-sister was shot) and other distractions. Critics slammed her and questioned her passion for tennis, and her desire to be the best.

The problem with Serena isn't her game. It's what is in between her ears. She's a player that simply plays based on her mood. If it's good, then she's pretty much unbeatable. If she's not feeling too hot, she makes a rash of errors, doesn't move well around the court, and can get taken out by a good player (aka Henin)

For example, in January of 2007, she was not fit at all, was ranked 81st in the world, and joined to play in the Australian Open. No one expected her to get very far in the tournament, let alone win.

The picture below shows her that year:

Everyone was shocked at the end, but it wasn't really a surprise when she won the whole thing beating, I mean SLAUGHTERING Maria Sharpova in the Final 6-1, 6-2. The critics that once slammed her, marveled at how no other player could accomplish such a feat. She beat all the top 10 players in such a ferocious manner it was scary! That too, she was un-fit! Now, what's her secret?

Apart from her game, it was her MINDSET that helped her the most. She has that bedrock conviction that no matter what her rank, or weight is, she IS the best. Imagine how intimidated her opponents must be knowing that nothing they do, can make Serena think otherwise. Even when she loses, she curses her game and says "I should have won. She was good, but I'm still better"

So what if she has other interests? She makes it count where it matters most. She has won 10 grand slams so far. None of the currently ranked female players can boast of that number (Venus is close with 7. Henin WAS getting close to 10, but she retired (damn it) ) It's a very exclusive club of players that have Grand Slam titles in the double digits.

Aussie Open 2009:

She started off the tournament really shaky. She almost lost a couple of matches. In all of those matches, you can see Serena's emotions on her face. She talked to herself, and her feet looked like they were made of stone.

Somehow, she made it to the quaterfinals Kuznetsova won the first set. Kuznetsova was up 5-3 in the second set, serving for the match. Serena does this thing where she closes her eyes and meditates in between points. She somehow told herself to "Get this shit over with already!" and then hit winner after winner and then won the 3rd 6-1. Kuznetsova was completely dumbfounded.

THAT's what Serena does best! With her back against the wall, somehow she dug deep..told herself something like: "This chic has nothin against you girl!" and then beat her.

At the semi finals, Serena came prepared. She was totally into the match and beat Dementieva 6-4, 6-3.

Everyone knew at that point, it was over. There was no way Serena was losing the final.

And it came true. Serena almost made Safina cry. She ripped her serves in, made Safina run all over the court, and was so cold and calculating that I think Safina would have turned to stone if she had looked into Serena's eyes.

THAT is true dominance. you GO serena williams!!!

Importance of Independence

The word independence has a violent conotation to it. If you look back at history, revolutionaries have FOUGHT for independence. It was never a peaceful process. Prominent leaders such as Simon Bolivar, Toussaint Loverture, George Washington, and many more had to face violent opposition to deliver freedom to the peoples of their country.



Those epic battles and wins were centuries ago, and the word indepdence has come to a less-violent meaning. Today (in developed parts of the world) it means freedom to make a choice. It means a woman can choose to have a career instead of a family. It means a teeanger can have their own room aka their own little dominion to rule over.



Or has it really changed?



The privilige to have one's room comes with fights with parents and siblings. A woman might battle inwardly while deciding to choose between a career and a mate.



So then after thinking, I have concluded that independence still has not lost its violent background. Whether its physical or mental, we're all battling something or the other to free ourselves from whatever it is we want to be rid of.



I guess I'll know eventually which side won in the battle raging inside me right now. I hope the end result is worth it in the end.

Think Cheap

Welcome large groups of readers to my series of THINK posts. I am starting with Think Cheap because there has never been a better time to do so! (in recent history anyway) On a sidenote: I must be weird because I feel special being part of history-in-the-making! I'm sure 20 years from now, my kids will learn about 'The next-Great Depression of 2008" in their history books. I'LL BE PART OF THAT! YES!

Moving onto the goal of this post: THINK CHEAP PEOPLE! THINK EFFECTIVE! THINK SMART!

Apparel

Time to ditch style recommendations as written in Vogue and check out the CLEARANCE section! Not just ANY clearance section. Saks' clearance is NOT the same as Macy's or Target's. Designer duds are now slashed 80% off. 80% off of a $700 Marc Jacob's bag is STILL too much even during normal economic times for most of us. SO CHECK OUT the good stores.

Target - they have always had great prices for decent clothes. Check out their new target 'design collections' of clothing for women. They have great stuff for men too! Brands like Cherokee, Mossimo (sp?) have a great variety (ranging from casual t-shirts, to dress shirts, slacks, jeans, and much more) Definitely worth a look

Hudson Belk - TWO giant positives. Quantity and Quantity. I prefer Hudson Belk to Macy's thanks to the variety of designer brands it carries. The amount of different brands / clothes that are there, means there's something there for everyone. It might be a little tiresome to sift through it all, but you will find something!

Forever 21 - always cheap. not necessarily my favorite since the quality is pretty crappy. But they do have designer knockoffs at ridiculous prices.

Thrift Stores / Consignment Stores - always a good a idea! I had a good experience shopping at beacon's closet (based in ny, but you can buy stuff online) Google local thrift stores in your area and I guarantee you'll find some nice stuff there! http://www.beaconscloset.com

MARSHALLs! Never underestimate the deals you'll get here. Today, I bought a $29 tommy hilfiger tote that was originally worth 90. TWO pairs of Betsey Johnson tights for $7.00. Deals are everywhere here, but it takes some looking.

remember: PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE!

Lastly: Check out online shopping for great deals with free shipping! Some stores that offer free shipping: Jcrew, Overstock.com, Victoria's secret.com, bananarepublic and more!

Technology:

Slick Deals - Google slickdeals.net. Great place to find what it says...slick deals. The site also has tons of user reviews. http://www.slickdeals.net/

Iphones going to be sold at Wal-mart. No need to fret! Iphones will be sold at Walmart for $99! Of course, Apple is sly and will make money off you thanks to their expensive data plan. But it's exciting nonetheless.

and my favorite...

MAKEUP!

Like any fanatic, I do love my MAC, and Urban Decay eye shadows, eyeliners, etc. But at $13-15 bucks a pop, it gets very expensive very quickly. Granted, some (keyword: SOME) higher-end cosmetic brands are better, but these are rough times people! A lot of otherbrands imitate the more expensive brands to a good degree.

NYX - Eyeshadows start at 3.99. They have a great variety of other make up products that are cheap AND good. Available in local drugstores and other makeup stores such as Ulta.

L'OREAL HIP PIGMENTS - I am liking it. I recently bought a gold eye shadow duo and it's very pretty. Lasts long and costs around 6 bucks. good deal!

Rimmel mascara - Not bad for the price. I was looking at the DIOR show mascara that's worth a whopping $25. WHAT?! for mascara?! So no, I'm happy with my $7 Rimmel mascara. Almay is also pretty good for its price.




Make up brushes - DON'T buy those ridiculously expensive 'professional' make up brushes at MAC counters. it's like $28 for a skinny / small brush. There are good dupes out there at much more affordable prices. Try your local make up store (or Target /walgreens, etc) such as Ulta and buy brushes that are in the $8-10 range. They will do the trick. Most of us don't need super-duper special brushes.

I've probably repeated things everyone already knows but I'M CONTRIBUTING to someone out there. I hope.