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Breaking the Silence With Some Wedding Pictures!!! :-D

Breaking the Silence With Some Wedding Pictures!!! :-D

by | Jul 13, 2013 | T.Williams

Yes people!!!  This is the reason I have been incommunicado for the past month or so.  I made a deliberate attempt to stay away from anything work-related so I could focus on the wedding…. or so I thought anywayz.  Actually to be honest, this was the reason I had been on and off work since this year started since the wedding was meant to hold in March 2013 but it was moved because of the Lenten season (or is it Lent?).  Anywayz… the move was a blessing in disguise because it gave me even more time to plan!  😀 And plan I did… since I planned the whole wedding myself.  Haha…. I wish!  Couldn’t have done much without the HUGE MASSIVE HELP from my sisters (BIG MASSIVE MWAH! to both of them), my parents (MWAH! MWAH!!) and pretty much all my family, friends, employees and vendors  (MWAH! MWAH!! MWAH!!!) who ensured all went great!  I will be forever grateful to God, my husband, my in-laws and every single person who made all this possible and who worked tirelessly to ensure I had a smile on my face at all times!  To be honest, I can’t think of anything that went wrong (apart from my falling ill but I’m sure no one could tell).  Feedback on the wedding has been TRES FAB!!!  Not one negative comment at all!  In fact at some point, I heard people were begging to stop being served food and people were carting off bottles of drinks, wine and spirits as souvenirs!  Haha!  And everyone had fun!!!  Or so I have been told…  
 
Okay… so I’ve pretty much been banned from picking up calls, responding to BB messages and uploading pictures on my blog throughout the wedding period since I landed in hospital just days before the wedding.  Yours truly worked till the Friday before the wedding week and ended up being admitted in hospital (malaria and typhoid they said… triggered by stress)! 🙁  In fact I was discharged the day before the engagement ceremony.  And the ban is still on till now… that’s why I’m up this late posting this!
 
But anywayz… no stories in this post!  The stories will come later (all Parts 1 to like 10 of them haha no jokes).  I’m here just to upload the pictures I stole from my friends’ BB display pictures so you all can understand why I’ve been away this whole year.  I haven’t actually seen the pictures the photographer took but once I get them, I’ll upload them.  Trust me, they’ll be much nicer than these ones.  The guy is just too good!  If y’all need a photographer, Ayodeji Samuel Adekoya (formerly known as Majickbrush Photography is the one to call).  Here’s what his work looks like.  
  
My bottle of perfume & the make-up artist working on me! I told you he was good! ;-D
 
I’ll tell you how I heard about him later.  And don’t worry, you’ll get the directory of all the vendors I used.  I have told them I will tell everyone who cares to listen how GREAT they were! They had BETTER BE nicer than these ones since they’ll be edited.  But enjoy the pictures… 😀
 
Starting with the engagement pictures!!!  😀 😀 😀
(WHAT???!!! Who’s THAT chic?!)  THAT’s NOT ME!!! And what says you about my necklace???!!! Haha! 😀  
 
Even I couldn’t recognize myself when the make-up artist, Elaine of ShoMya was done!)  She is just TRES FAB!!! The BEST!  She got exactly what I wanted and I didn’t even do a trial because I was in hospital.  Now THAT was a risk worth taking!  If y’all need a make-up artist, Elaine is definitely the one to go for!  But anywayz, don’t worry, you’ll hear all the stories will come later.
 
And YES!  I tied 2 geles.  Will explain why in later posts. 😀

Sir (as we fondly call my dad) and I.  He’s a Knight so….now you know where the Sir came from… 😀
 
The Engagement Ceremony @ KFA Rentals, Lekki

My husband “dropping” me in his mother’s lap.  I’m sure you all are familiar with how Yoruba traditional weddings are.

Engagement Cake by Seun of Miss Baker.  Absolutely amazing chic!  
She and her sister will make you feel right at home…



2nd outfit we changed into after the engagement ceremony proper was over and it was time to par-tay! Yah.. and I tied that gele myself! No need to stress out over non-issues… 😀
Shame I don’t have a lot more engagement pictures.  Many of my friends were at work since it was a Thursday… 🙁  But not to worry, the videographer K.Lala Films posted this clip on my Facebook Page so you have an even better view 😀 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhOFSf94XSg&feature=share
 
You can copy and paste the link into your browser.  I’m sure you’ll have a laugh or two. 
😀
_____

 

Wedding Day!!!!!
Getting all glammed-up!
I told ShoMya I wanted to look like a model on the runway not a “take-home to Mama sweet-looking bride”.  Gosh!  I’m so sick of those looks!  I have always told everyone my eyelashes must be long enough to flick the light switches on and off! Haha!  
Ta-da!!!!  What dost thou think? 😀  My husband almost did a double-take when he lifted the veil… 😀

The Church Ceremony @ Wesley Cathedral, Olowogbowo, Apongbon, Lagos Island:

My dad and I walking down to “Here Comes the Bride” (I fought to get that tune played… enough plotting with the church office crew…haha)  & My husband and I when it was almost over!
And what do y’all say to my dress!!! 😀  Can’t believe I finished them both the night before the wedding!  Clearly you can tell I didn’t want the typical bridal gowns.  And yup!  I’m glad I made my dress though I made all efforts not to.  But when the gown I ordered came and I tried it on, I realized it was not me so decided to make what I wanted.  Katrina & Kofo, you guys are the best!  Stitching and prodding till 9pm to ensure all was in place!  You’ll also hear this story later!  And oh… by the way… just so you know… the fan IS part of the dress! Haha! 😀
 
After the wedding ceremony… outside the church…
Looks pretty pixelated huh?  Wait… I found some online…

 

http://www.omg.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/j2.jpg
 
Seems they got a good family picture.  There’s my mum on my right in the blue, my Uncle beside her, my brother Wale leaning back, my sister & maid of honor on AA’s left, my staff, Tunde by the rail, My Dad’s friend, gosh too many people in this picture… 🙂 
My chief bridesmaid… oops scratch that!  MAID OF HONOUR!  My sister Temilola has made it a point of duty to ensure I call her Maid of Honour! Yup! 😀 That’s our Doctor of Hair for those of you who have gotten her “hair” broadcast on all sorts of weaves.  Hhmmnnnn… can’t seem to find any picture of the best man, Lekan…  
 
Yup!  I had no bridal train.  Just the Best man & Maid of Honour.
 

The Reception @ The Haven, Archbishop Vining Compound, Oba Akinjobi Way, GRA Ikeja

 

 

Shame you can’t really see the decor and the “Black & White” Hollywood Regency Theme much here…  The tables were sort of like meant to look like this… obviously with the glasses and all.  I’ll get a better picture from my sister-in-law.  She has some on her iPad and it wasn’t even the finished work.
 
 
Ok so picture this sample with glasses, black chair covers, chocolate candies in favor bags and snacks in those white trays… I don’t think we used the LED candles at the end of the day.  It just looked too much.  My sister, Omolara and Yewande of Aquarian Touch did a FAB job!  Feedback I got was that it all looked TRES glam!  Shame I saw it when the whole place was filled with the over 1,400 guests we had set up for!
 
But hang on… I think the decorator may have some on her blog.  Yup!  Thought as much!  She does.  Though I can’t see the same images my sister-in-law has, you can still check out some of the pictures on:
 
http://aquariantoucheventsng.blogspot.com/2013/07/hollywood-regency.html
 
Warning… there is a lotta black!  Haha!
Great!  And moving on to….
The Cake!  Cakes by Andy Clark did SUCH a FAB job!  Stunning cake right?!
The Ushers from Darling Ushers.com…. 
 
Bimpe who supplied the ushers was just fabulous!  Thanks to Yewande of Aquarian Touch who recommended her!  Ok… they wore the same black dress but with a different waistband.  We needed a bit more white/silver since there was so much black in the hall already!  They looked soooo chic and hawt!  But they also WORKED!  I was impressed!  Will get the real pictures…
Some of the guests…
Adora & Bisola…. my KPMG colleagues and ex-Slackers crew (or what we used to call ourselves…) Wonder what happened to us… 🙁  We all used to have so much fun as a group!  Guess work caught up with a lot of us!  Oh yeah… and some got posted outside the country.  Adora!  I still need my Slackers T-Shirt thank you!
 
Oh.. and there’s one of my staff in the background.  Gosh… they worked tirelessly to deliver on all the clothes we had to make for the wedding, especially the ones for my mum and my siblings…
 Friends from Ife… L-R: Anu, Brownie, Chioma, Tunde, Ifeoma & Tope
 
Gosh it was so great!  People flew in from all over.  Abuja, Portharcourt, the UK, the UAE, Kenya… my goodness… I was just completely amazed!!!  I have never felt so loved in my entire life.  The buzz I got from this was wayyyyy more than I got on my birthday!!!  People actually going the extra mile.  I even had friends from Primary School, QC, KPMG, my LGE crew, my students (past and present), colleagues in the Industry, my NYSC ex-students, name it, they were there….  It was completely amazing and like a reunion for so many…. I was soooo happy!!!!!
 
AND our grand entrance… 😀

 

 

Can’t imagine what was going through my head in that picture on the left! 8-/

 

 

Just got these off my friend Chioma.  Interesting that I don’t even remember when all this was going on… But clearly that’s me so I know I was there… haha…:-D
 And that is what we changed into after cutting the cake to do some more dancing!!! 😀
😀 😀 😀  Shame you can’t really see the structured panel lines in this dress… 🙁
 
Gosh!  I danced and danced and partied and partied and of course… the best part… got sprayed!!! 😀 😀 😀  Thanks to the excellent band Mr Olamide of Peace & Joy Band all the way from Ibadan! You guys DEFINITELY HAVE TO use them at all your parties!  They are simply the best and the saxophonist was just FABULOUS!!!  I think we left at 8pm.  But the party wasn’t over yet!  Thanks to DJ Atte of 102.7 Naija FM the party continued till who knows when?!  I know some people told me they got home at 12am.
 
Boy was it a FAB day!!!  I slept all weekend!  But in true Naija style, the parties were not over.  We continued the following weekend at the Thanksgiving in Ife where my husband’s parents live.  And we got back on Monday.  And after the last round of partying, I was back in hospital after a relapse.  Too much partying they said!  Haha!!!  A different kind of stress from too much enjoyment!!!  But I am MUCH MUCH better now!!!!!  Looking forward to a whole new life ahead!
 
BOY!!!!  Looks like I’ve told you the whole story right?!  Well not quite!  This is just the beginning…  You just saw the end of it!  My next few posts will be how it all started…. right from the very beginning…
 
For those who are curious what my new name is now?  Well… my husband’s name is Ayodeji Adewunmi.  But thankfully, I married a modern man who has told me I can still retain my maiden name…. so you can still call me Tope Williams.  😀 … or if you feel better… Tope Williams-Adewunmi.  T.Williams or T.Williams-Adewunmi same difference… I’m still the same person all the way… 😀
 
Have a great weekend all!  And here’s wishing my husband and I a HAPPY MARRIED LIFE and lots of God’s guidance and blessings today and always.  Here’s hoping and wishing you say a prayer for us too.
 
AMEN in advance!
 
Cheers!  MWAH!
 
Oh… PS.  I’ll tell you how I met my husband (gosh…. that sounds so strangeeeee…..  I’m so used to calling him my friend when introducing him to people…) in another post.  But I’ll give you a hint…  Check out this previous article… ;-D
 
http://www.fashionbeyondstitches.com/2012/04/what-happened-headroom.html
 
Yup!  That’s the HE!  Ayodeji Adewunmi, CEO of Jobberman.com.  Haha… classic case of “no dulling”! 😀 😀 😀
 
Oh PS!  PS!!
 
My phones are still inactive so if you can’t reach me, please be patient.  My Blackberry should be active soon enough.  Or if it isn’t, I’ll be available end of July.  
 
Cheers!
 
Enjoy!  MWAH!!!
Lessons to Learn from 2 Year Olds…

Lessons to Learn from 2 Year Olds…

by | Jun 12, 2013 | Fashion Beyond Stitches

Pictures obtained from Blackberry contacts
 
Pretty inspiring pictures right?  Yes I thought so too.  I stumbled upon them in my picture library a few minutes ago… pictures I had saved because they taught me a very important lesson.  And since there is love in sharing, I decided to share them on my blog! 😀
 

How did I get them?  Amazing tool that Blackberry thingy is.  I was going through my contacts’ Blackberry display pictures sometime last year when I saw this picture my friend put up of her niece.  I was so inspired by the picture, I immediately used it as my own dp as well (with permission of course) and soon after, another contact sent me a picture of his nephew doing the exact same thing.

 
Amazing lessons one learns from people we are meant to teach right?  It’s all about the “can-do” and “must-do” attitude… without thinking too hard of what the consequences may be.  Simply put, taking risks!  Many of us would not dare… I know right now, I would think 10 times before attempting such.  But no wonder some of us are still busy making plans when all we need to do is “just do it”!  The whole “what if” so consumes us, we forget that it is not so difficult to backtrack.
 
Bringing this down to our work and personal lives, I have chatted to many people who know they should be doing something else or making other moves but are too scared to take the plunge.  And with good reason too.  But we end up spending valuable time overanalyzing so much that before we know it, it’s a New Year and we are still making the same resolutions we made 5 years earlier.  
 
For me, I am the kind of person who takes the plunge and thankfully, so far, it has worked out.  Yes I have had my fingers burnt many times but I have learnt from the mistakes made and moved on.  When I left accounting for fashion, I did not really have much of a long-term plan.  All I knew was that it was something I wanted to do and worked towards it, giving myself a timeframe.  At the time I applied for the visa, I had no clue who would pay the tuition fees but I still forged ahead (with lots of prayers obviously), knowing one way or the other, it would work out.  And when I got the travel documents, there was no turning back.  Till tomorrow, I have no regrets and I am thankful everyday.  Done it, did it, liked it, loved it!
 
I know many of us have heard talk like this before so it’s nothing new.  For those considering a career in the fashion industry or any other industry for that matter, I am not saying what worked for me will also work for you.  But at least, make the move.  You can use your spare time to get the knowledge you require and work towards it.  You will be glad you did.  And if you don’t like it or you get burnt, well, at least you have learnt from it.  You know what they say… “better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all”.  At least now you know!
 
For these kids, they probably had not considered how to get through the door.  The major concern is getting the door open first.  I am sure they eventually got through the door somehow.  Worst case, they would have fallen, bumped their heads, cried their eyes out (or not… if no one’s watching) and moved on!  And that’s the way life works!  You have to try it!  That’s what makes living fun and gives you enough stories to tell.  As long as you “let go and let God”, you’ll be surprised how easy things will work out for you.
 
Many many many thanks and do enjoy the rest of your week!
 
Cheers! 
The Real Meaning of the Word “Couture”…

The Real Meaning of the Word “Couture”…

by | Apr 30, 2013 | Fashion Beyond Stitches

OOPS!  I did it again! 🙁

  
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BAZzulZ9hxE/UC6521lYCmI/AAAAAAAAGRE/vxqKLubZ_uk/s1600/smileyEmbarsassed.png
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RF1DhCq2Frk/TlbMWzk3lWI/AAAAAAAAFTA/DlA6xdiLI-s/s1600/embarrassed-emoticon-71.png


Yes these 2 emoticons just about capture exactly how I feel right now! 🙁  Pretty embarrassing that it’s been exactly a month since I last updated my blog.  I really need to start fining myself.
Has it been really hectic for me?!  Well… sort of… but clearly that is not an excuse right?!  I thought so too.  My bad!  I wish I could say it will not happen again but honestly, I am not so sure.  All I can offer is my apologies…and hope you all give me time to sort myself out.  It will be busy in the next few weeks.

Great!  That said!  Moving on to today’s topic…

So it is pretty common for fashion companies here (and I am sure in many parts of the world) to include the word “couture” in their brand names.  Of course the word “couture” sounds so posh, it actually took me ages to figure out the real pronunciation.  

Yes we do know it is a French word but I often wonder if many people who use the word in their brand names actually know the meaning or have the right to use the word.  

NOW please note that the purpose of this post is not to call anyone ignorant… neither is it to get anyone to change their already registered business names.  It is simply for knowledge purposes.  I know someone once asked me if she needed to change her business name after our discussion and her research and I told her it was not necessary since a business name is different from a brand/trade name.  I’m sure lawyers can educate us more on this.

But anywayz… back to the topic… What does couture actually mean?!


Givenchy Fall 2011 Couture
http://www.dressful.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Givenchy-Fall-2011-couture.jpg

_______________________________________

“Haute Couture consists of secrets whispered from generation to generation … If, in ready-to-wear, a garment is manufactured according to standard sizes, the haute couture garment adapts to any imperfection in order to eliminate it.”

– Yves Saint Laurent 
(from http://www.dressful.com/583/what-is-the-definition-of-haute-couture)
_______________________________________
I had written this article several times in my head but finally got the nudge I needed to post this when sometime last week, I clicked on my daily digest from the Business of Fashion (BOF) and read, with a huge grin on my face, about a topic I had been meaning to write on for a long time.  It was just what I needed to back up my position on the term “couture“, which had formed the basis for many debates in the past between other designers, students and I.

The first paragraph read:

“Haute couture, completely bespoke, handmade garments created with the highest-quality fabrics, sits at the pinnacle of luxury fashion craftsmanship and exclusivity. In fact, the very term ‘haute couture’ is protected by law in France. And rules dictated by the Parisian Chamber of Commerce and Industry require members of the haute couture club to adhere to very strict guidelines pertaining to their runway shows, ateliers and artisans, to name but a few.”  

[Read the rest of the article at  http://www.businessoffashion.com/2013/04/fashion-means-business-haute-couture.html?utm_source=Subscribers&utm_campaign=9c22c9d904-&utm_medium=email]

Of course, throughout my studies, I always knew that couture was not a word “for the faint-hearted” designer.  I knew design houses which had the right to describe their work as couture had to meet at least, the following criteria:

1.   Each garment they produced had to be made specifically for one client; 
2.  Each extremely detailed garment was produced after pain-staking work using intricate hand-executed techniques which utilized lots of man-hours and/or personnel; 
3.  The design house had to belong to a certain Association in Paris with stringent rules for its members; and there are only a handful in the world;
4.  The finished garments were very expensive… oh naturally… it had to be when you think about the materials and effort that went into creating the clothes; and
5.  The term “high fashion” was used in place of the term “couture” for designers whose work “sort of” fell into the category but did not meet the criteria.

So I took a quick trip on Google to see if I could find articles that confirmed my position and here is what I found on Wikipedia:

“French for “high sewing” or “high dressmaking” or “high fashion” refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing.”

“Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer…”   (I believe this tallies with my  first point);

“… and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses,…” (also tallies with my points 2 and 4);

“…often using time consuming, hand-executed techniques” – Touché!  I believe this is Point 2.

“In Modern France, haute couture is a protected name that can be used only by firms that meet certain well-defined standards…” established by the “chambre syndicale de la haute couture”.  (Clearly my point 3)

Of course many have argued that the definition has been watered down to mean “the business of designing, making and selling highly fashionable, usually custom-made clothing for women”.  I got that from thefreedictionary.com.  

But truth is, the term “highly fashionable” or high fashion cannot be separated from couture.  The real question here is how many of us create high fashion clothing?  Yes I know, high fashion is a relative term, but an easier question to answer is how many belong to that Association in Paris?   So I do not dub the whole article, you can read the criteria here and the rest of the article here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haute_couture

Ah wait… there is more… I love conducting research!  😀

http://mag.weddingcentral.com.au/bridal/couture.htm went on to state that:

“The differences between a couturier and a dressmaker are many… a dressmaker will follow a commercial pattern and use basic sewing skills to make a dress according to a given design specified by the customer, with one or two fittings. 

A couturier, however, will design a gown exclusively for you, select and source exclusive specialized fabrics, construct a pattern from your measurements, and fit the first version of this pattern on you in calico (this is called a toile). Once the toile has been altered to fit you exactly, the couturier will then cut the fabric into the perfected pattern and gradually complete the gown through a number of specific fittings, usually around four or five. Hand beading, embroidery, hand painting and other unique finishing touches are applied once the gown is finished.”

So now, after seeing all this, what says you?!  I can safely tell you that many of us around here do not go through half of the processes stated, well at least I know many do not use patterns, create toiles or have that many fittings.  Moreover, many who call themselves couture houses neither use the materials or techniques nor have the skills or manpower to operate as couture houses.  I doubt our african prints are that expensive… at least I am yet to find one that is soooo expensive.  And clearly most do not belong to that association in Paris.

The same article also stated that:

“Generally, the timeframe for a couture gown is six to eight months, although of course there are some exceptions depending on the size of the business and how busy that particular couturier is. Booking in advance is always a good idea, as couturiers can get booked out many months ahead…”

Nah… not our “couture houses” here.  They churn out clothes in like 5 days.. or even less.  And this is not me mocking anyone…. no far from it.    I wonder if many have seen the production of wedding gowns made from lace.  

I had the privilege of visiting a bridal wear house once and my goodness!  The  detail in their work was overwhelming!  You know how we just cut through lace patterns?  Nope they definitely do not do that.  The seamstresses had to “mould” the lace over the corset by cutting “around” the flowers and stitching them back together by hand.  No wonder those gowns are that expensive.  Like seriously!  Who has that patience?!  

I did a bit of that in school as well… lace moulding on a corset that is.  My goodness!  Remember that model I used for my FEC 1 flyer?  That’s the corset she was wearing.  I bet you cannot tell that that much work went into it.  I must have pricked myself enough times from the hand-stitching and the beading.  Impatient me used large stitches to stitch the lace back together and my teacher tried to get me to redo it but there was no way I was going to redo that work!  Here’s a close up of that corset. 


Ok granted, my work was pretty errr… (…) fill in the gap… but can you see the handstitching?  Nah… didn’t think so.  Neither can I!  But I did the work, corset looked great  and I can tell you for free that if I had to redo it for someone else, I would charge an arm, a leg and 2 ribs!  Ok… well maybe just the arm and 1 rib seeing the fabric and the lace wasn’t that expensive… 

But my point is, couture work is no joke and you definitely cannot charge N8k or even N10k for it.  I would place a couture designer in the same boat as a tailor.  Both are Masters at their game and many of us are farrrrrr from it.  Even fully established designers in other areas do not use the term to describe their work much less we over here that have sooo much to learn.  So please let us use the proper terms when describing what we do.  

Ok so what if you have already adopted the name “couture” as part of your brand?  Well I would say you have 3 options:  

1.  Simply drop the term “couture”; 
2.  Replace it with something else like “high fashion”; or
3. Just continue with the name… after all, in this environment and others for that matter, many do not give a hoot!

And if you are in the process of thinking of a brand name…. well at least now you know what not to include.  

NOTE that I am referring to your “brand name” not your business name.  For those who have already registered the name, this does not prevent you from having another brand name.  Same way Vee Networks then was trading as V-Mobile.  V-Mobile was the brand name which everyone knew the company as while Vee Networks was the registered company name.  

Great!  I think I am done!  You all have a great week ahead and here’s me wishing you a Happy New Month in advance!  😀

Cheers!
And So I Made the Cover of Another Financial Magazine… :-D :-D :-D

And So I Made the Cover of Another Financial Magazine… :-D :-D :-D

by | Mar 20, 2013 | T.Williams

FinIntell Magazine – Pages 44 – 51

 

Haha!  Not bad for a fashion designer huh?!  2 covers in 1 quarter.  I’m not exactly sure of how I managed to get on the cover of a Financial / Business Magazine but I guess I must have impressed them after the interview.
 
So I got a call on Monday that the interview came out in the February – March 2013 edition but I almost fell when I saw the cover!  WHAT a surprise I tell you!  I so was not expecting it but what can I say… a whole 8 pages!!!  Like wow-wee!!!  Ok… I really have to calm down now…  Initially I was surprised when they came with their photographer, camera and props and all but guess the pictures speak for themselves!  They look stunning!  The brains behind the magazine clearly take it seriously!
 
BUT…
 
I am sure some of you may not have heard about FinIntell so I’ll give you a brief overview of the magazine.

 

Well FinIntell (Financial Intelligence) is and I quote “a monthly magazine that provides authentic up-to-date information on businesses in Nigeria”.  It is “Your Indispensable Guide to Doing Business in Nigeria”.
 
The magazine is available at newsstands and from vendors and is also available by subscription.  And from what I see, it is also available in Ghana and South Africa.   
 
For this edition, I am also a vendor!  😀  Naturally… so if you would like a copy, it’s only N1,000 each!  This particular edition has to get to as many people as it possibly can!  I have pretty much shoved it down everyone’s throat!  So please embarrass me by ordering 50 copies each and handing it to your students, your colleagues, your customers, etc.  😀  The interview is on pages 44 to 51.
 
From what I have read so far, they seem to be passionate about SMEs… judging from the SME Conference coming up soon.  So for more details, daily news and market reports, do visit www.myfinancialintelligence.com.  You can also download the e-mag from there.  And please… do send them an e-mail thanking them on my behalf!  It has been great! 

Here I am thanking the editor, the interviewer, the photographer and definitely my student, Unini for recommending me and Eben-J, her husband.  You guys are really the very best!  Thank you all so VERY VERY MUCH!!!  And of course, all the greatest praise goes to God!  HE made it happen!

 
And here’s hoping you all have had as fab a week as I have had so far!  Please make sure you encourage a sister by getting a copy for yourself!
 
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Cheers!
WHAT an Excellent Birthday!!! :-D

WHAT an Excellent Birthday!!! :-D

by | Feb 26, 2013 | T.Williams

Taken from a friend’s BB display picture 😀

Yup! I sure am!  Just check out my pictures and tell me I’m lying… hahaha.

Yes!  It’s now 3 minutes past my birthday, 26 Feb [just so you know :-D] and I guess I can officially say I had an EXCELLENT DAY!  What did I do?!  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! 😀 😀 😀  Well…

…apart from binging on the absolutely HUMONGOUS fruit basket I got… goodness me… I have never seen so much work.. no scratch that… so much artwork done with fruit before in my life!  Those chocolate covered strawberries were just THE BOMB!  


And let us not forget the absolutely amazing cheesecake with blueberry topping!  Goodness me, the only sad thing about today was putting on all that weight I spent the last week or two trying to lose.  But I’m sure I’ll get over it.  I take solace in the fact that it was for a good cause 😀  From later today, I’m back to the early morning and late night glass of hot water.  I hear it works wonders.  😉  I’ll stick with that till I summon up enough courage to start jogging on the streets in the wee hours of the morning.

So anywayz, I decided to postpone my meetings, my movie (yes I promised myself I’d watch The Life of Pi) and dinner (someone was not too happy with this decision) and stay indoors throughout… well except for the quick stopover at my mom’s.  But yes… today was a great day!  I think the only thing I did apart from sleep was sew myself a dress…  Ok I haven’t finished it yet but at least I started and boy was it highly therapeutic.  I had almost forgotten how much I enjoyed sewing for pleasure (yes I had to emphasize that).  

So now I’m taking a break from my sewing…  Hopefully when I’m done with this post, my batteries would be fully charged and then I can get back to responding to my BB messages.  And then start on my Facebook messages later today (insert-scary-look-emoticon-in-here)…

So what was the best part of my day you ask?  …apart from doing diddly squat?!  Well… I would say the food (definitely the food!) and catching up with people I hadn’t heard from in ages…(yes, I have people who call me just once a year haha…).   But top of the list would definitely be, of course the many many prayers and kind words I received.  Here’s just one of the many I have read so far…  

“This is the start of great things for you God-willing.  Please remember not to shane who you are as a person.  Like I always tell you, you are a dying breed amongst our women.  Stay strong and remain thankful for what you have and the positive people around you.  Wishing you many many more years filled with good health, love and happiness”.  

Haha!  My head is just swelling!  But he is right… not about the dying breed bit haha… but about being thankful.  And I really am… thankful that I am surrounded by lots of people who spared a lot more than 5 seconds to share my day with me… You guys made my day!  And seeing my picture on many people’s updates was just the icing on the cake! 😀

Here are some of the popular ones…

And one from wayyy back… 😀


So yes yes!  That was how my day went!

Thank you so much everyone!!!  As you have shown me kindness, may you always receive favor wherever you go.  God bless you loads!

Of course before I sign off, I always have to wish my other mates a happy birthday as well… Abayomi Sadiku, Omoba Joe, Patrick Fovie, Tracy, Toyosi, Aya Musty & Omakin… and many others lucky enough to share this special day with me.  For those who do not know, the 26 February is a very special day!  The 26th day of February of every year (leap year or not) always falls on both New Year’s Day and Christmas Day!  Yup!  Check it out!  I told you I was special! 😉  As someone else said in his update, “I am a Seed from the Lineage of GRACE“! 😀

I hope you all had a great day as well!  Do have a great night’s rest and have a fab week! 

MWAH!