The Black & White Colour Block Dress

Hello lovelies,

Trying to be in your good books and blogging whenever I can! Last week I attended a wine tasting at the opening of a new wine shop in Lusaka called The Wine Shop. I have never really been to a wine shop, I just get my wine from the supermarket and don’t think twice about it but I loved that the entire shop was all about wine and the owner took the time to explain where the wines were from and the vintage and all that stuff polished wine lovers like to know.

I wore a colour block black and white dress, I got it while thrifting and in fact was doubtful about it but I had seen a similar look on Alicia keys and thought I should try it. A girl at the stand actually pointed it out to me and said I would probably look good in it, I’m so glad she convinced me because I love it.

Here are some of the pictures from the wine tasting. I was happy to bump into the gorgeous Esther Mwila. I met her at another event and she is absolutely lovely. I love how photogenic she is, she is definitely one of my favourite people to photograph, and she is certainly my girl crush!

I love it when I own anything that is even remotely close to any of my favourite celebrities, yes, I am shamefully a celebrity whore..lol...

The black and white colour block dress has been doing pretty well on the red carpet. Celebrities like Alicia Keys, Mischa Barton and Rosie Huntington to mention a few have rocked the look! Here are a few varaitions of the black and white colour block dress that I love!

And a last look at me of course..lol... thank you for reading xoxo

Letter To My Sixteen Year Old Self

Dear 16 year old me,

What would you like me to start with, the good news or the bad news? Lol, just kidding, you should probably know that you’re actually not doing too bad. Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves though, you have really made some HUGE mistakes over the past couple of years but your present self is coming to terms with it.

Remember how terrified you were of going out there in the big bad world on your own? Well, you live on your own now, well you do have a housemate and your boyfriend is there half the time (yes, you have a boyfriend, you won’t die alone as you often feared..lol) but you are an independent woman, you left your family and relocated to another city! You would be proud.

You will also be pleased to know you graduated from University with a degree, you almost got a distinction but you were really very lazy throughout uni and ended up with a merit. You still hate studying and you still do everything last minute but you really had fun getting a degree, you have very few regrets because unlike other people who took school way too seriously, you took it in your stride and were your usual happy go lucky self.

Oh by the way, you will really grow up during uni, and I don’t just mean your mindset. You will develop into a pretty awesome young lady and thank heavens you will develop a sense of style! You will become more confident about your body and your looks and people will start to notice that you are beautiful because of this, and your inner glow. Appreciate your body, you will later on gain some weight and miss your body but then again you don’t look so bad..lol

I know you are curious to know about your love life, you were always such a hopeless romantic and you still are! Wish you would stop watching those stupid romantic movies though! Anyway, you will meet quiet a lot of guys during uni, you will even have three guy best friends during that time, some of the friendships will not continue after uni but they will always be your friends. You will go on a couple of bad dates, haha, you won’t believe this but at some point you will try internet dating and this guy will start stalking you and try to force himself on you but thank heavens you will come out alright. That probably taught you a lesson.

There will be this one guy; you know how you always had a weakness for good looking guys? Well this one will be pretty good looking! You should know that he is going to go down in history as your first love, you will have the biggest crush on him for three years but sadly you will never really get together, it is going to be so complicated, you are going to cry a lot and yes kiddo, your heart is going to break into tiny little pieces. Let me tell you that you are partly to blame for this but don’t be too hard on yourself, you will only be protecting your heart and at least you will come out with your dignity. He will always respect you for that. You will be young and kind of childish at that time and very innocent and naive, so forgive yourself. You will learn so much from this experience; it will help you through the next stages of your life. I’m concluding on your behalf that you will always feel a bit of sadness over this but is that not the story of first loves? And don’t read this and think maybe someday you two will get back together because he is getting married to someone else soon. Yes, he told you himself and you cried and couldn’t breathe for a minute but it passed and I think you are going to be okay.

Ah, don’t feel too bad because guess what? You will fall in love again. And it is going to be a lot like the fairytale you always wanted but be warned, it will not be easy! You will still have issues from your past relationship and because of that you will nearly lose this love. Nearly, but you won’t. He is an amazing guy, you will love him differently but with just as much intensity. He is sweet and thoughtful and he would probably do anything in the world for you. He will even take you to the world cup! Imagine that! I won’t let the cat out of the bag but somewhere during this time something very terrible is going to happen, you will want to die, in fact, if it wasn’t for God’s mercy you would have probably died. It will be a milestone. This too will always have an effect on your relationship but somehow the strong belief that you were meant to be together will keep you together through every hardship.

I am not going to tell you anything about your intimate life, I just want to tell you that you were very right about waiting; you have no idea how right.

You’re still terrified about marriage! You always said you would do it as late as possible and kept saying you will get married at 29 and I tell you, this is looking like a huge possibility. But you’re not worried about when this is going to happen, there’s something about you that I like, you take each day as it comes, you’re not in a rush and you believe that everything will work out for your good in the end and it usually does. I really think this guy you’re with is the one, you know, the one you’re going to marry and I wish you much happiness! I do not know what kind of a mother you will be, it will be so funny to see but I will keep you updated.

Your sister will have a baby girl! She is the most gorgeous little princess on earth and she is so clever, she reminds me a lot of you when you were younger.  Your sister will also be getting married soon. Your mum and dad are still together so don’t get so depressed when they talk about divorce, they will stay together in the end and learn to live with their differences. Their relationship has taught you some valuable lessons, it has also harmed you in a way and put fear in you about love and marriage but you are determined to have a different story and it looks like you are doing just fine!

There is a lot I have left out but what would be the fun of spoiling everything for you? What I would really like to tell you is you are doing much, much better than you think. I am so proud of who you are at 16, you have no idea what a lovely person you are and what great values you have, you’re a fighter in your own sweet yet stubborn way. I love that you are getting to know God, later on in life it is those lessons you will learn that will guide your life because sometimes you won’t be good at going to church and praying as much as you are starting to do now. I hope you get back to being Godly, you know it is the most important thing in life. I like that you are always trying and you really do love God. It’s extremely important.

 Enjoy the years, you will grow up soon and it’s not as fun as you think! Most importantly stay true to yourself, don’t let people change you, you’re amazing just the way you are!

With love,
Your 20 something year old self.



PS: This is how you look now:)

Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen) ~ Inspirational Thoughts

It's been forever since I posted something on here, my apologies!

Today all I want to really do is share one of my favourite songs which has one of the best messages ever! But what would a post be without some pictures? Thought I would share a few of my favourite people with you. This weekend I will be attending a one year memorial of a really close friend, it makes me realise that we are only here for a moment and we should always, always appreciate the people we love.

 


Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen) Baz Lurhman

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97... wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be IT.

The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.

You are NOT as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

    Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

    Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

    Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself, either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance. Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

    Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

A Little Piece Of Paradise

 Thought I would switch things up and start with some pictures rather than words on today’s blog. I wanted to tell you about  a little piece of heaven I discovered last week, well I did not actually do the discovering as the owners of the place are a client of the graphic company I work for but as it was my first time there it felt like a bit of a discovery!

I had a photography session at a place called Sugar Bush Farms, they have a place called “The Design House” which is absolutely divine, it has a lovely gift shop and a cafe right outside so you can relax after you shop. As you will see from the lovely pictures it is such a peaceful and beautiful place. The gift shop stocks fabulous handcrafted bags and jewellery made by Jackal and Hide and other little arts and crafts for the home that are inspired by an ethnic African touch. It’s every ethnic girls dream shop!

Was wearing my absolute favourite blazer of the moment which is a stripped blazer I got from Mudd Jeans. I have lusted after a stripped blazer since forever and I was over the moon when I found this one so I just closed my eyes and bought it! Also it was my first time wearing earrings. I have never pierced my ears but I really love bright fun earrings so imagine how I felt when I found these gorgeous round teal earrings (hope you can see them!) especially that they go with my top. They are clip on’s and I want to get a dozen more. 

My friend Lilly and I enjoyed some peanut butter cookies and a drink before we left coutersy of the owner Gillie Lightfoot. Here are some of the pictures I took:)

Wishing you the best for this lovely month of July. Thank you for reading.

Eeeek! Same Outfit! When Friends Dress Alike

Opening up a can of worms today and talking about something that a lot of us girls go through, having the same clothes as your close friends..lol!

I am fortunate enough to have some really close girlfriends, some are literally family! I stayed with one of my best friends throughout university and she is someone who has always loved fashion and to be honest she inspired me to come out of my safety zone and try different things when it comes to fashion.

We shop together a lot and because we watch the same shows, read the same magazines and talk about latest trends together, we have inevitably developed the same kind of style. We usually love the same things and even consult each other on outfits. This is all very great and I love all the girl input but the problem is most times we end up buying the exact same outfit! Eeeeekkk!

We are both culprits when it comes to this, sometimes we both love an outfit and only one colour looks good so we both get it, or one of us buys something at a bargain and tells the other and again we both end up having it. And the weirdest thing is sometimes we plan to meet up and then show up in the exact same outfit! It has happened so many times it’s weird!

I love shopping with my best friend and I trust her fashion advice so this is not something that's going away any time soon. lol. The problem is people think we plan to copy each other or even share clothes. I know a lot of girls know what I'm talking about right?

I think the solution really is to try and put your own personality on an outfit if you both end up having the same item. The way you accessorise an outfit can change it completely. Also if it’s a big event that you are both showing up to just make an effort to check with your friend and discuss what you are wearing; you can decide who gets to wear that sexy leather dress you both own!

There is nothing wrong about being inspired by a friend or a celebrity when it comes to style as long as you try to add your own individuality to an outfit. I found it so funny to find that Kim Kardashian and Ciara have the same problem! People were accusing them of sharing clothes because they had a lot of similar outfits; I think the problem was that they wore them the exact same way. Being celebrities the pressure must be worse for them but I love the way Kim just laughed it off in her blog.

Here are some pictures of Ciara and Kim Kardashian to show you what I mean!

 

Also I thought a good example of what I mean by personalising an item would be from one of my favourite blogs, The Fashionista Next Door. She has a section called “Style me Friday” that allows readers to send her a picture of an outfit they would like her to recreate and she copies the look and recreates it with her own items.

I love that she usually adds her own personality to it, a scarf here, a statement neckpiece, a belt or different coloured tights. She is inspired by the pictures sent to her but she always adds a little touch of her own which turns the look into personal style. Here are a few pictures to show what I mean!

I guess you understand what I mean now right? Leaving you all with a picture of me in my recently aquired mustard blazer. I went to buy groceries but found a huge one day 50% off sale in Fashion Express and I came home with the blazer and a pair of ankle boots instead! Totally worth starving for!

Beauty In Unexpected Places

Catching up with a couple of things I have been up to lately.

Last week I had such an exciting time going into what I can say is one of the “ghetto’s” here in Lusaka. It’s called “Garden” because apparently the area used to belong to an expatriate farmer and now it has so many makeshift houses with locals living there.

I was reluctant to share this because I really hate how the Western world tries to portray Africa as a dirty place where there is starvation and no hope. I believe Africa has some of the most beautiful places in the world but like any continent there are places where people are poor and just trying to get on. It is the same here in Zambia, we have the beautiful shopping malls, people driving very expensive cars and wearing trendy clothes but as always the extremely poor are also among us.

I was having a photography session for a tour operator company called “Lusaka Experience”. They have such a brilliant idea, while most tour operators will take tourists to all the fancy places, this company does the exact opposite! They want tourists to have a sense of both worlds and so they take them to Garden. Tourists can visit the local market, some orphanages, taste the local brews and food and even crazier the tour guides take tourists to see the local witchdoctor!

Unfortunately we did not find the witchdoctor so I did not take any pictures of him for those of you who would like to see what a real life witchdoctor looks like! I do not believe in witchcraft in the sense that though I am aware that witches and wizards exist, I would not go to a witchdoctor to solve my problems because I am a Christian and I believe consulting spirits and magic is wrong.

What I loved the most about the trip was some of the beautiful artwork that “Lusaka Experience” had done in Garden. It is lovely to see a spark of colour in a gloomy place. I would recommend a tour with these guys to anyone if you really want to have a true cultural experience of Lusaka.

Weekend Shenanigans

This past weekend was really a mile stone for me in unexpected ways. I think particularly when it comes to my relationship. I have been dating my man for over two years now and it is the first serious relationship I have ever been in.

On Sunday morning my boyfriend took me for a walk and we went looking for a Park where we could sit and talk about all the issues that have been boiling up between us over the past few weeks. He got us lost twice and in the end we found ourselves at a botanic garden. We found a rusty old swing and we sat there for hours talking and ironing out our issues. We talked it out and we decided to put all our errors behind us and start afresh. It was a lot like renewing our commitment to each other. I now understand why people have ceremonies to re-dedicate their marriage, I thought it was a little artificial but after experiencing something close to it I realise that sometimes in a relationship you can take each other for granted and forget the reason why you are together.

I learned a lot of things that I need to work on and also expressed all the things that had been hurting me. Some things can seem so little but as they build up they create resentment and it explode unexpectedly.

 The swing was not that comfortable..lol..but it was a peaceful place to spend time.

Have to admit, that smile is a winner! He can get away with anything with this puppy look :)

Afterwards I met up with one of my best friends and two other friends. We went to Rhapsody’s which is a chic restaurant in Lusaka and we chatted over some cappuccino and barbeque chicken wings and chips. Lately we have all become so busy with trying to get our careers going and work that we rarely have time for each other so it was good to catch up, with a little gossip too!

I think it is important to make time for your friends once in a while no matter how busy you are, it is so refreshing to be in the company of good friends. My best friend finished law school last year and is now trying to be admitted to the bar but we always spend Sundays together after church. I really appreciate the effort she makes because I know how hectic life is for her right now. I am trying to be better at keeping in touch with old friends too cause I know how it feels when your friends seem to have forgotten all about you. Sometimes you just need to know that there are people who care about you out there.

Sorry but I have no proper picture of my dress, it is a floral maxi dress and I love it. I want to have lots of maxi dresses in my closet because they are so comfortable and stylish, also perfect for any weather. Speaking of which it is so cold here! June is our winter and though we have no snow it gets pretty cold. Lucky you if it’s warm and sunny in your country..lol.

Thank you for reading!