Mummy and Me: Dashiki

I've got another set of Mummy and Me photos to share with you today! I had a different shoot to share, but I can't find the memory card that has those photos... so sad. However, we can make do with this new set of "And co" photos! For this photo shoot, Cocoa and I wore African dashikis! Are there non-African dashikis, come to think of it? Where do dashikis really come from? See here if you're interested.

Happy Childrens Day!

Today, May 27th is Childrens' Day in Nigeria. No matter where I am in the world, I will always acknowledge the holiday inwardly at the very least. I always enjoyed Childrens Day, for a few reasons - it was a school-free holiday, and it's two days before my birthday. In my mind, they should have just added May 28th into the fray so I could have 3 days off! Anyway, today I'd like to share a few photos of Cocoa (my daughter, if you're new to the blog). She's a full blown toddler now (with tantrums to boot), and even though she's almost 2 years old, I still catch myself looking at her and wondering in amazement at God's grace in my life!

Yellow Iro and Buba

If you missed my announcement on Saturday, kindly STOP, go back to that post, then come back here :)

One Year Update!

Can you believe that today, March 7th, makes it one whole year since I left Nigeria and moved back to Hamrika?!?!?! Like where did the time go?!?!??! Okay, I won't lie. Time has felt very draggy at different times, but mehn, just like that one year has passed! I contemplated putting up a video to talk about the past year, but I'm opting to write things down instead. I think I'll share the year in Highlights, Lowlights, and Medium-lights :p

The Nigerian Food Fusion Tour Weekend

I love food. I enjoy food. I'm very picky and don't eat a lot of things, but the things I do eat, I really enjoy. I like to joke that one of the reasons why I liked Cakes instantly is because he told me he was a baker. Even he will tell anyone that there's this joy and happiness that makes my whole body tingle when I'm eating something I really like.

OBODO OYIBO - Career

Obodo Oyibo is a docu-series by my sister. She interviewed a few Nigerian and Nigerian-American millennials in the diaspora, on different topics ranging from Inter-Tribal Marriage to Religion to Social Media, Politics and today's topic, Career. Check it out below.

One of the things we talked about in the video is how these days, people wear different hats, e.g. Engineer/Videographer/Blogger or Financial Strategist/Stylist/Editor. Are you one of those? 

BERRY VLOG: To Asoebi or Not?!

My cousin, Rexie, and I were out the other day (actually the day of this post) and we started chatting about weddings and things, and the subject of Aso ebi came up. I thought it would be fun for us - and you hopefully - to do it in a vlog!

Radisson Blu Lagos Weekend

AM I IN NIGERIA?!?!?!?!?!! And I didn't tell anybody?!?!?!?!?!? The answer is no. These are old photos from when I hung out with my friend Feyfey. I actually met her through blogging, and you might remember her from this post. Anyways, some time this year before this happened, we met up to have drinks, food and just talk about life in general. She's such a sweetheart, and I'm really thankful for her (and others) who I've met through blogging.

Introducing OBODO OYIBO

According to the Migration Policy Institute, the number of Nigerians living in America rose from 25,000 in 1980 to 376,000 within the past few years, with the largest population living in New York, Texas and Maryland. This in turn means that more and more of that population, the first and second generations consider themselves to be "Nigerian-American." My sister, Tammy, conducted a series of interviews with a small set of young Nigerians who have lived in America for over a decade, or who were born and raised here. See the trailers below.

Iro and Denim

It's been a while since I've done a style post. They aren't something I plan ahead a lot of times - they are usually spur of the moment, and won't usually be written in advance here. This pas weekend, while trying to organize my bedroom a little bit, I found my Iro and Buba (remember the first time I wore it here). I decided I would wear it to church on Sunday, and felt very much like an asoebi bella. I have to admit, wearing easy, breezy traditional outfits (like here) should have been one of the things I miss about being in Nigeria.

7 Things I Miss Most About Nigeria

Can you believe I've been gone from Nigeria for almost 5 months?!?! It seems like just yesterday I was hopping from restaurant to event every weekend, and lamenting the traffic to and from work on weekdays. I do miss Nigeria though and I wanted to share some of the things I miss most.

Rhyme and Reason:The Excision is here!

Are you a lover of spoken word and rap? This June, Rhyme and Reason, the organisers of the first and only Spoken Word and rap concert in Nigeria, presents The Excision… featuring world-renowned P4CM spoken word poets, Ezekiel Azonwu, Janette…Ikz, Preston Perry, Jackie Hill Perry, and domestic artists, Atilola, Plumbline, OrRawDay, Gaise and IBK Spaceshipboi.

This event of a lifetime is happening this Saturday, 11^th of June, 2016, and The Dome, Lekki, Freedom way Lagos.

This event is FREE but registration is required! Limited spaces are available so register now at www.rhymeandreasonng.com. 

REVIEW: Hard Rock Cafe Lagos

This mini review of Hard Rock Cafe Lagos is overdue. My friends and I had a Girls Night Out just before Valentine's Day. We went to Muson Center to watch a concert first - they started quite late, so we had to leave early. We had made reservations at Hard Rock Cafe and we were quite hungry. Prior to this, I had never been to any Hard Rock Cafe location. I guess I was just never really interested.

Hard Rock Cafe Lagos opened late last year, December I think. It has quickly become one of the IT spots - you go there to "see and be seen" from what I gather. We chose outside seating, which was pretty cool. There were tents and lounge chairs (not beds o - some people were really lying down like they were in their bedrooms). Inside, it was pretty loud and there were loads of people! I like the bar feeling/setting of the restaurant.

I can't remember what I ordered to drink, but it probably will not pass Chapman. 

My friends had been there before, and order the suya chicken and chicken wings as appetizers. The suya chicken was very nice!

I wasn't a fan of the chicken wings though.

I ordered the fish and chips dish, which I must say was AMAZING!!! The fish was so crispy on the outside, yet soft on the inside that it melted in my mouth.

I thoroughly enjoyed my dish. My friends were not too keen on it, but they liked the dishes they ordered, so I can easily say that we all enjoyed our choices.

We also got desserts to share - a slice of carrot cake, and it was either a brownie or a slice of chocolate cake with ice cream.

By the time we were done, we were full out of our minds!!!! I wish I'd gone to Hard Rock Cafe a few more times before leaving. I'm not sure why I didn't have the zeal in the first place. But from my visit there, I look forward to going back whenever I come home for a visit.

Have you been to any Hard Rock Cafes around the world? What was your experience like?

Driving through Owerri and Calabar

Hiya!

How was your weekend? I hope it went well. I had a fun fun time here, and I'll share photos eventually. Again, my Snapchatters already saw everything that went down :) The username is BerryDakara.

Before I left Nigeria, one of the most important things for me to do was see my grandparents. Cakes also wanted us to visit his sister in Calabar. The easiest thing to do was to fly to Port Harcourt, staying with my parents and then drive down to our various destinations. The week before I left, we set off on our tripping across Southern/Eastern Nigeria and while it was tiring, we had a lot of fun. Scroll through for a few photos.

South-South Girl

When I moved back to Nigeria in 2011, I was very pumped and excited about what was coming ahead. I looked forward to the fashion and having ankara and other traditional clothes in abundance. One of the items I really wanted was the Etibo, which is traditionally worn by South-South men. I mentioned it to my dad and he 100% refused to even entertain the idea. I'm sure in his mind, he thought, "This my daughter don come with her crase."

Teal Gele and Pink Lace

Hola!

I'm slowly counting down, re: my big news from yesterday. Because of the changes coming very soon, it's making me a little nostalgic for having custom-made outfits courtesy of Nigerian tailors. In the States, having a simple ankara dress made for you can run from $80 and above. Seriously, take a look at some designers that sell ankara clothes abroad, and you'll see a simple pencil skirt for $100 +! Having tailors at cheaper prices here is something that I'll definitely miss.

Anyways, before the tears start, let's go ahead with this post. Over the weekend, Cakes' friend got married and the pink lace asoebi came with a teal gele. As I mentioned in this post, I don't like to wear geles, so I asked my tailor to turn it into a top.

Blogging in Nigeria

Today I want to share my responses to the Blogging in Nigeria tag. I started blogging a few years ago and it's been a fun, and sometimes challenging ride. Being a Lifestyle blogger in Nigeria is interesting and even though there's an external push sometimes to go in the gossip and entertainment niche, that is simply not my style. In this video, I share my thoughts as a blogger in Nigeria and I hope you find it insightful.

The questions are:

1. Name of your blog.

2. Why did you start blogging?

3. Are you a full time blogger?

4. What do you know now that you wish you knew then?

5. Challenges of blogging in Nigeria (hint: guess how long it took to upload my video?)

6. How much was your first paid ad/ anything?

7. How is the Nigerian blogosphere?

8. What’s your family’s response to you blogging knowing the Nigerian culture with staple jobs?

9. Message to Nigerian brands.

10. Plans for your blog.

11. Perks of blogging in Nigeria.

12. Do you think blogging should be a career path?

13. What do you hope for the future of blogging in Nigeria?

14. Have you ever been copy righted/stolen from someone?

15. Do you feel fulfilled blogging?

This tag was created by Sisi Yemmie and Tosin Alabi (Africanism Cosmpolitan) - all vloggers and bloggers in Nigeria are encouraged to share their answers. 

Enjoy the video, and please subscribe (and like it on Youtube) and share it on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Berry and Cakes' Anniversary Date

Hiya!

How's your week going? I hope it's fine. Mine is craaaaaaaaazy busy! It's taking me so long to respond to emails and comments because work is busy as heck! As in, I have little time to play - which is why I need to have a better structure to the blog (more on that next week).

So you know that just 2 weeks ago was our anniversary but I was too sick and tired to actually go out and celebrate it. Cakes wanted us to go out to lunch, but I suggested we get small chops from church and go back home for me to sleep. We agreed to postpone the outing to a later date, and that was this past weekend! I wanted us to go somewhere a little more fancy than our regular dates, so we had dinner at Sky Lounge in Eko Hotel and Suites. I've eaten there a gajillion times with my friends, but Cakes had never been, so it was a nice opportunity for him.

Berry Blogger Brunch Weekend

So here are the photos I promised from the Blogger Brunch event I went to. It was hosted by Dee Mako, who's a Style blogger. Honestly, when I met her I was shocked. On her blog she's very quirky with her style, and I fully expected to see that when I met her that day. But she was very simple - didn't even wear makeup! Maybe I'm the one that does too much these days. Chick was just like, "Enh, I'll rub powder and that's it." Oh well.

GIVEAWAY and ASOEBIJUNKIE TEXTILE FAIR is here again!

The Asoebi-Junkie Textile Fair is here again and this year it's even more packed with free activities, and of course beautiful fabric to purchase!

Come shop fabrics, shoes, beads and all kinds of fashion accessories as well ready-to-wear pieces from designers at discounted rates. Tick off items from your Christmas Shopping List as there will be great bargains on every item at the fair.

THERE'S MORE! Get treated to FREE sessions on Fabrics, Makeup, and Gele-tying.

1. Patrick Ayanski Fabric Consultant Talk.

Our Main sponsor, The Patrick Ayanski brand will be having a one hour talk with everyone interested in fabric business. They will be talking about recruiting individuals as fabric consultants of their brand and teaching you everything you need to know to run a successful fabric business
TIME: 12PM TO 1PM

2. FREE GELE TYING SESSION BY OMOGE ADUNMARADAN

Talented makeup artist and gele tying expert whose brand is known as Omoge Adumaradan will be live at the fair to teach us how to tie gorgeous gele styles effortlessly and slay at your next event.
TIME: 1.00 PM TO 1.30 PM

3. FREE PARTY MAKE UP SESSION

Professional make up artist known as Adorned by Joy will also be live at the fair to teach us how to apply flawless party makeup with ease, so we can always  do our make up by ourselves and look gorgeous to that Christmas party.
TIME: 1.3O PM TO 2 PM

We will also be having other brand show case afterwards and most important is our raffle draw for purchase of 10,000 Naira and above.

You see why you can’t afford to miss this fair and please do me a favour -  invite your friends, family members,neighbors, colleagues and everyone you know that will be in Lagos next weekend to come take advantage of this great event.
ITS GOING TO BE EPIC!!!

GIVEAWAY VIA BERRY DAKARA BLOG

There's also a giveaway again ! This time, 5 yards of beautiful tulle lace is available to be won. I wish I was around to win it myself :(

GIVEAWAY RULES

1. FOLLOW AND SHARE in one or more from below

A. Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheAsoEbiJunkie) and SHARE the Textile fair photo OR

B. Follow @theasoebijunkie on Instagram and REPOST the textilefair photo with the hashtag #theasoebijunkietextilefair and

C. Follow @theasoebijunkie on Twitter and RETWEET the textile fair photo with the hashtag #theasoebijunkietextilefair

2. After doing one or more of the above, post a comment here stating which option you did, and your name so that we can verify.

Giveaway closes on the 5th of December and the winner MUST pick up the fabric on the 6th of December at the fair (or send a representative).

ASOEBI JUNKIE CONTACT DETAILS

Website:  www.theasoebijunkie.wordpress.com

Phone:     07033040834

BB pin:     7EFEDB78

Instagram: theasoebijunkie

Twitter:      theasoebijunkie

Facerbook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAsoEbiJunkie