Love Before (Oro Ife) - Laolu ft. Lindsey

Lovely song. I was especially moved by the bridge which is in English, not that I did not appreciate the Nigerian touch with the Yoruba lyrics, everything combined was really great. I was introduced to Laolu Sebanjo as a visual artist with an Africa-themed inclination, which he calls Afromysterics. One can easily feel how that vibe infuses this song, he actually wrote and arranged Oro Ife.

Scandal Sex Scenes With Olivia Pope Are A Problem" For Fitz's Wife

Fitz and Olivia Pope in Scandal

Tony Goldwyn and Kerry Washington's sizzling chemistry on ABC's Scandal is too hot to handle -- especially where his wife is concerned. During an appearance on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live on Wednesday, May 15, the actor revealed to host Andy Cohen that his offscreen love, Jane Musky, doesn't watch the show, largely because of the steamy sex scenes he has with his costar.

Goldwyn, 52, plays President Fitzgerald Grant, who has had a torrid, on-again/off-again affair with Washington's character, Olivia Pope, since season one. Their relationship is a driving force in the series; love scenes between the two are frequent and intense. Asked by a fan what Musky (married to the star since 1989) thinks of the fiery connection, Goldwyn laughed. "It's a problem," he quipped.

"The honest answer is, my wife doesn't watch it," he continued. "She watched the pilot and thought it was great, but yeah...I don't encourage it."

Ogor Winnie Okoye - Never Go to Sleep With Unresolved Issues

Ogor Winnie Okoye is an inspiration to me. I agree with her introduction on her blog which reads, " I love my job! I love my clients! I love life! I love people! I love LOVE in its various manifestations." In addition, Ogor is "a spunky and vivacious mother of four amazing children... married to a truly wonderful man, Victor... an attorney and counselor at law by profession... an author..." Check out Ogor's website for more about her, and I hope you enjoy her marriage avowals;

How did you meet your husband?
I met Bubu ( I call my husband that and don’t ask me the meaning because I don’t know :)through a really close friend of mine, Uche. Uche had met Bubu and his friend, Chike, who were both dashingly handsome young man visiting Nigeria during the summer of 1994. She came running to my house and wasted no time in telling me that she met some really great guys vacationing from the States and one of them looks like my type. She suggested that it will be fun to hang out as in double date! We ended up double-dating for the evening and the rest they say became history. We all looked ridiculous in those first pictures we took, Myne. . OMG! You should see. . .

How long have you been married?
15 years into the journey, Myne; almost 20 years together and still counting. . .

How did he propose?
He proposed almost four years after we met. I guess for him, he knew right off the bet that he wanted to end with me as his “mrs.” For me, I guess it took me a little while longer. We did trans-continental dating for a while and then he proposed to me in 1997. How did he propose? You know, Bubu is every inch an Ibo man. I remember that we were having lunch in our favorite restaurant in Enugu and he had opened up a box and when I saw what he was about to do I was scared to death!

30 Things Every Woman Should Have By the Time She's 30

30 is an important milestone in a woman’s life. It is a very special time in her life. She is at a time when she has left childhood behind and has started enjoying adulthood.

If you are a woman close to your thirties, this is my list of 30 things you should have:

1. An education – This is the best investment you could ever make in your life. Continue learning because as long as you keep learning, you keep growing.
2. A vocation: In addition to your education, become a professional in your career or area of specialisation. Get trained and get the necessary qualifications.
3. A savings account in your own name (and enough money in it) – One of the wisest investments you can make is starting a savings account early. Apportion at least 10% of your earnings to this account and watch it grow.
4. A sense of humor, style and purpose – Humor is very attractive and will get you through some tough patches. A sense of style lets you stand out from your peers and having purpose ensures you pursue your goals with focus.
5. The wisdom to fall in love with your eyes open – Know what you want out of your love relationships and avoid being carried away with the ‘feeling’ of love.

Uproar As Zoe Saldana’s Weight Revealed On Allure Cover

It's no news that the world and Hollywood is obsessed about weight, but it seems this is the first time a woman's weight has been put on the front cover of a fashion magazine, and it ends up being Zoe Saldana's who weighs in at just 115pounds. A lot of websites have condemned the move as offensive and sending a wrong message to women, from the Examiner,

No doubt, Zoe Saldana looks phenomenal on the cover of Allure. Did we really need to know how much she weighs? Would the popular women's magazine put a plus-size model on their cover and headline it "250 pounds and rocking the world"? Not likely.

to the Daily Beast

There’s enough pressure as it is for women, particularly women in the fashion and entertainment industries, to conform to mainstream body-image standards—an issue that Allure has addressed many times in its 22 years of existence. The magazine should know better than to put so much weight on what number its cover girl tips the scales at.

Yahoo also interviews Hilary Levey Friedman, a Harvard sociologist who often writes and speaks about images in the media, who adds,

Throwback Thursday - Pencil Thin Eyebrows

My first winter, but not here. I arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland in September 2006 and by my birthday, it was already much colder than I had ever experienced. When I first put this picture up on Facebook, people said I looked like a Muslim because of the head wrap and scarf. Fact was, I was on my way out and they were protection from the cold. That was how I dressed most of that winter, lol...

Oh yeah, and back then, I used to shape my eyebrows quite thin. Yay or Nay? Now I would say nay, but back then, it must have been a yay. Why did I change the style? Story for another day.

Toke Makinwa on Relationships Rules By Oprah and Dr Phil

Toke Makinwa {read 10 Things you didn't know about Toke here} shares another video in which she discusses rules on relationships and whether they should apply. It seems like when she first saw these particular rules from Oprah and Dr. Phil, she took them as gospel, but she has since matured to understand that any relationship rule should be more like a guideline and shouldn't be used to monitor a particular relationship that one is in at any point in time.

I wanted to share this video because someone mentioned in the post about non-verbal signs that a guy really loves you {here}, that a lot of the clues seem stereotypical, and that is because they are. Relationship rules are not structures to box you in, but windows to help you see what could be outside or glasses to help you see what you might be missing. And in the case of 10 Things, or 25 Tips, or 7 ways or whatever, you don't have to do all, or use all, or find all, just enough to make you happy.

The article which Toke reads in the video and which is supposed to be Oprah's thoughts on men and relationships is below as well as a short paragraph at the end by Dr. Phil.

POLL - Should You Remain Friends With An Ex?

When you date someone, for most people, it means that you hope for the long term. But sometimes, it doesn't end that way. After the memories you've both made together, the laughter or the tears, you have to get up, dust your backside and move on. In many instances where there is a break-up discussion, and both people are trying to show they're mature and all, they decide to remain friends. Is it worth it? What would you do? Vote below and give more details in the comments too. Thanks!

Another Baby Factory Discovered - Reasons Why More Will Be Found

For the second time in a barely a week,the police today raided a 'baby factory' in Enugu and rescued six pregnant teenagers from the coerced selling of their newborns. This time, three suspects were arrested, unlike in the previous case where the madam is still on the run. According to AFP;

Nigerian police on Wednesday said they had found six pregnant teenage girls in a raid on a house and arrested three people suspected of planning to sell their babies. It was the second so-called baby-factory uncovered in a week in the west African nation.

"We acted on intelligence information and raided the house in Enugu (city) where we met six girls, under 17 and all pregnant, and freed them," police spokesman Ebere Amaraizu in southeastern Enugu state told AFP.

He said two men and a woman believed to be operating a child trafficking ring were arrested during the raid on Monday and were cooperating with police. Amaraizu said the girls had been "lured into the house with a promise of some money after" delivering a child.

6 Things You Can Do To Keep Your Marriage Fresh

Most romantic relationships experience up and downs, and in some marriages it gets stuck in the downers. Before you guys got married, you fell in love with your spouse. You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked their idiosyncrasies. Falling in love with your spouse wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely spontaneous experience. However, after a few years of marriage, the euphoria begins to fade. Phone calls become a bother, touch is not always welcome, and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, drive you nuts.

Mort Fertel, who I have referenced HERE, says that "At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, "Did I marry the right person?" And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when marriages break down. People blame their spouse for their unhappiness and look outside their relationship for fulfillment.

Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious. But sometimes people turn to work, church, a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances. But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your marriage. It lies within it."

I agree with him that the solution to a flat marriage lies within it rather than outside. As long as there are no abusive issues love is a decision you can refresh, especially after those first euphoric days or years are past. In marriage and other long term relationships, you have to "make" love every day. It takes time, effort, and most importantly, wisdom. These are some things I came up with that can help keep marriage fresh.