U.S. president Abraham Lincoln once said that, ‘a house divided against itself cannot stand’. His remarks were in reference to the growing tensions surfacing across the U.S. about the issue of slavery. On the other side of the pond and some 160 years later, we are witnessing a division that has been years in the making and for which no apparent resolution can be agreed on. As Britain heads to the polls in less than 24 hours, Brexit, the thorn in our political side, will once more be the issue taking front and centre stage […]
If there’s one thing about me that I’m only too happy to let people know, it’s that I am a huuuuuge Disney fan and Disney music in particular. My early childhood in the 90s just so happened to coincide with the golden age of Disney’s animated movies and I grew up listening to the sounds of Aladdin, The Lion King, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules and so many more. At 21, I took my first trip to Disneyworld and, as I near 30, I keenly await the arrival of the Disney + streaming service to satisfy my insatiable desire to consume more of what Disney has to offer. So as a lifelong Disney fan, I felt it necessary to go and watch the newly released and highly-anticipated Frozen 2 over the weekend.
This little poem will rank high in the list of worst haikus you’ll ever read but it is written in celebration of the fact that I have been caffeine-free for over two weeks. It is also my roundabout way of paying homage to my year 6 English lessons […]
I remember a distinct period of my life when vacationing abroad for the summer was an annual necessity. For a number of years I looked forward to that particular ritual and it was during this time that I began to truly appreciate all that could be discovered while travelling overseas. I realised that as much as I was seeking fun and adventure, I was just as, if not more, excited about the prospect of being temporarily immersed in another culture[…]
I often joke with friends that I need as much sleep as a teenage boy. But it’s not really a joke; After all, many a truth is spoken in jest. I typically need a good nine to ten hours of sleep to feel anything close to fully functional the following day and yet, I have often found myself on the cusp of dozing off at various points during the day. For a while I even believed I may be suffering from narcolepsy (don’t self diagnose!). A trip to the GP confirmed I did not suffer from the condition. However, I soon discovered that something else could potentially be responsible for my constant tiredness. Nonetheless, it isn’t wise to let life constantly pass you by. So here are a few tips and tricks that help me to get the rest I need and still manage to participate in everyday activities […]
Intimacy isn’t a word that is often associated with platonic interactions between men. Add to that the various stereotypes of hardened masculinity assigned to black men and the concept of intimacy and its possible manifestation within that group is rendered further alien. That is why when mainstream depictions of black men rest so heavily on negative stereotypes, it is heartwarming to see displays of black male bonding on a level that most people outside of this group do not get to experience in most of the media we consume. Such was the case when I recently saw Innua Ellams’ Barber Shop Chronicles at the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm Road […]
One of the perks of living in a large, international city is the array of activities that are always on offer. This is particularly true in the summer when venues centred on arts and culture open their doors for special events that extend late into the evenings. Such is the case with Christie’s , an auction house in central London that also has outposts in New York and Hong Kong. Christie’s hosts a number of late evening events throughout the year aptly titled Christie’s Lates, one of which I attended last night […]
We have just reached the halfway point of 2019 and it is undeniably shaping up to be an interesting (or exasperating!) year in terms of political developments in Britain. With all this uncertainty bubbling under the surface, I could not have picked a better time to read Kamila Shamsie’s Home Fire. Even though the book was published in 2017, it holds many parallels to the current socio-political climate in Britain […]
As a Londoner, I am guilty of keeping myself bound to this great city and naively believing that no other place in the country could offer me as much fun, excitement, joy, and opportunity as the Big Smoke. Likewise, in my mind, the term ‘up north’ refers to that mostly unknown land north of north London (jk, but not really). However, as much as I am adamant that London is likely to be the place I’ll always choose to live in if I remain in Britain, I am trying to be more deliberate in exploring different parts of the country and what they have to offer […]
Let me start by saying that there’s no other place I can think of in Mayfair where one can purchase puff puff*. And that, my dear readers, was the first thing that caught my eye as I poured over the menu options offered at the newly opened Stork restaurant. So with my birthday coming up, I decided it was a good time to treat myself to a sample of the newest restaurant in town! […]
Daylight Snobbery 