I recently stopped doing something that used to bring me so much joy for this exact reason. Instead of being a stimulating and fun outlet, it had become a drag on me. Hopefully one day, I will go back to it. 

La Herradurra

One of my favorite Mexican food spots in the burbs is La Herradurra (meaning the Horseshoe) in New Rochelle. I randomly came here one night, a few months ago, with my cousin who lived in the neighborhood. We had an awesome night of patron margaritas and superb Mexican food. It's a cosy space and you get great value for your money. I now go there pretty often. One of my favorite things about the place is the decor. Very authentic (pretty sure I'm not qualified to judge Mexican authenticity but, whatever). 

Lookbook: Hello Fall

Mimi ni mkenya. This world needs healing. 

Lovers In The Parking Lot

Solange epitomises the whole "be yourself" concept, IMO. I remember a point where her team (or whoever) was trying to make her a mini beyonce but now here she is being her own glorious self and we all love her so much more. 

Danai Gurira x InStyle Magazine

What more can I say that I have not already said? Zimbabwe's very own. I love it. 

Instagram Chronicles

We put together an adorable office baby shower for my coworker. Perfect way to start off the weekend.

Tried out Ichiro, a new-ish restaurant in my town. Sushi was on point!

View of Washington Heights from Fort Tryon Park. More pics in my Morning Photowalk post. 

Still working on my fitness. Striving to be more consistent with my gym attendance, I fell off a little bit. 

I saw Mother of George and the highlight was meeting the gorgeous (even more so in person) Danai Gurira. She was very well-spoken and charming. She is the star of this beautiful film and she gave a convincing performance.  I left with a new appreciation for cinematography. All of the imagery and music came together so well, Andrew Dosunmu is quite a talent. 

#LFW x Burberry Prorsum

Yes to the embellished skirts and the lace skirts from Burberry's Spring 2014 collection. Yes to Cara Delevingne.  

Miss America x Bollywood

I have a thing for India and Indian culture. My friends think it's a little weird because it is extreme. I'm a very visual person so I just think it is beautiful. I love Bollywood movies and everything. 

The new Miss America, Nina Davuluri performed a Bollywood dance as her talent. This is one of the few parts of the contest that I saw, loved it. Congratulations to her and I love that she is brushing off the racist nonsense. Go ahead girl. 

Enjoy!

Morning #PhotoWalk

The last time I went to Fort Tryon Park, I was 12 years old and had just moved to America. My friend's mother took us to the Cloisters and Fort Tryon so that I could see a different side of Manhattan.

13 years later, I found myself walking around the entire park by myself very early in the morning. It was an awesome way to begin my day with the city on one side and the Hudson River on the other. It felt great to be alone with my thoughts and just enjoy the surroundings.

 I've been receiving a lot of praise in the past few months and it is so easy to get caught up in things like that and become complacent. I keep reminding myself that I am nowhere near where I want to be. Both in terms of physical and nautical miles and in terms of accomplishing my goals. There is still so much to be done. Moments like these: watching pretty sunrises/sunsets, seeing vast bodies of water and noticing little things in nature are so humbling. They remind me of the bigger picture and make me feel small, in a good way. There are things out there MUCH bigger than me and what I want, say or do. These beautiful things God has made, that naturally exist with no regard for who I am and what I am doing. 

Enjoy my photo walk.

www.luxethrills.tumblr.com

if you want to look at pretty pictures, look no further. 

Danai Gurira in Mother of George

Danai Gurira (who I am a huge fan stan of) as Adenike in Andrew Dosonmu's new film, Mother of George, really looking forward to watching this. It looks like it will be a visual feast. Also excited for a film that tells the story of Africans living in the diaspora, not too many of those. I will report back after I see it. 

About the movie:

At long last, handsome Ayodele Balogun, owner of a small Nigerian restaurant in Brooklyn, will wed his beautiful fiancée, Adenike, and they will start a new life together in the United States. Their traditional Yoruba wedding culminates in a ceremony where Adenike is named for her yet-to-be-conceived son, George. But as the months pass without pregnancy, Ma George is torn between her Yoruba culture and her new life in America as she faces uncomfortable and unfamiliar choices in her struggle to save her marriage.

Stephen Bantu Biko

Two years ago, I read "I Write What I Like" for the first time and it changed me. While reading the book, I got glimpses into his brilliance from when he was a student leader in university to him maturing causing his ideas to expand and change in some ways. It is a great read. If you have read Frantz Fanon, you will certainly enjoy Biko's writings. 

 When I read Biko, I was reminded of how important it is to seek truth and to ask the hard questions. As he once famously wrote, "the most powerful weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed." Our minds are so important, we have to guard them rather than be kept too dumb, drunk, drugged up, and distracted to question or to even realize what is happening.  At one point Biko was banned, he was not allowed to speak publicly or publish any writing and people could not quote him. Nelson Mandela and others were also banned by the apartheid government at one point or another. That is a testament to the old saying, "thoughts become things." Biko wanted to empower black people by changing the way they viewed their blackness and their place in the world  and then fight apartheid from this new perspective. He paid for that with his life. 

The things that Biko and his contemporaries fought against have taken on new and different forms in 2013. We are constantly bombarded with images and messages (subtle or not) like: you are lesser, other, this or that is not for your kind, your kind is not capable of this or that. Too many of us walking around the world being apologetic for who we are, how dark our skin is, how our hair coils, how our tongue cannot wrap itself around some of those English words. Separating ourselves from our people, values, traditions; looking for legitimization and validation from another race because we have been othered, we've been made to feel we are different and that there is something wrong with that. It is this insecurity that keeps us in our "place"and that keeps us playing small. 

The unconscious person is ever so grateful for the inch that the master gives when really they could have worked and gotten a mile had they been given a fair chance -- but they don't see that.

Wake up.  

  Steve Biko was a great mind and a compelling leader taken from the world much too soon.

Stephen Bantu Biko

18 December 1946 - 12 September 1977

NYFW x Monique L'Huillier

Bright and billowy from Monique L'Huillier. Love. 

NYFW x Maki Oh

My obsession with Maki is well documented. I must say her Spring 2014 collection completely took me by surprise and I am kind of happy about that. I'm even more excited that she is getting this much buzz because it is well deserved.

 After the fall 2013 collection that was so distinctly African, she came up with something new. An elegant and feminine reimagination of this sportswear jersey trend, interesting silhouettes, adorable hats and more adire print. I don't LOVE it all like I loved this collection but I definitely recommend you take a look at it all. 

 

Vienna

Where does one find something that looks like this? I want. 

Music Break: Emeli Sandé

It is so rare to find full bodies of work that you can listen to without skipping or wanting to skip a song. Emeli Sandé's Our Version of Events is my album of the 2012-2013. First I hear "Next to Me" and I needed more so I searched the internet for more songs and came across videos of her performing live. WHAT A TREAT. Her voice is beautiful, her song writing is beautiful. This is my type of music. 

I went out and bought the album and have listened to it every week. Front to back, shuffled, whatever the case. I listen to it in its entirety. Now my goal is to watch her live before the year ends. 

Watch the video and check out more here. 

Christian Siriano Spring 2014

Christian Siriano remains one of my favorite Project Runway winners, ever. He and Korto Mormolu are really the only two that I remember and check for. He sent this very interesting collection down the runway. I am in love with the dress. He always does these long flowy dress so well. The entire collection reminds me of a vacation, it was apparently inspired by a trip to Mexican. How awesome is the "woven" basket looking skirt and shirt combo. I like that he takes risks! Overall, a wearable and easy on the eyes collection. There is so much variety, I guarantee you'll like at least four or five looks.  

Big Blue is Back!

First NFL Sunday of the season. I feel whole again. I am a huge American football and more importantly, New York Giants fan. Cheers to a better season than last year! So excited :)

Quotables

Magazines galore

I'm a magazine junkie. One of my dreams is to own, edit, and publish a magazine. [I am working on it] I have quite a number of magazine subscriptions; everything from the Economist and Forbes to Cosmopolitan and Vogue. They say print is dying but I definitely prefer print books, magazines, newspaper, textbook et al. I guess I am old school. These are some of the magazines I've read in the past few days.

I was so excited to get this because of Danai Gurira's editorial. The Viola Davis story turned out to be a gem also.

I just discovered this last month and I was very impressed. It is free in iTunes, get it!

Even though I'm a die-hard print girl, I am grateful for digital versions of magazines. As part of working on my magazine dream, I read a lot of South African magazines and I get them through Zinio [awesome app]. The cool thing about digital versions is that magazines add videos & other exclusives to them which adds another dimension to the reader's experience.  

Elle South Africa does some amazing editorials. Poppy Evans does an amazing job.

Destiny holds a very special place in my heart. If you want to be inspired, GET A COPY.

Terry Pheto in Zanzibar, like we have never seen her before. Gorgeous.