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Have you encountered
people who have tried to use you?
Yes, people try to use me all the time. I've gotten used to that and know how to
identify it and generally avoid those situations. It's not always for material
things either. People will try to use you for information. I don't mind helping
people, but some situations are just plain opportunistic.
How do you deal with
criticism?
I'm not bothered by it. There are people who will genuinely care about you and
will suggest an improvement in an effort to help you. Who wouldn't appreciate
someone like that. You shouldn't be stiff necked and get upset with them.
Correction like that is good and you can learn from it. Then there will be
people who pretend to like you for their own reasons, but have an ulterior
motive. In those situations I'm polite, but on guard. When you're quiet people
often misinterpret it and think they can pull the wool over your eyes. In most
cases you get a good chuckle from witnessing stuff like that. That's why you
often hear singers say they don't know who really likes them for who they really
are. It is a concern, but I'm not going to waste time on that. I'm not one of
those people that believe in having a lot of people around them to boost their
ego. Regardless of how famous you are or what you have achieved you don't need
all that. I was raised an only child, so I'm not into that. It's not what I'm
comfortable with or used to.
What is your biggest fear?
I'm not a fearful person. I fear the Lord, but I don't think about life in a
fearful manner. If you know something is harmful then fine, stay away from it,
but outside of that, no I'm not fearful.
Are you superstitious?
No, not at all. I don't believe in any of that stuff about breaking mirrors or
anything like that. It just oppresses people and makes them fearful of unfounded
things. It's all rubbish.
What is your ideal
place to go on vacation?
I don't take many vacations. Anytime I go anywhere I always end up working.
There is always something to do. I don't work on Sundays which is the Sabbath
and that gives me plenty of rest, so I'm not tired every week from constantly
working. That's probably why I don't feel the need to go on vacation all the
time to rest. I do a lot of work, but I'm not constantly tired. I do like to
visit different places though and take elements from each place and incorporate
it into my work.
What is your ideal
place to live?
Somewhere near the ocean or a river with hills or mountains. Somewhere with lots
of trees. I love looking out at the water and I love hills. I grew up in
Florida, which is very lovely, but totally flat. I love English country homes.
That's my ideal house. An English garden is as good as a garden gets. I love the
look of Cotswold Stone, English Limestone and thatched roofs. I don't want a
mansion or manor house. Just somewhere with adequate space for a studio, a large
library and a lot of land for privacy.
Do you sing in the shower?
Yes, I do (laughs). I sing in the shower a lot. For example opera. You can't
tell me I'm not at the Met (Metropolitan Opera House) when I'm singing in the
shower (laughs).
What are your favorite foods?
Jamaican, Jewish, British, Italian and Spanish. I'm Jamaican, so I was raised on
Jamaican food and love it. Stew peas is my favorite Jamaican dish. I also like
oxtail, hard dough bread, bami and grapenut ice cream. My favorite fruits are
mostly tropical and very popular in Jamaica like mangoes, star fruit, ginep and
soursop. Soursop is also made into a type of lemonade or a milkshake. My
favorite Jewish foods are challah, knishes, blintzes, matzoh, chocolate rugulah,
bagels with lox and falafels. My favorites British foods are shepherd's pie,
Yorkshire pudding, beef Wellington, custards, clotted cream, crumbles, Stilton cheese and biscuits. My favorite Italian dishes are
chicken Parmesan, lasagna and ravioli. I was raised in Miami, which has a large
Hispanic population. My favorite Spanish foods are rice and black beans with
chicken, flan and mamey milkshakes. In general, I do like chocolate (laughs). I
also like cheddar cheese. I put cheese on my food more than I probably should
(laughs). I also like rocky road and pralines and crème ice cream. My favorite
vegetables are mushrooms and cucumbers. I also like porridge with condensed milk
in it. Hey some people like tea, I like porridge! (laughs).
What do you do to relax?
I read a lot and that's very relaxing. I read my Bible, autobiographies or how
to books and music and film magazines. I read a lot on the net as well. I like
to read before I go to bed. My bed is huge and on one side I usually have
writing paper about 10 books that I'm reading at the time. I have that many
books because when I'm researching something I don't want to sit at a desk after
being at one for 12 hours or have to get up every few minutes to get the book I
need from a bookshelf. I'll have to stop that when I get married though
(laughs)."
Do you like taking road trips?
Yeah, I enjoy road trips. It's fun looking at the scenery and stopping at
different places along the way. The only road trips I've taken are to Atlanta.
Anything distance farther than that I prefer to fly. I love going there to visit
my family and friends. Atlanta is one of my favorite cities. I really like it
there. It's really peaceful and beautiful. Though going to my god brother's
house, which is an hour and a half away from mine, should qualify as a road
trip. It really funny, it takes a total of three hours to visit them and
comeback home and we both live in the same part of the state.
Do people ask you
about your hair often?
Yeah, all the time. I've had people come up to me in malls, restaurants and on
the street to ask me about it. If it's not about the length, it's about the
color. I get a lot of compliments on it. People ask me who does my hair or the
name of the shade I used. I was born with reddish/auburn hair. When I was about
10, it started getting darker, so when I was about 12 I tried a hair color. I
wasn't sad about it getting darker because I always liked brown hair, so I tried
a medium blonde shade and liked it.
When I was 15, I tried a new
product that was called color remover, only I didn't understand it wouldn't take
out the color I had put in. A color remover is a hair product that takes out
hair color in the hairdressing sense of the word, as in turns it blonde. Blonde
works like a base color, you can add any color on it and it will come out as it
should unlike red or auburn hair. When I checked it in the mirror, I didn't see
the color being removed, so I left it on my hair longer. It had a yellowish look
to it, but I figured it was like some dyes that turn purple or green while it's
processing, so I thought nothing of it. When I washed it out, I realized it had
turned platinum blonde.
I was a bit stunned, but
thought it interesting. Regardless, I was 15 and black and wasn't about to go
around with platinum blonde hair at that age, even though I had my hair a honey
blonde shade. This new color was blonde, almost like the color I have now. I
didn't want it that color then and neither did my mother (laughs). So she had it
colored back to a darker shade, which was a honey blonde like I had before.
Then a couple years after, I
decided I wanted it a lighter shade of blonde again. I wasn't trying to be
outrageous, I just like the color. As for the length, I've had long hair
since I was a kid. It's naturally curly and I don't perm or relax my hair. When
I want to wear my hair straight, I blow dry it. I've also had the same haircut
since I was 12 years old, long and layered with bangs.
Were you ever a tomboy?
No, I was never a tomboy. I always liked being very feminine, just not dizzy
(laughs). I like doing my hair, nails and make up. I like having nails with some
length, but with playing instruments, you can't have them too long or they will
interfere with your playing.
Do you have any beauty
secrets?
I don't have any beauty regimens nor do I go to spas. I do have dry, sensitive
skin though. I have to use lukewarm or cold water on my skin or it will burn. I
wash my hair and let it air dry or blow dry it if I want it straight. My hair is
dry and needs moisture most of the time. I don't like frivolous beauty plans. I
think beauty should be natural. Well, as natural as one can get with bottle
blonde hair (laughs).
What do you look for in a guy?
Someone of the same faith. A guy with integrity. Someone honest and responsible
with a good sense of humor. I don't feel I have to date every guy I meet to
figure out who the right guy is for me. Some guys get offended at you not
wanting to give them a chance, but if you don't think it's the right person for
you, it's not fair and they will get the wrong idea. I'll know the right guy
when I find him.
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