31 day reset- Day 17

Today's task. 100 things that make me happy!!Whoop. fun fun fun. That was the whole purpose of this blog so here we go. In no particular order.

1. Family
2. Close Friends
3. Yoga
4. Exercising
5. Eating great food
6. Cooking great food for myself and others
7. The partner
8. Posting on this blog
9. travelling 
10. Exploring new things
11. Pretty stationery - Cards and note cards especially blank ones
12. crafting - Making things with my hands- Soap, headbands, earrings, cards
13. DMCs - Deep Meaningful conversations
14. Candles
15. Flowers that don't make me sneeze
16. Neo Soul music
17. Afrobeat
18. Karaoke
19. Hosting brunches
20. Playing Taboo
21. Playing "concentration"
22. Sweet cocktails
23. Dressing up
24. Natural hair
25. Afros!!
26. Watching movies based on old english novels- Pride and prejudice, Jane Eyre etc
27. Spending the day at the beach
28. Day trips
29. Photography
30. Going to museums
31. My Leather journal
32. Spending time with loved ones
33. Salads
34. Home
35. Giving gifts
36. Receiving gifts
37. Taking long baths
38. washing my hair
39. Drinking tea
40. Dancing
41. volunteering
42. Smell of pastry
43. Books- real books made with paper
44. The smell of old books
45. Music from Baba himself, Anikulapo!
46. My daddy's singing
47. My mom's laugh
48. My brother's jokes
49. Jewellery
50. Thrift stores
51. Pretty bras that fit
52. sexy undergarments
53. Lipstick
54. Farmer's markets
55. flea markets
56. Gummy worms
57. Good wine
58. Sunshine
59. Rain
60. Thunder
61. Live music
62. Cafes 
63. Road trips
64. Singing in the car
65. Massages
66. Doing my nails myself
67. Sun dresses
68. kisses
69. Chocolate
70. hugs
71. butterfly kisses
72. vanilla flavored and scented things
73. Strawberries
74. Mangoes
75. Agbalumo
76. Balsamic vinegar
77. Being in Love
78. Sunday mornings
79. Pancakes and Perfect scrambled eggs
80. Strong women
81. Pretty food
82. Reading
83. Fashion
84. Italy, Italian culture.
85. intimate Wedding decor, planning, attire.
86. Men's Fashion and stylish men
87. The color green
88. Pictures
89. The color coral
90. Interior Decor
91. Love quotes from old books and movies... and poetry
92. Soft serve ice-cream
93. Boy shorts
94. Lifting weights
95. Smiling
96. Saying "Thank you"
97. Jazz music
98. Fluffy comfy beds
99. Long train rides.
100. Leather satchels and briefcases
101. Classic shoes
102. My quiet time
103. 101. Luxurious bath items- soap, bath bombs, lotions
104. Bookstores
105. Tiramisu
106. Chocolate cake
107. The smell of coffee
108. Independent and foreign films
109. Book readings
110. Being on time
111. Warm nights on roof tops
112. Lights, sparkly lights, pretty light at night.
113. washing my hands
114. Glasses
115. Male feminists
116. Sade Adu
117. Nneka
118. Dialogue
119. Sunday brunch
120. Numbers divisible by 3.

I am an alaseju (doing the most) I couldn't stop at 100... and I could still go on, but yeah see what I did with that last one? ;)

I enjoyed this task! So much fun, even if you aren't doing the 31 day reset(which you should totally do) you can do this task! just for fun, if you do let me know/see!

Love,

Sabirah

Buon' weekend!

Living on the Edge

The title is very literal.
On Saturday my darling friend Seyi and I decided to enjoy some California Sun, sand and water. Little did we know the adventure that lay ahead.

We set out to Santa Cruz since we wanted a change from San Francisco beaches. We drove all the way, through the windy mountains, reached our destination and then realized we didn't want to be there. See Santa Cruz is your typical beach town, boardwalk with rides, candyfloss, beach boys, naked girls, a nice dose of hippies, basically lots of "characters". And Seyi and I were just looking for peace from a long week.

We were stuck, it was already 3:30 we couldn't go back to SF. Seyi then had a crazy idea,
"Why don't we just drive on highway 1, it's on the coast anyway and we'll just make a turning where we see an open road..." I gave her a crazed side eye and said nothing.
We had barely driven 5mins and she turned into what looked like farmland to me. she promised she saw water beyond... and so we began to walk...

Crossed some railway tracks, I was excited, still a little skeptical, this is how horror movies start

A teaser! water!! we were so excited till we realized there was no way for us to descend the cliff :(

So I fooled around a bit

And then the exciting part! we started walking along the cliff edges! it was exhilarating, scary, dangerous amazing

And the view! Amazing!! I don't know how many feet above we were maybe 200ft? crazy

At this point there were signs "Danger unstable cliff" Seyi inched closer, crazy!

you can tell we're really close here, it doesn't look that far down but it was. the crash of the water on the rocks! wonderful

Finally a not-too-steep descent

After 40mins of walking we were glad to find this path, albeit windy and steep

Spooky! we made it!

Spooky caves were the sounds of the waves echoed, of course we were the only ones here

Happiness

Relaxation time (check out my naija flip flops :D)

The long walk home

It was an amazing day and getaway, I felt sooo rejuvenated. It was just the pick-me-up I needed. Thank you Seyi, for an amazing day. We truly had the best YOLO moments :*

ps- all photos courtesy Seyi's iphone

Hope you enjoyed!

Happiness and Some changes...

So I'm in California again! Surprise, well not so surprising for some people, but yeah yaay! I'm here. I really didn't want to make a big fuss about it because it was a difficult decision but yeah I'm here and it's OK. I'm taking some courses in psychology that will help with my applications to grad school because I've been thinking about it again. I'm so confused. Some random lady told me that your 20's are the best time of your life... If so it needs to get better really quickly.

The first thing everyone says when I tell them I'm in California is "What about the partner" Lol. And I reply "Yeah what about him" aka we're good. Of course going from living 10mins away to 10,000 kilometers (almost) (catchy name for a book eh? don't steal it! :p) away is not a piece of cake but you gotta do what you gotta do right?

My happiness has been fleeting the past couple of weeks and I've been going through terrible bouts of sadness. I miss home so much, I miss my mom, dad and brother (I left the day after he returned from school :( ) I miss my friends the partner inclusive and I feel terribly lonely. I miss Lagos hustle and bustle, I miss my students and I just don't really want to be here right now. I'm a generally happy person as you probably know so feeling this way has really left me unsettled and it takes a conscious effort to look on the brighter side.

And there is a lot of "the brighter side" like having fast internet, and 24hour electricity and dependable public transportation lol (the little things) or the big things like being privileged to have parents who care for you and support you -friends too, having a roof over your head and great health, being able to sit in a classroom and learn and be inspired all over again (this is a wonderful thing- I love my classes). So yes there is so much to be thankful for, I'm aware, but it's still been a struggle to be happy.

One of my classes is titled "Psychology of Adjustment" How apt right? I'm learning a great deal about myself and my personality and maintaining a balance. It's been really helpful. I will probably share some info in my next post. I've been trying the to do the things that make me happy like exploring my favorite city San Francisco- went there yesterday and I felt a whole lot better- And trying not to brood or wallow in self pity. I definitely feel better already.

As always I'm thankful for this space, the people that read and respect it, it is my safe place so thank you.
Have a great week ahead,
Love, Sabirah

Hello 2012

Happy new year,

It is with great joy that I welcome you into this wonderful year *continues with the drama*... Really though I'm glad you made it, that we made it, I hope it's a great year for all of us. The whole holiday season was really fun for me. I spent the earlier part of Christmas day with family and then later in the evening with the partner** and some mutual friends(mostly his, newly mine), which was a blast. Went to an owambe** style party, danced and had my name sung to me. It was a blast.

Random interjection, I'm really thankful for the partner, He really has a good heart, not just to me, he's an overall great person. He got me a Christmas present, well four- books (I might review them in a bit) that I absolutely loved- finished reading them all already- and the cutest card, I love cards! And what did I get him? Nothing :( I need to start earning money soon, this won't do. Anyways end of my gushing about the partner.

The day after Christmas I got on a plane to Port-harcourt to visit my close friend from high school Sopi, and her friend (now mine too) Mnenna. We all then headed to Calabar and met up with another close high school friend Eneni. Best decision Ever, Calabar was a blast. Pictures coming up in the next post. We left Calabar on the 29th, headed back to Port- Harcourt stayed for two days then headed to Opobo, Sopi's village - yes i'm a real jet (and road and sea) Setter. Can't wit to share my adventures in detail. I had the most amazing time.

Came back home with a bit of a fever and some asthma complications, but I'm very well now. Nigeria is in turmoil now, fuel subsidy has been removed and it seems to be the straw that is breaking the Camel's back. As a result there are on going protests all over the nation and a labor strike starting tomorrow. I pray for the safety of everyone and I hope that this is the beginning of a new beginning for Nigeria, It's been a long time coming.
If you're participating in any protests do stay safe.

Love,
Sabirah

The partner*- everyone asks me why that title? Well simply I've had boyfriends in the past and he doesn't quite fit the definition boyfriend and I like the sound of partner- One who shares :)

Owambe - A Nigerian party, usually a Yoruba one with lots of music, most likely a live band and heavy dancing and spraying of money. Yes they're amazing.

Back to Happy 1.3 - Spring break overview

Hi!!!
I have missed this blog!! this is going to be an all over the place blog post!!
I had a good spring break, very untraditional but good all the same.
I started off with my bikram yoga course which I loved (i will dedicate an entire blog post once I've gone a couple more times to give a really wholesome review)

And then I had some fun creating stuff for Natural Saturdays I love to create things, its such a wonderful feeling, no matter how big or small.










I really got to spend some quality time with myself which is really a gift. I'm learning to enjoy my own company again and I'm happy that I'm still able to do this.

I bought some new make up and had fun playing with my new lipstick, thats definitely my favorite make-up item now, Lipstick!!











Over the weekend I ventured out of town and got to spend time with some amazing people in my life. I really cherish those people that award me the opportunity to share with them and vice versa, its a blessing.



I'm really hopeful for the spring! The sun is out and it has really lifted my mood, and every problem that comes my way is being treated calmly and with rationality. Its a good feeling and I just appreciate that I am in a good place right now.

I wore my lipstick on the first day of school :D
More frequent updates soonish!! good wishes to you and yours

Music | Back to Happy- 1.2 - Nostalgic Music

Hello everyone!

Gosh i'm on a roll with blogging these past few days, it has served as a great stress reliever as i'm currently writing finals. I'm really liking the "back to happy" series because now i'm making a conscious effort to find things that make me happy. One of them is music in particular music that gives that nostalgic feel. Today I randomly started listening to Whitney Houston and realized how much I have missed her. Its so sad the way things have turned out with her, but her music lives on. My mum made me love her and I'm thankful for that :)
Here are my favorite Whitney songs



This is my favorite I think!! Absolutely love this song. Singing this with my mum is one of my favorite childhood memories. I think i'm going to have to watch the Bodyguard over the break!




I really love this song! I had forgotten about this song for a while and then about a year and a half ago My darling friend Simisola reminded me of it. I miss singing this song with her. I miss you Simi! I love Whitney 'cos her songs are so heartfelt that even if you don't feel like that at that moment you can still relate.



I don't know how anyone can hear this song and not want to dance! love love love this song. This is one of those that my mum and I loved too. I was an only child for bout 7 years so my mum and I had a lot of bonding time singing happy love songs to one another! Good times!




Another soundtrack that i absolutely loved! I have to watch this movie again too this break. This my one week break that I want to do everything in! Lol! But really this song really defines the relationship I have with my close friends always there! I think we have to have a sleep over waiting to exhale style.




In comparison to the rest of the above this is a more recent song but there is something so powerful about this song. I love it.



And last but not definitely not the least. the all time classic :)


Hope you enjoyed these! and maybe they made you slightly nostalgic...
What are your favorite Whitney songs? did I miss your favorite?

Back to Happy- 1.1

Hey!

So in keeping up with the back to happy theme, I want to continue to push myself creatively. A great way to do this for me has been to look at someone else's creation. The video i'm about to share moved me in ways that I haven't been moved in a while. It was inspiring yet sad and beautiful, I want to meet the composer/producer - Adaeze Elechi and just sit and have tea with her and talk cos there is so much in this video. She presents the topic of race and how it affects our psychology in such a beautiful manner. She is so eloquent and I could really relate with this on many levels. I'm still waiting to find her contact information (If you know her pls help me out). Here is the short (5min) film. Pls watch it will be worth it.


Suspended Animation: An Essay Film from Ada Elechi on Vimeo.

What did you think of it?

Back to Happy- 1.0

Hi there!

I've been thinking, and worrying and thinking and it's getting a bit much so i'm going to write. I feel like I'm not as happy as I used to be, like I used to be happy 99% of the time but now its more like 85% which is still good but considering the person that I am its a little low.

I spend most of my time alone, because to be honest I have always liked my own company, a book, a good movie, a glass of wine- any combination of these is a perfect evening for me. But lately I'v been feeling lonely a good portion of the time, it started last year, by September I was so terribly homesick that the only thing holding me together was counting down daily. I went home in December and it was the best month out of the whole year. I reached an all time low in January and I slowly got myself out of it. Fast forward to today and all I can think of is my mother coming for my graduation.

I don't know what has shifted in the space of one year  but I know I want my happy back. I'm trying to remember all the things I used to enjoy doing, reading, crafting, cooking, thrifting, taking photos, going to museums, exploring new cities, dancing, art, taking care of my body, developing my brand Natural Saturdays and a new one- this blog- I want to do these things more, and find the happiness that used to resonate from inside of me without any help.

So i'v decided not to travel over spring break, I'm going to do Bikram Yoga for 7 days (hot yoga), Leave the house everyday (please let the weather be nice) Work on Natural Saturdays, and read!! This is the first step... of many, and I shall be writing about them. maybe it will be the "Back to happy" series
Wish me luck :)

any suggestions?