As she’s always been.

And we couldn’t be any happier to nod and clap in front of our computers as we listen to the above. As soon as I saw the post on Ms. Lauryn Hill’s Facebook feed this morning, I couldn’t help but notice, at first, the va-va-voom. The top, the turtleneck underneath, the skirt and the aura.

I clicked.

Her voice, then, took me back to the time when I – a kid – loved to mingle amongst my – teen then – brother and his friends in our living room having a party like there was no tomorrow just as soon as my parents’d left for vacation.

Ooh-la-la-la!

I was not only supposed to not spill a word about it to our parents (hence my appreciation for Gaga’s Pokerface), but also go to sleep. I didn’t and it’s good that I didn’t, obviously, go to sleep, said “I don’t want to go to bed alone” every time, instead, for I wouldn’t be writing this right now. My brother might have rolled eyes in the past just as much as he used to throw parties. He must be smiling as he’s reading this and he doesn’t throw parties anymore. He, now, enjoys family Friday nights around fire more. I am a fire sign. As are his kids, wahaha.

It worked! Big grin emoji.

It were the mid ’90s and The Fugees seemed to have so much fun on MTV. Of course, I was a huge fan of Lauryn’s. And her style. Always lush. True. Fun. Boyishly flamboyant. Always different, yet always herself. From “Ready or not” to “Doo-Wop (That thing)” to “Ex-Factor” to today’s Austin City Limits performance, always a star .

Another childhood living room experience. It’s this kind of things that shape us. “Great, the parties!”, one shall say. I don’t know who. “Hello, you!“.

The eyes, the ears, the heart.

Wide open, folks!

PS: by min 37:16, I guarantee you enter the weekend just the way you should. See ya.