Thursday 25 February 2016

New Phone!!HTC Desire Eye

front view
side view
I have gone through my fair share of Blackberry phones- Bold 3, Bold 5, Bold 6.
The Blackberry Bold 6 was the last one i used before i hung my BB boots n fully joined d android train and it was long overdue for a change. It had battery issues, was restarting/freezing at will, the touch screen/scroll pad had a mind of their own *SIGH! u catch my drift. I had joined briefly with my Nexus 4 but neva got to fully experience it before it was stolen. 
I now have the HTC Desire Eye (light blue color) thanks to my lovely hubby. He got it for me along with a Dot Case sometime in June 2015 as a late birthday gift (I got him the One+2 android phone for his birthday, so he was trying to match up.lol). He did the techie research part on the phone and decided it would be the best for me, all i wanted was a phone with an awesome camera.
Verdict on my new phone-Great Choice & Purchase!! Loving it so far.
The hardest part for me migrating to an android phone is the data plan, it is pricey! n i definitely miss my 1k5 per month Blackberry data plan. I go through at least about N4,030 (4030mb) monthly for data 'cos i end up renewing twice a month. I have learnt to manage my data usage better though, i monitor it n use strictly wifi for data zapping apps and i've been able to reduce my data cost to N2,015 (2015mb MTN data plan). I DO NOT miss my Blackberry.
It was easy transferring my contacts, the phone had a setup for me to do that via bluetooth. What i had issues with transferring was my notes, i had to manually copy and mail them to myself. I installed the Google keep app to resolves this issue in the future so i can easily access my notes if i change phone. I'm not a fan of memory cards as i have had too many crash on me n loose my data, in cases where i did not backup. I just manually copied selected music n pics directly to d phone memory. Apps and Updates take wayy too much internal storage space though.
DotView case on
I totally love dis phone, only complains are there isn't much internal storage and the pricey MTN data plan. You can reduce data consumption by selecting 2G mode when the phone is not in active use and by disabling background data for apps and autosync. I do app updates only over wifi and use data consuming apps like Snapchat, IG, Youtube on it. You can monitor ur apps to see which uses the most data.
what is Other??!
Hubby also got me a 64GB memory card to solve the storage issue (he knows i love taking pics and vids), the 1st one (Transend brand) crashed but the 2nd one (Sandisk brand) has been working just fine. I still backup my phone regularly on my laptop though, so i don't lose my data, in case my memory card crashes again or my phone gets stolen, etc.
Asides dat i'm a happy bunny. 
Favorite feature on the phone-13 mega-pixel front facing camera with flash.
Favorite phone accessory- My HTC earphones and Dot View Case Get instant access to your phone, without even opening the case. HTC Dot View lets you use voice controls, answer calls, receive email notifications, schedule reminders, get weather updates and more (some features not available on all phones). We've also added some secret surprises that are sure to make you smile.
Change the way you use your phone with the dual-purpose case that combines form and function.
Some DotView Features:
- Redial recent calls with a swipe up
- Review notifications by swiping left or right
- Skip songs or pause playback
- Personalize your HTC Dot View with theme
- Play games
- Display a scrolling message
- Turn on your speaker during a phone call
- Control the flashlight and voice recorder (only available with Sense 7 or later)
- Snooze alarms
I have quite a no. of apps on my phone, some came with the phone while i installed the rest. Here's a list of my current active apps:
Social Media
  • BBM
  • Whatsapp
  • Twitter
  • Snapchat
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Swarm
  • Foursquare
  • Skype
Camera/Photo Editing
  • Camera 360
  • VSCO
  • PicPlayPost
  • Layout for IG
  • Repost
  • PicMix
  • Photoshop Express
Video
  • Youtube
  • VLC
  • Flipgram
Religious
  • Devotion
  • Bible
Language
  • Duolingo
  • Byki 
  • Dictionary
  • Yoruba Dictionary
  • Google Translate
Google
  • Gmail
  • Google Chrome
  • Google Play Music (i need another music app though, this one keeps erasing my playlists at will)
Organization
  • Calendar
  • Google Keep
  • Office Suite
Battery Saver
  • DU Speed Booster
Games
  • Fruit Ninja
  • Subway Surf
  • Sudoku
  • Wordsearch
I cracked my phone screen sometime in December when it dropped screen first on a concrete floor, normally the case would have protected it but it was torn (someone pulled at the case till it got a tear in it and it just got worse from there till the front part of the case completely ripped off) and not covering the screen properly and i'd been managing it like that.I have now gotten a screenguard and new Dot View phone case (rily loving the color, i believe its raspberry, my former one was blue) to prevent any more cracks and dents on my preciousssss *in smiggles voice* lol.
I would definitely recommend this phone to anyone looking to get an android phone. Click here for more in-depth technological information on the phone.
Toodles!XooX

Friday 12 February 2016

Beyond Indulgence Spa Review

spa premises
My bestie, Antonia, was in town for the Christmas & New year holidays! I hadn't seen her since December, 2013 (she was around for my birthday) and it was an absolute delight having her around and catching up. She got me a lovely spa set, notepad, caftan and a birthday card containing the sweetest words for my birthday. I hosted her, my sis and other friends @my house with plenty food, small chops, drinks, cake and karaoke for my birthday (i shall do my usual bday post with more info) it was really fun. Coincidentally her house is just 'bout a 5min walk from my house so we got to see each other every other day *big grin!
Anyways i digress, i had been wanting to visit the spa for a while and when i mentioned it, she said i should pick a spa and we could go together as my birthday treat (isn't she just the bestest!). That's how i started spa hunting-googling & making calls -i wanted an affordable spa and sadly my usual spa (MB hammam) have hiked up their prices.
We settled on Beyond Indulgence Spa 'cos it had the most affordable price, looked decent from our research and i wanted to try a different spa.

MB Hammam
Basic Hammam N15,750 (used to be N10,000)
Traditional Hammam  N16,800 (used to be N12,000)

Six Senses Spa
Body Scrub N11,500
Morroccan Bath N18,500
Special Bath N25,000

Basic N10,500
Complete basic (with Henna) N12,500
Traditional/Herbal Hammam N15,000
Soukhla Hammam N20,500
Reception
I called to book our appointment for 4:30pm, we got there on time and were welcomed at the reception. I asked if they have a PoS, they said it wasn't working but after the treatment they would have someone follow us to the ATM and collect the money. No wahala. We were led to the waiting area and were offered tea and water, which we declined. 
Waiting area
We only waited about 5mins before we were led through the salon to where we changed our shoes and were given constructible slippers and up the stairs to the spa section. We were led into the changing room which was really small and not quite welcoming (maintenance issues); we changed into towels and were given shower caps and free disposable undies.
Stairwell
Changing room
We went into the bath area where some olive oil based black soap was rubbed on us and we were led to a real nice steam room (it was white and bright with seats and looked like something out a sci-fi movie), i noticed the steam took a while to build up though n escapes real quick when d door is opened and this happened a couple of times. We were given a face towel for stopping sweat getting into our eyes and bottled water to drink in the steam room. There was nice soothing music playing in the background all the while.
Steam room
After about 20 minutes, we were taken out of the steam room and back to the bath area which had two tile slab beds with yoga mats (mine was yellow and had black stains and dots on it. i wasn't happy with that) on them. Warm water was used for us throughout, we laid down face down on the slab and were lathered with soap n were scrubbed proper and then we turned over for a repeat. The yoga mat was quite unstable and i kept sliding up and down the direction i was being scrubbed, i had to grab unto the tiles to avoid sliding off and there was no cushion to put head on so my braids got wet during rinsing. I'm not sure if the scrubbing sponge was new n used just for us.
Bath area
Bath area
The scrubbing was quite vigorous for me but definitely much needed, i guess their staff was bent on ridding me of all the dry peeling skin from my spots thanks to my Pityriasis Rosea episode (i'll do an update soon on my current situation and the effects harmattan has had on my skin) She did a good job. We were rinsed afterwards and given soap to wash our face, after proper rinsing we were sprayed with rosewater, tied our towels and headed for the changing room. Sadly we had to use the same 'unravelling' slippers we wore in the bath area to the changing room, it was soaking wet and frustrating 'cos it wouldn't stay on our feet.

Unravelling slippers and wet floor
Thanks to our wet unravelling slippers, the carpet in the changing room also got wet and it was difficult sliding moving around to change.The towel i was given was shedding n left annoying white fluff on my body, there was no moisturizer in the changing room n everyone knows how drying Hammam is talkless of during harmattan, luckily we brought along body moisturizer n shea butter which we used. It would have been nice to have partitions for privacy to change & dress up and a seat to do my makeup. I had to makeup in d lounge restroom which had better lighting
They had attentive n courteous staff, no PoS like i mentioned earlier so we had to drive Keystone bank with their guard n give him d cash
It was nice getting to have a spa time with Antonia this time around, the last time i had to leave her all alone at MB Hammam.
I rate them 6/10. They lost points for the following:
  • Need for minor renovations on the premises-peeling wallpaper, cracked walls, etc.
  • Not having a Pos 
  • The several black unknown dots/stains on the yellow yoga mat placed on the slab where i was scrubbed
  • No moisturizer or chair to seat or privacy partition in the small changing room
  • Small showercap and no cushion to place my head during the bath so my hair got wet at the back
  • Towel was shedding white fluff (sooo annoying)
  • Tacky slippers that kept unravelling and making it hard to walk
  • The scrubbing sponge used did not look new and we were not informed if it was or not
Toodles!XooX

Saturday 6 February 2016

Alcohol for the Sweettooth

Coffee Patron
I got a sweettooth for everything!! I can't take or enjoy any alcohol that doesn't taste nice which happens to be the majority. Whenever i'm out with friends, at an event or just socializing i'm most likely gonna be found with a bottle of water 'cos its healthy and none of the alcoholic drinks appeal to me. Some of my friends say i'm a spoilsport 'cos they can't share drinks with me *shrugs* toh, make una buy sweet one wey i fit enjoy na.
This includes most Champagnes (i'm sorry but my palates are not refined enough and it tastes like piss to me}, Hennessey, Jack Daniels, most Red & White Wines, the list goes on. I'm only a social drinker and barely even, luckily i got a natural high w/o the need for alcohol. Yoee n hubby already know my taste and are always ready for me.
I decided to make a list of alcoholic drinks/cocktails i find appealing n yummy and i'll keep adding to the list as i find:
  • Coffee Patron (shots! shots!! shots!!!)
  • Cointreau & Coke
  • Disaranno & Juice
  • Vodka & Redbull/Cranberry mix
  • Strawberry Daiquiri
  • Pina Colada
  • Baileys (sooo creamyyyy)
  • Amarula (sooo creamyyyy too)
  • Olmeca Tequila (just works with the salt and lime)
  • Smirnoff Ice
Lemme know what sweet alcoholic drinks or wines you enjoy.
Toodles!XooX

My Surprise Bridal Shower {LATE POST}

Chocolate Cocktails (very yummy)
Hmmm...My surprise bridal shower was different shades of awesome, i'm truly blessed with the sweetest friends and i'm grateful to have them in my life.
You either throw yourself a bridal shower or your friends plan one for u; i have always been a part of the latter. I was kinda wary my friends would not be able to plan and execute a bridal shower for me 'cos i am always the planner and main player in all the surprise bridal showers we've held for our married friends. I've written about bridal showers and how best to plan them, as well as baby showers i have planned in the past and i know how they typically work, at least in Nigeria.
The typical surprise bridal shower starts with 2-3 close friends of the bride-to-be coming together some months before the wedding to decide on a date, venue, decor, activities and a budget for the shower as well as contacting the groom-to-be and letting him know their plans so he can help surprise the bride. After this they create a group usually on Whatsapp or BBM to invite other friends of the bride-to-be and update them on the plan so far, get more suggestions from them and inform them of the amount to be contributed per person and the account to pay into (of course na when e reach money matter people take off, act funny, etc. making money collection the most stressful/annoying part of the whole process).
I am always the one that kicks off this planning process and i know how stressful it can be (though i enjoy it) so u can imagine why i was nervous. Infact i thought i won't get to have a bridal shower! But ma gals came through for me *wide grin*
awon goons mi
My shower held on Sunday, 11th May 2014, the weekend before my wedding. Hubby-to-be was in charge of helping my different groups of friends link up, well the ones in Abuja anyway (my friends dnt all know each other. I have office friends, uni friends, etc.) and making sure i dressed up nice and arrived at the venue in time for my surprise. He did a good job.
My cake
Being the planning lover that i am, i asked Yoee to fill me in on the planning process and she told me how stressful and annoying it was (as i'd expected it'll be) but i enjoyed hearing every tidbit. There were those that contributed even though they could not make it to the shower(Mel who had just had her baby and Wyn who was in Lagos), i sent them thank you messages after the shower and pictures; those who argued on the agreed amount or paid late; those who went all out and made me gush. It was fun being the celebrant this time and hearing how the shower was put together. I even added an Excel sheet to my wedding budget of the whole planning process and those that contributed to making the shower a success. Don't mind me, i just like having this stuff documented so i can look back on it. Oya straight to the main shower gist.
Yoee told me they needed music for a get-together i think (can't really remember), so i needed to get my butt down dere with my laptop and playlist, she said she had discussed with hubby and he had agreed to bring me down. I guessed it might be my surprise bridal shower since that was the last day of the weekend before our wedding weekend. I sha dressed up and went with the flow, i randomly chose to wear a black and white gown and funny enough black was the color code for the shower. Hubby took me to Bolton White Apartments and as the door opened SURPRISE!!!! it was the sweetest thing, i was just grinning like a Cheshire cat, from ear to ear. They pulled me in and draped a bride-to-be sash over me and put a crown on my head. I really did feel special.
It held in a nice 2-bedroom apartment with a big living room, kitchen and balcony at our disposal, i loved the setup, decor and the cake(this is the EXACT cake i wanted, big ups to Yoee for catching my hints back then); It was so heart-warming seeing how much effort they put into everything. Yoee a.k.a Alcohol goddess brought the alcohol, Farida brought the small chops, pizza n soft drinks, Ejura brought cupcakes, Pauline was in charge of decor, Bola a.k.a Miss B was the MC and Joy was the Photographer/Videographer. I was the DJ still. lol.
enjoying my small chops
After hugging and thanking the gals, they finally got me seated on my 'throne', placed a tantalizing plate of small chops in my hands and things were set in motion by my able MC Miss B and her tiny voice. lol. The first game was 'How well do you know the bride-to-be?', everyone had a pen and paper and Miss B would ask them questions about me (my fave food, color, etc.) and they would write their answers down and the person with the highest no. of correct answers is the winner. This game was so funny 'cos they kept trying to ask me for expo or confirm if their answers were right while Miss B did her best to block my face so i wouldn't pay attention them. Chide won this game and the highlight was when Miss B read out some of the hilarious answers they had written, we all had a good laugh.
Yoee was having way too much fun torturing me
Next game was 'How well do you know your husband-to-be', i alone played this game, Miss B would ask me a question and i'd answer within 10 secs then she'd compare my answers to what Hubby-to-be had written for them. Yoee was on punishment duty, standing happily beside me as she was in charge of drowning me in alcohol for every question i answered wrong. This gehl eh!! she really wanted to drown me, even questions i answered correctly she'll say time was up and make me guzzle down *smh* luckily she only got to do that about 3 different times and that was how i discovered that i quite like Coffee Patron.
The process
Joy (on my left in the pic) won obviously. lol.
Next game was the 'Tissue wedding dress', the gals were divided into 2groups, they picked out their models and were asked to design an outfit on them using just tissue. It was too funny, i just sat down watching their 'creations' take form actually it was falling apart. I was to pick the winner and had to go with the model that managed to keep her tissue dress on. We all had a good laugh with this game.
The winning banana found a spot on the cake
Next game was 'Fastest fingers', the gals were all given bananas and a condom sachet, the fatest to get the condom on the banana properly is the winner. Oh my days, u had to be there!! i laughed so hard i fell off my seat when Miss B was inspecting the condom-wearing bananas. Ejura was the winner of this game. Some claimed their bananas needed a bigger condom (Magnum tins), some put it on backwards, some put a rip in it, some said the condom was to big for their bananas, some did not get it on all the way. It was too funny walahi!
Last game of the night 'Charades' had us rolling on the floor laughing while clutching our sides in pain with aching jaws. The gals were separated into 2 groups and each group would pick 1 person to be their representative; the representative would go to the opposing group and they would tell her a word or sentence to go describe to her group without using words and her group would try to guess it. Where do i even begin with how competitive and funny this game turned out to be, i even participated. Let's just say it involved trying to describe 'crocodile in the ocean', 'sex not in the beach' and 'igede dancers'. Try picturing how someone would describe the above to their group. It was crazy!
Hubby-to-be came around as we were rounding up so i cut the cake, took pics with him & d gals and he happily got a take-away pack of small chops and cake when leaving. The gals and i touched up, they cut cake to take away and we went to Sofa Lounge to karaoke and dance the night away. I honestly had way too much fun and laughter for one night. Ejura, Yoee and I finally went back to the apartment @past midnight, we cleaned up the messed up apartment a bit (we didn't have to but i have a bit of OCD) and put the leftovers in the fridge. I was given my lovely gifts and we crashed.
My gifts
Next morning, we put the apartment in order some more, warmed and ate our leftovers, looked through pics & vids and had a good laugh before checking out around midday. The shower was more than i could have ever expected and i'm grateful!
Toodles!XooX

Thursday 4 February 2016

Plantain Lover/Addict


I have a confession. My name is Tosin and i am a Plantain a.k.a Dodo lover/addict. lol. It is this serious guys, i had to dedicate a post to my beloved Plantain, never has there been a purer love than this. *dreamysigh*
Ripe Plantain
I can honestly eat plantain all day everyday. I don't think i have ever wasted any meal/snack made with plantain and i get upset when people do. I can't even explain my love for plantain, whether na the taste o or the texture or how e dey belleful me. Walahi i no know. I even had to ask my mum and her explanation was that when she was pregnant with me, her no. 1 craving was plantain and cocoyam chips and she would snack on them all the time. Sooo e be like sey dis love na from womb and cocoyam got cheated. I was a bit sad when i found out plantain is mostly made up of carbohydrates but then again its still a good source of fibre, Vitamin A& C and has a lil protein in there so all join. You can buy plantain from the market Unripe (Green) or Ripe (Yellow + Black)
Unripe Plantain
Here are a couple of the ways i enjoy and switch up my plantain diet and i am still hunting for more *wide grin*:
  • Unripe plantain porridge
  • Ripe plantain porridge
  • Fried Plantain eaten with meals or alone
  • Diced fried plantain  mixed in salad
  • Boiled Plantain with sauce
Gizdodo in the preparation process
Gizdodo
  • Gizdodo (basically diced and fried gizzard and plantain mixed in a pepper sauce)
  • Deep fried Gizdodo dumplings
  • Asundodo (basically asun a.k.a smoked/roasted/grilled & peppered goat meat and fried diced plantain mixed in a pepper sauce)
  • Sausagedodo (basically diced and fried sausages or chicken franks and plantain mixed in a pepper sauce)
  • Boli (Roasted/Grilled plantain) and peanut butter or groundnut 
  • Beans/Yam/Sweet potato/Potato and Plantain porridge (Walahi porridge tastes best when its got some plantain in it! just try it)
Plantain moi-moi
  • Plantain moi moi (basically blended plantain spiced up and steamed in a cupcake pan in the oven)
Fried Mosa balls with sauce & yaji
  • Mosa (basically blended plantain spiced up and deep fried. I make dis when my plantain is overripe)
  • Dodo Ikire
  • Plantain Pancake (basically blended plantain with some flour or oats added and fried like a pancake
  • Plantain cookies
Plantain muffins
Plantain muffins (inside)
  • Plantain muffins
Check out different recipes for the above on Dooney's Kitchen and join me on my journey to finding more plantain recipes and please share any you may have with me in the comments section.

Toodles!XooX