An Education

My title may have swayed your mind into thinking that this post is related to the movie, but it's actually about education. I've been seriously looking into Teach for America the past couple of months and it may have been because of my proximity to the Philadelphia education system. Since discovering something other than the adequate education I received growing up, it's been an issue that I've become more and more passionate about, leading to countless discussions and debates relating to the topic.

Today I had yet another discussion (albeit an accidental one) regarding education. This time, the discussion centered around a comment I made about education being free. Apparently, my counterpart had the idea that education is something that can only be paid for. I drew this conclusion by his statement that he was giving himself a free education by researching things online. I responded to this by asserting that most education is already free. He said he would need to research that and I told him that my point exactly is that not everything can be researched.

Some things you just have to experience to fully understand. I found myself explaining that the meaning of education is the acquiring of knowledge. Nowhere does it say that education must be paid for, therefore you can't refer to learning as getting "free" education. Anytime you're learning something, you're getting an education, regardless of whether or not it's free.

I've known plenty of people who didn't go to college but are still very smart and very successful. There are people who learn from the streets, from hard life experiences (see Slumdog Millionaire) or by simply being curious minds who thirst for knowledge on their own terms.

This just goes to show that you can take your education beyond the classroom, deeper. You're not limited to whatever reading your professor assigns you. You have the ability to seek out information for yourself, be it in a textbook at your local library or on Google. The Internet is literally knowledge at our fingertips, though most would rather spend it twatching or Facebook stalking.

Be a thinker. Be your own thinker. Share what you know, learn what you can, open your mind. xoxo

I Swear I Always Fall for Your Type

       Drake said it best in his sleeper hit, "Same Mistakes" aka "Fall for Your Type." Love is difficult because you want it so bad that you fall into certain traps. Some people settle. Let it be known in this moment that I am not one of those people. But I suppose I can understand why that is. In the pursuit of love, we tend create our ideal scenarios in our heads and expect things to play out in real life exactly the way they do in our fantasies. These people focus more on the circumstances of falling in love than the person they fall for.

      The other group of people do the exact opposite. We fall victim to is narrowly defining a "type." This is the guy/girl that fits all of our, usually vapid and pointless, criteria. We take pieces of different people and construct this "ideal" person, and we refuse to settle for anything less. Or we prioritize all the wrong qualities to begin with. We'd rather have him look like Ryan Gosling than be a complete gentleman. I'm no better. I'm a Libra and therefore consumed by my vanity. As much as I hate to admit it, looks mean so much to me. And it's not just the guy's looks but how he wears it, how he carries it.

      While my definition of good-looking is not one-dimensional, I do have a tendency to, every now and then, want what every other girl wants. This guy will be the heartthrob, the guy that girls do stupid shit for. The guy that knows how hot he is but will never actually admit that he does, thus leading you to think that he's so humble and sweet. But you can't hold on to this guy. He'll never belong to you. He doesn't belong to anyone. So after he's swept through your life like a hurricane and left his mark, you're left shaking your head, thinking to yourself exactly what Drake says in his song. But you do it all over again, don't you? Stop.

3-Minute Shower Challenge: Day 14

     It's over. It's really over. But I'm left wondering: "What now?" Sometime before this journey began, it never occurred to me that this would be a lifestyle change. I never thought about what it would be like afterward.  But somewhere along the way, as I miserably counted down the days until the torture was over, a thought crept in my mind that I couldn't be doing this for nothing. I couldn't spend two of the most crucial weeks of my college career cutting out something that abnormally meant so much to me. Otherwise, I would have wasted my time and yours.

     So maybe what's next is finding a happy medium. Looking back, I'm appalled by how much water I've wasted over the years. But believe me when I say: it is physically and scientifically  impossible to take 3-minute showers for the rest of your life. Admirable, yes, but there's something morally corrupt about it in the end. So what I really want to do next is find a reasonable shower time. I'll have to do some digging to find a satisfactory answer, but I'm sure I can find someway to keep me happy and still be respectful to the environment. I'll keep you guys posted.

     So I ended this thing off with a bang. One of my favorite Disney movies growing up was Mulan. This movie meant a lot to me for several reasons. It was awesome to see a Disney movie moving beyond the norm and speaking to topics such as Asian culture and male impersonation. Also, it was the first time I realized my love for Asian men. Shang was a cartoon, yes, but that doesn't make him any less of a man. I was putty in his hands when he vowed to make men out of the gentlemen at the camp in the song "I'll Make a Man Out of You." Oh, you know you love it, too.

3-Minute Shower Challenge: Days 6-13

     Well, this is embarrassing. It's been quite some time since I have updated this, but to tell you the truth, I was exhausted and it seemed a bit redundant. So I go about my busy life and then take 3-minute showers at the end of the days. So what? I apologize for that. I guess I'll fill you in now.

     I'm in the middle of finals and so the past week has just been study, study, study. This 3-minute challenge has worked both for and against me. When you study up until 4 in the morning for an 8am final and you're a person who can't help but take long showers, you waste minutes of precious sleep time. In this case, I was in and out. It was almost miraculous to me that I was out of the shower by 4:08.

     The downside to this is that my shower used to be my sanctuary, like a pampering car wash. I'd run there at the most stressful of times and just unwind without a second thought. Now it's more like a quick trip to the gas station when you're in a rush. It's just hit me, though, that I only have to do this for one more day.

     This means that Monday will be a great day for me: I'll take my last final, turn in my last paper, and take a real shower. Sweet victory.

     Meanwhile, one of my songs over this week was Rock Mafia's "The Big Bang" aka the theme song for that "Mob Wives" show. It's actually been out a lot longer, but I just discovered it. Don't judge me, I had no intention of watching this show. But it's actually pretty entertaining. And, save the ties to Disney channel stars like Miley Cyrus, this song is actually pretty damn good.

3-Minute Shower Challenge Day 5: I Tweet Now

     I tweet now. Yes, that's right. I am officially on Twitter and it all started with a dirty word. My best friend, Kenny, tweets everything I say. So today, she said something gross about fellatio and I sought vengeance. The only problem was that I didn't have a Twitter. I threatened to start one but I've been saying that for months and had yet to do it. And I was bluffing again, of course. So she pretty much started it for me.

     I never cared to tweet before, but my Advanced Magazine Writing prof, Erica, suggested it was a great way to generate story ideas and create a network of people and ideas. The more I heard that, the more I was convinced that Twitter was not just a tool for young narcissists to brag about all the "cool" things they do and feel like people give a shit.

     So my song choice for this shower was Rihanna's "California King Bed." I'm not a huge fan, but I enjoy this song and the fact that her vocals have shown tremendous growth. I used to hear Kenny play this when Ri-Ri's album first came out and I kind of liked its swagger. It's 4:12 but I was washing my face for the first minute or so before I hopped in the shower. Also, I was talking to my fellow e-board members today and realized that my showers are obnoxiously long. I may be in a state of mental anguish but I'm kind of glad I'm doing this thing.

     Oh, one last thing: Larry Stains came to my class this morning, gave us copies of his taxes, shouted out my 3-minute shower challenge and newfound popularity (not really), and then shook my hand quite fervently. Oh, Larry.

3-Minute Shower Challenge: Day 4

     *Sigh* Ten. More. Days. I feel like a smoker who just quit cold turkey. I'm starting to wonder if I should have taken it slowly. Going from half an hour in the shower to three mere minutes is a huge jump. I used to look forward to my evening showers the same way young, hip college students look forward to OD-ing on body spray and cologne on Thirsty Thursday. No lie.

     Today I had class, then I worked on a paper, then I went to an ESA's (Entrepreneurial Student Association) last general body meeting of the semester. Then I proceeded to congratulate my friends who had made the BYOBB (Be Your Own Boss Bowl) and were getting ready to present their business ideas and I went to work. Then I went to a teaching gig that's part of a program I work with called Urban Roots. We teach the youth of North Philadelphia business through gardening.

     Of course, they're young, rowdy kids and because I care for them, I had to stop today in the midst of all their disrespectful side-chatter and give them a speech about respect. A wave of silence befell the classroom as they listened intently to me. I was glad to see them opening up more. I walked into the class initially believing there was no way I could get through to these kids. Then, week after week, I see them laughing, smiling, taking it in, and reaching out of their comfort zones and it makes it all worth it.

     Anyway, I don't feel like explaining the rest of my day. All I want you to know is that my shower sucked and I wish it didn't. I was attempting to jam to Amanda Jenssen's "Do You Love Me?" but found myself racing to finish my shower in time instead. I feel like I'm in Survivor or something. I've never seen that show.

3-Minute Shower Challenge: Day 3, After Zumba!

     Yo. So I cheated today. My shower was about 6 1/2 minutes long. In my defense, today was my last day at zumba for the semester. *womp womp* For those of you who have fallen victim to the zumba craze as I have, you understand that there are three things one typically wants after a kick-ass calorie-burning hour-long session: a cold beer, ice cream and a nice, long shower.

     Thankfully, today was not as hot or humid as yesterday was, so I didn't feel like committing suicide afterward. Otherwise, I might have slipped back into my old habits and been under that sweet warm water (for all my Philly peeps: wooder) for a good half hour.

     The song of the evening was none other than the radiant VV Brown's "Shark in the Water." That song is all kinds of good. *When I'm in doubt, I open my mouth and words come out. Words come out like: baby there's a shark in the water.* Gah, couldn't have put it better. I love Brits. On that note: pip pip, cheerio.

Three-Minute Shower Challenge: Day Two

     Hello earth lovers. Today marks day two of my 3-minute shower challenge. For those of you who live in Philly, I suppose I don't have to tell you how disturbingly humid it was outside today. For those who don't: it was disturbingly humid outside today and I had the pleasure of going to work only to be stuck in a hot building with no air conditioning.

     On top of that, the workload was really piled on me. Today was the first day of a series of interviews HCTU is conducting for our new e-board members, I've got a paper to work on, blah blah busy college student blah. Oh, and I stayed up last night writing a paper that was due today...and that I didn't begin until 1am this morning. I even had to call out of my internship today (which I don't do unless I am absolutely on my deathbed). Needless to say, I'll never amount to anything. Just kidding, mommy.

     By the end of the day, all I wanted was to take a nice, long shower. I could have caved, but the badass-ness of my being would not allow me to do so. I took that shower in three minutes, baby. What's that saying, "Shower now, cry later?" Exactly.

     I know I mentioned in my last post that the shorts have yet to be broken out. Well, the shorts are about to be broken out. Seriously, you guys, it's hot as balls outside and I'm not getting any more toned so whatever. So I had to shave in the sink today. I was a trooper about it. My shower today was super fun because I got to jam to the playful tune of "Sexy Silk" by Jessie J. Meow.

The Start of My Three-Minute Shower Challenge

     Hey guys, so I wanna thank those who still read my blog even though I've become really poor at updating it as frequently as I should. One reason I haven't been as faithful to my sweet baby as I should be is because I've been writing/editing for our brand new organization at Temple, Her Campus Temple University! This organization is just one branch of a larger one, Her Campus, but we really needed a magazine publication at Temple since our only other choice is the Temple News.

     So this idea of a 3-minute shower actually comes from Her Campus. They picked a few college women to blog about their experiences cutting their shower down to a mere three minutes for two entire weeks. I had initially planned to be a part of this troupe, but I should have known with my luck it wouldn't happen. Anywho, I decided "Why Should that stop me?" and went ahead with my own two-week, three-minute shower challenge as a way to do my share of earth-loving.

     I pitched this idea to the editor of Grid magazine, Philly's sustainable living magazine and he liked it! So, for the next two weeks I will be keeping an electronic journal (I think they call it a blog) of my pursuits here and, at the end of that two weeks, I'll put everything together.

     Now, before I started a blog, one of my journalism professors, George Miller, would yell at me constantly: "Go start a blog!" True to George fashion, he insisted that the blog not be a whiny account of the trials and tribulations of a college student, but rather a sort of portfolio. I'm breaking this vow for a good cause. Shout-out to Geo.

     For those who know me (hey, Kenny), you probably know how long my showers take. I have a YouTube playlist made specifically for my showers. It's like a movie with an accompanying soundtrack. And I typically blow through four or five songs to complete a shower. I'm in there for a good half hour. For two weeks, I'll be blowing through one 3-minute song.

     My journey began today. I picked Jace Everett's "Bad Things" as my song of choice. Many of you may know it as the theme song to HBO's "True Blood." (Side note" that song is pure sex.) The song is technically 2:46, but whatever. I ended up adding on about 2 minutes to it anyway. Not because I'm a cheater, mind you, but because my current bar of soap has whittled down to a stub and it's really hard to get a good lather going with that. (Note to self: open up a new bar tomorrow.)

     I had to skip on shaving my legs for today, which probably doesn't matter anyway: I haven't broken out the shorts yet this year...for several reasons. It felt pretty awful, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. I still smell good. Until next time....

Jordan on Fox News!!

Service Dogs Help Kids with Autism: MyFoxDC.com

This Is Real Music...Still Existing Today

It lives. It breathes. It feels. It inspires. It's real. Still. It's a rare entity, but doesn't that make us appreciate real music more? Adele debuted at 19 years old with her album 19. Her young voice displayed an experience associated with the raspy, soulful "whiskey and cigarettes" voices of her predecessors, impressing even the most seasoned of musicians. Please, let this music, this voice, this soul, sink in and marinate.



There's a fire starting in my heart/ reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark/ finally I can see you crystal clear/Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your sh*t bare

*You're gonna wish you never had met me* *Tears are gonna fall* *Rolling in the deep* Ha I love it.

Parisian Night Out

Parisian Night Out by maryline.rockstar featuring tweed shorts

Every woman wants to be a French woman. They're fun, fabulous, fashionable and they don't get fat. You can have this look without ever having to step foot in the "ville de l'amour." This collection is playful and sexy so be warned: it WILL turn heads.

The Look:

Boots – Spike
Bird by Juicy Couture Puff-Shoulder Striped Wool Top
Pink Plastic ‘Heart in Heart’ Brooch by Avayala
Anita Ko Spike 14-karat Gold Earrings
Rope Gold Teardrop Earring by Alexis Bittar
Partridge Hot Lips lacquered sterling silver ring by Solange Azagury
Black Leather Shorts from Balmain
“Betsey’s Night Out” Frame Clutch from Betsey Johnson
Villandry Tweed Shorts w/ Satin Ribbon from Marui