"Yes We Can! We Can Do Anything If We Try..... But We Gotta Try..."

I kept playing this song by Donnie McClurklin on my MP3 player and singing it repeatedly throughout today the minute I heard on the 6am news that Barrack Obama won the US Presidential Elections. I thought to myself 1st Mandela, Now Obama... Wow... things are happening!!! Martin Luther King's dream has finally become a reality!

I almost cried!!! My sleepless night was worth it. True, I did not follow the US presidential elections as religiously as a lot of people did, but I screamed the loudest when I heard Obama won.

Today, 5th November 2008, really is a historic day. I wish I was in America right now. There's no better feeling than having a massive smile on your face when your President walks in or you see him on TV!!! The whole world backed this man and I'm glad he won. Hey, it could have gone both ways but somehow it didn't! Too many people had faith and the huge turnout at the polls proved it. His success cannot be contested.

Martin Luther King is probably smiling down on us now. I mean despite adversity, assassination attempts and public criticism by his opponent and even his Vice President, he remained humble and stood firm. He is a man we can identify with, not an imposing figure but an ordinary man who despite being very humble holds the most powerful position and is highly respected worldwide! I am beaming so much it hurts and I actually feel like crying! It really is a good day!

I'm not sure people actually understand the implications of this man being President but I do! He is not a 10 generation African but a true African... I mean his DAD not his great great great great great (to infinity) grandfather was African. He really represents a message of hope for us all that YES WE CAN and it can be done!!! AND he has plansssss..........

How I want to sing loudly at the top of my voice "Oh Happy Day..." It really is overwhelming...

Congratulations my brothers!!! Well Done Obama!!!

God bless you!!! Please do us proud!!!

I've started my gallery of great black Presidents in controversial societies. Please let's add more to this list!

Cheers People!!!

@ the 2008 FEDISA Graduate Collection Show (25/10/2008)

Wow!!! What a day!!! All I can say is that Allen pulled it off once again! You thought last year was good??? This year was great!!! Simply fantastic! True "fashiontainment" at its best!!!

So what exactly made the day so great???

The venue??? The Rooftop Marquee, above the Aston Martin store at the Waterfront, Cape Town. Need I say more...

The lights??? The Chandelier and lovely vintage lamps.



The TV screens??? Oh my goodness, gold plated antique screens and about a hundred garments on display.




The models??? A classic.


My 3 outfits that made the show... One "Time Shift" Garment, the dramatic outfit and 2 Denim Streetwear Garments following the theme "Volume & Suppression)

The guests??? Over 800... and counting. Tickets were all sold out and there were at least 100 people scrambling for tickets.

The goodie bags??? Elle magazines and vodka.

Need I go on??? Sadly, my flatie took pictures so she felt there was no need to take pictures of the other models. Sigh... so yeah, the pics you'll see are the pics of us and my models. And to get a feel of the show, though you won't see the real graduate collection, the reason for the event, you'll have a feel of the Time Shift outfits that were created my my classmates, most of which made the show...

So... here goes...

Before the show:



Yes we did the make up ourselves... No professionals.

...refabricated the shoes...



and amended garments just before the show...


Tozama sewing the flowers onto her Grim Reaper outfit, her interpretation of "Time Shift"...

Especially me, seeing 1 of my models cancelled on the morning of the show... but that's another story for another day.

Backstage during model rehearsals:



The Show:

My "Time Shift" model on the runway...


Garments by other designers


Tozama accepting her R20,000 Richard Bloom Award from Craig Port


Yours truly, during the finale, right behind one of my Denim models...

Backstage after the show:


My Time Shift Model


One of my 2 Demin Street Wear Designs...


The 2nd denim Street Wear Design... That was initially plain dark blue denim. It was refabricated using Silver and Yellow Spray Paint and Rhinestones. Not bad eh?



Tozama's Grim Reaper model for her Time Shift garment.


The Richard Bloom Award winner & her model...

Back home after the show at our private after party:

I'm trying to upload the other Time Shift garments that some of my other classmates made without much success. Will post those pics later.

Have a great week y'all! MWAH!!!

Cheers!

Last Year's (2007) Graduate Show...

Time sure des fly! Barely a year ago, we were preparing for my college's very 1st graduate show and it was quite hectic. Last year's show was at the Whale Well in the Isiko Natural History Museum. I had no clue how it would turn out but it was stunning. I was a worker, helping to set up the venue, and an usher. What an experience!!! And y'all know how I love before and after stories.

The venue was transformed from this:



and this:



to this:



The food:



And drinks:



Anywayz, without dwelling too much on the past, lemme show you some of the outfits at the show. Sadly, I didn't get a good view of some of the pictures but managed to get these:

The first 5 or so were some designs from my class (then the 1st years), some outfits from the Midsummer Night's Dream show we had and the rest were from the graduate collection.

3rd Year Collection:

There are actually more pictures but uploading them is taking forever and I need to get some sleep!

So

This year's graduate show promises to be the bomb. Not only because of the location, the Rooftop Marquee at Waterfront, above the Aston Martin Showroom, and the hype that's been going on about it but also the fact that ALL 3 OUTFITS OF MINE GOT INTO THE SHOW!!! And I intend to take LOTS of pictures (unlike last year where I didn't take 1 picture!)!!! I literally worked like a dog and my efforts paid off so yes I'm pleased. Tickets are sold out and people are still placing orders for tickets which are not and which will not be available.

This year's show will be the bomb so watch this space peeps... and wish me luck!!!

Welcome to TWayne's World... You wanted to see the pics... Well here they are...

Well... you'll be glad to know that I feel sooo much better today. I usually do once I've slept.

I was going to write on something else today but thought since I had such a chilled day at school today, I'll spend time posting the pictures of my room like I promised so I don't waste my data bundles on it later today. Besides, I know myself. If I don't do it now, I probably never will... at least not in the near future...

Well, you know the story of my place. Well this was how it looked before when I just moved in. I had little or no furniture and slept on ooooolllldddd mattress on the floor when it was veryyyy cold..... Gosh... I cannot wait to write my biography. It is guaranteed to be a bestseller.

Well my cold never went... till now... and I had to buy an electric blanket just to keep warm.
Sigh... anywayz.... lemme get on with this...

The BEFORE and AFTER syndrome...

This is what the space looked like before I transformed it into my mini bachelor flat. Excuse the mess. This was what it looked like when I moved in. I had toooo much stuff and no wardrobes...

Notice the TV on my suitcase??? People... no condition is permanent.

Well this is the AFTER... what my room/living space looks like now...

DRUMROLL please......

Entering my living space...



My mini-bedroom. See how amazing the sun rays through the curtains are...



My mini-study in my mini-bedroom. Please ignore the fact that it's sideways. I got tired of flipping it around. It never did save for some strange reason.



Entering the mini-study from the mini-lounge....




... and onto the balcony from the bedroom / study:




View from my bedroom into the lounge when the curtains are down...



Perfect right? You see absolutely nothing!

My lounge:








These are my make-shift wardrobes from Ackermans (Thank God I didn't have to buy proper wardrobes). Saved me a whole lotta money and stress. And yes yes I know the Ghana Must Go bags kinda spoil the effect but ... hey... there's really no where else to put them...

Leaving my room:

Not bad right??? I think I did quite well even if I do say so myself. Re-furnishing the room cost me a lot but it was worth it! I put the curtains up myself... took me 2 days... so yes I really really appreciate it! Everything in there as DIY!!!... Well not really... I made some of the curtains and bought some from Ackermans. I have at least 10 curtains (and this excludes the one I made myself) and 2 door frills in there.

So see why I'm reluctant to move now? After all that effort, I hope I have no more house drama till I leave Cape Town...

Please keep your fingers crossed for me.

MWAH!!!