My favorite weekender

So this was definitely my favorite outfit this week, ushered in the weekend with it. I love the whole outfit, the color blocked skirt is fantastic, it has a zipper in the front and the back is completely blue. The shirt I wanted to tuck in but that was a bit too predictable so I knotted it, not in the middle but to the side, and I love that it's a big flowy blouse that I can wear lose or crunched together. The jacket as you all know is one of my all time favorites. Everything was bought on sale, the skirt is new and I bought it at Vero Moda for 12.00 euros on sale. I mostly don't wear make up when leaving the house as I have to work out at the gym before work.

About my previous post about life changing decisions, isn't it a wonderful thing to know that in this life, no matter how tough and challenging things can get, we still have the simple luxury of choice and the priviledge of having half the imagination to conjour up the consequences. 

It's after midnight way past my bedtime, but I slept most of the day if not all! Between having lunch and breakfast and some HBO shows, I think I'm ready to go to bed again, Pity we have to work tomorrow than have the public holiday on Tuesday, I'm almost sure I will put very little effort in what I wear tomorrow, probably some black skinny jeans, some flats and a cocoon coat. I will try my very best to go to the gym tomorrow before work that means waking up early and that means going to bed early coz by the time I get home I'll be wiped out.

The Weekend

Isn't it funny how we always wait for one big event to change our lives when it's the little decisions and occurences that happen in our lives which add up to the big event? It's not often I get the feeling that I have just contributed to a life changing decision with slight ease and even slighter consideration. This weekend I almost put the final seal to the plan of moving to another country, a country that only recently popped up in my current life, but then I changed my mind, last night actually. Just like that the life changing decision slipped from under me. It was a choice though. I also have a thing about feeling "compelled" to do something, even if all the boxes are ticked right, I still can't get myself to do something if I do not have a deep compelling feeling to accompany it, a bit sensational of me but then I wouldn't be me if I pursued all things ordinary. 

Do you feel it, have you ever felt it? That feeling that you just made a life changing decision? 

My outfit was very comfy, I could run a marathon in it. The green leggings with zippers at the bottom are from H&M I missed a skirt with the same green and fabric.. damn but this will do as well. The blazer is from H&M too and the shirt is from Oasis, heels from Zara. Everything costs under 20 euros the blazer and leggings are 10 each. Ohhh and the fringed bag is from Lindex, bought on sale too for 11.99 :-) I love it! I love everything on.

{ Spring time }

Time time time! I always seem to be chasing after time in the evenings during the week! Once the sun set, it's rush hour at my place, infact I refuse to answer phone calls and I watch telly for seconds as I eat frantically deciding what to record and watch another day and what to watch tonite! It's just terrible! If I make the mistake of sitting down immediately I enter my front door, it's downhill from there! On ideal days (few of them are) I get home from the gym, unpack my gym bag, groceries, hit the kitchen, it's important to eat right after :-) Pack my lunch (as I record any nice show on then) I change, moisturise again (it's never enough after the gym) it's just a ritual I have of unwinding as I moisturise, from the tip to my soles, put on some socks a gown and I curl up on my couch and eat slowly as I dread the next day ahaha... the best part of my day is leaving work, going to the gym and getting into bed in the evening. 

I'll post a quick outfit before eating some chicken and reading for 30 minutes in bed hopefully, then sleep on time 23.00 Some days I wake up at 5.00 or 5.30 am and go to the gym by 6.30 am when it opens and do abit of cardio to jump start my day- (running) I feel invinsible after that.

Tonight I'm reading Ten Years of the Caine Prize for African Writing. An anthology of short stories by African writers who have won the Caine Prize in the last ten years. The introduction of the book by Ben Okri made me cry, it just deeply moved me. I think it was a combination of living outside of Kenya and existing amongst stereotypes about Africa, if and only when our continent is remembered, I was also having a very bad day(s) at work and when I read the Introduction of the book, it all just came pouring out. It was the nicest thing I'd read in a long time. I'll write an excerpt of it next time.

That was my thursday outfit. Goodnight ya'll 

{ Daytime look }

So this is the other outfit worn in the daytime. I got distracted a bit watching good tv! So these pants are supposed to be a bit loose on the top and tight on the bottom like something between riders pants and harem pants. However my hips do not allow for the original concept of these pants but I love them anyway and they are comfy! I'm not very comfortable wearing them out without something on top because I feel like a parachute about to fly away, maybe in two months when I'm a few inches less in the tummy/hips area I can wear them on their own with a tucked in top. Now I can wear them this way with a blazer, and when it gets hot in the early summer, I'll wear them with a denim shirt untucked.

I had opted for boyfriend jeans and a different blazer and same top but then I felt the boyfriend jeans I could save for when it was a bit warmer! I went for the pants and dark blazer. The boyfriend jeans are new, they are a bit too cropped I think the bigger your hips the longer the boyfriend jeans should be otherwise it looks a bit like a capri (lord forbid anyone should wear that in 2012!)  , I boughtit  in the winter at Gina Tricot on sale and the blazer is from Mango from the Kate Moss for Mango collection. It's fantastic, probably the best blazer I own because it's very light, and I love the pastel pink color, the neckline is pretty nice too, a soft change from the usual lapels on blazers that make blazers look formal and very tough!! So I saved that for another day! Which look would you prefer?
 

The snake print top is from Vero Moda and the pants are from Villa , the blazer is old I bought it in Zara. The heels are the same red ones from the previous post and accessories as well.  Everything was born on discount. 

The reason I have a scarf on my head is because I washed my braids and undid the front part, I need to do them again. It's been interesting wearing a black headscarf, when I wear a dress and a coat I'm confused for a Somali woman, the experience has been very interesting.

{ Two times a lady }

Hello everyone, hows the easter weekend coming along? Mine is slow and sunny, just the way I like it. Summer is just around the corner. I'm getting ready for my Afternoon Tea , and of course to catch up with all those nice shows and movies that I have been saving for the last couple of weeks. In the evening I might go to the gym, or not I don't know yet. ;-)

Now this lovely dress I bought sometime in the winter at Mango. I love it, I don't own a fitting white dress, it just never occured to me. I actually wanted a cobalt blue version of this dress but by the time the sales came round it was sold out, it came in many colors, almost bought 3 but then I thought thats silly, there were other models so I bought those instead. 

Did I mention that I wanted my style this year to be more soft and feminine.

I wore two outfits this day, the first in the evening for dinner and drinks, at a farewell party for a friend who was moving to another city. The other outfit in another post. 

What do you guys feel about wearing a little white dress? I think it's very demure and classy, and there is so much you can do with it, you can dress it up or down and on it's own it's fetching enough!

The Accessories for that day, both day and night. A big clutch from Monki, some matching earrings from Glitter, and a belt from Vero Moda.  Everything worn was bought on sale ;-)  All accessories under 10 euros each. Each of those items is definitely a favorite.

{ Black & Lace }

I have been buying alot of dresses, skirts lately. This year I want my dressing to be a bit more feminine and soft, I'd like to drop the hem just a little bit (not always but most of the time) I haven't had the chance to wear most of the things I have bought but I have bought some really nice stuff some heels, handbags and lots of dresses. I also bought alot of cropped pants, being short and having a short torso as well which truly defines my body shape, I don't really wear long pants, I make sure that I can show a bit of ankle and heels. I bought lots of pants from H&M and blazers as well, everything cost less than 10 euros on discount, so that was a real bargain for me. 

 The dress is from Mango and the heels are from Zara (everything bought on sale) I always like to wait until the clothing store has dropped the price to their lowest then I buy it. You know when it comes to clothes, I realised it's not that serious really, every other day you will find an item that you think you can't live with and frankly, unless you have a money tree in your backyard, it's not worth spending that much on clothes. That doesn't mean you have to go for cheap quality clothing, no, I always buy in the better stores when there is a sale on, and in this economy, most stores have items in all price ranges so even if you don't find anything on discount, you'll def find something in your price, you just need to be a little more patient while shopping.

Now this dress and all the dresses I bought in Mango , were on sale but a little over my sale limit but it was the last one of it's kind and in my size as well as the other dresses, and I couldn't risk waiting for the price to drop further incase anyone bought it. I wouldn't forgive myself if I missed them.

{ Weekly food planning }

Hello everyone, It's Sunday evening and I've just finished preparing for my start of the week. If I want to make sure I have a successful week, I make sure I end my week on a calm note, slow, deliberate well thought out preparations. How do I give my week a headstart? Well I make sure I clean my apartment, kitchen esp. and prepare my menu for at least 3 days. This means that I know what I will have for breakfast, lunch and a snack/dinner when I come home competely wiped out from my workout. Mondays at work and in the gym are tough. 

I always make sure that there is a bowl of fruits at least halfway full, filled with nice juicy fruits and also some avocados I like those alot (only if they are grown anywhere else besides Europe) The bowl of fruits is the first place I dip before I can plop myself on my couch and watch some telly. I'm not usually starving because after my workout at the gym, I always drink a protein shake, I love those! 

I clean and stock my fridge/freezer for the week on Saturdays or Sundays.

So for the first three days of the week, I'll have oatmeal (porridge) for breakfast, lentil soup for lunch and chicken and veg for dinner and of course tea, protein shake after the gym and some fruit. 

I always buy lots of milk, yoghurt, plain and flavoured (for when I eat muesli on saturdays morning) I also must have eggs and spinach because I have to have spinach omelettes several times of week.I stock the freezer with lots of frozen veg and chicken, as well as things like black beans (pre soaked/boiled) and stored in separate containers ready for cooking. I always make sure if I haven't cooked anything the preparation time is minimal and there is fruit or tea on hand ;-)

I always find that if you plan ahead then you eat less and you eat more healthy, than if you decide every evening when you get home what to cook. 

This helps me not even think about popping into the pizza place or eat take out.