Slim & Easy

Pottering around Facebook, as I do, I came across this comic strip that a very good friend of mine has created, about... ME!! LOL Check it out and feel free to comment.

David Coppin creates Artwork to your specification, including Logo's. To see more of his work, visit his site: http://www.dcoppin.hostei.com/comics.html

If you'd like to sponsor my participation in the Adidas 5k Challenge, taking place this Sunday 5th September, please use link: http://www.justgiving.com/ComfortakaSidel

Have a fantastic weekend!

Comfy

Yoooo hooooo!!

Hellllooooooo!!

How are you?

I hope you're good and life is treating you well, but that you're treating yourself even better!

Okay, so a few months ago, I announced that I'd be taking a break from performing for a while, whilst I sorted a few things out and tried to get myself back on track. Well, I have sorted a few things out, messed up a few others, half written some new material, thrown away both old and new material, been to a lot of poetry events, seen a lot of talented artists, co-run Rum Punch and Poetry in the Park with my Partna in Rhyme, Saran Green, as well as devise a plan for a new event (shhhh, it's still a secret), painted the town Pink and Black with the ONiT! logo and decided to hit the performance stage again with a vengeance!

What ARE you on about? I hear you ask... Well, I'm blogging to let you know that I'll be back on the performance circuit as of October 2010. I had a semi-decent break (doesn't feel like it was a break, but hey!) and now I'm good to go!

I can excitedly tell you, that I've agreed to do CLOSE UP with Comfort - Art without Apology, which I am ULTRA nervous about, even though it's not until 10th November!! MANDiNKA, you have a lot to answer for! LOL If you've never been to a CLOSE UP before, it's a live showcase, with band, featuring a main artist - almost like a mini concert - supported by a selection of additional artists. Please save the date... I have a surprise in store (which I can't tell you about yet) - you'll be glad you did!

Tonight, we have the return of Rum Punch, the monthly invigorating blend of entertainment, at Rudys Revenge, which I'm really, really excited about, and on Sunday, I'll be taking part in the 5k Adidas Challenge. All people keep asking me is "How's the training going?" to which I stare back at them, with a vacant expression... I'm hoping it's been a rhetorical question! LOL

Also in the exciting (Black History) month of October, I shall be participating in some very interesting events that I'm simply honoured to be able to be part of.... watch this space!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Last week, I was filmed by Wize Entertainment for a new feature called Poet's Lounge - check out the video:

Well, that's all for now... I'm broken! Off to bed so I can make sure I can get up for work in the morning.

Night, Night,

Comfy x

The Life & Times of...

Salutations!!

How are you? Hope all is blessed in your world(s)!

I'm not too bad, bit tired, but alive and kicking sameway! Gots some bits and bobs to share with you... I've been a right busy bee of late (nothing new there then) but I have evidence this time! Haha!

So, last week was one of excitement and hypation (I know, I made it up... what did you think?! I quite like it..anyhow, I digress). Last week was a lot! I did a brief interview on Colourful Radio with Rosemary Laryea's 'Life' show. You can listen to the show here (20/07/2010 - 12:00) I'm on from 12:35 til 13:00. We spoke about poetry, life and generally had a laugh.

Following on from Rosemary's show, I made my way down to Brixton to take part in the You're Beautiful, Woman documentary that is being made for the forthcoming event, which takes place on Saturday 7 August in North London. I had a slight mishap on my way there.... so there I was, trotting along in my 3 inch, tan wedges... when KAPOW, PING, PANG! the strap on the left show popped and my foot was left hanging precariously off of the edge. Vex is not the word. All I could think is 'I'm on foot (car was at home, cos the cost of parking in London ain't no joke) and have to walk around with my broken shoe!!' When I finally made it to Brixton, I gave thanks for Morely's and popped in to see if I could find something in my size. Now, anyone who know's me, know's I have large feet for a lady, so the odds were stacked against me.... jumped on the escalator KAPOW, PING, PANG! the right shoe broke toooooo!!! Distraught was not the word... I shuffled over to the shoes on the wall display and searched for my size, forgoing all ideas of style over substance and I found one, just ONE pair of shoes in my size... a pair of 'bling' encusted flip flops! Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not adverse to a nice pair of summer flats, but these were BLINGING... and I was dressed in a well co-ordinated combination of tan, navy and white... there was no room for bling on my person that very day! Gosh man! But, since funds were tight, time was against me and both my shoes were broken, I had to make do.

Anyhow, I flip-flopped my way down to the studio space to meet film maker Isaac Tomiczec and gave my answers to his very interesting, provocative questions - I can't wait to see the end product. For your chance to see the end result, which features contributions from Judith Jacobs, Angie Le Mar, DJ MIstaJam and Jasmia Robinson from Britain's Next Top Model make sure you check out the event [http://www.yourebeautifulwoman.com].

I also recently took part in the pre-auditions of ManorLogz - Xtreme Spoken Word, a brand new, first of it's kind competition. ManorLogz is seeking to find the UK's best Spoken Word Poets, Lyricists, and MC's, and the competition is set to be massive. To view my contribution, check out the video





The weekend saw the return of our (Partnas in Rhymes') annual Summers day event; Poetry in the Park. The weather held up, despite looking like it wanted to rain at various points during the day, and everyone had a great time, even with the BBC helicopter hovering over our little patch of big ol' Hyde Park for a couple of hours. The event was well attended with more than 100 people, children and adults alike, sharing fun, food, poetry, comedy and good vibes and we've had some fantastic feedback. If you missed it, you missed out!

Well, there's not much else to report, other than to say that I have registered and paid a fee (yeah, I know it was only £15, but stilll), to take part in the forthcoming Adidas 5k Women's Challenge on Sunday 5th September to raise money for Arthritis Care. It's gonna be more than a challenge I tell ya! I've only just started my training, so I'm gonna need to step it up fast, fast, cos I'm feeling about as fit as Rab C Nesbitt right about now, and that's not a good look!! LOL I'm 10% into my fundraising target of £1,000, so if you're up for sponsoring me, please don't be shy! You can donate by visiting my page or alternatively, if you'd rather not use the 'net, I'll be happy to meet you for your cash donation :o)

Well, that's about all for now Peeps, so I'm gonna bid you farewell, until the next time. Take care, be safe have fun and remember, SAYiT. BEiT. DOiT. ONiT! Bless, Comfy

Excitment all round!

Hello and Happy Friday!


What’s really good?! I hope this blog post finds you well, enjoying the sunshine and looking forward to a weekend of doing whatever brings you joy.

I’m buzzing right now… no, not via narcotics, substances or anything illegal LOL I’m buzzing because Rum Punch was A-MAAAA-ZIIIINGGG last night! For those of you who don’t know, I’m one half of partnership, Partnas in Rhyme and we host a monthly event called Rum Punch. It’s an acoustic night of raw, organic talent in the form of Poetry, Song, Rap and Comedy and yesterday was our 2nd year anniversary (time flies huh?!) The vibes were tight, the line up was CRAAAAZY and the show was a kaleidoscope of edutainment and creativity. We had some serious heavyweight artists grace the space; David J, OneNess, Tshaka Campbell, Mesinjah, Jedi, Kat Francois, T. Forté, Tara Brown and Lady Rhymes, plus the fabulous Open Mic’ers; G.R.E.E.D.S., Kemi Taiwo, The Reverend and Sloetry. If you’re familiar with Poetry/Spoken Word, in London (and the UK in general), then those names will mean something to you. If you’re not, I suggest you look them all up and feed your soul. Trust me when I tell you that you’ll be more than satisfied and glad that you did.


Okay, so the other reason that I’m buzzing…. and this is really, really exciting… is that I’ve been invited, “As an inspirational figure in the world of Poetry” and VIP guest, to be part of the ‘Black 100 Plus Exhibition of Black Achievers in Britain’! How exciting is that huh?! I was so stunned! I still can’t quite believe it, but I feel honoured and proud to have been nominated (by whom, I have no idea) and will attend the Photoshoot and Buffet with my Mum on Saturday, to have my portrait photograph taken (and network like mad, of course! LOL).


Created by Lorna Stewart, The Black 100+ Exhibition was officially opened in 2007 by His Excellency The Rt. Hon. Burchelle Whiteman OJ, High Commissioner of Jamaica along with Actor and Playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah and Councillor Mackie Sheik Deputy Mayor of Southwark. Participants included a range of VIPs, celebrities, well known personalities and members of the general public such as; Lenny Henry, Baroness Lola Young, Rudolph Walker, and many others.


For more information, check out the Black 100 Plus Exhibition here, and read about the talented and inspirational figures who have been included in the project thus far and what it aims to achieve going forward.


Other than that, I’ll be partying at GORGEOUS on Saturday (more info/tickets here) and checking out my Partna in Rhyme, Saran Green’s performance at ‘Soul Food’ on Sunday (details here).

So, on that note, I’m gone people! Have a fabulous weekend, and remember, SAYiT. BEiT. DOiT. ONiT! cos if you can dream it, you can achieve it.


One love,


Comfy

Guess who's back...

Hello

How are you? I'm hoping that this overly 'long-time-coming' blog post finds you well and happy.

I'm sorry for the delayed update... life has been busy, stressful, tiring, blessed, full, fun, boring, lonely, exciting, inspiring, disappointing and eventful. An array of feelings, emotions and eventualities that have taken a lot out of me and kept me too busy or too reluctant to share my feelings with the wider world.

I recently undertook a couple of workshops with my Partna in Rhyme, Saran, hosted by Apples & Snakes, which were really insightful and actually, quite fun. One of the key things I took from Malika Booker's session was the reiteration that it's good practice to write everyday. This is something that I find EXTREMELY challenging; a) because I'm just so busy trying to fit 101 things into my day (and night) usually, that writing naturally takes a back seat and b) because sometimes, the things that are going through my head, aren't the kind of things I want to share, with my conscious self, or anyone else, so putting them down on paper would make me look at certain things and have to deal with them, which I guess, I have been avoiding doing.

So, here I am, it's 2:20am on a Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning. I've had an emotional but productive day and I'm unable to sleep, so am writing this... wondering if I'm actually going to publish it...

I think I should attempt to sleep... so I'm going to love and leave you now, but before I do, I'd like to say this; we all know that we should treasure our families, make time for them and connect/reconnect often, but something that I think we often forget and take for granted, are our close, 'real' friends, so I'll leave you with this; if you have friendships that need attention, go ahead and make time for them, nurture them and if they've fallen by the wayside, revive and resuscitate them... once they flat-line, it'll be too late and you'll look back and wish you'd done something earlier.

Peace and hair grease.

One,

Comfort

Happy Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday Peeps!

Welcome to mid-week limbo, that irritating day of the week when you wish it were a day earlier to get through your to-do list with less panic, or a day later with less hours to go until the weekend... or is that just me?!

Here's hoping you had a fabulous Easter weekend. Mine was nice, I managed to find time to chill AND go out, AND visit family - in particular the little people in my life (e.g. my Neices and God Children). There was chocolate, alcohol and a little piece of fish, but for some reason, no bun and cheese... hmmm, see what happens when my Mum goes on holiday? Easter traditions fall to pieces! LOL

I did manage to squeeze a performance in on Bank Holiday Monday at Laughterfest Part 4, which was headlined by 10 Comedians. It was a good show and my favourite performers on the night just happened to be two that I'd never seen perform before, Fumbi and Kwaku - they both had me in stitches. By the time it was my turn to perform, I was overly nervous, but just had to brace the anxiety and get on with it. I started with Sweet Like which left some people looking a bit heated and unconvinced! Haha I followed on with Unsatisfied as I haven't performed that in a good while, so thought I'd dust it off for the masses, which seemed to go down well and I came off stage feeling better than I had when I went on, but not before doing a little fandango with Kat B!

Kat B, the host for the night, was a little.... worse for wear, shall we say, having consumed a tad more Brandy than is maybe advisable when you're hosting a show!! LOL It was stark reminder of why I make a point of not drinking before a performance! It's all love Kat... hope you've recovered! :o)


Yesterday, I had the pleasure of joining Curtis Walker on Colourful Radio for a brief interview in relation to my forthcoming performance at Love...Sex...Sensuality... the poetry show with more heat than a sauna and less censorship than that of any show you've ever been to, or are ever likely to go to! Curtis was as fun and jokey as I expected and we had a great time. The experience further hightened my love of being on air and encouraged me to sit down and write some notes when I got home... I need to be on radio by the end of the year, this ain't a joke, and pardon the pun, but I'm ONiT! for a retrospective listen to the radio show, click here (I'm on after the news).

Also yesterday, my interview with ONiT! was featured on the blogsite, so feel free to have a read when you have a few minutes to spare - it's only a brief Q&A so enjoy.

Finally, I dug up an old performance video clip from You Tube today, from last Summer. It's such a strange experience seeing myself on screen and the analysis that comes out of it is a bit much, but it made me smile, so I thought I'd share it with you.




That's all from me for now, but I'll be back real soon. In the meantime, take care and enjoy the rest of the week - hopefully, we'll get some more sunshine soon.

Bless,

Comfy

Howdy!

Hey Peeps,

How are you all? To be really honest, I’m busted!! I had a fantastic weekend, but I think it took a lot out of me and my eating habits/nutrition intake is so poor, that I shouldn’t really be surprised. I had two dinners, two performances, two radio shows and in between all of that, managed to do some domestic chores as well as my ONiT! PR work. Oh and I almost forgot, I partied like a rock star too….well actually, less like a rock star and more like a Nurse!! LOL

One of the radio shows that I was a guest on, was Boes Comedy Time, with Boe the Comedian at Voice of Africa Radio. We caught the most jokes in the studio and loosely discussed, 'Are we our own worst enemy'? Click here to listen to a podcast of the show.

This weekend is a long Easter break, which I’m so looking forward to, but I need to spend some time at home and recuperate a little, because feeling like mashed potato (Sweet or otherwise) is not really the one.

I only have two major things planned; one, raving for my bonafide Sistren’s birthday on Saturday at GORGEOUS – it’s gonna be emosh, trust me!! *Comfort sings ‘Party over here, ain’t sh*t over there!’*

On Bank Holiday Monday, 5^th April, I’ll be performing at Laughter Fest Part 4 alongside some of the UK’s premier Comedians; Felix Dexter, Slim, Kojo, Wayne 'Dibbi' Rollins, Geoff Schumann, Special P, Kwaku, Fumbi & MS Diverse not forgetting Kat B (MTV/Choice FM) who’ll be hosting this splendid show at the plush Camden Centre (opposite Kings Cross/St. Pancras Station).

That’s about all from me, for now. I’m off home to drink some honey, lemon and ginger and rest up til I have to get up at the crack of dawn for work.

Catch you sometime soon.

In the meantime, remember, SAYiT. BEiT. DOiT. ONiT!

One love,

Comfy