The Updates...and MORE!

Update #1

Whoa! I have to say, it's been about 3 years or so since I've had the stomach flu, and thankfully, I'm recovering from having it in the past few days...even broke past my fever...the shivers are no joke! Stay healthy everyone!

Update #2

The Holiday's are just weeks away and the long(er) hours are upon me! Those of you who know me know that I'm all about working VERY early and REALLY late...therefore where do I find the time to write anything??? Well, its dedication to my craft above anything, and also I have TONS on my mind...so you'll be hearing quite a bit from me either way.

Update #3

Speaking of my writing, I hadn't written anything here in my blog since my review on "Menopausea: El Musical" because it actually just had its last show this past Sunday after a 4 week run at the Ricardo Moltalban Theatre in Hollywood, Ca. My review came in to become very helpful to those wanting to go see the show, and I'm glad that my review served its purpose, for closing night was a SUCCESS!! BRAVO to the very FIRST SPANISH CAST and PRODUCTION of 

"Menopausea: El Musical"! 

Update #4

The greater part of the last 6 months I've been hard at work at writing my very first SCREENPLAY/SCRIPT aptly titled "Project DTL". It has an original title, though I won't be releasing it until we've begun production on it (which is a CROSS YOUR FINGERS goal). "Project DTL" actually contains TRUE EVENTS and COMPLETE TRUE Conversational Dialogue which I've actually had with my own loved ones. It's a story about surrendering to oneself and coming to terms with LIFE, FAMILY and FAITH...3 common areas I believe ALL of us can relate to. I've got it registered with the Writer's Guild of America and now I'm able to shop it around to see who is interested in taking on the project...wish me luck! If you happen to know of anyone who's interested in taking on a current FILM project, send them my way if at all possible, I would greatly appreciate it!

Update #5

For my 30th Birthday Party this past September I had asked my guests to bring a Teddy Bear instead of a gift for me so that I may donate them to a Charity of choice for the Christmas Season. My assistant and I are very close to finding the right Charity to donate these beautiful stuffed animals to, and let me tell you it's very hard to see them in my apartment for parting ways will be a very difficult thing to do! Also during these next 2 months I'm collecting items for putting together the Holiday Seasonal Blessing Bags for those who are less fortunate. If interested, you can go to the following page on my website to see what is needed for the completion of these bags... http://www.busylittlequeen.com/BLQ-s-Blessing-Bags.html

ANY help would be greatly appreciated!

Last but not least, my own Non-Profit Organization is STILL in the works, I'm yet working on the paperwork slowly and making sure ALL is filled out correctly...it's been 2.5 years in the works, and here's hoping that it can FINALLY stand on its OWN two feet in 2014. 

THANK YOU ALL for your LOVE and SUPPORT on ALL of these upcoming and current project taking place, for I definitely know it all takes time and patience to make it work in the world! 

Love and Peace to ALL of YOU! <3

"Menopausia: El Musical"..... The Review

This show has been around for many years and is actually being performed all over the world as we speak! I myself have heard of Menopause: The Musical from it's promotional status at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It's always made me curious and yet of course, never went to go see it because I was in town for other shows I had already planned on seeing. 

One day one of my closest friend/client came in for her weekly blowout at my L.A. salon location and had let me know about her upcoming audition for Menopause: The Musical...the first ever SPANISH version to debut!!!

I was glad to hear that not only did she audition, and after her call backs, she was offered one of the 4 leads in the musical!

Week after week I've heard about her rehearsals and the fun aspects of what is to become the show that not only makes you want to stand up and sing, yet the show that makes you laugh hysterically whether you're male or female. I finally was able to see my dear friend in the show along with her 3 co-stars and let me tell y'all, it's a MUST SEE!!! Even my friend who doesn't speak a word of SPANISH enjoyed the 90 minute musical! 

Here's what to expect:

Diana Burbano, Paloma Morales, Marabina Jaimes and Graciela Valderrama 

 each represent a different role of the female image which we have in the world:

*House Wife

*Telenovela Soap Starlet

*Professional Power Woman

*All Natural Earth Mother

With each female role having their own state of mind and tasks in the world, they each have ONE thing in common...they're ALL going through Menopause!! 

It's a NO HOLDS BARRED type of subject where ALL 4 female leads intellectually, tastefully and hysterically tackle each of their menopausal troubles while shopping at Bloomingdale's in the wonderful world of New York City. 

They sure let the audience in on what Menopause is really doing to them!

Like what you may be asking??? 

Well, everything from foul odors to heat flashes and even to self  sexual pleasures are ALL layed out on the table! What better way to talk about these and other subjects than to use some of our most iconic songs of the past and re-word them so that we can ALL understand and sing along to the new and improved famous choruses!! Songs from artists like Sonny and Cher, Tina Turner, The Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, etc. Whether you've grown up with these iconic songs or not, you'll recognize them right off the bat. 

The musical blend that this specific vocal quartet has is AMAZING and STUNNING! Not a note out of place and never a SHARP or FLAT tone whatsoever. For 90 minutes of dialogue and music, these women sure put the Popstars of today to shame.

 Professional woman Marabina Jaimes stuns as one of the most fan favorite Popstars of ALL time...who might it be?? Well, let's just say her and Angela Bassett are on the same wave length when it comes to their portrayals of this famous female singer.

There's also a great deal of interaction with the audience by the cast and a surprise Marilyn like vocal performance by the fabulous Paloma Morales where she really makes the males and females of the audience blush in amazement! Not only was her solo a great vocal performance, choreography wise she made great use of the stage! 

Choreographer Daria Lynne Melendez really shaped these gals into the spectacular performers they've become for this specific adaptation of the show.

Hair/Make-Up/Wardrobe was on key with each female lead and what a great change from beginning to end! Each look was specified and not overdone like in 

many musicals I've seen in the past.

Director Seth Greenleaf  has molded this cast to fit and represent the Hispanic Community down to a "T" and has made sure everyone can connect to the raw emotion of what it feels like to not only have this LIFE CHANGING cycle yet what it is to be around a person going through it as well. 

Laughs, great Music and a sense of Community all rolled into one! 

A great form of modern day Girl Power!

Bravo to the CAST and PRODUCTION of

Menopausia: El Musical
Showing at the 
Ricardo Montalban Theatre in 
Hollywood, Ca. for 4 weeks

Knowing Your Way Around

Countless times I've heard the common response of:

"Yeah, I know, I know"....

yet more than half the time, what's really being expressed is:

"Yeah I DON'T know!"....

Very TRUE and DIRECT unfortunately. 

As a teen I would constantly say this to Mommy Dearest and she would let me have it!

 One time her words were:

"Unless you know your way around, 

you don't know a damn thing!"

Of course back then I didn't get it, until I grew up and then ONE TWO THREE FOUR it clicked like a spark on the wall! I had to get a hold of myself and know who I was inside out to really know what to do with myself in certain situations. 

Being lost is one of the most uncertain aspects of the human mind that it's not even funny. Can't make a decision for the life of you, can't decide what to put on for the day or even what kind of music to listen to while in the car, etc. It's annoying yet undeniably misleading. 

Even at times in several instances with individuals who jump from one relationship to the next make the common mistake in NOT listening to what they need firsthand and get lost in trying to make others happy, trying to fit into a puzzle piece that quite frankly doesn't fit and making ends meet in ways that doesn't make sense to the common mind. Pretty much trying to sweep things under the rug time and time again until it builds up and then it starts to show it's dirty self in unimaginable ways. 

It's important to be ONE with ourselves for the simple fact that only WE can make our own selves happy and only WE can deliver what most people can't in the first place....the LOVE that thrives from the natural belief in FAITH. 

Stuck in a rut and don't know where or which way to turn???

 Well, this is where your FAITH comes in. Where can you get that from??? 

Easy...the same place you built yourself upon...wonder where that is???

This is why it's important to know your way around YOU. If you can believe in so much that goes on in the world, BELIEVE in YOU so you know where to turn to the next time you need clarity and above anything else, a sense of self direction and self love WITHOUT having to be narcissistic. 

HUMILITY, SELFLESSNESS and UNDERSTANDING

 is the main focus...

know, feel, and believe it all!

25 Things You Don't Know About Me

This might be a bit familiar to those of you who read US Weekly magazine. I'm an avid reader of the magazine and actually really enjoy the section where it picks a celebrity to share 25 things we don't know about them. Very fascinating what most of them like to share! 

I myself am no celebrity whatsoever, though every week my clients in both the Salon and Entertainment worlds learn something new about me and vice versa. So why not share 25 things about myself with all of you that the vast majority actually don't know..???! Right???!

Ready...here we go:

1. My name is spelled E-R-I-K...my Mom has misspelled it various times throughout the last 30 years....Erick, Eric, Ericck...pretty funny!

2. My sister Mari named me Erik when I was born, I was actually going to be named Michael.

3. I LOVE flat soda...it tastes really delicious to me, way better than bubbly soda.

4. I'm a singer/songwriter whose vocal range expanded to 4 octaves at one point (now it's 3 octaves, just need to stretch it out again).

5. I pursued my music career for 7 years and released 4 independent albums (2 solo, 2 group), had a development deal for a year on the East Coast though the indie label folded (so did my deal).

6. I tried out for American Idol Season 2 in 2002 and made it to Hollywood in the top 500.

7. Got to Audition for a local theater production of "RENT"...they liked my singing, though skeptical I could bring the character to LIFE. 

8. I've never cried while doing someone's hair in my 13 year career, thankfully!

9. I met Destiny's Child in 2005 and was speechless! Beyonce, Michelle and Kelly were amazing!

10. Had 2 bad celebrity experiences, one with Robin Thicke in 2010 and Kobe Bryant in 2005...not impressed whatsoever.

11. Every time I wake up extremely early for work (like 4 am) I feel drunk without having consumed liquor the night before. 

12. I do Hair/Make-Up because I love it, point blank!

13. I've cried while watching one of the "Rugrats" movies...Chuckie didn't have a Mommy (Oh Gosh)!

14. I'm a cookie monster...favorite being Mrs. Fields' Macadamia Nut....mmmmm!

15. I once stayed up for 48 hrs. straight and worked 16 hrs. each day (Ex-boyfriend drama)...was ready to pass out.

16. As a kid I wanted He-Man and wanted to be She-Ra (80's Cartoons).

17. Pizza is my all time favorite food ever...I can eat it for days!

18. Love Country music due to Tim McGraw, whom I've seen 6 times and want to go for a 7th time sometime soon.

19. Jermaine Jackson had a full on conversation with me 2 years ago at a beauty supply, asked for my card and I had no clue who he was until the cashier said, "Thank you Mr. Jackson"...yes I know...WOW!

20. In school I got an "A-" in Chemistry and a "C+" in Biology....go figure!

21. I've only been in "Love" once in my life (Age 15-18).

22. GOD is everything to me....and yes Gay Catholic Queen Bears do exist.

23. The most annoying thing to ever make me not like you is to NOT appreciate yourself for who you are...LOVE yourself no matter what...if not, this Queen will let you know the TRUTH.

24. Haters who hate on me show their colors very quick, my SILENCE makes them quiver and I have every nasty text ever sent to me saved in a wonderful file ready for HR to get a hold of should it ever go to that extent...go on..I DARE YOU!

25. As Selena herself said it best, "The impossible is possible"...thus far, thankfully I've achieved 85% of my dreams in 30 years, only 2 more to go...here's to the FUTURE!

"I Don't Want To Love Anybody Else"

LOVE is that much of a complicated term though it's one of the most easiest emotions to ever showcase to another human being. Do we ever fall out of love? In my opinion, NO...do we look for it elsewhere...YES, the unfortunate part of it all is that we're human and we look for LOVE on a constant basis, we want to feel it.

LOVE will make us do some crazy and off the wall things, though it also makes us come full circle ONLY if we are to accept what it brings us. Heartbreak is part of the ultimate package, in any relationship, for we know that nothing lasts forever in the physical realm, yet in our hearts, a LIFETIME isn't that far away. 

We choose who to LOVE, we choose who our hearts will belong to, and we also choose what LOVE really means to us. We have a little push at time from FATE herself, although 90% of the time it's all up to us. Once we're stuck on that certain someone, we're stuck for good! There's no going backwards, just forwards. 

We capture that certain way of LIFE...the certain way of LOVE where it begins, and 9 times out of 10, we have help, we don't fall in LOVE by ourselves. The enjoyment and naturally the fulfillment to be exact is everlasting, as beautiful as a painter's portrait of a "Medieval Sunset Sky". 

We will never forget what that feels like.

As LIFE hands it to us, LOVE isn't forever, and it isn't for everyone, yet a feel and taste of it is all we need to make sure we know what others around us at one point may be able to feel and describe. 

After years of not having to feel or see that enjoyment of the "Medieval Sunset Sky", I can see how it can dissipate into a simple dream and a fairy tale that once was the real deal. The sky can turn gray very easily and can make rain come down in every direction possible. The only negative aspect of that rain is the reality of time shed by the LOVE that was once alive and palpitating. 

Lesson learned...

Instead of having LOVE all bundled up in one basket...

Have it evenly spread so that it can reach a farther distance....

Learn to share it with others so that they can see what it can do...

As for where it once resided and for whom it belonged to,

"I Don't Want To Love Anybody Else"...

For that "Medieval Sunset Sky" came and went...

To live on for a LIFETIME.

"I Don't Know Much But I Know Myself"

There's much to learn about oneself especially when it comes to us aging year after year.

 The fear of getting "old" can get to us that we start believing that we're forgetting so much and that we're not as sharp as we once used to be. The sprout of gray hair tends to come over us and immediately we see it as "We're so OLD it's not even funny!" Our bodies start to loosen up in ways we never thought they would, and it becomes harder to tighten everything up. Of course, we see all the physical aspects start to take a different turn that we forget of the internal aspects that have taken residency inside our minds and hearts. 

Usually they say that with time we mature, we get a bit more stubborn and cling to dear LIFE for fear of not living it to the fullest. Maturity does seem to get to us, though not everyone experiences the same amount altogether. Being stubborn is something I know too well, in my experience with it,

there are reasons why I stick to my guns and why I do have a reason for every action I commit, and as long as logic makes sense, why not right?!

Living LIFE to the fullest for some reason makes it all come together because we have this sudden urge to accomplish what we've always wanted since we were kids, and as long as we achieve it, it's all good. 

 

Throw in a little twist of fate and then we ask ourselves, 

"Is this really what LIFE is all about?? Am I done after this?? What else do I need to do??"

We tend to search as much as possible to find the usual answer and yet we ignore what nature wants us to become and fulfill. That is what exactly???

To "Be" and "Know" ourselves no matter what flaws we have or want to see. Certain aspects of who we become will not be our favorite, though there's a reason why we are who we are. Other aspects will depict a deeper part of our hearts, while the rest will dictate our patience and love we have for those around us. Look at yourself deeply, and you'll find a unique person that's worthy of making this world a better place, and ALL because you are who you grew up to be. 

In the end,

you'll say to yourself,

"I Don't Know Much But I Know Myself"....

That's all that counts!

The Truth About the Jealousy Factor

Nothing goes hand in hand than knowing someone's after you for the only apparent reason there is: 

They're jealous and being a hater.

It pretty much goes together when it comes to any part of our lives whether it be a career path, a friendship, lifestyle and/or personal life choice. Ever wonder WHY haters are so prevalent or WHY they make themselves self destruct?? 

The answer is a simple one....

They're overloading on self pity and adrenaline in trying to compete with the rest of the world that their OWN world around them is not going as planned. It's pretty simple when in comes to Karma, as the Indian Religions have it best explained as the "Cause and Effect" cycle. 

Whatever you "cause", there will be an "effect".

In LIFE we experience every negative aspect from heartbreak, loss, sadness, and jealousy. It's hard to grow up and try to understand why we have to experience ANY of these negative aspects, and it seems like the younger we are the stronger it makes us,

 yet while the older we are the more it affects us. 

 

Personally I grew up with one of my siblings constantly having a heavy heart in him. I can tell you that I barely have ANY positive moments with hum, though the 4 moments I do have I cherish them dearly. Ever put a cat and a dog together in a cage?? Well hopefully you never have, though if you've seen it, the constant fighting and scratching you'd experience was exactly what we were like and unfortunately it still is the remaining factor between the two of us. Trying to put one foot in front of the other simply doesn't work, so therefore it's been best for us to keep separate for almost 9 years now, and you would think by now we would've worked out our differences, personally I know I have, though in his case he's dealing with his the last time I spoke to him. 

What can eat us up inside most times is the unknown of our own deception and disappointment. The more damage we cause ourselves the more we'll reflect it upon others and carefully start to see a change  and the way everyone else views us as well. 

I've seen the jealousy streak hit people like a pile of rocks, and it's quite scary to see it firsthand because you know that ANY kind of understanding the person ever had has gone out the window. ALL you'll ever hear is the TRUTH of what is really being felt from that point on, and I can tell you that it is VERY HARD to pull away, and once you do pull away, you'll feel and receive the negativity as well, and that's when you cut the cord indefinitely. 

The TRUTH About the Jealousy Factor is this:

See it, Recognize it, Pull Away, and Cut that Cord...

nothing and no one is worth the damage that comes along with it.