Music Monday

May 1, 2017

Filed Under : Music

Happy Monday everyone! Today, I’m back with another Music Monday Post. I know, it’s been a while (Two weeks to be exact), and I know you have been dying to get some new tunes for your playlist. For this post, I have some new graduation themed tunes for your listening pleasure. Graduation? Yes, it’s already graduation time! It’s kind of a bittersweet feeling, especially if you are leaving behind four years worth of memories. I know it was for me. So, with all that being said, check out the full playlist below:

  1. “Graduation,” Vitamin C
  2. “Unwritten,” Natasha Bedingfield
  3. “Successful,” Drake
  4. “Champion,” Kanye West
  5. “Good Morning,” Kanye West
  6. “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” Simple Minds
  7. “We Are Young,” fun.
  8. “Fireworks,” Katy Perry
  9. “See You Again,” Wiz Khalifa
  10. “Closing Time,” Semisonic
  11. “Goodbye,” Spice Girls

-Bryce Lennon

WIWT: BLKHLTH

April 26, 2017

Filed Under : My Style








What I’m Wearing
Sweatshirt: BLKHLTH| Chinos: ASOS | Shoes: Steve Madden | Fedora: H&M

For those of you who don’t know, I have a soft spot for any and everything health related. From environmental studies to mental health, the entire discipline is very intriguing to me. Very broad, I know! Recently, I had an opportunity to collaborate with an organization that provides health related resources to the black community,  BLKHLTH. According to their website, “BLKHLTH aims to create a space where health information is centralized and accessible. We provide engaging content, community events and professional services with the goal of empowering the black community to improve our health and wellness.” Dope, right? They are truly amazing!

Why do we need help finding resources? Doesn’t everyone have a phone? Yes, we do live in a world where our electronic resources are available at our fingertips. However, everything on the internet is not easily accessible, especially if you don’t know where to look. Organizations like BLKHLTH help educate people of color and provide resources for maintaining a healthy way of life. With that being said, I put together this look to help spread the BLKHLTH message.  I styled the popular, “Black Health Matters” crewneck sweatshirt  with a pair of chinos, leather oxfords, and porkpie fedora hat. Looking good, right?

Continuing with this theme, I thought it would be a great idea to step away from fashion and discuss my personal journey towards mental health. Personal? I know, I know, I have yet to share anything really personal about my life on Brycelennon.com. So, consider this a downgraded, E! True Hollywood Story episode. Ha! So, enjoy while it lasts! Don’t get too comfortable.

Testimony

My mental health journey began roughly two years ago. Since then, I’ve been fully embraced in loving all aspects of myself, including my emotional side. Emotions? Why is showing emotions a bad thing? Excuse me, have you been living under a rock for years?! Culturally, showing emotion is considered a sign of weakness, especially as a man of color. We all know that there are no tears in the black household. Tears, what are tears? You better suck it up or get ready to fight. That’s how many black boys are taught to deal with their emotions at an early age. Unfortunately, that’s a reality for many of us, and that’s how we survive.

Over time, those suppressed feelings of sadness and anger are exposed eventually. For myself, these emotions are usually masked behind a nonchalant mentality or a series of complaints. On one accord, I would feed my confirmation bias with a bunch of facts to validate my negative thoughts, while any other time I would complain to everyone about my problems without finding a solution. You see, I was the guy that never knew how to address or deal with his emotions, nor did I know how to be honest with myself.

It wasn’t until I lost a sense of self control when I decided to seek professional help. Mind you, this wasn’t the first time I allowed my emotions to run rapid, but this was definitely the breaking point. Like any other new venture, I was so nervous going to my first session. Why? You know, only “crazy” people go to therapy. Well, that’s what everyone said, but it wasn’t about them this time. For once, everything is going to be about me.

Two years later, everything is still about me. With the help and guidance from my therapist, I have a better understanding of myself and how to maintain my #blackboyjoy. No need to get into specifics, but my mental health journey is a never ending process. Now that I am fully immersed in this pursuit of happiness, there is no excuse to be silent anymore.

Back to our regular scheduled programming

Don’t tease me for humanizing myself a bit, but that came from the heart. Do you have a personal health story you would like to share? Feel free to drop some comments below.

Thanks again,

-Bryce Lennon

P.S. Don’t forget to pick up your “Black Health Matters” sweatshirt here!

Big Brother Canada 5: Week Six

April 25, 2017

Filed Under : Reality TV - This & That


Source: Global TV

The word irony is a complete understatement of what has transpired in the BBCAN Odyssey. After backdooring Neda during the surprise double eviction episode last week, Sindy found herself in a sticky situation. Dillon the surviving nominee from the previous live eviction, won Head of Household for the week. Once the Power of Veto was used on one of the nominees, Dillon made a game changing decision by naming Sindy as the replacement nominee. By eviction night, the house was unified in their decision and sent Sindy packing. Find out how it all went down below!

Head of Household


Source: Global TV

The remaining houseguests, minus Sindy (The previous HoH), competed in the BUZZKILLED competition. As soon as the buzzer goes off, each houseguest hits their button. The last houseguest to ring in gets eliminated. The last houseguest standing becomes the new Head of Household. After a few rounds, the challenge came down to Bruno, Dillon, Dre, and William. Dillon offered the remaining houseguests safety for the week if they forfeit the challenge. Bruno, Dre, and William agreed, and allowed Dillon to win HoH.

Nominations

Dillon still holding Jackie accountable for flip flopping throughout the game, plans on making her the target for the week. He plans on using Demetres as a pawn. If the POV is used, Dillon will renominate a veteran instead. After conversing with his new Emily 2.0 partner, Karen, Dillon has Kevin and Sindy on his radar as potential replacement nominees. At the nomination ceremony, Dillon followed through with his plans and put up Jackie against Demetres.

Power of Veto Competition


Source: Global TV

Dillon, Demetres, Jackie, Ika, Sindy, and William participated in the Out of Orbit Power of Veto competition. Each houseguest has to roll their ball up and around a looped infrastructure and catch it on the other side, completing one rotation. If the ball is dropped, they start over. The first person to complete three hundred consecutive rotations will win the Power of Veto. The challenge came down to Demetres and Dillon. Near the end of the challenge, Dillon’s ball fell off the infrastructure, bringing him back to zero. Demetres continued and was rewarded with the Power of Veto once he hit three hundred rolls.

Secret Veto


Source: Global TV

Dillon called a house meeting, as instructed by Big Brother. Their task was to clean the house from head to toe. While cleaning, William found a clue regarding a secret power. After following a series of clues, William found a secret Power of Veto. He has the option to use the power at one of the next two veto meetings.

Power of Veto Ceremony

Kevin and Bruno tried their best to convince Dillon to put up Ika as a renom, out of fear that Sindy will be targeted instead. Their goal was to get Queen Ika on the block instead. Unfortunately, their plan did not go as expected. Once Demetres used the Power of Veto on himself, Sindy was named as the replacement nominee by Dillon.

Live Eviction


Source: Global TV

Sindy tried her best to save herself from eviction, but ultimately, the house viewed her as a bigger threat than Jackie. Her season three alliance members, Bruno and Kevin, couldn’t rally enough votes to save her. By a vote of six to one, Sindy became the seventh houseguest evicted from the game, leaving three veterans remaining.

Predictions


Source: Global TV

I foresee the newbies sticking together for the next couple of weeks. Now that Bruno and Kevin are officially on the outs, there best bet is to get the house to flip on Ika and Demetres. Since Kevin is romantically linked with William, he has a better chance of staying than Bruno. Since William has this secret power, he may be saving Kevin from the block. Only time will tell.

Thanks for reading,

-Bryce Lennon

WIWT: Adepa Wear

April 19, 2017

Filed Under : My Style








What I’m Wearing
Shirt: ADEPA Wear | Jacket: Levis | Pants: American Eagle | Shoes: ASOS

As a man of both African and Native American decent, I take pride in my ethnic identity. I love embracing my cultural heritage through ethnic prints and patterns. For this particular post, I had the opportunity to receive an amazing shirt from an African clothing brand, ADEPA Wear. With the tagline, “Adepa: The Value in Africa,” Adepa aims to create sustainable opportunities for the less privileged. With that being said, I decided to create a simple look  with my light weight Adepa tee. The embroidered kente design elements on the shirt add a lot of character. Once you add the denim jacket, khaki joggers, and the wicker slip-on sneakers, everything is complete. Still interested? Feel free to stop by Adepa‘s website here for more information.

Thanks for reading,

-Bryce Lennon