My New Look The BC!!

 

Call it mid-life crisis or what, I don't know, but after I washed my hair this week I took the scissors and you can see the results. I've been dissatisfied with locks for a while and this is the first phase of eventually cutting them off to start a new set. My hubby who was away on a work trip had a shock on his return(as did the kids when they got back from school). I had already forgotten about it so met him all smiles. He says it's taking him some time to get used to it. He did agree to take photos though. I'm loving it. So easy to take care of. The color I had refreshed a while back it just got "redder" with the summer sun. What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October Meetup -Good Hair -REPOSTING (oops lost pictures!)

 

 

We couldn't have had a better way to reconnect than to see Chris Rock's movie Good Hair and our meetup tonight was just great.The film I felt was well done in the usual Chris Rock irreverent yet "real" style. His daughters, bless them are sweeties. He hit on some serious issues we women have with hair and image. If you haven't seen it already, please go.
Lovely to meet old friends like Sophia and Michelle and to make many new. We had a great turnout too. I'm sure many of you will recognize Meikmeka What a surprise and pleasure to see her. When she rsvp'd yes on the meetup site, I thought it must be a mistake.

 

 

My model girls..

 

So my girls did a photo shoot this week after having been selected for a local model search contest and boy weren't they excited.
Soila's sisterlocks are now close to 3 years and Nina is now in a very new set of twist locks. They had a real blast and here are just a few of their shots.

Demographic Winter

"A groundbreaking film, Demographic Winter: Decline of the Human Family, reveals in chilling soberness how societies with diminished family influence are now grimly seen as being in social and economic jeopardy..."

Has anyone seen this film yet? Wow thought provoking isn't it? I find the arguments flawed, but I'm interested in investigating the issue more deeply.

Recent Meetup Photos and A Pat On The Back From Dr Cornwell

Here are few photos from the Meet and Greet we had with Dr. Cornwell. My camera had a problem so I've been unable to post until now.
 

We had a great time and Dr. Cornwell shared a lot of insights about Sisterlocks and her vision. Enjoy.
 
I can't stop smiling since Dr. Cornwell complimented my client Sarah on her "beautifully done" Sisterlocks installation when she visited Atlanta in April. More of Sarah's Sisterlocks can be seen on her blog(4-5 months young). Benita, one of my newer clients, joined us for the second photo.
 

Speaking Of Clients...

Speaking of clients, I felt I had to post photos of Miss Roz. Her sisterlocks will be 4 months old this month and gorgeous. 

Roz's hair texture with its hints of gleaming tawny color, make sure heads turn wherever she goes. Note the bottom left photo taken when her retightening was only partially done. Roz has particularly fine hair with a loose curl pattern.

Become a Sisterlocks consultant
 

I was shocked to find out today that I haven't blogged in over a month - sigh, I'm so behind. I wonder how the prolific bloggers manage it? It's a real struggle for me to keep up. I acknowledge regretfully, that the updated blogs get far more frequent visitors.
Anyway I've been so busy with my clients - new and old and yes, Sisterlocks continues strong despite the recession, I always tell my clients. In fact, I think I can go as far as to say it's fairly recession-proof. For under 1,500 dollars which is the training fee, you have the potential to build up a wonderful business with the bonus of meeting and making many wonderful new friends. The overhead costs are not that high. The real cost is labor.
So check out Sisterlock's 2009 consultant training page page for the next consultant's class being held in your area. And guess what? When you pay for the class, you also get a free 1-year subscription to the official Sisterlocks Lifestyle Journal. Now that's a deal. In this photo we see Dr. Cornwell at the last Atlanta Sisterlock's Meet and Greet flanked by some of the wonderful consultants, sisterlocks wearers and trainees. Check out Sophia, Black Russian, Sarah, Onyxcherry and Paulette.

Dr Cornwell Is Coming To Atlanta!!!!

Today I got a call from the Sisterlocks Home Office telling me Dr. Joanne Cornwell would be in Atlanta this weekend to attend the March Sisterlocks Consultant training class. I'm so excited. Last year she graced the Atlanta's Sisterlocks inaugural meetup and it was a lovely occasion. ALthough it's a little short notice, we are trying to get together for a Meet and Greet Reception this weekend. Please see the Atlanta Sisterlocks Meetup Site for details.


THE ATLANTA SISTERLOCKS (TM)MEETUP is proud to sponsor a:
MEET and GREET RECEPTION
with DR. JOANNE CORNWELL, originator of Sisterlocks(TM)
ON: Saturday 28 March, 2009
TIME : 6pm-9pm
WHERE? : TBA

We have the pleasure to invite you to meet Dr. Joanne Cornwell who will be in Atlanta visiting the Sisterlocks Consultant Training Class.
Dr Joanne Cornwell is an Associate Professor of Africana Studies and French at San Diego State University, Her revolutionary hair care management system allows those with tightly textured hair to take advantage of today's hairstyles without altering the natural texture of their hair.
This event is open to Sisterlocks wearers, consultants, trainees and women who are interested in getting or simply knowing more about Sisterlocks. Come and meet and get to know Dr. Cornwell personally and see Dr Cornwell's fabulous Sisterlocks in person. This is the opportunity we've been waiting for.
Hurry and book your places now. Limited Seating.
Please RSVP to: ambambigg@gmail.com or naturalhair-50@meetup.com or call (404)
4049352286 or Sophia for details

March Photo Shoot - 5 years

 

So Matt agreed to do a little photo shoot today so I could show some long-overdue updates. I wrapped myself in a kikoyi for the first photo. My hair: I roller set the front half of my hair with soft spikes Saturday night and two-strand twisted the bottom half since I was feeling too lazy to do it all. I retouched my color a couple of weeks ago. Nina and I had a giggle at the end.

 

 

 

Dreaming Of A White Christmas..In March

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...
 

Well what do you you know? We heard the weather forecast for snow but dismissed it as absurd. After all it's March 1. After a very wet weekend, I could swear the weather was warming up. Turns out I was wrong. Snow and rain began falling halfway through church, but by the end of service, the world was covered in white. The kids couldn't wait to get out - and don't laugh, snow is a rare commodity in Atlanta.
Soila and Nina built a snowman in the front garden with the help of ever patient dad.
 

Happy Birthday Atlanta Sisterlocks Meetup!!

The Atlanta Sisterlocks Meetup is ONE YEAR old and guess what? I didn't realize it until I got a message from Meetup. I started this group to bring together women who have Sisterlocks and other tool-assisted locks. I wanted an informal way for those researching sisterlocks and long-time sisterlocks wearers to meet, share their journeys, swap products and tips, and also to spread the word for their consultants.
The year has flown by so fast and we now have 153 Lye-free and locked up gals. It's been such a great way to meet other natural sisters. It's amazing how it's come along.

Meetup Jan 31:
We had a wonderful meetup last weekend, but since I had forgotten the anniversary I didn't mention it. We met at Lattetude - a cosy coffee bistro in Decatur. ( Many thanks to my client Ronke, who suggested it). I give the venue a big thumbs up.
A lot of new members turned out and it was informative and fun. Thanks everyone. We missed those who couldn't make it and we must celebrate our anniversary next month. Look at Sophia's blog for extra photos. There are a few more on the Meetup site too, in the photos file. The photos taken on my iphone came out so badly as the light was poor.


On Meetups:
FYI: Meetup is a great way to get people together. For those of you in other cities and states looking for fellowship with like-minded natural sisters and who don't have a group, why don't you start your own? You can start a meetup about everything under the sun.
Here is some info from their website.
"Meetup is the world's largest network of local groups. Meetup makes it easy for anyone to organize a local group or find one of the thousands already meeting up face-to-face. More than 2,000 groups get together in local communities each day, each one with the goal of improving themselves or their communities.
Meetup's mission is to revitalize local community and help people around the world self-organize. Meetup believes that people can change their personal world, or the whole world, by organizing themselves into groups that are powerful enough to make a difference.

A few pictures from Christmas...

Just sharing a few belated photos from the holidays. Soila on the beach early Christmas morning. My niece Kukua turned 2... Isn't she sweet? England was COLD!! My in-law's beautiful farm cottage looked lovely though. In the last photo the children take a walk with grandma in the freezing cold. Her sisterlocks have really grown.(click on the photos to see full size)

 

 

 

 

 

A Must-have New Find For Healthy Hair!!(But maybe you already know about it)

I've recently discovered wonderful hair products by Arbonne, a U.S company with Swiss-formulated products. I think it's the best kept beauty secret in the country. I'm especially in love with their Intelligence Tea Tree Oil Shampoo and Thermal Fusion Revitalizer line - a special blend of healing herbs and botanicals that helps guard against long-term hair loss. There's also a conditioner which is excellent, but I don't personally recommend for locked hair since it's a little on the thick side.
The Arbonne line of products is based on pure, safe, beneficial ingredients with no mineral oil, parabens, or artificial fragrances and chemicals. Those of you who like Aveda products, should certainly give these a try.
The tea-tree formulation combats dry, flaky, scalp with tea tree and peppermint oils, licorice, rosemary and sage extracts.(smells heavenly!!!)
The tea-tree botanical blend really helps to control dry scalp and the hair revitalizer, contains saw palmetto, horsetail and yucca extracts among other things.
(I don't even rinse it out, although you are supposed to). Used together they have allegedly amazing restorative properties for early balding and hair loss.
Arbonne products are not retailed in stores, you will need to buy from a consultant or it can be shipped to you directly. Go to www.beautystartswithin.myarbonne.com to find out more or contact me by email for a sample. I find the prices really reasonable for the generous sized bottles.
I'd love to know if there are any other satisfied Arbonne product users out there. Please let me know. Also would like to hear about other hair-restoring products on the market.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

It's been such a blast being back at home. On Dec 20th it was my niece Kukua's 2nd birthday. We had cake, balloons and plenty of fun. Kukua, my sister Ama daughter, is getting Sisterlocks for her birthday. You can see how Ama's locks are growing and all of ours are getting rave reviews - even though we need retightenings badly!!

Back to Africa - On holidays

 

I'm back to Africa tomorrow for Christmas holidays. I'm so excited. I'll be seeing Ama my beloved twin, my mum and other family members in Ghana. Then we are off to London for a frosty few days in the New Year. We'll enjoy a Christmas feast while roasting in the hot sun...I know my sisterlocks won't let me down. I'll keep you updated.

BLOGGING MAKEOVER

Have any of you tried to freshen up your blog? Give it a blog makeover? New hair, new clothes, new lashes? If so, I wonder what the results were. Did it help to attract new readers or re-enthuse existing friends who visit the site often? Did it help to freshen your own enthusiasm for your own site? Or maybe no one even noticed.

As you can see, I'm in the middle of trying to revamp my own site. If truth be told, it's been a bit of a nightmare: long nights in front of the computer screen, wrestling with html code. Nothing I try seems to be working.

But bear with me. I'll get there. Come back soon and you'll find a whole new Amba's Sisterlocks Journey. And in the meantime, if anyone has any tips or helpful hints, please let me know.

Dialogue In The Dark - Are We "Blinded" By Sight?

- The only way to learn is by encounter



This Thanksgiving weekend was made even more special (aside from my sister and her
family's presence) by our visit to an unusual exhibition called Dialogue In the Dark at Atlantic Station in midtown Atlanta.

The hour long experience offers the public "an experience that can change mindsets on disability and diversity, and increase tolerance."

Blind guides lead visitors in small groups through different settings in total darkness where they learn how to interact without sight by using their other senses.

At the beginning of the exhibit - after removing anything that could emit light like watches and cellphones - our small group was taken into a room where we sat on lighted cubes on the floor. We had been given canes and a brief lesson on how to use them. Then the light in the cubes was gradually dimmed until we were left in pitch black and the exhibition began.

We went through a garden where we could hear birdsong, touch grass and plants. We went to a store where we felt bread and coconuts and other produce. During the city scene we heard cars and experienced crossing a street with a cane - it was an unnerving and disorienting experience.

But the amazing thing was that the guides - who were blind - would make sure we were all together and safe. They encouraged us along.

It was as though they could see.

The final room was a bar. We bought drinks in the dark. Before we went in they told us: take only two $1 bills. You hand over the money in the dark and are given change. If we hadn't had the single bills there is no way we could know what money to give.

My mother is blind and it helped me to see that blind people can enjoy themselves. One sense is cut but you have four others. I got a heightened awareness of sound, touch and the other senses. I never knew what the bar looked like but I felt the counter and saw the seats we were sitting on in my mind. If anything, I got a sense of peace.

At the beginning of the exhibition it was frightening, but by the end I felt kinship with the other people in our group and new found respect for the guides.

Even so, being blind is hard.

At the end of the "Dialogue" you go into a transition room where the lights come on gradually. It was good to see the light again. The hour had flown past but it was unforgettable.