May 1, 2003

Hello, I hope you are doing well today. I'm having a good day. I've been doing mostly paperwork this morning regarding the promo tour and I'm going to start recording in a while. 

I participated in an on line chat for a pro athlete and two of my questions were picked and answered. I asked if he had any hidden talents like singing or painting and he said he has no creative ability at all and is a terrible artist and musician (that made me laugh, but when I thought about it, that doesn't stop some singers from putting out records haha) but it makes him appreciative of those who do have those talents. I also asked if he would write a book or a autobiography since he is very intelligent and he said he is too young to and wants to wait until he does something that would warrant one. 

He has a very good point, but little does he know, Aaron Carter, the teenage pop singer has 4 bios out (more proof that there is something very wrong with the entertainment industry haha). No disrespect intended to Aaron or the subject of the chat. The goal in the entertainment industry where bios are concerned is usually to put out a book before someone else does, even if the subject of the book is two. It was another reminder of how the entertainment industry differs from other fields, as that is not normal. Most people write bios in their 40's or older.

I’ve been thinking about getting a pet. Maybe a dog, but I really don't have the time to care for one. Speaking of that, I was sending a friend an e-birthday card over the net (I sent you the e-card, happy birthday!), and I saw something that made me laugh. You know how they say pets look like their owners; I saw this dog on a e-card and I think this one looks like me: 

Pic courtesy of Blue Mountain   -   Other pics courtesy of, well, me.

Which one’s the dog, huh? (I can’t believe I just said I look like a dog...I don't). Hey, self-depreciation has its benefits, ok no, not really. Notice the hair in the face and the dodgy hair color...the dog, not me! Well ok, me too. But I've got nicer highlights. You know what's really sad...the dog is the natural blonde! (I was born with reddish/auburn hair).

I think the dog has a weave, once again the dog, not me. I say that as a joke, because people ask me all the time if my hair is a weave and it is not. It's my natural hair. Both my grandmothers had long, thick curly hair, one all the way to her waist, and as a result, so do I. I don't think there is anything wrong with weaves though, as long as they are done correctly.

Strangely, I went shopping and when I went back to the store the following week to get something else, the clerk that I bought the stuff from the week before, who previously had medium length black hair, amazingly had a long blonde weave in her hair that was identical to my hair, even the same haircut with the bang a bit over the eyes (eek). She's not the only one who did that either. I don't like when that happens. 

May 3, 2003

It's 8:15 PM. I was just recording vocals. I'm not finished yet, but I'm taking a break to listen to something. I spent most of the day doing paperwork. I had tacos for lunch. I made them, well except the shell, which was store bought. I'm having take out for dinner. What, I don't know yet.  

The work is coming along great. Wow, looking at it all, it's a bit gob-smacking. I've really done a lot of work by God's grace. Well, I don't think about it especially while I'm doing the work, but when you complete certain things you notice it. 

I watched Juanita Bynum and Wesley Weeks wedding on TBN this evening and it was lovely. I'm very happy for them and I pray that God will bless their marriage. One of my favorite preachers, John Hagee, participated in the wedding. I love his show John Hagee today. It's been my favorite show for years. He conducted the salt covenant segment of the wedding ceremony. The salt covenant is type of vow people make that originated thousands of years ago. It really added to the wedding, as it is a great concept. 

I was talking to one of my friends yesterday about how to know when you've found the right person for you. This friend has given me a lot of good advice and prays for me as well, which I really appreciate. I don't think I've found the right person yet. A few hours later, I saw this on the Our Daily Bread site about "How Can I Know Who To Marry?" click here. It is a very interesting article and I encourage you to read it. I think it will be very helpful to you. 

I remember watching a program where Bishop and author T.D. Jakes spoke about when he dated his wife. He said he'd been around her for years, they'd even been to the same events, but they hadn't met. Then one day the bells went off and God put it in his heart that she was the one for him. They've been married for 20 years now. 

A lot of people think they'll meet the person and it will be love at first sight, but that's not always the case. That story made me wonder if I'd met the right person and hadn't realized it, but somehow, I don't think I have. I don't want to date right now anyway. I want to finish up these albums and the movie first. God willing, in a few months I'll start dating. 

One of my friends from San Diego called me tonight, singing in another language. My friend did sound good, but I was cracking up cause I couldn't figure out which language or what song it was. 

My god-brother instant messengered me a little while ago. He wrote "guess where I am?" I guessed a few friends names/houses, but he said "no, I'm in Ft. Myers." His travel basketball team is playing in a tournament. They won two games and lost two. The last game they lost by 12 points, which if you have been reading the page, is an improvement. A couple months ago, they lost by 46 points. I told him they still did well. Well, of course I can say that, cause, well, I wasn't the one who lost. I'm kidding. 

Seriously, they are improving and it's important that you encourage kids, so they don't give up. As much as they lost two of their games, he is happy to be playing one of his favorite sports and in another city. He’s got the right attitude about it. He is enjoying himself and enjoying spending time with his friends and that is the purpose of it. 

Even the best athletes lose sometimes. Some people do well earlier in their careers, others have to build up their careers over time, so one should not get discouraged. The important thing is to enjoy the sport.

May 5, 2003

I did mostly paperwork this morning, then worked on the promo tour and my new site. I'm going to start recording in a bit.  

Yesterday, I spoke to my Aunt in England. Everyone is doing well. She recently went to Ghana on vacation. She said it was very hot there, but she enjoyed the trip. She told me the weather in England is nice right now. Oh, I wish I was there, but I have to finish up my work first. I'll be going there shortly though. I don't do much traveling, as I have a lot of work to do here and it's difficult to get away. Once I finish certain projects, my schedule will be more flexible.

I watched a few soccer matches last week. Aston Villa vs. Everton, Southampton vs. Bolton and Man C vs. West Ham. Man U won the premiership. In tennis, what's going on at the Italia Masters, almost everyone is losing and several in relatively short matches...is it the clay, the weather. Well, like I said on Saturday, even the best athletes lose sometimes and one should not be discouraged (yes, corny line, I know, but it is true).  

Singers often speak of wanting to do collaborations, but it's not something I want for my album. I do think collaborations are nice, though. I've written a duet for a soundtrack I'm working on, but I haven't decided who to offer that collaboration to yet. 

I went to a record store today that I haven't visited since I was a kid. I used to buy a lot of albums there. I found some good ones there today as well. I had a good day. I'm going to spend the rest of the day recording.

May 7, 2003

It's 6:16 PM, I'm doing paperwork right now. I'm having a good week. By God's grace, I wrote a really great song yesterday. It's one of my favorites so far. I started recording it this afternoon. I'm taking a little break now, so I decided to write on here.

The weather here has been great. We really don't get much bad weather, though. I made my favorite English dessert a couple days ago called maids of honor tarts. They're sort of  like macaroons. I gave a few to my neighbor and I haven't seen an ambulance at her house, so I'm assuming they turned out well. I like sticky toffee pudding too, but I've never tried to make it, though I've seen it made. I usually buy that.

A few days ago, a man asked me to borrow my cell phone because his car broke down and he needed to call someone in his family to help him. He spoke Spanish and very little English, but surprisingly I understood what he was saying. I guess my Spanish isn't so bad after all. Ok, yeah it is. I understand it better than I speak and write it. 

I was raised in Miami, which is predominantly Hispanic, have a half Latin grandma... and basically my Spanish sucks! Well, her parents came from Ireland, so she really didn't speak Spanish. I have to make more of an effort to learn it properly, as it really is a wonderful language.

I was just looking at some photos in my portfolio (pics I take of different things and places), in particular the ones I took of the New York Public Library. It looks like a mansion and not a library. The marble, stone, woodwork, moldings and ceilings are beautiful. I've visited many libraries since I was a kid and it is one of my favorites. The first one of you that calls me a nerd gets slapped. I'm kidding.

One of the books I'm reading this week is John F. Kennedy Jr's bio. I'd read about his dad JFK and mom Jackie many times, and while I knew about him based on what was written about his parents, I hadn't read his biography. Reading it now after his death is sad. When the subject of the bio has passed, you sort of view the book differently. I remember on one of my trips to New York a few years ago I was walking through Tribeca and I passed the building he lived in on my way to a store and it was a sad reminder of what happened. 

May 8, 2003

It was a busy day. I spent most of the day doing paperwork, internet related work and making arrangements/paying for business related items over the phone and internet. Regarding calls to the UK and Germany, I have to make those calls before everything closes at 5 PM, which is noon and 1PM here. Me being the wonderful musician I am, I don't always get up with enough time to make those calls before noon, so on certain days I basically have to rush.  

I've been working 12-13 hour days these last few weeks, where I had recently cut it down to about 10. After all that work, I have no trouble falling asleep at night. I do like to watch my favorite Britcoms before I go to sleep when I'm not too tired. Last night I laughed so hard watching an episode of my favorite Britcom. My mom watched a bit of it with me as well. 

Tonight I made fish and chips for dinner. I don't cook it with beer though. Chefs say the liquor burns off and you are left with the flavor of the alcohol, but I don't cook with it anyway (I don't drink). My mom bought flan and tiramisu for dessert. She likes coffee, I don't. It's too strong for me, I don't like it. I remember when my mom switched from regular to decaf, she got a tad bit grumpy. Me being the kind, caring daughter I am, made jokes about it. She doesn't drink coffee that much anymore though, which is good.

May 10, 2003

Good morning. I got up early this morning (yes, on a Saturday, can you believe it). Some work men are here retiling the floor and refinishing the walls in one of the bathrooms in the house. It's the bathroom in the studio. They removed a closet that was not unique to the house (I didn't install it), for which I opened a pack of ear plugs to filter out the noise. I don't listen to music too loud either. It's best to try to preserve your hearing. 

I have to record later and to your hearing that kind of noise/decibel level is the equivalent of a concert... or your ears will feel like you're flying in an airplane. In the mean time I'm in here working on something else that doesn't require silence to record. I have paperwork and internet work to do as well. 

I want to wish my mom (I love you) and all the mothers out there (I don't know the rest if you - kidding) a happy Mother's Day in advance. I think children are so precious. I commend all of you for raising your kids. I hope to be a mother someday myself. I want to wait until I get married to start having children and I haven't found Mr. Right yet. 

May 12, 2003

I haven't done much work today. I just felt like relaxing, so I did some reading. I was out with my mom for Mother's Day, for most of the day and it made me a bit tired. I had dinner with my mom about an hour ago. I just started working in the studio tonight at 9 PM. I talked to my dad yesterday. He called my mom to wish her a Happy Mother's day.   

They aired the Premiership trophy ceremony (soccer) yesterday evening, but I missed it because I was out with my mom. I also forgot to set the VCR to tape it, so I could watch it when I got home. They'll probably re-air it this week. Man U won the Premiership. My dad said they have better reserves and you need that to sustain the team for the 9 month season. Arsenal almost won the Premiership, but lost it a few matches ago. They have a good team, though.  

On Saturday, I watched a division one match between Nottingham Forest and Sheffield U. It was a good match, they really kept the ball moving. The games with a lot of action are more interesting, as there is always something to see. I like Nottingham. 

There is a tall Nottingham player named Marlon Harewood (think Shaq) who plays with such intensity...I was scared for a few of the players on the other team (Sheffield). One of the guys from Sheffield had the ball, Marlon saw, started trying to get it and I was watching like he's behind you, run for your life and don't look back, throw the ball away, do something, but don't let him catch you, a goal is not worth you getting squished...and then he caught him...and let's just say the ref had to blow the whistle and that guy should send the ref a thank you note. I'm kidding. 

The funniest moment of the match was when Sheffield's manager Warnock disagreed with a call the ref made and offered the ref his eyeglasses for future calls haha. From both teams, Harewood, Kenny, Huckerby, Jagielka, Louis Jean, Asaba and Brown should be in the Premiership. Brown got a yellow card for celebrating with a few people on the sidelines after scoring a goal. The crowd likes that, though. Still it can be dangerous security wise.   

There is a singer/songwriter/producer who is based in Europe that is talented and so underrated. I read something about him recently. I like his voice, he sings really well and I can relate to how he made his album. He isn't really known here, but I appreciate his work. I bought the import last year and it is one of my favorites. There's another singer/songwriter/producer here that is underrated as well. He sings really well and plays several instruments.

May 13, 2003

Ok, I think I'm awake. I just started working. I'm going to record a bit later, but right now I'm doing some internet work. The new site looks great, I'm almost finished making it. It has more features and pages. Most of the content is on it with the exception of the music videos and sound clips from the album, the soundtrack and some of the pics. I'll tell you when it launches. 

The work men are here again, they are finishing up the bathroom. Today they are grouting. It looks good so far. Ripping out those closets made the bathroom bigger than some of the bedrooms in the house.

Congratulations to you Robert on your video game launch. Well done babes. Robert and I speak via email to the site. He is very nice and very smart. He is a computer programmer for Sony. He specializes in 3D. Robert, I'm gonna try to play the game, but I must warn you, I'm not good at video games, so if I can't tell you what the whole game is like, it's not cause I don't care, it's because I kept fouling out so I didn't get to see the entire game. 

My god brother is good at playing video games, which makes me the perfect target he always asks to play because he knows he will win. Just wait until I read the video game manual, then you'll be in trouble...okay, probably not, as he gets codes off the internet...then while he's playing the video game, he looks at the paper with the codes on it like an army general studying a map. How am I gonna beat him at the video game when he is using codes and I'm looking at the controls saying stuff like "okay, tell me again, the button with the plus sign is to make the car go forward and the button with the negative sign on it is to make the car go backwards, right?"

May 15, 2003

Good morning. It's a beautiful day. I thank God that I'm doing well. I've been songwriting, programming, recording and doing paperwork. 

My dad has agreed to interview me on his show when my single and album are released. Yes, nepotism is a good thing. He makes copies of his radio show each week, which he catalogs at home. So, I'm hoping I'll be able to put that show on the web site. Hopefully, the station manager will grant me permission to do so. My dad is being presented with an award for music next week. He's won a lot of awards, I've lost count. I'm very happy for you, congratulations daddy.

On Tuesday, I took a break at 3PM to watch soccer game for 2 hours, Bolton Wanderers V Middlesbrough. Only to find out a second match, Inter v. Milan, was being shown simultaneously. I watched both games - ah, multi-tasking! Actually it wasn't that complicated, I just kept pressing the last channel button on the remote. The TV has a picture in picture feature where you can watch two channels at once, but I didn't bother to set it up. 

Both were decisive matches. The Bolton v. Middlesbrough game was interesting. When the Bolton coach called plays into his headset from his seat in the stands, he was so composed - he looked like a mafia boss giving an order. 

Bolton manager Alladyce: okay, tell #5, #7 and #9 to jump #6 if he even so much as looks at the ball...remember, #6 on their team, not #6 on our team...and make it look like an accident!

I'm kidding, but The Bolton Wanderers manager was so composed the whole game, you couldn't help but wander, er, I mean wonder what he was saying into his headset. The only indication he gave of being concerned was when the other team scored a goal...and the indicative sign was...he started chewing his gum fast. 

Though Ricketts was very persistent and scored a goal for Middlesbrough (they should have seen that one coming, he tried 3 times in a row), Bolton still won and advanced, while West Ham is now in Division One, the first time in 10 years. That's got to be sad for them. It would be sad for any team.

Off topic a bit, but I was reading a soccer web site recently, and instead of calling a team their correct name, which is Sunderland, they called them, er Slumberland.  

The Inter v. Milan match was tough and very intense. They play rough, the way they push and heckle each other is quite noticeable. Shevchenko played well. At the end of the match, players were crying, some because they won, others because they lost. That was a bit sad.  

Last night, I saw another Division One match, Reading v Wolves. It's was a good match. They went for over 80 minutes without a goal, but thankfully (the) Wolves got a goal with about 10 minutes remaining.  

May 17, 2003

I had a great day. Things went very well. I did a lot of work - paperwork and I've been working on editing two songs. I did some work around the house today as well (a lot of work around the house). 

I watched a soccer game between Bayern Munich and Stuttgart (German League/soccer) and that was a good match. The commentating was in English, so I learned more about the players. There were a lot of people at the match. When it's a day match, you notice the crowd more. Tonight, I read that Arsenal won the FA Cup. I haven't seen that match yet, but hopefully I will soon. I enjoy Arsenal's matches. 

Well, I'm off to bed now. Goodnight. 

May 20, 2003

Hello, it's really nice outside. I spent yesterday and apart of today doing internet work (the new web sites). I'm going to record later.  

Well, the Lakers are out of the play offs, much to my sister's dismay. I made the mistake of repeating a joke I heard about them thinking it would cheer her up and my little sister said "who said that, they need to get slapped." Then I brought up their loss again a few days after to annoy her and she said "thanks a lot. You know, I had forgotten about that, but thanks for reminding me (angry)." Don't get mad boo boo. By the way, boo boo is not her nickname. My little sister and I made a pact that we would not divulge each others nicknames given to us by our dad. Yes, they are terms of endearment, but we do not want them spoken or written publicly.  

I promised my little sister, my friends daughter and a few of her relatives that I will carry them to a concert they want to go to in a couple months. They want to see the show, and since they are teenagers, I'm the chaperone. Last time I took her to see that concert, she froze when she saw her favorite singers and instead of saying hi and shaking their hands, she panicked and grabbed my hand (I wrote about that a few months ago). She wants to meet them again, so hopefully this time, if we do meet them again, you will actually get a few syllables out, Trudi. I'm kidding babes.  

She's already looking for an outfit for the show. She sends me links to outfits that she likes and asks my opinion on them. I told her, why don't you let me take you shopping when you get here for the show instead of looking for one now...and her response was hilarious, she said "cause next thing you know I don't find nothing up there, then I would be completely jacked, I would need a back up" haha. 

My god brother scored the winning home run in his baseball game last week and he is over the moon about it. Congratulations John. And of course his mom embarrassed him once again by doting on him publicly and by cheering the loudest. She's the only mom at the games who does that and the other parents laugh their butts off watching my god brother wanting to faint from sheer embarrassment. The look on his face is priceless. I'm not saying I don't laugh at what she says, cause hey, I do and it is hilarious. When I went to his game and she did that, my god brother had this frightened/embarrassed "why does she have to say that in public" look on his face. Hopefully, he won't need counseling after all this. 

May 23, 2003

Good evening. Hope you are doing well. I've been having a good day. I worked on the movie this afternoon. I love filmmaking. It is a great outlet. By God's grace I've written quite a few films. A lot of work was done this week. I'm going to record later. 

I spoke to my dad and my sister this morning. They are doing well. My dad received his music award yesterday and is really happy about it. Congratulations again.

I saw a movie about Hitler this week and I wrote about it on the sound off page.

May 24, 2003

Well, I'm up early again on a Saturday morning (yes, no self-respecting musician would do that - I'm kidding). I've been writing this morning. I had a record session last night and I have another one today. It's a really beautiful day. It's memorial day weekend so a lot of people are here. We're going to spend it at home barbecuing.  

I recently read an article about a producer who had a disagreement with someone he works with. I'm not surprised. I called his office a few months ago to enquire about his fees and how he works in terms of vocal, not production collaborations for a soundtrack and his manager kept trying to hint that if you wanted to work with him, you had to work with his partner as well. So, I asked, even if it is a vocal collaboration, not production?

He still kept hinting that it is a package deal. While I have nothing against his partner, I didn't like his manager's business approach, so I didn't send the track. I didn't want to cause any problems either so I didn't say anything about it. Now this disagreement I read about is based on the same thing I encountered - but the story I read is regarding another singer who he worked with without the manager and partner's knowledge. Well, I hope they resolve the situation because they were friends. 

May 26, 2003

I'm having a good day. I hope you've had a good Memorial Day as well. I did some writing today, but I spent most of the day relaxing. Knowing me I'll probably do some work later. I watched a few matches from the French Open this morning. The American tennis players did very well.

I spoke to one of my friends today on the phone and she was jokingly complaining that her kids wouldn't let her any sleep today. She said they had gone out for a bit. So, I told her to go get your sleep while you can.

May 28, 2003

Good night. Yesterday, I did some programming  and today I did a lot of songwriting. I've got some recording and editing to do today as well.

It's been raining here for the last few days. Yesterday, one of my friends in England emailed me telling me how great the weather is there this week - how ironic. I taunt them about our great weather, much to their annoyance, now they're doing the same to me. Well it is the start of hurricane season here (the weather occurrence, not the college football team) and we usually get rain for a while, even if we don't get a hurricane. There hasn't been a hurricane since Andrew in 1992. Actually, I slept through a good portion of hurricane Andrew (rain makes me drowsy).

May 29, 2003

Good morning. I'm doing some songwriting right now. I have a lot of paperwork to do today as well. I did some recording last night. It was mostly instrumentation for a song I've written. I thank God for my catalog. In going over it the other day, I realized it has a lot of songs in it, much more than I'd realized. Well I have been writing since I was about 15 and prior to that I wrote a lot of poetry since I was 4. Last year I found the first poem I'd ever written. My mom saved it. In reading it now, I realize, I was pretty lucid for a four year old.    

I just realized that I've had the date wrong on the sound off page for the last few entries. It wouldn't be so bad if it were the day, I had the month wrong. Actually I copy and paste date line, then change the number so I don't have to do the graphics for each day. I guess I copied one from the wrong month. I just write stuff that I'm thinking about on the page, I do not pay that much attention to detail, then in writing the next day's entry I notice the errors and think, oh dear! Then I fix them. Still, the sound off and diary pages are supposed to be real, not contrived.     

My mom works at home. She had some appointments today. She's already called me twice to look up numbers...and she only left about an hour ago. She does this often. She will call me and say something like:

Mom: Aisha, go to my desk, look for a piece of paper with so and so's office number on it. 

Aisha: Mom, there are lots of pieces of paper on here, which one is it?

Mom: Okay, look for a notebook.

Aisha: (Looks through 50 page note book) Their number is not in here.

Mom: Okay, look for a folder.

Aisha: There are lots of folders. 

Mom: Call 411 and get the number then.

Aisha: This is child abuse!

I'm kidding about that last line. I have to get back to work now. I hope you guys have a good day.

May 30, 2003

Good afternoon. I'm having a great day. I feel great. I had a really long recording session yesterday. I'm a lot closer to finishing up the album because of that session. I have a lot of work to do with the albums and the film, so I have to distribute my time evenly between each project, but yesterday, I decided to just have one long recording session and I covered a lot of what needed to be finished. It was a great recording session, one of my favorites so far. 

God has really blessed me with these projects. I'm really enjoying them. I love my  album, the soundtrack and the film. The version of Contemporary Girl that will be released as a single and video(s) is also a bit different from clip that appears on the web site, but not drastically. The track listing that will appear on the album, singles and DVDs will be posted when the new site is launched.

All the tracks listed on the discography page will be on the album, but there are a few songs and extras on it that I have not listed on the web site because of the poaching problems I've had due to a few immoral singers and industry reps (even though it messed up their careers - hey, you reap what you sow).