Sunday, 22 September 2013

LOOK OUT BELOW

Unfortunately I don't have pictures of the full outfit but the dress and the shoes were both gifts and made a beautiful combination, African fabrics are one of the most vibrant and I was feeling very proud wearing them.
I was to busy at the event preparing the participants for the pageant that when I remembered to photograph myself it was the next day and I was in my pj's with my hair all messy.


Saturday, 21 September 2013

ROLE MODEL MANIA

Role models ...

... We're always on the prowl for them, especially parents. Parents desperately seeking role models for their kids. For a good few years I always wondered why there was this obsession for having people 'the kids should look up to'.
Parents seem to look everywhere, especially allover the media but there is always one place that tends to get overlooked - at home. I'm sure the phrase 'home is where the heart is' could and should apply to this to right?
Why not be that role model that you are so desperately seeking?
I'm not sure if it's due to feeling inadequate, or not really thinking about it but a lot of the times we are pushed to find role models ... out there, in the big wide world.
These days, a lot of parenting is done outside of the home, with people actually spending less time at home. Kids are in school most of the day, parents are working most their days and the weekends both are too busy to spend time with the other.
We expect the education system to discipline the kids, and celebrities (who for the most part are kids themselves) to lead kids down the right path.
These should take root at the home and maybe a little influenced by these outside factors and not the other way round. Rather than pushing the likes of Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus on the kids and then flying into rages when they either grow up or if they don't live up to the expectations put on them.
Role models are just simply role models,they aren't gods - they are human beings too and as humans we are known for making mistakes.
If we can get kids to love themselves just half as much as their idols, then the right path is already being achieved. Role model ideals are meant to be adaptable and transferable and relevant to our lives and we are meant to find ways to filter those positive ideals into our lives and not the other way round.
Kids just need to learn to love themselves, appreciate themselves and learn to want to be the best that they can be and the best people that can teach them that are the parents.

BLACK + RED PT.2

I know that I have mentioned a liking for gold but I also like other colours too.
I'm fond of colours in general but red is the best, it's my favourite!

Friday, 13 September 2013

THANK YOU DAD, MY PSP IS PINK!

This is a belated post that is dedicated to my dad belatedly on his birthday, as he got another year older on September 7th and it now the 13th already. For many years of my life I was the apple of his eye - spoiled, loved and not being able to do no wrong.
I think that was mostly to do with the fact that I was his only child and kept him quite occupied for a good eleven years. There was also the factor that I didn't live with him that may have definately come into play.

This story begins when I was 16, so a good number of years ago (I'm 24 pushing swiftly onto 25 now).
It was a time where the spoiling came about a lot less but I'm okay with that because by then I had two younger siblings that had come into existence by then and the attentions were now fairly being diverted towards them. I somehow got the spoiling without the brattyness, which I think is pretty cool.
But like many teen daughter-father relationships, we drifted a little as I strayed further away from being a little girl and I was sure that there were many things that my dad didn't know about me - and he proved me wrong.
I have always been a fan of Pink, she is the personification of super-badass and I had no idea that my dad was even remotely aware of that until one day when we were at Brent Cross, I can't remember what reason he gave for us to go there but after I finished school, I headed over to meet him there. After browsing, and catching-up and buying a few things for my brother and sister, we were just hanging about there.
It was near Christmas season and Brent Cross was looking kinda pretty.
I thought we were walking around aimlessly but it turned out he was casually leading us towards GAME and when we came to a stop outside it, he mumbled something and stepped inside. I'm not going to lie, I was confused - my dad isn't much of a gamer and my siblings were pretty much toddlers, so I didn't understand why he felt the urge to browse but as I was quite the avid gamer, I didn't complain and headed inside.
That was when the mystery no longer stayed mysterious and that was because not only did my dad reveal that he was more than aware of my fandom for Pink but also for gaming and he thought that it would be pretty awesome to have the two combined by purchasing me the limited edition pink version of the psp with bonus material from Pink ... I'm not going to lie - I thought that it was pretty awesome too!
I don't play or use it nowhere near as much as I should (life caught up and consumed my time - as it should) but it is something that I do cherish because it symbolises the fact that my dad did take note of what I was into, which is pretty heartwarming.

I took it to another level by pimping out the case, totally decoden style.

Thursday, 12 September 2013

OUR ACTIONS DEFINE US

" not everything is black & white, not everyone is just good or evil - there is some gray matter and we should be judged by our actions "

ISLAMAPHOBIA PARANOIA

It's getting a little too much.
How comfortable we have all become blaming Islam and Islamists and the Middle East in general for all our problems. There are so many holes in that theory to sink my teeth into that I almost don't know where to begin.

First of all, like many other religions - Islam is everywhere. Let that fact sink in for just a little while.
It's not confined to Pakistan, Afghanistan or Al-Qaeda.
Islam is a religion right? And just like other religions (i.e Christianity), there is Islam in every continent of the world but unlike Christianity which is welcomed with almost open arms, Islam has everyone up in arms. It is considered a threat, something very strange and different.
There are Muslims in Europe, the majority may have come as immigrants but they are here.
There are Muslims in other African regions besides the northern region, take a look at Nigeria, Angola, Sudan - the populations may not be as large as Egypt or Algeria but they are there.
There are Muslims in Asia, where Islam began but not just in south or western regions that we attack on a regular basis but also in the orient - e.g. Cambodia, Brunei and Malaysia.
There are even Muslims in America, the country that seems to fear them the most.

Now I am more than aware that some horrendous things have been done in the name of Islam and/or Allah but according to history Christians weren't shy of doing the same things either, all in the name of religion.
We waste so much energy being hateful towards Muslims because of their faith, and we condemn millions because of a minority. I thought the idea wasn't to judge a book by it's cover but judging people by their actions.

As a populace we are all a little prejudice, some even racist but I thought the idea was to overcome it, not be engulfed by it.
When I am going about my day, I have better things to occupy my mind than keeping an eye on the man wearing a thobe or the woman in a hijab when on the bus or train "in case they are carrying a bomb".
It's silly, I may as well find all sorts of reasons to be fearful of different people for all sorts of reasons and become a nervous wreck.
  • Have a panic attack whenever I see a soldier because you never know if they are suffering from PTSD and may just shoot everybody.
  • Pee my pants whenever I see a youth in a hoodie because he's up to no good.
  • Become paralysed with fear whenever I see a black guy at night because he's out to rob and rape.
Is it really necessary to persecute millions because of a select much fewer?
If that is the cause then every single one of us should be on the line, we are always to busy finding reasons to hate one another.

BLACK + GOLD PT.2 [FT. MUSIC]


Part 2 of the [BLACK + GOLD] post.
I was having one of those throwback moments where a song from my "teenage-hood" came on ... aahhhh the memories. Good ones ... Kelly was my bias.
That and the fact that I am partial to Skullcandy headphones ...


Woop woop! Put your hands up!


A MIRACULOUS PRODUCT


Shea butter is an amazing product and it's one that everyone (man and woman) should have at home - it does work wonders and it has become increasingly available in the mainstream market.
I'm not good at skincare regimes (aside from the basics), so I always try to keep it minimal so that it feels less like a regime. As of late, I have had a few problems with my skin where at times I felt massively ashamed of it and struggled to go out without trying to hide it (from make-up to scarves), until I finally made the commitment to use shea butter. The reason why I resisted was principally because I was not too fond of the texture, it literally does feel like butter and it took a few applications to get used to but after hearing stories of the wonders it was doing (from members of my own family), and Bing able to see the changes with my own eyes - I became less sceptical an started using it sparingly on problem areas, my spots.
Two weeks ago I noticed the aggressive and painful acne on my face become less angry and diminish. The spots have gone and now I am using it more regularly for the scarring the angry dudes left behind and although it's early days, it seems to slowly be working as I find myself using less make-up and other items to hid my face.
Overall, the condition of my skin has improved and I hope that it will only continue to do so.

Wednesday, 11 September 2013

BLACK + GOLD

I am a big fan of gold as mentioned in the [ALL THAT GLITTERS IS GOLD] post. There are many colours it goes well with, right now I'm into gold and black ... and have been for a while to be honest.

Cross Necklace: Primark
Leggings: New Look
Headphones: Skullcandy
Earrings: Urban Outfitters