Skincare: Hydrate and Moisturise

Now let me tell you something about skincare. I do not know jack! I see all these moisturizers, masks, cleansers, scrubs and I wonder, what the heck? or as we like to say over on this side of the globe, #Wharrathose. So I may know just a wee bit judging from the product name dropping and a few fancy-shmancy terms like I don't know, exfoliate? Basically I hope you get the idea that I am certainly no pro  and that whole story up there is a disclaimer.

I would say two, maybe, three months ago my face was not a pretty site, at least to me it wasn't. Zit fest descended upon me and every time I saw my face, I went from student to self-proclaimed dermatologist. Pocking and prodding would go on for what seemed like hours on end. Popping a pimple here, picking a scab there. The situation was only escalating and honestly I never knew how vain I was until this bout hit.

My motto, If you are not happy about something, do something about it. This situation is certainly no different.

There I was, no plan, no strategy but most importantly no cash to purchase even a tube of a skin care product. This was going to be good. But this girl, she was not going to go down without a fight. I did the only thing I could do, go old school in this situation. Nothing but natural and organic products going in or on my body.

I tossed my petroleum jelly, of course it's still within close range and olive oil came into the mix. Almost immediately my skin became right and tight. Of course I cannot take all the credit for discovering all of this olive oil goodness. My sister had been using it for quite a while and it clearly worked. She was getting complements left, right and center so I just had to get me some to.

Getting into this save-my-skin mission, I honestly thought it would be one of those overnight  miracles. Roll out of bed one morning and Ka-Pow! I  would be zit free. Yup, it did not happen like that, not even remotely close to that. I woke up the next morning and every other morning after that for that matter and nada, it was time to go back to the drawing board.

Diet wise I was doing pretty okay,eating my vegetables and my fruits whether they were just meh or deserved to be on a menu of a five star restaurant. Junk food is an urban legend, at least in my life so when it comes to fatty foods that typically leave your skin experiencing a break out, I can safely say I am doing the least. This is where I think the phrase "common sense" should be completely done away with.

My water intake let's talk about that.  Eight glasses is the recommended intake, I was doing two. Common sense not so common, huh?

Since I am all about go big or go home, not really, eight glasses of water? Please, three liters is more like it. 2 glasses in the morning, a bottle after my mid-morning snack and another bottle after lunch. No way near done, this is just the midway point. We are back at it with 2 glasses before supper preferably at least half an hour before supper, 2 glasses after supper, 2 glasses before bed and a whole lot of bathroom breaks. You loving my life yet?

Again the cycle began. Poking, prodding, popping, picking, endless gazes at myself reconsidering my diet-just reconsidering-   then it came to me, maybe my hands and face should go long distance. Now that I think about it  maybe having a pet-cone around my neck would have sealed the deal much faster.

My skin now, well it is not blemish free but I am a lot happier. Goal achieved but the journey still continues. So what did we learn today kids? If you want your skin's fleekage levels amped up: water is the real O.G., olive oil is B-A-E and keep your hands where I can see 'em when showing your skin who's boss.

Little bonus point for you, throw in a little coconut oil if you want to add some flavor in your moisturizing fete.

Have a good one!

P.S. I don't mean to toot my own horn but 'Toot! Toot!' I took these photos myself and they are fire  by my standards , who am I kidding? VSCO deserves all the credit.This is also the All Rights Reserved.

Book Review: Quotes from So Long A Letter by Mariama Ba

Hello good people!

I think by now if you are a regular on this blog you know that if I enjoy a book as much as I did this one quotes are bound to follow. This instance is no different. So, what do you say I cut the small talk and get right into it?

"Confiding in others allays pain."

"One does not fix appointments with fate. Fate grasps whom it wants, when it wants. When it moves in the direction of your desires, it brings you plentitude. But more often than not, it unsettles, crosses you. Then one has to endure."

"Death, the tenuous passage between two opposite worlds, one tumultuous the other still." 

"Death is just as beautiful as life has been."

"I have enough memories in me to ruminate upon. And these are what I am afraid of, for they smuck of bitterness.'

"I think of all the blind people, the world over moving in darkness. I think of all the paralysed the world over, dragging themselves about. I think of all the lepers the world over, wasted by their disease.

Victims of a sad fate which you did not choose, compared with your lamentations, what is my quarrel, clearly motivated."

"Your stoicism has made you not violent or subversive but true heroes, unknown in the mainstream of history, never upsetting established order, despite your miserable condition."

"They forgot the source of this easy life; first up in the morning, last to go to bed, always working. "

"You want to draw a line between heartfelt love and physical love. I say that there can be no union of bodies without the heart's acceptance,however little that may be. "

"I counted backwards to determine where the break in the thread had occurred from which everyhting had unwound."

"Every night when he went out he would unfold and try on several of his suits before setting on one. The others, impatiently rejected, would slip on the floor. I would have to fold them again and put them back in their places; and this extra work , I discovered, I was doing only to help him in his effort to be elegant in his seduction of another woman."

"Leave! Draw a clean line through the past. Turn over a page in which not everything was bright, certainly, but at least all was clear."

"A nervous breakdown waits around the corner for anyone who lets himself wallow in bitterness."

"A victim, she wanted to be the oppressor."

"For pain, even when it's past, leaves the same marks on the individual when recalled."

"All or nothing. Adieu." *This one is my favorite by the way!*

"I went back to my loneliness...I wore it again as one wears a familiar garment. It's cut suited me well. I moved easily in it..."

"But Daba is like all the young, without pity."

"Life is an eternal compromise."

"Daba is my wife. She is not my slave nor my servant."

"Does it mean that one can't have modernism without a lowering of moral standards?"

"And also one is a mother in order to understand the inexplicable. One is a mother to shield when the lightning streaks the night, when thunder shakes the earth, when mud bogs one down. One is a mother to lighten the darkness. One is a mother in order to love without beginning or end."

"One is a mother so as to face the flood."

"What does one gain from pleasures? Early ageing, debasement , no doubt about it..."

"Despite everything-disappointments and humiliations-hope still lives on within me."

Mariama Ba

"It is from the dirty and nauseating humus that the green  plant sprouts into life, and I can feel new buds springing up in me."

"My heart rejoices each time a woman emerges from the shadows. I know that the field of our gains is unstable, the retention of conquests difficult social constraints are ever present and male egoism resists. "

"To love one another! If only each partner could move sincerely towards the other! If each could only melt in the other! If each would only accept the other's successes and failures! If each would only praise the other's qualities instead of listing his faults! If each could only correct bad habits without harping on about them! If each could penetrate the other's most secret haunts to forestall failure and be a support while tending to the evils that are repressed."

Is this book deep or what? I hope this gets you all fired up to read it and throw in a couple of quotes that I may have overlooked. To read my book review go here.

Have a good one!

Media Monday: Summer Break, Just A Band ft. Owuor Arunga "Winning In Life"

Hasn't this been a long time coming . Anyway, what it do good people can you believe I'm coming  at you with a Media Monday installment? Yeah, I know, me neither. Without further adieu let's get into it son!

Without a doubt if there is a skill that I have mastered to a T, wasting time. I can look  at my nails for what seems like months on end, play with a strand of hair like a kitten with a strand of yarn except our enthusiasm and discreteness levels are worlds apart and stare into nothingness to the point where I give spaced out a whole new angle. But finding Youtube channels that serve more as distractions other than entertainment at least in my case, someone call Guiness Book of World Records because I deserve that plaque honey.

You guys know it all started with Jack's Gap then a little DanIsNotOnFire with a sprinkling of Caspar Lee then Thatcher Joe, just throw in whichever Youtube channel you can think of in this category, chances are I was/am  an addict for a while. Then I discovered vloggers and now Youtube series. Not just any Youtube series, reality series. A combo of two of some of my favorite things. You say heaven on a screen, I say, "Hi my name is Edwina and I am a Youtube-a-holic."

I was back at it again this past weekend. It wasn't the plan but four playlists and two seasons of SummerBreak later, I'm hooked.


Summer Break brings teens from diverse social backgrounds mostly seniors on their last summer break before they start the rest of their lives in college as freshmen and they throw in a couple of juniors going to senior year for the sake of series continuity in the next season. It's also vital to  add that it's mainly a huge ad' campaign by AT&T  a successful one if I may add. Not that it is on this side of the Sahara, but ey, that didn't stop me from lusting after some of the gadgets that were on constant 'casual' show. This is also a heads up on why you will see so many not so sneaky promos in form of selfies, videos through out the season.

It's safe  to say that the two seasons I've watched are pretty much the same, same story different cast. They have activities, road trips you know, the kinda thing to keep the story alive and some drama brewing. When I say drama I mean relationship drama; bro-to-bro, boy-girl, squad/crew/woes or whatever you call your group of friends these days and perhaps the most essential, what's a reality show without a cat fight?

They do try to throw in some actual real aspects of their lives like careers, inspiration, life and death situations but mostly leaving for college. The thing about reality shows is, at some point you end up feeling as though you are them. They have a whole new languge which you master, you call them by their nicknames 'RayRay' anyone? 'ship 'em (WhitRay), take sides when the crew is beefin' basically, you become attached. When it's time to say goodbye to the cast, people you will be forgiven for shedding a tear or two.

This is  where I tell you, 'What are you waiting for? Go watch it?' but there's a twist. Watch it at your own risk, hey, don't blame me if you go through all three seasons in a day or so.

One more thing, it could do with a little bit of diversity. I mean I haven't been to Cali' but I am pretty sure it's not all blonde, brunette babes that make up the female teen demographic.

Until recently Soundcloud  was just another website to me  but I'd say since mid-September I have abused the heck out of it. Reason, Winning In Life by Just A Band ft. Owuor Arunga. Blinky Bill, one of the members, who put it on his Insta bio had me all up on it.

It starts with the usual Just A Band flare, I can't describe it, but you know they are in the building. Almost seamlessly, Owuor Orunga hits the tune up with just the right amount of trumpet because the excitement is still coming but still marking his territory. Enter the Blinky Bill husky voice which I have to say is what I always look forward to. It's just climax after climax with this hit especially when it's pure instrumental fusion between both of them after the ' Kila mtu' turn up signal.

You still playing hard to get? No worries Just A Band gotchu. With some classic, classy trumpet and some funky jazz beats they leave it all on the track, no beat left behind. At this point, even if you do not want to admit it don't sweat it, I'll say it for you, you are officially lit. You are brought back to earth from that cloud 9 experience so suave, you don't even mind the song ending.

The video dropped not too long ago and the awesomeness spilled over there to, plus can you get over the single artwork cover? No? You are not alone. Don't forget to have a listen.

Have a good one!  

Surviving College : First Week Hacks

*sigh* I  just had one of the easiest mornings in a while; cancelled class, sleeping in and waking up to one of the best DJ sets courtesy of Just A Band's, Blinky Bill topping it all of my tweet getting favorited by him. Can you blame him? My hashtag was, how do I say, fire?

In other news, it's a new month. Besides smoothly easing into it, one month into the school year and homie we made it! Let me be completely honest and say that this whole month felt like the first week of school. Sure it flew past but getting into the hang of things, not so much.

Either way, I figured let me share a few pointers on how to get your bearings on the first week especially in college where the temptation of cutting class is at a record high.

Go your first day. Have an early night and a mindset that vacation is over, sadly. Of course there's the little leeway that  you don't have to rock up on time, so in my humble opinion use the heck out of it, but don't abuse it. Use it because chances are, your professor also hasn't gotten the hang of the schedule plus it is an unsaid rule. The upside besides getting your academic life? Seeing all your friends and classmates. Maybe you missed them or missed seeing their faces. Either way get to know whether their vacay was yay or nay. It takes the dreadfulness out of the first day anyway.

My schedule/timetable comes out nearly a week before school starts but there's always the possibility that a few changes may be made. Usually this is just for rules of engagement between the class and the lecturer i.e moving a class that would otherwise start at 8 a.m. to 8.30 a.m. or 9 a.m. Some professors go out of their way to tell you when your group assignments, tests, individual assignments and the like may be. Does being M.I.A on day one scream no-no yet?

Now that you got your schedule, it's time to know your schedule. The location of your classes, materials  you need each day for instance rolling up on Wednesday or Thursday without my Sale of Goods Act, yup, not happening. Your schedule also lets you know when you do not have class which is a good time to schedule, drum roll please...library binge sessions, study time and group work dates. Slowly but surely by consistently attending class this schedule and your personal schedule become second nature.

The first week is also prime time to size up your lecturer. Are they drill sergeants or the easy going type.Chances are you already have the down-low on them from their past classes but just keep it old school and hear it all from the horse's mouth before you form an inaccurate opinion about them. Of course, accord to each of them the same respect. The first week basically sets the pace for the whole semester and you can gauge whether this is going to be "that" class (exciting) or "that" class (meh).

You and I both know that the first class equals introductions, ground rules, the ol' what-do-you-expect-from-me, what-do-I-expect-from-you run down and course outline. It can take anywhere between twenty minutes and an hour. If you are lucky telling you where all the course materials can be found marks the end of a class. Or does it? Some lecturers waste no time and dive right in. I am not such a fan of this, (who is?) but they are usually the type to complete the syllabus in record time leaving you ample time to study for finals. If anything, I think this is reason number one why you should get yourself to class on your first day/week.

All in all my first month back to school is of to a bumpy start with concluding internships and prior  commitments which thankfully I am done with but on the flip side, the library is seeing a lot more of me these days. No, I do not have tests (yet) or exams, just, you know, working smart. One can only hope that this whole "star student" thing lasts.

How was your first month back in school? Up, down, can't get any better? Let me know in the comments,

Have a good one!  

  

Book Review: So Long A Letter by Mariama Ba

So we are just going to jump right into the good stuff and ignore the little now-you-see-me, now-you-don't situation I have going on in the blogosphere.

First up, let's not get things twisted I have been reading. I'll Give You The Sun was ah-mazing, To All The Boys I've Loved Before was cute and Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey is, well not my usual. Don't fret, one word descriptions of whole books will not be the norm I just happened to outdo myself in the procrastination department. Well, what do you know, the P word just crept in. Basically, the review of the first two books will go up because I can't live with myself if they don't.

Now that I have aired all my dirty laundry in front of you, the real good stuff.

In a effort to redeem myself from this putting the 'pro' in the procrastination phase, I read So Long A Letter by Mariama Ba borrowed from my good friend Lena. She happens to hold this read and author very highly. Obviously, any literary fave of a friend's is a literary fave of mine, okay, maybe not but you get the picture.

There's something about African Writers, maybe it's the way they make you slow down and force you to stop and smell the roses or whatever aroma that takes you to that special place or how their imagery is so rich and the language so distant from my level, at least. Their sentences are short, but tell a whole story and the repetition is everything but tacky. Aren't or aren't I describing the perfect book?

Meet Ramatoulaye recently widowed first wife of Modou. While she is in mourning she writes her best friend who might as well be her sister, Aissatou, a letter that recounts her life just before and after Modou's death, a long, long letter hence the title, I guess.

Ramatoulaye starts from the beginning working her way back to find the way forward. We follow her as she goes through all phases of grief. Going back and forth in between them, surpassing some, dominating in others but healing nonetheless.

While reading it, it was almost as if, I was invading her privacy. Feeling every inch of her pain especially when she thinks less of herself. You are in her anguish, despair and regret. But because you can't change the past you read on just as Aissatou would.

The source of it all Modou. Just when you are about to start baying for his already cold blood she appeases you, telling you of Modou of the yester-years, described as a god of some sort.

Each turn of a page is like pealing of the seal of another secret, and you thought you knew intense.

Even as she is down on her luck the way she portrays  nearly every woman, in this book you just might understand her inferiority complex. A phoenix rising from the ashes was redefined by Aissatou; braver, stronger, tougher than all her problems. She and no chills Daba earn themselves a spot on my literary bad ass babes.

Finding her balance amidst this whirlwind of emotions is no easy task yet she still manages to be critically realistic. Not driven by intuition or emotion she manages to make the right decision. Not always the one you are rooting for but right nonetheless.

This book makes you want to read and re-read some of its texts over and over again. For a better understanding , not really, for a highly deserved appreciation probably. It is for the divorcee, widow, sugar-daddy and his young love interest especially his young love interest, for families left behind, for those who grieve. For the men it's the ultimate anti-douche guide. Hold your horses now, Ramatoulaye doesn't throw around the "men are dogs" mentality, if anything , she throws the most respectable shade ever. For ladies, super therapeutic as a How-to guide if ever your relationship goes down the drain.

Now I am scared. Of happily ever afters, marriage and possibilities but most of all, having daughters. All will be revealed once you read it.

What takes this book up there? Ramatoulaye takes you into each character's mind, exploring their thoughts, picking them because rants simply don't do it anymore. No man or should I say contentious issue is left behind especially when the right button is pushed.

Do your future a favour and pick up this book!

Have a good one!   

Surviving College: Holiday Memories

'Sup guys!

It's only the first week of school and I am just about ready to tap out. Or it's just a severe case of holiday withdrawals. What better way to get over it than looking back on the period that was. These are just a couple of highlights that made it memorable; the good, the bad and the neutral.

Nairobi floods. It seemed like just another rainy evening. Myself indoors nice, warm and toasty. If only everyone else could have sung that same tune. Traffic jams that lasted until four a.m and power outages that lasted even longer. I guess it would be safe to say that since then Nairobi has learnt a valuable lesson on the importance of maintaining the city's drainage system. Well, hopefully. But still, what a way to kick start the holidays, huh?

Driving license. Guess who can now be legally behind the wheel cruising at a few kilometers per hour? This girl! Yes I may be two years too late on this bandwagon but I finally got round to it. I would love to say that my skills give Lewis Hamilton a run for his money but it is what it is. There was also the driving test from hell which I may or may not write about. Probably will. All in all , homie we made it!

Posting  three times a week. The month of May would have had you thinking that blogging was my full time job. Posts three times a week, quality posts, somebody call the fire department because I was on fire; Media Monday, Surviving College, Book Reviews, didn't I spoil y'all or what? Well that fire was put out soon after,  be careful what you wish for.

Internships. I had two in four months, talk about a personal best. Of course there will be more in depth posts but this is what you guys you should know; it was the best of both world with one being the liberal artsy environment  and the other the traditional 'profesh' situation plus I learned a tonne from both. This may be my very definition of productivity.

Interviews. In a span of four months I had two interviews. This little experience here taught me a little something about preparation. No stones were left unturned and I sure wasn't about to disappoint my foyn self. It is at this point that I feel like a post dedicated to acing an interview should be in the works, yup, I'll go ahead and put it on my to-do list. That being besides the point, I aced one of them and tanked in the other...until I got a call back from the one that I was supposedly 'unsuccessful' in. Take that failure! That just goes to show what putting yourself out there gets you.

Goals. Especially for my blog I was aiming for nothing but the stars. 36 books were to be read; let me break it down. Two books read a week, 18 posted while on holiday and the other half scheduled for the last quarter of the year. A couple of sewing, knitting and crafting D-I-Y's, find bae, walk down the aisle, start a family, buy my first home. You follow? Yup nearly none of that happened but it still makes for a good laugh.

Other cool stuff: my sister's graduation. YAAASS! She sure showed college, slight obsessions with summer 2015 music playlists, joining HerCampus. retweets from Marcus Hanley by far #1 cool kid from where I stand, Jay Aysher and MTv Africa Music Award (MAMA) Best Pop and Alternative Act 2015 Jeremy Loops.

Little story for you. I have been continuously convincing myself that I was the first to congratulate Mr. Loops on his MAMA win. Him favouriting my tweet had me on cloud 9. It doesn't end there.Well with Jeremy Loops it does. JSomething from Mi Casa mentioned my little old self  in a comment on Instagram. Might as well kick this degree to the curb and be some type of social media guru!

Not convinced that I'd make one heck of a social media guru? Now y'all know in my head, Jack and Finn Harries are my woes. So when I made it into the What do you believe in? video, I knew they felt the same way. Girl in the white sweater with pandas across it, reppin' the 2-5-4 at 0:42, that's me. My clip is only a second long but I always thought fifteen minutes of fame was a little too long anyway.

Yup, as I suspected a walk down memory lane was the perfect cure to holiday withdrawals.

Have a good one!

Road Trip

I'm alive! I'm alive! If you had a doubt in your mind that I had been wiped off the face of the earth, I am still kicking it!

Besides working like a dog, I popped in and out of the city of Nairobi for a second, literally. Travelled out on Friday and I was back in a heartbeat on Sunday morning. To be precise, 4 a.m. That was my sister's "bright" idea.

Why the impromptu road trip you ask?Well, my Grandma Mildred passed. This past year has been a tough one for my family. Hopefully, if I find the courage, I may do a post dedicated to all the family members who are no longer with us. But, mark my words, this funeral was a celebration of life, which Granny deserved by all means. Whoo! I'm getting a little misty eyed here.

Again, mark my words, in my culture, funerals tend to be the definition of dramatic. Even that may be a bit of an understatement. We go all out; professional mourners, singing, boogying until dawn (the wake) there's some some significance behind it, I forget, church service after church service. Emotion wise we give mood swings a legit run for their money. What can I say it's tradition.

As I said we travelled Friday.Nearly missing our bus by a whisker. A very valuable lesson was learnt, sometimes paying a pretty penny for a cab trumps saving money. Learnt that the hard way. But what momma don't know, momma don't need to know. Except if she reads this post  that entire statement goes up in  flames. It is one thing to roll up fashionably late and it is another to roll up like we did; backpacks that outweighed us, unravelling sleeping bags (mine, figures) and carry-ons packed with your usual road trip tidbits, plus a book...of course. We were a sight for sore eyes nearly every stare asking whether there was some sort of evacuation where we were coming from.

Now the title of this blog post is highly misleading. Honestly it was my version of an apology for my blog hiatus that lasted slightly over a week. If anything it will probably be a visual story. My photography levels were pretty bomb considering I have no legit photography  skills or camera. Imma go ahead and pat myself on the back.

Feast  your eyes on the sites that make up my beautiful country.

P.S. They could have been more breathtaking scenes i.e fir tree forests but I could not whip out my camera fast enough. Yet I still want to be a photojournalist.

 If ever you are in Kenya and are doing the tourist thing, you've gotta stop here (Great Rift Valley Viewpoint) and take it all in. In the distance is Menengai Crater, a mountain (my geography is not what it used to be) and on the floor, further in the distance is a geothermal power plant.

 Lake Nakuru. If I was any better at this photography thing, you may have seen the flamingos.

 'Cause you gotta fill your car boot with groceries.

 

This is the money shot.

 Kenya is among the top 10 tea producing nations in the world. Welcome to the original home of what may be your heaven in a cup, Kericho.

This post would not be complete without letting you know of my sister's "bright" idea. Do not get me wrong, I love this girl but when we were on that night bus, my feelings towards her... we nearly froze to death! Okay, maybe not, but those below zero temperatures hit past the bone to the very core of my being. The whole point was to come see her play which she produced  *three cheers for my sister* but if that was the price we had to pay...it ain't happening ever again.

Oh well, until next time.

Have a good one!