Butterfly Kisses

If you didn't know that I am a butterfly lover, you know now! I decided to spruce up my PT with an adornment of butterflies. I hardly wear this accessory because it's very fragile but I gave it a go today. What do ya think?

I twisted the bangs and pinned it into a pompedor.

Happy Friday!

What's in your hair today?

The public's health in Nigeria

Jessica Oldham is a nurse anesthetistist I have never met but she went to Nigeria on a medical mission trip in 2010. I have seen plenty of medical mission pictures, some taken by my own family members who go as clinicians to give back, and they come back elated that they've done something to alleviate the desperate need in Nigeria. Jessica's pictures however, looked rather different from the others I have seen before. She posted them on Facebook, and I happened upon them quite by accident. I promptly asked her if I can repost on my page, and share with a much wider audience.

What caught my eye is that her pictures reflect the breakdown across the system, from requiring mobile police escort for routine trips, to clinics with devastatingly antiquated equipment, many of which do not even work anymore. Make no mistake, bad roads, dust, fumes from generators, cars, motorcycles, and noise are all threats to our health and quality of life.

Of course, every day, they saw very ill patients with no access to good health services. While many Nigerians, including my mother have gone on these trips before, few of us document the massive systemic breakdowns that ultimately result in patients dying before they should from treatable illnesses.

Jessica's pictures reflect something else; Nigerians no longer react to things that are abnormal in most other societies:

* Drivers disobeying road signs or traffic directions
(result: motor accidents);
* The necessity of mobile police escort for routine transportation
(result: breakdown in public safety);
* Lack of scrubs
(result: healthcare acquired infections);
* No water or electricity (result: broad patient safety risks)
* And the medical mission itself
(result: what happens when the US doctors and nurses leave? Lack of continuity of care).

A non-Nigerian nurse anesthetist who went with friends saw all of these societal characteristics with fresh eyes, and documented the chaos, from the mundane (roads) to the catastrophic (the patients horrible untreated conditions). See some of the pictures here, but I have spared you from some grotesque pictures.

Many people devote a lot of energy discussing public health issues in Nigeria. Chikwe Ihekwazu's nearly one-man efforts are massive and he's just one person. But the nurses, physicians, and other practitioners on the frontline in Nigeria frequently have to work in conditions with almost nothing, and they practically perform magic on a daily basis. And yet, we can do much better than this.

I have tried to stay away from public health issues on this blog since I do this for a living, but others' reactions to my reposting of the full set of pictures on Facebook has prompted me to write a few words about the tragic conditions people must contend with on a daily basis in Nigeria.

Natural Hair Highlights at the Bronner Bros. Show

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CNN features a story about natural hair at the Bronner Bro.s show in ATL...

Atlanta, Georgia -- There were plenty of Crayola-colored wigs and long, silky extensions displayed at the 64th annual Bronner Bros. International Hair Show, which drew more than 60,000 stylists, hair enthusiasts and exhibitors who work with black hair this past weekend.

Yet against the backdrop of energetic hip-hop music and among the booths stocked with glossy tubs of chemical relaxers, some black women went back to basics: They wore their own natural hair. ( excerpt from www.cnn.com)

To continue reading this story, click here.

Hair Food: Aloe Vera

Many of you are aware that I love Aloe Vera gel/juice for my hair and many of my staple products have aloe as one of the main ingredients. I read an interesting article this morning on some awesome ways that aloe vera gel/juice can be used as a pre-poo to prevent shedding and to promote a healthy scalp. The great thing I learned about aloe vera is that it not only balances the Ph of hair but it also cleanses the pores of the scalp. Everyone knows, or should know, that a clean and healthy scalp will lead to healthy growing hair.  A good pre-poo tip  is to spray or apply some aloe to your scalp and hair and let it sit for 15 minutes or overnight. The aloe will penetrate the hair shaft, seal moisture in the cuticle and prevent frizzing and dryness.  Folks over at Hairfinity say that, aloe has amazing conditioning properties and can be used as a leave- in conditioner after shampooing. I didn't know this but aloe is also a heat protectant! It can be used as a hair serum or as a protective gel before using any heated instrument like hair dryer or flat iron. I found it interesting that  aloe vera gel, wheat germ oil and coconut milk can be mixed together and used as a shampoo.It has traditionally shown great benefits for the growth of healthy, thick hair. Also, a 2:1 preparation of aloe juice/gel and extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil makes a great softner/detangler for new growth. 

I hope this little bit of information helped! It definitely gave me some fun new things to mix up in my kitchen at home. 

xoxo,

Alex

Today's HAIR: 2/22/11

I know a lot of you are going to be proud to see this post; I got another protective style, YAY! I really haven't been in the mood to do anything with my hair lately so I decided to get it cornrowed up. The whole process took about and hour, which is not bad at all. I took a few pics to show you how it turned out, I like it. If you are interested in knowing who my braider is let me know and I will email you her info. This style cost me $50.
I twisted the bangs for a T.O. and I used Sweet Ohm Hair Pudding, which I LOVE and some Oyin Greg Juice.

Daftar Film Terbaru 2011

Buat kamu yang suka nonton film, di postingan kali ini saya akan menghadirkan beberapa daftar film terbaru yang akan rilis tahun 2011 mendatang, mungkin sebagian judul film terbaru 2011 ini sudah gak asing buat kamu, karna di antaranya adalah sequel lanjutan dari film-film sebelumnya.
Langsung aja kamu liat daftar film terbaru 2011 yang akan rilis ataupun di produksi tahun 2011.

Cars 2

Genre: Adventure/Animation
Directed by: Brad Lewis
Starring:
Release date: Fri 24, Jun 2011
Cars 2 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Hangover 2

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms
Release date: Mon 30, May 2011
Hangover 2 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Death Race 2

Genre:Action/Thriller
Directed by:
Starring:
Death Race 2 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Sherlock Holmes 2

Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/Crime
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Brad Pitt
Sherlock Holmes 2 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Silent Hill 2

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Directed by: Christophe Gans
Starring: Radha Mitchell
Silent Hill 2 at Teaser-Trailer.com

GI Joe 2

Genre: Action/Science-Fiction
Directed by: Stephen Sommers
Starring: Channing Tatum, Christopher Eccleston, Sienna Miller, Denis Quaid, Ray Park, Rachel Nichols, Maron Wayans, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
GI Joe 2 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Ghost Rider 2

Genre: Action/Fantasy/Thriller
Directed by:
Starring: Nicolas Cage
Ghost Rider 2 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Hitman 2

Genre: Action/Crime/Drama/Thriller
Directed by:
Starring: Timothy Olyphant
Hitman 2 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Kick-Ass 2

Genre: Action/Comedy/Drama
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Kick-Ass 2 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Wolverine 2

Genre: Action/Superhero/Sci-Fi/Adventure
Directed by: Gavin Hood
Starring: Hugh Jackman
Wolverine 2 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Transformers 3
Genre: Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure
Directed by: Michael Bay
Starring: Shia Labeouf
Release date: Fri 01, Jul 2011
Transformers 3 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Bad Boys 3

Genre: Action
Directed by:
Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence
Bad Boys 3 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Batman 3

Genre: Action/Superhero
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale
Batman 3 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Ghostbusters 3

Genre: Action/Comedy/Science-Fiction
Directed by:
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis
Ghostbusters 3 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Crank 3

Genre: Action
Directed by: Marks Neveldine, Bryan taylor
Starring: Jason Statham, Amy Smart
Crank 3 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Men In Black 3

Genre: Action/Comedy/Science-Fiction
Directed by:
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones
Men In Black 3 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Alvin and the Chipmunks 3
Genre:
Animation/Comedy/Family
Directed by:
Starring: Jason Lee, David Cross, Zachary Levi, Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney
Alvin and the Chipmunks 3 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Underworld 4

Genre: Action/Fantasy/Thriller
Directed by:
Starring: Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy
Release date: Fri 21, Jan 2011
Underworld 4 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Spiderman 4
Genre: Superhero/Action/Thriller/Sci Fi
Directed by:
Starring:
Release date: Fri 06, May 2011
Spiderman 4 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Scream 4

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Directed by: Wes Craven
Starring: Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Nev Campbell
Scream 4 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Mad Max 4

Genre: Animation/Science-Fiction/Action

Directed by: George Miller

Starring:

Mission Impossible 4

Genre: Action/Adventure/Thriller

Directed by: JJ Abrams

Starring: Tom Cruise

Mission Impossible 4 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Pirates of The Caribbean 4

Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy/Fantasy

Directed by: Gore Verbinski

Starring: Johnny Depp

Pirates of The Caribbean 4 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Rambo 5

Genre: Action/Adventure

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone

Starring: Sylvester Stallone

Rambo 5 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Scary Movie 5

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: ?

Starring: Anna Faris

Scary Movie 5 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Terminator 5

Genre: Sci-Fi/Action

Directed by: McG

Starring: Christian Bale

Terminator 5 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Captain America

Genre: Action/Adventure/Superhero
Directed by: No clue yet
Starring: No clue yet
Release date: Fri 22, Jul 2011
Captain America at Teaser-Trailer.com

The Smurfs

Genre: Animation/Family/Fantasy
Directed by: Raja Gosnell
Starring:
Release date: Fri 29, Jul 2011
The Smurfs at Teaser-Trailer.com

Saw 8
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Directed by: David Hackl
Starring: Tobin Bell
Release date: 22 October 2011
Saw 8 at Teaser-Trailer.com

Growl

Genre: Action/Fantasy
Directed by: Sxv’leithan Essex
Starring:
Growl at Teaser-Trailer.com

The Hobbit

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis
The Hobbit at Teaser-Trailer.com

X-Men First Class

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Directed by: ?
Starring: Patrick Stewart
X-Men First Class at Teaser-Trailer.com


Battle Los Angeles
Genre: Action, Science-Fiction
Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Pena, Bridget Moynahan
Release date: Fri 18, Feb 2011
Battle Los Angeles at Teaser-Trailer.com

Max Steel

Genre: Action/Science-Fiction
Directed by:
Starring: Taylor Lautner
Max Steel at Teaser-Trailer.com

Micronauts

Genre: Science-Fiction
Directed by: JJ Abrams
Starring:
Micronauts at Teaser-Trailer.com

Monopoly

Genre: Fantasy/Comedy
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring:
Monopoly at Teaser-Trailer.com

Breaking Dawn

Genre: Fantasy/Thriller/Romance
Directed by:
Starring: Kristin Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Breaking Dawn at Teaser-Trailer.com

Cowboy Bebop

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Directed by:
Starring: Keanu Reeves
Cowboy Bebop at Teaser-Trailer.com

Dark Shadows

Genre: Fantasy
Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp
Dark Shadows at Teaser-Trailer.com


Battleship
Genre: Action/Science-Fiction/War
Directed by: Peter Berg
Starring:
Release date: Fri 05, Aug 2011
Battleship at Teaser-Trailer.com

Thor

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy/Superhero
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Biel, Natalie Portman
Release date: Fri 20, May 2011
Thor at Teaser-Trailer.com


Green Lantern
Genre: Action/Sci Fi/Adventure
Directed by:
Martin Campbell
Starring: Ryan Reynolds
Release date: Fri 17, Jun 2011
Green Lantern at Teaser-Trailer.com

Mars, Lady Gaga Penyanyi Pop Terbaik versi Grammy

Bruno Mars dan Lady Gaga meraih penghargaan Artis Pop Pria dan Wanita terbaik dalam Grammy Awards ke-53 di Los Angeles. 

 

Penyanyi Bruno Mars dan Lady Gaga masing-masing terpilih sebagai Artis Pop Pria dan Wanita Terbaik pada acara penganugerahan Penghargaan Grammy ke-53, Minggu, di Los Angeles

John Legend dan Jay-Z sama-sama memimpin perolehan Grammy pada awal pengumuman. Keduanya sama-sama meraih tiga Grammy dalam pengumuman sebelum acara ini ditayangkan di televisi, di mana sebagian besar dari 109 hadiah Grammy diumumkan.

Eminem memimpin dengan 10 nominasi, tapi peluangnya menyapu penghargaan surut setelah ia gagal dalam lima kategori. Ia menang untuk kategori penyanyi rap solo, untuk lagunya "Not Afraid," dan Album Rap Terbaik untuk "Recovery." Tapi, Eminem gagal memenangkan Rekaman Terbaik dan Lagu Terbaik untuk "Love the Way You Lie" dan Album Terbaik untuk "Recovery." 



Mantan anggota The Beatles, Paul McCartney, merebut Penyanyi Rock Solo Terbaik. Ini merupakan Grammy ke-14 yang diraihnya, tetapi juga Grammy solonya yang pertama dalam 39 tahun, untuk rekaman langsung bagi lagu "Helter Skelter."

Para pemenang lain di antaranya lagu Rihanna, "Only Girl (in the World)" untuk Rekaman Lagu Dance, "Angry World" oleh Neil Young untuk Lagu Rock, Album Pop Latin "Paraiso Express" oleh Alejandro Sanz, serta "Ali And Toumani" karya Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté untuk Album Musik Tradisional Dunia Terbaik.