March 31, 2014

My weekend

Hey everyone,

How was your weekend? I hope you had a nice one like I did.

On Friday night, Cakes' brothers wanted to hang out and go clubbing. I was kinda skeptical because I really don't like "joints." As much as I enjoy fresh air, I really don't enjoy sitting out at night because my skin/blood has a special ingredient that all kinds of insects are addicted to. Well, sure enough, it was one of the joints in Lekki - Hedges and Smith. We were there for about 30 minutes before I started feeling tired and ready to go home, but Cakes managed to keep me there for an hour longer before we headed home. There was an interesting conversation that I will blog about later on in the week.

On Saturday, my plan was to stay home ALL DAY LOOOOOONG, but I had completely forgotten about a Food/Cooking event arranged by the Connect Group/Ministry at my church. Luckily I checked my email and rearranged my day. For this meetup, people who came were treated to a live Master Class by Chef Fregz! He chose to make his yummy Omawonder, and 2 lucky guests were randomly selected to cook along :)

March 28, 2014

Random Thoughts

Just thoughts that enter my head...

  1. Beauty bloggers are constantly reviewing products like eye shadow palettes, lipsticks, foundations, etc. I know a lot of them get the products for free, but don't a lot of the products go to waste? You can't possibly use up a 24 eye-shadow palette in less than 6 months, can you? It'd take me a year plus.
  2. I'm beginning to get confused because I could have sworn it was pronounced "Nigh-Jee-Ria." But you put on the radio or TV and the broadcasters pronounce it as "Nigh-JEH-Ria." Someone said it's based on region, but I'm sure it's because of people trying to speak with an accent and now they've forgotten how to pronounce it.
  3. Why is juicing such a big deal now, especially given the fact that it doesn't contain fiber? I thought fiber was a good thing. :-S
  4. I'm thinking of starting up a website - NaijaPees.com - This website would basically be a photo-based public-shaming of all these men in Nigeria that feel the need to pee in public!!! It's so bloody annoying. Basically, if you see someone peeing in the streets, run up (actually drive so you can run away quicker), take a snapshot on your phone, and submit it to the website.
  5. I wish I had a driver. I mean that was one of things I most looked forward to before I moved back. It's been almost 3 years (WOW, time flies) and yet, no driver. The thing that scares me is getting someone who will disappear with the car, or get into an accident. Yes, I have stranger-trust issues, but who doesn't?
That's it on the randomness for today :)


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March 27, 2014

Saturday in Bariga

This is a late post that should have come up on Monday, but I was kinda out of it and didn't post anything. But it's better late than never, right?

On Saturday morning, I woke up earlier than I like (since it's weekend) but it was for a good cause. At my church (The Waterbrook), there's a periodic series of classes called Cafe Rouge. It's meant to give you a deeper insight into God's word, build you up spiritually, connect with other church members, and give back to the community. I've been in 2 cycles, and in the first one we helped raise money for a local school in VI. For the second one, we decided to help out the Bethesda Child Support Agency, which is aimed at securing educational opportunities for children in disadvantaged families/communities.

Part of the group contacted the agency and inquired about what needs they had, and it was decided that we would raise money to build a borehole at one of the agency's schools, located in Bariga. I wasn't part of the group that went to visit the school beforehand, but we were shown pictures to help us with the fundraising. Long story short, the project started in November/December and last week Saturday, we were invited to commission the borehole.

So I woke up early, Cakes decided to come along so he could run errands afterwards. We headed to our church office, and we all drove in a convoy to the school. I've been to villages before, and I'm not sure I can even call Bariga a village, but the school's surroundings were a veritable disaster. I was in shock. I don't want to talk too much, so I will just share pictures I took with my phone.





This just makes me sick

Cafe Rouge group
Can't remember her name. Might be Ijeoma - she works with Bethesda

The engineer who made sure the borehole was put together properly
Pat of the school yard. The grass is cut every 2 weeks. At the right corner is the school toilet
This is the school. As in, just the 2 containers. 
Desks inside one trailer
Teacher's desk




At the end of the day, I thank God that we were able to raise the money for the borehole. The children and the community now have access to clean, filtered water and it was by God's grace and people's generosity. If you want to contact them, visit their website here or this link here.

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March 26, 2014

Hair Talk - Bringing out the UGLY!

Hi friends,

Okay, I half-promised my friend that I wouldn't talk about hair on my blog anymore, after the post about the definition of Natural Hair. However, dear friend, I must apologize to you for breaking my promise.

What is it about hair discussions that make people turn down right UGLY and NASTY?! From debating hair (natural vs relaxed vs weaves vs braids vs bald) on different platforms, you see comments that basically attack people's personalities. How does a conversation go from,

"I like my hair relaxed" to "You're an insecure person who thinks the White man is supreme." 
"I have natural hair" to "You're ugly, unkempt and self-righteous." 
"I like to wear weaves" to "You're obviously a runs girl/prostitute." 
"I like to wear wigs" to "You're fake and there's nothing real about you."
"I like my hair loc'd up" to "You're irresponsible and don't have good work ethics."
????????????????????????
The only style that seems immune from attack is braids :p

Now, some of you reading might say (and have even said) that I think I'm supreme because I have natural hair. For whatever reason, none of them have noticed that I wear wigs sometimes, braid once or twice a year, and have never once told anybody that natural hair is better than relaxed hair. Neither have I tried to convince anyone with relaxed hair to go natural. The most I will do is answer questions that are asked of me. Do I think everyone CAN carry natural hair? Yes, regular moisture and stretching are your friends. Do I think everyone SHOULD carry natural hair? No, because it's YOUR prerogative.

What I find annoying and baffling is that because of your hair choice(s), idiots IDIOTS feel the need to attack your person, your character, your being.

#OkayAllDone

NB: This post is NOT about #TeamMyHairIsLikeThis. This post is asking why the discussions/debates turn into hateful arguments.

FYI - If you don't have anything constructive to say about this post (i.e. if you decide to reinforce this post by being insulting, demeaning, condescending or hateful) don't bother commenting because I shall not approve your post.

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March 20, 2014

Shout-out to...

Just a quick shout out to 1 Plus The One, who blogs over here.

She's a Christian blogger and has very uplifting and encouraging posts. Yesterday she posted on how God answers prayers (which coincidentally is the meaning of my Ogoni name, and is part of my blog's name).

In addition, you should check out her Waiting and Loving It series, which features couples who chose abstinence. Some chose to wait until their wedding night to "do the deed" and some took it even further and didn't kiss before the wedding day - talk about STRENGTH! Even though I didn't wait (one of my biggest regrets in life - sorry mummy and daddy), I want to encourage those who ARE waiting or thinking about it (whether you're a virgin or not).

God bless!

Berry.

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March 19, 2014

My 30 List

Monday on Bella Naija, which I frequent frequently, Atoke's Monday Banter was about Bucket Lists. For anyone who doesn't know, a bucket list is a list of things you want to do before you die. It can be anything from climbing Mount Everest to meeting your dream celebrity crush! I don't have a Bucket List per se, but I had a Thirty List - 30 Things I Wanted to Do Before I Turned 30. Unfortunately, I only accomplished  about 8 of them, but I thought it would be fun to share...


March 17, 2014

The new fear about flying...

Following the news about this missing Malaysian plane, and the Ethiopian plane that was diverted to Geneva a little while ago, it's safe to say that apart from terrorists, plane crashes, and fear of heights, we can now add PILOTS to the list of flying fears.

This pilot looks suspect

So you get on a plane and you're already anxious because somehow you're 30,000 feet above the Earth and you just want to get wasted relax and go to sleep, waking up shortly before you land. But now, the question of whether the pilot has gone psycho and wants to go on a random world tour comes into play.

I think airlines should make sure ALL their pilots go through rigorous background checks once a year. Their mental, emotional, spiritual well-being should be checked periodically too.

As for this plane, I was really hoping it was taken by aliens, but it looks like my mum was right when she said, "I hope some crackhead hasn't decided to recreate 'Lost' (TV show) with this plane."

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March 15, 2014

Happy Birthday to Cakes!!!

To the man who makes my life sweeter
Who has enough faith for 1 gazillion people
Who I look up to because he's tall :p
Who loves me at my worst
Who owes me last year's birthday present because an engagement ring doesn't count
Who showed me that love is not just a feeling, but an active verb
Who is at home right now while I cut my hair... SURPRISE!!!!

Happy Birthday Cakes. I love you thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much times infinity squared.

March 14, 2014

What I'm Watching/Reading Online

Buongiorno tutti!

While browsing the interwebs this week, I've seen a bunch of things online that I thought were interesting. And so, I thought to share with you :)


  1. Nigerians Abroad Reality Show Pilot



    I saw it via Bella Naija, and the comments on the post was what made me watch it for myself. A lot of the comments said the subjects of the show are fake, with fake accents (I don't quite agree). It's not a great show, but it's not half bad either. I could watch another episode.
  2. Sexual Assault Survivors Answer "What Were You Wearing When You Were Assaulted?"
    I saw this on Buzzfeed. Someone posed a question on Twitter asking sexual abuse survivors what they were wearing when it happened. It was very eye-opening. A lot of times, people try to blame the victim - "Well, why is she wearing a mini skirt? Why was she showing cleavage?" - as if, it's the victim's clothes that MADE the person abuse them.
    Source
  3. Three Year-Old Argues with Mum
    My friend sent me the link to this video. The comments vary from "He's sooooooooo cute," to "He got this from his father," to "He's such a disrespectful child and lacks discipline." I just thought the way he argued was funny.


That's all folks! Have a nice weekend. I know I will because it's somebori's buffday tomorrow. Not me o.

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March 13, 2014

Re: Public Speaking Event

Hello,

I posted about the following Diction Workshop last week, and shared that it would be great for people who have stage fright, make presentations (at school or in business), are in entertainment (radio, TV, movies, vlogs, etc), in politics, networking and more. Basically, if you want to improve on your manner of speech for any reason at all, this event is FOR YOU!

The organizers have reached out to inform me that the event price has been slashed by 50%!!! So it's now N5,000 ONLY for an event that will help you improve a skill that can only take you farther in life.


Alrighty, enjoy!

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March 12, 2014

On Broken Engagements

Hey friendly people!

Something's been on my mind for a few days now. What happens to the ring when an engagement is called off?

Source
In my humble opinion, the girl/lady/woman should get to keep the ring because it was a gift from the man. HOWEVER, there are instances where I would say that man deserves to get the ring back.

  1. She cheated 
  2. She called off the relationship because she had cold feet, had a spiritual awakening, or something along those lines. If she breaks up with him because HE cheated, she gets to keep the ring. 
What say you?


Loading web poll...


UPDATE: View poll results here.

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March 10, 2014

Natural Hair Definition

Hey hey hey,

Gawsh, another Monday. I'm tired. I want to go away and sleep, waking up to breakfast/brunch in bed, waking up again to go sightseeing, eating different cuisine, going shopping for unusual/different jewelry items, etc. Yes, I want to go on holiday to some European city and just relax. Alas, this is not going to be me for a whiiiiiiiiiiiiiile, so I should just shut my head up and embrace today.

Anyways, there's this thing that irks me. I've come across the term 'Natural Hair' being used loosely, especially in Nigeria. My dear friends, Natural Hair is hair that has not been altered by any treatment. That is to say, if your hair is relaxed, texlaxed, jheri-curled, etc, your hair is NOT natural. Your hair does NOT grow out of your scalp in that manner, so PLEASE stop calling relaxed hair natural. I understand that you want to distinguish yourself from people who wear weaves or braids. You can say "This is my hair. This is my own hair." You cannot say "This is my NATURAL hair." That's an F9 for you if you say that.

For some of you, you might think that I'm being nitpicky, but let me help you. The definition of the word is...

natural
ˈnatʃ(ə)r(ə)l/
adjective
existing in or derived from nature; not made or caused by humankind.


Now, friends, is relaxed hair derived from nature? Does it exist in nature? Isn't a relaxer made by humankind?

*Does this mean that colored natural hair is NOT natural, since the hair doesn't grow out in that color?*

Please note that I have absolutely NOTHING AGAINST relaxed hair. What I have a problem with is when people call relaxed hair, natural.

Maybe we should all just call hair HAIR and leave it alone.

#RantOver
#BacktoRegularyScheduledProgramming

UPDATE: As of 12:20pm on March 13th 2014, I have to say that I'm actually getting bored with this post. As you know, I typically blog randomly and a lot of times, a post reflects what's in my head at that particular moment and after putting up the post, I' move on to something else. Sooooooooo, if you have comments, feel free to leave them but please forgive me if I don't reply after now. Thanks :)

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March 5, 2014

This is a Public Speaking Service Announcement

Good morning ladies and gentlemen,

I present the following Public Service Announcement to those who get stage fright like me, want to improve their public speaking prowess, who are hesitant about making presentations, budding actors/actresses and more. In fact, I think that if you're a politician in the making, you NEED to read the following announcement. I cringe whenever I listen to Nigerian politicians... their manner of speech is simply embarrassing!


So you want to be a powerful speaker?
You’d like to hold the audience spell-bound whenever you get the chance to speak?

I guess you want to be that radio presenter with the voice that captivates the listeners, that actor that passes auditions and wins great roles or that event compere that everyone can't help but love.
You want your voice to command attention and attraction!

Maybe all you want is just the ability to wow people with your articulation and speaking prowess.

Whatever your goals are, make sure that you attend the best learning platform that’ll help you SPEAK YOUR WAY TO THE SPOTLIGHT!

Some of the areas that will be covered during the workshop include:

* Rudiments of Speech Sounds
* How to Manage your Audience/Listeners
* Making Your Voice Memorable
* Dealing with Fear and Nervousness
* Achieving Clear & Crisp Speech
* Your Message & Your Spirit and many more

Who Should Attend?

* Anyone interested in self-development
* Aspiring TV presenters/Radio OAPs
* Public Speakers / Teachers/Trainers
* Event Comperes
* Aspiring actors and actresses
* Singers

Date:
March 15, 2014

Venue:
UNILAG GuestHouse, University of Lagos, Yaba, Lagos

For more information, please contact:
Sharon - 08187342584, MacHenry - 08035533391


Registration costs N10,000 only and entitles you to refreshments, materials, a complimentary one-on-one diction session with the diction coach and a discount if you sign up for our 6-week diction coaching course.



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March 3, 2014

I did it!!!!!

What did I do, you ask? Well remember how I said I wanted to cut, color, put in faux locs or a weave in my hurr? Well I put scissors to it!!!!

Here's the BEFORE, after I got it blowdried...
Blowdried innit?

Here's the DURING...

Cut it off!!!!!!