Those Vibes.

Currently listening to a mix that is playing a track from Wizkid's Ayo (2014), and I am immediately mentally transported to last year autumn, specifically to that jam session night.


Yep, that night.

                                                                       Yep, those vibes.






Source: Google Images x mobloaded.com

 

 

 

Check it out on Spotify!

 

#goodtimes #gvo

OLU

FUN.

I'm that person...

That can find a previously mainstream song more enjoyable when it becomes less mainstream & popular. Thinking I'm the only one that is enjoying the song at that moment in time, compared to a collective "that's my jam!" type sturv makes a huge difference with me & my receptivity to a particular song.


#Drunkinlove  #Youdaone

Olu

Fun. 

Ol' dude, Thank you.

thank you for the stumble upon that gives me the new lease of realising that the other is not the end-all be-all. Reminded of what I was doing this for.


Thank you, Lord.

Olu

Fun.

Alll-Nighter #1

Bants.


- the Nigerian music industry is a truly unconventional telling that unrivalled talent in lyricism and music composition does not guarantee financial success nor even popularity at the least.



-SHUGA Naija returns September 13th ! That one NGO project that turned out to be commercial success. Kudos to the recruitment of Biyi Bandele et al. Native talent combined with the right  western resources ... cues Koker x Do Something (This song is finally getting the exposure it deserves....it takes a while for Nigerians, but once it hits, it hits).


- Is Davido running out of lyrics...?


- This is quite interesting, ambitious, inspiring (after deeper investigation)!: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/redorigins/red-origins-an-original-animated-series
[Support if this interests you in anyway!]


- [Try.be.] <---- I was doing 'packaging' testing with that. Nope, doesn't work too well, in my opinion.


-"Don't get too attached" - 'Line Manager x Ambiguous Loss' coping exercise. Ha!

Last moments.

Tunnel Vision.

 Forget the irrelevant.

Checklist:
Is it relevant?


Yes     No

If yes, proceed to engage.

If  no, deter, desist, disengage!


Discipline.

Olu

Fun.

Funmi'ism

..Now is when I need it the most.


"Que Sera Sera. Let whatever will be flow seamlessly like the sea. Never be afraid of the future. Step up. Fly like a butterfly & sting like a bee."

 [Thank you Muhammad Ali].

OLU

FUN.

 

Break.

I'm taking a  break from blogging.

If I could, I would ideally like to take a break from using this computer, or my Macbook in general. Yet, the way my financial investment into this program is set up, if I do not have a near-perfect paper produced by the deadline, I should thus be prepared to constantly be consumed with depression & thoughts of suicide. 

Heartbreaks suck. 

I would not advise anyone to not engage in relationships, nor would I say that I would not date again in the future. What I will advise is that you 'go' into the dating scene with the understanding that you are taking a risk. Make sure it is worth it. 

To fully recover ( & to focus on my work), I will be gone for about a week (or so). I will also be taking a break from 'love', as well. Anything  that has to do with that crazy thing called it, should not cross my path, as I will be ready to slash-and-burn. I hate to admit it, but I am that cliche female recovering from a heartbreak and is currently rendered immobile - without the icecream & fatty foods of course, because nothing will  get me to ever come close to compromising my good diet. 

Pray for me, friends. This is when I need it the most. 

Distant Admirations: The Office! Particularly Season 3: Gay Witch Hunt | The Merger | Beach Games.

Funmi'ism: Ah, I've got nothing. 

*mopey eyes* 

Olu. 

P.s - Satan is the author of lies. Everything it says is the opposite, [Funmi]. - Michael Scott

Set Sunday.

I have implemented a new segment to my blog, set Sunday. Sundays are normally my rest days (in true Christian fashion...wait it may actually be Saturday.....egal...you get the picture), but every other Sunday, I will be giving you all a chance to provide feedback for me for this blog, in terms of direction, the content you all would like to see, etc.

The title of the blog is actually "Set-it-up Sunday", but as it is right now, it is more succinct & catchy, as I like my blog titles to be. 

As I stated, I will provide you all with the opportunity to articulate your thoughts. This may be a temporary instalment as I get this blog up and running, and thus I would like for my first few viewers to have a chance at a say-so in its direction. My monetary-less way of saying 'thank you' for your reading and support! Your name/username will be included in the 'kudos' section of this blog.

Of ces, it's only right innit? 

So I will first air out my thoughts, and then give you guys a go, in the comments section below! *rhymes of life of life*

Keeps: 

Funmi'isms 

Sound Saturday 

Iffy about: 

Definitions. I like them, as they provide the reader with the key to understanding some words/phrases/concepts in my blog that are an organic reflection of what I would normally say/do in person and choose not to revise, for the sake of remaining true to that aspect of this blog. Yet, I'm not sure if I'm fond of the current  placement. I think I would like a 'hover over' widget that allows the translation/ definition to pop up when ones mouse/track pad hovers over said part of the blog.  Any suggestions to achieve these ends?  

Adding Color

Implementations:

Content diversification *any suggestions concerning what to include?*

Brand

Minimalism in 'packaging' of the blog 

I'm thinking about making Funmi'isms a bigger part of the blog or something else in its entirety, as I feel as if its a seminal aspect of my personal branding as a content creator. 

An actual direction /platform of the blog which my content surrounds (Example: Female empowerment, human rights). I intend to eventually master the art of creatively getting people engaged in such topics that did not seem interesting before, as it may not have been 'eye-catching' enough to the average 9-5'er. Not said in any kind of demeaning way at all, actually cos you all are more likely to be in a better position financially than I am at the moment (& I may actually be joining you guys soon - I am surprisingly totally fine with that)

Kudos: 

To your consistency, Funmi! 

So I pass the baton to you all now. 

*instantly reminded of the times that I "gracefully" pass the baton to my track mates during the 4x4 races in high school in efforts to get that dub-dub, naturally*

OLU

FUN.

Definitions:

egal - derived from the German phrase "es ist mir egal", meaning "it doesn't make a difference (to me)"

Of ces - Of course

 Innit - British slang for "isn't it". Cues reminder of a British mum asking her child to repeat on three "Innit is not a word, charlie!" "Innit is not a word!" 

Of life, Of life - A once popular Nigerian slang ( I have a habit of not letting things go, as my ex-boyfriend duly likes to point out to me) that was stated to exaggerate the greatness of an object. In true Naija fashion, everything must be grandiose.

 Ex. that song is the jam of life!"

9-5'er - A working class employee who is normally designated the shift of 9am-5pm (American work hours. The British follow this pattern as well...Well actually chicken/egg should make it the other way around). Is also fitting for the other, less common 8am -4pm shift

Sho' obviously don't (you will encounter this in the Funmi'ism below) - Southern twang for 'sure obviously doesn't') 

[Anymore 'definitions' needed? Let me know! Let a sista', girl know! ]
[I'm not sure the sparks inside that triggered that last exclamation, but sha allow it]

Funmi'ism - Pat your own self on the back sometimes! There's no guarantee that someone else will. Be an alpha female like Hilary...'cos she sho' obviously don't need Bill. 

Sound Saturday.

In honor of Consistent Returns,

It's Sound Saturday!

*Music plays a more than normal important role in my life. People around me observe that I'm constantly singing (the first time it was brought to my attention was when I went to visit my aunt in Bracknell, and her Serbian househelp --I wanted to ask her about the Bosnian genocide so bad, but I forgot which side her people were on---commented that I was always singing). I literally cannot conduct any work without having some sort of sound in the background. I'm a dancer. So it's only right (might not do it justice, though) to use this segment of by blogging career to highlight this seminal aspect of my life. So every sound Saturday will highlight a song, songs, or music video that I am enjoying, can't get enough of, moves me, "shack's my brain". & no genre is safe from my vigilant song veneration tendencies.  I like anything that sounds good  to me at the given point in time. As vague as this sounds, that is literally my music taste.*

So today's sound Saturday goes to.....

Orente x Adekunle Gold. 

I've always been a fan of this song, not only because of its influx of Yoruba traditional beats, but also because of the message behind it. The YBNL artist, Adekunle Gold, has always been the one to paint the picture of realistic love in his music, and this one is no exception. To summate the message, he basically states that he is down for a lady that is not necessarily with him for financial security, and is also comfortable with whatever they both may have, no matter how large or small it is. This is also my idea of love/relationships, in the sense that money/finances should not be the driver. Hence why I couldn't agree more with the song, such agreement turning into repetitively pressing the play button on my phone. & of course, he shouts me out  towards the end. 

*Bolatito l'orente oo*

Thank you, Adekunle. 

The video is quite nice as well. I specifically enjoy the scenes where he just stares into the camera & the lady pops up from different angles. She playfully bothers him, but he is unbothered. I also appreciated the settings of some the scenes in the video. Apparently these scenes are natural landscapes in Osun State. Kudos to the promotion of ecotourism within Nigeria!

Hold on to your 'Orente', whoever they may be. They're a keeper! 

  *let's pretend the term is gender-neutral for this admonition*

Olu

Fun

Funmi'ism - Don't mistakenly awaken love for the sake of mere attraction; and remember that it lies not in what you say, but rather in your action. 

Perfect. Sour. Smile.

Aloha!

So in attempting to vigorously retain the last of the good  & positive spirits that I have,  I wanted to go ahead and highlight the many things that make me smile.

Cues " Mo Eazy - Smile "

Source: Mo Eazy | Smile Video

Literally, the little things make me smile. The random, unplanned little things. Surprises. When the cashier tells you that because of a sale, you're paying a cheaper price than you otherwise would for a product (like what happened today with the spray bottle I just bought. I could not stop smiling on my way out of the store. My hair is happy as well.) 

The little things, I tell you. *I needed a chuckle earlier today, so I went ahead and got a bit creative*

Love makes me smile. & because of how seemingly elusive it is in my own life, it makes the attraction to that concept even stronger for me. I stan for romcoms, romdramas,  love songs, and weddings. 

Source: Google images

Progress makes me smile. 

Source: Google images

Jesus | my faith makes me smile. 

Ephesians 3: 16-20
Source: Bible.com

Yoruba culture  [bits & pieces & at certain times] makes me smile. 

Source: Yorubaculturalinstitute.org

Architecture makes me smile. 

Source: Olufunmilayo Bab-Oke 

Cupcakes make me smile. 

Source: Google images. 

A clean environment makes me smile, as it yields a clearer thought process for me.

source: freebigpicture.com 

Daisy Taxi!

Family makes me smile. 

Source: Good question. 

What makes you smile? 

"I just want to see you smile, don't want to see you down, cos' baby you're a superstar"
-Mo Eazy 

Distant Admirations: Shout out to all the  fashionably dressed Brummies that have been catching my eye sinceeee. You all make me smile as well.


Funmi'ism: You can never love yourself too much --- that is actually love's beginning; the moment you learn to lose & let go, is when you'll actually be winning. 

Olu

Fun. 

Definitions:
"Sinceeee" - Naija from time, for a while now

Consistent Return.

Today's blogpost was going to go in line with the all too famous "TBT" (only those who have made use of Instagram on a Thursday at least once, would understand this saying...well actually, I take that back being that Instagram posts are ubiquitous on other social media platforms, thanks to the "share with[insert social media platform here]" option on the platform) and I was going to spend time reminiscing on my past experiences here in the UK, as this leg is slowly coming to an end....but it is not the right time yet, I do not have the tools on hand to do a proper nostalgia session, and I actually have content to share today (after thinking long and hard. TWSS! <-- Not actually the best fit, but allow it...TWSS!)


So drumroll please.....P.s. this blogpost (as with the recent ones) may be slightly bereft of intellectual rhetoric, to my own dismay as well, but please my brain will return to more regularly scheduled programming post-September 30th. Bear with the disruption, folks (while silently reigning curses on this project holding my mind & creative processes hostage).

While the origins of this topic may be dismal, I am still grateful that it happened, so at least I have something insightful to discuss today! So overnight, I could not sleep well. Bouts of waking up eventually turned into one of my first stomach aches of this quarter. Sigh. & if you know me, you know how much I am not a fan of stomach aches. I am a 23 y/o recovering hypochondriac.

Stomach ache turned to globs of chocolate nutella spread mixed with oily egg ready to join the other waste of the British sewer and wastage system  up chuck. Thankfully,  it was a 'one-time & my stomach felt better' experience, so  I held the phone lines and reserved any unnecessary shouting.

As we do every single blogpost session, 1-2-3: Thank you, Sam.

Yep, I cannot help but attribute my overnight encounter with short-term sickness to the one & only. Of ces.

 Let me go ahead & drop this here: 

Moving on, swiftly. 

Still, I was reminded of the beauty of sickness when I woke up this morning taking me back to the  Harvard patterned German Scholars and Philosophy  Introduction to German Culture and Society course my  final year in Uni. One of the more or less enjoyable sections of the curriculum was reading Thomas Mann's Death in Venice , paralleling it with Sontag's Illness as a Metaphor (free PDF !) The reading was quite interesting, as it has obviously stuck with me over a year later. One of the themes of both pieces was a disease and it taking the metaphor of either  being a beautiful scene as the person is in the ill state or a sickness that pervades a dilapidated state. Going with the former, I think it is quite a truism to see beauty in illness. It's a more or less comforting feeling to know that this too, is beautiful. Especially for a hypochondriac. If you think you need a rewiring of your mind when it comes to how you handle illnesses, definitely check out these two pieces. 

Another important aspect of illness (or to better state it, having a more positive mindset towards illnesses), is your environment. If an illness catches you in a bad disposition, a quick recovery should not be expected. It is also not only an internal shift in disposition, but also your external disposition which influences your state of illness overall. So on that note.... (This paragraph was literally only for  a smooth transition into my next topic of interest, and I needed it to correlate - blame this Masters program for my 'forcing it to correlate' tendencies)

I Love British Weather! *voice of the youngest girl in Despicable Me*

For the most part, British weather is cloudy, rainy, and commonplace-ly chill, with the exception of  the sunny days that could almost rival Atlanta's. Right, I could not believe it either, and those days stuck out like sore thumb & it was weird as it did not fit in my ideal  picture of England.  Apart from those days though, I am literally in weather paradise. It fits my realist personality, and my sartorial endeavours. Layering, rain coats, layering, layering, layering, boots....

Sophia Webster x Roxy

 [If she passes my ethical production standards, I am looking to purchase it upon financial stability] 

& on a final note, I am returning to consistently incorporating "Distant Admirations" into my posts. 

Distant Admirations

Sophia Webster -From eccentric shoes, to eccentric shoes she is definitely the one to look out for in forthcoming seasons. 

Life with the Logans - A lovely Vlog channel to tune to, especially as they (the couple) and their circle of friends are hilarious. 

Mista Ologo - UK based Live Band'er that specialises in Yoruba praise/owambe paroles. I am a connoisseur of such genre (if there ever was one), so eargasms on plenty. 

Definitions: 

TBT -Throwback Thursday 

TWSS - That's What She Said 

Of ces - Naija 'of course' 

owambe paroles - Nigerian (Yoruba) party 

Until next time. Bis Spaeter 

If you have any questions, i'm only a comment section away. 

Olu

Fun.

Fa Mulan. Sai Funmi.

Watching Mulan (1998) is inspiring at its best, yet it feeds/fed into my procrastinating proclivities. I knew better, but the "heroic, Mulan using her sense to create a sweeping avalanche" scene was captivating - I thus ended up watching the rest of the film, witnessing (for the 110th time) Mulan single-handedly defeating the villain and his terrorist cohort, the Han.

 In as much as there are ethos & themes in the film that may cause feminists and the like to raise their eyebrows and wag their fingers, one cannot deny how perfect this film is for the agenda of inspiring females. Mulan, the main character, is a true embodiment of an organic balance of femininity and wit. Two things that females should realise they possess, control, and can use at their disposal. I also cannot help but see Mulan in me.
Her bold, especially.



As Mulan's father said, "The flower that blooms the latest is the most beautiful of them all".

 Which Disney character do you feel resembles you?


Olu
Fun.


 P.S. - Apologies that this blogpost is a bit shorter, and not as thought through. I am not in the best spirits right now. Duly thank the guy that currently has my heart on a stake, ready to be burned (I am in denial about the fact that it has already charred).


 P.P.S - I will make a separate blog about how I connect with the film personally, when the time is right. Amen!?!

 "The flower that blooms in adversity is the most cherished of them all"- Emperor in Mulan

Love stinks. buy a pet.

— Bola B. Oke (@BolaxOke) August 19, 2015

Igbo Connection.

I just thought to take a quick break from this lovely dissertation writing session I am tired as s*** of this. Shout out to Mista Ologo for the melodic gbedu that is currently tantalising my ears. So I do not do as much of sharing my experiences, especially when it pertains to my experience volunteering with the British Red Cross. So I shall seize the moment to do so! Today was especially tiring for me, as I am nearing the days of my cycle. note to self: more iron,Funmi. I was especially grateful for the phone call that whisked me away from the monotonous yet, needed BRM admin work. I mean compared to previous days, I was actually getting on with it fine, as I felt a burst of empowerment after logging in case notes for the third or fourth file. It definitely helped to have adjusted my work space - who knew the boosting up of a chair made so much of a difference in terms of energy provision that yielded an output of efficiency?! Your environment really plays a role in your success. 

So moving swiftly along as I do not have much time to allocate to this blog, I was more active in the morning when going on my first 'official' British Red Cross field assignment!

 Myself and three of my colleagues went to 'Stone Road' to distribute Primark clothing vouchers to persons with the referral form. A side note about 'Stone Road' - Stone Road Housing is apparently the in-between accommodation for asylum seekers as they await their dispersal to their Section 95 NASS accommodation. The living conditions are quite dire, and they are treated not necessarily like individuals but rather like objects, according to my colleague. I mean from what I experienced, it was not a total half-way house, but then again we were in the main reception, making use of the administrative office of 'Migrant Help' - a migration services charity that is conveniently located within 'Stone Road' (They do not own Stone Road, as it is a place owned by housing services like G4S - I think they do other things too, like security for the mall - I saw their van in town one day, and asked a colleague about it, and she said they have various operations within their company - wow, the side notes. This accommodation was contracted out by the Home Office (equivalent to USA's Department of Homeland Security... just kidding, there is no equivalent in the USA. But Home is Home, no? No.) I attended to a Nigerian today :)

I love Nigerians, and this lady had children. I mean being here, I really tend to tone down my 'oh you're Nigerian, I'm Nigerian too!" propensities because 1) The amount of Nigerians here, for obvious colonial historical reasons, makes it commonplace, sometimes (and in some contexts), tiring to be around Nigerians. Compared to the USA, it is quite hard to not share the same breathing space with a Nigerian in a given day (My roommate was Nigerian!) 2) I want to avoid the line of questioning that ensues after I establish a Nigerian connection in my American accent. It gets tiring having to explain to a bewildered Nigerian(-British) what the he** I'm doing here. so around April/May, I just stopped & now I just soak in my constantly being surrounded by Nigerians with bystanding silent awe (side smirk/pity eyes to the yoruba man on the bus today...it can pain) 3) & when it comes to specific encounters at the BRC, there's something about Nigerians and pride and their presence at BRC clinic is kind of an oppositional force to that image. So for their sake & my sake (I get embarrassed over someone's realised/unrealised embarrassment), I 'bo the asiri'(conceal the secret) sometimes (this 3rd point is my own opinion, it is not necessarily true/only true to a few individuals I've met)

 Today was meant to be as routine as possible, when it came to my "I peep a Nigerian (by the accent of course) , and I am about to assist him/her" tendencies. I could not hold it in, sha. I tried. When it got to the third or fourth form that was meant to be filled in order for the lady to enjoy the rest of her day with her children shopping at Primark, I blurted out in true, word-vomit style, "Where are you from in Nigeria?" "Ibo" "really? I'm Yoruba, my parents are Yoruba" (stumble rumble cos I'm excited tins) *..blah blah cos it's not really necessary can you speak yoruba....blahh blah yes...daadaa..blah blah*  *continue with quotation marks worthy dialogue* "I have a boyfriend, my boyfriend is ibo, he..blahh...Enugu" "Ah Enugu is a lovely place, you can get fruits etc. from there" *Take note of the ibo connection, hence the title. What is more interesting to note is the fact that when I asked her where she was from in Nigeria, she said "Ibo". Brings much questions to the forefront, as it relates to nation-state construction in Africa.

 Ok! Adieu!

 OLU FUNMILAYO.

 You are powerful. Don't ever let anyone or anything reduce you to making the mistake of thinking otherwise.

It's all about....

Dusting your shoulders off, no matter how much dirt, gunk, and unwanted particles called it a temporal home. It's all about forgetting regrets and remembering how much of a star you were and are. Keep your head up darling. Be your own biggest cheerleader. Never give up, because one day you are going to win. -Funmi