Relocating...

Hey y'all!
It's been one hectic week...I don't even know where to begin.

Anyway, I'm currently in Dubai~ in transit, touring and also visiting friends! I have been asleep for the most part of the day and its 6.30pm now. About to go out and see what the city's about. It's about 42 degrees celsius and humid. Was too tired to move around during the day.

In the meantime, I'm going to be switching blogs "temporarily". The new link is going to be specifically about my work & outside experience in Uganda~ which is where I'm going to be for the next one month- starting from Thursday.

Click on this---> Going out there . You should get redirected to the blog. Please leave ur comments, as you keep me in your prayers (i hope!)
I hope the internet connection lets me update my blog frequently.

Be safe!

Chocolate kisses
xxox...

Weekly Digest

Listening to “Tattoo” by Jordin Sparks, while on the train back to DC from Connecticut. I’ve always loved this song not just because it touches my heart, but because there’s a clear visual of reality in it. Things we experience from day - to - day where we meet people, they influence us, take things from us and vice versa …and then they’re gone. It may hurt, it may bruise, or for others, it may feel good. Whichever way you want to look at it, there’s an effect.

The general idea behind this song is taken from a script where she falls in love with a dude, he screws up and the relationship ends…and now she finally realizes that it’s time to move on and enjoy every minute of life. Cool.

That’s what I always took away from the song although, I’ve never really been hurt 

by love per se.

*Just got to New York. Share the wonderful view of the sunset with me*

As the song came up on my iPod along with the impulse to write, the only memories that came to me were of my brother and how through him, I’m encouraged to live on like every moment is my last. I spent a good amount of this weekend reflecting as I spoke to people who I hadn’t seen in a couple of years, and every one of them asked how I was fairing without my brother. Honestly, I choked every time the question came up. It hurt; the void still remains.

Shortly after, I compose myself and I realize that although I feel the gaping hole  deep within, he is still very much a part of me. This past weekend I realized that I’m not only living for myself, but for him as well.

*New Jersey*

 Moments when I give up on myself, thoughts of him get me going again. I can’t be selfish. I, personally, don’t consider myself a selfish person, but I do realize that I cannot decide to sit and commiserate because he is not here to witness my accomplishments, my downs, or even party with me(yes! We were the party buddies!). I will not deny the fact that I get discouraged to make future plans or dare to dream ever so often, simply because I’m reminded of how he had dreams and well, here we are today… they remain unfulfilled. Is that enough of a reason not to live? Not to dream? NO, it isn’t.  That appears more like creating a façade, and letting your fears take over. My faith does not permit that I let fear rule me. If I were to let that be, then that which I call faith would be futile.

That being said, I encourage you all to live, let live, and live on. Let your zest for life not quench because you do not get what you want (or THINK you NEED), your friendship/relationship falls apart, you lose your job, or even because you lose a loved one.  Get rid of those boundaries which you’ve (un)consciously set upon yourself. That “look” that you think you can’t dare to try? Go ahead and PULL IT OFF! I promise it won’t hurt. * I know this because I have been trying this out all summer* …  Look around you, and you will see that someone is far worse than you are so make use and appreciate the little blessings you receive every SINGLE day. The gift of life is precious…don’t take it for granted. When God sees that you’re appreciative of those, He is sure to entrust you with bigger things. Leave it all to Him. One thing I am reminded of every day is that for everything that happens, there is a reason. We 

may not always understand why, but it all comes together for good.

Have a beautiful week and don’t forget to LIVE & LOVE…and SMILE while you’re at it!

Chocolate Kisses

xxox...

#Song4dWeekEND

Here's this weekend's song...


"Give Me Everything"- Pitbull feat. Neyo, Afrojack & Nayer.

"can't promise tomorrow... but I can promise tonight!"

Better grab everything tonight!! Have a safe weekend people!

Chocolate Kisses
xxox...

Rants on Rants on Rants

View from the top

Hello my fellow readers and bloggers!
It's been a minute since I was here...excuse my desire to LIVE, my realization that time is against me, and a hint of laziness on that!
Hope things have been good for y'all because for me..."grateful" is the only way I can describe how I feel right now. Have you ever sat and looked around you and realized how much you've got in the form of family, friends and basic necessities to stay alive? If you haven't, I suggest you do that right now and say a quick THANK YOU to God. Yes, there are sooo many more things we want/need but we haven't died without 'em so here's my advice... Live on!

My Miami trip was much-needed! Arrived Friday night - didn't get to the hotel till around 9pm due to several delays. Didn't get much any sleep on board merely because of the convo that was going on between the people seated next to me. Anyway....the fun started once I landed. Met the rest of the crew and might I add it was fun seeing familiar faces once again.

We went out to 2 different spots. The dancing was crazy..infact, the night as a whole was EPIC! I don’t know if it was because we were all excited about seeing each other, or because we were in Miami, or perhaps… the "shepe" (i.e "alcohol") in the system. All I know is everybody had a BLAST!
Got back at like 5AM and went straight into writing my paper for my class. * I had intentions of finishing that b4 leaving DC but for some reason, I kept having to correct this or that.* And Miami people party till the morning! It’s crazy!

About to paint the city RED!!

C'est moi

Haven't seen Alex since '97! :-)

Ladies

Partner in crime!

Calling it a night

(P.S. Couldn't put up a lot of pics ---> "What happens in Miami stays in Miami!")

Waking up Saturday was not  a hassle at all… of course my mind was on the beach so I quickly changed into my bikini and headed out. Unfortunately, Abi & Silver had to head back to their zones… L  The rest of us ladies decided to go parasailing… Man oh man… that was an experience. 

Off we go!

Here’s a video ( I hope it works--- the wind was "swallowing" my voice)

!!! FUN!!!

We decided to meet up with the guys at a restaurant (can’t rmmbr the name)… All I know is it was bbq-oriented. Got talking with everyone and honestly, I was tired, but no way was I going to sleep. For what?! Meanwhile, Jerry proposed to me the night before (on his knees!) so yeah everyone was asking about the rock on my finger…. Even the waitress! Gotta love it! lol

Checkin' out the bling!

Kels and I

Dinner is served!

The initial plan for the night was to go out again but a lot of the guys weren’t down bcuz they had early flights to catch in the morning so we just bought drinks and chilled… Us ladies went for a late night swim.

Jerry (my hubby) & I

No comment!

Sunday- headed over to Joey’s place since I wasn’t leaving till Mon morning. We went out for lunch and Lord knows I stuffed myself.  Idk where the day went to but before I knew it, it was 9pm and we were all gisting in the living room, eating suya (made by Joey) and watching BET awards. That suya was on point I have to admit!

Caught my flight at 9.30am—arrived back in DC @ noon---- straight to work!

Man, sitting at my desk, I felt like I just woke up from a trance. As if everything that happened over the weekend was a dream.

So much has happened between then and now.

The plan was to go to New Orleans for the Essence Music Festival but I couldn’t plan in time so  I ended up staying here in DC. Abi came into town so of course you know we had a blast. The more I think about it, it seems apparent that we’ve succeeded in making up for all the lost years between us since I last saw her in 1996. THAT is a long time man. Moving to the East Coast def came with perks and this is one of the best ones.  Going out, chilling, BBQ, eating… what didn’t we get into??? She ended up staying for about a week (yes, as much as you may not believe, some people find it hard leaving me) .. Took her to work with me- definitely a productive day!  #confession: I miss her!

MEANWHILE, I got pulled over by the cops FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE!

I always said if I did, I’d just tell the officer to arrest me because I don’t want wahala. Try to explain yourself, next thing you know they're holding you in contempt. I no want.

According to him, I stopped on the crosswalk so people had to walk on the street in order to cross the road. Clearly, my guy just wanted to holla at 2 ladies in a car dancing to WizKid on a beautiful Thursday afternoon. He asked for all those documents… asked this, asked that.. and then gave me a warning. In his words, “I’ma give you a verbal warning this time round, but next time... aint nobody gonna give you a lecture. That’s a $250 fine right there.”….My response “Yes sir.”… #Endofdiscussion

Perhaps it’s because I was wearing a short skirt and he was a black cop… I don’t know… LOL! I’m just saying. These things happen. LMAO!

Ok let me stop there.

 School’s still going on amidst all these events! My Stats class ends next week and Lord knows I am more than ready to get over with that class. Got an A in my other class so whoop whoop!! Thank God and thanks to those that prayed for me. I think I need more prayers for my Stats exam.  *shivers at the thought of it*

Have a fabulous weekend!

Chocolate kisses

xxox...

#Song4dWeekEND

Checklist:

• Sunscreen- ✓
• Bikini - ✓
• Sunglasses- ✓
• Clothes - ✓
• Ticket + Boarding Pass - ✓

......................................I'm off to Miami!!!!!! 

Chocolate Kisses

xxox...

Ordinary People with No Ordinary Love!

...With John Legend!

Hey!

Hope everyone's week has been fulfilling. Mine has, to say the least. I've been on a roll since I got about 4 hours of sleep on Monday night  and well...Yes, I'm tired but well.. it's what it is. 

Wednesday evening - Sade and John Legend performed and I got to go see them live. Went with Estee and I must say I enjoyed every bit of it. 

Estee & I

John Legend serenaded with his tunes and had me wanting a man that can play the piano and sing like him! ~ Best believe we'd be having a lot of babies! 

Back-up singers..

                        *look @ those shoes!!

Too cute!!

**** I tried to upload the video of him singing "Ordinary People"..(One of my FAVORITE songs) but for some reason I kept getting an error message. Guess I'll just keep it to myself then! Tsk Tsk! ****

After about 45 minutes, the main performer- Sade Adu - stepped on stage and man oh man she killed it!!! At 52, I must say she can still get it if she wants! 

Her voice is still as pure and soulful as ever! She had grown men getting all emotional and stuff in the crowd. It was definitely a sight to see..

                    

p.s Sorry you have to tilt your neck. 

After crooning hits from her new album "Soldier of Love", which by the way I think is quite awesome (as all her other albums)... she took us way back to "Is it a crime"--> "Love is stronger than pride"-->"by your side" & "No Ordinary love" ...and ended it with "Sweetest Taboo." I was just smiling from beginning to end ... Words fail me. 

Here are a few more pics:

Sing it!!

Dancing like the true African she is...

My fave picture!!

With the band

"AWESMAZING" (Awesome + Amazing for those who don't know) performance in my own opinion.  #thatisall

If you do get a chance to see her perform, please go! You won't regret it that I know for sure! (and of course if John Legend is performing too WHY NOT?!) 

It's Friday now--- 1.27am. Still have a paper to write. Smh!

Chocolate Kisses

xxox...

Daddy's Little Girl!

"Anyone can be a father but not every one can be a dad."

In his element...

I remember late 2007, I was fortunate enough to be in Nigeria to celebrate my parents 30th wedding anniversary. I came across a bookmark at Heathrow airport earlier that year that had the line quoted above on it and it definitely got me thinking. My relationship with my father has been what I'd like to call "special." Growing up, we never really connected- He was always traveling and well, I spent the most part of my life in boarding school, so there was never really any chance to bond. I remember being scared of him just because he had that military background. Every time I asked for something, he'd yell. Not because it was his intention, but that's just how he was. I think that "male ego" had a role to play as well. As you can imagine, I never really asked for stuff. I'd call my mom in London, while he's sitting right there beside me, and ask her to tell him to give me some money. Yeah! It was that deep. Things began to change as all of us grew older. I think it's one of those inevitable things that happen where we are faced with the reality that we're all we've got.
I spent about 3 months with my dad that same year, and I must say that was the longest we'd ever spent together since I was 5. It was good. We learned more about each other- he began to understand me as 'the only girl' and was curious about what my future plans were. We laughed more times than expected. It was the beginning of better things to come.
Late 2008, my brother passed away. My dad's shell cracked and he became someone I did not recognize for a while. It's amazing what death can do to someone. My dad changed, I changed... It was a period of evolution, as I'd like to call it. While he began to realize how much he did NOT know about my brother, I began to realize how much I did not know about him. My brother's death broke every one of us in the family. There are no words to describe the entire episode...I don't think there'll ever be perfect words. What I know is, it was also a period of rebirth. My dad began to take time to understand us, to listen, and to care. Mind you, that is not to say he never cared before. This ...This was just DIFFERENT!
The bottom line is I watched this man turn into a dad...a REAL dad. The amount of pride I have just because he is my father is insurmountable. The numerous ways in which he continues to make sacrifices for me leave me overwhelmed. It's not easy! Despite there being no guarantee of what the future holds, or him being able to provide for me, he still encourages me to dream... and DREAM BIG!

I wish there were more words to express how much I love this man.  

My #1 dad

*************************************************************************************

And to my brothers too... They played a role in raising me and moulding me into who I am today, especially knowing how to watch out for those NONSENSE men out there. Lol! For real though, I applaud them. 

My men!

So here's wishing a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the REAL men out there who continue to make sacrifices and fulfill their roles as fathers, brothers, uncles...etc. And to the mothers who played that "father" role to their children. GOD BLESS YOU ALL!! You are indeed appreciated.

Have a GREAT week!!

Chocolate Kisses

xxox...

Doctor Who?

Yes Yes Y'all!
As I type this, 3 wonderful people have been added to the "league of extraordinary doctors" on planet earth! Yup! Medical degrees in hand from the University of Debrecen Medical & Health Science Center in Hungary. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I started off in Med School but dropped out... these ladies came a year after I'd started - in 2004- and after all the 'TDB' and frustration that came along with studying in a foreign country as such, they're done! CONFIRMED!!
Feels like it was only yesterday we were throwing house parties at my apartment... asking questions like 'How do you say "how much" in Hungarian?" ...... "You guys who is going to Budapest next weekend? I want KFC."..... "Have you finished studying minimals?"...etc.
These are a few pics of us from back then...i.e. between 2004-2006/7:

Sigh! I'm grateful to God for these wonderful people and the memories we were able to share.

Here they are today:

Dr. Hyelhirra Adamu

Dr. Nana Umar-Sadiq

Dr. Salamatu Yisa-Doko

Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful!!!!!!

(Wish I could be there to celebrate with you all)

I'm so proud of you guys and I know that wherever you go henceforth- you will shine! The world isn't ready for you yet....

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!

Chocolate Kisses

xxox...