Prozac Nation – Elizabeth Wurtzel

I made a promise to myself in the beginning of the year to read more. This is typically called a resolution, but let’s hold off on the titles for a bit, okay. I was all set until a few bumps in the road of my third year at university got me feeling wobbly and all out of sorts: having my registration mixed up, the new timetable, moving back to res…which is why Elizabeth Wurtzel’s memoir is such a God-send.

The book is a no-holds-barred personal account of depression and anxiety, compounded by the use of drugs that stirred me to the bone. With an honest quote like “In a strange way, I had fallen in love with my depression” it’s like the pictures in my head finally give themselves names and titles and I had to read that over and over because it finally gave meaning to something that I had been trying to put my finger on for a very long time.

Wurtzel is smart and witty, unapologetic and writes with the sort of bravery that is enviable to a confused 20-something who is convinced she’s going through a quarter-life crisis like me

Trevor Noah and the Desire for “Other” Blacks

Black Millennials

When Comedy Central confirmed on Monday that Trevor Noah would be replacing The Daily Show host Jon Stewart, there was widespread support — myself included. Only a few hours later, some distasteful tweets came to light, revealing that the South African comedian made some not-too-cool jokes about women, Israel, and Asians.

So she gets fat? RT @missdanibagel: When a woman is loved correctly, she becomes 10 times the woman she was before

— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) July 18, 2014

South Africans know how to recycle like israel knows how to be peaceful.

— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) June 2, 2010

As someone who remains hyper-conscious about racial matters, I (surprisingly) wasn’t offended. My Blackness wasn’t the subject of his humor, and I recognize in that fact lies my partiality. But still, I wasn’t perturbed. And fortunately, I’m not alone, with many voicing their support of the comedian and his placement…

View original post 658 more words

Blame it on The Wanted

 That I have lived a million lifetimes

without your permission;

That i have stopped apologising for existing,

and because i offended you by taking my name back,

despite not having your OK –

you can blame that on The Wanted.

They were just a group of five singers,

whose eyes never saw my face;

whose ears never heard my voice

and never came to know the soul within me.

They were just a group of five singers to whom

my name was but an arrangement of letters

But they still understood better than you:

they knew it would take more than super glue,

so they sewed me back together

one lyric,

one melody,

one beat at a time

until they had me dancing in hurricanes

like no one was watching; until they had me

living like life was tailor made for me.

So, tonight if I fall asleep to better dreams,

it’s because I spent the moments of my wakefulness

in the body of an angel.

If I am a little too loud for you,

if I come across more honest that usual,

screaming truths you’re unused to –

then blame it on The Wanted

Having a Crush on You

Having a crush on you
is sweeter than any dreaming.
It must be a beautiful thing
to be so beyond influence –
          kind of there,
          but kind of sort of not there

When your eyes happen upon me
I am convinced that you can see it;
your eyes scale the wall of my mind
and see how many times I have kissed you;
They see how you have made me laugh;
They count the shovels of dirt I use
to bury myself in thoughts of you –
             Your hands,
             Your mouth
             Your eyes
And they count the hours it took for
            My soul to melt into your soul
And create colors that don’t exist.

Having a crush on you is my greatest defeat;
The most treasured surrender to the enemy;
It’s my favorite form of torture,
and you are my favorite bully