How to spend Christmas SOLO!

Helloooooo from your Bunny,

Did you miss me??? MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

SO this year I am spending Christmas by myself, no friends or family around, unfortunately. But that is not gonna get me down, I am not allowing it. Life can throw lemons at you but you make a bomb Christmas experience out of it!!!

So the first thing you have to do is get any feeling of abandonment out of your heart, remember that you have GOD. It is not easy but fill your time with the things that keep you happy or busy. For me, I am sleeping, studying, going to the gym, having spontaneous dance parties.

The second thing you do is "Make a list" just like Santa. You need to make a list of the things you'll need to celebrate your Christmas and buy them before Christmas. So I made a food list and bought them early. There are two reasons for this, one, the shops are closed on Christmas day and boxing day and two, you don't want to be running around on Christmas day. If you like a stress-free life like me then you'll also do the cooking in advance. So I made my stew on Saturday and made my rice on Sunday. On Christmas day, I only need to fry plantain and make the appetisers which I'll just pop in the oven.

Three, "Treat yourself". Go for the Christmas service and enjoy it. If you want to dress up then dress up. Get yourself a little Christmas present, I had mine delivered and even told myself "Thank you. You shouldn't have". I also made myself a three-course meal (I'll include my menu below). So when people are snapping about their food and the fun they're having, I will not be left out (I'll probably be snapping the most😂).

Menu

Appetiser: Duck Spring rolls and Prawn rolls

Main: Coconut rice, Jollof rice, Stewed Chicken, Coleslaw and Plantain

Dessert: Crème brûlée

Drinks: Malt, Shloer, Water

(I know you're thinking this is a lot of food and it is but I'm not trying to finish it in one day)

Four, "Message/ Call your family". If they are aware that you are alone for the holidays then they'd be worried about you. So call them so they know you're ok and to also celebrate with them.

Facetime your friends if you can. You guys can even eat together as you talk (if you want to).

PLAY MUSIC and DANCE

HAVE FUN!!!!!

Love Aunty Bunny who is partying solo xxx.

I have a short story out on Wattpad, here is the link: https://www.wattpad.com/490942967-support-when-we-were-kids

I can't be with myself

For someone who values 'me' time so much

It sucks when I have to take a break from me

It’s so weird when you have to run from yourself.

When your thoughts are too much

to deal with, to associate with

But my thoughts merge with my feelings and I can't tell them apart

I pray one day that they would be fleeting.

I should not pay attention to them and then maybe they will have no power.

So I'll spend my time doing everything that can keep me from myself 

That can keep me grounded in reality

But the night always comes, I have to be home to the one person I don't want to deal with,

And then what do I do?

I drown myself in the music, movies, conversations 

Until sleep finally beckons. 

Then I pray that my dreams are silent

If they are not then please be pleasant. 

Update 2

Hello from your Chubby Bunny,

I have not been feeling too well for some time now so it has been hard coming up with something to blog about this week. Seeing as I promised to be consistent I still wanted to put up something for you guys.

Rest. In all that we do let us not forget to take some time to rest. Do that which calms you down and de-stresses you. For a while, I've neglected the things that calm me and give me joy and this is because I have spent time working and worrying.

I forgot that even God himself rested after creating the world, he told us not to worry about things but to pray and cast those worries unto him. So for the longest time, I felt like I was carrying the world on my shoulders. Being in my final year had me thinking about my future and worrying that I was not doing the right things or living in my purpose. I was so focused on the future that I forgot about the 'now', I was not enjoying time with my friends or myself or enjoying the university experience. I started hiding and avoiding things that made me confront the world.

God had been calling out to me, asking that I see that he is with me and that I do not have to go through this year and life by myself but the voice of worry was so loud. My raging thoughts of insecurity and inadequacy were not allowing me to hear God and I couldn't pray. That made me feel so guilty and I found myself in a vicious circle that made me pull away from God even more.

By the grace of God, things are much better now. We had a Spirit-filled session with my youth fellowship and chains were broken. My friend was praying for me and I broke down (BTW I haven't been able to shed a tear for weeks despite feeling so empty and in need of a good cry). I finally let myself be still and let God's voice through and he gave me the assurance that I will be fine. I have felt such great peace since then.

We tell ourselves so often that God loves us and that he has got us but life can latch itself onto our backs and create doubts. One way to get through this is to surround yourself with the things that reaffirm and reassure you of God's love i.e. God's word, positive people, nature etc. I also made an active effort to go out of my house so I was not isolated, the days I just felt like avoiding my responsibilities and people I would ask (what is the blessing that the devil is trying so hard to take away from me?). If are going through something like this, you are not alone and things will get better. Just speak to God and find a confidant who you can talk to.

Anyhoo, I pray you all have a great weekend. I have a birthday to attend this weekend and I hope that comes with lots of bomb pictures.

Love Aunty Bunny xxx.

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.