Ok…I went to see Precious yesterday and I tell ya…I was not ready ya’ll. I went alone Phatman and Phatbaby were at home and ~Phat was alone…(Yessuh!!) I sat there with my lil snack pack (kiddie popcorn, drink and my fruit snacks…lol) I never finished it…my mouth was hung open from Act 1 Scene 1…Mo’Nique…AKA: Mary was rough. She played that character.

I could not believe what I was seeing and hearing. The movie just sucked me in and sucked the life outta  me. I was exausted after this film. I held my breath until I got to the car and started driving down the road. As I said on my fan page, I was shocked that there were not alot of African-Americans in the theater. There were however plenty of caucasian people. Just for a minute I was embarrassed at first but I had to realize the types of issues displayed in this movie were in no way discriminatory.  Precious was real and the characters displayed in this film are real. THEY DO EXIST in all ethnic backgrounds and in all nationalities. I was so moved by the book when I read it years ago…I wished it was a movie then. But to see the life in these characters is amazing. It was so realistic. I saw the interview Mo’Nique did on the Oprah show about her character. She stated that she was able to play that character so well because she was a victim of incest.  Her brother molested her and she stated that it was easy for her to play Mary, because she had to deal with “Mary” on a day to day basis. It was parts of the movie where I actually felt sick it was so believable. Precious played by Gabourney “Gabby” Sibide is a character that you can’t help but want her to succeed just so that she can get away from her viciously abusive mother Mary. She struggles in school to learn and you can’t help but to sympathize with her.  I look at girls  her age and I  know a few that “look” like Precious.

Teased everyday in school. Picked apart by adults that see her being lazy and fat.  We walk around pretending like we don’t know who Precious is, but I”m quite sure that you know her. It may even be you. Little girls walking around here today thinking their grown and dressing way too mature for their age. How many times have you wanted to say something to that child or even know who her parents were so that you can see “where she came from?”  Don’t forget that some men are victims also. (ie. Tyler Perry)

It’s amazing that these celebrities are  not ashamed with coming out with this information, but those of us in or own communities live in our own shadows of darkness. I’m not saying for you to run out screaming to the world that this happened to you. (If you can and want too by all means…) But just by sharing with your family and your children, you never know how this may prevent the cycle from continuing in your own family.  If you or someone you know is a victim of incest please VISIT: RAINN: RAPE, ABUSE, AND INCEST NATIONAL NETWORK.WWW.RAINN.ORG Also TELL SOMEONE!

Don’t be afraid to think of how someone may feel about you. Tell your parents, sister, cousin, brother, OR SOMEBODY! GET HELP! I myself was a victim of sexual abuse. I told some of my family members and I received some not so pleasant comments from some and from others that were in my corner and helped me to file a police report and go from there. There are people that are here to help you. Start teaching your child early about improper touching and let them know that it is wrong and to tell someone. For those of you that  may have the problem. Seek help! There is help for you too! The first step is opening your mouth and telling someone.  Don’t be Mary and wait until it’s too late.

Wednesday night will be dedicated to the Arts. I am grateful to have Artist Christopher Terrell as a featured guest on the show. He brings to the show a skillful brush to paint you a picture of how he expresses himself. I have had the chance to see his Art in person and I tell you they are beautiful! A must see! If you want to view more of his work, please visit: www.artbychristopherterrell.com.  Here is what I found in his bio:

Christopher Terrell is an accomplished Artist.  My shows sell out! I will complete over 120 original pieces this year. My mission is to make beautiful art for the people, so all can enjoy.
My art is an alternative asset and a smart investment. All my work contains my signature and unique finger print on the back.  This certifies that each piece is an original Christopher Terrell and that no other prints are approved by the artist.
Also, this trademark makes my art work more valuable over time.

Mr. Terrell will also be opening the Obama Art Museum. The first one ever! He is currently asking for submissions of other Artist and their Obama Artwork. For more info visit the other website: http://www.obamaartmuseum.com. Tune in for a great show! Don’t Miss It!
www.blogtalkradio.com/phatgurllove

Tamika Nicole and she wore it beautifully…Thank you so much Tamika!

See those two lines above my eyes…one on either side….yeah those…they were done PERFECTLY by Ms. Devin Cofield! I so enjoyed the time she took to lovingly arch each one beautifully.  No pain here at all ladies….~ahem~ and some of you gents…Ms. Devin has that touch. Need to get your brows done?? Contact her here: http://www.trinityconsultingservices.org.

~Phatgurllove’s beautiful brows!~

~Ms. Devin~ she does some PHAT eyebrows and Make-up~~smile~

Thank you again Devin!

In addition to Gwen Brown a Site Leader for the Sistah Friend Book Club in our area,  joining us tonight, we will also be speaking with the Founder and President of the SFBC, Mrs. Tasha Martin.

Tasha Martin’s love for African-American literature began in high school when she secretly read under her mother’s nose, All For Love by Raynetta Manees.  Her interest in the art was further piqued after taking an African-American Literature class as an undergrad at the University of South Carolina.  She remembers thinking, “There must be more . . .”  In a span of three months, she read over twenty Arabesque romances, and sought desperately to spread her new found love.  Sending out handmade pink and black invites to close friends and family in November of 2004, her passion sparked the beginning of the  Sistah Friend Book Club, a sisterhood dedicated to promoting literacy and women empowerment in the community.

Currently, Tasha is a marriage and family counselor, practicing in South Carolina. She is also a freelance editor.
She resides in Columbia, SC with her husband and daughter, Blu.

For more information on the Sistah Friend Book Club, please contact Tasha Martin or Gwen Brown by visiting www.sistahfriend.com.

Toy Drive

Now through December. 19^th 2009

On behalf of the P.H.A.T Kids Mentoring Program

The PK Mentoring Program has teamed up with Toys for Tots to collect toys this holiday season for children in need.  We are requesting new, unwrapped toys preferably around the $10 or above price range.   It is unsafe to distribute dangerous or dirty toys that could cause injury or illness to a child.

For more information please send an email to: PhatkidsMP@gmail.com

One of my loyal followers, (lol) sent me a picture of what she ordered.  Her picture caption: “My mousepad is PHAT~ Get like me!” I completely agree with her! Order your Phatgurllove Paraphernalia by clicking on the store tab. There is something  for everyone! Thank you for your order Angie! Thank you for being a ~PHATGURL~!

I came across this article by Barbara Reinhold and I thought I’d share. These are the Five Habits of Millionaires….Take Heed! We could be next! (crossing fingers and toes while holding this power ball ticket…)

According to a study of college students at the Ernst & Young International Intern Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, 59 percent of these young leaders expect to be millionaires within their lifetime. What’s more, 5 percent of them expect to hit the million-dollar mark while in their 20s.

And the super-rich are a growing group. The top 0.1 percent of the population’s average income was $3 million in 2002, up two and a half times the $1.2 million, adjusted for inflation, that group reported in 1980.

Earned Money vs. Easy Money

Easy money usually comes from inheritance or luck, such as winning the lottery. The track record of people who get their money through the lottery or other windfalls is usually very different from those who created their wealth themselves or who planned for an expected inheritance. Lottery winners are often a sorry lot; more than 90 percent use up their winnings within 10 years — some go through their money in weeks or months.

But there are some consistent patterns among those people who earn or plan to inherit their money, and these five strategies may be worth emulating.

1. Avoid the Earn-to-Spend Mentality

Michael LeBoeuf, author of The Millionaire in You, points out that to increase wealth, it’s essential to emulate millionaires who view money as something to save and invest, rather than income to spend. Many wealthy people live quite simply, he points out, choosing less pretentious homes than they could theoretically afford and opting for financial independence over material showmanship.

2. Focus

LeBoeuf also counsels resisting the impulse to be scattered in your efforts and interests: “Winners focus; losers spray.” And goals that are clearly written down are easier to keep in focus.

3. Do Whatever Is Necessary to Meet Your Goal

People who earn their millions are able not only to focus but persevere in the pursuit of their goals. One single mom entrepreneur, Melissa Clark-Reynolds, started her first business, a health and safety consultancy, when she had a young son. En route to her goal of being a millionaire by age 35, Clarke-Reynolds and her son ate lots of pizza, did homework late at night and often slept at the office. She is now a chief executive mentor for Empower New Zealand, a global business consulting firm headquartered in London.

4. Take Calculated Risks

You have to take strategic risks to earn and grow money. And a little rebelliousness seems to help too. One interesting study found a majority of male millionaire entrepreneurs had been in trouble with school authorities or the police during their adolescence.

5. Be Generous

And why doesn’t it surprise us that millionaires are often very generous? Sometimes it’s for the tax breaks, obviously, but often it’s not. One Jewish Swiss millionaire, for instance, flew to Israel to give $5,000 in cash to a waiter at a Jerusalem café who foiled a Palestinian suicide bombing. Among the most generous of millionaires are those from North America, who are, according to a Merrill Lynch Cap-Gemini report, two to five times more likely to give to causes they value than their European counterparts.

These five habits are a pretty good prescription for living happily even if you’re not a millionaire.

But LeBoeuf insists it’s not so unusual to be a millionaire. As of 2004, there were 8.2 million households with a net worth of more than $1 million. And are the folks in those households happy? Yes, says professor Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick in the UK. After studying more than 9,000 people over eight years, Oswald concluded that people who come into money are happier. The happiest among them, he says, seem to be “highly educated, well-paid women who have jobs.”

And how much money does the professor say it takes to be happy? “About $1 million, give or take a little.”

www.blogtalkradio.com/phatgurllove

These men can sang! Whew! Let me tell ya’ll something. I’ve seen it live and in color and A CAPELLA~! You know that is the true test that we  use to see if someone can sing. IF they can sang with or without music. Trust me they can! Read more about Soul Mello below:

Welcome to a world where music is an infectious epidemic flowing freely via three minds, two bodies and one soul, a world where soulful melodic tones, lush vocal styling’s and lyrics are a breath of fresh air to the hearts and spirits of those who listen. This is the world of Soul Mello. Influenced by the likes of Brian McKnight, Boyz II men, Jamie Foxx, Jodeci, Jon b, Tony Vega and a list of legends including Carlos Santana, Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke and Teddy Pendergrass, Soul Mello places a fingerprint on your heart and mind while taking you back to the music that the over 30 crowd grew up on, and that which young lovers can embrace. It’s no accident that with one listen to this duo you become totally enveloped by the music bleeding through your stereo monitors. These gentlemen take you to a place you haven’t been before while giving you that old familiar feeling along the way.

This is more than just the collective vision of two men who love music; it is the destiny of two souls, predetermined by God. There is no other explanation of how two men from different geographical locations and backgrounds cross paths and become what is Soul Mello. Soul Mello was founded by Lee Blake in 1997 and restructured when Blake met Rediscka Pinkney on a summer night in 2002 while serving in the United States army at fort Bragg, North Carolina. “It was meant to be. My best friend, Rediscka’s cousin introduced us” Blake says.

Both men having backgrounds in school and church music programs and each with aspirations of being solo artists took a listen to each other in that first meeting and decided at that moment that with each of them bringing their talents and unique styles together that they had something so special even they couldn’t understand it; both grounded in faith attribute it to divine intervention. “God has his plan for everyone; this had to be his plan for us” Pinkney states.

Over the next seven years, amidst deployments, field problems and late night parachuting operations, the fellas would hone their craft performing when and wherever they were able to do so.  Between the months of October 2006 and January 2007 after a collective 19 years of service, each man would make the life changing decision to end his Army career and pursue music full time. In February 2007, Soul Mello the r&b duo grew into Soul Mello entertainment. “Redd’s been involved in music since the age of 4; I started my thing at 7 and with nearly 50 years of collective total music experience it was inevitable” Blake says. Being vocalists, songwriters, and producers it only made sense that Soul Mello would evolve. Soul Mello simply put IS entertainment. Ladies and gentlemen we recommend you proceed with caution as you lose all control of your senses in the captivating sounds of Soul Mello. Tune in to PGL Radio to hear more on  Soul Mello!

What can I say about Gwen?? This chick is setting it on fiyah with the SistahFriend Bookclub. Not familiar with SistahFriend Bookclub?

Here is what I found out:

The SistahFriend Book Club is a live and online reading and networking group for women that focuses on reading and discussing books by or about African-Americans and promoting unity through women empowerment and fellowship. Founded in November 2004 by Tasha Martin, the sisterhood began with four members in Columbia, SC. Once a month, members bond as sisters and discuss literary works in intimate settings.

In March of 2007, the SFBC opened its membership online, adding an interactive dimension to its Web site,www.sistahfriend.com . Online features include: book reviews, literary and women spotlights, and author and reader chats for both readers and writers to stay connected. The group also publishes an online ezine to highlight authors and women leaders in the community. Currently, the SFBC has ten branches in South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, Georgia, and Michigan.

Online book club members connect via Facebook where discussion prompts, contests, giveaways, and announcements are posted almost daily. Chats are held Monday evenings at 9pm. Contact us at info@sistahfriend.com if you’d like to join a current chapter or start one in your city.

Gwen is the co-founder of the branch here in NC. If you’re a bookworm like me, don’t miss this show! Lot’s of good reads out there and we’re going to find out Gwen’s favorite! For more information on the SFBC check out the site by clicking on the logo below!