I’ve spoken my piece

Peace!

I WILL NOT BE A STAND FOR ANYTHING LESS.

Be extraordinary because you can. No matter what anyone has told you in the past, and no matter how much you’re afraid to. Do not fear your ability for greatness. I swear to God… it is in You.

Beauty sees beauty.

I’ve spoken my piece.
Peace.

Love and love.

I’m horrendously irritated with wordpress at the given moment. It just froze on me leaving me with an empty text box which was once filled with five million shout outs and a re-cap of Saturday night’s events. Do I have the energy or the time to re-iterate what I said? 249012jkfldaqt02 jtdslaflksaj That means NO.

I will tell you this, though.

Innnnnnnhale.

I had the BEST birthday Celebration of my life. Ever EVER EVERRRRR. !! GRAHHH!! From the pre-party at my crib, to the fat cake, too many drinks and dancing the night away…. everything was better than I could ever hope for. I could cry just thinking about all the love in the room. The pics should be done by tomorrow by my lovely photographer of the evening, Miss Kate Killet. I think at that point I shall leave you with some eye candy and be on my way. I am too exhausted.

[Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest/Lucy Pearl]

[my HOT HOT HOT Zebra printed romper sponsored by Pretty Freedom and necklearrings designed especially for this night by Balanced Beauté]

Again… thank you to everyone who reached on Saturday, who sponsored, texted me, called me, showed me love in spirit or in face value… I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart, real talks.

I’ve spoken my piece.

Peace!

I feel like I’m constantly learning something new about what it means to lovehard. I’ve expressed in the previous post what I believed was the coming of a new movement, a new way of thinking in which love with the highest degree of passion is the only way to live a life without mediocrity. I realized the other side of that coin, that it takes a bit more than just loving to the fullest potential — it takes courageous generosity. I say “Courageous” because it’s scary to invest your love in someone or something when you’re unsure of it being received the way you want it to, when you’re uncertain of the future, when you’re afraid of no reciprocation. That’s when you decide right then and there that that’s not going to be your priority. You must. Courageous generosity is selflessness.

I learned that yesterday, and it was one of the most humbling moments I’ve experienced in a long time. This is what it means to Love Courageously, Lovehard.

Tonight is a big night, maybe not to you, but it is to me. So what? These moments in life are meant to be celebrated. I feel ready and in the right mind set to let all previous stresses out the door, and to really soak it in. =)

IM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCIIIIITEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

With ALL that being said…. I think I’m going to let you sneak peak on some GIVVEEAWAYYYSSS!!!

From Balanced Beaute — a GC for some pretty eyelash extensions done by the most wonderful Jennifer Ballance. This girl is so talented at what she does! This is the second time I’ve had my lashes done by her and I don’t wear mascara or much make up after it. I let my tan and maybe a bit of blush and lip gloss speak for itself. It’s so evident that Jennifer is really passionate about making people feel wonderful about themselves. I have SO much love for her, and will ALSO be rockin’ a piece of her jewelery that she’s hand crafted. Check it!!

From THEIT Bag — GC’s for the THEIT purse collection. Nicole is an up and coming bag designer… but not just ANY kind of purses, they have customizable padded compartments for your digital SLR. THAT’S RIGHT! Stylish, hot, and on-the-go lady photographers, this is the bag for YOU!!! Check out mine! I use it Monday-Friday when I carry my camera with me to work. I can now go to my party-club gigs with just this purse and not my fat ugly logic-pro or canon camera bag. It also comes with a gold chain braided shoulder strap! Nicole has her upcoming FAll/Winter line coming in the later year, and more colors available. CHECK IT!

[Nicole of THEIT]

From lovehard — FREE SWAG TEES! Big ups to Toby who screen printed this lovehard design courtesy of my bredren Vince Tran. They look INCREDIBLE! I will be giving a few of these away at the party tonight as well. HOLLA HOLLA HOLLA!!

I also have some swag from HIGH CLASS as well as NOTAURIOUS, so stay tuned and don’t get too hammed before you can get a chance to win some of these goodies at the Main Ingredient Side Dish tonight! Find out there how you can win!

Alrighty, folks! That’s it from me for now…. Man, I really hope to see you there tonight, eh? And if I don’t know you and you WILL be there, please introduce yourself to me, I wanna know who you are=)

I’ve spoken my piece.
Peace!

Finally! A minute to tell you about my Brooklyn trip! *Siiiighhhhhhh* BK WAS SIIIIIICK. Three days of CONSTANT walking, heat, stickiness, CRAZY MUSIC, and amazing people. I can’t lie though, it was exhausting! I’m stiiiilll paying for it.

For those of you who’ve just tuned in, I rolled through to BK over the weekend with 50+ Torontonians ready to make a killing in NYC. We left the Manifesto studio parking lot around 2am early Friday morning and embarked on the longest 16 hour bus ride of my LIFE. Traffic, bus AC breakdowns, a lot of stop overs and getting lost in Brooklyn was the early beginnings of our trip. Friday night was the Brooklyn Meet Toronto concert at South Paw on 5th and by the time we checked into the Sheraton, the T.O. artists performing had already missed their sound check. After a quick shower and change, our crew rolled out and hopped onto the subway towards South Paw.

[Masia One]

[Rich Kidd]

[Junia T. Playa]

[Rich Kidd, Tona, Blake Carrington]

I’m sorry to say this, Brooklyn, but T.O. KILLLEEDDDDD IT!! Masia One, Junia T., Tona, Blake Carrington, Shad and Rich Kidd repped it so hard. What I really appreciated was that our line up was so diverse and really showcased the different styles and flavors of Toronto. I know all of us in that room couldn’t have been more proud.

Saturday was a late start. Those beds were just MAD comfy. I got up, Giles scooped me and we strolled down Fulton Mall (which I feel is like a black people’s Chinatown, hahaha. Seriously! Instead of coconut buns and weiner croissants, they’ve got fried chicken and corn bread. Instead of cheapie luggages and women’s hong kong fashion imports, they’ve got discounted/wholesale silver/gold chains, pendants and some reaaaaaaalll curvacious, bootylicious scantily clad mannequins. Buaahaha!) Being the caffeine addicts that we are, Giles and I were in desperate search for QUALITY coffee. After walking probably 6 blocks down Fulton, we came across a darling bagel joint with FRESH LOX SPREAD (smoked salmon is my weakness) and some pretty good iced coffee (another one of my favorites).

[sir Giles Monette]

After breakfast I hopped on the bus with the Manifesto doc team to the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival… which was RIGHT UNDERNEATH THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE!!! ILL!!! I inched my way front row and center of the main stage. Despite the mid-day steamy downpour of rain, the festival was too much ridiculousness. TONS of performances, Dilla tributes, Guru tributes, West Coast in the houuussee with Fashawn from Fresno, Cali… Pete Rock and CL Smooth reunion, DJ J Period’s live mixtape which included surprise appearances on stage by DRES of Black Sheep, DJ Premier, Nice & Smooth… dang, who else am I missing? And then OBVIOUSLY… DE LA SOUL!!!!!! They were in T.O. not too long ago, but this 5 foot shawtee could NOT see a TING! I could see them all in plain and perfect view on Saturday, DJ Maseo crazy cackles and all. Dinner at Juniors for P Diddy endorsed cheesecake (MUST go back and try it again! a WHOLE PIECE this time!), and then the BK HIP HOP FESTIVAL AFTER PAAARTTTAAAYYYY!!

[Nice & Smooth is funnnkkyyy]

[De La, De La, Deeee LAAAAA]

Sunday was our last full day in Brooklyn. The Okay Africa concert with headliner The Roots along with Talib Kweli was what was on deck for us that afternoon. Jennie and I decided to join Jerisse, Liez, Jerome and Progress to check out the Brooklyn Flea Market…. I LOOOOOOOOOVEEE!!! So many goodies!! I scooped up a vintage re-worked romper (formally a skirt!) as well as this belly-halter ting that was made from a skirt hem. The girl who designs and reworks these pieces is VERY talented and I loved chatting with her. After leaving the Flea market, Jennie and I checked out Atlantic mall for some goodies and then ran into the Manifesto doc team doing street interviews with BK locals. We tagged along with them to Prospect Park for the Okay Africa concert while they stopped in various places along the way to interview Rich Kidd.

[Brooklyn Flea Market]

[Manifesto doc team street interviews]

How was the concert? I can’t tell you much… it was SO hectic, packed to the end of the fence, so much that people were hopping it because they stopped allowing admittance. I didn’t want to bother and by that point in the trip I was so exhausted of huge crowds (5 feet tall, I get claustrophobic) that all I wanted to do was chill. I’d much rather pay money and see The Roots from a comfortable and enjoyable stance. I decided to walk down Prospect Park strip to see the cute restos and cafes, then headed back in time for the concert’s end. I sort of regretted venturing off on my own because upon my return I could tell that everyone had soaked up the energy given off from the concert. As people were exiting the fenced off concert area, our T.O. peoples started breaking out in freestyle circles and dancing on the pathways. It was KNOWN that T.O. was in the houuussseee and the north has talent. SO MUCH LOVE!

The bus ride home was much quicker than on our way there. THANK THE LORD. I was happy to be back in Toronto.

For more flicks of our time in BK, Check DAY 1, DAY 2, DAY 3 flickr albums there. HOLLLAAAA!

I’ve spoken my piece.

Peace!

My lawd.

I cannot even begin to tell you what a hectic day it’s been. I can’t believe I’ve been so late to blog about it, but if you have me as a friend on facebook or follow me on twitter, then surely what I’m about to share is old news. As you may or may not have heard, this Saturday, July 17th not only marks the July edition of the Main Ingredient party featuring special guest DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad from A Tribe Called Quest/Lucy Pearl… but it will also be my B-Day Bash and Official lovehard blog launch.

What does this all mean?!?

Come Saturday, not only will you witness a re-designed and re-vamped charloro.com, but it will also be the home to lovehard.ca…. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN?!?! What the heck IS lovehard?!?

It’s not just the name I use to represent myself in my videos [lovehard productions], but it’s my mantra, it’s the word that best represents me, who and what I’m about. Lovehard is a choice — a movement. The ideal that there is no point in doing anything in the name of mediocrity. To do so defeats the beauty and thrill in life. Passion is my flavor and hustle is my essence. Why just care when you can care hard? Why just love when you can love hard?

It don’t matter what you do if you don’t lovehard.

I feel like my personal growth in the year of 2010 has been on fast track. This is MY time. This is OUR time. If you don’t get it in now, when will you? I am telling you…. I will not be stopped.

This blog has somehow manifested into something I never imagined it could be — not only have I been writing in blogs since I was 13 years old, it has led me to working for 3 different blogs (getting PAID to do this?!?), it has led me to meeting the most incredible people, and has given me the opportunity to write, film, and photograph it all. People are my passion and your story is meant to be shared. Many bloggers out there talk about tons of things — music, fashion, lifestyle, design, youtube videos... but me? I write about the people I meet and how they inspire me. I write about the things that are happening in this city that make me fall in love with it over and over and over again. I have an obsession with documentation — via photos, videos, writing. I have this weird fantasy about daydreaming of the future long after I’ve left this earth, and that someone, most likely my future generations…  is reading something I wrote, looking at a photo I’ve taken, or watching a video I’ve made. They can know who I was. They can relate. They can learn about themselves. Isn’t that the whole reason we tell stories? They are meant… to be shared.

With ALLLLLLLLLLLLLL that being said, Saturday… to me… is more than just a birthday celebration and a blog launch. It’s a coming out party… it’s a debut.  I’ve been in Toronto for a minute now and have been creepin’ up on the scene. I’m ready to fully come out, show you what I got to offer. This city has transformed me completely and I am the happiest in only my 22 years of life I’ve ever been. Mark my words: This is only the beginning.

I hope you’ll all join me to toast to a new movement. What’s to say for lovehard and all that it will encompass? I cannot give you a defined answer because only time will tell.

Join the movement…. lovehard... the choice is yours.

For facebook event info, click here. I invite you all to attend, if not for me, then please, for ALI SHAHEED MUHAMMAD... he’s SICK wid it. Music will also be provided by my favorites: DJ BIG JACKS, DJ MENSA, hosted by SOLE PURPOSE/BIG PHILLY. I should also mention… WE GOT GIVEAWWAAAYYYSSSSS (Who doesn’t like FREE SH*T?!?!) and a FAT CAKE to boot (WHO DOESN’T LIKE FREE FAT CAKE?!? [**not FAT-FREE, lol.]) LOVEHARD SWAG!!! hints hints hintsssss!!

*** WARNING. GET YOUR TICKETS LICKETY SPLIT. The advance tickets ($15, $20) are goin out QUICK TIME. It will cost more at the door, and that ain’t fun! Don’t act a fool.  Get on it!!

I’ve spoken my piece.

Peace!

We’re back. To some it feels like it’s been a minute but this weekend was truly a blur. I can’t get into full detail just yet about all that occurred over the last 3 days, but all you need to know is…. it was a bloody good time. I’m exhausted beyond belief. Brooklyn took a lot outta me and I’m glad I got to experience what I did out there. Big ups to the 50+ people who came through and joined in on the adventure. Some good bonding times were had, no doubt. Stories and pics to follow tomorrow. For now, another catch up on sleep needs to happen. My little eyeballs are going to fall out if I don’t get in dem Zzzzzzzzzzz’s….