Remake of The Bodyguard??? Noooo!!

Word on the street is that Warner Brothers is planning to do a remake of The Bodyguard. Wait, WHAAAAAT??? No-no-no and hell naw! I love The Bodyguard. I was in 6th grade when it came out and the first movie my parents allowed me to see at the theatres alone. I went with a friend and we were soooo excited! I've been in love with this movie ever since. And lets not forget that the soundtrack is, hands down, one of the best soundtracks of all times (in my best Kanye voice).

Why can't they just leave the movie alone? According to people.com there are a few suggestions to who can fill the shoes of Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner.

 Channing Tatum and Rihanna; Jennifer Lopez and the Rock; 

Mark Wahlberg and Beyoncé; and 50 Cent and Carrie Underwood. 

Rihanna? JLo? Bwaahhhaaaaahhaa!!! Really though? These women can't sing worth a damn, Beyoncé can sing - but lets face it - she aint got shit on pre/post crack Whitney. And she can't act to save her life. She's just so damn boring! No, I aint hating on Mrs. Carter, she's a very beautiful and talented entertainer. I just think she's overrated. Carrie Underwood has a great voice, but I don't know how she is on the big screen. And Fiddy? No comment. LOL! The rest of the guys are ok. Mark Wahlberg is great actor, Channing Tatum is cute and the Rrrrrrrock is foine! Either way, I don't want to see any of them in a remake. Just leave it alone. If it aint broke......

~I'm the Boss Lady~

Not Gambian Enough?

What's the definition of a pure Gambian?

Yow toubab nga = You are a toubab. I've heard this my entire life. What is toubab? Glad you asked. Lets look at the definitions of this word that I have a love/hate relationship with.

From Washingtoncitypaper:

In the Gambia, West Africa, locals have a nickname for foreigners; they call them "Tubabs," a term derived from "two bob," the standard fee British colonialists used to pay Gambians for odd jobs.

From Wikipedia:
"Toubab" is a Central and West African name for a person of European descent ("whites"). Used most frequently in the Gambia, Senegal, and Mali, the term does not have derogatory connotations by itself, though it is also frequently associated with "wealthy traveller" (if one can afford to travel, then he/she must be rich). The word can also be applied to any perceived traveller - even those of black African descent with an identifiably different phenotype such as (whiter) Cape Verdeans and (blacker)Nigerians, up to foreign-raised locals (thus with a different accent) or a visiting expatriate.

I feel all kinds of ways about both definitions. When I'm in the Gambia, they call me toubab. I can to a certain degree understand that....kinda. I mean, here we come with our kronas (currency of Norway) and just balling out of control. Or at least that's how it appears for the common Gambian (I aint gonna lie, too many some Gambians really ball out of control when visiting the motherland from abroad. More on that fuckery coming soon). So if by toubab they mean "wealthy traveller", I can sort of understand. 100NOK = about 400GMD (Gambian Dalasi). When the average paycheck in Norway lies around 28.000NOK, you can do the math. I get the money part.

What I don't get is Gambians IN Norway calling me toubab. Is it because I was raised here? Or is it because we live in a big-a** house instead of an apartment, like many Gambians here? Or because we speak 50/50 Norwegian and Wolof at home? Or because BossPapa watches skiing on tv? Or because I couldn't care less about gold and clothing material? What the f**k is it? Inquiring minds want to know. It's kinda like in America when Black folks who speak proper English, or grew up in the surburbs, or just generally act non-hood, there're "acting white". See, there's this great divide between Gambians who came here as an adult and those who grew up here. We Most of us just have different outlooks on life. We're....different. But does that make me less Gambian? My Gambian ex used to say that I wasn't Gambian enough, but he didn't have answers to how I was less Gambian.


Growing up, it bothered me a whole lot when I was called toubab. It was hard growing up in a predominantly white country. It was hard enough being the only black kid whereever I went. No matter how much I tried to fit in, I was always the odd one. It's a little like bi-racial kids, you're not really accepted in either groups. I was too black to be considered Norwegian (obviously) and my own people didn't find me Gambian enough. Now I.DON'T.GIVE.A.FLYIN.F**K! I refuse to let anyone define me. I'm not Norwegian-Gambian or any other hyphenated Norwegian. Yes,my citizenship is Norwegian, however my ethnic ties are with Gambia. I call myself a Gambian, because with Gambians I share a common language, common heritage, and common roots. I know who I am. Do you who you are?

~I'm the Boss Lady~

The Bond of Sisterhood

I went to a concert with a very good friend of mine last night. We've been friends for 17 years! Really? Yeah, really. We had the most wonderful time together (even though the concert wasn't all that). I love this girl like crazy. In all of those 17 years we've been friends we've never had an issue. Not one. She's part of my support team. See, when I was younger I used to hang with a lot of guys. They were homies, brothers, the big brothers I never had. However, they never replaced the girlfriends I had, and still have. As time passed and I've faced the unpredictable chaos of life, my girlfriends have been constant factors in my life. Forrest Gump made a valid point when he uttered the immortal words: Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you gonna get. 


Life can be quite overwhelming at times. The constant factors in your life are what keep you sane. My girlfriends have kept me sane and balanced. I have faced challenges I never dreamed of facing. If someone told me a year ago that I'd be going through what I went through, I'd laugh in their face. But it did happen, and I made it through it all. See, your girlfriends are like the family you choose. I know how us women can be catty, trifling, and backstabbing. Some women are toxic and must be avoided at all cost. I've ran across quite a few myself and I've eliminated those negative beings from my life.

My girls are the ones that have been in my life for every moment with me, the good - the bad - and the devastating  moments. We've laughed together and at each other. We've cried together and for each other. They are the ones who got my back, front, and sides. The ones who call me out when I do foolish sh!t or when I'm out of line. Whenever I fall they're there to pick me up and never judge me, but instead offer unconditional love. You know who you are, Ladies. I LOVE YOU.


Take care of your girlfriends. You need them in your life. They are your support system, your cheerleaders. Like a good  bra, they'll lift you up and support you when you need them.




~I'm the Boss Lady~

Happy 46th Independence Anniversary!!!

It's been 46 years since The Gambia got independent from the United Kingdom and joined the Commonwealth. I'm not even gonna say anything about the fact that our so-called president completely disregards our independence day. Today I'll pay tridbute to the Smiling Coast of Africa. I love-love being a Gambian and I'm proud of my roots. It doesn't matter that I've spent the majority of my life in cold-*ss Norway (a post on this ridiculously cold climate coming soon). Gambia, a.k.a Jollof is the smallest country on mainland Africa, but what we lack in size we make up for in soooo many other ways.

Gambians take chillaxing to whole 'nother level. Don't believe me? Get some Gambian friends if you aint got any, or just hang around Gambians. You know that GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) is jokingly referred to as Gambian Maybe Time. Time is a very relative concept for Gambians. I swear, we aint NEVER on time for anything! EVER! True story: I once went to wedding party that was supposed to start 10-ish pm, I got there around 11:30 pm. Do you know when the bride and groom entered the hall? I'm not making this up y'all! - at 03:17!! Yes, that's a.m. By that time my dad, a.k.a BossPapa, had already dozed off with a snack plate in his hand. LOL! We left the party around 05:00 and the party wasn't even close to over.

Speaking of parties, we'll find ANY excuse to throw one. And when we do, we do it real big. I think it's some kind of size complex we suffer from. Since the country is so small, we have to do everything big to compensate. And we're so damn LOUD!! Maaaaan, and my BossMama is the loudest of them all. I'm pretty sure a concorde engine aint got sh!t on her. And you aint lived if you've never eaten Benachin, a.k.a Jollof Rice. We love food. We live for food. We have GREAT food. You wanna get a taste of food heaven, come to our house. BossMama's cooking game is on point! 

I love the warmth and hospitality of our people. I love how everything we do is so grand. The colors in our outfits and the richness of our cultur. All this is to say that I'm proud to be a Gambian. Happy Independence, fellow Gambians! May the Almighty keep guiding and protecting us.

"For The Gambia, our homeland, 

We strive and work and pray,

That all may live in unity,

Freedom and peace each day.

Let justice guide our actions

Towards the common good,

And join our diverse peoples

To prove man's brotherhood. 

We pledge our firm allegiance,

Our promise we renew;

Keep us, great God of nations,

To The Gambia ever true."

~I'm the Boss Lady~

You Talking to Me??

I was going to write about something totally different today, but changed my mind after I went to the gym this morning. So I'm standing in the locker room minding my own business while getting mentally ready for a yoga class. A middle aged woman comes up next to me and stares at me. 

Woman: Oh my god! You've shaved off your hair!! Why did you shave off everything? *looks at my       

           head in disbelieve*

Me: *gives her a major side-eye*  Well it's not all gone, there's still a little bit of hair left. Besides I 

        love that I can just wash and go.

Woman: *makes a snort-like sound and looks at my head in complete contempt* 

                Well, you still shouldn't have shaved it off! 

A million cuss words ran through my mind at that very second, but I couldn't bring myself to cuss this b!tch out. WTF?!? What I really wanted to say was: "I don't see how my hair or lack thereof is any of your damn business. Going to the gym clearly aint working so well for you with your fat ass. And by the way, your gut is way too big for you to be wearing that tight-*ss shirt" -  but I didn't. I counted to ten and went about my business. Thank God for the yoga instructor and her calming voice.

See, people like this get on my damn nerves! I don't mind people asking me questions about my bald head. I think my head is awesome.com and really bring out my features. If she'd asked me in a polite manner I would've explained to her that I have Alopecia and that I was tired of weaving it up. But that right there?? UGH!! I still can't cuss out my elders no matter how much they annoy me. It's been instilled in us practically since birth that you should respect your elders. Y'all Africans know what I'm talking about. You call everyone auntie and uncle, even those you have no blood ties to. This has led me to bite my tongue on more occasions than I bother to count.....*sigh*

~I'm the Boss Lady~

Every kiss begins with $$$

Hi y'all! Welcome to the wonderful world of me. Please let me introduce myself: most people know me as Boss Lady, while a privileged few know my alter ego Toozi. You're probably thinking I'm bossy, right? Not in the bossing people around kinda bossy, but more in the take control-don't take any bulls**t-speak my mind-don't care what other people think- kinda way. Feel me? Keep reading my blog and you'll get to know both.

I'll talk about all the random things on my mind, especially about the good, the bad, and the ugly about my people. I love love love my Gambian people, but hot damn! Growing up in Norway I see a lot of sh*t going down in the Gambian community that get on my freaking nerves! We need to do better, for real. I'll say the sh*t we're all thinking about, but nobody's talking. And yeah, I do talk A LOT! Mr. Incredible, my awesomely wonderful man, can testify to that. Now I can share all that I need to say with y'all. Whoop-whoop!!

And speaking of things that get on my nerves. It's Valentine's day today. The day to show your boo how much you love them. *pause* o_O It's expected that over $14 billion, yes billion, will be spent on this so-called holiday. Yes, the recession is still alive and kicking. We have been brainwashed to believe that Valentine's day is THE day to show your loved one how much they mean to you. Um....what about the 364 remaining days? I think this commercial from Kay Jewelry exemplifies all that's wrong with this stupid holiday.

Side note: I love the end though..."every kiss begins with kaaaaayyyyy" lol don't judge me.

So you need diamonds to feel beautiful, huh? Heffa, if that's the case then you have bigger problems than your husband not buying you the appropriate Vday gift. I'm pretty sure that money spent on flowers, candy, teddy bears, and diamonds could be spent on the electric bill, the kids' college fund, the mortgage, car note etc. Hell, if you have so much money why not give some to charity? Now don't get me wrong, aint nothing wrong with buying gifts for your boo. You should tell and show your boo love EVERY SINGLE DAY. Don't let the capitalist mafia dupe you into spending money you don't really have on a mysterious holiday.

~I'm the Boss Lady~