Look UP for Resolutions

Many have said that it takes ALL that you have to make it happen...

while many OTHERS have exclaimed that it's taken a percentage of who they are to make ends meet.

Who to believe???

Take everything and everyone into account, for we ALL have a story to tell and share. Yet very few of us have LIVED what we're really about. It doesn't take very much to make you see that the grass isn't greener on the other side, though I can say this:

You haven't LIVED until you've admitted and accepted to yourself that you are your OWN cause and effect.

What does this mean???

To put it out there, 

there's no one that has made it hard and/or easy in your world except YOU. 

Blame and finger pointing is typical (believe me I've done plenty of this throughout the years), though it didn't sink in until I started to see a pattern that kept happening over and over again. 

To be honest, at first I thought I was going crazy and that the world just kept throwing "daggers" my way and I just kept trying to dodge them as best as I could. Then, after about the 3rd and 4th "dagger", I had that special light that came on above my head and I said, 

"So this is where everything is coming from!" 

What was it??

My very OWN wall that I wouldn't let down. Whatever it was I kept within that wall was the KEY to letting my world function the way it needed to. I kept hiding the one thing that made me so vulnerable since the beginning, my heart. 

Every cause and effect kept resulting in the same way and had the same outcome UNTIL one day I put my heart out there, I became vulnerable and made sure that I wholeheartedly BELIEVED in the vision that needed to be just that, my vision. With letting my wall down, I still made sure that my heart and mind coincided with each other and therefore kept it to where I was at level with it all, NOT ANY HIGHER and definitely NOT ANY LOWER than what ANY standard 

I believed to be true. 

To this day, EVERY cause and effect has had its major up's though my major "down's" aren't those anymore. Instead they became a part of the puzzle that didn't seem to fit, and I've simply learned to move on without resentment, finger pointing and disappointment. 

Moral of the story:

Not EVERY piece to the puzzle is supposed to fit. Instead of looking down and around for an answer, simply let down your guard and look UP for resolutions, 

for there's only ONE way to go and that is UP.

Good Enough

2014 has commenced! 

We're now going into the third week of the new year and as with the past first blog entries of the year, we start it off right with:

 Sarah McLachlan

An update on Sarah, she's currently recording her new album and a new tour is being planned for later on this year! Can't wait to see her once again!

This particular song of her's is one that not only we can ALL relate to, we can even experience it with others in our current lives who've needed the right amount of LOVE for their hearts. 

"Good Enough" deals with the pain circulating with chain of events that happened to us when we were in our younger years. Whether a broken home, a divorce, betrayal, or simply someone not being there for you, it can leave a lasting impression on the heart and even if you've stitched yourself up from it, the feelings never go away until YOU say they can. 

Fear, as anything else that's negative in the world, can present themselves in such a hard way that taking them out of your head can come at a cost. Surrounding yourself with the right people is KEY in knowing that LIFE can bring so much more that what you've already experienced. Things CAN change internally for as much as we can battle it for no good reason. The more we have bottled up inside, the more damage we can do to ourselves without us even knowing. 

Do you ever find that one person that wants to connect with you at every level possible??? 

So much that inside you're saying to yourself,

 "Seriously?! Why should I let you in??!"

The walls that we put up most often are the walls of FEAR and PAIN, making anything GOOD that comes our way look like the negative aspect we already feel inside. Yet if you really think about it, all it takes is a simple glance at the GOOD FAITH that person has and we can throw away the negativity out the window. It's natural to be afraid of the unknown, yet, there are those times that we have to "jump ship" as they say to make the most out of a smile.

With taking in the POSITIVE and throwing away the NEGATIVE, a NEW YEAR is a good time as ever to do what is needed for ourselves and those who surround us. All we can really do is be "Good Enough" so that  at least we can say we gave it a try, especially if you're serving as that POSITIVE influence to someone else. 

Let them know you come with the best of intentions, that you yourself know what its like to be broken and hurt and you can show them a different side to the term 'moving on'. We ALL have that moment of clarity, some sooner than the others, though in any case, we'll show that STRENGTH come in numbers.

2013: A Year In Review Part 1

It's crazy to think that in 1 day, 2013 will be a year of the PAST.

For many, 2013 was a trying year, while for others, 2013 was that of an educational yet uplifting year.

I myself found many things to take with me, as well as many opportunities that will keep on coming and make me a better person both as an individual and as a professional.

January-June

2013 started off at a new salon location, right the Old Town Temecula, where to be honest, I had not visited in 5 years. Being that I was in Murrieta for that length of time, I just never found a reason to go there, until I found employment there. It's been by far my clients' favorite spot, especially the shampoo bowls where most of them fall asleep, yet the parking situation is getting worked out slowly but surely. A very BIG special THANK YOU to all of you who continue to support in letting me design your locks for you! I will continue to give 110% everytime you wish come in. 

In April I was contacted to see if I was interested in taking care of the hair section of the NBC 4 Los Angeles News Team as well as some of the employees there. With very little hesitation I jumped at the opportunity and thankfully, the NBC 4 Los Angeles News Team have welcome me every week with open arms and have trusted me in collaborating for their new image that they had been seeking. GOD willing, this opportunity will allow me to continue to grow even more in my ability as a hairstylist and as a professional who only seeks to make others feel great about their overall image. So far so good and I'm enjoying the challenge as every week comes.

May and June I was able to start off 2 new projects that will continue in 2014 and make a path for the greater good. My dear friend Brenda had the opportunity to jump at the chance and open her own Salon and Dry Bar in Old Town Temecula and had allowed me to help her start off with a name that has become quite noticed within the city in only 5 months of its doors being open. It hasn't been an easy ride, though just like I told her, if you believe in a dream and see it clearly, anything can happen. It's such a great feeling to see her run it with her love and devotion, and once she has the right mixture of devoted stylist entrepreneurs, the accomplishments are right around the corner, thus far, its a go!

The other project that captivated my time and heart has been my very first screenplay that took me 15 hrs. to complete in its entirety. With it's initial concept conceived by myself and my good friend Teppy,  it's based on a time frame in my life where I needed to learn some of the most valuable lessons ever. From accepting myself, to losing loved ones and especially finding my FAITH and trusting GOD once again, I incorporated my own metaphors in this screenplay to fit the main character's LIFE , a LIFE that actually happened and continues to be lived by so many out there.  

"Project DTL" found LIFE in 2013 and is being shopped around by me first and foremost so that it can find a good home. It's registered and being looked at by several individuals who can see the vision that was once lived. No matter how long it takes, I'm sticking it through so that many can have the opportunity to see more than what the eye conveys.

2013: A Year In Review Part. 2

July-December

In summertime I was busy juggling my multiple projects as well as my 3 jobs and trying to have somewhat of a personal life, as well as trying to stay cool while blow drying in the heat!

At this point, I had taken my vacations with one of my best friends to visit up North in Spokane, Washington to see and spend quality time with one of my other best friends. It was a much needed trip for all of us and I was loving the amazing scenery and weather of Spokane. My heart was in need of some Mother Nature!

 Right after, my then 2.5 year old niece Sophia had her first dance recital! Loved it so much and she did such a great job! My good friend Teppy had gotten married to her lovely husband Ray, and a beautiful wedding it was! I was also planning and funding my 30th Birthday Party along with my Sister-In-Law Lauren and with the help of my friend/personal assistant Ilda. 

Now when did I sleep...well, hardly ever! My nights at this point were consisting of 3-4 hrs. of sleep a night, suffering from severe insomnia and complete numbness on my right middle finger.

  

 I believed by this time, I was in full treatment mode with my consistent Acupuncture treatments by one of my co-workers in Glendale, Tina, and her mentor Doctor, Dr. Akopyan, who continues to treat me in present day. With nothing having worked and going crazy by my lack of sleep and numbing, I needed an outlet and a treatment that would make me LIVE again and make me strong mentally and physically. I've gotta tell ALL of you, Acupuncture is amazing! If you're ever in the Glendale area and are in need of some well deserved R&R, Dr. Akopyan at the Total Wellness Center will take care of you! 

By the time my 30th Birthday Party in September rolled around, I was in full bloom and in good spirits to celebrate my 5th year of living a HAPPY LIFE (at the age of 25 I made a pact with myself to break all negativity and live happily). I had 72 guests in attendance to help me ring 30 and what a fun time we all had! For those of you who are still weirded out with me by not showing up, do yourselves a favor and LOVE LIFE, I hold nothing against you and neither should you...you couldn't make it, and that's the end. Due to my birthday party, I had to forfeit my "Fall" vacation until "Spring" of 2014, though it was well worth it!

 October, November and December were a blend of work and personal negotiations. I was able to catch my good friend/client star in her 2nd Musical Play "Menopausea: El Musical" and let me tell y'all, Marabina Jaimes was a 90 minute powerhouse along with her 3 other co-stars! So happy to see them all soar! I met the handsome and talented Joey Fatone of *NSYNC in a comedy show he had hosted in Silverlake, Ca and of course introduced myself and offered my services to ANY future project where he might need a hair/make-up artist. Very down to earth and very inviting with his smile and personality!

On a personal level October had marked a year that my Mom (aka Mommy Dearest) and I had not spoken to each other. Truth be told she had wanted to get in touch with me in the 2 months following our October 2012 fallout. My Mom and I are such strong individuals that you can tell we love each other, though we're not a good mixture together. I have no ill will against her nor do I have any blame or guilt for that matter that has me straying away from her, I simply took a stand in NOT allowing people who are not happy with my LIFE choices influence my surroundings and have that energy floating over me. This has gone for most of the people I cut out of my LIFE this year, there's nothing I have against ANY of you, our time has simply expired and it was good while it lasted. I TRULY believe that we ALL have moments where we learn what we can from one another, and if we NEED to move on, then it's time to move on. I'm not proud of how my relationship is with my Mom, I do miss who she used to be and what she used to mean to me, though this time we BOTH made it hard for each other to TRULY appreciate one another and ACCEPT our hearts. My love for her is still there and so is my presence should she ever NEED me by her side. Unfortunately we both found out that were better at a distance than being in close range of each other, and that's O.K...for now at least. 

Overall, 2013 had me experience multi-tasking many opportunities, had me work until 1am on some nights (no joke) and also experience AND balance the loss of my beloved Godfather, the miscommunication and distance from my Mom, and the closing of doors to MANY I thought would appreciate my friendship and vice versa. ALL of this has served a greater purpose, and without a doubt, NONE of this could've been experienced without the undying LOVE and SUPPORT from GOD himself and those who are closest to me. 

Where there was a closing door, another window opened, and where there were tears, there was a "Ray of Light and Hope" waiting to capitalize on the future. We're meant to go through ups and downs to see how strong we are, to LIVE TO TELL and most importantly, to believe in something else other than ourselves...for if you think that you've survived another year all on your own, guess again...with GOD and FAITH, in ANY shape, way and form, ALL is possible and ALL is LOVE!

Here's to 2014 everyone!

Happy New Year!

The NEW Current and Up and Coming

For a while there it seemed like dance music was taking a back seat with artists like Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, and ke$ha all taking some time to record new material while Adele, Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift were dominating the music world with their versions of their past break-ups in their love lives.

Well 2013 definitely proved to be a come back not only for Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and ke$sha, we've had a couple new artists to add to that roster who not only made a splash in music, they've proven to have legit fans who want them to stick around for years should they want to make music for a living. 

Lorde, Fifth Harmony, and Cody Draiken 

have made 2013 theirs and their fans are NO joke!

Lorde just made her 2013 music debut with "Royals" climbing from the underground scene, this 17 year old Florence and The Machine-esque artist made sure everyone was listening to the new self proclaimed "Queen Bee". From New Zealand, all the way to the U.S. and as fast as running water, she was appearing on the music charts and performing her hit on the daytime talk shows as well as in the dance clubs with "Royals" becoming a remixed certified hit! 

Lorde sounds like a mature woman and is ready to take the music scene on without fastening her seat belt, for she has managed to score 4 Grammy nominations for the upcoming 2014 56th Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony. Way to go!

Fifth Harmony follows the footsteps of One Direction, Leona Lewis, and Cher Lloyd for they are all prodigy's of the contest show The X Factor. Having placed third in last year's U.S. X Factor (mentored and signed by Simon Cowell himself), this quintet girl group have certainly proved that they not only have the X Factor, they definitely have what it takes to re-define the friendship and love for future girl groups. Having auditioned separately as solo singers, Simon and hist team of judges all agreed to form this girl group knowing that their voices and image would sell and speak to millions out there in the music world! 

Just in 2013 alone, they're first single "Miss Movin' On" debuted at #76 on the Billboard Top 100 Singles Chart, they're "Better Together" EP debuted #6 on the Billboard 200 and #2 on iTunes album charts, and have already toured with British X Factor alum Cher Lloyd and are ready to tour with Demi Lovato in 2014. 

I'd say Fifth Harmony is here to stay! 

Congratulations little ones!

Cody Draiken is that artist that blends the sex appeal of a modern day Pete Burns (Dead or Alive) with the vocal equivalent to a male Britney and ke$ha. Having released singles in 2013 for a taste of what this innovative artist has to offer, his full LP "Dress Classy, Dance Nasty" is everything the underground club scene is ready for. Whether you go for the girls or for the guys, Cody has no boundaries for his music speaks volumes and to whomever it should please. This LP release date is only weeks away (January 8th, 2014)  and is definitely going to become a FAST sell for the new 2014 music scene. Songs like "Club Bang Her", "Ouija Board", and "Moaning Lisa" will have you in check as you dance to the groaning sounds of this male driven exposed vocal while hits like "Dress Classy, Dance Nasty" and "Young People Revolution" have what it takes to get you "achin" for Draiken!

 With 38,000 Followers on TWITTER alone and 26,000 Followers on INSTAGRAM, watch out ladies and gents Cody Draiken is on the prowl for 2014 will be his rise out of the underground!

Don't Let Go (Love)....the En Vogue Kind!

 Before my love for Destiny's Child ever began, this group of Funky Divas had my heart since their debut in the early 90's. En Vogue had the style, the look, and the voices to match up and dominate the charts, radio and MTV.

Of all their music history, "Don't Let Go (Love)" is my all time favorite being that it was also the lead song to the movie with Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett-Smith "Set It Off" in 1996. If you've never seen "Set It Off", its a MUST see as it challenges topics of family, friendship and the price of greed. 

Now when En Vogue debuted the song and video for "Don't Let Go (Love)", they had been away at least for 2 years and were about to make it known to the world that they had a darker edge to the glammed up Funky Divas they had appeared to be in prior albums and videos. 

1996, I was 12 going on 13 years old when this song came about and let me tell you that when I saw the video, I was GLUED to the T.V. because I couldn't believe what I was seeing in front of me! The make-up, hair, clothes and attitude were ALL NEW and they meant business! In this group, they all took lead parts though most of the solo's often went to Dawn Robinson, and in this song, she lead the women to a "Do or Die" ultimatum love song. 

We've all been there when we have someone next to us who is on a 50/50 wild heart streak of "Yes I'm in...No I'm Out" kind of attitude. On our behalf we're all in, though it's time to show that we mean what our heart desires and ultimately what it wants. We can't pretend because we can't let go. So why should anybody have to? 

There's always reassurance for why we want what we can't have. It's typical to hold back and NOT showcase our desires to those our heart corresponds to, though our minds get to that breaking point of, "You see how I can lose control, now show me YOU!" It's taking the leap of not knowing until you try it, also known as the SACRIFICE. We can't change people and we can't make people fall in love for us, though we can encourage and solidify that were solely theirs and no one else's. 

Will they fall for our desire of LOVE???

Will they notice that our fantasy is them having us 100%???

Will they UNDERSTAND that they have the right to lose control in LOVE???

If you're at this 50/50 Love Roadblock, 

it's time to hold tight and 

Don't....Let....Go.

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