i went to tinsel's 500th episode party at the oriental hotel in victoria island last weekend. there was a marquee, red carpet, modelesque women in matching champagne-colored gowns who served us wine and finger foods. and of course the cast and crew of tinsel, the continent's longest running soap opera that airs on mnet africa.

i'm not a huge socialite, but i thot the party would be a great opportunity to meet some industry people, which was easier said than done. they set the ballroom up in parlor-style groupings of chairs that made it difficult to mingle--especially if, like me, you barely knew anyone in the room.

the comedian/emcee was amazing and i definitely enjoyed watching the shoutout vids from other industry personalities, like tunde kelani and patrick doyle. but my entire evening consisted of watching videos, music performances and the cast having a really great time from the back of a very large crowd. with some vision and creativity, it could have been a lot more interactive, fun, and less crowded.

the highlight of my evening, apart from the prawns, was seeing ajibade gbenro emmanuel (soji bankole) up close and personal. the boy is fine, which makes sense since i learnt he used to be a model.

the night also coincided with the birthday of managing director biola alabi, who joined mnet from new york a few years ago after launching sesame square, the nigerian version of sesame street. i think she's my new shero. --AL.