ATLANTA | Brunch At 8ARM & Krog Street Tunnel

ATLANTA | Brunch At 8ARM & Krog Street Tunnel

Wednesday, 26 July 2017

Hey people! Today, I bring you another post about my Atlanta adventures. I spend so much time in this city, it makes sense I keep sharing my new finds and some of my old favorites. This past weekend, I spent it with my friend Odera. She is going to start a blog and I can’t wait for it to be up and running. She is so creative and has that “artistic eye”. You will see it in this post because she took some of these pictures. I’m going to keep this post short because I’m going to let the pictures to the talking. First, we had brunch at 8ARM, which was Odera’s find. I’m glad we checked it out. You guys know my love for avocados is endless and I tried out their avocado toast with crab meat. It was amazing!!! I never knew seafood could go so well with avocados. Then after brunch we drove around and found some picturesque spots in some random neighborhood. You find the best spots in the most random places. We didn't even plan to stop and take pictures in that neighborhood. The pastel walls and big leaves made it look like we were somewhere tropical. After, driving around and jamming out to Whitney Houston’s ‘How Will I Know’, we headed to Krog Street Tunnel. Which is a very popular tourist spot. Hard to believe it was my first time there. If you love street art and graffiti, you are going to love Krog Street Tunnel. It was an amazing day! You guys should hit up these spots, if you are ever in the area and let me know what you think.  

  Shop My Outfit  

Top - Rosegal (here) | Jeans - H&M | Slides - Target

*use coupon code Rosegalxie to save some $$$ off your purchase on rosegal.com*

_____________________________________________

8ARM

Delicious avocado toast with crab. Yum!

***

***

Odera looking gorgeous! She’s going to hate me for posting this teehee 😉

Krog Street Tunnel

***

Finally, got my nails done. Gotta get that hipster nail shot lol

READ MORE »

LOOKBOOK | Styling Puma Suede Classic Sneakers

LOOKBOOK | Styling Puma Suede Classic Sneakers

Thursday, 20 July 2017

________________________________

Hey guys! I am a huge fan of lookbooks. I watch a crazy amount of lookbooks and styling videos. So, I decided to film first lookbook/styling video. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. But I think it paid off. Special thanks to my brother for helping me film this. It was so difficult to get some of the shots and I’m happy he stuck around and helped me. Anyways, thanks for watching and let me know which outfit is your favorite!

*outfit links in YouTube description box*

READ MORE »

Just Like A Caucasian | Book Review & Questions With The Author

Just Like A Caucasian | Book Review & Questions With The Author

Wednesday, 19 July 2017

It is not everyday you come across a novel that makes you question the way society is step up and reevaluate the way the world works. When that happens, I have to write about it. Just Like A Caucasian follows 4 teenagers and how they navigate America’s social and political climate. “What do an immigrant, a black agnostic, a Christian Arab, and una latina morena have in common?  As of 2017, in the United States, they are systematically oppressed. Rose Thompson has a camera and a dream to capture the stories of these marginalized teenagers to put together a documentary.” -  Synopsis

While reading I found myself relating to all 4 characters and learning from their personal growth. O'Gonuwe found the perfect balance of social consciousness and humor in this novel. It is uncommon to be furious about the social injustice while reading one page then burst into laughter three pages after. This is why, Just Like A Caucasian is an outstanding book. O'Gonuwe shows there are countless societal injustices, moments of sadness and heartbreak but there are also periods of joy and laughter. This novel is real. It takes you into the lives of 4 individuals and through their moments of sadness and joy, we see from their eyes, how they persevere in a society that was not designed for them to thrive. 

Questions with the author

Get "Just Like A Caucasian" Here

I got a chance to ask Odera O'Gonuwe a couple of questions about the process of writing this novel and how she brought these characters to life. O'Gonuwe just graduated high school this spring and is about to start her freshmen year of college. Wow! Can we take a moment to appreciate this example of Black excellence. A published author while in high school?! I could barely complete my research papers in high school without having a mental breakdown and O'Gonuwe is out here writing a whole novel. Yes, Black excellence!!!

What inspired you to write this novel?

I was inspired to write “Just Like A Caucasian” when I first heard of Trayvon Martin in 2012. His case was my first introduction into what I came to know as police violence. This novel is a creative manifestation of my desire to understand racial relations in America. 

Without giving too much away from the novel. Why did you pick the title, “Just Like A Caucasian”?

I picked the title “Just Like A Caucasian” as a summation of the story of racism. Even though the story focuses on minorities, the title is a reminder that we would not have racism if not for white supremacy. 

Did your background, heritage, and upbringing play a role when writing this novel? If so, how?

Yes, my background, heritage and upbringing played a role in the concept of the novel because my perspective of life comes from the fact that I am a

Nigerian-American born to immigrants. I see and conceptualize life from that view point. I also see racism from my reality of life, a different way from the way someone else would perceive it.

What inspired or sparked the birth of each character?

My focus in creating the characters was not about their individual attributes. Instead, I wanted to portray the myriad complexity of minorities as they are not a monolith. Mohammed was a rich, black agnostic whose parents were muslims. Ndidi was first generation American born to immigrant Nigerian parents, raised in Nigeria before relocating to the US. Her family was also very rich. That is not the typical story of black people and yet, there are many black people who can relate to those characters.

This novel dives into serious topics such as race and religion. How important do you think it is for people to talk these topics in today’s climate? Why do you think people shy away from openly talking about issues like discrimination, institutionalized racism and islamophobia to name a few?

Awareness is the first step to fixing a problem. It is very important that these topics are discussed because it creates awareness. Many people’s hateful

actions are not all intentional. Understanding the impact of such actions on others would result in a change of behavior. People often do not talk about these topics because they do not want to offend others. They think that sharing their point of view may be distasteful. Also, many people do not spend time to understand social issues and their impact. They therefore do not want to show their ignorance.

How did you find a way to seamlessly add humor to a novel that touches on very serious and important issues?

I write about humans. In “Just Like A Caucasian”, these humans’ primary focus was studying racial relations and power dynamics in the United States. But my characters are still people, and people laugh, cry, smile, and experience an array of different emotions. It was important for me to present human aspect along with the racial theories. 

On another note, it is humorous to think of the way white supremacists struggling for a livelihood assume that they are better than other people, some of whom can feed them.

READ MORE »

Nigerian American.

Nigerian American.

Friday, 14 July 2017

“Belonging to many groups but never truly fitting in one.” I hate that phrase because it is partly true. Our world is changing. There are so many people not “belonging” to one particular nationality or culture. I was born in the U.S., grew up in Nigeria and also lived in Malaysia and Qatar. I do not speak any of the Nigerian languages. I only speak English. I could lie and say I speak a little bit of French but who am I kidding? I can conjugate the heck out of some verbs because we all know learning a language in school doesn’t really teach you how to speak. Anyways… that’s a topic for another day. Many people in the same boat will tell you not being able to speak your mother tongue creates a disconnect from the culture. Don’t get me wrong. I am Nigerian true and true. If Nigerian pidgin english were a language, you could say I am bilingual although sadly that is not the case. Even in Nigeria, I embody more than one ethnic identity. My dad is Yoruba and Sabogida-Ora (a very small ethnic group that even other Nigerians aren't aware of). He grew up in Lagos and speaks fluent Yoruba. My mum is full Benin (not the country) and grew up in Benin City. Both my parents have moved around a lot and schooled in various countries. Which explains why my brother and I are very open to all cultures. This is why my parents choose to speak mainly english to us. Not being able to speak Yoruba or Benin does mean, I will not "fully fit in", especially with older generations. I would love to join in, when my mum and grandparents are cracking jokes. But most of the time, I just sit here smiling and nodding like an idiot. I can pick up some words here and there but it is not the same.

American Born, Nigerian Raised

Language may be an example of a disconnect although there are infinite, numerous and countless things that outweigh that one disconnect. To be able to adapt and fit into several groups is a blessing. To embody more than one identity and culture is a gift I should never take for granted. Our world is changing and soon no one will truly belong to one group or have one nationality, race or ethnicity. This idea scares a lot of people. This is why I beilive there is an increase in hate speech and terrorism around the world. People are afraid of what they do not know and what they can not control. I understand change can be terrifying but embracing our differences nurtures self growth and love. Sometimes, I envy those that grew up in the same place they were born, their parents and grandparents were born. To know everyone in your town. To have a community so close that everyone knowns one another by name. That is a beautiful thing. It only goes awry, when a community does not welcome someone solely because that individual does not look like them, dress like them or speak like them. We should not judge but if we must it should not be based on appearance but rather on one’s character and morals. Growing up, I believed I had to choose between being Nigerian or American. That mentality of choosing which identity to embody needs to stop. For me, it has always been choosing between my nationalities and cultures. For some people, it is an identity that is more visible such as race. From a young age, mixed race kids are always asked ridiculous questions like, “are you more of your [insert race here] side or your [insert race here] side?” They should never have to choose. The idea of forcing people to fit into a box is wrong. We can be more than one thing and that is okay. Actually, it is much more than okay. It is amazing!

READ MORE »