Holiday and Relationships: keeping it goin...

I find that I can work, amidst noise. I can imagine why my neighbor’s waited for this weather to dry up before they renovate, very good idea though. Everywhere seems to be getting a face lift, bars, restaurants, offices and even the streets and its totally understandable, why? Because Christmas is here, and I so love how the place lights up with lights and color and love. Love… aaah Love, yes it’s the season of love, but do you know that you have to protect your ‘Love” and “relationship” from the strain of the holiday period. So from the city crawler, here is my 2 cents on how to keep thing cool…..

This holiday will bring changes: separation (for those travelling apart) and too many people (for those spending it with large families)……. 

For those travelling apart
*Spend at least 10 minutes of every day talking about how your day went.
*communicate
*re-assure each other of your commitment and faithfulness

*make sure you buy each other a presents, especially one that will remind him/her of you. 

For those with two many people
*Communicate
*your daily kissing quota should not only consist of hello and goodbye pecks.

*Go to bed at the same time

*spend 10 minutes chatting about your day

Ok that’s the boring part, now for the sweet stuff. Im not going to give you solutions, I am only going to point out your problems.(inspired by a tweet from @ebuka)
As much as a lot of ppul (especially easterners) will be heading home for the holidays, for some heading home will be leaving the unfriendly weather of obodo oyibo for the warmth of naija (sorry dora), you know what will also be warm, the arms of their waiting boyfriend or girl friend. So if you are one of those people dating an erm wats that razz word I heard on African magic ‘abroadee’ then u wont have to wait till valentine to know if you are the main squeeze. 
Well luckily some are coming in unattached and you can help your self to a lil holiday treat, just know exactly what you are getting into and don’t go having unnecessary expectation because around about the 2nd well…….. also don’t get carried away, the Christmas period is like a love drug and every one looks great, that’s because, people go shopping and pack the right clothes when they travel to another town, so most of the time,in real life they don’t always look that great or perfect.

I hate to be a buzz kill, don’t listen to me, what do I know about love and relationship when I am single…….

(Air Kiss, Air Kiss)

Essientials For Men..... tips to beat the Heat.

i left out Sun Screen from my last blog, i am so sorry ladies but it has been added to the 5th edition of City Crawler Magazine which is also our exciting christmas Edition. i promised to do a followup essential for the guys but as a chick i have been lost for a while. luckily i know a couple of cool dudes that were able to help.thanks you guys......

WATER

well like i told the ladies, staying hydrated is very very important. the heat contributes to drying us up especially this holiday period that lots will be indulging in celebratory drinks, we all know alchohol dehydrates so to keep your self energetic this period Water is a Must.

SHADES

not only will this protect your eyes, but guys look great in shades. choose one that suits your face shape and head out. P.S please no shades in the Club or at Night. #okthanks

LIPBALM

using lipbalm is not gay(hahahaha). because your lips are coing to get cracked and become sore and there is no way u will look nice, enjoy your christmas meal or get a kiss under the mistle toe or a kiss on newyears eve with a sore lip. just get one that is masculine and be sure its the right one too so your lips wont be all shiny, now thats gay.

SHORTS

you need no excuse to wear this, but its a casual look so keep it out of the office.

SANDALS/FLATS

just like the ladies, this pair helps your feet breath and it goes very well with the cargo shorts.

FACE CAPS

just like shades, this help protect your face from the harsh rays of the sun and if you sport the bald look, your head will be protected as well. 

COTTON SHIRTS

light, airy and they go with anything. *i love a guy in a v-neck white tshirt and jeans or shorts,yum*

SUNSCREEN

you might think you are tough but even your skin cant fight sun damage. i repeat! it is not gay to moisturize and take care of your skin. 

Ok, there you have it. i hope it helps. Ladies tell your boyfriends.

OMG Abuja is HOT! Essentials for the Hamattan(Female)

Aint nothing going on but the HEAT, im surprised no one has released a hit song yet about hamattan after all we always sing about rain, snow etc. maybe its because it is so annoying anf for the past few days, words on everybodys lips is 'Abuja is Hot!!'. luckily the holidays are fast approaching and lots of people will be skipping town for cooler climes. but for those of us that are stuch here for whatever reason, do not despair, i got you. so for the period here are a few suggestions i have for beating the heat..... Enjoy!

WATER!

Stay hydrated. drink water as often as possible. during the holidays i know there will be a lot of eating and drinking and we all know that alchohol leaves you dyhydrated so on average 8litres a day for this period will help keep you refreshed.

SHADES

i have always been a big fan of sunglasses and i wear mine every where but now its not just a fashion or style essential it is an actual essential because the sun is shinning and you need to protect your eyes from the rays. depending on your face shape you can choose from a wide selection.

FANS

its not cute when you use cut outs of papers to cool yourself. Get yourself a nice handy fan that you can carry around with you at all time. they are cheap and light and they work very well at weddings and as we all know, its wedding season.

SANDALS AND FLIP FLOPS

This has got to be one of the cutest trends that found its way in to the 00. wide selection of beautiful sandals are available in different colours and they really let your feet breath. you can show off your cute feet, your pretty manicure and they go very well with sun dresses.

SUNDRESSESS

this outfit has a way of hiding a multitude of bulges and it is airy and light. so its going to be doing 2 jobs, seeing that we are going to be eating alot this christmas, the sundress will help us hide the inevitable bulge, while keeping us cool and stylish.

FACE CAPS

i dont recommend you buy this, just beg borrow or steal from your boyfriend or hubby afterall there is love in sharing and erm much as they pretend, men love to see us in their clothes.... *wink*

SHORT CROP

if the heat really bothers you, give your 22 inch weaves a rest and go short crop like me. just be certain you go to a very good salon/hair dresser, cos this is not a time to have bad hair days, the holidays should have everyone looking good at every point.

SHORTS AND TANK

desist if you cant pull it off, but if you can, lucky you. Enjoy.

Next Blog will be for the guys so stay posted.....

GIMME 5...... Lets Spruce things Up....

My mom has recently started calling me COE, CEE OOH EEE! The way she screams it is Funny. Anytime she needs me for something or crosses my part on the corridor she grins and says COE. the name came about when she teased me and said "if you like be the CEO of the moon, you will still do house chores in my house and eventually in your husbands house". truth is i had actually neglected domesticity for a while due to my recent pursuit of financial gratification(nothing wrong with that), but thats not the only thing that has suffered, my love for blogging. writing has always been my thing and i love to give out infomation. i will not let this post drag too much, i am very lucky that i have my mom to snap me back to reality and now that i am back, i promise ill be reporting abuja in the city crawler style that you use to know and love, so wait for it....

Here We GO....

its hard to believe that christmas is just around the corner, and you know what that means, the end of the year is approaching and its time to clear out the cluter in your life and spruce things up. This December, be ready for a comprehensive report of events, happenings, people and locations all around the FCT and you can get this info for nothing at all, just a click.

you might enjoy this a little too much, but thats OK. watch this page.

CITY CRAWLER CONGRATULATES ADEGBE OGBEH OF ONENUMBER AND HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE CHRISTINE ON THEIR WEDDING. 

VACANCY INFORMATION

aN OPENING FOR THE POSITION OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS MANAGER IN AN ABUJA BASED MEDIA/HOSPITALITY COMPANY. JOB IS ABUJA BASED, SALARY ATTRACTIVE. APPLICANTS MUST BE GRADUATES WITH A GOOD COMMAND OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE, ACCOUNTING AND COMPUTER SKILLS. INTERVIEW HOLDS ON SATURDAY, 27TH NOVEMBER AT 10AM PROPMT. VENUE FOR INTERVIEW IS CODE LOUNGE, NO 5 PARAKOU CRESCENT, OFF AMINU KANO, WUSE 2.

Pictures From Pulse - Abuja's Finest Party

  Planinum Lounge played Host to Abuja's Finest Party. some pictures from the event that had Mr Ben Bruce and Ice Prince in attendance.

Onoja (CEO Delphino Ent)

 

Adama peters and onoja

   

  

Tokunbo

Aminu and Nkami

 

Ice Prince Zamani,Onoja and Ben Bruce

 

Mola, Onoja and Gideon (BBN and Tinsel)

 

emmanuel, henry and ahmed

 

Ice prince performing

 

zara (artist)

Godfrey and ijeoma

Oche

onyinye

terver, mimidoo and eddie

gang (OAP Kiss FM)

dayo (CEO Cafe 24)

 

onoja and isoken

audu (ceo chocolate city)

  

Eh Tu Naija???

Run Screaming into the Forest”, that’s an expression I use a whole lot. I use it especially to describe annoying over used words like Basically (coincidentally, basically is a word I use a lot). There are word fads that go with the times, they just appear as if from nowhere and before you know it they become a part of our vocabulary, some people use them without really knowing the meaning, e.g Utunu (from Twitter)

Well in recent times (from oct 1st) to be precise, the word that seems to be on everyone’s lip is BOMB. And I have heard it a lot. At least now I have a good reason to run screaming into the forest….. Fear and then safety. 

Last night, half depressed half hungry I left my house seeking Chow of the unhealthy kind. My options were pizza, suya, shawama. So I headed off in directions well known to stock the best in this hip-shattering delights.

ROAD BLOCKS!!!!!

If you know Abuja well, you will know that the easiest way to get to Gana street from Zone 1 is under the bridge straight past millennium park and bam, you are there, but what do I see? All blocked. At first I was annoyed at the inconvenience, then I wondered, but by the time I tried to get into the villa (my consort needed to pick his friends up for byob) and there were security operatives everywhere, I panicked. 

Over the years Nigeria has been known for a lot of things, Corruption, Neglect, internet fraud, fraud of every level bla bla bla, the list goes on. If you lose all your money, well u can make it back and you are smarter this time, but nothing prepares you for a Bomb blast, that can take innocent lives and destroy property. Then that perpetual fear that it places in your mind that we are no longer safe just lingers on. 

Its been exactly 15days after, and we still don’t know who did it and why…… tsk tsk SSS. All we know is that there are more threats, the secretariat has been evacuated twice and police check points have become more annoying

So now we are not only trying to fight the bad reputation Nigeria has as corrupt, we now have to convince people that we are not terrorist too??? Too bad. And if our leaders will mortgage innocent lives because of four years in Aso Rock, then we are in real trouble.

I had a little faith in the present administration, but history repeats itself and we haven’t even voted them in. if this is going to be a recurring pattern then don’t consider it a great tragedy when I don’t turn up to vote for you.
Well i got home, said my prayers, watched a little TV and fell to sleep. woke up this morning and left the house for work and what do you know, all the Road blocks still in Place........ hmmmm wat are they not telling us?

WHAT IS PLAYING IN ABUJA'S EARS (4th Edition Sneak Peak)

Music is always a key part of any town, city or culture and luckily city crawler ran into Abuja's hottest DJ, DJ TTB (youve heard him play at Play, Soho, Aqua and Aristotle) who told us all the hottest songs right now on radio and jamming in the clubs.

#Real |Name: Charles Tobechukwu Ananti

#Current location : Abuja, Nigeria

#Been djing for : 6 years. Started out in enugu, been in Abuja 3year, first Aristotle.

#Whats has been your favourite gig? BYOB

#Abujas party scene is very perculiar, what song is always sure to get the party started and people on their feet? There are a lot, but Kas Fimile, is sure sure.

#What collabo would u like to hear? MI and Ego (lagbaja)

#Who do u think is next to blow? Whizkid, but he has blown already and ice-prince with his hot new track oleku. 

So, what playing in abujas ears? (in no particular order)

1. Eminem's – love the way you lie ft Rihanna

2. BMF – Rick ross

3. Club cant handle me – florida

4. Mr endowed – dbanj

5. Hold ya – gyptian

6. Tease me – whizkid

7. Dynamite – taio cruz

8. Dutty love – sean Kingston ft nicki minaj

9. Implication – 2face

10. Over the moon – dr sid

11. Gallis – Movado.

Boredom: is it us?

There is only one way to say this. Boredom sucks. I have in the past couple of months slacked in my quest to find ultimate entertainment, ultimate leisure and ultimate recreation in the city of Abuja, that I was slowly but surely deteriorating to a fixed state of boredom.

I am the city crawler, I get all the movie schedules sent to me a week before and I spend all weekend watching the new ones. Yes Friday night 8.40, lady sitting alone in a dark corner concentrating, yup that’s me. And then by Monday when I’ve seen everything worth seeing I am back to stage 1.

There are tons of stuff to look forward to during the week, but BYOB only happens once a week and I’m sure I will look ridiculous if I go paintballing on a Tuesday afternoon no matter how in charge of my time I am.

People come to Abuja, complain of extreme boredom, and they have every right to because for the most part of the week if it’s not eating at vanilla restaurant or having after work drinks at CODE or C24 then its tapping fingers and counting the minutes till Friday arrives and yet it’s still same ol same ol at the clubs, same people, same music, same drinks all the same! Same! Same!

But I have a question, why oh why is it that when someone or some organization puts something together, that is a far cry from the norm we always manage to mess it up with our ‘oh I’m too posh to dance’ tendencies? That’s why I love play, u don’t even want to know what those ‘jumping on the chairs release your inhibition’ does for me……

But you know something, I think we all have it in us to create that excitement and entertainment we want. I’ve seen a group of friends sit in a music-less lil corner drinking, laughing and having fun and do you know what came out of that? A full blown wine shop party arena which took over the scene for a while, well until the excellensio girls took over (sorry WS)……..

So after all my rant, the point I’m trying to make is that we have got to lose the suit! We won’t be 27,28,29,30 forever. Once u start having shildren (children) fun means a whole new deal, baby’s day out, lol.
(to be continued…..)

YAY!!! we are on our Third.....

YAY!!!!!!!!!!
we are at our #rd edition and i assure you that we have thoroughly enjoyed the journey so far.......

This Edition has a good mix of lovely photos and interesting articles, i totally recommend that everyone reads the 'Eye on the City Article' which is totally hilarious, and the Safety Tips for Avoiding a Kidnapping situation, very important people.

so before our website is ready in just a couple of days, here is a sneak peak to what the 3rd Edition offers our fast rising readership.

(buy your copy from Cafe 24, Silver Bird Media store, 212 Media Stand and Vendors around the city. Complimentary copies can be gotten when you visit, bar CODE.)

blink twice....CODE

bar CODE: Latest Addition to Abujas Social Scene.
(BUZZ WORTHY) by CITY CRAWLER

Friends, laughter, celebrations, entertainment—fun! These are the things that might come to your mind when you think about CODE. Imagine room filled with friendly conversation, music and people enjoying themselves. Also envision an exciting game on big-screen TVs everyone cheering and having a great time, OR Lunch Hour on a week Day, young Execs typing away on their laptops as they have lunch OR Senior Level Execs in for their late night meeting or just unwinding. That is what you will find at CODE.

CODE bar or bar CODE as it is fondly called is the latest addition to Abuja’s rising social scene. It opened to cater to the rising socialites, entertainment industry gurus and High level execs. A gathering of beautiful and fashionable people can always be seen at CODE.

Ambience is lovely and Welcoming, Staff is Polite with a meticulous attention to detail and the food and selection of drinks can only be described as superb. It is strategically located at NO. 5 Parakou Crescent, Wuse 2 which can be described as the heart of Abuja and interestingly enough is owned and run by a young lady who has been able to harness Leisure, hospitality and entertainment to provide the perfect atmosphere for unwinding.

The Lounge is very entertainment friendly as Celebs and Artiste who visit Abuja always make a quick stop no matter what they are in for, so guest are assured of celebrity sightings.

A visit to CODE can translate into a rewarding Lounge Experience and therefore Buzz Worthy. Try it and let me know what you think.

Back to taking on the City of Abuja,,,,,,,,

Nothing helps paper cuts. And nothing helps backaches, well maybe a change of position or a nice massage. But nothing helps my Eye strain. The only thing that can help this three “ailments” will be to actually stop work, and that’s not possible.

I’ve abandoned my blog for a little bit, No! Not a little bit, a lot bit. I missed writing so so much because I was being a workaholic publisher. When I started the Magazine, I didn’t know what I was doing. But I took baby steps and Im proud to say I went from maddeningly painful paper cuts which come from handling too many papers, to a dummy and as of today we are at the second edition of City Crawler magazine. Now I can look back to my first love.

Since I’ve been away from blogosphere loads and loads of stuff have happened. We lost a great man, our servant leader, President ‘Yardie’ (God Rest His Soul ). Then our very own Mr. Incredible MI and Psquare have been nominated for the Best international act at this year’s BET awards and *ahem* Skuki won the Hip Hop World award for NEXT RATED. Well while I’m still trying to figure out how that happened, I will at least give hip hop world props for the great party they threw in Abuja before the Award proper. Great turn out of celebs and Abuja’s coolest people.

The same story cannot be said of the Event that packed all of the BBA 4 house members into Abuja city. We all watched big brother Africa, well at least most of us did and we were rooting for the Nigerian. He Won! But then his first major event was …………. (ill let you find the word for it). Was it the lack of publicity? As for the 2face idibia Event, nobody is sure it ever held, but we know for sure that the ‘beef with youngest old man’ event never held, still waiting to find out why.

I was gone for 5 minutes and people get lax. Tsk tsk

Well! Things change – prices go up, good places go bad and bad places go bankrupt, nothing stays the same. So if you find something new, recently opened, better or worse, Or just an opinion about the skuki saga, then let the city crawler know.
So do three things this weekend…

1. Vote for MI and Psquare they were nominated for the BET Awards for the best intl act alongside Estelle, Sade, k’naan etc
2. Buy a copy of city crawler magazine, its available at Exclusive stores, Café 24, Silverbird media store, 212 media stand and vendors around the city.
3. Make sure u have a great time this weekend.

P.S Look out for all the hot pictures from TGIF event and other events covered by city crawler magazine, watch this space.
Kisses y’all.

3 Times Lucky.....

its So Hot! and you will think that PHCN will care and provide us with a little succor LIKE ELECTRICITY, but no! we dont even know who is to blame, even now that Lucky Jo has taken on running the Country and the power sector (which is like running a country),so he is running 2 countries and going by recent history and him shaking hands with Obama, he will probably soon be running 3 (wink).

speaking of LuckyJo as he is now fondly called, whats with all the posters springing up all around Abuja City? i kindda thought that when he takes over as acting president he will 'ACT' but it has just been a barrage of political headlines, PDP controversy and more and more on 2011. i have no real political commentary yet, iLL let the experts dissect it, but, i have this to say though...... EnoughisEnough! if the system was working, then there would not be a stationary truck on the side of the road and a young promising Nigerian life would not be plucked so soon.

so ill ask nicely(advocacy not activism like my mom says), please We want light its really hot and the generator sounds are making us deaf, Clean up the System: we want good leaders and finally, please IBB? seriously!

4 aBUJA hOTSPOTS and nights that they POP! (magazine sneak peak)

LONG ANTICIPATED CITY CRAWLER NEWS-MAGAZINE HITS STANDS ON FRIDAY THE 23RD OF APRIL, YOU CAN GET YOUR COPY FROM SILVERBIRD ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, EXCLUSIVE STORES, STREET VENDORS OR CALL 08131800500 FOR DELIVERY, COVER PRICE IS N200.

(enjoy a sneak peak of 1 of the articles in the first issue)







Friday Night is a big night for all the clubs and lounges in the city, but if you want out door fun on any other night, its slim picking. Lucky for us, some hotspots have emerged providing fun for other days of the week that you may choose to unwind. So if your goal is to have a good time Monday to Monday then this is City Crawlers 4 hotspots and night that they Pop!!

1. BYOB
Notice that everyone at play kind of know each other, its like one big network of people so PLAY SPORTS BAR & GRILL came up with an in genius way to reward their customers and this has been hugely successful. Bring your own bottle happens every Thursday and it allows customers to bring in a bottle of their chosen poison to get the Party started.





2. Karaoke
From TGIF to Cool Saturdays, we are always stuck with nothing to do on Sundays…… Karaoke is like a one-night stand: You know you'll be mortified the next day, but after a few drinks, you just say What the hell. Indulge in off-key renditions of "I Got You Babe" at SOHO lounge, Every Sunday from 8pm. No judging, just come with friends and have a great time.





3. Weekdays
We all love to hate this place (for obvious reasons), but we have all gone in there at least once in the past three months, you know why? Because if you want a place that has good music and good crowd and good fun monday to Monday, then head to Krystal lounge.



4. Friday night lights
A good lounge is a mix between an entertainment venue, social club and bar, which allows people who want to mingle as well as couples who only have eyes for each other to have a good time. Eden vip offer entertainment and a wide selection of signature cocktails, a HOT DJ, it’s a favorite with the Abuja crawling crowd as it always has a cool event going on there. well, if customers keep coming, they must be doing something right.

"Home Base" - Abuja; your perspective

ive been ravin on and on about different places, my friend calls it Abuja Laundering. well ive decided to get other perspective from fellow 'crawlers'..... leave a comment, your place of choice might be helpful to us

Name: Ugo Ogwurike
Age: 3+
Occupation: Architect
Been in Abuja: 10 years
Came for: NYSC
Area of residence: Lugbe
Best place for...
Food – kilimanjaro
Fun – Play (everywhere else, people are ‘posing’ so they don’t have fun)
Friday night – Use to be tucano now Aqua
Date – Setraco Club house, life camp
After work drinks – Salamander

Name: Alhassan Mohammed
age:30
occupation: Menswear designer
been in Abuja for: 4 yrs
came for: visit n never went back
area of residence :Apo
your best place for,
food: Jevinik pounded yam and ogbono but assorted for everything else
fun: Play
Friday night: Eden VIP, Asokoro
a date: Salamander
after work drinks: Cafe 24

Name: Debola Funsho
Age: 42
Occupation: Senior special assistant
Been in Abuja: since 92
Came for: visits then NYSC
Area of residence: Aso villa
Best place for...
Food – Home
Fun – Basement/Blakes
Friday night – Safari/Capital bar
Date – My wife loves Chinese so usually Chopsticks in Maitama
After work drinks – Hilton, piano bar


Name: Tope Brown
Age: 3+
Occupation: Celebrity photo-journalist for Ovation Magazine
Been in Abuja: 4 years
Came for: work
Area of residence: Wuse, zone 1
Best place for...
Food – Jevnik, Biobak
Fun – Dome- games section
Friday night – Basement
Date – Drumsticks
After work drinks – don’t drink (but hang with friends at wineshop)




Name: Lotanna Uju Onuigbo
Age: 31
Occupation: Designer/Stylist
Been in Abuja: 2 years
Came for: greener pastures
Area of residence: Garki 2
Best place for...
Food – Wakkis and ajs for pizza
Fun – Salsa @ Nicon luxury(thursdays)
Friday night – swim- Nicon luxury
Date – anywhere really
After work drinks – British council rooftop cafe


name: Kolawole Oye
age: 32
occupation: Consultant
been in abuja for: 10 years
came for: NYSC
area of residence: Wuse Zone 6
your best place for,
food: Bukka, Transcorp Hilton (Buffet)
fun: at Home... (sad, but we dont have ANY Theme Park in Abuja)
friday nite: Basement
a date: Chopsticks, Maitama
after work drinks: Wine Shop


Name: Eddie Madaki
Age: 27
Occupation: Banker
Been in Abuja: 15years
Came for: Dad moved
Area of Residence: Maitama
Your best place for food: Jevinik!
Fun: Peniel pool/home
Friday nite: Play
A date: Nollywood/piano/lounge
After work drinks: DIA AsOKORO (StRICTLY BY invitation o!)






Name: Theresa Archibong
Age: 25
Occupation: Wardrobe Consultant aka i dey sell clothe lol
Been in Abuja: Almost a Decade
Area of residence: Wuye
Best place for...
Food – Melting Pot
Fun – Wonderland
Friday night – Aqua
Date – Vanilla Restaurant & Cocktail
After work drinks – Roof top Cafe