HELLO TO MY DEAR FANS, I KNOW ITS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I BLOGGED BUT I'M BACK ON BOARD. LIKE MANY OF US LIFE CAN SOMETIMES GET SO BUSY THAT THERE AREN'T ENOUGH HOURS IN THE DAY TO COMPLETE NEEDED TASKS. AS FOR MYSELF I HAVE BEEN IN WHAT I CALL A TRAINING COURSE THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET.THIS TRAINING PROGRAMME IS CALLED THE MISS BAHAMAS WORLD ORGANIZATION. I WAS CHOSEN AS A CONTESTANT MID MARCH AND MY LIFE HAS NEVER BEEN THE SAME.
AS A LITTLE GIRL GROWING UP IN NASSAU, DURING THE MONTHS OF AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER I WOULD BE THE ONLY FAMILY MEMBER JUST BELOW THE TV WHICH WAS HELD WITH A HANGER AS AN ANTENNA(LOL) IN OUR FAMILY ROOM WATCHING MISS BAHAMAS BEAUTY PAGEANT ON A SUNDAY NIGHT.LITTLE DID ANYONE KNOW THAT ONE DAY I WANTED TO BE SEEN ON THAT STAGE WHEN I GREW UP.THAT CAME TO PASS FOR ME THIS SUNDAY JUNE 29TH, 2008 AT WYNDHAM RESORT IN NASSAU BAHAMAS. NOT ONLY DID I WALK ACROSS THE STAGE BUT I WAS TRANSFORMED INTO A MORE VIBRANT, CONFIDENT AND OUTSPOKEN YOUNG WOMAN.
NOW I WILL NOT HAVE YOU TO THINK THAT ALL WENT SMOOTH AND FINE DURING THE FOUR MONTHS. FIRST OF ALL, WE ALL KNOW THAT ANYTHING THAT REQUIRES GROWTH, CHANGE OR IS OF GOD HAS TO BE TESTED. AND SO I WAS. MY FAMILY COULD NOT FIGURE OUT AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE OF ATTENDING COLLEGE THAT I WANTED TO TAKE MY SUMMER DAYS AND FLY EVERY SATURDAY HOME TO NASSAU TO LEARN HOW TO CATWALK, EAT AT DINNER,TAKE POISE LESSONS FOR PICTURE TAKING AND NOT EVEN ASSURED OF WHETHER I WOULD WIN THE TITLE OF MISS BAHAMAS WORLD 2008.IT WAS MORE THAN THAT.
I TOOK THE TIME TO VISIT THE WEBSITE www.missbahamas.net WEEKLY BECAUSE I SAW HOW IT CHANGED, GROOMED A FORMER CO-WORKER OF MINE INTO A VERY HUMBLE, VIVACIOUS AND KNOWN BEAUTIFUL BAHAMIAN WOMAN TODAY. HER NAME WHICH IS NO STRANGER TO US IS ANYA WATKINS- MISS BAHAMAS WORLD 2007. I WAS SO ENLIGHTENED AND IN AWE OF WHAT THIS ORGANIZATION WAS DOING AT NO COST TO THE GOVERNMENT AND WITHOUT NO PAY AT THE END OF THE DAY THAT I DECIDED TO GIVE IT A SHOT. MICHELLE MALCOLM, ONE OF FORMER ANCHOR WOMEN AT OUR LOCAL STATIONS HERE IN THE BAHAMAS CALLED ZNS IS THE ONE OF THE MANY SPIRITS BEHIND ALL OF THE TRANSFORMATIONS THAT THE WORLD GETS TO SEE BEFORE THE "BIG NIGHT". OTHER PAGEANT EXPERTS SUCH AS LESLIA MILLER, PIA GLOVER-ROLLE, ANISHKA, SHERVAUGHN, CHOREOGRAPHER ANTHONY SMITH AND JEROME SAWYER JUST TO NAME A FEW OF WHO WE SAW ON A WEEKLY BASIS.
THEY TOOK THE TIME TO ENSURE THAT THE CONTESTANTS GOT ALL THEY NEEDED TO PREPARE THEM FOR BEING A QUEEN...CROWN OR NO CROWN.I CAN TRUELY SAY THAT MS. MALCOLM HAS BEEN CALLED AS A WOMAN IN THIS LAST HOUR TO BE A LIGHT TO YOUNG WOMEN WHO SEEM DOUBTFUL OF WHO THEY ARE OR SHOULD BE IN LIFE. SO I TAKE THIS TIME TO SAY THANK TO HER AND HER TEAM OF GREATNESS.
NOW I ALSO GOT A CHANCE TO MEET YOUNG WOMEN FROM THE AGES OF 18-23 FROM ALL AROUND THE BAHAMAS AND ITS 700 HUNDRED ISLANDS AND BE ABLE TO STILL PUT DIFFERENCES AND LIFESTYLES ASIDE TO SUBMIT OURSELVES TO A GOD-GIVEN PROCESS. WE DID JUST THAT AND AS A RESULT WILL BE FRIENDS FOREVER. NOW GRANTED WE PROBABLY WILL NOT SEE EACH OTHER ON A DAILY BASIS, BUT I CAN SAY THAT I CAN CALL ON SHARANNA TO HAVE A SEMINAR WITH DR.MYLES MUNROE, VISIT OR VACATION IN HARBOUR ISLAND THANKS TO MISS HARBOUR ISLAND PARIS KNOWLES, WORK WITH SPECIAL CHILDREN THROUGH MISS GRAND BAHAMA KEREL PINDER AND JUST HAVE A GOOD TIME WITH PHILIPPA, CHASE ( MIZANI'S NEW FACE) AND ROBIN ROBERTS AND SHARE A CORNY LAUGH WITH MULTI-TASKER CHRYSTAL BETHEL AND OTHERS.OH I CANNOT FORGET ITALIA WHO WORKS AT NATIONAL INSURANCE. I WILL NEED MONEY BEING OLD(LOL)
LOVE U LADIES.
SO NETWORKING ALONG WITH BEING SEEN NATIONALLY ON A NEW TV SHOW HERE IN THE BAHAMAS ARE OTHER ASPECTS TO PAGEANTRY THAT I RECEIVED FROM THIS TRAINING.
ALL IN ALL LORNEKA JOSEPH RAHMING IS NO LONGER AND UNSURE OF WHO I AM OR WILL BE.
WAS IT NERVE WRECKING TO HAVE 7 JUDGES WATCH ME WALK ACROSS A THEATRE AND SMILED TIL MY FACE HURTS AND WHERE A 2 PIECE BATHING SUIT WHICH I NEVER DREAMED OF DOING IN FRONT OF HUNDREDS????? HECK YES!!!!!
BUT THAT NIGHT WHAT WAS SO INSPIRING AND AWESOME TO ME. THAT AFTER 15 BAHAMASAIR TRIPS AWAY THAT I WOULD GET MY PRAYERS AND MORE ANSWERED. BEING A CHRISTIAN YOU DON'T ALWAYS GET TO WORK WITH PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY YOU LEARN HOW TO BE THE SAME AND LOVE ALL INSPITE OF THIER LIFE'S DECISION. THE TEARFUL MOMENT FOR ME WHEN I WAS CHOSEN FOR A SPIRIT AWARD FROM PUERTO RICO'S VERY OWN CRITICAL BEAUTY HECTOR JOAQUIN FOR MISS CRITICAL BEAUTY BAHAMAS WORLD 2008. THIS AWARD WAS FOR THE YOUNG LADY THAT SHOWED AN AWESOME SPIRIT THROUGHOUT THE PAGEANT EXPERIENCE. THAT I CAN SAY I AM MORE PROUD OF THAN BEING CROWNED WITH DIAMONDS. THIS AWARD IS MY DIAMONDS FROM ABOVE.
SO I DO CONGRATULATE THE NEW QUEEN TENNYSE JOHNSON WHO IS NO STRANGER TO PAGEANTRY AND HONESTLY WISHED HER WELL EVEN THOUGH WE ALL HAD PERSONALITY CLASHES. WITH A FEW TOUCHES HERE AND THERE, ONE ON ONE TRAINING WITH MICHELLE AND HER TEAM SHE IS GOING TO DO WELL. THERE WERE TEARS OF COURSE WHO DID NOT GET WHAT AWARD AND THAT THE JUDGES MADE A MISTAKE...OK...BUT I HAVE COME TO REALIZE THAT WHATEVER HAPPENS IN LIFE GOD ALLOWS IT AND SEE WHAT WE AS HUMANS DON'T SEE. I HONESTLY CAN SAY THAT THE CROWN WILL DO MORE FOR HER SPIRIT THAN ANYONE ELSE...WHY? AS A FORMER CONTESTANT WE HEARD OF THE STORIES OF HOW TENNYSE WAS AND IS STILL KIND OF BROKEN AS A RESULT OF BEING IN A COMA. WHICH NO ONE OF THE "FIERCE FIFTEEN" WENT THROUGH. I AM NOT ONE THAT IS ABOUT TO START BASHING PEOPLE FOR THIER SUCCESSES IN LIFE AND I BELIEVE THAT LIKE IT OR NOT WE SHOULD ALL MOVE ON AND BEGIN TO RALLY ON OUR NEW QUEEN BECAUSE THE WORLD HAS ALREADY STARTED TO LOVE HER... SO WHO ARE WE TO SAY SHE CANNOT REPRESENT THE BAHAMAS.
IF GOD WERE TO UNVEIL OUR DEEPEST SECRETS AND CHARACTER FLAWS ON STAGE WOULD YOU WANT TO WHERE A CROWN AFTERWARDS. I AM SURE NOT.
SO MY LOVED ONES, BAHAMIANS ALL AROUND THE WORLD, TRAINERS AND FRIENDS WHAT IS DONE IS DONE. LIKE I TOLD MY DEAR GIRLS THAT THIS EXPERIENCE SHOULD BE THE BEGINNING OF A NEW CHAPTER FOR US ALL. WE CAN NOT LET 4 MONTHS OF TRANSFORMATION GO DOWN AS A CHEATING AND HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. THEN THERE IS THE WORLD THAT BELIEVES PAGEANTS ARE FOR PRETTY AIR HEADS. PLEASE RE-THINK AND FORGET THE PAST BECAUSE BEAUTIFUL WOMEN ARE BEING WELL GROOMED BEYOND A CROWN IN TODAY'S SOCIETY.
LOOK OUT WORLD YOUNG WOMEN HERE IN THE BAHAMAS HAVE FOUND AN AVENUE TO POLISH AND RE-CREATE THEMSELVES TO BE SEEN!!!!!
1 comment:
Hey Neka, Devin here. I just wanted to say God bless you and keep you.I cried while reding this. It touched me because only the 14 girls that surrounded me for those 4 months understood what we were all going through. The words that were spoken that touched each of us will never be taken away from my heart and I think that we can all say that as a group when we put our differences aside.
I remember when I first met you I thought to my self " Why does this girl talk so much?" not to realize that, that would be the beginning of a beautiful long lasting friendship. I can still remember the goof and funny Loreneka that i held in my arms while she cried and I comforted her and she expressed herself freely.
I love you girl and congratulations. If there was one of us that deserved it it was you!
Keep being your self and continue to work on your platform and I will continue to work on mine and maybe someday we can work together because I feel that they go hand in hand. I think that Michelle would be proud if we follow through and we'll call the project "Beauty with a Purpose". lol
Because that is exactly what it is. As a matter of fact i think we should all use our platforms to complete this project and show the Bahamas that we are more than just beauty contestants but talented and educated young women that want to see change in our country!
Let me know what you think....I'm going to e-mail everyone right now!
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