the other side of tuesday

Monday was such a prick. Unbelievable. Weeks on end of all this talk. Things are going to be different. Get used to a new normal. The earnest avowals. I’ve really had a chance to reset. I am in a good place right now, I wake up feeling rested. Insomnia is still a problem but I sleep right through the night. I’m trying new things too. Did I tell you that I baked bread? From scratch. Read more

By justk, ago

Reset

Mother Nature has put our collective ass on pause. We weren’t listening when she grumbled and huffed at our disrespect over the past decade. We rallied for a moment after the earthquake in Haiti and reached out as one with a helping hand, but the island was dropped from the news cycle long before any real recovery was established (and the country still struggles). Even when we made Mother ‘come back there’ with a double Read more

By justk, ago

quarantine self care: a recipe

7 key ingredients you will need knowledge from legit sources like World Health Organization or The Center for Disease Control; also your local city/state/provincial websites will have the most current updates that apply directly to you. EVERYTHING else is second hand speculation and hearsay. rest water healthy whole foods physical stimulation mental stimulation community directions for best results don’t be a donkey about information you don’t like or find inconvenient, focus on what you can Read more

By justk, ago

supporting character: the yogini within

Meet Mrs. Margaret Washington. She’s a quintessential supporting character on screen and off. She supported her husband Booker T Washington personally and professionally. She supports the storyline of Madam CJ Walker in the Netflix limited series SELF MADE. She is always of service to the greater good. Mrs Margaret Washington is a yogini through and through. You won’t learn very many things about Mrs Margaret in the show, it’s not her story. You certainly won’t Read more

By justk, ago

a story from hair and now

Once upon a time I was a little girl in Jamaica. My most prized possession was a hair styling head – basically a severed doll’s head with the neck sloping into a rubber base that stayed in place as I curled, braided and pinned the medium length tresses into concoctions of my imagination. The toy was a gift from my mother’s hair dresser friend and my unofficial godmother. She was my first role model. Yvonne Read more

By justk, ago

oscar night, Here’s looking for you kid.

8 minutes to reflect on the weeks of navel gazing that has been awards season. I’m not mad about it, the awards are by and for the people being celebrated and they know the true worth of the awards. It’s more than a popularity contest, it’s the ultimate pursuit in the business of Hollywood influencers. But if you’re not in the industry, it’s just a fabulous variety show or glamorous reality show. And what a Read more

By justk, ago

grief and gratitude

10 am Sunday January 26, 2020. A helicopter crashes in Calabassas, California. I am in Toronto stuffing five dollar bills into red envelopes. I double check my head count, there was a pregnancy announcement at the last family gathering, wait that was in November, my numbers are good. The family Chinese New Year’s dinner is a joyous time, we celebrate our roots, connect with the ones we only ever see once or twice a year Read more

By kei huie, ago

20/20

Perfection is a curse. My father was a draughtsman. He made a career of drafting the engineer’s plans. He was meticulous. He was exact, rendering exquisite works of precision. I loved watching my father wield his pen, whether it was his signature on a check or a calligraphy acrostic for a family member’s birthday, the result was always a work of art. My father was also a man of ideas, but not ideas that he Read more

By justk, ago