HAIR BLOG UPDATE

So I've decided that this blog will just be my blog about whatever...lol. So, I finally made a blog specifically for hair :
afrocentrique.wordpress.com

I also have a blog where I will be just discussing literature:
inkonherstilletos.wordpress.com

And I have a blog for my jewelry:
oomoshop.blogspot.com

I also have a facebook, tumblr, instagram and twitter which are all oomoshop or @oomoshop

my personal twitter is @kimhyman

I am cleaning up my social network accounts..sorry I got busy with work after college. But I decided I think I want to read & write and design jewelry & style clothes for a living..and maybe even teach some day?? I'm an artist..and that's the life I want. Science will always be a part of me (it shows up in everything I do)..I'm Sci-Artist lol. But it's nothing new..Arts & Science go hand-in-hand and I'm embracing it! :)

peace & love <3

Love?/"The Edge of Doom": A 20-something's response to Shakespeare's Sonnet 116

I don't know which is more difficult, loving or being loved but I suppose they're one and the same since you can't really give love if you aren't willing to accept it...so then, can I really say I've experienced love? I mean sure one can be loved without accepting that love (i.e. God's love) but if I don't embrace love then I can't actually claim to have experienced it, right? But it's just that love presents such a vulnerability, you know? & I always secretly admire people who can just fall...in love...to me they might as well be skydiving because I, instinctively retreat or vanish if I find myself too far off the ground. It's weird...even amusing, that I can understand all that is the opposite of love but love... to be near, in my opinion, is what it means to stand at "the edge of doom". And yet, there is no safety where there is no...love?

"Return of the Mack"/FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS

So, finally...after a however long hiatus I decided it's time to blog again. The recent return is due to several changes in my life.

1. HEALTH CONCERNS: I was having issues with my eyesight but it's getting better, I will have to undergo surgery though to get my sight back to normal. I'm still working on my stockton postcolonial studies blog project title "A Dream Deferred" (Google it and check it out it's pretty cool, also there are other projects on the site from other student researchers so check those out as well!) I've been working on the project slowly because of my eyes, it's really hard to read, write, etc..for long periods of time because I'm basically seeing out of my right eye so it's tough but I'm doing it. I'll be blogging about my eye issues as well now, they had me a little depressed but I decided to get up off my butt and deal so here I am.

2. NATURAL HAIR JOURNEY: So I had a post a ways back when about being bored with my hair..well, NO MORE! I finally did my BC (big chop) in November of 2011..I had been growing my hair out since April 2011 which was the last date of my relaxer..when I Big Chopped I cut off all the straight hair and was left with my "natural hair". It was terrifying! I was like what am I supposed to do with this?? Well, through trial & error and much youtube and Googling I went from terrified to IN LOVE!

My hair is a little below shoulder length now, I love my curls, and my goal is waist length by 2016. I am going to do a future post (like tonight or in a day or two) about that experience specifically so stay tuned in!!! But let me just say that if you are considering going natural you have to do the ABCs. A) Abandon all conventional ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc you have towards hair in general and your hair specifically. B) Bring your own work ethic! There is no magical product! First of all, I find that the more natural methods work better with my hair...and you will have to do research and basically study and develop a relationship with your hair. I was struggling until I finally read up on things like hair porosity, density, and more realistic ways of defining hair texture...like the LOIS system which helped me out more than Andre Walker's system but to each his own.

And finally C) Care about your hair! Yes it takes work, yes you may get discouraged, yes people will judge your hair but if you love and care for your hair like, well like it's a part of you which it is, then it will thrive. If you hate/loathe it and are lazy and think you can get away with the shenanigans you could get away with when your hair was straight you will lose the war...BUT it shouldn't be a war..it should a loving, intimate relationship. CHECK BACK IN FOR THE DETAILED POST ON WHAT I LEARNED AND SOME OF MY METHODS CONCERNING NATURAL HAIR.

3. RELATIONSHIPS: I'm pretty newly single...decided I needed the space to pursue my passions. Writing, hopefully Grad school & starting a business (I make jewelry...twitter: @OOMOSHOP and hopefully will be operating my own online retail store by the end of this year..so look out for that!) I'm pursuing other ventures as well but you'll have to stick around and watch those things develop.

4. EDUCATION: So I've decided that instead of med school I'm going to basically strategically choose master's and PhD programs that will enable me to mix science, healthcare, gender & sexuality, and literature and I may end up becoming a teacher and/or professor but I'm not quite sure if I want to do that or just travel and write and run my retail business LOL. Some people are kind of disappointed about me not going to med school but I'm a free spirit...I can't be held down in an office and besides I'll still be a doctor except I'll be curing people of their misconceptions concerning others & their appearances via discussions about hair, race, gender, sexuality, and illness. I think that will be pretty cool :)

Anyway, that's it for now...OH AND I GUESS I SHOULD MENTION..YUP I GRADUATED. B.A. in Bio with a minor in literature and a minor in writing and a 3.40 GPA in May of 2012. Not bad for a little Jersey girl from the tiny island of Jamaica.

*****ALWAYS BELIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE, ONLY THEN CAN IT BECOME REALITY.*****

Postcolonial Studies Literature Project -- And now, the real work begins...

Well, my last post was May 16, 2011 so here I am two months later...I finally have some time to actually blog! This summer has been very hectic I'm working two jobs in addition to this summer research project I took on in the Spring. I must say that while it has been a long and hard journey on July 18 myself and my fellow researcher were informed that it is time to set up our web pages and begin official research in regards to our personal projects! I am so excited because at first I was not sure if I could manage or if I would be good enough but now I can sort of breathe a little easier. My project, which I will not disclose until it is published and entirely mine, will be posted on a project page associated with my college. I will provide updates (and eventually the link) once it is fully underway/completed.

Also, one of the coolest girls/writers I know was featured in an online magazine for her work on the postcolonial project. Her project is entitled Hybridity and Comics and is also featured on the project page.

Well, gotta go, doing some more research before bed. Ciao!

p.s. Thank God for every blessing.
peace, love, & happiness until next time.

--babydoll.

Postcolonialism/Feminism Project Blog #1: Thoughts on Feminism & Flowers

Found 3 very interesting sources this week!

1)Cheikh Anta Diop
2)Ifi Amadiume
3)Madhu Purnima Kishwar

Very interested in their thoughts on Postcolonialism and (in relation to Amadiume and Kishwar) their thoughts on Feminism. Amadiume suggests that while the Western woman is viewed as the ideal feminist there is also an ideal feminist in Eastern feminism. And in both cases a there is a division between "Feminists"/women's right activists when it comes to defining what a Feminist woman should look/act like, etc. For example: working, independent women do not see domestic women as feminists even if they are choosing to be housewives. Feminism in the 1960s which is referred to as the "Second-wave" (the first wave occuring as early as the 1880s) sparked women's concern with their reproductive, sexual, and domestic status. Therefore it is interesting that some women would say that choosing to be a housewife is not "feminist".

Although it may appear as women choosing to remain within the confines or (as prof. AK refers to them as "containers") of stereotypical female roles dismissing any women's choice is dismissing the value of women's choice. If a man chooses to marry or not marry there is no outrage others simply recognize that he has made a choice, however if the woman marries and becomes a housewife or in any other way does not--on the surface--portray the ideal feminist she is not considered independent or foward-thinking. A clearer example of this can be the Geisha which I discuss here (My response on Geisha & Orientalist fantasies). That article is in response to a professor who held an educational discussion on Geisha and Orientalist Fantasies.

It is ironic that in discussing female issues some women concentrate on how males view women (the external problem) and avoid the internal problem (how women view themselves). It makes one ask how far has the women's movement come if we are still evaluating ourselves as objects of a male society rather than individuals. As Freedman explains in her book No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women rather than focusing on the fact that a woman has made a choice that is not ideally "feminist" women have come to realize that women must focus on the fact that the woman is now able to choose and should be able to choose freely. And choosing certain options shouldn't label a woman as oppressed or repressed. Also there are social conditions to consider..a woman who is a Harvard graduate or any kind of prosperous woman (for instance prosperous farm women in Africa in Amadiume's article) is/are more capable of achieving the status of the ideal feminist woman. Basically it is far more complex than simply breaking traditional female roles. Timing, social context, social status, education, opportunity, location...all of these things contribute to the feminist status a woman can achieve. This is where I find Kishwar interesting b/c Kishwar argues that this is why she does not call herself Feminist b/c it is too broad a title & the issues and unique experiences of women all over the world cannot be thrown together under an -ism.

Women of both the Western and Eastern world as well as women in different countries on the same continent have different circumstances, for instance religion. As my colleague Steph C. documents in her studies ( See her project here: Steph C.'s Postcolonial project) Steph discusses the veil which is considered a symbol of repression by Westerners however (this is my observation now)-->Western women wore and still wear church hats and also revealing one's body to a certain degree in Western civilization is still an issue and it can still lead to being considered a "certain type of woman"...but b/c we cannot understand the importance of the veil, b/c it is foreign we assume as Achebe stated that foreigners have strange customs w/ no equivalent in the west. Not so! It is simply that we are unable to see through the mystery, the Orientalist fantasies, the belief that the west is developed beyond certain things to see that there are similarities as well as differences.

But on another note...My professor introduced me to Cheikh Anta Diop's work, I'm looking into one of his works titled The African Origins of Civilization: Myth or Reality and I am quite interested in his arguments linking Africans to the origins of Western civilization. I am excited about that because I like reading about how the various nations/ppl came about because it seems as though people try so hard to prove how different we all are rather than understanding that those differences are only skin deep. My thoughts on this? Shakespeare comes to mind:

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" -- Shakespeare (Romeo&Juliet)

Anyways, I will keep you posted on my research & findings. If you like what you read please follow my blog & twitter as well my group members & prof. AK are also tweeting about similar projects, thx!

Live. Love. Laugh. & God Bless!

--babydoll.

Poetry should be easier, like frying bacon.

So, there's this open mic event in my hometown (well, my second hometown..I'm actually from Jamaica) anyways, I kind of want to do it but I'm like is my poetry that good? It's okay..I got compliments in highschool & college + a few awards..but I just don't look at my work as phenomenal, you know? Also I'm shy. I've performed a poem before..when I worked with students at a detention center at the end of the program I promised them I would read my poem and recite it from memory and actually perform it like spoken word..so i did. Which was good because some of them couldn't get permission to attend the event and their teacher recorded the event for them so I wanted them to see me perform it.

Well, they enjoyed it and the event as a whole but idk if I should read it again.. it's a poem I wrote titled Dark Liquor (btw it's not what it sounds like)..but idk what to read for this event?? I don't like writing typical poetry and I like taking familiar but non-associated concepts to talk about the actual subject of my poems for example my latest poem titled Letter to my first daughter, Eve deals with my personal struggle with my hair/Black hair...but I compare it to the story of Eve & the garden. I'm contemplating reading this poem I wrote called Execution which is quite risque but a lot of ppl seemed to like it, it's short but I think it packs a punch. So maybe I'll do those three. Dark Liquor is somewhat long, Letter to my first daughter, Eve is like medium-ish and Execution is short so..that could work.

Still, I reaaaallllyy need new poetic inspiration lol. I might look into the books my professor (who I will call "E") suggested last spring, they have cool ideas about coming up with ideas for poetry. Or maybe I'll just have my little sister grab 3 random objects from my room and write a poem that incorporates all of them. btw I will talk about my siblings a lot in these blogs. I heart them. Maybe I'll write a poem about them who knows? If all else fails there's always bacon...I do enjoy bacon. What? BACON = GOOD in my book, idc what they say! lol I thought about writing a love poem for all of 3 seconds then said ewww...never been able to write one that didn't sound like it was written by a ten-year-old boy with a crush on his teacher. Well, I think i'm out of things to say, til' next time.

Live. Laugh. Love. & God Bless<3

--babydoll.

This may be the Summer that changes MY LIFE!

So...Today is my first official day of research towards my Literature minor..I'm assisting my amazing Professor of Literature who I will call AK I say first official day because I finally have all 3 books that I need to read to submit papers and bibliographies on sections of each...which will be a lot! whew..but I love literary analysis..always have..I'm a geek, I know..I know..

Anyway my professor and I are not actually meeting...we communicate through skype conference calls. Oh and there are actually 7 of us involved in this research: myself and 2 other women are working on the feminism project while the other group (which consists of 2 members) is working on Postcolonialism and Technology. And finally, we are working with an author from London who we met via Skype in April!

Prof. AK is amazing..in the past few months because of her I actually helped host a 3-day feminist event/discussion and interviewed a director of a successful film. And now we are working with this British author who I will call "Brit"...AK and "Brit" are actually working to publish a book of essays and the feminist group is a part of the project. And, also...we get to work on our own individual research which will be published online via my college and students will actually be able to site me as a source! I'm sooooooooooo excited! :D

Idk no matter how much I try to run from writing and literature it finds me. Ooooo...also I'm revising some poetry, essays, and a play I wrote last Spring and also working on some new ones and possibly a short story but I don't really like writing short stories..they're my least favorite :/ ...anyways, it's all for my portfolio for my writing minor...along with this I'm studying for the MCATs and I'm up for these 2 jobs which I hoooope I get because they pay really well lol but it will be a lot...idk how i'm going to do it all!!! We'll see..I love challenges..I fuss and sometimes get discouraged but I love the pressure of proving myself and accomplishing my dreams...

Besides that I have a few projects I'm working on with my little sister...she really loves fashion and so do I so we're thinking about doing something with that..I'm the big sis so I want to help her get started on her dreams too, hey she's 16 it's NEVER too early..so this should be a eventful and progressive summer for me...

ON TOP OF THAT...I need a great dress for my cousin's wedding..it's in London so you can't go to London and not look amazing right?? RIGHT!! I've been there and it's like a fashion show..so I must look good lol. Umm that's all on my mind for now...

Live. Laugh. Love. & God Bless<3

-- babydoll.