25 More Facts About Nia Langley

I thought it was time for another Personal post. I think it's important for my readers to have somewhat of an idea of who Nia Langley is...beyond the blog. These are facts you won't find in the "About Nia" section.

1. I have a poster of my favorite dancer, Linda Celeste Sims, in my room. I really, REALLY want to meet her someday. If you can make that happen, please make that happen. I'm seeing her dance with Ailey tomorrow. I'm super excited!

2. Unless I misunderstood, my doctor said I had better than 20/20 vision. I went to an opthamologist, and I could read the 20/10 line. Yeah.

3. I wear NONprescription glasses for fun. I have about 7 pairs.

Photo by Ken, II, the iPhone

4. Yes. My iPhone's name is Ken, II. My first one's name was just Ken.

5. My Macbook's name is Alex Mac, II. My first one's name was Alex Mac.

4. I love reading, but reading makes me so terribly tired (even if I'm reading something I enjoy).

5. When I watched the series finales of The Nanny and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, I cried. I did more so for The Nanny, because they were playing "The Way We Were" by Barbra Streisand. Crying like a baby. If it helps, it was like 2:00 in the morning on both occasions. Okay. This is embarrassing. Moving on...

6. I want to meet Fran Drescher.

7. I NEED to meet Oprah Winfrey.

8. I'd also like to meet Tyra Banks. I remember loving her since I was a little girl.

9. I want to travel and move around a lot. I want to see the world. It's a good thing that international law helps with that! =)

10. I get easily annoyed with anything that has to do with math.

11. On my iPhone, I have a list of songs that I want in the soundtrack for the documentary of my life.

12. I wish I knew how to play the piano.

13. I don't understand Twitter. It seems like a bunch of status updates to me. As of right now, I don't plan on getting one. I just don't get it.

14. If I trip, I keep walking as if nothing happened. I don't fall. I attack the floor. If I happen to attack the floor, I keep walking as if nothing happened.

15. I want to dine at Noma, a restaurant that has been named the world's best restaurant, in Denmark.

16. I drive a stick-shift. His name is Wesley, a Honda CRV.

17. I rarely leave anywhere without my mobile, my chap-stick, my wallet, water, and mints.

18. The color of my belt always is the exact same color of my shoes. Always. If I don't have a belt that matches the shoes, no belt is worn. Plain and simple.

20. I'm learning Spanish right now. Blah. I just want to be fluent already.

21. I do not enjoy standing in lines...for anything. I hate it.

22. I used to work as a filing clerk in a sleep disorders clinic. The job itself was dry, but it's the coolest place I've worked in so far because there were a bunch of bedrooms. Amazingly tempting.

23. I love sleep. It's such a beautiful thing.

24. January 28, 2010 marks the first time I ever did my own nails. Prior to that, I always went to the nail salon. Always. I still love the nail salon.

25. I enjoy learning random things.

That's it! Hopefully, this post was comical, informational, or at least entertaining enough to read.

Read the last 25.

See you soon!

Have an iPhone? Follow me on Instagram at NiaDevereux.

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Get To Know Me One Fact At A Time.

It's been a little while since I've given you all a Personal post about me, so I've decided to write 25 random facts about Nia Langley.

Here's my attempt to help you get to know me a little bit better.

1. Sometimes, I am actually crazy enough to go out in public with my hair like that.

2. My eyes are dark brown and blue on top. Sometimes, you can really see the blue if the camera is on flash...like that picture there. Click on it, and you'll get a better idea of what I'm talking about. I didn't edit it. Promise.

3. I am a Seventh-day Adventist Christian.

4. Nia means "Purpose" in Swahili.

5. 25 is one of my favorite numbers. That's why I'm giving 25 facts.

6. I have a father, mother, and younger sister. I also have 3 god-brothers and 2 god-sisters.

7. I'm a freshman at Oakwood University. I'm majoring in English: Professional Writing and minoring in political science.

8. I have a 5 year old son named Marcus Reuben Langley who is my pride and joy. Don't worry he's a Build-A-Bear. His breed is Lil' Cocoa Cub. Here's a picture! He's on the left, and his cousin, James is on the right. This was taken this past Thanksgiving. =)

9. My favorite color is blue.

10. My favorite animal is the Lion.

11. My favorite drink is water!

12. I don't wear any make-up. For some reason, when I put it on, I feel like I look like a trollop. I'm not saying that those who wear make-up look like women of the night...or men of the night. That's just me.

13. I go between vegetarianism and veganism. (Hmmm...maybe I should write a post about that?)

14. I wish I was a dancer. I have this love/hate thing for dancers (even gymnasts). I am so jealous that I can't do what they are able to do, but at the same time, I am in awe of them. I admire them and what they are capable of doing. To me, dancers and gymnasts are like superheroes.

15. I am (almost weirdly) extremely protective of my dictionaries. I prefer the Oxford Dictionary over all.

16. I do all sorts of music. I play the violin, and I'm teaching myself how to play the piano. I used to play the clarinet, and I sing. Pssst! Wanna hear a secret?! Sometimes, when it came to solos at unimportant events, for my own amusement, I would purposely sing badly (or not-as-well) to avoid compliments. I hate dealing with compliments like that.

17. I secretly want to go to FIT. Fashion inspires me.

18. One day, I want to start a clothing line, and for some reason, I want to name it "Chocolate Sugar". I'm sure that will change in the future. "Lady Devereux" is kind of something I want to do, too. That sounds classy. I don't know.

19. Half of my closet is full of business professional suits.

20. I'm a weird type of shopaholic. I can't stand trying on clothes in the store, and I don't like being in the same store for a long period of time, but just like in the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic, I get this rush when I buy something. It's like this high. Everything feels good. But alas, the moment is gone. I feel kind of bad, because I just spent some money, so I do it again...and again...until I'm broke. It's a real shame.

21. I can be described as antisocial. That description is somewhat accurate and inaccurate at the same time. When I prefer not to have the company of others, it's not because I'm anti-people. It's usually because I'm in some deep, intellectual thinking process of some sort, and it just so happens that I am in many deep thinking moments almost all of the time. However, when push comes to shove, I can be very sociable. My persona demands it. I'm pretty good at talking and engaging in activities with other people, and people say that I'm friendly, so I don't know. My antisocial-ness is probably a special case.

22. I use a journal to plan my outfits in advance. I would tell you exactly what I'll be wearing next week, but my journal is nowhere near me, and I'm kind of writing this post...

23. I wear my hair in its natural state every once and a while. Sometimes it's in braids, but that hasn't been the case in a LONG time. My hair is mainly PRESSED. I've never used the creamy crack (perm), and I've never had extensions/weave...regardless of what people think.

24. I kind of want my wardrobe to be similar to Fran Fine's wardrobe. (Fran Fine was a character that was played by Fran Drescher in the television sitcom called The Nanny - one of my favorite shows.)

25. I love photography. I haven't had any clients in a while, especially considering the fact that I'm looking for a new camera. Any suggestions?

BONUS! I feel like my location is keeping me from having the life I want. If I lived in a place like El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles, better known as Los Angeles, I would have a better chance at knowing the people I want to know...doing the things I want to do. And then, there's a different set of people I want to know. A particular group of people in New York. The concrete jungle where dreams are made of. I mean, the glam is one thing, but I'd rather have the contacts, the friends, the people to network with. Michigan is a truly a waste...an example of God's wrath perhaps? Haha!

I hope this post was comical, informational, or at least entertaining enough to read.

Not satisfied and wanna know more? Hit up my formspring! formspring.me/NiaSpeaking

Let's do this again sometime. =)

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The Way We Were...

"Memories. Like the corners of my mind. Misty, water-colored memories of the way we were. Scattered picture of the smiles we left behind. Smiles we gave to another for the way we were. Can it be that it was all so simple then? Or has time rewritten every line? If we had the chance to do it all again, tell me, would we? Could we? Memories may be beautiful, and yet, what's too painful to remember, we simply choose to forget. So it's the laughter we will remember whenever we remember the way we were. The way we were."

This post has nothing to do with the movie, but "The Way We Were" is undoubtedly my absolute favorite song from Barbra Streisand (just so you know), and lately I've been looking back to the way things were. I'm not saying that I've been dwelling on the past. What I have found myself doing lately is making a comparison between the Nia before and the Nia now.

As I look back, one thing I think I've noted is the Nia Langley before was possibly...hmmm...happier than today's Nia Langley. However, to say that today's Nia is a lot more bitter is too far of a stretch. I think I was happier back then, because ignorance is bliss...in some cases. Now I'm not saying I'm stupid...or that I was stupid. I'm simply saying that I didn't know as much last year, two years ago, ten years ago...you get it.

"Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death." -Albert Einstein

I totally agree with that statement. I think it's crucial to be constantly learning things, ideas, whatever, and it is nearly impossible not to learn something new on the regular basis. As I've grown older, I have gained deeper insight on life, the world, people, and even myself. Out of the things I've learned, there are many things I like, but there are also many things I dislike (and I'm sure everyone has some likes and dislikes). The only reason why I'm assuming I'm less happy than I was is because I want to change the things I dislike, specifically the things within myself.

"Why don't you change then?" I am changing. I've come such a long way in terms of not being so aloof from people. I've opened up...BUT NOT TOO MUCH! I've become friendlier. My faith has been strengthened. My love has been deepened, but there is still such a longggg way to go.

"Look at me. Look at me. I am changing. Trying every way I can. I am changing. I'll be better than I am." -Jennifer Hudson 'I Am Changing'

I am totally thankful that I have grown as a person. I've realized how important it is to be grounded, especially with the modern-day culture throwing stuff at us. In addition to all of these things however, it's important that we not only seek to grow now from the people we were, but we should also aspire to continue growing in the future.

Don't only look back on the way we were. Look at the way we are, and think about the way we want to be. The whole "live for the moment" thing is not a clever thing to do in my eyes. I mean, of course it could be fun, and it may not take a lot of effort or thinking to live that way, but too often it is soooo foolish.

"Where there is no vision, the people perish." -Proverbs 29:18

Some of you may not pay any attention to the Bible, but I find this text to be true. Invest in yourself. If you're not at least somewhat preparing for what's ahead then what are you really living for? Instant gratification? I think that thinking about a long-term goal is, most of the time, more important than satisfying the "right-now" desires.

So, to wrap up this post (which is kind of all over the place...again), use looking back at the way you were to improve the way you are now, and strive to make the way you are now an even better person. I'm looking forward to the future. I have many things planned. Hopefully, the way I will be in the future is the the best person I can possibly be. I wish the same for all of you.

Picture: No Copyright Infringement Intended

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Nia's Reality of Friendship.

No pictures of artwork, fashion, or whatever today. I'm simply going to write what is on my mind.

I've come to the realization that I do not have many friends. This may sound kind of bad, but let me attempt to explain this...

For clarification, this is NOT a sob story. If anything it's a statement or an expression to show a more personal side of Nia Langley.

The relationships that I have with many people are nearly difficult to explain. I come in contact with many people, and form some sort of new relationship with at least one person everyday. However, I think some people I come in contact with are too quick to call me 'friend'.

When it comes down to it, I'm not mad at people for assuming we have a genuine friendship. Today, the word 'friend' gets tossed around way too often (along with the word 'love', but that's another story). Society now has made the idea or concept of friendship not as big of a deal. I do get annoyed, however, when people who claim I'm their friend assume that I am supposed to fulfill some sort of duty for them (I really don't know how to explain it). I have no obligation to most people, because I do not truly know most people. I do not truly know most people, because most people I come in contact with are, in truth, acquaintances. Though there are many acquaintances I am very fond of, I cannot say they are my friends without really knowing them.

Is this making any sense?

It's not like I don't want friends. I simply want REAL ones. I think the more people you let into your life, the more complicated it gets. With that being said, I don't want to rush into many friendships, and just because we're not friends, doesn't mean I won't do anything nice for you. I just don't want people expecting things from me without knowing me. I'd rather start as acquaintances, build a bond, build trust, and form a friendship. Almost all of my acquaintances have the potential to become my friends. I'm simply not in any hurry to make that transition.

If you can't tell already, my circle of friends is rather tight right now. Not because I'm cold and distant from people, but because it's difficult for me to keep friends. It's difficult for me to keep friends, because people tend to get offended when I tell them the truth. I'm not the type to just go around lying. I'm also not the one who doesn't speak up when I think something is wrong. I say what's on my mind. I'm not loud, but I do say what I want to say (if I'm sure what it is) when I want to say it. If people are real with me, I'm going to be real with them. If people are fake with me, I'm still going to be real with them. That's just the way I am.

Along with being real with people, I think my remarks are sometimes misunderstood. I think I can be a really nice person to be around, but when someone crosses my line, it will not always be a pretty picture. If someone steps on my toes, I don't allow the foot to stay there. I kick it off of me usually.

The thing that's soooo bizarre about this is I'm really not a mean person! And (specifically recently) I've come to the realization that I like to see people happy. I enjoy meeting new people. I like to make people smile, and I think that everyone should know what it feels like to be loved.

So to wrap this all up, I think my views on friendship are a bit different than the next guy's. I know it's kind of weird, but I really want to stay grounded, and I think the best way to do that while having relationships with people is by having true friends that you really know. I also want someone who will put in the same amount of work into the friendship, so it's not just me working by myself. I am NOT anti-people! I would rather really get to know someone better as I build trust.

That's all I have to say on this. Did you follow me at all? Hopefully...haha

What are your thoughts on friendship? What do you think true friendship is?

Thanks for reading!

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