Look Through My Eyes and See What I See

Just my thoughts, my beliefs, my opinions, and my truths. Please post. I invite conversation. Don't want to post online...that's cool. Email your comments to kiagsmith@gmail.com.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

2006 BET Awards 40 Questions (if you missed it, don’t worry. Repeats will air regular for the next 10 months)

1. Was I the only one disappointed with Beyonce and Jay-Z’s opening performance? Ok, but I expected more.

2. Where the hell did BET find J.J., Thelma, Michael and Penny? I was impressed and loving it.

3. Why does it seem like the same female hip hop artist are nominated for best female hip hop artist every year?

4. How did T.I. manage to get Don King to open up his performance? I loved the performance (even though I think BET screwed up his track) from the baby pics to Don King to the orchestra in the background to the set to him lookin pretty in his all white (even though he was showing his black drawers). I love that man!!! If you don’t respect nothing else, RESPECT HIS HUSTLE!!!

5. Hasn’t Snoop come a long way from lookin’ like the skinny street bomb he did on his first album?

6. And doesn’t Ice Cube look the same, minus the jerry curl?

7. Weren’t Snoop and Ice Cube wrong for clownin’ Milli Vanilli?

8. Weren’t you surprised by the deserving artist nominated for best new artist?

9. Isn’t Chris Brown just too cute for his own good? If T.I. hasn’t wifed me up in 5 years, I’m going after Mr. Brown. He should be legal by then.

10. Didn’t you miss Free and AJ?

11. Doesn’t the Miami Vice movie look better than the old television show?

12. Aren’t you glad Kanye West didn’t go retro this time around?

13. Wasn’t all white the color this year? (T.I., Kanye, Jamie Foxx, Diddy, Young Joc and his back up dancers, Shawn Wayans, Steve Harvey)

14. Jamie & Fantasia??? I love it!!! THEY ARE TONGUEING EACH OTHER DOWN ON STAGE!!!

15. Nick Cannon & Cat Williams??? Isn’t that too much want to be pimpdem on the stage?

16. Was I the only one who didn’t know Lebron James was that sexy???

17. Wasn’t Chris Brown’s performance the best of everyones? With his Michael Jackson Smooth Criminal suit on…and he danced and did back flips without giving out of breathe. T.I. you better watch out. Chris Brown is about to steal me out of you hands.

18. But what’s up with the designs cut in his head?

19. Did you really expect for Prince to get best male R&B artist or was that just a political decision?

20. And didn’t he look pretty?

21. Wasn’t Mary hot, as always?

22. Were you really surprised that T.I. won best male hip hop artist? And he even tried to inspire the kids.

23. Wasn’t Keyshia Cole hot? She looked so sophisticated.

24. Didn’t Young Joc represent A-Town nicely?

25. And when did Tom Cruise do the motorcycle dance? I’ve been out of the country, please feel me in?

26. Wasn’t it nice how Joc snuck in the shout out to Greg Street? That A-Town love!!!

27. Were you really surprised that Mary J. took Beyonce?

28. Where the hell did Eminem come from during Busta Rhymes performance???

29. Goldigger is hot, but was it really the best collabo of the year???

30. I know it’s not a question, but I love Mary, Mary song Yesterday. That track’s gotten me through a lot of rough time.

31. Isn’t Kirk Franklin’s wife pretty?

32. And what happen to Kyle from J.E.?

33. Didn’t Yolanda Adams kill “Sweet Thang”? The entire Chaka Khan tribute was hot…Prince, Yolanda Adams, Stevie Wonder, India.Arie.

34. Who knew Neyo could dance like Michael Jackson?

35. Don’t you like the way the fan just dropped that Jesus line before announcing the viewers choice awards?

36. Are you as excited as I am about Outkast new album?

37. Was Prince’s performance really how they should’ve ended the show?

38. Damon Wayans just wasn’t that funny, was he?

39. Don’t you like the way so many people genuinely acknowledged God this year?

40. Was it better or worse than last year?

Photos from Tunisia

Click the link below to check out my photos from Tunisia. I invite comments.

http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=23203565&l=eca0f

Thursday, June 22, 2006

123 Reasons I Love Tunisia

These are in no particular order.

  1. The people are great.
  2. The food is fresh and healthy
  3. The fact that I acted 9 years old for six weeks
  4. The coffee was perfect.
  5. Café Margoun
  6. My downtown apartment
  7. Somortak
  8. Interviewing U.S. Ambassador William Hudson
  9. Eating cookies and cake for breakfast
  10. Meals for 3 dinars ($2.25)
  11. Learning Arabic
  12. Faiza the Hellraiser (she’s my role model)
  13. Going to the "discotec"
  14. Ahmed a.k.a. Smokie (I would’ve been lost without you, and I couldn’t have asked for a better brother. Love ya tooooo much.)
  15. The Sahara Desert (need I say more.)
  16. The road trips
  17. El Jem (where the movie Gladiators was filmed)
  18. Swimming in the Mediterranean Sea
  19. The beaches (They are much quieter than American beaches.)
  20. The Castle
  21. Sailing on the Mediterranean Sea
  22. The taxi rides (There’s no cheaper adrenaline rush.)
  23. Becoming an international writer (I was published twice in Tunisia.)
  24. Dr. Anne (I only wish I could be as diplomatic as you are. Oh yeah, and you were the one who made me cry at the airport.)
  25. Sfax (It’s my second home.)
  26. My Rami (I miss your hugs and holding your hands. I love you, my Rami. Hugs & kisses, see you soon.)
  27. Riding camels through the desert
  28. Tozuer
  29. World Cup Soccer (Even though every team we routed for lost. Someone please tell me who to route for now???)
  30. Brik
  31. The Olive Hotel (5 star bathrooms)
  32. Berthony a.k.a. The King of Somortak (From the black tees to "the Berthony," we know we had some laughs)
  33. The quahwa crew (I couldn’t have chosen a better clique to spend 6 hours a day with.)
  34. The 5 star in the desert (We weren’t exactly roughing it, but we did sleep under the stars in the Sahara.)
  35. Tunisian time (very similar to C.P. time, but a little more extreme.)
  36. Using my "little brain" to repeatedly help out the "big brains" (It may have worked overtime, but at least mine was working.)
  37. The "family rooms" (We had lots of fun in the family rooms.)
  38. Win bidhdat???
  39. The yogurt things at Café Margoun
  40. The Medina
  41. Dr. Iraj
  42. Ahmed’s mom (I love her like she’s my own mom!!!)
  43. Kherkenah
  44. My hurriyah
  45. Having little contact with the western world
  46. The Odyssey Hotel (I’ll be seeing you on my honeymoon.)
  47. The night I had to move out of my apartment (You guys were great!!! I couldn’t have made it through without you. Thanks again!!!)
  48. My dinner with Rami and Ahmed. (I absolutely fell in love with you guys that night.)
  49. Hamadi (Pimping is international. Love you sooooo much!!!!)
  50. Shachuga (I ate an abundance of this stuff.)
  51. Mesh Mesha
  52. Seafood Omelets
  53. Willena Moye a.k.a. "DON’T TOUCH ME!!!"
  54. Our first night in Zahrzis (DRAMA, need I say more.)
  55. Shi-sha
  56. Johanne a.k.a. The Haggler (even though I hated shopping with you...you know I love you girl.)
  57. The bad Ahmed a.k.a. Snitch a.k.a. Ahf@#$ a.k.a. F@#$med (Sociopaths are international, too. Hey, without him we would’ve lack things to talk/laugh about)
  58. The ice cream (I ate enough of it to be an expert.)
  59. Sidi Monsour
  60. The fish market
  61. Zach (You are wonderful.)
  62. The street of meat
  63. Mech Mech (You’re the greatest Nicole. Can’t wait to hang out.)
  64. The day we escaped to the beach. (It was so relaxing and definitely needed.)
  65. Rashida (Girl, we know we had fun.)
  66. The Berthony’s (They weren’t fun to have, but they gave us some great laughs)
  67. Those funnel cake thingys
  68. Jaye (You are absolutely hilarious. We have to hang out soon.)
  69. Sidi Bou Said (The view was absolutely amazing!!!)
  70. Singing Sidi Monsour in Arabic (or at least attempting to.)
  71. Hedi (if you hadn’t taught us the ropes during that first week, Sfax would’ve eaten us alive.)
  72. Sharawma
  73. Eating my fries inside my sandwich
  74. Hela (You’re beautiful inside and out!!!)
  75. Having to manipulate people to give them gifts. (I’ve never had so much fun in my life!!!)
  76. The fact that I finally gained some weight (10 pounds to be exact. That’s what happens when you eat 4 meals a day plus snacks.)
  77. Riding in the 4x4 in the desert (It was a roller coaster ride with no seatbelts.)
  78. Annie (You are one of the coolest chicks I’ve ever met.)
  79. Olfa & Afef (It’s good to know pure and geniune hearts still exist. I love you girls.)
  80. Planet Sandwich (I wish fast food in America was that good.)
  81. The party at Hela’s. (Happy Birthday techno style.)
  82. Dany A. (Quiet, but absolutely hilarious)
  83. The chocolate covered waffles
  84. The sunset in the Sahara (I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life.)
  85. Anis (In the words of Jaye, you’re pure sugar.)
  86. The Max (or whatever the name of the restuarant across the street from campus is)
  87. Jeff (need I say more.)
  88. The party at Dr. Richard’s house
  89. Dr. Che Beni, our Arabic teacher (Win Bidhdabt???)
  90. All of the xubiz
  91. Salad Tunisianne
  92. Mariam (No, no, no...no, no, no, no, no!!!)
  93. The fruit
  94. Malik (You are soooo much fun. We have to hang out more on the next go around.)
  95. The conference room (so many secrets...so many private conversations.)
  96. Dangerous (Even his little brother laughed at his nickname. Sorry babe, you’re just not that dangerous.)
  97. Café Melody (I didn’t get to go, but that’s where all the real fun went on from what I understand.)
  98. Somai (You’re beautiful, girl!!!)
  99. Hotel Syphax (I love that calamari.)
  100. C. Flous
  101. My A+ in Arabic
  102. Friendship (You guys taught me the true meaning of friendship and the true meaning of love.)
  103. Hedi’s cousin, Ahmed (Yes, this is the third Ahmed on the list, and he is different from the rest.. Thanks for all the rides the first couple of weeks. We couldn’t talk much, but you were beautiful eye candy.)
  104. Teaching slang (From golddigger to cake daddy and everything in between. We tried to equip you with the most useful terms.)
  105. Walid (Thanks for being the best. You took care of me like I was your own. We shared sooo many secrets. And don’t tell anyone, but your mom is the best cook in town.)
  106. Matmahda (It amazes me that these people are able to stay so cool in such heat.)
  107. Carthage (That place is absolutely breathe-taking.)
  108. Aiman (You’re absolutely wonderful. I love you much. Tell your somortak I said hello.)
  109. The Mediterranean Sea (It’s so flat and calm.)
  110. Anouar (You’re absolutely great. Thanks for Kerkenah)
  111. Our first goodbye. (It was long, we cried, and it was proof that life long bonds had been formed. God knows I miss you guys.)
  112. Our goodbye photo. (It is absolutely beautiful. It exudes love.)
  113. Mouna (You were the first to email me, girl. I look forward to keeping in contact with you.)
  114. Our last Friday night dinner (Nicole, Jaye, Rashida, Willena, Berthony, Johanne, and I shared secrets, laughed, and absolutely capped our Tunisia experience. This was the most fun I had with Americans during the 6 weeks.)
  115. Our Saturday night dinner. (Surprisingly, there was no drama. It was great to conclude our journey on a happy note.)
  116. Our last night in Tunis. (Thanks for coming down guys. Despite the problems that arose that night was lots of fun and absolutely priceless.)
  117. The J & B Scotch (It was good.)
  118. Our airport goodbye. (I’m not a fan of airport goodbyes, but this one was classic.)
  119. Air France had to change the tire on our plane in Tunis (Because of this, we missed our connector flight in Paris and got to stay the night there. Who else can say they saw Paris for $75?)
  120. My gifts (Each day I look at them and the memories flood my mind.)
  121. The fact that no one else will be able to understand this experience except for the 34 of us.
  122. The fact that I have family on the other side of the world.
  123. The fact that "we" will be together soon.