9 Ridiculous Myths About Single Christian Women

We all say “never judge a book by its cover”, but basically we still do. You see that young girl, all made up and looking expensive, cruising in a G-wagon, and you ‘just know’ she’s a ‘Runs’ girl. Maybe sometimes you’re right, but it still holds no justification for wrongly assessing another person.

“Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly”- John 7:24(NLT)

There are a bunch of myths about Christian women too. It’s like everyday sees a new generalization being formed. Usually some are just too ridiculous while others are downright laughable. I asked around with some of my friends and the following are what we came up with. Shout-out to 3 beautiful women- Ayodeji, Tolu, Tola, and Bisola who came through on this.

HELLO NO. 11! Check Out These Amazing Facts About November

It's the 11th month, people! I'm curious about how your Month 1-10 went; wanna share? I know mine was kinda eventful. Whatever the case though, it's worth appreciating the fact that you're still here. You know, every second you spend with breath in you is another chance to be the YOU you've always wanted to be; to achieve those dreams; to fulfill purpose! So, i'm not just wishing you Happy New Month, i'm charging you to be the best you can be this November...

Here are some cool facts about the month of November. To be honest, some really cracked me up. See if you'll feel that way after reading:

Tife's Lucky Day... or Not?

"Heeeeeee!" Bennie screamed.

"Village girl. Remind me again, why do I hang out with you?"

"Lemme joor. You will not spoil my joy. Hei!" she exclaimed again, all giggles and weird faces. She kept turning the piece of paper back and forth in her right hand. She was looking at it funny, as if it would disappear the next minute.

"This has got to be like the party of the year" Bennie breathed, "abi, can't you see? Even the ticket no be here. The quality alone's got me swooning, baby girl..."

"I wonder what you'll do when you see all the celebrities at the event", Tife said to her 'bush' friend.

"ooohhhh" Bennie whistled, fanning herself with the ticket and turning her eyes dramatically as though she was about to faint.

Practical Tips on Dealing with Difficult Parents

This has been such a looooong time coming! Apologies for my disappearing act, biko. I did a POST on dealing with difficult parents, but it was basically a rant. I was boiling on that particular day, and just needed to vent. Since I'm not so down with the idea of smashing stuff against the wall or screaming off my lungs, writing was it {My friend actually suggested I do a post when I almost ranted his ears off ;) }. But I realize that many young people have to deal with difficult parents, and it would help to know one or two things to do in such situations. I compiled these with the help of a friend, so it's like a compilation of our personal observations. It's definitely not exhaustive.

Dealing with difficult parents can be a bummer, and it's often a case of different strokes for different folks. From excessive nagging, to outright physical and emotional abuse, no form of conflict with parents is palatable.

You Might Like>>> Musings on Hard-work and Perseverance

If you're currently having these issues, here are a few tips you'll want to remember:

9 Amazing Things You Never Knew About September the 9th Month

Happy new month, guys! May September usher in pleasant surprises for everyone, and may we all find cause to smile, even in these difficult times.

I’ve always believed September is a very special month. When I was little, I used to love the feeling of moving into a new class in September. Weirdly also, I strongly believe that the month is female. I'm sure you're dying to know how I came about that theory. Yea?

No long story. Check out these facts and tell me if you actually KNEW…

YES! It's finally here! The Solution to All Your Writing Needs... INKBEET

For a while now, I've been uploading teasers on my social media pages. Something along the lines of #AllergicToError #Inkbeet etc. etc. Now it's out! The answer to all your writing and content needs! 

I saw somewhere that if you're good at something, you should not do it for free. And this is what I'm good at. What's more? I love doing it. Even if I know some people who would rather I shut up than correct every misplaced comma or colon... Hehehe

Enough story...

Please patronize o!!! *wink*

DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PARENTS

P.S. This is kinda like a personal rant. You might be able to relate with it but I doubt if your situation is EXACTLY the same. So, please excuse it if it doesn't meet your need head-on. I just needed to vent...

How do you deal?!

Seriously? How do you deal with parents who are just 'un-dealable'? How do you deal with a father who wakes your mum up in the middle of the night and tells her to go find you another dad; tells her you're no longer his child? How do you wrap it around your head that just that night, there had been nothing wrong and he had spoken with you just as a father would, his daughter? What could have happened between 8pm and 3am when you didn't even see each other within that period? 

HAPPY NEW MONTH! 6 Interesting Things You Didn't Know About August...

It's not too late, is it? 

It's only the 2nd of August so I guess not... Happy New Month efflybody! Yes, I pray you every blessing in the universe in this new month, but much more than that, I hope you really LIVE every moment- the good & the not so good. I think we focus too much on the good times and forget to reflect on the 'not-so-good'... story for another day

ALSO READ>>> Between a Yong Boy & My Cake

Here are 5 things you didn't know about this new month:

10 Sad Facts about Human Trafficking. What Can You Do?

I'm guessing we've gone past the point of trying to prove that human trafficking is modern-day slavery in its most cruel form...

In case you're still stuck in this phase, just imagine yourself. Imagine yourself, or your sister, or brother, or partner. Imagine going to bed, and being dragged off suddenly in the middle of the night. Next thing you know, you're stripped of all support: no money, no contact with folks, nothing! in a strange environment. You're forced to do unimaginable things to keep alive. Your self-worth is torn to shreds; your trust, violated and you can't even protest... because your 'boss' has not only caged you physically, but emotionally and psychologically!

International Day of Friendship; What does Friendship Mean to You?

These days, friendship is not a simple thing anymore. Maybe once upon a time, you could have just said it's that relationship that two (or more) friends enjoy. Where each person looks out for the wellbeing of the other and help to grow one another.... Where feelings are pure such that even when there are misunderstandings, the next thing is to sort things out for the sake of the friendship. No backbiting or frontpunching, no maliciousness, or envy, or jealousy...

Y.I.M.U

The Importance of Hard Work: Life Lessons from Two 'Okada' men...

You know the surest thing to get me skeptical about any offer? F.R.E.E!!! That word carry weight abeg. Usually, 'free' stuff have an attachment. Be not deceived, my country pipu, Awoof dey run belle! You really have to give something to get something...

The other day I was gonna get a bike from the bus-stop to my house. Approaching the park, I was already grumbling to myself "All these okada men will come now and start dragging somebody 'Aunty come nah, where you dey go? see my bike here o' ". 

I sighted this dude signalling me to come with his hand. I was headed towards him when, gbam! another okada man pulled out and rode his bike to park right in front of me! Issorait. My own is to enter bike and go home.

MONDAY MUSING: 4 Life Lessons from Muhammad Ali

Since Friday, it's been trending. The great Muhammad Ali is no more. He's being celebrated as a great sportsman who made his mark on not just the boxing ring, but the entire world. Here was a man who I barely knew. Yes, I knew the name 'Muhammad Ali', I knew the famous 'Float like a butterfly; sting like a bee', and I even saw movies (and cartoons) that were produced based on his story. But for most of the years when Ali was in action, I wasn't even born. And yet, here I am, gleaning life lessons from him.   

1. Your mouth was meant for much more than eating.

"I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was" - Muhammad Ali

No doubt, Ali was a man of words. Asides boxing, he was also known as a great orator with many quotes attributed to him. With his own mouth, he clearly defined his destiny. He didn't wait to see the titles and accolades before saying he was the greatest. Even the Bible says "The word is nigh thy mouth. Speak it". Call it bragging, or say he overdid it, but the man did what so many of us never feel bold enough to do. He took charge of his own destiny and started with what he had: His voice.

Dealing with Disagreements in a Relationship

Disclaimer: Although “relationship” here refers primarily to romantic ones, the points raised could be very well applied to ANY kind of relationship.

Disagreements are normal. That is why it’s pretty unrealistic to say you want to AVOID them. You can work on not having too many of them, but you won’t be able to avoid them TOTALLY {except maybe you guys are angels, I dunno}. So why not equip yourself with the right ways to deal with them?

Everyone has disagreeements. EVERYONE! but personally, I think they appear larger and hurt more when we're in it with somebody we love, especially when we feel that we've been hurt by that person. It's usually a nasty place to be, no matter how short the stay. I read somewhere that some couples take the FIGHT, FLIGHT or FREEZE route. What do these mean?

Alma Mater Chronicles: What Happens When You Go Back?

Back to the Alma Mater. No, not University of Lagos. Reagan Memorial Baptist Girls' Secondary School {R.M.B.G.S.S}, and yes, I reaaaaaally do have to write it in full. Write 'Reagan Baptist Secondary School' or 'Reagan Girls' School' or any other thing, and you're not talking about the wonderful school I attended. Nope!

Now that that's been settled, let's talk about the lessons. Of course, I didn't go there to sit in a class or anything but you know what they say about the School of Life- you never graduate. I was at Reagan with Longtime Bae, AY, and couldn't help picking up these:

Picking an Outfit for Your Next Owambe {Lagos Party}

Image:Google

Am I the only 'Lagos girl' who does not like Owambes? No hating, but my ideal party is not more than 10 friends hanging out somewhere relaxed with as little noise and as much real talk as possible. The 'typical' Lagos Party - Baddest #AsoEbiBella game, Makeup #onfleek, plenty noise and dance- is not really my thing. 

The few I attend, I only end up getting tired too quickly. I usually can't wait to be back home. Of course it helps when I can latch on to a friend as gist partner, but then that one-on-one thing is not easy at these kinds of parties.

Tife's Tuesday At The Panel

E ma de gbami ke! Has it come to this? Was she really an emergency case now?

She looked around the room again. This must be about the third time that her eyes had gone 90 degrees at the 'human beings' seated before her. She refused to call them her family, but then she still loved them enough not to call them Aliens. Haba! Even Aunty Bee! The Traitor!

"Boluwatife, don't you have anything to say?"

Talk of the devil... and she speaks!

Inside her head where nobody could see, Tife rolled her eyes a million times. She wasn't bold enough to do it for real and risk World War 4. All the noise about Yoruba demons here and there, and people thinking it's about men that break ladies' hearts. Crap.

Elders! Those were the REAL Yoruba demons. These ones sitting before her would not beat her {she wasn't too sure about slap sha} but they could send her to an untimely grave with their eyes and their words. So she really needed to be careful. Not just careful but EXTREMELY wise. She needed to sift her thoughts and weigh her words before they flew out.

Monday Musing: Was your Weekend as HOT as Mine?

It just crossed my mind, How many people start a Monday post with "Yay! It's Monday!"? lol. This is even my first time of doing a Monday post. I'm not really feeling chirpy and all, but I just thought to stop by with a few words.

First, I hope you had a lovely weekend? Most of us never do, at least that's what we always say... Weekends are made in China; they never last! {no be me talk am o!}. 

This past weekend for me was pretty okay. I actually spent most of it resting. No hanging-outs at all; just some lounging around in my bed, with my laptop {movies, of course!}. My naughty bae, Dami came by on both days so it was not all boring or anything. 

My Adventure with Snapchat Lenses!

WARNING: This is mostly a goof-around post. If you're in a 'serious' mood, just ignore the rest abeg... *in jenifa's voice* Thanks you!

Do I still need to explain what Snapchat is? Just to fulfill all righteousness though, Snapchat is an App that allows you tell stories and express yourself using interesting pictures or short videos. You could make a single snap or video or have a couple of videos made into a story. You can even choose to send to a particular contact or make your story public.

When I first found out about Snapchat, I thought it was so not user-friendly. I still think so o! because it took quite a while for me to get the hang of it {not that am totally a Pro at it now or anything...}. I discovered the lenses kinda like a week or so ago, and like it is with every new toy a child gets, so it is with me and snapchat lenses. So I've been playing around a lot with them... They make your snaps so much interesting...and sometimes scary. lol. Check out some of what I've been messing around with...

Feel Carine's pain at being Breast Ironed...

Image: Google

I did a PIECE on Breast Ironing a few days back. When my good friend, Tolu also captured the issue in a short story, I couldn't resist the urge to share. I still think breast ironing is cruel and does not make sense at all. How much does  it reduce immorality or the incidences of teenage pregnancy or rape?

Abeg, Who Breast Ironing Epp?

Read Carine's story:

5 Things You Should Know About Breast Ironing... Yes, I went through it too

Image: Google

Yes, you heard right. It's called Breast-Ironing. Dunno about you, but I was amused at this name. Not until I read up on it did I realize "OMG! I was Breast-ironed!". Of course, I did not know that was it at the time. I only remember my aunts using omorogun- a small pestle-like object- to push in the tiny buds on my chest. The explanation then: I was too young to start growing breasts. 

Between a Young Boy and My Piece of Cake: Musings on Human Unfaithfulness towards God

Image: Google

Sometime last week, I brought home some cake from work. It was quite much and I didn’t think my baby brothers should be ‘punished’ with so much sugar in their system {yea, I know. They wouldn’t quite agree}. Anyway, I gave some to a little boy, a family friend who just clocked 2 years few months back. Now this little dude {quite handsome, by the way} is the type of kid who doesn’t care much for saying ‘hello', except you have something in your hand that you’re willing to part with, and most of the time, that ‘something’ has to be edible.

And so on this particular day, 

To the Woman in Us All

Dear Woman,

You are stronger than you think.

You are capable of much more than you imagine

You see those hard knocks of life?

They are only your propelling force

Those situations that threaten to run you down?

No. They're just building blocks for your castle

Ever been in one of those situations where you thought "this is the end"?

Where you expected to fall apart and come undone?

Ever been in one of these situations and suddenly find yourself standing, moving on?

Oh yeah!

When life seeks to break you, reach for your inner strength

For me, that inner strength is Christ; The Word.

Remind yourself that you are a Champion even in your weakest state...

Oh your body and your mind may tell a different tale,

But aren't we blessed that His Word remains the same?!

Encourage yourself today, dear fellow warrior.

Victory is yours...

"This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything". 1John 3:19&20

April Fools' Day: Did You Fall Today?

Image: Google

It’s a new month. It’s the fourth month. It’s April. It’s April Fools’ Day today.

Happy new month people! I’m not really sure how many folks really read all dhiz my talk-talk, but if you’re reading right now, Happy New Month to you. May the days of this new month be filled with beauty for us. May we always remember that even in challenges, we are loved; Loved by One whose love has no strings attached. Loved by Jehovah. 

So Some Folks Actually See Female Nudity as a Form of Empowerment? In-Tay-Res-Thing!

Image: Getty images

This article was not written by me. It made a lot of sense to me though and I thought, “Why not share?” Especially for us females, we should see this. It was written by Charlotte Andersen for SheKnows.com and I hope you find it interesting, as did I…

In the Spirit of Easter...

Before anything else... Happy Easter folks!

Like most other Christian religious holidays, Easter has got its fair share of controversy. The word around town is that the celebration is steeped in ancient pagan culture.

Anyways, pagan or no, I think I'm cool with the idea of celebrating Christ's resurrection. Whatever name we choose to tag it is of lesser significance.

I'm fairly sure you've heard so many "Christ is risen; all your long-awaited miracles are risen too" kinda messages already. You've gotten a ton of BCs and Pings and yea, you haven't had a choice but to acknowledge the season.

If you're one of those who are usually pissed off at times like this, keep calm, it's almost over. Abi?

The paparazzi around 'Good Friday' 'Palm Sunday' 'Easter Sunday' is almost over. But the TRUE reason for the season {ouch! Cliché right? I know. Just couldn't help it,  no vex} is NEVER over.

4 Important Money Tips for the Single Woman Living in Lagos

Image: @Sirmhuel

Who doesn’t know things aren’t so swell at the moment? As a single woman living on your own, things can be pretty tough at times like this. You know that feeling of dread that comes as you realize you’ve run out of Vegetable oil, Onions or Ata gigun (Ground Pepper)? On top of that, bus fares have increased, and even if you have a car, getting fuel is now a struggle from another planet. The last thing you need is your typical Lagos landlord who is increasing house rent, because why? Dollar ti won! (yea, I know all about murdering another human being a million times in your head).

Let’s forget about harsh economic conditions for a while. Lagos itself is a money-consuming entity; most times you spend the money before even making it. So if you know you have no endless cash-vomiting ATM (Human or machine, you know wah I’m sayin’?), you might want to consider the following tips:

Marriage Challenges: Why I think Contentment is such a Big Deal

Source: Google

When I did a piece on being more like yourself a while back, I didn’t imagine that I’ll be taken back to it soon. A few days back, we woke up to Israel Houghton owning up to his mistakes on Facebook. The international gospel music artiste announced his official divorce from his wife of more than 20 years.

"It is with a collective heavy heart that we announce that after over 20 years of marriage and a long separation, Meleasa and I are officially divorced"

That marked the end of a relationship, a partnership that saw the birth of 3 lovely children. According to Israel,

The Curious Case of Tife on A Tuesday

Sitting in a Lagos Danfo is typically not your usual jolly ride, especially not at 6am on the ever-busy Ikorodu road. But when you’ve been nearly molested at the bus-stop while hustling for Danfo, the smells and stress of traffic don’t gross you out all that much. You’re just grateful that you’re one second closer to the office.

Tife had no idea her day would turn out like this. Her morning had begun with the usual ‘Alarm vs Human’ war. Nothing unusual there. She’d gone on to grope her way around the bathroom, thanks to the ‘Power Holders’ and fuel scarcity palaver that did not even make her think of getting fuel for the Generator

{How am I supposed to join a crazy scramble for fuel after returning from work earliest 9pm?!}.

After dragging herself here and there, she even managed to set out by just 15 minutes after her usual ‘4:30’.

My Week in Words… Okay let’s break the boredom with one Video *winks*

Source: Pinterest

It’s Friday already! Yaaay!

I dunno why I’m excited o. the only reason I can see is maybe the TGIF syndrome. It’s not like I’m looking forward to anything spectacular for the weekend (except maybe getting to rest a lil bit more). Even the part about getting to rest some more is still not sure like dat like dat… it is well.

Let’s get straight to it… My week started as it has for sometime now: Thank God It’s Monday! Weird yea, I know… But when home is not really what it should be, work just becomes bae. Every family has its down moments, and I’m trusting God to see mine through the storms. I can’t spill any beans on the situation but trust me, revealing this ‘much’ sef is a big deal for me! I’m not your average ‘sharer’.

Anyway, this week has been quite interesting so far (You know the word ‘interesting’ is used for both positive and negative stuff, right?). So here are 5 takeaways from my week:

ARE YOU ALSO GUILTY OF USING THE WORD 'SICKLER'?

My good friend Tola is a strong woman (even though she might disagree). She is the woman behind livestrong.com.ng. Tola reached out to me for an article on my perception of folks living with the Sickle Cell disorder and to be honest, it took quite a while before I got the hang of what I wanted to write. 

Recently, I stumbled on something written by popular Radio OAP, Tosyn Bucknor. In it, she shared her Sickle cell story (I didn't know that too!) and ended with a few hashtags. One caught my eye: #SickleStar 

No need for further stories. Read my article for Tola's site after the cut

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A Short Story: "Toyosi Woke Smiling..."

...Wrote this piece as an entry for a competition that I eventually couldn't enter for... Just thought it shouldn't join the ridiculously high pile of unrecorded stories I can already boast of (I need help mehn!).

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Toyosi woke smiling. She’d just had a bad dream but wasn’t disturbed! What was it about sef, she mused, while turning towards the owner of the firm hand holding her lovingly in sleep. In her dream, she’d been pushed off a cliff by a popular movie actor. The dream should have terrified her, but no, not while she snuggled with her Sent-From-Above ‘Boo’.

4 Essential Lessons from Olajumoke

Olajumoke… the name on everyone’s lips. The name that effortlessly broke our internet without a strategically mapped out publicity stunt. I’m not sure Jumoke is even your average Internet consumer, yet, her story has gone viral on the same platform, touching lives and inspiring many creations.

I first got wind of the Olajumoke story when top Nigerian photographer TY Bello, posted the picture of the Agege bread seller making her ‘modeling’ debut on the set of TY and Tinie’s shoot. My first thought was “Yea, she does look like a model”. Fine, I was impressed by the incident “I hope they find her o” and then on to the next interesting blog post. Then came an update to the story: Olajumoke had been found. YaaaaY!!!  

Reading all the updates on the story, I couldn’t help but learn some MIGHTY lessons. I’m definitely not the only one; she trended on Twitter and all of a sudden, many folks started praying to the God of Olajumoke. Powerful!

Here are 4 things I learnt from Olajumoke the Bread Seller:

This is Adeola... DON'T be Like Her... Be Like You {Self-Appreciation}

Y’all seen the latest viral stuff yet? Before somebody attacks me on whether the word “Viral” is accurate or not, lemme clear things up. The word, as used here, is a relative term. It was all over my Facebook, BBM, Insta and generally my corner of the World Wide Web. So to me, it was viral   

Why Many Ikorodu Residents Are Smiling...

I think I’m an ungrateful person. No, let me not go that far. Let’s say I just committed an act of ingratitude, or insensitivity, however you may see it. Of course you’re thinking “Why such a ‘harsh’ personal judgment?”

My friend recently asked if I’d taken the newly commissioned Ikorodu BRT buses. Basically, he wanted to know how the experience was. That was only when I thought about it; about my BRT rides. And needless to say, that was when I concluded that I had been ungrateful. To imagine that I had not thought to chronicle my experience with the new buses, and I claim to have a blog o! I no try!

This is a development that, since November that it was commissioned, has brought me much ease. 

The Truth About Going Through Tough Times

Ever been at a place where it seems your middle name is confusion? Where it’s like everything around you is becoming one big haze? No physical support system in sight, you can’t make much sense about anything anymore and making ANY decision becomes scary as hell! I’ve had one too many of such in my lifetime so far. Sometimes I imagine that I might have lost it if not for God’s promise that I would not be tried more than I can bear. 1cor.10:13. But then I also imagine, “Am I strong enough for all these sha?”

Diary of a Young Nigerian Daddy's Girl; BellaNaija 2015 Epilogues Entry

Being a whiiiiiiiiile!
Do I have any excuse?
Well, not really... Been occupied with some other stuff, had a lot on my mind and not been feeling too good. Writer's juice has actually not been flowing 'like dat like dat' too.

So here's a quick one I just thought to record here. Bella Naija called for 2015 Epilogues. Yours Truly, the typical DG {Daddy's Girl} thought to put in an entry and it got published! Yaaay!

So here goes a peek into the life of this young Nigerian. I hope you don't get bored... *wink*

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