Do Great Things.

 

I read the bio of one of our client's president & it just reminded me (inspired me) to do great things. 

 In order to do great things, you have to sweat the small stuff (& discard the non-important ones). 

Sweat the small stuff meaning, be excellent at all tasks asked of me at work, no matter how "mundane". Spend at least an hour daily engaging in research and thought catalogues within my practice area. 

Get outside of my comfort zone in networking. 

Discard the non-important ones meaning, anything trivial and unimportant should be a non-factor to my daily routine.

Logic over emotions. 

 Thanks for the reminder, Jeremy. 

xo tito. 

Summer reads.

Sorry for the interruption. I've been on a cleanse that has kept me away from anything internet related. 

I wanted to go ahead and compile my summer reading list.  This list is a combination of books that have been recommended, have piqued my interest, or are related to my career growth/development. I look forward to taking a deep dive and share my thoughts on them by the last day of summer (September 23, 2023). They range from non-fiction to fiction, as the eclectic babe that I am. 

2023 Summer Reading List 

Fiction 

Maame - Jessica George 

Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut

Catch-22 - Joseph Heller 

Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

His Only Wife - Peace Adzo Medie 

Non Fiction 

My Watch - Olusegun Obasanjo 

Mein Kampf - Adolf Hitler 

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo 

Homo Deus - Yuval Noah Harare 

For Women and the Nation: Funmilayo Ransome Kuti of Nigeria - Cheryl Johnson-Odim and Nina Emma Mba  

5 +5 is a great kickstart.

If I am able to pick up more, even better. Please recommend some books in the comments section. 

Compiling this list reminds me of some aspects of my childhood. Memories of going to the library and going section (or stall) by section (stall?) looking for great books to escape into. The art of reading was a gift passed on to me by my parents, and I intend to pass that on to my own children. 

Here's to getting back to my first love and discovering new worlds along the way. 

xo tito 

p.s. - putting this down here to clear my thoughts on this (and no one really gets to the bottom, do they?): after having gone on one date in the past weekend and cancelled two, it is safe to say that I'm not the babe that relishes in the male gaze (I knew this, maybe I just didn't want to come to terms with it). I am very much a "if the opportunity arises to date or meet someone that I find interesting - maybe from presentation, their achievements, or (admittedly, superficially speaking), their looks, I don't mind going for it" type of lady. Definitely not someone that goes on dates or meets people just for the sake of it or to pass time.  If it didn't dey, it didn't dey, as they say. 

It's all for the best though, as I continue to learn to manage by time more efficiently, doing what works for me. Here's to self development, self learning, and improvement. 

Karma

 If i could be the song karma x seyi vibez, i would. 

Happy Saturday. 

xo tito

Joy Sparkers

———

Karma x Seyi Vibez

Friday.

 We go again next week, cheers to the weekend. I am really trying to learn the art of selfishly living in the moment, taking what is in front of me for what it is and making the most of it. Sure, the future is shaped by what we do now. In the same vein, I am confident that a cheeky night out with the girls won't hurt said future goals. 

So I am grateful for all that this week has brought to me and I am looking forward to yet another fruitful week and an even more productive weekend. 

joy sparkers 

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

-spoke to my friend Teju today.

-Boy Alone album x Omah Lay: listening to this album (not the deluxe, as I am not a fan) brings back memories of last summer. Great memories. I thrived alone, silently, just tackling my goals, step by step. That memory alone reminds me that I am good, always. 

Big up Tolu for bringing new immigration clients my way :) 

Domain

 

Today’s post is short and sweet. 

I had a sweet Orlando Owoh + work session this afternoon. 

If I could be the track ‘Logba Logba’, I would. The composition, the lyricism, the instruments. I literally am taken to another element while listening to this work of art. 

xo tito

joy sparkers

——————

-tennis lessons

- the attorney wide lunch (a colleague knows my name)

- purchased the domain name www.funmioke.com

Proud.

 “For what it’s worth, it’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.”

                     -F. Scott Fitzgerald

I don't really have much to discuss today. I will be thinking about the above quote and what that looks like for me in my day-to-day activities (applying my summer goals against this list will be a great start)

happy first day of summer. 

xo tito 

things that spark joy today

- having dinner with a colleague  tonight at a spot I have been wanting to try, Kimodo Dallas. 

- happy birthday, dad. 

Summer games.

Back to work today, so the day felt administrative at best. Literally got nothing else but work done.

as promised though, I will share how making friends, socializing, and dating has been so far in Dallas.

Since I’m 30+ , I am done with experimenting with company I keep. I’ve therefore approached the scene with intention, knowing exactly what I am looking for in comraderie and companionship. So, in quality over quantity terms (and also because I spend a lot of my time sorting out house things), I’ve really been taking the Dallas social scene in stride. 

I am looking forward to a meet up that my sister-in-law told me about happening Saturday. It’s funny because I only recently started praying to get more involved in the Dallas community (don’t even get me started on the thing I signed up for at my job earlier today). A constant reminder that God is listening to me even when I don’t feel like He is.

(also big up the texas friends I’ve kept in touch with prior to this move, our reconnecting has been bliss) 

The only full stop thing I’ll say about dating is, I doubt i’ll ever subscribe myself to the “play hard to get” handbook, because my job and ongoing life projects are already demanding as it is, so why put myself (or other person) through ridiculous hurdles? 

I look forward to meeting someone that feels the same way, no games attached, and sees the bigger picture instead. & to those that say “well people dont value things they don't work for” … the thought of the person losing me should be enough to keep them on their toes, no matter what. if it  isnt enough, it wasnt meant to be.

Partnership over playing games, always. 

xo tito

Things that sparked joy today

- I took a walk at Cole Park today and walked into a community of tennis players (Cole Park Tennis). Once I improve my skills, ill look into playing with them.

- the drive from my house to Cole Park. Driving across a landscape really helps me clear my thoughts

Summer goals.

 Today felt relaxing. 

I had two dates - one, a friend date in the morning, and the other,  a date date. 

I guess tomorrow’s content can be about how socializing/dating in Dallas, Texas has been, now being about 6 months in.

Anyway, as promised, here are my summer goals:

1. read 10 books [5 fiction + 5 non-fiction]

2. Listen to the german podcast at least twice a week

3. Tennis lessons

4. Grow my hair by consistently routining

5. Capture 12 photos on polaroid

6. Engage in international trade/immigration law 

7. Clean home + set it up

8. Clean eating: drink water daily, scream

9. build my digital brand 

10. Break from social media binging.

Essentially, this summer I want to cut out noise and get back to my core. I will definitely make them measurable in another space, but I wanted to just list them out here. 

Here’s to enjoying and taking time out to do things I enjoy, and being more intentional with my time :)

xo tito

Distant admirations + things that sparked joy:

- the friend date from this morning & learning that there is was a ladies only gym that was popular in nyc at a point in time

- who told you x jhus x drake

- introduction x asake

Spark.

Today begins my 30 day blogging/journaling challenge. Today was a bit uneventful. It's Father's Day (the only parental celebratory date that every country *that I have ties to* agreed on....Mother's day cannot relate at all). 

I have decided on my summer goals (which is fodder for tomorrow's entry, stay tuned). 

 Also, I had a nostalgic ride back home from HTX this morning. Burna Boy's 'L. I. F. E' was at the center of such nostalgia. Even dabbled into some tunes from his tape prior to this debut album. That year in uni, 10+ years ago in my red VW Beetle my june bug . Just jamming to said tunes. Those years, those feels! 

 Even with L.I.F.E, I knew exactly where I was 10 years ago when the album dropped. I even made an instagram post about 'Don't Run' because of how relatable that track was to me at the time. At 21, I felt like I was still trying to figure out where I fully belong (long and short) and the track talked about staying put despite what happened. 

Anyway, fast forward 10 years later, I fully understand the message behind the track a bit more now. Just don't lose yourself, period. Thanks, Damini. 

 Things that sparked joy today: 

 - the nostalgic album listen + 2017 odunsi

 - finished my first summer read 

- took a walk in my neighborhood + met a neighbor (hi, ms lola apparently she had a Haitian neighbor named funmi who taught her how to steam fish. cool) 

- no one has taken my name url www.funmioke.com 

 xo tito