Fashion and Style

How time does fly! I can't believe that my little blog is five - what a journey it has been! I thought it would be fun to look back on a few posts I've done over the years. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My first post  was an attempt to restart a blog that I had started writing four years ago - back then, it was more of an extended, and public mailing list. This was a week after I turned 20, and I think the 'new decade' brought me some inspiration to write that I'm still going on! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few months later, I shared some pictures from a trip to the Masai Mara. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- During the spring semester that year, I did a few posts from a series I had posted...

I can't remember a time when I didn't love words. As much as I loved running around and riding my bike when I was younger, you'd be as likely to find me curled up behind a beloved book - I was probably the first child in the history of ever (okay, maybe not) whose parents actually had to tell the librarians to DISCOURAGE me from borrowing so much. When I was a child, even before I understood what all the black squiggly lines meant, my mother would read to me. When we'd exhausted all the stories at home, she'd make up new ones - lots and lots of exciting stories, with me (not knowing this) as the protagonist more often than not. Is it any wonder that I grew up to be such a lover of words? I remember reading Robin Cooks (random, yes), and the Lord of the Rings (now there's another timeless love affair) all before I turned 10, and always being left with this bittersweet feeling whenever the books ended. It has always fascinated me how I can live many lives, be many...

Finally, folks, I crossed that quarter century milestone! Coincidentally, I share my birthday with International Women's Day. It's great that my birthday and my blogiversary are just a week apart, so I have extra reason to celebrate. What did I get up to this year? Well, Wednesday was pretty busy with work, so it was a low key celebration with family. On Saturday, I had lunch with some girlfriends, then pampered myself at the Angsana Spa - Sankara  for three and a half hours (and it was divine! More on this later.) After dinner, I went out for drinks and dancing at one of my favourite spots in Nairobi, J's in Westlands.  Some of you may know me personally, but many of you only know me through what I write. To celebrate being another year wiser older, I thought I'd give you a (very random) sneak peak into what (sometimes) goes on in my mind. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Have you...

A first job can be pretty terrifying - there's so much to do and learn, and often it can be hard to figure out how exactly to navigate this. Today's post will cover some tips that Brittany Macon , one of my best friends (and bias aside, an incredibly talented and intelligent young woman who will be graduating from Vanderbilt law school this May) and I put together after consulting with others who've had many 'first jobs', and drawing a little bit from our own experiences. Brittany presented a few of these tips to juniors and seniors at Sewanee during the 2017  Beyond the Gates  weekend, and we thought it would be helpful to share these with the rest of you too! 1) Network. Especially during your first few weeks, and even before you join if possible, make sure to network with and talk to the people you'll be working with. It can seem intimidating to reach out initially, but it will be worth it. Building on relationships will help you be more successful at work - ...

The warm Saturday sunlight is certainly doing a poor job of motivating me to run later in the day. Hanging out in one of my favourite cafes with friends and sangria, I stop and marvel at just how awesome my life is. Stepping back from my thoughts, I tune back into what one of my friends is saying.  "Yeah, I've been living in Kenya about two months, but I really haven't done much or visited many places!"  The rest of us all nod in agreement as we chime in with talk of how fast time is passing, how little there is to do, how difficult it is to find (and motivate ourselves to participate in) things to do outside of dancing/drinking/eating/working. Blah blah blah... you know the drill.  Slowly, we trail off as we realise our friend is still speaking about how much she hasn't been able to do since she got to Kenya.  "I mean, one weekend we travelled to Uganda, and did some rafting there. Another weekend, I went camping to Naivasha, and then we did skydiving in Dia...

How could Nairobi Restaurant Week have come and gone without my traditional About Thyme visit? Thankfully, my current team also loves the place, and we decided to grab dinner there on Wednesday night.  I was a little surprised (and some coworkers a little disappointed) the restaurant didn't do their regular menu during NRW - don't quite remember how it happened last year - but I think at the end we all agreed it was worth it!  I will apologise in advance for the pictures, as it was a little dark and I'm a little hesitant using flash photography at dinner time. I also forgot to take a picture of the menu, so this screenshot will have to do.  All the restaurants who did dinner for NRW2017 had the same complimentary cocktails, so this time around, I decided to go for the Absolut Mule - and it was great!! I wish I'd chosen this earlier too. With vodka, ginger beer and fresh lime juice, it was perfectly light and refreshing - exactly the drink that the summer night inspired....

Yes, I know, I did just review the Arbor in December. However, I find that it's always helpful to revisit a restaurant and see how the standards are across time - and I also think that sometimes it's a good idea to review the restaurant without warning them in advance! As the Young Women Social Entrepreneurs (Nairobi) board, we decided to grab a Saturday lunch at the Arbor. Two birds, one stone and all that. Nairobi Restaurant Week 2017's lunches went for 950 Ksh. for two courses. Those of you who read my previous review will remember how much I loved their mulled wine. This time around, I ordered sangria (regular menu) - but not before I begged them to add mulled wine to their regular menu. Valentine's Day specials, anyone? I did like the sangria - it was fresh and fruity, but I think it could've done better with a spicier red wine. (Or maybe I was pining over the mulled wine... #notsosubtlehint) The next time I go, I'd love to try the chilli mango juice. Doesn...

The first Friday of Nairobi Restaurant Week 2017 found my mum, my sister and I at Ventana on Lower Kabete Road, celebrating a "Dhawan women's night out". I'd been there before early last year, and I'd enjoyed my experience, so I was eager to try it again. The NRW 2017 three course menu for dinner and a cocktail was 1,950 Ksh. per person, which was a pretty good deal.  For my cocktail, I chose to have a Chivas Collins - Chivas, lemonade and soda water with apple slices. To be honest, I wasn't the hugest fan of this one. The Chivas taste came through almost harshly, but it did have a pleasant aftertaste. Apple gummy bears, if I'm being honest! The presentation could've been better too - the regular supermarket straw slightly dampened my enthusiasm for the drink. For my first course, I chose the chicken tortilla soup. Given the name, I was expecting some sort of creamy, Tex-Mex goodness. I was definitely surprised when I got something reminiscent of an In...

If anyone told you that there's nothing to do in Nairobi apart from eat, drink and work - they lied. Friday: I realise that there's a Sunday morning Zumba class at the Aga Khan Sports Club, and ambitiously decide to go. I invite a friend to go with me, because, duh, accountability + more fun. Saturday evening: 10 a.m. on a Sunday morning? Am I suuuuure I want to do this? I just jogged for 30 minutes, that's gotta count for something.  Saturday night: Okay, I just had Hashmi and wine. No excuses. We're doing this!!! Sunday morning, 9:55 a.m.: Just drove in. An hour of Zumba! YEAH!!! Sunday morning, 10:05 a.m.: This is awesome! I am going to ROCK this class. Nothing hurts! Jump higher? Sure!! Sunday morning, 10:10 a.m.: Okay, so maybe I'm a little more out of shape than I'd like to admit.  Sunday morning, 10:15 a.m.: Holy shit, how is she moving like that?! Is the human body even meant to be able to do that? Maybe I can try! Sunday morning, 10:16 a.m.: Okay, ow. D...

No need to panic, dear readers, you haven't missed the big two five. Trust me, you'd have known! However, the truth is that it IS less than 2 months away - and I'm also celebrating 5 years of writing as the Kenyan Nomad this year! Evidently, 2017 looks like it's going to be wicked fun!! What have I been up to since we last spoke? I spent 2 weeks out of my 3 week vacation in the U.S. with my aunt and uncle, sisters, brothers-in-law, and adorable nieces and nephew. (Yes, my sisters are all grown up and have kids now. When did that happen?!) I had a great time (although it sucked that I wasn't able to see my friends), despite the rocky start that entailed me spending an unplanned night in Atlanta the day I flew in. Winter in flip flops... not as fun as it sounds! What happens when you take two toddlers and a baby to the tree at Rockefeller Some of you may remember last year's post  where I stated my intentions for 2016. Broadcasting these actually did keep me accou...