The Gown Hunt Part 4

Firstly... merry Christmas guys! hope you had a smashing time... Christmas for me was largely white and freezing cold... and full of turkey and apple crumble! okay that is not the gist of this post....

This post is in continuation of "The Gown Hunt Part 3" where i ran out of the bridal shop in California and later dreamt of an "ankara wedding gown"...see that post to get the gist

So two days before i left the US.... my friend woke up that morning and came at me with a list... she had spent the night looking for bridal shops... the really big ones... she said "Tyger we must try again" i shrugged and said "okay, lets go, but if we don't find anything its fine".... she replied indignantly that it was not!

so around 9am we set out again.... an hour's drive north of L.A.... to this massive bridal shop....

this time... the bridal consultant talked to me... for say 15 minutes... discussing the wedding and what was been planned... she was getting a feel of this Tyger girl..
then she said lets try a few gowns... and lets see how that goes...

the first gown i tried was by St Pucchi and had a 9000 dollar tag... even though i was screaming in my head... i still went ahead and tried the gown... for a 9000 dollar gown it was not alright at all... imagine a Christmas tree in white... and walking around... it was all bling and lace and damn heavy!

then i tried the second one... and then the third and then the the fourth... on the fourth one... i felt a tug inside me...heard a whisper... i ignored it... and continued... till i had tried six gowns in all...

then i picked two of the six and said i want to try these two again... the fourth one was one of the two... immediately my friend began to grin but wisely didn't say a thing! lol....

i tried this gown again... its diamond white.... not a single stone... not a single diamente... just diamond white.. with a tiny bow under the bust... then i heard it...

"hello princess, look at you! we are gonna knock him for six"

i grinned...

i had just met my gown! in all its splendour... and i felt absolutely gorgeous... its a princess design... flairs from the hips... its NOT a ball gown! thank gracious! neither is it a fitted "i'm 30 but i still got my figure damn it" gown

its a Pronovias gown from the 2010 collection... and light like a feather or souffle... and ethereal...

it cost an arm... a leg and my kidney (Baroque i told ya i could live on one kidney)...

my fiance couldnt say no when i called to let him know what i was about to do to his card.... he later said i sounded breathless... happy... he said fine get the gown!

i left that shop... high... happy as a lark...

My gown arrives in 6 months! from Barcelona Spain...

I wont be showing you pictures here loves... you will need to lobby for a wedding invite.... like the sharp Baroque has done...

Now i feel like a bride! and i'm totally ready to walk down that aisle now! imagine a gown having that kind of effect!

See you guys then!

The Gown Hunt Part 3

And then the gown hunt moves to the US.... California... Los Angeles...

Believe you me... i bought a ticket and went to the US and 50% of the reason was to check out some bridal stores...

Got in to LA over the weekend.... spent it all jetlagged.... LA is 8 hours behind london...

First thing Monday... off to the bridal stores... IBEX Bridals in downtown LA.

My friend had booked an appointment for me previously.

On arriving there, we were met by an old man standing behind the counter... he brought out 4 massive album like catalogues and told us to look through..

Turning the pages i saw something i would like to try...so i turned to him and said - how do i mark the pages?
"those markers over there" he snapped!

Ahah! what is the snapping for? you craze? no gree me vex for here oh.... i can be your bridezilla nightmare come true... what is wrong with this baba? pshew... but i didnt say anything na... make i no unleash the dragon just yet.

I took the markers and started marking the catalogue... then he came back and said "have you tried gowns anywhere?" "yes" i replied irritably "harrods london"

Come and see transformation!

Na so this guy face change! he begin dey smile... got a chair for my friend who is pregnant... and generally started trying to suck up!

i ignored him and continued my marking... we had been told 5 gowns... i must have marked like 7 or 8.... the ass didnt say anything.... he was busy fawning....

then a bridal consultant was assigned to me... nice, fun hispanic lady who made the whole experience more interesting in no time....

we went upstairs and the trying began... very quickly we whittled the gowns down to two gowns.... one an award winner 2010 gown by Maggie Sottero.... the picture no gree upload

and the other... i'm not even sure who it's from now... it was nice though...just nice....

The Maggi Sottero was even nicer... but it was massive... very massive and silent...

my friend again loved it... she was ohing and haing and the bridal consultant who was just intent on making a sale joined her... i tried to listen for the gown's voice.. over their own... nothing... nada... pshish!

Next thing the bridal consultant was dragging me out of the gown and downstairs to go and pay for the gown... i followed her mutely.... she started filling out the form... she looked up at me and the spell was broken

" i dont want that gown!" i said finally
"you dont?" she said, "it was superb!" my friend replied

"i dont want it" i went and sat on the stair case that led up to the changing room and my friend came to join me.... we talked briefly... then she went to talk to the bridal consultant... i couldnt hear them...

then we left.... i was relieved to walk out of the bridal store...away from the silent gowns that left me indifferent... nonchalant... my friend however was rather frantic...

that night i dreamt i walked down the aisle in an "ankara wedding gown"! lol

The Gown Hunt part 2

...So its 5pm and we arrive at Harrods... we roamed around a bit and then headed to the first floor bridal section.

"hello ladies, who's the bride?" a chirpy friendly lady asked.

I lost my tongue - "her" my friends replied pointing at me helpfully, I smiled gratefully staring around at a profusino of gowns.

They brought out the magazines and catalogues, I brought out my sheet of paper... I had a few ideas....

We looked through the magazines.... my friends had comments on every gown... I had none.

I kept imagining myself in each gown, standing at the altar and saying to my boo "Here I am baby, lets do it" I kept imagining all sorts.

We picked out 5 gowns for me to try and we headed to the changing room with my bridal consultant.

"Champagne anyone?" the consultant asked.

"Sure" two of us replied... we got bubblies...and the gown trying began....

see some pictures below....





I waited for these gowns to move me... one of my friends kept oohing and aahing over every gown, she wouldnt stop. I felt like slapping her, someone should have told me picking your gown is sacred, an alone moment... a no comment moment... its me and the gown.... i need to hear it whisper to me... "I'm your gown, your memory maker, lets do it babes!" But all the gowns were silent... totally silent...

I was made to walk around in them.... to stand in front of a mirror on a rotating stand... strangers had tears in their eyes ... one of them even said "she is so dry eyed! strong girl... not crying.... my friend over there is wailing" and truly a girl was wailing cos she felt so pretty in her gown... ah! wahala! native goat!

as for me .... i am busy waiting for my gown to speak to me and i aint buying until it does!

anyway... i took them all off... one after the other... we booked another appointment... but i know i'm not coming back here....
These gowns are not for me... not even the one that my friends and the bridal consultant insisted had a whao factor... it wasnt me...

The hunt continues!

The Gown Hunt part 1

I have looked at so many gowns online... everything looks either the same or just out-rightly wrong...

All the bridal shops seem to be out of town... luton... Worcestershire.. Kent... Hartford...Liverpool! am i going to travel round the world to get a gown?

then i found Pronovias and in an earlier post i promised Baroque i would exchange my kidney for a Pronovias gown... they are elegance personified!

So I decided to go try some wedding gowns at the Pronovias section at Harrods. My friend and i agreed on a date... a Saturday afternoon... ignorant bride to be that i am!

A few hours to the trip to the store, I got an epiphany and decided to call the store - and next thing i heard was "we are sorry, but you have to book an appointment and right now we are booked till January!"

what! are there so many people getting married? i thought the economy had taken a downturn! what is wrong with these people! dont i walk into Gap and Next to try jeans? pshew...

so no gown trying that sunny Saturday....I was a bit put out!

I got to work on Monday and a colleague in similar shoes said "you dont know there is a long queue at Harrods?" you have to book months ahead for a bridal fitting in most bridal shops! especially ones that stock Pronovias"

i didn't know that!... what's the big deal anyway... its just a puffy white gown by some Spaniard!

Deep down inside me i was thinking what kinda bride is Tyger? why am i treating my gown purchase like a jeans purchase?... i dont even know bridal etiquette... i moaned to my boo... he brushed it off and said ..."dont mind them, you can always get a gown later"

Men! he is missing the point....

anyway not one to miss a challenge... i started calling the Harrods Pronovias regularly... until i became a familiar spirit... sorry... voice! one afternoon they called and said we have an opening in two weeks...and we know you really want a fitting soon... its a 5pm slot though!

now you are talking! where you na put name before... i agreed to the date...

i rounded up my girlfriends and we set off for gown trying and champagne at Harrods, one dusky evening....

Wedding colours and things

Okay guys.... to the issue of wedding colours

i have chosen my wedding colours (aint telling you yet) and now i'm trying to choose my engagement colours... i.e. the colours my friends and families will wear... the colours the hall will be decorated in... my cake will probably be in... you know the drill...

so I need you guys to help....

these are my options - or the options i am interested in considering... some of them may seem weird or impossible... but they all are largely possible... if you close your eyes and try... you could imagine them...

1. mint green, fushcia pink and baby pink

2.baby pink and white

3. white and gold

4. orange and aqua blue

5. orange and champagne

6. orange and yellow

7. yellow and blue

knock yourselves out... tyger is waiting....

p.s. took the bond job... so from now i'm janet...janet bond.... doubt that i will be able to blog about the job though... not like i have blogged about my job in the past... but you know...


a fellow sent me a message on facebook... telling me how he wanted to be my sweetie... of course i didnt reply... just ignored it... regular stranger stalker and freak on facebook or something...

and a few days later he sends me a long mail... cursing me out for not responding...freakazoid! is it by force? lol

Tyger and the Wedding Planner (that she thought she wont bother with)

Okay so I am planning this wedding business and in my last post I talked about wedding planners and how I’m not going to use one… I eat my words!

Amazingly I am using one…. By force… by grace….by chance… I wont tell you what our arrangement is… but it’s a good one….

A friend of mine…. Who is a wedding planner… is planning my wedding with me… she is not just going to plan it and deliver it to me… we are doing this together.... She has become my sounding board for everything and what I find most amazing is her willingness to discuss colours and colour combos relentlessly…. I even bore myself so I don’t get the girl…

She appears to understand the things I want – she speaks in pictures…. If I have an idea, she goes looking for a picture and shows me “ Tyger is this what you want?” and I go “no not that” and she goes looking again and when she finds it, she really finds it….

So i handed over that vendor list i talked about in my last post... my long list of vendors that my girlfriends supplied me and she will be dealing with them all...

So I am using a wedding planner….and she is awesome…

At some point later on I will let you guys in on what we are up to.

For now I’m off… to talk about centre pieces and table linen and bridesmaid gowns!

Wedding Planning 1

Hello Blogsville,

About my wedding and this wedding planning business...

Firstly i am not using a wedding planner... most people plan their wedding... think its gone well and next thing they put up sign board - wedding planner! aint dissing the profession though... there are good ones out there who actually save you money... but for my wedding i wont bother with one! i am not a project manager for nothing.

okay so i need vendors for everything (caterer, decorations, make up, nails, hair)... the works...i have been getting some outrageous prices that were trying to drive me up the wall...(last post) and i sat and thought about it... if it was an office issue/event, what would i do? i would compare many recommended vendors!

so i sent a mail to all my recently married friends who's weddings looked good for one reason or the other... and also hollaed out on blogsville here in my last post... and my world of awesome girlfriends responded en-mass; frankly they blew my mind.... long list of all their vendors, prices and how they turned out... and if the vendor didnt perform well, they said so...

thanks girls - you all rock! the world would be incomplete without girlfriends!

so now i have a list of vendors (atleast 3) in each category..... to compare... i will be calling these vendors one by one.... will let you know how it goes...

my sister, a girlfriend and a mate have agreed to work on chasing, supervising and ensuring delivery from vendors ...i'm getting there...

So now i have been looking at gowns.... lots of it..... yes i'm gown hunting already... In as much as i would like to wear my own design... i am frightened of the stress that might come with producing such a thing... as i am hell bent on avoiding any skin breakouts, biko i will buy a gown!

i think i should go to the US.... perhaps for the thanksgiving sales (awoof dey run belle)... and get a gown... but i saw this website and fell in love with some gowns on it.... www.pronovias.com

if you go to that wedding website, let me know what you think...

okay i'm off now... more wedding tory later...

this last week.....

One of my two jobs is working as a “Recruitment and Training Manager” for corporate volunteers and such and one thing this job has done is brought a lot of interesting people my way.

Last month, I interviewed a runway model, a paratrooper and a scuba diver…. Of course I get the mundane doctor, banker, accountant, policy/government office worker…. You know… but I do get the interesting ones at times….

However this last week… I got ONLY the annoying ones….
The one who could barely read and write but insisted on filling out a 5 page form on her own; and she started filling the form at 4.45pm in my office! I frigging want to go home, what is wrong with this illiterate?

The one who wanted to work with “asylum seekers, refugees, poor families and victims of domestic violence” but would prefer those who didn’t live in dodgy neighbourhoods, spoke good English, and were interested in eating out, and sitting in the park to discuss the state of the world – hello? Can I slap you please?

The one who is Nigerian… from the Rivers… spoke awful English and then claimed to be a graduate of English from the University of Ibadan… until I said really? And then she said actually the “port Harcourt school of education” affliated to the University of Ibadan… pshew! Ode! (meaning dumbass) she also proceeded to fill a form three times cos she kept spelling her name wrong and getting her date of birth wrong! Oh common! You are fake through and through!

Annoying yet amusing stuff!

Hey guys… I’m out searching for wedding vendors … either I get affordable ones or else I’m going to start working on an elopement plan!

Why would a photographer want me to pay N1million naira for wedding photographs? – am I asking you to re-create me?

Why would a decorator want N1.1million for decorating two halls – am I asking you to build a permanent structure? Pshew

Blogsville, holla back and prevent Tyger from putting into work an elopement plan oh

Oya Moji, Aloted, oluwadee, y’all know your selves married girls! I’m waiting…..

Loving y’all

Let him without sin cast the first stone... on this stupid pair!

Yesterday I was on my laptop, playing online scrabble with Kokubaboni (that’s my fiancé y’all… and that’s what we’ll be calling him here on) and I noticed that suddenly he seemed distracted and was starting to lose. While I was still enjoying the results of his distraction, he called and said “there’s something you need to see, this is totally crazy, I’m forwarding a mail to you now, go take a look, however if you become distracted and lose a turn don’t blame me”

So I ran off to my mail box and opened the mail he sent and saw the worst pictures I’ve ever seen. I’m sure a few peeps on blogsville I’ve already gotten this mail.
Some fellow and girl who work in the same organisation, who are both married to other people, were having an extramarital affair, went off on a vacation together and took pictures of themselves….naked and doing the stuff lovers do! And someone got a hold of these pictures and published them… online!

I gaped at the pictures and a few things immediately registered in my mind – she is pretty, they are stupid, they are ruined… she is ruined… and this is mean! … somewhat in that order.

The public shame and embarrassment and trouble they have brought on themselves far exceeds what they would have got if they had simply left or divorced their “boring” partners instead of trying to be smart and eating their cakes and having it… but that’s story for another day.

Publishing those pictures was punishing them; meaning whoever published the pictures thought either or both of them deserving of punishment … and saw a perfect way of meting it out... or perhaps it was merely an opportunity to get back at someone or two people who have somehow wronged him or her or them...

whoever did this has punished not two immoral people but in frankness punished two immoral people, their innocent or not so innocent but atleast unknowing partners; their children if they have any, their loved ones…

You might be thinking – they should have thought of that before cheating! i would say they should have thought of that before cheating and taking FRIGGING PICTURES!

i dont totally blame the wicked mofo that published the pictures ( you are the king/queen of wickedville) but i totally blame the stupid pair who decided to take pictures of their own adultery... of their act of indiscipline, selfishness and cowardice - (if you are tired of your marriage gerrout of it or shut up and buckle down to working at it)

Who takes these kind of pictures in this day and age? Haven’t you heard of the “Paris Hilton case?” that pictures and videos always find their way out?
Who keeps a vivid record of their cheating arse while cheating?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not justifying their behaviour, excusing it or nothing.
What they did, was and is totally wrong from all angles... but this particular pair are not just wrong... they are stupid and selfish along with it...

you know the saying - you dont get punished for committing a crime, you get punished for getting caught!

idiots!

Engaged!

"For He has caused the lines to fall upon me in pleasant places" Yes! Tyger is engaged! totally so! on Friday 31st July at the Spice Inn restaurant, he asked me on bended knees to marry him!

I peered at the box he was holding, uncomprehendingly, thinking to myself, that is not a camera! he was supposed to bring out the camera and why is that waiter taking my picture! and then it dawned.... my kokubaboni wants to marry me! ....i stared at him as he said urgently "please answer me, please marry me baby" .... i held his hand and stared back at his earnest face - yes... of course yes i will marry you! ...lol.. then i started giggling happily....

so here i am wearing a sparkler! and twisting and turning it every other minute.

Its a solitaire square diamond, set in a gold band.... i shall take a picture of my hand and upload it shortly.....

I have always thought to myself that one day i'm going to tell my blog family that i'm engaged! and i wondered how that would feel... and I can tell you now that I am so happy guys! i am endlessly tickled.... delighted... over the moon.... overjoyed! ... i feel like an accomplished cellist, violinist....a sky diver, a succesful car race driver.... a mountain climber atop the mount everest... okay i know you are wondering how that ties in.... lol....i feel accomplished! lol.... cos i've gone and done it now and it feels awesome!

i'm just happy!

the count down starts now! we are toying with next year may or july! ... like oluwadee, i might be doing a lot of wedding gisting here! lets see how it goes.....

Very Important Abbreviations

We dont have to conform.... to their ideas....
we dont have to borrow.... their concepts of jokes....
and

we dont have to borrow.... their abbreviations.... like - lol, lmao and so on

why?

1. you're at work and you are chatting, no amount of spyware and such will bother you, cos you can still yab your boss NS(nothin spoil) whilst you are still answering the mugu YB (Yes Boss).

2. These abbreviations are non-tribal, and so celebrate "One Naija".

So peoples, LGT (lets go there)!

1. LWKM - Laugh wan kill me
2. LWKMD - Laugh wan kill me die
3. MIDG - make i dey go
4. WGYL - we go yarn later
5. IGA - I gbadun am
6. ICS - I can't shout
7. DJM - Don't jealous me
8. WBDM - Who born d maga
9. UDC - U de craze
10. NUS - Na u sabi
11. WSU - who send u
12. OSABZ - over sabi
13. ITK - I too know
14. WDH - wetin dey happen
15. NDH - nutin dey happen
16. FMJ - free me jo
17. BBP - bad bele people
18. HUD - how u dey
19. WKP - waka pass
20. BBG - baby girl
21. KKL - Kokolette
22. MML - mamalette
23 GFF- Gbono fe le fe le (e.g., she GFF)
24. NTT - Na true talk
25. IKU - It koncain u?
26. NDM - no dull me
27. LGT - let's goo there
28. IFSA - I for slap am
29. IGDO - I go die o
30. YB - Yess boss
31. NLT - No long thing
32. 2GB - 2 gbaski (e.g., the song 2GB!)
33. CWJ - carry waka jorh
34. WBYO - wetin be your own
35. U2D - U 2 do
36. U2DV - U 2 dey vex
37. MKG - maka gini?
38. WSDP - who send dem papa
39. INS - i no send
40. INFS - i no fit shout
41. WWY - who wan yarn
42. NBST - no be small thing
43. NWO - na wah oooooo
44. NMA - no mind am
45. MIHW - make i hear word
46. NBL - no be lie
47. NB? - na beans?
48 wd - wetin dey
49. UNGKM - u no go kill me
50. o2s - omo 2 sexy
and of course to avoid the boring round figures!

51. NDU/NDY - Nothin' do u/you

and so.....

And so it was meant to be a duet in church today, but it turned out to be two solos...infact the first singer didnt even look at the other... it was as if she didnt know the other person was there! ... it was awful... we endured it though.... what else was there to do?

and so i started my new Job - Manager, Volunteer Recruitment and Training. I'm supposed to be settling in, but in the first two days, my assistant... please note... i said my assistant! so he makes a pass at me.... when i ignored him, he tried again... when i responded coldly, he got earnest...when i gave him more work, he said "punishing with all this work wont chase nothing, me know what i'm feeling" ..... what is there to do?

and so Michael Jackson died.... just like that.... vast wealth, king of pop, more fame than 95% of the world and the medics couldnt help him.... he didnt have the luck of dying in his sleep.... a cardiac arrest and no one to help his pain.... this life is tough business.... what is there to do?

and so i'm house hunting... i have seen every bedsit and studio this side of London... i have walked and rode buses and trains... spent my weekend peeking into loos, peering into bathrooms and sitting on beds in strange houses... all over London... Walthamstow Central, Seven sisters, tottenham hale, blackhorse road, leyton, leytonstone, stratford.... pshew! what else is there to do?

What is wrong

I have no idea!

I have been listening to strange songs and thinking all sorts...One minute I am listening to Halo by Beyonce, and next thing I am listening to Lily Allen and giggling!

I have had a really tiring week.... walking from one end of london to the other... as tube workers decided to go on strike! i walked for almost 2 hours one day! stood for about an hour! rode the bus for 4hours! i dont think i did anything on wednesday apart from trying to get from one point to the other! pshew

A few weeks ago, i was rushing to catch a train that comes only once in 15 minutes, i was running late for an appointment to show my collection/designs somewhere! i fell down on the last step on the staircase at the station and sprained my ankle.

I shamelessly burst into tears and the train driver got down... i delayed the train... a good samaritan turned my ankle (which had decided to go in an unknown direction) and in a fit of gratitude, i gave him my number when he asked!
stupid idiot girl! he has been calling and honestly i'm not friend hunting! or am i just ungrateful?

In the last few days, I have not been convinced that i am happy... I feel disgruntled! like something is wrong.... missing... lacking! what do i want again! i have everything i have been screaming for na! na wa oh!

Brothers and sisters please pray for this ungrateful child i am turning into oh!

Someone please tell sister tyger there is no grass on the other side! talkless of it being green!

I don talk

This and that

The economy must be picking up or God is super good to me.... or both!
Its true that when it rains it pours! i got 2 jobs in 2 months and somehow get to do both through some juggling and persuasion
3 days here and 2 days here - project manager and health and management consultant!
things can only get better - gbam!

House hunting
A studio flat?
A one bedroom apartment?
Flatshare?
Looking around!

Like a sickly baby, my business is hiccuping
I have little time, since i have decided to work two big jobs... thief like me
now it is faltering
all spare time and weekends are spent checking out clothing factories and having meetings with pattern graders, business advisers and agents!
I am tired! and worried! and conscious that the spring fashion season is around the corner! august! oh gosh whats a girl gonna do?


The lines have fallen upon me in pleasant places...
love has decided not to beat me up in dark alleys
but to hold me, cocoon me, caress and reassure me...
Still I am a bit petrified! .... here goes my freedom.... or maybe not?
H.Samuel, Weaverbrook and all the other jewelry stores have taken on a new fascination... i stare at rings!

My dad says to me - great things come in small packages - I believe him, but my colleagues stare at me and i have heard say - is that the new lady? Isnt she rather small and young? pshew
getover your selves and leave me to do my job!

I have suddenly picked up a culture of not finishing things... of lacking motivation...

there is a list on my wall and it goes undone...words like driving tests, prince 2 exams, pattern creation, manuscript summary fly in my face... unfinished.... unattended to *sigh*
whats a girl to do?

My thoughts to you!

1. Aspire to be Barbie - the bitch has everything.

2. If the shoe fits - buy them in every color.

3. Take life with a pinch of salt... A wedge of lime, and a shot of tequila.

4. In need of a support group? - Cocktail hour with the girls!

5.. Go on the 30 day diet. (I'm on it and so far I've lost 28 days - fat burster sistas please forgive me).

6.. When life gets you down - just put on your big girl panties and deal with it.

7. Let your greatest fear be that there is no PMS and this is just your personality.

8. I know I'm in my own little world, but it's ok. They know me here.

9. Lead me not into temptation, I can find it myself.

10. Don't get your knickers in a knot; it solves nothing and makes you walk funny.

11. When life gives you lemons - turn it into lemonade then mix it with vodka.

12. Remember where ever there is a good looking; sweet, single or married man there is some woman tired of his bullshit!

13. Keep your chin up, only the first 40 years of parenthood are the hardest.

14. If it has Tires or Testicles it's gonna give you trouble.

15. By the time a women realizes her mother was right, she has a daughter who thinks she's wrong.
16. Good friends are like stars.........You don't always see them, but you know they are always there'
17. Remember yesterday, dream about tomorrow, but live for today.
18. Give your enemies the opportunity to become friends or atleast indebted to you, but never give your friends the opportunity to become enemies
19. Be a bulldog on the pant leg of life - hold on to it, till it gives you what you want!

20- i so hate round up figures! 19 will do for y'all

party pictures as promised

Guys, i promised party pictures and so here they are! sorry they are just coming... of course i am not showing my face! booo!
have fun

Tyger makanaki!




Chikitas at the party



tyger


the party crowd


lets boogee down!


doing my thing

I had a blast!

Okay now the day is over.... i can happily say i had a blast....

my friends had a party for me... and my friends came... in force... the food was lovely...jollof, fried rice, curried chicken, gizzard and plantain, baked chicken, beef ribs in sauce and 3 cakes...

the music was fun... we danced....we laughed... new friends were made... loads of pictures were taken (i promise to put some up)... and I got cards that said gorgeous things and gifts that tickled me...

Overall i feel loved!

I got a huge teddy bear from lover boy that i have now named "Father Frederick" I dont even know why i chose that name... and the most beautiful pair of sandals by nine west - i will put pictures of that too! ... and two cards that made me feel all super warm inside! i am loving my lover!

My world is fly

I had a blast

I'm the perfect age

And I have loved ones!

I'm so happy it almost hurts....

Happy Birthday to me!

Unmotivated, birthdays and the sometimes feelings...

Last few days I have felt unmotivated.... to do anything... at all... my business is starting to suffer and for a start up that is bad... i am ignoring mails that require any real activity... yet the days are passing by...

its my birthday on Sunday and my friends are having a party for me... at first the idea delighted me but now i just want to run away a day before to come back a day after... I am dreading my own birthday cos i know i will be besieged with calls, text messages, emails and pokes... i should be delighted right? but somehow i am just filled with dread...thank God its a Sunday... a lot of people wont be at work...

sometimes i wonder if my super duper lover will stop being super duper... will this last forever is the question on my mind!

sometimes i think i'm jealous of my friend who started a similar career at the same time i did but when i broke off to get a masters she didnt and now the job market is all crazy, she is still gliding up the ladders, easy as pie...and sometimes i'm just jealous....

sometimes i think i dont miss anybody and sometimes i miss my peeps so much it hurts and i cry... like i did a few days ago...

i think i need to win a lottery... cos i need a lot of money right now... more like yesterday...

someone should please tell Copido to come back to blogsville... where is she?

I'm getting the blues this evening again!

The Pining of a City Nymph

I wish I could be free,
That I was utterly free of care,
Of the rules and conventions that hold me captive.
I feel like the walls are closing in.
My life with phenomenal velocity is running out on me.
Like sand in an hourglass

Untamed eagle I crave your liberty
Soaring through the sky, your life without barrier
Cerulean clouds and smoky stars my silent allies
With abandon, unbound totally free

I wish I could love recklessly like I long to,
Without thought or dread
Of the retributions of the society that laid down tenets
Incomprehension and vindictiveness the rule of law
A threat to my very presence and the ties that cause my mind form
But fear holds me in

Wild horses I want to be like you.
Running through the wide expanse of open space
Clouds of rock and umber sand my only companion
With abandon, unbound totally free

I see the girl I dream to be
Laughing, running, free, Mother Nature the only control
The winds and air partners in the conspiracy
Running to that magical point
Where the blue silvery sky meets the golden hues of the water's edge
On a warm sultry night

Beautiful seals, I long for your freedom
Gliding, in and out, your might in charge of the waves
The foaming breakers my favorite cohorts
With abandon, unbound totally free

I can taste the freedom on my tongue
I reach out for it at the detriment of my existence
Yet it eludes me like a chimera.
I wish I could throw caution to the winds
With eternal freedom running, flying soaring with sheer heedlessness
Just free……………………

Where is my blog lover

I have a blog lover...

I have been busy, my life in a clover...

but i'm not so swamped by fabrics or designs

that i dont notice that on blogville alone i dine....

where has my blog lover gone....

i miss his mysterious calls of days long gone...

his syrupy voice and cynical cackling....

when i refuse to do his bidding....

blog lover come out of hiding

Tyger misses your yakking....

back to feeling fabric! - i feel like a pervert!

Of Fabrics and Surface Design

Okay, so i'm trying to get ready a collection for the spring/summer 2010 season - yes the fashion season is one year ahead (you get a season's collection ready a year before the season).

So I am checking out fabrics - some days i wake up and think - 100% silk georgette 12m/m thick would work, and then some days i shift to 100% silk satin - its so shiny and attractive and luxurious; but today i woke up thinking - maybe i should use 100% silk habutai - 8m/m thick, or maybe 11m/m thick.... stomped.

Some of my designs for the collection are centred round lace - so i have been touching and caressing and feeling lace up... nylon lace, silk lace, cotton lace, beaded lace, crinkled lace! cant make up my mind either - one thing is i think i'll avoid nylon lace - cotton or silk would be better - almost twice as expensive though.. i found this beautiful black lace - my agent found it for me... but it wont take dye - so its in just two colours... on the other hand, there is this other lace that will take dye but is just not as gorgeous.. on the other hand, there is one lace that is totally pretty with little black beads at the centre of each flower but its nylon!... stomped again....

i found a penny pleated silk at the Berwick silk shop, its totally strange but pretty - imagine the underside of an octopus - with all those eggs attached? that's exactly how it looks - silk with raised penny sized bits! ugly in a pretty way... i want to make gowns out of it... but we cant find it in bulk! and the Berwick guys totally wont tell!

This fabric business is driving me crazy... totally crazy!

and i am ranting!

Fashionista - thinking out loud

A friend gave me a beautiful blue and black java wax fabric.... she wants me to make her a mono-strap gown with a waist band (one of my designs) for her "intro".

I was surprised when she chose that design from the bulk of designs i had to show her... although its pretty, its also rather simple and most people if they get the opportunity to look through original designs will pick the most complicated thing they see there! .... truth be told, i was relieved cos it meant just a few hours work....

I spent half of today making that gown.... when she gets it (cos i have to post it to her)... i will ask her to take a picture in it so i can show my blog family.

Preparations for the London Fashion Week as started again and I would love to show my designs there... but the cost! is out of this world... nevertheless i have registered to be considered for a very small stall... :-).. pray along guys!

I dont think i will ever pay for photography work again....lol

There are so many new and upcoming photographers out there looking to build portfolios that they are willing to work for free in exchange for having your pictures in their portfolio! so if you are having a party - the kind that needs a professional photographer job - visit "starnow.com"

Anyway, enough said.

There is this agency in London - London Development Agency that provides help to start up businesses. I called to book an appointment to see them some weeks ago and I was booked to see the " supposed" guru of fashion.

So i got to see this rather effeminate guy in the hope that he would tell me something i dont already know....

He did tell me a few things but... I must say i have never seen a more patronising and belligerent fellow... although he was smiling; he spewed so much negativity... at first i said to myself - calm down, listen and learn... he might have a point... but after two weeks of dealing with his constant negative opinions and his "i-dont-think-you'll-make-it-you-are-black-african-and-too-young" I told him off!

Somebody needs to let that guy know that "Nigerians no dey carry last, worst case na draw! pshew.... leave me and my gowns alone!

If you want to know what's going in the fashion world.... who's doing what, who's going bankrupt and who's making money, the new designers in town and what's hot (and not in the high street, glamour magazine sense)in the haute couture, designer world sense - visit "drapersonline" that's the designers newspaper and bible....

Thats about it for today....

Tyger the Fashionista

I have been gone for about two months now.... abandoned blogging like it was a torn blouse and stuck to starting my fashion business like a new lover.

I have agonised over whether i should blog about it or not.

Over whether i will make sense to those who are not in the fashion industry and whether i wont end up doing other people's home works for them - i hate doing that.

I have decided to blog about the travails of starting a fashion business in the UK.

Dear Blog family,

You will all endure my whinings when i feel down... you will celebrate my successes when they come, you will offer advice when i ask, criticism when its requested and even when its not.

I'll be right back with my first post from behind the curtain of fashion designing

Good news!

Today,my passport and all the other documents were found!!!!

I'm ecstatic!

Okay the stupid part

The package containing my passport and documents have been IN THE HOUSE FOR THE LAST 5 WEEKS!!!

Yes you read right!

It was received and signed for by Mr. Nobody and while going through the many sheets of paper on a chair hidden behind a table, i see this envelope - seal unbroken!

When did this come?

I asked my uncle?

Dont know! where did you find it? my uncle said shrugging
Here! i replied... right here i said pointing at the chair.

I opened it and voila my passport and documents are there!

I am ecstatic although a bit irritaed at the sudden appearance of this dodgy package!

where were you naa? i asked the brown envelope.

Please rejoice with me my dear blog family

and thanks for the many advice and words of support
love y'all!

What do you do?

What do you do when you send your passport to the Home Office and they casually tell you 6 weeks later your passport is lost and they dont care?

what do you do when someone loves you hard, you know its a good thing... but your feelings cant just seem to catch up?

What do you do when your blog lover wont come out of hiding but chooses to torment you with sweet telephone calls?

What do you do when your friend calls you and casually mentions that she is having an extramarital affair 3 months into her marriage and its so much fun?

What do you do when you need to raise money to run your business but the credit crunch is crunching all your investors?

What do you do?

I'll be right back!

p.s. For those who were following Anansewa's story (Older woman younger man part 1,2 and 3)please check Baroque's blog, He's done a version from the younger man's point of view and its superb!

p.s. Baroque I am flattered but frightened of your plagiarising skills!

Thankful

I am in a not so wonderful state of mind right now.... which i guess is why i havent been bothered to blog....

However, I have decided to be thankful by doing a thankful post.... i'm hoping that will elevate my frame of mind .... come with me

I am thankful

1. For the gift of life, for good health, peace, joy, hope and the grace to know God and his saving grace.

2. For my mother - she underwent an operation "which i wasnt told about till it was done" and it was successful - I am so grateful to God.

3.For my brother who was in Jos during the Jos killing crisis and came home unscathed... and fine

4. For the gift of friends - who have stood by me in the last 6 months, holding me up... loving me.. listening... encouraging.... providing....

4. For the inspiration to turn out my sketches for my 2009 collection and to work on finalising them

5. For the many job interviews I have done in this credit crunch time, I know one of them will come through

thats all I can think of for now.... things are kinda tough around here

See you guys!