KNOCKED UP

Me, Actor & B-Ball saw Knocked Up last night. It was HE. LARE. RE. US. Hilarious for you slow folks. It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO funnnyyyy. hahahahha. I'm still laughing thinking about the movie. hahahha

Here's the website so you can watch the trailer & all that good stuff: KNOCKED UP

In a nutshell, it's about Ben, (Seth Rogen) a complete slacker who loves to get high with his friends & thinks life is a joke. He meets Alison, (Katherine Heigl) a pretty, career-oriented woman who works for E! Entertainment News. They meet in a club one night, she gets pregnant & it starts from there...

Pretty long for a comedy, but definitely definitely worth the 2 hours 9 min of your time. It was actually deeper & more serious than we thought it would be. It has to be the realest pregnancy journey that I've ever seen: the arguments, hormones, sex, everything was so real & down to earth.

And the comedy? Oh my God!!! There's endless lines after lines after lines. If you're into rude, perverted, off the wall, sometimes don't make any sense type of comedy then this is definitely for you. haha. At certain parts a line would have us laughing SOOOOOOOO hard that I fell face down on the couch laughing, tears rolling down my eyes, to the point that I wasn't even making any more noise. You know I'm laughing hard when I don't even make any more noise.. We were laughin so hard that we missed the next like 12 lines & had to rewind the movie. Yea, it's that funny.

I don't wanna get into details & spoil the movie, just GO RENT IT!!! Did I mention that it was funny?

Alison: I love your curly hair! It's great... do you use product or anything?
Ben: No... I use, uh, Jew it's called.

Pete: Just don't ask me to lend you any money.
Ben: Can I just - have some?

Ben: Do you want to do it doggie style?
Alison: You're not going to fuck me like a dog.
Ben: It's doggie style. It's just the style. We don't have to go outside or anything.

Jay: Man, my balls are shaved, my pubes are trimmed, I'm ready to fuckin' rock this shit!
Jonah: What the fuck, man? If I go in there and see fuckin' pubes sprinkled on the toilet seat, I'm gonna fuckin' lose my mind! Last time I went to the bathroom, Jay, I took a shit and my shit looked like a fuckin' stuffed animal!

Me --> *Rolls on floor & dies laughing...*

CUSTOMER SERVICE pt. 1

As I mentioned in IDIOT OF THE DAY case #1 I hate hate hate bad customer service. I mean, it really irks me & I abhor it with a passion. To me, if you don't like your job, then quit. It's that simple... But if you need money to get through school, feed your kids, fund your passion, alcohol addiction or whatever the case then perk the hell up! If you're gonna be at work then DO YOUR JOB! At least act like you wanna be there.

I understand everyone has their days where everything is going wrong: relationships, bills, boss acting like a b... etc etc, but you're at work. So pull it together, block everyone out, and do what you gotta do so you can finish your day & go home. I don't expect you to be all extra friendly & accomodating, but at least do the minimum: acknowledge my presence & get me what I paid for in a timely manner. That's all I ask. You ain't gotta ask me how my day is or tell me my toes look nice (true story) etc etc. Just get me my stuff so we can both go about our days. Now if you WANNA talk, then we can talk. I've encountered people who were so refreshingly nice & pleasant they made my day.

But back to the topic at hand... I've ran across zillions of people in a variety of places that are just horrible. And this transcends all races, ageS & cultures. For instance, there's this cafe at my job; the ONLY eatery in the whole plaza right? Our plaza consists of a plethora of businesses so everyone is very professional & up to par. We're all busy & sometimes don't have time to drive somewhere & get something to eat. So what do we do? We walk over to the cafe. It's in the middle of all of the buildings, like a courtyard if you will. Needless to say it's a great location, so she gets alot of business... kind of... well, she'd get way more if she'd be nicer to people.

The first time I went in there she was very abrupt with her customers, always saying only one or two word responses to their inquiries. I figured it was because she didn't know how to speak English that well (she's Korean) or was having a bad day. The next couple of times I went in there she was the same way: rude, abrupt, always frowning & always asking people "Is that it? That's all you're getting?"

It didn't take me long to pick up on the fact that English wasn't her problem: customer service was.

And to make it worse, her food isn't that great. Everything is overpriced: $1 for mini chips, $3 for hamburger, cheese & etc is extra 50c each, $2 drinks, etc etc... The salad/ fruit "buffet" for lunch is always filled with dried or old looking stuff & she's very stingy with condiments. She doesn't have any to go packages, so if I wanted ketchup I'd have to squeeze some from the bottle onto my burger before I leave. And she's watching me the whole time, like "You better not take too much." Needless to say, I rarely, if ever, go over there. Her place is the last resort for me. I only go there if I don't have the car that day or if I'm lazy & don't feel like driving. 90% of the time I'd drive, lol. Nomatter how much I don't want to, I'd rather drive than eat over there.

I told Actor if I had enough money to open a restaurant there I'd take ALL of her customers. Dead ass. I'd have finer food, exceptional customer service & my prices would be competitively lower. I'd sooo take all of her business... By the way, did you know that one of my future plans is to own a restaurant? Yea, she better watch out, I might have more than one type of restaurants.

Actor & B-Ball said I should bring chips, drinks & other quick foods & sell it at lunch time out of my car for cheaper than what she's selling. lol. I would if this was somewhere else, but I refuse to do it at my job. First of all that's just tacky & second of all, everyone at my job would be like "Umm... Akanke... Are you ok? Do you wanna borrow some money?" lol. This ain't that type of crowd. Ergo, no thanks. If i had free time on my hands I'd sell my food somewhere else though. I bet I'd get alot of business cuz my foods are delightfully delicious :-D

I have plenty more customer service things to talk about, but I have to go now, so this shall be continued on a later date...


Thanks for reading. Until next time... Akanke

ANTHONY'S PIZZA & PASTA

The first restaurant I have decided to write about is one of our favorites ever! Anthony's Pizza & Pasta is a mom & pop's joint on Highway 85 in Riverdale. There's one on East Ponce de Leon too but I've only been once & I like the Riverdale one better. Furnished with pool tables, air hockey, arcade games & 2 tvs, there's something fun for everyone to see or do. The interior is green & tan with fenced looking wood on the wall, and tan/wooden arts & decorations to match. You can sit in regular tables, wooden booths, or our favorite round table. It's across the room as you walk in the door, but has some steps up and is elevated from the rest of the restaurant. Like a VIP section, if you will, for you club hopping people.

And how's the food you ask? It's GREAT! Very affordable & delicious! Let's face it, nowadays it's very hard to find food that's cheap but tastes good at the same time. You usually get what you pay for, but not in this case. I'd spend my money here than at any fast food restaurant any day. Here's a mini manifest of the menu & prices for the budget minded masses:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Appetizers: all under $4
Salads: $4- small/ $7- large
Subs: $3.50- 7"/ $6.50- 14"
Wings: $6.25- 12pc/ $11.50- 25pc/ $19.95- 50pc
Pizzas: small $3.95, toppings $1 / large $6.50, toppings $1.50
Calzones: $5.50
Pasta entrees: $4.75- $8.25
Kids menu: all under $4.50
Desserts: Cookies/ Brownies- .65c
Cheesecake- $2.95
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As you can see, the menu has a variety of food for every taste bud: pizza, wings, pasta, subs, salads, fries, brownies, cookies, cheesecake... etc. Their pepperoni pizza is great & we also get the chicken alfredo pizza. It has perfectly seasoned chicken, mushrooms, alfredo sauce & cheese. Best ever! The Medium & Italian flavored wings are great too!

Other tasty dishes are the pastas, chicken strip subs, spaghetti & meatballs, and jalapeno poppers (fried jalapeno peppers with cream cheese in the middle) with ranch dipping sauce. I usually bring some steamed Old Bay crab legs & eat them with the poppers. Add some sweet tea & you got one of my favorites meals ever.

So if you're ever in the Atl area or if you live in Atl, ever in Riverdale, stop by there & Gina or Becca will take good care of you. They're like our extended family cuz we eat there so much. lol. We've had numerous birthday parties & gatherings there & everyone loves that place. Go check it out! Oh yea, they do deliveries for surrounding areas too. No, you can't call in an order from California, they don't go that far...

P.S. - If you Google "Anthony's Pizza & Pasta" you'll probably get some website for a place in New York, which obviously isn't the right one, so here's their address so you can Mapquest it. Go forth hungry people! Bon Appetit!

6518 Highway 85
Riverdale, Ga. 30274
(770) 997-6040

IDIOT OF THE DAY case #1

Ok, I have decided to dedicate my 1st IDIOT OF THE DAY to a couple of IDIOTS that manage my apartment complex. You know who you are *stares*

Let's see, where shall I start? Let's take it back a couple of months to April... So me & Actor went apartment hunting for a month or so & finally found the perfect place. Beautiful buildings, appealing landscapes, sparkling pool, spacious fitness center, and the actual apartment was exquisite. Tan cabinets with gold handles, matching bar counter, tannish walls instead of boring white ones, spacious bedroom with ample closet space, huge bathroom mirror with mirror medicine cabinet, stainless steel 4 light bulbed lighting for bathroom & adjustable studio lights for dining room, brand new appliances, and last but not least, a huge porch. The whole nine, everything we could've asked for... and a whole lot more.

We moved in, inspected the place for any maintenance issues & the episode started from there. Our clear tray at the bottom of the fridge was cracked & needed to be replaced, and the linen closet door knob was unattached on the inside, so whenever we pulled on it to close the door, it would just fall off into our hands. Just 2 simple maintenance requests. Easy right? So I called the office. "Ok honey, we'll get somebody there today." Cool, I thought.

They never came. Not that day, not the next day, not the next week... Us being the patient & understanding people that we are, figured that they were just swamped with requests & probably couldn't get to us right away or even forgot. "It's cool, I'll just call them again." So I called in another request. Another week went by unresolved. The first of many excuses was "Oh, alot of people's A/Cs are out, so they're busy fixing that. I'll send somebody over there today though, ok honey?"

* Side note: I hate when people call me nick names, i.e.: honey, sweetheart etc. It irritates the crap out of me. The only person that I can tolerate it from is Actor cuz he said it so much I had to get used to it, and plus he's my baby, he can do that.

So I said "Ok thanks" and went about my day. I came home from work to, yet, another day of unfixed maintenance. Being patient, again, we waited it out for a couple of days, then it, again, turned into a week, then 2 weeks. Get the pattern? Yea... By the way the women that I am talking about are those smile in your face but get nothing done kinda people. Yea they're very nice & sweet, so if you're just there to converse then you'll have a grand ol' time. But if you, like me, need your shat handled, then they're the type of women you'd like to choke. Repeatedly. Or maybe it's just me... *fake laugh, frowns, mugs*

It's now July. Yes, 2 months have gone by (cuz we moved in at the end of April, I'll cut them some slack instead of technically adding the extra month.) 2 months have gone by & our requests are still not fulfilled. We came outside one day to a flyer posted by an anonymous resident. It, in a nutshell, said that we as residents need to take action because they're sick of it. All of our amenities are neither opened nor working. That was news to us. Then it all made sense. We never saw the pool opened, nor the gym or entertainment/game room that they included in the shiny brochure. The flyer also said that they've tried to address the issues with the office but to no avail & that they kept getting the runaround (big whooping surprise.) That if anyone can find the number to the corporate office then post it on the mail boxes so everyone can call & let them know what's going on.

The next day I found the corporate number. lol. (I can just hear Actor & his brother say in the background "That girl quick. She wants results.") lol again. But anyways, I was gonna post it all over everything, but after some deliberation we decided it wouldn't be in the best interest of our stay here, so I had to put out my fire. So I just called corporate instead. haha.

I spoke to the Vice President & told him about our amenities & maintenance issues & he said that he would get it squared away. Now wouldn't you know, the office lady called me immediately & asked me was there something wrong? Yea biatch there's lots of things wrong! DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (sometimes you just gotta go old school with a simple duh man. Some people just don't get it.)
"Now what's wrong again? What'd you need fixed sweety?"
"Linen closet door knob & clear tray for fridge."
"Ok, I got it, but tomorrow's gonna be July 4th, so I'll have someone come over 1st thing on the 5th k? And oh yea, if you have any issues please give me a call. Don't call corporate ok? Let ME know what's going on. Don't call corporate."

Yea right. I'm GONNA call corporate cuz apparently my request isn't getting through to your idiotic brains, so if I need something resolved I'm gonna call corporate. Time & time again. I like corporate...

The 5th? No ones shows up. Not a soul. A week later, guess what? Still no one... The next excuse that they gave was "Oh, somebody came by, but they didn't have a key so they couldn't get in." First of all, this is YOUR apartment complex, do you really think I'll buy that you don't have a mass key to every apt? Rightttt, step your lies up you pathetic excuse for management. Second of all, I get off work at 2pm, so one of us have been home EVERY SINGLE DAY since we've been here. IFFFF someone would've came, we would've gotten our shat fixed a long time ago. So I don't wanna hear it.

Some more time went by and it got to the point where we were just living & having fun that we actually forgot about the issues. Except for the moments that I get a towel out of the linen closet & grab the doorknob to close it & it came loose into my hands. Then I got heated again. And a couple of times I was contact-less & couldn't really see & almost tripped over random things & out of instinct reached for the knob & it came apart & I almost busted my ass. Then I was pissed.


Fast forward to September. We had an additional maintenance issue to add to our roster: one of the studio lights in our dining room is broken & needs to be replaced. I called them every day. For a week. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. for 2 weeks straight. "Ok, gotcha. We'll get on it."

Lies lies lies. So just yesterday I called corporate again. I was through playing games with them. Vice President didn't pick up so I left a strong, urgent message telling him to call me back right away. And he did, 10 minutes later. I told him what was going on, that it's been 5 months, going on 6 (that's half a freaking year!) that I have requested (millions of times) for my maintenance to be done. He was very nice & concerned so I didn't have to get rude. lol. He told me to call the manager & speak to her & that if my maintenance didn't get done right away to call him back.

And here's the twist ladies & gents: one of the women that I've been dealing with this whole time told me that she was the manager... and turns out she's not! (big whooping surprise, again) There's another lady that I didn't even know existed. So she basically lied this whole time so I wouldn't actually get to the real manager & get my shat told.

So I called, this time asking for the REAL manager.
"Good morning this is Idiot of the day, can I help you?"
"Yea, (the real manager's name) please."
"Who is this?"
"Akanke"
"Who?" (Biatch you know who this is, you should know my voice & irritation by now) "AKANKE"
"Are you a resident?" (I'll kill you...)
"Yes I'm a resident."
"What apt. # are you in again?"
"(insert #)"
"Oh ok. What is this about?"
"Can you PLEASE transfer me to (insert manager's name) NOW?!"

She hesitantly transfers me. I can hear her run to her office & was talking to the manager. I told the manager my story, but I could tell she wasn't paying as much attention cuz IDIOT was telling her something. She then said "Oh, yea. They said they couldn't get to you guys cuz they didn't have a key." (Well I'll be damned) "Well, someone's home right now so you guys can send someone over. Immediately. PLEASE." "Ok I'll send Mr. so & so over." "Thank you."

*Click*

When I got home I had a clear tray in my fridge so I can put fruits, vegetables, or whatever I feel like putting in there cuz I HAVE one. My studio lights were rearranged, but no new one so now I just have 2 instead of 3. We decided that was fine; saves us some power. And I saw a door knob box on the bar. A few minutes later Mr. Maintenance man came back by & installed it for us.

So to you, idiots of the day, the next time I put in a maintenance request I expect that you will get someone on it right away. I have no problem calling corporate again. Now go fool some other unsuspecting new tenant. Cuz I am NOT the one. Thanks.

IDIOT OF THE DAY

Soooooooo... In addition to my LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! and HAVE FORK WILL EAT family, I am also adding a series called IDIOT OF THE DAY. Yes, yes, yes. Very so often I think that throughout the day, whether it be at work, in traffic, while shopping & especially while reading the news. I will start to share these moments with you, hopefully in doing so will raise a fundraiser for loudspeakers. These loudspeakers will serve the purpose of turning the switch on & yelling "What the hell are you thinking?!?!" in those idiots' ears. In doing so will, hopefully, snap them back to reality or just out of their stupidness so they can be on a swift & rewarding path towards intelligence & sanity.

Just a few teaser stories:

Subject A: A high school boy & sister get in a fight with another girl. He has a knife & accidentally stabs his sister instead of the other girl.

Subject B: A middle aged lady file taxes using dead people's names. All wired to one account. Needless to say, she got caught.

Subject C: An armed guy robs convenience stores for cigarettes. With a hat on. Nothing else to conceal his identity. Standing ovation for him ladies & gentlemen.

Check back soon for more idiots of the day. Who knows, it could be someone you know...

Love, Akanke

HAVE FORK, WILL EAT

In addition to the Lights, Camera, Action! series that I am starting will be the restaurant series. As you all should know by now, I LOVE to eat. I'll try almost anything once. I've eaten cuisine from Italian, Soul Food, Chinese, to Seafood, Caribbean, etc etc. My favorites have to be pasta, bbq, and seafood. I'll eat those any day. And let's not talk about desert. I'll eat almost any desert put infront of me (that's after I eat the whole table full of appetizers & entrees. lol) I've also eaten exotic/ unique foods like snake, eel, deer, shark, snails, fish eyes, fish eggs, quail eggs, etc etc. Yea, I AM from another country people! My culture eats weird/gross sounding things but most of the time it tastes great if you stop being a punk & just eat it!

I love to cook. It excites me to learn how to cook something new. Over the years I've learned cooking tips from my parents, Actor's parents & even my friends & their parents. I can cook Asian food, Pasta, BBQ, bake cakes, brownies & deserts like banana pudding etc etc... and Soul Food (don't play, I make the best cornbread in Atl. Holla at me if you visit.) The best thing about cooking is watching people eat it. Might sound corny but I bust my butt (well hand technically) to cook great food because I want Actor & whoever else eating to enjoy theirselves. It makes me happy to feed people.

I told Actor that food is one of the most universal things in life that make people happy. I've noticed that nomatter who they are, where they came from, or what they're going through, when people eat, they're so content. Yea they're hungry & are filling a physical need to nourish their bodies, but beyond that... beyond that is a beautiful thing. People sit to talk, laugh & bond when they eat. Families gather for holidays to eat & catch up on each other. Couples eat to celebrate an anniversary or get to know each other on a first date. Even homeless people are happy when they eat; seems like for those few minutes they don't have a care, worry, or fear in the world.

So this series is for those who share the same love of food with me. Food is a beautiful (and delicious) art. Me & Actor love to try different places every chance that we get, so I'm gonna start recommending & sometimes shoo you away from a place. lol. Hey man, don't wanna waste your time eating bland food.

Check back soon for my 1st restaurant blog!

Love,
Akanke

3:10 TO YUMA

First of all, immediately after reading this, you must go to the theater to watch this outstanding, great, excellent, whatever adjective that you like, movie. I mean, just go ahead & crank up your car & let it warm up, so when you finish reading you can just hop in & drive straight there.

Consistent with the title, 3:10 to Yuma is the actual train ride that will take bad ass outlaw Ben Wade to trial to be hung. Ben Wade, played by Russell Crowe, is head of a gang of thieves & murderers that run the Southern Railroad. When he is captured, Ben is escorted by a group of marshalls & Civil War veteran Dan Evans (played by Christian Bale) to the train station. Sounds easy right? Wrong. What happens during the journey there is explosive! Ben Wade is a force to reckon with & Evans ain't playing with him either. Both of them are completely different morally, ergo has to earn each other's respect.

Bursting with energy, excitement, & just down right cowboy gangsta shit (lol that's the only way I can think to put it man) 3:10 to Yuma is the best western movie I've seen in a long time. Trust me folks, if you're not into Westerns you will be after this. It's so good you won't even notice or much less CARE.

This is going down in history as a classic, not just with me, but Oscar wise. I hope they get something for it. Still waiting for the rest of the upcoming movies this year, but so far, this has got to be one of my favorite contenders for an Oscar. Not sure which category yet cuz there's been so many great movies & sequels this year. But go see it! You don't wanna miss it! Me & Actor said this is gonna be one of those movies that our grandkids are gonna ask "Grandma, did you really go see that in theaters?" Yea... Like how we now ask "Did you really see Casablanca?" Yea... Go see it. Now. And bring me some nachos on your way back. K thanks!

P.S.- Here's the link to the official movie site: 3:10 to Yuma. Go check out all the goodies.

Love,
Akanke

Butterfield: Twenty-two robberies, over four hundred thousand dollars in losses.
Ben Wade: Ya'll notice he didn't mention any of the lives I've taken?

Ben Wade: I've always liked you Byron, but even bad men love their mommas.

Doc Potter: Is it true that you dynamited a wagon full of prospectors in the western territories last spring?
Ben Wade: No, that's a lie... It was a train full.











Ben Wade: They're going to kill me in the morning... I'll never see the sun.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

Soooo I've been meaning to blog about movies for... years. lol. Just now getting around to it. Sorry! But here I am! Better late than never right?

If you don't know, movies are one of my passions. My ultimate career goal in life is to be a successful actress. I want to get to the point where everyone knows & respect me for who I am, what I do, & what I stand for. I want to use my money to help the homeless, children, & lots of other people who need a helping hand. I want to use my fame to bring out issues that would otherwise not be heard because, regardless if celebrities want to or not, they ARE role models & people DO look up to them.

Regardless of what's going on in our lives: stress, arguments, bills, etc, once we're watching a movie nothing else matters. We get lost in their world for 2 or 3 hours, and for those couple of hours you're happy (unless the movie sucks of course.) Movies capture our imaginations, hearts, souls, spirits, minds, and everything inbetween. To me, if a movie can make you laugh, cry, get angry, feel sorry, etc., all in one, then it's a great movie. Same with individual characters. If they can make you hate, yet love them at the same time, then they be that TRUTH!

Actor has the same passion, hence the pseudonym. We love love love love love to watch movies. New ones, old ones, classics, etc. If you give us a movie, we'll watch it regardless of what it's about; we'll give anything a shot... And if something sucks, we'll make fun of it for half an hour after it goes off; same for if it's good. We always discuss the movie after we finish it: the good & bad parts, camera angles, scenes, colors, everything... We're also interested in the behind the scenes portion too (producing, editing, etc) so when we watch a movie, we literally watch everything about it.

We spend most of our money on movies & food. We'll go to AMC (plug. Pay me) to watch new releases, the dollar movies to catch up on movies that left the theaters, and we'll even rent or pay per view movies sometimes.

So ladies & gents, old people & babies, here is the first blog about movies you should see. I'll put our personal favorites up there. And trust me, if we say it's good, then it's definitely greatt. I'm very picky, so if something is alright then i'm not gonna say that it's good. I'll list new movies that we've just seen, along with older ones that if you haven't seen them, you HAVE to go rent it.

The 1st movie will be 3:10 to Yuma. Just saw it on Sunday. Go to the next blog to read about it.

Love you guys,
Akanke

HAPPY BIRFDAY TO YOU!!!

Saturday 9/15 was Actor's 24th birthday. We had reservations at Madison Grill at 7pm. He woke up & went to hang out with his brothers & cousin while I stayed at home & got ready for the night. I was finishing cutting up his music/movie themed confetti (cuz he really wanted it but Party City was completely out, so I decided to make some for him) I literally hand cut every single confetti. There were about 800 pieces, maybe more; I didn't mind cuz I like cutting stuff anyway, plus I had some free time on me hands.

After finishing the confetti, I ate the Wendy's he brought me, then painted me toes. He loves it when I do french tip. I proceded to make a director's chair out of the bendable, fuzzy thingy (can't remember what it's called) to put on his music/movie cake. I also made a mini version of him to put on the chair with a real cut out picture of his face. He had butter yellowed cake with rainbow chip frosting. I cut the cake to look like a film strip & decorated it with pictures of the things he loved: music notes, guitar, microphone, etc...

As I was putting the finishing touches on the cake, he came home & we started to get dressed. I put on my white spaghetti strapped-knee-length dress with tan flowers & red decorative trim on the bottom. It was gorgeous! I had some tan shoes with red ankle ribbons to tie around. Actor had on some fresh black jeans, black dress shirt & a hot black & silver tie loosely around his neck.

We went to pick up his little brother & headed to the city. We were kinda late, lol. The party started at 7pm & we got there like 7:50. He wanted to be late anyway to make a grand entrance. I got alot of fuss cuz I kept telling everyone to be on time & we ended up being extra late. haha. Oh well... :-p

The restaurant was very nice; adorned with black, white & red colors. We had reservations for 40 so they set up 2 tables of 20 filled with candles on top. There was a whole section to ourselves with drawned red curtains for privacy.

We made our way around the room & introduced everyone to each other, chatted, made jokes... etc. and sat down to order. Blackened hanger steak with steamed broccoli & creamed spinach for me and shrimp & grits for him. He didn't like his food so he sent it back for shrimp & mashed potatoes. I didn't enjoy my food as much either but chewed on it anyway. We all had a blast. Everyone started buying him drinks & before you knew it, he was wasted! lol! He had about 7 glasses, not shots, glasses, of everything from Henesssy to Red-headed sluts. It was great. They even started freestyling at one point.

After a couple of hours we sung happy birthday to him & he opened his presents. His best friend got him a cookie cake & some money folded into a "Versace" outfit. It was cute. His brother got him a brown & tan/greenish sport jacket, his mom got him a black & silver Rocawear watch (he was twisted so was like "It's not on the right time" but turns out he had it upside down. haha.) He opened my present last (he's been waiting to open it for a couple of weeks since I had it at home, securely taped & he couldn't touch it) He finally opened it & saw some black, white & gray Nike low dunks with "Fontaine" on it. He & everyone else loved the shoes. Custom made things are the best!

We all had cake & I got numerous compliments on it. That was the 1st birthday cake that I'd ever made so I'm glad it turned out great. We still have some & I brought it to work today too. It's sooooooooo good :-D

Everyone started to spread & do their own thing, some went to watch the Poker tournament, some to play pool & arcade games, and some to the bar to get wasted... We hung out for a while longer & then went to the studio. His friends love to see him in the booth when he's drunk cuz he's already funny & goofy, but catch him when he's drunk & he's funny & goofy times 50.

He laid down like 20 freestyles to a plethora of beats & had his voice on auto tune sometimes. It was funny as hell! hahaha. Tpayne better watch out! He even got his cousin some booth time & he was ready too. He was all snapping on the track; he's gotten good since we've seen him last.

3 or 4 hours later we headed home. I dropped our friend, his brother, and cousin off & we headed home.

"Thank you baby, I had a great birthday."

You're welcome love. Anything for my boo boo :-)

SAVANNAH BOUND pt. 3

Saturday we woke up to Actor's mom's grits, eggs, sausage & pancakes breakfast (famous family breakfast for yearsss. I didn't eat the pancakes, I don't like pancakes very much, only every once in a while) She cooked ALOTTT of food since there were about 20 people there. lol. It was like a refuge camp.

We ate, then got dressed for the beach (Tybee Island) Well, I guess, technically undressed... The morning started off sunny then the skies turned gray but we were determined to go get us some sand & water! We live in Atlanta, ergooo, no beaches that are decently close by. We headed there anyway & am I glad we did. It was beautiful! We said that we weren't gonna get in the water, but as soon as we got there & laid our towels down, we got in the water. haha. Since it was kind of cloudy, there was an amazing breeze so we weren't hot. The water was salty, yet warm and refreshing. We caught a whole bunch of waves, digged in the sandy water for seashells & other cool things that we could take back & made sand castles. He made a heart at first, which eventually turned into a pyramid. I made a house that turned into a pyramid then morphed into a sombrero. lol. Skills man, Skills.

We played in the water some more, got knocked down by some huge waves, then did it all over again. At one point Actor thought there was a shark & he said "Watch out, come back in." I thought he was warning me of a huge wave cuz that's what we've been doing, so I'm like "I'm straight, I can tough it." "Come in!" (I didn't hear him say shark at all, maybe cuz I'm slow) then I got out of the water. A passerby came up to us & said it wasn's a shark. Turns out it was some dolphins. I wish I could've seen them, I love dolphins.

We headed back to Savannah & went to Golden Corral. Figured we'd give them one more try. The food was great that day. The steak chef was the best! It was perfectly seasoned & was so tender & juicy. Like how the steaks look in those commercials? That's exactly how they tasted. I went back up there like 5 times! Every time that I went up there he just laughed & cut me another piece. One time he saw me coming & started cutting the steak before I even got there. haha. Everything else was delicious too. Golden Corral was a delight that day. Look at me, this sounds like a restaurant review. Well, it gets a 6 out of 5 star for that day :-)

After unbuttoning our pants & driving home enormously full, we hung out with grandma for a while. That night we went to River Street and walked around. Nomatter what's on the schedule for Savannah, we gotta stop by River Street at some point during our visit. It's like a whole 'nother world. Shops galore, seafood filled restaurants, beautiful architectures & landscapes, not to mention the river glistening from the street lights... We made an impromptu stop at the Riverboat store & bought tickets for the last cruise of the night. It was an hour an a half long. That was the first time either one of us had been on a boat so that was an amazing experience. We sipped frozen margaritas & strawberry daiquiries & let the river take its course and swept us into the moonlight. It was beautifullll. Water is so peaceful... We saw all the buildings adjacent to the river, businesses, shops, trees, etc. The ride back was kinda chilly. We decided that we were gonna bring a jacket next time we get on there for the ride back. We also decided that we're gonna take the cruise in the daylight to see what else we can catch. It was an enchanting & romantic night for us. We held hands, kissed, & embraced each other. I love being in his presence. He makes me glow...











The next morning we had a huge breakfast at his aunt's house once more, went to River Street to get some drinks (non-alcoholic of course :-)) & headed back on the road towards Atlanta. Savannah is great, but it sure feels good to be home. Our own apartment, cable, internet... the works. We're not high maintenance people at all, but it sure feels good to have access to lots of technology since we're info/gadget freaks. We went to Golden Corral as soon as we dropped his brother & dad off. Needless to say, we got full & went back home & relaxed for the rest of the day.

Exquisite Savannah, we shall be back soon to enjoy other parts of your beauty & grace...

Love,
Akanke

SAVANNAH BOUND pt. 2

Thursday after work we went shopping for a few last minute knick knacks to bring on the trip. After eating a (and getting semi sick) Honeybaked Ham sandwich (which I dunno why I felt nauseous cuz I eat it all the time. It's the best! Maybe it was something else... *shrugs*) we went home to pack. I took a power nap before I started packing my million sets of clothes. I always overpack cuz you never know what could happen. You might end up staying longer or spill something. I'm OCD shut up! But anyhoos, I'm always prepared & will have almost anything anyone asks for in my purse. I have a lighter, band aids, earrings, contact solution, so on & so on. lol. Actor will be like you got this or this babe? And I just pull it out of my purse & he just shakes his head. I would've been a great Girl Scout dammit!

After filling up on gas & getting snacks & etc. we headed on down the yellow brick road. Ha! I always wanted to say that! (don't mind the random outbursts, I'm being slow right now) As soon as we got into town & stepped in the door it started raining. Perfect timing. I'm glad we didn't have to drive in the rain; I just got a new car so don't want my baby to get in any kind of incident or anything.

There were a whole bunch of people in his aunt's house. I guess they had a gathering & people came to check on her & give their condolences. (If you didn't read "Savannah Bound," we're going down there for Actor's uncle's funeral) As soon as we got in & started our greetings/hugs around the room, I heard a high pitched voice say "Akanke!" I looked around the room to see a tiny & beautiful lady reach out for me. "Grandma!" as I ran over to hug her. She's the best if I haven't mentioned before. We talked & hung out for a while then headed to his other aunt's house.

After leaving there we went to Wally World (Walmart for those of you who are impaired) to pick up some beach towels etc... cuz we were going to the beach on Saturday. We then headed to grandma's house to talk for a while & fell asleep on her couches.

The next morning everyone else arrived in town for the funeral. We woke up, got some Mickey D's breakfast & I hopped in the shower before his cousins came & we'd all have to struggle for bathroom time. I've never been to a funeral before. I mean EVER. So I didn't really know what to wear or expect. I figured I'd go all black to be safe: black dress pants, a black laced off-the-shoulder top & some black wedged heels with a bow on it. Actor had on this sharp black button up with French cuffs (if you don't know, better get on it!) and a banging green tie. I somehow had some green earrings in my purse to match his tie. I swear we didn't plan it. haha. Cuz he didn't get his tie till that morning & I'd already pack all of my stuff for the trip. So there!

We headed to the church (I love how old school & simple Savannah is sometimes. They didn't even have paved parking; we parked on dirt & grass.) It was raining so we ran inside the church & of course, greeted everybody. We went in to see his body & that was an experience within itself. I've never been to a funeral before, hence I'd never seen a dead body before. Sure I've seen almost every episode of CSI, but there's nothing like a real body lying right in front of you. With all the make up & whathaveyou that they did to him, he looks older, but at peace.

The ceremony (I guess that's what you call it, I'm not sure) was nice. There were solos, reminiscent speeches, prayers, and etc. We then headed to the cemetery to lay his casket down. Somehow the company said that it was their policy to not lay the body to rest until everyone is back in their car. Basically we couldn't see the casket being lowered so that sucked. Everyone was a little upset & confused as to why we couldn't. She was like "So everyone can make their ways back to their cars now" No one budged. lol. Everyone stood there & started talking to each other & catching up. After about half an hour we all started to scatter & headed back to the church for food.

Actor already warned me that the food would be sorry, and it was, so we decided to gather everyone and go to Golden Corral. I think I ate the whole buffet up, ok half... It was great! Golden Corral is my favorite buffet place, it kicks Ryan's butt. If anyone knows any better place let me know. We're always game to try new eateries. Food is one of my passions nomatter how fat that sounds. haha.

That particular Golden Corral was sorry that day. The steak chef was horrible. He didn't enjoy his job very much; was standing there frowning the whole time & didn't season any of the steaks before he put it on the grill. And THEN he left the grill unattended & came back whenever he felt like it. Ergo, all of the steaks were well well done even though everyone wanted medium-well. The broccoli wasn't fully cooked & still crispy; cheese all runny; didn't have the big popcorn shrimp that Actor always eat. But our company was great. We all talked, laughed, shared stories, and made fun of the food.

We went back to Grandma's house & took a nap. Woke up & went to his aunt's house again to watch movies & play games... etc

to be continued...

DEAR ACTOR pt. 2

"How does it feel to know you never have to be alone?

When you get home

There must be someplace here

that only you and I could go

So I can show you how I

Dream away everyday

Try so hard to disregard

The rhythm of the rain that drops

And coincides with the beating of my heart

I'll never leave you behind

Or treat you unkind

I know you understand"


Love,
Akanke

DEAR ACTOR

Dear Actor,


I got an email saying that your gift is finished being custom made & is arriving shortly. I'm so excited :-D. I hope it looks just like how I saw online. I'm not gonna tell you what it is, but I'll give ya a hint: It's coming from China. You can try to guess what it is all you want to, but everything comes from China so good luck! haha.

Hey, you never know, it could be that Chinese baby I told you about ;-)

I don't know what we're doing for our anniversary yet, but I'm excited about that too. 3 years man. It's been a wonderful ride & I'm ready for years & years to come. We're gonna be one of those couples that still hold hands & be all hugged up on each other when we're 90. Gigady.

I'm also excited for your birthday too. Can't wait to give you your present, and no you can't open it early! I'm not quite sure the plans for that either (or maybe I am but not telling) but I know it's gonna be a great celebration.

I'll see you when I get home k.


Love,
Akanke

SAVANNAH BOUND

We're going to Savannah today. Actor's uncle passed away so the funeral is tomorrow. I don't know him well, but from what I've seen & heard he's a great guy. God bless his soul & let him rest in peace.

We're going to the beach on Saturday. I did like 450+ sit ups yesterday to try & get some of the chunkiness off my stomach so I can look good in my bikini. haha. I don't have a whole bunch of rolls, but since I'm small, any ounce of fat is noticable so I gotta keep it tight. I think it worked a little bit. I'm getting older so it doesn't roll off as fast anymore. If I would've done it for a week my abs would be glistening like they used to.

Pops said that his family might be having a cook out so I'm gonna get to meet Actor's dad's side of the family. I've met almost everyone on his mom's side. I can't wait to see his grandma again. She's the sweetest & nicest person I know besides my mom & grandma. I love that lady. Last time we were down there she came & sat next to me while I was falling asleep & said "You're so pretty. Have a good sleep. I love you" I think I had the most wonderful night's rest after that. I then heard her talking to Actor when he was sleep. She was rubbing his face & just watching him sleep. She said he's so handsome & she loves him & kissed him good night too. The next morning she cooked her famous cheese eggs, grits, & smoked sausage breakfast that I've been hearing about for yearssss. It was the best. She's the greatest.

Savannah is so beautiful & romantic & just plain ol' peaceful. Me & Actor said that would be a place we'd consider residing at when we're older. After all the fame, glamour & success we'd like to live a normal, peaceful life.

We're riding down there in my new car. Whoot whoot! I'm not gonna say what it is since people are crazy & there's alot of haters out there. If you're our homies you should already know... But yea, we're gonna be going lots of places in our new baby. Have a couple destinations in mind already. Whoot whoot!

That's about it for now on Savannah. We'll take lots of pictures & stuff & stuff & I'll write about it soon.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Love,
Akanke

FAT PEOPLE

I have to be at work early in the morning. So I'm driving, weaving in & out of lanes cuz people can't drive & they aggravate me. But anyways, I observe alot. I see so many contradictive things in the world it's crazy. Today I'm gonna concentrate on FAT people. Yes, you read right, FAT people.

Now I am 5'2, probably 95-100 pounds, depending on if I ate before I stepped on the scale. In a nutshell, I'm a little Asian girl. Actor says I have lots of curves & he loves my body, but I still think I'm just a little Asian girl. I'm not anorexic, better yet, I'm far from that. I eat probably 80 times a day; more if I had extra time on my hands. I eat more than Actor does. lol. Ask him, we'll go to Golden Corral & he'll have a plate or two, while I'm taking my time, eating probably 4 or 5 plates. Appetizers, entrees, & desert baby; the whole 9. I love Golden Corral :-D. But yea, I don't go around saying I'm a video chick or I'm so skinny & I love it cuz I'm not fat & all that craziness. I just do me. I am who I am.

What trips me out is how fat people act. And how they be hating on everybody. They hate on skinny people: "Oh she's so skinny she needs to eat more." No fatty, YOU need to eat less. They hate on other fat people: "I don't know why she's wearing that, she's all bulging out. That's nasty." No, YOU'RE nasty, look down at YOUR gut hanging out. lol.

I try not to judge people, I just observe. For instance, what started this whole blog was, in the midst of me weaving in & out of traffic, I look over & see this huge chick, no I mean she had to be like 200+ pounds. Maybe more. She was eating what looks like a triple cheeseburger with everything on it (yes I can tell cuz I'm fat too (Actor calls me that cuz I eat everything in site.)) But yea, she had that, a biggo thing of fries, and a diet coke.

First of all, it's 6:30 in the morning! Oh my GODDDD! Why are you eating that nasty, unhealthy crap anyway, and why are you eating it for breakfast? And the diet Coke. Need I say more? Yea, that'll counter everything else. A diet Coke. LMFAO. And you wanna know why you can't lose weight.

That's the other thing that trips me out about America. They're diet obsessed! I just need to lose 5 more pounds, just 5 more! There's so many pills & programs & surgeries out there. And for what? If you ate right in the first place you wouldn't have to try to lose weight. Yea some people aren't taught what to eat or didn't have the means to eat healthy or whatever the case, but once you know, then do something about it. And by that, I don't mean order the left side of the fast food menu & a diet, no make that two, diet cokes. No. No. No.

I told Actor that I wasn't even raised to exercise. My parents don't exercise, and I'm sure everybody else in my family & probably most of my country don't exercise. Some say that our cuisine is very healthy compared to other countries (defnitely more healthy than what most Americans eat) And we all have great health. And we live longer. Go figure.

I was raised in the American culture so I exercise (well, sometimes ;-)) because I want to be & stay healthy. I don't do it because I want to lose "5 more pounds." I actually wanna gain weight but my metabolism is too damn fast. But yea, back to the subject at hand. Fat people.

I have numerous friends that, one might say, are overweight or even obese. But they carry themselves in a way that exudes beauty. Not trashy & nasty. And fat people usually have beautiful faces, so they play that up & dress very appropriately & sexy without overdoing it. Let's be real, there are some things that fat people shouldn't wear. Yea you can be sexy & all that, big up for you, but don't push it. Don't ever walk out your house wearing a bikini, thong, short skirt, or any other thing that'll show your 8 millions rolls, and your stomach too. That's nasty.

And what trips me out the most is when fat people in denial. That is THE best; it's very entertaining. You know those fat people that swears that they're thick or big-boned? lmfao. Yea. Right. What kind of bone are you made of? Dinosaur? Those people that describe themselves as the sexiest, curviest, and voluptious thing walking? And you see them or their pictures and be like damnnnnn, who were YOU talking about? Thick & voluptious is J.Lo, Tyra Banks, Beyonce, etc. Not old Star Jones & Mo'nique, even though I love them.

Case in point, be real with yourself people! Be proud & confident of who you are & what you look like, but don't be unrealistic. If you're fat, then you're fat. If you're skinny then you're skinny. You're both not thick or video girl material. Let it go. Be yourself. Stop hating on everybody else & work on yourself.

"He shifted his weight from foot to foot, but it was equally uncomfortable on each."
~ Douglas Adams

BLOGGING

I know that I only blog sometimes. I want to blog more, but then I don't. I want to let people know certain things, but for the most part I'm extremely extremely private. I don't wanna put my life or my family/friends' life on blast. I don't see how people do that. Sure I go through & experience things every single day. But if I were to put how I really felt about everything people would cry & crawl in a hole or be really upset & never speak to me again. So... I just continue living life, holding my tongue, only giving advice when asked, or speaking about something when it arises.

Maybe I'm helping them, maybe I'm not. Maybe I'm not helping myself. I really don't care... much. I dunno. People are stupid and they get on my nerves. I think that's all that it basically boils down to. I feel like I tell people the same things over & over again, and they still go out and do the exact thing that I told them not to, and then they come back to me asking advice on "what should I do now?" Well if you would've listened to me in the first place, which I know you never will, then you wouldn't be in this predicament now would you? But you're gonna keep doing it over & over again so stop asking me for advice, and stop putting me in it.

It's so weird because I usually am an optimistic & a pleasant person. I believe that people can change & that everyone deserves a second chance. But sometimes I get tired of people coming to me with the same shit over & over again. It's very tiring & stressful and frankly, I don't really give a rat's ass anymore. I'm trying to help you, but nomatter how much I do or say, at the end of the day it's up to you to make a difference in your life. I can't help someone who can't help themselves. Stop crying & do something about it. Or, if you choose to stay in your self-created destructive hole then leave me out of it.

This isn't for anyone in particular. Just people in general.

I forgot the whole purpose of this rant, but oh well... I guess it wouldn't be a rant any other way huh?

TOP (how many ever there are) THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY JOB

I used to work for this retail company. Not gonna say their name, but they know who they are. It was my first job; got it when I was 17 and was great at it. I started out as a cashier, then Guest Services, then I learned how to do everything. I could ring somebody up, do a return, ship stuff, help set up a wedding/ baby registry, work on salesfloor to straighten everything, etc etc. Whatever they needed, I could do it all.

Then I woke up one day and realized that that job was so full of crap. Dead ass. Full of crap. I should've been forewarned when I tried to switch locations cuz of school and the HR idiot claimed that he couldn't give me a "good recommendation." So I marched my yellow butt up to the new location & put in an application. I had to go through the interview process all over again and I had been with the company for over 2 years. Some bull right?

After passing the drug/background tests and making me a new name badge, they realized that my info was already on file and jokingly let me know that I didn't have to go through all of that. "All they had to do was transfer my file" they said. Funny huh? I'll give you something to laugh about you freaking tards.

So I work at the new location, making new friends and learning a brand new set up. Time goes by & the same bull keeps popping up. I mean, I never have a problem with any of my coworkers, just the management. They're full of waste bags. The store manager & salesfloor manager were cool. I loved them. But my direct cashier manager was hated by everybody. I'm 21; they're like 23 & 24 and they try to run everybody like they're so much older and have so much power. It got to the point where I was like screw it, I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do. Screw all of y'all. I KNOW how to do my job. I've been doing my job long before you even got yours, so float away from me. Don't say nothing to me.

Not to knock anybody, but I was the hardest working person they had there. And they knew it too. They worked me the hardest. And I didn't mind, thinking one day it was gonna pay off. I used to have to stock the coolers with drinks (lifting & putting the extra heavy crates onto the flatbed first, which hurt my back,) wipe the registers off every night, and during the holiday season have to stay till 2 or 3 in the morning trying to put the store back together. Basically busting my behind because I was proud of my work. Whatever I do I put 120% in, so I was always pleasant to the customers and etc. I was gonna be manager, but my school interfered with the work schedule. They wanted me to be available 24/7 which I was NOT gonna do. Then it got to the point where they were cutting alot of hours; I had 8 hours per week for like a month straight. 8 HOURS!!! They tried to spread it apart & gave me 2 days per week, 4 hrs. each, like that would look better. 8 HOURS!!! What am I gonna do with that? Can't even put gas in the car with that crap. And to put the icing on the cake, they gave all the new people 40 hours every week. Here I am, been slaving for this company for 3 1/2 yrs., getting 8 hours/week while the brand new people who don't even know what the heck they're doing are getting 40/week. Haha. I had to laugh to keep from Columbining the whole management team.

One day I said to Actor "I'm gonna get me a better job. Screw this stupid bull."
So I got on Craigslist and started my search. Things were looking real grim; I sent out over 300 resumes online and nothing. A few weeks later someone finally responded and that was the only one I needed. This sweet lady interviewed me over the phone and 2 weeks later I interviewed face to face at the office. I got the job of course, and when I tell you that I drove straight to the retail place after the interview and threw up the deuces? I sure did. And it felt good too.

I started this job in February and boy am I blessed. I am an Executive Administrative Assistant for this clothing company and I love it. Here's to you my wonderful new abode. *raises glass*


---
~ My hours are great. I beat traffic in the morning AND when I get off. Then I have the whole day to myself.

~ I get paid double the stupid retail price & I do way less work.

~ Fresh coffee waiting for me every morning. There's unlimited hot chocolate, green tea, etc... and sodas in the vending machine are only 60 cents.

~ My lunch is an hour long, and I get to take it whenever I want and go wherever I want.

~ If I have to drive somewhere, I'm reimbursed for my gas. Holla

~ Free alterations. I'm short so I usually have to alter all of my jeans.

~ No one is watching or hovering over me. I do what I do on my own time, and still get everything accomplished ON time.

~ My benefits are the greatest. They cover $20gs life insurance FREE, plus I add extra to it. I have medical, dental, AND vision, and only copay $15 every time I go somewhere.

~ I have two weeks paid vacation a year. Once the week of July 4th, and once the week of Christmas through New Years. That means I never have to worry about trying to get off and not getting approved and being pissed off and bitter for the holidays.

~ My coworkers are funny & silly. We have so much fun AND still get our business handled.

~ I get to coordinate suits & match ties to make a hot ensemble.

~ I get to steam, lint roll clothes, and tape boxes. I never knew one could have so much fun doing so. I'm weird so what?

~ I have my own cubicle, with my own phone & extension #, my own computer, and my own company email address.

~ I'm appreciated. My bosses always ask (and not tell) me to do something. They say thank you and tell me how much they appreciate my work almost every day.

~ I'm good at it. I'm on top of every aspect while working for 3 different people.
---

Thanx for reading. Until next time... Akanke

LET'S MAKE A SLAVE!

For the record, I do not encourage nor condone slavery. AT ALL. In fact, I'm highly highly HIGHLY opposed to it.

*Sidenote: when I say black, I mean African American, with all due respect... It's just too long to type every time.

For those who don't know me: I am not black. I am Asian (Vietnamese & 1/3 Chinese). I grew up in the poor part of Atlanta where I can't even remember seeing any white faces. All of my friends were either Black, Asian, or Hispanic. I had a couple of white friends at school, but I was always drawn to black people. I grew up listening to rap, hip hop, & r&b. All of my boyfriends were black, I ate "soul food" religiously, and my, lingo if you will, was very urban. My parents never taught me anything but stay in school and be a doctor when you grow up. Everything I know I learned from the streets. I was basically raised by all of my black friends and their families.

I was and still am, very offended when people make racist comments toward African Americans. I'd probably be more offended if someone was racist towards Actor than he would be. It boils my blood. I mean, nobody ever really made racist comments toward me growing up because they know I really don't give a F$#! about what they say or think. So *shrugs*... But it really angers me when I see or hear anything racist. Makes me just wanna crack their skull open with a rusty hammer... But ANYway... *breathes* We read something that was life changing a couple of days ago and felt the need to share it with the world.

GO TO: WWW.THETALKINGDRUM.COM/WIL.HTML

READ... READ IT THREE TIMES.

Read it the 1st time with anger. 2nd time with understanding. And third time with understanding and the mindset of change.

After reading you might even forget to come back & hear what I have to say about it, but in case you do:

It was by pure fate that we ran across this article. I mean, we were meant to receive this article...

Me and Actor bought some drinking glasses for his dad from Ikea. The next day we were on our way down south (we live in Atl, he lives about 40 minutes away) to give them to him. I've been on this Sudoku binge for about two weeks & take the book everywhere with me. Well, on that fateful day I forgot my pencil AND we forgot the glasses at home. We realize this after 15 minutes of driving of course.

On our way back home Actor's brother B-Ball calls and asks if Actor could stop by his job and pick up his check for him. Because Actor used to work there & had a semi-bad ending with them, he hesitantly agrees to do so... We arrive & drive past the security guy, who is a good friend of Actor's. He asks if we have a minute because he wants to share something with Actor. After picking up B-Ball's check we went back to the booth & his friend gave him this reading. He wrote a side note and a letter for him & everything. They used to always share unique findings with each other.

The side note said "The way you love is beautiful. Love as, love goes, no colors."

After skimming through the article we both knew that it was going to be a good read. We stopped by a Pho (Vietnamese noodle restaurant) place to get something for me, and headed to the mall to sit down & eat. Actor started reading it while I was killing the Sudoku. Every few minutes he would look up and look around. He finished & started telling me about the article and I'm like "WHOA!!! Hold up let me read it. I wanna see this for myself."

So I read. And I looked up every few minutes just like he did... Why? Because everything that he put in place is still happening right this second. And I read every sentence about 5 times each to make sure that I'm understanding what it says... And I kept looking around and seeing everything & everyone move in slow motion. It was so clear.

If some people refer to Hitler as a genius, then what is Willie Lynch? A more evil genius? I mean, what kind of person actually sits down and think of how to boost their economy by suppressing others? The killing, torturing, mind-game playing, and basically setting a system that hurts people for years & years to come. People are still hurt by it; whites and blacks the same. They are still victims to this cruel cruel plan.

That speech was made in 1712. He said his system would last for AT LEAST 300 years!!! 300 years isn't till 2012 people!!!

Look around. You see the broken families? Why? Because they set it up a lonngggggg time ago for it to be that way. They purposely made the males breed as much as they can to get more "workers", take them away from their families, make it seem like the man is worth nothing, therefore making the women depend & eat out of their white hands, boring their children to grow up and trust & depend on the white man. And the cycle starts all over again. It's some shit ain't it?

I look around today. Still happening. Almost all of my friends that have kids? Two words: baby daddies (One if you slur it all together.) And what sends me over the roof is that everyone seems to think that it's normal now. WHAT THE F$&% MAN?!!! That ain't normal!!! I dunno about others but I was raised to believe that men & women should get married and then have kids. Sure it's 2007 and the order might get mixed up a little bit, hence the kid before the wedding, but there should still BE one, you know? Call me old fashion all you want, but I am old fashion & a Christian & that's what he wants for us... Let me stop cuz this is a whole 'notha subject that I will write about later...

But yea... I look around & I see Willie Lynch's "system" EVERYWHERE and it pisses me off. Take, for another instance, the whole light skinned dark skinned battle. I have black friends in every shade possible and I love them all. My friend Nikki has sisters and they're all different shades from each other. She's darker than all of them, and her older sister is lightest. Whenever we hang out people would approach her sister 1st and catcall at her, etc... I don't get it because they're both equally attractive. And alot of my friends (male AND female) swear that they only date light or dark skinned people. I know that people have their preferences in a mate, but the shade of someone's skin shouldn't be a factor. Once again, you win Willie.

Let's not even talk about the whole Young & Old battle... No. LETS... Why do older people think that they know everything? They always seem to talk down to younger people like we don't know what the hell we're doing or talking about. Yea you have some years on us, but years don't equal knowledge. Education & experience equals knowledge. You could be 70 years old & never left the house or went to school. Do you really think that you know more than me? Nahhh buddy. You still have some grown ass 40 year old boys running around out there, while 20 somethings are becoming CEOs & millionaires... On the other spectrum, some young people are dumb too. They talk too much, party too hard, have 8 kids by 8 different women and bounce... etc etc. Older people been married for 50 years, take care of their families, and are very wise. Case in point, each person is different. WE SHOULDN'T JUDGE ONE ANOTHER BY AGE. We should, instead, help each other out. Learn stuff from each other. Build one another up instead of breaking down. Cuz if we keep doing that, at some point everyone's gonna be broke down to the bottom & the white man's gonna be looking down at all of us saying "Look at them dumbasses." "Oh well... let's hire them at minimum wage and work them harder than the other people that get paid $50/hr. and do nothing all day."

And how can I talk about battles & not mention the battles of the sexes? Classic ain't it? Men & Women. Women & Men. blah blah blah blah blah. Boy if I could count the pennies that I'd get for how many arguments that I've seen/been in... I'd be one rich little Asian girl. I think every single one of us has been in one of those fights. And for what? Damn you Willie Lynch!!! Argggg!!! I'm sure that battle's been around wayyyyy before you were born but we're on an anti- Willie Lynch post right now so you're responsible. ARGGG... Don't you hate it? The whole "You're a woman so you stay home & clean, cook, then clean up the mess that you made when you cooked, iron my drawers, throw them legs up when I get home cuz I want some, spit out my babies, and then take care of the baby while I'm sitting there playing Xbox in them drawers that you ironed for me" crap? Or the "You're a man so you gotta work all day while I go do my nails & sip cocktails, then come home & work out cuz I like my man swole, then take me shopping for 5 hours & buy me stuff that i KNOW you can't afford, then complain cuz I still didn't get that other purse that I wanted, then make strong passionate love to me allllll night cuz of course, you're not tired are you? You're a man." crap?... Yea. Enough said.

I could write 18 billion blogs about the endless battles, but I don't have the time or energy to. Maybe one day when I'm retired & worth billions of dollars so that I don't have to think about anything but massages and sunsets... Maybe one day.

I'm not too sure if I stayed on subject with the whole Willie Lynch thing. lol. Somewhere along the way I got too heated for my own good and just started throwing out views on EVERYTHING. haha... But the moral of today is, children, STOP LIVING IN THE SYSTEM. TAKE YOURSELF OUT NOWWW!!!!!! Think about it like an invisible jail. You don't see it, but you're still bounded by it. Read that article again & do something about it. The most effective way to change the world is by starting with yourself. Now go! Shoo! I have to go sip my cocktails & wait on my man to come home & take me shopping ;-p.



Thanx for reading. Until next time... Akanke

MY 21st BIRTHDAY!!!

That girl is GROWNNNN. Holla. The end.






















Just kidding. haha.

It was the best birthday everrrrr. I thought we were going out to a dinner party with our friends but boy was I fooled.

I did my girly thing & got dressed & dolled up and everything and was ready to go. Actor came in the room with some roses & a card & this HUGE happy birthday balloon. The roses were wonderfully scented & the card was perfect. It was black & gold with a magnolia flower on the front. I love cards & he always gets me a card with something gold or yellow on it because that's my favorite color. And this one had one of my favorite flowers on there too. Yay.

Then he told me that I couldn't leave the room...I was like huh? ...

I sat there, watching him run in and out of the room grabbing random things and taking it into the living room. About 20 minutes passed and he says "Ok you can come out now." We walked into the living room and it was astonishing. He'd turn it into a romantic restaurant. There were two tv dinner tables put together to form one table, a table cloth, a beautiful red charger (for those of you who don't know: No it's not a car; it's the big plate that you set your dinner plate on. Kind of a nice decoration or whatever. *"The more you know" music plays*)
But anyway... a beautiful red charger, candles on the table, and artsy folded cloth napkins. He'd put my yellow mesh laundry bag over the floor lamp and a red piece of tissue paper over it to create a radiant glow of reddish/orangish light in the room. My baby's creative :-) He's a born artist, you better recognizeee.

I'm standing there admiring the creativity and beautiful room set up when someone knocked on the door. We weren't expecting company so I was like "Who is that?" He was still being all silly & mysterious and smirked at me. The door opens & this big swole guy walks in holding a bunch of kitchen utensils & groceries. "Ok?" I thought. "Who is he & what is he doing here?" "Babe this is (I'll call him Chef) Chef, our chef for the evening; Chef this is Akanke the love of my life & birthday girl. Do come in." "Hey, nice to meet you." *shakes hand* Actor shows him to the kitchen & he starts to get down. He brought pans & restaurant ingredients & everything to our house.

At this point my knees are weak, my mouth is dry, I'm speechless, bout to cry, and lightheaded from this burst of happiness running through my veins. He grabs me closer, wraps his arms around me, kisses my forehead, nose, cheeks, lips, and said "Happy 21st Birthday baby. I love you." "I love you too baby. Oh my God this is the best day of my life so far!" "Yea?" "What are you kidding me?! Yea!!! Nobody's ever bought a chef home to cook dinner for me, EVERRR"

We stood in the kitchen & conversed & watched him cook. He showed us cooking tips, and explained step by step what he was doing so we would know how to do it ourselves. It was like a cooking show right in my kitchen...

After setting steak, shrimp, and this italian grits thingy (forgot what is was called) made with specialty cheese and white wine, decadently on the plate, dinner was served. Actor pulled out my chair and sat me down, got us some fruit punch (holla), and we started eating. It was one of the best meals that I've ever had. The food was orgasmic, the room beautiful, my baby's brown eyes glistening at me... The night was perfect.

A few hours later we went to the movies to see "Pursuit of Happiness" It was perfect because my name in Vietnamese means "Happiness" and what better time to see that movie than on me birthday? The movie was great. The acting was wonderful, and his son gave the movie a warm touch. It made me laugh, made me cry. It was truly worth our time. To me, a movie is good when it can make you laugh, cry, angry, sympathetic, and all these emotions at the same time. Especially towards the same person... Now THAT is a great movie. More about movies at a later time my children. More about movies at a later time.

All in all, my 21st birthday was more than I'd ever expect it to be. I was on a high that day, and a couple of days afterwards...


"Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest."
- Larry Lorenzoni


Thanx for reading. Until next time... Akanke

CHRISTMAS

This Christmas started off kinda rough. Everyone's cash flow was low so we had to make the best of what we had. Our roommate ( I'll call her Cali because that's where she's from) quit her job and was looking for another one. Actor's younger brother's (I'll call him B-Ball cuz he lives & breathes basketball) girlfriend (I"ll call her Sci-Fi cuz that's her nickname) purse got stolen by one of her coworkers. It was dirty man; they emptied her bank account. And she was about to get a car too.

But anywhos, all of us did what we had to do to get each other at least one great gift. I hate getting stupid gifts. I'd rather you not get me anything than to get me some socks or gloves for Christmas. I mean sure I could always use some more, but as a Christmas gift? That's kinda sorry. Like one of Actor's uncles would say "Ummm... SOMEbody needs to step their game up *chuckle chuckle*"

Everybody chipped in to get a real Christmas tree. Me and Actor went to Lowe's and got us a 6ft tree for $30 bucks. hehe. I love getting good stuff for cheap :-). It was my 1st real tree in my first apartment. It was cool. Double :-).

We decided to have Christmas dinner at our place this year. We were gonna go to Savannah but things didn' t turn out as expected so we stayed in Atl. I cooked meatballs, cornbread, jambalaya, shrimp alfredo pasta, vegetables, and brownies for desert. Cali helped me out.

It was just family there: Me, Actor, Cali, her boyfriend & Actor's music mate (I'll call him Gameboy cuz he loves games), B-Ball, Sci-Fi, and Actor's youngest brother Meatball. The Fro was out of town.

After dinner we all gathered around the tree to open presents. Actor got sooo many presents. lol. loser. I got him a PSP that he's been hinting about since forever. (Got his ars too cuz he really thought he wasn't gonna get one) I also got him the Metal Gear Solid game to go with the PSP, a green Ecko hoodie, couple of Dvds, and a whole bunch of little knick knacks for stocking stuffers. He got me a diamond cross necklace that I've been wanting foreverrr (Got my ars too cuz I thought it was in a box under the tree but it was on the bottom of my stocking.) I cried when I saw the box. lol. It was very emotional for some reason. He got teary-eyed too. We're gay we know. Screw you *mugs*... He also got me these hard Nikes. It was white, gold, and red with flower embroidery on it. He always get me shoes. I'm not a shoe person so I don't ever buy any for myself. Occasionally I will but I'll buy stillettos. lol. I think every single pair of sneaks I have he bought for me. He also got me lots of little knick knacks that I like.

Cali & Gameboy bought me a green/brown polka dot shirt and matching necklace & earrings. We bought him some black Vans and an XOXO purse for her.

Sci-Fi & B-Ball got Bre a brown jacket and matching Nikes. They got me an electronic photo frame. It's hardddd. It changes pix and can play video and mp3 songs too. I love it! Me & Actor are gadget junkies.

B-Ball got a PSP too. Brothers I tell you... First Actor wanted one & me and B-Ball went & bought it. Then B-Ball saw how hard it was & told Sci- Fi that he wanted one too. We told them that we couldn't afford it to throw them off, but they both GOT GOT cuz they really weren't expecting it.

We got Actor's mom a silver & gold DKNY watch. Pop got some shoes. We got Fro a blue watch too.

We went to the movies to see Rocky Balboa. That's one of my favorite series of movies. It was great. We loved it.

Overall, our Christmas was blessed & filled with family, friends, great food, and great presents. I couldn't have asked for anything better.


Thanks for reading. Until next time... Akanke