Tips To Pack a Travelling Bag
Date: Monday. 7th of March, 2022.
Hey guys, it's another Monday! How's the weather over there? The sun is out and shining like it's having a very good day. That means everywhere is extremely hot and people are getting dehydrated easily. Despite the heat of the sun, people are having to queue up at petrol stations to get petrol as there has been a petrol scarcity for a little while now. This has affected movements, transportation prices and the availability of commercial transport systems.
While we're talking about transportation and movements, I'll like to discuss preparing for a travel. A lot of times, we struggle to pack our luggages as we may not know what to pack or how to get things to fit in the bag. For this reason, I have written down some tips that can help.
**Pack your toothbrush!**
Haha, I have forgotten to pack my toothbrush a few times mand I have come to realise that it is a common mistake. What to do here is, if you have a spare travel brush, pack it in immediately or keep it close to your bag so that you don't forget and if you're going with the one you already use, pack it immediately you finish brushing. As you're leaving the bathroom, take it along with you.
**Write a List**
Yes, I know, this sucks but a list is very helpful. When I want to travel, I start writing my list a few days before I start packing because I may randomly remember things I need to take with me. I write my list on my phone, my WhatsApp actually. I send myself a message, noting down things I'm likely to forget. On that list I also have my toothbrush, chargers, identity cards etc.
**Use smaller packagings**
Smaller packagings help you pack your bag in a way that doesn't make it scattered. With I ziploc, you can organise your clothes according to the what you'd be wearing each day. It keeps things organised and easier to locate. Ziplos can also be used to separate different materials like the wet from the dry. Eg. Your body cream and deodorants can be separated from your shoes.
Apart from from these reasons, one can use other containers to keep other things like dirty clothes etc.
**Roll**
Roll. Your. Clothes. This works like magic. Rolling your clothes reduces the size of the clothes to its smallest level. And apart from creating extra space in your travelling bag, it also protects your clothes from creases or rumpling to a very large extent. Folding your clothes will give it lines in the folded areas but rolling them with prevent that.
Remember to roll the clothes into a round sausage shape. When you do that, you can squeeze in a lot more clothes and the roundness of the rolls will save it from getting rumpled.
**Extra Clothes in Carry-on**
If you have a carry on, you should put in a lightweight extra cloth in it incase you lose your luggage or someone need an immediate cloth change. That way, you'll have one ready to go.
**Hold /wear**
Hold or wear your heaviest clothes. That is, one that is appropriate to wear when travelling. For me, this is my hoodie. I have one that is so heavy and I never bother to pack it up, I just wear it if the weather is cold or hold it on my arms if it is hot and that has helped me a lot.
**Weird Containers**
So many things are potential containers in your bag. See your shoe, stuff something in it. Your soap case can contain more than soap. I even stuff things in some cloth pockets, inside my cap etc.
That's all for today, which one have you tried before?
Ps: What do you think is the cause of the recent crazy dip in crypto? Any theories?
Things to do on Sunday
Date: Sunday. 6th of March, 2022.
Happy Sunday beautiful people! Today is a good day, sadly it precedes Monday lol. Today, I woke up feeling relaxed just like yesterday. Although, I did get so distracted that I posted my article for the day hours later than usual.
Do you find Sundays boring or lacking activities? Do you just lay around not knowing what to do apart from being in your phone?. Today, I will like to share some tips about the several things you can do on a Sunday.
**COOK**
Sunday is a good day to explore your cooking skills, try out new recipes. Did you see a meal you've always wanted to try? Look up the recipe and give it a go. If you have any meal combination you've wandered what they'd taste like, well, try them out today. Get the most out of your Sunday by getting the pot boiling and the pans sizzling. At the end of the day, you'll either get a good meal or realise you never want to try a particular meal again lol.
**CHURCH**
Sunday is not called the Lord's day for nothing. If you are a practicing Christian who worships on Sunday, you can take the day and devote it to worship. It's quite surprising the kind of calm and serenity that comes with worship. So, go to church and do that. Beware not to go there to compare you clothes, shoes or hairstyles with others in church.
**LAUNDRY**
Do you relish in the smell of clean sheets, the feeling of soft, washed clothes against your body? To get that feeling, wash your clothes. Take out all your clothes that needs washing. It is best to keep clothes to be washed in a basket immediately after wearing (rather than that chair in your room haha) so that you won't leave anyone out when you want to wash. After taking them out, wash them and when they're dry, fold them neatly and pat yourself in the back on a job well done.
**VISIT**
Here, you can either go to see friends or have them visit you. Either way, you'll have company. After a long week, it is a good way for you and your friends to chill out and catch up on each others lives. Do this and you'll be surprised how the day will just go by. It also doesn't have just friends, you can visit family members to check up on them, you can buy them fruits or snacks. You can also have your little cousins come over and let them raid your wardrobe a little.
**GO OUT**
Now, this is different from visiting family and friends. Here, you have to go out and experience the world. You can go to a restaurant, spend the day at the park, visit an historical site, go to the museum, the mall or even take a simple stroll. The opportunities are endless. Just step out of your house and explore whav your city has to offer. You can do this alone or if you want some company, you can go with friends, siblings, relatives etc.
**SELF-CARE**
Most of us must have heard about selfcare Sunday. I wrote about different ways to practice selfcare here. It is a great way to help you relieve the stress of the previous week and also prepare you for the coming week. Taking care of oneself is highly beneficial to one's mental and physical health. So, take a break, rest and do things that keeps you relaxed. https://read.cash/@Daria/self-care-sunday-6d7b35c1
**PREP FOR MONDAY**
After Sunday, for most of us, we have to resume the weekly grind. It is easy to want to keep away every resemblance of work/school during the weekend but it is good to get your things together for Monday so that you won't feel overwhelmed or exhausted when Monday comes. So, know what is expected of you for Monday, pack your bags, make your to-do lists, get your clothes and shoes ready etc. Planning ahead helps you feel more relaxed when Monday comes around rather than struggling with the stress and anxiety of a new week.
And that's all folks!
I hope my points will be helpful to someone, thanks for reading and thanks to @BCH_LOVER for renewing your sponsorship, I am so grateful to you 🙏
Wedding Bells (a short story)
Date: Saturday. 5th March, 2022.
Good morning beautiful people. How is your weekend going? I hope it is going awesome. Yesterday, I came on read.cash to read and leave some comments. I decided to scroll to the very first set of articles I received in my notifications for the day. Sadly, I thought I was clicking next only to find out that I was actually clicking 'mark as read'. It was really frustrating because I couldn't find lots of articles to comment on, but I hope I will make up for it today. I think a lot of the buttons are too close to each other because I also click on light/dark mode when I mean to click on notifications. Sometimes, there is a glitch and when I click on something in my notifications, it opens something else in the notifications. I hope I'm not the only one these happen to.
Today, I did my usual housework but I didn't go all out. I woke up late because I needed the rest and cleaned a few places. I feel like I need to relax, so I'm trying to do that. I just feel so tired and sleepy now, ill probably sleep off after sitting. Well, it's story Saturday, so gather round and read.
The decorators moved on and out of the building before you could even notice their presence. They were setting up outside. They put up the beautiful lilies James and I chose. The place was bustling with activities. I went to the back of the house and found my mum and my mother in law giving out orders to the cooks and heavily smiling at each other like they are not holding back on insulting each other.
The two women never really agreed on anything. Where my mum always wanted less pepper in the food while my mother-in-law wanted more but they had to hold back their differences and express their opinions through gritted teeth for the sake of the wedding. I went to them and greeted them as both women tried their best to show care to me more than the other by asking about my health, asking me to rest, eat and relax.
I smiled at them and kept walking around the compound. Under a tree, my uncles sat there discussing like they were not only here for their share of the bride price and to complain about the quantity of food that gets to them. I don't care though, I was happy. They could have all the food they wanted. I noticed a red stain on my hand and wiped it off, then I went to where they were to greet them and they replied me with so many praises and commending my beauty. I did look good though, my makeup artist had me up at 4 am to get it done. I was actually supposed to be with the hairdresser but I decided to come out for some hair.
It wasn't long until my phone rang and it was Mary. She was my closest friend. Mary had the tenderest heart, she could never say something bad about anyone and would never even hurt a fly. When we were younger, a bully tried to hit her and fell and Mary asked the bully if he was alright. She was a saint until I spotted her going inside a hotel some nights ago with my husband.
I started heading back to my room when I passed by the guest room, it was open ajar. I went in to find my husband to be in the bed, the bedsheet stained red with his blood and a knife protruded from his stomach. Everything was the way I had left it a few minutes ago. I smiled and closed the door properly before joining the rest of the bridesmaids.
The end
Thanks for reading!
I got a new sponsor! Thank you @kiingsley I'm truly grateful. You've been a good friend to me here!
Also thanks to the devil @Lucifer for renewing his sponsorship! I feel blessed
Tips to sell better
Date: Friday. 4th of March, 2022.
Today is Friday! I'm always excited about Fridays lol. It means after a hard day's work, I get to stay awake late and sleep in the next morning.
Yesterday, I got to share some of the apps I used mostly but today I'll be talk about some aspects of digital marketing. So many people are now involved in this one way or the other especially since the start of the pandemic. A lot of people I know took to social media and other online means to get their business going.
If you or a friend have an online business, maybe by even posting wares on Instagram or Snapchat then this is for you. As a small or medium business owner, there are certain things you can do to put your business out there and help it be more visible from a digital standpoint and I'm going to highlight a few of them in no particular order here:
**Customer engagement**
This involves having an interactive relationship with your customers. It does not mean you have to sit down with them and discuss their/your personal life but you have to be able to make them feel cared for, make them feel heard. Your customers should not feel like they're not a priority. One of the ways to do this is to send them birthday wishes, this goes a long way in ensuring customer loyalty. Even if they have second thoughts about patronising you again, they will feel compelled to do so. It also helps to provide what they ask for and not what you think they need. It is OK to give professional advice as a business owner but you can't change a customers choice against their will even if you feel it is best for them. Talking to customers can also let you know what is in vogue based on their demands or even their comments about their choices or about other business they have visited.
**Following trends**
Every industry has a trend. Sometimes, these trends are long lasting, other times they are just a fad (they become very popular for a while and fade away). Following a trend let's you know what is in demand and enable you prepare for such demand. To know what is trending, you can make use of Google alerts that alerts you when there is new about any topic of your choice. You can also use social media to see what others are doing.
**Target Audience**
Yoy can't truly run a business without knowing your target audience. Your target audience are the people who your products or services mostly appeals to. They are the people who are most likely to buy what you're selling and who e you should be marketing to. It is necessary to figure out who they are so you don't make a mistake of trying to sell to the wrong crowd. Eg, NFT's are mostly being targeted to the age group of young adults to middle age. This doesn't mean that other people if the age range outside this do not buy NFT's but it is the people within this range that buy them more. So, if you want to sell an NFT, you'll most likely sell to a youthful person than an aged person.
**SEO**
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. This helps your brand or product to be easily found online when people search for related products. Here you can make maximum use if necessary keywords. If after discovering trends or figuring out most searched keywords using Google trends, you can take those keywords and use them when describing your product. Eg if you're into the fashion business and nude colour clothings are trending, it is not enough for your to say you have a gown for sale rather, say that you have a nude gown for sale. That way, when people search for nude clothings, your nude gown will show up.
You can also make use of Alt text. When you're post a picture on Instagram, there is usually the option of alt text. You can use that to give detailed description of your image. That way, even if you didn't type the keyword, it would still be found because it's part of the alt text and if one's image does not load properly, they will be able to read the description of what's in the image. This also helps blind users discover your products.
That's all for today, let me know if you learnt anything new here.
Thanks for reading!
Mobile Raid: Apps on my phone
Thursday. 3rd of March, 2022.
Hey people! It's another Thursday! Today, I have meetings lasting about 5 - 6 hours with a short break in between. I'm currently writing while in the meeting and it's not easy. The meeting has gotten to the point where I'm just bored and my only reprieve is read.cash. I actually don't know what to write today but I read an article by @Cleophia2 where she wrote about the mobile apps in her phone. Unlike her, I don't have a lot of crypto related apps but I'm talk about the apps u have generally.
**Read.cash**
The obvious one is read.cash a without it, I wouldn't be writing here. I remember when I got introduced to this site, I had lots of questions and doubts, I also didn't believe that I would get paid without being scammed one way or another. I truly had my fears. I didn't even create an account at first. After a while, my friend persuaded me to open an account which I did. Even after creating an account, I was still very skeptical about the whole thing, so I didn't post anything here but after spending a week or two observing how things worked, I became interested in trying it out. I called my friend to say that I would be making my first post on Christmas eve.
Since then it has been a fun and exciting ride. I have met wonderful people and rusty tries to put a smile on my face. Even though read.cash is not technically an app, I use the chrome extension that works like an app and it has been awesome!
**Noise.cash**
I joined noise.cash after read.cash, probably about a month ago. I have heard most people say they started with noise.cash first but the reverse is the case for me. At first I didn't understand what it was about but I read a post on Pantera's page that gave me an insight about it, he described it to be like twitter and it made so much sense. I'm not always there though but I'll try to be more consistent. I'm still learning to navigate some stuff but that's not the fault of the platform as it is actually easy to use, I just need to devote more time to it. In the read.cash group on noise.cash, I do post about my read.cash articles including links.
**WhatsApp**
This is actually one of the first apps I open in the morning. This app helps me reach and connect to a lot of people including friends, family, acquaintances and even colleagues. Apart from read.cash, it is the other place I Doreen most of my time mostly. If I'm not chatting with someone, I'm sending and receiving links, videos, images, audio, voicenotes or making WhatsApp calls.
I have a lot of friends who are not in the same location as me and I therefore use WhatsApp as a means of connecting with them. It is easy and does not require a lot of Internet data. I also belong to several groups which serves different purposes.
**YouTube**
YouTube is another app I love. In always scared of opening YouTube because once I go in, it is usually hard to come back out of it. I usually get easily distracted by the tons of videos that is usually recommended. I watch a lot comedy related channel as well as informative and food related ones.
**Twitter**
I haven't posted here in a long time even after the twitter ban in my country has been lifted. I still go there a lot to get information and know the latest news or happenings in the country. It is also a source of entertainment for me especially if you follow the right people.
**Browsers** (chrome, brave, ucbrowser, opera)
I have these browsers but I use ucbrowser a lot, I don't know why. I even feel like ucbrowser takes up a lot of space but I have gotten so used to it that I can't leave it. My Brave browser stopped saving/downloading pictures but I think it might be because my phone doesn't have a lot of memory left. Chrome is my most important browser and I use it for important things. Fir Opera browser, I mainly use it when I get bored of the rest and I feel like switching things a little.
These are some of the many apps I use, I'll like to know yours too!
Thanks for reading!
About fasts
Ash Wednesday. 2nd of March, 2022.
Today marks the beginning of the 40 days fasting season for the Catholics. I'm not going to go into what the lenten season is about but just as the lenten season requests, one is to fast from things you struggle to do away with. There is a need to not be loud or boastful about your fasts, a lot of non-catholics do not even realise that this is a serious fasting period for Catholics. The most common method of fasting requires one to abstain from food from the moment one wakes up from sleep till a certain time in the day. It is usually termed to start by 6am but it doesn't mean you get to eat anytime that morning before 6am.
The fast may last from 6am to 12pm, 6am to 4pm, 6am to 6pm etc. There is also the dry fasting that requires one not to drink water or any liquid alongside with solid meals.
The lenten fast, however, requires something not as specific as food. While food fast as lifted above is definitely involved, it goes beyond that. One is required to fast from things they know they couldn't do without, not limited to food. It could be a vice, something luxurious, a particular meal etc. You may have heard that Catholics fast from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays of lent. This is because in the olden times, meat was considered a luxury. One is also asked to give alms to the poor, both during the fasting period and the everytime after.
**Why Fast?**
You may have heard that when one loses sense organ, the others become heightened. Fasting works in that way as taking attention from our bodily needs helps us connect more with our spiritual side. It hinges on one's desire to be closer to God. If you simply skipped a meal or failed to eat for any reason, it doesn't mean you've fasted. Fasting is intentional and requires one to focus on their spirituality. Fasting is not limited to Christians, our Muslim brothers and sisters do fast a lot and up till 6pm! I believe other religions also participate. It should be noted that there are exemptions from fasting e.g The old, the sick, the very young people are exempted from fasting. In other religions, there are other things that may exempt one from fasting. One should not fast in a way that hurts the body and should understand why they're fasting in the first place.
Now, things are different and I'll be listing some of the things one can fast from during this period or whenever you want to fast.
**What to fast from?**
**Social Media**
It is no secret that a majority of people spend their most of their lives surfing different social media platforms like WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Telegram etc. Most of the times we are not in these sites because we need to be there but because we derive some form of pleasure from there. While that is OK, sometimes social media users spend so much time on these sites that they are considered addicted. If you are one who social media distracts you from efficient daily functioning, you may decide to fast from social media.
**Negative talk/Gossip**
I think we all know someone who always has something negative to say about anything or someone who likes to talk about people. The truth is that a lot of people do not realise that they are this way but a self-assessment will help you put things in perspective. Are you always "gisting" or "talking" about events that happened to someone else? When you discuss about someone else, is it usually a necessary or relevant discussion to be having? Will that discussion help that person or only make them look bad? Is what you're saying absolutely true or is it exaggerated? You might as well just apply the rotary four way test here. You can also ask yourself if you are always looking for mistakes, if you resort to complain about mistakes without giving compliments on efforts. If you find yourself doing any of these, it will be good to abstain from them.
**Others**
Other things one can fast from includes food, alcohol, traditional media (TV, radio etc), luxury items like clothes, gadgets etc, luxury vacations, unnecessary expenses etc.
**Things you can do**
Help the needy, donate to the less privileged, pray more often, read your holy book, meditate etc.
Thanks for reading. I'm curious to know your opinions on fasting
Fun Games!
Welcome to March guys! I can't believe we're still just in the third month of the year. It feels like January was several centuries away. I guess a lot has happened in these times that makes it seem like the months are lasting longer than usual.
It's a new month now and I want to wish everyone the best the montg has got to offer. Hopefully, March will be kind on us and we'll be able to fulfil our set goals.
Yesterday, I was talking to a friend and we were reminiscing about the past. I remembered how we would just hang out indoors all day and fool around. We would either gist, watch movies or play made up games. Remembering that experience gave me the idea for today's article where I will be talking about classic indoor games one can play with their friends or family or during game night. These games are pretty easy to follow and will be sure to keep you engaged and having fun while playing.
These games are common but are also satisfying ways to spend fun time with friends or family.
**Whisper Game**
So, I don't really know the exact name of this game but it involves a reasonable number people (maybe about 10) to play. One person whispers a word to someone and that person whispers the same word to the next person. This is done till it gets to the last person who then says what was whispered to him.
The fun of this game is that you can only whisper once to the next person and the person has to carry on with whatever they hear whether it is correct or not. In most cases, the last person will hear something totally different from what was said by the first person and the result is usually hilarious.
E.g (the first person might whisper "Spaghetti and meatballs" but by the time it gets to the last person it might be "Spank your tea and make calls)
Materials needed: 5 to 10 players
**Charades**
This is a fun games that requires people to pair up. The number of players can be a minimum of four. Players are divided into two or more teams. In pieces of papers are written names of movies, actors, sports, people etc. A player from each team will represent their team. One of the representatives will pick a paper and show the other representatives. These reps will then act out what is written in the paper while their team members guess what they're trying to say. They reps are not allowed to speak. They can act out things that sounds like each syllable of a word so that when their teammates put it together, they can guess correctly.
E.g Spiderman - reps can make the iconic spiderman web spinning gesture with their fingers.
Materials needed: pen, paper, a bowl to put the folded papers in, at least 4 players, an active imagination lol
**Two truths and a lie**
This is a fun way for friends to get to know each other more. The minimum number of people required for this is two. The players have to give three statements, only two of which are true. It is exciting as people try to use the ridiculous or unlikely facts about themselves to mask the lie.
E.g I am female, I have killed a cow and I was on TV last night. The player will most likely struggle with the second and third statement as they seem unlikely but only one is false.
Materials needed: At least two players
I chose these games because they don't require a lot of materials before you're able to play them and they can keep one entertained for a while. So if you have family /friends you want to entertain or you have a guests over and you're trying to lighten things up rather than sitting in awkward silence, these are for you. You can also have friends over specifically for game night and you all can have fun playing these games.
Let me know if you've played these games or other ones that are not listed here.
Thank you for reading!
Goodbye February
Monday. 28th of February, 2022.
Hey guys, it's that time of the week again when we have to drop our weekend hats and get on to whatever business we have.
Today is also the end of the month of February and before we usher in a new month, I'll like to give a rundown of how February went for me.
**WEEK 1:**
I was excited to get paid my salary for the months I was being owed. Sadly, the excitement didn't last long because I had pending payments to make and most of the money went away. I was also excited that the seemingly unending month of January had finally come to an end. I remember making my new month post and not getting a lot of love from rusty lol. I noticed Rusty rewards lesser during commemorated days like new year or new month (I may be wrong though). I think this is because more people tend to write articles in those days.
Sometime in the first week, my dad also returned from his travels, bringing with him a lot of foodstuff. Although, he did lose his cousin to an illness the next day and he was devastated about it.
**WEEK 2:**
Here, I was struggling to sleep and sometimes I think it was my fault lol. I wrote an article about how not to sleep (read at your own detriment lol) and then another article on how to sleep which was later recommended by Mictorrani as one of his suggested readings, that made me so happy.
After that came the period of valentine. There were many takes about the celebration of this day and they all made sense. Those who do celebrate did so with their loved ones or family while to some, it was just another day. I enjoyed reading different valentines stories people write for a competition. I also like how the kind Devil, Lucifer, talked about his special person.
**WEEK 3:**
During this week, I had the struggle of making my hair. It wasn't easy trying to get myself a free spot to make my hair. I only go to one hairstylist and she was busy, luckily for me, someone let me take her spot and I was truly grateful. Making my hair took a long while and I finished at night.
Sadly, my friend and her husband were robbed at gunpoint. The robbers went armed with guns and knives and the security guards who were supposed to protect them fled the scene. What made it worse was that they were due to deliver a child and were left almost penniless.
I put my self under a lot of stress during this week and the previous week and I fell ill. Luckily, I got better and strong in no time like the Amazon Queen I am lol.
**WEEK 4:**
My friend had her baby! I was so happy for her. After the robbery, the coming of the baby changed the sullen atmosphere in the family. Her baby is really beautiful and her birth was really easy. My friend wasn't sure she was in labour and went to the hospital herself, her husband was surprised to receive the call that the baby was coming haha. She delivered in no time and was walking about, laughing and being happy.
Of course, I did lose my draft some days ago lol. It was frustrating then but not anymore. My friend is also getting married in a few months and we're really excited for her and are taking time to help with the preparations.
This is how far February has been for me. How was it for you?
I don't know what the next month is going to hold for me but I'm preparing myself to handle it all. I hope it will be a good month for us and I do pray that the war in Ukraine will end soon.
Thanks for reading, you are awesome!
Failure (A Short Story)
Sunday. 27th February, 2022.
Goodday guys. How is your Sunday going? I hope it's going good. Today was supposed to be a relaxing day for me. I did all I needed to do for the day in the morning in hopes that I would have time to rest during the rest of the day. Things were going well until my mum fell ill. She was weak and even throwing up, but she's feeling better and is resting now. She has also taken her prescribed drugs.
Yesterday, I lost my draft. I was going to talk about failure and I think I'll do just that today. Let me start by telling a story.
Tobe grew up in an underdeveloped village with his parents who were farmers. He never really enjoyed the joys of having a good meal more than once in a day. From the food they cultivated during harvest season, they fed themselves and exchanged some others for food items they don't have. They had no money and even the food they had was barely enough to feed them, so they had to eat sparingly and leave some for barter.
Tobe attended the local school started by some missionaries. He enjoyed the tales of the principal's escapades to the city. The principal usually told the about tall buildings with machines that carries one to the top rather than climbing the stairs. He dreamt of what the building could look like as he had only ever seen a bungalow.
He wanted to go to the city too but with the finances and general economy of the village, his plans seemed too ambitious. However, he did not give up. Tobe persisted and after secondary school, he applied for admission into a higher institution. His friends told him it was a waste of time because even if he got through, he would not be able to afford to buy books talk less of the school and accommodation fees.
The day came for him to write his exam, he was the only student in the whole village writing, it was a spectacle. The missionaries transported him to the location of the exam and when he arrived the next day, the whole village was waiting to welcome him. Even though they knew he couldn't afford to go there, they were excited because he was trying. He knew he couldn't let them down.
When the postman brought the result, people ran after him as they saw him approaching Tobe's House. They gathered round and waited for him to tell them the result. As he opened it, he discovered he didn't do well enough to get an admission. Everyone was disappointed and they left berating themselves for having their hopes up in the first place.
Tobe considered himself a failure but despite that, he didn't give up. He prepared and wrote the exams again. There was still some excitement as people believed that he wouldn't fail the second time but when the result arrived, it was even worse than the first. Strangely enough, he applied to write again the third year. At the third attempt, no one was excited anymore. It was even a shameful experience as they mocked him. When the result arrived, he discovered he had finally passed.
Tobe's parents sold a large portion of their farmland to pay the first year's school and accommodation fees and his transport fare. At school, he did all sorts of menial jobs to afford the other payments. At the end of the school years, he graduated with the best result and got a good job offer.
He ended up working in one of the tall buildings he fantasised about, and he was able to move his parents to the city.
As cliche as this story may seem, there is a strong lesson in it. You are not truly a failure until you give up. A lot of successful people have had their moments of failure but they kept pushing. They re-strategized and came back to try again.
Trying again does not mean using the exact same approach that did not work or else you might fail even harder but it requires taking the lessons learnt from the first attempt and making a better move.
You are not a failure!
Have a nice day!
Long Week, Lost Draft
Saturday. 26th of February, 2022.
It's another Saturday and I need to sleep! I spent the last few days working from morning till night. Yesterday, I finished working by 2am. After that, I struggled to sleep till 3am and I was awoken by 6am by a random phone call. So yeah, I need to sleep! Sadly, I keep feeling the urge to watch TV series or while away on YouTube.
Today is just one of those days when I don't have the energy for anything.
I feel like crying because I just lost everything I wrote as I was about to publish. I'm really demoralised and I don't feel like writing anymore. This is so frustrating! When I tried to restore the draft, I only got the two paragraphs above. I guess today is not my day. I had half the mind to actually copy what I had written but it all happened so fast.
Since I don't have the morale to write, I'll just talk about what has been going on with me. The past week has been stressful. It is the comments I get from my friends here (I'm talking about you reading this right now) that has kept me motivated. I've spent most of my time this week attending meetings. After a while, I started struggling to concentrate during these meetings, I was having headaches, eye ache, back aches etc. I just didn't feel good. At the end of the day, I would try to radius /reward myself by doing something relaxing and for me, that is watching TV series. Sadly, I sometimes sleep off halfway into the episodes. I have been tired a lot and I need to rest.
Yesterday was no exception, infact, it was the worst because I and my colleagues had to stay up all night working. I even forgot to have lunch and I ended up eating some hours after midnight.
Today, I planned to sleep in. It is the only day I get the opportunity to do that. Sadly, that didn't work out. I received a call from an unknown number that has been calling me for a while now. The lady/girl calls be only says "hello". It doesn't matter what I say, the person on the other end just keeps saying hello. I think she might be calling a wrong number though.
I tried to go back to sleep and it was going well until my mum barged into my room, telling me to wake up and cook. I had cooked the main part of the food yesterday and what was left would only take about 15 minutes. I was pissed because I was hoping to get some time to actually sleep since I didn't have much to do.
I cooked the food and I couldn't eat much for some reason even though I felt hungry. It was almost as if my body was too tired to even do something as simple as eating. After eating, my colleague needed help with something so I had to do some work before writing. As I was writing, I slept off lol but I woke up after a short while to continue and as I mentioned above, I lost what I had written.
As I started to write, I noticed I have 50 subscribers now. Yay!! 💃🎊 I know it's not much and it has taken me two months of writing here to achieve that but I acknowledge my accomplishment
That is the summary of my week and my day today. I hope for better days ahead.
If you've ever lost a draft of something you've been working on, please tell me about it. I'll like to know I'm not alone in my woe lol.
Thanks for reading,
Adults, kids, and Lies
Friday. February 25, 2022.
So, I mistakenly opened this draft yesterday but I couldn't figure out how to delete it and I decided to write on it today.
To our friends in Ukraine, I can't claim to understand what you're going through but from what I've seen on the news, my heart is broken. War causes pain to everyone involved, the Victor, the vanquished and even the survivors. I hate that this is happening. I will keep praying. I pray for peace and protection. God saves us all.
With all that is going on, I needed something to lift my mood and that of others so I decided to visit one of my favourite site called Bored Panda. That site will definitely keep you hooked for hours! It is the place to go if you're bored or in need of something funny or interesting to keep you busy.
While I was going through it, I saw where they shared storied about lies that were told to people as kids which they believed. You know children are gullible little humans and that is because they don't yet know a lot about life. They still look up to their parents and environment for new information and experiences. This therefore creates a level of bond and loyalty between the child and the provider of their first-hand knowledge. And when that provider has consequently provided credible knowledge for the child, their trust increases. It is for this reason that children will easily accept some obvious lies from adults because they trust them. Even when they have their doubts, they mostly still choose to believe because they believe they won't be lied to.
Now, here are some hilarious lies posted on bored panda (first sourced from reddit) that were told to kids, leggo!
I lost my white stuffed animal, a dog and later my mum bought me a brown one and told me it was found at the airport and was brown because it got a tan in Florida. I believed it for a few years. Now, that dog is my son's."
This is hilarious! Imagine getting a stuffed animal and thinking it had an everlasting tan haha. How do parents even come up with these things haha
My dad would say no when we asked for Mcdonalds but he would still drive in and tell us the car was driving in by itself. I always believed him and I thought the car just liked me
He thought the car had your back all these while hahaha! The dad is a genius though lol
"You won't get in trouble if you tell the truth"
Oh, this one! 😂 The moment you see this lie unfold as a child, you start to lose your trust for adults
"My dad told me it cost 25cents to change the radio and I believed that till I was 14" (sic)
This is so cool haha. I wish I could have pranked my brother with a lie like this when he was younger
My dad told me reading books will give me the power of telekinesis like the movie Matilda and I spent many years thinking I wasn't doing enough
😂 If you have seen the movie called Matilda, you would understand how funny/silly this is haha
"That adults know what they're doing"
No, they don't! Haha. As an adult, I can confirm that we're just children with more years of experience lol
Watermelon will grow in your stomach if you swallow the seeds
Haha, we were told this as kids haha. The thought of this always filled me with a bit of dread and curiosity
That's all for today, have a wonderful Friday!
The Tortoise and the Lion (A Short Story)
Hey everyone. How is your day going? Today doesn't feel right for me. To be fair, it started last night when the light went out. I expected the light to be back in no time but that didn't happen. Since we were not prepared for the electricity going out, we didn't buy petrol for the generator. I couldn't sleep at night because of the heat. It was so bad, it kept everyone awake. After a long night of tossing and turning, I was glad to see the daybreak. I depend heavily on the electricity to work because my devices need to be on at all times and I've been struggling with that all day. It doesn't help that I have a ton of work to do and no time to stop. Despite all these, I'm still thankful for my life. I know no matter how I feel, I don't have it worse and I have to be grateful.
Today, in order to put things in a lighter mode, I want to tell a story. This is a popular fable about the tortoise. I remember reading it to my younger brother when he was much younger but I have changed it a lot as I cannot remember exactly how it goes or even the title lol.
Once upon a time in the animal kingdom, the animals were facing a period of severe famine. The plants were dying and the animals were growing too thin. So, the herbivorous animals could barely find food to eat and the carnivorous animals were also lacking prey. They were desperate and seeking every means to sustain themselves.
One day, the lion who is the king of the jungle called a meeting with all the animals and asked that they bring him a good meal everyday and if they don't, he would eat whoever it was their turn to bring him the food together with their families. This went in for a while and when someone couldn't provide a reasonably sized animal for him, he ate them and their family.
It was getting to the tortoise's turn and he knew he did not have the physical strength or ability to hunt for animals. He thought about what to do and even the other animals wondered what his fate would be. He couldn't set traps either because he was too slow and would be caught before he escapes. After staying up all night thinking about his dilemma, the tortoise finally found an answer.
The next day, he went to the Kings Palace to make a proposal. He told the lion that he will prepare a nice meal for him and the lion would also prepare a nice meal for the tortoise and whoever provided the best meals would be king. The lion laughed and told the tortoise to leave his presence but the tortoise mocked him and asked him if he was scared. This angered the lion because he knew the tortoise was slow and could not hunt for even the small animals not to talk of providing a good meal for him.
The lion stood with pride and accepted the foolish proposal from the tortoise. He planned to make the tortoise and his family slaves before eating them all. That was to to teach them a lesson not to insult him. The showdown was to happen at noon the next day. The tortoise went home to prepare for the event while the lion went to sleep.
The next morning, the lion set out and gathered the best vegetable he could find. Most of them were dying because of the famine but he gathered enough, more than the tortoise would need and he was satisfied with himself. At noon, all the animals gathered around, drummers drummed and people danced. When it was time for the presentation, the lion brought out the large amount of vegetables he had gathered. The other animals were in how, some of them salivate while the rest felt bad for the tortoise. The tortoise took a seat and ate as much as he wanted. He complained that the leaves were dying and not fresh but it didn't bother the lion.
When it came to the tortoise's turn, he brought out a boiling pot filled with meat. The delicious smell wafted through the village and some animal's stomachs started grumbling. The lion was a bit surprised but he felt he must have cooked an already dead animal, therefore the meat wouldn't be fresh either. The lion sat down and took a bite and he was shocked to find that the meat was fresh, delicious and completely boneless. The lion kept eating till he had his fill. He then agreed to step down from the throne if the tortoise tells him his secret and the tortoise told him that he may not be able to hunt other animals but he could hunt snails. From then, the tortoise took over as king while the villagers brought vegetables to him everyday
The end.
Thanks for reading. If you are in Ukraine, my prayers are with you.
Where Births Happen
Hello awesome people! How is your day going? Yesterday, I had some time to my self and I tried to get to a lot of articles and leave a comment, I'l still continue doing that today. Today, I'm so very excited, I just can't help myself. I woke up in an ok mood and it just kept getting better especially when my friend told me she has just left the labour room and has delivered her beautiful baby. If you remember, I talked about this friend last week, her husband's business was robbed at gunpoint but this baby has come to bring joy and happiness into the family. I wish I was there with them to celebrate this occasion. Our other friend is also there and helping out, for that I'm grateful. Although, our other friend who is there says she never wants to experience labour because of the pain involved lol. I'm scared of that too, I must confess.
This event of today has me thinking a lot about births. A birth basically brings about something new. It brings into existence things that did not previously exist. A birth is not limited to giving birth to a child or young one. In life, there are many situations where we experience a birth. It could be a birth of ideas, of new creations etc. During a figurative birth, we take into our minds our experiences, our environments, our insights etc and from there we come up with new things that didn't exist to us before. In that vein, here are some situations where we experience a birth.
**SCHOOL**
At school, we learn what we're taught but there's so much more than taking knowledge handed to you that goes on in a school. A school is the place where students spend most of their day and explore creatively. A teacher can tell you 2 + 2 is 4 and then asks you what is 3+1. Knowing the formula, you are able to apply it into this different equation to come up with the answer.
Also in class, teachers throw questions to students who use whatever limited information they have to attempt the answer. A students creativity is also tried when they have to do other things come up with ideas for a play, or a project etc. Working on a project allows the students to reach into themselves and come up with fresh ideas that drives their topics etc.
**WORK**
Work is the haven for new ideas. You're literally being paid to come up with them. Even if that is not in your job description, you will find yourself doing that. At work, things change, the method used to do a certain thing can change because of a new situation. You might have a new boss who wants things done differently or you might get a promotion that changes your timetable, so you'll have to come up with ways to create a balance and still deliver good work. New ideas and strategies will always be required at work whether in big or small ways
**KITCHEN**
Cooking is not just a skill but also an art. People come up with different and unique ways to pair different meals together in a way that compliments each other. People substitute spices or foodstuff when the desirable is not available and sometimes, these decisions are made on the spot with limited time to mull over your options. During the lock down, a lot of people became creative with their meals as movement was limited which also made resources limited. Students also do the same when they cannot afford a lot, they come up with new ways to prepare meals for themselves.
**CANVAS**
A painter births a new idea each time their brush touches the canvas. Even if the painter is repainting something that already exists, they're still putting in their own personal touch to it with each stroke. Even when two people look at a painting or a drawing, they tend to draw different meanings from it because they have birthed different unique ideas.
**BLANK SHEET**
If you are writing here on read.cash, then you understand how it is to come up with unique ideas to post. You have stared and your blank screen, sought for ideas or inspiration from other places but at the end of the day, everything you write is 100% your unique creation.
**PLAYGROUND**
Have you seen children play. Give them an empty box and they will make up a game for themselves, give them a pack of lego pieces and the world is their oyster. Children are very creative beings. They can find pleasure in different ways using just sand. Their mind works endlessly to make everything fun for them and they are constantly coming up with new ways to make that happen. Sometimes, their ideas might be dangerous and make you wonder how they thought to do that but you must understand that they are not bothered about the troubles of life, they just idealise and create.
Weight Gain
Tuesday. February 22, 2022
Hello beautiful people! How is it going? It's going well for me although the sun is really out to get us lol. The weather is so hot, it could turn someone to a barbecue. Apart from that, my boss called I and my colleague last night just to say thank you for doing a good job on a project, it was overwhelming. We really did a lot of work on that project and it is so nice to know that our efforts are appreciated. For that reason I'm happy but one reason I'm not so happy is that Rusty had neglected my last post. I'm worried because I know that once Rusty doesn't tip one post, it might go on to stop tipping for a while. I hope that doesn't happen to me.
Yesterday, I read an article about how to lose weight. I hope I find the article so I can post the link here and tag the author. That article raised a lot of good points that if followed religiously, will definitely help one on their weight loss journey but it also reminds me of how there is much talk about weight loss and little about weight gain.
I belong to the group of people who have once in their lives tried to look up different ways to gain weight but mostly finding ways to lose them instead. Funny thing is that when you eventually find one that talks about weight gain, it is usually similar to the instructions for weight loss. On seeing those familiar advices, I used to get pissed and feel like I was being lied to (we all know the Internet isn't the most trustworthy place lol) but with time, I got to realise that they were not wrong.
Most times when people seek to lose or gain some weight, they usually go about it the wrong or unhealthy way. Last year, I was talking to a friend about gaining some weight and someone who was listening in advices me to eat a lot of fried and barbecued meat all day, late at night and also take a lot of soda and sweet drinks. It didn't sound right and that is because it is not right. While these will actually make you gain some weight, you would only be gaining unhealthy weight. Your body will be filled with carbs and fat and it will be lacking other necessary nutrients that your body needs to keep you going.
Even if you don't eat a lot but you're consuming a lot of carbs you may still gain unhealthy weight and not lose weight if you want to. While carbs are still necessary for your body, it's intake should be balanced out with other food classes. There are required daily intakes that is generally suggested which you can look up online but you can visit a doctor or dietitian to have one specifically curated for you.
In the bid to gain some weight, here are some of the things I know that works:
**Take in more calories than you lose**
If you are someone who struggles to gain weight there is a chance that you either do not eat a lot of food or your body burns calories faster than others or even both. I come from a family of slim people who burn calories fast no matter how much they eat and it doesn't help that I don't eat as much as other people. I get bored and tired of eating for a while but I know that I have to eat so what I started doing was to monitor my intake. I made sure I ate an appropriate adult-sized meal, I ate more often than I usually did and stopped skipping breakfast. Skipping breakfast was very easy for me to do because I occupied myself with other things rather than eating but the bother had literally been fasting for about 10 hours or more (since the previous dinner), and for this reason, we have to eat properly in the morning.
**Drink Water**
One thing I really didn't like more than eating was drinking water. I didn't feel thirsty a lot and when I did, I pushed my body to its limit. You have to understand, water is not sweet lol. It is just tasteless and unexciting but my sister called me out on my bad habit so I decided to "drink responsibily" for a week, probably to prove that taking enough water didn't do anything but I was so wrong. I received different comments about my skin being clearer and smoother. My usually dry lips were full and plump, I felt lighter and better in every way.
From what I've come to know, drinking enough water clears unnecessary toxins from the body and also aids digestion. It lets the engine in the body work properly and keep you in the right shape.
**Eat balanced diet**
Eating right is usually the key to a lot of bodily problems. It is actually the elixir to having a long and healthy life. Eating the right combination of foods will help your body work and grow properly. It keeps the good things and let's go of the bad.
**Exercise Properly**
It's not enough to exercise if we are not doing it right. Some of us barely do any exercise while some of us do way too much. Don't put your body through more than it can handle. Exercise is good for our body. It keeps us in shape, keeps our hearts going and let's us stay fit. Even if you're slim, you may be unfit and if you already exercise, know your exercising goal. Know if you just want to stay fit, if you're trying to gain or maintain a certain body type and work towards that. Don't do more that your body can handle. Exercising also helps with muscle gain for those who wants to add muscles rather than fat.
The informative article about weight loss was written by @McJulez and you can find it here Losing weight and other things https://read.cash/@McJulez/losing-weight-and-other-things-e61c71d0
Let me know other tips you may have in the comments! Thanks for reading!
My Q and A
Happy Monday! Haha, who really gets excited about Mondays? I feel a lot of work coming my way but until then, I'll focus on what I have to do for now while maintaining happiness. My friend's wedding is coming up soon and I'm quite excited about it. It's coming up in a few months and preparations are going on. I'll get to see her for the first time in a few years after many failed attempts to find time to meet up lol.
Anyway, today I'll be answering some very random interview questions that I sourced for online.
**Would you rather order in or eat out?**
There are times when I fantasise about going to certain restaurants or eateries, enjoying the ambience, meeting people and watching how they interact with their surroundings but do I ever fulfil my fantasies? No, I don't lol. I am not much of an extrovert and dread being in a lot of social settings and I like to be as comfortable as possible whe eating. Therefore, I would rather order in that eat out. Funny thing is that when I finally go out to eat, I order take out and eat at home haha.
**Which Youtubers do you watch?**
I do spend quite some time watching YouTube videos and I mostly enjoy watching the funny ones. I watch MrNigelNg aka Uncle Roger, I think he's from Malaysia. If you don't know him, search for him and you'll be glad you did. He makes commentary on lots of stuff especially about Asian food. His comments are sometimes mixed with subtle innuendos and they are really funny.
I also watch Jeenie.weenie. She's a former Emirates flight attendant who makes funny skits based on her experiences as a flight attendant. She's also Asian like MrNigelNg but I don't know remember if she's Korean or Chinese.
There's also Stevieioe. OK, maybe I watch a lot Asian Youtubers haha. He is/was an ER nurse and gives ER tips in funny interesting ways.
TonyTalks is someone I just discovered. He's a black American and acts out highly exaggerated scenes and reactions of a dramatic black American woman. Yes, he acts as a woman and wears the most ridiculous wigs lol
Adrian Bliss is one other Youtuber I watch. He wears a lot of costume and acts out his characters in a way that seems awkward yet adorable. I always look forward to his videos and the creative ideas.
OK, let me stop here lol.
**Which would you rather throw away, love or money?**
Hahaha, you didn't say I would be throwing everything away. So, I throw away just a little bit of money, like a cent lol.
**What is your go-to ice cream flavour?**
Judging from what I buy mostly, I think this should be vanilla for me. Yep, definitely vanilla. I like the colour of strawberry though but vanilla tastes better.
**What body part are you willing to give up?**
This will have to be my appendices, I hear we don't have much use for them apart from causing trouble sometimes that leads to its removal.
**As a child, what was the dumbest way you've gotten injured?**
I know people get hit by cars but in my case, a car got hit by me haha. Let me explain. When I a child, I was returning from a church program with other kids in the apartment when we decided to stay downstairs and play a bit. We went to where cars were packed and were trying to slide on part of the floor that was smooth. It was easier if you had on slippers with a smooth sole. We were all trying to slide on our feet when one of the kids pushed me. Me being as light as a feather slid and hit a car. The impact felt very slight and I didn't realise anything was off until I tried to stand and I felt a sharp shot of pain coarse through one of my arms and legs. Because I didn't react immediately, my siblings felt my delayed reaction was fake and they went upstairs without me lol. It took me over an hour to crawl up to our apartment and it turned out I broke some bones.
That is it for today, I'll be glad if you also answer these questions on your post, I'm curious about what your replies will be.
Have a nice week ahead!
Childhood Sunday
Hey everyone, happy Sunday. How is it going for you. I stay in a Christian dominated area so a lot of people are beautifully dressed and going to or returning from church. As usual, I cooked "Sunday rice" haha. Today, I'm trying to stay as stress free as possible. Monday always comes with a lot of work and I need to prepare for that.
Today, I've mostly been in my room doing one thing or the other online. Writing for read.c is the last thing I have to do online before taking a nap. I did not expect time to fly so fast while trying to complete other things.
As I was struggling for topics to write about, I remembered the different ways I had spent my Sundays from childhood.
**CHURCH**
Sundays have always been known for church and other Christian activities. When I was younger, I attended church with other kids in their neighbourhood. I remember laying out my clothes the previous day in preparation for sunday. In the morning, I and my siblings would wake up and take turns taking our bath after which we'll have to put on out clothes and shoes. Of course, church clothes are different from daily clothes; they are the kind of clothes one would wear for an event or a wedding. The whole affair is usually very ceremonios. Church shoes are also different from school or any other shoes; they are the pretty shoes we would only wear for a special occasion. After dressing up, my siblings and I, together with other kids whom we meet on the way would walk to church together. It was supposed to be a 15 minutes walk but it took us at least 30 minutes because we would play on the way and catch up on what happened at our different schools and classes. For this reason, we usually left home at least 30 minutes earlier.
The return from church was another event. Outside the building, they're were people who sold yoghurts, coconut candy, sweets, buns, egg rolls etc. Our neighbours kids always stopped to buy some and then share with the rest of us. Sometimes when I had saved some money from my school allowance, I would also buy some things after church. I later discovered that my neighbour's kids used to split their offering money in two. They would drop part of the money in the offering box and spend the rest after church.
After buying these stuff, on the way home we could usually perceive the aroma of different rice based delicacies coming from different homes, the cast wash would be blasting gospel music meanwhile they had on songs about ass and girls the previous day lol. As usual, we would walk home engaging in endless conversations till we got to our individual homes. At home, we'll then have breakfast and enjoy the aroma of lunch being cooked in the kitchen. Sometimes, we had breakfast before going to church, but mostly after.
**VISITS**
Sunday was the day for visiting. Either people came over or we went somewhere. When we had guests, we had to serve everyone food and drinks even if they arrived without informing us. It was normal to cook more than we needed so that we could entertain guests. The guests are also served first or at the same time with the children while my parents start eating once the food has been served for everyone. It is considered to be rude if you don't offer anything to eat or drink to your guests. If the food won't be enough, you can offer them simple snacks. It shows that you have accepted them into your home.
There are times when we also visited other people, mostly family members. I mostly remember going to visit my uncle. I would play around the house and in the compound with the children who lived there. We would explore the building and below the apartment stairs.
**SLEEP**
As a child, I didn't like this part but I cherish it now haha. Whenever we didn't have anything to do and had finished putting our things together for school for the next day, we sometimes sleep out of boredom because we're usually made to stay home rather than go out to play in Sunday and it is also usually sunny, I don't know why lol. So, for this reason, we may sleep off while visitors comes and goes.
Thanks for reading, happy Sunday!
Birthday Shenanigans (A Short Story)
Saturday. February 19, 2022
She was my best friend, or so I thought. It was a warm Saturday evening when I held my phone close to me waiting for it to ring. I was expecting a call from my best friend. It was my birthday and she told me she had a surprise for me and would call me. I had been waiting all day for her to call but I never heard from her. I thought she had forgotten about the surprise and my birthday.
I tossed and turn on the bed as my excitement slowly turned into despair. I was upset, bored and disappointed. It wasn't the first time she would flake on me or go back on her promise. I cherished my birthday so much that I easily got excited by anything; in the morning I almost shed tears of joy when I saw how beautiful the sky was.
I was still wallowing in the sadness of how my birthday was turning out when my phone rang. I ran to answer it only to find out if was a marketer calling. I quickly ended the call and tossed the phone aside but it started ringing again. Unlike the first time, I checked the caller ID this time and it was Timi, my best friend!
"Hey, what's up?" I asked in a casual tone, trying to act like I didn't just spend hours waiting for her call
"Hey girl! You didn't think I would forget your birthday did you?" she asked filled with excitement.
"Uh, nah! Uh, of course you wouldn't hehe."
"Well, I have a surprise for you!"
"ooh, tell me tell me! What is it?"
"Well, you two rules. One is you have to stay on the phone, two is you have to find it."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"You see, I prepared you special birthday surprise down in the apartment warehouse. Follow the stair to find it."
"Can't I just go straight downstairs to the business?"
"What's the fun in that? Just do as I've said OK?"
"Urgh, fine. I'm coming,"
The warehouse is an empty space below the ground floor of the building. It has an entrance at the front of the building and another one from a staircase inside the building. No one really uses that staircase, it is dark and dusty. I stayed on the call but I turned on my phone flashlight.
I started going down the stairs and fighting cobwebs that have probably been there for years. Some of the cobwebs were already cleared showing that someone had passed there. A strong wing blew and the door to the stairs shut blocking any natural light.
The stairs were filled with junk which looked like old abandoned furnitures. I had to maneuver each one like a maze. It was so dark that I could only see the place my light shone at. As I kept jumping over obstacles, I heard a faint murmur that sounded like a crying child. I stopped moving and listened but I heard nothing. Later, I heard what sounded like a child's running footsteps accompanied by giggling.
I was beginning to freak out and I remembered I still had Timi on the phone.
"Uhm. Timi, are you there? There's something weird going on here," I said
"Oh, what is it?" Timi asked
At the same time, I heard the footsteps and giggling again
"That! Did you hear that? There's a child laughing and running about!" I yelled frantically
"I didn't hear anything. I'm sure it's nothing unless the legend that a little girl died there is true."
"Wait, what? What legend?"
"The janitor told us about it a while ago. Oh no! Do you think it's true?" she answered shakily
"Oh I'm going to die! What do I do? I don't want to die!" I pleaded as I tried to hold back my tears.
"I don't know, run!" she yelled
Her yelling pushed a button in my that made me start running immediately. I was closer to the warehouse than the door of the stairs so I ran down. I didn't even know how I managed to dodge the obstacles the blocked my way. I continued till I saw the little warehouse door. I pushed it open and ran inside then the lights came on and I heard a shout of, "Happy birthday!"
All my friends were there, including the janitor. My cloth was dirty and dusty, my arms and hair was covered in cobwebs and my mouth hung open on shock as Timi took a picture of me.
"What?" I yelled
"Remember how you always pranked us and you told us we could never scare you? Well, this is payback!" Timi said laughing.
At first I was so pissed but her laughter was so contagious that I joined in. I later cleaned myself up and had a wonderful birthday with my friends.
**FICTION! FICTION!** **FICTION!**
Hey guys, I'm feeling better than yesterday and I'm grateful for that. Thanks for reading! Although I have a random question that I want to ask. Do you cook your chicken before frying or do you fry it while it's raw?
Lead image made on Canva
Have a nice day!
F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
Friday. February 18,2022.
Hey guys, I hope the day is going well for you. For me, I underestimated how sick I was or overestimated how much I could handle. I woke up feeling week and shaky, I had to take an excuse from work. I still had to work but just on something really small before being done for the week. I had been pulling both mine and other people's weight lately so it wasn't hard to ask them to take over my stuff.
I almost didn't write. I've been trying to stay awake but I guess my body is tired. I have been writing everyday for almost two months and I'm not willing to end my streak just yet lol.
Today, I'll like to talk about an old TV series I enjoyed watching so much as a child that I had to rewatch it as an adult and it was still very funny.
**FRIENDS**
This series is one I really loved watching on TV. As a child, I never knew what time it came on and we didn't use cable TV, it didn't come in the same time as it would in cable. All I knew was that it was during the weekend, Saturday, I think. I would sit in the parlour as different TV shows and soap operas played consecutively.
Friends was a TV show that involved six friends who liked to hang out in a coffee shop called Central Perk. They also live close to each other and most of them, at one point, have been roommates with more than one of them. So many hilarious things happen in the series that will have you actually rolling on the floor and laughing. For the characters, we have;
**Ross**: The guy who "plays with bones" haha. He is a palaeontologist and loves anything that has to do with bones, dinosaurs and fossils. The only other thing that competed for that love was his love for Rachel.
**Chandler**: The funny guy of the group whom no one knows the name of his job. Rachel thinks he's a "Transponster" though (whatever that means lol)
**Joey**: The group flirt. Joey has taken more girl home by simply asking in a suggestive voice "How you doin'?". Sadly, his charm with getting girls is not as strong as his wit. He is also an actor.
**Phoebe**: Phoebe is the wierd friend. She is a masseuse and also sings and plays the guitar. She is most known for her song "Smelly cat". Phoebe had a tough childhood and a mean twin sister but she manages to hold her own in the world. You may also find her referring to herself as Regina Phalange
**Rachel**: The pretty girl of the group who denounced her father's wealth and left a man at the alter. She became a bad waitress at the coffee shop before working on fashion. She had an off and on relationship with Ross
**Monica**: The mother of the group. She is also the younger sister to Ross. She is a good chef and a neat freak. She cleans for fun and enjoys cooking for the gang but she is very strict. She likes things to be clean and in order and she's not afraid to call anyone out who is not following the rules.
Honourable Mention
**Jan**: Jan was once Chandlers girlfriend and she was known for her iconic screeching laughter and also for always saying the phrase "Oh my God!". She also dated Ross at a point.
Friends has a catchy and sweet theme song that so many fans like me still know till this day. The song celebrates friendship and showing up for someone who is going through a tough time. The title of the theme song is" I'll be there for you" by The Rembrandts.
You can watch the video below. This is from a Youtuber called Yogesh Waichal
https://youtu.be/rfU8sPLkcSE
Thank you so much @fantagira The amazing salsa dancer!!! I truly appreciate your sponsorship, I'm very grateful
Salon Characters
February 17, 2022
I spent most of my day yesterday in the salon. If you read my previous post, you'll remember I didn't know if I could make my hair. Luckily for me, the lady who was before me was a friend and she gave up her spot for me. I was so happy. She didn't have anywhere to go this week so she decided to make her hair today while I did mine yesterday.
The process took 4 hours and as the last customer for the day, we started by 4pm and finished by 8pm. I had also spent two hours before it got to my turn. My hair turned out good and I liked it. Surprisingly, I feel no headaches and I can move my head around easily. I'm tender-headed so the stylist knows not to make it too tight. She also advised me to keep a natural hair which I'm considering because it's the healthier option for my hair.
Yesterday, I noticed reached 1000 views. It means a lot to me even though I know a lot of people have reached and passed this point. It took me two months of posting (although my account was opened about 3 months ago), I'm glad I'm making progress here and I'm thankful for the people I've met.
Today, I woke up feeling a bit sick. It's not too bad, just mainly weakness. I believe I should feel better tomorrow. Today let's talk about the kinds of people who come into a salon (based on my experience)
**Actual Customers**
These people have one need and that is to make or style their hair. They come with the mind to get their hair done, they pay and go back home.
**Foodies**
These ones make me wonder if they still have money to pay for the hair lol. They are actually interesting people to be around. They usually have fun stories to tell about their day or the food while eating. I don't contribute but I laugh when someone says something funny. They may come with their own food, after eating, they may buy snacks and drinks. After which they'll buy roadside food again and more snacks. This is not an exaggeration, I've seen it happen a lot. I have eaten in a shop but it's mostly snacks, I wish I had a big appetite though, but I don't like eating in public much.
**Sleepers**
This group will be up and alert while waiting but the moment they sit on the chair to have their hair done, they start feeling sleepy. I think this is because the lack of physical movement makes them give in to whatever stress their body may be feeling. When the hair is done, they usually don't feel sleepy anymore lol. It is the hairdresser who suffers in this situation because he/she has to keep adjusting the customers head or waking them up.
**The Bargainers**
These people set out trying to figure out how much each shop charges. They act like they are about to make their hair so they would be told the price. After that, they would say that they will be back soon but they hardly come back. They will then go to other shops and do the same thing till they find the cheapest one. I've done this before, a long time ago but not anymore. Now, I find a salon that is good and bargain with the prices they offer. I can't risk going to a bad shop because they're cheaper.
**Gossips**
Haha, this again. This one disturbs me so much lol. While we have gossiping hairdressers, we also have the gossiping customers. These ones will keep asking the hairdressers about different people who visits the shop to get any gist or information about them or they start talking about their bad neighbours. While this is not as common as gossiping hairdressers, it still occurs
**Traders**
Here, I don't mean people who are known for a particular trade and have a store somewhere. These are the ones who sell anything and everything. They can tap you and say "Hi, I sell handbags but if you need petrol during this fuel scarcity, I can supply it to you. Nice phone, I also sell phone cases." and they'll proceed to show you tons of pictures of their products on their phone. These are serious hustlers lol. On a good day, they could make a fair sale especially if they have whatever they're selling with them.
That's all I remember. Tell me which ones you belong to or which ones I didn't list.
Salon Problems
Good day, this morning was one of those where I struggled to wake up on time. I have an alarm set in case I don't wake up early on my own. When the alarm went off, I couldn't help but snooze it. I was really tired, sleepy and just not ready to face the day. Eventually, I got up and made a list in my head of all the things I needed to do.
This morning, I had the usual meeting and I was assigned a ton of work to do. It really sucked because I did a lot yesterday in limited time. Maybe that is why I've been given a lot to do today; they probably think it's easy because I finished in a short time — the curse of being an efficient worker lol.
I started doing what I had to do and along the line, I got distracted by my environment. When I'm going through a creative process, I usually like to be in the zone and block out any unnecessary distractions but that didn't work out today. Things were going well, I had to run an errand, there were knocks on the door and later I received a phone call. Everything threw me off balance and I could barely remember my thought process so I had to start again, it really sucked too.
Another dilemma I was facing was that I needed to make my hair. I have somewhere to be tomorrow and I needed to look alright. Yesterday, I stopped at my hairdresser's shop after work but she wasn't around and I was devastated. Today, I couldn't wait till work was over, I packed up my laptop and headed to the salon. I was so happy to see she was around and only had one customer. It is expected as most people are at work and would find come rushing in the evening like I did yesterday.
I greeted the hair stylist and her customer and I told her what I wanted to do. All was going fine for those few seconds until she dropped the bomb that she had a home service. That is, she had to go make someone's hair in their home. I couldn't be more devastated. I had come that far to be disappointed. I didn't leave though. In fact, I'm still in the shop, hoping for some miracle lol. You know when you find someone who does something well or too your liking, you'll develop customer loyalty to the person. That is how it is for me and why I don't want to go to another hairdresser.
She said the other lady who works for her may show up later to help. The other lady is just as good as she is and I don't mind having her make my hair. The problem is that it is unsure if she will be showing up today, I pray she does.
Now, I'm just sitting here writing this article. Another reason I like this shop is because it is different from most shops. This lady does not bring up unnecessary gossip. She focuses on her art and delivers brilliantly. She passes comments once in a while to make you feel present and she tries to indulge some talkative customers but she has her limits. I had a shop I went to before I discovered this current one. The lady was skilled and experienced but she gossiped too much.
On my first day at her store, I had only been the for about ten minutes when she started telling me about her life and giving me extremely intimate details I didn't ask for and definitely didn't need, it was awkward for me but she was having fun and even bragging her youthful escapades. That was a red flag I ignored because she was the only hair dresser I knew at the time. What was worse was when she proceeded to ask me personal questions about myself; I politely declined to answer and I know she didn't like it.
My hair looked good that day so I kept going back to her, it was easier than looking for an alternative who may not be as good. From consequent visits, I noticed that whenever a customer left, she would say something bad about the person. It could be someone she just finished sharing laughs and gossips with. She would spill personal details about the person which they must have told her in confidence.
Another thing was she sometimes didn't do what a customer asked for. She's quite good at her job and she knows it so she valued her own choices and opinions over her customer's. It's okay to give advices and recommendations as a professional but it's not OK to impose them. At the end of the day she's supposed to do what the customer asked for.
That's all for today, I hope I'm able to make my hair today.
Why People Steal
Hi guys, how is it going? I hope you had a nice time with your loved ones yesterday or did something worthwhile. Today, I realised I have been under a lot of stress lately and I have too much on my hands so I'm going to take a break from a few things till I feel better.
Yesterday, while everyone was celebrating, I received a message from a close friend telling me to call her when I had the time. Of course, I called immediately because it seemed urgent. She's pregnant and is past her expected date of delivery, so I thought she was in labour or something. When I called, I was shocked to find out that her husbands business was robbed. She said the robbers were armed. They shot guns in the air and attempted to stab her younger brother who was visiting. I asked about the security men because there is a security post just by the side and she told me that the security men were the first to flee the scene. What's worse is that they were the only ones who were robbed.
She believed the robbery was premeditated. They have just moved into their new home and business seemed to be going OK. They were getting by but they did not have extra money to spare. In the past few months, they put in their all in order to prepare for the coming of their child whom they're expected this week. Now, they've lost it all. I tried to support with what I have but I know it won't be enough to do anything reasonable because she has another child and is also helping to raise to other kids on her own. Yesterday I was mad, today I'm still very pissed. I don't understand why people will not work but go and steal from a hardworking family.
Stealing leads to so many vices. People who steal always lie about the theft. They may also threaten to harm people, they may take recreational drugs to get themselves hyped up. There is no good side to this act.
In light of what happened, I'm going to share reasons why I think people steal
**BAD INFLUENCE**
This arises when one moves with the wrong crowd. It can happen at a any stage of life both with kids and adults. Kids who were not shown proper attention to could mix with the wrong people and learn the wrong things because they had no proper guidance. Adults who also got mixed with the wrong people, either because they thought it was cool or just a situation out of the circumstances they find themselves can also feel pressured or encouraged to do bad things like stealing.
**GREED**
This is caused by the need to have more all the time. It is fired up by a lack of contentment. These people may see someone else's lifestyle on social media or the news and admire the person in such a bad way that they steal to try to imitate the way if life of the person they admired. These people, no matter how much they have will always feel like something is lacking and will keep trying to get more through any means.
**HOPELESSNESS**
There are cases where people steal not because they want to but because that feel it is their last resort. It is easy to pity people in this situation but it's sometimes hard for me to do so. Life works in a way that people find themselves at their wits end. Imagine a parent who needs money to save the life of their ailing child. Such desperation can lead one to steal. I'll call it a crime of love and why I feel bad for this parent, I also have to think of the person being robbed. What if the victim also has an ailing child and that money was their last hope? What if the event led the victim to have a high blood pressure or heart attack and they eventually die?
**HATRED/JEALOUSY**
This is the worst for me. Stealing because you don't like someone or envy their progress. These kinds of theft are always always planned and targeted at a victim. It makes me wonder how they feel after knowing they person they have stolen from is devastated or suffering from the incident.
**KLEPTOMANIA**
I don't know the science behind this but as far as I know, these people can't control the urge to steal. They are not bad people, they just have the compulsive need to take other people's things. Sometimes they take silly things and even try to return it.
These are the reasons I can think of at the moment. Thanks for reading
Ways to say "I Love You"
Good day everyone! How is it going? Some people are in a celebratory mood and have refused to be brought down by the work and expectations of Monday. For me, I have a lot to do and not enough time to do them. I will also be closing way later than usual. It doesn't help that I stayed up all night trying to get something done only for it to be deleted. I truly hope everyone's day is going better.
Today, I didn't really know what to talk about and I didn't want to talk about valentines because I expected that a lot of people would be doing that. But since I can't think of anything, let's talk about the different ways people say I love you without saying it.
Love is expressed in different ways, it goes beyond merely saying the words. It includes actions and sometimes, the voice of those actions speak so loudly that you know they come from a place of love.
By Spending Time With Them
One way that shows you love someone is by spending more time with them. Love makes you long for someone, their presence, their voice, their attitudes etc. This is not limited to romantic love, a child may miss their parent, a teacher may miss the students, siblings may miss each other and all these makes one want to spend more time with that person who currently occupies their heart.
By Listening
We listen to people talk all the time. We take in the data they give us and create our own responses based on that but when love is involved, it is different. You'll want to hear them talk all the time, it doesn't matter if they have anything reasonable to say. Any new piece of information about them you get, you hold on to it and keep craving more. You'll find yourself dissecting each sentence to love for a deeper meaning and no matter how much they say, you just want more. Someone who loves someone hears and also listens because they care about you.
By Sharing their Interests
When there is love, there is admiration. Some things you never considered doing may become cool to you because someone you admire is doing them. You might find yourself trying out new things because they mentioned it and whether you liked it or not, you would always want to give them a feedback. You would also find yourself taking note of the things you have in common and capitalising on that to foster more interaction between yourselves.
By Helping Out
Loving someone involves wanting them to be happy. You will find yourself doing whatever you can to release them of any discomfort or stress. It is for this reason that someone will run out at night to get drugs for the other but won't even step out to do the same for themselves. When you love someone, you'll care deeply about their affairs and you will be more and easily willing to go out of your way to help them out with something.
By Saying Other Words
There are words people say that means so much, possibly just as much as "I love you". These words hold a lot of meaning, emotions and intentionality to them. It is one thing to tell someone you live them and it is another to give details of how they make you feel or what you think about them. Some of these words include; I love spending time with you, I'm glad I met you, I'm here for you, I miss you, this reminded me of you, you inspire me, I got you something to eat, Stay safe etc. In the right context, these words could carry the weight of several "I love you's".
So remember, loving someone goes beyond saying the magical words. They're are endless ways to show how you feel, don't hesitate to use them. If you have feelings for someone, tell them. Don't always expect a yes and don't hate them if they don't say yes, it's not their fault that they don't feel the same way and they can't always love everyone who loves them. If you're struggling to say the three words, try using some of the words in number five and build up to saying I love you.
I hope this helps, have a wonderful day!
Wishes For You
Happy Sunday! The annoying thing about Sunday is that Monday comes after and we have to delve into the hustle and bustle of life. So far, I've spent the weekend with my mum, just the two of us, and it has been nice. I hope your weekend has also been good for you.
Today, I want to celebrate love in my own way, I want to send my good wishes to the people on this app. I have learnt so much from this platform and I am really thankful for the kind of people I have met here. Everyone is so nice and respectful to a reasonable extent. It's so refreshing to read these articles and gain new knowledge everyday. Sometimes I find myself thinking about things I've learnt from read.cash without realising it and I smile. I always remember the life lessons, some factual information I didn't know before, some food name like Chicken Adobo etc, some flower names, some insect names too. There are so many opportunities to learn in this free site and I'm grateful for that.
Since tomorrow is the day for celebrating love, I want to use this opportunity to thank my sponsors. I love them and I'm so grateful to have them in my block. These people support me relentlessly and whenever I feel tired, reading their comments on my article, seeing the renewal notifications or seeing their own updates always keeps me motivated. Thank you! And may your wallets NEVER run dry!
To my friends on this app, those who read and comment on my article, the invincible ones who support with tips, the ones who joke with me in the comments and make me laugh, the ones who share their insights with me on any topic, I'm really grateful to have you here. You're like my family in this platform.
To those who have found love (like the devil hihi), I wish you the best in your relationships. May you always experience what it means to love and be loved. I hope you learn to grow together in love, be patient and willing to make reasonable compromise. I wish you the very best and I hope you have a wonderful valentine tomorrow. Ps: don't pressure yourself or your partner on valentines day to do more than you or they are able to do.
Those who are writing exams at this time, I wish you success. I pray you are able to remember all that you have read and all that you heard in class. I pray you come out in flying colours that will make you proud of your efforts. I also pray you don't experience the tension that comes with writing exams.
Those who are working hard to provide for their families. I know a bunch of people here like this and I always admire them. Whenever I read their articles, they inspire me to do my best and work hard like they do. These people go above and beyond to make sure that things are going well for their kids, spouses and even neighbours and friends. I pray that they will be rewarded for all their hard work and as they have placed the needs of others above their own, God will do the same for them.
To those who are experiencing some form of hardship and looking for a means to get by, I believe you are strong and life's trials will not be enough to put you down. You courage to keep pushing despite your struggles is one that should be admired. I believe things are going to work it well eventually. This includes all who were affected by the super typhoon Odette, my prayers are with you all.
Those who are new to this app, I hope you really enjoy your stay here. Its so nice to connect with people from all over the world and learn about the different cultures and traditions. Don't forget to check the read.cash rules and guidelines so that you don't default and get your account banned. I wish you well on your journey in read.cash.
Thank you so much for reading, I love you all!
Have a happy valentine tomorrow!
Carrot and Stick
Hello wonderful people! I'm happy this morning. I was so stressed during the week but last night I got a good night's sleep and although I woke up earlier than I expected. I felt rested and relaxed because it was Saturday! That means, no meetings, no work etc except house work though.
As I have mentioned earlier, Saturday is the designated day for thorough house work, kinda like a weekly spring cleaning. I didn't feel like doing any work as I wanted to just lazy about in bed lol but I tried to prepare myself and mentally plan how to go about doing the chores. Can you guess what happened when I stepped out of my room? I found that my mum had woken up earlier and done all the work. I was so grateful, I almost cried. No one except my mum can help out like that and I'm so glad to have her. As an appreciation, I ran to the stores to get the things she liked and prepared her favourite breakfast. Now, we're both happy.
It's funny how motivated we become when we are in the right frame of mind and in an accepting environment. If I had woken up to my mum yelling at me, I woke have been in a bad mood and I would only do what I needed to do, nothing more. But this morning, my mum doing my chores made me feel cared for. The fact that she didn't complain that I stayed in bed longer than usual made me feel grateful and all of this gave me the strength and motivation I was lacking before to go out of my way to do things. I went from store to store under the sun and I almost didn't feel it because I was happy. When I got back, I barely rested, I headed to the kitchen and started cooking for us since we are the only two at home currently. We ate while watching a movieshe likes. I don't really enjoy watching the same types of movie as her but watching them with her just makes it more interesting because of the way she reacts to them and her commentaries too.
Let's talk about positive and negative reinforcements. Ever heard of the carrot and stick theory. This theory talks about the use of punishment and reward. It's origin is unsure bit it talks about holding a carrot in front of a donkey to make it move ahead faster in hopes of eating the carrot, the carrot is then given to the donkey when it gets to its destination as a reward. Meanwhile, another donkey is being hit with a stick when it fails to move ahead faster as a punishment. The donkey that gets the stick will ride faster because it doesn't want to be punished while the donkey who chases the carrot will run faster so as to get the reward of the carrot.
These two methods of motivation have their negative and positive results based on how they are used. For the carrots, it involves the use of positive reinforcement. With this method, one will feel hyped and encouraged to work because there's a reward at the end. With this, everyone is happy because they get what they want. But what happens when the subject does not like the reward anymore? Or when they start asking for something better because they already feel entitled to getting that reward? Here, they could easily get spoilt.
For the stick, when punishment is used to let someone understand that something is not done right, it brings about a sense of accountability and encourages one do the work properly without having to be coerced with gifts but what happens when the stick is used all the time or as a first resort. When that happens, the subject becomes unhappy and their morale will be low.
I believe the carrot and stick should be used simultaneously but not always. There can be an in-between sometimes where people talk through things, figure out what went wrong and how to avoid it happening again.
What are your thoughts on this?
Thank you @ErdoV for choosing to sponsor me, I'm so grateful!! I appreciate you and I wish you more BCH in your wallet!
Love beyond Miles
In the past few days, I've been too busy and barely getting enough time to spend here. At midnight, I tried to read and comment on as many articles as possible. I logged in, read about two or three and that's all I remember till I heard my alarm ringing this morning. It was then I realised I had slept off while trying to send a comment. I had written it, but couldn't stay awake long enough to hit "save" lol. I'm looking forward to the weekend, I hope to spend most of it on my bed.
I really do miss my bed. It's just a few metres away from me. Calling and beckoning on me to come and get cozy. The soft, well laid with pretty sheets and empty bed looks so enticing and I'm probably going to give in to it pretty soon.
I don't like that in writing later than I usually do but I'm still determined to write. As the 14th is approaching, some couples have already made plans and reservations in order to celebrate with their loved ones. The month of love brings a lot of excitement. In my country, we joke about everything. People make fun of lovers, those who'd wear matching clothes etc. It's all in good fun though. The single people actually have so much fun making fun of people until it's their turn and their friends make fun of them. With all these going on, I don't think there's as much pressure to be in a relationship during this period as is seen in other countries.
Since we're on the topic, I'm going to be sharing simple ways one can celebrate valentines online. This is good for those who are away from their loved ones. So, here goes:
**E card**
Making a valentines card online is pretty easy. There are lots of websites that helps you create cards for free. All you have to do is pick a design you like and edit it. Some sites let you write your personal note, some let you add details to your design, either way, it is pretty easy. If you don't want to use the designs those sites offer, you can create your own card. Platforms like Canva can help you with that. Canva is so easy to use and you can pick already made designs, modify it into what you want or even make yours from scratch.
While making a card may seem too cheesy, it let's the person know you think of them and they can assume that in the moments you were taking to write a note and make the designs, you had them on your mind. Note that in a long distance relationship, every effort counts.
**GIFTS and HAMPERS**
OK, this is not entirely online but you want to get them a gift basket by going online to pay for one and have the vendor deliver it to them. For the hampers, you can carefully choose the contents you want to have in the basket, include a note and have it sent to them. You can also place an order for something they've been saying they needed or something you know they want but won't buy with their money. Everyone likes receiving gifts and it will be nice to know that even with the distance, you can still make this happen.
**VIDEO**
There are many video ideas to exploit. You can make a video collage of the times you've spent together, from when you met till date and have their favourite (occasion appropriate) song playing in the background. You can make a video telling them how you feel about them and how much they mean to you, include pictures too. Also, make a video of both yours and their weirdest or funniest pictures and videos rather than the ones where you guys look good, it will definitely put a smile on their face and remind them of the fun moments they have with you or are comfortable sharing with you.
There are so many simple ways one can celebrate from a long distance and these are only a few
PS: This list is for both males and female lol. Don't wait on the other person to do something OK.
How to Sleep
First I'll like to apologise for not being able to read on comment on most posts yesterday. I had too much to do and I didn't use my phone till about 10pm. I was exhausted and I tried to read articles but I was also having a headache. Today will be just as busy but I'll try to be more active.
Remember when I said I was going to sleep earlier last night because I didn't get enough sleep the previous night? Well, it didn't work out. I ended up sleeping at 4am and waking up less than three hours later. Thank God I have gone through my deck properly last night when I couldn't sleep, so I had no adjustments to make before this morning's meeting. My boss said I did a good job but gave me more work (I'm not gonna cry lol). Anyway, last night, I kept falling asleep and waking up only a few minutes after, sometimes seconds. It was as if my brain was still active and unwilling to rest. It didn't help that I didn't eat last night for a good reason though (because I forgot that I hadn't eaten and I refrigerated the food. I remembered a few hours later when I was hungry 😂), it's a really good reason I tell ya haha.
Well, since I already gave my genius tips on how to stay awake, I think it's time to give real tips that can help you fall asleep (none of which I did yesterday but used the staying awake tips instead lol)
**LIGHT EXPOSURE**
If you're like me who enjoy staying indoors and basking in dim solitude, I'll recommend that you expose yourself to more light during the day. This could be sunlight, light from a bulb etc. And at night, make sure you have only little exposure to light. Doing these will let your body adjust its internal clock and understand when to stay active or make you feel sleepy. Exposure to light at night deceives your body into thinking that it is still daytime. To reduce light exposure at night your can avoid using your phones or any device with light, you can also put your phone in dark mode and reduce the brightness and blue light, you can even go far as putting on sunglasses.
**BLINKING FAST**
I read this somewhere that if you blink fast continously for a minute, your eyes will get tired and you'll fall asleep. I tried this before to see if it would work but I don't remember what happened after; maybe I feel asleep haha. Try it out though and let me know if it works for you. It really sounds like a cool party trick
**NO SLEEP IN THE EVENING**
Remember I talked about this yesterday. I mentioned how sleeping at late evening times can affect your night sleep. If you intend to have a good night's sleep, avoid sleeping anytime from 4pm. Naps helps us feel rested and relaxed and when we wake up from them, we're ready to carry out any necessary activities. Sleeping in the evening will therefore keep our body and mind active at night rather than shutting down. So, this is something that should be avoided.
**AVOID CAFFEINE**
One cannot talk about things to avoid when trying to sleep without mentioning caffeine. Caffeine keeps you hyper and very active. I was had so much coffee that I stayed awake all night doing nothing. It is literally a dm engine that will keep you going and going. Any form of caffeine where coffee, kolanut, drinks etc should be avoided at all cost. Rather, one can have chamomile tea, I hear it works wonders.
**Work Out**
This sounds stressful right? But it works, trust me! Okay, hear me out. Have you ever been so tired that all you want to do was lie down, that's your body's response to any form of stress. If you work out, you'll tire out the active part of your body and you'll be compelled to sleep. You can do some push ups, take your bath and then lie down and sleep will come knocking in no time.
**MELATONIN**
When all these does not work. Consider taking a melatonin supplement. I didn't know about melatonin until my sister was having sleeping difficulties and one was administered to her. I remember looking it up to be sure of what it did and apparently, it was quite a popular prescription.
Tips to Stay Awake (NOT)
What's up my people! How is it going today? Guess who stayed up past 2am last night, this writer! Lol, yes that's me. I stayed up for way too long and now I don't have the luxury of sleeping because I have things to do. My eyes hurt though, they need rest and they'll get that at the end of the day because I hope to got to bed early tonight.
Since I stayed awake for a long time last night, I now consider myself an expert in the art of making stupid decisions that keeps you awake. I am self-taught and I have awarded myself a PhD in this field. I also have a PhD in eating noodles but that's another topic. What PhD do you have? If you don't have any, get yourself one lol. Now, as an expert with several nights of experience (most recently, last night), I'll like to share my ultimate wisdom and sage advice on how to stay awake at night.
If after reading you find yourself mind-blown from the words of wisdom I have written, you don't need to thank me but you're welcome lol.
**SLEEP IN THE EVENING**
This is just a wonderful bad idea. Imagine sleeping at 5pm and waking up by 7pm. There's no need to try, just bring out a bible and start a prayer vigil or go outside and observe the nocturnal activities of owls and rats. You can even decide to study all night or be like me and watch TV series. One thing is for sure though, you won't be sleeping anytime soon. Unless you're a super human like my cousin, then I concede to you.
**WATCH AN INTERESTING SERIES**
This is usually my go to and the reason why I stay up sometimes. Some people are preparing for valentines day, making calls to their loved ones and enjoying pillow talks but what do I do? I engage in a warfare between sleep and an interesting series. Poor sleep, that guy hardly wins lol. Sometimes though, sleep comes prepared by making sure I'm extra stressed during the day and then at night, it makes my eyes betray me and shut down to sleep.
**PLAY GAMES**
Isn't this fun? Some games can be so interesting that you'll get carried away playing them for hours. I don't know about you, but I do get lost in the games I play. Games are addictive and even more so when you've just downloaded them. You might tell yourself that you'll be going to sleep soon but you know that you won't sleep till you complete whatever quest you're embarking on. And when you finish with a level, the sense of triumph usually feels so good that you just go ahead and start playing the next level.
**WATCH A HORROR FILM**
This is the "goodest" bad idea so far. For best results with this, make sure you are alone and the lights are off. Also, unlock your wardrobe so that the clothes in it will cast a shadow. For best results, watch a movie based on a true life story that leads you to a deep dive into Google, searching and discovering disturbing ways people have died. When you're done... Well, I have nothing for you. Goodluck on this one lol.
**SNEAK INTO THE KITCHEN**
Human beings are competitive in nature, we even compete with rats. Yes, rats because there's no other reason why you should be in the kitchen late at night (unless to drink water). So, just like the rats in the trenches, match down to the kitchen. You don't have to have any goal or know what you're looking for, just go. Of course, as the expert, I've been guilty of this too haha. The fridge just seems to have endless opportunities and midnight hunger can make one really creative with food.
**IT'S MORNING!**
If you did all or most of this, then congratulations, it's morning. Rub your red itchy eyes, open the curtains, think about the bad decision you've just made concerning staying up too late and have a nice day!
Thank you for reading! Follow my advice at your own risk lol!
@Daria