It really is this simple: I cannot imagine my life as it is today without libraries. I joined my first library at the age of 4 – when we were doing a massive clearout some time in 2001, we discovered an unreturned library book (sorry!) from 1987. Civic irresponsibility aside, it was one of my [...]
Category Archives: Career
Why I Love… Libraries
Also posted in Books, Education, Identity, Literature, London, Love, Why I Love... Tagged Friends, Joy, Library, London 2 Comments
I’m Baaaack!
Come to Mama, my lovelies! “But YorubaGirl!” you cry. “What have you been doing all this time?” Look, readers. I don’t like to blow my own trumpet, but perhaps you heard about the closing of a little newspaper called the News of the World? Yeah – I had nothing to do with that. *taps nose* [...]
Hey, Remember What Rachel Said To Ross?
You’ve all no doubt noted my increasingly erratic schedule when it comes to posting on Yoruba Girl Dancing. Remember when I used to post three or four times a week? Yeah, me neither. I can only apologise and ask that you forgive me. Things have become quite hectic work-wise (as my various work plugs will [...]
All’s Fair In Love and Internships
Last night, I caught Who Gets The Best Jobs? on BBC2. The epg on my cheapo Freeview box gave the following synopsis: “Richard Bilton investigates how class continues to restrict access to professions and well-paid careers to a small exclusive pool of the well-connected in modern Britain.” I couldn’t not watch this.
Also posted in Education, London, Magazines, Review, Society, Television, Work Tagged Getting started, Journalism, London, School, Telly, The Opposite of Joy 3 Comments
The Do-Over
Walking around the John Lewis school uniform department last Sunday, my sister and I got to talking about what we would change about our school years. There were lots on my part – much as I loved my boarding school experience in Nigeria, I would’ve left earlier if it meant easier integration into an east [...]
Also posted in Education, Identity, London, Work Tagged Getting started, Joy, School, The Opposite of Joy, Writing 8 Comments
I’m A Finalist Again, Baby!
You guys. 2010 keeps on giving! I have been selected as a finalist in the Blogger of the Year category at the Precious Awards! In answer to Drake’s question: Yeah. I’m fancy. Like I said, fancy. The Precious Awards celebrate the achievements of women of colour, and I honoured that they have found me and [...]
Also posted in Blog, London Tagged 'Lady Things', Best Of British, Blogging, Joy, Precious Awards, Prizes 3 Comments
Judas in an R’n'B Club
Yesterday my Walkman – no iPods here, thank you very much - threw up a blast from the past – No Doubt’s excellent Just a Girl from their classic 1995 album Tragic Kingdom. On the track, Gwen Stefani sings: “This world is forcing me/To hold your hand… I’m just a girl, all pretty and petite/So don’t let [...]
Also posted in Identity, Music, Society Tagged Feminism, Gwen Stefani, Nelly Furtado, Popular, Popular Culture, Women 5 Comments
Modesty Be Damned!
I love being a writer. It’s the job I’ve always wanted to do, even though it didn’t quite crystallise as a career choice till I was 17 and my sister told me I looked ‘right’ tapping at a typewriter. Since then, I have been lucky enough to write for a number of publications, both online and [...]
It's A Man's World*
I can’t be the only woman/writer/blogger/internet user/feminist who read the story of James Chartrand this week and then commenced a lengthy – but ultimately unsatisfying - headdesk session, right? For those still in the dark, James is the owner of Mens with Pens, a successful company founded in 2006, which provides web design and copywriting services, amongst [...]
Also posted in Blog, Identity, Society Tagged 'Lady Things', Feminism, Gaah!, James Chartrand, Men and Women, Sexism?, Sigh, The Opposite of Joy, Writer, Writing, WTF Leave a comment
The Ravages Of Unemployment
I just had a simple pasta dinner, and enjoyed a rousing episode of University Challenge. I shouted my answers (often wrong) at the telly, and filled the kettle for a hot water bottle. So far, so Monday night. The difference tonight lay in the exhaustion brought on by a full working day, in an actual office, [...]
Also posted in Health & Fitness, London, Work Tagged Journalism, Manic Monday, So So Tired, TV Shows, Unemployment Leave a comment
Let It Go?
If a man gives a woman a compliment, and no-one analyses it, is it really just a compliment?
Also posted in Work Tagged Feminism, London, Men and Women, Sexism?, Temping, The Nature of Compliments Leave a comment
Joy
I’m temping near Barbican at the moment, and have to walk through Smithfield to get to my office every morning. For those unaware, Smithfield is one of London’s oldest markets, and death place of Mel Gibson, I mean, William Wallace. Every cut of meat known to man is sold here (I’m reliably told), by fat, [...]
You wait ages for one bus…
The sun is shining and so the newspapers are once more proclaiming how much warmer it is in London than Rome. Of course, they’re conveniently forgetting the other 50 weeks of the year when this is not the case, but why spoil their fun? The consensus is that we’re ushering in bikini season. The evidence [...]
