Child's Play

and finally to sum up my month of november i booked a bag of voice work :) first gig which is still ongoing is for a Canadian's kid show called Dino Dan. my job is to describe what's happening in the scene, professionally called video description. call me ignorant but it didn't even occur to me that blind people "watch" tv. any who i absolutely LOVE it! i get to be my animated self and part of something so wonderful.

the next gig was for a bunch of children's audio books! and not to mention a few New York Times Best Sellers all up in the mix :) my absolute fav book was Jazz Age Josephine! i can't wait to get my copy. my only "meh" moment is how little fun i got to have reading the books. for the younger aged books i had to read in s-l-o-w motion! something i am definitely not used to. and i felt like such a robot...put the inflection here, read it again, anunciate the "t", yadayadayada! by the end of it i had no idea how anything i was saying could possibly make any sense. but then again i'm a perfectionist and it was definitely an interesting learning curve. now for the photos...

and that pretty much sums up my busy month of november. i feel like i'm back in my creative groove and am definitely looking forward to january when i'll have more time to create fabulous works of art

Boo Boo's Bday!

after getting my vitamin D on i celebrated the hubby's bday! we went to upstate ny's Phoenicia in Catskills and stayed in a cute little cabin called Phoenicia Lodge. i realize there are plenty of adventures just outside our very own city. and i felt kinda guilty that i went to a beach so this was the perfect little getaway :) i lober ju boo boo!!!

There and Back Again

days after halloween I was whisked off to Punta Cana to photograph my friends wedding. sand, sun and a tan was just what I needed :) and not to mention being part of a love celebration

i'm still editing but here are a couple photos i sent the lovely couple for their facebook profile pics :)

here's what my editing looks like :) cutie pies!!!

The Making of a Rupaul Wanna Be

November has been a busy and awesome month! I'll be making a few post to catch you up to speed :) First up, I was successfully transformed into Rupaul. I haven't found time to post my glorious photo shopped images but they are on the way...because they're super late I think I may go the route of holiday photos but here are a few...

Halloween aka Maya's Annual Dress Up Day!

i love Halloween! i absolutely love dressing up and i love it even more when everyone else dresses up too. the one day of the year EVERYONE can play their alter ego. discover your inner Sasha Fierce! for the past 6 years I've been going above and beyond the call of duty for Halloween. it started off with a random idea i had to photograph myself (well my mom did) as Dora years ago which has since been an annual tradition of mine i hope to pass on to my heirs :) since Dora i've been Scary Spice, Jimi Hendrix, Minnie Mouse, Blaze from American Gladiator and now....RUPAUL! That's right! This year I will be the fabulous diva Rupaul! on my bucket list is actually performing in a drag show. i'm not ready for a live performance yet but at least i can get into character and embody all things fierce for an evening :) key to this costume is makeup and HAIR! lucky for me i found the perfect wig here on 125th. it seems every year my budget keeps going up. next years goal is to keep it under $40. this year...i already spent $55 on the wig :S but it's so worth it :)
look at all the wonderful wigs...i want, i want!

impromptu photoshoot in the wig stores :)

and now for some inspiration:

curls, curls, curls, curls

every curly haired girls wants to know what i do's with my hair. well in the past 10 years i had the same hair care regimen: shampoo with whatever, condition with Herbal Essence, Tresemme, or whatever but usually those two, my must use leave in was Olive Oil Moisturizer, and my must use curl defining styler Eco Styler Gel and the occasional deep treatment with i can't remember but several products oh and of course dry with a diffuser or air dry...boom! that's all i did and it worked and my hair was healthy and long. THEN I moved to NY and something happened. my hair became brittle and dry, split ends everywhere, even holes in the middle of the hair shaft. WTF!!! i have no idea what started it...the water? the few dominican hair blow outs? the one time i did that silly vinegar/baking soda clarifying wash which was a huge no no, stress? maybe a combination of all of the above? in any event i need to change up my game cause what I did in the past isn't holding up these days. i've already chopped off about 3 inches which solved the split ends but my hair is still feeling dry and brittle. i tried a protein treatment called Aphogee which you can see and feel the results immediately but it didn't last much longer than a few days to a week. oh! i did find a really amazing deep treatment called Parnevu Organic Hair Mayonnaise which REALLY conditions my hair but it seems my biggest problem is when my hair is finished being washed and when i wear it out curly. the curls actually look great to everyone but me cause it feels horrible! i tried moisturizing with 100% shea butter and Vatika oil, which is an Indian product charged with coconut oil and a bunch of healthy stuff, it's kinda working but i was still missing something. i turned my attention to google and youtube and made some amazing discoveries. most recently i tried a homemade leave-in which i read about on naturallycurly.com. then saw a video on youtube on how to make it here. this so far seems to do the trick. my hair actually feels soft...FINALLY! it's only day 2 so i'll touch base in a few weeks but me likey :) all the info on how to make it are on those links. after i wash my hair i spritz that on in sections, do some twists, put on that funny cap, which my hubby finds so attractive, and go to bed. in the morning i'll do step 2 and use my Olive Oil Moisturizer (unless you know of a better product) and my Eco Styler Gel. I haven't had the need to do the last 2 steps but i think i'll need to to keep my curls looking juicy. but yes! if your hair is feeling dry and brittle i suggest this. hopefully it works for you. cost:$7.99 vegetable glycerine, $3.99 apricot oil (you can forego this if you have olive or coconut oil), $1.99 spray bottle, $2.99 night cap, all under $20 bucks and so worth it!

i love all this stuff right here. my hair doesn't seem to like Tresemme anymore but i'm gonna try adding oil to it. i read on naturallycurly.com that that helps. otherwise i'll have to experiment

a collage of my hair throughout the ages...

i'm headed out to meet with fellow curly hair Andrea Lewis from TGAW and introduce her to the wonderful world of hair care products here on 125th

movin on up!

and where have you bloody been missy? ahhhhh....where to begin...we haven't moved yet however we have applied for coops here in NYC. getting involved and being a part of the community is key to getting deals and we all know i loves me a deal. me and the hubs have been taking a home ownership workshop. rent sucks! the money you give away doesn't build equity, there are no tax breaks for renters and you're paying for your landlords vacation. it is a vicious cycle you don't realize until you're educated in. for those of my local Harlemites you NEED to take this class over at HCCI. we finished the workshop (but i'm retaking it just cause) and the infamous Reverend Charles Butler referred us to UHAB. UHAB works with buildings converting from rental properties to coops, which are newly renovated and selling well below market value. coops here in NYC are different from Toronto. here it means your buying shares into a cooperative corporation, we own the building...closest thing to home owning here in NYC and most people still need mortgages unless you got cash like that. any who, we finally finished collecting all the paper work and applied for a few coops...now we wait and continue to save for our down payment. if all goes well i'll have a view across from central park in a few months. now to visualize so this can materialize...more post a comin... :)

doc approved!

remember that proposal for the doc i've been working on? well it was finally completed back at the end of june and was offically approved today!!! but so much more has to be done. now i need to film b-roll footage, cut together a fundraising trailer, and finally hit up potential donors! this is my iphone's wallpaper for daily focus and inspiration which is much needed in my ny hustle and bustle of a life

RENT

since being back from tdot i've concentrated my super human forces to apartment hunting in NY. competing with thousands of students is no joke! units are available 1 min gone the next. our journey started in brooklyn but being on a frugal budget we found nothing hot, then moved to chinatown which was a quick no. David's large stature prevented him from showering in their mini asian showers. now we've gone back to Harlem which of course i love. we found an amazing spot on the east side but keep getting jumped by these students! any who i'm hoping to find something for sept 1st and if we have to let those students get their groove on then oct 1st once the dust has settled. environment is key to healthy living. i've been uping my frugal budget to accommodate my artistic love for photography. living in Vancity was way too dope! it was my live/work space for under $700!!! ah those days are long gone :(
once the crib is secured i can share my shopping journey's with ya'll AND my photography AND my voice AND the rest of my life :)

how to rock that look

i'm all about drawing inspiration from the pros and that's exactly what i did to get my caribana look. if i do manage to play mas next year i really want to get the loudest costume they have :P
yes i did braid my hair all by my dang self! i learned my lesson after halloween when i dished out $60 for braids i did not like one bit. this time around it cost me $0.99/pack for the hair and i bought 4 packs and only used 3. the down side...it took me 5hrs!!! and it didn't help that i started braiding my hair at 12am like a crazed beautician maniac. click on the photo for a closer look
for my caribana makeup i rocked Mac's primary yellow pigment with my $3.99 48 palette green Profusion, quo's false lashes $7.50 and some glamourous jewELLEs i copped from arton beads on queen street for $3 for a pack of 36 although they have bigger ones available at Dollarama for a dollar. all in all i spent $18.49 for my hair and makeup and $185 for my mas costume!!! good thing this only happens once a year.

Part 3: Caribana!!!

what a blast! this was my first year celebrating caribana in mas and it's a MUST! everyone should take part in mas at least once in their life time. i can officially check that off my bucket list :) i owe a HUGE thanks to Shannon Boodram from TGAW for the invite. enjoy these festive photos. hopefully i can celebrate again next year. any excuse to dress up for i'm down.

wild girl herself...shannon

reppin the Saldenah mas camp Keeper's of the Universe



look how cute my mom is

Part 2: Toronto

there's no place like home. family and friend remind me how blessed i am and recharging on their positive energy is always a plus.
Night & Day with the ladies @ Skybar
Fringe Festival with Lemon Bucket Orkestra...good times!



beach=relaxation

Manoy!!!

and of course what better way to end a vaycay with some good ol' bbqin