Let me tell you a story. I went to a party last weekend, with a couple of friends. After a few drinks, of course, guys started opening up, confessing things they would never dare say when sober.

I love this point in a party, where people speak out secrets they have been hiding for years, which includes tales of those hitting on their bosses, those who have been in a few of their colleagues’ beds, those who are not straight(most of the time it’s the girls confessing this), and many more escapades you would have never imagined.

So, during confession time, a dude openly stated that he can’t sleep with a girl in his bed without touching her, which I think, is fair.

But then I asked him what happens when and if the girl in question is not interested. The guy said, without even blinking, that he would insist, until the girl gives in, otherwise, he would have it by force.

I am still in shock.

I am drinking, making merry with rapists.

I am dancing with, clinking glasses with, and laughing with men who wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of me if it happened that I was in the same bed with them, after the party.

I was so disturbed that night that after the party was over, I insisted I wanted to sleep alone on the couch in the living room, and not share the bed with my friends. I wasn’t even sure anymore who was really a friend and who wasn’t.

It is sad, but what’s sadder is the reality that most of the people who will take advantage of us when we are weak are the people we know so very well. The people we call friends. The men we call family. Our lecturers, our fathers, our guardians, our boyfriends, and their friends.

The men who will take advantage of you are probably not the strangers on the streets, but the people you interact with everyday, the people you trust.

Because this is the reality we live with, let us be careful and always on the lookout.

Go to parties, but don’t let down you guard. A while back I wrote an article asking you to avoid tasting people’s drinks at parties, do not leave your drinks unattended, do not party till late if you don’t have a concrete plan of what happens next once the party ends at 2AM. No one really cares for you as much as you would care for yourself.

So as we usher in the festive season, may we also usher in sobriety. May we be our own guards, not just of our bodies but also of our souls, before we trust other people to be our guards.

May we enjoy the month of December, and live to see the new year 2017.

I was having a conversation with a friend when he asked me what theme color I would love for my house. RED! I screamed.

He looked at me puzzled, wondering why I would want such a deep color to adorn the walls of my house. I asked him what color he would prefer then if he wouldn’t want red, he said he doesn’t have a favorite color.

No, wait. How do you not have a favorite color? How have you never seen how beautiful the rainbow is and wanted to have one of the colors for yourself? Why would someone not have a favorite color!

Anyway, I know you have a color you love, that makes your heart skip beats whenever you purchase or see something beautiful of that color!

Your favorite color is part of your identity, as it says a lot about the type of person you are.

With this short analysis, I not only tell you about yourself based on the color you love but also help you ascertain which color your personality is!

Red– People who love red are said to be outspoken, open to new opportunities, the life parties, loyal and creative. Make good leaders. On the flipside, these people are very judgmental and get easily bored. Sounds familiar?

Green– Lovers of green are cool, calm and collected. They are deep thinkers, overthinkers actually, slow to act, wise and witty, with a good mind for business. On the flipside, they are slow to make decisions, as they like weighing all options, that they sometimes may miss out on amazing opportunities.

Purple– They love class and grandeur. They love status and standing out in a crowd. They are also proud and sometimes may come out as arrogant.

Yellow– Lovers of yellow are all warm and lovely. They are fun to be around, risk takers, slow to anger, great conversationalists and creative! On the flipside, they don’t know how to keep secrets, and may not be too loyal, as they tend to have so many friends.

Pink– They are lovely and easy to be around. They are also shy and sweet. Deep thinkers with good leadership skills. On the flipside, they are people pleasers and tend to put aside their needs in order to make others happy.

Well, what’s your favorite color? Do you feel the analysis above partly or completely reflects who you are? Go on and tell us in the comment section below!

If you ever say that people with dreadlocks are dirty in my presence I will pull your ears and twist your hair to form nice solid dreadlocks.

This is a myth that has been believed for too long, passed down generations. Maybe there are some or many people with dreadlocks who are actually dirty, but it should not be a blanket statement that covers all of us.

Here is what you need to know about people with dreadlocks;

1. We actually shower. Just like you. Some of us shower twice a day, even in times of freezing cold like now. Some of us even shower more times than you people with bad undreadlocked hair.
2. Our dreadlocks are washable, and they are frequently washed, and nowadays there are beautiful salons in many places entirely dedicated to cleaning and styling dreadlocks. So no, our hair is not dirty.
3. Not all of us smoke weed. Just stop with the assumptions that we are crazy or ‘very intelligent’ because we ‘puff puff pass’ as a ritual in the morning before breakfast. We wake up, freshen up and have normal breakfast just like you. Without the weed.
4. We are not all creatives. I don’t get why a person with dreadlocks is automatically assumed to be very creative and bright. Not all of us are artistic. There are dreadlocked guys who are actually doctors, technicians, engineers, teachers and in other less creative professions. We are not all reggae musicians and painters, and writers and poets. Some of our brothers even want to be politicians. See how diverse we are!
5. Lastly, we don’t all love reggae music. The assumption that just because a girl/ man is sporting dreadlocks means you should play them some reggae music is baffling. Some of us listen to blues and RnB, love Justin Bieber, and sing along to the Kansoul. So when you see us at a party, cease from telling the DJ to play some ‘rasta music for de rasta man’. We want to listen to Akothee.