It took me over one month to develop this list, and that makes me kinda sad. I kept my journal close to record the joys that I found in each day. Somedays brought more revelations than others.

Nevertheless, here are the 100 things that make me happy.

1. Caking 
2. Being in love
3. Sunshine on my face
4. Days at the beach
5. Wearing sunglasses at the club
6. Kisses on the neck
7. Hersey Kisses with Almonds
8. The feeling I get when I complete a difficult task
9. The feeling I get when I achieve a far off goal
10. Spitting Jay-Z lyrics
11. Live music and concerts
12. Memories of Sade in Madison Square Garden
13. Being mistaken for a New Yorker
14. Laughter from babies
15. My mother's smile
16. Hugs from my daddy
17. Long passionate kisses
18. My Sorority
19. Writing letters
20. Writing poetry
21. Hot Chocolate on a cold day
22. Walks with the one I love
23. Recording music
24. Giving someone something they need
25. A good releasing cry
26. Discovering a new route
27. A fresh hairdo
28. Public speaking
29. Chillin by the pool
30. Laying out
31. Reading a good book
32. Orgasmic sex
33. A black man in a well fitted suit
34. Dancing
35. A good workout
36. Comfortable Uggs
37. A warm blanket on a cold day
38. Having an item that makes me stand out
39. Giving something to the one I love
40. Watching Seinfeld
41. Watching Track and Field
42. Being treated like a lady
43. Handbags
44. Singing
45. Spelman College
46. Smell of Egyptian musk
47. 600+ Thread count sheets
48. Opportunities to dress up and take cute pics
49. Puppies
50. Gerber daisies
51. Inspiring quotes
52. Learning about ancient cultures
53. Art and art appreciation
54. Calla Lilies
55. Connecting with new people
56. Getting love from the DJ
57. New technologies
58. Cocoa butter gel
59. Passion fruit (juice, scent, all of it)
60. Slow dancing
61. A scenic drive
62. Masquerade parties
63. Cinnamon gum, red hots, and disc candy
64. Rags to riches movies
65. Coming home to a made up bed
66. Comfortable cords
67. Creative craft projects
68. Crossing things off my to do list
69. An unexpected meal when I'm hungry
70. Dancing babies
71. Unexpected refunds
72. New jack swing music
73. "Happy Little Clouds" art teacher on WETA
74. Celebrtiy gossip from Wendy Williams and TMZ
75. Rechargable batteries
76. Punctual dates
77. Sitting with my grandmother
78. The MJ effect in the clubs (excitment when an MJ song comes on)
79. Traveling carnivals
80. Funnel cakes
81. Pizza with mushrooms
82. A new charm on my charm bracelet
83. Root beer
84. Snorkeling
85. Cookies and cream ice cream
86. Lemonade iced tea
87. Boiled peanuts
88. Memories of being a tomboy-climbing trees, riding bikes
89. Funny family stories
90. Symbols of my hometown, Charleston, SC
91. Memories of my CMF crew
92. Hair appointments that start on time
93. Mimosas
94. Sleeping late with no place to be
95. No car payments
96. A day without spending any money
97. Things that sparkle
98. Driving fast
99. Old episodes of dance shows like Soul Train and Dance Party USA
100. Social media

I was never uber excited about the return of the show. I wasn’t on it like that when it was on the CW. Maybe I could forecast that a run on BET would prove to be subpar, and from what I’m reading, it was.

So, instead of actually watching the show as it premiered Tuesday night, (1.11.11 meant so much to people because of the show’s return) I just watched my twitter feed for a bit, and waited until the morning, when the blogosphere would be overflowing with commentary about a show that we may soon see why they took it off in the first place.

Sorry Tia Mowry. I really dugg you growing up, and even in your last Lifetime Movie with your sister.

The New York Times covered the return, and the challenges that the show, and Executive Producers Salim and Mara Brock Akil will face going forward on BET.

The show left viewers with questions, as posed by Awesomely Luvvie, Southern Girl in the City, and one of my new favorite blogs, Magnet for Foolishness.

Blogger Mahoganie Jade, writer of Mahoganie: Musings East of the Anacostia River touched on the show before pointing readers to Tigger 500′s Season Four Premiere Review, which does a great character study and Mediastrut’s The Game Makes A Sloppy Return to Television, pointing out the character’s disconnectedness and suggests, with hope, that the show will rise beyond this rocky beginning in future episodes.

Of what I’ve read that has concerned me is that the Akil’s are in danger of losing much of the base of supporters that lobbied so strongly to resuscitate this show. As one blogger wrote, it’s more of a late night soap opera, no longer the dramedy with lovable characters that viewers were drawn to.

Not to mention we’re still discussing “the color issue” (i.e. a change in the actress that plays Britney, Jason and Kelly’s daughter.) The 10 year mixed child with bronze skin and blondish hair has been replaced with a brown skinned dark haired older actress. I’m not sure what the true issue is here. I recognize that actors/actresses become unavailable, especially after a two year hiatus. But usually, we’re causing a ruckus when the color lines go the other way. Perhaps it was the attitude that seemed to come with the new actress, which, might not be present in a 12 year-old, just yet.

I guess the bigger color issue was the “that boy is yellow” and Derwin and Janay are not situation. Wow, I mean, it’s really real out here in our community, and apparently African American parents rely on their kids skin tone to indicate paternity. In this hypothetical case, I guess it made sense. But two years later? Hmm….

I will tune in to future episodes of the Game, but I’m in no rush. You all keep me plenty entertained with your tweets and blog posts. Keep ‘em coming.

Fam, have you read anything else that I should see related to the premiere of The Game? Post your comments and other links.

Calling all brides – DC Bridal Sample Sale

It’s here–the event you engaged ladies have been waiting for is here! January 7th-13th, Chevy Chase Bridal (5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW) will hold its Semi-Annual Sample Sale. Receive up to 80% off dozens of sample gowns from Justin Alexander, Romona Keveza, Simone Carvalli and many more!

Ladies, if you have no idea, gowns can cost in the thousands of dollars. I was personally there when a friend of mine spent $1500 on a dress. A dress. Now yes, it is THEE dress, but it’s a dress. You’ll wear it TWICE if you’re lucky – once for pictures before the wedding and then the day of. And let me tell you that every dollar counts in a wedding budget. That $1500 or at least part of it, could have been spent on another element that you really wanted but wasn’t part of the budget (for me, it was the chocolate fountain.)

So let me share another Soulcialite tip. Please ladies, if you have the good sense, and especially if you DON’T have the budget, consider a Sample Sale for your one time wear gown.

Now personally, I participated in the Filene’s Running of the Brides for my Bridal Gown. It was a fantastic experience. So much so that I encouraged my best friend and a co-worker to go and they both found their gowns too.

My point: while it may be one of the most important elements of your wedding (aside from the pesky love thing) you will wear your bridal gown one time, two times TOPS (if you take engagement photos). You can save a nice chunk of change by looking at Sample sales or participating in the Running of the Brides, where you can buy a gown that would have normally been outside of your price range.

Progress  – 89% complete. I wouldn’t normally write a review without completing the book, but I wanted to put down some of my initial thoughts. I’ll follow up with a review of the bookclub meeting that’s scheduled for Sunday.

I’m cheating on my current bookclub with my Best Friend’s Bookclub.  I’m scrambling to finish Bitch is the New Black by Helena Andrews. I’ve been looking for a reason to read this book. It was all the rage and garnered a lot of attention in DC and amongst my bougie crowd. I’m bougie, I’ll admit it.

The book started a little rough for me. I don’t know whether it was odd chapter titles, or that she recreated computer conversations complete with time stamps, or the fact that she tried to avoid using an expletive and replaced it with “Fock.” But most people I talked to said they just couldn’t follow the prose. It was too jumpy, all over the place, and not a cohesive story to follow.  I agreed. I hoped that their assessments wouldn’t impact my thoughts, or even the question guide my Best Friend wanted me to develop to lead our discussion.

But at one point, the question to me became….really, what’s remarkable about this book? It happened particularly when I questioned if one  of the guys she referred to dating was in fact one of my exes.  A lot of women I know could have this tale, this life, with a few tweeks. So, was this just another bougie black girl’s memoir?

That remains to be seen.

I’ll follow up after I finish the book.

Stylish, Functional Michael Kors Jacquard Tote

I used it to travel back to South Carolina for the holiday and I have to admit that I LOVE how incredibly spacious, not to mention stylish this bag is. Notice the hanging MK symbol in a weighty gold.

This bag was so big and spacious, it carried all of my electronic devices (ipod, camera, cell phone) along with books for the trip without being too bulky.

The bag has also been incredibly stylish with a variety of wardrobes- office wear or casual. It caught the eye of several, including my grocery store check out girl. Take it anywhere. It fits nicely on your shoulder or in your arm crease.

The website where I bought this fabulous new handbag to add to my Collection is accepting new members. If you want one, simply click here.

Happy Shopping!

Soulcialites, what bags are you rocking to start the year? Send your pics!

I’ve been involved in one bookclub that I co-founded circa 2003. That began to fizzle and then I had a short lived affair with another bookclub which my best friend is in, and they’ve been able to keep their fire going. This month, they’ll be reading Bitch is the New Black.

But over the summer, a new DC transplant and fellow blogger @EvolvingElle decided she wanted to jump into the bookclub organization game. She named the group Reading Rhapsody. So far we’ve met about 3 times and have already lost one member. Hey – it happens.

Here are our reading selections thus far:

Glorious by Bernice McFadden    Group grade: B+

I won this book at a raffle at the first Happy Black Girl Day. The author came highly celebrated. The book was not as well received from the group. I personally, enjoyed the book. It was based on series of factual events, weaved in between this moving fiction.  Fellow readers had an issue with character development. I would describe the development as wide but not deep. It left something to be desired. But it was a fast-paced read.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Personally, I give this book an A+. I admit I was guilt of not completing the reading in time. It started slowly, which made the 300 plus pages daunting, but once you got to the meet of the book you couldn’t really put it down. It didn’t necessarily deliver the faith and religion aspect that I was expecting. (The narrator is a young man who practiced Buddhism, Judiasm, and Christianity before having that faith tested as he was shipwrecked in the Pacific Ocean with a menacing Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker.

The Zahir by Paulo Coelho Group Grade, ummmm, maybe an A-

There were some great quotations in the book, but fellow readers had a problem with how Coelho seemed to interject his ‘philosophy’ into the mouths of other characters. Fellow blogger and book club member, @msrasberryinc, of www.msrasberrysworld.com wrote a post reviewing the book.

I enjoyed it, hell, it was my pick. However, the novel didn’t have the same appeal to me that I remember The Alchemist having.  Nonetheless, I’m going to put up a post with inspiring and thought provoking quotes from the novel.

Up next Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self

And I’ll be cheating on my bookclub by reading Bitch is the New Black,  a memoir by Helena Andrews, with my best friends club.  I’ve been looking for a group and a time to read this book, so I was excited when Bestie told me they were reading it.

I’ll admit, I’m skeptical of anyone that claims to have a memoir worthy life at 28. But hey, what can I say, age ain’t nothing but a number. And I’ll say growing up with a lesbian mother would certainly give one an interesting life perspective, huh? Helena has made the rounds and is experiencing success with the book in DC. She’s linked up with Shondra Rimes, who is expected to help her take the book to the big screen.

What other books are on your bookshelf? Have you read any of the books above?

Soulcialite Product Review: Body Wrap Shapewear

Bodyshapers (no matter the brand) have become required wear for any woman concerned with making sure she looks absolutely flawless when she steps out in her finest.

Last night, I wore this bodyshaper (left) under my gown for the DC Mayoral Gala. And this particular product, FAILED terribly.

Now, luckily, the sins of this product were not visible to fellow celebrants. But it was evident to me every time I got up to dance.

But let’s back up. The product, which I purchased in a size Large (and if you know me, you should know I don’t need a large anything – except a handbag) was IMPOSSIBLE to get on. It’s neat in that the shoulder straps are removable, but that’s about it in the cool feature department.

I have to admit, I got it at a great price on Ideeli.com {For other shopping on ideeli, join using this link: }  http://www.ideeli.com/invite/Najeema

But I’ve gotten better wear and use from a product handed down to me from my Mother. More proof that they don’t make things like they used to.

I don’t think these products are made for people like me, with a few curves. The product was 1) difficult to put on 2) did not stay in place when I was wearing it and 3) was just as difficult to take off  as it was to put on.

So, in summary  Body Wrap Shapewear may have kept my stomach flat in my gown, but was much too uncomfortable !

Ladies, what products work well for you? Do you like Spanx, or do you rely on another brand?  Share your details and any funny stories.

The internet was kind enough to have removed or simply ignored Kandi’s shirts, categorizing them as pornography. But any viewing of a RHOA marathon will piss you off as much as they have me.

I really had a problem with Rihanna this year. Including her invading my brain in the morning.  I really felt some kinda way when I woke up with “oh nana, what’s my name” kept playing on repeat as I woke up. But, alas. I guess it stems from the fact that I really had a problem with Rihanna on Eminem’s last hit song, The Way you Lie.  Now nearly two years ago this February, we lambasted Chris Brown for his domestic violence attack against Rihanna. Both suffered publicly. So, when Rihanna comes back singing / cosigning on a song with Eminimen that condones and encourages violence against a woman, or your partner for that matter, I was more than a little pissed off. These are the lyrics specifically that I had a problem with:

If she ever tries to fucking leave again
I’mma tie her to the bed
And set the house on fire

Simply inappropriate. And this is when I start looking at Rihanna with a side-eye for the role she played in her situation. I’m not saying it’s right….but did she learn anything from the situation. Like….it’s not right to condone domestic violence in your music, right…..

And briefly, the #HoSitDown award goes to…..Keri Hilson. Take your halfway ‘empowering’ Pretty Girls Rock somewhere while you expose your vagina for the world to see in those trashy videos. You’re not my hero. You’re talented, but I’m offended that you think I’m a gynecologist.

I'm not qualified, nor do I want to inspect your ladyparts Ms. Hilson

And the #DoBetter award goes to Fantasia. Sorry boo.

Somebody needs to help Fantasia out.