this week.

written on 08/04.

It's that time of the month, so we are just maintaining. 

Despite such, I successfully stretched and/or worked out each day, drank 1 gallon of water each day, updated my self-titled website, and finished a book from my reading list for the summer. 

another productive week in the books 

Here's a quote from Bill Gates that I heard from one of his speaking engagements earlier in the summer. It has been a great source of motivation for me when it comes to engaging/deep diving into my areas of interests this quarter: 

"Whatever you're good at and you love doing, educate yourself deeply and make a contribution in that space and the path to impact would reveal itself."

                                                                - Bill Gates 

xo, f.o. 

Joy Sparkers 
the firm's women's group lunch on Wednesday had thai food!
my new record player + getting outkast's first record 

The Great Week.

It's the last full week in July. 

I joined the gym, my self-titled website is live, solidified my travel plans for the winter season, volunteered at my local legal clinic, thoroughly cleaned my house (pending), got signed retainers for two clients in my immigration law practice, finished 2 books on my summer reading list (pending), and handled a few admin tasks (taxes, bar admission renewal). 

productivity on colos. 

The sweetest aspect of this week though is not the above-mentioned engagements. 

I'd rather give an astounding applause to the artists that dropped new music this week:

Jae 5 x BNXN

Kizz Daniel 

Adekunle Gold 

Burna Boy 

Happy weekend, friends. 

xo, f.o. 

Interesting Articles I've Read.

i am keeping track of the interesting articles i've read. link here. 

xo, f.o. 

Burna’s Boy.

 This will be a recap on my weekend (read: week, thanks to the dallas heat im running away from) in new york city.

I attended Burna Boy’s show at Citi Field. This was my first “Love, Damini” show (I was forced to sit last years out due to the bar exam and I missed this year's Dallas show due to substance chocolate), and it did not disappoint. It was even better given the crowd (read: my section was lit). This wasn’t my most memorable trip to the city though, and it really got me realizing that no matter how much I try to deny it or do things to show otherwise, I really am getting older. 

My responsibilities that precluded my ability to fully “vibe out” on this trip (read: ride a bike on a whim through a park, just sit and watch people in said park, get lost in the city, be aimless and do aimless things) reminded me of this.

My friends also not having said time reminded me of this. 

Said limited time along with my overestimating how much energy I would have after a work day also served as a painful reminder. 

All of this was compounded by my general lack of interest in engaging in said exploration, given my current focus on work. I hate to admit this, especially given how I am not the “career woman” type, but I have also learned that multitasking multiple big tasks (i.e. - traveling and working) is not the most effective nor productive use of time, especially with the start of a new job. I am thus putting myself on a travel hiatus, pausing all non-essential travel till December. It’s a sacrifice I have to make to really be present at my job, and at this point, it’s a sacrifice worth making (read: im about to be bored af, but iiwii).

The next few points I have to make are just general observations from the last week/ during my trip:

1.) I'm getting finer. maybe to do with not being in Dallas weather or to do with my previous cleanse but enjoying it nonetheless.

2.)  I literally cannot operate outside of God’s guidance. I pray I consistently seek this in all my engagements. This past week has taught me the importance of this.

3.) I officially ended things with someone that felt special at a point in time. It hurts now, but I'll laugh later. 

4.) Taking things one day at a time is a blessing. 

xo f.o.

Maame’s flatmates

 Here’s a review of the first fiction book I finished for the summer, Maame x Jessica George + other stories: 

(n.B/ please don’t expect a review from every book I finish. As the spirit leads.)

‘Maame’ was a nice read. The protagonist really dealt with both internal and external struggles, all leading up to the passing of her father. My only criticism is the seemingly random insert of Maame inheriting 50,000 p’s from her dad at the very end. I wish the author would let her remain “normal”, and not necessarily have her come into wealth. I get why though (to show that all her hard work was not all for nothing, and equally, that her mother and brother’s nonchalance yielded consequence). I nevertheless would have wanted the focus of the protagonist’s growth to be purely emotional. 

That aside, one of her encounters with her flatmates got me thinking about my own prior experiences with flatmates. My most memorable flatmate was my Spanish flatmate from Catalonia, whom I shared a flat with while studying in the UK. Upon entering the new year, 2015, she told me a new year's tradition from her culture was to put as much grapes in your mouth. I will share its significance below (once I research it because I forgot). I will never forget her nor those moments. We ran along the Birmingham canal together, ate together, went shopping together, and most importantly, laughed together. Here’s to people that I’ll probably never forget - because of their kindness & the memories shared.

xo tito

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.