MY STANDARDS AND I

So it me and my standards walking side by side, what can I say, she is my best friend. I mean we do everything together. We laugh, we love, we cry, and then we learn.  She has been there for me like I have been there for her. We know each other’s secret, goals, aspiration and dreams. I mean we have been best friends for the longest.  We have that special bond that will never break us.  Well until 2 weeks ago, when I meet GUY. He was everything I dreamed about, he was tall about 6.4” and man his swagger was on point. But standards didn’t like him very much, and she made that very clear to me.  I on the other hand felt like she was jealous, because for the first time in 6 months I finally meet someone who I was compatible with.  I mean she had no reason not to like him; she didn’t even get to know him. So I dropped her like she was a penny because I felt she was a hater. So GUY and i finally went on a date, it was good, and I enjoyed myself. We found out that we had more stuff in common than we thought. After wards GUY invited me to his house to chill and meet his friends. I agreed because I didn’t think anything of it.  We went to his house, we talked, I ask guy what he wanted out of this, and he said SEX. He said he did not want a relationship, just SEX. I felt stupid, standards was right all along. How could I have not seen it, I mean he knew all the right stuff to say to me.  So the next day I called standard, although she was mad at me she decided to listen. I told her what happen and instead of rubbing it in my face she was there for me. So I made a promise to her, to never let anyone or anything come between us.  This is my promise.

“I promise to always keep my standards, no matter how good or tempting something seems. I promise to always hold my head up high, because I know I am worth it. I don’t care how long it takes; I will never lower or drop my standards for someone, because I if they are good enough for my standards they are good enough for me".

Grace .M. Cooper 

I know a lot of people can relate to this because we all go through it. At some point in our lives we stop being who we are to please other people, or sometimes we get so lonely we learn to settle for less than who we are. I hope this inspires people to always be who they are, you don't have to change for anyone else.

 Images: Google.com

CONTINOUS STRUGGLE: Story of an African born in America.

Africans who grow up in America get the best of both worlds; such as being exposed to the African and American culture. Although being exposed to both worlds can be a great learning experience; however at the same time it is a struggle. My name is Saye Cooper. I am Liberian by blood and American by birth, which makes me Liberian-American or African-American. Going up, I had a lot of African American friends, when I told them about my African identity or my family coming from Africa, some would segregate themselves from me or start to be cruel. Instead of wanting to know about Africa because most of their ancestors come from Africa, they would tease me.  They would ask silly questions like “Do you swing on trees like Tarzan”? “Isn’t Africa poor or AIDS infested”?, and make assumptions that I was not “American enough”  I was shock at how ignorant could be, I mean What is “American enough”.  As I’ve gotten older I realized that the people who were ridiculing me, didn’t know any better, Plus I blame the media/society was giving them negative depiction of Africa. The next struggle I encounter was with some of the Africans who recently migrated to the United States. The once I came across made the assumptions that I was ashamed of my African roots. Once, I schooled them on how much I knew about the history of Liberia, some became amazed and other were upset I knew more about the Liberian history than them. The ones who were upset about my knowledge of Liberia made sarcastic comments like, “How do you know about Liberia your American”? or “Why do the Americans act like they know more about Liberia then the ones from there”?.  I addressed the individual by saying, “I may have been born in America; but I have parents who embraced and taught me about my Liberia heritage”. The funny thing about this scenario is that my acquaintances were about to call me a sell-out; on the contrary became furious because I knew a lot about my identity, which others try to erase. Lastly, while growing up in the Tri-state area, I noticed that many Africans would rather affiliate more with people from the Caribbean than their own heritage/culture. In my case the areas where I lived didn’t have much or any Africans at all; so I become friends with Caribbean’s because I felt that their culture was similar to mine, also  I felt that we would instantly click. Others reasons why I think more Africans affiliate with Caribbean’s are because of how the media portray the Caribbean in a positive way than Africa; I have seen how some Africans would prefer to call themselves Caribbean  than African.  Overall, I learned that you can never appease people, I know who I am, where I am from, and I am proud of my identity. Regardless of your background being depicted in a negative way, it is up to you to embrace it, and educate others because in reality it is not all bad and being African/African American is one of the best that has ever happen to me. I get the best of both worlds. 

Written by Saye Cooper

Edited and published by Grace Cooper 

all opinions are of Saye Cooper. 

FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY

Faith and spirituality is a very important aspect in a person’s life. Know or having something to believe in when life seems so cold at times is very essential. Faith is a foundation that one believes in, build trust, and leans on for understanding. Faith for the most part can be seen as an act of trust and dependence. Spirituality is an ultra-healing, inspiration, or reality for the most part. Spirituality allows a person to discover who they are and their purpose in life. Spirituality has several practices: Meditation, Prayer, and Contemplation.  All of these aspects can be a connection to reality and nature.  I can’t tell how much my faith has helped me through many rough situations in my life. Yes, at different points in my life I saw my faith fluctuate, but I always knew that God was watching over me. I am a Christian, born and raised; I live my life on the doctrine and teachings of Christ. I grew up to the 10 fruit of the spirit which are: love joy, peace, patient, kindness, Goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, Self-control. These aspects have guide and shape my life and lead me into the person that I am. Whatever your faith is, having something to believe in is crucial, it is definitely DA REAL DEAL, before I end this post I going to leave you with a message I wrote which helps me during my most difficult times.  

“Remember God has the Power to change any situation that you are facing, if you only seek him. No situation is permanent; never lose faith in God, he loves and cares for you. We may not be perfect but he still accepts us and love us for whom we are. The devil is deceiving and may try you in your most difficult times, but if you pray and trust to God he will back off.  For God is love”. 

  ~Grace .M. Cooper~

 I also leave you with one of my favorite song. 

Remember God is love and have  Good Sunday.

  

I do not own the Right to this video, no copyright is intended.
All opinions shared on this page is of my own. 

images: http://www.faithinmotiondanceministry.webs.com/audition.htm 

SWAGGER

 

From Swag to Swagger to Swaggy, the word Swagger has definitely caught the attention of our generation, and the generation to come.  The word swagger according to Google means to “Walk or behave in a very confident and typically arrogant or aggressive way”.   Now I don’t know about arrogant or aggressive, but I would positively say that swagger creates some type of confidence in a person.  As I did research on the word, I was shock to see that the word swagger can be dated back to Shakespeare’s time when it was first written and used in 1596.  From the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream,  I Quote “What hempen homespuns have we swaggering here?”.  I am certainly surprise to see that the word has a history behind it.  Swagger to me is exciting, and absolutely fresh!  Swagger can be seen as a noun, a word that describes a person, place, or a thing. The word swagger adds an umph to anything giving it that extra spark.  So whether you are swagger or you use the word Swagger, now you know the history. Swagger has definitely gotten our stamp of approval to be DA REAL DEAL. As MIA would put it, no one the corner has swagger like us. 

http://www.omg-facts.com/view/Facts/48286

www.Google.com/swagger

Image: thedesigninspiration.com

MELANIE FIONA

Sitting here feeling crazy but not just any crazy.......i love this damn song. Melanie Fiona is definitely one of those artist that are underrated. She is very talented and deserves  recognition and applause. The thing that stands out most about her is her saul-tre voice, (voice with an attitude).  She is a force to be Reckoned with. 

I do not own the Right to this video, no copyright is intended.
All opinions shared on this page is my own.
Images: Blackvibes.com

NICKI DA MONSTA!

Whether you know her as the Harajuku Barbie, Nicki the monster, or Roman Zolanski, there is more to Nicki minaj then people will ever know.  Born out of Trinidad and Tobago, Onika Tanya Maraj AKA Nicki Minaj  is a Trinidadian-born American musician.  Nicki was sign by Young  Money in August 2009  after things didn’t go so well she was released with a 360 deal. So far Nicki has put out 3 underground mixtapes and 2 consecutive albums, Pink Friday and Pink Friday: Roman Revenge.  Amongst that Nicki has also been featured in many collaboration such as bed rock, lil freak, raining man and more.  What makes Nicki Minaj so unique from other artist is her ability to be versatile, her style, Potential and those crazy alter egos.  When Nicki first came out she was introduced to the world as a Female Rap artist, setting bars high for current female rap artist and upcoming artist.  She quickly escaped that route and went on to do something more exciting and definitely a shocker to many.  As she went into the pop world many hip hop fans, writers, television and radio personality called her a SELL OUT.  Many felt as if she abandon hip hop.  Let’s be honest, every artist has the right to do what they want, and if she didn’t have all the craziness going on, I probably would not be a fan, I think this is why most people love Nicki so much.  I recently listened to a press conference that she did with Charlemagne of Power 105 where Nicki bluntly expressed herself.  The part that stood out to me in the interview was when she talked about her dreams, aspirations and creating a movement for her fans and also creating a YMCA for children. She explained how she wants her fans to go to college and have something going for them -selves.  This definitely speaks a lot about her character, values and morals. Even though, she might be seen as overly sexy, over the top and explicit at times, Nicki Minaj is definitely DA REAL DEAL. As I end this post there is one quote that stick out “don’t judge a book by its cover”.  

 check out her latest video. 

I do not own the right to this video. 

No Copy right is intended. 

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicki_Minaj#Alter_egos

http://thatgrapejuice.net/2012/02/nicki-minaj-jay-coming-spot/

www.mypinkfriday.com

Music

HEY I JUST MEET YOU, AND THIS IS CRAZY, BUT HERE MY NUMBER CALL ME MAYBE. :-) such a cute song.

Artist: Carley Rae Jepsen



Such a beautiful person.

GLEE-MAZING!

My second post will be about the exceptional television series called Glee!. Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox. Glee showcase the talent of  14 gifted and incredible singers who not only prove they can sing but also dance their way into America's heart. what makes Glee so unique from other shows on television is the diversity within the show. The show captured my attention by including a physically impaired character, that to me was outstanding because it proves even though you are impaired, it does not mean you are not talented like every one else. Other diversity included are the Gay and Lesbian couple and it introduced the first transgender character. Amongst that glee also celebrates and recognize different culture that to me is AMAZING .Although the show seems bias at times given the fact that Lea Michele Sarfati sings most of the Song and may be seen as the main character non-the less Glee my friend is what i call DA REAL DEAL. 

IF YOU WANT TO SEE THIS VIDEO OF GLEE PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK.
http://youtu.be/0MY0pjiSBKw

Food!

 Food-Inspire

Today's post which will be my first post is all about food. As we know food is essential to the human soul, without it, there is no survival. Growing up i have always had a high interest in cooking. I started cooking at the age of 12 since then it has been one of my passion.  My favorite food are African, Soul food, Thai, Chinese, and Mexican food. I do encourage healthy cooking and eating, as we know food comes with a lot of supplement that can make you gain excessive weight.
My favorite food to make is  curry chicken and rice.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/ is my inspiration
I eat, breath, and sleep Food Network.

if you want me to share the recipe just write me and let me know!!