FASHION FRIDAY - VINTAGE KLOSET

Nothando Mpofu

There is no worse nightmare than to walk into a party and find someone else wearing the same outfit as yours. OMG I die!!! 

So to avoid such mishaps I make sure I buy my clothes in boutiques or shops where the outfit is the only one in stock. Of late I have fallen in love with the amazing Nothando Mpofu’s Vintage Kloset.

                        

Mpofu is a Bulawayo based young lady who has seen her hobby and love for fashion turn into something huge.

Vintage Kloset has become the fashion haven for a lot of fashion lovers like me.

This week on Fashion Friday I caught up with Nothando to find out how she has successfully turned a hobby into a thriving business.

1.     How did Vintage Kloset start?

           Its an idea that I started pursuing early last year with reservations of course because I was not  sure of how people would take it but its been an exciting venture so far.

2.     What made you choose vintage clothing?

 It’s the desire to look different, fashion is ever evolving but there is something about vintage clothing that makes it classic and ever fashionable.

3.     How has the public responded to Vintage Kloset?

 The response has been great so far, people love the stuff I am offering. The nice thing about vintage clothing is that it’s unique and if you are that kind of person who does not follow trends but sets own trend it’s the best style to go because every piece of clothing is different in its own way.

4.     Who is your target market?

 It’s any woman who is style conscious and it’s not even for my age mates only because my mother is one of my best clients because to her it seems all my stuff makes her feel nostalgic.

5.     So where can one find Vintage Kloset?

 I do not have a shop at the moment and I am not planning on opening one in the near future because to me this is a hobby turned into business because I love fashion and dressing up generally. So I usually do pop-up sales every month-end in Bulawayo and I recently started selling stuff online on my Face book page - Vintage Kloset, Instagram - @thevintagekloset and Twitter its @VintageKloset . So far the response has been amazing and I really need to put more time into it.

6.     So Nothando do you get off your own supply?

Oh yes I definitely am always getting high off my own supply. Like I said earlier I fail to define my style too because I surprise myself, I am very experimental, I like to set my own trend and am just in love with vintage clothing because it brings out that originality in me. I don t want to dress like anyone I see on TV I just want to dress up my own way.

So ladies head over to Vintage Kloset like, follow and stay in the know of the next fashion pop-up sale. Vintage never goes out of style, why look like the rest when you can be the Best?

God Is Love

Emma

FASHION FRIDAYS

In as much as we ladies are different in character, such is the case when it comes to fashion.

Fashionistas are inspired by a variety of things and this week on Fashion Friday we feature South African blogger and fashion lover Vuyiso Tshabalala who gets to share with us her fashion secrets.

1   Vee how can you best describe your fashion style?

My style is varied, I can never connect it to one style, I dress differently every time, depending on how I feel.

        

                                                        

      How did your love for fashion start?

My love for fashion started at a very young age, I would invade my mother’s closet( I still do) and find something I can pair up with my own clothes.

3    What inspires your style?

My style is inspired by different people, different places, and different situations.

     Style Fashion Week Africa is your baby, can you tell us more about it?

Style Fashion Week Africa is about celebrating African Cultures, and heritage through fashion.

5    In the next coming three years, where do you see Style Fashion Week Africa?

For the next three years I would like to see it grow bigger, involving more young Africans and expanding to other African Countries.

Needless to say this girl is on fire, and from here you can only expect great things from her. Her love for fashion and Africa will take her places. You can also follow Vuyiso on twitter @VuyisoTshabalala and Facebook: Vuyiso Tshabalala,. You can also follow Style Fashion Week Africa  on twitter and be in the know: @SFW_Africa

And if you are a sucker for a good read like I am then head over to her blog vuyisotshabalala.wordpress.com

Stay slaying Vee...

God Is Love

Emma

Girls After Your Man!!!!!!!

I was recently watching a movie that left me thinking so hard, why are we women so hard on each other? Every one of us has once had to deal with a crazy girl who was after your man, right? These women are everywhere , it doesn’t have to be someone  you do not know. Even relatives ,friends,  neighbours can go after your man.  People are now crazy .I tell you

Never under-estimate a woman’s intuition , if you have that bad vibe or feeling towards her, know that you are 99,99% correct. Do not get mad at your man, in most cases men are oblivious to these tactics. But you cannot fool us child, men might not know what you are trying to do but we women know how you operate.

Now how do you handle such issues? What do you do? Kkkkk the ghetto side of me wants to tell you that you should put on your shorts and pull your hair in a ponytail and go give her a good hiding. But that is not how you handle these situations. What I mean is, have you ever watched a married woman going after the husband’s side-chick? You end up being the crazy one, these girls  have nothing to lose hey, but you will lose your dignity hey.

I believe that a lady should be two things; Classy and Crazy. Yes classy enough to walk away from minor things and thirsty girls trying to get their two minutes of fame via you. But crazy enough to know how to put a trifling crazy person in her place. Yes crazy knows crazy kkkkkk.

If you know someone is after your man here are some things you should do;

1. Always make sure you Bring It!!!, bath and look great for your man

2. No matter what happens never approach the girl about the issue, you giving her ammunition and the power to call you crazy.

3. If it happens and you in the same room with the girl, act like she doesn’t exist, after all she is nothing hey.

4. Nothing is more attractive than a lady who is doing it for herself, so always work harder to at least bring the cheese home

5. Take good care of your man(and you know what I mean)

If any of these tips do not work, well ....................kkkkkkkkkkk. But never give another woman the chance to do for your man what you don’t. Handle your business and make it hard for any woman to get close to your man...

God Is Love...

Emma

Mafu upbeat despite yet another Bosso draw

By Sakheleni Nxumalo

BCC Golden Stars      0

Highlanders                0

Highlanders head coach Bongani Mafu

Highlanders may have failed to find the target against newly promoted first division outfit BCC Golden Stars at Barbourfields on Sunday but their head coach Bongani Mafu believes he now has a team that can challenge for honours in the forthcoming Castle Premiership season.

Speaking to journalists after the goalless stalemate, Mafu boldly predicted that his charges will soon be posting big wins against their opposition.

“Basically I think one of these days someone is going to get a proper smacking because we now have a team.

“At the beginning I was worried about the quality and availability of players but now I can assure you we have a team at Highlanders,” Mafu said.

Bongani Mafu

The former Zimbabwe Saints coach said the uncertainty over who will make the Bosso 2015 squad was to blame for the failure by his team to steamroll past their lower division opponents.

“I think the players need the liberation of knowing they are Highlanders players because people are playing these games with worry and I think when you have got your 30 boys and they know that they are here then they are freer.

“At halftime I had to tell the boys to sit or stand on the ball if they wanted because the game was dead and lacked the excitement that will bring the fans to watch our games,” Mafu said.

 Highlanders were easy on the eye in the first half with on - loan Bantu Rovers players Nqobizitha Masuku and Obadiah Tarumbwa impressive in the middle of the park and upfront respectively.

Tarumbwa could turn out to be quite an asset for Tshilamoya this season as he immediately struck a good understanding with teenage strike partner Thomas Chideu and chances are high that the youngster will now flourish playing alongside an experienced striker.

At the back another on – loan Bantu Rovers player Teenage Hadebe combined well with Douglas Sibanda as they rekindled their Young Warriors central defense partnership.

Highlanders defender Douglas Sibanda 

And as Highlanders continued to boss the midfield, the Philani Ncube led BCC technical team hauled off the nomadic Ntokozo Tshuma and replaced him with former Magwegwe Pirates player Trynos Ndlovu after just 23 minutes of play.

But despite their clear dominance, Highlanders failed to create clear cut chances with their only notable attempts at breaking the deadlock coming on the stroke of halftime when Chideu and Knox Mtizwa had efforts that were kept out by BCC keeper Ndodana Sibanda.

The Highlanders technical team made a raft of changes at the beginning of the second half bringing on Felix Chindungwe for Hadebe, Gabriel Nyoni for Tarumbwa while Rahman Kutsanzira replaced Mtizwa and Tendai Ngulube came in for Masuku.

And in reply BCC made a double substitution and brought in former Technosphere linkman Bekithemba Ngwenya for Warren Dube with former How Mine and Shabanie Mine left-back Terrence Majo coming in for Khumbulani Dube.

It was the promising Chideu though who continued to threaten with a couple of attempts in the second half with the most promising coming after 53 minutes when his effort was tipped over for a corner kick by BBC keeper Sibanda.

Highlanders striker Thomas Chideu shields the ball from BCC defender Zibusiso Sibanda while BCC linkman Innocent Kutsanzira and goalkeeper Ndodana Sibanda closely monitor the action

The breakthrough failed to materialise for the former DC Academy player though and he was latter replaced by Ozias Zibande.

Highlanders nearly found the opener from an unlikely source though on 77 minutes but Douglas Sibanda’s spectacular overhead kick from an Edmore Muzanenhamo corner was tipped over for another corner kick by BCC keeper Sibanda.

And after the match BCC coach Ncube admitted that their keeper Sibanda had been their saviour after coming up with some crucial saves.

“In terms of fitness Highlanders were better than us as we struggled to transition from defence to attack and we have to thank our keeper for the saves that he made as he kept us in the game,” Ncube said.

Highlanders have played a number of practice matches since beginning their pre-season training and lost the first match to first division side Black Boots before being held to draws by Chapungu United, FC Platinum and the latest by BCC Golden Stars.

In the curtain raiser to the main match on Sunday the Bulawayo City Council owned Stars beat the Highlanders reserve side 3-1.

Teams:

BCC Golden Stars

Ndodana Sibanda, Tawanda Chikore, Khumbulani Dube (Terrence Majo 51), Zibusiso Sibanda, Brighton Dube, Xolisani Moyo, Innocent Kutsanzira (Mlamuli Phakathi 66), Warren Dube (Bekithemba Ngwenya 51), Ntokozo Tshuma (Trynos Ndlovu 23), Eddy Nkulungo (Trevor Ndlovu 66), Mkhululi Moyo (Qinani Sibanda 66).

Highlanders

Ariel Sibanda, Lewis Ncube, Julius Daudi, Douglas Sibanda, Teenage Hadebe (Felix Chindungwe 46), Nqobizitha Masuku (Tendai Ngulube 46), Welcome Ndiweni (Edmore Muzanenhamo 72), Knox Mtizwa (Rahman Kutsanzira 46), Bruce Kangwa, Thomas Chideu (Ozias Zibande 72), Obadiah Tarumbwa (Gabriel Nyoni 46).

New Ride for the QUEEN!!!!

                                                  

All the hunnies making money throw your hands up in the air!!!! She is a hard working woman, who is not done with achieving  her goals. She is one of the hottest Djs and her show on Metro Fm has like a lot of listeners. It has been proved a million times that she is the BEST when it comes to presenting. No-one can compete with her presenting skills.

You know a lot of people think that presenting is an easy job, and that anyone can do it. I beg to differ; I think presenting is a skill to be able to think on your feet fast, especially if you Live on the television. A lot can go wrong and if it is a Live Show then this is where you have to use your brains and compromise.

This lady has mastered the art of being in front of the television.  When you doing good you will get a lot of heat at the same time, such is life and she has had her fair share of the negative side of being famous.

 I remember that there was a time when the media targeted her and wrote all sort of nonsense about her. This did not stop her she soldiered on, on her quest to conquer the world.

Every lady that I know loves and adores her, It is one thing being well known in your country but if you see yourself having  people from other countries appreciate your craft now that is Ayoba!!!

 A lot of Zimbabwean ladies totally adore her, but who wouldn’t? We fell in love with her when she first appeared on our TV screens as the presenter of Live. God Bless Andile Ncube for finding this lady for us.

I am a sucker for fashion and killer shoes and those are the two things that this lady does best!!! She is the F in fashion and child please lets not even front her shoe-game is on other level, who wouldn’t want to raid her closet? Or her kitchen cupboards or oven? Yes dear we know that is where some of your shoes are hidden kkkk.

Perseverance does pay my girl went to a lot of auditions and was rejected, even the Top Billing presenter search they rejected her. But she did not give up, and now years later companies are dying to have her on their team.

 Did I mention she has her own Lingerie Line? Yep my dearest hubby knowing how much I adore this lady bought me something for Valentine’s Day from this gorgeous line sold at Woolworths Stores. And he has been distracted by this piece from the Distractions Line. (See what I did there?)

And she just bought herself a new baby, yes that is what powerful and independent ladies do, they work hard and then spoil themselves. They do not wait for men to spoil them, for what and for whom? 

Yes Valentine’s Day is but a few days from now and a lot of ladies would be acting up if they do not get anything from their partners. Child please that train of men buying you stuff for your Bday, Valentine””s Day etc has long passed.

Ladies now go out there and work, work ,work and work some more then they can reward themselves with whatever gift they want. That is part of the definition of a modern woman, there is no time to sit around and be mopping about not getting anything from your partner, go out there and spoil yourself and while you at it spoil him too.

As the queen puts it herself “Kill them with kindness then bury them with success.”

She is the Queen Bee, she is Bonang Matheba and she is slaying child, go on and slay girl with your bad self, we aint even fronting.

 

I am soooo about this life of working hard!!

God Is Love

Emma

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY- ....Finally, The Toure brothers lift Afcon title.

The sight of Ghana forward Abedi “Dede”Ayew bawling like a baby at the end of the 2015 Afcon tournament final was heartrending but such is the nature of the sport that the great Brazilian Pele once described as ‘the beautiful game.’

Football can be beautiful but it can be cruel too, and very cruel for that matter.

Imagine the different feelings that were at play among both sets of players when the Ghanaians were two up during the penalty shoot-out.

We all saw how even the usually unexcitable Avram Grant pumped his fist in the air when it seemed like Ghana were on their way to lifting the title.

But alas, after a couple of misses the tide swiftly turned and the Ivorians, who had appeared downcast after falling behind, had the last laugh at the end of the day.

And while everyone with a heart felt sorry for Dede, those who have followed the African game in the last decade could not help but feel happy for the Ivorians, especially the Toure brothers Kolo and Yaya.

Kolo Toure

The Elephants have over the years earned themselves a reputation for choking when it mattered most for the way they always flattered only to deceive despite the massive talent in their ranks.

Sunday’s victory should therefore be an example to all of us how is pays to persevere.

A lot of people, myself included, had long dismissed the Toure brothers as Afcon failures after they alongside their equally talented teammates that include the legendary Didier Drogba, Aruna Kone, Didier Zokora, Bacary Kone and Aruna Dindane had since 2006 been faltering when it mattered most. 

But like we have always been told that it does not matter how many times you fall but what matters is the ability to pick oneself up and forge ahead, the Toure brothers soldiered on and finally struck gold in Equatorial Guinea.

Kolo and Yaya, who turn out for Liverpool and Manchester City respectively in England, could have easily quit international football and concentrated on their highly paying careers at club level after experiencing heartbreak with their national team but they hung in there and their resilience has paid off.

Ivory Coast skipper Yaya Toure hoists aloft the Afcon trophy

The experience of the Toure brothers can serve as an example for the heartbroken and disappointed Dede Ayew and this is the advice that Ivory Coast coach Herve Renard told journalists during his post match interview that he had imparted on the Marseille star.

The thing about penalties is that the losing team will feel a lot of pain.

It is never nice to lose a match on penalties but Dede should not lose heart and instead realise that penalties are like a lottery and luck was not on their side on Sunday.

Ghana played very well throughout the tournament and since their squad is dominated by youngsters; their time to lift the trophy may come in forthcoming editions.

As the son of Ghana legend Abedi Pele, Dede may be under pressure to surpass the exploits of his father but time is still on his side and he and his team mates should take heart because they are still young and they will compete for the Afcon and World Cup titles in the coming years.

Andre 'Dede' Ayew takes instruction from Ghana coach Avram Grant

So I feel that the Toure brothers are a great example of never giving up.

They finally won the Afcon title after losing it six times, yes guys six times.

And to cap it all Manchester City talisman Yaya led his team to victory as the team’s captain.

Never give up on your dreams, no matter how hard you fall, pick yourself up and try again.

Take failure as God’s way of saying not now my child, later, or this is not part of the great plans I have you

Go out there and do your Best and God will handle the Rest for you.

God Is Love

Emma
(pics courtesy online)

FULL HOUSE(S) AT QINISO PREMIERE

If I were to be asked to describe the premiere of Lenni Mdawini's movie Qiniso that premiered at Rainbow Cinema in one word I would say it was HOT.

The Ndebele word Qiniso means truth in English and so in the spirit of the movie’s theme I will tell nothing but the TRUTH in this review of the premiere which took place on Saturday night.

Raisedon Baya and Priscilla Sithole

With Awande Mpofu

The HOT people of Bulawayo came in their numbers and were dressed to the nines.

I came into an already packed foyer when I made my way into the cinema complex just after six o’clock.

And it was HOT, literally speaking.

The air conditioning system must have been out of order and in a matter of minutes I was already sweating like I was in a sauna.

I quickly spotted the refreshment area and made a beeline for it but upon getting there I was told the drinks were for VIPs only.

I wasn’t on the VIP list and neither had I bought a VIP ticket but I was not going to walk away without getting some refreshment.

So I told the girl who was manning the refreshment area that I am the HOTTEST blogger in Bulawayo and that qualified me to be a VIP.

I don’t know if she was a good sport or she was just not in the mood for a hot and flustered blogger making a scene but she sportingly played along and after some banter I left with a glass of juice in my hand.

And on my way back to my hubby – who was my cameraman for the day by the way – I grabbed a Lalani Lodge flyer that I used to fan myself as we waited for proceedings to get underway.

Red carpet moment with hubby

The poster had said the premiere would start at 6 pm but we only made our way into the City 3 cinema after more than an hour and a half later.

Technical glitches inside the cinema saw another half an hour going by with proceedings only getting underway around 8 pm.

They say the early bird catches the early worm and those who were quick to make their way into the cinema – including me of course – got seats while hordes of other premiere goers found their selves standing.

                                                                                                                And the situation was further compounded by the fact that there were technical problems with the projector and the attempt by the organisers to provide some entertainment to keep the crowd occupied fell flat until they brought in comedian Ntando van Moyo – The General (he was the MC at my wedding by the way).     

Nowhere to sit.....

The Master of Ceremony for the night was Donna Ncube, a well spoken young lady who did her best to contain the crowd.

Donna

Remember how it was back in the day at the cinema, whereby you would have that one or two individuals who would make or pass funny comments? 

This was no exception, but mostly it was all fun and harmless jokes aimed at Donna.

Everyone was so eager for the movie to start and at some point before Ntando came to the rescue, a section of the crowd started chanting movie! movie!..... and this while some entertainers were going through their act.

I won’t mention their names – lest I kill their vibe kkkkk.

Ntando van Moyo - The General to the rescue

A trailer of another Lenni Mdawini flick entitled Jane the ghost preceded Qiniso the movie. Yes that is right, Jane the Ghost.

And if you grew up in Bulawayo then you know pretty well the tales of this ghost. This trailer brought back memories in my mind, the days of Jane the Ghost were days when most people were still home and life was all sweet, before our people left in droves for other countries.

After the eight minutes long trailer, Qiniso the movie then started rolling.

We find a female journalist (played by Bokani Nleya), who has been assigned by her no nonsense boss (played by Gilmore Tee) to investigate the death of a top Bulawayo lawyer who was murdered by someone close to him.

This is what happens when the cameraman is your husband...

The story is told in flashbacks by the journalist who first discusses it with her boss and then narrates it to a colleague and then tells it to the taxi driver who ferries her around the city as she battles with work and relationship issues.

In the story, the lawyer, Nkosana Dube, is found murdered with two ladies, his wife and her cousin being the prime suspects.

 The two ladies and Dube’s brother give their versions of what transpired and this ends up making the story very intriguing as we now have more than one version of the TRUTH but as one tries to work out who is telling IQINISO and who is lying, a spirit medium and the detective working the case weigh in with their own versions of what could have happened.

So for those of you who watch the SABC 2 soapie Muvhango you will agree with me on that the spirit medium reminded us of the great healer of Thathe, Mulimisi, kkkkkk.

This medium had the whole house roaring with laughter, am not sure what he was on about but he was speaking in some weird language kkkkkk.

 So now the medium also comes up with his own theory of events of the day Nkosana Dube was murdered. This was were the movie won me over because when the journalist was narrating the story to the taxi driver I was like yeah yeah now I know who killed Nkosana Dube between the two cousins named Zanele and Nanetti,  Nanetti being Nkosana “s wife.

But I won’t spoil the movie by telling you all about it. 

Well, my opinion of the movie is that it is a very great and promising start considering that this is our first movie in Bulawayo and I say Kudos guys.

Great acting skills from Lady Tshawe, who played the character of Zanele. She will go places if she keeps at it. (A lil' bit of vicks would have done the trick on the crying scenes though).

Now the picture quality was a bit poor, am sure that next time that is something that can be improved.

My biggest worry was that the sound was not aligned to the movements of the lips. It was more like that of the Telemundo channel, and those that watch Telemundo know what I am on about.

I also think that the use of sub-titles would have been welcome if the movie is to reach a wider audience.

 Other than that there is nothing I can take away from this movie, I personally believe that if they were working on a bigger budget it could have been a 9 out of 10 for me. But all the same I give it an 8 out 10, and a lot of people I spoke with seemed to have had the same sentiments as I.

So to the writer and director Lenni Mdawini and to all the actors and actresses this is only the beginning, this was a teaser of what you guys are capable of doing with the right financial aid and  proper  equipment.

You may have felt a bit HOT under the collar when things where not moving on Saturday but please do not throw in the towel; keep pushing because the talent is there hey!

All you need is people to see the potential and invest in our film industry.

Journalist Letwin Nyambayo, right, and Tarisai Madenga 

And l would love to say Oh Beautiful Kings and Queens what a turn out, you came in your numbers to show support to this movie. May it not stop here but let us continue to support our brothers and sisters.

It was wonderful seeing UMTHWAKAZI OMUHLE coming out in a full show of support and l couldn’t help but smile and say ‘this is my city and I am amongst my people tonight.’

#RISEBULAWAYO!!!!!!!

God Is Love

FASHION FRIDAY - HANDBAGS

A lovely handbag can turn your look from drab to fab in a matter of minutes. Be it bright colours or subtle colours, handbags are a great way to accessorise your outfit.

 These babies come in all shapes and sizes, but while the right handbag can transform u into a glamorous IT GIRL in a flash, a wrong handbag can easily ruin your look. You know what I mean right? OK, like carrying a bag that is meant to be worn with casual outfits and then you take it and decide to rock it with a formal outfit or vice versa, that is a NO, NO, NO.

Personally I love handbags hey, but my love for shoes is beyond. I do buy bags but I get bored easily and if I carry a bag three or four times, that’s it. I feel like I have had it for years then its like on to the next one. 

Recently saw a clutch bag on the Style network that is designed like a novel, yes like a novel, then the inside it has built in mirrors. That is a great way to make people not chat you up when you travelling, just open your fake novel handbag and pretend to be reading kkkkk.

If I saw this clutch bag in a shop I would totally buy it, but we haven’t been blessed with it yet, so I will patiently wait for it. But while we wait for it to hit the African shops we will make do with what we have hey.

 You know you have that handbag that is the flavour of the month right? Like THE handbag that when you carry you feel like you carrying a million bucks?

Well my current flavour of the moment is this brown baby. Bought this handbag in South Africa, was at Sandton mall minding my own business, and there it was at a shop window.

And I promise you guys it was love at first sight, she was calling my name begging me to take her home with me. And of course I had not budgeted to buy her, but what could I do? It was love, so I ended up buying her instead of the groceries I had intended to buy, much to the dismay of my mum.

She is a beauty but Lord have mercy about the inside kkkkk, don’t judge yall I know I am not the only one who has the inside of her bag looking like a hot mess. Got my hand-lotion, my small wallet, and yes every mom will agree with me, it’s now a habit to carry baby wipes with me everywhere I go.. Just realised how badly I need to clean the inside of this baby of mine.

The white one is my second favourite bag, yes that is art work done by my princess, and no I did not get mad when I saw this priceless artwork, I have the option of cleaning it with a wet cloth but I won’t. This is my favourite because every time I carry it, I feel like my angel is right besides me. So now even when she is not with me, I just look at this bag and I am consoled...

Ok ladies comment with a picture of your favourite handbag and the inside too, don’t be shy now kkkk

Till the next Fashion Friday, stay fabulous!!!!

God Is Love

Emma

MODERN WOMAN

                                                           

Mary Sibanda (32) has been married to Brian Ndlovu for the past 12 years and they have two daughters. Mary is a house-wife and often feels inferior when she goes out with her working class girlfriends.

But instead of just wallowing in her insecurities and resigning herself to a life of forever wilting like a flower in the September heat when in the company of her friends, Mary has now decided to go back to school and better herself.

She is now attending night school and is preparing to re-write all the subjects that she did not pass when she sat for her O’Level examinations back in secondary school.

And ever since she went back to school her daughters’ school work has greatly improved as she is now able to assist with their school work.

As a young girl, Mary’s aspirations revolved around growing up and getting married and settling down to raise her kids just like her mother had done with her and her siblings.

Her wishes did come through as by the time she turned 20 she got married and two lovely baby girls followed soon after that.

 But while her mother could afford to be a stay at home mom while her father provided for the family, the reality is that in Mary and Brian’s case their finances never seem to balance.

By going back to school it is clear that it has since dawned on Mary that during these days of financial uncertainty there is more to life than getting married and having babies as a family can find it hard to make ends meet with just one salary.

SO! like, our mothers and grandmothers grew up at a time where all you had to do was go to school, learn how to cook and clean the house. And if you were blessed enough to get someone to ask for your hand in marriage then you were the envy of the other girls. Well that time has come and gone, we thank the good Lord for that, no disrespect to our mothers but times have changed, the modern woman to me is no longer the same woman she was during their time.

Women nowadays have to master the art of multi-tasking to survive in a man’s world. We should strive to be better than our mothers, to be more accomplished and avoid all the wrong turns that they took, follow in their footsteps but at the same time make them finer prints.

 And I am so happy because this year I have seen a lot of ladies getting JOBS, going back to school and getting their careers in order. In my own suburb I know quite a number of  ladies who went back to school and passed their O’Levels and now they are at colleges and doing great.

What I have noticed is that this pursuit of a better life and a career has brought us ladies together, helping each other out with school work and life problems in general.  That sisterhood whereby there isn’t no time for gossiping, people are busy helping each other out with getting their act together. Remember those days when our moms would wake up early to sweep the yard and while they were at it they would find some time to exchange the latest township gossip? Well those days are long gone (thank God for that).

I recently saw a quote by the director of Google Eric Schmidt that says; ”find a way to say yes to things, say yes to invitations, to meet new friends”.

Schmidt says it’s how you get a new job, or even your spouse. This is very true child! Please don’t complain about men shortage when you always cooped up in your house. Surround yourself with strong, successful women and believe me they will push you to do something great about your life.

The pull her down syndrome should not exist in your world. If you see someone succeeding do not hate but look closely and try to see what they are doing right and aspire to be better yourself.

 An idle mind is the devil’s workshop and sociology tells us that the environment that we grew up in shaped who we are today.

So pause and ask yourself what kind of example are you setting for your kids and those of close family and friends?

 You might not know it but there probably is a girl who looks up to you, who is watching your every move and copying what you doing. Think about it, growing up was there no girl whom you looked up to and admired from a distance? Be it because of the way she dressed or the way she walked or the way she carried herself?

We need more girls who run the world, girls who will grow up to be leaders and wonderful wives and mums.

I would like to believe that the modern man does not want to marry a wife to whom getting married is the pinnacle of her aspirations.

As a result I always tell any young girl who cares to listen that they should excel in their studies as that will provide the springboard for them to excel in life.

 Education is EVERYTHING!!! And no-one can take that away from you.

So ladies, wake up every morning with an attitude to do better than yesterday, and strive to be an even greater person tomorrow.

And remember ladies, its 20-FIX-IT!!!! Go ahead and fix it ladies don’t get left behind; come December we will reflect and say 20-FIXED!!!!

God Is Love

Emma

(pic courtesy online)