The Ramblings of a Madman

Icy daggers and Quiet smiles

Afam 00:21:00

This one's a little bit of a nothing post because try as I might I cannot settle on a theme that suits my mood. What's my mood at the moment you wonder? It's a quiet smile and a wicked glint in my eyes; it's a dead pan face with vicious truths and strong convictions and; it's a soft anger that's borne of constant disrespect.

I don't want to dwell on the disrespect part of things, but over the weekend a writer friend of mine came to my house for the get together I threw for my 24th and shat on me in public. He literally pressed my nose and called me bastard in front of my brother and his good friend, Iapetus. Because I write and I'm so passionate about it, I try not to talk about it unless I'm asked explicitly because I can be a little bit overbearing with it. The struggle rises to the surface and overwhelms me. I can't stem the flow of stories I've held back because I can't find an appropriate deposit for them in my life. You'll be treated to the, "Err mar gerrrd nobody understands me" whine and that will be closely followed by the "following your dreams is so hard" wail. Sometimes I fail to keep from offloading my emotional baggage on complete strangers but I try very hard indeed. I try so hard that I'm proud of myself in spite of my failures. It's progress.

So this writer turns to my brother, Gbaddy and says..

Enter writer friend, Iapetus, Gbaddy and me, Afam, the competitive.

Writer Friend: Afam and I used to compete back in the day.

Gbaddy's really only feigning interest. He really couldn't care less about the competition or lack there of, but Gbaddy's nothing if not polite, so he puts on his most interested face and joins the conversation.

Gbaddy: You did?

Me: Yes we did. I defeated him.

And I did. I churn out content at a pace he cannot match, I have a greater following and he's been on hiatus for six months or so. Anyway you look at it, he's been buried. I don't like thinking about it like this because his race isn't mine.

Writer Friend: Well all he does is insult middle aged women about what they wear, while I write introspective and interesting poetry and articles laced with my unique brand of dark humour.

Silence...

His words hurt. They were an icy dagger in my breast. At that point I just wanted him to leave. You don't come into my house and chat shit like that. It's just rude. As he left he tried to apologise, or smooth the troubled waters but I wasn't having any of it. I delivered the most cruel line when he broached the subject again. I said, "By June I would have B for Blown and you'll be exactly where you are now, nowhere."

And that's all I guess. I can't say that I will have blown by June but I hope so. The thing that's awesome is even if I don't I'll be okay. Dream chasing comes with a satisfaction that's unmatched by anything. I don't even know that this is my dream. The bit I like best about all of this, is that it's something that's mine and mine alone. Nobody gave it to me. Nobody can take it from me. Papa Afam didn't make any magical internship granting calls. Anyway you look at it, it's all me. There are mistakes, and there are bad calls but I can't help but feel a little bit proud of it.

And that's all for tonight I guess.

Happy Days,
Afam

MAHABIS

Mahabis: Designed for life

Afam 03:01:00

Every once in a while, I find something that I'm so excited about that I can't keep my shit together and I don't mean that literally. I was going to say that I meant it literally but you don't need the imagery and I'm turning 24 soon. I've got to behave myself. A 24 year old that can't keep his shit together is like a 7 year old dog that can't sit on command, a mistake that's gone on for too long. I am Afam am not a mistake. Mama Afam and Papa Afam told me that explicitly. You're probably wondering what it is that's got my tummy rumbling and my heart beating like it's fit to burst. I'll put you out of your misery.

The folks at Mahabis have redesigned the slipper. I know it looks like a pair of plimsolls but they really aren't. They've got a breathable top layer that won't let your feet get too warm, and the back of them's collapsable so you won't have to fight them off your feet. Even more exciting is the fact that Mahabis has created the world's first detachable sole. The rubber sole comes in a range of colours so the slippers are extremely customisable. I've been playing with the possible colour combos on their website -mahabis.com for the past half hour. What can I say? I'll procrastinate with nearly anything!

I have to say, the grey's the only detachable sole I'm not crazy about. Why wear grey when you can wear yellow, and tangerine, and light blue, and teal?

I'm not messing with you. These aren't pictures of different slippers. They come with a selection of colours!!

They aren't out yet, but they will be soon. You can reserve a pair on their website, and they'll be in stores before too long.

I was so stoked that I ran into the garden and ghosted.

What do I mean by ghosting?

Gone

Gonner

Gonnest

And we out!

Happy Days,

Afam

FASHION

Tell me I'm the only one even if you choke - Maki Oh Fall 2014

Afam 15:50:00

I spent part of my evening in the art cafe - a new coffee house in Victoria Island - writing about it. I was quite keen on going there because I thought it'd be a great place to write. I've been looking for a space that's quiet, with great vibes, that encourages the flow of words from brain to screen or paper. So, I was happy when an assignment led me there. I can't say that I'll ever do much writing there because I don't quite feel comfortable there. We just didn't click. My heart didn't beat. I didn't feel like myself there. 

I ordered a frappucino with baileys in it. As I sipped it, I could see Stranger Lagos - the micro cafe and concept store that I adore - in my mind's eye saying, "tell me you love me, tell me I'm better, tell me I'm the only one, even if you choke."

I had unwittingly applied some of the lyrics that inspired Maki-Oh's newest collection to my life. You might think it funny that I feel so strongly for Stranger Lagos, but I do not. I did not realise how destabilising the move back to Nigeria would be. I lost a fully formed life with routines, and constant gardeners, and gained an incomplete one with empty spaces, unfamiliar faces and more unstructured time than I could stand. When I found Stranger, I grabbed unto it. It stopped me from being as adrift as I was. One thing that Lagos has taught me is, when you find something that works you seize it. You don't wait for your idea of perfection to present itself, you make do with whatever's on ground. But you mustn't think that the frequency of my visits to Stranger are as a result of a decision to settle. You cannot say that you're settling when something is quite literally the best of its kind you've ever had.

Maki-Oh's fourth collection toys with the themes of madness and unmadness, and love and anti-love. These are states that are so fluid, and transient that it is often difficult for the bulk of us to distinguish where exactly between the two we lie. And even when we are sure, we're always aware that the other is just around the corner. 

What I love about Maki's clothes is that they're always so intelligent. You can see the story there. They're more than just things you put on your back. They mean something. It's a little bit mad, but I appreciate the story almost more than I do the clothes. Before I consider their wearability or how fashionable they are, I think about the story, and how genuine it is. The madness of the collection presents itself clearly to me in an off white dress with tassles that's vaguely reminiscent of a straight jacket, and in the awkward lengths of some of the dresses. That's the more obvious line of thought in the conversation she has presented.

Can you see what I mean? It's longer than midi, and it's incredibly straight jacket-esque.

This one isn't straight jacket-esque but it's still a bit longer than midi.

This is the dress that I like most. I love the colour and the seams. This collection lets you know that Maki knows her girl.


I turned up at Stranger for a social media week event they were hosting. On my way inside I bumped into Uju who asked me to help her unzip the phenomenal dress she was wearing. She told me in between gasps that I had stumbled upon the video shoot for Maki's 2014 fall collection. 

Strange things happen at stranger don't they?

Arri Esiri and Uju.

The skirt received the tassel treatment as well, and the blouse has a sheer panel on the side. I think the blouse is refreshing. It's sexy, without being sexy, and it's so easy. I know the baggy but translucent blouse has been quite popular lately but I'd be lying if I said that I'd seen it done like that.