Quote of the day - Rosario Dawson

32 year old actress Rosario Dawson on society's views on staying thin:


"It's a form of violence, in the way that we look at women and how we expect them to look and be -- for what sake? Not health, not survival, not enjoyment of life but just so you could look pretty, I'm constantly telling girls all the time, 'Everything's airbrushed, everything's retouched. None of us look like that.'"

Bronner Bros. presents Clairol Professional Hair Color Competition- Harlem edition

So yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the Bronner Bros. presents Clairol Professional Hair Color Competition at Schomburg Center in Harlem New York. I was fortunate enough to be put on the VIP list, thanks to my friend Courtney's momma who hooked up us proper.

We indulged in some of the food and drinks that were available at the event. I would give it a 7 out of 10, could have been a tad bit better for Clairol event.

I missed out the goodie bags because I was too busy socializing with some of the guests!

Dwight from the Real Housewives of Atlanta was hosting the show.As you may know he is leaving the show this season. I told him that I would miss his presence on the show and his response was " well write them and tell them". In them I believe he was referring to the producers of the Housewives Franchise. Sounds like he is open to some sort of return if the conditions are right..

Contestants of the Hair Color Competition

One of the models

Another beautiful model on the scene

Me in the center with the beauties

Fun times!

What Makho wore today!

I had a SUPER late night last night in Harlem last night so I decided to add wake myself up by adding a little sparkle to my life.

I got this gold sequined skirt from my cousin/sister in China, paired with a black t-shirt from the Gap and topped it off with black shoes. I ascribe to the belief that sparkle during the day is totally acceptable.

P.S excuse the makeup less face- I just couldn't do it today folks!

A little afternoon treat- Christian Keyes

Believe it or not, I attended the same college in Michigan as the hotness that is actor and singer Christian Keyes featured in today's afternoon treat. He has been touring for the past 5 years starring in national stage plays for a slew of Tyler Perry plays.


  I actually did one of my first photo shoots Christian Keyes in Detroit and he superb to work with.

 Christian has few movies in the pipeline including one starring alongside Vivica A. Fox.entitled "Lord All Men Cant Be Dogs"

You may remember him from Keri Hilson's "Energy" and Ashanti's "The Way That I Love You" music video as well.

Thoughts??

Can men and women truly JUST be friends?

Picture this; you and your beau have been together for a number of years. Things are great for the most part. One day in passing while having a conversation he or she subtly announces that they have a new friend. A member of the opposite sex. Your partner claims there is nothing romantic going, they met at work or at a party and they happen to share a lot of similar interests.

What do you do? Do you immediately start thinking he or she is cheating or do you think that men and women can truly just be friends?

Let me be honest for a second, I believe that men and women can maintain platonic relationships. They can develop friendships with other people even if they are serious commitments. Who says your friends have to be limited to members of the same sex? In order for this to work it makes a ton of maturity and trust for all parties. More importantly the "new friend’s” character is also an important factor in all this. A good litmus test is if they can hang with you and partner at the same time with no issues or qualms then they are good to go.

I know some of you may be rolling your eyes but remember what I said about trust and maturity. Do you think Michelle trips about Barack being friends with Valerie Jarrett? Trust and maturity goes a long way. When Barack became President of the United States he certainly reached back and helped out his home girl Val. She is now the senior advisor to Barack. It helps to have friends in high places.

Now it’s your turn to speak up, can men and women truly have friends with no benefits?

Top 5 stories we are talking about this morning

Soul Singer Amy Winehouse has passed away. She died at the age of 27, what a tragedy. My heart aches for her family, friends and fans. Her father Mitch says  he is "devastated and speechless." A police source tells PEOPLE there was no paraphernalia or sign of drugs in Winehouse's Camden home where her body was discovered.



Actress and singer Lauryn Hill gave birth to her sixth child a baby boy this Saturday. Mother and child are said to be to resting and doing well. The baby daddy Rohan Marley had previously denied that the baby was his seems to have changed his tune saying "Ms. Hill is the mother of my children, whom I have a tremendous amount of love and respect for"










The accuser in the Dominic Strauss Kahn rape case is speaking out about her ordeal with the former IMF chief. It seems that she is trying to pressure the prosecution to press charges against Kahn. A  32-year-old immigrant from Guinea named Nafissatou Diallo she says "“I want him to go to jail, I want him to know there are some places you cannot use your power, you cannot use your money.”

Former White House social secretary and Obama friend Desiree Rodgers is in the August issue of Vogue Magazine. She is accompanied by her daughter 21 year old Victoria. Rodgers is now the CEO of Johnson Publishing Co. Good to see her doing so well after that fiasco surrounding White House gate crashers.












Jennifer Lopez who recently split from her hubby Marc Anthony turned 42 this past Saturday.Jenny from the Block and her entourage of 16 – which included her mother, sister, manager and stylist – enjoyed a lavish dinner at Scott Conant's restaurant, Scarpetta, inside the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami. Happy Birthday J.Lo!!

Top 5 reasons why I LOVE Fridays!

To be honest I'm not even sure I need a top 5 list of why Friday is awesome. It just is. No explanation necessary! But in the sake of keeping things interesting around these parts here's my top 5 list of why Friday is my favorite day of the week.

1. You are a survivor!
You have made it, you survived the work week. Pat yourself on the back. You absolutely deserve it! Regardless of what your line of work is, Friday is a welcome introduction to the weekend.
You don't have to see that annoying co-worker and have mindless water cooler convo for the next 2 days, how amazing is that?

2. Me time
If you are lucky enough to have the weekend off, then Friday also signals the beginning of me time. You can choose to sleep in all weekend or hang out in the streets until Sunday. Herein lies the beauty of the weekend, the choice is yours. Me time can also mean spending time with your beau. Given the usually hectic schedules of the week, the weekend usually provides free time to really get in some excellent quality time.

3. Get out of town!
Friday's are also a chance to escape your hometown for a quick weekend getaway. Whether you are hanging out with the girls in Washington DC or hitting up the beaches in Durban, Friday provides an outlet for a little escapism!

4. Brunch!
Oh brunch, how I love thee, let me count the ways! For those of you that don't know what brunch is, please allow me to explain. Brunch is usually a combination of lunch and breakfast which you  would usually have around midday. Sounds OK right? Oh it gets better. Most brunch places in New York offer unlimited drinks. Meaning you can gather up 6 or 7 of your friends and or family, have pancakes, steak and eggs or a burger with an unlimited amount of drinks. I don't know about you, but this is about as good as gets.

5. New beginnings
Friday also unfortunately means that Saturday is coming and Sunday is right around the corner. Which can only mean Monday will be here sooner than you know it! Sucks, I know. There is a flip side to this though. As the weekend draws to an end, this gives you a chance to plan and reflect on how to make the most of your upcoming weekday. Sunday is all about relaxing and soaking in the last remnants of the weekend. But it should also get you geared up to take over the world - that is until Friday comes around and you get to do it all over again!

Tell me what you love about Friday. Sound off below!

Prince of Wales meets the cast of Fela

LOL! This just made my day!

FELA the Broadway show opened today in London. In honor of the cast and exquisite show the Prince of Wales had a private reception them. Peep the video below to see Prince of Wales (Charles) try and keep up with the cast of Fela! It's get really good around the 1:00 mark. To be fair though, Charles did a decent job trying to keep up. Still funny though!



If you are in the London make sure you go peep a performance of FELA!

Quote of the day - Beyonce

Beyonce who turns 30 this year in September laid out  a new timetable of when she would like to start her family.

On things she'd like to accomplish before turning 40:

"Before I hit the age of 40, I’d love to have some children. I would love to direct, continue to learn videos and maybe by then a film, short film or documentary. I love documentaries. I just hope that I’m happy and into my children, well adjusted and still making music if that makes me happy at that time.”

Dont Dine and Ditch: Just split the bill man!

I absolutely love going out in group settings.  Whether you are with old friends or new acquaintances, you are almost guaranteed a good time! I can't tell you how many laughs and interesting stories I've shared over brunch, dinner, drinks  or lunch.

It's all good until the bill comes.

It never fails to happen. As soon as the check comes you begin to get a sense of people's true colors. Folks get out calculators and become expert mathematicians. They can ascertain at a quick glance of the bill precisely what they ate and how much they will throw in for the bill. Don't be this person. No need to be a cheap ass. The words "I only had the..." should never be uttered out of your mouth.

Just split the bill evenly. When the check comes kindly divide the amount owed by the number of people there. Factor in the tip and you are done. By going out in a group environment you have to realize that you will perhaps pay a little more than you would in a smaller setting. If you are with friends and feeling especially baller-ish that night, pay the entire bill. Kindness amongst good friends will always be returned.

On the other hand though, if you are the person who orders 10,000 bottles of wine while everyone has the salad, make sure you pay for your portion or ask the waiter upfront to carve out a separate bill for you. The salad eaters will appreciate your kind gesture for life.

I have been in situations or heard several stories where someone eventually has to end up paying that little extra that was left from the bill. I am always that person. I can't stand the back and forth about who had what from the menu.I usually end footing the rest of bill. For my sake, again I ask of you: don't be the cheap ass.If you cant afford it, don't go out. Point, blank period.

So friends, those are my thoughts on dining out with a group. How do you handle situations like this?

What Makho wore today!

I am introducing a new segment on the blog today.
It's called what Makho wore today and will feature outfits from both my store and my personal closet. Today I am wearing a JCrew skirt, a white H&M tank top, accessories from Forever 21 and finally my gold sandals from Old Navy.

Budget fashionista!

Quote of the day- supermodel Helena

Supermodel Helena Christensen spoke to the UK publication Daily Mail about her unusual upbringing. Taking showers together? You mean to tell me they were so close they showered together? Yo no se!

"It was total togetherness. We even took family showers. It felt like we did a lot of things together. Was my upbringing normal? Maybe not,"

 

Some ways not to piss off your coworkers

If you work in any office space and share an open environment with any of your work mates then this article will resonate with you. You all know the person who insists on conducting meetings over the speakerphone or worse yet wont book a conference room to have their meetings and will instead conduct them at their desk? 


Don;t be that guy!


Here are some highlights from the article regarding ways not to piss off your coworkers. Read the entire post here


Stay off speaker phone
It's easy to simply start dialing on your desk phone and never pick up the receiver, but it's important to know that those around you don't want to hear your whole conversation. Pick up the phone or use a headset. "For some reason, it is easier to tune out a person on the phone with a one-sided conversation than hearing both sides," Herrick says.


Go elsewhere for meetings
"Don't hold a never-ending parade of meetings at your desk," Herrick says. Instead, be more considerate to those around you and find a conference room or grab a coffee for longer talks. While holding shorter conversations at your cubicle is not taboo, using your space as a boardroom can be very distracting to your neighbors.


Befriend your neighbors
There's no way to be completely isolated from your neighbors, so it's important that you build a comfortable communication style. "Keeping an open and honest dialogue with your cube neighbors is a great way to build a mutually collaborative and productive work environment for everyone," Peros says.


Interesting right? Thoughts?

Beyonce End of Time Flash Mob Performance

This made my morning! Check out this flash mob performance of Beyonce's song "Until The End Of Time" It's super cute...and they did this all in Target? I would have been extra nosy with my camera held out as well!

Are you Facebook friends with your coworkers?

According to a survey from the American Society for Training and Development an estimated 85% of coworkers gossip, nearly a quarter of them regularly.  No surprises there! We all gossip, regardless of what industry you work in. Truth is, you bond with your office brethren by gossiping about the weekend plans, your mutual loathing of the office suck-up/bully or the printer that always has a jam.

The average worker spends a large majority of time at work and it's almost impossible to not begin to develop relationships with most of your co-workers. Once you become real life "friends" it's not official until you are Facebook friends or you follow each other on Twitter correct? I find that it's always good to remember that just because you and your co-workers  are on seemingly friendly terms it doesn't necessarily make you friends

I have heard of salacious stories of co-workers using Facebook and Twitter against each other. In other cases I have heard people just turn down Facebook requests from other co-workers in order to maintain a polished career persona. Ouch. Denied!

I will admit that a large majority of my friends are actually my co-workers and for the most part I am Facebook friends with them. In recent years I have tried to do a better job of selecting the co-workers that will forever sit in the Facebook pending friend request line.  Some folks will just never cross over to the confirmed side. Listen, I realize everybody is not on team Makho. Quite frankly I am ok with that, I understand that everyone in your life is not meant to be your friend. In real life and on the internets. Yes I said internets. LOL!

An article in the US version of Glamour Magazine even advises that you de-friend or block your tweets from your office mates. They urge folks not to confuse colleagues with confidantes.

So talk to me, are you Facebook friends with you co-workers? How is that relationship working out of you. Leave me a comment in the comments section and tell me what you think.

South African singer LIRA launches US tour

What an awesome way to welcome Monday!

So I just found out that South African singer Lira has a series of shows in the US! I have heard her perform before during the World Cup festivities and I was pleasantly surprised. I will check her out when she comes to New York. Let me know if you plan on going to any of the shows!

Beyonce rocks the same dress twice! Shocking!

Proving that stars are just like us. Beyonce wore the same dress twice this summer, this weekend in New York with her hubby and last month at the airport in Nice France. And you thought being photographed with same outfit on Facebook was enough, imagine the whole world capturing your fashion choices. Scary stuff!


Remember when a fan literally tripped over herself to catch a glimpse of Beyonce in France? LOL..funny ish!


So when did she rock it best?

Beyonce in Nice France

Beyonce and Jay-Z in New York

Kanye West joins Q-Tip onstage at the Brooklyn Festival

So this weekend on a hot Saturday in Brooklyn, I had the pleasure of checking out Q Tip's hip hop festival. I am not a back packer type of person. A back packer is the kind of person who dislikes mainstream and commercial rap a lot.

If you know me then you know I am all about Britney, Gaga and Beyonce.

But baby, let me tell you. I had a BLAST!

Q Tip knows how to put on a show. Special guests such as Kanye West and Busta Rhymes really sealed the deal on what an amazing show it was. Peep the video below to see Yeezy's performance.

Quote of the Day- Matt Kemp on Rihanna

Baseball star Matt Kemp spoke about his now ex girlfriend Rihanna in US Weekly Magazine. On bad blood between the exes, Matt says:

“No, not at all. We’ve all got busy lives and we’re working on our careers and concentrating on our careers. Like I said, I wish her all the best of luck and she wishes me all the best of luck.”

Interracial relationships- what's your take on them?

Television actress Diane Farr was on the Today show yesterday discussing her new  book which explores the dynamics of interracial marriages in today's society. Farr is married to an Asian man and has two young children. She claims that on her second date with her husband he told her that he couldn't marry her because she was white. The actress details his and her family's hesitance on accepting their relationship, marriage and subsequent children.

Race relations in the US are still a volatile subject so I can understand the sensitives around this topic. People seem to think that since Barack Obama was elected President of the United States, everything is peachy between the races. I am here to tell you it's not.

Singer Jill Scott was heavily criticized for saying that she winces when she sees a black man with a white woman in an Essence Magazine article. Critics were furthermore  outraged when she was invited to the White House for a poetry event. Scott said in Essence "My position is that for women of color, this very common "wince" has solely to do with the African story in America. When our people were enslaved, "Massa" placed his Caucasian woman on a pedestal. She was spoiled, revered and angelic, while the Black slave woman was overworked, beaten, raped and farmed out like cattle to be mated.

While I don't wince, I understand where Jilly from Philly was coming from. To be even more clear, I cant stand  black men that detest black women and will go chase after any available white woman. Again going back to slavery, the white women is the prize and the jewel, while the black woman is left to fall on the wayside. To quote the lyrics of rapper Kanye West in his breakout hit Goldigger "But when you get on, he leave yo' ass for a white girl"  While most sistas may yell out good riddance, I have a fundamental problem with the issue of self hatred.

Here is my take on interracial relationships. Date and love who you want, it is your life and live it as you see fit. However, dont seek out a particular race based on a fetish or a self hatred towards your own race. Understand that any relationship is complicated. Without a doubt the interracial element adds an extra layer of complication but that dosent mean that it cant be conquered and dealt with. 

So talk to me, have you dated outside of your race? What is your take on interracial relationships?

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