"Are you empowering your son for the journey ahead of him?" By Funke Egbemode.

When I came across Funke Egbemode article, I screamed Yes. She just said everything that I have been thinking for the past two years or less. I just didn't have the "umph" to write a post on it. She writes about the need for an awakening in the way Nigerian mothers train their sons. An uncle of mine recently said that "It is more benefical to have a female child than a male child in today's society". He further said, "A female child will certainly take care of her parents but a male child is like tossing a coin and hoping for the head". 

I am not saying there are no good well-trained men out there. I believe there are some out there but I have to admit that the ladies are doing way better.

An excerpt from her article;

"Today, I am worried about our sons, today’s young men. I am truly worried and every mother should pause, take a closer look at her sons and daughters and answer this question: are you empowering your son for the journey ahead of him? Answer truthfully, after all you are alone and you don’t have to let anybody hear you.

I think Nigerian mothers have not done well raising future husbands and fathers. Let’s admit it, we have not scored above average, that is if we achieved average at all.

Take a closer look at your beautiful daughter and your handsome six-footer son. Who is better prepared for the task ahead? I know some of us had realised this and have done better than others but most Nigerian mothers need to buckle up. Our sons are not what they should be and we cannot have the society, the country we desire when we put unprepared men and overgrown boys in positions of authority. I’ll explain myself.

In too many homes, the wives are the bread winners. Too many women are paying the rent and picking bills that make a man the man. We do not need figures from the Office of Statistics because I know every woman in this country knows at least one family where the man is not truly the head. He is just a figure head. And every man who is a figure head is a sad commentary on his mother. Every young husband who waits for his wife to draw her monthly check before the monthly shopping can be done is a figure head, a proceed of a failed mother. That is harsh, right?..." Read more at Romancemeetslife

My 13 Favorite Things from 2013

Banky W "R&BW" Album - To be precise I loved the Yes/No track, everyone in my house did. We over rocked this track. 

Body Shop Body Mist: I love sweet, mild, calming and close-to-nature fragrances. I have been using the body shop body mists for two years now and I will keep stocking up on them whenever I get the chance. The Mango and Shea mist is definitely my favourite.

Kinky-Curly Knot Today Natural Leave In / Detangler: Its super light and non-greasy. The Ingredients in this product is minimal, not full of junks you wouldn't understand.

Source

My Digby Metal Frame Boxy Handbag by Dunes London: This bag is so functional and classy/classic. When I first set my eyes on this bag I knew I had to have it. 

 St. Ives Body Lotions: Usually I use oils and butters but since I started using the St. Ives Body Lotions I find myself pushing my butters and oils farther away from me. The great thing about this lotion is that contains no parabens, no phthalates, not animal ingredients. They are hypoallergenic (i.e. they contain  ingredients that cause fewer allergic reactions versus/when compared to the average lotions in the market), fast absorbing and non-greasy.

JVC Gumy Headphones: Not only are they super cheap (about £6), they are durable and the sound is good and very clear. Of course, no fancy bass or techno thingzzz but it does the job well. I have had mine for over a year now and considering the fact that I handle it roughly, it still works perfectly well.

Wafers like no any other, I will love to introduce Loacker's Classic Wafers. The vanilla is the best of the four flavours I have tried. I can take down more than 15 of this in a day. Yeah, that is how much I love them. It virtually melts in my mouth. Only writing about it now makes me want it.

If you havent seen my post on Unripe Plantain Fufu, then now is the time to have a look. Because I can't go a week without having this dish.

Social Media: YouTube, Instagram and Twitter kept me interested and updated this year. I fell in love with Bloglovin and so many blogs I can't begin to mention

                                                                      

I joined the Mac Ruby Woo bandwagon (*sigh* I thought I had over-grown for social pressure but nah nah). I don't regret it.

Zenith Bank MasterCard, the fact that my bank just one a MasterCard when you open any type of account that can be used anywhere in the world is bliss. It made traveling so much easier, hassle free and cheaper (because you exchange at bank rate and not black market rate) for me. #teamzenithbank #justbecause


The way Beyonce dropped her Beyoncé album.... I was like

I love this year's New Year Eve because I know it is far better than the previous year. I am more grateful this year for so many amazing things that have happened to me.

So that is it for 2013.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

XOXO

DIY Unripe Plantain Swallow (Plantain Amala) - From scratch under 20 mins

Unripe Plantain Swallow is also known as Plantain Amala or Plantain Fufu. I am accustomed to the old method of buying dried unripe plantains from my local market, grinding them to fine powder and cooking/turning it into a solid paste that looks like this picture below. The drying process of unripe plantains makes it look like (colour wise) the picture below.

Source: Wikipedia

Unripe plantain swallow is my favourite Nigeria swallow but to be frank it has one of the most unattractive food colour ever. 

However, with this method, colour is no longer a turn off. I am very new to this method of making unripe plantain swallow. My dad and mum told me to try it out (They weren't sure it will turn out great) and I gave it a go. 

Tools needed:

- Blender

- Turning Stick
- Knife

- Pot

- Packer/Large Serving Spoon
- 1/4 cup of boiled water

Turner. Packer, Knife and Blender

Ingredients:

- 3 unripe medium size plantains

- 3/4 cup of water

Serves: 2 (two) medium-hungry people

Total Time: 20 mins for fast cooks / 35 mins for beginners

How To Prepare

- Peel plantain bark off

My mum doing the work of peeling the bark off and chopping

- Chop peeled plantain into smaller pieces for easier blending

I put the chopped plantain in water while peeling the rest to allow it retain it's moisture and prevent it from getting discoloured

- Add the 2/3 cup of water and blend the plantain until it becomes a smooth puree

- Pour the plantain  puree into a pot and set on medium heat/fire to boil

Puree-like texture

- When the plantain puree begins to boil, take you turning stick and begin to turn carefully

Note: Take necessary breaks if needed when turning. Puree might appear lumpy when turning but don't worry about it. Continuous turning and mashing will eliminate the lumps eventually.

The lumps I mentioned that will eventually smoothen

- Turn until you achieve the smooth swallow/solid-like texture you desire

Turn till I get a solid paste

- Add 1/4 cup of boiled hot water and cover to steam for about 2-3 minutes
- Turn again 

- Food is ready to be served with soup of choice. 

Unripe Plantain Swallow with Fresh Vegetable Soup 

I prefer this method because
- It is a DIY that doesn't require a lot of processing/time to get your unripe plantain to your end result
- It tastes fresh and good
- It has a nice colour
- It doesn't pass through many unknown handlers, hands and markets

I haven't tried it with ripe plantain yet. This is because I think the sugar content will be high and the starch content will be lower, so it might not hold well but I might be wrong Although anyone can try it and tell me how it turned out.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY NIGERIANS

Freedom hand - Nigeria Flag

53 years of freedom is not beans oh… So we all know we had a tough and a good start to freedom (early 1960s). Then it got a bit tough and doubtful (military era), we miraculously got our footing back on the ground and kept pushing on (the 1980s and after Abacha’s death). We threatened each other to split up (Biafra war and even the recent boko-haram).  We are even sometimes tribalist to one another (inter-tribal marriage). Of course poverty rate, electricity supply, stable transportation system/channel, enforcement/judiciary system etc. is not what we hoped it will be. Many of our people’s minds are still a bit backward thinking. But the long and short of this independence matter is that we are here at 53, no going back to change things. Looking at all that is wrong with Nigeria has not helped the country anyway; I guess we should all take a different approach by looking at what we can put into Nigeria. Complaining about our leaders will not change them but if everyone plays their part first as responsible human beings, then as good citizens, the country will finally get on the pathway of betterment. Arise O’ Compatriot #AriseOcompatriots

7 Must Haves' in Every Naija's Chic Bag

Sunscreen Cream

This is something almost every girl I know skips from her daily regime. Not only is it important to apply sunscreen before you go out in the sun, it is also equally as important to re-apply it on every exposed part of your body when you have been out in the sun for a long time (this is also dependent on the strength of the sunscreen and your skin. To read more). Sun damage is responsible for up to 70 percent of the visible signs of ageing, skin cancer – caused by overexposure to the sun. A portable sunscreen in your handbag will do your skin justice. At your prime, you will look at your skin and know that you did the right thing when you were a chic.

Aubrey Organics Natural Sunscreen - Green Tea

Anthelios 50 Mineral Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid

Sunglasses

Hate the attention it attracts from people, Love the protection it provides. The sunlight here gets really bright and your delicate eyes need the cover. I have noticed (myself included) that many Nigerian women suffer from hyper-pigmentation and sun burns around the eye area. To reduce or hinder this from happening,  sunglasses will go a long way.

L - R: Roxy Raf 1 Sunglasses and Spy Clarice Sunglasses

Hand fans

According to my convenient buddy, Wiki, ‘it is a hand-held device used to induce airflow for the purpose of cooling or refreshing oneself’. The very privileged chic have a fully functional air cooling system in her car, office and home but she cannot escape those times in the church, bank, some restaurants (and yes even posh ones sometimes get hot), shopping malls/market and the list could go on. What I am trying to highlight is that being in a country with a hot climate; one always requires this lightweight, easy and multipurpose device. I say multi-purpose because I use it sometimes to shade my face from the inevitable enduring sunshine.

Hand Sanitizer

Must I say why you need this? From the handling of dirty currencies to the general hygiene of our dusty environment, the hand sanitizer comes very handy in avoiding the spread of germs and bacteria.

Handkerchief / Mini Serviette Tissue / Wipes

For all the reasons above and so much more, any of these options you choose to have is a must for every chic’s handbag. Since Nigeria is also a very dusty environment, you will need to wipe loads of dirt off chairs, handle of doors/cars, your sleek shoes, etc.

Travel-size Perfumes or Body Mist/Spritz/Refresher

Oh my, oh my, who can actually miss this? They come in different sizes from 5ml to 50ml to fit perfectly into your bag. You need them because High sunshine = Very sweaty = Very Sticky = Very smelly (lol). No one likes the last stop on those very busy days.

Water

Hydration! Hydration!! Hydration!!! I don’t know how people survive without a bottle of water in their bags. This helps me keep hunger and over-snacking at bay. I also read somewhere that drinking water is also one of the cheapest beauty treatments around, it helps to promote a clearer, more radiant complexion. Whether true or not, one thing I am sure of is that water replenishes skin tissues, moisturizes the skin and increases its skin elasticity.

HUGO BOSS Arrives the Shores of Nigeria

I have always looked forward to the day when leading fashion brands will see Nigeria as a place of business interest. I even look much further to the day when Nigeria will be one of the world's leading fashion capitals like Paris, London, Milan, New York etc. With Hugo Boss opening a flagship store in The Palm Mall at Lekki, Lagos, I know my dreams are no longer far-fetched. The front runner designer store opened its doors for business on the 1st February, 2013, with opening party packed with so many celebrities. Top models and top business executives in the country. Nigerian supermodel, Oluchi Onweagba, Fidelity Bank MD, Mr. Reginald Ihejiahi and Gideon Okeke, Star of Tinsel TV show, who hosted the event, are a few mentioned at the event.

L - R: 1st Customer (winner) to spend over N100,000 with the Store Manager; Mohammed Ayyoub

Another amazing brand coming soon to our shores, Lagos (Ikeja City Mall) to be precise is the leading cosmetics brand MAC.

For more images click here.

Image Source: hautefashionafrica

Photography by Cruise Events

UPDATE: MAC Cosmetics launched its first store prior to this post. it was launched on the 2nd February, 2013. Although, I am not a Mac fan, I cannot wait to explore the store.