Update!

Well Dilettantes...I have one more week before I leave Shanghai.  I admit to being sad, as I love this city of random-assness and hard-working natives.  I also admit to becoming spoiled as fuck within the past two years.  Labor is cheap and everybody's on their hustle, so I found myself with a tailor, a housekeeper (called "ayi"), and of course, Trey.

Good Lord, Imma miss that man.  I can't even think about how painful it's going to be to leave him behind...

I will be Stateside for two months and then I'll be heading on to my next destination...Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  Riyadh is about as different from Shanghai as air is from earth.  It isn't a tourist destination and it certainly doesn't cater to the single diva lifestyle, but that's okay.  I am there to work and to obtain specialized training and experience so that I can get the job I really want...either in South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore or Malaysia. Yes, I fully intend to return to the Far East within a couple of years (unless something absolutely unheard-of, unplanned-for, and ridiculously amazing happens).  I love it over here in this part of the world.  I can easily see myself staying here for the next 20 or so years.

What's good about where I'm going is that traveling is just as easy as it is over here.  Europe and North Africa are not far away, and there's Oman (which I've heard fantastic things about), and of course, Dubai...where I fully intend to spend Christmas.

I have not been diligent in protecting my writing time and I will rectify that.  I have so much on my mind, and I recently binge-watched Empire and thus have LOTS to say about that hot entertaining mess of a show.  Please bear with me, as I'm obviously going to be going through some changes over the next six months.  New country, new job, new responsibilities...culture shock.  And I will do my best to report on as much as I can, as there will be plenty to share.

More to come!

So This Happened...

I haven't been blogging much for the past couple of months for several reasons.  The main reason is because I've been super-busy at work and going through the motions of making another significant life change.  It left me with little time for writing and blogging, which I dearly miss and desperately need to unload through to rid myself of these random emotions.  I neeeeeed to write a shortie.  Somebody toss me a prompt.

My time in Shanghai is coming to an end.  I didn't think it would be ending as soon as it is, but life never quite works out the way we plan.  Either way, I've had a blast living in this amazing city and having the adventures that I've had.  There is so much to love about this beautiful, vibrant city and the wonderful natives who inhabit it. I will be quite sad on the long flight home, but satisfied at the things I accomplished.

The Expat Diaries: Thailand

I was in Thailand recently for work and for play.  Bangkok, with a population about six million, is a hectic, frenetic metropolis.  Anytime I left my hotel, there were hundreds of people out and about, walking, driving, riding scooters and motorcycles, taking the MTR, hustling wares, doing all kinds of things.  They were not shocked to see my brown face, as many PoC live and work in Bangkok. 

Leonard Nimoy, 1931-2015.

The Man...erm, Vulcan

A/N:  Mr. Leonard Nimoy died February 27, 2015 at the age of 83.  He touched millions and millions of lives.  May he rest in perfect peace.  Join me in celebrating this highly respected actor and his legendary iconic role.

In memoriam, I'm republishing this post from 2011.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was the ears.  They did something to me, and to this day, I have a yen when it comes to a man’s ears.  Then it was the sideburns, the fact that he was a Vulcan scientist, and cooler than a polar bear’s toenails.  The eyes, the voice, and the way he veed his fingers in salute; if the title didn’t give it away, then you oughta know I’m talking about Spock.  And let me clarify: Spock, meaning TOS Spock, the character portrayed by Leonard Nimoy.  No disrespect to Zach Quinto’s embodiment, but he can’t hold a candle to Leonard...and I’m sure he knows it.

Gene Roddenberry put a chokehold on pop culture with the creation of Star Trek, and Spock is a masterpiece.  You say, “Spock,” and everyone everywhere knows exactly who you are referring to.  The image that comes to mind is unmistakable.  This character rocked my young nerdy-girl world.  I thought he was the coolest dude I ever saw.  He was smart, sensible, and level-headed.  And did I say he was cool?  Far as I’m concerned, Spock was easily the best character on the show; far more interesting than Kirk.

"A Piece of the Action"

 As a grown nerdy woman, I love him even more.  For us fangirls, Spock represents a near-perfect man, erm, alien.  Most of us would hop a shuttle to Vulcan if it meant we could hook up with him.  We’re of the mindset that he would be an exceptional lover and boyfriend; being a telepath, he would know exactly what we wanted and would bring it accordingly.  Not just talking about sex, either…but can you imagine?

Mirror Spock

My favorite TOS episodes are “Mirror, Mirror,” “Amok Time,” and “The Enterprise Incident.”  “Mirror, Mirror” featured a bearded Spock—and when I say he blew my mind, believe me baby, he blew it.  That beard added a whole delicious diabolical seductive quality and I was done!  Far as I’m concerned, TOS should have made regular visits to the Mirrorverse just so us fangirls could drool over him.  This whole endeavor; the genesis and evolution of Amaya Radjani, born from PinkElegance, is because of Mirror Spock.  I know the Mirrorverse isn’t the best place to be, but I am not the only fangirl who would risk it to get my hands on Mirror Spock.  Three words:  sexy. as. hell.

"Amok Time” had Spock in heat and needing to return to Vulcan so that he could claim his bride and mate with her, in a ritual called pon farr.  Fangirls will give you various interpretations of pon farr, but there are those of us willing to risk it if it means getting a piece of Spock.  His intended bride, a gorgeous female named T’Pring, didn’t want him.  I still don’t know what in the hell was wrong with her; why she chose lame ass boring Stonn over sexy, fine-as-hell Spock eludes me to this day.  I ain’t the only one confused about this.  T’Pring should have had her ass beat for that shit.

Is she CRAZY????

"The Enterprise Incident” had Spock under cover on a Romulan ship, and he was in total pimp mack-daddy mode when he was trying to seduce the Romulan Commander.   I say “try,” but the fact of the matter was that he succeeded admirably.  The poor commander didn’t stand a chance; Spock had her out of her uniform within a scant few minutes.  Of course, TV being what it was in the 1960s, all they could show was Spock having Vulcan finger sex with her.  But us fangirls knew Spock hit it during the commercial break.  And not a one of us would have denied him.

Rawr!

I was happy to see the ST 2009 reboot.  Zach Quinto made an adorable Spock, but when you stand back and compare the two, Zach is Spock Lite.  No contest, none at all.

So I raise a glass of Moscato to Spock, one of my longtime loves, and to Leonard Nimoy, one of the greatest actors of the 20th century.  Your memory will live long and prosper more.

The Expat Diaries: Hong Kong

Circumstances allowed me to spend the past weekend in Hong Kong.  I flew out Friday night on HK Airlines and returned Sunday night via the same carrier. Ideally, I would have spent four days, but this trip wasn’t planned until the last minute.

I hit up TripAdvisor and a couple of other travel websites to find out what I could do in 36 hours.  The answer is plenty.  Hong Kong is a walking city that is very clean and very easy to navigate.  I grabbed a city map at the airport and the travel websites advised getting an Octopus Card, which is basically a travel pass you load money onto.  You can use it for transportation and a lot of restaurants, shops, and stores also accept it.  It saves you from carrying loose coins, which gets tiresome real quick.

My hotel was, fortunately for me, near the central train hub and in walking distance.  With map and Octopus Card in hand, I walked down to the ENORMOUS station and stared at the maps, trying to figure out which way was up and how the trains worked.  The city is tourist-friendly and there are a lot of British “leftovers.”  There are signs literally pointing you in the direction you want to go, labeled with the sights you want to see.  I rode the Peak Tram up the mountain so that I could get a view of the stunning skyline with the mountains in the distance.  The mountains are called the Nine Dragons, and behind them is Mainland China.

2014: It's A Wrap!!!

I've been blogging for five years.  Noob reminded me of this recently and I had to take a step back and reflect.  Five years ago, I was an undiagnosed mess of turmoil, grief and rage.

Two years ago, I was sitting in my Atlanta home, infuriated with the lack of progress I was making towards completing my degree.  I didn’t have a job and was battling a bout of tendonitis in my right hand after spending six weeks entering numeric data into Excel.  I’d actively taken steps to move abroad but nothing was panning out and I was unbelievably frustrated.  I was unhappy, unhealthy, lonely, and I felt like everything was against me.

Fast forward to now.  I live in Shanghai; a city of 26 million people.  My educational pursuits are now directly related to professional development.  I have a job that I love, and the absolute freedom to do whatever the hell I want.  I don't think I've ever been as happy or as content as I am right now. Sometimes I can’t believe it; that I really am back in my little house and dreaming about being an expat instead of actually being an expat.

Boss Chicks: Special Edition

So yesterday Noob sent me a link to a video of a christmas party in Nashville, TN. The video showed a clip of a group of what had to be at least 200 Delta Sigma Theta sorors strolling to Strafe's "Set It Off."  I'm inspired.

***Update:  The video can now be found on YouTube at http://youtu.be/HhHP17KO-58.

I got every single inch of my life from this vid and I am here to tell you that every last one of those glorious sistahs set that shit clean the fuck off.  The video was originally found on the Facebook page of BJ Baskerville.  I hope you can watch it.  Please try; it's worth it.

The party was held on 12-13-14, and it's nearing one million views on Mr. Baskerville's FB page.  I'm responsible for about 30 of them.  I cannot stop watching these grown and sexy sistahs stroll like it's going out of style.  What I really love is the parade of different ages, hues, sizes and shapes storming the scene and daring anyone to throw even the slightest sliver of shade.  It's absolutely wonderful.  I am inspired.

I'm not Greek; I'm not a member of that tribe. I respect each and every organization and the people who comprise them.  What keeps me watching this video (other than the absolute fabulous flawlessness of 95% of these women killing it in stilettos, mind you) is this:

Imagine being a teenage girl and knowing (superficially) that your mother is a member of a Greek organization.  Imagine your mom being, well...your mom.  Then imagine seeing your mother get out there and slay with her sorors.  My mother wasn't Greek, but nevertheless I found myself in the mental shoes of a 15-year-old girl seeing her Greek mother enjoying herself in the throes of her sisterhood and geeking the hell out. I am so inspired.

Even better, what you see is not only mothers, but also grandmothers, aunties, cousins and big sisters.  I love it.  I love that the line is comprised mostly of sistahs who aren't in their 20s.  I love that the women range from butterscotch to mocha, buzz-cuts to 14-inch Yakki, size 3 to size 24, with various levels of energy but dedicated enough to participate in a rigorous exercise in celebration of their sorority.  God bless them.  I am soooo inspired.

I raise a glass of kumquat honey ice tea to those stylish strolling sisters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Happy Holidays and please continue setting it off!

Update

So much has been going on these past few months.  I’ve been swamped up to my eyeballs with work, and there’s other stuff happening.  I haven’t had the freedom to create or think or write, and it’s really starting to work my nerves that I don’t have access to that outlet. 

There’s so much to say, to express, to comment on, to vent about.  I don’t even know where to start or even if I can start.  I will say this: being removed from all of the headlines and whatnot is a relief sometimes.  I don’t ever really know what’s going on unless I log into FaceBook & Twitter.  Sometimes, I deliberately stay away from social media because I can’t always handle the news as it comes.  Stories about babies dying in cars, child abuse, the #Gamergate bullshit, motherfuckers looking to rationalize rape, and most recently, #Ferguson…it can be too much.  So it is nice to not have to know everything.  Emotional distance is a good thing to have.  

Besides, getting through the rest of this SY is going to take every bit of emotional energy I have.  I’ve found myself in a situation I didn’t foresee, and I’ve now got decisions to make.  I am getting better at what I do, and that has been nothing but a bonus.  Change is good, but it’s also annoying as fuck.  But I know that things will work out for the best, because they usually do.  

At any rate, I’m just checking in to let y’all know that I’m still alive and still kicking.  I will hopefully have some news on the creative front soon enough; Nightingales: cool air is just about finished, and hopefully I can get back to working on the revisions for Tainted soon enough.  Just have to see how all of this plays out.

The Midnight Hour

Halloween 1987:  ABC broadcasted a made-for-TV movie called “The Midnight Hour.”  It first aired in 1985, but I never saw it until the aforementioned time.  I was a prepubescent middle-schooler and thrilled at the prospect of anything Halloween- and horror-related coming on TV.

The movie starred gorgeous Shari Belafonte and the lovely Jonelle Allen and it’s about a bunch of teens who fucked around with some sort of ancient curse and woke up the dead.  Story-wise, it’s so-so. Meh.  Why I’m even bothering to mention it is because of this:

Blasian "Winter of Love" Promotional

Middle Child Press is putting its top two Blasian works on sale at a reduced price of $3.99 for the entire winter...starting now.

Amaya Radjani's Corruption (2011) is the currently MCP's best-selling work of all time, having garnered numerous reviews and fairly consistent sales.

...this is a book you WANT and NEED to read. It's an interracial romance that spends absolutely NO time on race issues and more time on the vagaries of modern-day relationships. It's about friends, family, culture and finding love and strength in the most unexpected ways.

Honestly, Corruption packs more heat than Dirty Harry's .357 hand cannon and a lot more heart than any Hallmark Channel movie, all within a slim 164 pages. A warning: this isn't an HEA so if you're the type who likes their romances all warm and fuzzy wrapped in a big pink bow, then this book is not for you. For the rest of us, Corruption is a wild, sexy, emotional and unexpected ride. It's risky and totally untraditional, and well, the kind of romance that's right up my alley.

~ The Fountain Pen Diva, an Amazon Vine Voice

Folklore, and Other Stories (2008, 2012) remains Ankhesen Mié's most popular book of all time since its initial release in 2008.

A collection of three stories, Folklore is Mié's first foray into MCP's trademark experimental fiction and gained notable acclaim from the Midwest Book Review, RAWSISTAZ Literary, and APOOO Bookclub while still in the abridged, paperback format.

Folklore, and Other Stories by Ankhesen Mié is the author's sophomore effort and the short stories show how her writing has grown. Ms. Mié has taken on the ambitious task of writing from an Asian perspective. Many of the stories read like old-fashioned tall tales with the flow of poetry in short story form. The stories in this collection offer a new look at age old situations such as marital relationships. The stories are at once true to life, yet mystical and filled with fantasy. The story entitled, `The Collection' is particularly interesting with twists on love and divorce.

I recommend this volume of short stories to readers willing to read something different. In this day and age when many feel there is nothing new under the sun, along comes a writer like Ms. Mié proving that is not necessarily so.

~ Angelia Menchan, APOOO Bookclub

The books go on sale November 3rd, 2014.