Miss Universe 2011

Angolan contestant, Leila Lopes is the new Miss Universe 2011! This should be a proud moment for all Africans! She absolutely deserves her win. I think she did great in all categories which they are judged, most especially the one category we all love to watch. Can you guess? Of course, the part they get to answer questions! I think that is the best part of the whole pageant. For pageant watchers, I’m sure you’ve heard some of the most off the wall answers over the years.

The crown was passed to Leila by Miss Mexico Ximena Navarrete, the 2010 queen. Leila is the forth African to hold this title since the pagent began in 1952. 1^st African winner- Margaret Gardiner from South Africa in 1978, 2^nd African winner- Michelle McLean from Namibia in 1992, and 3^rd African winner - Mpule Kwelagobe from Botswana in 1999.

Congratulations Miss Angola!!!

National Costume

Swim wear

Evening gown

HopefulDreamer

We Remember

Ten years ago today on September 11^th 2001, Americans experienced the worst terrorist attack ever in the history of the United States of America. Read more here.

I remember that Tuesday morning very well. I was in my 11^th grade sociology class when we got the news. My teacher turned on the television and that was our only focus for the remainder of that period and the rest of the day. Now that I think about it, just about everyone was focused on a T.V screen that day. At that point, I don’t think I understood the magnitude of what had just happened. But as the years have gone by, I am constantly reminded of the effects as a result of the attack.

I am reminded every time I travel and I have to take off my shoes to go through airport security. I am reminded when I’m watching my local news and see the images of soldiers that have lost their lives fighting in the war. I was reminded last year when I was in New York and went on a tour in the empire state building. I was on the 86^th floor, looking down and taking in the beauty of the city and for a moment I became terrified at the thought of what if… and immediately wanted my feet on solid ground. Recently, I decided to take the stairs in a building instead of the elevator, and for a moment (I’m not sure why), I looked at the metal bar railings and the hard concrete cement around me.  My heart dropped at the thought of being crushed if the stairs were to give way and collapse. I was immediately reminded of the people that were in both towers that faithful day. Those that were killed immediately due to the impact of the plane going through the building, and those that died due to smoke inhalation, or were burned alive. I also thought about those that were frantically running down the stairs to get out of the building as quickly as they could only for the building to collapse on them. There are so many images I have in my head of what I imagine happened in both buildings, but I’m sure my thoughts do no justice.

For those that lost their lives and the many soldiers that die daily fighting so that we can have a safe home, I salute you. God Bless You and God Bless the United States of America.

My sociology teacher had a special needs son that died before the end of that school year. I remembered him while reflecting today. May his precious little soul continue to rest in peace.

HopefulDreamer

No More Late Nights

So prior to starting this blog, I thought blogging was an easy task! I have very quickly come to realize that it is not as easy as I thought! I think the biggest problem I’m dealing with presently is finding the time to actually BLOG! LOL! Hello… That’s the whole point right?! I almost never have the time to put up a post. I’m not coming down too hard on myself though because I made no specifications of the number of entries I would have to put up in my planning. My goal for this blog is really just to have fun with it, and share with my readers whenever I am able. No pressure here.

I am currently in school working on my Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Georgia. Go Dawgs! Every time I say that (which I try not to as often as I can), I feel like I am betraying my Alma mater. I am forever a proud Georgia Southern University Eagle! Back to this MBA business. As expected, the program has been intense. Thankfully, the material is not “strange” considering that I am threading in familiar territory. I got my bachelors degree in Finance. However, I can tell you that it has been time consuming. The amount of work I have to do for some of these classes! I am trying to stay sane and enjoy every moment of this journey though. I’ve met some really cool people along the way and for me, that is always a plus.

I am also in the job market right now (story for another day!). As you can imagine I barely have any time on my hands on most days. A lot of my days lately have run into my nights and I’ve slowly but surely become the ultimate night owl. I find myself going to bed most nights at 5a.m. only to wake up about four hours later to start it all over again at 9a.m. This week, I decided I can’t live life like that anymore. So, my new cut off time is 2a.m. I refuse to stay up again past 2a.m.! Unless I’m working on a paper or studying for a major exam, there is absolutely no reason for me to be up. I am very productive nights when I’m up late but I decided it is time to prioritize. I need some order in my life. With my new bedtime, my day time productivity should increase significantly. Funny enough, after staying up late, I am still able to function to the max without ever having to take naps. Well… Except on Sundays. Regardless, I need my rest and I don’t think it is healthy to function that way.

This schedule is not changing soon. I’m not done until next year with my MBA program and I’m believing in God for a job soon! I can only imagine the added stress that will bring but goodness gracious, “I am ready!”  

If you happen to experience withdrawal symptoms from not seeing new posts, please do understand why :)

HopefulDreamer

Mad Math

I had a pretty stressful day yesterday. Overwhelming might actually be the suitable term. Anyways, in the midst of my chaotic afternoon, I came across this…

I had a pretty stressful day yesterday. Overwhelming might actually be the suitable term. Anyways, in the midst of my chaotic afternoon, I came across this…

I literally laughed out loud and then almost immediately stopped because I realized that while the comic is funny, the problem being ridiculed was far from it.

For those that don’t understand…

For some time now in Nigeria, especially in the Niger-Delta region, the latest business venture apparently is kidnapping and “adultnapping” individuals and forcing their loved ones to produce a ransom to have them released. At first, this might seem humorous and yes the whole idea is absurd! But when you hear some stories, laughing becomes absolutely inappropriate. These occurrences sometimes lead to the death of the person captured if their families can’t pay up. 

I can only imagine the pain that families in these situations go through, thinking about what could be happening to their own and at the same time trying to stay sane for  negotiations with the kid"adult"nappers. God help them that they don’t have the sum of money being requested. Let’s not even talk about the fear that the captive is totally engulfed in!

I hope the government is taking steps to put an end to this madness, because this is a major problem that needs to be corrected SOON!

Meanwhile, who can really solve this test question?

HopefulDreamer

2011 VMAs

Clearly, the #1 show stopper of the night was Beyonce announcing her pregnancy. Seems like that’s all the whole world is talking about this morning. How cool is it to be the center of attention while you are yet in the womb? Imagine the pressure.  Anyway, I figure I might as well throw my two cents in! Now before I say anything else, let me say this… I think Beyonce is a great entertainer. She is one of the best, maybe safe to say the best in her genre presently. She is a very hard worker and rightfully deserves all she has accomplished thus far. Plus I really like her songs! They are catchy and fun to sing, dance to, and have a good ol’ time while imagining I can also be Sasha fierce for a moment. So! NO hating here. I'm a fan! However, I was somewhat irritated with how she announced her pregnancy last night.

First of all! That baby bump is not one that should have skipped the watchful eyes of paparazzi! Considering Beyonce has been performing at several shows out in the public promoting her new album “4”, how in the world did not one media outlet break the news first?! How did she pull that off? While her performance last night did not disappoint as usual, I was not impressed with the mic drop at the end and rubbing of her belly followed by the cameras on Jay-Z and Kanye West acting silly and childish in my opinion. Your wife is pregnant… Okay? I thought that was what followed after marriage. The chic is smart though, she has successfully branded herself in such a way that some people go crazy over getting such news about her. She was all that was being discussed on facebook last night, she was the number one trending topic on twitter(still trending), and when I logged onto my yahoo homepage… of course it was none other than Bey as the main story! Fantasia just announced that she was pregnant. Who gave a hoot?  I didn't even hear about her on my local news!

Here’s my “main concern” though. Why now? Especially when she just put out her fourth album? We all know Beyonce to be a very career crazed individual. Clearly with the nature of her profession, I would assume she is well educated on contraceptives. I mean she waited three years. She got married to her husband Jay-Z in 2008. I don’t want to believe this pregnancy was a mistake.  Prior to releasing her new album “4”, Beyonce went on a 9 months hiatus! According to her, it is the longest break she has taken since she started her music career with Destiny’s Child in the late 1990s. Why did she not get pregnant during her break?! Catching my drift here? So what does this mean? No touring for “4”? I hope not! I saw Beyonce in concert a couple of years ago and honestly it is one of the best concerts I have ever been to! I got my money’s worth! I was so totally looking forward to her next concert! Now what?! Let’s see what happens. I won’t be surprised if Bey tours with her big belly and all. After all, Alicia Keys was jumping on top of pianos right before she had her son. You can do the same too! Right Bey?

I do wish the parents-to-be the best and I hope this journey is as exciting as it should be for them. Here is her performance from last night.

Some other mentions….

I am totally irritated with this creature at this point. Stop already!

What the heck was Nicki Minaj wearing?

Chris Brown Killed his performance!

Wayne, those pants, and that performance! Lol

 Excuse me for not being part of the world, but who the heck is “Tyler the Creator”?

Adele. That is all. 

Hope everyone enjoyed watching!

In related news…

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson  would have celebrated his 53^rd birthday today.

May his soul continue to Rest in Peace.

HopefulDreamer

Live A Little!

D'banj, one of my favorite Nigerian artists has a new song out called "Oliver".  You can read more about him here. He made a video for the song with his producer Don Jazzy of MoHits Records and another MoHits artist Wande Coal who is also a personal fave! The point of the video is to get his fans to make their own videos dancing to the song and send it in for a prize … I think. I’m not sure what’s up for grabs though if you are the winner. This song has totally grown on me and I am enjoying watching some of the videos posted online by fans. Oh the joy of technology!

Here’s the clip for D’banj, Don Jazzy, and Wande Coal. Don Jazzy got some moves there….

Here's a post that I really liked…

I thought this one was hilarious. The girls can really dance and I love the fact they included the fam!

I remember when Beyonce’s song “Single Ladies” was in rotation and everybody and their mama were making videos. Remember this?....

I so badly wanted to make a video with my sisters. Well… that never happened and I doubt I’ll be participating in "Oliver" either. Womp Womp. I know. It is fun watching though! So if you’re feeling up to it, get your dancing and jonzing on and please DO ENTERTAIN! 

HopefulDreamer

Don't Settle

“Disturb me, Lord, when my dreams come true only because I dreamed too small. Disturb me, when I arrive safely only because I sailed too close to the shore. Disturb me, when the things I’ve gained cause me to lose my thirst for more of You. Disturb me, when I’ve acquired success only to lose my desire for excellence. Disturb me, when I give up too soon and settle too far short of the goals You have set for my life.” 

I read the above excerpt in my devotion yesterday and I was totally taken by it. First of all I looked up the definition of "disturb" (I do stuff like that), not because I don’t know what it means but because I like understanding the context in which words are used. It also helps me to truly appreciate the context in which the word is used. Here are some of the definitions I really liked:

• To destroy the tranquility of composure
• To throw into disorder
• To put into inconvenience

I liked the last definition best. The expert touches on being disturbed when: 1) Your dreams are too small 2) You avoid taking risks 3) God loses His place in your life because of what you have acquired 4) You don’t yearn for more 5) You give up and settle.

If I had to sum all five points in one sentence, I would say, “Disagree to be satisfied with the status quo”. Regardless of wherever you find yourself in life, there is always room for improvement and opportunities to accomplish more beyond what you have already. Sometimes we see people who are already successful but still venture out past their comfort zones and we wonder why they are yet eager for more even though they seem to “have it all”. Well...  Maybe they have realized there is still a whole lot more out there left untouched and I believe there really is!

Don’t ever get satisfied with your position is life. It does not have to involve acquiring wealth. There is still room to be a better person, parent, sibling, friend, lover, student, professional, etc. We all have a role to play and we should strive for the absolute best in those roles. When you realize you are settling, pray to God for an inconvenience within your spirit.

Here’s a bible verse I LOVE:

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more that all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." Ephesians 3:20  NIV 

HopefulDreamer