AleanElston.com

Category: Life & Advice

  • My 1st NO WEAVE Anniversary and Why I Stopped Wearing Them

    Wild Thang

    Yes it has been a while since I have written a post, but I assure you, Its not because I didn’t want to its because I’ve been too busy to sit down here and do it. But now I’m back and I’m ready to get back to bloggin!!! YAAAY!

    And yes you are reading the post title correctly, I have not had a weave in my hair for slightly over a year. Let me tell you the story…

    You see, a few years ago, back in 2003, I was in a car accident that injured my thumbs. (This guy ran a stop sign and crossed in front of me and I couldn’t stop in time, which totaled my first car 🙁 and turned me in to the “cautious” driver I am now…) I loved to do my own hair prior to that and being that my hands were injured and it hurt to do simple things like write and type, you can imagine how much pain I was in trying to do my hair. So my solution to that? I went to the african shop and got Kinky Twists in my hair, something simple and easy for me to maintain. I got them touched up every so many months until my hands got better to the point where I could handle things without pain, then I went back to doing my own hair. That’s when I believe that the laziness set in lol. I figured that I don’t really feel like doing my hair EVERYDAY but I want it to look good EVERYDAY, and I didn’t want braids or twists anymore so what can I get? I didn’t want to get a relaxer anymore because I was scared that my scalp would be too sensitive and it wouldn’t take being that I hadn’t had a perm in about 6 months at that time. Thus began the journey of the WEAVE QUEEN!

    I had worn weaves before in the past, but this started an era with me where I REFUSED to be seen without one! My real hair was in that natural at the root and permed at the ends state and I didn’t feel like dealing with the jungle at the root on a regular lol and it seemed that the weaves had saved my life! All I had to do was wake up every morning and make sure the little section that showed to cover up my tracks was straight, who could ask for anything easier?! Not to mention, when I was in college, I didn’t really have a lot of time to dedicate to my hair with studying, internships, running a club on campus and working and I just wanted it to look good. PERIOD

    It wasn’t until after I graduated from college that I realized the damage that was being done to my hair from the constant wearing of the weaves. Sure my hair was growing underneath, but that section that I kept out in the front to cover my weaves was breaking horribly! I don’t know if it was because it was permanately straight due to excessive heat straightening or what, but all I know is when I attempted to try wearing my hair different ways without weave, my hair felt like doing a hard core “break” dance and those permed ends quickly fell off. What ever was left of that, that continued to remain straight after I washed my hair and didn’t revert to a thick cotton ball state, I cut it off and thus began to wear MY hair.

    I did it for the first time, like really out and about and proud back in 2009 and I did a photoshoot to commemorate it and to join Tyra Banks in her “Real Hair” Day and this is what it looked like in 2009:

    After that photoshoot, from time to time, I would still wear my weaves but then something MAJOR happened…

    Can you guess what it is?

    BILLS!!! That trick Sallie Mae started beatin down my door for me to start paying back my student loans! I had to take a chill pill on my spending and cut back on a few things. Weaves were the first thing on the list!

    I started recycling my weaves, washing and wearing again of course (good for the environment right?! lol), figuring out ways to stretch out my weaves and make them last longer, until I just couldn’t anymore and I stopped wearing them completely and challenged myself to wearing my hair for 3 months straight, in which case I would reward myself with a weave! Crazy, I know. But that was my thinking at the time. When it came time for me to reward myself, I didn’t really feel like wearing a weave, but, because I was going to visit my bestie in Cali, I thought I don’t wanna worry about my hair while im out there so I wore a nice, cool, bob weave, pictured here:

    I still have this romper somewhere…the question is where…(raised eyebrow)

    When I got back, from that trip, I kept the weave for a a few weeks and when I took it out, I haven’t put a weave back in my hair since.

     

    I say all of this because recently I had to think back to the last time I had a weave, and May of 2010 was that time. Now its June of 2011 and I still love wearing my hair.

     

    Now I’m not saying that I will never wear a weave again, or that wearing weaves is the wrong thing to do, in fact the next weave I intend on getting will be a big curly fro, or a long Naomi Campbell style weave with a center part. I love the versatility that my hair is able to give me in my look, I’ll even go as far to say, that because I’ve been wearing my hair it has been a sole reason of why I am booking more modeling jobs. But none the less, I love the fact that I have options with my hair, its deciding what to do with it next that’s driving me crazy! lol

     

    Hope you enjoyed my hair story! 🙂

  • Memorial Day Weekend – Friends and Cookouts!

    Started out my weekend catching up with friends I havent seen in a long time (a few years I think) at Friday’s. (at the bar of course, lol) We all got some food and some drinks and well… here’s what MY section looked like by the end of our time there lol:

    We all had 2 glasses of Wine, 4 shots of Jeigermiester (don’t judge lol) and a beer for protection. (I’ll explain how a beer is protection at a later date lol) Some drank their beer, I let mine chill as we caught up on each other’s lives and shared a few laughs…Good times!

    Then the following day, I headed to a friend’s bbq for one of her family members who had graduated from college. Tore some burgers, chicken, hotdogs, and pasta salad UP! Then being as my homie is a bartender as well she created a mango slushie that was perfect for the cook out. By the end, this is what my area looked like lol:

    Yes you are correct, you are seeing a baby’s bottle next to the mike’s lol. We spent the cookout as aunties for our friend’s baby…you need a mikes after that! lol

     

    Fun times! Hope you had a great start to the summer this weekend.

    AND don’t forget to remember those who gave their lives for our country this Memorial Day!

  • “Wine-ing” and Relaxing After a Long Week

    Peach Sangria with Frozen Rasberries

     

    Well, its been a long week. A long LONG week for me. I don’t work Monday through Friday like most people and for me, Today my weekend begins. How am I spending today? In order to stop my whining about the long week, with some WINE of course!

    There is nothing like a good glass of wine to sit down with and relax with my thoughts. I’m actually sipping as I write this post. The weather is nice, not hot, not cool, just right and my reisling is cool and crisp and sweet because I made it into my favorite drink – PEACH SANGRIA!

    I figure I’d share the recipe, its pretty standard, but I added a few elements that I found online.

    This recipe is enough for a serving size of 4.

  • 2 (375 ml) bottles Riesling wine
  • 1/2 cup peach schnapps
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 ripe peaches, cut into wedges or 1 1/2 use half a jar of preserved peach slices
  • 1/2 orange, sliced
  • 1/2 lemon, sliced

    • Combine all of the ingredients, be careful not to make a mess as the fruit may cause the pitcher to overflow.

    Chill the sangria overnight for more flavor OR

    Add ice just before you serve it

    and get into your most relaxing chair or position on the couch and relax with a good book or the remote.

     

    ENJOY!

     

  • “Text or Call” Which do you Prefer?

    Through out the majority of my adult life I have had my handy dandy cell phone. Made deals, had breakups, set meetings, cursed people out, and even comforted love ones all mainly using the simplicity of a text message. One of the things that I have noticed though, is that people tend to send text messages to have FULL conversations with me! To that I say, CALL ME! Do I have time to talk about something in depth with you via text, NO! Chances are, I’m busy working on 50 million other things and if you can pick up the phone and expedite the process, both of us can get on with what we have to take care of! (excuse my rant, but c’mon people!!! Text messages are 160 characters for a reason.)

    With that, here are my rules for determining if you need to pick up the phone and call me or if we can get by with just a text, here it goes!

    You should text me if:

    • You have a question you want to ask me that doesn’t require a detailed response. (Do not text me asking about the moon, sun, and the quasars and how they function in regards to the earth’s gravitational pull. #textsreadanddeleted)
    • You are running late by a few minutes and you just want to keep me posted.
    • You want to confirm our plans as still on.
    • You just saw some dumb, funny, or cuteness that you think i would like to see (please be sure to have a picture! lol)

    Do not text me if:

    • You are promoting a party, photo/video shoot, or anything else unless its something that we have discussed prior and I asked you to send me that info, otherwise, get on facebook and bombard me with that stuff like the rest of the club promoters on facebook.
    • All you have to say is “HEY” and nothing EVER comes from you saying that (#textreadanddeleted #petpeeve #gokickyourself) if there is something you want to talk about specifically then thats fine, your “HEY” should accompany what you want to talk about. If it doesn’t, I’ve already formulated that you have nothing to talk about and you have officially annoyed me, please don’t waste digital energy on that bull.
    • “We need to talk” but you can’t talk right now…….Why the hell are you asking me to talk with you then?! Wait until you are available to tell me we need to talk and then lets talk about it if i’m not busy.
    • You have IMPORTANT NEWS: ie – you won the lottery, you are being robbed (-_-), you have to confess your undying love (chances are I don’t feel the same so save it), your car broke down and you need me to come get you, you are engaged, etc.

     

    I think I’ve gotten my message across and as I come up with some more reasons to pick up the phone I’ll update this post with those additions.

    What are some of your reasons for picking up  the phone instead of texting, let me know in the comments section below.

  • Happy Hour: GUMBALL MARTINI (Yaay its the WEEKEND!!!)

     

    For most people, Friday is the end of a work week and the beginning of a break from the 9 -5 grind. For me, its just a mini break in the evening that I can spend reflecting and having fun with friends either staying in or going out. Of course we like to do it with drinks and here’s one that I’m going to be mixing up this weekend for the crew. My drink of choice for this weekend is the GUMBALL MARTINI!

    Here is the recipe!

    2 Parts Gin

    1Part Vodka

    1/2 Part Southern Comfort

    1/4 Part Dry Vermouth

    Add a gumball to it for fun!

     

    Have a Great Weekend! 🙂

  • Sir, are you “Thirsty”?! Take a sip of this metaphorical water…

    I’m sure you have heard the term “THIRSTY” lately. Its becoming a more and more popular slang term when describing someone who is pursuing someone in a desperate and persistent manner even though the opposite party has expressed (often times non verbally) that they are not interested.

    Personally, I don’t know if its the hints of summer that have been coming about lately, but I think the heat is making a lot of these dudes out here EXTRA thirsty.  I just want to let you all know that THIRSTINESS is not attractive! It is a major turn off, and if you aren’t sure if you are being thirsty or not, get yourself a glass cause if any of these apply to you I’m gonna give you the “water” you need to quench your thirst.

    You might be thirsty if:

    1. Every time you ask that person out on a date or to spend time with you they are always busy, and never suggest a time/day that is good for them, but you just keep askin (take a sip)
    2. You find yourself not getting any phone calls anymore and you try to play slick games to get them to talk to you. “Oh my bad, I pressed the wrong person on my phone, but what’s up tho?” (take another sip)
    3. You shower that person with compliments and you get none in return…and you KEEP showering them with compliments, hoping they will eventually return them. (you must be a little parched)
    4. All on your facebook or twitter all you talk about is finding wifey or getting a hubby…
    5. Giving the person a nickname, like boo, sweetheart, etc, and they call you by your full government and they make it a point to never deviate from it…
    6. You exchange numbers, and you add them on ALL social networks 10 minutes later and then ask what took them so long to approve you, and in the process of waiting for them to approve you, you message people on their friend list about them…then if you get approved you comment most, if not all, of their pictures (you’re throat must be dry, take a sip patna)

    and the list continues on from there.

    The point to remember in order not to be considered thirsty is, if your find yourself putting fourth most of the effort and energy in communicating with a person or trying to make things work with someone but all you get is the Kanye Shrug or not even a “Oh that’s what’s up” you might just appear thirsty in their eyes and you should fall back.

    Anyone who wants to be involved with you will make an effort to be with you and reciprocate feelings and communicate with you. If they don’t get yourself another “glass of water” and walk away, no need to make them feel like your thirstin over that particular glass. There’s plenty of water out there, find yourself the most refreshing source that will keep your cup running over.

    What are some traits of “thirsty” people I missed? Please Share!

  • Check out My Modeling Apperance on Good Day Philadelphia!

    On a recent episode of Good Day Philadelphia, Alean Elston was spotted modeling Spring Work fashions from local Philadelphia Designer Priscilla Costa. The dress she wore was a wool dress embellished with silk flowers and a red ribbon belt and retails for $300 along with Mykonos Jewelry ranging from $33 – $76 . Click on the video to check out Alean and the latest spring fashion must-haves for the office.

    Philadelphia News, Weather and Sports from WTXF FOX 29