Think Like a Man

"Even when I'm a mess

I still put on a vest

With an S on my chest

Oh yes

I'm a Superwoman"

  -Superwoman, Alicia Keys

Now this post is dedicated to two dear friends of mine whose situation and goals in life couldn't be more at opposite from one another but one has read the book I am referring to and sent me the article saying she agreed with the critic and wanting to know what I thought; the other would definitely agree with the critic as well.

So before you continue reading, do your homework

A) Read "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man" from Steve Harvey

B) Read the article (by Nico Lange) - Think Like a Man Isn't Just Sexist: It's Offensive to Pretty Much Everyone

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/1449409/

C) Get back to reading this post with an open mind

****WARNING*****

I could describe myself as a reformed feminist but I would rather say a "new" feminist. Now many will tag this as anti-feminist, be my guest, I won't stop you, agree or disagree, here is the response to my friend in regards to the book and the article. 

I'll start off by saying when I was single, I sometimes wondered why. Was it a shortage of good man, was I too picky, crazy, not good looking enough, unapproachable?

Well, it's more like the latter, in a way. But there again,  nothing new. What I never stopped to ask myself was: "What makes me unapproachable?" And "Why were all my relationships doomed?"

Now Steve Harvey will give you part of the story. The other parts, you'd have to start elsewhere. So let me say first before ANY woman looks into a relationship, she should start with getting her self-esteem on check where it needs to be. I recommend baggagereclaim.co.uk

by Natalie Lue, she rocks, that's all I have to say. Took me about a year and I'm still working on it sometimes but my self-esteem is much closer to what it should be. 

I'm here to make you think before I voice out my opinion and I have 2 questions for you. 

1) What is a woman?

Would I shock you if on top of the obvious for the genital parts, traits, reproductive capacity I added "the weaker sex"?

Of course, I would. (Well, I sure hope so), but there is a part of truth to it...

In all honesty (and given that I am a smart ass, this question only applies to heterosexual woman) 

2) Do you want to perceive your man as "weaker" than you are?

Be honest...

There! You are now ready for what follows. Love it, hate it, that's my opinion and I stick by it. 

"Who is Nico Lang?", I wondered after reading the article...well, he may not be the best guy to judge a book written for heterosexual women when he is gay and pro-feminist. Anyways, had to mention it because I believe it not only makes him bias but also the worst person to judge. 

I'll quote his words:" [...]teach women that they need to lie, borrow and steal to get into a relationship[...]"...euh, Nico, did we read the same book?

I'll mostly steer away from the critic because I find it was clearly written by a pro-feminist who see anything less than women wanting to be equal to men as sexist.

If you go back to question one as to what is a woman, you will noticed I talked about the weaker sex but that is not true, lets call it the "gentle sex". Women are normally caring, nurturing, sweet, docile, and so mych more. Those characteristics should be seen as quality that most men do not possess. It's very simple, I want to spin this around...Since when is "old school" bad? Why does a woman MUST be or act like a man to be considered strong?

Refer to the books title, it says: "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man", I think just that goes to say Mr. Harvey has nothing against strong, empowered women. In fact, the chapter "The Strong, Independent and Lonely Woman" is the one that spoke to me the most...I was PISSED!!!! Every feminist fiber of my being rebelled and yelled something along the lines of: "I will damn well stay alone, then".

I can tell pretty much the exact time my relationship with Hank had passed the point of no return. When I pretty much shoved it in his face how I did not see him as a man who could provide and how I took the man's place in the relationship. Yeah, I said it!!!! The.Man's.Place...

Something funny happened when I read the chapter again and thought to myself: "why not give it a try?" I was seeing Carl (remember him, lol) casually at the time and he was always the perfect gentleman, so I decided instead of fighting against it, say I'm picking up something and he offers to do it, I would let him...

W-O-W...I can't believe it was an "effort" for me to let a man do something for me...it kind of made me link my low-self esteem to feminism...why would letting a man take over make me seems weak or any less competent? I let him do and over the next few weeks, we were both happier and well, unfortunately it caused him to fall in love but that's another story. So yes, I agree, my man can take out the garbage, mow the lawn or whatever. If he's gone, I'll do it because I can, but while he's around, I can only see this as beneficial to both. 

I will have to point that I disagree about not being able to talk or shop,with your man, that's stupid from Mr. Harvey. It's a non-negotiable standard I have. Plus I read it a few months back I forgot most of it. Putting your foot down is not manipulation, it's standing up for yourself and your standards as well as your boundaries, etc. 

Now, a lot of us have forgotten what it's like to be a woman, sometimes because we chose the wrong mate. We MUST find a way to "let go" and let our man take charge sometimes. If you can't, ask yourself if you are with the right one. Easy to know what's going on, he'll be miserable if you don't take a step back sometimes

Some men are afraid of strong women altogether but most like a strong and independent woman so long as she loosens up around her man and is unafraid to let him lead. Most men  even EXPECT you to be strong, in the end it's always the woman holding the family together and that what matters most. Just let it flow how it need to go.

In a nutshell, be strong, dose the independence AND remain feminine

Interesting Potential for Love...

I can't wait to move. Hank is HORRIBLE! I'm being passive/aggressive by not cleaning but damn, he's going overboard! Wow, calling me a rubbish gay man, saying I should turn lesbian as no man would ever want me...wow, anyways. He disgusts me.

Being single is one thing (loving it). Being celibate another (though time ahead). :S Hank tried about twice two weeks ago to get into my pants. Actually 3 times, one of them I intentionally got his motor revving as personal vengeance.

I did not meet Julio he cancelled again and that was it for him! I met Carl a while back. Had our second date today and oh my! Okcupid made up for the fact I met only one person from their site so far was an horny idiot. Sue me! Lol, funny because the horny idiot sent me a few message last night telling me he thought things went well and I should've let him know if I wanted to call it quits. I gave him a chance to make amends, he miserably failed but helped me learn a lesson which I'll get back to very soon...

Last date with Lloyd was a TOTAL disaster! Lol, told me the best voice of music industry of all times is Chris Brown and best singers of all times Pitbull and Akon! Then he says he had to educate me music wise! Yikes, NEXT!!! Did I mention he asked we go chill at my place???! Didn't pay for my drink, didn't even hold the bartender! Grrr!!!

Quite the opposite, Carl is the perfect gentleman. Two dates, took me to exquisite restaurants, got the bill...adorable man! Yes, man! I'm not used to be treated like a queen, it's "different" but I'm getting used to it.

I realized, thanks to HI (Horny Idiot), I am guilt driven! Scary! My exes, who I was convinced went the extra distance for me as I run away from anything meaningful, are just crafty manipulators. It was actually more of "you won't even give me a chance because of what's happen in your past" and it made me feel guilty. Then he acts as if he's doing all the effort to get you. I just clicked they didn't do crap other than manipulate me. My emotional intelligence jumped one huge step up! :D

Carl, when he found out about how I run just said he hoped I would give him his chance and I should give it a try to see how things go as we never know what's in someone's mind. The guy is great, I say! ;)

The date was magical. It was Mother's Day but lol, with my hellish schedule it's hard to see one another. Night starts off with the hostess telling me I'm very beautiful! From out of nowhere! Lol, she said I was a natural beauty and she just felt compelled to tell me. Carl said she beat him to it. Lol, I even got a flower from the waitress although I was not a mommy. Said she beat him to that too! Lol ;)

The guy is sooo intelligent and educated, crazy. Shows chivalry is anything but dead and I must say I feel lucky to have met him. He's very charming, there is a little something about him, I find he's sexy in his own way although he seems bothered by being overweight. He ended the night with a kiss on the mouth. I hate the awkward moment when I'm never sure what the guy will do. Lol

I wasn't expecting the kiss but was hoping for it. It was great. I especially liked how he held me to kiss me and when he let go said: "we'll see each other again". Nothing sexier than a confident guy. I replied playfully: "Yes? You think so?" with a laugh. I'm trying not to get carried away. Wish I could fast forward to our next date. ;)

Though Times

Well, it's better at work but personal life is HARD!!! I have to be honest and say I'm in need of TLC, actually more than that.

The more I have to deal with Hank, the more I can't wait for it all to be over. It was probably about time but as he disgusts me, no way I would even turn to him even for a hug. I'm not really complaining, well not much! Being single is one thing, celibate another! Lol

I did not meet Julio yet, cancelled again. Clock is ticking for him. Lloyd, meh! Asked today if i was free this weekend to go out. Told him Sunday would work. He's bugged me a little from the start...never hear from here and he pops out of the blue to ask me out. Oh well...

My personal favorite is Carl, MUCH more interesting than all the others. By far! Will continue another time.

Back on Therapy

Wow, so much I'm still learning about myself! I turned 30 on March 14th, yeah!!! Single again since early December!!! Yeah, greatest thing to happen to me in ages.

Unfortunately the relationship with Hank lasted 2 1/2 years too long and moving in together was a poor idea! I'll spare details, wouldn't know where to start.

In a nutshell, selfish boy, girl in love, doesn't listen to her friend of just reason equals recipe for bad relationship and 3 wasted years. I say wasted but I still have no regrets.

I have learned more about me. Although there is a lot I already knew, I thought I had changed. I still can't quite end a relationship.

I tried a billion times with Hank but would always go back. And when he tried, I asked he give the relationship another go as I had done so many times before. A few weeks later, I was giving up and admitting he was right. My pride had gotten in the way that last time.

Back on dating sites. Met a few assholes and question marks! Lol, set to meet Julio tomorrow...might click, he's adorable but that may just be the problem...another Kevin? Hope not!

Not even going to bother getting a different name for Stephen as he will probably not be mentioned again. I'm not really superficial and he was kinda looking cute in his own way. I loved his sexy English accent and how he kept saying "madam".

Kinda cute. Tina thought he was SUPER ugly. Long story short, went for coffee, kinda hit it off but not only did you not invite but then you're hoping to get in my pants??? PASS!

Plus his teeth were a huge turnoff. Sure I'll cough up to a very heated conversation by SMS and by phone, probably because I try to please too much and when pressured sometimes I cave in a bit but damn, come on, I'm more than a piece of meat so NEXT!!

For a moment there, because I was convinced the sex would be good and my agreement to be friends with benefits with Hank is pretty much done (he disgusts me), I considered but no, I'll wait for a committed relationship or if it happens it happens but won't go looking for it or waste time with someone who primarily wants to get some.

Not interested in speaking of the others for now. I have a new job. Been a year at Customer Loyalty & Retention for a big telecom company. Made almost 50K last year. Hank could barely bank 30K and still no credit so that explains a bit.

I gained MAD weight! Which brings back what I was saying about not changing much. I do things that I know may be a dealbreaker in hopes my partner will break up with me. :S

Did the same with Lionel. :( So back on working on myself. :)

Stressed Out

My 29th birthday ended about 1 hour ago and I'm SUPER stressed out. Why? Well, I lost my job about 2 weeks ago, which is kinda good since that place was killing me softly. I thought it was killing my relationship with Hank as well but as time goes by, I've wondering if he's just not ready at all...I sometimes believe he's just not a good boyfriend.

If I take tonight, for example, now I'll start with what is most likely his point of view. He was SUPER tired, got maybe 2 hours of sleep only, felt awful for not having anything planned for my birthday and no gift... But he was acting up sooo much. Right when we're about to get to bed, I become EXTREMELY stressed out. I have to return some calls for jobs tomorrow, and I don't know...

I am feeling fat and ugly, sure since I'm not working in HELL(the company I worked for had a 4 letter name so it pretty much the same) anymore it's a little better but I still don't feel 100% confident about starting over in this condition. But I only got 1 month severance pay and about 2 weeks vacation to top that off. Hank does not do well with money and I'm getting worried. All at once.

He is not able to help because he wants to sleep, that's it!!! I get a hug after begging but I need more than that. I need more physical contact, not just words... I had to leave the room because I was crying. He didn't know what to do (mostly because he wanted to sleep and I was stressing him out, apparently). So there it is, I gotta go into blog therapy since my boyfriend is either unable or unwilling to help.

No sure which it is... I've been in need of therapy for a while. This is only the first of a series of post more than likely.

Yikes

I haven't been here in a while. Life is crazy and hectic. I've been living with my boyfriend since july and we've had our shares of ups and downs. Work has been a little hellish but it's getting better.

Is it me or people are quite racist? Almost everyday at work I hear of people who are prejudiced and wow... of course that wouldn't be towards black people, they wouldn't dare but come on, it's mostly arabs, etc. Does that contribute to my feeling of wanting to run the hell out of here? I've seen a couple of posts for "dream jobs". Well, actually "dream company". Some posts will be taken out tomorrow... Dilemma...

So more of me... I've realized a few things regarding relationship after seeing how some of my friends are stuck in a mess. Passionate love, the destructive one... if you don't know about it yet, listen to Eminem's "Love The Way You Lie". I have a friend living it now.

It reminded me of Dylan and me and I realized something. I WILL know when she is done and she will as well. I was over Dylan after I sent him a mature message where I wasn't mad or hurt, mostly just tired and definitely ready to move on. Sure, I had turned him down months before and was already into Hank but I wasn't quite over him then.

I would always turn my back and go back or he'd come back. Passionate love knows no reason, you can't think straight. You know it's wrong and destructive but you keep coming back for more. Been there, done that. What have I learned? Not much but if you are in a relationship where it is on and off but mostly off after a horrible fight and then you run back into each other's arms for some more fighting soon after, well... welcome to passionate love.

It's like a drug you can't escape from, you are always back. No matter how hard you want to walk away, it's like a part of you dies when you're apart. You used to be strong, now you are weak. You used to be proud, no you would beg. Don't know how to help you snap out of it, but I can tell you when you'll be done.

The moment you will step away tired, without a fight, no screaming, just resignation. The moment your heart will be hurting but your mind will tell it: "It's gonna be alright, I love myself more" and you'll believe it. The moment your heart will probably shatter into pieces but your mind will be at ease. Then it'll be over and you can use the next few years to learn and heal.

It may be passionate and intoxicating but if it makes you act crazy and irrational, it's not the right kind of love. It's like any other drug, bad and destructive...

All of my love and hopes towards Haïti

I'm am by far not a religious person. At all. I am, at best agnostic. I'm trying to be a Buddhist. Anyhow, all this to explain why I'm not saying my prayers are with Haïti. I do not pray. The world is joined together in one quest that is helping those in need in Haïti.

I have family in Haïti, not a lot and we don't keep contact but still...It is painful to watch the news and it enrages me to watch the reporters going around "reporting" and "filming" instead of helping. I don't care to be informed, join in and help. Wish I was there, wish I could do more than the little amount of money I contributed.

So far, everyone I know is lucking and have had good news regarding their family, some are still waiting and my hopes are with them and everyone else affected by this tragedy. The whole world is mourning and crying as we are hoping for the best and that the dead count is low.

Hope your family and loved ones are safe and once again, all my love and hope is with you, them and everyone else in Haïti.

Avatar Racist?

So I gotta rant about this article

Yes, I'm back. I'll just start with this and then go on with a much better post that does not refer to a fictional movie especially considering the situation the world is in right now.

So what's with all those stupid blog, news editorial etc. calling the movie "Avatar", racist? Refering to whoever wrote this article (sorry, I didn't bother to look at his name. Did notice he was white), are you trying to get some credit and have people say you're not racist?

You're trying to say that Avatar's have a resemblance to people of African descent? I am from african descent so I'll bite. Sure they do. Sure a "white" man helps the people of Na'vi. I'll tell you why...That dumb ass or any other accusing the movie of being racist should have actually watched that movie. Did those people need saving before the white men came around? No that I see, they were happy and leading a peaceful life unknowing of how ugly the world can be.

Then the white men show up with his own agenda and not caring of who or what gets destroyed in the way. I guess, only a white man would know the extend of what damage they could do and warn the people. Because in the end they do save themselves with the help of some white people. One of which desperately wants to become one of them, compare it to the wiggers. All this to say that if this movie is racist in any way, it is towards the white men.

The white men who mess up what was once a beautiful world. The white men controlled by greed...Enough said, the whole racism topic was just dumb and they say black people are always the one playing that card. Don't defend an issue that doesn't need to be defended.

Caught Up!!!

Wow, I haven't taken any time to update this blog. Why? Not so sure. Maybe because too much is happening and my brain can't seem to quite focus.


I need therapy...yeah, I've been trying to avoid it but hell, I'm not sure how I can really. Things are not going too bad. I have a great boyfriend (minus all the fighting but it's good now); a great job; bright future.

I'm still not sure what I want though. I am moving with my boyfriend next year. We've already bought some of the furnitures. That's a crazy move. My longest relationship if you stretch it out was 6 months!!! Yikes.

So of course, I'm kind of freaking out. But he remains calm, which helps a great deal. Anyhow, that's another story. I want to start my own business, I want to study in law and eventually become a lawyer. Wow, that's a lot. With more payments on the way. I shall freak out!!! Lol

So I'm caught up in my thoughts, my feelings, my memories. Time is driving me nuts. Lately I can't get enough of Hank. I have to be with him almost every night. Plus I lost my iPhone and we couldn't even communicate at some point.

Getting a new cell today! Finally! The punch is...it is not an iPhone!!!

I kinda got tired of the hype. Especially when they told me the price without a contract because I'm only one year into mine. 600$ plus about 80$ a month. Are you crazy?

Luckily, I ended up getting a great deal for them to apologize for an horrible service. Anyhow, those are my updates. For now. I have more to write like my journey with my natural hair etc.

Stay tune, I'm making an effort!!! (About time!) Hihi, and thanks for reading. Very appreciated.

Roses Are Red...

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet;
And so are you

I don't think a day goes by that I don't think of how lucky I am to have found you. I am happy to have you in my life; I don't know what more I could ask for. We rarely argue but even when we do love is always stronger than pride and we always kiss and make up. I was secretely hoping the day would come when I'd meet the love of my life but at the same time, I'm not sure I never really believed.

In all the ways that matter, you are exactly how I imagined you would be. In all the ways that don't really matter, you are more than I imagined you would be. And finally in all the ways that don't matter at all, well, since you couldn't be perfect, you are not quite what I imagined!

I love you baby, forever and always.

This is a message to my love. You guys get to read it before he does... I can never seem to get enough of him and I'm even abandonning my blogs!!! Lol, but I'm back. I know his intention was not for me to be weirded out because I had given him the address. Plus I trust him not to read it without telling me. Because we are so open with one another, our relationship is doing great.

Six months in about two weeks. What's to say? Well, we are all in the positive. :) Only one major arguement that could have led the relationship to an end but it was mostly misunderstandings, poor communication etc. We've grown past it and we're stronger. I can't get enough of him either! Lol

I on the path to becoming a bouddhist, maybe. It is hard...I know I've always wanted it but with all I know now...I don't know, it's not easy. Because bouddhism is a lot about meditation, I should get started. This way I would without a doubt know if this is right for me. I mean, I use to meditate a lot in the past. It's never hurt anyone, has it?

Until next time...