Time to Shine

I managed to score some tickets to a live recording of 'Time to Shine' finals at Hackney Empire. Time to Shine in simple terms is Gospel X-factor. It is the UK's number one gospel talent search and all I can say from the experience is - people can siiiiiing!!!!!

I won't bore you with my rambles but will leave you with some pictures I took. If you know anyone who might be able to benefit from this opportunity, please give them a shout. I already told my friend about it.....because he can siiiiing! Lol! Also, my hair's growing quickly and I now wear it in a puff/bun depending on the occasion. It's been what? 6 months since I cut it? Sounds about right for length retention.  Although I am not 100% on my moisture and protecting my edges, I am getting there :)

I was #TeamMillie

They are all brothers! #BrothersWithVoices

Top three - Vessel, Abiola & Esther (from the left)

I stopped taking pictures at a point to focus on the judging and singing. I also made loads of videos but here's the link to the website for you to view the professional ones. Lol. Get registering people! And let me know so I can come watch and cheer you till my throat gets sore!

Meanwhile, in other news, behold my birthday cake #chuffed!....the celebration went on for two weeks! What can I say? #Grateful

And finally!......*drumroll! I got my birthday cake! Although I didn't get to eat it! Lol!

Speak Soon

LW xx

Gourmet Burger Kitchen: Impatience is a virtue

I am in a relationship with GBK's milkshake. Even though a milkshake is inhuman and therefore incapable of reciprocating my love, I am still in love. Isn't that the true test of real love? That it remains even when it gets nothing in return? *ahem! I digress.

Where was I? Oh yes! I am a GBKer. I've had some really good burgers yet GBK has managed to hang in there through the years. A bit of background - I am very picky with my food at lunchtime. I think it's because I am spoilt for choice. I kid you not, Lady Womble at lunch time equals confused.com. Most days I spend all the time wandering around trying to make up my mind on what to have then I head back to work empty-handed (bellied).

On one of such days, I saw a GBK guy handing out fliers and took one. Once I read what the flier said, I took a few more! Lol! GBK was challenging me! I mean, the food's enough to get my attention. Yet they had to go along and give me a food-related challenge. Bring it on!

According to GBK, if I order my lunch and it's not with me in 15minutes, then I get a free lunch on my next visit!

I finally got the opportunity yesterday when some colleagues decided on a GBK lunch. Off we went and I ordered a Classic Beef Burger with Small Chunky Skin-on Fries, paid and set my clock.

Guess who won......*drumroll

Yes indeed! I did you all proud! LOL!

When you get the chance, do take the challenge and tell me about it! Right now, I am struggling to keep my eyes open after eating just half of my ******** .Watch this space to find out what ;)


Speak Soon

LW xx

October's for beb'OSA

Yesterday, someone posted a request on my facebook wall - 'Bring back Beb'OSA'.

So here I am! A lot has been going on in Womble world but all in all, still surviving! :D

What have I been up to? Well, I spent July attending 3 weddings *phew - in Birmingham, Bolton and Essex. And a 4th wedding in September. The last one was in London which was good! Less travel! I have to say that before this year, I had only attended 3 weddings - a neigbour's, my sister's and a colleague's. That's it! And in one year I managed to beat that record! #Epic!

I've also done loads of cooking and volunteering. I completed a sponsored walk from Heathrow to Islington, helped organise a charity football tournament, volunteered for Cancer Research UK's Shine Night Walk and I am currently working on 2 events in support of Breast Cancer Campaign.My mentee also graduated this summer (mega proud) so I have another one.

On cooking, I surprised my brother on his birthday plus I stocked his fridge and freezer with his favourite meals. Also hosted a few people to lunch last month which I think went down a storm - am I allowed to say that? Lol.

And of course, the highlight - it was my birthday a few days ago. I went to see John Legend live at the Apollo on his 'All of me' tour. If you ever get the chance to see him live, do it! Lol! Then I went to see a movie and dinner the next day - I should do a review on the place! It was amazing! I also went shopping at Oxford Street. Basically, it was a week long celebration which is yet to be over......

Guess that's all folks. The highlights since I last came here. I'll leave you with one of my fave tunes at the moment from my girl Simi.......
 
                             

Loving you always,

LW

Una Vida

*knock knock

Is anybody there?

I have a confession.....you see all that hair I had this time last year? Well, I cut it 3 months ago. Got back from work one day and half-way through de-tangling I had had enough! So off I went to my bathroom and chopped my hair off.

They say a woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life and I couldn't agree more!

Summer's in full swing and it has been absolutely lovely for the most part. Also, 2014's speeding by so quickly I can barely keep up with the days!

Second confession......I toyed with the idea of starting another blog AGAIN! Well a website actually but something keeps pulling me back here. I'll call it the allure of a first love, unfinished business, an unending story.........

...incase you wondered, here's what my hair is like now. Actually, it's even shorter! Lol!

Photo: curly-hairstyles.org

*cheers to the next half of the year

LW

Lust Have.....

I took a trip down Oxford street sometime in the last week of December 2013. I don't know if I said but I was ill over Christmas so spent it indoors and 'bed-bound'. Little wonder that at the first opportunity, I wandered out of my 'hole' and took a walk to explore one of the main 'shopping districts'.

At this point I must mention I was without a penny in hand. Lol. Not so much out of choice but more out of *coughs, shall we say circumstance. Lol.

Anyway, I went in and out of the shops, taking in the beauty of the streets - full of people, noise and lights. I am quite picky in the things I like so when I fall for a brand, it's usually a lifelong love affair. And in light of this, I walked into the Ted Baker store. Lovelies!!! That store gave me life from the first ,'Hello'. Lol! So many things I just wanted to grab off the rack without trying them on because I KNOW my size in TB like I know I should have gone to bed ages ago! *sigh.

I wandered around on the ground floor admiring jumpsuits, tailoring, the whole 9 yards. Then I decided to check what the upper floor had to offer. I kid you not as I got to the top of the stairs, one of the girls there walked past me in the most AMAZING dress I had seen all day! I couldn't help it, I gushed to her how much I loved her dress and she went on to say it was from that store, asked for my size, handed me one and insisted I tried it on.

Oh dear, I loved the dress when I saw it. But when I wore it.......it was a lifelong union. Lol.
Unfortunately, I did not take it home with me as my senses spoke words of reason and I decided to listen. Till date I still visit the website to ensure my dress is in stock because as soon as I can afford to - WHOOSH! I am so snapping it and making it mine!

I'm actually looking forward to summer you know, Lol. Can't wait for the sunshine to kiss my face everyday (sheer bliss). Here's my dress - I promise it looks much better sitting on me than it does here :P

Speak soon lovelies! Sweet Dreams xx

L.W

THE GIFT OF EMPTINESS

I am many things. I say this because not only have I been called many things, I look in the mirror and see many things. Let me tell you something about me – I love to save people the trouble by calling myself the many names I can be called. I am ditsy. I am giggly. A bit eccentric and also a bubbly airhead. Hold up! Before you go screaming bloody murder at the fact that I am insulting myself, may I highlight that this is not self-degradation. Rather, these are the words of someone who is self-accepting. You see, I am not perfect. And to be honest, I do not want to be. Because my beautiful imperfections ring clear in my ears reminding me daily that I owe everything I have to a God who has been faithful enough to love me despite all odds. A family, gracious enough to put up with my nuances and friends I honestly do not deserve. I do not deserve my friends because they tolerate my ability to go AWOL for long stretches at a time and come back like I smell of roses and they are all bees. Naa! I ain’t rosy and my friends certainly aren’t bees. But for reasons I can never explain, they put up with me and whenever I resurface, pick things up from where we left them. Today I sit and stare at my wall, plagued by a grave promise I made to myself. Today I promised to die empty. I want to empty myself of all that I have. All that I own and all I will become. I owe it to the world to leave everything that I am. Touch a life. Bless someone. Today I say out loud that which I have always whispered in my heart – I will die empty. And before you go off thinking I am having the New Year blues, far from it. I thrive on emptiness. Pouring out and giving myself to the things that colour my world one small action after another. To know me is to know my empty. To love me is to let me be empty. Hi, I am ditsy. Sometimes eccentric, doing the silliest things and walking around with my head in the clouds, and today I give my gift of emptiness. I am empty.

YOLO

Not quite the title most would expect.....but there is so much truth in that word (if I can call this a word) I can't help but remind myself - 'Lady, YOLO!!!'

YOLO - You Only Live Once.

And here lies the 'thing' that underlies my recent decisions/choices.

You see, unlike a cat with 9 lives, I have one. And I owe it to myself to live this one to the fullest.
Mohatma Gandhi once said,

'The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others'

So when I say YOLO, it is a reminder to myself that I owe it to myself to live a live that serves :D 

I am sure someone's wondering - 'Why so serious?'. It's nothing like that. However, as I countdown to the end of 2013 I cannot help but count my blessings. Man! What a year this has been! It's easy to get lost in all the things we are yet to achieve and in the process ignore all the things we did achieve, All the friends and family still hanging around to share these moments of love, laughter and tears.

And even when there are no friends or family, the fact we can experience love, laughter and tears is evidence that we can stay fighting, stay dreaming and stay learning from our experiences. And for that, there is reason to be hopeful indeed!

It's with this realisation that I signed up to volunteer with Crisis UK, taking care of the homeless over Christmas. I am looking forward to spending at least 2 days with rough sleepers, attending to their needs, providing food and a listening ear.

I do it because I love it! It is such an amazing feeling being able to smile at someone and they smile back. Being able to share moments of joy and festivities with people all over. Afterall, isn't that what this season is all about?

I am also writing a list of things I need to do next year! This Womble is a dreamer.....as you may have noticed! My blog persona itself is a dream *chuckle. Although it would be lovely to live wombly free on Wimbledon Commons - no rent! no bills! no taxes! *FingerSnapToReality

I am not going to share what I have written out for myself - Sorry lovelies! *hehe. but rest assured this blog is high on that list! So much to do, so little time......Where to start? Here. When to start? Now.

P.S.

Did I tell you I haven't been cooking a lot lately! I know right! All my random kitchen experiments and hastily taken photographs - no more! Oh but I did attend an Intro to Photgraphy course in September. Maybe I shouldn't have said that because now you'll expect some quality shots next time I post pictures *gulp. Definately no pressure there!

Another 'disaster' is the fact I haven't had the chance to explore this beautiful city like I would love to. I have deliberately gotten myself lost by taking walks down streets, corners and sometime alleys I have no clue about. Things have to change #YOLO

Until next time, take care lovelies!!!! :D

Lady xx

April's the month.....

Yes, it all started in April...

I left my old role on 29th March and headed down to London in a Taxi on 30th March with every single thing I own and could carry....everyone seems to have a laugh when they hear I moved in a Taxi.

Don't be fooled, Lol! I wasn't cash rich. I was just blessed that the taxi driver who came to pick me to the train station was kind enough to realise the stupidity of my intentions and actually do something about it!

I mean, how did I expect to get all my stuff on the train and then on the underground and then to where I was going to live? I know!!! At this point you can probably see how much crazy goes on in my head sometimes *coversface. Well I don't apologise for it....life is for the living. And if I have to be a bit 'crazy' to realise things won't work.....no regrets here :D

Where was I? Yes, so I ended up in a taxi to London with a driver who hadn't driven there before. I promised to stay awake and navigate the route on his iPhone for as long as the low battery would permit. I must say, the ride was interesting. He just gave me jokes. Till date my only regret is I didn't take his number to ring him afterwards and say, 'Thank You'. Maybe even send some Christmas cheer to him and his family eii....Lesson learnt.

He kept asking me if I was running away from a boyfriend. Because in his head he couldn't understand why I was leaving an empty house on a Saturday with all my stuff. According to him, that was the only explanation he could give. I convinced him it was none of that.....this Womble was moving to the big city.

And so began what was to be the biggest roller coaster ride and adventure of my life.....at this point feel free to call me a Londoner. For I am hopelessly in love with this city....

Speak soon

 Lady Womble xx

....thanks to Rum-Punch Drunk

I'll be the first to admit I haven't been blogging like I would love to. Honestly, I wish I did. No excuses here......I should find time for things I love.

So why haven't I been blogging? I started this blog wanting to share my life and the experiences I encounter. But along the line I was mainly sharing randoms on what I loved most - FOOD!! You see, I am not a girly girl. I would love to be - if only I could spare the time and money *cue :D
When it comes to fashion, beauty and all that seems to sell and ramp up blog views, I don't match up.

And so I was torn between what direction this blog should take but kept at it any way.

Along the line, life really happened for me. Lol. I cannot even begin to go through the list of things this year had in store for me. I can boldly admit it has been one of my toughest years ever!

Also, my laptop gave up on me. Lol. Yes people, after 2 years of not doing much, my screen decided to abandon yours truly just when I needed it most. This was in October just before my birthday. I was given a 'ridiculous' quote and frankly could not afford to spare the cash so that wasn't happening! Apparently, my laptop is an expensive piece of work - I was given for my birthday 2 years ago so have no way of knowing what it cost.

Now where is this going? Well, between not being here for so long and taking a step back to assess how recent happenings have changed the content I want to write about, I decided to start another blog.

Basically archive this one which I thought was a bit of a mess and start all over - new direction, new everything.

This has been playing on my mind for at least a month and finally, I logged in to take the step and there it was, a comment from Rum-Punch Drunk under my last post.

I guess the title of this post is a big giveaway because reading that comment was a major 'awww' moment for me (Thanks Rum-Punch)

So dearies, I have decided to just continue my story here.

Forgive me in advance if this becomes a mash of thoughts, this, that and everything in between.

I'll do my best to make it work.

On that note, as we countdown to the holidays......may you have a happy one :)

Lady xx

Guess who's back?

I am finally writing a new post.........and if I was a dog I'ld have my tail between my legs right now.

Life has been crazy and so much has happened the past few months I don't even know where to start from!

Bottomline is I finally braced myself and decided to blog. I have come to the point where I think I need to blog. Need an outlet to stay sane.

When I started this, I had no idea what I was doing or what I was going to write. One year later it feels like I'm all grown up (yeah, right!). Like I'm a growwwwwwwwwwwwwn womble! And maybe that will be reflected here, we'll see.

Hopefully the past year has taught me a few things.

I'll just write as I go along. Write what I feel like and maybe share a few womble survival tips.

If I didn't do this today, I don't know if I ever will :)

I've logged in so many times and stopped short of posting an new entry.

It's taken a while, lots of tears, disappointments, fears and heck I've been rendered homeless at some point but guess what......I'm back in the building!

Speak soon lovelies! Love you much and missed this! Missed you! :)

Lady Womble