T.O.-made ad part of online revolution

A woman is transformed in a Dove Evolution ad by photo software.

Dove clip soars to top of YouTube
Oct. 24, 2006. 02:21 PM
DANA FLAVELLE
BUSINESS REPORTER

A video searing itself into global pop culture atop the YouTube website is a hypnotic take on manufactured beauty created by a Toronto advertising agency.
The 75-second film, showing a pleasant-looking woman being artificially transformed — via makeup, hairstyling and photo-alteration software — was created by Ogilvy & Mather (Toronto) for Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty website.

Janet Kestin, the ad agency's co-chief creative director, said the Dove Evolution clip was posted to the popular YouTube.com video-sharing site almost as an afterthought, after it caught the attention of her head office's formidable public relations team in New York.
Last week the clip was YouTube's most viewed, with more than a million hits and counting, and it captured the attention of several major American TV network talk shows, including Good Morning America.

"It was like the perfect storm in a way," Kestin said. "We couldn't have planned the response that we got."

In the video, featuring a close-up of a blond woman's face, a new hairstyle and makeup quickly make her look glamourous while digital tweaks to her lips, neck and eyes propel her to generic cover-girl looks on a billboard.

The Dove campaign doesn't directly pitch soap but has used women of different shapes and sizes to debunk the precepts of standard beauty.

"Our goal with this film was to create a conversation about what is beauty and invite women to participate in that conversation," said Mark Wakefield, marketing director for Unilever Canada. "The Internet is a great place to do that."

The short film was originally intended for the Dove campaign website. It was Ogilvy's idea to add YouTube to the mix.

The Dove ad isn't the first to appear on YouTube in the 18 months since the site was founded. Burger King has posted ads featuring rap star Sean (P. Diddy) Combs eating a Whopper. And Volkswagen's ad agency uploaded several of its TV spots just to see what would happen.
But it's fresh evidence that advertisers, scrambling to reach a younger audience fleeing TV, are willing to try anything to broaden their reach.

Despite Dove's success, Kestin cautions that YouTube isn't for everyone.
"This was our first time on YouTube. You can't know what's going to capture the larger imagination and what isn't," Kestin said.

"I think advertisers have to be very careful what they throw up there. You can be torn down just as quickly as you're built up."

Others have tried it with unpredictable results.

A story making the rounds in advertising circles involves an experiment by the ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, of New York. It threw some Volkswagen TV ads on YouTube.
Only a handful of people watched them. Then, a user uploaded a grainy version of one of the same spots and 1.7 million people watched it.

"You can't explain this," Jeff Benjamin, a creative director for Crispin Porter, told the New York Times last week. "Someone passed it on to a friend, who passed it to others, until eventually it gets in the right people's hands. You just can't predict what will happen."
Dove's success also raises new questions about how Google will recoup the $1.65 billion (U.S.) it paid two weeks ago for what had been largely an amateur video site. Posting the Dove video on YouTube didn't cost the advertiser a penny.

In fact, Unilever saved tens of thousands of dollars it might have otherwise spent trying to reach a wider audience, says Ogilvy's art director Tim Piper.

A regular YouTube user, Piper simply uploaded the film to his personal site. A second, unrelated person also uploaded it from Dove's website in the U.S. All of the hits since then have come from one of these two original postings, Piper said.

Kestin said that, for advertisers, "It's critical to play in the new world. But it's naïve to assume you can do things the old way in a new medium."

TNS Media Intelligence, of New York says advertisers spent $4.7 billion (U.S.) on the Internet in the first half of this year, while the Interactive Advertising Bureau, a trade group, put the number at twice that amount.

Good Girls Go Bad, for a Day

Good Girls Go Bad, for a Day--By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM

IN her thigh-highs and ruby miniskirt, Little Red Riding Hood does not appear to be en route to her grandmother’s house. And Goldilocks, in a snug bodice and platform heels, gives the impression she has been sleeping in everyone’s bed. There is a witch wearing little more than a Laker Girl uniform, a fairy who appears to shop at Victoria’s Secret and a cowgirl with a skirt the size of a tea towel.


POST-POST-POST-FEMINISM? Halloween is a day to flaunt your inner vixen.

TRICKS Seemingly innocuous characters have a sexy edge in costumes, which evoke male fantasies and reinforce a larger cultural message: younger is hotter.
Anyone who has watched the evolution of women’s Halloween costumes in the last several years will not be surprised that these images — culled from the Web sites of some of the largest Halloween costume retailers — are more strip club than storybook. Or that these and other costumes of questionable taste will be barely covering thousands of women who consider them escapist, harmless fun on Halloween.

“It’s a night when even a nice girl can dress like a dominatrix and still hold her head up the next morning,” said Linda M. Scott, the author of “Fresh Lipstick: Redressing Fashion and Feminism” (Palgrave Macmillan) and a professor of marketing at the University of Oxford in England.

The trend is so pervasive it has been written about by college students in campus newspapers, and Carlos Mencia, the comedian, jokes that Halloween should now be called Dress-Like-a-Whore Day.

But the abundance of risqué costumes that will be shrink-wrapped around legions of women come Oct. 31 prompts a larger question: Why have so many girls grown up to trade in Wonder Woman costumes for little more than Wonderbras?

“Decades after the second wave of the women’s movement, you would expect more of a gender-neutral range of costumes,” said Adie Nelson, the author of “The Pink Dragon Is Female: Halloween Costumes and Gender Markers,” an analysis of 469 children’s costumes and how they reinforce traditional gender messages that was published in The Psychology of Women Quarterly in 2000.

Dr. Nelson, a professor of sociology at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, said the trend toward overtly sexualized costumes actually begins with little girls. “Heroic figures for women or considered icons of femininity are very much anchored in the femme fatale imagery,” she said, adding that those include an assortment of Disney heroines, witches, cocktail waitresses, French maids and an “interchangeable variety of beauty queens.”

While researching “Pink Dragon,” Dr. Nelson found that even costumes for little girls were gendered. Boys got to be computers while the girls were cupcakes. Today, there are bride costumes for little girls but one is hard pressed to find groom costumes for little boys. Additionally, Dr. Nelson said, the girls’ costumes are designed in ways that create the semblance of a bust where there is none. “Once they’re older women it’s just a continuation of that same gender trend,” she said.

Men’s costumes are generally goofy or grotesque ensembles with “Animal House”-inspired names like Atomic Wedgie and Chug-A-Lug Beer Can. And when they dress up as police officers, firefighters and soldiers, they actually look like people in those professions. The same costumes for women are so tight and low-cut they are better suited for popping out of a cake than outlasting an emergency.

Obviously, however, many women see nothing wrong with making Halloween less about Snickers bars and SweeTarts and more about eye candy.
Rebecca Colby, 28, a library clerk in Milwaukee, said the appeal of sexy costumes lies in escaping the workaday, ho-hum dress code.
“I’m not normally going to wear a corset to go out,” said Ms. Colby, who has masqueraded as a Gothic witch with a low-cut bodice, a minidress-wearing bumblebee, a flapper and, this year, most likely, a “vixen pirate.”

“Even though you’re in a costume when you go out to a party in a bar or something, you still want to look cute and sexy and feminine,” she said.
Indeed, many women think that showing off their bodies “is a mark of independence and security and confidence,” said Pat Gill, the interim director of the Institute of Communications Research and a professor of gender and women’s studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

It is a wonder gyms do not have “get in shape for Halloween” specials.
In her book “Dilemmas of Desire: Teenage Girls Talk About Sexuality” (Harvard University Press), Deborah Tolman, the director of the Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality at San Francisco State University and a professor of human sexuality studies there, found that some 30 teenage girls she studied understood being sexy as “being sexy for someone else, not for themselves,” she said.

When the girls were asked what makes them feel sexy, they had difficulty answering, Dr. Tolman said, adding that they heard the question as “What makes you look sexy?”
Many women’s costumes, with their frilly baby-doll dresses and high-heeled Mary Janes, also evoke male Lolita fantasies and reinforce the larger cultural message that younger is hotter.
“It’s not a good long-term strategy for women,” Dr. Tolman said.
But does that mean women should not use Halloween as an excuse to shed a few inhibitions?
“I think it depends on the spirit in which you’re doing it,” Dr. Tolman said. “I’m not going to go and say this is bad for all women.”

Perhaps, say some scholars, it could even be good. Donning one of the many girlish costumes that sexualize classic characters from books, including “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” “Cinderella” and “The Wizard of Oz,” can be campy, female sartorial humor, said Professor Gill. It can be a way to embrace the fictional characters women loved as children while simultaneously taking a swipe at them, she said. “The humor gives you a sense of power and confidence that just being sexy doesn’t,” she said.

Dr. Tolman added that it is possible some women are using Halloween as a “safe space,” a time to play with sexuality. By taking it over the top, she said, they “make fun of this bill of goods that’s being sold to them.”

“Hey, if we can claim Halloween as a safe space to question these images being sold to us, I think that’s a great idea,” Dr. Tolman said.

But it may be only an idea. Or, more fittingly in this case, a fantasy.

“I love to imagine that there’s some real social message, that it’s sort of the female equivalent of doing drag,” Dr. Nelson said. “But I don’t think it’s necessarily so well thought out.”

Tanda Word, 26, a graduate student at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, who wrote a satirical article about the trend for The Daily Toreador, agreed. “I think it’s damaging because it’s not just one night a year,” she said. “If it’s all the costume manufacturers make, I think it says something bigger about the culture as a whole.”

Salacious costumes — the most visible reminder that Halloween is no longer the sole domain of children — have been around longer than plastic Grim Reaper scythes. But there has been an emergence of “ultrasexy” costumes in the last couple of years, according to Christa Getz, the purchasing director for BuyCostumes.com, which sells outfits with names like Little Bo “Peep Show” and Miss Foul Play.

“Probably over 90 to 95 percent of our female costumes have a flirty edge to them,” Ms. Getz said, adding that sexy costumes are so popular the company had to break its “sexy” category into three subdivisions this year.

Heather Siegel, the vice president of HalloweenMart.com, said her company’s sexy category is among its most popular. (The two best-selling women’s costumes are a low-cut skin-tight referee uniform and a pinup-girl-inspired prisoner outfit called Jail Bait.)

“Almost everybody gets dressed up really, really sexy for it,” said Carrie Jean Bodner, a senior at Cornell University in Ithaca who wrote about the abundance of skimpy Halloween garb for The Cornell Daily Sun last year. “Even the girls who wouldn’t dream of going to class without their pearls and pullovers.”

Last year Ms. Bodner, 21, dressed up as a sexy pinch-hitter for an imaginary baseball team. This year she and her friends are considering being va-voom Girl Scouts.
Ms. Getz of BuyCostumes.com said far more women are buying revealing costumes than firing off indignant e-mail messages asking, “Why are all of your costumes so sexy?” (though some do).

Still, women may be buying racy outfits because that is all that is available. Ms. Getz said she wished there were more sexy men’s costumes on the market and that the lack of them is but further evidence of the gender double standard. “It’s just not as socially acceptable,” she said, adding that men feel comfortable expressing themselves with Halloween costumes that are “either crude or outrageous or obnoxious.”

Ms. Siegel of HalloweenMart.com said the costume industry is merely mirroring the fashion industry, where women have more variety in their wardrobes. Besides, she said, men are less interested in accessorizing. “They’re happy grabbing a mask and a robe and being done,” she said.

At least they get a robe. Ms. Bodner of Cornell estimated that it will be about 30 degrees in Ithaca on Oct. 31.

“We’re not just risking our dignity here,” she said. “We’re risking frostbite.”

Some Famous Ladies That I Admire...

Salma Hayek-- Can you believe this woman is 40? Obviously everyone is aware of the fact that she is stunningly gorgeous and a wonderful actress.. But she is also the national spokesperson for Avon's Speak Out Against Domestic Violence program, a million-dollar initiative to raise awareness about this brutal epidemic, which will touch 31 percent of American women during their lifetime. Hayek's also using her voice to change policy: She lobbied the Senate last year to renew the Violence Against Women Act, which allocates funding to train police officers and prosecutors; pay for victims' legal counsel; and study how victims are affected by unemployment, kidnapping, and immigration laws. "We cannot tolerate a world in which one in three women is or will be a victim of domestic violence," Hayek said in her July 2005 testimony before the Judiciary Committee. "One of the dangers with this issue is that most of us say, 'That's not my problem.' In reality, it affects our whole society, because we are all connected." And to top it all off she is the Executive Producer of the new series "Ugly Betty" which I ADORE!

Alicia Keys-- I LOVE this picture of her.. She is one of my absolute favourite artists.. Singer, songwriter, musician, composer, pianist, record producer and active philanthropist (Keep a Child Alive and Frum the Ground up are the charities that she actively works with).. This woman is the type of person that is an exceptional role model for young women and adults alike (sorry Paris.. you will never be as "hot" as Alicia!)...

Sandra Oh-- Canada's own Grey's Anatomy star.. she's got such a good sense of self.. and she always has the best quotes.. "You just don't care about what people think. But it's hard to do because people tell you what they think all the time. It's sort of nuts. We actors, we're a fragile bunch, and yet we need to be strong because 90% of our lives is rejection. You have to figure out what really is important."

Lisa Ling-- After leaving The View in 2002 (probably the BEST decision of her life! She was way too evolved for those women!) Lisa became the host of "National Geographic Explorer". What I admire about her the most is the fact that she is willing to go completely out of her comfort zone in order to show how people around the world are living. She has risked her life time and time again in order to provide valuable information segments to her viewers.

Shakira.. belly dancing goddess.. she is the reason why I am a belly dancing fanatic.. not only is she a phenomenal performer.. she is a philanthropist who wants to ensure the development of her native country Colombia.. Shakira was honored at an United Nations ceremony because she created the Pies Descalzos Foundation, a charity that helps to protect children from violence in Colombia. At the event she said: "Let's not forget that at the end of this day when we all go home, 960 children will have died in Latin America [1]."

Nandita Das-- acclaimed indian actress who is actually SELECTIVE in the roles she chooses to play! I haven't seen this woman dance gaily around a tree and I'm hoping I never have to.. I have so much respect for Nandia for always going against the stupid norms within the Bollywood industry.

Natalie Portman-- Talented beyond words (she knows five languages and she graduated from Harvard!).. not to mention she is a fabulous actress that commands respect in every role that she takes on..

Thandie Newton-- Intelligence (received her education in anthropology at Cambridge University in England) and beauty with a killer accent.. Interestingly enough, her name means "Beloved"and she played the character "Beloved" in Oprah's production of the movie with the same name..

Lisa Bonet-- My favourite Cosby Kid.. sigh.. I wish her and Lenny Kravitz stayed together.. what a beautiful looking couple they made.. I'm so happy that I am able to see Ms. Bonet in both The Cosby Show and A Different World re-runs.. I always wanted to be like her as a child.. I think she is exceptionally beautiful..

Rest in Peace Mark

Reality Sinks in......

The Mississauga NewsDeath section : 256

WEST, Mark Passed away suddenly in a motor vehicle accident on Tuesday October 17, 2006 at the age of 23.

Loving son of Desmond and brother of Michelle.
Mark will be greatly missed by his brotherly friends John and Adam Wilk and all who knew him.


Friends will be received at THE SIMPLE ALTERNATIVE FUNERAL CENTRE- MISSISSAUGA, 1535 South Gateway Road (Dixie Rd, 2 lights south of Eglinton) 905-602-1580 on Saturday October 21st from 9-11:30am Funeral service will be held in the chapel at 11:30 followed by reception.

Interment at Meadowvale Cemetery..

Very Random List of Favourite Things...

Past and Present......

Food: Gosh I love food.. I could never be anorexic.. let's see.. I love FLAVA! So really, any kind of food that is loaded with herbs and spices.. indian, pakistani (yes, there is a difference!), west indian, thai, mexican, mediterranean.. I like italian food too.. heck.. I love all kinds of different things.. it all depends on my mood.. I'm just not a steak and potatoes kind of gal (UNLESS the steak is made by my mommy-- because my mom can cook like nobody's business and makes the tastiest steak!)..

Drink: Pretty basic.. water and coffee (just one SMALL cup a day).. sometimes I like herbal tea.. ooh.. and I love my mom's tea (chai.. :) that overpriced Starbucks shit can't compare to my mom's..)..I used to drink a lot of fruit juice, but then started reading the labels and found out that many fruit juices have more sugar than pop! Eek! Perhaps the only time I'll have juice is when I'm on a plane.. because god knows they don't give you any damn snacks anymore! Cheap ass bastards!

Season: Its a toss between fall and spring. I don't like extreme weather at all. I like to be able to wear a hoodie and feel comfortable. I love the colours of the leaves in the fall and I also love to see flowers begin to bloom in spring.

Chocolate: Wow.. here's a tough decision.. there are so many that I like.. Hersey's cookies n' creme, Mars bars, 3 Musketeers, Twix, Turtles, any kind of mint chocolate... I don't fancy dark, dark chocolate very much-- unless it is my ONLY option!

Ice cream: Chocolate chip mint and cookies n' creme

Sport: Basketball-- watching NBA basketball, watching Z's Thursday night basketball league and actually playing basketball myself...

New TV Show: Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy hands down.. I love both.. can't decide between the two.. I'm hooked.. Thank goodness for America Ferrera and Sandra Oh! You go girls!

Subject in School: Anything that didn't involve math! English and Social Sciences were my fav's..

Teacher: Grade 3-- Miss Lawless, Grade 4-- Mr Naik (R.I.P), high school--- Mrs. Wilkins, Mr. Stone, Mr.Judhan (that man was a riot!), Mrs. Powidagco

Childhood Authors: Robert Munsch, Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, Ann M. Martin, Francine Pascal, Carolyn Keene

Poets: Maya Angelou & Rumi

80's cartoons: Jem (all time fav!), Thundercats, She-ra, The New Kids on the Block cartoon (God I loved them), He-man and the Masters of the Universe, Fraggle Rock (not a cartoon, but a children's show nonetheless), Ewoks, My Pet Monster, Beetlejuice, Fat Albert, Punky Brewster, Hulk Hogan's Rockin' Wrestling, Transformers, G.I. Joe, C.O.P.S., Denver the Last Dinosaur, Duck Tales, Garfield and Friends, Ghostbusters, Lady Lovely Locks and the Pixietails, My Little Pony, Police Academy, The Raccoons, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Tom and Jerry Show, Voltron, Teen Wolf, Mr. T, Muppet Babies

Childhood crushes-- Jordan Knight from NKOTB, Johnny Depp and Richard Grieco (when they were both on 21 Jump Street), Brian Austin Green (Beverly Hills 90210--- don't ask, I don't know what I was thinking!.. Hey, he was the cool one who was into dancing and hip hop!), Scott Baio (Charles in Charge).. I'm sure there are more.. these are the ones that stand out in my mind..

80's Shows: Diff'rent Strokes, Facts of Life, Who's the Boss, The Cosby Show, A Different World, Webster, Growing Pains, Full House, Family Ties, Charles in Charge, Mr. Belvedere, Perfect Strangers, Head of the Class, Alf, Punky Brewster, My Two Dads, Small Wonder, Night Court, The Golden Girls, 21 Jump Street, The Wonder Years, Knight Rider, Saved by the Bell, Gimmie a Break, DEGRASSI!!!!!! (any form of Degrassi-- I loved them all!-- The Next Generation can never compare to the old school Degrassi..

80's Female Sitcom Stars: Alyssa Milano (Who's the Boss), Kim Fields (Facts of Life),Lisa Bonet (Cosby Show), Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster)

Karma Chameleon Jealous of The Material Girl

Seriously?..... Why such hate? Jealous because her career has lasted longer than yours?

His comments are a tad harsh (to say the least!)

Boy George slams Madonna on personal level


Boy George has launched a scathing personal attack on Madonna.The former Culture Club singer made his opinions known in a Channel 4 documentary, to be shown in the near future. He said: "Madonna... I just think she's a vile, hideous human being with no redeeming qualities. There's nothing nice about her. I've never heard anyone say anything nice about her at all. And anyone that's ever met her she's been vile to. Vile, full of herself - so unspiritual. How has this woman got away with it for so long?"It is not the first time that Boy George has hit out at the singer. In July of this year, he criticised her career, commenting: "Madonna? After 'Holiday' she should have just shut up."

Today on my Diss List... Jim Jones..

This man thinks he's hot.. he annoys the hell out of me.. I was flipping channels the other day and happened to see him scouting girls for his most recent video.. he shouted to the candidates "if you bitches ain't got big titties and an ass that I can smack, you can leave the line now, cuz we don't want you here".. I already found this ass wipe to be hella stupid to begin with.. after hearing him open his mouth and say such asinine things, I feel the need to express my sheer annoyance and dislike towards this fool named Jim Jones..

In his opinion, he is the hottest commodity in the hip hop game right now.. I BEG to differ.. to further illustrate my point, I have found the lyrics to his latest song "We Fly High".. read them and you will certainly agree that he is not lyrically inclined by any means.. It seems like any ass off the street can get a record deal these days.. these lyrics are comparable to K-fed's.. (shaking my head.....)

We Fly High by Jim Jones

Chrous (Jim Jones)
We fly high, No Lie ,You know this (BALLIN!)
Foreign rides, outside, its like showbiz (We in the building)
(Girl) We stay fly, No Lie ,You know this (BALLIN!)
Hips and Thighs, Oh my, Stay focus
(Jim Jones)
Ya boy gettin paper (Money), I buy big cars (Foreign)
I need fly rides to drive in my garage (Choose 1)
Stay sky high (Twisted), Fly wit the stars (Twinkle ,Twinkle)
T 4 ? Flights , 80 grand large (BALLIN!)
So we lean with it, pop with it (Bankhead)
'Vertible jones, mean with the top listen (Flossin)
I'm sayin clean with the bottom ?(Do It)
I Hop'd out saggy jeans and my rock glistenin(BALLIN!)
But I spent bout 8 grand Mami on stage doin the rain dance (I think she like me)
She let it hit the floor, made it pop (What Else !?)
Got my pedal to the floor screamin fuck the cops(Do It!)
Chrous (Jim Jones)
We fly high, No Lie ,You know this (BALLIN!)
Foreign rides, outside, its like showbiz
(Girl) We fly high, No Lie ,You know this (BALLIN!)
Hips and Thighs, Oh my,
Stay focus Slow Down,
Tonight may be gone tommorow (One Chance!)
So I speed thu life like theres no tommorow (Speedin!)
100 g's worth of ice on the Auto? (Flossy)
And we in the street life until they call the law(BALLIN!)
I made the whip get naked (What Happen !?)
While I switch gears, Bitch lookin at the bracelet (Got Em)
Step out, show me what your all about Flashbacks of last night of me ballin out (Harlem!)
1 a.m. we was at the club (What Happen !?)
2 a.m. Ten bottles of bub (Money ain't a thing)
And about 3 somethin I was thinkin about grub
So I stumbled to the car, threw the drinks and the drugs (Twisted)
Chrous (Jim Jones) We fly high, No Lie ,You know this (BALLIN!)
Foreign rides, outside, its like showbiz
(Girl) We stay fly, No Lie ,
You know this Hips and Thighs, Oh my, Stay focus
Nigga could you buy that I keep 20 in the pocket (Light Change)
Talk a buck 80 If the bentley is the topic (That grey poupon)
But of course gotta fly ...? (Where?)
To the hood to roll dice on the side of the curb
But I know a G Bent' may sound obsurd (Get Your Money Up)
Drive 80 up Lennox cause I got an urge (Speedin)
The rap game like the crack game Lifestyles, rich and famous livin in the fast lane (BALLIN!)
So when i bleep shorty bleep back Lou Vutton Belt where im keep all the heat strapped I beat the trial over rucker (Lets Do It)
All guns loaded in the back motherfucker (Dipset)
Chrous (Jim Jones)
We fly high, No Lie ,You know this (BALLIN!)
Foreign rides, outside, its like showbiz (We in the building)
2x (Girl) We stay fly, No Lie ,You know this (BALLIN!)
Hips and Thighs, Oh my, Stay focus You niggas need to stay focus
When your dealin with a motherfuckin G
You know my name, Jones, One Eye,
Capo Status Only above motherfucka This Dipset ByrdGang We Born To Fly
Ya'll know the rules fall back or fall back
Someone tell my bitch summer
I'm lookin for her Ya dig,
Another day another dollar Fast life fucker

Random thoughts about the weather and Aaliyah...

Its a bit cold here today.. (57F).. which is the coldest its been since I moved here.. I've got the heating on (for the first time) and I still feel cold.. global warming is taking over the world! Although I can go outside in a sweatshirt and not feel cold, its cold inside our house.. probably because we had the air conditioning on last night and the cold air is still trapped in our house.. how wack is that? The air conditioning was on last night and today we have the heat on.. crazy..

I haven't heard anything from my friend today.. she said that the funeral service for her brother is being held on Saturday.. details of the funeral will be in the Mississauga News (weekend edition) as well as the Toronto Sun.. I still can't wrap my mind around any of this..

I remember when my favourite R&B singer Aaliyah died in 2001.. I was heartbroken for weeks.. I couldn't understand how someone who was just a year older than me could die.. It just doesn't seem natural for young people to die.. I mean you have all of these dreams and goals as a young adult.. you want to accomplish certain things, eventually get married, possibly start a family.. and then when you're old and grey, that's when you anticipate dying.. not when you're in your early 20's, when you still have your entire life ahead of you..

Many female R&B singers have come and gone, but Aaliyah was something special.. She possessed something majestic that singers like Ashanti, Ciara, Cassie, and all of these other Aaliyah knock offs simply don't have.. I don't think that Ashanti would have been half as popular as she was when she came out had Aaliyah still been alive.. I think that people were looking for some kind of replacement.. too bad Ashanti doesn't possess half the talent that Aaliyah did.. her first album was tolerable.. I even liked a few songs.. but then everything after that was nonsense in my opinion.. I mean how much of "oooh baby" can you really put up with? I have every cd that Aaliyah made (even the soundtrack to Anastasia because she sang "Journey to the Past" for that movie) and I can honestly say that there isn't a song that she sings that is lacking in quality.. she was very consistent with her work and put forth so much effort to ensure the creation of good music.. I'm still trying to understand why she was with Damon Dash though.. that man is unruly.. can't stand him.. he's like the female Kimora Lee Simmons.. all high on himself.. thinking he's the ish.. Aaliyah was like gold compared to him (while he was brass)..

I remember when the video for Back and Forth came out.. I was in awe of Aaliyah.. I was in grade 8 and wanted to be just like her.. I remember going crazy dancing to Back and Forth during our grade 8 graduation.. and taping the video every time it came on just so I could watch her over and over again..

Speaking of the name Aaliyah.. I was reading this article that said that a five year old girl named Aaliyah was held by security at LAX because her name was on security watch list.. ummm.. a five year old? Seriously? They held the entire family for a night because they wanted to ensure that the security checks were done properly.. I'm just sitting here shaking my head.. How are you going to hold up a five year old? God knows how many people are named Aaliyah.. I wonder if they detain all of them...?

Mind wandering.....

I'm still feeling down about the death of my friend's brother. Although I have experienced many, many deaths during the duration of my life, this one feels different. I guess because he was so young. It just seems so unnatural for parents to bury their children. My friend and her father went to make funeral arrangements and I cannot imagine what that must have been like. Having to pick out a casket and so on.. just thinking about it makes me queasy. I spent the bulk of yesterday just staring out the window thinking about my friend and what she must be going through. The words "my brother died" kept replaying through my head over and over.

I called my parents and told them and they were shocked to hear what had happened. I think any parent would be. They called me in the evening and told me that they too had spent most of the day thinking about what had happened. I have a younger brother as well (he's 22). So I know my parents were thinking about how hard it would be if something like that happened to my brother. There's just the two of us. Him and I. Just like it was just my friend and her brother. And now she's alone, with no siblings. God, that must be hard.

If I'm feeling this way, I cannot even begin to imagine how my friend is feeling. I doubt she went to sleep. I haven't spoken to her today. I know she's probably receiving a lot of phone calls and having to repeat herself over and over again. Through my own and my parents experience, I have come to realize that it isn't always a good thing to constantly call and check up on people when someone dies. It becomes very hard to repeat yourself over and over again. It's as though you are reliving the situation all over again when you repeat yourself to someone new that calls. I remember when my grandmother died and people were calling the house, my mom at one point told me to tell people that she was sleeping, because she just couldn't repeat herself anymore. It felt draining.

Some things are beyond comprehension..

Heavy Heart....

My heart feels so heavy today. I found out that one of my very close friends' brother passed away this morning. He was only 23. He was killed in a car accident on the highway. My friend called me this morning and was hardly able to speak. I felt so helpless because I'm here in Dallas and physically can't be there for her during her time of need. I didn't know what to say when she told me. What can you say? I'm sorry only goes so far. I've literally just been sitting here thinking about all of this since this morning. I can't really do anything else without thinking about it.

Life is so unfair sometimes. You try to justify things that happen and you just can't come up with valid reasons for why some things turn out the way that they do.

I applaud you Mr.Yunus! Good Job!

Bangladeshi carpenter Anil Sutradhr, right, works on Nov. 17, 2004, at his backyard shop, which he opened with a loan from the Grameen Bank microcredit project.

Microcredit pioneers win Nobel Peace Prize

OSLO (AP) — Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their pioneering use of tiny, seemingly insignificant loans — microcredit — to lift millions out of poverty.

Through Yunus's efforts and those of the bank he founded, poor people around the world, especially women, have been able to buy cows, a few chickens or the cellphone they desperately needed to get ahead.

The 65-year-old economist said he would use part of his share of the $1.4 million award money to create a company to make low-cost, high-nutrition food for the poor. The rest would go toward setting up an eye hospital for the poor in Bangladesh, he said. The food company, to be known as Social Business Enterprise, will sell food for a nominal price, he said.

"Lasting peace cannot be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty," the Nobel Committee said in its citation. "Microcredit is one such means. Development from below also serves to advance democracy and human rights."
Yunus is the first Nobel Prize winner from Bangladesh, a poverty-stricken nation of about 141 million people located on the Bay on Bengal.

"I am so, so happy, it's really a great news for the whole nation," Yunus told The Associated Press shortly after the prize was announced. He was reached by telephone at his home in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

Grameen Bank was the first lender to hand out microcredit, giving very small loans to poor Bangladeshis who did not qualify for loans from conventional banks. No collateral is needed and repayment is based on an honor system.

Anyone can qualify for a loan — the average is about $200 — but recipients are put in groups of five. Once two members of the group have borrowed money, the other three must wait for the funds to be repaid before they get a loan.

Grameen, which means rural in the Bengali language, says the method encourages social responsibility. The results are hard to argue with — the bank says it has a 99% repayment rate.
Since Yunus gave out his first loans in 1974, microcredit schemes have spread throughout the developing world and are now considered a key to alleviating poverty and spurring development.

Yunus told The Associated Press in a 2004 interview that his "eureka moment" came while chatting to a shy woman weaving bamboo stools with calloused fingers.
Sufia Begum was a 21-year-old villager and a mother of three when the economics professor met her in 1974 and asked her how much she earned. She replied that she borrowed about five taka (nine cents) from a middleman for the bamboo for each stool.
All but two cents of that went back to the lender.

"I thought to myself, my God, for five takas she has become a slave," Yunus said in the interview.

"I couldn't understand how she could be so poor when she was making such beautiful things," he said.

The following day, he and his students did a survey in the woman's village, Jobra, and discovered that 43 of the villagers owed a total of 856 taka (about $27).
"I couldn't take it anymore. I put the $27 out there and told them they could liberate themselves," he said, and pay him back whenever they could. The idea was to buy their own materials and cut out the middleman.

They all paid him back, day by day, over a year, and his spur-of-the-moment generosity grew into a full-fledged business concept that came to fruition with the founding of Grameen Bank in 1983.

In the years since, the bank says it has lent $5.72 billion to more than 6 million Bangladeshis.
Worldwide, microcredit financing is estimated to have helped some 17 million people.

"Yunus and Grameen Bank have shown that even the poorest of the poor can work to bring about their own development," the Nobel citation said.
Today, the bank claims to have 6.6 million borrowers, 97% of whom are women, and provides services in more than 70,000 villages in Bangladesh. Its model of micro-financing has inspired similar efforts around the world.

The success has allowed Grameen Bank to expand its credit to include housing loans, financing for irrigation and fisheries as well as traditional savings accounts.
One of Yunus' aides, Dipal Barua, said the award was an "honor for millions of poor women who have made this possible."

Ole Danbolt Mjoes, chairman of the Nobel committee that awarded the prize, told The AP that Yunus's efforts have had visible results: "We are saying microcredit is an important contribution that cannot fix everything, but is a big help."
Mjoes said at least three previous prizes have recognized the need to alleviate poverty and hunger.

Those were the 1970 prize to American agriculturalist Norman Borlaug for his program in Mexico to feed the hungry by improving wheat yields; the 1969 award to the Geneva-based International Labor Organization for its efforts to ease poverty; and the 1949 award to Baron John Boyd Orr, as head of the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization who worked to persuade nations to make it a public policy to feed the poor.
The peace prize was the sixth and last Nobel prize announced this year. The others, for physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and economics, were announced in Stockholm, Sweden.

A LOOK AT GRAMEEN BANK
WHAT IS IT: The Grameen Bank hands out microcredit, or very small loans, to the poor of Bangladesh who do not qualify for loans from conventional banks. No collateral is needed and repayment is based on an honor system.

HOW DID IT START: In 1974, Yunus, then an economics professor recently returned from the United States, lent a total of $27 to 42 villagers who made bamboo furniture. The loans, which were all paid back, allowed them to cut out the middlemen and purchase their own raw materials. Emboldened by his experiment, Yunus won government approval in 1983 to open Grameen, Bengali for "rural."

WHO QUALIFIES: Anyone can qualify, but they must belong to a five-member group. Once the first two members begin to pay back their loans, the others can get theirs. While there is no group responsibility for returning the loans, the bank believes it creates a sense of social responsibility, ensuring all members pay pack their loans.

DOES IT WORK: Grameen claims a 99 percent repayment rate. According to a recent Grameen survey, 58 percent of the families of Grameen borrowers have crossed the poverty line.
WHO OWNS THE BANK: The government of Bangladesh owns 6 percent of the bank while the borrowers own the other 94 percent.

WHAT ARE THE NUMBERS: The bank has handed out $ 5.72 billion since its inception to 6.61 million people and been repaid $ 5.07 billion. Women account for 97 percent of the loan takers. Grameen Bank has 2,226 branches, works in 71,371 villages and has a total staff of 18,795.

Tales from the Gym

of Friends and Fitness Freaks....

The gym has become a second home for Z and I in the evenings... we spend about two hours there almost every night.. If for some reason, we're unable to go, I really feel like my day is incomplete... I feel so rejuvenated when I finish working out.. I leave feeling extremely satisfied- like I have been very good to my body-- it is my temple after all..

There are some interesting people that go to our gym.. some that are extremely annoying in their behaviour and others that are very cool and easy to talk to...

There is this one man that is there every night that wears the TIGHTEST tights (yes, tights--Lycra!!) that I have dubbed him "Nut Huggers".. seriously.. his tights are WAY too tight.. you can see EVERYTHING.. not cool.. I don't want to be using the butterfly press, look straight ahead and see that!.. yuck.. his shirts are equally as tight.. actually, they are more like body suits.... I thought he was gay at first (not that there is anything wrong with being gay-- I just assumed he was because gay men like tight clothes).. but this man isn't gay because he attempts to hit on females while at the gym.. I've seen him getting numbers and so on.. strange.. It looks really funny to me because I don't understand how a woman could be attracted to someone who dresses so oddly.. I'm not exaggerating here.. his workout clothes are a throw back to the 80s.. neon colours, clinging material, etc..

Another male, that I have dubbed "Condom Head" (because he wears an off white scull cap which looks like a condom on his head), is shameless.. he knows that I go into the gym every night with my husband, but he still continues to outright STARE at me as soon as Z leaves to do his own workout.. its highly frustrating because I hate the feeling of someone watching me.. especially if I am doing something like squats or lunges with weights.. last night, he sat on the seat of a stationary bike (not using it mind you) and just stared at me while I used the treadmill.. I was on the treadmill for 70 minutes and he just sat there.. staring.. ugh..

There are some very cool people however, that are very nice to talk to.. we've been talking to this one guy who works at the front desk.. he's very friendly and easy to talk to.. we initially started talking about music and the state of hip hop .. and now we talk about whatever is on our minds at any given time.. I love engaging in meaningful conversation with people... I love hearing what others have to say about present day issues, music, movies and life in general.. he was telling us that he is one of the only cousins in his family that has graduated from high school and that has gone on to college.. actually, he said that most of his cousins are illiterate (even though some of them went to high school-- they still cannot read.. insane isn't it? how you can slip through the cracks like that....) Apparently, most of his uncle's and aunt's were not allowed to study because they had to help their parents in the fields.. their parents though that getting an education was not important when they needed help maintaining the fields.. this mentality continued on in their family to the next generation and that is why most of his cousins are not educated..

I found his story fascinating because ignorant people would assume that his family is simply dumb because they choose to be.. but they don't realize that certain mentalities, when ingrained from one generation to the next, are very hard to remove.. luckily, our friend's parents believed in the idea of education and encouraged him to pursue whatever his heart desires.. Right now, he's interested in acting.. he's got an acting coach that he's working with and that's where most of his salary goes towards.. he said he'd like to finish school, but he cannot afford to right now.. I totally understand that.. I have known many people that are in that position..

He always tells us we (Z and I) have very positive spirits and that we are cool.. I always find compliments like that to mean more than comments like "you're hot" and so on.... Its hard to explain.. I have always believed that people have auras about them and you can tell in a very short amount of time, whether they have a positive aura, or a negative aura.. its just this feeling that one emits that is easy to pick up on..

I was watching Dave Chappelle's Block Party (for the third time) on one of our On Demand movie channels this afternoon.. I LOVE the artists that are in that documentary.. I remember reading about that concert taking place, but I didn't realize that Dave Chappelle spent three million of his own money to make it happen and to capture it all on tape, with the intent of turning it into a movie. Dave Chappelle is hilarious. I think he's hilarious. His taste in music rocks too. I'm still reeling in disbelief over the fact that he got The Fugees to perform. Ah.... The Fugees.. I miss them.. but thank goodness for Cd's.. its moments like this that I praise God for my vast CD collection... below are some pics of the artists that performed at Dave Chappelle's Block Party...(artists that I adore personally!)

Go Russell Go!

He's Canadian Folks...

Last night Z and I were watching tv and by fluke we changed the channel to the comedy network and saw a comedy special featuring our favourite comic, Russell Peters. You've got to understand that Russell has a special place in my heart because he's from Canada (from Brampton, not too far away from Mississauga--- the city I was born and raised in).. I have literally grown up watching Russell's stand up acts on television and have always admired his talent.. he makes me laugh out loud (and almost fall off the couch sometimes!)... Recently he moved to the U.S. (just like me.. except he moved out to LA and I'm in Dallas) and he's been getting really good feedback from U.S. audiences, which makes me extremely happy for him.. Z and I went to go see him at Majestic Theatre back in May.. Russell put on a great performance (as usual)...

His current dvd "Outsourced" is for sale on amazon. I urge you to support him if its possible.

Here is some more info on my favourite comic..

Russell Peters
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Russell Dominic Peters [1] is a Canadian stand-up comic of British Indian descent and is one of the succesful Indian-Western performers in the entertainment industry such as Anand Bhatt of *Anand Clique, Tony Kanal of No Doubt, and Kim Thayil of Soundgarden. His comedy focuses primarily on his cultural background, but also on cultural and racial stereotypes of all kinds.
Peters began performing in Toronto in 1989 [1] and has performed in the UK, Australia, China, Singapore, Denmark, South Africa, The Caribbean, Vietnam, Malaysia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the United States. He has been nominated for four Gemini Awards,[2] the Canadian television awards. He has also been nominated for Best Male Comic at the Canadian Comedy Awards. Peters has been featured at such shows as Montreal's Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, and the Edinburgh Festival. He hosted the Canada Day Comedy Festival 2006.
Peters' comedy focuses largely around his Indian upbringing and racial stereotypes, as he often parodies his parents and South Asian culture. Much of his material explores the cultural divides between many different ethnicities and upbringings in a way that includes many impressions. Russell has also been a DJ since 1985, and is an amateur boxer.[citation needed] Russell's skills as a DJ are shown during the opening to the comedy special Russell Peters: Outsourced. This comedy special also confirms his real name is Russell Dominic Peters.
His most recent comedy special Russell Peters: Outsourced, aired on Comedy Central on August 26, 2006. Outsourced was also made available on DVD and CD in stores on August 29, 2006.
Peters has been critical of the Canadian entertainment industry for not supporting Canadian comics sufficiently and for being overly bureaucratic.

Personal life
He grew up in Brampton, Ontario but now lives in Los Angeles. He was once engaged but is currently single. Russell's father, Eric Peters, died in March 2004 from cancer. He was a firm supporter of his son and was very proud of the success that Russell had achieved at the time of his passing. Russell Peters: Outsourced, in fact, is dedicated to his father. Peters has said that although his act often focuses on his father, much of the material is in fact based on his friends' fathers.
Russell is represented by Creative Artists Agency in the United States and is managed by his brother, Clayton Peters, CPI Management Services Ltd.

Peters yearning to play small clubs
Comic Russell Peters on his new DVD

Sep. 5, 2006. 01:00 AM
RAJU MUDHAR
STAFF REPORTER
With a new DVD on the shelves and another world tour to embark on, Brampton-born comedian Russell Peters should be on top of the world.
But he sounds more like he's feeling the weight of it.

In Canada, he's long been a bright light on the national comedy circuit and, with several of his videos spreading online, his popularity is growing worldwide. Much of his comedy is race- based. Despite his being the great brown hope, all races are fodder for his sly, observational humour.
Since moving to L.A., he's been pursuing TV pilots and movies. Last week, Comedy Central aired his latest comedy special, Outsourced, and the DVD version hit the shelves.
We caught up with him last week. What follows is an edited Q&A.

STAR: What's it like playing a show in Brampton? I'd expect it'd be like return of the conquering hero ...

RP: I don't know, to be honest with you ... I think it was 1996. Ten years ago was the last time that I played in Brampton.

STAR: I hear brown kids quoting your lines. That's gotta be pretty crazy.

RP: Yeah, I get emails from people saying they did a study on me in university. And recently someone said in one of their world geography classes somebody played a clip of me talking about different races and stuff, which is kind of cool, I guess. But since I was never the studious kid, I never expected to become the subject of study.

STAR: So the show just aired. What's the feedback so far?

RP: We got a bunch of new fans, I think. I mean, I don't think it was one of my best performances, but people like it. But I'm my harshest critic. I can spot every single thing that I do wrong.... We recorded in January, so it's been sitting around since then, which is the thing. Subsequently, I kept doing the act, so it got stronger and better because I tweaked it more. Unfortunately, they taped it early in the year, you know, when actually I didn't want to tape it. Again, I got bunged into these things by all the powers that be.

STAR: Like your evil label.

RP: The f--king label. All the agents, managers and everybody who has their hand in your pocket. Do I sound bitter? Yes, I do.

STAR: Just a tiny bit.

RP: Nah, I'm just irritated with the whole process. I can really understand why (Dave) Chappelle ran away ... and I ain't anywhere near his level, so I can only imagine how much worse it gets. When people say why did people stop doing stand-up, like when people say, "Why did Eddie (Murphy) stop doing stand-up?" It's because you've got so many people around you wanting to tour you and not let you build like you used to.
The normal building process for a comic is (to) stop touring. Go in the clubs three or four times a week or as many as you possibly can, and just get onstage and just jam with the audience, you know? But now people want you to tour right away. And it's not like being a musician where you can tour and sing the same songs. People don't want to hear that. A joke is not fresh and new any more. I got no time to build a new act right now. So at the end of the day, everybody else makes their money and I look like an idiot. That's why I'm irritated at the whole thing right now. But what can you do?

STAR: But do you like going on the road?

RP: I love going on the road when I've got something to perform. Right now, I feel like I've got nothing to perform and I don't want to feel like I'm ripping off my fans. I'm doing these big venues, and I'm like, there's no sense in doing these, I don't have big venue material. I should be doing a club tour with club material. That's how you build your new act. But hey, who am I? I'm just the performer. I'm just a dancing monkey.

STAR: Well, you do get to go around the world.

RP: Yeah, it's a great thing to have. I mean it's a fortunate problem, it's not one of those things where I go ``Why me?'' It's one of those things where you know, I just want to make sure I do the best for my fans and I don't feel like I can do that right now, but I'm going to go out and give it my all and see what happens. I think once I go out and go to India and Singapore I should have a lot of new material by then.

STAR: Going back to the motherland should help.

RP: Yeah, that always helps. If you're Indian, you go back to the motherland. It helps you make decisions. If you want to get married, go back to the motherland. If you want to lose weight, go back to the motherland. If you want to gain weight, go to the motherland. It's good for everything.

Clearly not a Globe Trotter!

Check the map.. THIS is where Bangladesh is...

I just came back from the optometrist and thankfully, I do not have glaucoma! I was worried for about a week at the possibility of going blind in the future! I couldn't imagine.. not being able to see? I don't know what would be worse.. to not be able to see, or not be able to hear.. Poor Helen Keller.. :(

Apparently the size of my optic nerve is two times bigger than the average optic nerve, which makes me "a glaucoma suspect".. thankfully, after conducting many tests, it has been concluded that my optic nerve is just oddly large and my eyes are okay.. wooo hoo! Thank the heavens above.. I got a brand new pair of glasses though (for distance) which I'm very pleased with. Thanks to Z's insurance plan they only cost $37.00! I thought that was a misprint when I first read the total. How can glasses only cost $37.00? I was used to paying at least $150 in the past. Oh well.. I'm not complaining...

I wanted to share a funny story..

So I'm sitting in front of the optometrist and he's testing my eyes and engaging in conversation with me at the same time. He asked me where I was from and I said "Canada". He looked very confused because I don't think he was expecting me to say that. He then asked "Where you born there?" And I said "Yes sir, born and raised". I knew what he was thinking (but wasn't saying).. she's got brown skin and crazy curls, how is she from Canada?.. she's not an Eskimo!.. ha ha.. After thinking to himself he questioned "What part of Canada exactly?" I replied by saying "A suburb just outside of Toronto". He surprisingly knew where Toronto was and had even visited there. I was impressed until he said "They got all them Portuguese and other ethnic people up there!" I think he felt proud of himself because he knew the word "Portuguese". I said that the Toronto area is probably the most diverse in the world and is filled with people from all over the world. He then said "I don't think I could live there".......... there was a long pause.... and I was giving him a funny look.. "I couldn't live there because it gets too cold"... yeah.. SURE.. that's the reason why...

That's not even the amusing part.. he then asked me where my husband is from.. I said that he was born in Bangladesh and came to the U.S. when he was three. He responded by saying "Ohhh, so he's African huh?"... AFRICAN? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.. I really had to contain my laughter because he was being serious.. he wasn't kidding.. "No... Bangladesh is in South Asia".. I informed him... "Oh alright, but its really far from India though right?".... Wrong again oh "educated " one.. "Bangladesh borders India actually" I said.. Then he happily informed me that all he knew was that Pakistan and India hated each other.. and then sat there laughing like it was the funniest thing on Earth... I thought I'd give him a little history lesson while I still had some time with him.. "Well, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India were all one country referred to as India prior to 1947. All the people from these countries pretty much lived in peace amongst themselves until the British came and segregated everyone and told them where they were to live".. I'm not sure whether the optometrist fully absorbed what I said. He nodded and smiled. At least I attempted to englighten him!

I didn't want to confuse him any further by telling him that my mother was born in Kenya (Africa) and that my dad was born in India a year before the partition. Both my parents were raised in Pakistan and moved to Canada in 1972. So basically, most of their lives have been spent in Canada. I don't think he'd grasp any of that. It would have been interesting for him to guess where Kenya was though. I should have told him that I have family in England, Kenya, Dubai, Turkey, Ireland, Pakistan and Canada and listened for his response.. I've got a huge extended family. Massive..

I find people's ignorance SO utterly amusing at times.. Want to know the funniest part? He has a globe in his office.. This really cool globe that has rod iron handles holding it up... Obviously, he has never taken the time to actually LOOK at the globe though.. What a total waste... clearly its just for decoration.. I've always wanted a globe like that..

I for one LOVE learning about where people come from, what languages they speak and so on.. One of my favourite pass times as a child was looking through my dad's atlas and his almanac's as well. I really enjoyed seeing what the break down of each country's people was. Actually, I still do. I live for stuff like that. Call me what you like, but at least I know about the world we live in and the people that it contains! The world does not just consist of North America people..!

Throw Back.....

I miss the 80's!












I officially love youtube. Last night I think I watched just about every 80's music video that tickled my fancy back in the day. Never did I think that I would have all of my favourite videos so readily available, just waiting to be viewed. I'm amazed at the fact that I still remember the words to songs that I had almost forgotten existed..


Some of my favourite videos.. (not in any particular order)....

• Debbie Gibson-- Only in my Dreams
  
• Fleetwood Mac-- Tell me Lies
  
• Taylor Dayne-- Love will Lead you Back, Tell it to my Heart


• New Kids on the Block-- You got it (The Right Stuff)


• Tiffany-- I Think We're Alone Now


• George Michael-- Monkey


• Michael Jackson--- Bad, Smooth Criminal, Beat it, THRILLER, Man in the Mirror, Liberian Girl, Dirty Diana.. can't get enough of MJ's old tunes..


• Madonna-- Who's that Girl, Borderline, True Blue, Like a Prayer, Cherish, Material Girl, Like a Virgin... I can go on and on.. Madonna is pop royalty and I have always loved her!


• Lipps Inc. -- Funky Town


• Duran Duran-- Lonely in your Nightmare


• Musical Youth-- Pass the Dutchie


• Martika-- Toy Soldiers


• Corey Hart-- Sunglasses at Night


• A Flock of Seagulls-- I Ran


• Tracy Chapman-- Fast Car


• Stevie Wonder-- Part Time Lover


• Balinda Carlisle-- I get Weak, Mad About you, Heaven is a Place on Earth


• The Clash-- Rock the Casbah (ADORE this video)


• Limahl-- Never Ending Story (this song felt magical)


• Alannah Myles-- Black Velvet


• Tears for Fears-- Everybody Wants to Rule the World


• Eddy Grant-- Electric Avenue


• Rockwell-- Somebody's Watching Me


• Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine-- Conga


• Phil Collins-- In the Air Tonight, A Groovy Kind of Love, I Wish it Would Rain Down


• Whitney Houston- How Will I Know, I Wanna Dance with Somebody


• Sade-- Smooth Operator


• Wham-- Wake me up, Careless Whisper


• Stacey Q- Two of Hearts


• Aha-- Take on Me


• Lionel Richie-- All Night Long


• RUN DMC/Aerosmith-- Walk this Way


• Human League-- Don't you Want me


• Dead or Alive-- You Spin me Round


• Billy Joel-- Uptown Girl


• B-52s-- Love Shack


• Bon Jovi-- Living on a Prayer


• Crowded House-- Don't Dream its Over


• U2-- Desire, Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For


• Rick Astley-- Together Forever, Never Gonna Give you Up


• Prince--Batdance, 1999, Purple Rain


• Cindy Lauper-- True Colors, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Time After Time


• Richard Marx-- Right Here Waiting


• The Police-- Every Breath you Take


• INXS- I Need you Tonight


• Bobby Brown-- My Prerogative, Every Little Step, Rock With You, Take Control
  
• Foreigner-- I Wanna Know What Love is..
  
• Tracie Spencer-- Symptoms of True Love, Tender Kisses


• R.E.M.-- Stand

I'm sure there are many others that I cannot think of at this very moment.. Looking at this list makes me realize how lucky I was to be born in the 80's (1980 to be exact) so I could appreciate the amazing music that was created during that time period.. the youth of today are clearly not as fortunate and it shows!

Male Rappers That Annoy Me Greatly

(in no particular order!)

• 50 cent --with all the money this man has you'd THINK that he would get some braces-- I normally do not make comments like this.. but I can NOT stand this fool.. He swears he's a real "gangsta"... yeah.. because gangsta's really go on about "The Candy Shop"..

• Li'l Wayne---is it just me, or does he just keep getting less and less attractive in each video that he makes?.. seriously, his tattoo clad body does not make him sexy.. neither does taking off his shirt for that matter.. he should keep his clothes on at ALL times! Also, wearing grills does not add to his "sex appeal" either.. BLAH!

• Yung Joc--- All of his music sounds the same.. he lacks any kind of creativity.. oh my bad.. he made up that dumb ass dance in his first video that consists of shaking his shoulders from side to side.. wow.. how genius!..

• Llyod Banks-- I'm trying to figure out who's worse.. 50 or Llyod Banks? Its a tough decision.. they are both extremely bad..

• Young Dro--- This rapper hasn't been out long enough for me to despise him the way I do the rappers mentioned above.. HOWEVER, that damn "Shoulder Lean" song has got to be the most retarded song of 2006..