Juicy Raindrops

..

I do not look up to a whole lot of people.. not for a long time.. not anymore. But this woman ranks on my list of superwomen. And that is saying alot since there are currently only two women on that list. Fiction or not, she inspires me in a lot of ways and i love her heart. Her name? Erza Scarlet!

Source

"Even while being badly wounded, a fairy that should've fallen to the ground... soared!

Source

... Just like a dignified scarlet flower in all of its glory!"

TITANIA!

Juicy Raindrops!

..

I realise I do not say this nearly enough but, Alhamdullilah! I am a blessed child. I could begin the long iteration of all the reasons why that is, but I will not. I am blessed and I am content (when I'm not being a brat) and that is all that matters.

These days I have been so caught up with labs and other worldly obligations that I haven't really taken the time out to thank God for everything that He has bestowed upon me and mine - most importantly my supportive family. With people dying around every corner I have been scared that someone I loved would be next. I am aware that we will all die at some point and that there's hardly ever a good time for it, but still.. I am not ready. I doubt I ever will be and that is why I continuously pray for their long life and good health.

But I digress.

This is a thank you post. And although I don't say it always, I am very grateful for everything and everyone that I have in my life. I keep them all in my heart.

Shukran!

Juicy Raindrops!

Look what came in the mail...

I've decided to take my weight loss up a notch but also to do it my way.. I've always loved cycling, so much so that it doesn't feel like work. Plus ...

1. The bike can be folded away so it doesn't take up room. (It weighs only 15kg so I can move it myself).
2. It runs on batteries.
3. It has a heart rate and calories burned monitor.
4. (Most importantly) it was easy to set up. I didn't need any help or tools. Everything was in the box.

Another reason for the bike is serotonins. Various studies have repeatedly shown elevated serotonin and endorphin levels in test subjects after exercise. Serotonin and endorphins are "happy hormones". So basically, regular exercise makes you a happier person.
I also read somewhere that exercise makes the body produce oxytocin (implicated in the falling-in-love sensation) although I do not know how true this is.

Anyway.

This baby is going to keep me fit and happy. Hehe! Oh by the way, did I mention that I've lost 2kg already? Yay me!!

It's the weekend (phew!). Something I didn't realise till about an hour ago. Labs are fun and all.. But I still love my free weekends. Also a little bird (my brother) told me that there's a new Naruto episode out. One in which he fights reanimated Itachi. I HAVE to see this!

Have a good weekend.

Juicy Raindrops!!

..

At least once a month (especially the rather hectic ones) I make a point of treating myself to something nice. I aim for the last Wednesday of every month, not always but usually. Sometimes I splurge and buy outrageously expensive shoes or bags, sometimes I travel (barely), sometimes I just use the time to sleep or read a good book. However today, I treated myself to dinner. I ordered in various, random items off the menu, took a loooong hot bath after my practicals and turned the lights down low. I popped the cork off this bottle i'd been saving for such an occasion, put on "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" and the rest, as they say, is history.

Treat yourself whenever you can. It doesn't matter what it is - how little or big. Do you!! :)

Juicy Raindrops!

..
So you know how this works:

I see a beautiful man..

.. i fall in love..

.. and then i share!

This is Reseph..

Source

Juicy, juicy RainDrops! ♡

So.

In the midst of my rather hectic new schedule, i have found time for my novels. My latest conquest? The Horsemen of the Apocalypse series by Larissa Ione.

I am currently on the last one - Rogue Rider - and (unless something dreadful happens) it's looking to be my favorite of the four. I loved them all of course, but Reseph and i have a connection that starts with our mutual love for country music all the way to... well, why don't you just read it and find out! *wink*

Juicy RainDrops! ♡

...

It's been a loooooong week.. Month - since we're being honest. My one month of labs (for my final year project) started on Monday.. right after January exams (who designs these things?) .. 9am-5pm everyday and for a lazy, self-loving bum like me, that is asking a lot.

I'm loving every moment (well, most anyway) of it but i usually come home so bone-weary, i fall asleep as soon i walk through the front door. Yea, it is that bad!

Anyway, new song - love it too!

Juicy Raindrops! ♡

"When tears come, I breathe deeply and rest. I know I am swimming in a hallowed stream where many have gone before. I am not alone, crazy, or having a nervous breakdown... My heart is at work, my soul is awake." - Mary Margaret Funk

"See if you can catch yourself complaining in either speech or thought, about a situation you find yourself in, what other people do or say, your surroundings, your life situation, even the weather. To complain is always nonacceptance of what is. It invariably carries an unconscious negative charge. When you complain, you make yourself a victim. Leave the situation or accept it. All else is madness." - Eckhart Tolle

"I shall shape my future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me. Or I can be lost in the maze. My choice. My responsibility. Win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny." - Anon

"Exert your talents, and distinguish yourself, and don't think of retiring from the world, until the world will be sorry that you retire." - Samuel Johnson

"Now I am the voice!
I will lead, not follow!
I will believe, not doubt!
I will create, not destroy!
I am a force for good!
I am a leader!
Defy the odds!
Set a standard!
Step up!" - Tony Robbins

Juicy Raindrops! ♡

..
I figured out what the most powerful word in the world is (to me anyway). One word, four letters.

M: Love?
J: No.

But otherwise i have been awful/wonderful. depends on who you ask. I have been working non-stop just like I knew I would have to. My schedule has never been worse. And even though I have a new tv show that I love, "Fringe", I haven't had time to get into it as much as I'd like. :P

Hate?
No.

Oh! and just when i was about to give up (permanently!!) on "Once upon a time", they brought a new guy into it. He's totally hot and I love the role he plays, so yes i'm staying.

Hope?
No.

This is Colin O'Donoghue, or as i like to refer to him now - my newest crush!

Source

You should see him smile too. haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... *love-struck*

Fate?
No.

I only just realized that my last 3 crushes have been Irishmen. Hmmm.. Maybe I should move to Ireland.. right after I return from The Gambia. Good food comes first.

Then what?

Stay.

Juicy Raindrops! ♡

..
i have always believed in karma. good, bad, whatever! whatever you do comes back to you. that's the law of the universe.

i needed to open with that before i got down to it.
so.

back when i was in primary school, we had a female teacher who had a beard. yes, seriously. well, not a beard-beard exactly but she had really long and obvious strands of hairs sticking out from underneath her chin. her name was 'aunty Philo'. ("aunty" because i am Nigerian and for some reason we call our primary school teachers that.)
anyway.

we called her beard face, my friends and i. yeah, we were the very naughty sort that drove teachers insane. but not aunty Philo. she was as mean and nasty as they came. she flogged the living daylights out of us whenever we misbehaved. but we never learnt. we did become cautious around her, but we never stopped our misdeeds.
and here's the kicker. she wasnt even our class teacher. she didnt even teach our grade at all. we went out of our way to find and torment her. we theorized that she had the beard because of how mean and evil she was.

poor woman.

i saw her this summer during my sister's graduation ceremony. she still teaches at my old alma mata. she still had the beard too. i sniggered when she wasn't looking.

but then, this afternoon while i was working on my presentation, i felt something on my face, so i went to the mirror and right there, beneath my chin, was one strand of curly hair.

i screamed. and screamed some more. then took a razor to it. i am dying of mortification even as i write this but i understand why. karma chose the perfect way to repay me for aunty Philo.

*sigh*

Not-so-juicy raindrops! ♡

..

i am learning that tears don't always signify weakness. sometimes they are just what you need to let go and move on. no, this isn't about a boy. it's about genetics actually.

i sat down for 7 hours straight working on my genetics power-point presentation on cystic fibrosis. i had read so many scientific journals at that point that my head was reeling; but it felt good too. i was working and making very good progress. Arsenal may not have made me very happy, but Hamilton had. so yes, it was a good day.

then Microsoft power-point crashed.

i wasn't bothered. there was this awesome creation called "auto-save"... except the last time it saved was 17:05 and the time was 23:10.

what i did first was laugh, and laugh hard. and then i cried. really, really hard. then i had a very hot shower and got back to work.

i was able to re-do most of the work from memory in about an hour.. then i put in an extra 2 hours doing more work and research - just for good measure.

yes.

i don't succumb to failure and allow myself to get disheartened and demoralized the way i used to. as long as there is breath in me, i will keep trying.. or else nothing will get done. nothing at all. nada!

anything worth doing is worth doing right.. and if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Simples! :)

now, it's 02:21. and yea, i'm beat! awesome, but beat.

Sleep tight,

Juicy Raindrops! ♡

I have loved this song since the very first time i watched "The Prince of Egypt" back when i was much, much younger. It's sad and it's beautiful. Enjoy..

Juicy Raindrops! ♡

..

I just weighed in. :(

I knew I shouldn't have had so much of my Eid cake.. but it was White Forest, who can resist? Anyway, no weight loss for this week. Weight gain = 0.5kg

In other more cheerful news, i'm writing again. Not just blog updates... Real writing (if there's any such thing). I went into a trance-like state yesterday and wrote for 6 hours straight. It was a story I'd started ages before. I called it "Friends and Lovers".

It was first inspired by Rado. And I admit that the dynamics between Rafe and Lily was given birth to by the ones between Rado and myself. But then the characters grew and became so much more.

I've decided to share their story. I believe they've earned the right to have that. And i will too.. as soon as my editor (Bin2) is done critiquing it.

I haven't finished it yet. I'm on the last chapter though. I don't how it's going to end. I usually never do. But they've got me rooting for them! :)

There's so much more I wish i could say. But alas, my break time is over. Maybe some other time.

Juicy Raindrops! ♡

..

I promised you pictures, you get pictures..

Notice the missing cherry? That was me!

Juicy Raindrops! ♡

..

i think i'm in a mood.. but anyway, it's sunday! it means that:

my eid break and dinner are both over and done with. (i promise you pictures!)
the last of my weekend guests have left and i have my solitude back.
i am so very tired and have a crick in my neck from sleeping on the couch.
my soles hurt like hell from standing (first, when i was cooking then when i was hosting).
it means that i should be feeling rather blessed and fulfilled right about now.

but, it also means that:

i haven't picked up a book or done anything remotely academic since thursday morning.
i have let some work begin to pile up. (i use "begin" here charitably).
i am so gonna be screwed over the next couple of weeks if i do not bring my A-game.

in conclusion, today's being sunday (for me) equals:

an end (of any so-called 'free' time), and
a beginning (of mad, crazy, 24/7, beast-of-burden, belt-tightened, socks pulled up, migraine-inducing and sometimes even crying jag-inducing work). exactly what Pappi pays my tuition fees for!

so there is no reason whatsoever why i should be panicked, is there? i mean it is only my final year and possible future after all. no big deal!

yup, definitely in a mood, wouldn't you say?

Juicy Raindrops! ♡

..

I just weighed in.. and i have lost 1kg!! :) This put me in a good enough mood to write.

This week has been filled with a whole lot of minute annoyances; the worst was when my shower suddenly started leaking, swamping my toilet and even ruining the ceiling of the apartment below mine. *sigh* like i said, little annoyances.

but, i hung in there. my 'whatever works' philosophy seems to be working for me just fine. oh, Lola's coming over today and my annual eid dinner is tomorrow. :) the guest list at the moment comprises of about 33 people. i don't mind cooking for that many people especially since this could be my last one in braddie. ("could be" because i still don't know what my future holds).. i don't mind though. things tend to fall into place at their own pace. for me, anyway.

yup, i am going to be just fine.

EID MUBARAK MY LOVELY READERS!!!

May we live to see many more.

Juicy Raindrops! ♡


Source

Source

Did you know about this?

I only just found out and i haven't yet decided how i feel about it. i (really, really, REALLY) love me some Tony Stark, but a third one? isn't that pushing it just a little too much? and another Thor too?

*shrug*

i don't know man, and i don't care. what i do know is that come 2013 - May (Iron Man) and November (Thor) - i am gonna watch me some Marvel superhero action, whether it sucks or not! {Plus i hear Iron Man has a new armor which was displayed at this year's comic-con}

Release dates:

Iron Man 3 (May 3, 2013)
Thor: The Dark World (November 8, 2013)

Also, coming in 2014...


Source

Juicy Raindrops! ♡

i thought i'd done this earlier but apparently not. for that i apologize.

Haywire: appealing trailer, rubbish movie. and believe that it does pain me to say this because i usually love Antonio Banderas' movies. i felt ripped off at the end of it all. the only saving grace was that i watched Man On A Ledge immediately afterwards and that soothed me. it was a great movie - just as i thought it'd be.

Ghost Rider 2: hmm.. it was weird. he turned into an angel of vengeance and well, i don't know. it wasn't for me. but the stunts were really good.

Safe House: it was AWESOME! it's like my 2012 version of 'Fast Five'. (remember how hyped i was by that movie too?). i had every one of my friends watch it too. yes, i thought it was that good. would watch it again!

Underworld Awakening: it was a good movie. though, i hyped it so much that i was almost just a little bit disappointed. but no, it was good. and the fights were fierce. it had a to-be-continued ending. {in bin2's words, "david o' david!"}

John Carter was very Star Wars/avatar-ish but i still loved it. plus it had a twist in the end which i appreciated. just make sure you watch it in 3D - it was a great experience!

Mirror, Mirror: worst version of snow white i have ever seen. *shrug*

Snow White and The Huntsman: why? i really, really expected more.

The Hunger Games: so i didn't read the book beforehand but well, i do not know. it showed imagination on the part of the author and the movie producers did a good job of it. it moved me, but there was something else i can't quite put my finger on.

Think Like A Man: now that was a funny film.. but romantic too. i liked it.

Avengers Assemble: you can't go wrong with that many Marvel superheroes.. but they very almost did. i mean, between Loki's return and his control over Hawk-eye.. *sigh* i simply focused on screaming my lungs out whenever Iron Man came on! *wink*

Men In Black 3: there were funny bits.. and there was a moment or two when i thought, wtf? but it was good all-in-all.

Taken 2: i love me some Liam but i have to say no to this one. could've been so much better.

Wrath Of The Titans: i looked forward to this so much so that i went to see it the day it was released in cinemas. Zeus and Hades made up and then died. that is all i have to say.

Battleship: Another Liam movie. now, this one was more like it. loved it!

Regrettably i have yet to watch Spiderman, Dark Knight and This means war. Will remedy that soon.

**G.I Joe 2: Retaliation release date is in March, 2013.

Juicy RainDrops! ♡

..

it seems like i'm always on one sort of diet or the the other, doesn't it? but that really isn't the case.. or not particularly anyway. i have very strong discipline when it comes to all aspects of my life.. but not this one. it depresses me that i can't just lose the damn weight and keep it off. the digits on the scale keep laughing at me.

anyway, i'm going to try it, this one last time and see how it goes - except this time, no 'fancy' diet. no lemonade, no cayenne pepper, no supplements, no nothing. i'm only going to cut my rations and eat healthy. everything in moderation, yes?

Source

i am supposed to write down - honestly - why i want to do this. the truth has only very little to do with BMI's and high BP's anymore. i just want to feel like myself again. i'm not trying to turn into a stick figurine, i just want comfort - well, more comfort anyway. i love my body, it's the muffin top that gives me nightmares. (you know that muffin top, yea? i hate it!)

anyway, i aim to lose between 0.5-1kg per week. that's within a healthy range, no? i'll keep at it for 60 days, by the end of which i should have lost about 8kg (hopefully).

*see new page 'next 60 days' to track my progress.

Juicy RainDrops! ♡

...

I have started this particular piece more times than i care to count. every time i think it is time for a curtain call, something happens that shifts it all a different way. just to off-set my balance. but then that has always been your effect on me too, hasn't it?

you let me fool myself into thinking that we have found some pattern, reached some sort of equilibrium, then you yank the rug from under my feet. i'm always almost just about gaining that understanding of what and how we are when you blow in like Katherina leaving nothing but pain and destruction in your wake.

fine.

maybe that last line was a bit of an exaggeration. but it is the way you make me feel. you push me over the end so i have only you to hold on to. and does it make any kind of sense to grab onto the same force that is trying to destroy you? i mean, that is like running into a hurricane to escape it.

wait.

i have heard before that the eye of a hurricane is its calmest part.

damn.

see? this is exactly what i'm talking about. the kind of confusion and unpredictablility that i do not need.

so.

this is it. the last one. there will be no other after this. kalas! shikenan!

the end.

(or is it..?)

shut up.

Juicy RainDrops! ♡

Juicy Raindrops

Here you are, Titania!

"Even while being badly wounded, a fairy that should've fallen to the ground... soared!

... Just like a dignified scarlet flower in all of its glory!"

TITANIA!

Reflection.

1525/010213

Do you!

New Crush Alert: ♡ Reseph ♡

1700-250113

I won't give up!

Quotes..

One Word, Four letters.

karma

0221-04112012

Deliver us

1432-021112

Pic Post

1346-281012

First weigh-in/Eid Mubarak

Thor 2 and Iron Man 3?

Movie Reviews (1)

Here we go again..

The Final Chapter

Navigate

Labels

Archive