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The Vault:
Because you just can't get enough of us...by issue
Missed an issue of Happygrrls? Have no fear, that's what the archives are for. Every month, we'll be moving our old articles here for ya'll to enjoy. So sit back and take a look at what was on our minds way back when (way back when being 2002).
November 2002
We're baaaaaaaack...
OLDIE BUT A GOODIE
Did you miss us? Did you need your Happygrrls fix? Well, dammit, we're back and ready to tantalize you with our wit, our slightly crazy points of view, and of course, a whole lotta foolishness!
It's kinda apropos that this issue is about relationships: relationship with friends, boyfriends, exes, co-workers, and families, because for the entire month of October, we found it extremely difficult to get together as friends as well as Happygrrls. We desperately wanted to go out and have some fun and more importantly, hook up and discuss the issue (yo Christine, this means no more karaoke! [oh crap - Chris]), but the other "stuff" in our lives was getting in the way.
Between going to work, meeting up with our other friends and seeing boyfriends, (Christine and I are regrettably man-less, so that last point only applies to Phan [sometimes it's not such a regret, ha! - Chris]) we had no choice but to sit patiently until we were all free.
Big up to us! We did hook up and enjoyed some dim sum and drinks, and we were able to complete the issue on our favourite topic - relationships. We discuss being friends with your ex, interracial dating, juggling friends and boyfriends, and our personal fave: how the Happygrrls met - uncensored and uncut. We also got a chance to sit down and talk to Flow 93.5 DJ Jemeni, a revolutionary in the Toronto radio industry, and Michelle's new best friend.
So take a break from whatever you are doing and check out the latest issue - we hope it's only just as painful as it was putting it together. Kidding!
Enjoy!
ARTS
Barbershop: A look at Ice Cube's new movie.
Battle of the Teen Singers Turned Actors: Crossroads vs. On the Line vs. A Walk to Remember.
Brown Sugar: Review of the romantic comedy starring Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan.
Justified: Justin Timberlake joins the solo leagues.
Simply Deep: Kelly Rowland breaks away from Destiny Child's shadow.RELATING
7 Misconceptions About Single Women: Not all single women own cats or dream of white weddings.
The Best Part of the Relationship: Is it the chase? The flirting? Or the love?
Friends With Exes: Can friendship survive the break-up?
Hanging With the Boyz: Your best friends or your worst enemies?
Juggling Relationships: When friends and boyfriends collide.
Jungle Fever: Interracial dating and all that good stuff.
Michelle's Dating Diary: From break up to make up to break up again.
Dear Angry Black Grrl: Cheap friends, sexy pasts, nosy mothers, Brazilian waxes.
Dating Diary: Being wooed, playa style.
Working 9 to 5: Is not a way to make living, especially if you're a broke student.FASHION
Dear Shopaholic: Bad gifts, fall shoes, dressy denim.
Vintage Vibe: Versality for under $10.
What's Hot: Hats, hats, hats.FEATURES
Happygrrl of the Month: Michelle hangs out with poet and Flow 93.5 DJ Jemeni.
Depression: Everyone knows what it is, but do you know the warning signs?RECOMMENDS
Recommends: For hair, face, and soul.HAPPYGRRLS' HOW-TO
What Every Happygrrl Should Know: How to avoid the flu this season.EXTRAS
The Ghettofabulous Broke Diaries: The adventures of a semi-good girl gone broke.
How the Happygrrls Met: Once upon a time...in an office not so far away...
This & That: I Got Coffee Breath, rating the latest music videos.
August 2002
And now...a few words from our Editor
When I left Toronto in mid-July for a few days (I went to NYC - nice, but I needed more time) it wasn't until I returned to the city that I realized that Toronto (the T-dot is what I like to call it) has a lot to offer.
Not only is our city multicultural, impeccably clean and less noisy, there are certain "things" that make Toronto special.
Which brings me to our current issue.
After weeks and weeks of nixing each other's ideas for a theme, not to mention getting our wires crossed more than a few times, we finally came up with something that we could all agree on [as I recall, Michelle came up with the topic and threatened violence if we didn't agree. I wanted the Dave Foley Tribute Issue - Chris]. We came up with the simple things that we appreciate and love about our city, hence the aptly titled "Happygrrls Do Toronto."
We offer you our opinions on a variety of topics such as cool places to eat, drink, shop, and get your hair done. We also give you helpful hints about places that you should avoid. All this, and we still found time to pack our issue with Happygrrls goodness. And, of course, to celebrate Phan's birthday!
If you are a Torontonian (or not) and need the 411 on our city, get cozy and enjoy the issue!
ARTS
Nellyville: Is Nelly really #1?
Let Go: Avril Lavigne's debut is less than stellar.
American Idol: Weighing in on the show, judges, and contestants.RELATING
Dating Diary: Flings vs. relationships: the showdown.
Angry Black Grrl: Sleazy friends, lonely break-ups, drunken confessions, bad boyfriends
Michelle's Dating Diary: Michelle joins the singles club.FASHION
What's Hot: Gearing up for fall.
Vintage Vibe: Going retro for the summer.
Dear Shopaholic: Spicing up your wardrobe, sunglasses for ovals, hooker dilemma.
What's In Your Purse?: One of life's great mysteries revealed.
Happygrrls' Prep Time: Clocking the impossible.
Christine's Confession: She can't find her way out of a closet.FEATURES
Toronto Dance: Places to get your freak on.
Toronto Dessert: Places to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Toronto Drink: Places to quench your thirst.
Toronto Eat: Places to get your eat on.
Toronto Hair: Places to beautify your look.
Toronto Karaoke: Places to sing your heart out.
Toronto Movies: Places to catch a flick.
Toronto Shop: Places to pick up your fall wardrobe.RECOMMENDS
Recommends: Stuff for your face and body.HAPPYGRRLS' HOW-TO
What Every Happygrrl Should Know: How to be a poolshark.EXTRAS
Happygrrl of the Month: This month's HOTM is none other than Miss SupaDupa Fly.
Moment of the Month: Strangers in the park.
This & That: I Got Coffee Breath, MTV Music Awards, and more.
July 2002
A little summer love...
The temperature is finally above 25 degrees Celcius and the sun is blazing on us. Is summer really here??? A little late, but seriously welcomed.
Doesn't it feel great to get up early and wash your car, invite your friends over for a barbeque (perhaps hot dogs?!?), take a trip to the beach, or sit on your porch and eat ice cream? (Yes, we're always thinking of food.)
For most, the year begins during these hot months. In winter, everyone tends to hibernate and wait for the warm weather to emerge. Now is the time to take advantage of the excitement that summer brings!
Plan a picnic for your boo, go to an amusement park, or chill at a café and sip Long Islands all day long. No matter how you choose to spend your summer, there's no denying that this is a great time to do all the things you wanted to do!
Here at Happygrrls, we've been busy soaking up the rays and sitting in front of our fans. When we did move, which wasn't often, it was to wipe the sweat from our eyes. Eventually we got off our lazy butts and put together our Summer Lovin' Issue. Why "Summer Lovin'"? Because we love the summer, and if you must know, this is the time we get our groove on.
Although we were M.I.A. in June, we're back with a vengeance, and we've packed our July Issue with everything under the sun. From reviews, to make-up, to relationships, we've got it all. We hope you enjoy the issue as much as we did putting it together (which, in case you're wondering, was a lot).
Happy reading!
ARTS
The Eminem Show: Is The Eminem Show worth the price of admission?
MTV Unplugged v.2.0: Lauryn Hill plays the guitar and sings about how having millions of dollars from her record sales sucks.
Ashanti: The newest recording star from Murder Inc. tries her hand at her own material.
Summer Movie Preview: Over 50 movies previewed for the summer.
The Broke Diaries: For anyone who's ever had to date a chicken farmer to get free food.
Tube Talk: Is this the end of good television?RELATING
Dating Diary: A dating history worthy of therapy.
Dear Angry Black Grrl: Bossy bosses, underage love, and more.FASHION
Vintage Vibe: This month Michelle brings you the perfect summer outfit.
Summer Make-Up: The hottest trends for summer.
Summer Sales: What's a girl to do?FEATURES
The Rules: If we lived in the 1950's and our mothers didn't love us, this is the book they'd make us read.RECOMMENDS
Recommends: The Body Shop and MAC are the places to shop. Pamper yourself with a pedicure.HAPPYGRRLS' HOW-TO
What Every Happygrrl Should Know: How to write that perfect personals ad.
What Every Happygrrl Should Know: Keep your computer virus-free.EXTRAS
Happygrrl of the Month: July's H.O.T.M. is P!nk, who is both talented and gutsy enough to break out of the mold.
Michelle's Summer Vacation: A summer to be remembered.
This & That: Our readers write back, I Got Coffee Breath, and more.
May 2002
Sexy can be many things to different people...
When we sat down to discuss this month's topic, we quickly realized that we all had different views on the "sexy" subject. Some of us focus on the physical attributes, some of us on the emotional qualities, and some of us focus on the total package. (Try and figure out who likes what!!!)
Sexual attraction is one of the first reasons why we approach someone. It is human nature to be drawn to something that you find appealing. Think about your first crush. What did you like about them the first time that you saw them? Their eyes, legs or smile? There is always something that sets them aside from anyone else.
The media also bombards us with its view of what it defines as sex appeal. Sorry, but our idea of a sexy man is NOT Brad Pitt, okay!!! Instead of accepting the media's choices, we thought that we would offer our own thoughts. We also created this issue so that we could talk about our favourite topic…SEX. Of course, being very responsible women, we urge everyone to practice safe sex.
In this month's action-packed no-holds-barred issue, we explore everything that is sexy, from fashion to music to the bedroom. Also included in this month are special interviews with two very sexy men, Kiss 92 DJ Kid Carson and Much Music VJ George Stroumboulopoulos. It was an unforgettable experience to have them speak to Happygrrls, one that we're sure we'll be talking about for a long time to come.
With all this sexy talk, we realized that we are three very sexy women. We hope that this installment of Happygrrls makes you want to embrace your inner sexiness too.
Enjoy the issue!
ARTS
Kids in the Hall: The cross-dressing Canadian comedy troupe reunites for a North American tour.
love jones: Michelle takes a steamy look at the 1997 romantic comedy.
Sexy Music: Happygrrls lets you in on those songs that make us oh so weak.
Book Review: Chris reads 4 Blondes by Sex and The City author Candice Bushnell and falls asleep halfway through.RELATING
Dating Diary: Chris turns more bitter by the second.
Happygrrls Sexy Style: With all this talk about sexy, we were bound to give you our opinions.
Dear Angry Black Grrl: Angry Black Grrl answers your relationship questions, but don't worry, she's not really that angry.FASHION
What's Hot: This month Phan recommends a dress that is sure to make you feel sexy.
Vintage Vibe: This month Michelle shows off all her pretty purses.
Signatures 2002: Phan checks out George Brown's annual fashion show.
Dear Shopaholic: Our resident Shopaholic answers your fashion questions.FEATURES
Kid Carson: Kiss 92 DJ Kid Carson sits down with us for a little Q&A.
George Stroumboulopoulos: The best thing at Much Music since, well, ever.
Safe Sex: Listen to Michelle and protect yourself.RECOMMENDS
Happygrrls Recommends: Sexy Stuff. What else did you expect?HAPPYGRRLS' HOW-TO
What Every Happygrrl Should Know: Find the right bathing suit for you.EXTRAS
Sex Toys 101: The lowdown on those little gadgets.
Christine's To-Do List: If you think she's talking about picking up her dry cleaning, think again.
April 2002
Ahh…spring is in the air
Spring marks a time for throwing away the old and embracing the new - new beginnings, new attitudes, and everyone's favourite - new clothes.
Spring also marks the premiere of Happygrrls. If this had been a new reality-based television, the premise would be something like this: what happens when you throw three seemingly different women together to work on a website? Luckily, no one was voted out, and between cappuccinos, long islands, and lots of laughter, Happygrrls was born.
Happygrrls was, at first, supposed to a porno site. But after much deliberation, we concluded that even though it might bring in the dough, we didn't have much interest in the subject. So instead of porn (as our name might suggest), we decided our first foray into the world of the Internet would be an e-zine dedicated to our interests: music, movies, fashion, writing, and of course, men. Happygrrls became a forum for our creative outlets. In addition to entertaining our readers, we hoped that we would also bring forth topics and issues that our readers could relate to.
Our April issue is all about new beginnings. For us, it is the beginning of Happygrrls - something we hope will stick around for a while!
Enjoy!
ARTS
Glenn Lewis: Check out this talented R&B singer, homegrown right here in Toronto.
Michelle Branch: Michelle Branch, the anti-Britney, debuts with The Spirit Room.
Spring Movie Preview: Chris previews over 30 upcoming releases and tells you what's what.
J. S. G. Boggs: Boggs is an artist who is redefining the whole purchasing-art concept.RELATING
Dating Diary: Has anyone seen my mojo?!?FASHION
What's Hot: April's hottest trends, brought to you by Phan.
Spring Fashion: What's in for spring, from peasant blouses to ruffles.
Vintage Vibe: Did someone say Foxy Brown?
Spring Make-Up: What to wear this spring.RECOMMENDS
Happygrrls Recommends: Aveda, Maybelline and Thermasilk.HAPPYGRRLS' HOW-TO
What Every Happygrrl Should Know: Tips on how to purchase a computer.EXTRAS
Happygrrls on the Town: The Happygrrls get ready to try out for Popstars III.
The Rock Rocks My World: But there's more to wrestling than just drooling at the Rock.