OPAL CONFESSIONS

LOOK OUT BELOW

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 22 Sep 2013 15:31:00 +0000

Unfortunately I don't have pictures of the full outfit but the dress and the shoes were both gifts and made a beautiful combination, African fabrics are one of the most vibrant and I was feeling very proud wearing them.

I was to busy at the event preparing the participants for the pageant that when I remembered to photograph myself it was the next day and I was in my pj's with my hair all messy.

ROLE MODEL MANIA

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 21 Sep 2013 15:13:00 +0000

Role models ...

... We're always on the prowl for them, especially parents. Parents desperately seeking role models for their kids. For a good few years I always wondered why there was this obsession for having people 'the kids should look up to'.
Parents seem to look everywhere, especially allover the media but there is always one place that tends to get overlooked - at home. I'm sure the phrase 'home is where the heart is' could and should apply to this to right?
Why not be that role model that you are so desperately seeking?
I'm not sure if it's due to feeling inadequate, or not really thinking about it but a lot of the times we are pushed to find role models ... out there, in the big wide world.
These days, a lot of parenting is done outside of the home, with people actually spending less time at home. Kids are in school most of the day, parents are working most their days and the weekends both are too busy to spend time with the other.
We expect the education system to discipline the kids, and celebrities (who for the most part are kids themselves) to lead kids down the right path.
These should take root at the home and maybe a little influenced by these outside factors and not the other way round. Rather than pushing the likes of Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus on the kids and then flying into rages when they either grow up or if they don't live up to the expectations put on them.
Role models are just simply role models,they aren't gods - they are human beings too and as humans we are known for making mistakes.
If we can get kids to love themselves just half as much as their idols, then the right path is already being achieved. Role model ideals are meant to be adaptable and transferable and relevant to our lives and we are meant to find ways to filter those positive ideals into our lives and not the other way round.
Kids just need to learn to love themselves, appreciate themselves and learn to want to be the best that they can be and the best people that can teach them that are the parents.

BLACK + RED PT.2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 21 Sep 2013 12:53:00 +0000

I know that I have mentioned a liking for gold but I also like other colours too.

I'm fond of colours in general but red is the best, it's my favourite!

BLACK + RED

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 21:38:00 +0000

The case to my iphone, I made it myself - decoden is sometimes my thing.

FUN, FUNKY NAILS

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 20:59:00 +0000

I GREW SOME EARS!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 20:47:00 +0000

... pretty cute ones too!

THANK YOU DAD, MY PSP IS PINK!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 13:12:00 +0000

This is a belated post that is dedicated to my dad belatedly on his birthday, as he got another year older on September 7th and it now the 13th already. For many years of my life I was the apple of his eye - spoiled, loved and not being able to do no wrong.

I think that was mostly to do with the fact that I was his only child and kept him quite occupied for a good eleven years. There was also the factor that I didn't live with him that may have definately come into play.

This story begins when I was 16, so a good number of years ago (I'm 24 pushing swiftly onto 25 now).
It was a time where the spoiling came about a lot less but I'm okay with that because by then I had two younger siblings that had come into existence by then and the attentions were now fairly being diverted towards them. I somehow got the spoiling without the brattyness, which I think is pretty cool.
But like many teen daughter-father relationships, we drifted a little as I strayed further away from being a little girl and I was sure that there were many things that my dad didn't know about me - and he proved me wrong.
I have always been a fan of Pink, she is the personification of super-badass and I had no idea that my dad was even remotely aware of that until one day when we were at Brent Cross, I can't remember what reason he gave for us to go there but after I finished school, I headed over to meet him there. After browsing, and catching-up and buying a few things for my brother and sister, we were just hanging about there.
It was near Christmas season and Brent Cross was looking kinda pretty.
I thought we were walking around aimlessly but it turned out he was casually leading us towards GAME and when we came to a stop outside it, he mumbled something and stepped inside. I'm not going to lie, I was confused - my dad isn't much of a gamer and my siblings were pretty much toddlers, so I didn't understand why he felt the urge to browse but as I was quite the avid gamer, I didn't complain and headed inside.
That was when the mystery no longer stayed mysterious and that was because not only did my dad reveal that he was more than aware of my fandom for Pink but also for gaming and he thought that it would be pretty awesome to have the two combined by purchasing me the limited edition pink version of the psp with bonus material from Pink ... I'm not going to lie - I thought that it was pretty awesome too!
I don't play or use it nowhere near as much as I should (life caught up and consumed my time - as it should) but it is something that I do cherish because it symbolises the fact that my dad did take note of what I was into, which is pretty heartwarming.

I took it to another level by pimping out the case, totally decoden style.

OUR ACTIONS DEFINE US

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 22:05:00 +0000

" not everything is black & white, not everyone is just good or evil - there is some gray matter and we should be judged by our actions "

ISLAMAPHOBIA PARANOIA

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 17:00:00 +0000

It's getting a little too much.

How comfortable we have all become blaming Islam and Islamists and the Middle East in general for all our problems. There are so many holes in that theory to sink my teeth into that I almost don't know where to begin.

First of all, like many other religions - Islam is everywhere. Let that fact sink in for just a little while.

It's not confined to Pakistan, Afghanistan or Al-Qaeda.

Islam is a religion right? And just like other religions (i.e Christianity), there is Islam in every continent of the world but unlike Christianity which is welcomed with almost open arms, Islam has everyone up in arms. It is considered a threat, something very strange and different.

There are Muslims in Europe, the majority may have come as immigrants but they are here.

There are Muslims in other African regions besides the northern region, take a look at Nigeria, Angola, Sudan - the populations may not be as large as Egypt or Algeria but they are there.

There are Muslims in Asia, where Islam began but not just in south or western regions that we attack on a regular basis but also in the orient - e.g. Cambodia, Brunei and Malaysia.

There are even Muslims in America, the country that seems to fear them the most.

Now I am more than aware that some horrendous things have been done in the name of Islam and/or Allah but according to history Christians weren't shy of doing the same things either, all in the name of religion.

We waste so much energy being hateful towards Muslims because of their faith, and we condemn millions because of a minority. I thought the idea wasn't to judge a book by it's cover but judging people by their actions.

As a populace we are all a little prejudice, some even racist but I thought the idea was to overcome it, not be engulfed by it.

When I am going about my day, I have better things to occupy my mind than keeping an eye on the man wearing a thobe or the woman in a hijab when on the bus or train "in case they are carrying a bomb".

It's silly, I may as well find all sorts of reasons to be fearful of different people for all sorts of reasons and become a nervous wreck.

Have a panic attack whenever I see a soldier because you never know if they are suffering from PTSD and may just shoot everybody.
Pee my pants whenever I see a youth in a hoodie because he's up to no good.
Become paralysed with fear whenever I see a black guy at night because he's out to rob and rape.

Is it really necessary to persecute millions because of a select much fewer?

If that is the cause then every single one of us should be on the line, we are always to busy finding reasons to hate one another.

BLACK + GOLD PT.2 [FT. MUSIC]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 16:11:00 +0000

Part 2 of the [BLACK + GOLD] post.

I was having one of those throwback moments where a song from my "teenage-hood" came on ... aahhhh the memories. Good ones ... Kelly was my bias.

That and the fact that I am partial to Skullcandy headphones ...

Woop woop! Put your hands up!

A MIRACULOUS PRODUCT

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 14:42:00 +0000

Shea butter is an amazing product and it's one that everyone (man and woman) should have at home - it does work wonders and it has become increasingly available in the mainstream market.

I'm not good at skincare regimes (aside from the basics), so I always try to keep it minimal so that it feels less like a regime. As of late, I have had a few problems with my skin where at times I felt massively ashamed of it and struggled to go out without trying to hide it (from make-up to scarves), until I finally made the commitment to use shea butter. The reason why I resisted was principally because I was not too fond of the texture, it literally does feel like butter and it took a few applications to get used to but after hearing stories of the wonders it was doing (from members of my own family), and Bing able to see the changes with my own eyes - I became less sceptical an started using it sparingly on problem areas, my spots.

Two weeks ago I noticed the aggressive and painful acne on my face become less angry and diminish. The spots have gone and now I am using it more regularly for the scarring the angry dudes left behind and although it's early days, it seems to slowly be working as I find myself using less make-up and other items to hid my face.

Overall, the condition of my skin has improved and I hope that it will only continue to do so.

BLACK + GOLD

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 15:23:00 +0000

I am a big fan of gold as mentioned in the [ALL THAT GLITTERS IS GOLD] post. There are many colours it goes well with, right now I'm into gold and black ... and have been for a while to be honest.

Cross Necklace: Primark

Leggings: New Look

Headphones: Skullcandy

Earrings: Urban Outfitters

MARY KAY MADNESS

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 15:08:00 +0000

As I mentioned in a [previous] post that my mum is a Mary Kay Rep(resentative) and the uber-girly side of me is excited to have so many products inside the house! (Mum was busy having a meeting with another representative whilst I was busy fan-girling - oh so professional of me.)

SKULL + CROSSBONES

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 20:26:00 +0000

Luna my pervert little baby - she likes to watch me get nakey and ready.

STARLIGHT

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 20:03:00 +0000

Christmas lights at Regent Street a few years back somewhere around 2011/2010.

1STWP #1ONE: DISDAIN FOR THE SHOWER CURTAIN

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 15:35:00 +0000

I know I have mentioned it at least once before on twitter ...

I DISLIKE SHOWER CURTAINS!

They can be pretty and decorative and they are anti-splash by stopping water from splashing outside of the bath, but still ...

I DISLIKE SHOWER CURTAINS!

What exactly did they do to me to cause such disdain - shower curtains have this way of getting all up in your personal space! I like my personal space and only a select few are welcome into it (boyfriend ily *cheesegrin*).
A shower curtain is certainly not welcome, it's purpose is to provide privacy - not invade it and that seems to be it's favourite pastime. Hot water comes on, shower curtain gets all embracy and huggy as though trying to wrap you into some weird bundle of one-sided love. Ugh!
I don't like the feeling, it kinda, mostly grosses me out at it's plasticy touch.

There is actually a name for it - The shower-curtain effect, which according to wikipedia is ' the phenomenon in which a shower curtain gets blown inward with a running shower. '

It feels good to know that there are plenty of other people that have overly amorous shower curtains, enough for it to be relevant and although I have discovered that you can get shower curtains that don't concave and convex - I'd rather just not have one.

1, 2, 3

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 14:24:00 +0000

ALL THAT GLITTERS IS GOLD

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 15:08:00 +0000

I like gold, the way it sparkles in the sunlight and it goes with a lot of colours too. Even cheap Primark nail polish can be pretty.

These nails were a little decoden inspired and made me feel like a little lady and I must make some time to them again.

IT'S RAINING, IT'S POURING

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 14:29:00 +0000

After the blistering and very much welcome heat of yesterday - today ... Well it's back to the usual UK weather we know, cloudy and rainy.

Despite that, I thought that adding a little yellow and gold to my black skinnies is exactly what the right kind of pick-me-up.

Ahh sunglasses, I miss wearing any of these already ...

Black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow ... with a hint of pink too.

LIVE . LAUGH . LOVE

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 13:31:00 +0000

It really is that simple.

THE ONE WHERE WE SOLVED THE MYSTERY OF THE ALIEN BABY

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 07:14:00 +0000

And so I have a brother (make that 3 in total), but this story is about the youngest.

And I also have a sister (that would be 2 in total), but the youngest didn't exist just then - so this involves the middle one.

And I also have a cousin (like I'm going to bother to count them - they're endless), but this one involves a slightly older one I grew up with.

And the my sister and my cousin both came to believe that my younger brother (who was a baby at that time), was an alien ...

... NO JOKE.

They had convinced themselves to the point that not only did some relatives think they were crazy, the slightly more paranoid believed them and they themselves felt freaked out being left alone in charge of baby brother. And just to confirm - no, nobody in the family is actually that crazy but there are many sufferers of hyperactive imaginations formed by irrational conclusions.

How the story began ...

Before the mystery was solved and put to rest, we must go way back to the beginning. Our baby brother was born a genius, equipped with super smarts that exhibited themselves from the day he entered this world.

Everything he did was early, from sitting up, talking, crawling, walking, etc. He flew through the stages.

Now the story of him being an alien was began with my sister and cousin, triggered by his super speedy advancement. They had briefly mentioned their suspicions before but like many, I just thought them being silly. I only realised how truly freaked out they were when the grown-ups went out and the three of us were in the house, left in charge of sleeping baby brother who was upstairs.
After a while baby brother wakes up and starts crying, wanting to be comforted and craving attention and probably hungry after a good old nap. I was downstairs and the two were scattered somewhere around the house but I knew they were closer to baby brother so I assumed that they would bring him down where all three of us would smother him with attention and get him fed ... until they both approached me that was.
They were too freaked out to approach him and if I could get him and bring him downstairs, I just thought they were being silly and went and got him and brought him downstairs.
Whilst food was being prepared and we were all entertaining him, I asked them out of curiosity what on earth made them think that baby brother was an alien?
The answer?
Even though baby brother couldn't quite walk yet he somehow had the uncanny ability to get himself downstairs without anybody noticing or figuring how he would get downstairs in the first place. I just thought they were exaggerating and figured that someone must have just plopped him downstairs without anyone realising (it was a busy household after all). I brushed all those thoughts aside, until the next day.
Naptime was quickly approaching and so I went to take baby brother upstairs afterwards I came back down the stairs, only to have the shock of my life as I glanced backwards.
Why?
There was baby brother sat at the bottom of the stairs, looking back up at me with a the biggest grin on his face, and the shock of suddenly seeing him there when I had just left him in his cot made me yelp. That was what attracted the attention of my cousin and sister who only had "see?! I told you so!" to tell me as I explained what happened.
I just picked up baby brother and put him back in the cot and went back downstairs, I turned round just to check and there he was, chuckling away. This kid had a secret and he knew it.
I made it my mission to find out what it was. And find out was what I did.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: SPY TIME
I gathered my sister and cousin, picked up baby brother again but this time before setting him into his cot, I told the girls to hide somewhere where they could watch him without being seen. This baby was smart, we just needed to outsmart him.
After they hid in the neighbouring rooms, I set him down like usual (cuddles and kisses and all) and made my way slowly out of the room. He kept his beady eyes on me until I left, I then pretended that I was going down the stairs but in reality I had hid in the bathroom. Baby brother had already sprung into action because I barely had enough time to hide as he went crawling past like Speedy Gonzales and headed straight for the stairs.
I watched as baby brother got himself into position (seated upright) and shuffled his way on his butt (using the nappy as a cushion) downstairs. The way and the speed he did it in was a little creepy to watch, something about the way he moved so quick reminded me of a scurrying spider. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he just sat there waiting to surprise someone.
That was when we all came out of our hiding places and ended up surprising him. His little face when he saw us creeping behind him. He probably realised we discovered his secret but he chuckled anyway. Now that we could see that it wasn't teleportation that brought baby brother downstairs, just his super smarts, the next thing we were stumped with was how he managed to get out of the cot in the first place?

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: SPY TIME - TAKE 2
So once again, baby brother was taken upstairs, my cousin and sister hid in the neighbouring rooms and I placed baby brother in his cot and then left, knowing he was watching me the entire time. But this time I quickly crouched down and watched him through the crack by the door hinges. I believe baby brother should have received a medal for what I saw.
Baby brother's cot was in the parent's room, his cot adjacent to their bed and with that, what he did was this.
He would use the cot bars to lift himself up, once standing he would place his little feet through the bars to reach the bed and that would raise him up a notch or two. Using this new height advantage he would then fling himself over the cot and land on parents bed (seriously), he would wait for the bouncing to stop and then he would roll across the bed super fast to the other side and then with his little palms cling onto the duvet.
( Now if you have been exposed to a baby, whether its your child, sibling, grandson, niece/nephew etc, you will know that a baby grips like a vice. )
Once his grip was secure he would slowly lower himself to the ground and like I had mentioned earlier, crawl like Speedy Gonzales to the stairs. Now if only you were there to see the look of surprise on his face when I intercepted him.
I picked him up, put him back in the cot but this time before leaving I separated the cot from the bed, and that was when his face fell. The jig was up and he knew it, the chasm I had created between his cot and the exit was something he knew he couldn't traverse and he began bawling straight away.
I kissed him and left the room, the didn't last anywhere near 5mins - naptime had already approached and all that cheeky adventuring had tired him out anyway.
He was soon fast asleep and that was the one where we solved the mystery of the alien baby.

FOCUS ON IMPROVING YOURSELF, INSTEAD OF THOSE AROUND YOU

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 19:39:00 +0000

“Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.”

- Confucius

MAMA IS A MARY KAY REP

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 16:57:00 +0000

Yes she is and there are always goodies in the house!

Mama is a London based Mary Kay lady (representing in North-West London). I don't know the direct link to her page (but I will update as soon as I get it), but in the meantime you are more than welcome to leave any inquiries or requests as a comment related to this post.

MORE MICKEY MOUSE + CROSSES

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 10:57:00 +0000

This is just part 2two of previous outfit post 'MICKEY MOUSE + CROSSES', which can be found by clicking here.

FIND YOUR OWN 'SLICE' OF HEAVEN

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 09:37:00 +0000

This one is mine.

I woke up to this view one day, the sun was on my face and although my eyes were not happy about the initial glare, once they got over that - the view was so nice, the sun felt so warm and the sky was so blue that it felt good and it made me smile ...

I rolled over to grab the phone and took a snapshot - my heavenly moment immortalised forever.

It is definately something I look back on whenever the chimera of sh*tty days feels the need to rear its unwanted and ugly face.

BUT WHAT'S YOURS?

It can be something tiny or even something of grandeur but either way make sure that it is your own bit of heaven and not the idea of heaven pushed onto you by others. The 'slice' of heaven is yours - why should other people be telling you what it is like or shoving their own ideals into it?

Think of it as a game of The Sims - you have built your perfect town/city, with all the people, buildings and whatever other trappings you want in it. Now let's say you forgot to press save or even pause and had to rush to answer the phone/door etc, come back to find your cat/sibling has wrecked your household or that a Sim has come to an unfortunate end (death by meteor).

Or better yet - you have just built your tower out of building blocks or LEGO and somebody decides that it is time to knock it down.

In either scenario you would be pissed.

So find what is heaven to you and strive for it, make it happen - only you can do it because it is yours. You may need the occasional help and assistance but you are the overseer.

Alice has her wonderland, what's yours?