TODAY I AM...

DID JESUS HAVE THIS DIALOGUE?

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:08:00 +0000

I have listened to a plethora of music and only a handful have been able to capture my attention the way that this song did, "I Only Want To Say (Gethsemane)" from the Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack. Not only the dynamic performance of Steve Balsamo but the actual lyrics followed by the challenge that it presents to how we talk about the day Jesus died.

Listen closely to the words or read the lyrics I have posted in this blog. What do you think? Did Jesus have this dialogue with God? The questions He poses and the perspective he shares"so keen on when and how but not why" - Do we know why but Jesus died.... but he was unsure? My goal is not the discredit, etc.... however more about sharing art that makes me think and challenge the world around me. Thoughts...

I Only Want To Say (Gethsemane) Lyrics

I only want to say

If there is a way

Take this cup away from me

For I don't want to taste its poison

Feel it burn me,

I have changed I'm not as sure

As when we started

Then I was inspired

Now I'm sad and tired

Listen surely I've exceeded

Expectations

Tried for three years

Seems like thirty

Could you ask as much

From any other man?

But if I die

See the saga through

And do the things you ask of me

Let them hate me, hit me, hurt me

Nail me to their tree

I'd want to know

I'd want to know my God

I'd want to know

I'd want to know my God

I'd want to see

I'd want to see my God

I'd want to see

I'd want to see my God

Why I should die

Would I be more noticed

Than I ever was before?

Would the things I've said and done

Matter any more?

I'd have to know

I'd have to know my Lord

I'd have to know

I'd have to know my Lord

I'd have to see

I'd have to see my Lord

I'd have to see

I'd have to see my Lord

If I die what will be my reward?

I'd have to know

I'd have to know my Lord

I'd have to know

I'd have to know my Lord

Why, why should I die?

Oh, why should I die?

Can you show me now

That I would not be killed in vain?

Show me just a little

Of your omnipresent brain

Show me there's a reason

For your wanting me to die

You're far too keen on where and how

But not so hot on why

Alright I'll die!

Just watch me die!

See how, see how I die!

Oh, just watch me die!

Then I was inspired

Now I'm sad and tired

After all I've tried for three years

Seems like ninety

Why then am I scared

To finish what I started

What you started

I didn't start it

God thy will is hard

But you hold every card

I will drink your cup of poison

Nail me to your cross and break me

Bleed me, beat me

Kill me, take me now

Before I change my mind

Today I Am... challenging the world around me with questions and inquiries :)

NO HEADPHONES :(

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:38:00 +0000

Who knew that my morning would be shifted from great to horrific by something as small as a pair of headphones.

Living here in NYC area and commuting by train makes headphones are as essential as breakfast. Riding the train you can UBER annoyed by all the different sounds and smells and there is nothing like your favorite song to distract you.

Today I Am... Angry because I knew leaving the house that my headphones were not positioned well in my bag and now I have potentially lost a pair of $70 earbuds.

Today I Am... Subjected to listening and sniffing the atmosphere here in the train and doing my best to use this blog post as an out!!

Lesson of the day... Always have a spare pair ;)

A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL & SOME TEARS

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:33:00 +0000

Before you get too excited...no, it is not a proposal for Aleesha Nash. HOWEVER, if you are thinking of proposing to me ... then reading this blog post will only get you closer to a "YES!". I want to receive a proposal that is a hybrid of the proposal in the Twilight Saga: Eclipse (from Edward to Bella) and the proposal featured in this post.

Men who can command the English language is a turn-on. You see these guys on TV and in the movies all the time... you know the guys who seem to have all the right words to say. The words that make you feel like there is no other emotion but, smitten. Their words make you awkwardly giggle, blush, and then instantaneously zoom off to dreamland where the wonderful life you both share flashes before your eyes and all of this within 30 seconds.

ON TO THE REASON FOR THIS POST

On one of my attempts to relax and shut out the world around me, I watched "How Do You Know" a movie about a women who starts evaluating her life after she is cut from the USA softball team. As a person who constantly evaluates life I was intrigued by the overarching theme.

Without giving the movie away I want share my favorite part of the movie... which I say is the turning point of the movie, essentially, a man is having a conversation with a women and the audience eventually sees that the purpose of his rambling is to propose marriage.

Again in the vein of not giving the movie away I will not tell you more about the actual characters... my purpose is to simply share the part of the movie that brought me to tears! When people just "get you" I fall in love. Read on and then head to your nearest video kiosk and rent "How Do You Know". You won't be disappointed.

THE PROPOSAL

(WRITTEN IN THE FORM OF ALEESHA'S INTERPRETATION OF A SCREENPLAY)

MAN

I don’t want you to think that the reason we are not married is because I think anything of anyone else. It is because I am 40 years old and I am a failure.

WOMAN

If you ever say that again I will kill you

MAN (cont’d)

The reason I never talk marriage to you because I couldn’t stand to see you, the princess of worry, weighted down by me and my limited prospects.

**Looks down sadly**

Because I get your worrying, Annie, and I know allot of people think that it’s a bad thing about you. But I know it’s because you have a great big heart and I love you for it!

**Grabs woman’s hand in a frenzy and looks her right in the eyes”

(Cont’d) And then I started to worry about what would happen to you if you ended up with someone who thought that your worry was …

WOMAN

**Finishing his statement**

...Idiotic

**They both laugh**

MAN (cont’d)

…who wouldn’t get you , ...who wanted you to feel bad about yourself, ...a person who wanted you to be more normal, or wanted you to change, or like yourself more.

**raises voice**

Who didn’t love ALL of you! Someone who just didn’t want to leave GREAT enough alone.

And I thought … I can do that for you – that could be a legitimate function or me... in your life.

WOMAN

**nods her head in agreement with tears streaming down her face**

MAN (cont’d)

So, that allows me to propose to you that we get married. I want to marry you, Annie!

_____________

You will have to watch the movie to see what happens next! ENJOY!

TODAY I AM... FALLING IN LOVE WITH LOVE

HOW TO LIVE, LAUGH, AND LOVE IN ONE YEAR

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0000

It is amazing how fast time flies! It has official been a year since my most recent move to the Big Apple and so I only thought it would be proper to write this post to reflect on my achievements and to mainly pay tribute to those who have helped to make this year fabtabulous!

So first for the achievements / milestone moments. Here are my favorite 20:

Lost 80 LBS
Realized that weight didn't have anything to do with anything (still working out the bugs on this one from time to time)
Have a LARGE portion of my family tree completed
Purchased new wordrobe with some smokin' haute new pumps
Removed all the toxic people out of my life
Surrounded myself with wonderful and positive people that push me to grow
Performed in 2 cabaret performances
Learned LOTS of new songs
Won 3rd place and featured exibitor in 2010 Orange Giraffe Project Creative Contest
2 weeks of P90X and now I can do at least one regular push up - I'll take it :)
Found and funished apartment on the expensive East Coast
Nate Berkus Show and Deborah Norville room makeover
Purchased an iPod Touch (this upgraded my life - Thanks KB1 for upgrading my world)
Survived EFFFIN Bed Bugs in my crib (THIS MAKES ME ANGRY) But on to the next...
Asked for help LOTS of times this past year
Relied on others to help me
Mentored two high school students
Stayed in touch with my FL friends (VERY hard task)
Manned up and went to dance class :) and continue to go
Landed job that allows me to combine all my skills and give back to the NYC community

Now.... These are some of the people below that stood out in my mind when I think of the achievements above and the people that were the most instrumental in helping me achieve these things. I am thankful for all the people in my life so please do not feel offended if you are not listed. I would be writing forever if I were to shout out what everyone means to me. Also, being thankful to God goes without saying.

This year for me was about healing and recovering from a very toxic time in my life. When you are in the midst of your situation sometimes you cannot see the damage in real-time. When I moved to NYC all the "damage" started to surface and I realized that I had to actually re-learn how to function in this world and discover "who is Aleesha?" and these people helped me uncover my truths and learn how to live, laugh, and love again! :)

ROB COATS

The first person I have to thank is my homie, Rob Coats. Thank you so much for checking on me each and every day to make sure that I was okay. Listening to me crying even at 9AM :) You put me on to Tony Robbins which FOREVER changed my life. You also kept me on track with staying committed to listening to the entire program and I TRULY thank you for being my friend. You took the time to remind me of my worth and encouraged me to be better each day. I truly appreciate you!

LESLIE NASH (My Fork for Life)

This piece would not be complete if I didn’t mention the person who I LOVEEEEEEE lots and lots and lots... even though she stinks AND the person who has known me the longest… Leslie Nash, my sister! You ROCK girl and I thank you soooo much for loving me exactly as I am. I can be all the different Aleesha’s with you and I LOVE you for allowing this. I thank you for all the emotional and financial support you have given me this year!

I love crackin’ up at your silly jokes and I wish we lived in the same city so we could kick-it Aleesha & Leslie style (you know how we do). Anyway… I don’t even have to tell you about any lifetime stuff… You already know :) Can't wait to see you and my two little tator tots soon

SHAUN DERIK

Shaun, I thank you for demonstrating to me what it means to function as a decent human being every day… no matter what! You laugh at the little things and find joy every second and because of you, I was able to take down my “everyone is toxic” wall and live ALLOT. You helped me to literally to relearn how to exist in a world that can be gloomy if you choose to see it that way. I have sooo much admiration for you and the man that you are and I am truly blessed to call you a friend… one of my best friends. I can’t wait to see all the greatness that comes from all of our adventures. Thank you for supporting my dreams and calling me out when I am being lazy. I look forward to our lifelong journey as friends.

NATON "FLIX" SHOEMAKE

My friend, my friend... what can I say - You normalize me. Thank you for loving me for me and letting say "whatever" comes to mind. You never judge me and you "KEEPS IT REAL". I love you for being my friend and staying my friend through all the craziness and being my lifeline when a "freakin' out" moment happens. I adore our friendship!

PEGGY LEWIS

Peggy... Thank you so much for continuing to push me towards greatness! You inspire me and empower me to be the best Aleesha EVER! I thank you believing in me! I love your candid feedback that keeps me on my toes and estatic about my progress. You are an Angel and I love you! :)

EYAN EDWARDS

Without going into all the details, Eyan is a gentleman and the founder of an organization called, “The Gentlemen Movement”. The organization’s mission purpose is to be a resource and learning center for men and women to transform their lives in order to have stronger and long-lasting intimate relationships. I met Eyan at a mutual friends house party and then later on I ran into him at an event in NYC and afterwards we hung out and he shared with me info about his company and what he was striving to build. He asked if I would would be interested in coming alongside him and in order to complete the organizations main website. Originally, I said, “Eyan, I have no reference for what a gentleman is and good luck with your mission”. I was not being sarcastic I really had NO reference for what a gentleman was or functioned like and therefore I could not possibly sign on to a project that I did not believe in 100%. Eyan was not going to give up so easily and slowly but surely, I started working on small projects and eventually collaborating on TGM website.

Originally, I thought my purpose for this new adventure was to gain more experience in coding … however, it turned out that the purpose was for me to be introduced to the concept of being a lady and getting an inside look at a “gentleman” and in a VERY concentrated period of time.

I walked away learning that being a lady or being a gentlemen is a lifestyle. I learned that if you do not let someone treat you nicely … then they can’t (not just “won’t). Furthermore, that the level of respect and care that comes from a true gentleman needs to be a part of ALL my personal relationships.

Eyan, I truly thank you for helping me to redefine my idea of a friend and life-partner. I wish every woman I know had the opportunity to be in your company for the same amount of time, etc. that I spent with you (like an Eyan Edwards bootcamp). You would be proud of me now… seeing me walk in the inside of the sidewalk and making the transitions as I cross the street so that I am away from the cars AND I am working hard at letting others open the door for me.

Thank you also for helping me work through a few difficult moments and also reminding me of my truths. You are a decent person with high integrity and I am truly thankful for our friendship and I look forward to continuing to learn and grow from you as an example.

KEVIN BROWN

Kevin has an amazing story of resiliency and triumph over life’s challenges. The thing is when you meet Kevin you would not have any idea that he has led the life he has… WHY – because first thing is he is very humble. He doesn’t talk about his story unless he is asked and even then he shies away from some of the details. Secondly, he is so very well dressed and put together that one would assume he comes from a background of privilege. The last thing is he is always laughing and he has the best smile ever --- so again… how can his life have any problems in it, right?

Kevin, I don’t actually think that there are words to put to the joy that I feel when I reflect on our friendship and its growth over the short period of time. I feel like I have known you my entire life. The laughs we have shared still make me laugh and I look forward the laughs I am sure we will share hours from now. You are an amazing person and just so you know… you are in the lifetime category and so that means you will never rid of the A. Nash. Also thank you for continuing the “training” that Eyan started by being a gentlemen with bad boy swag :) ---Your training program is a little more intense ("Don't touch that door") but I appreciate just how mindful you are of treating me with respect! #TeamHashbrown4EVER

TYNISHA LEON

Tynisha Leon… my dear friend and partner in crime I appreciate the path that we are on together and glad that I am not on the “road less traveled” alone. We will knock these goals out and conquer our dreams in no time! I thank you for your encouragement and your complete honesty. Lifetime for you too lady! You can’t get rid of Leesh :)

DEVON HOERNSCHEMEYER

There is a particular redheaded woman that I am fond of and her name is, Devon. Dear lady… I love you so much! You are an amazing friend and your happy spirit is addictive. Thank you for your neverending support and constantly checking in on me and not letting me slip away into the oblivion that is sometimes outside my front door. Thank you for always being there and letting me talk your ears off. I miss hanging with you and can’t wait to see you soon. Lifetime for you too darling! :)

BEVERLY OBASEKI

GUUUUUUUURL you know I miss you sooo much! I can’t wait for us to catch up and talk trash real soon. You have constantly checked on me and helped me get through the low periods of not finding a job and all the apartment issues. You have continuously told me not to sweat the small stuff and you have helped me to keep the thoughts in my head organized and to not spill out onto the world. I miss your laugh and we need to hop on a cruise with the quickness!

ALICIA WHITE

A-Team RULES the world and I absolutely adore the person you are Alicia! I thank you so much for your friendship! And even more than that your authenticity! You are an amazing human being and I learn so much from you daily!

CASSANDRA VELEZ

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO --- I love you so much boo! Thank you so much for keeping it real with me! You are a great friend and a wonderful listener! I am here for you whenever you need me, darling!

KRISTI REDMOND

Thank you soooo much for your support! I feel like I have known you forever! I can't help but to think of you as I see the buttons around my house! Thank you for being intentional about sending me things that make me happy! I appreciate you and am sooo glad that God connected us! You are beautiful inside and out! :)

MARIO SHAMIR

You are FUNNY! Thanks for making me laugh so hard at your crazy perspective on life! You are VERY talented and I appreciate you sharing your gifts with the world and making it a more colorful world. I appreciate your honest questions about life and what you hear! Thanks for listening and providing feedback with depth. JM is going to ROCK and I can't wait to see its progress this year :) I am truly thankful for our friendship.

MAHOGANY WRIGHT

It takes a really great person to open their house up to someone and I appreciate you for offering when I was going through my housing dilemmas! More than that I appreciate your ability to point out the facts and helping me to see my options and for reminding me that anything I truly want will take sacrifice and hardwork. And thanks to you I am still here in my lovely apartment and everything is fine!

Thank you for trusting me with your two babies! I truly appreciate you! :)

Thanks Everyone for being apart of my life - I can't wait to see all the wonderful things that happen this next year!

TTFN

Aleesha

SHARING 10 REASONS I LOVE TO DANCE

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 04:26:00 +0000

Always a next level to reach no matter how long you train or how great you are!
Has no relationship to weight ... you can still be flexible and strong
You have to be fully aware of your entire body
You are the instrument ... You don't need anything but yourself to dance.
You have to trust that your body will do what is in your mind
It frees me and allows me to escape
Changes my state of emotions quickly
It allows me to translate what I hear or feel in the music
It can be done ANYWHERE and ANYTIME
I don't care who is watching... Actually I don't know you are watching

BONUS: When I stop moving I can feel every muscle in my body pulsating and I know for sure... "I am alive"

Yes... Aleesha is a trained singer and dancer and she is on a mission to let the EVERYONE know! #keepwatching

MAKING PROGRESS

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 08:20:00 +0000

I have had the opportunity work on multiple projects with individuals who "say" that they want to be successful. Being the person that I am I go all in and do my best to support their goals by pouring my education and experience into their life and new explored passion.

There is always a point where I find myself working harder for their dream and they have checked out. Does this mean that they do not want their goal anymore? Not sure, but what I do know for sure is ... this is the exact reason and point of time when people start teetering between being successful and stuck in the rut that they face year after year that pushed them to "get this money" in the first place.

JUST KEEP MOVING

As soon as people get overwhelmed or side tracked... they stop moving! Sometimes even literally. Act in spite of any doubt and just keep moving. There is always an action that you can take and if you are not sure what they should be then follow these two steps:

Write a list of things that you do not want to do / or cannot do because of money, time, waiting for "x" to happen etc.
Start with the first item you put on the list from action step #1 and start working on this item, immediately. If you an issue with money, time, or any other circumstance... then start with the first action step that works in the direction of removing that barrier.

Why do this? We always know exactly what we do not want to do but the things we don't want to do usually have the highest return and the biggest impact on us reaching a goal.

PRIORITIZE THE PROBLEMS

There is a category of problems that I would consider "good" to have. Maybe having two job offers at the same time and trying to decide which job to take can definitely feel like a problem. The question is "how big is that "problem" in comparison to the other "problems" or barriers on your plate?"

Prioritizing your problems allow you to choose which problems you are going to let sway your state of emotions or drive. If you are the type of person that problems get to fast... Find ways to change your state of emotions quickly (ex: favorite song, walk in the park, funny movies, etc.). By changing your state of emotions, you are able to then able to focus and go back to what you were doing... but further than that, you took control of the problem and not let it control your stick-to-it-ness.

KNOW YOUR WORK ETHIC

What kind of worker are you? How many hours can you work straight? What is your favorite environment to work in? Do you need music? Do you need food, snacks, and / or drinks?

Figure out how, when and why you work best and then capitalize on that. If you are aware then it will prevent you from burning out and over doing it.

Pursuing a goal can be a long-term process and without any action there, WILL NOT be progress!

Today I Am... Making progress!

SAYING "GOODNIGHT" WITH MORE UMPH!

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 05:34:00 +0000

Living alone comes with some great perks! You don't have to compromise on what to watch on TV and you don't have to wait around, doing a pee pee dance, while your housemate is in the shower. Though these aspects are great there is something about living and interacting with others that make you more aware of "who you are".

Tonight, taking my trash downstairs, like every Sunday evening, I ran into my neighbor. He helped me take the trash outside while I tended to my doggy, Brooklyn, and then as I walked back in the apartment building and started up the stairwell I said, "Goodnight, Jose!"

The words rolled out of my mouth naturally but yet sounded very unfamiliar. For over 6 months, I haven't told anyone goodnight, with the exception of a few text messages. I didn't realize how much of a personal and individualized experience, "wishing someone a good night" could be.

As I walked up to my third floor apartment I couldn't get over how this common phase, suddenly had new meaning.

As you go through your day...think about all the things you say just out of habit and rethink them. How can you make them special or more individualized? and how can you be more present when the person responds?Take all opportunities to show the people around you that you care about who they are!

Today I Am... saying "Thank YOU for reading this blogpost and I hope that YOU have a fabtabulous and restful night!"

Always!

Aleesha

30 DAY FULL VOICE CHALLENGE - Day 20

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Sat, 21 May 2011 01:59:00 +0000

The 30-Day Full Voice Challenge continues and today I was able to get in 30 minutes of vocalizing. Last night during my regular vocal performance class, we watched a video from our live performance last week. Watching yourself is ALWAYS hard and my lack of committing to my 25 healthy meals... definitely came to mind as I was watching my arms move with the reverb on the microphone. :)

Take aways from the live performance:

One my song "Don't Make Me Over" I need to pronounce the ending consonants
Cut back on vibrato on my song "Loverman, Oh Where Can You Be?"
Connect with the audience by looking into their eyes and talking directly to them through song

Overall, I am VERY proud of the performance. I juuuuuuuust might upload a video clip... maybe! LOL

Today I Am... happy with progress!

LOVING iCARLY

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Sat, 21 May 2011 01:24:00 +0000

When I turn on my TV it is not surprising to find it tuned into Nickelodeon since I am THE biggest SpongeBob Squarepants fan, and today was no different. I turned on the TV to hear that iCarly, a show about a high school aged girl named Carly and her online variety show, was coming on. Today as the theme song played I stopped to listen and really love the message they are sharing through song and now I am sharing with you. Enjoy.

iCarly Theme Song ~ Lyrics

I know, you see
Somehow the world will change for me
And be so wonderful

Live life, breathe air
I know somehow we're gonna get there
And feel so wonderful
And it's all for real

I'm telling you just how I feel
So wake up the members of my nation
It's your time to be
There's no chance unless you take one
And it's time to see
The brighter side of every situation
Somethings are meant to be
So give your best and leave the rest to me
Leave it all to me
Leave it all to me
Just leave it all to me

USING MY TIME WISELY

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Wed, 18 May 2011 21:54:00 +0000

One of the most challenging things about pursuing my “musical” goals is finding the time outside of my work responsibilities to fully focus on personal tasks. With the recent 30-Day Full Voice Challenge finding “time” has been especially difficult.

It is easy to say that there are not enough hours in the day, however, that is not entirely true. My problem is there are not enough hours in my day where I am functioning 100%. A part of managing time well is to identify which hours of the day you are at your best. My best hours are somewhere between 1AM and 5AM when I have to make myself go to bed in order to function at my 9-5.

So how do we make this work????

Most of the time I am squeezing vocal exercises in to my evenings however today I discovered that using my lunch hour proved to be a perfect time to get an hour of vocalizing in and even run through the lyrics of a new song. So if you are having trouble finding the time because you have to go to a full-time job then try using your breaks and lunches as ways to get a personal task done… you can eat at your desk or take bites between notes (like I did to my yummy egg sandwich).

Happy Singing!

Catching up on blogging about the 30-Day Full Voice Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Mon, 16 May 2011 02:20:00 +0000

With the closing of April I started off May with lots of energy and the hopes of being a heavy contender in the 30-Day Full Voice Challenge hosted by the Broadway Dance Center. I started a blog that was only about the challenge... however I decided to move it to my personal blog. The challenge requires that you...

Vocalize everyday for 30 minutes to an hour
4 private voice lessons
2 coaching sessions
1 live vocal performance
1 live performance
1 NY Industry Audition
1 new demo performance
25 health conscience meals
20 healthy body conditioning or dance classes
5 charitable events

Out of the ten areas I have been vocalizing everyday and have actually found a new way that is lots of fun. I warm up using a CD given to me by my previous vocal coach and then I turn on my favorite Broadway CD and then grab my mic and amplifier and sing along as if I am on stage.

As for the other areas I have completed my 2 coaching sessions, as well as my live performance which took place on May 12th at IDO Sushi at 29 7th Avenue with pianist Tommy Mandel who was WONDERFUL! and made me sound wonderful. Before I left my day job one of my co-workers (who I recently discovered had a career on Broadway) gave me a great prep talk and told me "Sing for yourself" and that is just what I did!

The next day, May 13th, I completed my inspirational live vocal performance / concert by seeing Wycliffe Gordan's Jazz A La Carte at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY. I did not go to this performance thinking I would walk out feeling inspired vocally by this event... however I was pleasantly surprised. 17-year-old Nikki Yanofsky graced the stage and sang one of my favorite songs, "Someone to Watch Over Me" and she did an AMAZING job of making the song her own. I was inspired not only by the purity in her voice but how much the music was in her body and movements. She is inspirational and I am honored to have seen her perform live.

This week I am hoping to knock out the 1 NY Industry Audition, get some of the conditioning classes under my belt and find some charitable events to attend... So we will see what happens!

Today I Am... ignoring the overwhelmed feeling! :-)

30 DAY FULL VOICE CHALLENGE HEALTHY MEAL ~ Turkey Chili

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Thu, 12 May 2011 00:12:00 +0000

One element of the 30-Day Full Voice Challenge is to eat 25 healthy meals. As soon as I am told that I need to eat something healthy what do I do... run and buy a donut! SMH

On this day for lunch I enjoyed a cup of yummy Turkey Chili from one of my favorite delis! Now... to get the remaining quota in!

Today I practiced for 45 minutes working on Diana Ross' version of "Them There Eyes"

Tomorrow... LIVE PERFORMANCE! :)

Happy Singing!

Loving Deborah Norville & Nate Berkus

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 03:14:00 +0000

Visiting the Nate Show

January 16, 2011
By Deborah NorvilleReposted from http://dnorville.com/article.php?id=191

The Nate Show is all about feathering your nest and making your home the best it can be, but when I visited with Nate, it was a combination fix-up of both a desperately bare bedroom -- and -- a desperately disheartened young woman. You'll see all the details on the show (airdate January 17, check local listings).

As many of you know, I am a life-long seamstress. From makingmy own clothes in the old days (you try to buy a wardrobe on $75 a week!), these days I am sewing for the home. I know the personal sense of confidence and mastery I feel from "doing it myself," and I thought that might be a useful skill to pass along to this young lady.

She moved to New York last year, very highly educated, but unable to find a job in her field. Which meant, unable to fix up her spacious apartment the way she wanted. Her bedroom was literally a bed - nothing more. So barren was the room, it made her so sad, she slept on the couch, rather than a room that made her sad to realize how much 'wasn't' happening with her job search. With tears she told me the room made her feel like a failure. She answered a call made by Nate for folks who needed help with their decor.

Nate called me in to help. Our budget was limited, but I knew I wanted both the maximum bang for the buck -- and -- for our young lady to 'have some skin' in the game. I wanted her to help create whatever we did for her room.

Well, we did a lot! You'll see the results of her apartment on the Nate Show, but suffice it to say, she was thrilled -- and this time the tears in her eyes, were tears of joy.

One of my tricks was to take a super inexpensive wool/jute rug ($89 at Ikea!) and 'customize' it by taping a border around the edges, painting it, and removing the tape. We did a black border so it would be more versatile, but it's a great way to bring a custom color into your room.

Another trick, which you see me demonstrating here to Nate, is to take lengths of a fun print fabric and create wall hangings that add color and drama to a room, without blasting a hole in your budget. Here we are at the sewing machine, just as our young lady was earlier, sewing easy-to-do borders along the selvages. Add a casement opening at the top an a hem and you are good to go. This can be hung on a dowl behind a bed (as we did in the bedroom) to dress up the headboard, behind a sofa as an affordable focal point, and of course the same technique can be used to make down-and-dirty curtains to jazz up a drab room.

Well, it was a thrill for me to be on Nate's show -- he's such a cutie! And awfully nice. But it was a bigger thrill to see the look on this young lady's face -- both when she saw her room and was in the studio to be on national tv!!

But maybe best of all was the third time I saw tears. That was when I presented her with the handmade pillow I whipped up just for her. Knit on one side, and crocheted on the other ( yes, with Deborah Norville Yarn!), she was so touched by the gesture. I feel all of us need something to snuggle that's soft. As I said, the pillow was made with love and lots of positive energy that I knew she was going to take her successfully through her job search. I can't wait to hear how it ends for her!

REPOSTED FROM http://dnorville.com/article.php?id=191

CONTENT NOT WRITTEN BY ALEESHA NASH. THIS WAS REPOSTED FROM http://dnorville.com/article.php?id=191

HAVING CRUSTY & WARM FEELINGS

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 21:48:00 +0000

CRUSTY & WARM FEELINGS

When you hear the word "baguette,” what do you think of? I know that I instantly think about a warm piece of bread that is crusty on the outside, soft, and warm on the inside. YUM!

Feelings can be sort of like this and when we are dealing with conflict I think, it is important to get familiar with your personal baguette of feelings! :-)

So when you get mad what comes out? Is it anger, resentment, hate, fear, frustration, mistrust, passivity, blame, or what about jealousy? When we are angry at someone what are we really feeling on the inside that makes us lash out with the crusty feelings? Things like love, disappointment, pain, fear, regret, sadness, rejection, insecurity, or hopelessness are some things that come to mind.

If we take a moment to think about a time when we allowed our crusty feelings to take over and lead us through a conflict that ended with hurt feelings... go back in your mind and think about how you were really feeling. Were you disappointed that someone hurt you? And instead of stating that you were disappointed, you lashed out and yelled at him or her about how he or she is "always" doing something to you!

Anyway - I know I have had my share of crusty arguments but I think going forward I will attempt to deal with my conflicts better by getting to know myself better and getting in touch with my warm center and then letting the warm and soft feelings come out when I am trying to resolve or prevent a conflict!

Now what will you think of when you hear the word "baguette"?

10 SIGNS YOU ARE NOT MENTALLY PREPARED FOR THE WINTER ON THE EAST COAST

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 01:14:00 +0000

1. Random people keep bringing you your gloves because you don't remember their existence.

2. You keep yelling, "What is on my freakin' head?!!" (That would be a winter hat)

3. You stop everything you are doing and purchase a new coat immediately.

5. You ask the store clerk for the, "warmest coat in stock" (even if its in the back and for future sale!)

6. When you get the warmest coat ... you scream and do the birthday dance because it has two sets of pockets and a hood you lose your peripheral vision in... when you have it up.

7. You hug the guy selling gloves for $2.00 (with no fingers so I can still text)

8. You pay $4.00 for the $2.00 gloves

9. You don't need a bag for your coat because you are going to put on coat NOW

10. You go to the kids section and purchase the little convenient attachments for your gloves to hook to your coat! :-)

Today I Am... FREEEEZING!

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FACEBOOK IS NOT A REPLACEMENT

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 23:52:00 +0000

I love Facebook like so many others; I use it to connect with friends in my life, stay connected with long-distance family and stretch my culinary mind with a little game called, Cafe World. I have been a Facebook member since its inception and since the start of 2010 Facebook has become the platform, I check first. Before email, voice-mail, or snail mail but a recent conversation with a good friend has me concerned with how we, yes even myself, are choosing to use Facebook and other social networking platforms.

I called my friend at work because I had not heard from her and this is sort of the last resort place to find her. After I found out that she was okay, she proceeded to ask me how I was doing and then added, "From your updates on Facebook, things seem to be going fine." I of course, said things were great... well because they are going great, for the most part. After we ended the phone call her statement about my status updates stuck with me and has thus I am writing this blog post. Here is what I have to say to readers:

Please do not use Facebook as a replacement "How are you?" because it is not the same. Should I have put on Facebook that I was facing an eviction from my apartment because I had not, at one point, found work that pays enough to maintain my $1100 apartment? Or should I write that this is the first time that I have lived by myself and that I barely walk into my bedroom because it is empty and reminds me that I just started over... no, of course not; I wouldn't dare. Why... because that is my personal business and it is a temporary struggle that many people face. Moreover, I have learned to focus on the good stuff... that is where the status updates come from, because there is so much GREAT stuff.

I am not telling you all of this so that you can feel sorry for or me and check on "me". It is not just about me, it is about your friends, family, strangers who randomly friended or followed you because they saw something that intrigued them... CHECK ON THEM! If you have not noticed an update from someone... call them! If you have seen an update and things don't seem normal...go visit them! If you know a person who bottles up the bad times... send them a hand-written note to say that you were thinking of them!

I am not saying to take each status update an analyze them. I am saying ask yourself, “Am I being a good friend?” If you are reading this blog then I am sure you have the common sense to use this blog and apply it to your life, where and if needed.

Today I Am... #justsaying Facebook is not a replacement for checking up on your loved ones! We all have problems but connecting with others can some times shed light or give hope!

AT STARBUCKS

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:22:00 +0000

Since my recent move back to The Big City I have been frequenting Starbucks probably more often than I should. I just can't get enough of the package that Starbucks offers, especially now that they are playing Josh Groban's new holiday CD.

On my most recent trips, I have been noticing small changes that Starbucks is making to make the process easier and more enjoyable for customers however; there is one change that I cannot seem to get out of my head. I am usually quick about stating my order to the barista and keeping it movin' but now I find myself pausing after I order my drink to see if this certain change is consistent. In the short seconds that I pause the cashier looks up, on command, and says, "Would you like something to eat with that?" The first time I heard the question I think I said, "No" just because the question sounded so…plain. Something to "eat" reminds of the classic fry question or of “paper or plastic”. You don't "eat" at Starbucks... you snack or better yet enjoy a beautiful, one-of-a-kind, Starbucks pastry. That may be too long to say or strange… so until Starbucks decides to change their messaging—I will keep enjoying my Venti Iced Coffee with Hazelnut with room for milk and “something to eat”!

Today I am…at Starbucks!

DISOBEYING THE SILENT RULES OF NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 00:56:00 +0000

Everyday I travel by way of public transportation and by foot... so there are many unspoken rules that I follow while navigating through the Big Apple. Today, one particular rule annoyed me... so, I decided to break it!

Riding up and down escalators I notice that the left side is always empty. The unspoken rule is that people riding the escalator stay to the right side and those who want to walk or run up the escalator can do this on the left side. This rule, in my opinion, is crazy because less than a foot away are actual stairs that one can take freely.

So as you can see TODAY I AM... breaking the rules and standing on the left side of escalator.

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Loving Nature!!

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 04:17:00 +0000

One of the fastest ways to see evidence of God is to go right outside. The changing of the leaves, the wind blowing in your face, and the stillness you witness over a body of water.

On my way to a class I had to stop and take this picture. The way the clouds took over the sky made it hard for me to keep moving towards my destination.

Today I Am... loving nature! Thank you God!

SHARING MY NEW APARTMENT

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:29:00 +0000

Front of Building

Finding an apartment in the NY City area has not been the best journey but it is always worth it when you find something you love. I absolutely love my new apartment and as I made the transition from the bad and scary apartment, I knew I had to have some divine intervention on finding my new home.

I remember a story that someone once told me about her house-hunting journey. They said, “I knew it was the right one!” I said, "How did you know?" they said that they had seen a sign. Therefore, as they went on to explain the sign... it was simply a wind-chime that had brought them joy as they heard its lovely sound. For me... it was less romantic and lovely.

Kitchen

For those who know me... know that I LOOOOOVE ice! I know the right shape, density, etc that makes a great ice cube. So, when I went into this place it was hot and I was tired. So I said, "God... if this is the right place for me, please let there be ice cubes in this freezer. If there are ice cubes in here 'good ice cubes' then I will know that, this is the place for me. I opened the freezer and there was my favorite ice cube shape in the freezer. I moved in that night!

Livingroom

When I left Florida, I told myself that I had to live in the apartment I landed in for 5 years. That meant no looking left or right... wondering what I was missing in another place. That I was going to make the best out of the place I had chosen. Now I expected that the rent was going to be less and the space going to be smaller but as you will view the price and area is all worth it.

Today I Am... Sitting in my new apartment and just smiling and enjoying my cup of ice in my 2 bedroom Jersey Heights Apartment!

I love this window in Living Room

Master Bedroom Closet


Second Bedroom

Bathroom

thinking about my "Rejection Reflection"

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 00:22:00 +0000

Today I am... watching a Back to the Future marathon. This is the first time I have ever seen these movies and as part II is half-way finished I am starting to see this common theme of "rejection" and how it impacts future events.

None of us like rejection and if you are like me, then you do your best to avoid putting yourself in situations where someone else can turn you down or turn you away from what you are seeking.

In the movie the main characters travel back and forth through time trying to avoid missing out on love, not getting the right job, or the continuous bullying from high school to adulthood. How can we emulate this idea without a time machine? If we are taking lessons from the movie it seemed that the main characters always applied courage and knowledge to each situation in order to get the best residual outcome. Being courageous changed the entire trajectory of each situation and then rejection was not even an option. So after this small analysis of Back to the Future I have been thinking a lot about how rejection is a reflection of my lack of courage or applied courage and the inability for me to apply knowledge to a situation... because I am focused on the what I will feel like if I am rejected.

Today I Am... learning how being courageous, bold and confident can eliminate the "rejection reflection" of myself!

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LEARNING LESSONS IN APARTMENT SEARCHING

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:33:00 +0000

Moving is no fun! Moreover, most of us can agree that when we move we would like to minimize the amount of drama as much as possible. There is an extreme amount of anxiety attached to moving when you are moving out of state. I have moved state to state at least 5 times and each time I do my best to remember the lessons learned from the previous move. There are some lessons that even after five moves I have not absorbed. This move to New York was the first time that I went after an apartment for just me (vs. a roommate situation)

My most recent move from Orlando to New York was very smooth all the way up to looking for an apartment and so with this blog post I hope I can save someone else the drama and you can apply the lessons I learned to your next apartment / house search. Things have changed a lot over the years and not only have the prices risen but also the expectation as far as earnings and deposit amount. Most landlords want you to make 40 times the rent and put down a 1.5 months as a deposit and Realtor / broker fees in some cases that are equal to one month.

When I first arrived into NYC, I stayed with a friend for a week. Things were good... there were a nice comfortable bed, hot food, and good conversation. Therefore, I spent this week looking for my new dream east coast apartment. I had many ideas... exposed brick, fun neighborhood, and quick access to transportation!

In the NYC and tri-state, area people are accustomed to using Craigslist as a way to land a job, apartment, and a hot night out on the town with a certified crazy! :-)

So going to Craigslist was a natural first step for me. I combed through all the postings and found my dream apartments but not the dream prices. So sadly, I started looking in other areas of Jersey City and upstate New York. There were some great places in Jersey City, with reasonable prices and good locations... so I printed my favorite postings out and proceeded to hit the streets in search of my new apartment.

The first apartment was $635 a month and in a great neighborhood. I was super excited about this place because I knew that with a rent this low I would be able to shop till I literally drop with all the money I would be saving in rent cost. Outside the building, I was super excited because it was quiet and clean. Once I walked in, I was super miserable because it was dirty and small! Small is an understatement actually, it was the size of a one car garage. There was absolutely no room to live at all. Now I did consider staying here for about 10 minutes as I envisioned shopping and jet setting, but I knew I would be unhappy on move-in day; and so I kindly thanked the man showing me the apartment and went to apartment 2.

Apartment 2 was the start of the apartments in the $900 price range. I was drawn to this apartment (while viewing online) because of the cabinets in the kitchen. When I walked in the apartment smelled of fresh paint, the bathroom was to DIE for! If you have ever been to an NY apartment, you know that the bathroom is sometimes the size of a closet and so the size of this bathroom was great! I liked this apartment and there was nothing particularly wrong but there was nothing-particular right either. I was able to get a potty break in and charge my phone because the property owner did not come to this place... he said, "There’s a key under the mat". So, I took my sweet little time looking at this place and get powered-up for the next apartment viewing.

The next apartment sounded beautiful but I wouldn't know if that were actually true because this person didn't have time to show me.:(

The next apartment said "View of Statue of Liberty". The pictures of the apartment seemed fine and so I proceeded to contact the landlord and we met a few blocks away from the apartment. He said he would come and pick me up because I was far away and he was driving. I was so tired of walking around that I agreed. (Safety out the door when tired BTW) We drove through the blocks and I noticed that there was a bunch of people just hanging out. I asked the man "are all these people hanging out on the block with the apartment?" he said, "no, the block with the apartment is very quiet.” I thought nothing more of it. When we arrived at the apartment, the block was quiet, the outside of the house was clean, and all seemed fine. When I entered the apartment, I fell in love. The view of the Statue of Liberty was GREAT and perfect from a little Ohio-girl, such as myself! The apartment was a two bedroom for $995 and there were some furnishings. This was the best I had seen all day. It was settled, I would take this apartment.

As the next days progressed, my friends moved my things into my apartment and I did my quick grocery run and was happy to get started on making this place the new home for Aleesha and my little doggy, Brooklyn.

As I was cleaning up one of my friends called me and said that he did not want to be in my business but this neighborhood was bad and has a high crime rate. Looking around you cannot see the "crime rate". I hung up the phone with my friend and decided to go outside to look to see if I could use my super spy eyes to see any crime. LOL Well I didn't see anything so I decided to ask the people that lived under me. You would have thought I had reported a fire or an emergency of some sort. They were nervous and said, "They didn't want to talk about it" and "by the Grace of God nothing has happened to us". This was not a good feeling. OMG now I have a bad neighborhood and bad neighbors. So at this point, I was upset and called the landlord to get his take on it. Of course, he said, the neighborhood is fine. It is quiet and safe and you will have no problems.

All the cleaning and home making ceased! I just sat down and gazed out the window for hours. I didn't know what to do. The landlord at all my money and I was left with a stack of paper clipped papers that said that this place belonged to me for another 364 days.

Eventually I went to bed and was woken up around 11:30PM with the sound of music, laughter, and partying. The party must have been good because it lasted until 3:30AM.

During this time, I emailed the landlord and said that this is not the apartment for me and I am moving out the next day. Over the next few days, I went back and forth with the landlord telling him that he lied and him telling me that the neighborhood was safe and it was all in my head.) After all the back and forth we both had to compromise. He gave me a portion of my money back and I had to accept it because I really didn't have any other rights, since I signed the lease.

Here are the lessons learned:

Check out crime statistics online before moving. You cannot see crime with your natural eyes.
Drive through the neighborhood at night especially on a Friday or Saturday night.
Meet your potential new neighbors. You want to make sure that your neighbors are your allies.
Add a clause to your lease about you changing your mind within 24-48 time-frame
Call a taxi, delivery pizza, or Chinese place and see if they come to this neighborhood... If they do not... do not move in - this is usually a tale-tell sign that robbery is a problem.

Stay tuned to learn more about the apartment woes in NYC.

Today I Am... learning some adult lessons in apartment searching in the Big City!

SHARING "The Mighty HTTP"

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 04:19:00 +0000

I love social networking! Why? –Because social networks allow individuals to connect with like-minded people or simply peek into another person's life.

When I am flipping through fan pages, group discussions or personal profiles the one thing I enjoy doing is clicking on links and learning more about a business or reading a new blog. Make this task easier for people like myself and add "The Mighty HTTP"

By adding "http://" and then your link, this will turn an URL to an active link that visitors will

EXAMPLES

RIGHT WAY: http://www.aleeshanash.com/

WRONG WAY: www.aleeshanash.com OR aleeshanash.com

I would gather that most people put a link on their comments or post because they are trying to create a more convenient avenue for readers to transition to their website, blog, video, pic, etc. Here are five additional tips to consider when posting a "hot link" for viewers to click on:

1. UPDATE SETTINGS -When possible, change the settings so that the link brings up "a new page" when it is clicked so that visitors can keep the original page active and possibly go back and click on other links that you have provided in the past. By allowing the link to change the current page that a viewer is on may result in the person forgetting about the original source.

2. PROVIDE LINK AT TOP OF POST - If you have a long post and then you provide a link at the bottom of your posting the viewer may not want to perform any more actions and may exit. Also, if you have a post that goes off the screen then the reader may never get to the bottom. You can not provide too many links, therefore you can link at the top and the bottom.

3. LINK PHOTOS- Internet users are generally used to clicking on a photo in order to either enter a website, gain more information on the item featured in the photo, or be linked to a different page. Most web developing sites and blogs allow you to click the photo and then hit the word "link" on the toolbar in order to enter an URL. Linking photos can also assist with search engine optimization (SEO).

4. SHORTER URL - By using services like http://www.tinyurl.com/ you can take a long URL and make it shorter. This helps if you want to post links to Twitter or any of the other social networks that have a smaller writing space.

5. LINK WORDS IN POST - When including or excluding a lot of information in a blog post or website copy it is helpful when people have links to gather additional information (if needed or interested). By selecting key words in your writings and then adding a hyperlink to those words. The words will become an active link and when clicked will zoom someone off to the reference or resource that you provided.

Happy Linking...

Today I Am... using "The Mighty HTTP"

ADMIRING ALL THE ELEGANT IMPERFECTIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:01:00 +0000

Everywhere I turn I see the words "shabby chic" so as my fascination continued to peak I decided to look further into what these words, that seem like an oxymoron, mean and look like.

According to Wikipedia, shabby chic is a form of interior design where furniture and furnishings are either chosen for their age and signs of wear and tear or new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique.

This sounds a little bad... I mean who would want distressed or worn out furniture? On the contrary to how it sounds the shabby look is actually very beautiful and it allows for people to find good in something that someone else though was worthless.

Roses are a huge part of the shabby chic look. If you have ever seen a rose bush, you know that each rose looks completely different. Some of the blooms do not open all the way--while others seem to reach out towards the sun like open arms. Then there is the little tattered rose... the one that has something unique about it and it just draws you in. The elegant imperfections we see in a rose can be seen in just about everything.

I challenge you to find all the elegant imperfections in your world and arrange them to decorate your life.

Today I am... admiring all the elegant imperfections!

HAPPY FOR NO REASON

noreply@blogger.com (Aleesha Nash) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 03:12:00 +0000

Each morning at my workplace we hold devotions. This morning it was my turn to lead and I covered a topic that people are always "feeling" about (verses thinking or talking about). The topic of "happiness". I read from a book called Happy For No Reason by M. Shimoff.

Even though I am only in the first two chapters I find myself wanting to go back to page one so that I won't forget what was said. The book is that powerful... or I am just not that happy! Two people today said that they think I am a "happy for no reason" person; which is interesting to me because I don't think that about myself.

The book talks about our happiness levels. Based on studies done said that people gain about 50% of one's level of happiness comes from genetics, 10% of what we own or have in our possession (job, car, house, money, etc.) and then 40% comes from our thoughts and perceptions.

Thoughts and perceptions seem easy to change yet people do not choose to actively change their thought patterns and thus changing their attitude ... that leads to happiness!

Strangely enough one of my friends at work wrote in his blog about joy and what does it mean to joyful or find joy, so this morning when he heard the devotion, it led us to talk more about this idea of authentic happiness and what that means for our lives. His blog focused on a lot of what I had already been thinking about happiness and how people orchestrate moments of joy in their life by buying things, searching for "funny YouTube videos", or getting to know people at work who are friendly and validate us and thus make us happy.

What happens when the things we put around us or the people we put around us go away?! This thought even further defines the idea of "happy for no reason" when you think that this happiness has to dwell within you... because of you.

In the book there is a story about a woman who lost their sight after using some over-the-counter eye drops. The stories talks about how she lost her vision within one hour of her using the drops. She describes how she spent the first year in bed and rejecting any people who may come to comfort her. After a year of not experiencing much joy in her life she decided that she needed to do something about her life. She got connected with an organization that provided Seeing Eye dogs. After some workshops and some practice the women found herself living more independently and regaining her interests in the things she liked in the past. The author of the story ends by saying, "Although I lost my sight, my vision has become greater."

When I was reading this women's full story, all I could do was cry. The story was so motivating and yet sad at the same time. I think it is sad that something as critical as sight would have to be removed for one to find true happiness and yet the gumption that the women demonstrated made me look at my life and examine the areas that I am sitting around, too scared to make a call and challenge myself -- in fear of the "what if's".

I challenge all of my readers to find joy in their every day ins and outs and to work on changing the habits, people, thoughts, etc that create any discontent in your head or heart (or both).

Happiness is at the top of my list of things I want to "be" when I grow up! What do you want to be?

Today I am... workings towards being happy for no reason.