Thank You (an open letter).

Funmi,


Thank you for your patience with me.

Lord,

Thank you for the discipline, the determination, the dependency that you had me establish with you.


Funmi,
Thank you for not giving up on me even when you wanted to, countless times.

Lord,

Thank you for allowing me to realise my corner, my support system. Especially that even when they may not understand or always necessarily agree or show interest in my actions, that they still love me.
That I am capable of being loved.


Funmi,
Thank you for first and foremost loving yourself.


Lord,

Thank you for an amazing year. I wanted my eyes to be open. To be aware. To learn. To learn. To learn. God. I got all that and more. I am grateful.

So grateful.


It is only by the grace of God.



Bolaxbijou

Liebe in Bamberg

Love in Bamberg.


It is by the grace of  God.....is the name "tagline" or hashtag that I have been pondering over since the thought came to me while showering. Swear, that I get my best thoughts in the shower. Just swear.

All that I have gone through this year  has literally been by the grace of God.

The good and the bad.


It is by the grace of God that 2015 began with Funmi finding her way to church just before the New Year, even though the devil almost tried to block her blessing through the bus taking her in the wrong direction.

It is only by the grace of God that I turned 23 & was able to share it in the most loving and caring environment & in such an amazing city that has a special place in my heart - London.

It is only by the grace of God that I successfully worked and made money to purchase a return ticket home for the summer.


It is only by the grace of God that I volunteered with the British Red Cross' refugee services at a very crucial period in Europe, with it having to manage the influx in migrating persons.


It is only by the grace of God that I submitted my Masters dissertation.


It is only by the grace of God that I learned the art of femininity and got more into being a woman.

It is only by the grace of God that through dealing with a broken heart, I learned the meaning of true love and cherish those that I express it to who also reciprocate such feelings.


It is only by the grace of God that I am alive today and have hope for my tomorrow.

When all is said and done, alas...it is truly only [By the Grace of God].

#BTGOG

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I saw a few things differently today.

I saw love differently:
-"sometimes our heart can lead us astray, it even talks about that in the Bible" -Elizabeth
- Friendship that goes above and beyond.
-disconnecting and reconnecting to realise the importance of loving myself.
-the chocolate shavings in my "hot chocolate"


I saw Bamberg differently:
On the way to church today, we passed by the former American military barracks:  Warner Army Barracks. It recently closed down (2014), and the territory turned over to the German government. Still I find it quite interesting that as I was walking by, I felt like my mindset towards this city was all of a sudden corrupted, infiltrated by the very fact  that America had once been here. Not sure if it was a good or bad feeling ( well since I used the term "corrupted" to describe my feelings, I guess one can say 'bad').

I am slowly starting to see my life differently:
That is all, amen!?!




What things did you see differently today & what are your #BTGOG's ?


I'd love to hear from you all.

Firstladyfunmi

OluFun

bolaxbijou

Formular Freitags: Hagebutten Oel.

Formula Fridays: Rosehip Oil.

 Welcome to the newest instalment of this blog, Formula Fridays, where I share beauty, wellness, image, and health products that I am using or have used and have proven to be quite beneficial to my health/beauty/wellness routine. Those that know me know that I am a development fanatic, meaning that I love seeking out ways to improve myself, my appearance, and so on so forth. It was thus only a matter of time that this segment of my blog manifested itself.

[In regards to the frequency of these posts, I would like to start off with every other Friday to avoid my blog being too product focused, as it is still in its inchoate stages]

Also, "Formula Friday" is not really my favourite phrase to use for this segment, so if anyone has suggestions, I am all ears.


The First Formula Friday goes to the all-amazing, yet not really talked about Rosehip oil.

Whenever I am excited about something, I dread having to write about it, simply because I know not from where to begin, as my thoughts are literally going a thousand miles per hour trying to figure out the best way to encapsulate in sentences how amazing the product is. Alas, these are my exact sentiments towards rosehip oil, and unfortunately there are no words to describe how much of a godsend this product was to me at the time that I found out about it.


----------------------------------
So a little background information about how I got connected with it (feel free to skip this if you're not a story person):

It was around Spring 2015. I was still in Birmingham, UK finishing up the second term (semester) of my Masters programme, while at the same time STILL  trying to get an amazing skincare routine for  myself. This was after so much investment in a variety of products. Since I am open to trial-error (at the expense of my bank account), I spent much time researching and going to the two main (huge) beauty supply shops in Birmingham City Centre to get my hands on new products. Boots saw my face a few times as well. Anyway, all in all, despite my skin getting clearer and more cute by the Spring of 2015 (my skin care overhaul had begun in the Fall/winter 2014 - even to the point of me "giving up" wearing makeup for a while because I was more focused on achieving the best skin possible), to my dismay I still could not pinpoint that one product within my routine that was getting my skin to be the best it could possibly be, and the products within my routine were just average in comparison to my established goals for my skin maintenance.

 Essentially my goals were to

1. fade my spots 

2. prevent acne 

3. reduce oiliness

I even tried Clarins "toner" - a 15-20 quid item that turned out to be something close to just water. I became convinced that I was just buying the name.

I was so desperate that I even returned to my staple from a while back, the REN clay cleanser....for some reason, it did not make a difference to my skin this time around.

In addition, my skin is most off-balance when it is that time of the month for me, so imagine being in such a predicament & still not having a skin care routine that could stand against and possibly allay the dire effects of my period. Bad combo, bro. Bad combo.

So after all this 'Google and searching' yet still finding myself at a  lacklustre routine, I very much did what any persistent person would do.... research even more. This is one of my more stronger traits. I do not give up when I have a clear goal in mind.

I have since forgotten when and how I stumbled upon this product during my research, but I did... Ah, it is all slowly coming back to me :)! It was around Easter that I found out about rosehip, because I still remember telling my aunt in Luton that I wanted to check the Boots drugstore to see if they had the product in stock. They did not, as this product is only sold at Holland & Barrett in the UK (as far as I am aware). Anyway, so I finally got my hands on it later the next week, and I have not been able to keep my hands off of it ever since.

My face literally has never been the same since I have been using the oil. The benefits for me were instantly apparent. I mean, from the next day on, there  was just something different about my appearance. It glowed, it looked younger, it caught a few eyes. My selfie game literally increased a notch. Let me just end my rant here before I become too incoherent from excitement.

--------------------------------------


I will now lay out the properties & the benefits: 

Properties of rosehip seed: 

Antioxidants - Omega 3, 6, 9. Fatty acids that rehydrate the skin. Scientifically proven to reduce stretch marks and scars*

Vitamin Rich - Vitamin C, Vitamin A

Linoleic acid - omega 6 fatty acid  that prevents acne, allows for acne relief, reverses UV-induced hyperpigmentation.

Benefits:

Of course, from my "rant" above, you can get a grasp of how much this product singlehandedly improved my appearance. I will still go ahead & provide a succint list of what exactly one will essentially gain from consistent use of this oil, based on the above mentioned properties:

acne prevention > The idea that an oil has this benefit may seem counterintuitive, since most persons with acne-prone skin have oily skin in the first place. The oil is considered a "dry" oil that easily absorbs onto your skin and leaves no oily residue. So this classification, coupled with it having 'linoleic acid' as a component makes for this oil's ability to help with acne despite its consistency. On that note, I having combination/oily skin tend to still find the oil to be a bit oily for me, in the sense that it does leave a residue if I am not careful. But I have found a remedy. More on this below (so combo/oily skin ladies, make sure you stay tuned till the end). Anyway, having since used this product, I literally have experienced little to no breakouts. It is only when I get too oil happy with my food consumption and during my periods that my skin tends to have a visitor or two...but even then, it is extremely manageable & I have my bae, rosehip to thank for this.

evens out skin tone > I have oily/acne prone skin (or combination skin, to be more specific). As a young lady that once had bad acne, I have scarring from those pimples that I decided to pop..in fact, "decided to pop" gives no justice as a description to the torture I put my face through when a pimple surfaced. Those were crazy times, but thank God for levels, amen? As a result, I have had to deal with scarring on both sides of my cheeks and on my forehead. I effectively cleared my forehead before using this product, using Ambi Even and Clear products - but one has to be careful with their products, as you might be lightening your whole skin in the process of trying to lighten a few spots. Do not ruin your melanin, ladies (speaking specifically to my darker skinned women). So I wanted to use a more natural product, especially in the face of the persistent scarring on my cheeks. Since having used this product, one has to really come very close to my face to see my scars, and it is only improving by the day! These scars were pretty dark, so the fact that I am able to notice its significant  reduction is progress in real time. 

fine lines and wrinkles no more! > I'm at the age where I do not necessarily have to worry about wrinkles just yet, but I am mindful of starting to put things in place to ward them off for as long as possible (gosh, I sound like I am in my 40's...I'm only 23, but my mind thinks otherwise). Anyway, this oil helps with really improving the elasticity and firmness of your skin. So even if you are blessed to not have to worry about acne/ uneven skin yet you want to preserve, maintain, and/or attain a youthful look - please look into this product. 

This product is very much a "miracle" oil as it has so many great benefits confined into a serum/bottle:

anti-aging + dark spot corrector + even skin serum + glowing skin enactor

+ bonus!: 

I have seen a difference in the thickness of my eyebrows and have longer eyelashes since having used this product. This is my own observation though, and may very well be a result of other products combined. But if anyone else sees growth in these two areas,  let me know! 

With all this said, I cannot impress enough the importance of using this in combination with other products that you feel gets your skin as cleansed, purified, and as healthy as possible. So I also attribute the current positive state of my skin to having a good consistent routine with the use of amazing products that work for me. 

but First Lady Funmi, how do I get my hands on this product? 

Where to Buy: 

I use Trilogy, but there are a host of other brands that produce and supply the oil as well! There are suppliers that sell via Amazon, Ebay, etc. even if you cannot seem to find one in-store near where you live. 

When I lived in England, Holland and Barrett was my go-to store. When I went home to the U.S.A over the summer, I found that the Vitamin Shoppe sold the same product at a much more affordable price *devastation emoji*. In Germany, it is called Hagenbuetten oel & it is just as affordable as the ones for sale in stores in USA. 

I will be following this up with a skincare routine post over the holidays. The simple reason that I am unable to do so now is that I unfortunately do not have access to about three products that are staples in my routine, given my current location. Over the Christmas period, I will finally have access to them, and thus cannot wait to share with you all a full list of products that work for me.  

For my combo/oily skin ladies: As I said before, I hope you were able to stay tuned to this point, as I have a tip that will effectively help with lessening the oiliness of your skin after using this product. Keep in mind as well that the oiliness will not inform acne! It just has the likelihood of sitting on your skin and not necessarily absorbing properly. So here is my technique: After exfoliating and cleansing my skin, I make sure to use a toner that will really dry out my face. Very much dry to the point of ashiness, even. This dryness will really allow for the rosehip to act as the moisturiser that it wants to act as, reducing the oiliness that could come as a side effect. If all else fails, feel free to blot your face a bit after a good 7-8 minutes of having applied the oil onto your skin. 

OluFun

Firstladyfunmi

bolaxbijou 

*keep in mind that the antioxidant content of the oil depends on the amount of rosehip that a rosehip oil manufacturer decides to put in their oil. So make sure you read the ingredients. The rosehip oil I use has about 80% antioxidants and the more fatty acids the better! Terms such as "cold-pressed", "organic", and "certified" will also help in identifying its genuineness. 

Ich glaube an mich selbst.

I belive in myself.



Good afternoon friends. Happy 1st of December.


Apologies in advance for the hiatus. I never plan to be away, life just unfortunately gets in the way.

Anyway, I am not sure why I am so motivated, but for some reason I am. Maybe because something is telling me that something great is on the way. That the story is not over yet. The year is not over yet.


Now it is just to my own advantage to put my feet to work, literally...so that when things do POP, I am more than ready.



How ready are you for your advancement?

The first step in preparing is to undoubtedly believe in yourself. Your belief in yourself must not be perturbed, disturbed by any external force, mindset, or channel of energy. You MUST begin to build this force field, a bubble of belief that is unable to be penetrated. Live in this bubble. Walk in this bubble.


"But first lady madam, how does one begin to build this bubble of belief?"

1. Be kind to yourself. Sometimes I find myself being just too hard on myself, maybe because I stopped short of doing something as well as I planned to. Well, constantly (and in a belittling way) reminding yourself of your failure at that point in time precludes you from any future victories. Think of yourself as each and every person in a 4 x 4 race. A 4 x 4 is a track and field competition that involves 4 people on a team each running a lap around the track in efforts to win the whole race. Once each teammate finishes their lap, they pass the baton to the next teammate, and their leg commences. Imagine that you are all four teammates in one. That your life is all four teammates. There are races where the third leg, despite how amazing the first and second leg carried the lead, falls short and loses the lead for the team. The fourth leg is watching the whole thing. Instead for the fourth leg to dwell on the fact that the third leg lost the lead, they instead use that as motivation and concurrently transform that into energy to attempt to gain the lead back and win. It is the same for our lives. There are some point in our lives where our third leg becomes shaky. Do not dwell on the situation, but rather use it as motivation to make your now and tomorrow as better as it can possibly be. Think of it like this: Be thankful for your weak third leg, as it informs a stronger fourth.

2. Base your actions on yourself only. Sometimes (& I say this sometimes with full understanding that it actually happens more times than anticipated) we act and react as a result of our environment and circumstances. We use social media as our point of information and guidance on how our lives should operate--seeking answers. But wait, you have the answers. Literally, look within yourself & you will know exactly what to do. & for my fellow Christians, this action of looking within ourselves gives us the benefit of finding our answers from God, as since God is within us, when we look to ourselves for the answers, we are immediately connected with God from whom the more or less best directions flow. Also, it is important that we are constantly looking to ourselves for motivation, as external motivation will not always be there. You must learn to pat your own self on the back (going in line with the first step) and also think of it like this: Sway, you have the answers. 

3. Buy into positivity. Sometimes, at the point where negative thoughts begin to creep in, this statement is what is needed the most. I use the term 'buy into positivity' simply because we tend to underestimate how much the simple and effortless act of remaining positive impacts and turns our whole outlook back right side up. We do not tap into it because we think we do not have it. It is yours...it is within you, you must realise how much you have it, though! Think of it like this: Positivity is the priceless energy that breeds what is priced. 

4. "Bemerken" your band. Sometimes, I have to switch to German...lol. I could not think of a 'B' word in English to start off this statement (& lowkey flexin' my fluencies heh heh). Anyway 'bemerken' means to 'notice'. Notice the company you keep. Think of your friends group like a musical band. Your successful performance depends on everyone successfully playing their own instruments well. In that same way, the company you keep should be able to help you realise how amazing you are, especially at the points where your glasses accidentally fall off and your vision of yourself becomes a bit blurred. Our friendships should be our support, our motivation, our plaster to repair our bubbles at the times that it may unfortunately burst. & finally, make sure you are doing the same for your friends as well. If your friends are not doing such for you, either you are not allowing them to or a reevaluation needs to occur. Think of it like this: your band plays, and the concert is live. If your drummer is missing, the beat won't drop. 

5. Balance Sometimes, we must temper our vision of ourselves with reality. Yes, ideally we are limitless human beings, but that does not negate the fact that our time is limited. In that same instance, our belief in ourselves need to be channeled to the actions that bring the most value to ourselves and our environment. Balancing idealism with reality also makes us more susceptible to achieving our goals, as we begin to see ourselves in a light of being imperfect. We thus learn to work with our strengths, work around our flaws, and work within our capabilities. Think about it like this: We can do all things, but we need wisdom to do what is right. 

This blog post is inspired by everything I am constantly having to remind myself of. 

Most importantly, you are a being whose life does not need to be ended by you. Believe in yourself so much, so hard, that you will do whatever is in your capacity to build you at your best. 

Be blessed. 

BolaxBijou 

OluFUN

firstladyfunmi. 

Ja, ich glaub an dich.

Yes, I believe in you (God).


Tonight was awesome. I just returned from a praise night that I attended with a few friends. It was lovely.

God specifically spoke to me through the song: "I am no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God".

What scares you, controls you. But it is so freeing to realise, to understand our identity in Christ.
I am praying that this  truth constantly remains a part of me, as I need it now more than ever before.


Since I have not much more to say, I found an old blogpost from the summer (24th of May to be exact). I saved it to my USB, and I guess I intended to eventually post it, but I never did. & when I  reread it earlier today, I saw that it was good!


So here goes! Enjoy and till later:

24/5

The Walking Communist Pitch

So, this lovely and relaxing Sunday started out a bit rough internally, being that I had to make and stand firm in my decision to not attend ‘Church’, as is the alternative/ nickname for the church that I have attended from childhood. I understand that such a decision may have been a bit disappointing for my mother, but I am starting to realise that it is important to SECOND never disappoint you (God being first) and then to discern when to consider the disappointment of others (even those times when it comes at the expense of you disappointing yourself – I do not deny the fact that sometimes it is worth it).  There are quite a few reasons that lend to my decision to not attend ‘Church’ today, and for the sake of brevity I shall hesitate to list. In any case, I am quite urged or compelled to attend any church though next Sunday, so I shall actively figure out how I will make my way to a church next week.

While running this morning, I briefly conversed with a cul-de-sac mate/family about my life, and informing them that I was in the UK studying made me a bit proud of myself relatively speaking (discussing casually with moms about my amassing of loans later in the evening while walking countered such feelings, so it was very short-lived).

After the run, I returned into the abode and had the usual – oatmeal and 3 eggs, while once again being in awe of my slow transition into a more simplistic and basic lifestyle, embracing it as such as well.  I think I need to stop that though – will develop this train of thought later. In short, I tend to do this thing where I think about what I am doing & the positive reactions that my actions could possibly generate (EXAMPLE this simple eating, thinking about the way I could package such on Instagram, touting and packaging my “new” lifestyle personality)

Surprisingly enough, moms returned home even before I completed my first meal, breakfast  (to be fair, I had spent a bit of time applying my Moroccan clay and adzuki bean powder mask onto my face, I shall hold any comments on the results to myself…sigh).

Moving swiftly along, the meat of my day consisted of attempting to clean my room while “in my feelings” as it were, trying to shift into better spirits. The main gist of my encouragement is this: “What’s meant to be will never be difficult. It will be smooth sailing. Simple. Clear-cut. Unvarnished. Love is.”  It is still a bit disheartening ‘recovering’ from this ‘mishap’ especially given my not-too successful track record with men/boys. Love/relationships/friendship should never be this difficult.. Wilkommen zur meiner Welt.  One day you are going to win. Repeat. One would think that cupid would take it a bit easy on me given the fact that I spent my childhood witnessing and being affected by loveless shaky relationships; but alas no.

So, as I unfortunately did let that deter me from organising/ cleaning my room [hence the current slow burn of that all too familiar midnight oil], I still did manage to gain a few “knowledge-bits” out of today through the medium of YouTube videos, WhatsApp, and moms:

1.     Bride Price – the Ibo, one of the ethnic groups based in Nigeria take that seriously. It is still a practiced tradition, which I thought was just for sentiments at celebrations –Yoruba Wado!- in this time period (Of course this may be true in the developed world diaspora, yet it is still a tradition for this particular ethnic group in Nigeria, and I doubt it will ever be phased out. No one is being harmed in the process knock on wood).  Literally, ‘bride price’ is used for bants on various social media outlets, and phrases that include this compound word , etc. So it was quite the surprise to watch a video of a traditional wedding which included footage of fathers from both sides conferring together to discuss negotiate the bride price. Literally cynically speaking, how much the brides father will charge for the bride and how much the groom/groom’s family is willing to pay. To make matters more interesting, in another scence the new bride in the video said “I am in my husbands place now since the bride price has been paid”….Obviously she does not mean it in this way, but for both a pseudo-progressive like myself and those editors at Cosmo (that wrote the article deriding the bride price app), such a statement literally single-handedly negates any progress that has been made on the advancement of women’s rights. Of course I am being a bit extreme. Of course I do realise that women rights as with almost every human rights ideaology/themes are a western construct and its place in any other setting is constantly questioned (My life is a big disclaimer by the way, in case you didn’t realise by the way this post is already saturated with disclaimers). People try it – they really do. Ask Ethiopia, oh wait, you can’t –Any way, my mom also contributed to this topic: She informed me that sometimes some grooms families pay the brides family money every year, until the father of the bride dies. I am not sure how true this is, but quite interesting. My full thoughts to come later, as this subject is deserving of it’s own entry; dissertation in fact. Simply because women are quite amazing- all feminist sentiments put aside- yet their value is constantly being tried inadvertently, and sometimes because of our own decisions.

2.     Ethiopia is going to the polls, the current ruling party is expected to win while the fractured opposition party does not even stand a chance. I literally can state this narrative with my eyes closed, and apply it to other African countries – Burundi case in point, no shoutout to the tragic and punitive incident . Shame.

3.     Nigeria. Prayer’s are going up. Once I do more research on the current situation, I will definitely provide a more intellectually-backed, informed opinion, but for now: Jonathan is running the reserves dry because come May 29^{th money don finish.  (sometimes,} this may actually be the case. The simple, watered down layman’s opinion. )

4.     May have found a good finishing/setting spray & daily vitamin c dosage for the face thanks to the lovely YouTuber Bella (BrownieandtheBlog). Her makeup and sartorial choices are both equally amazing, so I definitely look forward to getting my hands (in this case, face) on both the Vitamin C face spritz x Body Shop and the Makeup Revolution Setting Spray.

5.     The Turtleneck is a staple for any closet. It’s such a clean and simple (and affordable) essential that literally make’s an outfit what it is (of course when combined with the right pieces), so I look forward to investing in a few good ones (on sale) in anticipation of the fall/winter.

6.     Bonus (This one is actually from my annals, circa 6^th grade or middle school, tops) : Cuba! I have a bound notecards full of a research project done on Cuba’s government (regime change, to the world, and all), and it was quite informative. I really did a thorough job, comprehensively compiling an easy to follow timeline of events that I was able to pick up even today, read, and understand (of course aside from trying to decipher a few handwriting encumbrances that is). As far away in history as it is for me, it is really impacting my sense of self and my perception of my capabilities. Positively. Crazy right? Crazy cool.

Aside from the knowledge bits, I also gave my moms the ‘business pitch’ while walking with her today. & I am literally surprised as to how easy it was for my to pitch it to her. Literally, I thank God.  Almost there. Almost there. 

Focus.

Water is good for the soul, if you have goals.

Bonus number 2 (You would be so lucky):

While listening to ‘Laye’ x Kiss Daniel – Ko si  ru e l’ede baby say ko ko jo oo (His name is so lovely, I say this time and again), I saw in the sidebar a link to a post about Fetty Wap  (in fact, let me cue his song while I write this) and the post basically talked about how he would be featuring Afrobeats artists, Davido et. al. on an ‘afroremix’ to Trap Queen. My first thought was, ‘who is fetty wap’ and what is ‘trap queen’. Quite curious about the song especially, I clicked the link to the YouTube video & it was the song I heard at the wedding last weekend- a part of the African-American  American hip-hop/rap mashup set pent up with the likes of ‘Coco’ and ….. uuh I forgot. the song stood out anyway, but it didn’t stand out when I first heard it. Meaning it was unique enough for me to remember that I heard it, yet when I heard it I dismissed it as another one of those teen hip go-lucky songs that came out while I was away, unperturbed by the fact that I was not hip to it.

Even more interesting sturvs to note:

-       The song came out in August. Yay, conversation starter in ‘what’s different about being away/blah blah’ conversations: “Oh you know that song trap queen, I am just now hearing it,….” laugh laugh laugh

-       Fetty Wap reminds me of a particular somebody in Birmingham, UK. David! Cool dude.

-       Another lesson in believing in yourself no matter how different you may be, or in this case, look. Thanks for the reminder, Fetty.

And to all a good night.

Oh how could I forget! Still on the subject of  Fetty Wap:

-       He mentioned ‘Bando’ in his song. He’s from New Jersey. New Jersey Riots ’67.

OK it’s 4:57 am. I am tired. & I still did not touch my room project, from the time I left it. Well  did wash my makeup brushes!

Thank you Jesus.

I love you.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path

-       Psalm 119:105

Funmi

man muss die Welt nicht verstehen, man muss sich nur darin zurechtfinden

 one should not understand the world, one should find oneself within it.

Disclaimer: This blogpost is literally nothing short of me discussing how my day went, so nothing really insightful (aside from the title of this post).


I went dancing with a girlfriend at Studio Favela. It was my first time ever doing Capoeira  (awkward: I just realised that what I did was not Capoeira, but rather just a Brasil Dance Mix class. Capoeira was afterwards) & it was fun. The instructor did a great job, and of course I being from Atlanta had the moves on point and a bit more.

Thereafter, I visited another friend and her friends at the friend's place, and we baked. A little Christmas preparation baking as it were.  We listened to Christmas music and all that jazz (pun intended, as Michael Buble et al. were on the playlist as well).


Needless to say, I had a fun night out. This is literally the first time that I had multiple "moves"/engagements in one night - to the point where I even had to turn down an invitation.

It feels good to be a social butterfly again. 

Skin woes: I realised from being in front of the studio mirrors that my facial complexion is much darker than the rest of my body. Sigh, I suffer from aversive winter skin. So please believe that my glasses are coming on and research will commence. I don't play games when it comes to my appearance. I don't.

 [a blogpost on my updated skincare routine might also accompany this new undertaking]

OluFun 

Distant Admirations:

 Say Something x Olamide 

     Inferiority Complex x Olamide

Birkenstocks

My friend's friend whose place I visited had them on, and I literally could not stop staring at them, as basic as  they were

Slough - John Betjeman 

Dankbar.

Grateful. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

I hope everyone, including you, had a beautiful day celebrating with friends and family. I, for one, miss home dearly and cannot wait to eventually celebrate the holidays with my family again. For now, fellowship with friends here very much sufficed & warmed my heart so dearly. 

One of the things I am very much grateful for so far since being here is the group of Christians that I was so lucky, blessed, all of the above to have found randomly -all because I decided to partake in the "Fruits Day" (The day that an organisation here passes out fruits...anyway egal). 

So I hung out with them. 

& it was fun!

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

We discussed "what is love". A much needed & apt topic for this period, as it were. 

I'm grateful for all that I have and all that I do not have, because I know that His love is what underpins both ends of the spectrum. 

What are you grateful for? 

OluFUN 

Distant admirations: 

A Joke - what do you get when a piano falls down a mineshaft? A flat minor? [ROFL]

A German: "hinter die Ohren schreiben" - a saying equivalent to "I'll keep that in my back pocket" 

Funmi'ism: His love never fails, so don't ever think that when you've failed, you've failed; recharge & keep going - his blessings, his mercy, his grace, his love abound.

Wheinnachts Markt

Christmas Market.

Swear fam I think I spelled wheinnachts wrong. All of my former "frau & herr"s (previous German lecturers) will now come and cane me for my subpar german graduate ways.



Anyway, sorry for my absence. I actually almost forgot about my proclivities for blogging until I realised that I needed something to back up the picture I was about to post on Instagram. Yes, I am low-key making this post for the simple reason that my picture needs more substance.

In my defense, I do normally post, but I really do not consider myself a blogger, for the sake of not wanting or liking to be categorised. It raises too much expectations, standards start to be required to be followed, and dat.


& I'm just here like....blah blah blah I like to write.


Sha, let's get to the main gist of this post.

It's CHRISTMAS MARKET SEASON! 

Christmas markets are a traditional open festival and marketplace that takes place all over Germany, celebrating the holiday season. One can visit different vendor stands that are made out of logs and thus have a very medieval Deutsch feel to them (to preserve tradition, of course).

So yep, at the market one can buy different handmade goods, confectioneries, "traditional" German food

  (I got into a semi-heated debate with one of my colleagues over whether or not there was a such  thing as traditional German food...he was almost about to insult me, I had my "your fada" bullet on standby with my finger on the trigger...lol just kidding the debate did not go that far). 

& most importantly, well to a young twentysomething millennial like myself:

Beer & booze galore, babe. 

Beer in the form of, well, beer

& booze in the form of

Gluhwein - the trademark alcoholic beverage of the average German 

So yes, it is simply a time to enjoy as much food and beer as your wallet can allow with friends and loved ones. 

Story story: Interestingly enough, the city where I studied and completed my first year of this Masters programme (Birmingham, England) hosts an exported form of the German Christmas Markets, called the Frankfurt Christmas Markets & it was simply amazing. I was praying that I would find bae before the fest ended on the 22 of December (the market ran for over a month, I had enough time, lol) so I could be doing "his & hers" just like almost everyone else that was there. But alas, bae was elusive, so hanging with my roommate worked out just fine. 

Of course, like the sartorial stud that I am, I just had to put an outfit together for my festivities commencing tomorrow and leading into the weekend. 

here's to humble beginnings.



I love patterns and symmetry (or symmetrics), and this outfit allows me to perfectly blend the two. The scarf has to be my favourite piece though (trending fall/winter '16), with the shoes coming in a close second.

Finally, one of my favourite sweaters to keep me warm, even if the gluhwein can't.



Can't wait to share on my snapchat my exciting adventures perusing the markets with my buddies dem tomorrow & Friday.
( No, that was not a shameless plug to get you to follow me: funmibabs )

OluFUN

distant admirations: The first 3-4 songs of Iyanya's album "Applaudise". Olamide's album, even though I haven't heard it yet. 

angeregt.

vermisst

missed.

I missed 2 days of blogging, a time trade-off for social media catch up.

Will be back to normal blog scheduling after today.

Bist du begeistert oder neh?




Funmi

Nichts perfekt.

Not Perfect.


I am not perfect.


Repeat.



Sometimes we make mistakes.

Period.


Never let them define you.

Period.


I am on my



(lol).





Olu
Fun. 

Ersti.

First year.

First post on Twitter in over a year. 

First day of feeling in control. 

Let's enjoy this & be happy. 

Mood: Legend x Drake.

— Funmi (@bolaxbijou) October 23, 2015

#manslikethelegend

Olu
Fun.

Schritt fuer Schritt...

...dem Ziel entgegen.

Step by step, you achieve the goal* 

This phrase that can currently be seen on the Sparkasse adverts across the city of Bamberg, is inspiring at the least.

What are your goals?
What exactly are you interested in achieving? Long-term? Short-term?

As cliche as this post is slowly turning out to be, I cannot help but in platitudinal fashion articulate the importance of having stated goals. It leaves less room for uncertainty, and more room for follow-through. Please place a finger on the phrase 'stated goals'. Now poke at it a few times. You should by now see a funny bunny appearing across the screen...joking. But in all seriousness, that exercise was just meant to ensure that you as a reader actively understand to 'state' what your goals are.

Now that you understand this,
Write down those goals!


& it is perfectly OK if one of your stated goals are "to be wealthy". It was one of mine, and I had to come to terms with the fact that I too have aspirations of being rich in the future. It is not a selfish desire. It is a desire, as simple as that, and it is just as desirable as all of your other goals. What could arguably be wrong is if one makes the attainment of wealth their god (as all other goals are susceptible of being), or the way we go about trying to attain wealth ( as is with all other goals). With the past two examples, one can see that 'the attainment of wealth' can easily be placed on the same pedestal of importance as all other goals. No, you're not being selfish, nor are you being too superficial/simplistic. You are for once being real with yourself. It is also just as important to keep in mind, that  'wealth' should not semantically be substituted for 'money'. Wealth is all earnings including assets, material possessions, and the like.


With all that said, do not make the 'attainment of wealth' your only goal in life. If I must say, that is quite boring. As you would have so much material, less substance. Be sentimental for once, friend. Value memories, so that you would be more motivated to easily channel your wealth into something that outlives you.


What are your goals?

Write them down.

Don't look back.

Don't Regret.

Be flexible to change it at any given point.

Pray.

Go.


Schritt fuer Schritt, dem Ziel entgegen,  innit.

*loosely translated

Erinnerungen

memories.


In efforts to preserve the memories from Birmingham, I wanted to take the opportunity to just write one-words from each month of living there...just to be extra sure that I won't forget:

October - London mates night town Naija. Butlins Hausa family mates. Birmingham night town mates. Ambassador international job first. speak Library money amazon

November - job river island retail hire process. Aston villa football game first VIP food hat purchase fun! Luton remembrance day poppy TV watch feel british. warwick development summit

December - job river island no bueno. Christmas markets. bratwurst. Christmas roommates dinner throwback session. Watch films

January - Brussels. Red cross training stafford.  New year redeemed

February - Red Cross. Birthday fun shop oxford circus lupita restaurant surprise friends uncle family eat nandos. selma watch. Afternoon tea wolverhampton.

March -  red cross. Dad visit. German game night fun win! pub night cameroonian and spanish roommate. Workout paroles -canal runs.

April - red cross. Leicester higher education fair. Easter Luton chicken aunty surprise party.

July - Red cross. Liverpool

August - Red Cross.

September - party birmingham.

Bist du fertig oder neh?

...Your ready or nah?


To Commence this LSAT study, amen?

Put my money where my mouth is just a few hours ago, and now my bank account will cease to know about 250 of its pounds....

But my mind will now embark on the beginning of a promising journey. 

Hello, LSAT. 

I'll be seeing you on February 6, 2016. 

[London, GB]

#Godwilling

#babelikefunmi

#lawyerlikefunmi

Ich fühle mich inspiriert...

....Sitting here, after 11pm in this OFvBu library, I cannot help but once again admire my spirit of perseverance.

I love you, so much Funmi. So much.

Cues Rayce x Tete La

[Swear down, I am not sure how to best articulate this, but Songs like this are literally my theme song that have the potential to shift my mood from negative to positive, even if it is just for that moment. Essentially why I wish I had a msuic player chip that I could insert into a part of my head, so that I could always have it playing when I want...alas I guess earphones will do for now, but techies and scientists, I'll be expecting something as ostensibly close to this as possible in the near future].


So I successfully submitted my TFA application.

I restored my Facebook account (deactivated since Fall 2013).


I provided online advice to someone suffering from homesickness.


& I feel more confident and positive about my future altogether.


Let's just pray this emotional postivity remains a part of me for good.


Literally, pray.



#babelikefunmi



Rae Sremmurd is coming to Munich, 28.11!

Will Funmi Bab-Oke be there, front and center?
Watch this space....

Flucht- und Rettungs Plan

Escape and Rescue Plan.



In my head, I am screaming, "get me out of here!" simply because I have now identified my interests, and so want to pursue it vigourously. Unfortunately, becoming fluent in German is not one of them. In as much as I find the language intriguing & have set eventual fluency as an indelible challenge for myself, I am equally reminded of how limited our time is and how it should  not be spent engaging in a non-interest that is not guaranteed to yield profitability (It would be different if someone were paying me to learn this language, or eventual fluency would pay off....neither of that serves as the foundational Basis of my studies here in OFvBU, so I will obviously see you [haha], later)


So, to be honest, I want to go home. In fact, need to go home and stop trying to reach things that are beyond my grasp. I need to be real with myelf, and work within my capabilities. It is very true that the sky is the limit, but what am I doing with the grass, trees, flowers that are already within my reach?

It is about time that I start thinking with my head and not my heart. Or maybe this longing to return home is thinking with my heart. My heart wants to return to stability, sanity, (eventual) security. I have gained all that I wanted to gain in my alloted year abroad, and I know it will propel me to greater endeavours in the future. I just need to return to homebase and work from there, repaying my dues along the way (literally).


Olu
Fun.

so ist das leben.

Hey everyone.

You have not been abandoned, blog, nor reader. So much that i'm going through at the moment, including having to deal with my skin that's reacting negatively to this extreme weather, not having internet at my apartment yet, and of course- future/funds. 

& things were all so good just a day or two ago. Not sure what it is, or if it's normal to feel this way given that I'm so far away (but it's quite more than that unfortunately. Even when I'm close I still feel far). 

My hearts still a bit hurt from September's fiasco..... I think it very much so has much to do with the skin issues. This frustration is activating of the hither-to suppressed feelings of doubt, fear, and just downright sadness. 

I pray that things get better. As for now, I will travail once again the streets of Bamberg to gather a nice skincare mask (honey, turmeric, and greek yogurt, anyone?) and i will try my hardest to relax while repeating vigorously to myself - aye o le to yen (Yoruba for 'life is not that difficult')

Good night. 

#babelikefunmi 

"What's high if you don't know low?" -Nico & Vinz

Goodbye GB...Hallo Deutschland.

Stating a  massive "it's been real" to the Union Jack.

& 

Hello to the lovely Red Yellow Black

 (or black red yellow. if you have OCD or are a stickler for correctness). 

#manlikefunmi 

Fertig.

On September 28, 2015, I defended my Masters thesis titled:

 Applying the derived tools particularities and totalisation to a critical analysis of the West African Ebola Crisis: Can such tools, when combined, increase the saliency of Postcolonialism as a critical discourse? 

*[Cues: L'oke L'oke x 9ice. Sean Tizzle.]*

All Glory be to God for instilling in me the drive, commitment, passion, discipline, and altogether for his never-ending compassion and love. I honestly could not do it without Him. Hence my bomb ahh' 'Acknowledgements' section. I am seriously on Cloud 9  right now and nothing can separate me & this high. I will forever praise Him for this blessing. Your girl has a Masters degree.  One year after Undergraduate coursework. 

*Komole another two or three times*

I do not know what excites me the more. This completed project, the fact that I exercised and acquired desired traits in completing it (traits that will ensure excellence in future endeavours, at that), or just the overall increase in confidence that is literally indelibly inculcated within this lady that is typing as follows! 

*L'oke L'oke l'a ma lo........*

the yucky devil tried exactly three times, but each time.... 

*L'oke L'oke.........*

& I am still trusting God for greater.

Watch. This. Space. 

Funmi is baccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkk. 

manlikefunmi. 

Psalm 27. 

Funmi'ism: Be content with where you are, with what little you have do the most; Take action yet let Him lead - for you are worthy of a life that deserves the sincerest of toasts. Prost!