Countdown

I type this with a deep and heavy heart,

I have two days left in Lagos......

My flat back in Aberdeen has been empty since the 15th and will probably take two days to warm up to livable temperatures. From Wednesday morning, I resume freezing again and the despair doesn't stop there, I'm going back to meet exams at the end of the month. Whoever structured the UK academic system and placed grueling exams after a decadent holiday deserves to be drawn and quartered. Right now words like 'pipelines', 'gas contracts', 'product sharing agreements' and 'maritime boundaries' sound like Urdu to me, words that were part of my daily vocabulary before I left for Nigeria, I'm at a loss as to how I'm going to write an exam in less than a month.

It is well.

I shouldn't get ahead of myself though, I still have two days left to have fun utunu!

So on Friday I went to see the Nigerian adaptation of For Coloured Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf. Even though I normally detest Tyler Perry movies with an almost superhuman ability, I liked the movie and looked forward to seeing the original version which was  for the stage. 

H&M oversize men's shirt
Topshop leopard print tube skirt
Dolce & Gabbana aviator sunglasses
Deena & Ozzy perspex gold-toed brogues
Primark statement necklace

I think I'm getting a bit better at this picture taking malarkey. Yes.....no?

I attended with my right hand woman Nwaboogie-boogie.

Nwabugo




Oh and I got to meet the gorgeous Lohita of the ace food blog Lohi's Creations. Seeing as I'd already asked her to marry me after reading her Thanksgiving post, our meeting was just a formality. Wedding invitations between TWP and Lohi coming to a mailbox near you.

So anyhoozle, the play was showing at the Muson Centre and due to the fact that Ikeja traffic refused to release me from bondage I got there at 2.45pm for the 2pm showing. I seriously considered turning back seeing as I thought I'd missed nearly half of it, well surprise, surprise it hadn't started.

The show finally kicked off at 3.10pm as opposed to the 2pm start advertised.

SMH.

I refused to let my annoyance at their tardiness turn me into a grinch for the rest of the play and allowed myself enjoy it. It was really, really good, acting is not for pussies at all. I was completely blown by the actors abilities to memorize vast reams of lines like that. The way it was adapted to include Nigerian references too was very creative, the cast and crew definitely deserve an A for Effort.

Standout performances for me were Matilda Obaseki (Lady in Green) and Joke Silva (Lady in Red). I don't watch Tinsel so I'd never seen Matilda in action even though I'd heard of her but she was really good. She got the most laughs and seemed to be the character the audience connected with the most. Joke Silva is just a winsh, the woman can act her butt off. Her storytelling is so detailed, so vivid, you can literally see everything unfolding before you as she speaks. The bit where she tells the story of the army vet who killed his children was so moving, even though I'd seen the movie and knew what was going to happen she still had the ability to make me hang on to her every nuance. her skill is definitely without comparison in Nigeria.

I was really bummed I didn't get to see my girl crush, the grunting Nigerian "Beyonce", Tiwa Savage. She played the Lady in Yellow on the 29th but I saw the play on the 30th and Omawunmi played that part then. Omawunmi was amaze but I really wanted to see Tiwa.

Tiwa Savage if you ever read this, I just want to tell you I love you and you're hot, don't listen to those leathery old bitches who try to bring you down. You have top marks in my book.

All in all, a good production. Nigerian creatives are really trying, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

After the play I bummed around a bit then headed to the launch of the Re Bahia "Meet Me in Lagos" capsule collection at Villa Medici.

Beautiful venue, beautiful people, beautiful clothes....great way to spend a Lagos evening.

After seeing the pictures Nneka of Neks2U took of me up on her blog, I had to hide the pictures I took myself in shame, she made me look like a million kobo. Had to steal them and show you guys on here.

Virgos Lounge Ruby Maxi


The dress is such a star on its own I decided to keep my accessories to a minimum.

Virgos Lounge sha has me in bondage, it was definitely my fashion soundtrack of the holidays.

Asos drop tassel cuff
Odion Mimonet aso-oke clutch


After the launch I headed to my sisteh Molly P's house for a dinner/drinks do. Met up with my other Association of Married Friends sisteh Ediri there...

Ediri

Gina, Molly, Augusta.


It was the best way to end my evening, surrounded by the people I love, good food and the tons of drinks Molly's husband David kept plying us with. He said his intention was to have us walking on our heads by the end of the night. We thank God we still managed to be upright by the time the night was over.

Happy new year to you and yours.

Love and light xx

photo credits: neks2u.com

Hello 2012

I've had such a hectic holiday its a miracle I can even keep my eyes open as I type this. Combined with a Type A social life and the fact that as usual our househelp was AWOL the entire time therefore turning me into a professional Sikirat, by the time I get back to Aberdeen I'm going to sleep for a week.

*Sidebar* I always thought househelps going away for the holidays happened only in my family, this year however I discovered its a nationwide phenomenon. I've therefore come up with the perfect solution........'Holiday Help'. I'm starting a holiday maid/cook/steward/laundryman/driver service comprised of atheists who have no family, droids who are committed to their employers, to act as a filler during those stressful periods when the actual househelp does a runner. They will be super humans whose only interest is in making money and have no religious or familial affiliations. I suspect it will be a roaring success.

I've never been one to make resolutions or look at a new year as a time for reflection. I've always thought that if you felt any part of you needed changing you should fix it asap instead of waiting for a new year to make resolutions you have absolutely no intention of keeping.

This year however I thought some things needed sorting out; I have however decided to be

• More tolerant of other people; my impatience is legendary and it has caused a lot of friction between me and the people I love
• Less bitchy; I realize I tend to speak without thinking sometimes, in fact I do think a lot of my remarks are deliberate and they end up hurting people. I have to learn my sense of humour is different from other people's and things I think are hilarious are not as funny to the people I'm directing the jibes at.
• More optimistic; I'm the original glass is empty person, I see demons around every corner. I like to think I'm  a realist but its more like I'm a raging pessimist. Which is why I constantly play up my 'confession is possession' persona, I'm obsessed with bending the universe to my will.
• More trusting; My suspicious nature will be the death of me, I believe everybody has a hidden agenda. My constant paranoia is not sexy at all, gats dump that ish in 2011.
• Believe in myself more; I know I come off as confident and all but I used to be terribly shy as a child and some of that shyness still lingers, a lot of it actually. I need to become my own personal cheerleader.
• Less dependent on other people; I'm really not even dependent at all, I just need to eliminate every trace of it this year because I've realized a lot of people aren't worth shit. Nobody can make you happy except you, depending on other people for your happiness is a long ting of epic proportions. Except my mother......my very existence is dependent on her, that's one person I'm firmly convinced can never do me greasy.
• Do more; This year I intend to be epic, I intend to be a superstar, I intend to surpass everything I've done (which isn't even that much for my age). I'm inspired by so many young people who combine above par academics with amazing business sense. I really need to up my game.
• Do less; This is an obvious contradiction to the previous resolution, but I'm trying to find the balance between over achieving and taking life easy. I feel like we're hamsters on a wheel, constantly chasing unattainable goals and in doing that we lose sight of so many important things. I've been working towards my future since my first day at Pampers Nursery and I've always wondered, "when does it end", "when does one relax"? This life is long, this life is sooo long and we have decades to make mistakes, achieve great things, love people, have children etc. Why do we try so hard to make these things happen so quickly. I mean like with the whole marriage thing, once you do it and you start having kids, its a wrap. Your life will never be your own again, we all know we'll get married one day so why the rush to make it happen now? There's still so many things; people, travel, experiences etc that you can only enjoy fully as a footloose and fancy free singleton. I'm not saying I don't want it all, I'm just saying I want it all......but gradually.

The above are just a few things I feel I need to take into the new year with me. I really can't complain, 2011 was amazing, I experienced so many new things, deepened relationships, got rid of of toxic 'friends', forged new wonderful friendships.........

If I decide to list everybody who has made my 2011 memorable this post will never end but the people that mean everything to me know themselves already. 

2012 will be phenomenal.

Love and light xx

Chefs in the Park

As the name connotes there were chefs in a park and the people gathered so they may be fed. Lol

Chefs in the Park was an event that took place in Lekki on Boxing day. Basically two chefs, Chef Eros and Chef Fregz had a cook-off and people came by to sample their wares. Delicious food, great music, fantastic turnout, beautiful people, jet ski-ing.......all in all, a hella fun day.

Hot AF but fun regardless.

I look busted AF here, forgive my faintly disheveled air, it had been a long ass day and car trouble + the unforgiving sun combined to strip me of any attractiveness I set out with in the morning.

Bisola, Chinye

Taiwo

Annette, Robert

Jibby

Beazy, Bisola Lumi

Obi

Uche

Nwabugo, Charles

Charles, Nneka

Nwabugo

Oby, Nomnso

Ponmile

Nwabugo, Bisola

Nneka, Agu

Good times.

Love and light xx

Merry Keresimesi

Having Christmas lunch now surrounded by family and loved ones, wanted to take out a few minutes to say Merry Christmas to the fantastic readers of this blog. Thank you guys for bothering to even click on the myriad links I put up on every social network available, for telling people who told other people who told other people about TWP. For thinking I'm even the littlest bit entertaining to keep you coming back.

Wore this to church today and my sister took this photo literally as I walked in the door, my wack version of a semi candid photo.

The abaya I'm wearing is from the same random store in Dubai I got the pink one I had on in the Gidi Girl post. Stores that sell these abaya's are littered everywhere, the markets in Deira, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall....you can get them anywhere. On an average they cost about 350-400DHS

Merry Christmas and God's blessings to you and yours.

Love and light xx

God's grace on the souls that were lost in the bombings today, may the evildoers be brought to justice and may the Lord give their families the fortitude to bear the loss.

I Love Weddings

That's actually not true........I hate weddings, but my mother said I should stop saying that or else no-one will attend my wedding and I won't have anyone to scope my badass Elie Saab/Naem Khan/Marchesa dress.

So yeah, I uhm....love weddings.

Aqua by Aqua Fleetwood Maxi dress
Topshop orb purse




The one in particular I attended on Christmas Eve was pretty fun though. My friend and former classmate from QC, Mayowa, jumped the broom and I willingly crossed toll gates to celebrate with her.

Lanre & Mayowa Abiodun






Attended with my fellow wedding ambulance chasers; Bisola, Stella, Nwabugo and Nneka...fun times.

*sidebar* A while ago I stoped labeling pictures of my friends with their names on TWP, but a disgruntled male reader who had apparently being using my blog as some kind of Girls Directory pleaded that I please put names to faces so stalking may commence effectively, had to oblige him.

Bisola

Stella

Nwabugo

Toni

Nneka

Moradeke




After fighting through marauding hordes of traffic I got home and got a little snap happy with my new official TWP photographer; Ebuka. As you can see, my magic bra made the trip across the Atlantic with me.

According to my brother I look like the Queen of the Coast in the above picture. Whether he has popped eyes with the actual Queen of the Coast thereby making him an authority on her likeness is irrelevant. He said I look like her, end of story.

It doesn't show up too well in the other photos but I was wearing this gorge scarab earrings and ring from Topshop. My love for bestial jeweller roars on....

See what I did there.

Love and light xx

A Hard Day's Night

Haven't devoted a lot of time to blogging this week, between traffic, driving license runs, hanging out, doing drinks and generally being a nuisance I've been having way too much fun to do anything TWP related. 

Friday however was a doozy.

Started off with going to my mum's office, which I have very fond memories of. There's no way I can go in there without leaving far richer than when I woke up that morning. The battalion of my mum's colleagues who literally mow themselves down in a bid to top up my wallet keep me coming back every time. 

So that Friday, finances were looking a little low so I decided to pay NPA a visit, luckily respite arrived pretty quickly and my day was sorted. Did a little impromptu photo session in the hella busted NPA car park. Pictures taken by my resident pest, Ebuka (he insisted on the photo credit).

Seeing as you could spot all my unmentionables from space if you wanted, had to wear a blazer to go into the office so my mum's colleagues won't start gossipping about her 'tramp' of a daughter.

Zara blazer
ASOS backless sheer top
Topshop jeans in Forest
Topshop eyelash slippers
Mulberry Daria hobo
Valentino wing-tipped sunnies


Yup, I was definitely feeling the girl here....

Done with all the uncomfortable posing, I went to Ikoyi Club, then Rhythm Unplugged later that night. I got to Unplugged really late and by the time I got there it was a total mess, crowded, no seats, total waste of time and money. Plus some random performers had the stage until about midnight and the proper artistes weren't supposed to come out till way later so I gave it a pass and headed to Reeds for dinner and drinks with Himself and his posse.


From there I headed to the Sahara Group Fundraising event at Eko Hotel which was an absolute BLAST. Went with my friends Ediri, Bisola, Amaka and Molly.

Ediri, Bisola




Flavour and Dibanj performed and there were comedians and stuff but the highlight of the night was definitely T-Pain.

I never thought T-Pain was a great performer, all his auto-tune runs completely put me off him, but dude can SING. Like he sounds really great live, he gave us a concert and a half that night. Had everybody snapping their fingers and ish.

Two snaps and a twirl to the Sahara Group, they really know how to throw a party.

From there we went on to Likwid which seems to be the current spot du jour in Lagos for Christmas 2011, everybody and their mama plus a few other relatives have set up camp there from December 1st to the weekend after New Year's. The place was packed to the rafters, good fun still though.

Amaka

Ediri, Molly.




Left Likwid at about 4ish and headed to Hush, which I'd heard of but never seen. Its inside the NNPC building which is quite strange. Why would a nightclub be situated inside a building owned by the national oil company of Nigeria. Curiouser and curiouser. Apparently there's also a restaurant there too, wonder how the employees get any work done.

Stumbled home as the sun was rising.

What a night......what a night...

Love and light xx