::Paris,Tokyo::

the.view.from.above.---I call this--Vegas.patiently.waiting.

<-TRAVEL IS FOOD FOR THE SOUL->

Checking.In.to.Only.Check.Out

*LDL*

::LDL Love::

Days Like This You Have To Acknowledge That One True Love-Even If You Didn't End Up With That Love-Or Even If You May Not-I Believe There Is Only One! And Today I Know I've Had It And If There Is An After-I Know There Will Never Be Another Quite The Same

-LDL

Yeahh, Oh

Lalalalala lala

Something about the way you look at me

Tells me that I just might be worthy

Of feeling you despite uncertainty

Despite the way that you might hurt me

I want to take your love and mix it with mine

And maybe have a Coca baby

I just want to put this all on the line

Make sure that you appreciate me

If it's a question of your pride,

Put that thing aside

Just let your guard down now,

Let me show you how much I want you

Oh Take my hand and dim the light,

For the rest of the night

We'll be making love the way that we're supposed to yeah

I wanna give you all my love

Even if I don't have all your trust

I want to give you all my love (ooh)

Even if I don't have all your trust

I know it's hard to trust me, why should you

Especially after what you've been through

I know it's hard to believe I'm not the same

You think about it when I'm with you

Everything that he did, throw it away

Coz I know how to love you better

Give me your heart, the past will fade

And we gon get it right together

If it's a question of your pride,

Then put that thing aside

Just let your guard down now,

Let me show you how much I want you (OH)

Baby Just take my hand and dim the light,

Coz for the rest of the night

We'll be making love the way that we're supposed to

I wanna give you

I wanna give you all my love (all my all my love)

Even if I don't have (yeah) all your trust

(And all I wanna give you) I want to give you all my love (baby all my love)

Even if I don't have all your trust

I'm thinking we should,

I think that we should turn the lights down

I'm thinking we should,

I'm thinking we should turn the lights down

I'm thinking we should,

Thinking we should turn the lights down

Turn them down, turn them down, turn them down

Cause I wanna give you all my love (I wanna give it to you baby)

Even if I don't have (even if I don’t have) all your trust (all your trust)

I want to give you (wanna give you) all my love (all my love)

Even if I don't have (even if I don’t have) all your trust

*All My Love*-Ryan Leslie

::Silenced By The Man::

Lately I've been feeling like my voice is dwindling...maybe because of exhaustion...but I have to take a moment and gather myself before it's too late. I've been hiding from things that are already written all over my face- only because I felt I had something to prove or at least I just didn't want to have the burden of having to answer dumb questions. But the only person that will be disappointed in the end...will be ME. I've learned that you can't throw your hands up and continue to take part in things that your mind-body-n-soul completely disagree with--with that said..when I turn the page, I'll keep reading as if there was no period! This was def a personal post....maybe I needed a second to breathe...or maybe I needed a second to speak freely...but nonetheless...I spoke

and now..it's over

-LDL

::DAYBREAK::

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Please Give to Haiti :: If not your time/money-then at least give them a moment of prayer!

::Light vs Dark::It Ain't Only Skin Deep::

Disclaimer: I obviously can only speak from my own point of view- which is that of a light-skinned woman-yet I encourage a young lady of a dark-skinned shade to comment with her point of view to gain a clear understanding!

I know what you're thinking...are we still on this?? How do I know this, because that's what I think daily. My Dorothy Dandridge post really got my wheels turning after reading up on her struggle in the entertainment industry simply because she was a light-skinned black woman--and it made me want to explore whether or not we've made any strides both intra-racially and within society as a whole. At first glance--HELL NO--and its quite sad.

For clarification, I am in no way speaking of preferential things, such as dating- I am speaking of the way that people truly judge a person based on their shade.

For starters (and I plan to be very candid and honest) from youth to my adult years I do believe that when dealing with the Caucasian race, I can without a doubt say that I have considerably been treated better than fellow darker skinned classmates and/or colleagues when placed in the exact situations. From my perspective it seems as though they are more comfortable with dealing with lighter-skinned African-Americans because stereotypically we are perceived to be more easy-going and softer spoken. In reality- this stereotype is absolutely absurd and has no basis, but we are a part of a society that has such deep rooted stereotypes that typically began in slavery that at this point it's almost a lost cause.

Now with that said, I do think that some individuals--weak individuals--allow this to dictate how they identify with society. In my younger years it made me more comfortable with having more of a diverse group of friends, which in some ways stemmed from the fact that other children in my elementary (mostly darker skinned children) seemed to always have some type of unwarranted disdain for me, so it caused me to almost have to play more with the white kids in order to have a set group of friends. But as an adult- to still hold this as a reason to place myself above or even below someone else would be ridiculous and senseless.

It's certainly obvious where most of this comparison stems from, but it's not obvious why we continue to live within these unspoken boundaries.

I can't explain how annoying it is for EVERY single person to take one look at me and immediately label me as booshy or conceited because I have light-skin-light eyes-and not to mention a small frame. (THIS IS A WHOLE OTHER POST FOR ME...I HATE THAT PEOPLE THINK IT IS OK TO CONSTANTLY DISCUSS HOW 'SKINNY' I AM-NOW IF I TURN AND SAY HOW FAT YOU ARE WOULD WE STILL BE SPEAKING?? I'M JUST SAYIN...OK BACK TO THE POST)

It appears that this topic will forever be a sore spot. Many would say that the dark-skinned will continue to feel neglected as long as the lighter-skinned are subconsciously celebrated; the lighter-skinned will continue to feel persecuted by their darker siblings merely for being so.

Time will tell if we will ever overcome this nonsense-but I think it begins with each of us individually looking at a person for who they really are, and not the shade of their skin!

Peace Love and Soul

(was that Black enough for ya! LOL)

-LDL

::Don't Judge Me::

I am really gonna work on this...but nonetheless...DONT JUDGE ME...