No Love in this Club

Well, another year has passed and cupid has yet to shoot an arrow even remotely close to me. Every Valentine's day has usually consisted of me watching youtube videos of Darren Criss while eating my body weight in chocolate kisses given to me by none other than my mother.

Why is everyone caught of on being in a relationship (me included)? Maybe its because every holiday you spend with your family somebody asks, "so are you seeing anyone?" Perhaps, its the sense of necessity to have a "Netflix and chill" buddy. Regardless of the reason, just remember that being young and single is the only time you can truly do whatever you want without someone holding you back (take this with a grain of salt).

Valentine's Day is the best for single people because you can use all that money that you would have used to buy a significant other gifts and spend it on yourself. I really reject the idea or stereotype that single people hate Valentine's day. I personally love it because seeing couples enjoying the day makes me excited for the future and the day that I will have that too.

I have certainly had my fair share of upsetting heartbreak and missed opportunities for something special. Instead of giving you a long sob story that would most likely just make you feel uncomfortable and exposing my little black book to the world, I would prefer to give you this little bit of advice that I was given from a true scholar, RuPaul: "If you can't love yourself, how in the hell can you love somebody else?" In light of these wise words, I decided not to lay in bed eating chocolates, but instead go out and celebrate being single.

Claire Grant: A fellow single friend

Naturally, I grabbed my other single friends, my debit card, and put on a pink polo to really get into the spirit of the holiday. We travelled to Johannesburg, which is a 40 minute drive from where we are staying in Pretoria, to the Market on Main. This is a market that offered an array of food, shopping options, art galleries, and of course an abundance of alcohol.

I ate an Ostrich Burger with cheese drenched in pesto sauce at the Burger Spot (Sorry I do not have a photo to share, I was hungry). Of course, we also made great friends with the bartender, Fred, who helped expand our palate of wine by introducing us to something that did't come from a box. A bottle of wine can be as cheap as R34 in South Africa, which is equivalent to $2.00. I still have a soft spot in my heart for Franzia (so many memories I can't remember), but I guess its time for me to become an adult and stop slapping the bag and trade up for actual bottles.

Click to see Malume FB Page

Just like my mom, I can never resist the urge to shop (also, the more and more I write the more I realize that I am turning into my mom which is a scary feeling). The Malume African fashion label was created in Hillbrow, Johannesburg and since then has been sold primarily at markets throughout the South Africa. I bought a pair of shorts at a price of R550, which is equivalent to about $35.00. The inseam and tight tailored look shows off just enough of my beautiful legs, while still leaving the viewer wanting more!

Malume means "Uncle" in Zulu and the reason behind the name is because an Uncle is supportive just like the business has been to artisans all around Africa, by providing them with the opportunity to use their tailoring skills to make a living.

All the shorts are handcrafted and are made with a playful pattern that embody the very essence of a fun and flirty professional (something I am always striving to be). Jess, who helped create the brand, described the clothes as,"a blend of vibrant cosmopolitan African flair with a slick 1920's classic gangster-ism."

Click to visit WoodiZ website

Another table that I stumbled upon had a focus in creating fashion accessories out of wood. They offered bow ties, hats, sunglasses, backpacks and many more items that fused the founders' love for wood (same) and fashion into these must have statement pieces.

I was able to create my own bow tie by picking out the wood frame and the cloth section at a price of R350, which is around $21.00. The cloth part can be switched out and mixed and matched with other wooden frames.

Make sure to order some patterned shorts and signature bow-ties to make a statement at your next event!

Sincerely,

Stephen

P.S. Don't forget to sissy that walk in your new found confidence of being single!