*~R.I.P. Aaliyah~*

R.I.P. Aaliyah: Princess of Rhythm ‘n’ Blues Love

Can you believe10 years has passed since we lost our R ‘n’B angel, Aaliyah Dana Haughton?

The Brooklyn-born beauty would have had her 32^nd birthday this year – just 10 years older than me. It’s hard to comprehend dying at such an age – but let’s not dwell on death – her life of inspirational music is the focus here.

Her songs describe many aspects of love that touches everyone at some point in a relationship, giving us something to relate to. Take for example Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number – we all know Madonna can relate to that track! We love you Madge.

At Your Best (You Are Love) is a track that simply says I love you for being ‘a positive, motivating force within my life’. Sometimes we find ourselves in a relationship where we are the rock, backbone or strong one for that special somebody or maybe it’s the other way round? That is where the idea of loving someone is at its most high – not solely for dependency but knowing that someone loves you enough to support you through your good times and bad when you really need them - without asking.

If Your Girl Only Knew is a track I like to call ‘the ladies anthem of ‘96’. What’s classic about this one is how it mirrors one lesson in love – girl, if he’s taken and trying to hook up with you, don’t oblige, he is not the one, he could end up cheating, don’t let him come off with no loose rap like you’re the one for me… you may find it is not love at first sight but lust at first sight – can I get an Amen?

Aaliyah introduced One in a Million in ’97 – this one was hot, wouldn’t you agree? ‘Baby you don’t know, what you do to me, between me and you I feel a chemistry, I won’t let no one come and take your place ‘cause the love you give can’t be replaced…’ there is no doubting the power and richness of this song - it is an emancipation of love, pointing out the difference between being in love and truly loving somebody.

‘I’m sending you a four page letter and I enclosed it with a kiss…’ 4 Page letter is a prime example of that first crush/first love, being overwhelmed with feelings beyond control you don’t know what to do and falling for someone your parents don’t necessarily think is right for you. Aaliyah says get it all down on paper and seal it with a kiss – be a go getter.

Hot like Fire is a HOT track, literally, a song that makes you want to hit the rewind button. It’s about making that lucky boy wait for the right moment – with patience comes pleasure, tell him don’t be hasty! And what a good, positive message that is.

We Need a Resolution is one sexy video - can anyone make a snake sound? Ssssss. Timberland features on this track - his unique techno voice matched with Aaliyah’s silky-soft tone makes this record pop. The message in the song is to make changes in a relationship if necessary, realising the issues and analysing the problems before you get stuck in a bad romance. Going back to the video, I couldn’t help but copy the dancing when I was younger.

More than a Woman is another great video – how hot is Aaliyah on that motorbike? The song title says it all – I’ll be all woman and more – whatever you desire. Since watching this video I’ve wanted to own a bike, take off my helmet and whip my hair back ‘n’ forth, the only problem is – I’d be too chicken to ride one. Yet again the dance moves is something I used to love mimicking with a rag from under the kitchen sink.

I think we would all agree on how stunning Aaliyah looks in the Rock the Boat video – swimming in the sea like a rare enchanted mermaid. As for the words and meaning of the song – I’ll leave that to your creative imaginations.

Aaliyah I salute you with a bandana tied round my head and tinted shades at the tip of my nose like a 90’s chick – nobody rocked that style like you. You are the Princess of Rhythm ‘n’ Love because your music represented this emotion so gracefully in so many tracks. Thank you for teaching me about love through your music, I also learnt ‘if at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again’ - you are an inspiration. Rest in Paradise.

“Happiness is a mood, not a destination.”

“Happiness is a mood, not a destination.”

‘Mouthful of Diamonds’ an episode from the drama series One Tree Hill (OTH) inspired me to write today. One single quote spoken by character Julian Baker (Austin Nichols) sums up this episode particularly well and perhaps the whole season. As I watched OTH last night this seven letter sentence caught my attention instantly – “Happiness is a mood, not a destination” – this has inspired me to break this quote down into something philosophical and intriguing.

While considering the meaning, this is my conclusion…

The focus is not a ‘happily ever after’ like in fairytales and films of romance, instead it is a very humane mix of emotions that is necessary for finding your inner person and to be appreciative of life itself, happiness comes and goes like hunger, sadness, anger or boredom. It’s impossible to control your mood but it is possible to control your destination and the people in it, with this in mind, you can be satisfied with the lifestyle you want to lead.

We need to relish and appreciate those happy moments when they approach us and when they depart from our lives for minutes, hours or days we remember them well and find a way for them to return to us again without over-thinking about it. Of course it would be fabulous to be happy every single morning you spring out of your bed but it would not be normal to not go through all the other emotions us human beings tackle daily.

It’s important to understand that when we face hunger, sadness, anger, boredom or any other emotion it can be dealt with providing you are strong-willed and willing to overcome them. Sometimes where necessary you need the love and support of close family and loyal friends to do this – most commonly when met with sadness.

If you have good people in your life emotions are easier to deal with – but without support, yes, it may be difficult but then you have to trust your inner-self to make changes for a more desirable lifestyle. Whether it be looking back at happy photographs, films or remembering the good times of your life, happiness always seems to find its way again – a bit like love.

It is good to have a mixture of emotions, we all want to be happy but life is not as sweet as fruit pie. Be grateful for the life you lead, for there is always someone else in this world feeling a whole lot worse than you. Get to the root of each problem, issue or crisis and think of your life structure as a building block from priority all the way down to the least important aspects – only when you get your life in-check you can control it and live a very healthy and prosperous one.

Keep the faith, remain hopeful and stay blessed,

Yours Truly,

Ms Candice N Berg

The Freedom Writers Diary

Think poverty, war and passion.

The Freedom Writers Diary is a captivating read which oozes emotion and knowledge from the foreword to the acknowledgements. These teenage authors understand what it is like to live in poverty, fight war from the moment their feet hit the pavements and show passion for their families and cultures everyday of their lives in ways that are most undesirable for survival. The fact that it is a true story gives you food for thought each time you turn a page – for each time you enter a personal account it makes you grateful for the life you lead. From race riots to personal distresses I feel it is a perfect time to express my thoughts on this book due to recent events – the big difference is, these teens have bigger burdens on their shoulders and an awful lot more to protest about, most importantly – their reasons for lashing out are somewhat more compelling.

Once you read through all diary entries you learn more about the troubled teens and learn that some appear more than once in the book. Their stories are so intense and personal it is understandable that each diary is anonymous – after all – everything you read is a true account of each person’s life. It is difficult not to empathise and shed a tear while reading their stories. It is not everyday we get a sneak peak at someone’s private life. The saying actions speak louder than words is a very important statement which the teenagers understand but when you read on, the words are so powerful they echo for miles and leap out from page to page.

Rape, drug addictions, abortion and homelessness are just few of many widespread issues that these young boys and girls face – but when they leave their homes they all face the same issue – fighting for survival in a heated race war.

It takes the will, patience and determination of one woman to bring these teens closer together, stamp out all ignorance and help them in making the transition from boy to gentleman and girl to lady. Erin Gruwell made history in Long Beach, California by turning a bunch of unruly, stubborn teens into successful graduates - introducing them to the Holocaust and the book, ‘Anne Frank: A Diary of a Young Girl’ inspired them to read more and relate to the brave heroes who they soon fell in love with rather than the heroes who spin webs and fly from building to building in red capes. REAL heroes became more important.

Her scheme – ‘A Toast for Change’ motivates the students to put a stop to racial violence and poverty – instead their passion is devoted to changing for the better - to make a better world for the next generation of children.

The teens grew as adults, Erin Gruwell grew as a teacher and I grew as a reader and a person when I finished reading this epic diary.

“If you could live an eternity and not change a thing or exist for a blink of an eye and alter everything, what would you choose?” – Erin Gruwell

I know what I would choose…what would you choose?

The Freedom Writers film is on tonight - Film4 at 18:40 and Film4 +1 at 19:40 - Watch and Be Inspired!

The Freedom Writers Diary