Bastillé of Béauty

...One of those days

2012-01-29T11:31:00.001-05:00

You know some days begin horribly and progressively get worse. Yes! I had one last week and I have come to one conclusion.

Nigeria is not for the faint-hearted

First off, Abuja is hot! Boiling... Even if I sit really still, the sweating doesn't stop. Don't go on about using an Air Conditioner. In the really hot days, it doesn't cool for jack!! I can't deal. So... it was on one of those days I entered my car and drove to the Bank hoping to withdraw money from my NYSC "allowee" account. Somehow, the account was inactive so I strolled in and asks for it to be activated. The lady said it wasn't possible at that branch and I'd have to drive half across town to get it activated. So senseless! How can it only be possible to activate an account from ONE branch. Let's say I was pissed off and proceeded to accomplish my next task for the day.

I zoomed past a traffic light that was off and saw that some police men were stopping me! Apparently I'd beaten the light! The DAMN thing was off but I guess as I have come to realize now, Nigerians know that OFF is a signal for RED! How the hell am I to know that? I'm used to the REAL traffic lights where RED was RED. Anyways the dude gets into my car and then says I'll have to sit and listen to a 30-minute lecture and then pay N9000. I had so much to do that this was something I couldn't even deal with. And it was HOT! Really HOT! Somehow my mum was in the area and saw the entire thing! God Bless her for knowing my car. She INSTRUCTED the police man to let me go and explained that I was New in town, she goes "Can't you see how they look? They're still here". Let's just say that that was it! And I was free!

As I was running on Empty, I drove the gas station to get some petrol. And somehow there was a long queue all the way onto the road. There I sat with my Ifie and we both feel and hear a loud BANG! Somehow had hit us while we were stationary in the queue. Before i could even risk getting out of the car, the Green Taxi had sped off. I took a deep breath and sat in the car hoping to get out of the car! Next thing, we heard and felt again BANG! Another taxi had hit us and run off! Sigh! I've never felt so helpless in my life. I couldn't even react.

I drove home, got into bed and slept till the next day! DEFEATED.
It's another day in Abuja, Another day in Nigeria and I am back and ready to start the new week!

I thought my hair will change to the slick style most Nigerian ladies rock, but somehow, I'm still a bit far from it! Let's see how that goes!

Stay Tuned for the NYSC Posts! Finally! Especially if you're trying to join the next batch! it's pretty detailed!

Love and Nigerian Hospitality,
Yours Truantly,
Ij

Why Evils?

2012-01-24T06:13:00.001-05:00

The gift of the internet and technological advancement comes with its fair share of woes.
Sadly, the same technology that gives us endless opportunities makes us accountable for every action. There are almost no more secrets. What I wonder is when people will realize that. I have seen enough snapshots of BB Messenger Chats circulate Twitter and BBM to know that people are brutal in their exposure. Let's just say we ALL need to become a little bit smarter to avoid being caught if we say anything we aren't supposed to.

The recent explosion of explicit pictures of Funmi Odeyemi on the internet are beyond upsetting. Why anyone would want to do destroy a young woman's life is beyond me. What would that do the perpetrator? Will it make him or her sleep better at night? It is unjustifiable. And if you want to say her life is not ruined, put yourself in her shoes. Think about what we here her roles were at church and how judgmental Nigerians are. I believe in karma and whatever the story is, whoever leaked pictures of her will HAVE it and have it hard.

Honestly, I thought we'd all learned from the leaked celebrity pictures. Week after week, we see compromising pictures of celebrities and hypothesize about how they got out. One of two questions can be asked:

1. Why do people SEND nude pictures of themselves to others? Girlfriend/Boyfriend/Lover/Spouse. Relationships change and somehow those pictures may get out.

2. Why do people TAKE nude pictures of themselves? Look in the mirror, and move along.

I'm not trying to be self-righteous... We all have skeletons in our closets. But do we have to make mistakes to learn from them? I'm one to shy away from a scandalous situation. I'd rather live vicariously through others and tell someone else's story.

All I'm trying to say is that malicious people now have more ammunition, they have machine guns. Shouldn't we all wear bullet proof vests and helmets? I'm actually terrified that we'll get to a stage where each individual will be able to listen in all our phone calls. Then we'd ALL be screwed. Little gossip will become a scandal and the wrong word will end a friendship, a marriage. Sigh... Everything is so fragile these days, it's exhausting. Sometimes I feel like I'm walking on egg shells when I speak to/ chat with some people. Oh well.... We should all be on guard.

I'm still here, mourning the loss of lives in acts of terrorism on fellow Nigerians. Being extra-vigilant with the heightened security risk. I say a prayer for the country. May we have peace.

Yours Truantly,
IJ

* This side of things *

2012-01-12T08:59:00.000-05:00

There are many more advantages to moving back to Nigeria than we can measure.

With this Nationwide strike, I've seen one more. The reality of the conditions in Nigeria now that I am here. It is no longer just something on CNN or a post on Linda Ikeji. The broadcasts are no longer just 'another purple message', they are areas I should stay away from, possible dangerous routes that I should warn my loved ones not to drive in. It is REAL.

I am currently in Abuja and although I went to work on the first days of the strike, CBN advised us not come any more, for our own safety. So now, I'm home, eating and eating, and watching the strike protests in other places and feeling unbelievably sad. In Abuja, things are less critical, and in the evenings people move around. To make it all better, PHCN has given us almost constant electricity, I hope I have not jinxed it.

What I am impressed by, I must say is the solidarity amongst Nigerians. In terms of my opinion on the fuel subsidy removal, I am not entirely against the need to reduce the amount the country is borrowing to ensure a subsidy. I am however, against the implementation (timing, lack of improvement in standard of living; minimum wage and transportation costs). In my opinion, other things have to be ensured before a complete subsidy removal, how about reduce government spending? How about starting with removing 50% of the subsidy and let us see what is being done with those funds and regain our trust.

I am NO EXPERT in Economic Policies, and do not claim to fully understand the subsidy situation as regards to Nigeria. I just want a Nation where the citizens are not resorting to illegal means to ensure their well-being. Where the citizens are not frustrated because they cannot sustain their families or individual needs. Is that too much to ask?

On that note, a Happy New Year to you all and I as hear people say now (which doesnt make sense) Happy Strike! lol I can't wait for people to abbreviate that too i.e. HS. After all, I just learned HML=Happy Married Life and CYDM = Check Your Direct Message! I can not keep up!

I hope every remains safe. We are not strangers to the police brutality and the frivolous killing of innocent citizens as evident in the strike period.

May the Lord be with us all.

Yours Truantly,
IJ

Update --- Update --- Update

2011-12-19T05:57:00.000-05:00

I don't even know where to start from in my NYSC camp tales.You may say I should start from the beginning, but there are too many beginnings! The start of camp or the start of the entire process.

Or the posting process... The tales are numerous but I may have figured a way to tell it. I'm pretty busy with Christmas preparations now so in January I will blog a trilogy of my camp experience and if that's too small, I'll make it a quartet!

I'm going to be as detailed as I can be and if you have any questions please send me an email. I know a lot of you are seriously considering doing your NYSC. I hope my experience will help you decide to.

I got posted To The Central Bank of Nigeria. Thank you very much. Very excited because we were all accepted. For previous batches there were a lot of rejections. So I'm beyond thrilled about the luck my batch got. Stay tuned for the camp chronicles! It will be detailed.

I hope the winter or harmattan isn't giving you as much stress as it is me. If you're coming back to Nigeria for Christmas, I advice you to load up on the vitamins. I've had a cough for a month and it's not pretty.

Much love and greetings from the one who is loving being back home.

I flew Dana Air to Lagos and they had the cutest bottle of water I've ever seen. It's so tiny!! A whole 20cl. So I had to take a picture.

Ij

We Never Forget 10/12

2011-12-10T08:52:00.000-05:00

Only one thing can pull me out of my Blogger Hiatus and that's the Remembrance of December 10th, 2005.It is so easy to forget...but in this case, 'out of sight is not out of mind'. I was at the Memorial Hall built at my school,Loyola Jesuit College and I started to see all the names and faces of the 60 angels lost in the Sosoliso Plane Crash. It is overwhelming now that I'm older. Imagining how the crash happened. 6 years later the same people that were at my house when we received the news were there again for Memorial Service. That is how close we are. And then I realize, 60 people I knew passed away. I start to ask myself the significance, why not 57 or 45 or None! Why the perfect number, 60?There was a purpose, there had to be. But is it being realized? Are thee fire trucks at the airport now? Is there an emergency service ready for rescue efforts? Is there oxygen at the hospitals in Nigeria? Enough to save lives? Have the navigation systems being upgraded in the country? I'm not optimistic about the answer to my questions and that's what is so frustrating. You ask yourself if it is was worth 60 lives when our country has such a short term memory? I don't think about my darling Hadiza everyday but a week doesn't go by that I haven't thought about her. And each time, the dull ache returns to my heart. I have vivid dreams about her sometimes all grown-up and still scolding me. LOL. You'd wonder if I was really 3 years older. I still call her my Big Little Sister.Not just on this day, we think about you, and the promise your lives held. We live for you, you live through us. We now speak with Hope that we will work towards a better country, better lives and a better future. 60 Angels.... 60 .... We hope to do you proud. We've taken on a big task. Rest in Peace and in our hearts forever"To love in the hearts of those you love is not to die"RIP Hadiza.... Waji.... Zikora... Chisom.... Chuka... Whitney.... Chinenye....Toke.... Wole... Chidinma.... Ibiso... Chinweoke.... Peter... Onyeka .... Ibra... Buso .... Richard ... Sandra ... Ijeamaka ... Augustine ... Nkem .... And the list continues...

Surprises

2011-11-10T06:28:00.000-05:00

I have to say that for a country with so many people looking to work, we take too many breaks! There has been no work since Friday. Monday and Tuesday were public holidays in our lovely country. On Friday people start to leave the Nation's capital, "To your tents O Israel"! Abuja was E to the EMPTY! I won't lie, I love it because I had surprise guests show up and it was AMAZING!
Back to NYSC talks! Wondering where I am posted? Well so am I! In true Nigerian fashion, the call-up letters that were to be available last week friday are going to be avalaible THIS Friday! This is for the letters to be picked up in Abuja. The Lagos ones were only 3 days late. Good for them! Or not? I hear the preference to 'foreign-trained' students to camps they want ended with the previous batch. Not cool because I'm hearing some random postings from the Lagos side of things. People are getting messed up bad! My friend even got posted to Cross River State. Another got Rivers State. Are names drawn at ramdom? People are scrambling to be posted to Awka Ibom because the camp recently underwent rennovations. But after camp you do realise you have to work there well unless you're ready to go through the lengthy redeployment process.
Is anyone a corper this year? Where are you posted to? Keep your fingers crossed for me still :-D

If there's one benefit to this sun that has turned me 4 shades darker (where's the bleaching cream please), it's that the humidity is amazing for my hair!

My prayers go to those who lost family members and friends in the bombings over the weekend. We continue to pray for peace in the hearts of those that are troubled as well as Government Action towards restoring safety to Nation.

With its worries and troubles, there's still no place like home!

YOURS TRUANTLY,
IJ

NYSC Prep

2011-11-03T12:55:00.001-04:00

How do you know when someone who always jokes is being serious? And even ifyou magically decipher the seriousness, how do you take him/her serious? Onething I’m finding a little hard in life at the moment is whether people arebeing serious or joking. Because we all know that where there’s smoke, there’s a fire!
Anyhooos, NYSC Registration is done and I am currently waiting on my Call UpLetter! Tension in the air. There are a million Terror Stories about NYSCRegistration and the characters. If you have registered, you will know aboutHadjiya, if you haven’t you will find out in due time. MY Registration processwas really smooth to be honest and my only advice to Foreign-Trained potentialCorpers is GET THERE EARLY. The office opens at 10am but foreign kids areallowed in at 9 am. More advice have every single document you have been askedfor. I took:

WAEC Certificate
NECO Certificate
University Transcript
University Degree Certificate
Passport Page (Date of first exit from Nigeria for studies) and (Date of last entry into Nigeria) and (Student Visa Pages) and (Passport Biodata Page)
Three Passport Photographs

And if your name happens to appear differently on any one document, you WILLbe sent to the High Court to Swear and Affidavit. Don’t Ask Please! Whilethere, I saw people being yelled at regarding the credibility of theirdocuments. And I don’t blame the NYSC officials… No hear me out. There arelisted requirements online yet people fail to bring the CORRECT documentscontinuously and expect to still be allowed to register. Yes there areexceptions but it is their job to make sure that these people qualify for the “benefits”a corper receives. It is a hard job and I am NOT jealous of theirs at all.

Call up letters are to be picked up tomorrow and I'm terrified of where I'd be posted to. Fingers crossed, it will be well!

Moving back to Abuja to live has me noticing a few more things than I didwhen I was a mere visitor. Whilst sitting in the back seat of the car, I lookedto the mountainous Abuja and saw a herd of cows being guided by a little boythat looked like he was 5 years old. He commanded those cows like he was aboss; un-srpervised. I looked closer and saw stud earrings, He was a She…It maybe ‘their’ way of life, but it doesn’t make it right. I’m not preaching reform,Just awareness. Be Grateful for What you have and Help Others with what youhave.

I dont want to sound like I don't live in Nigeria. I have returned every year of the 4 years since I left for Uni. I was 17 then so now, I'm seeing things with more mature eyes and not just interesting in Christmas Partying.

You know what else I found out that I added to the Tip of the Week, LipstickMelts in the Sun. It is SOOOOOOO HOT! My advice: Leave All Lipsticks at Home.And Buy Long-Lasting ones so you don’thave to carry it around. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE HEAT PEOPLE!

Till next time, it’s your girl;
IJ

Home IS Home

2011-10-26T10:36:00.000-04:00

Sitting at Gate B42 of the Frankfurt Airport about to boardLufthansa Flight 568 to Port Harcourt-Abuja. I’m guessing Abuja first sinceFrankfurt is to the North of Africa but I’m a bit of a blondie when it comes toGeography. I’m already soaking up all the Nigerianness, the loudonversationist, the family with little kids, the posh woman with her LouisVuitton Hand Luggage, the NGO group with matching shirts, the grandmotherhelping her daughter with a newborn and the silent observer, me. If I was sugabelly,I’d have drawn all these characters.

I’ll give Canada an A for orderliness but energy? Nigeriansare it! The little kid just told her younger sister, “see your head likechicken!” WHAT? These kids are gutsy. I can imagine Ifie and I at the age, I’llbe dishing out the disses please. I refuse to be the one being made fun of.

Stepping into Nigeria with my 5suitcases (Don’t ask), I was harassed a little by customs, they asked me tobring out all gadgets. Instead of being rude/impatient, I got down to my fullestNigerian accent and even started asking them if I could get a job with them forNYSC. Some may say that’s “kissing ass” and darling that is your cup of tea. Asfor me, I know what my fellow citizens want and it is for their ego to bestroked. Given that I lose nothing, I will dish out to avoidharassment/embarassment. I’m one to adjust easily with no time to waste.Landing in Abuja was phenomenal. #DeathToLagosLanding. The airport was so calmand organized as we were the only flight that landed and half the flightcontinued to Port Harcourt. I was out of the airport in 15 minutes compared to3 hours at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos.

It has been over two weeks sincemy move to Nigeria and I am happy to be home. People keep telling me to enjoy thatis gets boring. But I didn’t come here to be entertained. This is my home andI’m here to live, awesome if I have some fun while doing it.

It has been ridiculous adjustng in terms of dressing in Nigeria. Wearing Jeans in the 35 degree weather is becoming terribly draining. Especially in Abuja where everyone is fully covered up despite the heat. There is no challenge I won't deal with! Stay Tuned!

I'm putting a "Returning Nigerian Tip of the Week" column on the right of the page. It's all love at Bastille of Beauty! I'm here at your service! Ask any Questions and I will "TRY" to answer in MY OPINION.

Of course I have more tales! I shall keep updating you all on how my move to Nigeria is going. NO MORE HIATUS!

Yours Truantly,

Express Route to Nigeria

2011-10-02T14:37:00.000-04:00

Here's hoping everyone had an amazing weekend. Bittersweet weekend for me because it is my last weekend in Canada.Where to? You ask...

I haven't mentioned on my blog but if you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I am moving back to Nigeria!

My family is really last-minute one that I didn't want to share this till I was certain i.e. less than two weeks to departure. I initially planned on running off to England for my Master's but after this Summer Internship and a lot of other factors, my decision changed!

Excited! Yes I am! I'm off for NYSC people. And from the tales of a few bloggers, I know I am in for a ridiculously bumpy ride. If you think I am Skipping the camp, You're kidding! My Father is the Number One Nigerian Patriot and will NOT stand for an exemption of this service. Translation = Hello Khakis and Orange Shoes.

There are so many things to consider in moving to Nigeria. Not for a holiday, but to live! It's going to be a ridiculous change but one I am excited for. I'll admit though that I'm scared of:

Getting 3 shades darker ( NO Sunlight in Canada because Nigeria stole ALL the Sun's rays)
Overpriced Items (Body Lotion in Nigeria even gets to N2000 compare to $3 here. WHAT?)
Mobile Networks making my BB Chats Slow (People will think I'm a rookie O_o)
The relationship I'm about to form with tailors (It's about to get REAL personal - Trad TIME)
Caring for my Natural Hair with Hairdressers that Yell "This your hair is DUE" huh?
Becoming a MEAT-AGARIAN ( All we eat in Nigeria is MEAT and I am a FAN )
Covering up my legs ( Or the woman will no doubt yell 'BE NAKED' on the streets)
Mosquito bites (They are lethal, I haven't been bitten in almost 5 years)
Forgetting to Blog (That will be so easy!)
Not being able to wear Nma (my darling shoes)
Becoming a very cultural babe (I'm very impressionable and will absorb all Local-ness)
Weddings and Events ( My dad will definitely drag me to the east coast for a few functions)
Resuming My Kilishi Addiction
Getting Fat (After walking up 3 hrs every day in Montreal; now sitting in a car 24/7)
My parents needing me too much (Not in a bad way, but then I won't want to leave anymore)

I;m looking forward to seeing artistes in contests; Bez, Dbanj, Sauce Kid, Wizkid and the lot! Yes tot that! As for the lack of constant power, safety concerns et al. I have come to terms with the reality that my country is not perfect. I hope and pray that the efforts of those who TRULY care about Nigeria will spread and lead to progress. With Nigeria turning 51, all I can say is Happy 51st Independence Day Nigeria.

I have always been one of those that is determined to make an impact in Nigeria in my field of Finance. And though I can not boast of having much to offer at this point, I refuse to be an outsider "thinking" they "know" what's best for the country. I intend to be submersed in the system and find out myself. This way, the next time I leave, I'll know what exactly I am going to get out of the experience. I may be an idealist and not talking in real terms, but I'd rather have objectives and watch them change over time.
Bittersweet emotions because I'm saying "see you later" to all the people I love in Canada but thanks to social networking and skype, they're never far away! Woop woop! And if you're wondering about my Twin, she'll be on her way soon as well. I'm just heading out first...

With One of my friends losing her life to an accident and another still in recovery after a bombing, I'm definitely terrified of the State of the country but there's no running for me. Head bent, hands clasped...Looking to the sky for God's help.

Yours Truantly,

The Mannequin Spoke to ME!

2011-09-23T14:38:00.001-04:00

TGIF! wooop woop!

I'm really shocked I haven't shared this story by now. Very unlike me because I was typing my thoughts the whole time.

So, since Montreal is Canada's Fashion Capital, even the streets smell of fashion. It so happens that there was the first International Fashion Exhibit dedicated to Jean Paul Gaultier.

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk

All I can say is that JPG is a genius! I am now a fan. Last month I attended a JPG street-show and was wowed by the theatrics. This time I was blown away. iStepped into the show and into a different world. It has definitely altered my Design life for sure. Made me realise that designing is not just about creating flattering pieces, it is about a concept... It is not about how fast you can make a garment but how well you can make it. It is not about making something different, it is about making something that can be identified as your work. Stepping into his world showed me that wit in fashion is innate. I have always forced myself to create pieces that had a bit of "oomph!". Jean Paul Gaultier had been creating avant garde pieces since he was young, that is how HE sees fashion. So I'm ready to be a Carolina Herrera or Marchesa of my time, making beautiful garments that may not defy all laws and be provocative. I'm a pretty regular girl and I can make that work for me. I intend to make that work now in Dione Mauve. Please Raise your glasses to Discovery and step into the world of Jean Paul Gaultier as recorded by my iPhone 4.

As I stepped in, the very first thing I saw were the mannequins. I was marveling at how amazingly real their faces looked when one blinked and then another smiled. Still a bit confused and another one laughed! I JUMPED! Literally... These mannequins were speaking to each other. One would speak and another would hush him. Scariest 15 seconds of my life till I realised that they were projections onto their faces (with voice cues pre-recorded) Such a Genius concept. #JPG fan

If you don't believe me look at the changes in facial expressions.

Told day!

This one just couldn't stop talking. He was telling some story in french! lol! Hilarious

These Females were even singing... as in a choir. Ridiculous I tell you. Ridiculous and Beautiful

Who else can make crutches look so yummy!

This Mannequin actually stuttered/stammered it was so amazing how he turned something people are a bit self-conscious about into art. Hats off to JPG for sure

Inspiration

And the provocative exhibits

Bustier Heaven..Peep the 'Pregnant Bustier'

The First Conical Bra JPG ,made was for his Teddy Bear Nana out of paper. This man is a genius...

A skeleton never looked so sexy. She's holding her heart in her hands (Picture Above)

This peices is THE most amzing. A Leopard print dress made all the with beads. LIke wow! Took 1060 hours. I won't even want to wear this, too grand!

A movie screening of the scenes where JPG pieces were worn

Her cigarette was so long, I just had to

There it is! My amazing time in Jean Paul Gaultier world. A whole new level of appreciation for fashion and design.

Stay Safe

Yours Truantly,

Lazy Natural -- It's a Miracle!

2011-09-20T10:34:00.000-04:00

It is NO secret that I am lazy natural and not one to fuss over or even take care of my hair. Nope, it is not something I am proud of. I'm just extremely impatient when it comes to matters of the hair. I have always been. So when all the natural hair products hit the market guess who pays Absolutely NO attention at all. Especially when people say, experiment to see what's right for you. In my head, Experiment = Forget About It.

I'm mad at all my natural buddies now. Yes! you and you and you in the back, you too! I;ve seen the countless mentions of the Moroccan Oil Being good for your hair but once I saw it was about $40 for a small tub, that was down the drain for me. A few days ago, I discovered that Moroccan Oil is none other than Argan Oil, a tree found only in Morocco. I bought a small bottle of Argan Oil for $15 and though I was still apprehensive because of the size, after research I found that we only need a few drops! iKid you not!
I am the 'split hair' queen, my hair is full of split ends. One of the uses of Argan Oil is to reduce frizz and split ends. Sold!

Here are links that state explicitly how to use Argan Oil... No need to go fishing if you don;t want to! Yes iCare about you and will not starve you of this Miracle Oil.

How Argan Oil Can be Used
Argan Oil Use on Curly Nikki
Argan Oil Benefits

They are not kidding when they use DROPS! It seems like this oil multiplies and spreads in your hair. It may not feel that way but as a product-abuser, I restrained myself and was very happy with the result.

Just as I was rejoicing about the discovering about this miracle, I stumbled upon Ag's post on a Protein Treatment. As I said before, I am a lazy natural and If you know about this already, good for you. i just wish you had let me know. Please read this quickly to see if you NEED a protein treatment

Who needs a protein treatment?
The goal of a Protein Treatment

Now that's done I've put some protein treatment recipes here. I'll be honest, I don't have the patience for the more complex ones. The one I did was a simple Mayo and Egg Treatment I found on Ag's blog.

Simple Protein Treatment on Zeldan Festus
Simple Protein Treatment on Youtube
A little more complex ONE
A little more complex TWO

Of course too much of everything is bad. I have read that Too Much Argan Oil will make your hair greasy. That's a no-brainer. How about too much protein? I stumbled on a post and O_o I will not be using too much.

Protein Sensitivity

I'll be honest, I did both procedures for the first time yesterday so I cannot tell which worked the best but I ended up with Beautiful hair after one process. The end result is that my hair is amazingly soft the day after and remaining moisturized. IT ALSO LOOKS SO DELICIOUS! Lick! I love it! haha!

My Question to those that know is How Often Should a Protein Treatment be done? Please be as specicific as you can. And avoid the 'experiment' word...lol...I know I have to determine what's good an bad but I want a starting point. Thanks in advance. I know this is a long post but I just had to share. Can you tell that I'm excited??

Did I mention that I detangled and brushed my hair into a style with a paddle brush? Yes! Paddle brush, not a wide tooth comb because after two-years of fruitless use, I have decided to go with my guts!

I hope I have truly being of help and if anyone wants to know my specific application, I'll be happy to tell you.The ambiguity of processes can be overwhelming.

I don't know how my thighs got this big, but I kind of love it because they're pretty firm! Off to run up the mountain behind my house

I lost love for my hair a little bit because it was a tangled, brittle mess so I am BEYOND happy right now.

**Note** I am not endorsing these processes as fool-proof. This worked for me and I am completely open to opinions! I am not a hair care professional and do not claim to have a deep knowledge of natural hair. I have no seen the long-term effect of these processes but happy with the first application results.

Yours Truantly,

No means No... #Real Men Don't Rape

2011-09-19T08:44:00.000-04:00

If you were anywhere in social networks this weekend, you will know the story that is beating every female down. The Gang-Rape of a girl at Abia State University (ABSU) in Nigeria. I was lost and did not get a glimpse of the insensitive remarks made on Twitter. If you have not been following, I have provided links here to pieces of this that will help you understand what is going on:

Initial Story Break by Linda Ikeji

Identifying the Rapists and Personal Experience shared by Sugabelly

A perspective on the Situation on Bella Naija

An update on the current situation by Linda Ikeji

Petition to Bring the 5 men to Justice

I'll be honest, everything there is to be said about this rape incident has been said.
And if the University is truly denying that this event took place at their school or by their students, I pray that the victim has the courage to state explicitly whether or not this is a lie.

I think it is important for people to take responsibility, it makes no sense why they would deny this to divert the stigma of being a rapist University. The truth is the Truth and attempts at denying will only serve further destroy the credibility of ABSU!

I am still pretty frozen because Rape is the one thing I fear the most; I can`t imagine what.... I can't even continue. I'm keeping my ear to the ground to see if there is any way I can help. If the opportunity presents itself I know I will. The mothers and sister of the boys involved should strive to bring them to justice.

I wonder how other boys feel about this. Are they angry? Sympathetic? Indifferent? Cynical?

No one deserves to be raped. And I pray for those who are de-sensitized enough to make rash comments about the incident. Some things should not be joked about. I blame the media, nothing seems unusual to us anymore. Nothing is sacred. We see it all the time, hear about it all the time. It becomes 'just' another incident. I pray that I remain HUMAN amidst a world that is losing their humanity.

For all those who have been victims, I have no words of advice. I just pray for your healing.

Yours Truantly,

Love for the unborn.....

2011-09-13T10:15:00.001-04:00

When they say they beautiful ones aren't born yet, they obviously mean until my nephew is born soon right?

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. As per my previous post, thanks so much for all the advice. I actually have one I'm going with and yes it requires me saying something to the ~~offender~~ young lady.

For those who were doubting the authenticity of my New York Trip (#subliminal at Mizchif and Sirius), I shall post pictures here.

Not only was Labour Weekend for fun for me, I also Planned a Baby Shower for my amazing ~~sister~~ cousin. I have never see anyone do pregnant as good as she does it. Not only was determined to break stereotypes, she looked better than non-pregger individuals! Let's just say that I am not longer terrified of pregnancy however far away it may be! lol.

As this was my first baby shower planning with ifie and a few of Yvonne's friends, it was truly an experience. I feel that it is my civic duty to share what we did for people in my position looking for baby shower ideas etc.

The Decor

Since it was an 'at-home' shower we stuck to the basics; ribbons, balloons, colored tissue

The Cake

We had a no-cake crises and your darling Ij pitched in this with fun cake. I'm all for DIY and re-usable items. So we ordered cupcakes, purchased a stand and some toy cars since the baby is a boy. This way people had choice of cupcake flavour, the cupcake stand is re-usable, the baby we are expecting has some toy cars when he's old enough!

The Favours

As the sisters cousins, ifie and I were in charge of party give-aways. We were to multi-products store and got some glass jars, themed-chocolate balls made the insides, stickers we created and printed at the copy shop and ribbon to seal the deal!

The Mum-To-be

I have to say it again! I've never seen a more beautiful mum-to-be! I love you and my Nephew! :-D
p.s. She is the biggest Beyonce fan in the world so guess who's happy that Beyonce is preggers as well!

The Guests/ The Smiles/ The Laughter

Just so you'll see how the shower went, I have a "few" pictures.... LOL! Lumped into collages to enable me squeeze in more! haha! This baby is sooo going to be loved! He doesn't even know how much is in store for him.

p.s. Did you spot the suya and the chin chin! And the ladies posing with the bride were the winners of the Baby Shower Games!

The Presents

Heck I want to have a shower too. Too many gifts. lol. Can I just lie I'm having a baby and get some nice things delivered to my place? lool

That's it for SOME pictures of the baby shower. I'm being VERY considerate by not sharing ALL

It's rainy in Montreal, I hope the weather's better wherever you are.

The End

If you were looking for the gift my sister and I gave...Here's how we feel about our nephew. I mean, how we ~~expect~~ know our nephew will feel! lol

Stay Blessed!

Stay Smiling!

Yours Truantly,

Reality.....CHECK!

2011-09-07T11:07:00.002-04:00

Labour Day Weekend was ridiculous, in a good way. I went to New York and in all my trips to the concrete jungle, I have not had this much fun. The entire trip felt like I was having an out-of-body experience and I don't think I have fully recovered. Let's just say that sleep wasn't in my schedule! lol

I met a blogger this weekend and NO, i will not tell you who! I screamed when she told me who she was. Too cool! So lovely meeting you. #YouKnowWhoYouAre!

I bumped into ~~a million~~ a lot of people from my secondary school, Loyola Jesuit College. We are like flies, we flock everywhere we go. It was amazing seeing people I hadn't in about 8 years. Meeting their own friends was also amazing. I always thought I had engouh friends but boy was I wrong. I met sooooo many amazing people this weekend. After years of TRYING NOT TO make friends, I cracked. I must have introduced myself to every single new person I met and ended up meeting those who read my blog. *blush* Mini-celebrity alert! haha!
Let's just say my circle has gotten bigger and I'm down to increase it a whole lot more.

So... besides the fun, something weird happened. Amidst the gathering of different Nigerians, the usual 'best school' argument began. Given that Loyola alumni were the majority, we were solid. My school is such a close knit family I'm very proud of it.

There were many side arguments going on and I was just lost in the moment, enjoying the experience till someone said ' At least 60 students from my school don't just die in a plane crash' and when someone derided her she said "What? It's been 10 yrs, get over it'

If your heart stopped, then you are human! Even thinking about it, I am so shocked at how insensitive the statement was. First off, it hasn't been 10 yrs it has been 5 years, 6 in a few month. Secondly, my friend who lost his sister and my baby Hadiza was there. No Loyola person heard the comment, I barely did given that I wasn`t even in the girl`s conversation. I did not even process what she said till I got into a cab to go home. And then her comment came crashing on me, along with Guilt. Guilt that I did not stand up for 60 people that I knew. For people who lost loved ones in the crash and for my baby Hadiza.
This post is not to seek sympathy; I just need advice on what I should have done. I am a very retrospective person and need to know how to react to the same situation in the future.

Could I have not said anything because I was processing?
Or should I blame my conflict aversion which up until now was a good thing?
Maybe I chucked it up the girl being drunk which she may not have been?
Maybe I didn't want to end a perfect night badly.

Whatever the case, I messed up bad. Now, I feel like I've betrayed Hadiza and the other 59 angels. And even Kechi the survivor. You don't get over losing someone. It is not something to joke about. I'm even more angry now so I better relax... whoosah! I'm not saying the name of the person 'cause tbh, I don't remember. But I remember her face.
So I'm genuinely just asking for advice on what to do not just if someone says something of this nature but also to step out of my need to be diplomatic and begin a confrontation if it is necessary. I am not a fighter or an aggressor and till now, I thought that was a perfect state of being.
My ears are open and my mind is ready to rationalize. So... LEHGOOOOO!

Yours Truantly,

On my mind...

2011-09-01T08:32:00.000-04:00

On my mind today is the fact that as humans we get mad over the silliest things. Your friend stole your Aldo Earrings? She didn't give you a birthday present. Come on. People are stealing people's husband's, children, opportunities in life. Deal! I guess personalities are different so I don't want to come off as insensitive to others' preferences. I'll speak from my own perspective; so please indulge me. It's probably the kind of friends I have. They offer no apologies for use and following ~~theft~~ taking of property and they are quick too give it to someone else that likes it. lol. I've learned not to cherish anything to be honest. I guess what I'm saying is that we need to focus on the essential things in life. Granted, some things are out of bounds like presents from my Mum or Dad, etc. And as my true friends, they are aware of this. In my opinion: Friendships and acquaintances (if I may), should not be lost of possessions.

P.S. I am obviously assuming there is no underlying tension in your friendship. If there is, that's a WHOLE different story.

They say that "Every cloud has a silver lining", but they aren't always easy to see. And who wants to draw joy from sorrow? I say it all the time to people and they almost punch my ears. Thank God we are not in the same place, I'd be nursing a black eye by now. lol. Yes! I have violent girlfriends. loool. JOKES!
For that unsuccessful application, missed flight, etc., there is a silver lining. I think I'm done with sporting that though to be honest. I can only imagine how irritated people were/are at that statement! Eek! They should have just yelled "I don't want to see the good right now, I want to vent!"
So I've decided to adopt a new role. The vent-board/listener
And then when the steam runs out, we'll call it a day! How's that for a silver lining. :-|

Having said that, I would like to state plainly that I will KILL any friend that steals my newest treasure in my closet! lol. Yes! They are "heel-less" shoes. I tend to veer away from the norm for my shoe selection. I'm loving this but I haven't worn it out yet. Looking for a way to wear it and look sane. I don't want an all-out GAGA look.

Any ideas on the rock-ability of my new shoes, I'll call her "Nma" Please DO NOT address her as "IT"
#justsaying

Here's to a lovely Labour Day Weekend! I will tell you ALL about mine. Hoping to have a beautiful weekend.

p.s. As per updates on Member, she's still having surgeries and responding to treatment. I will give any future updates. Thanks again for your prayers for her and her family! God Bless!

Yours Truantly,

What a Weekend!

2011-08-29T09:17:00.000-04:00

To say this weekend was rough is a gross understatement. With the UN building bomb blast on Friday, Life spiraled out of control for the 3 days following. Early Friday morning, my mum called to assure me that all of them were safe (given that we live in Abuja and my mum works with NGOs in the FCT). Even though I was still saddened by the bombing, I was relieved my family was safe.

That was before I was told that a friend who went to Loyola with me had been in the building at the time and was a victim of the blast. A visitor to the building, doing research on a paper. Imagine how many more were like her?! Entered into the UN building just for a little time to be dealt with this blow?! She was on the floor that the car drove into and miraculously, was the only survivor on her floor. This wasn't to say that things were good. She was terribly injured and in the ICU all weekend long. This was when I saw the strength and solidarity in Nigerians.

Her friends and family prayed non-stop and through media channels, we organized prayer chains and fasting for Member. With about 50 people camped outside the hospital praying and offering comfort and support to the family. I know God was in their midst. Each time we prayed, she got better.

As of Saturday night, we needed blood to be able to transport her to England for surgery because she had started bleeding again. Within 15 minutes of my brother telling me and few others to spread the news that blood donors ( O-positive and O-negative) were needed at the National Hospital, 150 Nigerians in Abuja responded to this request. We had to even beg to tell people that we had enough blood to save her life. I refues to dwell on the fact that the blood in the hospitla shouldnt

With Joy and Gratefulness to God and human kindness, we have been informed that Member has undergone the first part of her surgery and the doctors expect a full recovery.

There is no one else to owe it to but God. And the wonders of social networking. This experience made me angrier at those who knocked down social networks and channels of communication. It was the Blackberry Messages and Tweets that mobilized blood donors to Member and an International Fast.

I have never been prouder of being a believer in God #TeamMightyGod, a student at my high school #TeamLoyola and a part of my circle of friends #TeamMember!

All I can say is that the Lord heard our unanimous cry; there is power in numbers.

I couldn't help but think of all the friends I've lost and how hard I would have fought for them. I am just happy I could help in this case and sincerely thank everyone who contributed to this Miracle. I can only imagine the relief Member's closest friends are feeling. Twitter had kept me pretty informed on that tbh. They are crying tears of joy, finally eating food and attempting to sleep.The praying continues till Member's Full recovery.

And for the new week, I pray for nothing but Good news for all of you! Take care and God bless!

Yours Truantly,

It WAS my birthday

2011-08-19T08:10:00.001-04:00

The only thing I hate about time is that it passes by. I can remember so clearly when I turned 19 and became 'Legal' in Canada. I was happy to finally NOT be the one who couldn't go out. Now, 3 years later, I am 22. It sounds so weird to say it 'Twenty Two'. #Bleh! Leaves a bad taste in my mouth even. lol

I turned 22 on Sunday August 14, 2011 and as opposed to our usual over-crowded and busy birthdays, Ifie and I had a very 'sweet' birthday with two of our friends coming from outside Montreal for the weekend and our baby sister (who turned 13 yesterday *wails*). Happy Birthday Debbie the teenager!

After dessert at 'Juliette et Chocolat', Shopping in the Underground City, Partying in what has to be the 'Black' club that I have ever felt the safest in, I was already satisfied. How lovely that our birthday was on a Sunday we started off our celebrations at Church where a guest Gospel Performer had been invited. Following this with an 'All-you-can-eat' Indian Lunch at 'the' best Indian Restaurant in Montreal, Le Taj, I must say we had so much Naan bread that I feel like we should have paid even more. lol. Ending the day with cupcakes from 'the' best cupcake store in Montreal 'Le Glaceurs' at the water front, I was beyond content.

It was so hard to say good bye to our darling Lohi and Toke because the laughs and talks we shared on the weekend were epic. I'm only 7 days into being 22 and I'm already seeing life differently. This birthday, I even responded to EVERY SINGLE message from Facebook, Twitter, BBM and Texts--- it felt amazing. I don't care that people say it's seemingly meaningless. I felt loved and I LOVED replying to each message! as easy as it was for someone to write me a message they could have decided NOT to, so, I feel they deserve a Thanks or Two.

On that note, I say a big Thank you to my parents for 22 amazing years; My siblings for more joy that I can imagine, My extended family for the madness that we have created and continue to create, My Friends for taking me as I am and never failing to point out when I'm being unreasonable.

And the biggest thank you to My Heavenly Father for the opportunities I've been given in life, the mistakes, the blessings, the laughs, the cries, the abilities, the skills, the family, the friends, the fights, the make-ups, the flaws, the fears, the confidence, the joys and the laughter. For things I fail to Thank you for Lord and for 22 years of my life, I say Thank you and I ask that this year be the start of many more things that are guided by Your Hands.

I'm tearing up a bit as I post this because I keep remembering that My friend Uche didn't make it to 22, she would have been 22 on July 22, 2011 but she passed on June 20, 2011. It has taught me not to take anything for granted.

It really doesn't matter what you do with your life, what matters are the people who are there to share it with you.

Happy End of the Week people and thanks for being a part of my life!!

And no one should call me old or else..... lol... iJoke! iKid!

My first pair of white shorts and I LOVE them

She wears green ALL the time (well cuz it matches her eyes),then lies that it is NOT her favourite colour. *side eye*

A little TOO Dramatic

2 ladies, in 2 pictures at 22!

With Blogger Lohi

Somehow I thought I had wings

Who says partying is OVER-RATED?

So many more but, I'd rather not have a picture overload! lol

We went to La Ronde yesterday for Debbie's birthday and my body still aches from the roller coaster rides yday. I'll update on the day later! For now, #TGIF and have a Safe weeekend!

Yours Truantly,

America's Next Top Model ALL STARS??

2011-08-16T10:02:00.001-04:00

My heart is racing, I just found out that America's Next Top Model returns with Cycle 17 and this time it's going to be an 'ALL STARS' season. Contestants from the previous Season are back to battle it out. I don't recall if I watched ANTM before Cycle 9, but the only contestants I remember are from Cycle 9 and beyond.

I'm a HUGE fan of ANTM. With the Vogue Italia Upgrade, Tyra has brought in more renowned designers and photographers! Love it!

I have a feeling this season is going to be like a 'REAL' reality show with drama and cat fights. Why? Well we have really strong personalities mixing in there. The fact that they missed out on winning in their previous seasons will make them want it even more. And this time, we'll skip the amateur posing and get right to the nitty gritty. First Tyra brings, the 'short' model series and now the 'All Stars'? She really does do her Homework. Either that or she has learned from 'So You Think You Can Dance's' All-Star strategy. Who cares? I just want the new season, Can September 14th come already? Sheesh!

Get the full list of Contestants here or here with images

The ones I love and am looking forward to seeing are:

Awkward 'Wide-eyed' Allison

Lovely 'Southern' Laura

Androgynous 'Mutli-persona' Alexandria

Sexy 'Too-Sexy' Sheena

Angry 'Loud' Angelea

In-control 'Fierce' Isis

I'm giddy with excitement!

This time it's not just going to be about photo shoots and runways! It's going to a be WAR!
Not for the faint-hearted.

Yours Truantly,

Hunting---Without--A--Gun

2011-08-10T10:48:00.001-04:00

Isn't it the worst when you NEED to find something to wear and there seems to be nothing at the stores? It's unreal. I was soooooo looking forward to buying something to wear for my birthday and day one of this mission was ridiculously futile. I'm literally just going partying, so I don't even want anything serious. I'm open to anything.

But maybe that's the problem. I don't know what I'm looking for. O_o. I'm just waiting for it to jump at me. Am I being too lazy? I keep thinking of 'Say Yes to the Dress' episodes and thinking I need to narrow down how I want to look. Montreal IS the fashion capital of Canada so maybe, just maybe the problem is with me. lol.

The search continues... I shall delve into the Underground city, muddle through the gorgeous madness and rise like phoenix in Xmen! ( a little too dramatic but you get my point). It's is mid-workweek so I'm thinking a mint-chocolate cupcake to celebrate (looks at waistline) or NOT!

I stole a few pictures from Lohi's camera (which i took hence the poor imagery :-( *sigh*) of the sushi date with friends. Here goes:

Pardon the silly faces, we tend to NOT take life too seriously.

Yours Truantly,

Something New

2011-08-08T09:09:00.002-04:00

It's a new week and I'm ridiculously excited because it's my last week as a meek 21-year old. wooh!
Going to soak in as mush youthfulness as I can this week.

Thinking about the pointy nails I was setting my heart to, I decided not to. Fixing nails will just be me running away from the REAL problem. In this case, my chronic nail-biting. When events pop up, I hide the ugly nails under some acrylic falsity. Now i'm thinking that it's time for me to STOP. I'll admit, it IS an addiction. All too often we're ready to criticise people for smoking, drug abuse, alcoholism, etc. Yes those are more dangerous forms but so many things we do are addictions. I've decided to into nail-biting rehab. I'm already two days ~~sober~~ "nail-free". Let's see how the rest of the week goes. My late friend Uche made it her personal mission to prevent me from biting my nails. After 3 years of slapping my hand away from my mouth, she gave up. Proving even more that biting my nails is an addiction.

On the subject matter of running away, I am now facing the huge dilemma of putting in extensions in time for partying this birthday weekend. It IS Afro-kinky twists and still true to my natural state of hair but it's me once again escaping from the problem of being incapable of taking care of my natural hair. *sigh*. 2 years natural and I'm still incapable of TLC for my hair. It just seems like a LOT to do. I blame all the online sources of info, tbh, I've stopped going to MOST of them. The incessant hammering of what to or not to do to my hair. The poor thing was growing perfectly before I started experimenting. That's me just shifting responsibility for my shortcomings... pshhh. Anyhoos, I'm back to the basics of washing, conditioning and styling. I'm tossing complexities out. Let's see if I can make it to the weekend.

I'm even thinking something simple like this. My hair is already dyed (with mad roots). A basic blowout; but will it last a whole night of dancing? O_o

Photo from here

Soooo, now that I've shared mine, are there any problems you are running from or covering up?

I didn't realise the scarf and purse were the same colour! Urgh! I hate matching O_o

Scary Owl on my neck :-D

Yours Truantly,

Can I please make my point?

2011-08-04T11:23:00.000-04:00

It's Thursday already!
I must admit I'm excited it's already August because it's my birthday month wooh! On August 14th, 2011 I will be OLD. Well, older than I'd like to be. I wish I could have frozen my age at 19. Or I'd go with popular belief and be "Forever 21". loool. Sorry I just had to, the joke was RIGHT there *hides face*. I am turning, wait for it...22! *confetti bursts into the air*

In the past, I always tried for a BIG birthday occasion but this year, I'm thinking mellow. Maybe it's because I have so much going around that inviting people many to my lovely city will be more heart-ache than anything. There are two of us after all. That's already a ~~crowd~~. lol

Something that has caught my attention as a potential look for my birthday is the pointy nail trend. I saw it first on runways, then on my friends and then in Beyonce's run the world video. As an avid nail-biter (don't judge) I'm thinking of some acrylic nails and wondering if I should step into the wild side. Come on, I'm not getting tattoos or piercings, can I just get some dangerous nails. I wonder if I can cut my sugar and cream bread with the nails, would definitely save me some time eating breakfast. *side eye*

Honestly, the thing that bothers me about trends is the tendency to be overwhelming. Packed like a New York Subway train at rush-hour; everyone is squeezing to get on board. Take the color block trend, I was so excited for it, given it was already my style till I saw it stabbed, shot and hung! I'm even scared to color-block now tbh. I drift in and out of till.
Ok, back to Pointy nails!

Do I fall in, or stay out? *sigh* Decisions we have to make. And please don't laugh at my extent of adventure. You are looking at little Miss Paranoia.

And what happens when I have to go to work the next day? O_o

To point or not to point? That IS the question.

Beyonce Video still..they kinda look like tiger claws

Runway fierce but in real life O_o?

This I find a bit subtle and do-able

Not sure what my opinion on this is?

Pictures above from Google images.

Yours Truantly,

Something Blue

2011-08-02T10:14:00.003-04:00

If there's one thing this weekend has taught me, it's that you can make plans but God has the Master version

I hate to write long posts but there is no way yo make this any shorter. I apologize if your eyes hurt after a bit but hey it's your girl, bob-ij so you can pop some Advil or Tylenol on my behalf. No?

This past weekend was a roller coaster. Plans changed so much that there were no plans anymore. It was the Caribana Weekend in Toronto and there was a Naeto C 10/10 concert being hosted by naijaura.com on Sunday 31, 2011. My sister (Ifie) and I happily purchased out tickets ti the event, eager to hear some Nigerian music. Our Ottawa crew was also going to be there almost in full. What better way to have a reunion than to party hard on the biggest summer weekend in Toronto.

After buying affordable tickets on the Greyhound to Toronto from Montreal, the morning of our deprature, an extremely nice person purchased us $600 tickets to use the train and advised us to discard our bus ticket. (Yes this was real and very unexpected)

My little sister (Debbie) was due to arrrive Toronto on the sunday of the concert from Nigeria. We were really excited about this till my dad called on Saturday morning. The agent (who has bought our tickets several times) assumed the regular plans and purchased my little sister a ticket to Montreal. Given that she's 12 and travelling as an Unaccompanied Minor, my sister and I were the only people listed to pick her up.

So, ifie and I had to say goodbye to a perfectly planned party night on sunday and make our way to Montreal on the first train back. Goodbye to our outfits, a relaxing weekend since Monday was a civic holiday in Ontario and Goodbye to fun in general. The ticket had already been purchased and fees needed to be paid for the transfer.

SAD and UPSET is an understatement of how we felt. We were so depressed about the change that we went shopping for shoes with our aunt and came back with full hands.

After hearing the sad news that we will not be partying with them on sunday, a couple of our friends decided to go for sushi and hangout. What was a 6-person reservation, turned into a sushi party of 18 people! The poor host just gave us a separate room. In true Nigerian nature we yelled and even sang some Nigerian commercials tunes.

Hearing everyone try to look for alternate arrangements for ifie and I to stay/ go and come back was heart-warming. Our friend even offered to donate for a plane ticket, another offered his car, another offered to have a friend pick my baby sister up. None of these were feasible but the thoughts made me really emotional. They wanted a complete family and we were the missing link.

The hastened departure meant that I stayed awake till 6:30am putting in braids for my aunt that I initially promised to do before Monday evening. Ifie was helping braid the ends but in true Murphy's Law nature, she felt sick and had to go to bed.

Three hours later we got into our 9:25am train at 9:23am, we barely made it. Our late arrival then put us on a train that was detaching from an original one straight to Montreal, and went to Ottawa first instead. A 7-hour train ride as opposed to a 5-hour one.

Getting to Montreal we entered a taxi from the train station and when we told the driver we were off to the airport. He took out our luggage and chased us away into a FREE shuttle.

Already late to the airport, we raced in to find that our sister's flight had been delayed by 2 hours. Giving us and hour and a half waiting time.

That was the last straw. Ifie and I found a bench at the airport and took a long-needed nap. It all was well worth it when I saw my baby sister. I'd do it over and over again. And complain of course, but this is family, this is what I love. There is never a dull moment. I'm hanging tight on this roller-coaster; I scream and then I laugh.

If you were confused at any point in this story or at least flustered, then you have a really tiny taste of how we felt this weekend. So please raise your coffee cups to a stressful and not restful weekend but a lovely week to follow.

Yours Truantly,

A New Dawn

2011-07-28T08:14:00.003-04:00

It's not for us to say but for the Lord to save His own. On December 10, 2005 in the Sosoliso Plane crash that killed 60 Loyola Students amongst others, amidst the tears and sorrow, there arose hope. This ray of light lays in the one of two survivors and sole student survivor, Kechi Okwuchi. People may blog about this and spread the word, I am blogging about it on a personal level because I know Kechi and I know how strong she is and how much of an amazing and hilarious person she is.

With 60% intensive burns and up to 5 weeks in medically-induced coma and over 75 surgeries to date,almost 6 years later and Kechi continues to rebuild her life. With about $400, 000 worth of surgeries, it is time to reach out to you.

Yimi Omofuma and Somachi Chris-Asoluka, two of Kechi's closest friends, and former classmates, have teamed up with Kechi's family and Loyola Jesuit College, to hold a Fundraising Dinner that will cover the cost of Kechi's future surgeries.

'A New Dawn': The fundraiser will be held on the 30th of July 2011, at the Landmark center, Victoria Island, Lagos.

It will feature a fashion show titled "Sunset and Sun dawn" showcasing unique designs from MUDI, KECHI'S and a host of upcoming talent. In addition, there will be special music performances from BEZ, MUNA, WAJE, LYNXXX, FREEWINDZ, and other surprise artistes.

For those of us who are unfortunately far away and unable to attend, there are ways to donate into a fundraiser account. And don't dare think that what you plan to donate is not enough. Information about donations is very confidential and any amount you donate, I assure you will be greatly appreciated especially when there is power in numbers. So tell a friend and that friend's friend and the friend's friend's friend and the chain will continue. Let's make this viral because it could have been any one of us and I would pray that there will be people to reach out. Share the news, if there are companies willing to be involved with the cause, even more amazing.

Website: http://kechiokwuchifundraiser.com/
Email : kofundraiser@gmail.com

Pictures of Kechi before and after the crash are below; pictures of her after the surgery are slightly graphic and can be viewed here .

It's not what you say about an event that matters, it is what you do.
So say a prayer, spread the word, donate or attend the event. Do one or all, but please do something.
Kechi is truly a miracle and ready to face 'A NEW DAWN'

Have an amazing rest of the week and weekend people.

Yours Truantly,

Succumbing to the forces

2011-07-25T13:33:00.001-04:00

That awkward moment when you check your account balance and wonder where all your money went. *Head in hands* *Loud sigh*

I'm just tired of the forces in this city. Non-stop temptation. I can't. I really can't STOP! I feel like I'mm in my very own confessions of a shopaholic movie. Than k goodness I am a prudent shopper. But it makes it even worse because I spend the same amount on many and justify it by quantity. Sigh.

The same thing goes with books. I'm buying so many of them due to my two 25-minute train rides each day. With my free time as well, I cannot help but delve into DIY. My lack of a wesing machine is forcing me to create simple things as a creative escape So here's what I created with suede cords and piping parts I got from the Home Depot. Don't ask but I loved the metallic look So say hi to my new necklace!

Remember the St. Catherine's day sale I told you about. Well I went and it was AMAZING. Streets closed and even store reps screaming out prices of things on sale. Every store was having something. Well except for Zara which annoyed my greatly. But onto other stores. There were so many people on the street like a carnival and hot dogs and shawarma and such. The weather was even more amazing in Montreal.

And ofcourse I bumped into some random street art. Lavv it!

Yours Truantly,

Leave the old behind::: ReNOVATE

2011-07-21T14:34:00.000-04:00

Lovely people from planet blogger, greetings.

Yes I am a bit wonky today. Exhausted from an extremely long weekend and week. I'll be fine because tomorrow I can say #TGIF.

Besides the floods in Lagos and burning sun in Montreal, there are good things going on. I'm increasingly excited about the events and movements that have started this year. Moving young people away from just fun and into more serious ventures. One of such is the 2011 ReNOVATE Malaria Benefit Gala.

ReNOVATE is an organization founded by Roseline Akintunde with its objectives to

"improve the plight of education, health and

development in Nigeria's rural and most disopportuned areas.

We are motivated by the opportunity that we have experienced

and our dream is to extend similar opportunities to people who

are living everyday in much difficulty and without much prospect

of improvement."

It is simply impressive that people want to offer the same opportunities to those not as privileged. I respect that a lot. I'm not involved in ReNOVATE, but I am a firm believer in charity and that is something as a Finance professional I am looking to support in Nigeria.

ReNOVATE will be hosting a black tie fund-raising dinner on the 23rd of July, 2011 to propel its pilot project- The 2011 Malaria Initiative [with the goal of providing hundreds of direly needed mosquito nets to families in rural Nigeria, as well as launching a crucial education program towards alleviation].

The Gala is at Paul Robeson Campus Center, Rutgers University, 350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd

Newark, NJ .The purpose of the Malaria Benefit Gala to celebrate the launch of this ambitious project as well as to raise awareness and the much needed funds. All proceeds will go towards this project.

I can't make the event but for those who can and want to go, you can go to their website for more details http://www.renovatenigeria.org/page05.html

That's all from me folks... I'll keep you updated of my 'paroles' in the beautiful city of Montreal!

Till then, be safe!

~x~

~ C'est la vie ~

2011-07-14T08:59:00.000-04:00

Hi fam!

Greetings from a foreign city!

There's so much going on that It's extremely difficult to keep updating especially with the lack of a laptop. Thankfully I have now found a charger and I am back in the game.

So my twin and I were supposed to go to Nigeria this summer and rest and maybe work a bit. But generally, just have fun. But plans changed ridiculously and in true Twin fashion. We both got offered summer internships in the same company in Montreal. Don't ask! lol.

So that's what we've been doing... Moving. We sold everything in our house in Ottawa and are thrilled to now be living in an apartment. Who needed ALL that space. So happy now. No need lean extra rooms and all that jazz. We got an apartment in the heart of downtown Montreal for summer and I'm so excited. Down the road from my house is EVERYTHING! Like I can even see the Escada store from my window. Given that Montreal is the Fashion Capital of Canada, I'm extremely excited to what this will mean for my sense of style. The bad part is that only the way to and from work, I pass ALL the stores and invariably, I shop EVERYDAY! The temptation is too great and that "SOLDES" sign is just too tempting. And when I see "Rabais Additionnel", I know there's no turning back. In case you didn't know, Montreal is in the FRENCH-SPEAKING province of Quebec Canada. As such, everything is in french. Nope. I do NOT speak french but that's fine because almost everyone here in bilingual. The movies at the cinema are even ALL in English. I am learning French.

I'm about to buckle up and take the ride of my life in this experience. God has been good and all these blessings are much appreciated.

Oh yea. #TGIF 2moro!

It is the St Catherine's Side Walk Sale this weekend. Streets are literally closed to traffic so that stores can sell things. I shall go mad with shopping. HELP!

I'm definitely taking my Ottawa leap to new heights. My most risque attempt yet. lol. Who needs planking when you can leap. lol

Yours Truantly,

Blog Awards

2011-07-01T01:13:00.002-04:00

Hey all,

Thanks for all the comforting comments on my post and the lovely ones on the previous one. Hugs and kisses to you all.

So the Nigerian Blog Awards is here and what a shocker. For me at least. No. Not that I'm not nominated, just that I don't know MOST if ANY of the blogs on there. And so the main aim of the blog awards has really come to me, publicity of the new blogs on blogger. To be honest, I have stopped reading blogs because most of the ones on my blog roll haven't been updated in about 4 months. Some even a year. I was actually so annoyed that I removed most of them two days ago. Cleaning out and all that. Still have more to go.

So I'm extremely excited at the newness and the refreshing experience that this year's awards will bring. I obviously want to vote and so I will be reading blog after blog to see what the blogger world has become. I'd be happy to hear recommendations now. And if you comment regularly on my blog, trust that I always go to yours. That's the only way I'm in touch. I'm just too lazy to add new blogs to my blogroll and comment sometimes. Yes you can yell at me to stop being lazy. And don't advise me to just "FOLLOW" a new blog because I don't log into blogger and will not see any updates. What a complex situation!

With that said, a huge congrats to the bloggers nominated. And feel free to vote for my girl Lohi, for best food blog.

It's CANADA DAY and Prince William and Kate will be downtown today so I may just go to cast a glance. Happy Canada Day and have an awesome weekend.

My brother came from Nigeria to visit and I loved having him around so much. I love him tooooo much. He takes care of my sister and I like mad and treated us like babies during his visit. Love it! Love him. Love you all!!

Yours Truantly,

iCelebrate

2011-06-27T02:19:00.002-04:00

Hi Fam,

Before I begin this post, I would like to say that I loved Kelly Rowland's performance. Wasn't a fan of the outfit till I realised she may have been making a statement. That she could be sexy even fully clothed. BIG BIG message for girls today. Good one Kelly. #Riseoftheunderdog. Greetings from a blogger who was so deep in fun that I felt that I was having an 'out-of-body' experience. And then quickly thrown into sorrow. My friend is being buried on Tuesday and I pray for her family. Here's the post I was about to put up before I got the bad news.

So, on June 9th, 2011, My twin and I graduated from Uni. Her with Distinction in Environmental Engineering and me with High Honours in Finance. The ceremony was amazing with my dad barely making it in time for my 9am graduation. He had to drive in from Boston to make it and got in at 5 am. My brother didn't make it though. He missed his flight and after a series of flights cancelled and even one of the pilots saying he was 'too tired' to fly, he got in 3 days later. Even then, my mum and I had to drive 3 hours to Syracuse airport from Ottawa.

After the ceremony we hosted a dinner with 60 of our closest friends and to say that it was emotional would be an understatement. So many kind words, so much love and a bit of goodbyes since my sister and I are leaving. Our very good friend/big sister, Christal Jeanne from Be Bold and eBusiness News Ghana went as far as reading emails we sent to her from secondary school in 2005. I was bragging about my purchase of my first 'non-brief' panties. Yes! She said it in fron tof 60 people, my dad inclusive. So Shameful! To crown it all, my sister and my parents were featured on our University Website Homepage. So amazing

That being said, I just found out that my twin and I are counterfeit. We aren't REAL twins. I hate to break the news to you but we aren't. Well biologically we are. But I met twins that feel each other's pain. Like for real. I have always been cynical about books that said that about twins till they said one twin had a broken leg and the other twin couldn't walk. YES. Some scary stuff. So I ask, since my 'twin' and I can't feel these things, are we frauds? sigh. The things we find out each day.

Anyways! Here are pictures from our events. I'm all for sharing experiences because I'm hella proud of my friends and family. With the things happening around me, I am learning to celebrate life and share it with the world. God bless you all!

Yours Truantly,

Words cannot describe....

2011-06-21T10:42:00.000-04:00

Blogfam,

Today I write with great sadness, an aching head, red eyes, running nose and a heavy heart. Which is weird because yesterday I had typed up and was about to post a happy post and share my joy. In an instant that changed. Yesterday June 20, 2011, I lost my dear friend who went to Secondary school with me, we were bed partners in dorm for at least 3 years. As most Loyola alumni, once you get in, a bond is built forever and we are tied into one family. She was also a very very close friend to my twin. Today, I do not write to solicit condolences, I'm writing from a place of great realisation and to share what an amazing person, Uche Okeke ~~was~~ is because "To live in the hearts of those you love is not to die". More importantly, I write to ease my grief.

It might sound cliche because everyone says this but Uche was actually an intelligent person. Throughout high school, she came first in every single test and term. Which was pretty annoying come to think of it. But it a battle ensured to overthrow her, that was successful maybe only 4 times. Uche went on to University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona and interned at Microsoft. She was working at Microsoft in Seattle when she decided to go back to Nigeria for her sister's wedding. After the traditional wedding Uche, her brother, Chuka along with a driver and two of the bride's friends were in a car accident and died instantly.

The details may vary slightly but this is the information I have so far. As a collective community, Loyolans have been grieving together all over the world since yesterday. We honestly cannot understand the loss. Death seems so far, like a mystery till it knocks on the door right beside you and stops you in your tracks. It could have been anybody. Whether we want to blame the hit and run driver, or the lack of good roads in Nigeria, or the car that burt into flames, the reality remains. Uche and Chuka are gone to meet our Heavenly Father and we need to direct prayers of comfort to her family.

Uche was supposed to start at Harvard this year. So it begs the question, what plans are relevant? I'd say the love you show to the people around you, those you may have to leave behind and the memories they will have to clutch tightly to. That is our legacy.

Here's a video just to show that I am NOT kidding. Uche was an amazing person. Her family, Her friends, Loyola, Nigeria and the world has lost a potential game-changer.

Rest in Peace Uche and Chuka and the other people who died in the car accident.

May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen

Handicap

2011-06-03T19:01:00.002-04:00

Not a joke. I am seriously handicapped, technologically, because I have two laptops, none of which is working. My Sony Vaio Netbook got overwhelmed with pictures and has refused to startup. My HP laptop just won't charge so it's constantly dying. Yes I can solve these problems easily

i. Take my Vaio to a computer store
ii. Get a new a HP charger

But I cannot because I'm angry! Furious that they aren't working in the first place. What sense is there in that? So now I'm browsing, yes browsing with my...wait for it.... iphone4. You can laugh at this point because it is extremely pathetic. It makes it so hard to blog and read blogs and watch shows online. It is unreal.

Do you ever feel that way? Refuse to fix a problem just because you are angry that it happened in the first place?

I can't even say TGIF because I don't do anything anymore but sew. It feels amazing to just do what I love.... *sigh*. This is bliss.

I've been seeing a whole of #TeamNatural and #TeamRelaxed battle. I don't know why or when it became such a big deal. I am #TeamNatural and that's no secret but I reserve the right to let everyone do whatever they want with their hair. Funny that my last post was about freedom of choice. I think that is definitely a tune that need to be played a lot more especially amongst out very opinionated demographic.

Good Riddance to bad rubbish, let's talk about more serious issues like poverty and NYSC dangers.

Here's to beautiful weather this weekend and a whole lot of good stuff!

Yours Truantly,

"There's the line, Don't cross it"

2011-05-30T14:16:00.001-04:00

Whoever said time flies when you're having fun wasn't joking. No school and No work makes Ij VERY happy girl. More details on my antics later on.

For now, I want to talk about 'The Resistance'; the people who are opposed to technology and social networking possibilities it creates. I'm a person that strongly believes in people's expression of their lifestyles freely. What I have a problem with is the constant criticism of this expression which is sometimes baseless. I completely understand that some people could not be bothered to connect online but to label those who are interested in moving along with developments of this nature as superficial is pretty frustrating. No, people who blog are not narcissistic and self righteous; they wish to express feelings and experiences by 'sharing' with others. SHARING is the key word which is also what people on Twitter choose to do. SHARE information; while watching the Oscars, Royal Wedding Soccer Game. SHARE messages; which is what BBM is for. How may alerts to robbery have been received through this medium? I can only point to networks I use, because that is what I understand. I always wondered what could be so attracting in the whole SIMS movement, it is not my cup of tea. But the mere fact that I see people connecting on that front and having collections of SIMS games, there must be some relevance.

Don't get me wrong, I am in no way criticizing people from resisting/minimal interest in social networking and the likes. The problem I find is dismissing those who are participants/clients of these as superficial narcissistic humans merely seeking attention. It is ok to analyze, just not the extent that it is insulting. And I say, "Judge not, that you be not Judged" - Matthew 7:1

There's my #twocents.

In other news... I feel like Christian Louboutin needs to rethink his shoes. From the discomfort to the zero quality of the soles. after 20 seconds of wearing my shoes, the soles were scraped off. Even Aldo shoes don't scrape off that easily. Pshh!

Cheers to a lovely week people...And if you're in the States, have a lovely Memorial Day.

After I dyed...

2011-05-11T15:37:00.000-04:00

My hair....

Hello Blogfam!

Nope. I am not going to apologize for my brief hiatus. Truth is, there were so many things going on in the world that I felt like there was nothing I could say that was as important. It has been an amazing 3 weeks. I just hope everyone is being safe, happy and loving life. So Long overdue is my hair update...lol

In a bid to spice up my hair-do, I dyed it. Yes I know, number one thing that a NATURAL should avoid. Tbh, I'm not really concerned with what I can and can't do with my hair, mainly because I don't believe in being enslaved by my hair. I'll make it work, the way I want it and deal with what ever follows. A little extreme I know, I'm just through with what's right and not especially because not everyone's hair is the same. I even read in a book on natural hair that I shouldn't wash my hair while I shower. Instead it suggested bending over in a sink. First off my sink is small, second, my neck will ACHE. lol. I am so pain-averse. Can't even get a second ear piercing, don't judge please.

Anyways, first dye attempt failed a lightening my hair to a 'copper blonde'. My hairdresser blamed it on my hair being a 'dye-virgin' (Even hair is being considered virgin? *Blank Stare*) And was unbelievably black (who woulda thunk that was bad) SO this is how it turned out.

No one even noticed. It looked the same. Pretty boring so I gave a couple of weeks and went back and told her to make it RED! Yes I totally did it and loved it. Here's how I styled it.
A whole lot of pictures and I really do apologize. I just know there are a lot of natural converts out there that can cop a few hair-dos especially from a semi-rookie!

Yes. I know it's nothing fancy; but it's what I can afford to do with my impatience. Haha

The Biggest Mistake Ever in the past three months was doing a 'twist-out'. I was soooo caught up in all those protective styles and blogs and things. My hair is tangled and tied and in nuts. My friend suggests I may have done it wrong. I feel like it is not suited for my 4b hair at this length. You know what though? I'll stay away from all these "COMPLEX" suggestions. Feel free to try and let me know.

It's about to be a fun two weeks for me. More details as it progresses! Wooh!
Have an amazing rest of the week.

Yours Truantly,

You Don't Have To Believe Me

2011-04-20T10:59:00.000-04:00

Aloha Fam! Yes! Yes! I'm in a bubbly mood. I'm Done... wit this blog....NOPE! Done with undergrad, I wrote my last exam and I feel FREE.

I've always been skeptical about the portrayal of Twins feeling each other pains and all that jazz. Why? Because I am a Twin and I do not feel Ifeoma's pain. The many books and movies that play on the public's lack of knowledge on the nature of "Twin-Ship"are to blame. One major one, Danielle Steel's Mirror Image. Made me cry so hard.

Anyways, I never believed in the Twin thing. But no! The Universe decided to prove me wrong however. My sister and I have somehow had the most random similar experiences. In Secondary School, we were in different classes and somehow got the exact same average score and position in school. At the end of this, we had the exact same SAT score. The EXACT same. Then we got into university on the same day, Me into Finance, her into Environmental Engineering. Amidst our varied paths including my exchange and my sister's difficult courses, we were done at the same time. Somehow, our program graduations are on the same day, just at different times. If that wasn't enough, we finished university at the exact same time. No, I mean it. We wrote our last exams on April 16th, 2 - 5pm and both ended at 5:02pm. Like wow... So now I'll admit, Twins have something special. I've been wrong. Now someone should go write a book about the "special bond". lol.

So you don't have to believe in the Power of Twins, I had my doubtsbut the Universe had other plans.

Here are pictures from my last day as an undergrad student. And if you noticed that my hair is dyed you are right! A hair update is long overdue as Anyaposh correctly commented. Patience loves; I'll do it really soon.

Don't ask what I'm doing now. Just enjoying my freedom!

And then my sister the same day

Stay Happy Family...
Yours Truantly,

Q is for....

2011-04-12T14:15:00.001-04:00

Quality... No, Quantity.

You guessed it. The age old debate now takes its place in bob-ij world. And about this name, I feel like people don't really get it. My name is not bob...My name is Ijeoma. 'Bob' refers to the title of my blog; Bastille of Beauty. Hence the name 'bob-ij'. Are we clear now? Good. Questions answered.

Now unto the real post. My twin and I are almost at complete odds about this Quality VS Quantity thing. What side do you think I'm on? If you guessed Quality then you are....WRONG! loool. I'm all about QUANTITY! I need many, have to have many and I obviously will not be able to afford a QUANTIFIED-QUALITY range (Yup, made up the word. No apologies there). So...the truth is, I love a mix and usually when you buy something of high-quality, you need to use it to a large extent. On the other hand, when you buy many affordable things, you can mix and match, alternate;someone say versatility! And before a witty blogger says you can find affordable HIGH-quality things, I'd like to add that I mean very HIGH-quality. For instance, I have a million pairs of shoes; maybe not a million but 53 pairs when i counted LAST summer and a paid just a fair amount for them. I am sort of a BARGAIN HUNTER so they come wayyyy cheaper, trust me. My sister on the other hand, does not play with getting GOOD shoes. I blame it on her 'taste' level. She's into the plain and sophisticated. Give me edgy and stylish any day. Truth is, I don't compromise on the quality of some things especially if they are a constant part of my life; my prescription glasses, Sunglasses, Purse (s) (sometimes), Watch, Phone. For everything else, Please bring me a whole lot of it at a moderate quality level. I'm not talking low-quality, rip when you wear or slack when you wash. I'm referring to things for the masses; I'm IN.

So, since winter is over, I'm ready to share my dress-up secret. (Sneaky, I know). My secret is

i. Getting a locker in school so that I don;t walk around is Calty, Murky, Wet and Ugly boots! (lol

ii. I stock up on Gandpa/huge sweater from thrift stores and pair them with leggings. Bye to the stress of layering and looking bulky. Just make it a look!

Be Good Beautiful people!
Yours Truantly,

Out with the old,In with the new

2011-04-06T12:33:00.000-04:00

Brief escape from blogsville. Again I blame it on life just HAPPENING. Last week, I had my last class of undergrad and I am beyond excited. I still have a final exam but I am floating. Lifted by the knowledge that Finance through punches, I ducked and threw in a K.O. I really give thanks to God that undergrad was a beautiful experience for me....I'm already talking like a graduate and I'm not there yet. lol.

The scary part of being done is embracing novelty. I hear that graduates aren't babied at all. They...umm... We are treated like adults. Tbh, I'm not interested. I'd like to go back to school and learn a WHOLE lot more. Out with undergrad, in with life. Another thing I know will change now is my reduced sense of security. My Uni campus is a HAVEN! I literally leave my purse on my chair unattended. I always say that anything that goes missing on campus was not stolen, but lost. In Nigeria, on the other hand, I hook my hand underneath my purse tightly. I don't even try to hold it like a BABE.Out with Carefree, In with Careful!

Moving home after being away must be a huge change and I'm not talking about not being able to wear short shorts or tiny skirts. I am talking about re-adjusting to life; fast-paced, the plethora of culture and religion, the recollection of values and ideals and taboos. Call me old school but I can't wait for a society that looks constantly to God. Canada can't even begin to boast about that; We say 'Happy Holidays' instead of Merry Christmas for goodness' sake so that on one is offended. This is the way the society over here operates and is sustained. I can't wait for MY OWN society's modus operandi.

LOL ---- I know I used unnecessary words in my rant like 'plethora' and 'modus operandi'. Blame #Nollywood oh! I've been watching too many movies where people use the wrong words at the wrong time. I don't even know why I'm still glued to the computer watching them. I admit #Nollywood is my #guiltypleasure. Especially my home-girl TONTO DIKEH! lol

BTW my mum said someone asked her if she was Ijeoma's mum during an interview for an NYSC job. The person talked about reading my blog and everything I had to say about my mum. It is a minute world. Whoever you are, big shout out! My mum can't be prouder of how proud I am of her!

Please no giggles at my outfit in these pictures, people said I looked like Hilary from Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I'd like to think I gave her a bit of a rockstar edge.. :-D

I'm growing a lot nowadays. Reconnecting with friends and discovering myself . So I know I'm always going to be Ijay, Take me as I am!

Be Good peoples....

Yours Truantly,

THE 6TH SENSE

2011-03-21T15:06:00.001-04:00

With spring coming, my pet peeve returns. I don't get disgusted at the sight of earthworms wriggling onto the road to eventually be crushed underfoot or "undertyre". I am especially not disgusted by the sickening crunch of its exoskeleton when it has been stepped on. What bothers me is the SMELL! The smell of earthworms is like uncooked meat that has laid on the grass for two nights and then was peed on by a dog on a walk{ ok not this intense}. But earthworms stink. If you haven't noticed this smell, don't feel bad, I attribute my acute awareness of smell to my 6th sense... I call it Nose 3.0. I spot smells from a mile away. The only negative is that I prepare people for the smell because I sense it first, but no one can prepare me.

This smell also feeds my sweet tooth. Who can resist the smell of waffles topped with whipped cream and chocolate. If you can, you are either super-human {addicted to the healthy} or sub-human {immune to deliciousness}. FOOD is definitely on my mind.

On a brighter note, I'd love to announce that I have found a way to embrace the healthy me. I now LIKE salads. If you know me, you'll no I have "healthy-phobia". LOL. So this is a HUGE step for me. For my fellow phobic friends. The trick is a fun salad.... SWEET or SPICY. We know that those GREEN things just taste like plants... so for the Sweet
Spring Mix + Green Grapes + Strawberries {which I pick out cuz I hate) + Raspberry dressing ( has only 30 calories)

For spicy
Spring Mix + Chicken strips/Shredded chicken (Baked not fried) + Pepper (We love the spicy) + Cesar/Italian Dressing (Has some fat but the greens make up jo)

And I add Spinach to everything...Yes raw spinach. My rice plate looks Christmas-y nowadays with green veggies and red stew. Anyways.... In less that a month, I will be taking my final exam of undergrad and I am beyond excited. I have no more lecture material being taught in class and it makes me feel bittersweet. Sweet because I'm done and Bitter because I'm wondering if I learned enough from undergrad. All in all, I'm happy. And please DON'T ask me what's next, Can we just savor the moment??

Spring is here! Or so I thought before the SNOW fell ridiculously today. Another day, more snow. Anyways I'm rocking some faux fur and another Dione Mauve hair accessory and my DIY ring from before to celebrate I'm loving throwing in some tribal printing into my dressing...What better way than accessories....

Have a lovely week fam...

Yours Truantly,

WeBuilt:Nigeria

2011-03-09T12:27:00.002-05:00

Disclaimer: This post is a photo overdose. Viewing is at viewer's risk.

One of the things that upsets me about life is negativity especially from people you may refer to as 'your people'. I'm talking about the negative attitude of our fellow Nigerians to the rise of entertainment and social initiatives. Constantly there is an undertone of "Ah! Now everyone wants to sing", "Scheww so now anyone can be a model", "Everyone wants to start an organization". It upsets me because I would expect encouragement from people. No I'm not referring to criticism. Criticism is constructive and can be productive. Negativity on the other hand is just hateful and blinded. I refuse to call it 'hating' because I feel like the word has been misused. We're always on about how 'The youth are the future' and when the youth decide to follow their dreams, the tale becomes that we follow a 'herd-mentality'. So what if there is a rise of musicians in Nigeria? Isn't that a good thing? The fact that young people are being inspired by others to follow their own hearts does not necessarily mean they are copying/duplicating other artistes. It can mean that they finally REALISE that they CAN do it. And Personally, that excites me....

That being said, I introduce an initiative of my friend Ada Umoefia, a future architect. She has a wonderful idea of rebuiding Nigeria, one sector at a time. It's called 'WeBuilt:Nigeria'.

The idea I found most interesting is rebuilding the market stalls in Nigeria using pre-farbicated pieces such that as we are used to IKEA ways of cutting pieces together, it wouls be easy to put together the pieces of a Market Stall, that can be easily folded away.This table is called the 'CarryGo' Table. Amazing idea..Truly amazing... Here's Ada demonstrating the 'Carry Go' Table 'Click here'

Ada in her WeBuilt Shirt

CarryGo Table Version 1

CarryGo Table Version 2

Ada demonstrates setting up a CarryGo Table

Impressive? I know. Who are we kidding? This is unbelievable. Imagine the increased safety with these where there are no rusty tetanus-infected nails sticking out of market tables. Think about the security a vendor has with taking his/her portable stall at the end of the market day. You know what? Just go to Webuilt.org to find out more about this and how you can help. You definitely want to be a part of this amazing idea. She's looking for volunteers to participate in this activity. The volunteers even get free 'WeBuilt' Shirts. Yay! I'm hoping I can be a part of the execution because there's nothing that gets me going more that philantropy; a concept I hope to fully support in the Nigerian workplace when I go back. In the spirit of support, My friends and I threw on WeBuilt shirts...

Let's look past the uncertainty and support young people with ideas for Nigeria whether innovative or conventional. We have one goal.... at the end of it all, let's boast the WeBuilt:Nigeria.

Spotted: Miss Lohi in a Dione Mauve Dress

iMusk

Just cuz I wanted to show off my new pants! Love them....

Some conservative variation of the Dutty Wine...lol. Spot the Dione Mauve 'Oma' Brooch

Gravity can't keep me down

This can totally be a Watch Commercial...

See No Evil, Speak No Evil

On another note, It's Ash Wednesday Today. If you can, go and GET BRANDED with the cross of your forehead. Can't wait. I love it when people stare at me walking around. I look at them like yeah #iRepChristianity.

My Complete look...Basket Purse, Blazer, Dione Mauve Brooch, Oxfords et al!

Animated gif maker

Have a beautiful rest of the week people! Be Positive!

Yours Truantly,

Girlfriends?

2011-03-01T14:55:00.002-05:00

I have a pretty roller-coaster week/weekend. It was supposed to be our 'Spring Break' but it happens to also be 'Reading Week' given that i have two final exams this week that constitute up to 50% of my course grade and three reports due. I shall survive, I can do all things through Christ who Strengthens me. When I'm really stressed out, I make sure to take breaks from studying to relax. I did this and stumbled upon the video and pictures I took earlier this month. It was my friend's birthday and we were compiling the usual birthday video for Facebook. Thing is, the dynamic trio, my sister Ifie, my friend Deola and I did not want the usual boring... talking message (no offense) lol. So we spiced things up and dressed up in retro costumes and danced a bit. You can say we went all out.

There's nothing like having girlfriends you can be silly with. Personally, I don't understand it when girls don't have girlfriends and blame it on the 'drama' girls have. They choose to be 'one of the guys'.It's something I've never been able to rationalize somehow. Myquestion is, who do you talk to when you have that 'period pimple' (not to be graphic or anything...lol)? And when you go shopping, or as simple as when you study. The three of us have decided to give our first daughters different variations of the same name. Let's hope the husbands agree! haha! All I can say is, I LOVE MY GIRLIES, even the ones not in Canada especially best friends and lovers in England.

A few days a ago I chatted with my 'primary school best friend' and all we kept saying was how we missed each other. 10 years later, missing communication and we still love each other. People come and people go but what matters is what happens when they ARE in our lives. Here's to the girls with girlfriends all over the world and to the ones still searching, you'll find them soon. The closeness cannot be substituted. AMEN!

BEFORE

AFTER - Pure Fun

THE VIDEO!

I hope your week is WAY better than mine. I'll be fine!
Yours Truantly,

DIY: Restore Your Broken Rings to Versatile Perfection

2011-02-25T13:28:00.000-05:00

Hola beautiful people. It's your girl Ij! loool...

So this post should be useful. By a show of hands can I see how many of you have had the top embellishment of your ring fall off and leave you with just the bottom? I see a whole lot of hands and mine is up too. I can't begin to count how many of my rings have had the top fall off especially those Aldo rings...I don't even want to think about it. And I like really big rings so that doesn't help, it's hard for the things to stay on. I have a remedy to save you from that annoyance. Here goes my very first DIY tutorial. I love to DIY and as a designer it's something that keeps me sane amidst my constant impulse to sew ALL my clothes. Whose fault is it that the stuff at the store is a tad bit boring?

Before you do the whole cliche "I can't do this", read through and think of the things you have in your house. That old 'scarf' that you will never wear, or a top you're dying to give out/throw out. The super glue you have around the house. And the time you spend watching desperate housewives, (well the commercials bit, you can squeeze in some DIY). I did mine while watching the Grammy's

I warn you, this may get addictive.
Any ways, for this ring DIY, you are going to need
A broken ring; Needle and Thread; Scissors; A glue gun (or any kind of glue that can stick fabric to metal);Fabric (More fun with prints than solids); Felt piece (Or semi-stiff fabric)

First off I made a fabric flower...(EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZY). For this cut small circles of fabric like shown below. I used a lip balm lid to measure my circles. I cut out six circles.

Fold the circle into four and you have a fabric flower. So this for all six circles and secure together with needle and thread.

Sew this onto a stronger piece of fabric.

Take your glue and stick the fabric flower to the broken ring surface.

Hold in place till the glue sets and VOILA! You have a newer and more creative ring.

I did the same thing with a bow and I loved it. I made the bow from tribal (Vlisco) printed fabric and used pleather as center of the rectangular bow. Don't ask why I made one that spanned my four fingers. I just got a little bit carried away but I love it!!

There goes my first DIY. Thoughts?

Have an awesome weekend people....

Yours Truantly,

#When I was Little

2011-02-17T16:51:00.003-05:00

This was the trending topic on Twitter some time ago and What an awesome #TT (Trending Topic for non-Tweeters).

I remember when I was little, I was such an imaginative person. I wrote a book I never published called "Nossisa Spice". My entire family knows the story of an orphan yadda yadda yadda. And they tease me about it from time to time.It was like a 'Malory Towers' book mixed with 'Maltida'. You know what else I did when I was little? I played outside all the time. I cooked with 'leaves' around my house and used 'dark sand' as 'Maggi' and 'white sand' as 'Salt'. If I was lucky, I found some 'red sand' to be my 'Pepper'. I smile when I think about it because it was so awesome and when my friends were over they'd join in. I don't recall "the twin' joining in this though. I doubt it was her thing. lol

It saddens me a bit when I see the course the world has run. My baby sister doesn't even WANT to be outside. She'd rather play Wii or watch TV and listen to her iPod or maybe play her Nintendo DS. She writes though...Which I love. But I just can't believe how different the younger generation is. My brother had a Sega Game Console when we were young but we'd play it every OTHER time. Most times, we rode our bicycles, or played soccer. Let's say we were ONE with nature. With technology, the kids don't even have a chance to experience Mother Nature. And talk to her and understand what she's saying. My fear is that she won't care too much for the younger generation because hey! they never checked up on her.

This is why I love that the family makes us take trips to the Village. Even though all the technology is STILL there. The urge to be outside is much greater and always wins. From running away from masquerades to trying to hit some oranges down from a tree to chasing chickens around the house to sitting under trees and playing on swings and slides.

What can I say? I'm in love with tradition, nature and being free-spirited. My fear is that MY kids may think that's 'old school' and it's ridiculously disturbing.

And ahem..Did I mention i got a Michael Kors watch for Valentine's day! Totally unexpected and my first watch in my adult life. I'm so happy. I thought I was going to beat tje boyfriend by getting us a spa trip...I guess I was wrong... oh well good things come to those who wait!

So these shoes I'm rocking just to spite my sister. They're from Le Chateau and somehow my sister HATES it. She think it's ugly and so I don't wear it too often! What do you guys think? It might be my favourite pair of shoes.....

I pulled an MJ stunt. haha! You know I need my moves.....Don't laugh....

Have a beautiful weekend loves!

Yours Truantly,

Blogger Diarrhoea

2011-02-09T14:11:00.003-05:00

Before you cringe, realize it happens to all of us. It is not a thing to be ashamed of. Diarrhoea is real. And it is bad. It's everywhere. It does not discriminate against race, gender or age. It exists even in blog-ville. Jokers! I wonder if you know what sort of diarrhoea I mean. lol... I'm talking about Blogger Diarrhoea silly. It is the tendency of a bloggers to blog sparingly and then blog continuously/constantly for a period of time sometimes about seemingly meaningless topics that become a babble. Told you it wasn't that bad. But the issue becomes when the diarrhoea is gone and we leave our blog-followers alone and blog-post-less and maybe even wondering if we are alive and well.

I'm trying to keep my Blogger Diarrhoea (B.D.) in check because I know I'll keep going on and then vanish into thin air... "Woosh!" (That's my vanishing sound, don't ask).Let's see how long my diarrhoea lasts. And for those of you who were wondering what that tendency was when you blog a lot and then stop. Eureka! I found it; it's B.D. baby!

Who's excited about Val's Day??? I think I AM!!

This is a "Bowtie Brooch" I am introducing into my Dione Mauve Spring/Summer 2011 Collection! Who said we all want to tie a bowtie..... Throw it on a skirt, top, front, side and back! I'll be wearing it for a minute so you'll see other ways to rock it! That's a Dione Mauve bracelet as well. #iRep Dione Mauve

If you still haven't seen my new Harmattan Collection go to dionemauve.com

And I had a little Ciara/Matrix moment..

p.s. forgive the pink bra-strap. I'm not photoshop savy!

Have a snow-filled week (Misery loves company)....lol

Yours Truantly,

Super-Hero in a dangerous world

2011-02-03T13:16:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I feel like i am a super-hero. No. I don't sit and say "Hey, Ijay! You're a super-hero". Here's what I mean; sometimes, I take on a magnitude of work school and otherwise that is impossible to attain given that there are only 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, and 365/366 days in a year. It is IMPOSSIBLE. But somewhere mine-deep in my sub-conscious, I must imagine that I AM a super-hero to make the promises I make. And I hate to disappoint people, I'd rather lose sleep and push myself to the extreme.
No, no! Hold the applause, there's nothing noble about this. The truth is, sometimes, I CAN'T keep the promises. Like nothing can be done short of skinning myself and drying it to make kilishi (sorry...very gross comparison ~~haha~~). But you get my drift. So in the end, life may have really been better if I just said, 'Umm..actually, I can't'.

I know where I get it from, (now the blaming starts). It's from my dad. My brother has it too! Call it our tragic flaw...Achilles heel if you must. All we want is for people to be happy. Like that's genuinely what we want. We just fail to realize that, sometimes, we are not the INSTRUMENTS for the job. Thank goodness for people like my Mum and Two sisters who keep us grounded.

Doesn't it suck to know something you persistently do wrong and need to stop. Who said rehab is only for celebrities and drugs and alcohol?

I blame it partially on the turban-styled scarf I rocked to school some days ago. I kinda look like a female 'Hellboy'....lol... With one shaved-off horn... My sister said I looked like a Sultan and I took it as a compliment. It is mostly Sultans that tie turbans so wooooooh!!

I'm so excited it's thursday....Weekend to do work free of classes

Be safe! Tie a Turban - Express your inner Sultan :-D

Yours Truantly,

~Rennovations - Changing Faces~

2011-01-31T12:29:00.002-05:00

I admit it I have an OCD. Changing blog layouts is my thing. But I think this is the last time. You may have noticed that I also changed my description. I've been itching to do it for a while. Make-Up Artist doesn't describe who I am anymore. Even though I do make-up a whole lot more that when I was really dedicated to it. For Dione Mauve shoots and my cousin's traditional wedding. The final decision to change from "IjMadueke: Make-Up Artist" came when I went on Stella's blog.I was ashamed to have even 'THOUGHT' I had a real passion for make-up. Stella's tips are amazing and she's actually taking classes and all that.

I owe my hesitation to Nigerian Bloggers Award. Yes, I said it! Why must all the blogs be categorized...

How about an award for 'Best Freelance Blog'. I know that's what I am. And a whole lot of bloggers too. #Just saying.

That being said, I don't have a focus for my blogging.I'm just going to keep blogging and maybe I'll find that focal point. That being said.Please can someone direct me to new bloggers or currently interesting blogs...My list is outdated.

I'm rocking a weave now and these pictures make me miss my kinks...*sigh*
Lipstick - Nars Pure Matte Lipstick Vesuvio

This thing stays on for ages even after several cups of coffee and two meals...lol

Yours Truantly,

'Cuz we're Human

2011-01-22T15:38:00.003-05:00

Have you ever been scared? Like really frightened that something bad was going to happen because everything seemed so perfect? That was me all holiday long. My holiday was AMAZING. My cousin/older sister got married this holiday and is now the gorgeous Engr Nkechi Akunyili. I've never seen a prettier bride and my sister and I have big shoes to fill.

Ok, back to the topic. This holiday for me was beyond perfection. I spent almost all of it with my family; not nuclear but extended. Given that my Grandmother had 9 kids and we are IGBO, you can only imagine how big that is. What was even better? My cousin was getting married so EVERYONE came back from Sudan, Ethiopia, USA, UK and Canada ( I think that's about it). It was PERFECT, from Christmas to New year's to Igba Nkwu (traditional wedding) to Church Wedding we celebrated life, love and family.
All the while, at the back of my head was "this is too good to be true". I must have said a million prayers to God that nothing bad would happen but I was still scared senseless.

In the end, everything went perfect, down to everyone returning to their destinations safely. Granted a few cameras, purses and phones were stolen but who cares? We were all safe.
So my question is, What makes us believe that we do not deserve the good things that happen to us? That something must be wrong somewhere? I'd love to say that it is 'Cuz we're Human. But I'm sure not everyone feels this way.

I'm supposed to be done Uni in April this year... and I'm still a bit scared that something will go wrong somewhere...That fear is fast-dissolving as my level of academic stress is rising but I'm still wondering why it was there in the first place.

Shots of me at the wedding

And we had a little dance-off...Girls (With Bride) against the Guys (My brother and cousins) but Of course we won. The bride always wins!
You may have seen us on NTA (Hides face). My friends kept calling...
Pardon the blurriness, they are motion shots. lool

Happy Birthday Angels

2010-12-10T00:00:00.001-05:00

Thought we'd forgotten?
Think we ever will?
We think about you a lot;
We celebrate your birthdays
And sometimes imagine where you'd have been,
What you'd have been doing.

We will never forget,
Because you are family.

We wrote a story about you;
A story for you,
Our Story, Your Story.
We sang for you,
Wrote poems for you.
And we won't stop,
Because you're a part of our history.

We didn't mark the date in our calendar,
You marked it in Our Hearts...
10/12/05
The 'Angelization' of 60 Children

Rest In Peace to all the victims of the crash....

Keep Praying for me Hadi-baby. I know it's you.

It sucks to see clearly

2010-11-21T20:02:00.000-05:00

**This post in my head was very literal. But as I typed, it evolved into a metaphorical description of the statement**

My other glasses counterparts will confirm that seeing clearly has its disadvantages. From the growing dependence on the object to the fogginess on your lenses when you move from cold to warm weather or stand over a boiling pot. From the line on the bridge of your nose to the pressure of the handles on the back of your head. Point? Seeing clearly has its disadvantages.

It has sort of the same disadvantages as "seeing cearly" i.e. seeing life clearly. Viewing life as it really is, seeing people as they really are and situations as they occur. You'd think it'd make life easier, but you're wrong. The perfect person becomes extremely flawed, the good actions clear to reveal cruel intentions and the relationships you THOUGHT you had are meaningless. Yes, it sucks to see clearly. But you know what? I'd rather not walk around living life in a bubble. I'd rather see things/people for what they really are. And if there's a problem, then I can deal with it.

This is not a rant; just another realization of my twenties-hood. Is this what it's like? Getting older and more mature. Unnecessary things fade into the distance and like putting on a my NEW glasses, life HAPPENS in 3D.

We live and we learn; I'm not perfect and don't want to be. If I was, where would I go from there?

Smiling and laughing; I relax because I know everything will sort itself out.

Worrying is for the "blurry-eyed"; I'm seeing clearly now.

~x~

It's a big deal

2010-11-12T23:53:00.000-05:00

2 months ago,

The bus is approaching and I can't tell what bus it is because the number is blurry. I wait until it's almost at my nose and then I see yay! It's my bus and I run for it. How come the other people at the bus stop saw it before me? They probably have super eyes. pshhh. Why do I get to be normal?

1 month ago,

I press the TV Guide on the remote and I see nothing. Nope, the movies and shows are there but I cannot see it from the couch even after my usual squints. This was when I realised that I needed to seek help.

3 weeks ago,

I went to the doctor and bragged about my "assumed" 20/20 vision and after checking my eyes, the doctor laughed. The kind of cynical, knowing laugh that can be annoying. He gave me something to read and put glasses on my face. I read it with ease, feeling cool. He took off the glasses and I saw NOTHING. Nothing. A blur. shifting of letters but I could not make out the words. I asked, "Do normal people see this?", his answer was chilling with a hint of amusement..."Yes."

Two days later, I picked up my glasses and stepped outside and wow! I saw the world in a different way. It was in HD, more like 3D because I could touch the world. I felt lie I was in movie. I think they gave me optical enhancers because normal people can never see like this. Or do they? If they do, then I've been blind for 21 years. I always just assumed that life was a supposed to be blurry. Surely man was not made to see this clearly. Now I feel like I have a super-power. I can see people's eyes, I can see the TV guide and finally I can read bus numbers. And what's more? I see how beautiful the world really is. I was suffering and I didn't even know it. Kinda makes me think about those who have not experienced love of family, they don't even know what they're missing.

It's a new look and I love it!

Who understands? Someone? Anyone?
~x~

LOoKing At My AsSets

2010-10-12T21:29:00.000-04:00

They say that each experience is a learning process, but let’s be real. Some experiences have been experienced before, so nothing new there. Well, maybe you are learning something about the difference in reaction, from one experience to the other. I ramble!

Hurray again for Nigeria being 50! On my Twitter, during the celebrations, I tweeted

“They call is arrogant, I call it confident #NigeriaAt50”

This sums up my post for today. All too often I hear Nigerians, referred to as being “arrogant” and inasmuch as there are a few black sheep. I disagree. Instead, I think of it as being confident. Nigerians in general I find to be pretty confident, we see our self-worth and take pride in ourselves, our appearance and our work. Maybe some of this is due to our large numbers all over the world where we tend to aggregate and offer support to each other. Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with it especially in our world today. It is so important to love yourself, so that you do not get lost in the myriad of trends. Where am I going with this?

Well recently, I have started to view myself as an asset in my Career-life. I don’t view any job (volunteer or paid) as an opportunity. I see it as a channel to display my skills and personality. Therefore, if I don’t get the job I don’t see it as a missed opportunity, I view it as the establishment missing out on an asset. Because I know what skills I’ve learned and what I can bring to the table. And any job I get will be a step in my personal growth to improve my value as an asset. The break-even point will be the point at which I have received all the possible improvements I can get from a position and any time after that becomes a loss to my growth.

Hey I’m a Finance Student; I have to think this way. I just feel like recently, the people I’ve worked with have inferred that I am an asset to them and not just an employee which got me thinking. Maybe I am an addition to the team as opposed to the team doing me a favor.

Think about the value you add to your work/volunteer place and maybe you’ll see what I mean. It might be how fast you are at typing or maybe how easily you handles problems or how you accept instructions without complaints. Wave goodbye to the days of enslaving yourself by work and embrace the notion of increasing the value of yourself as an asset!

Check out My BIG HAIR!

Have a lovely week

~x~

If I told you, you'd never believe

2010-09-28T19:32:00.001-04:00

You’ll never believe what I did last night. This season has been a whirlwind of surprises for me. From my brother and Dad suddenly appearing on my couch all the way from Nigeria in what I call the biggest surprise of the century. To the orders that are pouring in, and the invitations to showcase Dione Mauve at events. Even to the bad; where I didn’t not get a job I thought I was overly qualified for.

But what I did last night was even more unreal. Last night, I ATE BOILED GROUNDNUT IN CANADA. Yes. The one and only treasure hunter in Ontario, Miss Eniola Dav!d appeared at my house with uncooked shelled groundnut. And through the rain, she yelled “Boil it for 40minutes” as I stood frozen with the bag of groundnut in my hand.

Flashback 2 years ago…

I was depressed…unbelievably depressed because I realized that due to my absence from Nigeria in the summer, I will not taste my lovely groundnut in a WHILE.

Back to the present…

I boiled the groundnut like I meant business and after boiling it for 45 minutes, I opened and munched one and I died and went to wonderland. It was awesome.

There is no taste like it. If you have never had boiled groundnut. I’m sorry, I really am.

I then proceeded to open a whole lot as I did when I was a kid….

Then just to complete the experience, I wrapped it in a “LIE-LON” bag. This one would probably have cost 25 Naira.

All I can say is, I’m still floating and dancing on rainbows.

Just thought I should share. If you made you jealous, I sincerely apologize. It's all love. teehee

bob-ij love!

DO IT YOURSELF

2010-09-01T02:03:00.001-04:00

Hey Beautiful People,

The notion of anonymous blogging always seemed unnecessary to me up till now. I understand, I think I get it. It's for safety. The safety and security of expressing yourself without restrictions of being labeled. Maybe even for the existence of multiple selves and alter egos. Fortunately for me, I've never been the rebellious type. Maybe when it calls for a positive change, but I don't think I have controversial opinions. I'm a be-hardworking, get a job, get married, have kids, take them to school, ballet, swimming and tuck them in at night. Yup! I'm pretty conventional, and an extremist may say BORING! lol. Back to the topic, that's why I never thought of anonymity. Now, I see it in a different way. I try not to blog about family visits, locations and all of that because it threatens my safety and those around me. Calm down! I'm not saying I'm a celebrity, but let's be real, there are "special" people out there. So even on Twitter, I try to say "what" I'm doing and not "where" I'm doing it. The only thing is if I'm really being sort after, the "what" can give the "where" but let's just relish in the assumption that it can't =D.

Your Girl Ijay is 21! Yes I'm legal in every jurisdiction...lol! My birthday was on Saturday, August 14th, but my Twin and I stole the entire weekend. :-D We celebrated in Montreal and I have to say that it is such a beautiful city. With designing and sewing, buying clothes is increasing difficult because inasmuch as I'm not satisfied with retail dresses, I don't have the time to make mine. So I'm adopting a new lifestyle...DIY! I'll buy clothes that have potential and make it exactly what I want. Thank God for the gift of sewing....

I pray that my 21st year will be the beginning of my growth; spiritually and mentally. I know I'm not leaving this 5ft 4.5inches....so let's not kid ourselves.

BEFORE

AFTER

:::Back to the Future :::

2010-08-05T13:23:00.001-04:00

I don't understand what's going on? The last time I checked...it was June. Now it's July umm.. I mean August! Where's time flying to? And what have I been doing? Am I the only person that's losing track of time? Like I'm really concerned.

Now good and bad news.
Good news: I'm going to be 21 soon! August 14th to be exact. I'll be legal in every country I the world {I think}.

Bad News: I'm going to be 21 soon? Pshhh! Cougar! How did I get so old? Do we get more boring with age? I think I have and it's so annoying. I also need to get married soon and start having little Ijays! And dressing them up like princesses and making them take ballet classes. lol. Ok, I'm joking. Not soon. I have a lot I want to achieve first and the pieces of my complex puzzle are falling into place.

I wonder if my parents felt this way when they were young. Did time disappear...like poof!...vamoose! Abracadabra {Hope it's the spelling}? I'm planning on being a super-cool, uber-trendy mum, rocking my heels {and suffering the back ache later}.

Yes! That's where my mind's at right now. Maybe it's because of 'Inception'. That movie messed with my head BADLY. Who's lost in the time vacuum with me?

Just in case you forgot what I looked like, here I am rocking my natural, kinky curls/coils and loving it! Trust me to keep the 'Afro-modern' movement going. I'm rocking a custom-made Ankara top with H&M Harem Pants.
Still love you guys and I'm planning on being back for real now. Peace, love and kinks!

IMANcipation

2010-07-12T19:41:00.003-04:00

I won't even bother apologizing, because I always do. I'm sure you already know I'm sorry for my MIA-ness. But,when life moves fast, I throw on a helmet and keep up.

Anyways, You all know how much of an IMAN fan I am in terms of powder and I'm probably preaching to the converted but it's summer and that's the perfect time for your skin to glow. IMAN powders are the truth because unlike many other brands, shimmer has been included in the mix. This means that it practically has an "in-built" bronzer. Who wants to buy primer, foundation, powder and then bronzer? Yeah, me neither. Don't you want your skin to glow in the sun? So I advice that you try IMAN pressed powder and see the difference it makes. If your tone doesn't match, check another series. I'd advise that you for the "Clay" series, I find the "Sand" series a bit red, but this might suit your skin tone.

I'm not saying you should throw out your Mac or Mary Kay or Revlon or *insert your brand here*. I'm just saying that once the one you're using is done, SEARCH for IMAN and let me know if it works for you.

I'm NOT an IMAN Rep, so this is objective advice.I won't mind being one, so if you kow someone feel free to throw in my name.

Just curious? What brand do you use?

To present my case, I'm doing a before and After series. Big difference b/w my ladies before their IMANcipation and After. Go ahead and get IMANcipated.

And guys, Tell your girlfriends too *hehe*

Miss Mimz

Miss Aira

Miss Edia

**Case Closed**

Have a great week.
~x~

"The Impulse Collection"

2010-06-29T20:30:00.002-04:00

So there's something I especially love about Nigeria. It's the interconnectedness (if I may use this term); like everyone around you is your "cousin", "aunty" and "uncle" and you sometimes even think you are linked by blood. Another thing is how everyone knows at least 3 phrases/expressions/~~abuses~~ in at least one language other than their mother tongue. How else would you explain the fact that I am Ibo but I know Yoruba terms like "O ti re mi" "O ti o!" "Talon soro" "on bi mi nu" "Omo igbo ni mi"? These may not be the correct spellings, but you get the drift. And how else would you explain that our artistes like P-square (Igbo boys) are belting out "Omoge mi". Timaya, a Bayelsa native speaking fluent igbo and even having an igbo song "Life Anagaga". We may know different phrases, but there is a universal trio of words that every Nigerian should know; "owo", "kudi" "ego". It is the reality of an interwoven culture that inspired my Dione Mauve Summer Collection : Impulse.

The Impulse Collection
The Impulse collection is an invitation to follow your heart and be free. This collection feature pieces that take a life of their own: patterns on patterns, solids on patterns.The pieces speak their language as the fabrics intertwine to scream afro-modernity. It is summer and the Dione Mauve -Impulse is to embrace colour, style and quirkiness. What’s yours?

Inspiration: The Impulse collection was inspired by a “Nigerian Summer”. It is reminiscent of the celebration, music, laughter and harmony. The bright colours of the pieces represent Nigeria’s positivity; the earthy colours represent her potential. The entire collection represents her beauty and the impulses Nigeria creates in us.

To view complete collection go here
And for the Concord Collection here

For inquiries, send an email to dionemauve@gmail.com

- "Confluence Coal Dress"

(Available in other colours)
$60

Model: Arinade Adekola
Photographer: Jessica Mills
Make-Up: Dione Mauve
Designer/Stylist: Dione Mauve

- Tulle underneath skirt

- Outlined back details

- Elastic waistband

- Gathered Full skirt

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Clinched Crescent Dress”
(Available in other colours) $45

Model: Bonita Matthews
Photographer: Jessica Mills
Make-Up: Dione Mauve
Designer/Stylist: Dione Mauve

- Pleated detail at neckline

- Tie and Dye/ Batik Fabric

- Knots at shoulders

- Rounded Hemline

- Clinched Waistline

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Beji Belle Dress"

(Available in other colours) $45

Model: Yanie Durocher
Photographer: Jessica Mills
Make-Up: Dione Mauve
Designer/Stylist: Dione Mauve

- Contrasting fabric patterns

- Gold button details

- Faux pockets

- Short back zipper

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“An African Piano Dress”

(Available in other colours)

$55

Model: Bonita Matthews

Photographer: Jessica Mills

Make-Up: Dione Mauve

Designer/Stylist: Dione Mauve

- Contrasting colour blocks

- Appliqued Piano impression

- Side zipper

- Solid colour on back

- Pleats on back neckline

"Ejima Purse"

$50

- Multi-patterns on each side

- Full Ankara linen

- Diamond detail on one side

- Striped detail on other side

- Pockets on the inside

MIA like I'm flying paper planes....

2010-06-21T15:47:00.003-04:00

My title seemed cool the first time I thought about it, but not anymore. *cringe* But I have been MIA for a while...and NO! It's not because I didn't win the "Best Beauty Blog award". I'm still flattered that I was a nominee. I've just been swamped with school. I'm officially in my fourth and finally year in University *applause here* lol. And it has been stress. The scary part is, this is just the beginning. Oh well, one step at a time right?

I was once extremely intrigued by poetry and I guess I still am, but not as religious about it as I was before. So this weekend a poetry book caught my eye...and I'm in the world again....

#currentlyreading Edna St. Vincent Millay: Selected Poems and she's pretty angry at April.....lol

SPRING

To what purpose, April, do you return again?

Beauty is not enough.

You can no longer quiet me with the redness

Of little leaves opening stickily.

I know what I know.

The sun is hot on my neck as I observe

The spikes of the crocus.

The smell of the earth is good.

It is apparent that there is no death.

But what does that signify?

Not only under ground are the brains of men

Eaten by maggots.

Life in itself

Is nothing,

An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs.

It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,

April

Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.

I'll blog something more sensible later! Till then! Take care fam!

Bastillé of Béauty

...One of those days

Why Evils?

*** This side of things ***

Update --- Update --- Update

We Never Forget 10/12

Surprises

NYSC Prep

Home IS Home

Express Route to Nigeria

The Mannequin Spoke to ME!

Lazy Natural -- It's a Miracle!

No means No... #Real Men Don't Rape

Love for the unborn.....

Reality.....CHECK!

On my mind...

What a Weekend!

It WAS my birthday

America's Next Top Model ALL STARS??

Hunting---Without--A--Gun

Something New

Can I please make my point?

Something Blue

A New Dawn

Succumbing to the forces

Leave the old behind::: ReNOVATE

~ C'est la vie ~

Blog Awards

iCelebrate

Words cannot describe....

Handicap

"There's the line, Don't cross it"

After I dyed...

You Don't Have To Believe Me

Q is for....

Out with the old,In with the new

THE 6TH SENSE

WeBuilt:Nigeria

Girlfriends?

DIY: Restore Your Broken Rings to Versatile Perfection

#When I was Little

Blogger Diarrhoea

Super-Hero in a dangerous world

~Rennovations - Changing Faces~

'Cuz we're Human

Happy Birthday Angels

It sucks to see clearly

It's a big deal

**LOoKing At My AsSets**

If I told you, you'd never believe

DO IT YOURSELF

:::Back to the Future :::

IMANcipation

"The Impulse Collection"

MIA like I'm flying paper planes....

* This side of things *

LOoKing At My AsSets