According to the stories we've read and heard, Eve got herself and Adam thrown out of the Garden of Eden because she gave into the temptation of taking a bite out of the forbidden fruit/apple. I've often found myself wondering, if I were Eve, in what form would my tempation have come? No prizes for guessing.
I can imagine that the devil would have had a blast trying to tempt me because as the seasons pass, so would what he would have to come up with. Infact he'd be shopping so much that you might have me to thank for world peace.
This season- ladies and gentlemen I present to you my forbidden fruit. If he were tempting me this season he would have had to come has these Brian Atwood lace d'orsay pumps!! My goodness! Pure class. Very understated elegance...but oozing with class and so much sassiness. Now there's a strut I can imagine already.
Only issue is unlike Eve who was generous enough to share her apple with Adam, I will not be sharing my fruit with Himself. Infact the closest he will get to these babies is when he pays for them; not that I advocate for been a kept woman but hey if the shoe fits... then who am I not to put them on!
Really you must check out the Brian Atwood collection at Saks. Shoes are to die for... maybe even good enough to kill for (I'll let you be the judge of that)
"If a woman rebels against high-heeled shoes, she should take care to do it in a very smart hat". - George Bernard Shaw
My week has come to an end. Those of you that know me know I have a 4 day work week and am very much looking forward to the weekend. I asked Himself out on a date. I want to take him to the movies tomorrow. I really wanted to see "In Her Shoes" (since my girls sold out and saw it without me) but then he gave me this look like I asked him to join a blood sucking cult or something so I guess 'The Legend of Zorro" it is then! He agreed and then in turn told me we'll also go on his date to 'Thistle Bar' since they are supposed to have the best fresh fish pepper soup this sice of the hemisphere. Knowing us either one of two things will happen it'll end up been a group activity since I end up begging his friends to come with us and he doesn't mind or we most probably will end up on the couch playing "Soul Calibur II", hi-fiving each other everytime we kick Inferno's ass, complete the mission and open up a new character (as people shake their heads and make pitiful noises) and order Chinese at 2am in the morning like we did last Saturday nite... they just don't get it!!I don't think we'll be motivated to go to the movies until King Kong is released. I can't wait. I LOVE KING KONG!! The old version is my fave movie of all time... well as a child it was. He loves Peter Jackson cos of the LOTR trilogy and I love the errr...Kong? (yes! the gorilla and I are on a first name basis)Ok so I really have nothing to say since I've had a long and exhausting week. Let me say though that Nigerians have got to be the most 'special" as in SPECIAL ED, rode the short bus kinda way- people that I have had the unfortunate pleasure of working with in my life. Just when u think human beings can't be dumber... BAM! One just takes it up another level and surprises the hell outta u! Can u say S-P-A-S-T-I-C!! cos I'm not sure I can spell it. They come at you with stuff like "The sun is shining so it's bright outside"- NO SH*T Sherlock! I would have never guessed the sun would be out. What's it doing out there at 2pm in the FREAKING AFTERNOON!! AAARRRGHH! I gave in! I couldn't read the Patricia Scanlan book... Double Wedding.. apart from the obvious title that gives me the heebie jeebies (who the hell says that in almost 2006? lol) Ms. Jane Green (Mr Maybe) has me where she wants me - that is- about to get fired (I wish) cos I have my nose so deep in this book cos my boss had apparently been calling me and I didn't hear. I can't believe how good she is. I have discovered another author that I must finish all books written by her. **Must remember to stop by the book store at the galleria before we go up to see the movie.Does anyone have or care to buy me the sixth installment of Harry Potter (The Half Blood Prince)? It'll make for a nice Thanksgiving present since I won't be having a Thanksgiving this year :-(Meanwhile I have been appointed the grusesome task of organizing the company Xmas party this year. I don't know when exactly would be a good time to let them know that firstly, I hate parties. Secondly, I hate Xmas and most importantly I hate anything that will cause me to extend myself more than I have to a.k.a. real work, hard work, work...This is me who is a firm believer in- Don't do for yourself what someone else can be paid to do for you. This is going to be an agonizing couple of weeks. I wouldn't even have come to the party. I don't want to go but I guess I would have to be there since I am the organzer. Why don't u just pick up hot rods and stick them in my eyes while u're at it or worse still give me a pair of Candy's to wear out in public all nite.
I am very happy right now. This is the happiest I have been all week. What makes this moment extra special for me? Just 3 of my favorite people; Me, Myself & I. I am in the middle of my queen size bed with a pen and paper, a copy of British Vogue and Maroon 5 is playing on my cd player.
I am not eating, I haven’t spoken to Himself, I don’t have a new pair of shoes (though I really wouldn’t mind a pair of those exclusive-limited edition- Manolo Blahniks for Neiman Marcus) seen above. I’m surrounded by my favorite things in the world- music, fashion, my pen and paper, most importantly myself and my ability to write.
Earlier on I was a bit disappointed because I only lost 2 pounds this week but right now as I sing along to my favorite song on the cd (Songs about Jane), “The Sun”. I now truly understand what they mean when they say “Happiness is found in life’s simplest pleasures”. I could do this all day!
This got me thinking about people who depend on other people and things to make them happy. I used to be one of those people seeking acceptance and trying so hard to please everyone. If things weren’t going well, I would find solace in my 2 favorite men Ben & Jerry. It took a long time for me to get there and just accept me for who I am and be happy with me. There’s no better feeling than been comfortable in your own skin and enjoying your own company.
A friend of mine who I’ve come to respect so much in the last couple of weeks of “bonding” gave the best answer to a question I ask anyone who cares to answer- What do you want to be when you grow up? He said “HAPPY”. The closest I’ve come to such a great answer is mine which is “FULFILLED”. I turn around and ask him what his definition of happiness is and he said “Living your heart”.
If time and money were not an issue, what would you be doing?
I know most answers wouldn’t pay the bills but finding a way to incorporate it into your lifestyle is a good start.
For instance, I know that life as a writer might not be as lucrative and I will get tons more at a job using my degrees, I haven’t let that quell my passion for writing. I don’t know where this will take me but I took Miss Oprah’s advice- "You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job, and not be paid for it.”- there’s nothing like waking up every morning to do what you love. Doing something you love will eventually bring you to a point where you excel in it.
There is nothing like been passionate about something and been lucky enough to do it everyday and have it make you money at the same time.
I do believe that I am on a journey and I’m lucky to have a couple of people whom I admire greatly for their passion not only in what they do to make a buck but also in life. Finding your passion gives you a new outlook on life and somehow makes each day easier.
I pray for those who are still on that tedious quest to find themselves. The road is not easy but arriving at the destination is well worth every single fall.
I am who I am and I’m wondering what took me so long to find me because I am pretty amazing, intelligent and a fun person if I do say so me DAMN self! I can’t believe who I’ve been missing all those years.
And now that my hand is no longer attached to my mouth, I look in the mirror and think to myself “to think all this cuteness” and I’ve been hiding it.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t wake up every morning feeling like this and my life is so far from been perfect but in this moment as I sing out loud and no one can hear me and I celebrate myself, it’s all good!
Here’s to living your heart and your best life.
"Happiness is an expression of the soul in considered actions".- Aristotle
Growing up I loved Greek mythology. I was very fascinated by Greek gods and goddesses and the stories behind how they came to be. The stories were so fascinating and surreal. Perfect for an only child with an overactive imagination and whose world revolved around books and a mansion that had everything that I ever desired as a child a.k.a ‘Under the dining table’.I remember in college English 1102 (World Lit.) was my easiest ‘A’ because “The Odyssey” and “The Iliad” were a major part of the course. I had no problem reading every page when most of the others just bought the “Cliff notes”.
I recently stumbled upon a story in Plato’s ‘Symposium’, Aristophanes (a philosopher), explains the feeling of familiarity we feel when a loved one comes into our lives. The claim is the loved one was our long lost “other half”. According to Aristophanes, all human beings used to be hermaphrodites with 4 hands and 4 legs and 2 faces on the same head looking opposite directions. But the hermaphrodites exuded much pride and were becoming so powerful that Zeus decided to separate them- ergo the male and female.
From that day forth, men and women have pined after their ‘other halves’ hoping to be made whole.
Literature on love is about as accurate as me drawing a straight line after ‘2 for 1 Margaritas’ at happy hour. Boy meets Girl, they fall in love, Girl’s Daddy hates Boy which further intensifies love, Boy & Girl elope, Daddy realizes he’s a bigot somewhere around Page 258 and accepts Boy & Girl and they live happily ever after. Or of course in the case of the greatest love story of all time, they die! That’s what perfect love will do to you- It’ll kill ya!
But these are the classic love stories. A typical love story has the meeting, the falling in love, the obstacle, obstacle overcome and then the “Happily Ever After”.Meanwhile on Planet Earth….
I’m sure we’d all agree that’s far from the case. Unlike “The End” we encounter after the consummation of love in the movies and books, in real life it’s more like “The End……” until of course the final “END”. I have always felt strongly about the words “I love you for who you are” – a more appropriate sentence I feel SHOULD BE “I love you in spite of who you are and accept you for who you are not” My belief is we fall in love with the idea of a person. After a lifetime of Romeo & Juliet-esque stories who can blame us? When the love of your life falls short of everything you want him to be, is that what translates into the “irreconcilable differences” clause on the divorce agreement?
If love is what brings us together, is it enough to keep us together?
Wouldn’t a better approach be having a serious reality check before commitment and understanding that we come into a relationship with all of ourselves. And knowing that “I do grow hair in places that you thought I didn’t” and NO! Chanel No.5 is not my body’s natural odor and “YES I SNORE even though I know you’re a light sleeper and I’d love to clip my nostrils together and stuff my throat with my socks but I’m afraid I won’t make it till the morning so I can annoy the hell out of you as you listen to me make that irritating noise with my throat in the mornings”.What is love?Is it the butterflies I get when I see your name on my Caller ID? Or is it the way my heartbeat quickens when I see you walk through that door?
Or is "loving" a decision? Me deciding that no matter what may come our way, I have DECIDED to stick this through a.k.a perseverance. Is it me deciding that when you do start to snore, I turn around and give you the evil eye but instead of trying to give you a concussion with my elbow, I gently nudge and turn you around on your side as I try hard not wake you because I know you had a really hard day a.k.a tolerance, a.k.a consideration, a.k.a accommodation. Do you love the Prada wearing, Creed smelling, bunch of roses bearing, clean shaven, just prepared dinner HIM or the 3 day old boxers wearing, needs a hot bath smelling, doesn’t remember it’s your anniversary, always asking what there is to eat HIM?
Or do you love them both?Again, if love is what brings us together, is it all it takes to keep us together?
“It’s not always rainbows and butterflies, its compromise that moves us along” –
Maroon 5 (She will be loved)**Please feel free to leave your '2 cents' on this issue- Anonymous posts are GREAT! Thanks :-)
What?? You say… YES! It’s the new term I’ve coined for my issues with shoes.
My obsession with shoes falls into three categories. There are the affordable shoes, the shoes that I cannot afford but I buy anyway and then there are unaffordable shoes and under that category, there are the shoes that I won’t buy because I feel that the designers are price gouging and there are the shoes that are just not within the reach of my income bracket…YET.
Back to my ‘isshoes’, everyone that has been to Lagos knows the damage that the roads can do to your shoes. You wear a brand new pair of shoes and at the end of the day, your soles look like you’ve been laying bricks all day. For that very reason I have not been able to wear any of my Ferragamo loafers or drivers. Anyone who knows me well knows how much I revere my Ferragamo shoes. They have a special place in the shoe section of my heart.
However, I decided to break the curse this morning and wear my mandarin drivers to work. I haven’t worn them in almost a year and I thought I was been ridiculous after all I can’t keep them in their boxes forever right?
After much deliberation, I decided the best course of action would be to wear a pair of flip flops into the car and then put my shoes on when I get to my desk.
So there I am a-hopping, skipping and jumping to work. I’m ecstatic that I’m wearing my shoes finally and thinking to myself why it took me so long to come up with such an ingenious idea.
And then there was LUNCH TIME!
A co-worker and I decided to go out to lunch and this is the point that is the reason for this story. It had been raining all day and I couldn’t figure how I was going to walk from the restaurant parking lot into the restaurant. I mean I couldn’t take my shoes in the duster bag like I did this morning and change when I sat at the table… or could I?
So here I am sitting at my desk. I have given up on going to lunch because my shoes were not made for the rain. Of course my co-worker’s rolling her eyes at me saying “What idiot designs shoes with leather soles?” And I’m thinking “If you don’t get it, you never will”. I’ve given her options like piggy-backing me into the restaurant from the car or if I could get one of those plastic thingies that men in factories wear to protect their shoes, then we have a date!
I realize that this is shallow but please walk a mile in my shoes and feel how comfortable they are and then you can judge me!
I’ve got ISSHOES! lol
So I had a little shoe party yesterday. I was the hostess, my shoes were the guests. It’s nothing out of the ordinary. At least not in my world because they know me there! I have these parties all the time. I bring my shoes out, I try them on, I pair them with outfits, I treat them according to care instructions, leather gets a coat of leather protector, suede- gets cleaned with a soft cloth and suede protector sprayed on and so on and so forth.
Yesterday got me thinking about how much value I have come to place on my shoes. Let’s ignore the fact that my little shoe collection could most probably buy a little shack somewhere in a third world country lol I’ve often found myself thinking about how much I could have in the bank if I hadn’t overindulged on what some like to call over-priced shoes. To those people I say there is a HUGE difference between some cheap shoes made of man-made materials and shoes that cost a little more but are made of natural materials. U just ask the lady with the bunions and corns on all her toes. U can’t last a whole night club hopping in some cheap shoes! And you may think that as long as they look good no one else will know, but I ask you to search your conscience because if no one else knows… God knows you paid $29.99 for those “If u like Prada pumps then you’d like our …shoes”.
Anyway I remember months ago in Atlanta when the love of my life Eve (my pit bull pup) ate the heel of my shoe. They were the perfect tan pumps and were ruffled in front. I loved those shoes. I really thought that the dog chewing on the shoe thing was another myth like ‘the dog ate my homework excuse’ not until I left Eve in my room to go into the bathroom and came back to her not nibbling, not chewing but CHOMPING on the heel of my shoes! Oh boy! When I think back to that incident now I do believe God was testing my love aptitude. Needless to say, I failed because Eve got the sh*t slapped out of her and spent the rest of the day in the garage. I mean, I love Eve. She was like my first child. Eve who I’d buy fabulous collars for, Eve who I’d take to the groomers, Eve who I’d take to doggie-daycare so she wouldn’t be lonely when I’m at work, Eve who shared my bed! You can imagine finding her with the shoe in her mouth was like a stab straight through the heart. Although I’d have to confess and say that I did feel better after whacking her.
Now I don’t want the members of P.E.T.A beating down my door and talking about animal cruelty. Chomping on the perfect tan, BCBG Max Azria pumps? Now that’s cruelty because every woman knows how hard it is to find the right shade of tan to go with everything. If Imelda Marcos had some organization to stop the wrongful treatment of shoes, would dogs not be the greatest offenders? Dogs and the guy who designed the first sanchoes boots. I say that in all fairness because I can’t give that credit to a woman. Only a man could have designed something so ugly!
I still have my shoes because I can’t bring myself to throw them away. Firstly, because they cost too damn much and secondly because I have this constant fear that if I do wear them out, someone will confront me, stand me on my head to check out the bite marks on the heel of my shoe!
And now you have true insight into how truly twisted my mind is… lol
Oh my goodness it feels so good to be writing again after a chronic case of “blogger-block” lol alot has happened in the last 2 months. As my last blog entry stated, I was going through a “what’s my life all about” phase that lasted a little longer than I expected it to. I have recently crawled out of that dark place and I’m gradually putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
I can’t say I get it all but I am beginning to get it now. I’m working on a business plan which I hope will play out as smoothly in real life…well not too smoothly because I do love a challenge now and then. I’m having issues with negotiating space and rent but I’m soaking up every bit of this experience and loving it. I feel awake for the first time in months! I’m finally getting it and getting it together.
Also, I have ‘moved on up’ at work and now work for the ‘top dog’ in the company with whom I share a GLASS WALL!! No longer can I chat on the phone or check neimanmarcus.com for “fall’s hottest fashion trends” firstly because I actually do work now and secondly, he has this habit of popping his head out of his door which of course is behind me and virtually impossible to notice when he gets up because I am so engrossed in the detailing on this fall’s Christian Louboutins!
The plus to this though is; working for the boss means everyone has to kiss my a** once in a while to get stuff through to him. I’ll have to admit we are a funny pair (me and my boss that is) Him and his South-African/Dutch accent and me and my Nigerian accent laced with American undertones. You should hear us conversing; we sound like the United Nations live feed during a really bad storm!
Another funny thing is I remember him been out of town often before I started working for him and now it seems the next time he’s going out of town is when he’s going home for Christmas. Just my luck!
In the last couple of months I have also very sadly gained 10 pounds. Apparently, the substitute for putting the brakes on a very active social life is weight gain. Now nothing fits right and I’m back to my gruesome and if I might add very unhealthy diet. I plan to jump start my social activities in a couple of weeks and I can’t do that if the clothes don’t fit right now can I?
The good news is my feet are still the same. Thank God for shoes at least they don’t make you feel fat so there is some consolation in this after all.
Thank you to everyone who has bugged me constantly to keep writing and update my blog… this one’s for you.
Oh in a desperate bid to get out of my rut, I got chestnut blonde highlights a couple of weeks ago. Which look fab but then I wonder why I did it because the last time I did, I had to cut all my hair off to grow the color out and also to start over and I just got the bounce and length back in my hair.
Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. - James Baldwin
