I do

I love attending weddings!! especially traditional weddings. There's so much colorful procedure to follow regardless of the tribe. The highlight of church weddings on the other hand is the reception, that is definitely what seals the deal for the guests or for me at least. The venue, colorful decorations, food and drinks, setting, music and new twists the couples add to their ceremony. I love watching the couple dance too, whether dancing into the reception venue or when they dance with guests and get sprayed money. It is stressful when you're the brides friend o, especially when its dancing time because u have to keep bending down to pick the money the couple is sprayed 'cos it supposedly belongs to the bride. I also love all the drama of the couple feeding each other and cutting cake and the bride wearing the cap for her husband and all that charade (cos truth is that's not how they are gonna do it when they are left alone, its just tradition). Sadly i have attended majorly Yoruba traditional weddings where the groom comes with his friends to dobale (prostrate) for the bride's parents and so much money is spent before he gets to see his bride (you have to attend one to understand what i'm saying). For Igbo weddings i know the bride gets to collect a cup of palmwine from her father while her groom sits in the midst of a crowd and she has to search him out,kneel and give him the palmwine before they dance out together, i'm sure there's more to it but that's really the major part, i think. I happened to attend an Efik/Yoruba wedding once and it was delightful! The traditionaldancers had on beautiful attires and the dance was mesmerizing. Did i mention that another thing that gets me? The ATTIRES!! OMG!! the Aso-Oke's, the George's, the Damasks, the Ankara's the Coral beads, Walking Sticks,Fans,Red caps,etc you name it!! Its soo richly beautiful seeing everyone adorn their culture in attires! Then drummers also get me, i mean the local drummers who beat their talking drums and you cant help moving to the rhythm, you should see me at work shaking my ikebe and small bum bum to their beats...lol. Then the local bands too when they are good, they are real good and i can komole and pakuromo well well!

Then again weddings have a bittersweet feel, you reminisce on when u got married, if u are married and how things have been after marriage (its not always as rosy as it seems),even when rosy u think of the days of young love et al or you think about when u'l find ur own man or if u have ur man when u'll walk down the aisle with and have your own moment in the spotlight. Regardless though, its still always fun and an avenue to meet new people and make friends and rebond with forgotten family members. Any which ways its always a lovely occasion even if food doesn't reach you or family members are stressing you out (that's when its a family wedding) or there's drama going on about souvenirs (there always is) things are not going quite as planned. The koko is the bride and groom are now husband and wife and its all about them! I have been a bridesmaid to some friends and cousins of mine and apart from money spent on dresses, shoes and jewellry, i always manage to enjoy myself.

Sometimes i want a lavish wedding, other times not 'cos it can be some much stress worrying about many guest  (catering, sitting arrangement,souvenir distribution,etc). Sometimes i think i'd prefer a quiet 30 people outdoor wedding but then again i attend some lavish weddings and want one with all my heart! In reality though, i'm probably gonna end up having a big wedding, my mum comes from a large family and has about 20 siblings and 5 step-mums, her dad is late, my dad on the other hand is from a fairly large family too, with about 15 siblings and 2 step-mums! Now some of the siblings are married with kids i.e my cousins. This bunch of my mother and father's family is already a crowd thats minus the extended family o! My mum has bee in the civil service for more than 15 years so she has made her share of friends there, add those ones to those coming, then my dad's friends from the Banking Industry and Ikoyi club (he's been a member since before i could breathe). Then add the friends i've made from Secondary school to University to NYSC to Office,etc. That one huge number mehn! and we haven't even put my husband's people into consideration o! The only way i'm avoiding a huge wedding is if i do it in some place people can't get to easily like a far away island or something! Anyways, i will cross that bridge when i get to it. 

I attended my boss's daughter's wedding and enjoyed myself as it has been a while i attended a wedding and i'd been looking for an excuse to get all dolled up and rock my native attire and there's no beta place to look fine and be admired than at a wedding. Enjoy the pics. You can also view my Pinterest page (http://pinterest.com/jemimahnaa/weddings/) for some pics of those really cool traditional attires i was talking about and you understand my love for them.

Opportunites are never lost, someone will take the ones you missed.

Toodles!XooX

Head Massage!

I'm totally hooked on my new hairdresser. This is the first time i'm having a male hairdresser and i must say i'm thoroughly impressed. First of all he's extremely patient and this was what had me going back to his salon after my first encounter there. He attended to me so well even though it was my first time there. The salon is just about 2 minutes walking distance from my office so i decided to try them out one of the days i was less busy at work and wanted to wash my hair, i ended up washing, steaming and blowdrying my hair. Good for me 'cos i wasn't missed at work. First thing i loved was that he handled my hair with the utmost care and anyone that knows me knows i cherish my nappy hair and only place them in reliable hands and once u mess up with them, u never get to touch them again!! That said, he had passed the first test test. The second test was when he had shampooed my hair and was washing it, some hairdressers usually use their nails when washing the hair and end up hurting the scalp, he on the other hand had his nails trimmed real low and used his finger tips instead. The third test was when he was conditioning my hair and this i must say was the deal closer!! He massaged my scalp and i must say it felt real good!! *Happy sigh...lol...and also he asked if i wanted warm or cold water unlike some that just assume and use what they feel, he used warm water all through and at the end used cold water. It was awesome!!!!!!! Pardon my use of so many exclamation marks, i'm just trying to use it to express how i felt. Also he did not complain that my hair was natural or try to make me texturize my hair like most first time hairdressers do instead he combed and straightened it with care and i felt like a Queen when he was done. He's also quite patient with me. I ended up tipping him after the whole

session and i've become his customer ever since and i must say i'm enjoying my hair massage and getting value for my money and tips. He made me realise how sweet a head massage can be and i've tested out my theory on a few volunteers and a lucky few will enjoy the luxury of getting one from me. ;) Also i can stop by at the salon during my lunch periods since the salon is close to my office.
Who says life aint sweet!

Toodles!XooX

Yaaoch Part 2 (Not Really)

Soooo i went to the spa again for my second waxing session and they was no yaooching from me this time. It was just like smile (my waxer) had said, that after the first time it is not as painful. I went in there during work hours (yh..yh) 'cos i was less busy and my boss was AWOL. I did the same things i did the last time i.e underarms,brazillian. I decided to do my legs too, i.e the lower half, i used to use Veet and it was ok but i was in an experimetning mood and it did not even hurt. It felt like lil pin pricks, i have a high pain threshold anyways so that may have contributed.
This is the longest i'v lasted comfortable without needing to shave and if you check the time between my last post and this, you'll see its about a month and some days. I also noticed that my underarms are not as dark as they used to be. yipee!!! anyways, summary is, the procedure did not hurt and i was done in less than an hour and back to work and i can forget about shaving for another month. Toodles...TTYL

Xoox

My Stars are Aligned

The lines are falling in straight for me, or are they.. its nothing serious but people i thought had forgotten 'bout me seem to be springing up from everywhere and remembering i exist. Some are even dreaming about me!hian! It all started about 2-3weeks ago when i received a call, the number was unknown but i picked up anyway, just to hear a familiar voice, i couldn't believe my ears so i waited for confirmation. I said 'who is this' and he said 'hi, its F'. I was like wow!!this was not even on the list of last calls i expected to receive today. We exchanged pleasantries and he went on to relay the dream he had about me. We hadn't seen in about 4years or spoken in about a year or 2. So u can imagine my surprise. He told me he dreamt he had killed someone for me...weird.lol. anyway he came into Abuja later and we saw and caught up on what had been happening in our lives. It was really nice. Next thing i know M calls me and i'm like ok...Why are all these peeps remembering me around the same period all of a sudden..Then S calls and U calls and B calls and J calls! J i haven't spoken to in a longer while than U, B and S. He said he was just calling to check on me and i was like ok. U and i had been having a fight and he's that kinda proud person that does not like to say he's sorry first, even when he knows he's wrong, anyways he surprised me and called! the T and I have also started talking more often and i must say i'm enjoying it. M has also been calling me more often than he used to and its nice. F also sent an SMS to me after keeping mute for a long period over God knows what! i wonder why guys do that! Yh, so that's it.

I know this happens to a lot of people when people that seem to have forgotten about you just start calling again outta the blues. Maybe it has to do with astronomy or some stars of mine lining up right.doesn't really matter. I'm enjoying the attention though..*wink wink
Seems the same thing is happening to my friend T also.

XooX

Leap Year and a New Month

A Leap year is a year with 366 days i.e a year with an extra day, February 29, added to make up the difference between the 365-day calendar and the actual duration of the Earth's orbit of the Sun. Leap years occur every four years, except for years ending in 00 that are not divisible by 400.

[Probably because any given date falls two days later than in the preceding year, instead of one]
(Microsoft® Encarta® 2009)
I wonder how people born on February 29 feel though, they gotta wait every four years to celebrate their birthday technically. Anyways,what does it matter, as long as we are alive.


Welcome to a New month too people. Make the best of it.

This year seems to be moving pretty fast or is it just me? maybe..

All the best y'all...XooX

SlimKicker

I consider myself slightly fit and as much as i try to do more to keep fit and be healthy so many obstacles stand in my way. I have found different maneuvers around them though, for instance i take the stairs at any opportunity instead of the elevator or escalator. I try to drink a lot of water,i' m not really a soda person anyways, i take juice instead. I try to eat have a balanced diet but that's kinda tough 'cos it'll involve me cooking and i can be very lazy when it comes to that (i admit). I leave for work early and come back worn out, I just eat whatever is available or have snacks/chocolate or go to bed like that. At work i eat a fairly balanced diet but lets be real that's just 1 meal outta the 3 i should be having. I don't have issues with my weight, i just wanna be healthy.

Exercise is another challenge i'm facing now. I'm considering joining a gym seriously. While i was in school i was super fit! I used to take long walks, jog, do sit-ups,leg-ups and a bit of yoga. I have to say i had some time on my hands though and i had friends to motivate me. Now though work and social activities, etc don't give me much time, but if there's one thing i've learnt,it's that there'l never be time for anything except you make extra effort to create time.

Anyways, i intend to join a gym asap and once my house hunt is complete and i have my own space, i will cook more. I also wanna start swimming again, dancing,etc basically get involved in fun activities that help one stay fit.Dance or play golf  or box some dude on Xbox or do some random exercise on Wii.

I came across this site my friend sent me http://slimkicker.com/ and i intend to use it to track my progress and explore all the fun challenges it entails. Please Enjoy and i wish you all the best in your pursuit to be fit and healthy.

XoXoxO....toodles

formspring.me

Ask me anything http://www.formspring.me/jemimahnaa

Another Legend is Gone :(

I can't believe Whitney Houston is dead! and she was just 48years old! She was more or less in her prime...1st Michael Jackson now Whitney, its soooo sad!
I really felt she was better and going to have an awesome comeback after all her drug drama. The Friday before she died, i was in a Whitney mood throughout work, i played her songs throughout, just for my friend to wake me very early on sunday with the news of Whitney's death. It did not sink in at first, i thot it was one of those pranks people play saying celebrities are dead till the celebs come out to say they are hale and hearty...sadly, this was not one of those, her death became more apparent as i saw it all over the news and music channels were playing her best songs as a tribute to her. As i listened to her songs, it was as if she was alive again. Had it not been for drugs, etc, this rare gem would have remained with us. People say we pay more attention when someone dies, we play their songs, watch their movies, things that used to belong to them or that they were involved in become very expensive and we are still willing to purchase or have them. I think its because we just have not been able to come to terms with how final death is, we can't believe that person we spent time with, mocked, laughed with and shared memories (good/bad) is gone forever, so we try to find anything that will make us feel their presence and what other way is there to do this than look at pictures, listen to their voice and watch videos they were in. It makes death seem unreal to relive the moments  that have been captured. I think pictures and videos are one of the best things that happened to human beings. We can capture precious moments and at a glance at these photos and videos, we can literally go back in time and relive that moment. If you go through my blog u'l notice i use photos and videos a lot, i can't help it. I love taking pictures, nothing professional or touched up just something i can look back on and smile or cry.

I wish Whitney's daughter and mother all the strength in this world 'cos i learnt they were real close to her, i can't imagine how they must be feeling right now especially with all the news in the media about Whitney being unstable and her death being shocking but not surprising. Regardless they have lost a loved one and i can imagine how that feels, i even feel for Bobby Brown even though i'm not a fan of his and i think he had a bad influence on her with her use of drugs and all, i'm sure he is not in the best place right now.

As i watched her videos on TV and especially her rendition of the American National Anthem at some superbowl event, it was very intense to say the least and you could see the passion and fluidity when she sang the anthem.

I love all her old school songs but the one i have been listening to over and over is 'i look to you'.It just says so much without trying and the lyrics of most of her songs follow the same pattern. Even her movies 'the bodyguard', 'the preacher's wife', and 'waiting to exhale'.

She was a strong black woman and was a role model for many in and out of the music industry despite all that she went through.She wasn't perfect, had her many flaws and personal struggles but her impact was greatly felt, she won all the awards you could think off and reached heights that most musicians only dream about. I guess we should thank Clive Davis for allowing us experience Whitney's out of this world voice.

•   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Houston
• http://music.yahoo.com/photos/r-i-p-whitney-houston-1963-2012-1329021975-slideshow/whitney-houston-sings-the-national-anthem-during-the-pregame-show-at-super-bowl-xxv-while-tens-of-th-photo-1329021943.html

May her soul Rest in Peace

Whitney Houston

1963-2012

Just anoda Valentine's day

Exchange of gifts..bla bla bla...and the day comes and goes... i'm happy its a workday

http://tamikoadyms.blogspot.com/search/label/Valentine%27s%20day

Is it really a special day or it has become a cliche?

Do we have to pick just one day to show love to our dear ones in material form or should we embrace making it a habit to do this daily. Truth is while we may be waiting for February 14 to come, our loved ones may not wait around.

Show love whenever you can and to whoever you can...Xoxo

Yaaaaoooch!!!!!!!! (even with a high Pain Threshold)

....and so i waxed!

I no know who send me message o...I was bored at work and the headache i had been having at one side of my head since 4am was just beginning to dull out. I did a mental run-through of all the stuff i had to do and the one bugging me was that i had to SHAVE!! hairy underarms are not sexy on guys or gals!! but we all know how annoying and dulling it can be to do routine stuffs, as much as we try we lax a bit and next thing u know, u wanna wear a tank top and that hair is all over the place saying 'i told you so'.

Anyways enough of my babbling, i picked up my phone and called my fave ladies spa (MB Hammam) to book an appointment for underarm waxing which cost 2000 Naira. I went along with my friend who just wanted to see what the place was like thanks to all the deserved hype i had been making about the spa.
We got there and I decided i might as well try the brazillian wax while i was at it. I changed in the dressing room and waited for the person to attend to me another room.

...and then she started, gaskia i no know who send me message o!!wey i for just dey use my shaving cream/stick jejely. She  first put some baby powder on my underarms and then rolled the hot wax ('cos it was not warm o!) on my underarm from some deodorant looking thing like that, all this time i was cool o, then she placed the strip where she had placed the wax, she  rubbed it for a bit and FIAMMMMMMMM she pulled it off!!!!! It hurt so bad I screamed inside me and clenched my teeth, i could see the hair that had once been on my underarms on the wax strip. The woman no even take easy or give me time to rest! She just dey wax, dey strip dey go. I don peme finish inside, i just dey pull brave face like sey e no too pain me. When she was done, i decided i ssssssoooooooo was not doin any brazillian. The pain had been bad enough here talkless of down there. While i was thinking all this i thot she was done o 'cos she
had moved her bright light and had put aside the strips...in my dreams o... she pulled out tweezers and plucked out all the stubborn ones that had not come off with the wax!! Aye mi o!! i had not planned for this. I told her i did not want to do the brazillian anymore cos the pain was too much, she just calmed me down and told me i had done very well for a first timer as others usually scream at the top of their voices. She said she'd give me some time to relax and if i still did not want to do it, there was no problem.

After relaxing for about 15mins i decided WTH lemme just get this over with! You know those comprehensions they used to make us write in Secondary School? the 'had i known' ones? well thats how my story turned out! HAD I KNOWN i would have left after doin my underarms. I will not bore you with the details but it was 10 times more painful than that of the underarms. Anyway i went back to work and by the time i closed i wasn't sore anymore and by the next day it was as if nothing had happened.


After all this drama i acted i had to ask the lady why waxing was better than shaving and she sed it does not make the area darker in color as shaving does and one does not get bumps. Trust me i did not take her word for it o. I googled her response when i came to the office and got similar responses, they said the hair grows out finer 'cos its removed from the roots when waxed compared to shaving so i guess she was telling the truth. I guess this wont me my last time there then,hopefully the next time will be less painful. i'll try to get the mini strips so i can try doin it myself. oh well..till then! i'll let you know how that goes.

Here are some useful links i found while surfing the net:

• http://www.ehow.com/how_2214922_do-underarm-waxing.html
• http://atmarupa.hubpages.com/hub/Waxing-Hair-Removal-Or-Laser-Hair-Removal
• http://strangevision.wordpress.com/2011/04/02/a-late-christmas-present-braun-silk-epil-soft-perfection-epilator/
• http://www.makeupsavvy.co.uk/2011_07_01_archive.html
• http://www.mywomenstuff.com/2010/12/21/the-brazilian-wax-when-deforestation-is-allowed/

epilator (multi tweezers!! arrgh!)