It’s only ACNE…..So WHAT??!

For those of us who have been visited by Acne before and after puberty you will have to agree with me that it sucks to have acne/ break out/ pimple depending on what you really think you have or see on your face (Perception matters) hehehe. We hate to have another episode of acne all over our face. I find myself warning my sister to stop poking at her acne and then she would remind me of my College days when I had all of my face covered with acne that people could hardly notice my not-so-white teeth whenever I smiled.

My face looks like this now (Just try to imagine my face without the facial mask) and I have started getting all kinds of paranoid because I would hate to have acne all over my face AGAIN. I know it’s just ACNE (goodness me) and it isn’t that deep. Well, it is that deep because it makes one feel less confident about oneself. Especially these days that our outward appearance matters so much, no one wants to be having them acne all over their face. LOL

I have been trying so hard not to blame the reason of my acne on my visit to Israel.. (There will be another post about the beauty that is Israel) Because they are too busy preparing for their elections in March and no one would even think that been beautiful should really matter right now…REALLY! While this is true, I would like to say that I didn’t drink too much water to stay hydrated when I visited only less than 3 weeks ago. And you know what happens during winter? Your skin stays dry and dehydrated if you do not drink plenty of water or any fluids for that matter. I feared drinking water from the faucet even though I was advised to because it is safe. Knowing that the word ‘safe’ is relative, I swear I still had some doubts knowing that my system wouldn’t be so much in a happy place if I went back home. What about bottled water? At least they sold those right? Of course! They had mineral water, carbonated water, natural water et al. If you are from Nigeria, you know too well that drinking either a Sachet, borehole or bottle water was the purest form of drinking water. So, that left me no choice than to drink some of the water from the faucet.

The good news, is that I purchased these three items from the souvenir shop at the Dead Sea and was told that they could last me a period of 9 months. It remains to be seen if  they would perform the miracle of making my acne disappear soon enough.

 

 

 

P.S Ignore the bad lightning I am yet to be a pro at taking pictures with a cell phone, I need a major intervention....Has anyone tried using any facial masks before? Please share your thoughts.

 

Love, Laugh and Laughter...

 

If I were To Rename Nigeria, I Would Like To Call Her Paranoia

A lot of us by now may have seen the new N100 notes that just got circulated this past Friday. What do you guys think of it? Personally, I think it’s the prettiest of all the naira notes we have as of now. May be the Federal Government and the Central Bank may have plans for the other denominations but that I doubt very much. I do know that the N100 was only printed in celebration of  the centenary. I make bold to say that these new bills could pass for an euro bill or a pound note. (You could argue in your bed).

 Amid all the excitements, I tell you some are seated in one corner getting all paraoid about how long this is going to stay before another note resurfaces. Are you kidding me? Why don’t we at least enjoy now and worry later

Today, I paid someone for the services they rendered, but of course from the new N100 bills and  tonight, she called to tell me that she went to the market and was refused to buy food. That the people she tried buying food from told her that the money isnt from Nigeria. At first I thought she exaggerated the gist a little, but then I found out that she was telling the truth. She was illiterate, and so were the people at the market. When I paid her for the services she had rendered me in the morning, was she blind to not have noticed what money was given to her? The currency says Central Bank of Nigeria. Shouldn’t they have known by now how to spell NIGERIA? I would be happy spending new notes, or for the sake of getting people's attention to make them ask for change from me. Don’t you guys think?

Everyone in this country is either paranoid about who is winining next year’s election, or whether their neighbor has been sent from their village to witch- haunt them. We get very worried over the littliest things and this bothers me.

 

Apologies for a TARDY POST

I decided to write today for a variety of reasons. because it has been exactly two months I last blogged. Not really, more importantly, I had to hold myself accountable; who leaves their work undone? Errm, not me! I had told myself that tonight I must right all the wrongs I did to myself and to YOU guys.  I would like to specially thank some of you friends that have become family for asking  continuously what might have gone wrong with my blog post. For all I know, nothing will EVER go wrong again. I promise to bring you guys more and more laughter, and as always, your comments are very much welcomed.

Sincere apologies for having gone MIA.

Thank you MUCHOS..

What My YORUBA Friend Taught Me About Eating Etiquette

Apparently, I have been self opinionated and pompous to have believed that once I make an utterance of being full- after eating that it is, a drum will be rolled out in my honor. I lied.

As you may already know, I love to eat akara at least 3 days /week (and now please do not ask me what I eat them with) lol. So after eating, I said “oh I am full” hoping that what would follow my statement would be something in the lines of Thank God, you wouldn’t have to whine or fuss about not eating breakfast since you already had a huge meal. I was again wrong! What followed instead was the opposite. My colleague goes ‘Hey you don’t say something like that, IMAGINE! You have already said that like three times already’. He continues to say that in his tribe, what I said would automatically be misconstrued as a proud statement. Instead you say, Thank God for provision. I know that most culture in Nigeria like to attribute everything to God or god, (sometimes they put all two in the same pack), and like me, always operate a faith-based life, and hence always believe that God comes down literally to tend to our daily needs. I must say that while I know that is the case for many households in Nigeria, there are individuals or even families who also think otherwise. What do I know?

P.s For those with a different opinion, please share your thoughts I'm listening.

 

Xo.

Yayyy! I am VICTORIA’s Role Model

I have been the one to look up to people… This I have been doing since I realized I was growing mangoes on my chest. I had thought it was a wonderful experience or one of those bragging rights of any woman to be able to say they look up to someone because of reason A or B.

The job market in Nigeria has made me cry blood if ever I was to get away with any of my exaggerations…Little did I know that today, would be my happiest day. And oh, by the way, if any of you still know about that Facebook nomination the one that people get to be nominated by friends to say what they are grateful for, please tag me.

It happened that a teenage girl (who I think just got her periods today, not sure why I feel this way about her though. lol) and her mom came by my office today. Actually, this happens to be her second visit, and we discussed about a variety of things INCLUDING life (Not like I know where I’m headed myself, but I could have swore that I gave her a honest opinion about where her life should be headed in some five, six years down the lane. Anyways, before they could stand back to their feet, her mom just said “its no surprise my daughter looks up to you”. I asked her what she really meant, but she gave me that eye look smiling and said nothing.  And it’s not like I’ve seen them before other than the first consultation last week, which I am sure didn’t last no more than 30 minutes. Then again, I was excited, I was giddy at the thought of it, that this mother made this open confession, and here am I thinking that the only person that could possibly be looking up to me should be my daughter. After all, in my right, I birthed her, I have sworn to lead by example, and she will have no choice than to do my bidding. The statement made me realize that I had to be grateful for the little things. I didn’t have to have a big job, hold a political office, or have had 4 or 5 children, or remained married(as some people still think these are the only standards to qualify one as a role model in our society) but right HERE is a girl- a single mother, one who holds a job that is nothing compared to her equals. Oh! It’s such great news to my soul and I pray that God blesses Victoria and her mama.

The Ninth Month and Its Implications

My guess is that by now, as in being in the ninth month many of you would have achieved that year long plan of getting a good job, getting engaged, married, birthing your kids, either in this order, or vice versa. No kidding! Then again, it’s September, and we are only three months away from the end of 2014 which begs the question as to whether our set goals have been attained or not. There may be those who have no goals to begin with, but have since January been going head on with every other month like it’s their making. I do not want to judge anyone you know why? Not like I’m fully in either camp, but just that sometimes I can’t even find where I belong. I experience the guilty pangs of not confronting a deadline head on, and  not fully committed at them. I hope that the purpose of today’s post is to encourage you guys as with myself that for the fact that things may not be panning out as we had hoped, we can still stay focused, and encouraged that  our rewarding days lay ahead.

Hold on! Hold out!!

Ladies, Do You Apply Lotion to Your Tits, Tummy and Thighs?

 

I have asked three people though as is not enough evidence that this may be a good or a bad idea. I am helpless as well as clueless that I have come asking you guys to please tell me who came up with this.  Well, I also have researched this many times over, and there seems to be not even one correlation between loose skins/ stretch marks and body lotions.

I love me, and I am unashamedly going to show you a picture of my "after-bath routine"; I love to caress those breasts when applying lotion. I like to do that myself again another reason I enjoy applying lotion in the mornings and at nights. My mom got me scared as hell when she told me that applying lotion on my breasts, tummy and thighs could potentially make them lose their elasticity. Ela- what? I ain't finna let that happen (In my Alabaman voice). I cannot imagine them losing their elasticity, which pushed me to the internet to find answers. Oh, and by the way, I didn’t tell ya that you can be privy to information online, and on various subjects too....Hmm, ever heard of the saying that goes thus “Yanga dey sleep, trouble go wake am.?  I was of course looking for lasting solutions to the damage I may have caused my skin from everyday lotion application when I stumbled upon this one that puts everything into perspective. “Stretch marks cannot be virtually removed fully without surgical procedures.. and you shouldn’t even think of spending tens of thousands of dollars for a tummy tuck because weight gain might cause newer ones to resurface. This right here is one cold hard truth. What I thought I have been doing since was to rid the lines formed in my dermis and the only way I thought I could possibly be doing so was by applying lotion to make my skin firmer or tighter if you will.

In essence, there was no one article on why you shouldn’t lotion caress your tits, tummy or even thighs when you are applying your lotion  as newer marks might appear whether from a dermis  which is by virtue of being pregnant (and odds, are you will get them too especially by genetics) or by weight gain. You might just want to check in with your dermatologist to be sure of the properties/content of your lotion, as a preventive method against skin cancer. I could even sense that some of you rub your tummy in a circular motion while saying those silent prayers hoping to show off a baby bump soon. I know right.. That in itself is not wrong. Please if that makes you tick, please go for it, while I keep at mine too. Lol

Have a fantastic Friday!

Photo Credit : wikihow/images