Big Dreams!!!

I watched the special last night and I was completely touched by all of these girls stories. I was in tears...it's just so amazing how strong these young woman are. They all exude a sense of eloquence and maturity. It just goes to show that when bad things happen it is very tough to move on but it is not impossible. I applaud Oprah on this major achievement and I am so happy she is utilizing her resources to touch lives. We were introduced to six girls that have had it bad in their lives so far but things are destined to change now that they have this one in a lifetime oppurtunity. They have such big dreams, that by any means neccessary are attainable with hard work and dedication, when something like this happens in someone's life you feel a sense that anything is truly possible.
I fell in love with Sade, Megan, Thando, Zodwa, Lesego, and Mahlatse...their smiles lit a light in my heart. After all they have gone through they still find reason to smile and play like little girls, but at the same time they are like little grown ups. Zodwa wants to show what "girl power" really is. Megan and Sade are sisters who lost both parents when the father shot their mother right in front of them and pulled the gun on himself. Zodwa lost her mom to AIDS, she was so close to her mom, Thando'd grandmother is her primary caretaker who cleans houses and sometimes has to borrow money just to cover her granddaughter's school fees. It touched my hear when Thando said sometimes she feels she is a burden on her grandmother, she is such a self less human being and she wants to become the president of South Africa. Lesego and Mahlatse live in the roughest areas in South Africa and are always in fear that they will be the next victims of rape, abuse and other heinous crimes.
I shed tears for these beautiful young woman not because I feel sorry for them but because with everything they have been forced to endure they are still happy and are extremely grateful for something this grand to happen to them. I wish them all luck and hopefully they will grow up to achieve all they can be and help other young women in the future. Now if that's not "girl power" I don't know what is...

All Things Are Possible!!!

When I heard that Jennifer Hudson was going to be the first African- American women to grace to cover of Vogue magazine...I was extremely happy. I'm mean you would have thought I was going to be on the cover. I just thought hey if I feel this way I wonder how she must feel.
I could imagine how she felt being booted off of American Idol not because she didn't have the talent, poise or class, but because she didn't fit the "image" the music industry believes will sell records. I can imagine how she felt when you have given your best and it goes unnoticed because they want a particular look. Imagine wanting something so bad and knowing that you have all it takes and for the door to just shut right in your face.
Well thank God for the oppurtunity of a lifetime that was found in her upcoming role in
"Dreamgirls"...which I must say was a stellar performance. I am so happy for her....it's amazing how many nominations she has gotten and I have watched both the Golden Globes and The Screen Actors Guild awards...and I felt like it was my sister that was going up to the podium to accept her award...I loved when she said..." you don't know what this does for my confidence" and now she Jennifer Hudson is the first black woman on the cover of Vogue...not Beyonce, not Halle Berry but Jennifer Hudson... I can imagine how it feels to make that kind of history.
This is for any one out there who has felt less than beautiful, for any one who has tried their hardest only to be shunned by people who could care less. This shows that with hard work, determination and by the grace of God anything can happen. Too many people waste their time, talent and energy trying to 'fit in" and the most admirable thing anyone can do is pretty simple just be true to yourself and everything else falls in place. Trust in God and He has promised " that no eyes have heard, yet no eyes have seen what He has in store for us all..."

Tug of War between Louis and The 'E" Train

This winter has been extremely brutal and having to commute in it is like preparing for boot camp...Well lately I have been so tired that most mornings I have to basically "pry" myself out the bed. This very morning was nothing different but I was determined to make it out of my apartment in time. I must say I did pretty well, I showered, selected what to wear, ironed, and packed my lunch in like 50 minutes, with my standards this was pretty damn good.
So anyway I bundled up and was off. I hopped on what must have been the slowest bus to date since I started commuting, anyway I made it just in time to catch the train to the penn station. For some reason my metro card was nowhere to be found so I had to quickly get a new one, as soon as I swiped my card there was an 'E' train about to pull off, so I did the jump, skip, hop, and run manuever to squeeze my self into the train...pheewwww I made it, but there was a problem, my bag was caught in the tight- lock grip of the train doors. I tried pulling but the bag wouldn't budge...."oh no" was all I kept saying to myself in my head, some guy to my left was helping me pull, a girl on my right was helping me as well...all three of us were pulling like no man's business. Outside was an annoying subway patrol saying " Get that Louis in the train" he kept saying it over and over and over...I wasn't paying any attention to him. My main focus was to save my precious bag from this silly train...now remember I am holding the train up because the train will not move unless all doors are closed...so I could feel eyes penetrating a myriad of holes in the back of my head, but I did not care my bag was in danger!!! At long last I was able to give a final jerk and the bag came through....boy was I happy!! Surprisingly I was not embarrased at all just happy I was able to get my bag...and wouldn't you know the bag retained its shape despite the brutality it had just endured...that gives me another reason why I am basically sold to LV bags... :)