I consider this to be a snap shot of my accomplishments while at Cal. Yes, my department is missing, and its not because I don't consider earning a degree in Gender & Women's Studies an accomplishment, I just needed to highlight the areas of my life at Cal that meant the very most to me.

SPARR is the acronym for the Student Parent Association for Recruitment and Retention, of which I am a member and would not have survived as a student parent without. This organization is absolutely vital for parents on our campus and the wealth of information, resources, connections, support networks, food and just about anything else you can think of is incredible! Its not just an organization within an institution. Its more like a family of people who know your struggle, within an institution that often does not. So, to represent SPARR and my student parent family on my stole was a no-brainer.

Then there is the Incentive Awards Scholarship, which presented me with this stole the other night at our graduation celebration dinner. They are the very reason that I came to Cal. The UC system wasn't even on my list of possibilities. I had my little heart set on going to Cal State Long Beach (due to my infatuation with Snoop Dog) or another school that had a good journalism undergrad program. All that changed when I was nominated and won a full academic ride to Cal. 7 years later, here I am, an Incentive Awards Scholarship alumni... an Incentive Awards Scholar.

And no accomplishment is greater than the one I made on June 5th 2003, and again in January of 2004. The day that I gave birth to my little Baby Bear, and the day that I returned to Cal with that Baby Bear as a re-admit student (parent). She has grown up in the university and aside from getting that degree in the mail once all of my work has been completed, she is, without a doubt, my greatest achievement while at Cal.

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I couldn't resist getting in on the...

So...

Pre-baby, pre-college study, pre-big chop.

My prom was quite interesting. The dj seemed to play certain genres of songs in waves that caused all the Mexican students to dance at one time and then return to their seats while the Blacks and Asians danced to the rap and R&B. It was really weird since we didn't go into the event or socialize in school in segregated groups. It was almost as if the dj did it on purpose, which made him and our prom, as a whole, pretty darn wack.

For my friends and I, there wasn't much fuss over finding dates to the prom. We were all going as a group to begin with so we all just partied together. I did ask a really good friend at the time to accompany me though, and he ended up being the oldest date there, making him a bit of a prom veteran. Especially since my prom was the second he'd gone to that prom season. I did all of my preparations the same day and me and said date had to hall ass to my friend's house or be left behind by the limo driver. Not to mention we all had to hide our male companions from the mother of another friend who was being dropped off because... well, it just wasn't ok for a Pakistani girl to be even thinking about boys, much less riding in a limo, going to a dance and staying out half the night with 3 of them!

It wasn't a total loss though. I got to get all dressed up in a little asymmetrical black dress, silk my hair out, take pictures, talk about and chuckle at all the popular girls that always walked around like they were the sh*t, and share the night with my closest friends.


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On a mission to fix all that is currently broken.

Got the child in clear heels already!

Judging from the Pull-Up, I'd say Miss J was probably around 2 or 2 1/2 when she decided to raid her aunt's closet and strut her little stuff around the room in these clear, light up heels. Yes, I said light up. And yes, I have a pair too.

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There is a lot that can be said about America. The many different worlds that exist within this place. With no batteries in my camera and Tameka's America fresh on my brain, I am going to borrow a page from Tupac Shakur's America, laid out in his book of poetry, The Rose That Grew From Concrete, to help me out. I always find it funny how Tupac's words NEVER get old...

We've come to the last Shutter Click & Chat Sunday of the year! I have had so much fun participating and I am so glad that Tameka decided to start this weekly ritual. I love taking pictures and I love seeing the amazing snap shots of others. This last task was to end with something awesome. So... here they are. Miss Thing 1 and Miss Thing 2. They came into the world 6 months ago and have been blossoming ever since. They get even more awesome each time I see them. They love to laugh and play and nibble on any little thing they can get their hands on. The perfect little dual. Thing 1 looking like daddy and Thing 2 looking like mommy and older brother. Not to mention that mohawk that Thing 2 rocks. No matter how you brush her little curls they prefer to only grow down the middle of her head and to stay spruced. As for Thing 1, her mane prefers to lay silky. Just one of the many ways that the two are both different and totally awesome.

Now, show me your awesome. To participate in Shutter Click & Chat Sundays visit Tea N Honey Bread.

So, can you tell that I am excited? I have gone ahead and set the table already. I don't know why, since I don't even plan for the family to be seated here. I wanna put the spread on the table, fill those plates and high tail it to the comfy sectional for a Christmas movie of choice. We might take in a little Grinch or run through a couple of Tyler Perry's flicks. Nothing like a good Tyler play to bring on the laughter, love, and everything that is our little family.

I picked up this Snowman dinnerwear a couple of years ago at Target. I'm one of those people who will buy every matching piece, even though I don't need to. I almost bought this big coordinating Snowman cookie jar, knowing darn well that no cookie would have ever seen the inside of that thing. Miss J isn't big on cookies and I'm not either so it would have just been another prop. Just like the salt and pepper shakers in the middle of the table, lol. Not a sprinkle of salt nor pepper!

What "sights of the season" do you have to share? To participate in Shutter Click and Chat Sunday visit Tea N Honey Bread.

America's next top model, at your service! Ok, it will be more like, America's next top Bar B once Flawless Magazine hits beauty salons next year. Oh. My. Goodness. I had sooo much fun at the photoshoot yesterday ya'll. I know the bob-gone-wild and the dramatic makeup are a little much, but boy did I look good it all look good on camera. My stylist decided that the theme of the shoot would be African warriors and queens. My stylist, who goes by the name of Wildboy when he is in the zone, his son, myself and another woman were all transformed by beautiful makeup and a killer wardrobe created by Wildboy's friend Tim.

Wildboy and son were adorned in elaborate shirts made of fur, leather and cowry shells and skirts and leg bracelets made of old hula skirts straw. Add some dreds, an extra fly mohawk with tribal designs and some bows and spears and you've got a couple of handsome tribal warriors. Then there were the queens. Val was rocking a long flowy brown skirt with a leather belt decorated with branches and cowry shells, while smothering her girls in coconuts. Yes, Miss Lady was working it out in a bra made of coconut shells, branches and cowry shells. It was pretty hot.

And as for the woman of the hour... yours truly... the fabulously beautiful Ms. Bar B? I also had a long flowy brown skirt and a corset made of leather, branches and cowry shells. I thought my halloween corset was something. Everytime I bent forward two centimeters I was cracking all over the place. One of the branches on the back of the corset was poking me in the butt during some poses and we almost succeeded in gluing my eye shut while applying false eyelashes... like I said, that shoot was sooo much fun! At the end of the shoot we were sweeping up branches and straw from everywhere we went throughout the building, hehe. I can't wait to get the pictures so that I can share them with you. And when the magazine is available I will let you all know so that you can see the whole tribal party.

To this day, I do NOT remember what the heck we were laughing at. All I know is that a birthday was being celebrated and drinks were involved. It was the birthday of the sister of the friend who is pictured here laughing her head off right next to me. Jay must have been telling us one of his crazy, hilarious, freaky tales again. We were at a bar that is located near my house and obviously living in an incredible moment of happiness.

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What are your favorite forms of orange?