Language Learning Update

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you all get lots of candy and have fun with your friends. I'll be taking it easy today since I'm feeling a little tired. Also, I cosplayed all four days at NYCC earlier this month so I don't feel too bad sitting today out^^

I decided yesterday to find some useful language apps on my new iPhone, so I figured I'd also update y'all on my language learning goals. I haven't done much since my previous post (which was a loooonnng time ago) and have been super lazy in figuring out what I want to study. I just had a conversation with my friend about putting more energy into learning a language and remarked how I wanted to step up my personal goals game which I feel like I've sort of fallen off on. I think winter is the perfect time to work on aspirations for me because I tend to hibernate lol I barely want to go anywhere and just want to stay away from the cold. So, I'ma try to have some idea of what I want to study so I can start puttin in work in winter which will be here before we know it.

I received an email shortly after having this talk from a language center advertising an open house. I figured I might as well check it out. They offer Japanese, Mandarin, and Spanish so if I like them I could start studying there. Unfortunately, they don't offer group classes for Korean. So if I decide to take it I'll have to look elsewhere. I'm hoping by spending a few hours with each language with the apps and the open house, I'll have an idea of which language I'm having the most fun learning. I'll keep you updated on how it goes. Have a great rest of your Halloween!

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao: Book Review

Hey y'all! I hope fall is treating you well. Things are starting to settle for me after attending so many events. I just found out today that I may be heading to Istanbul early November for a business trip. I'm super excited because I've only been to China^^

I've been trying to stay on my reading game as well as reading books with POC in them and/or written by POC authors. I heard great things about Junot Diaz and I really love magical realism. So, I decided to read The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and enjoyed it. Ugh the way that man writes slang is amazing! The book follows Oscar de Leon and his family's history with a curse known as fuku. Oscar is a huge nerd and wants to be a sci-fi/fantasy writer.

The book is broken up into three parts and jumps around chronologically and follows different characters in the Wao family or close to one of its members. While in some books this may be confusing, I feel the author does this skillfully and uses it to enhance the story. And for me it makes since because of how complicated family dynamics and past history can be. It helps capture the intricacy of how family does not operate on a linear timeline. Our present day family life is affected by decisions our ancestors have made often without our knowledge because those that carry those memories are no longer with us.

Switching to other characters' point of view helped the reader understand their actions and motivations. I personally did not care for Oscar's mother, but when you learn about her past you understand why she is who she is in present day. I wish we would have received more information on Lola and Oscar's father because I wonder how a woman so spurned by love fell in love again.

The novel covers a lot of themes and it really leaves you thinking even after it's over. It also gave me more insight into the Dominican Republic's history. A few things the novel illustrated that stuck with me was being othered by your own race for your interests. Growing up I was called white by my some of my peers or told that black guys wouldn't like me because I was weird and not a typical black girl. This came from some people thinking that if you were black and liked things that weren't considered "black interests" then you were strange and didn't fit in. Oscar's Dominican heritage is often called into question because of his geeky pursuits.

I def want to read more of Junot's work because this book was wonderful and took me on an emotional rollercoaster. If you decide to pick this book up please let me know what you think of it. I hope you enjoy it^^

Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex: 10-In-1 Renewal System review

Hey everyone, I wanted to take a quick second and tell you about a product that has been making my hair sing to the mountains in joy. As a few of you may know, I am a huge fan of the Shea Moisture hair line. I started off my natural hair journey using their products and have always had amazing results. I used to use their Raw Shea butter line a lot, but even though it's amazing for my hair I got tired of the smell. Back then they didn't have as many lines as they do know. One day I saw a line called Superfruit Complex: 10-In-1 Renewal System and decided to give it a try.

First off let me say that I love the smell which is something that is super important that I didn't consider before. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it has Biotin in it. I've always heard about women taking it to help promote hair growth, so I thought it was great that they added it in.

It lathers really well; you don't have to use much to get your whole head saturated. Also, the shampoo doesn't have any build up so it rinses out pretty easily. Despite this it still gets your hair really clean. Another pro with this shampoo is that it works well even if you aren't using it with the rest of the line. Some natural hair products are notorious for only working if you are using it with everything from the same line or brand. The only other Shea Moisture product I am currently using is the Curl Enhancing Smoothie. I went to BeautyCon NYC this weekend with my homie Alex and visited Shea Moistures booth. I decided to pick up another one of their products since they were having a sale. I was also excited to learn that they had a cosmetics line and picked up one of their lip crayons. I'll fill you in more on Beauty Con in another blog post.

I would def recommend this product. Shea Moisture is known for working on most natural hair types. If you decide to try it, please let me know how it works for you. On a geeky note, if you haven't had the chance to watch the new Star Wars trailer go check it out! I really loved it and thought it was amazing. Boba was able to snag tickets for us and while I was already super excited the trailer has me ridiculously pumped to see it. Good night!