The above title is a quote from my favourite book of all time The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. It is (as is so often stated) NOT a cancer book, rather, a book about a person with cancer. It is rather paradoxical but that is what makes the book so beautiful.
What I think is most special about this book is the lack of pretence and the existence of almost tangible true love through the words of the writer. Hazel Grace and Augustus are obviously so in love it actually hurts and the book is genuinely funny. It is witty, and touching and teaches you about the fragility of life but also the beauty of it.
The book is on sale at any respectable book store or on Amazon or any of those other websites.
The book is a must-read as is proven by the following pictures and videos (fan art) made in honour of the book. Enjoy.
This is their thing
My favourite fan idea of Hazel and Gus' appearance
None of these incredible works of art are mine. Credit goes to whomever worked on them.
If you want to talk with me about the book, my contact form sits on my sidebar in all its stupendous glory. Comments are welcome as well.
So, you all know about this #ChildnotBride movement right (if you don't, read about what's going on here)? And so far, Twitter has been abuzz with angry parents, brothers, sisters, girls, boys, yu know the routine. However, when it came to actually showing up to the petition signings and protests, there was a distinct lack of bodies present.
Therefore, I bring forth the first and most important question: Where is the action? There are a bunch of old perverts out there who are ready to kidnap and marry a girl against her will and you are just sitting with your Blackberries and Twitter or Facebook accounts with no action. Even if you cannot do anything else, at least sign the ongoing petition to the UN here.
Seriously though, help out. Everywhere, there are efforts to stop those evil men who want to destroy the futures of young girls all over Nigeria.
A self-declared Niger Delta militant Mujahid Abubakr Asari Dokubo, took to Facebook and made this horrifyingly unsurprising comment:
“People should learn to respect other people’s sensibilities. We Muslims have the right to marry when we want or give out our daughters at any age we want. It is not your business and the law must respect our right to do so.
Anything short of that is an infringement on our rights.We did not ask you to marry ladies of that age or give your daughters out in marriage at that age. Plzzzzzzzz respect our sensibilities.”
Please note his atrocious spelling of "please" and his equally atrocious declaration that because it's in HIS people's laws, IT IS O-KAY to sell your daughter off.
Did you know that Nigeria has one of the youngest legal age for marriage in the world at 13? 13?! That's completely and utterly ridiculous. Now, think what this about what this law does Beard Man. Someone could kidnap a non-Muslim girl and she could get married (after all it only takes a measly piece of paper to be legally married right?) and she could be used for ANYTHING. Think about your daughters or nieces or female friends or relatives (or did you marry them off too?) Would you WANT that to happen to them? .
He's also not very pretty. Shave the beard dude, the Osama thing was never a trend. Never should be either.
Celebrities (Nigerian ones) are said to be speaking out against the amendment. Case in point, Stella Damasus furious statement (furious enough to gather the title "Stella Damasus Spits Fire") and Peter Okoye's tweet (of R&B group P-Square) that also "spat fire". And while these things are just comments and do nothing to help us whatsoever in terms of action, as has been so gratefully pointed out by numerous people who are also joining the fight by doing NOTHING, this is helpful because it means ALL Nigerians are focused on this problem we are facing right now no matter the sizes of their bank accounts or portfolios.
See the video and tweet below:
The opening face is not the cutest (I know). Just watch it.
@peterPsquare: With all the problems we are facing in Nigeria… some mofos are talking child marriage. #Assholes
Another question I just HAVE to ask is whether there are any female Senators in Nigeria. If there are and they voted positive for the amendment, I only have ONE word for them and I am too much of a decent person to put it out there. Also, what is the so-called "Mother of Nigeria" Mrs. Patience Jonathan doing about all this I wonder? Seriously important questions.
Oh, and get this. The man who began petitioning for this amendment in the first place, THE EVER WELL HATED AND INFAMOUS Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima (who famously married a 13 year old Egyptian girl (do you see a pattern here)) threw some things out there (read here. Some of the stuff sounded like such hypocritical bull that I just had to laugh) and at one point a question was formed from all the nonsense he had said/ Are we an Islamic state? Do we practice the Sharia law all over Nigeria? Are we under Muslim rule?
This law applies to ALL of Nigeria and I do believe we are a free-religion country here in out dear country. And they think we'll let a Northerner MUSLIM rule in 2015! That is totally ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing, for all you teenage acronym knowledge-less adults) worthy, right there. There are so many problems that we haven't tackled here in our dear country and somehow, THIS is what they picked up on? Total and absolute BULL. All of it. We have terrible, teeth-shattering roads, power issues (electrical and political), issues of people committing mass murder (i.e. Boko Haram and all the other minor terrorist groups) and massive health concerns flying around) and you are amending laws that were A-OKAY before and turning them into nightmares for the rest of us mere mortals. Do you think you can play God by toying with innocent people's lives? ARE YOU INSANE?
Whoever was part of the two-thirds that voted POSITIVE for this amendment, you know where you will be spending you life after. Your daughters and grand-daughters and any after (if you would be so blessed) will never forgive you. Take your stupid Sharia law that thinks that it would be OKAY to sell your 6 year old (ask Mr. Yerima) daughter into a soulless, loveless and FOREVER marriage and eat it. The rest of us will not. You say that we have a prostitution problem in Nigeria (girls selling themselves for what wouldn't buy you a decent bracelet at Topshop which is another story for another day), so do something about it. You say that little girls are basically tuning into sluts, then do something about it. You say that girls are aborting innocent children because of shameless acts they have perpetrated, then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. But do NOT say that because all this is going on, it becomes OKAY to allow them to be married off at whatever age their parents deem fit. We are NOT an Islamic state. So keep your laws to yourself. Or else, whatever respect you Northerners have garnered (which is mostly NONE, from me anyway except for the few odd people who will suffer because of what you have done (cultural discrimination is real case in point, the Civil War and Boko Haram) ) will be lost in record time.
If there is a way to re-amend the amendment, I suggest the Senate begins to search for it like a thirsty man searches for water in a desert. Senate President David Mark should stop releasing statements and make a statement (also, he should stop denying that they did not" legalise child marriage. The amendment basically did all the legalization). He's not the "President" for nothing.
Fix this. That's all I'm going to say. I really want to see what person is going to call me a "hater". Because I want a body to take out my frustration on. Stuff like this just gets me so riled up. Please help out. Sign the Petition. You are doing way more than you could possibly know just by that.
Inspiration human-wise rarely comes for me. Like, seriously it is very rare for me to draw inspiration from people who are just as human as I am and make the same if not worse mistakes that I have. To be honest, Marie Colvin probably made her own fair share of mistakes in life. However, she was courageous. She literally crossed enemy lines and was killed behind enemy lines because she wanted to help people. In her own way, she did by making their suffering known to the rest of the world through her evocative pieces. She was an icon and she though she was utterly human and had fears and discouragements like the rest of us, she did not let it bring her down.
Her most memorable feature is the eye patch (see picture below) which she began wearing after a grenade went off and the shrapnel got into her left eye. However, she dis not let it stop her. She went through hardships that no civilian of her status should have to face, yet she chose to. There is a certain level of admiration that deserves and trust me when I say she hasn't even come close to getting. She wrote and wrote and showed to the world what people in Syria, Sri Lanka and other war-devastated countries were going through. She was basically a soldier even though her only weapons were a laptop (or pen and paper in whatever case) and her intelligence. She sat down with the worst of the worst and seemed to seek whatever story would cause her the most harm. She bore witness.
She is a true inspiration as she understood the risk to her life while going about her journalistic activities and she did not let it stop her from delivering the story on the evil being perpetrated by the blood-thirsty criminals.
On February 22, 2012, she died alongside photographer Remi Olchik in Syria during an attack that was believed to be terrorist orientated and meant for her. She was mourned heavily all over the world and was buried in Oyster Bay, New York on March 12, 2012 with 300 mourners in attendance.
She was 56, had achieved a lot in life but was gone far too soon. Read this amazing article someone wrote on her here: Badass Of The Week: Marie Colvin
"Be passionate and be involved in what you believe in, and do it as thoroughly and honestly and fearlessly as you can." ~Marie Colvin Love, Golda x
Me and this kid (not sure if my grammar is correct) have a lot in common. He loves Imagine Dragons, I love Imagine Dragons, he loved helping people, I love helping people, he was a fighter, I'm a fighter...see
So, this is Tyler Robinson (click on the name to read his story). A lover of amazing rock bands, a helper, a fighter. He was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer (the name's too long to pronounce) and he fought it. He had also battled many other horrible diseases and he pulled through each time. Unfortunately, Tyler passed away a few months after writing his story when his cancer returned unexpectedly. However, he left behind a legacy of positivity and strength. He had tough times yes (anyone with cancer would) but he did not let his illness dictate who he would be as a person and as a result, he impacted many many lives..
And so, the Tyler Robinson Foundation was born through his family and the amazing band Imagine Dragons (right) who helped establish the foundation (proof of their awesomeness). The song (It's Time) helped cement the friendship of the band and Tyler and I have always loved it too, so listen and fall in love (also check out their album Night Visions which is uber cool and uber lovable). Also watch their music video for Demons which they dedicated to him (so sweet) below in "Pics & Vids".
The first dedication
The foundation supports families who are dealing with childhood cancer and I couldn't be more pro-TRF or pro-helping people with cancer if I tried (case in point, Alex's Lemonade Stand which I did a post on here) so, help out through donations here or spreading the word or whatever you can do to help out.
Be Pro-TRF people. It's worth it. Oh, and watch the videos, please.
Love, Golda x
Pics & Vids:
Touching scene: Tyler and Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons (one of my favourite pictures ever)
"Demons" dedicated to Tyler
"Thirty Lives" dedicated to Tyler
I read that they (the band) dedicated an entire show to Tyler. Amazing.
Recently, the Senate in my country made an amendment that basically allows the sexual exploitation of young girls as long as they are married. This law is inane and stupid and makes me so angry. I wonder if some of these men have daughters or nieces or grand daughters?
So, to help the efforts that are ongoing to abolish this amendment at: Change.org and help the girls in my country avoid a ruined future. You will also be able to read the complete story at the website. Join the #ChildnotBride movement on Twitter as well and help us abolish this senseless law.
We would all appreciate it and it would change so much for us. Thank you.
Hi hi hi dear readers that I do not know (I think) but love anyway. This little piece I have typed out is on my experience at TELL magazine, a Nigerian magazine mostly centered on business and politics, but backed by dedicated and honestly wonderful journalists. Enjoy.
"My Internship Experience at TELL Magazine in Days
by _insert my name here (tee hee)_.
#Day1:
It has been super fun here so far. Everyone is nice and gives me advice all the time. Aunty Remi is pretty cool too. We had a “tea meeting”. Mrs. Stella Sawyer is my supervisor (love that word!) and I had to look through TELL’s from the beginning of the year but it wasn’t so bad. I mean, TELL is an “adult magazine” and I mostly just skipped all business-related talk but all-in-all, the articles are well written and not full of utter rubbish and that uninformed quality that a lot of magazines have in this time and age. My favorite parts of TELL mags have to be the Panorama section (which has some utterly ridiculous pictures for entertainment before the really serious stuff begins) and the Reflections, which are written by Tundun Adeyemo who (from what I gather) lives in the UK and has a great writing style and opinions on everything. I also found this cool article that had great stuff about the Hermes bags and their history and stuff. They should do more of that, in my opinion.
The great thing is I am gaining an idea of how magazines are run and while I wouldn’t do a magazine that focused on politics and business and all that grown-up stuff, I am gaining inspiration for my own magazine (case in point, my HQ will be just as amazing as the TELL building which is orange and black and totally stylish) but I have a desk, a computer (duh) and I’ve found the place where I will be getting lunch for the next three weeks, so things are looking up. I hope they stay up."
It's not my best work, but I hope it has enough potential. Hope you guys like it and whatnot (my new fave word).
Love, Golda x.
P.S. If I'm lucky, I could get an interview with the super-awesome, super-funny Maude Apatow. Fingers crossed loves!
I found a blog that was for men in relation to fashion and it wasn't stupid. Like... seriously...
These guys: Fraqquoh & Franchomme are revolutinising male related fashion and giving us girls new insight into the problems that guys face in the female-orientated world of high-class fashion. Don't think Karl Lagerfeld or Marc Jacobs' or YSL. Those men have that innate sense of what women want because they were groomed that way. This blog refers to real guys and the problems they encounter in the cutthroat world of fashion.
Although, I'm not sure if male models count as "real" guys per se (I mean, look at them!) but they (F&F) are changing the way that society views these men and it is very much appreciated.
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