"FIJI" Sings the National Anthem - 10-28-12

 

On October 28, 2012 "FIJI" the Polynesian Island Reggae Artist was honored to sing the National Anthem at the beginning of the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Washington Redskins game at the Hines Stadium in Pittsburgh. What a great opporunity for one of our own, a Poly brother at heart and blood to sing in front of millions of viewers. He is a very talented singer, entertainer and composer who has appeared as a guest artist for hundreds of other polynesian artists who are trying to make it in the music industry. He is indeed a man of many musical talents with a personality and heart that is most welcoming and heartfelt. He is not proud or boastful; he is GRATEFUL and APPRECIAIVE of the musical talents he's been blessed with. His style is pure island reggae with a touch of his own FIJIAN ROOT CHANTS. When one listens to the chants, you can't help but be mesmerized by the melodic rhythms, the authentic sounds of the island in acapella form. Each chant has a significant meaning to the different tribes and traditions which are still upheld in his homeland of FIJI.
He has been in the business for 20 years, and yup you better believe he knows his stuff, because if he didn't, he would have been done a long time ago.
 I've had the opportunity to know this man on a personal level and he is indeed a man of RESPECT of CULTURE, of PURE GOD GIVEN TALENT, COMMITTED TO HIS MUSIC, LOVES FAMILY, EMBRACES OPPORTUNITIES TO SING WITH OTHERS, SHARES HIS MUSICAL TALENTS WITH OTHERS- WILLINGLY, AND MOST OF ALL IS A GOD FEARING INDIVIDUAL! This is what I see when I'm in the presence of this man! For to see one person for his outward appearance, is just an inkling of what lies beneath. When you look underneath the surface and discover the genuine beauty and characteristics of an individual, you will find the TRUE MARKINGS OF THAT PERSON! This I believe... I wish you all the good fortune and fame that comes your way and I know you will not stray or forget who gave you those gifts! Nurture your talent, embrace it as it has brought joy and solice to many people all over the world! May you take your music to a whole new level and enlighten the minds and ears of those who choose to hear your sound! Be grateful and God Bless in your future endeavors...
To see FIJI sing the National Anthem go to youtube, type in FIJI sings the National Anthem.
P.S. - FIJI water is the best tasting water I've ever had! Just sayin!!

"The Dark Highlander" by Karen Marie Moning

This book was a good read, although I must add that I thought "Kiss of the highlander" was more of my pace as far as reading a book. The last 3 chapters of the dark highlander really caught attention and that is when I started feeling all my emotions and feelings get all tied up in Dageus and his undying love for Chloe.
Its funny how the SCOTS, can really feel who their mate will be, and Chloe was the total opposite of Dageus. She was a small little thing, with curly hair, curves, and a Scottish background. Dageus knew he could get any woman of his choice and seduce her with his animalistic sensuality, but there was something about Chloe that no other woman had and that drew him to her. Maybe it was because she was intrigued and studied the old myths, legends and was madly in love with artifacts dating back to Dageus' time the 15th and 16th century. She knew all about the ancient history of the Scots and simply loved to learn more and more about that era and this is what helped her to understand what was  behind Dageus all that manly build of a man.
Their love was deep aND new, but as the story progresses we see how Dageus treats his own mate, his love and doesn't just love her for the moment, but for the eternities. He didn't mesmerize or seduce her, he merely let her make her own decision to loving him and indeed she did! Like I said before the last 3 chapters really made the story come alive for me. Dageus having to fight off the 13 evil spirits within him, loving Chloe the way he did and trying to protect her with all his might. He did the only thing he knew was right to save not only Chloe his love, but the world in general.
I loved how Dageus put his heart and soul into the people whom he loved, his brother, thus sacrificing himself to the black side so that his brother Drustan could live with his wife in the 21st century and giving of his own life to see that evil would not return to the earth and destroy everything and anyone in it! By doing so, he was given a rare second chance at life and embraced it as he returns to Chloe, who suffered a torturing 3 1/2 weeks thinking that her Dageus was gone forever. Oh the horrid emotions Chloe must have felt, how she endured that, I don't know, but I would totally not want to endure such a loss or such pain - no, not me!
A good read, so one of the places I would like to visit on my list to vacation is definitely Scotland..Aye-lass! Gotta find me a cherry picker (words of Gwen from "Kiss of the highlander)..

"Caressed by Ice" by Nalini SIngh

 

OK, so I'm new to the whole PSY CHANGELING SERIES, but by golly gee I'm enjoying this RIDE its taking me on. One moment I feel like I'm in love with a controlling PSY with mind powers and the next I'm in total fascination with a WOLF or CAT PACK. Whichever one it is that I choose to side with at the moment,I get totally enthrawled in the close knit bond of the WOLF and CAT PACK and the affection they show each other is totally touching, literally! When the PSY find their way out of the Psy Net, its such a calming sensation to know that even without their connection to the Psy world, there is hope for them to find individual FREEDOM, to mate, to touch, to learn without being programmed, to live off of internal emotions and human instincts, just takes my breath away!

Judd Lauren - Arrow Killing machine, fully equipped and trained to KILL, use telekinetic and telepathy skills to destroy anything that comes in his way. He was trained like all the other PSY to not have emotions, no feelings, cold as ice expressions. He could be tortured, but you wouldn't know it because he's a trained killiing machine that shows no emotions.
Brenna Kincaid- CAT Pack- full of emotions, need touch to feel alive, needs to be loved, needs to have a mate, was taken captive by Enrique Santano (PSY COUNCIL MEMBER) totally raped her mind and did physical and mental damage to her being; but he failed because she SURVIVED all his cruel tactics and he died at the hands of her PACK ( a very slow and torturing death; a well deserved death)

This book was wonderful! My heart went out to Judd, "He was an assassin by choice. He was one because he couldn't be anything else." What he physically went thru to show his love for his mate Brenna. I totally gave mad props to Judd for his strength to mentally be abused to give his mate what she needed, love, touch and the emotional hunger to be fed and could only be given by him. He was my Knight and Shinning HERO throughout the whole book. I'll be sharing parts of the book that moved me in ways mentally and physically- use your imagination peeps..lol! HERE WE GO:

The Alpha Cat- Hawke, he is talking to Brenna; she's upset that her brothers and Judd are overprotective because of her abduction by Enrique. Hawke tells her, "I'm your alpha . My job is to make sure you're a healthy member of the pack, not a crippled one." So true, he knew she could take care of herself. Her brothers being the loving brothers that they are, were very protective and wanted to make sure that her every move was monitored, but only her Alpha knew that she didn't need babysitting.

Brenna is havng one of her moments where she feels like (Enrique Santano) permanently damaged her for life, but her mate Judd tells her, "You will defeat this as you've defeated every other thing he did to you. You are not crippled, not now, not ever, 'He'd kill anyone who implied otherwise. "You survived once and you'll keep spitting in his face by continuing to survive again and again." What a loving thing to say to his mate to make her come out of her self pitty party.he brought her back to reality.

Judd is in love with Brenna and he's' getting frustrated that he and Brenna cannot feel their supposed to be mates. " He was a psychic being, He would have seen it had it been present in any form. That it wasn't, was a sign that though they might be drawn to each other, they weren't made to fit. he didn't give a damn. He was keeping her." HOly goodness, he was keepin her and that was FINAL! She is all yours for the taking JUDD!

Sascha was talking to her mate Lucas, "If you try for perfection, you become exactly like the Psy." A cold, robotic, race witout the ability to laugh, love or cherish. No race is perfect." So true, the Psy's able to escape the Psy world and find their freedom are adapting to their new world. Enjoying the bond with their cat and wolf packs, touching, embracing, loving and feeliing an OVERLOAD of happiness they could never have experienced in the Psy world.

Judd was not liked very much by the PACK because his own kind was the one who abducted Brenna and violated her mind and physical being. Judd was nothing like his kind. He slowly had feelings and emotions which did cause him great pain, but despite it all, his love for Brenna outweighed the pain he endured.

It was evident in this book that Brenna was a very strong willed and determined young lady. She knew who she loved and would stop at nothing to get him! She knew he was the enemy and was a heartless, cold being, but deep inside it all, she could feel with her HEART, that JUDD was the one for her. There was no going back. Even Judd told her once you make that decision that you choose me to be your mate, there are no doubts or second thoughts and she knew with every fiber in her being that he was the ONE! Though they had so much against each other, they were not compatible according to their different worlds, but when LOVE is the central key to their relationship nothing else mattered. They were destined to be togther.

 

I marveled at their love and how in the end, Judd was safe and found his bond with Brenna in the deepest parts of his Psy Mind. He was accepted into the PACK as he earned their trust by helping to heal Brenna and by literally saving Brennas brother when he should have been dead. It was good to know his PSY training came in handy for something of good!

A great read, so much was going on in this book and seeing that there were 48 Chapters I thought I would never get thru it, but as I continued to read page after page, those 48 chapters eventually flew by in a blink of an eye! Thank you for a good read, and like before I'll be looking forward to completing the PSY Changeling Series soon.. TEAM JUDD AND BRENNA - CAT WOMAN and PSY ARROW LOVE!!

"Visions of Heat" by Nalini Singh

Book #2 of the Psy Changeling Series. I enjoyed reading this book and getting to know Vaughn and Faith. Vaughn from the Wolf Pack did not like Psy at all. As a matter of fact, their 2 different worlds were known as enemies, yet for some reason these 2 worlds outside of the Psy Net World found mates within the PACK WORLD!

Vaughn was known as a straight faced Jaguar who had the strength of his Alpha was purely all MALE and MASCULINE! There were plenty of mates he could have in his pack, but none that really called to him or that lured him to be his soul mate. Its one thing to bed another woman, but to find and feel who your MATE IS, can run deep in your blood and you just know and feel that she's the one for you.

In comes little Miss Faith Nightstar - A F-PSy (Foresees things, predictions in the future). She climbs the walls of her area to step outside the real world in search for Sascha Duncan, (A E-PSY), she feels things and heals others emotions when gone bad. Faith comes in contact with the JAG- Vaughn. He takes her to see Sascha and for some reason, he can't quite let go of her and holds her with touch as a prisoner. He feels something when he touches her and she feels the same way.

I enjoyed getting to see how the packs work and how they are LOYAL to their own, their young and their mates. I was in awe reading about how the Packs have the need
of touch, which comes so freely. While speaking to other pack mates, they would caress their cheeks, or hug each other, just the mere touch anytime they were around each other. I could feel the INTENSE BOND with the packs.
For the Psy, this behavior was unheard of, totally pushed or totally wiped out from their minds or hidden deep beneath in their memory. To feel, react, touch or love was a sense of weakness and branded as being flawed in the Psy world, Can you imagine? Nope, not me...

With Faiths skills, they were able to take down the murderer who was killing off innocent women for the mere thought of being able to feel power over the vulnerable; what a coward. I was so relieved when the killer was caught and put to death and a brutal one at that.(He deserved it!)

Within these 2 worlds, there were emotions and MATES were bonded and as love would have it, they defeated all odds and came out on TOP being able to live with each other, touch each other, and love each other till the DEATH!

A good read and I find myself falling in love with the PACKS! What I would give to have my own personal CAT or WOLF CHANGELING - what an emotional ride that would be lol! Hey, who said a girl couldn't dream, after all this is a Para- Normal love story right? NE-ways, looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

"Flipped" by Wendelin Van Draanen

This book was AWESOME! I don't think they had this book out when I was in grammar school, but it sure is a good read for kids now a days. So my friend let me borrow the book and I brought it home. As I was reading, my nephew who is in the 5th grade says, hey I read that book already for book club and I think I'm gonna read it again for Independent reading. I was saying to myself whoa- this book must be good stuff if he's willing to read it again, but then again he's a reader like me ha!

I loved this book for its content, for the author keeping it real, for the innocent crush, the families that seem like they are one way, but inside it all, they are not the way everyone perceived them from the outside. I loved the new found friendships that developed, the truth and understanding all unveiling itself at its own time, the courage and confidence of a young girl, the typical boyish attitude and male stance and the realization that what you didn't see before has always been right under your nose. It was just turned up so high at one point that you couldn't see beyond it!

Juli Baker crushed on Bryce Loski since the second grade. When she saw those big blue mesmerizing eyes, she was all putty in his hands. Juli had the smarts, the whit, the confidence and the boldness of a young girl that totally caught my attention. From the first day Bryce and his family moved into her neighborhood she knew, he was the one that held her "FIRST KISS." I just love how Juli was so confident, so sure of herself, fun, loving just like a young girl should act. Bryce on the other hand, was not having it. He was annoyed by Juli Baker his across the street neighbor. He tried to avoid her at every cost, but Juli wasn't having it, she was right there where he could see her and where she knew he needed her. I like how the author took both POV of Juli and Bryce.

I'm gonna share parts of the book that really moved me. This part is where Bryce and his grandfather take a walk in the neighborhood after his family got into a big argument during dinner. Bryce never felt close to his grandfather, but things changed and this is part of the conversation, his grandfather told Bryce, "Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss..." He turned to me. "But every once in a while yo ufind someone who's iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare." I liked what his grandfather said to Bryce, he was referring to Juli. She had a spark in her that no other person he could see had. He wanted Bryce to really try and see Juli for the person she was and not for all the annoying things he judged her by.

Bryce is talking to himself, " I'd spent so many years avoiding Juli Baker that I'd never really looked at her, and now all of a sudden I couldn't stop. This weird feeling started taking over the pit of my stomach, and I didn't like it. Not one bit. To tell you the truth, it scared the Sheetrock out of me." Yea baby brother, thats what I'm talking about. All this time you were worried about ditching Juli or getting away from her and now your eyes are finally open- TAH DAH! She's beautiful, smart, caring, has a mind of her own and for so many years she's adored you and all you did was try to avoid her- I say to you, EAT MY SHORTS! haha..I love when guys finally see the light- takes forever, but it happens ha!

I loved the part where Juli's parents got into an argument and Juli was sitting at the table listening to them argue and she started to cry. She explains that her parents came to her room one at a time and told her why things were the way they were and she says to herself, " I felt sorry for my father. I felt sorry for my mother. But most of all I felt lucky for me that they were mine." What a loving and comforting thing to say about her parents. That comment right there moved me to tears. I know we don't say it enough to our parents, but I know I'm lucky to have had great parents just like anyone else. I'm now left with one parent, as my father has returned to the man in charge up above. I'm lucky to have a remaining parent, and I gotta be like Juli and be grateful and lucky she's here! (sigh..)

This part is where Bryce's grandfather (CHET) is talking to Juli. She asked him how he fell in love with his wife (she passed away). He told her it was by accident. He spoke of how beautiful his fiancee to be was and how she was a vision of an angel, and he tells her for a time all he could see was her beauty. But lucky for him, he saw the true beauty and it was not her, he found even more beauty in his wife RENE,who had inner and outer beauty; she was the WINNER! He said" Its easy to look back and see it, and its easy to give the advice, but the sad fact is, most people don't look beneath the surface until it's too late." Whoa, so true papa CHET! For some people, catching whats really real underneath the surface can be saved and changed, but for others they find out too late and by then, families fall apart, hearts are broken and life takes on a whole new challenge, but lets focus on the POSITIVE SIDE! We'll hope that folks find out in the nick of time whats really underneath the surface!

Coming to realization: Bryce is in his room saying, "As I lay in my bed staring out the window at the sky, I thought about how my dad had always looked down on the Bakers. How he'd put down their house and their yard and their cars and what they did for a living. How he'd called them trash and made fun of Mr. Baker's paintings.And now I ws seeing that there was something really cool about that family. All of them. THEY WERE JUST...REAL! And who were we? There was something spinning wickedly out of control inside this house. It was like seeing inside the Bakers' world had opened up windows into our own, and the view was not a pretty one. Where had all this stuff come from? And why hadn't I ever seen it before.
This was a turning point in the book. Bryce was finally realizing that his dad was one of those men who would belittle everyone and anything around him so as to make it easier to put himself high up on the pedistal. NOt kool, in my book at all! Bryce's Sister Lynetta, yelled at her dad for judging others and saying rude remarks about people and all these years Bryce just sat there and his mother just didn't bother to make a big deal out of it. But, finally Bryce see's what kind of man his dad truly is and he does not want to follow in his footsteps.
Bryce's grandfather mentioned before that sometimes its too late to see beneath the surface and I know for a surety he was referrting to his daughter who married Bryce's father. What a patient and loving father to step aside and even though he knew what kind of a man Mr .Loski was; he couldn't tell his daughter not to marry the man she loved. In this case, he had to let her see for herself what was revealed underneath the surface which surfaced at the family dinner with the Baker's. NOt a pretty sight, but the Bakers being who they are and well mannered, they took all the low blows that Mr. Loski threw at them like CHAMPS! TEAM MYSTERY PISSERS - LOL!!

The Loski's invited the Bakers over for dinner: Juli was not happy about it because she over heard Garret (Bryce's BFF) talk about her and her retarded uncle. She was so upset and told Bryce she never wanted to speak to him again. At this time Bryce is already falling for Juli; so he's feeling like KING KONG JERK FACE right now haha! Bryce isn't good at standing up for himself at all.
After dinner Juli's father says, "You boys showed a lot of restraint tonight. I don't know if I could've kept my cool that way." "Aw,he's just, you know...entrenched." Matt said. "Gotta adjust to the perspective and deal from there." Then he added, " Not that I'd want him as my dad..." Mike practically sprayed his milk. "Dude! Can you imagine?" Then Matt gave my dad a slap on the back and said, "No way, I'm sticking with my main man here." My mom grinned from across the kitchen and said, Me too." I'd never seen my father cry. And he didn't exactly sit there bawling, but there were definitely tears welling up in his eyes." I loved those parts in the book where you could see how the Bakers genuinely loved each other. It didn't matter that they didn't have all the luxuries that the Loski's across the steet had, what mattered was that they were together, getting by, not complaining and not feeling like they were missing out on anything. They were taken care of, fed, loved, nurtured by good parents and therefore the Bakers were absolutely fine. The Loski's on the other hand, appeared to be happy having all the fine paintings, nice clothes, nice cars yet there was something missing. They weren't a family unit. Bryce was scared of his father, couldn't talk to him. His sister Lynetta didn't want to talk to him because he was too busy putting people down and finding faults in everyone. His wife was one of those ladies who just loved her husband but never really dug underneath the surface to see what was really brewing up down there. Her father (CHET) saw it all along, but with his help and his new found friendship with Juli by gosh there was hope for Bryce to see the light!

The light gets brighter and brighter each time I think about Bryce - YES! So people, this is the last part Im' going to share since I think this review is like way long, but oh well. Gota let it all out and so it is said: this is the part where is Basket Boy Lunch takes place and there are oike 10 boys I believe that the girls in school can bid on and that boy has lumch with her and they are excused from class the whole day. Each boy brings a basket lunch for the auction. Of course, Bryce is one of the boys being auctioned and he is bid for $122.50 by (2) of the most popular girls, but before he gets bidded on, Juli bids $18 on Jon, who is a nice boy. She really doesn't like him, but she put his name on the ballot to be one of the basket boys. She felt bad when noone was bidding for him, so she did and he was all hers for $18. She had lunch with him and was having a good time, when the unthinkable happens...wait for it....wait for it....BAYUM...Bryce grabs her by the arm and says he needs to talk to her, she's like what's wrong. Bryce says, do you like John and she says yes he's nice, but not like that. Bryce says, "No! She said no! I didn't care where I was, I didn't care who saw. I wanted, just had to KISS HER. I leaned in, closed my eyes, and then.... she broke away from me. Yup ladies and gentlemen and thats how it happend, Bryce Loski had FLIPPED for Juli Baker- (SCORE!!)

This is the part where Bryce is talking to his grandfather (CHET) about what happened or what didn't happen at school with Juli. Bryce says, " It started with that stupid newspaper article. And I don't know..I've been weirded out ever since. She doesn't look the same, she doesn't sound the same, she doesn't even seem like the same person to me!" I stared out the window at the Bakers'. " She's ..she's just different." My grandfather stood beside me and looked across the street, too. " NO Bryce," he said softly. "She's the same as she's always been; you're the one who's changed." He clapped his hand on my shoulder and whispered. "And, son, from here on out, you'll never be the same again."

During the story, Juli climbs up this big Sycamore tree that his been in the neighborhood for years. One day he owners wnat to cut it down and build a new apartment over it. Juli is furious and stays in the tree and refuses to come down. Eventually her father persuades her to come down and the tree is cut! A very sad day for Juli. She wasn't the same since the tree was cut. It was like a little spark of hers was gone with the tree when it was cut down.
To make this long review short(I HOPE) to show Juli that he's truly sorry for the bad things he's done to her which I dind't mention in the review, he decided to ask her dad if he could plant a sycamore tree in their front yard. Juli's father agrees and Bryce surprises Juli with the little tree which in time and years the tree will sprout up to be an amazing and beautiful SYCAMORE TREE!
At the end this is what Juli says, she's still not talking to Bryce for trying to kiss her in front of everyone and she's confused he was never really her friend and now he wants to be her boyfriend, she says" So maybe I should go over there and thank him for the tree. Maybe we could sit on the porch and talk. It just occurred to me that in all the years we've know each other, we've never done that. Never really talked. Maybe my mother's right. Mayber there is more to Bryce Loski than I know. Maybe it's time to meet him in the proper light."

And that is how the story ends, but what an amazing book. It was well written catering to a younger crowd, but the principles being taught in this book are marvelous. Don't judge other people because you don't know their situation, when dating or preparing for marriage, please look beyond the beauty and look for whats underneath the surface; for what rises above the surface, might not be what you expected, make the most of what you got, be happy and grateful you have what you have; for others who have more than what you have, may not have nothing at all!

Thank you for a great read and I'll be recommending this book to so many of my family that all we'll be talking about for the holidays will be a book called "FLIPPED!" A great read with realistic situations and tons of stuff to relate to in the real world.. I think I've been FLIPPED with a better attitude after reading this book...Thanks again Ms. Draanen for a good read