The first Lady of the U.S.A is quite stunning on the cover of Seventeen Magazine. She is  with Gemma Busoni and Zaniya Lewis, the two winners of the magazine's essay contest that asked readers to discuss the obstacles they are overcoming in order to find their way into their dream College or university. 

Isn't she Graceful? 

On entering university she said..

"…When it was time for me to apply to colleges there were some counselors who said, 'Maybe, with Princeton, you're reaching a little high,'" she recalls. "And I thought, 'You really don't think I can do it?' But here's what I did: I decided to ignore the doubters. I plunged ahead and I got in. I went on to Harvard Law School and every step of the way I used those doubting voices as motivation."

More stunning pics...


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Hello esteemed readers, It’s the beginning of the year, and it’s expected that most of us would make New Year resolutions. Although according to Statistic Brain Research Institute, USA,  45% of people usually make New Year's resolutions,  only 8% successfully achieve their resolution and 49% of people have infrequent success.  It is believed that keeping New Year resolutions isn’t as easy as making them, as many even forget they made such resolutions before the end of the first quarter of the year. That is why for many, their New year resolution is to actually "Stick to Resolutions". Yea! it's hard, but also possible to keep resolutions. I kept a handful of mine last year; like, not skipping breakfast and not eating late at night( I had to make a conscious effort on this one).  If you are keen on  keeping your resolutions and making them come true, Lets see a few pointers.

Be realistic. One of the major challenges in keeping a resolution is aiming too high and setting unrealistic goals. Resolving to look like Agbani Darego in a month is an unrealistic resolution for any plus size woman, but resolving to exercise regularly, eat right and cut back on unhealthy foods is more realistic. So don't set up yourself to fail. Keep your goals simple. Set small steps to be taken per time. Not too broad and No extremes.

You have to define your goals. Just resolving to attain great heights in your business, career, family and relationships isn’t good enough. You have to write down specifically how you are going to move towards the goals you have set and develop concrete ways to reach them. If your family is neglected because of your business or career , you have to define ways that you would create a balance. Wishing and saying it won't do. But by the time you have developed HOW you are going to reach you goal, you would have at the same time been able to convince yourself that you can

Set a schedule that reflects when you are making the changes needed to reach your goal. Give yourself reasonable time. Planning to quit smoking or drinking gradually in a couple of weeks is realistic but planning to do so overnight is not.  If you set no schedule at all or you set one so unrealistic, you are setting up yourself to fail.

In trying to reach your goals, there could be setbacks; inability to live up to your set schedule or steps. It does no good to be upset and depressed by them. Do not allow your resolve to weaken, rather putting such temporary setbacks into perspective can help you move beyond them and attain your goals. Remember, not all resolutions are to be kept, especially the fun and unrealistic ones. You have to focus your energy and time on the needed and realistic ones.

Be assured that, there is no shame in getting help or support. When you realize your own limitations, enlist the help of a professional, your pastor(clergy or religious head), friend or family member. There are times when telling others about your resolve and goals keep you in check and help you achieve them.

Having the above in mind will help to increase your chances of success. Also,  Keeping a journal, making daily or weekly goals, and stating reasons you want to make the changes will determine how long you get to keep your resolution.

Lastly,  know that the New Year is not only a time to make changes in your life, but also a time to be thankful for being alive and well and a time to improve upon the already good in your life.  

 

According to statisticbrain.com there are many types of resolutions.  Below are some of the things people will resolve to do this year. If yours isn't on the list, feel free to add/share in the comment section.

 

    TOP 20 NEW YEAR RESOLUTION FOR 2016
1. Spend less, Save more

2. Lose weight

3. Learn something new and exciting

4. Quick smoking

5. Fall in love

6. Stay fit and healthy

7. Spend more time with family

8. Help the need/less privilege

9. Quite drinking

10. Travel and see places

11. Start school

12. Get a new job

13. Self improvement

14. Start own business

15. Join a gym

16. Be on time

17. Less social media

18. Work hard

19. Build faith

20. Pay up debts
 

 All the best!
-Aitee

Our Nigerian designers over the years have up their games, and many of them can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their contemporaries from other parts of the globe. the like of Lanre Dasilva Ajayi, Mai Atafo, Lisa Folawiyo, AprilByKunbi, just to mention but a few. There are also new and emerging Nigerian designers who are giving the 'oldies' a run for their money by bringing innovation and norm-breaking concepts and ideas to the runways. The like of Meena, Ejiro Tafiri, etc.

 Nigerian celebrities, mostly the females seem to know this fact, because more and more, they are rocking these designs right off the runways even better than the models(well, more often than not). Nigerians buying(and wearing) Nigerian designs is very patronising and patriotic even.

 

In no particular order, lets look at some fashionistas who made Nigerian designers proud and happy in 2015.

                 
                                   
                    Movie star, Genevieve in  @moofadesigns



 

 

                                                   Screen Diva, Omoni Oboli in @aprilbykunbi



 

 

 Songstress, WAJE in @maiatafo 



 

 

 OAP, Tolu Storms in @chechiarinze



 

also in @titi_belo



 

 

 

Tv Presenter, Michelle Dede in @Lisafolawiyo



 

 

.                                                       OAP and socialite, Toke Makinwa in @aprilbykunbi



 

 

Stylist cum publicist, Damilola Oke in @titi-belo



 

                                                                     Fmr miss world, Agbani Darego in @meenaofficial



 

 Fashion&Lifestyle Blogger, Ono Bello in @Lanredasilvaajayi



 

 

                                                                      Beautiful Actress, Dakore Akande in @moofadesigns



Also in @funkeAdepoju



 

 

Music Artist, Asa in @maki.oh


 
 
 
photos credit:  @msmodish, @moofadesigns, @asa_music, @Dakoreakande, @michelledede, @onobello, @lfdw_ng

 

 

 

 

more to come..... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What really is the fate of the 2016 budget document? Did it suddenly develop wings and fly into thin air? These and more are the questions on the lips of Nigerians.

 

The Senate held an urgent session over the alleged “disappearance” of the hard copies of the budget proposal submitted to a joint session of the National Assembly on December 22, last year.

 

The missing Budget had become an urgent issue of public importance. The senators who were said to have been troubled mandated a committe to investigate the controversy surrounding the “missing” 2016 budget  and to submit its report on Thursday(tomorrow)

 

The committee was set up at an closed-door session of the Senate on Tuesday when the matter was discussed.

 

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki (APC-Kwara State), said the Senate would wait for the ad hoc committee to look into the matter and submit its report on Thursday.

 

The Senate also announced it would debate the 2016 budget from Tuesday, and that lawmakers would receive copies of the document by Thursday.

 

The upper lawmaking body is expected to produce new copies of the budget, after senators told the media on Tuesday that copies handed over by President Muhammadu Buhari had surprisingly disappeared.

 

Senators said they suspected the presidency secretly withdrew the documents for some modification, a claim the presidency denied. However, officials well briefed on the matter told Newsmen that both the leadership of the National Assembly and the presidency, as well as Ministry of Finance and the Budget Office, were working to discreetly change certain parameters of the budget proposal following the slide in the global oil price.

 

Meanwhile, while the senate awaits the conclusion of its investigation, Yakubu Dogara, the speaker of the House of Representatives on Wednesday(today) displayed a copy of the budget during the house’s sitting, saying the budget was not missing.

Mr. Dogara said the report of the missing budget was an “April fool”.  April Fool indeed. We sha dey January and there is no smoke without fire. We hope the senate committee's report would have someone account to Nigerian what truly happened.

 

Multiple Award-winning & Record breaking singer Adele is the cover star for the latest issue of TIME. Her latest single "HELLO" dropped with a bang that resonates globally in the world of music. What with massive record sales and many music artists doing Cover of her 'Hello'. Hers is a classic case of Success & Fame without Nudity or self aggrandizement on social media in the name of personal branding.(this is a story for another day & time). When her 3rd & new album "25"(in it 'Hello") was released on Nov. 18, Adele shattered countless sales records, most significantly, she notched the biggest first-week sales on record when she sold a jaw-dropping 3.38 million copies in the United States.

 

READ Excerpts from the interview below!

On motherhood…

Releasing the biggest album of the year comes along with a demanding promotional schedule, but Adele says having her son Angelo, 3, along for the ride actually helped. "The other day I was saying, ‘Oh God, I’m finding this really hard again with a kid,’” she says. “I have no time for myself because in between doing this, all my spare time is with him. But then I realized, he’s been keeping me totally cool and calm about the whole thing.

 

On cut ting out social media in order to write her album

Privacy is key to being able to write a real record, whether people like it or not,” she says. “My life has changed so much, but I’ve made the realest record I can make, and it’s the real part of me. How am I supposed to write a real record if I’m waiting for half a million likes on a f—ing photo? That ain’t real.

 

On the secret behind her record breaking sales record…

It’s a bit ridiculous,” she says, reclined on the floor of her New York City hotel room on a chilly winter day. “I’m not even from America.” She sets down her cup of tea, brightening. “Maybe they think I’m related to the Queen. Americans are obsessed with the royal family.

 

Why she’s so successful…

"The fact that I’m not shy or embarrassed to be falling apart,” she says when asked. “Everyone falls apart, I think. A lot of people try to be brave and not shed a tear. Sometimes when you know someone else feels as s— as you do, or approaches things in a certain way just like you do, it makes you feel better about yourself. Even though my music is melancholy, there’s also joy in that. I hope I do bring joy to people’s lives, and not just sadness, but I think there’s there’s a comfort in it. But I honestly don’t know. If I knew, I would bottle it, and sell it to everyone else.

 

 

 

On the supposed collaboration with Beyoncé she turned down….

Whoever started that rumour must have been having a laugh because anyone who knows me knows that my main priority in life outside of my child is Beyoncé,” she says. “I really wanted to do a duet on this album. I spoke to someone about it who I wanted to do it with, and we got on like a house on fire, and then we just couldn’t logistically really get it to work. I can’t say who it is because I want to do it in the future. That’s the only reason. It wasn’t Beyoncé!

 

She thinks artists should be a “package,” not a “brand.”

While personal branding has become an integral part of being a recording artist, Adele dislikes industry jargon. “I don’t like that word,” she says of “brand.” “It makes me sound like a fabric softener, or a packet of crisps. I’m not that. But there’s personality in an artist, and if you’re expecting people to let you in and give themselves to you, you have to be a whole package. I feel like some artists—and this isn’t shading any artist, just me trying to come up with my own explanation—the bigger they get, the more horrible they get, and the more unlikable. And I don’t care if you make an amazing album—if I don’t like you, I ain’t getting your record. I don’t want you being played in my house if I think you’re a bastard.”

 

Read the full interview here

 

So I walked into a store about two weeks ago, and what did I see? Display of Christmas trees, decorations, gift-items, cards and toys. The sales girl was even moving her head to the rhythm of a soft music (Christmas carol, surprisingly) and I was quickly reminded that Christmas was crawling in on us, whether we were prepared or not. I also remembered my long things-to-buy-list or should I say my Christmas budget, and I immediately started catching the season’s fever.

 December or Christmas, as it were, is considered the spending season. That time when individuals and families come under a lot of emotional, psychological and physical pressure. More so for those who have no earlier plans or budget. Yeah, it is that time when some City folks spend their year-long earning/savings just to impress their contemporaries and family in the village or back home.

Christmas can be an incredibly stressful time for families with children because they would want their kids to have what they desire. It can be quite difficult for people to accept that they need to cut back on their expenses at Christmas. For the husband, the head of the family, It’s important that you sit down and talk about it as a family rather than allow yourself  to be psychologically pushed into debt or carry a burden that will last months into 2016.

For me, I have come to understand that enjoying Christmas is not determine by spending more money or buying more stuff. So, unlike me, if you’re feeling the pressure to spend more in order to make yourself, family and friends happy, well, let’s look at other ways for you to take the pressure off and enjoy this Christmas.

       SHOP EARLY AND DON’T GO OVER YOUR BUDGET.

After deciding and you do have to decide first, on what kind of Christmas you want and how you will celebrate it, it is important that you start shopping early. This will save you from being sucked into ‘rush hour’ expenditure. Don’t wait until 24^th December before going to the market or stores. Shop while prices of goods and gift-items are still reasonable and the stores are not flooded with people.

 

 Create a Christmas list and include the amount for the items, total the amount to know if your ‘purse’ can conveniently foot the bill, and do not hesitate to drop from the list items that are not necessary. Go to the market or stores with cash (exact amount) in hand, not with your credit or debit cards, to avoid overspending. This works for me majority of the time, as someone who greatly enjoys and considers list-writing and shopping to be therapeutic, I don’t dare go shopping without a list or with more cash than is needed.

       this is just a sample, so create the columns according to your shopping needs

Christmas is also a season of advertising; on radio, television, bill boards, hand bills/ flyers, etc., but don’t let these adverts make you feel inadequate or entice you to spend more. Choose to ignore the TV commercials, instead, watch your favorite Christmas flicks and listen to Christmas music, read interesting books(read ‘Skipping Christmas’ by John Grisham, I enjoyed it.) and stop collecting the sales flyers.

                  FAMILY-TIME EXPERIENCE

It is often said that “family is everything”, and many have experience this to be true, especially those who have one such as mine. There isn’t a better time to enjoy family than Christmas season. It is a time when joyful, loving and lasting memories are made. Spend a portion of the Christmas money for a holiday experience. Take your kids and love ones out to parks, museums, live shows or concerts, a visit to your village or choice tourist site and you would be surprise to know that they appreciate the outing even more than material gifts. I am yet to receive a material gift that can replace the joy I get from the time spent with love ones.

 

 

Mothers, cook a less expensive but delicious delicacy and have your family or love ones sit on a round table to eat, chat, laugh and enjoy the meal. Play Christmas music and have them sing along and dance.  You simply can’t replace family-time spent with your kids with piles of plastic toys made in China or even Aba.

 

 

 Let go of the pressure to spend all that money or the anxiety of not having enough and allow yourself the pleasure of enjoying what really matters; moments with family and love ones. This way, you will have a resulting low level of stress and a zero debt balance after Christmas.   

People, don’t make this Christmas, a season to spend money you don’t really have in order to buy things you don’t really need to impress people you don’t truly like.

Don’t make this Christmas about money and material things but a memorable celebration of life and family, and not forgetting the real reason for the season; JESUS CHRIST.

              Be inspired!

       -Aitee                                                                                                      

                                      

So the petrol situation has gotten so bad in most parts of Nigeria that the streets or roads as it were, are near deserted, mostly by motorist.

This is so because the situation had graduated from getting petrol at a hike price (from N200 to N500) to having your money but no where to buy petrol as nearly all d filling stations are shut down per time. So one can actually drive for miles or all over town without a place to buy.

Many have resorted to trekking as transport fare has gone up too with some routes not having vehicles. Others park their cars to join public transit.

Which way Nigeria?

We do hope this situation will abate before this week runs out.

photo 1: usually the busiest round about.
Photo 2: usually the road with the most traffic congestion.
location: Uyo.

The scarcity and persistent increase in the pump price of petrol  is no longer News in virtually all parts of Nigeria as the resultant effect is being felt by all and sundry directly or indirectly. . Nigerians have wondered what the problem could be in the face of  CHANGE promised the nation. Well, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) have opened up to say that they cannot sell petrol at the government fixed price of N87/litre because they get the product at N95/litre instead of N77.66k/litre from private Tank Farms/ Depots who they patronized because of lack of petrol at nearby NNPC Depots.

The IPMAN chairman, National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depot in Ibadan, Alhaji Olakunle Busari, while adressing Newsmen in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, weighed in on the issue and stated that the hike in price might persist if the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) does not take proactive measures to caution private tank farms from selling the commodity to independent marketers beyond the regulated N77.66k per litre and for the marketers to sell at N87 per litre.

In Akwa Ibom State where petrol is sold above N150/litre, it has been speculated that the Independent marketers cannot transport petrol from Calabar Depot because of the deteriorating state of Calabar-Akwa Ibom road. This may not be far from the truth, or it might just be a  cover story for those who want to hoard petrol and sell at high price.   

 The hike in price and scarcity of petrol has brought hardship to the masses. Yesterday I bought petrol for N160/litre after i finally found it in a certain filling station. I hope the Federal Government, NNPC and DPR will do something about this fast . 

The Balmain x H&M collection is sold out only hours after hitting the shelves of H&M's retailers' across the world and being made available for purchase online. The collection by the luxury french house headed by Oliver Rousteing is gone, the entire men's and women's line.The stores are cleaned out.

photos of satisfied customers

Because of months of teasing and campaigns by the fashion house, fashion lovers and enthusiast waited in high anticipation for the released of the collection set for November 5, 2015. And it was complete chaos before and during the collection launch. Shoppers camped overnight and even for days at H&M locations and shops days before the released of the collection. unfortunately many of them were not lucky to grab any piece before the stores were emptied of the Balmain collection. shoppers were going out of their minds in the stores and over their laptops. there were struggles and stampede, literally at different stores where shoppers rushed to purchase items. 

shoppers camping and queuing outside H&M location

see people pushing their way through.

shoppers who did not wait in vain.


The H&M designer collaboration with Balmain started official campaigns months ago, and worked with models such as; Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Jourdan Dun, Hao Yun Xiang and Dudley O' Shaughnessy, to showcase pieces from the collection.

 the campaign was shot by renowned fashion photographer, Mario Sorrenti

 I particularly like the beaded and embroidered pieces. such beautiful details.

 a lucky shopper.

model in embroidered short dress

  so much fuse. don't you think? i hope it was worth the wait and stress for those who were lucky to purchase items. for those who were not so lucky, such is life. suck it up and go home or wait  a little more longer and replicas of the collection might be selling soon. and shoppers who bought during the launch might put their pieces up for sale online. No be small thing.

-xoxo
aitee