California Girl

Hey beautiful people!

So for the past week I've been on vacation, visiting my brother in one of my favorite cities, Los Angeles. Lagos had me beat these past few months and I'd been looking forward to getting away for the longest time, but did I get the rest and relaxation I deserved? 

Nope.

Why you ask (and even if you didn't I'm going to tell you anyway)

See below.

Mistake No 1: I flew Delta Airways. My palate does not stand for frou frou, and a good, solid Nigerian meal (preferably involving plantains and a lot of pepper) is the only thing that keeps me in good health. I took Delta because I wanted a direct flight to the US and I'd had a bad experience with United last year (my tv didn't work for the ENTIRE flight). I know Delta really isn't up there with food from different cultures but their menu on this flight was a flaming disgrace. I hadn't had anything to eat the whole day because I'd been so rushed therefore I was looking forward to the five course meal I'd been promised, but dish after dish was presented to me, each evoking disappointment and despair.

Emirates with their party jollof rice and KLM with their yam pottage and beef stew on one memorable, miraculous, magical occasion, give me the faint hope that one day I might be well fed while I fly. 

This however, was not that day.

From the appetizers to the starters to the main course, everything besides the bread rolls (even that one sef had k-leg) were inedible. I had to confirm from the other passengers that I wasn't the only mad one there. The sole advantage of that flight were the flat bed seats so I could sleep lying down and didn't arrive at my destination with a hunchback and swollen feet.

This meant that by the time I landed, I could have comfortably eaten the Immigration officer without a sliver of regret.

Mistake No 2: I flew through Atlanta. Instead of going straight to LA like a sensible person, I thought hey....why don't I spend a couple of days in Atlanta first and hunt down some Real Housewives. As my luck will have it, ATL weather decided to serve up the first snowstorm in years and my delicate constitution just folded. 

Some might say; "but Daks, you lived in Aberdeen, that's pretty much sub-zero weather all year round, you should be used to the cold". 

I say this to you,  freezing is not a feeling anyone in their right mind ever becomes accustomed to, and between God, Man and Blessed Father Tansi, I survived in Aberdeen through sheer grit and expensive determination. My heating blazed without a pause from January to December (and I have the faint inducing electric bill to prove it), I even taped my thermal curtains to the wall to ensure not even a breath of that North wind found its way into my flat. So lets just say Atlanta weather knocked me for six.

The above misfortunes culminated in the only likely conclusion, the day after I escaped the frozen tundras of Dixieland and embraced palm trees and sunshine in Los Angeles, I fell ill and didn't get out of bed for a week. Imagine that, I might as well have had a staycation in Lagos if all I could do was stay in bed. I legit didn't leave the house except to get my nails and eyebrows done (illness: near death, terminal or otherwise is no excuse to slip up on your grooming) and to get my troubles kneaded away by my lovely, sadistic Korean masseuse. 

This Saturday, the cloud lifted and I could finally put on some slap, curl my hair and crawl out of my duvet cave.

Somebody say Alleluia!

Topshop faux leather jacket; Republic of Foreigner wrap maxi dress; Tory Burch 'Miller' flip flops; Ray Ban aviators; ASOS Obi belt; Le Reve Pieces bracelets

 I got the dress at a Republic of Foreigner sale over Christmas, I think it cost about 8k or 10k, can't really remember, don't know what the original price was though. RoF do really great maxi dresses, which are my absolute favorite thing to wear. I'd live in maxi dresses all year round if I could.

With my sister-in-law Onyeka.

I have one more week in LA and hopefully I can get my body to function accordingly.

See why I love this place, look at this view!

Love and light xx