Can I live?

 So I’m 6 days away from officially becoming a postgraduate. Yay me!!!! I have some free time and decided to blog. I would like to talk about ‘Benefit of the doubt’

I woke up this morning to news of a popular pastor who had an affair and as is the norm, many people on social media lashed out with their favourite mantras, ‘shebi we said it, that’s how all of them are’, ‘fake pastors everywhere’, ‘I’m not surprised’, etc. I’m like can we all take a breather, can we just step back for a while. No. 1, it is not your business. No. 2, you are not God, you don’t know what happened. No. 3, your opinion doesn’t even count. Now we have not heard his own side of the story but just because someone somewhere decides to write something, we all begin to cast stones.

In the midst of all this, one tweet by @omojuwa caught my attention. He tweeted “Until someone tells one side of a story that’s not true about you, you’d not understand “Benefit of the doubt”. That tweet struck me and it made me remember an incident that happened during my undergrad.

I came out best graduating student in my class and you know what that entails, unlike some efikos who do not require reading to pass, I had to read my way through. I burnt the midnight candle literally, lived in the library and studied in my room all the time. I only made time for NIFES, my fellowship as I was an exco. It was basically books and fellowship. It paid off as my results were always good. One day I was studying and my friend dropped by and was shocked I was still studying because I had been on that same study material for a while and she said to me ‘yunno in class, they say you are not intelligent, you only cram to pass’. It was like they broke glass on my head, I went ballistic. I begged her for names which she gave me. I was boiling, I couldn’t study anymore. All I could think about was these people have no idea the efforts I put in and just because I’m doing whether they cook up such malicious lies? I called my mum in the morning to tell her and I even started to cry and I told her I was going to look for their houses to give them a piece of my mind. My mother laughed so hard and she said something to me “even if you are cramming, is it easy to cram? Why have they not crammed and passed” and I also joined in the laughter.

I saw those people in the exam hall, I took it upon myself to smile and greet them. I realized that I have nothing to prove. Some people will always believe in you, others won’t. Don’t stop living your life because people will always talk. My motto recently is ‘If it pleases God and it makes me happy, it is all that matters’.

That’s all I have to say today. See you soon

Peace, love and cupcakes

Love

@LoveOmoraiyewa

Gentleman

*Ebunlola for the girls dem* Oh yes, I have come to quarrel today. I have issues with you guys. Is it that difficult to be a gentleman? No seriously, we really want to know.

I was going through my Twitter TL, and someone tweeted 'Any man who opens the door for a woman, gets her bag and is always courteous is a good man', and someone replied, 'No, the others are good, the ones who do all these are just extraordinary'. This got me thinking a lot, why would any guy want to be average, just doing the regular stuff. Letting the girl get her own door, sometimes they even push us from the road. Why?? Oh wait, that's what you guys call swag innit? sorry broda u ain't got nada. You don't even have to be in a relationship with the person to be a gentleman. On many occasions, my lecturers here in London have gotten the door for me when we meet at the entrance, or let me go in the lift first and ask the floor I'm going to and enter it on my behalf, etc. It's just courtesy. I have heard a lot of people say if you see a Nigerian man getting the car door for a woman, its either the door is bad or its a new relationship. LOL. Sadly though it is very true. You guys know that when a woman is happy, the world is happy right? Please do yourselves and the world a favour and be nice. xoxo

Please share your thoughts
Twitter- @LoveOmoraiyewa
Instagram- lovebuno

HOTELS AND EVERYTHING PURE. Guest Post by Anike Alli-Hakeem (MoneyBender)

Recently, I have been yapping on and on about my latest desire to write about something I really love. To share my experiences, both awesome and bothersome.  I love Hotels. Okay that’s an understatement. I am crazy about hotels. The true proof of this is how often my close friends call me to rate an hotel they intend lodging in or to tell me about a new one that just opened up its doors to guests. I do not hesitate to give my impressions or to put down such hotels in my “to visit” or “ never to return”  list. The hustle of everyday life has not diminished my interests whatsoever. On the contrary, it has only served to fuel my search for new hotels as I recognize the need to take a break from time to time so as not to suffer a breakdown (it’s easy to get carried away with trying to be on top of your game work-wise that you forget another person will be given the job once you fall off the face of the earth) and to be adventurous and fun seeking in the process.

I love hotels for the many things they represent. For me, it means solitude and escape. It means being waited on. It is a peep into the world where your money can do many things for you. In my short young incredibly blessed years, I have worked on different  jobs and even though they are far apart, they have something in common. They always involve TRAVEL. I must confess, so long as a job has travel in it, I am more than willing to be on it. I love the experience of seeing new things and absorbing new environments, personalities and culture. For this reason, I have been opportuned to travel on work related matters and of course, travel always almost involves hotel stays. So be it work or leisure, just the thought of experiencing a new hotel or revisiting a really nice hotel gets me in the groove.  I have stayed in some really good and incredibly affordable ones and I have stayed in the nasty bed bugs infested ones. Those ones should not even be called hotels or their younger sisters, Motels. They were just damn right nasty, from the rooms to the service, NASTY. Anyway, that is a story for another day.

So it was on one of such “yapping sprees” that I was asked why I wanted to write about hotels and why I felt I could. My automatic response was “I love hotels and I have passed a night or many nights in so many of them”. And then the room went quiet! I was beginning to wonder if an angel was passing (like we fooled ourselves when we were children and a room suddenly went quiet before discourse almost automatically continued) when somebody said “what?! If I did not know you I would have taken that out of context. Why so many hotels?” and then I responded “It may be that I am on holiday in a new town or a different part of town but it’s mostly work that has given me such a wide variety of hotels” and the retort I got was “work? Hotels? Work!! Please don’t say that in unfamiliar gatherings, people may think otherwise”. I was going to reply but then, I took a beat and thought about it.

Our society is one that is majorly prejudiced and we like to see, do or hear something in a certain way or no way at all. Stating that I have visited so many hotels “because” of work may not correlate with  who or what certain people think you are or who they think you should be. I really do not understand why it is so weird to make such statements without being at risk of being  viewed as a “road-runner”. You have to look a certain way, dress a certain way, be a certain age and speak a certain way to be a certain person. This prejudice is so culture deep that getting out of it is a task on its own. Does staying or loving to stay in so many hotels mean you are not “pure”? or does it just mean that our prejudices usually come up before we actually spare a thought and realize that hotels are built for many reasons, part of which surely include making rooms available for travelers  and solitude seekers who need them.  

Please share your thoughts.

MB

VOYAGE AU DOPENESS (Don't you dare tell me about self discipline)

Avesta: OMG, I thought people did not have food in Africa

Lmao... So let me explain how this happened. I was showing my friend my old pictures on facebook and she gasped when she saw how fat I was and made that statement.

So my weight loss journey started on the 22nd of September 2012 weighing a 100kg (size 16/18). It took a lot of courage, effort and resources. Many people have asked me what I did, so I'm just gonna make this public knowledge.

I started 'Cambridge Diet' on that fateful day. Cambridge diet comprises of soups, shakes and porridge. The diet allows for no food or fruits AT ALL. For the two weeks, I got the whole lot but hated the soups and porridge but however managed. When I went to see my consultant after the two weeks, I had lost about 5 kg. Whoop!!!!. From then, I went solely on shakes (strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, and fruits of the forest). Let's just say I lived on liquid for 3 months (talk about discipline) and lost about 15 kg (size 14/16).

You can't believe that someone who apparently did not about my journey, which I have called 'Voyage au dopeness' (Journey to dopeness) called me fat. Like seriously?? First thing was to ask the person 'are you crazy'? But then for the love of God , I walked away. Note to people like that- You do not know about people's struggles and it is really not your business, just shut up and drive.

Anyway, back to the discussion, I went to Nigeria for the Christmas break for about a month. Added about 2kg (not so bad huh?). When I got back, I began to struggle with Cambridge Diet, I would do for two days, cheat on the third, get back on the fourth, sigh...it was just a back and forth thing. It was tiring. Then on this beautiful morning, Anna pinged me and wrote, 'Google GM Diet'. Very direct, no need for too much talk. lol.

 GM Diet is divine. It's basically fruits and veggies but on a strict timetable and about 30 minutes of exercise. I dropped a dress size in less than a month. It is a great diet. Not as expensive as Cambridge Diet and equally as effective. Let's just say I am in the 70's and a dress size 12/14.

I am on a break now. I cannot come and kee myself abeg. One more dress size to go and I'm done. hehehe. P.S - Don't get it twisted, I am a fine geh, weight loss or not, dass all.

Thanks to my parents, because it's their money I used to diet, lol and to my wonderful friends who did not allow me to cheat and always encouraged me. Love y'all.

Sorry the pics are plenty,I like looking at myself and it's my blog -_- . :D

Final words- Whatever you want to do (weight loss or whatever), let it be your decision and God's because only then can you succeed at it. Don't let anyone pressure you into it. Life itself is a series of decisons YOU make, it's all you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you found this useful. Share your thoughts, ask me questions, drop your comments. xoxo

Follow me on twitter @LoveOmoraiyewa

Love Joint- Kronyk ft. Von Trap

Its been exactly two months since Henry Oyeleke (Kronyk) passed on to glory but still has something concrete to say about love and the season...collaborating on this song with friend and team member, Von Trap, with  explicit and crafted lyrics to paint what true love is, an intimate relationship with Jesus...Listen and enjoy
http://t.co/iLto4ohI

The Ever Present Help

I had the worst day of my life yesterday. It was a lovely day or so I thought, until I decided to plug in my laptop and discovered that it was not charging. After several attempts, I accepted my fate. I was so sad, not because of the charger but because I have three days to submit my dissertation proposal and this 'event' was going to draw me back. I went to the 'Fix It Center' in my school, and after waiting a long time to be attended to, the guy there said since it wasn't school property, he couldn't fix it for me. He however suggested that I buy a new one. I began to calculate in my head, 'Oh God, unplanned expenses again'. Anyway I had an appointment with my tutor. He helped me to power my computer with his charger so he could see what I had written so far. After looking at it, guess what?. He changed my topic. This is coming after I had typed 600 words out of the 2500 words and read all the literature. It was snowing seriously, the snow was about 3 inches from the ground, so I couldn't move easily and it was really cold. The boo also called to say he was not having a good day. It was all too much for me to bear. I called my mum afterwards and started crying. I was so confused, but trust my mother, she set me straight immediately. She said;
 'I don't believe in sulking. What will it get you. When they burnt my school, did you see me crying. I immediately started to seek the way forward. The Bible says if you are discouraged in the face of adversity, then your faith is little. Get up, go and look for charger and put in extra hours'
She then began to tell me a story, I laughed so much that I forgot my worries.
Entering that snow to go find a charger was not an option, so I just went to borrow a laptop from the library. While I was using it at home, it felt really weird, I couldn't type fast on it. So, I decided to come back to the library and just stay there and do my work. This was at about 10pm, my library is 24 hours, so again I braved the snow and began the walk to the library, only to get there and saw the notice saying 'Library closed because of bad weather'. I was so angry, but then I remembered what my mum said and I stuck my tongue out and said 'Satan, is this all you got', and it felt so good. I went back home, started to study and type. I slept at 2:00 am having typed about 1000 sensible words, what I had not achieved in weeks of studying. I woke up this morning just thinking of the faithfulness of God. He is the only one who can collapse time, our every present help in times of trouble. I have bought a new charger today and currently approaching 2000 words. Praise God

@LoveOmoraiyewa

Winner o o o o

My uncle receiving the gift on my behalf

Yes o, you heard well. I won the Nigerian Idol's 'Grab The Mic' contest and I am super duper excited. It was an amateur singing competition. I didn't quite hit some notes properly, but I think for an amateur competition, I did good. Here's a link to my feature on Nigerianidol.com http://nigerianidol.com/newsdetail.php?NewsID=252 I have to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who voted, campaigned and supported, y'all rock. By the way, a friend thinks I should try out for XFactor UK. What do you guys think?

@LoveOmoraiyewa

Contd. London girl goes to Nigeria

I'm sorry that 'bath' took a little while. lol. Sorry , I've been busy with coursework and lectures jare. Ehen, so back to the gist. That's how I now had to enter one blue and white bus that was to take me to where the BRT buses were. I bought ticket, when I entered, hmmn,I was the only different one (my 'buttiness' does not know how to hide). Honestly, I stood out (literally). I was hanging by the door, I feared I had entered 'one chance' bus. That's how one woman now shouted from the back in Yoruba, that it's like I don't like my life, that I could fall out. She now turned to the driver and said why couldn't he tell me to enter inside properly. He replied saying, are my eyes paining me, that couldn't I see where other people were standing (yeah, I forgot to mention, the standing passengers were more than the sitting ones). Anyway, I sha moved in. One babe now began famzing with me. She said, 'you seem new to the environment', I replied with a smile. I was afraid to talk back before I will disappear (anything can happen in Lagos). She wasn't ready to take my silence as she continued to show me places, felt like it was a tour, only it was really unpleasant. I finally succumbed and began to talk with her. Later, I kindly asked her to tell me the bus stop to alight at. She had not finished replying when one oversabi woman began to yell. She was so angry, that the girl was telling me the wrong place. Then both of them started to argue, aww, I felt like a celeb. In the midst of this, someone else tapped me and said I should watch out for my Blackberry, it was about to fall from my pocket. *sigh*. God bless her. The driver overheard the argument and decided to show me mercy and told me where to get off.  
BRT PLACE
*Me very confused, too many queues*
Me: Hi.Please I'm going to NTA on the Island, which queue should I join
Young man: It's the same queue. One line is the standing queue, the other is the sitting queue. I advice you join the standing queue, so you can reach on time
Me: (in my mind) yepa. E don be today
The only semblance the bus had to London buses is the card reader inside the bus. Finish. It was so rickety. The driver was very rough, pressing the brake abruptly. Oh, did I mention I was on heels?, I nearly cried. I finished my business, trying to look for a cab (as I swore I was never getting into another bus), that's how I slipped. Not only did my jeans tear, I was bruised badly. Shame no gree me look sef. I got up quickly, face front picking up the remaining pieces of my pride. lol. I also had amazing moments though. I went to the mall and it was super cool, fooling around, asking for prices and buying nothing (typical nigerian), I saw 'The Meeting' at the cinema, too funny and I got to attend a christmas party. It turned out great at the end. The rest of the holidays I spent in Kaduna, working on my coursework, and spending time with my wonderful family. I look forward to the next holiday. I hope you also had a fab time? Thanks for reading. xoxo

@LoveOmoraiyewa

London girl goes to Nigeria

My people,
    how una dey? everything ok?. The other time, I told you guys that I had moved to London. What I didn't tell you was that I came for my Masters degree program. It has not been easy, the library has become my abode. This is the reason I've been unfaithful to this blog, hopefully, things will get easier.
On the 13th of December, 2012, (I still remember the date vividly because it cost me so much to change my ticket and it is still 'paining' me), I packed my luggage, and as early as 5:30am, I was headed for the Heathrow airport. I was too excited, I missed my family and friends so much, I just wanted to be home. I couldn't sleep or concentrate on any of the movies on the plane. The mother and daughter who sat next to me made matters worse. I had to keep getting up for them to go pee, plus the girl kept trying to make conversation and she was a heavily accented Yoruba speaker. I didn't understand most of the things she was saying. I kept checking how many hours we had left, I wanted to be out, felt like I was going to explode.
'Welcome to the Murtala Mohammed Airport'. I sat up in glee. The heat that came rushing as we stepped out, *sigh* I cannot describe. This is Nigeria, where there's no functioning air conditioner in an international airport. I was sweating profusely. Believe me, I am not exaggerating, I got my luggage after 2 hours, they were probably waiting for us to bribe them to let our bags come out.  The rest of the night was beautiful, met up with my people and had a huge dinner (after 2 months of hardcore diet, it was a big deal).

I was told that Lagos BRT buses are just like London buses, they both use oyster cards, et al and sadly I believed. Dressed up, wore my platforms, I was looking all 'fine girl' with all my jand freshness. hmmn, you don't want to know what happened . Lemme gaan baff, I shall continue the gist soon.