Yasmin Shiraz

As the last hours of 2009 draw near, I was thinking about what I’ve been doing this week as I prepared for the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010. I’d been reading stories on the internet of people and the parties that they were planning to attend. Partying doesn’t interest me much. But, there are some other things that I think are great to do on the last day of 2009–things that will help set up 2010.

1. Write down at least 5 major goals for 2010 – This will help define your direction for the year.
2. Get a 2010 Calendar – This will help you to focus on every day.
3. Wash Your Hair or Get Your Hair Done  – Its a sign that you are going to look good in 2010.
4. Get Your Nails Done – Its a sign that you are going to pamper yourself in 2010.
5. Get some good food that will be eaten on January 1st – This shows that you are going to eat well in 2010.
6. Work out – This tells your body that you are going to take care of it through 2010.
7. Call 3 people who mean a lot to you – This allows you to reconnect with your support system.
8. Write a poem or letter to yourself about how you feel on this day – This will help you to connect with your innermost feelings and help you find your purpose.
9. Tell somebody you love them and mean it! – It is truly love, not money that makes life worth living. The last time you saw a rich person without any love in their lives, you met a miserable individual. Love somebody.

Happy Last Day of 2009! New Year’s wishes are coming tomorrow!

Ya’ll know I’m pumped! I have two reader shout outs in one week. This is how I’m gearing up for 2010! This latest shout out comes from Tanasha, a teen from New Jersey. I get around!!

I appreciate all kinds of love so here’s the email:

I am leaving this comment just to tell you how wonderful you are! The first time I heard you speak was at a Planned Parenthood Teen Conference at William Paterson University. That was also when I received your book Exclusive. After reading it over my Winter Vacation I am addicted to your writing. Not only was I intrigued by the plot of the story, it stood out to me from the typical gang related, shoot em up, reigning drug lord story i was used to reading. I had actually stopped reading so much because i was tired and frustrated with the type of books i described above. Thanks to you, I am back in the reading game again. So keep the good work and thanks again for writing such a great novel.

P.S. I am searching for Privacy! I am sure that it is just as great as your other creations!

-Tanasha D.

I want to thank Tanasha for taking the time to write me. Exclusive is the book that is closest to my hip hop heart–in that it was inspired by the years that I ran Mad Rhythms magazine. If you read Exclusive, you’ll understand why I love hip hop culture no matter what. Peace to all the readers out there of Exclusive as well as the peeps who used to read Mad Rhythms.

Much love.

A colleague and I were on the phone recently and he asked me one simple question: “What does Yasmin want?” In that moment, my mind went blank. I didn’t even know what to say. Its not that I didn’t know what I wanted but I didn’t know what to say I wanted. Huh? Exactly. If you don’t know how to answer that simple question, then you don’t know what you want! That’s what I discovered. After we ended our discussion, I thought long and hard about what I wanted. I put a list together and wrote down the things that I wanted. I didn’t concern myself with what OTHER PEOPLE think I should have, I concerned myself only with what I wanted. Now that I’m comfortable with my list, I can go about 2010 claiming the things that I really want in my life and going on from there.

Do you know what you want? Here are some simple tips to finding out what you want.

1. Focus on what you like. What brings you joy?
2. Focus on things that you like to do. What did you enjoy before kids, family, financial issues?
3. Focus on the dreams that you may have given up long ago.
4. Focus on the things that people told you were impossible. Sometimes inside an impossibility is what you really want.
5. Focus on the things and circumstances that would improve the quality of your life.

Good luck with Knowing What You Want but like they say, “Knowing is Half The Battle!”

Gee whiz. Oprah is leaving and now Tyra has said, “See, See, See Ya” to the Tyra Show. Tyra recently told People magazine that this 2010 season will be her last. She’s moving on into film producing. Hey, I’m happy for her but I’m sad to see the show go because it was a FANTASTIC outlet to empower young women and girls.

Its true that authors, singers, filmmakers, and artists would be nothing without the people who are touched by their work. No matter how successful you become, you never tire of hearing that somebody was inspired by what you do. On Christmas Eve I received an email from Jen in Texas who not only emailed me about Retaliation, but she went to my YouTube channel and commented on a bunch of my videos.

Yo, I love that kind of enthusiasm.

So, I want to send my love and appreciation right back to Jen and share her email because love begets love.

Hey!!! Its me, ur grl jen! i read retaliation, and it wuz tha best book I have ever read! I want to buy all of tha books u hav written, and i plan on readin those tooo! Retaliation really changed the way I look at everything. I have almost been into ‘lots of fights at school and now that i look back, i hardly even knew tha grls that tried pickin a fight w/ mee… — ur grl in TX, Jen

These kinds of emails are the reason that I can write for 10 hours straight, its the reason that I can fly on a wing and prayer and shoot a film that I’m not sure people are going to see. You gotta believe that your work is gonna reach the audience who needs it most! Faith not Fear. Thanks Jen for the connect!

Peace…

Radio often kills it with playing the same artists over and over again. The underground artists or even the artists that are above ground but can’t get enough airplay don’t receive the love for their talent that they should. One of the top artists of 2009 is Pink. Her album Funhouse was perfect through and through. So, I wanted to share two of her songs and videos with you. Really listen to the music and the lyrics. Even if Pink isn’t your speed, good music recognizes good music and this is good music!

This song Please Don’t Leave Me has great lyrics though the video is kinda scary. Again, listen to the lyrics and the music. She doesn’t miss a note on this track.

Drake is all the buzz in 2009 on the hip hop scene. With his singing and rapping ability, he has songs with Lil’ Wayne, Trey Songz, Timberland and a bunch of others. I have his “So Far Gone” set of extended mixes. I love it. But after seeing him on DeGrassi recently my interest was piqued to really see what this young’un was all about. Below is a revealing interview that he did a few months back with ABC. In it he reveals that his mother is white and from Canada and his father black and is from Memphis, TN…. See for yourself.

I had seen an interview with Drake in which he mentioned that being on the DeGrassi show and also being ‘lightskinned’ were strikes against him. SMH. A young person getting an acting check is not a strike in my book. And as far as being ‘lightskinned’ is concerned, there are plenty of people who are fine and are lightskinned. So, I wouldn’t sweat that either. Here’s a clip of Drake acting in DeGrassi. Drake mentioned that he was 14 when he started in DeGrassi.

In case you missed this yesterday, this is a must-see commercial. Its hip hop meets Christmas meets commerciality at its finest! I’m in my sports mood today. 

In case you hadn’t figured it out, the muppet on the left is LeBron and the one on the right is Kobe. These muppets have done Jim Henson proud. This, by far, is one of Nike’s best commercials. I know they have a lot in the arsenal, but I’m looking forward to seeing more of the Kobe/LeBron Muppets. Am I by myself?

In the middle of doing a list of some of the “stupidest” stories of 2009, I found out that Washington Wizards point guard, Gilbert Arenas, was storing firearms in his locker at the Verizon Center. The Verizon Center is where the Wizards play and I can’t think of one good reason that Arenas would be storing firearms there. I mean, why?

Arenas reportedly told the Washington Times that he didn’t want the firearms kept at his house anymore after his new daughter was born… SMH. Have athletes not learned anything from the Plaxico Burress case?Remember Plaxico? He’s the New York Giant football player and Superbowl Star who HAD to carry a gun into a NEW YORK CITY night club even after friends told him not to. He carries the gun in, it ACCIDENTALLY goes off. It shoots no one but HIM and he’s now in PRISON.

Yeah, Prison. No NFL contract. No red carpets. No hoochies on every corner. No Versace.

Every time I think of that story, I can hardly believe its true. Plaxico is in prison, not playing professional football because he concealed a gun, carried it into a nightclub and shot himself in the leg… REALLY.

Athletes: LEAVE THEM GUNS ALONE! Athletes who want to carry or own firearms should hire round-the-clock armed security because it costs entirely too much to own a gun, conceal it and not know the gun laws in the city that you’re in. If you’re in prison and not working, it cost you too much.

As I understand it, the District of Columbia has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. Even though the firearms were in a locker and not on Arenas’s person, I can’t see him getting off without any form of punishment.

I met Gilbert a few years back when I interviewed him for a book. I found him to be one of the nicest guys ever. So, I really don’t understand why he would feel the need to own guns in the first place.

There’s some saying that goes if you have a gun, you should plan on using it because that’s sorta what happens. Arenas turned the guns over to the Verizon Center and informed them to turn them into police. Apparently the case is still under investigation, but turning those guns in was the best thing that Gil could have done.Well, not having them in the first place would have been even better.

Gil, leave those guns and chickenheads alone! You’re so much better than that.

Any thoughts on why our professional athletes feel the need to carry heat instead of hiring security? Talk to me!

I love sports and yesterday, like millions of others, I watched LeBron and the Cavaliers spank the Lakers. I’m not so much a team follower as I am an athlete follower. Please do not confuse that with a groupie. I’ve been around my share of ballers and I don’t do groupie! But its true, I like players not necessarily teams. Like for example, I like Gil Arenas–the Wizards–I don’t like so much. I like Dwayne Wade but Miami stinks up all of South Florida. Anyway, you get my point. I loved how last night when the Lakers were down by 20 Kobe still stayed in the game. Your average superstar woulda sat down worrying about becoming injured, but not Kobe.

He had that fire in his eye like the Lakers could come back from a 20 point deficit with less than 7 minutes to go. You gotta love a player who wants to win despite the odds, the numbers, or the rhythm of the game. So often players are dogged in the media for carrying guns in clubs, sleeping with 14 women outside of their marriage, balking about practice, etc–I just wanted to say that I loved Kobe, LeBron, Mo Williams, Shaq, Ron Artest and the rest who really played hard yesterday and put on a show. I’m sure a lot of them woulda rather been home with their families chilling, but that was a good game. Thanks guys.

Now for those Lakers fans who threw debris on the court: Sore losers. I’m calling ‘em losers because you don’t disrespect the game because your team is losing. The Lakers can’t win them all despite the talent of Kobe Bryant, the Zen of Phil Jackson or the heart of Ron Artest. The Lakers had an off game yesterday, I give ‘em that. But fans who threw crap on the floor are a bunch of SUCKAS!