10 things you probably don't know about me

Hello from your Chubby Bunny,

This is a get to know me post. Before I begin to tell you more about myself, I'd like you guys to know that updates would start coming in bi-weekly. This is to allow me to alternate between the blog and my book on Wattpad. YES, I AM WRITING A BOOK. I might even write a stand-alone short story on there soon. So please follow me on Twitter so you are kept updated about everything and subscribe here so that you get notifications when I update.

On to getting to know me better.

So for the general stuff, I am 19 and my birthday is on the 21st of January. I am the youngest of two, I have an older brother and I am from Nigeria.

Where am I from?: Although I have mentioned that I am from Nigeria, in Nigeria, I am from a tribe in Southern Kaduna. My tribe is Attakar and we have our own language, traditional head and customs. So, no, I am not Hausa.

Talents: My talents include singing, acting and writing. I don't utilise them as much as I should but I am challenging myself. I have always been apart of school plays, I am apart of the worship team in my youth fellowship and I am writing a book on Wattpad (Yey!!!). I also have a wonderful ability to sleep at any time, anywhere and through anything.

Favourite food: I love Nigerian street food. I am totally obsessed, Nigerian street food isn't bite-sized, the portions are made to fill you up and that's probably another reason why I love it. It has everything from savoury to sweet things so your cravings are always met.

Type of music: I cannot choose a specific genre because my family and I are music geeks. I love Gospel, Reggae, Afrobeats (of course) from Fela to Wizkid. I love Beyonce, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Adele, Emily Sande, Yanni and so many others. If a song has mad beats or wonderful lyrics or both then it is for me.

Phobia: I am scared of Cockroaches, I cannot be in the same room as one. In fact, when I see cockroaches in my room I move to another room and sleep there. I also have a little apprehension of heights so I don't do roller-coasters but I love flying (contradictory I know).

Hobbies (spare time activities): I love reading and listing to music. I also love taking photographs when I am free and can take out my camera. Another hobby/talent of mine is procrastinating; I use one job to procrastinate another (eg. cleaning my room instead of writing my essay). If I really want to procrastinate then I just sleep and I know procrastination is bad so I am trying to work on it.

Favourite outfit: Even though I am a cool kid and I know how to dress my fine body. My favourite outfits are my PJs. I just love staying in my PJs. During the summer holidays (or most day TBH) when I have no plans, I just change from PJs to PJs. I wake up, shower and just slip on new PJs (my mum hates it but she's just happy that I am not sleeping the day away). I am very anti-social and tend to keep to myself so I love to be comfortable in my own space. If I had my way, I'd have more PJs than regular clothes but I have to attend classes and leave my house sometimes.

Favourite Memory: This would have to be summer trips and road trips my family and I took. It was very nice when we'd be together, shopping and sight-seeing. I love travelling and it was so nice doing it with my family.

Countries I have been to: I have been to Nigeria, the UK, USA, Gambia, Cote d'Ivoire, Canada. I have transited through Germany and Senegal. I 'd love to add more countries to this list.

Relationship Status: I am a single pringle. That is all I have to say about this question🤣

I hope you guys enjoyed this post. I'll see you in 2 weeks.

Love Aunty Bunny xxx.

That is your Personal Problem

Hello from your taking-back-my time Bunny,

These last few weeks of being back at uni, as pointed out to me, I have been on savage mode. Savage in terms of just being as explicitly truthful without being bothered by what people will think (don't worry I am not being rude about it).

In a past life, I used to be very truthful, blunt and upfront about how I felt or what I thought but a lot of people accused me of not being NICE. This prompted me to reconstruct myself to accommodate a 'nicer' persona with the fake smiles and added pretence. But at a conference that I attended the speaker pointed out how we have confused niceness for kindness. Kindness doesn't mean doing what someone would like all the time but doing what would be in their best interest regardless of whether it would win their good graces or not.

Humans don't always like to hear the truth, they prefer to hear what makes them feel good even when it is a lie. One thing about being the person that makes people feel good, is that most times you end up being the default emotional dumping ground for the people around you. I found and still find myself being the carrier of jokes to make others laugh so that they are able to, for the moment, forget that which troubles them. It wasn't like I didn't have my own issues weighing me down.  In as much as I love to listen and provide a helping hand or advice when I can; if the person is not willing to change their situation then I might as well be trying to make a wall speak. Being the type of person that gives her all when I call you a friend or family then I am left worrying and disturbing myself about other people's choices to not fix that which is obviously broken or get themselves out of a bad situation. The worst part is when you have the people who would blatantly tell you that they never told you to carry their problems for them (the sad truth is that they never did).

So this summer, being able to spend time by/with myself really put a lot of things into perspective. I learnt that the best thing I can give anyone is putting you in my prayers because there is nobody who is a greater problem solver than God himself. And in certain situations, I can offer physical help (money, my comfort, recommend a doctor etc.) where necessary. As a friend or family, you never have to even ask me to pray for you, I already put my friends and family in my prayers always and if you need me to pray with you or for something specific then I am here.

This phrase "That is your personal problem" is a self-care routine. It encompasses 'I cannot come and die' and 'I cannot come and kill myself' however it is specified to deal with other people's issues. This phrase is for the people who use you to constantly complain about things in their lives and do not seek any solution or change. It is for the people who know that source of their headaches and keep going back to it. It is for the people who don't appreciate the friends and family who try to get them out of a bad situation and would rather insult and snap at them for not minding their business. This phrase is for the people that expect you to solve their life problems while they keep messing it up. This phrase is for the people who want to be silly and want to drag you into that silliness. This phrase is a reminder that other people's lives (how they live it and the decisions that ultimately make) are really their personal problem.

The truth of the matter is that God is God and I am not. I cannot and will not take the place of God and be the answer for all your problems or the person you always rant to; not when you have a father that is ready to listen and help at any time. I have seen people get angry at friends because they didn't have answers for their problems or the answers that they wanted. God is the only one who has all the answers (it is not always what you want but it is what you need). For the people who behave like the aforementioned, you guys abuse the dynamics of friendship and I am here to tell you. Stop being so stuck in your ways. "Change what you cannot accept and accept what you can't change" that is the moral of this post. Your friends are not the ones to make the change, they can help with the process but the decision to change and the effort to do so comes from you.

I hope you have a lovely weekend (I am going to my first Baby Shower this weekend and I can't wait to tell you all about it).

Love Aunty Bunny xxx.

Signs and wonders

Hello from your tired Bunny,

In writing this blog I had to consult my Bible to ensure that I have my facts right. This topic is so dear to my heart and I know that if I don't get what's on my mind out then it will consume me inside.

When the Bible talks about signs and wonders, it is associated with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They are the ones who equip us with the ability to perform signs and wonders for the glorification of God. They are the ones who also perform signs and wonders as an expression of who they are. I hope you guys are still with me and understand the point I am trying to establish.

i.e. SIGNS AND WONDERS ARE FOR GOD TO PERFORM BY HIMSELF OR THROUGH US.


Ok with that being established then, please tell me, children of God, why one uncle out of nowhere will be sending me so-called signs as a way to tell me he likes me😒 🙃.
ARE YOU A BILLBOARD?!?

Why can't you open your mouth and talk? Is so hard to just use words and actually communicate effectively? Really telling me that I should have seen the signs. Then you get angry that I did not see the signs 🙄

See I am not the type of person who easily sees signs and understands then. Furthermore, I hate to assume or infer things on somebody else's behalf. Even when I am working for a group, I won't just assume a random responsibility without express allocation of that job to me. Like Nigerians like to say "I will not carry somebody's headache".

That's how I'll be deceiving myself that a guy likes me and he will ask me if he ever said anything to me and then put my heart inside the dustbin...ermmm it a no from me. If as a guy, you like and you haven't said anything to me then that is a personal problem for you.

If we start out as friends or we know each other, I will not assume anything because you treat me nicer than the others, or you have a pet name for me or that you spend more time with me or talking to me. If you are feeling like you have invested yourself and your time (or even money) that again is your personal problem. You can carry whatever investment and start going home with it. Afterall, if you don't have the boldness to tell me how you feel, then I am not interested and you were obviously ready for the investment to go to waste.

I sat down for some years thinking a friend of mine liked me because he called me baby and seemed to make extra efforts when it came to my matter. Only for me to discover that 'Baby' is a community name 🤣. I crashed back to reality so quickly it was like they poured ice water on me. Beware of the 'Baby', 'Darling', 'Babe' guys and especially the ones that always send this emoji '😍 ' anyhow (these are community properties, it is not for you alone).

The worst one, the thing I absolutely hate is the "I used to like you" or "I used to have a crush on you" guys. Okkkkk has that paid my rent, tuition or given me a first class??? No! Then keep quiet. What do want me to do with the information? Should I beg you to like me again? Should I call my whole village to help me beg for your like/ crush back? Like, I am really not understanding. Or maybe I should weep that I missed out on you? (TBH most times I want to cry tears of joy that I dodged a bullet because if you cannot simply communicate the fact that you like me then there will be no communication in the relationship). Please leave me alone if you want to exhibit this kind of silliness.

Guy and girls, if you like somebody and you are serious, please just tell them.  Stop playing games, human beings are not playstations. God has given us the spirit of boldness and not of fear; use it! Or you'll miss out on amazing people that are supposed to be in your life. This boldness should also exist when you're making friends or creating networks. If you never take the first step then you'd always wonder what could have been and that is the worst feeling ever.

I hope we all had a wonderful weekend. I pray you all have a fulfilled week ahead even you 'signs and wonders' people. Don't forget to subscribe and comment. Do you agree with what I've said? Do you have your own 'sign and wonders' experience? Please share, I am here to listen.

Love Aunty Bunny xxx.

Summer of Culture

Hello from your Chubby Bunny,

This year I had the pleasure of exploring the UK and I am here to dazzle you with how cultured I am now. For the first time, I will be including exclusive photographs taken by moi and of moi (you guys should feel honoured...jokes).

I worked with the International Summer school at my university and I had a grand time. I got to meet a lot of students from all over the world, make many new friends and we got to go on trips to various parts of the UK (most places I had not been to myself so it was a treat for me too). These places included Cambridge, Oxford, Liverpool, Shrewsbury and Staffordshire (here are some pictures:)

(I almost bought myself a castle but it wasn't big enough...jokes)

I went to my first ballet this summer. WARNING: if you are going to a ballet always read the synopsis or you will be very lost during the performance. I spent the first half of the show say 'huh?' with my friends and I needed the almighty Google to come to my rescue during intermission. Once I had familiarised myself with the story, the second part was easier to watch and I even understood the whole thing.

I was able to go on a little vacation with my best friend and we went to Blackpool. It was absolutely necessary for the body and mind. I got to actually leave my house for once and every day that we were there I got to explore the city.

Blackpool was so lovely to visit we stayed in the sweetest hotel that was more or less a resort (pictures below). They had a pool, a spa, gym and even a golf course. Trust your Bunny to be at the spa as soon as she arrived 😁. I only hated the poor wifi we got in our room and the food needed some added flair (*coughs* seasoning) but aside from that, I'd give them a 7 out of 10.

On our first day out in Blackpool, we were met with over 50mph winds and we never expected it. The Blackpool tower eye was even shut down (that's how serious it was). And being the newbie tourist, I never know that these winds could rip my glasses off my face and have it travelling through the streets of Blackpool. 😑  I was not amused. I am basically blind without my glasses, I cannot see details and small things; just shapes and colours. So I was blindly chasing my glasses with the winds still pushing them further away from me. And my so-called best friend was paying zero attention while I was screaming for help (BTW I am accepting applications for her replacement) but I got my glasses and my day wasn't ruined and neither were my glasses.

I got to go to the circus that day and the dungeon but I found the circus scarier than the latter. People hanging in the air without some form of a safety net below them was not good for my heart. The next day we finally got to go to the tower eyes as the winds had reduced (so no runaway glasses). After we proceded to Pleasure Beach, which is an amusement park and I also got to see how my so-called BFF had little love for me. She expected me to go on rides that had you tumbling upside down and had you almost seeing the Heavenly host...erm that a big NO from me (more reasons to replace her).

(yes, I went on the fairly odd parents' ride, sue me😁)

So I had a beautiful summer and as customary, it came with a few silly pictures because life is too short to have only serious pictures

Being able to travel to these places has ignited the spark in me that fuels my love for travelling. I got to be a carefree Black Queen enjoying life. I have not been able to travel much since 2011 and I've missed it. Seeing a new city and experiencing a new culture is beautiful. So hopefully this doesn't end this year. I'd love to even take trips within my own home country Nigeria and get to experience how other cultures live, their history and of course their food (I'm not chubby for just sitting down🤣).

Uni has resumed and well, I'll miss all the free time I had to sleep but it is nice having something to wake up for. I hope you guys enjoyed this post and like the pictures. Feel free to comment and tell me about your summers. I pray to be able to tell you about many other trips in the future.

P.S. don't forget that you can send in questions that you'd like me to answer. Aunty Bunny is here to advise and share with you.

Love Aunty Bunny xxx.

This is a segment of Benny's Diaries.