Loving my ‘Creative’ Self.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved seeing things come to life and creating new things out of old, existing or even brand new things. And the funny thing is through all this I never thought of myself as a creative person. In fact, I was more in awe of other people’s creativity and their abilities to present their thoughts and skills/ talents.

It’s amazing how subconsciously we bring ourselves down or even lower our esteem without even realizing it. We always compare ourselves, our looks, our gifts, our intelligence and even relationships to that of someone else and somehow ours comes up short in our minds.

So this might not be true for everyone but it was for me and when I finally realized what I had been doing to myself, I had to make deliberate strides to stop doing it and to consciously correct that pattern of thinking because it’s not healthy. Yes people will be better at things but that doesn’t mean I have to feel inferior or even act inferior and I can also appreciate others now without taking it as a competition.

However, loving my abilities or talents didn’t happen over night and sometimes I still beat myself up but in doing this, I have also realized that it has caused me to fall in love with myself more and all my various facets.

Self love is beautiful, it has nothing to do with pride or narcissism. I hope everyone gets to a point in their lives were they fall in love with themselves daily.

Crochet/knitting 🧶…

FOOD 🥘…

Book Review:- Worth of Luck by K.A Ashcomb

Worth of Luck by K.A Ashcomb

So I read this book probably overnight because of how much I enjoyed it. It’s a breath of fresh air and a sprinkle of the old all combine in one amazingly well told story. This book packs a series of events and life lessons in every little conversation and plot twist. It is not just a book to enjoy for leisure but also a book to learn from about humanity and how we react? Act or manage resources or things we deem valuable. It paints a picture of selfishness, humility, love, sacrifice and even courage in the unlikeliest of places.

The main characters were a delight and a pain at the same times especially Harriet Stowe who I desperately wanted to dislike but ended up having a silent respect for and then there is Edbert Polluck who finally learned how to be a better human very late in life (and the story) but better late than never right?

We wouldn’t want to live out Sigourney who I deem the true heroine of this story but as with life she would probably never get the credit she deserve! Oh well 😔.

My only issue was after about page 240 or so I cane across some typographical errors which weren’t a lot but still managed to distract me. I also make spelling and typing errors but it was something I wanted to point out as constructive and not malicious.

All in all, I encourage you to read this book with a mind to learn and a willingness to enjoy the silliness and downright childishness of some of the characters. It’s just over 300 pages and you will not even notice them.

Keeping busy

This year I sort of fell into the new year. We all have hopes and dreams and we make a ton of plans when we have the opportunity to start over or experience newness.

That’s usually the case for me whenever the new year approaches but this time around, with 2019 looking over and 2018 making a quick exit, I found myself with nothing in the way of resolutions or plans for the new year.

Obviously I want to to be beautiful, peaceful, full of love and goodness but I didn’t sit down to write what I would like to achieve this year.

And the weird thing is it didn’t bother me at all that I hadn’t made resolutions and stuff.

I do have goals which I am working towards but these are things that I had going in 2018. So I guess my question is how are you doing this new year? Did you make plans or resolutions?

Oh and here are some of my projects

Not Culture Shock.

I am always looking out for things I might have missed since moving here. It is easy to have a preconceived idea about a place or people which is something I have come to realize a lot of people have about me ( Nigerians and Africans in general) and I have decided that rather than be offended, I guide as correct if it’s welcomed.

I am always surprised when people don’t expect me to speak fluent English or are surprised when I do and do it with a clear understandable accent.

I have come to learn the difference in culture also that’s can be seen here also in respect to race, age , religion or the lack of it and geographical location.

It’s been an eye opener for me and I am glad to have the opportunity to learn about the way of life of others.

Have you experienced culture shock recently or in the past? What was your experience and how did you deal with it?

Book Review:- Clara & Pig by Mary Ann Tippet

I was expecting a children’s book when I saw the title because I didn’t read the excerpt or summary before choosing it.

I was pleasantly surprised to see it wasn’t but instead a book about senior citizens. The Author has my appreciation for a wonderful read. I read this in less than two hours and enjoyed every second of it. It’s a page turner and very well written with wonderful descriptions of the characters and their environment.

This book is about Clara and her pet pug named pig who is a very happy dog. Clara’s life is turned upside down as she learns to cope with change while resisting it every step of the way. She’s dealing with loss, pain, loneliness and luckily new friendships.

I wasn’t ready for this book to end! I was really annoyed with the Author when I saw “The End” at the end of the paragraph lol

I would definitely have read more and I am willing to read more from her.

This book made me think of my grandparents and seniors in general. We need to be more kind and understanding towards our elders.

Book Review:- Escape From Bamako by Ghandi.

Have you ever read a book that you ended up getting so lost you forgot it was a book? From the Beginning of “Escape from Bamako” to the end I was enraptured by the fast paced tale unfolding before me. The Author in his maiden debut has done a fantastic Job in exploring a genre most African authors skim past. He tells events in both a serious and humorous way that captures the readers attention.

My favorite character of course is the star of the Story Sam whom at the beginning I thought would be a lackadaisical character not willing to rise to the challenge but he did.

Who would have thought that an innocent state dinner would turn into a bloody coup threatening international relations and the safety of top government officials. Cue in radio silence and the disabling of communication mediums in and out of Mali and as more of the plot enfolds we come to see that this coup is not just about a hostile takeover its also a story of vengeance that unleashes a chain reaction of betrayal, suspense, loss, victory and all the emotions that make for a great read.

If you wish to purchase the ebook with your Nigerian account, you can visit the website https://ghandi.com.ng and click on the “buy from our store” button. It’s N1,100.

The book is also available on Amazon (Kindle) at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07JBTQMV1 and on Kobo at https://www.kobo.com/ww/en/ebook/escape-from-bamako

Disclaimer!

I don’t get anything from the sale of this book, I gave my honest review upon receiving the book for free from the Author . This review isn’t sponsored and I wasn’t paid.

Book Review:- Happiness is all we want! By Ashutosh Mishra.

As far as self help books go, this one is well written and researched.

From the introduction at the start of each chapter to the tips at the last paragraph, the author carries you along by not only pointing out the problem, but providing the solution / possible solutions.

I like the break in between in the form of stories that prevent this book from being text book like and making it more relatable and practical.

A lot of self help books end up sounding abstract and unrealistic but this one goes beyond just telling you what’s wrong but showing you in this “modern age” how to tackle it and be happy.

However, I felt the book was target to only those with high drive work/ businesses unless of course they were only used as an example. Also some people with different views on meditation might not implement some of the meditation practices prescribed in the book.

Which is ok as I believe you can find ways to mediate that agree with your beliefs and way of life.

All in all this was a great read and I enjoyed it.

Seasons

This year has been a whirl of Ups and Downs but at long last I am finally where I am supposed to be. We go through seasons and each of them are geared to show and teach us something. Doesn’t mean the lessons will be easy, kind, good or even bearable but when we come through on the other side we end up forever changed. One thing to keep in mind is to ensure we come out the victor rather than letting the process break us.

Book Review:- Ann, Not Annie by Sage Steadman

Ann, Not Annie is a well written YA (young adult) fictional novel by Sage Steadman. I read this book in a very short time and the actual story is 272 pages long. What I love most about this book is the style of writing the author implemented. I am a huge fan of the narrative style of telling stories and when done well its a joy to read and this was indeed a joy to read. The voice of the narrator took on the right tones and themes through out the book making for a very fluid read.
The story itself is of a teenage girl named Annie who prefers to be called Ann. She is still in high school and going through some major emotional and mental strain. She is dealing with grief, abandonment issues, loneliness and some teenage girl drama. The narrator follows her story of struggling in school with regular visits to detention and the school counsellor, less than an ideal living situation at home, taking care of her brother and dealing with a potential for falling in love and the glamour/seduction of being one of the popular kids.

Ann not Annie goes through a process that almost breaks her while reading Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden pond” (Which has definitely joined my reading list thanks to this book). Luckily for her, her small circle of friends whom she thought she had lost were still there for her when she was ready to let them in again.

I respect Authors who brave topics that we as a society are quick to skirt or push aside for political reasons or deem too heavy for a certain audience. Ann (not Annie but also Annie lol) is a teenager who through no choice of hers had to experience grief and loss (mostly alone)and if we think teenagers shouldn’t be exposed to these topics, then what happens to the “Ann’s” of this world who are unprepared and yet plunged into similar situations.

This book is a perfect gift for both young adults, parents, teachers, counsellors etc to help breach that gap and even open up an avenue for these conversations to be had.

It was a great read and I recommend it to everyone.

What’s bee happening (if you’ve been wondering)

So for those of you who’ve been following my adventures, I am sure you’ve been wondering why my posts have been sporadic and all over the place?

Well I just recently moved! More like relocated really 😁 to a different CONTINENT!

If you’ve read any of my long distance relationship (Ldr) posts, you would know that my husband and I dated long distance and this spilled over into the first 2+years of our marriage with a lot of juggling of time difference, finding cheap flights and trying to squeeze as much quality time together while still trying to make a living or be functional members of society if you may lol

So the BIG move happened recently after going through more than a year of immigration processes, rejections and validations to finally bring us to today. Today represents our current state of finally living together and building the life we’ve always dreamed and planned for. It’s been just over a month since the move and I would love to say it’s been all sunshine and rainbows but no it’s not!

Transplanting your life isn’t as easy as they make it look and sound in the movies, books and songs. There’s a lot of back work involved. Documentation, work/ possible career change, money differences, shopping and food diversity, a different system and all that.

But all that is a walk in the park to finally have “Today”. We don’t have 6000+ miles between us anymore, no sleepless nights, no time difference, no horrible network problems and so forth. It’s not perfect but it’s still paradise.

I get asked if I would do it differently and change our process. I would love to say yes, but my answer is I don’t know if having the opportunity to do it differently would make us as strong as we are and as purified going through the fire (our process) as we have.

It’s our process and I am happy that we conquered it and made it to the other side.

Our story isn’t over by any means, it’s Just starting a new chapter ❤️.