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Why did you die, Natasja Saad?

By Celena | March 27, 2008

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Natasja wasn’t Jamaican, although she spoke her own very charismatic version of patois, with an entonation, speed and accent which, when uttered by her,  evoked an awe and wonder in me at how this Danish woman could manage to speak a language in a manner that only Jamaican natives could manage to do.  The answer is perhaps that, besides being talented at picking up languages, she also felt an attraction to things Jamaican, as she dressed and spoke the part.

Her father was from the Land of Blacks, Sudan.  To me it would be entertaining to think and speculate that it’s probably her Sudanese genetic heritage that  In Jamaica the public adored this transplant from Europe.  As one of her own. They, in fact unanimously, chose her as the winner of the acclaimed   …..  festival over many of their own long standing native contestants.  It was the first time in Jamaican history that a foreigner had captured the hearts and imagination of the raggae music fan base in Raggae’s own capital, Kingston.

Tasja had the elegance of a Maxim model, the street smarts to hustle along and thrive among Jamaican ghetto dwellers, but above all, she was Danish, an European whose white race heritage was hers, bridging a gap between black and white. Her fluent Danish allowed her to create the coolest of lyrics, at least from an English stand point: One could swear that at times she was singing in what appeared to be a mixture of Spanish, French, English, German, and Afrikaans. She contributed to the Danish raggae scene in ways no one had before. She was adored all over the world and her ascent into stardom was only beginning in the U.S.

 On a fateful June 24, 2007, shortly after being the first foreigner ever to win the acclaimed Irie FM’s “Big Break” music contest in Jamaica, the car she was riding on hit a utilty pole, taking her life.

The unique lyrics and rhythm of “Calabria” will make you wanna dance and celebrate the birth of a star. Calabria has become a dance club cult classic.  Enjoy.
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 Just as Jeniffer Lopez rose to stardom catapulted by her impersonation of Selena, a TexMex star who got shot and killed by her own secretary,  I hope that likewise an up and coming  aspiring, talented  singer finds a similar inspiration and soul infusion from Natasja. May Natasja’s musical influence bring about new inspiration to new artists as they sing to new heights in originality, beat, and rhtythm.  In the name of a star that should have been. 

Popularity: 39% [?]

Topics: Artists and Entertainment | No Comments »

Halloween Personalized Gifts

By Lori | October 17, 2007

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The fall season arrives, the weather starts getting colder, and before you know it, Halloween is here. As the month of October quickly approaches, kids and adults begin making plans for the celebration of Halloween. The celebration may start weeks before October 31st, as people begin making or shopping for their Halloween costumes, planning parties, and decorating their houses.

Decorating for a holiday is one of my favorite things to do. For Halloween, I like to use creepy decorations to make the house look scary. I use decorations with themes of ghosts, witches, , skeletons, bats, and . These are all commonly used and highly recognized Halloween symbols. They are also common Halloween costumes.

There is an endless possibility of ideas for Halloween costumes. Scary costumes of witches and ghosts are very common, and so are costumes of the most popular cartoon and movie characters of the year. When I was younger, my mom used to make costumes for me. I still like to dress up every year. It is a tradition that I don’t think I will ever grow out of. Now I come up with a creative idea and put my own costume together. I find it more fun to put a costume together than to just buy one in a store. It also means that there’s no chance of anyone else having the exact same costume as me. A is a great way to display a photo of yourself or others dressed up in a Halloween costume.

A new baby always adds excitement to a holiday. Halloween is the perfect occasion to dress up your baby in an adorable costume. Treasure this moment with a photo and a .

On the night of Halloween, many children get dressed up in their costumes, and set out to go trick-or-treating. Children usually have a special bucket or bag, or even just a regular shopping bag or pillowcase, to carry around and use to collect candy from neighborhood houses. The tradition of trick-or-treating has also spread to malls and other shopping areas. As an alternative to trick-or-treating at houses, children can go around to different stores.

For older children and adults, it is more common to go to a Halloween party either on the night of Halloween itself, or a weekend before. Although, there are teenagers who still continue to go out trick-or-treating and insist that they are not too old to do so.

Carving pumpkins and making jack-o’-lanterns is a very popular Halloween activity and tradition. You can pick out a pumpkin at pumpkin lots, grocery stores, or even a . Pumpkins can be carved in classic jack-o’-lantern face designs or more intricate designs of just about anything you can imagine. You can display a photo of you and your beautifully carved pumpkin in one of our .

Other ways to celebrate Halloween during the month of October are to go to a theme park, , or hayride. Many theme parks like Universal Studios, Disneyland, Disney World, and Knott’s Berry Farm have month long Halloween celebrations. The parks are usually decorated and have special shows or events. A haunted house doesn’t necessarily have to be in a house, it could be just about anywhere. There could be a haunted house set up in a building, in a garage, or even outside, and it could be more like a haunted maze than a haunted house.

Another popular way to celebrate Halloween is by watching scary movies. Movies like The Exorcist, Friday the 13th, or ones about Frankenstein, Dracula, and other Halloween monsters are popular choices. During October, many television channels play horror movies. Many television shows also have special Halloween themed episodes. It is also common for new horror movies to come out in the theaters in October.

No matter how you choose to celebrate Halloween, either by dressing up, carving pumpkins, or watching scary movies, the holiday is a chance to have a fun and exciting time. It is also a chance to buy a for yourself, family, or friends.

Popularity: 95% [?]

Topics: Occasions, Gift Ideas | No Comments »

Personalized Gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day

By Lori | September 27, 2007

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On two special days every year, we celebrate two of the most important people in each of our lives. Those two people are our mothers and fathers, and those two days, of course, are and . Both moms and dads put a lot of effort and hard work into raising and caring for their children. They work as parents each and every day and they both deserve to have a special day to be honored on each year. These two holidays are especially meaningful for first time moms and dads. For many parents, a child is the greatest and most fulfilling accomplishment in their life.

In the U.S., we celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May every year. Mother’s Day was first declared a national holiday in 1914. Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. Although efforts were made for years to make it a national holiday, Father’s Day wasn’t officially recognized until 1972.

Do something special to show your appreciation for everything that your mom and dad do for you. There are numerous possibilities of things you can imagedo to make these days memorable and pleasant. Give your parents a break and let them relax and enjoy their day. Make Mom breakfast in bed, give her some beautiful flowers, or buy her a thoughtful, . Take Dad out for a nice dinner and forget that boring, old tie and buy him a . A great gift for a child to give to his or her parent is a “” or “” picture frame. This personal gift can be completed with a precious photo of a parent and child together. A personalized gift will be sure to make a mom or dad smile and help them to remember these special days forever.

Don’t forget about , , , , and siblings who are also parents. Each of these important people has earned and deserves some extra attention for all of their hard work, too.

Remember that you can do something nice for your mom and dad on any day of the year, not just on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. They are sure to appreciate any extra help and love that you give to them. Even a small gesture can make a big difference.

Popularity: 98% [?]

Topics: Occasions, Gift Ideas | No Comments »

A Personalized Happy Birthday

By Lori | September 7, 2007

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One special day every year, each one of us gets to celebrate the anniversary of the day we were born. It is a day of fun and celebration. Birthdays are a perfect time for friends and family to all get together to honor the birthday boy or girl.

Children probably celebrate their birthdays more often than adults do since children are usually excited to become a year older. Adults, however, do not always look forward to getting older.

One of the most common ways to celebrate a birthday is with a party. A close friend or family member may even plan a surprise party or gathering. Having a party is a great imageway to celebrate at any age. Choose a theme to add a little excitement to your party. Decorate the house with decorations to match the theme and also have your guests dress up.

A party is just one of the endless possibilities of things you can do for your birthday. Another possibility is going out somewhere to celebrate. This could be going out to dinner, bowling, to an amusement park, to a show, on a short trip, or anywhere else you can think of. Your birthday is a day that you should be able to celebrate any way you want.

Many birthday parties and birthday celebrations involve customary traditions and decorations. These typically include cakes, balloons, presents, and streamers. A birthday cake itself has many traditions associated with it. In a darkened room, the beautifully decorated birthday cake is brought out glowing with candles. The number of candles equals the age of the birthday girl or boy. Guests usually sing “Happy Birthday” while the candles are lit, and wait for the person whose birthday it is to make a wish and blow them out. A common superstition is to keep the wish a secret and not tell anyone else. If you can blow out all the candles in one try, then your wish will come true.

It seems that the buying and receiving of birthday gifts decreases with age, but it is always a nice gesture to do something or buy something thoughtful for someone on their birthday. A is a unique gift that can be treasured forever. A is an ideal birthday gift since a person’s zodiac sign is based on their birth date.

There are some birthdays that are considered special or more important than others. Special birthdays are usually ones where a person gains a new responsibility or privilege. Some of these important birthdays are the years when someone reaches the age of 13 (officially a teenager), 16 (can obtain a driver’s license), 18 (legal adult age), or 21 (legal drinking age). These ages have a special significance in the U.S. In some cultures, and also in other parts of the world, special birthdays may vary slightly by the age or by the importance.

A golden birthday is also one that is considered special since it only happens once in a person’s lifetime. This particular birthday occurs when a person turns the age of the day they were born. For example, if someone was born on September 27, the year that they turned 27 would be their golden birthday.

A birthday only comes once a year so make sure to celebrate it the way that you want so you can make it a memorable and enjoyable occasion.

Popularity: 100% [?]

Topics: Occasions, Gift Ideas | No Comments »


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