Amanda's blog

I am afraid to wear white out till this day. I just fear that at the end of the day I would look like I rolled in mud. I may be exaggerating a bit but one of my worst fears is messing up my outfit. Stains on clothes definitely do not say chic and sophisticated.

The absolute worst places to get food stains are at work, on a date, at a wedding you name it. Places where you need to grab a bite and still look put together.

I am not really a fan of the kitchen. There, I said it.

It is definitely not an issue of feminism. I enjoy cooking on rare occasions, and there are times when I wish I was more confident in the kitchen and had a variety of recipes up my sleeve. My mother traced my disinterest in domestic affairs to when she had a very tiny kitchen and would always chase me out. She believes I got used to not being in the kitchen and did not learn the vital things at a formidable age.

When I think of Australia I think of Chris and Liam Hemsworth, I think of Kangaroos, I think of that gorgeous accent. Maybe Australia is home.

If you are not worried about the 24 hour long flight from Lagos, I think it would be the ultimate adventure to up and travel to Australia. I am thinking specifically of Sydney, the harbour city. You can simply apply online for the Australian visa. I am sure you would be directed on the required documents.

You need to have taken the yellow fever and polio vaccines to enter Australia.

Can you swim?

I can’t. I wish I could but I can’t and I have always been happy to blame my race.

Have you heard about the stereotype that black people are the worst swimmers? That was the perfect excuse for me not to attempt to swim. However, that stereotype just got shattered at the Rio Olympics so that excuse is gone.

I was still wondering why black people, especially black women, aren’t so keen on swimming then it came to me, same reason we are worried when we are out while it rains, our HAIR!

Child birth scares some women for different reasons. I am particularly concerned with the state of the vagina after that. I worry that it may lose its tone, I mean a little human just passed through there. Childbirth is just one of the conditions that may weaken the pelvic muscles and reduce vaginal tone. Other factors include; age, obesity, straining during bowel movements and having a hysterectomy i.e. when the womb is removed. You can tell the pelvic muscles are weakened when a person experiences urinary incontinence.

’No man is an island’. I have heard that phrase so many times in my lifetime. ‘A problem shared is a problem half solved’.  That is another very popular saying. What those two phrases mean is that it is better to have people around you. It is very easy to say human beings are terrible but in the words of 2Baba “I know you cannot trust nobody but you have to trust someone”.

I became more interested in makeup when I was involved in planning my best friend's wedding. We were trying to book a makeup artist for two days. The quotes we were getting were astronomical, at least for our budget. We ended up getting a renowned artist for a sweet deal of N200,000 that is N100,000 per day. I mean that is a comfortable monthly salary for many people.

Scars mean different things to different people and there is usually always a story behind a scar.

Scars are caused as a result of trauma to the skin, ranging from injuries and accidents to skin conditions. Scars can be burns, accident mark, cuts, acne or scrapes. A scar is a sign that the skin has healed.

The most prominent scar on my skin is a chicken pox scar right on my forehead like a bindi i.e. the Indian red spot on the forehead. It is constantly a conversation starter for me. That is one scar I have grown accustomed to.

I was my mother’s first child and a daughter at that so you can imagine how crazy she went getting baby girl things. I mean I think I had it all. She would even save up to get me the most adorable dresses. She did not stop there; she would wear only gold jewellery for her precious baby girl. Fast forward to secondary school boarding house, after losing more than a few precious metals, my mother decided to introduce me to GL, gold plated or plain old fashion jewellery.

Relationships are hard to navigate sometimes. There is no one size fits all approach when it comes to dating, friendships, marriages and even dating with kids. However, certain ground rules apply to a majority of people.

Deciding on whom to date is even more important when you have a child. It is already a tremendous responsibility to yourself dating someone much less of when you have children to protect and look after.  Here are some of my ground rules: