20th : STEPPIN TO THE BAD SIDE

DING DONG!

 IT'S  MY BIRTHDAY!!!

I can't  believe it's  here already, even though I waited on it. Hope the holidays are going well for everyone?

Today's  post was inspired by a soundtrack from the movie Dreamgirls; STEPPIN' TO THE BAD SIDE, as it played from my ear plugs while I was deciding what I'd title this post.

Inspired by: stepping to the bad side sound track from the Movie;

Dream Girls.

Picture source: Web.

 Yes guys, I'm  stepping to the bad side, I'm  switching sides and crossing lanes  (or that's  what happens when you officially stop being a teenager). And what better way to cross borders than in the colour Red? Badass colour!

I chose this Red dress with a gold zipper for it's plain yet sophisticated  look. And that front slit. Front Slits for me are a perfect perfect way to show off hot legs. I paired with a silver necklace and white  bangles (oops, repeat guilty), white framed owl-eye sunnies, and white  newspaper  print  sandals and a matching clutch....

.....or a black ladylike bag (with mustard yellow charm for a pop) depending on the mood and suitability.

 I always choose comfort above everything  else when I'm  shopping but I couldn't  think at all about that when I first saw met these sandals. Like really, newspaper print?! Nice way to test my morals, o ye style gods. It didn't  matter that they were a couple of inches higher from my comfort zone. And they're  laced too incorporating  the "Lace up" trend.

Aren't  we stepping up?! Remember that saying about the ... 

"Best things never coming from comfort zones".

I don't  think that it is mere coincidence  that my birthday  is 2 days away from the New year, it makes New year resolutions  easier (later on the BLOG we'll  be talking New year resolutions). I am beyond grateful for how far I've  come, and I'm  hopeful about what  the future holds.

Also want to say thank you to my readers (present and future), thank you for being the audience  to my voice that was so hard to find. Thank you for reading and commenting and sharing. You guys make it all worth the effort. THANK YOU REALLY!

(Okay before I get emotional).

This is my cute silly smiley face.

You guys earned it. Haha

Like my look and want to shop it?

I got you!
Outfit Details
Red dress and Sunglasses: @miz_tobbie for Haute Couture

Newspaper print sandals and matching clutch: @sekinahshoegallery 

Black structured bag: @shopmaju

If you don't  have instagram but want to shop these items, please feel free to let me know. I could hook you up!

I hope everyone  is making NYE (new year's eve) plans already, it's  almost here guys!

May all of our dreams come true.

Don't  forget to let me know what you think by leaving a comment below;  at Ink 'N' Style, everyone's  opinions really count. And wish me a happy birthday too.

Today of all days, I am bursting with Love, love is all I have for you, till the last drop of ink from my own, I'll be loving you.

Dueces and Kisses,

MONAE.

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Accesorizing the Accessory

Seasons greetings!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful time with all the joy and cheer in the air. It's Christmas, well say post Christmas and it's new year soon. What's not to be excited about?
I'm doubly excited because it's my birthday tomorrow!!!! Do a back flip on my behalf, it's worth it....

So this is a mini post, since It's a quick one,
(And a weird post for a week start, but it's holiday season guys).
I just want to share with you guys a basic styling tip for accesorizing a purse.
A purse is one thing that telegraphs your style to the world. You could create an entirely different look from a casual tee shirt and jeans outfit, just with the right bag.
I love me a simple black purse, because of it's versatility, and uniqueness. I mean black has never been boring, but sometimes I love to spice it up. I bet y'all do too sometimes.
My favorite purse this moment is A black structured/ladylike Maju purse. It is made of reinforced leather that holds it's shape, and has both short and long handles for preference. It has a chic, vintage appeal for me.
So in a bid to spice this purse, I have recreated it's look by tying a vintage scarf that used to belong to my late grandmother, God bless her soul. The thing about this scarf is that it holds a lot of history and memories for me, and so it felt great to style my favorite black purse with it. I bet grandma is proud.

Also, I switched it up by pairing with this brown scarf that I bought from a supermarket's accessory rack, just in case you're wearing brown. I have rocked an all denim look with brown loafers and this black purse with the brown scarf tied to it's handle.

It could be anything; Ankara pieces, charms bangles, dangly earrings(especially if you can't find the second pair), or pearls. I'm yet to even try these, but I'm so going to try. I dare you to be different.
Hope the rest of the year runs smoothly for everyone of us. Have a great week start!
Deuces and Kisses,
Monae.

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Logbook: Week 1

Hello Lovelies,
I hope everyone is having a great week start, as I am, starting my day with Mass, and heading down to a shoot location. I make it sound like a huge deal I know, IT IS.
So This is the logbook entry for the past week.
I hope you Enjoy.

I am Beyond Grateful:
For 2015. It's almost over guys, and we're still here and for The Holidays; who doesn't love Christmas?
Apologetic:
For making you guys wait this long for the logbook entry, I'm genuinely sorry. I have my excuses, but they are not excuses really, I hope that the wait would be worth it by the time you're done reading.
Anticipating:
December 29th because I'm going to be a year older, and the new year, because it holds a lot.
Excited:
Because my Happy People Magazine boss got me on to something bananas, something better for y'all on here. More juicy details when it's new year.
Last Minute Revisions: 
For my examinations.
I'm writing 24 courses in 3 days, please wish me success.

Counting:
Blessings upon blessings, everything keeps getting better.
Reading:
Course materials from school.
Earlier during the week I tried doing a romance novel, epic failure. I woke up with the book on my face, opened at page 5. Funny, considering that I started my reading habit with newspapers and silhouette romance novels.
Wishing:
that I could travel and go skydiving, inspired by a documentary I saw on BBC.
Shopping: 
For gifts for my loved ones, I wanted to do a gift guide post for you guys on the blog but I felt it was too late. Let me know if it isn't. Like me, you might be doing some late Christmas shopping. I love the Christmas cards I bought, simple, classy and warm. They're so Monae..
Looking Forward: 
To watching the new star wars movie. That John Boyega guy be making a sister proud and crushing.

 Missing:
My mum, sweet soul. I can't wait to give her what I got her for Christmas..
Discovery:
It is official people! I have escalaphobia-the phobia for escalators. I hate to say it, but I guess the first approach to a problem is admitting there's a problem...
Growing up in a suburb town in south western Nigeria, Akure escalators were a movies thing. Until Abuja and Port Harcourt, and then Lagos.
Since then I have only tried to use it once, and boy, did I almost fall. Please don't laugh. I can't laugh about it even; it's pathetic. Sob.
That day at the mall in Ibadan, I had attended a party that happy people magazine was throwing. One boy I was speaking grammar for was there, I couldn't show my escalaphobia, so  I stepped on the escalator as I had seen him do and looked down, and that was my undoing. Thank God he held me, or they were all going to be calling an ambulance the next instant, not because I would be seriously injured(or who knows, shrug) but because I would fall and pretend to pass out, just so I don't have to give an explanation. Sigh.
I've avoided escalators in public places, airports, malls, and I don't even care that anyone notices. You don't know me, Thank you. So finally I have typed "fear of escalators" in my Google search box, expecting jumbled search results, but Google hit me up straight with "ESCALAPHOBIA". Fortunately, there is a solution on Wikipedia, trust me to read the entire thing. I don't need a therapist so I know I'm fine. Next time at the mall though, I'm using the Escalator, oh and I'll wear disguising makeup.

Photo source: Web.

Edited with Snapchat App.

That's all for now lovelies, I would love to tell more, but a sister has examinations and a lot of errands to run, so I have to Hit the hay at 3:22am.
I hope you like my pictures, despite the playful poses. It's a super casual look from my archives, I just thought I'd share. I paired a striped top with a slit leopard print maxi skirt that I totally love. I love clashing prints, even if I'm just stepping out for a stroll.
And my slippers match my skirt too. Grin.

Reading your feedbacks via the comment box is very motivating, Thank you!

I hope everyone has a great kick start to the new week. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Love, love and love,
Monae.

Photocredit: AyoFemi Photography

(I.G: @omo_harkin)

All pictures except escalator picture.

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SWAGGU SAUCE DRIPPIN' -CASUAL CHIC LOOK.

Good morning lovelies!
Who's excited? I am because it's the weekend baby. I promise you I'm bouncing on my bed as we speak. Haha.
So today, I'm breaking rules.
I think I'm a fashion rebel, always styling my outfits with the "do-not-pairs".
But a few weeks ago, before the Airtel × Access concert in my school, I could only express my rebel self in subtle, not so pronounced ways, even though my friends might argue that it's obvious. But wait guys, I haven't gone Lady gaga on you yet. So, yes this is subtle.
And so it was with great joy that I planned this casual outfit, when A.O (I G: A.O WORLD) whom I met alongside Vector (the viper, the real vector) while I was interviewing them for The happy people magazine. A.O told me about his style, and called it ;
SWAGGU SAUCE DRIPPIN'. (SSD)
Feel that?
He promised me he was a pioneer of this unique style. SSD is styling Ankara or African prints with the other.
Fashion is about creating a balance between identifying with my culture, because it is a part of me that I can't shake off, and also identifying with international styles and cultures because Monae is a renaissance woman.Fashion is a message, and can be spoken in different languages and expressed with different cultures. So now I bring my Africanism and my sporty chicness, just because I can't stick to the rules and because A.O world says so!

Like I did Here, styling orange coloured Ankara shorts that i had my tailor make with this very girly grey tee(thanks to eyelashes and lipstick pout), white sneakers and matching Ankara head tie for my hair, also accessorizing  with gold bracelets. I hope its swaggu, and hot and drippin too! I had to strut in these shorts, never mind that I wasn't wearing heels. They are still about my favorite pair of shorts at the moment.
Trust me, this is about to be the new cool.
And don't you forget, you heard it first at Monae's.

Lastly, like my hair? I bet you do, can't deny these babies look great , even on "a dark girl", as some "white Nigerian girl" said to me while admiring them. We know how braids can never stop being a thing, but we don't want to always have the same cliché braids. Hence, we girls tend to bring it back in some different unexplored way. I must admit that I once saw a girl mix colours wine and blue evenly on her braids and it looked gorgeous, even if it might be hard to imagine it. So I said to myself, "my next braids are going to be off the charts". And I added metallic(gold and silver) hair rings, or that's what I call them.
Now many people have been mixing extension colours black and gold/blonde, but I decided to combine colours BLUE and SILVER evenly, for my hair. There it is, you can try it.

Photocredit: AyoFemi Photography

The colours PURPLE and SILVER too are a gorgeous blend, they almost look lavender! I have seen it on my friend Tonia, who was going to do the exact one I have on, but I convinced her to use purple instead of blue, just to see how it would turn out. I can bet she's grateful she let me convince her. Haha.
I hope you're having a great weekend?
Weekend inspiration: The weekend is not a break from the grind, go out today and do something about your dreams. Even the littlest efforts count.
Thank you so much for reading!
And have a great productive weekend.
Love is all I have for you.
Deuces and Kisses,
  Monae.

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Style: Lust haves

Picture Source: web

Presently, I'm lusting over a pair of ripped denim shorts and I can't wait to style it with an oversized camo tee, red aviator sunglasses, a bucket hat, Ankara print bangles and a pair of red mules.
Even as I type, I can see it already and boy is it hot!
Excuse me, a girl can dream.
So here's a moodboard I created for this look, using pictures from the web.

I created this moodboard collaging pictures using PicsArt.

 I guess we all have a moment of style daydream, when you're shopping or just scrolling past a picture of some "under-rocked" jacket or a pair of great shoes, and the pity (especially if you can't afford them). Well, this happens to me often, and I guess it's the creativity and personal style parts of me fusing together. Fortunately, it helps me put into focus my wardrobe list when next I'm shopping, putting into consideration my wardrobe size and my purse.
I hope that you learnt a thing or two from this post.
Thank you for reading.
Today's Inspiration: (few words)
 Mastering isn't a click. It's a turnado. Be brave.
May your road be rough.
And have a lovely day!
Deuces and Kisses,
Monae.

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Style: Playing Dress up

I like to reminisce on memories from my childhood, and one of my favorites childhood memories is playing dress up in my mum's wig or my Aunty's shoes.
Even my Uncles' slippers weren't spared.
 Sadly the clothes never fitted.
How sweet was that.
But even as I  grow older, I still subconsciously play dress up when i'm deciding what to wear.
Point is; Playing dress up never gets old.
"When we were small children, we all played dress up and everybody had a good time. So why stop?"
- Iris Apfel.
Playing dress up has it's own advantages, and can occur briefly on a Monday morning or for a lengthy time on weekends, when you can style different pieces in multiple ways and check them out.
Maximizing to the limit.

Like I did here, tying the bandana on the forehead to keep hair away from my face, and again around my neck for a more versatile chic look.

I Styled this ripped pair of highwaisted denim with a denim jacket and blue loafers, while accessorizing with a bandana (which was styled two ways though), ceramic bangles, a wristwatch, and shades.
I also re-styled by replacing the denim jacket with a dogtooth print shirt, a black purse, and a studded brooch. Oh, and shy(since you probably didn't obviously notice) knuckle rings. I didn't stop there, I paired with the same blue loafers, i switched the glass bangles for chain ones, and used the bandana, this time as a not-so-perfect bow on my purse.

 As earlier stated, maximize to the limit. (There's never a limit though).
I hope you like the pictures.
How's your day going? I just thought I'd talk style upon the sudden impulse to do so.
Today's Inspiration: (few words)
 Mastering isn't a click. It's a turnado. Be brave.
May your road be rough.
And have a lovely day!
Deuces and Kisses,
Monae.

Photo credit: AyoFemi Photography 

I.G: @omo_harkin 

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Log book: Introduction

Photo credit: Web.

Hello lovelies,
I hope that you're having a great day, as I am. On this post I'll be introducing a post in series; The logbook.
As I am in my semi-final year , which is also the internship year, In the university. Students on their internship have to make an entry of activities and lessons learnt in a notebook called "The logbook". Hence the Blog Title.
In these posts, I'll be discussing tidbits from my real life experiences, my personal beliefs and life generally from my perspective. And not without the juicy parts I promise.
They will vary in subtopics, depending on what aspects they fall into(I.e finances, relationships, career, art, anything). I'm a very open person(it is what was made of me. Okay I'm getting personal already) and my interests broaden daily, I have my favorites though and I'm more intense about those. So please do not let my topics surprise you. Your honest opinions are welcome, although rude people will not be appreciated.
The logbook will come up once a week, but the days vary, so you have something to look forward to.
I'm excited about what I have in stock for you. I hope that you are too.
Have a lovely day. And thanks for reading, it means a lot to me.
Monae
Deuces and kisses.

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In Pursuit of Genuine Happiness

Photography by : Akinyele Ayodeji @omo_harkin (IG)

Guess what I've been up to? Not an action really, just a process. And surprisingly it never stops. I've been EVOLVING. It isn't happening in a flash, but at a slow steady pace. And it has taught me to be happy and grateful for life.
 I think I am happy and grateful, but I'd love to be more grateful, to be more happy, to be more open and to be more content.(haha, no limits).
But Genuine happiness isn't telling yourself that you're happy and posting pictures with happy, self-loving captions on social media. Nope. Genuine happiness comes from within. It is being happy even when you don't really have it together. It is being happy even though if like drake, you constantly get people trying to f**k up your day.

Genuine happiness comes from being the one who sees the best in everything. Ever wondered why it's being said that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. I have beauty in my eyes, and it's why I can't help but see the best in even the supposedly ugly" things, persons or situations. Genuine happiness is getting satisfaction from being a source of happiness to others. That's a blessing.

By the way, love my photos?

They were shot randomly while I was meeting my photographer(read friend) and discussing future shoots and pictures. He's so talented and I'm beyond amazed that he caught me in these indeliberate poses (I'm so easy...haha).

You can check out more pictures by Ayodeji by visiting his Instagram Page @omo_harkin. Here's more pictures. I hope you like.

Thanks for Reading!

Loving you always,

Monae.

Deuces and Kisses!

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Short story: Dilemma and Solution.

Vibration.
Then T-pain's 5 o'clock in the morning came on. And so did the lights. Tolani Jacobs has no chill.
I squinted to look at my roommate with a slight look of anger on my face, but I wasn't angry. Tola wakes me up every morning (actually, God does), or I would still be in bed till the first lecture began. She is the time conscious one. Me? Well, let's just say I take like easy baye Molla(go and listen to this song by Femi Right here)
I said a quick prayer of thanks to the creator and headed to our bathroom to set my bladder free while Tola made the bed. What would I do without her? She's the only proof I have that some people still make their beds in the morning. Good girl that she is.
"Thank God it's not Monday o" I said remembering all the work I had done before. (People should get paid for going to school, really).
"What's the difference, Tuesday is just Monday's ugly sister" she said with a frown/smirk on her face.
Ouch! Not a good thing to hear 6:11am Tuesday morning, so if you know me well you know I'll stop that negativity right there. I'm the optimist in this room(I'm also the cook).
"Madam, biko (ibo for please) be positive, whatever day it is, I'm having a great day and so are you"
She looked at me like she'd heard me say "kung Chao fu Ching tsoi"
(No, I don't know any Japanese).
Then for dramatic effect, I added, slightly raising my voice-
"Today is going to be a great, reproductive and danger-free day In Jesus Name!"
"Ameeeeeen!" Her response was louder.
I smiled, that's my religious roomie, talk about playing a monkey to catch a monkey.
"You should really be positive about everything that concerns you, it works"
"How is that going to stop Prof. Cow  from leering at my breasts when I go to submit my classmates' assignments in his office and listen to him cheekily threaten to fail me if I don't date him?" She said rolling her eyes and gesturing with her hands as if she was molding some imaginary image in the air.
I shouldn't laugh but my shoulders began to shake and I had to cover my mouth with my palm to stop a full blown laughter.
"What is funny?" She asked with a straight face.
"Prof. Cow?, since when did people start to bear animal names?"
"Well, his name is Madu, and that is similar to Malu"
-Malu is Yoruba language for Cow.
I shook my head, Tola can be cute and goofy too.
"I hope you don't call him that in school?"
"No, just in my head and with you"
"Well, I understand your frustrations and concerns, but you need to not be angry, so that you don't react based on your anger but with your head thinking straight, and you can only do that by being positive"
"But how?"
"You know you can not possibly let him have his way, but you also realize that you can't afford to let him be the reason you're having an extra year"
"Lailai" she countered.
"So, be polite at least, and see it as nothing even though you're always on your guard. You are a smart girl and soon Prof. Madu would respect that, especially when he sees he's not getting at you enough to make you rude to him, You are in control, so you might as well believe it and act it. Okay?"
"Wow, I never saw it this way, you are right, Thanks a lot roommate, you're the Bestest"
"Anything for you madam, now take a long breath iiiiiiin and oooouuut and let all that anger go, you don't need it".
She takes a long breath in and out and smiles.
"You'll probably end up being a motivational speaker or a counsellor, you know" she said with her arms outstretched to give me a hug.
"What can I say, I am my mother's daughter" I replied her leaning up to hug an almost 6 foot Tola.
"Gosh! We're almost late! I hope we'll both make our 7a.m lectures"
"I hope" I said as i scurried off to the kitchen to boil water for our bathe while Tola picked out outfits for herself and I.
So with that, I made us both a cup of coffee each, we had our baths and set for school. Even though Tola was in Biochemistry department and I, computer science department, we always left for school together, and got back home(home is where your bed is, even if it's a self contain room and your bed and a reading table set is all the furniture you have) together. Bestie habits.

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to let me know if you enjoyed my short story by leaving a comment and if otherwise, your opinions are welcome as well.
Love, Love and Love,
Monae.
P.S: Even though it's a Saturday today, this story was meant for a Tuesday to lift your spirits. I couldn't bring myself to post without a picture at least, but as they say, use what you have. I hope it's entertaining and serves the purpose it was intended for. Thanks and have a great great weekend!

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Monday Inspo: Positive vibes only.

You woke up 6A.M(or 5AM or 4AM)😡
Oh no, it's Monday again, and that's not great news. What is it about Mondays that everyone dreads? Nobody(except me) likes Mondays. As a student, it reminds me of long, almost boring lectures and assignments to finish up and submit, and that happens so what?
Mondays would be a whole lot better if we weren't so pessimistic about it.
How about a little optimism for the week start, huh?
   "The problem is not the problem, the problem is your attitude about the problem" - Captain Jack Sparrow from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean.
The problem isn't Monday, it's your attitude about Monday. Positivity goes a long way to set things right, and helps you focus from the right perspective. It is fear of the hectic hours and the stress ahead that makes you hate Monday, and that's why most people are tired even before the day starts. So, if you already started today on "the wrong side", it's not too late to switch sides, and face the week like a soldier, because you will win.

Reversal: This post is not encouraging you to overstress yourself, but instead to start your week on a positive note and with positive energy.
You are a fiery heart and a wicked brain,and you can be awesome, even if it's "hellday".
   
Deuces and Kisses, ✌💋💋
Monae

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Right Here!

So I know it looks like I abandoned my blog and disappeared, but No! I'm still right here. It might sound cliché if I say that I'm working (physically and mentally) hard to give my readers(future and present) very good content and something to always look forward to when they visit the blog but I MEAN IT. Initially I thought that all I had to do was get nice pictures and exactly mirror my thoughts on here and bam! But then the more I tried, the harder it got or so it seemed, until I realized that it was a personal thing. Yes, I realised i needed to work on myself first before I can come here and share with you guys. What kind of a blogger would I be if I came here and   shared with you what really wasn't there. Like a mirage. No, that's not me. I remember my new year post on IG, I toasted the year to being a better person, in all ramifications and I guess it pleased my creator to grant me my wish(yes I'm spiritual, no I'm not religious). So to cut the long story short, to say that I have changed would be an understatement, I am reborn. You might be reading this and wondering what it's got to do with my writing, but I tell you, change is growth. It just depends on how you see it and address it. At first I didn't welcome it even though I knew that the time had come, but then I read some books and I just let it go. No, I didn't just breathe in and out.....I actually climbed a rooftop and screamed my lungs out. I was tired.
    I was carrying a lot of weight that wasn't mine to bear; family weight, friend weight and all, and to make matters worse was the fear. I wanted to please everyone. In my own way I was playing the mother hen. And without even knowing it, this affected my creativity and self esteem. I was too busy with other people that I completely forgot about myself. Sounds impossible?!
I'm going to do a feature on change and how I embraced it later on the blog. But let's get back on track;
About the blog,
Before the year runs out I'll be posting on fashiontrends, style, bits of real life experiences that I've learnt from, book review, music and art, and something smashing hot and new; a diary series! You will be entertained!
HUGE PLUS: Recently I met with Mrs. Ada Nwalema : she runs a NGO called medical police. Sounds funny? Wait till you get the full gist from her when I do a personal feature on this woman. Her passion and doggedness got me interested and five minutes after talking to her I wanted to be a member of her team because she was solely concerned about the future generation; our generation. It is rare to see women who are inspired not by their own interests but by a passion to serve and a philosophy that was shaped by their own personal experiences. She has a mission and a vision and I'm proud to announce that I'm with her on this. More about MedicalPolice on the blog soon.
  So all that being said, I hope everyone(Nigerians) had a wonderful independence celebration and I also hope y'all are staying truly patriotic to the fatherland. On that note, say a prayer for Nigeria today. E go better, if you believe.
  While I tiptoe back to the kitchen to steal(it feels like stealing because I'm having too much already) almonds from the kitchen and continue writing for you lovelies, have an amaaaaaazing rest of the week. Shine on, and don't let anyone lift your smile off you. YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO ME. YES YOU.....
     Loving you always,
      Monae.😚

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MINTS OR NAH!

Saturdays are for chores and chilling yh?
Well for me, Saturdays are for relaxing and lazying around (yes, I understand that they are both basically the same thing) and finding new cute boys to crush on my Instagram...haha

So last saturday, as I scroll down my TL(timeline), I saw the Picture below  and I had that squeez-your-eyes-while-trying-to-remember moment. I can't particularly call it Dejá vu, but it was so familiar. And then it clicked.

This is a real flashback.

About a month ago, my cousins(for the sake of this story; lawyer and photoguy cousins respectively) and I attended a wedding in some remote part of Akokoland(Ondo state) and like most Nigerians we headed straight to the reception to wait for the newly wedded. (lol, we came for the rice, yes)

While we were sitting at our table;waiting for the Jollof, and one of my cousins was eyeing a girl beside me, the waiters passed some mints(we thought they were mints) and we agreed that it was cool.
Soon the party begun and I was so interested in the cuuuute MC that I completely forgot about my party Jollof in all it's glory right in front of me. My cousin tapped me.
'What's this?' he asked pointing at the "mint" on his tongue.
I raised my eyebrow(you don't want to see this look)and replied "the mint of course"

'well it isn't tasting like a mint to me' said he.

'well something must be wrong with your tastebuds' as I shifted my attention back to the M.C. completely ignoring my lawyer cousin.

   'Monisola'

I reluctantly turn my head
It's photoguy cousin. He's older,  so I'm nicer.
'Yes, Brother PG'

'This mint tastes antiseptic'

'I guess it's just strong'
I can't wait to get out if this conversation.

'Taste it' He takes it off his tongue and stretches the mint.

For a tiny micro-nano-second I glare at him.
That's just Ewwww, I thought as I imagined all the things he must have done with his tongue. Men.

But then on a second thought, I don't want him to think I don't love him, because I do.
So I assumed it wasn't real and I took the mint from him.
Foolish mint, all this fuss over this tiny white foolish mint.
I place the mint in my mouth wait for the taste.
'I think it's normal' I'm about to remove the d*mn mint.
And then I taste it.

D*mn! Antiseptic!
I spit it out.
'Something really is wrong with this mint' I say as I wipe my mouth with paper wipes, avoiding their eyes.
I called a waiter as he walked past ny table.
'What's this?' I ask him.

'Camphor' he casually replies.

'CAMPHOR?!'
I recover quickly from my shock, and ask 'What for?'

He shrugs. He doesn't even know.
I turn to my cousins who have lost interest in the Mint affair.
'Hey guys, guess what, they f**king served us Camphors!!!'
To say they were shocked is to say the least. Their surprises were soon changed to Anger.
'WTF' - lawyer cousin(all gentlemanliness left the poor guy)
'seen other guests licking the mint' -Photoguy cousin says as he takes a shot of the camphor-mints.
'Camphor' I correct him, probably because I was scared they might turn into real mints  and we'll be sucking on them again. (if you had a dirty picture in your mind after reading the last sentence, you're going to hell).

Let me get serious.
Very funny now that I think about it, but if myself and my cousins and about a hundred other guests had the "mint", what if we all got hospitalised for poisoning?
What if the camphors hadn't tasted so antiseptic, had a fruity minty flavour maybe? or if they came in fruity colours like orange and pink and lemon? I remembered my secondary school class mate that drank Dettol in LaCaserá bottle. I heard he was force- fed the entire time he was at the hospital.

Initially I felt bad for myself that maybe it was the new thing and I just didn't know about it, but then that's just stupid. I mean, who places camphors in transparent packs, camphors shaped the size of an actual mint???!!!
As I write this, I'm still smiling at the image of me licking camphors. Pathetic.

So Dear friend, when next you're being hosted at a party or someone's home, and there's something on the menu/table that you don't know, Biko ask o.
It could be the food, anything you're not familiar with. It'll be very embarrassing to get a running stomach or allergies or anything uncomfortable in public. I mean, in the end it all becomes a story to laugh about, if you survive the situation.
I just thought I'd share.
XoXo.
Monae

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Style!

"Fashion is knowing what to buy and style is knowing what to do with it"
I quite agree.
We want to buy the right things and we understand that, the right things might cause us some financial strains.
So while we're waiting, let's make do with what we have now.
For some people, fashion is following trends, the best dressed people are the ones who wear the latest fashion items and rock everything in vogue. Their wardrobes change with season (no trend lasts for long).
How about being ageless, and setting trends that not everyone can imitate. Like a personal thing, your thing.
I mean, Who gives credit for the "trend setters"? The ones who dare to be different, and forever classy, and ageless, Blending colours and outfits?
Ahem
Well, I do.
I dare to be different.
So in my upcoming posts I'll be posting on creating your own style and how you can get the most out of what your wardrobe. This is going to be fun, I'll be collaborating with other ladies(not huge time fashionistas I'm afraid) to experiment and share ideas. I can't wait.
Watchout!
Xoxo

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