Ray Styles Top Six Summer Looks - (28/07/2014)

 It’s here! The season we’ve all been waiting for. Schools out and it’s time for fun!  The hot temperature, blue and clear skies and no rain (actually that’s not true, a British summer is not complete without rain) is worth getting excited about. So whether you’re stuck in the country, on holiday with the girls or even having a summer romance here are my top six summer trend/looks to ensure you look amazing while having fun.

 

1)  Casual Chic – this look is a personal favrouite of mine! This is my go to look,  it’s so simple yet so stylish, ideal for a day out or even an evening cinema trip. Recreate your own look with ripped jeans or leggings and a tshirt themed with lovely sandals; this look is all about being comfortable and fashonable at the same time! Whoever said you can’t have both clearly lied.

 

 

 

2)  Midriff chic - Do not and I repeat do not abandon your workout routine because midriffs are here to stay.

Just like past summers, crop tops are a number one hit with the ladies! However you have to find the middle ground and ensure it portrays sexy instead of young and childish. Theme your crop with any bottoms of your choice then finish off the look with a fringed kimono and fringed block sandals, this is also the season of fringe; this look is suitable for the various festivals the summer has in store for us.

 

 

 

 

3)  The Scuba - We all know summer equals wedding! This is perfect because it gives us the opportunity to bring out our fabulous scuba skirt and dazzle the crowd. The scuba isn’t your friend just for the summer but it is sure to see you through season to season effortlessly.  Theme your bold coloured scuba with a chic midriff top and heeled sandals and a perfectly cute clutch.

 

 

 

4)  The only way is Floral – have you ever heard of a summer without floral? Nope? Yeah, neither have I.  You can go for big floral patterns or subtle ones; either way floral is the only way! Complete your summer with a floral number.

 

 

5)  Sheer goodness – This is the summer of sheer goodness! Sheer tops, sheer dresses and sheer skirts! I love everything sheer!  This trend allows you to show the right amount of skin without going overboard, ensure you sheer skirts are strictly midi, pencil or maxi! Anything shorter and you’ve lost the purpose of sheer. Don’t be afraid to wear a sheer top and skirt together, go for it! You’re bound to turn heads!

 

 

6) LLD – LLD is the new LBD! Yes! Swap your little black dress for a colourful little lace dress. Suitable for a night out in town or a romantic date, theme your LLD with either block heels or pumps then finish off with jaw dropping statement accessories.

 

I hope my top six looks have given you an idea of what’s in store this summer.

Follow me on;

Twitter - @AjikeAjoke

Instagram – BeingRayStyles

 

 

Deutschland 1-0 Rest of the World - Ola Adeotoye (22/07/2014

Ladies, gentleman and all those with a passion for the beautiful game it's officially over, the world bid farewell yesterday to the greatest sporting show on earth. As fans we put in so much effort into gearing ourselves up for the World Cup in Brazil, the spiritual dwelling place of football. After four weeks of end to end action, a gluttony of goals, heartbreaks, disappointments, jubilation and Kodak moments belonging to keepers and outfielders, it will be another four years before the Jules Rimet trophy is held aloft, in the not so exotic surroundings of Russia. I think most of us can agree that the World Cup in Brazil has been one of the best to date; personally it's the best one I have watched since France'98. A complete improvement on the drab affairs seen in South Africa.

But getting to the point of this article the new reigning champions of the world are Joachim Loew's Germany side, a team I tipped to win the tournament from the start (as well as the Netherlands). They were ruthless, physical, highly organised and efficient, everything you come to expect from a German side. All traits were on show in their semi-final match unfortunately for the hosts Brazil and their 7-1 dismantling stood them in good stead of the Final against an Argentina side lead by Lionel Messi. I won't give a full review of the match itself, however in a nutshell Argentina spurned multiple chances via Higuain and surprisingly even Messi.

In a cup final of any sort against high quality opposition such a thing is criminal and is punishable by the conceding of goals. In a final against Germany it was likely that the longer things went on the more dangerous Loew's side would get, and in the last minutes of extra time (just when everyone was gearing themselves for penalties) substitute Mario Goetz finished what was probably the hardest chance of the match. Taking a incoming cross on his chest the Bayern Munich man controlled and volleyed the ball past an onrushing Sergio Romero. With that Germany now have four stars stitched onto their team shirts, just one behind the once great Brazil teams. At this rate however it’s highly possible that they could level with and overtake the Samba boys. Both are moving in different directions while the Germans look set to rule the world and Europe (in a way their predecessors Spain did for five years), Brazil have to have a complete restructuring of how they coach their players at academy level.

Germany has a whole has benefitted from years and years of planning and emphasis on giving their brightest talents playing time at their domestic clubs (something unfortunately England fails in miserably at the moment). The German FA and their domestic teams in the Bundesliga have such a good relationship with each other; you could mistake them for being husband and wife in a metaphoric sense of course. In the long term they have reaped the rewards, they entered the World Cup with an average age of 26 and a squad of players who are the envy of Europe and now possibly the world. Many of whom are going to be around for the World Cup in 2018 and beyond. So basically the Germans stand to gain a lot more success in the future and retain their place at the summit of European and World football.

All that remains to be said is that as an England fan, is that I hope those at the FA and our BPL sides adopt the emphasis the Germans placed on having their youngest and brightest talents given a fair crack at the first team. But first and foremost from a young age they'll have to be coached the right way (an increased focus on technical ability), then and only then will it be possible for the 'three lions' to reap any such success on the European stage let alone the World stage.

SOMEWHERETO__ DO WHAT I SAY, NOT WHAT I DO - BY DIAMOND KELEKELO (18/07/2014)

On the 10th of July MCM got invited to be a part of somewhereto__, which is an organisation that helps young people gain the appropriate access for their needs, either it being physical or digital, across the creative spectrum. Somewhere to allow young people to gain the appropriate support, contact and advice they need to make their enterprise happen, through endorsement that will be of genuine value to their personal, education and professional development.



The day was jam packed with workshops, nibbles and the yummiest cupcakes I have ever tasted in my whole entire life, and I am not the biggest fan of cake. There were mentors from all media platforms such as Aaron Bridgeman who’s a presenter on SBTV, and started off as an actor before winning a competition on Channel 4 which led him to presenting, and many more, who aided in answering some of our questions on how to build a business, across the media platform.

Apart from the food and Q&A, it was a good opportunity to have a meet and greet with the very handsome Benjamin Drew, formally known as Plan B who is an English rapper. As well as rapping he also has multiple creative talents as he is also a songwriter, singer, actor and director. He first emerged in the U.K due to his album Who needs action when you got words in 2006.

Aside from the music, he has also gained himself a professional career in acting, and has been in major U.K films such as Adulthood (2008), Harry Brown (2009), 4.3.2.1 (2010) and The Sweeney (2012). Additionally, in 2012 he released a film named III Manors, which he wrote and directed himself, and released an accompanied soundtrack which became his second number one album.



Aside from staring at his handsome face, and having an unfiltered mouth that led me to embarrassingly tell him that he looks better in real life, thankfully for me because of his friendly and easy to talk to personality, we connected for a minute and he knew that was a sincere compliment. As I took my pen and notebook ready to be shocked by this man’s passion for his craft, I felt connected to him as a writer, through his writing aesthetic. Benjamin drew, is not only a writer, but a storyteller. Music to him is not about money, but how the story is told, to help young people turn their life around. He uses music to convey a message, through a linear narrative to engage with his audience and let the words rush through their ears, as fast as an erupting volcano to create effect.

When asked where his inspiration for music came from he spoke about his charity Each One, Teach One (EOTO), which he founded in 2012 after the riots. EOTO was created to improve the lives of young people, aged 14-25 by providing access to new skills, training and support.

It came about as an inspiration from his life, before fame and success. He spoke about getting kicked out of school, having people doubting him because he was not cut from the same cloth, academically as some of his peers. His inspiration came from the simple argument that, kids who do not respond to academic achievement are bottled up by society’s value and this then leads them to ‘doubt themselves’. Materialism from the media undervalues working class youths, and teaches them that to own good things is what defines you as a person. The inspiration for EOTO stems from this view and he argues that the riots proved this to be true. In his view you “can’t measure success, on how many kids pass a course”, and until this view is challenged there will be misdemeanors on the streets.



Plan B also personally, opened up about some of the obstacles he faced growing up in east London, which led him to want to strive for success. He spoke about how hard it was growing up in the ‘hood,’ as most would describe certain parts of London, and having to illegally drive his mums ‘mash up’ Peugeot to music school, because he knew that if he risked it and took bus, due to the area beef, he probably would not have made it out alive. Post codes, in his view create boundaries to success as kids fear other gangs.

He opened up even deeper by letting us know that his musical inspiration came from his drunk, homeless godfather, as he was the closest to a father to him, as his left at a very young age. He spoke about how his godfather introduced him to musical artists such as the Beatles and this is what inspired his writing, as music from the 60’s had soul and meaning. although his godfather taught him a thing or two about music, due to the lifestyle he was living, Ben chose not to let him influence other factors of his. He used his godfather’s lifestyle, with this motto “Do what I say, Not what I do”, as inspiration to get ahead in the game through hard work and by taking risks. His zeal and stubbornness, to not end up like the crack head on the street, is how he managed to create Plan B.

AFRICAN PRIDE: WORLD CUP REVIEW - OLA ADEOTOYE (08/07/2014)

Going into the World Cup in Brazil four African teams entered the tournament representing the best array of footballing talent from the motherland. In this article I'll look at how each team performed and which of the teams made their fans proud and which teams have under performed.

 Nigeria

Results:
0-0 vs. Iran (16/6/14)
1-0 vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (21/6/14)
2-3 vs. Argentina (25/6/14)
0-2 vs. France
The Super Eagles started their tournament with what seemed like a routine opening game against football minnows Iran. Going into the game myself and every other Nigeria supporter were expecting goals from the players in Green, but it ended in a rather disappointing goalless stalemate. It was at this point that I thought we were going to witness another poor Nigeria World Cup campaign. But in the game to decide who took a step towards qualification and who made plans for an early departure, Nigeria edged Bosnia with a 1-0 victory and pushed a Messi inspired Argentina side to the limits, just being edged 2-3 in the end. Equally as important was the way Keshi's side played, in both games Nigeria's pace and power on the counter attack was a worry to teams, with Emmanuel Emenike and Ahmed Musa doing the most damage. The one blot on the Nigerian copybook would be the defending at times, in particularly at set pieces. Unfortunately it was such a weakness that France capitalised on in the last 16, as well as a goalkeeping error from the usually solid Vincent Enyeama. Though they worried the French at times they bowed out with a 0-2 loss. However they left having instilled pride into the fans with their performances and their reaching of the last 16 (a feat not managed since France'98).

Ghana
Results:
1-2 vs. USA (16/6/14)
2-2 vs. Germany (21/6/14)
1-2 vs. Portugal (25/6/14)

The black stars began their campaign against Jurgen Klinsmann's highly organised and energetic USA side. As with any international/European tournament it's important to get off to a good start. But for Ghana it was the exact opposite when just one minute into the game USA's captain fantastic Clint Dempsey netted. There was plenty of huffing and puffing by the Ghanaians but it wasn't until as deep into the match as the 82nd minute that Andre Ayew levelled proceedings. However their lead lasted only four minutes after centre back John Brooks towered above his marker to head home the winner.

Their next match against the much fancied Germans was a lot closer and in fact if you watched them game as I did you'd say Ghana should have won it towards the end. However instead of squaring to an unmarked Asamoah Gyan, Jordan Ayew instead chose to try and beat one of the world's best in Manuel Neuer from distance. It was a decision he would come to rue as Miroslav Klose would score what would prove to be the equaliser on the 71st minute. If there was any chance of making it to the 2nd round a win against Portugal in their next game was a must. However events off the field concerning senior players Kevin Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari, led to both being suspended indefinitely from representing Ghana again. Not the best preparation for such an important game and so it proved as the players didn't appear 100% focused on the match. As a result they left the World Cup with one point from their three matches and in doing failed to build on their 2010 performance. Though this year it was always going to be a tough ask to qualify from such a difficult group.



Results:

1-2 vs. Belgium (17/6/14)

4-2 vs. Korea Republic (22/6/14)
1-1 vs. Russia (26/6/14)
1-2 vs. Germany (30/6/14)

Algeria
The Fennec Foxes went into the tournament boasting the best defence in Africa and having secured fifteen out of a possible eighteen points in their qualifying group. Yet they weren't much fancied by the masses to take the place of either Belgium or Russia in the last 16. But they surprised everyone with their solid defending, precise attacking, and high work rate. Though they lost their first match 2-1 to Marc Wilmot's Belgium side, The North African side took apart South Korea and grabbed the one point they needed against Capello's Russia. As a result for the 1st time in their history they managed to reach the last sixteen. At the same time they proved hard to beat for each opponent that came up against them. Joachim Low's Germany found out exactly that when Algeria took them to extra time, and even though they eventually lost 2-1, Halilhodzic's had done their country and themselves proud, and were welcomed back to their home country as winners.

Cameroon

Results:
0-1 vs. Mexico (13/6/14)
0-4 vs. Croatia (18/6/14)
1-4 vs. Brazil (23/6/14)
What can be said of Cameroon's world cup journey, it was terrible. They played three matches scoring two goals and conceding nine, therefore finishing rock bottom of their group. Disorganised defending and not much bite up front gave them very little chance of qualifying out of a group that featured Mexico, Brazil and Croatia. Legend and captain Samuel Eto'o couldn't inspire his side in what is definitely his last World Cup and the twilight of his career. They entered the tournament quietly and made a swift exit bowing out with a whimper.

       ADIOS ESPANA - OLA ADEOTOYE (23.06.14)


 Titans of the game, unbeatable, the pass masters, all can be used to describe the Spanish national team. In recent years they have ruled the world at not only international level but on the club scene as well. Their crown jewel FC Barcelona managed at the time by the mastermind of 'tiki taka' football Pep Guardiola swept aside all that came up against them like a modern day Roman empire (unfortunately twice it happened to be Manchester United in their way).

Then to further compound their dominance on the football stage the national team ended their tournament hoodoo by capturing the European Championships in 2008. All that seemed to do was whet the appetite of this greedy trophy machine, and in 2010 they picked up the World Cup in South Africa, followed by the European championships in 2012 dismantling Italy 4-0 in the final. But like all great empire's there comes a time when those at the top fall, and Spain's run of three successive international trophies is over at the first hurdle.                                                                                                                               It was expected that the 5-1 slumping at the hands of Van Gaal's Netherlands side might act as a jolt of electricity and surge through the entire side, how wrong those people were.

Chile even before the World Cup had started had already previously shown Roy  Hodgson's England on Wembley turf that they were not a team to take lightly. A side featuring key players like Alexis Sanchez (FC Barcelona),  Arturo Vidal (Juventus) and Eduardo Vargas (Napoli) will cause even the best teams problems. As the referee blew his whistle on 96 minutes Jorge Sampaoli's Chile side plunged the final dagger through Spain's World Cup ambitions in Brazil. Their 2-0 loss left them rock bottom of Group B with zero points from a possible six, with only a dead rubber game against Australia to prepare for before the squad flies back home, albeit a lot more prematurely than we all thought.

It's the end of the line at international level for players like Xavi, David Villa, Iker Casillas, and Xabi Alonso, the end of an era if you will. But Spain have a conveyor belt of talent coming from within their local academies and current young stars. Players such Isco, Thiago, David De Gea, Jese Rodriguez, Iker Muniain, and Gerard Deulofeu. All are the next crop of stars who will feature heavily in any future successes of the Spain national team. But for now the greedy trophy hungry machine I spoke of earlier is in a gentle slumber, while their fans await the rise of their future Spanish heroes.

CHANGE -JULIET AMPONSAH-GYASI (23.06.16)

Change is inevitable. It can be uncomfortable, unsettling, confusing and easily misinterpreted. But at the same time it could mean something completely different. 

Change is inevitable. It can be life-changing, inspiring, heart-warming and a chance to learn something new.

In both circumstances, whether positive or not: Change is undoubtedly inevitable.

Often in my life and probably yours too, it’s easy to fall into patterns and routines that bring about pretty much the same result over time. But when we carry out these routines, and we don’t get what we expected or what we wanted, we’re thrown into some kind of state of confusion. We ask questions (the who’s, the what’s, the when’s) but how often do we seek out the why or how? Why am I reacting to the change in this way and how could I have approached it differently?

I have very recently become a believer that change comes in order to allow us to grow. Change comes in order to force us out of our comfort zones. Change comes in order to allow us to learn from our past in order to act accordingly in the present.

Ultimately, change comes in order to allow us to move on.

Though it’s not easy to recognise it may be for the better, it’s important to realise that we have no control over when it will eventually come. As human beings, it’s in our nature to want to know the next step and to feel in control of the situation, when in reality we have no such control over whether or not a particular circumstance may change the direction in which we were going. As confusing as it may seem, embracing the fact you have little control over what will happen next may actually help you continue to progress, rather than stubbornly sitting down and insisting things will go exactly as you wish them to. 

See the thing is, in believing you have ultimate control over everything, you fail to seek and weigh up all the available options. You can become set in your ways, refusing to accept that another way is better. There may come a time when your way can no longer work at all, and because you didn’t think of any of the other options before, you feel utterly at a loss and have an even greater sense of not being in control after all. You’ve limited your options and you’re not able to choose another pathway so easily when you’ve gone so far with one line of thinking.

When you allow yourself to realise you don’t have ultimate control, you begin to seek out option 1, 2, 3 and 5 in trying to get where you need to go. You consider other routes more naturally and can weigh up the pros and cons of them all. If one way doesn’t work out, you can always use another, with modifications if need be. You may not have all the answers but you can always seek help since you know you’re not the one controlling each path, but you do have control of which path you choose to follow, just as you have a choice in stopping and following another path if you wish.

Allowing yourself to be open to your lack of control seems to allow us to be more adaptive, more creative and have better control over ourselves and how we react to particular situations. Though our circumstances may change, we’ve probably already considered these possible changes and so we are more able to adapt and display the knowledge we have learnt from previous changes too.

So as I have said all the way through: Change is inevitable and pretty uncontrollable. But if you accept that you have no direct influence on it, it almost becomes easier to accept and a lot easier to work through. It takes a little time to come to terms with the fact that all your plans won’t necessarily always go the way you hoped, but over time you may come to realise: that was how it was supposed to be. Change is as great a teacher and it challenges us to consider things we may not have seen before. It is only my sincere hope that the changes that are about to happen in your life are received with a mind as open as your eyes in perceiving and receiving what the potential change in circumstance has to offer.

Peace and Love,

Abenaa B x

HOLLAND VS SPAIN - OLA ADEOTOYE  ( 15/06/2014)

It was a rematch of the 2010 final in South Africa, Netherlands coached by new Manchester United boss Louis Van Gaal and Spain by their all conquering overseer Vicente Del Bosque. Four years prior to yesterday's titanic match, Bert van Marwijk's Holland attempted to kick Spain off the pitch (literally in De Jong's case), as a way of countering the slick possession based game the Spanish made it their own. Such tactics were condemned by pundits n professionals in the game even those from Holland.

However such employment of tactics weren't anywhere to be seen yesterday. Indeed Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso expertly dispatched his penalty on the 27th minute after Diego Costa was brought down a little clumsily by Dutch centre back Stefan De Vrij. But importantly Captain Robin Van Persie scored a well taken looping header over Iker Casillas, meaning both sides went in at halftime level. But what happened in the second half no one not even Van Gaal himself foresaw what was going to happen (though he might tell you the exact opposite) in the second half.

Holland came out like a team possessed, yes the stats as they always will in Spain's case favoured the World Cup holders, but in the second half the entire team was savaged by blistering and precise counter attacking football, lead by Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie. The Dutch put a further four goals past the reigning champions, with Robben's solo mockery of the Spain backline before firing it into the net was the pick of the bunch.

The Dutch were fantastic and ruthless with the way they countered the Spanish, whereas Del Bosque's side were quite simply shell-shocked. They now face an up-hill struggle getting out of the group, even more so after Chile beat Australia 3-1. So anything less than a win against a very talented Chile featuring captain Arturo Vidal (Juventus) and Alexis Sanchez (FC Barcelona). Meaning potentially the reigning European and World champions could go out in the group stages.

As for the Netherlands they march on and have now sent a warning shot to the rest of the 31 teams in the World Cup, that they are gunning for glory this summer.