This Week's Fashion @ the 2014 Emmys and VMAs

VMA likes: Nicki Minaj, Jessie J, Kelly Rowland

We were graced with the presence of celebrities on the red carpet twice in a two day period once on Sunday-August 24th at MTV's VMAs (Video Music Awards) and on Monday-August 25th at the Emmy's. Each event celebrities graced the red carpet in style and grace, some classy and some not so classy. Either way if you watch award shows for the fashion glitz like I do, your eyes were blessed by some and your eyes were cursed by some misfortunes.

City Fit Girls: 2nd Annual Fitness Retreat

Photo cred: www.cityfitgirls.com Photographer: Darren Burton

JAE Blog had the pleasure of attending City Fit Girls second annual Fitness Retreat this past Saturday, August 23^rd, 2014. This year it took place at Impact Hub, located at 4^th & Thompson Street. The lovely venue is where women of all different races, ages, shapes, and sizes joined together to “Inspire, Uplift, Encourage, and Motivate” (City Fit Girls mission). The retreat was only $25 and included your admission, access to 20 different fitness and information sessions, as well as massages, shopping with the vendors, snacks and lunch, a CFG t-shirt, and a book bag full of fitness goodies, coupons, and products to try. It was definitely worth every bit of the money for the wonderful experience we received!

Red Bull Sound Select: Luke James, MPrynt, and Jay Marie

 

I live for concerts with quality music! Especially when the price is just right! When I came across the announcement for Red Bull Sound Select event, curated by Veteran Freshman with Luke James for $3, I immediately clicked the link to RSVP. I quickly spread the word to my ladies of JAE Blog and once Thursday 8/21/14 came around, we were in there like swim wear lol.

The Ne-Yo Concert at the 2nd Annual Hartbeat Weekend Hosted by KevinHart

I had the pleasure to attend the long awaited Ne-Yo concert in Atlantic City at the House of Blues this weekend. As a Ne-Yo fanatic, I didn't expect anything less than a great show which he gave with flying colors. If anyone loved Ne-Yo from day one, it was because he put out great music with content that we can relate to. Ne-Yo admitted during the show that his more recent music did not excel like his first three albums but his talent, love and appreciation of music and his fans runs much deeper than his nonsuccess.

JAE's Family Fun Festival

When we came up with the idea for JAE, we wanted it to be more than just a blog. We also wanted to be involved with our communities and give back. That is why for our first event we decided to have a free Family Fun Festival in Hunting Park. We wanted children to have a good time before the end of the summer and get them excited about going back to school!

Philadelphia Schools Still Deal with Deficit

William R. Hite and William Green address school plans
Photo cred: Alejandro A. Alvarez

We all are aware that the Philadelphia School district has struggled tremendously in the last few years. “In the past several years, the district has shed 5,000 jobs, closed 31 schools and reduced administrative costs to less than 3 percent of its total $2 billion budget"(Philly.com). As funding continues to be a major concern, Philadelphia council begins to think outside of the box to strategize on how to raise more money to pump into the school district.

Orange is Not The New Black

Orange was supposed to be summers "black" but that wasn’t quite true. We didn't come across much orange, I mean it was there but it wasn’t prominently taking over black to be called the "new black". So now let’s step out and bring it over to fall as your pop of color.

In Memory of Robin Williams- Depression is not a Weakness, but an Illness

 

In Memory of Robin Williams

Depression is not a sign of weakness, it’s an illness

Hey, my JAE readers! This is article is coming from the bottom of my heart. In the memory of one of the best actors and comedians, Robin Williams, I felt that this article was necessary. I mentioned before about how depression is heavy in our communities, most likely not mentioned. We have to break this stigma. Too many people are wasting away and losing their lives just because they are too ashamed or afraid to admit they need help because they are depressed. Look at Robin Williams; he had all that people strive for everyday. We think having lots of money and material things will bring all the happiness we need. It is not true. It begins within us.

End of the Summer Music Concerts

www.hercampus.com

Is it just me or did Summer 2014 breeze by just way too fast? (sad face) As it gets ready to come to a close, make sure you check out some of the dope music concerts that are going on in and around the city. I’m sure you or a friend or two can find something that’ll interest you …

                                                   

 

 

Protests in Ferguson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGZ2yTYntKM

If you don’t know about what’s going on in Ferguson, Missouri, you must be living under a rock. By day there are peaceful protests for Michael Brown; the unarmed teenager who was unlawfully killed by a Ferguson police officer. But by night all hell breaks loose. According to CNN, on Monday night protestors are said to have thrown rocks, Molotov cocktails and used gunfire towards police. That’s why police officers already dressed in riot gear chose to use stun grenades and throw tear gas into the crowd of protestors. Thirty-one protestors were arrested and two people were shot by civilians. All this chaos can simply be ended when charges are bought against the officer.

Moving on Up: Living Expenses for the Single Person

Huffingtonpost.com

I am 25 and still living at home. A few years ago I thought that I would be embarrassed to say that at this age, but it has pretty much become the norm. It is just now that the majority of my friends are thinking about spreading their wings and branching out on their own, or at least with a roommate. Personally, I have been considering purchasing a house since I was 22. By time I hit 24 I decided that it made more sense for my first property purchase to be for investment purpose, since there was less risk. With my parents allowing me to stay with them in the comfy confines of their Philadelphia twin (rent free might I add) I was in a position to take that chance. Now that a year has passed since I embarked upon my rental property journey, it's time to start thinking about living on my own.

For those of you who are also looking to leave the nest and are unsure of what expenses to expect, I thought I would give you guys an idea of what the average person spends monthly on life’s necessities in five of the most popular cities: LA, NYC, H-town, Chi-town and of course the city of Brotherly Love, Philly.

End of the Season SALES!!!

Now that summer is coming to an end :( It is the perfect time to rack up on your fav items this season for next summer; from now until September. Of course some things maybe outdated by next summer, just make sure to purchase summer essentials such as maxi dresses, maxi skirts, basics tees, shorts and tanks.

The 5 Love Languages

Photo cred- click here

We spoke about love previously in JAE’s Love, Live, Laugh article but I was put on 5 Love Languages and it gave so much more insight to love. “The 5 Love Languages” book is written by Gary Chapman, a marriage counselor, who took his expertise and experience to discover that Love has different languages just like the spoken word. To not know a person’s love language is the same as speaking a foreign language to someone. The beauty of knowing one’s love language can heal broken hearts, prevent divorce and break ups, and make love that lasts. Find out what is your primary Love Language.

Artist Spotlight: Dinachi Onuzo

www.dinachionuzo.com

This beautiful naturalista goes by the name of Dinachi Onuzo. She is 26 years old and from London, England. She is not only one of JAE Blog’s readers and supporters, but she is also an upcoming singer and songwriter. Her music can be described as “an intriguing blend of jazz, folk, highlife, and gospel.” Dinachi was blessed with the gift of singing and she started to shine with her talents by performing on her church choirs and leading gospel choirs throughout high school and college. Upon graduation from college, she started to perfect her craft by writing her own lyrics and playing the guitar.

Females Making Sports History

Taney Dragons celebrating their victory at the Mid-Atlantic Regional championship game-
Michael Bryant-AP

Philadelphia's Taney Dragons are going to the Little League World Series. Part thanks goes to their female pitcher 13-year-old, Mo'Ne Davis. According to Fox Sports, "Mo'Ne struck out six in the six-inning game in the Mid-Atlantic Regional championship game." Mo'Ne surely takes her competitors by surprise. She told ESPN-W, "If I'm pitching I just go out and throw strikes and they think I throw soft but then they see my fastball and they get kind of scared and I just strike them out." The World Series starts this Thursday in Williamsport, PA. Good luck to Mo'Ne Davis and the Taney Dragons, may they go all the way!

Travel For Cheap

Who said traveling had to be expensive? My friends and I have always been excited by the idea of experiencing new cultures in the states as well as outside of them. If we can get there without breaking the bank we're down! In fact we just came back from Toronto for Caribana. Before this trip, I thought going out of the country meant spending thousands of dollars. Well, not necessarily. Between travel and rooming expenses it only cost me $228 for a 5 day, 4 night stay in Yorkville,Toronto!

Shopping Small and Overseas

Rue107 Swimwear- click here

I love shopping small and online businesses. Following bloggers on social media has exposed me to a lot of small business internet sites. Rue 107, Custom Plus, ZelieforShe, Monif C., Nakimuli and PopUpPlusNY. There are also many overseas businesses that we can only shop online for such as ASOS, Boo Hoo Chic, New Look, SimplyBe, and Eloquii. Most I listed are plus size websites but some sell straight sizes as well so make sure to check them out!

The Ebola Outbreak

www.vox.com

Last spring, the prediction was that this Ebola outbreak in West Africa would be over by the end of the summer. Now, it is the deadliest outbreak in history, which has lasted longer and spread further than anyone could have predicted vox.com.

Beyonce & Nicki Minaj- Flawless Remix

www.beyonce.com

Queen B never ceases to amaze me! She always surprises her fans with nothing less than greatness! Remember back in December when she released her surprise album, Beyoncé , that had no promo and sold 1.3 million copies in just the first three weeks of release? (Billboard). Well in addition to that, and her amazing On the Run tour, she recently did a collaboration with Nicki Minaj and created “Flawless Remix.” This was the first time that Queen B has done a song together with Nicki Minaj and honestly, it surprised me to see such a collab happen … considering that Beyoncé hasn’t been featured with a female rapper(s) since “Fighting Temptation “ back in 2003 with Missy Elliott, MC Lyte, and Free.

Will It Ever End?

I just came back from Toronto for their annual Caribana Festival. During the parties the DJs would shout out different cities and countries. Of course, when they called Philly, my friends and I would go off! When the DJs shouted out Chicago, they called it Chiraq. People would laugh, but honestly its nothing funny about how they got the name; it’s due to the massive killings and shootings in their city this summer. And while people were poking fun at Chicago, Philly was also experiencing a lot of violence.

The BIG Chop

On July 13, 2012 I decided to big chop! I wanted to cut my hair for quite some time because I wanted to see my true texture and grow it out. With everyone around me telling me not to, I got the guts to cut it myself. Yup, I took the scissors and cut it myself lol. I couldn’t sleep the night before the big chop because of a bad sew-in; it was itching, it was too tight and I just wanted it out. I was up watching YouTube, witnessing the hair journeys of naturals that big chopped such as Mahogany Naturals and she truly inspired me and it gave more of an urge to do it. Also, I did not want to straighten my hair again when I took out my sew-in. So I took the scissors and begin cutting the weave then just was like ‘you know what just do it, don’t keep putting it off‘!!! So snip, snip, snip, off my cornrows went. Of course I did a hack job, lol. But I was happy after washing my hair and witnessed my curls. However, some places were shorter than others so I had to go to a barber to get it cut even. I wanted to cry because reality hit me and my hair was way shorter than I was comfortable with lol.