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2017

2017,

2017 Review


I know I am late to the party and everyone’s 2017 review is in, but hear my excuses and you can let me know in the comment section if they are valid.


I was ill from the 24th of December till the new year, I believe my body was determined to put me on compulsory bed rest. Knowing myself I wouldn’t have rested otherwise. Fast-forward to the new year, I seem to always be on the go and the changes in my life are hitting super-fast, they didn’t wait for the dust of the new year to settle in before life as I knew it started changing. Best to say the few days of 2018 have become an emotional roller coaster 

I apologize again for not getting my 2017 – year review in sooner 

Here we go;

At the beginning of 2017 I started a monthly goal setting task, which entail sharing my goals for the month with all my readers and sharing at the start of the next month if I was able to achieve set goals. I kept up with this for about five months before I fell off the wagon of sharing, I kept setting monthly goals I just didn’t share and report on them.

My monthly goals were basic, so I will be doing my review based on the monthly goals I set for myself.

Most recurring goal was to read two new books every month, I did achieve these goals because I read over 25 books in 2017, but I will not share all the books I read, I will just talk about four of the books I read that resonated with me and made me think deep about life and my choices. If you want a comprehensive list, please let me know in the comments below.

The first book on my list is one I have recommended to everyone I know, it is a well written book and the characters will stay with you long after you are done reading the book.

The book is Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo. I started reading this book one raining Saturday morning and didn’t drop the book till I was done reading it. Akinleye and Yejide have constantly found their way into my dreams.

The second book is Ghana Must Goby Taiye Selasi, this was my last read of 2017, I love the way Taiye Selasi explores family dynamics and the effect of isolated decisions on the whole family. 

The third book is Every Day for the Thief by Teju Cole, one of my goals for the year was to read a book written by Teju Cole. Every Day for the Thief came highly recommended and I wasn’t disappointed. The book is a love letter to Lagos and by the time I got to the last chapter I saw Lagos through new eyes, it made me slow down and notice the city I call home. 

The fourth book is The Right Kind of Crazy by Adam Steltzner and William Patrick, this book challenged the way I think about my job, team work and my contribution to the society.  I had an important career decision to make and reading this book at the time made me have a better understanding of what I want for my life.

Another goal for the year was to listen to a lot of new music and I think I achieved this, I will be sharing my top five albums of the year. 
  • Wonder by Hillsong United 
  • Good God by Folabi Nuel
  • Stark by Bemyod
  • In Memory of Forgetting by Wanawana
  • We Say Yes by Housefires    

My goal to visit new places was almost a total fail but I didn’t give up on it. Two of my memorable trips last year were to Badagry with my friends over the independence weekend and a road trip to Ogun state with the band RepJ360. Oh, I got to visit Dubai for the first-time last year and it was a beautiful experience. 


Events that will stay with me this year, RepJ360’s first concert, the Stark album listening, Art X, and Night of Worship. I know I need to experience more things this year. I will start by participating in the Lagos City Marathon.
2017 was a year of learning, unlearning discovering more about myself and I am glad I got to go on the adventure with you.

Here is to a great 2018!!
2017, 24,

Adventures In Lagos: Badagry, Sunday 28th May 2017

Over the long democracy weekend my friends and I decided to go on a road trip to Badagry, which is a border town in Lagos state. This trip didn’t require a lot of planning, my friend Tolu suggested we visit Badagry on a group chat that is dedicated to planning trips. A good number of people in the group chat were available and thus it happened.

We all chipped in for fuel and food, shout out to Modupe because she was a great hostess, she treated us to a breakfast of sandwiches and apples and we ordered a lunch of Jollof Rice, Chicken and Dodo. 

Lagos can be brutal to you when you are driving in unfamiliar parts of the city. We packed at a place we were sure was a bus-stop along the Apapa Expressway and the police van was right in front of the car within seconds. It felt like they were waiting on us to make a mistake and pounce like hungry lions. We left this tricky situation after a bribe of N1, 000. 

Oh, I haven’t mentioned that it was raining and it didn’t feel like there was an end, we started to doubt our decision of taking the trip and prayed for the rain to stop.  We didn’t dwell on the weather too long we were more grateful to enjoy each other’s company and sang along to the songs that were blearing out of the speakers.

We arrived in Badagry’s French Village where we picked some of our friends who are on a study program and they were going to serve as our tour guides. By the time we arrived at our first stop, the rain had stopped. It was the historic slave trade museum which ironically has a prison located a few meters away. We learnt that 40 able-bodied men were exchanged for one large umbrella. Among all the other forms of exchange this is one that I find the most disturbing and can’t rationalize. We saw the grave site of the slave baron and the reigning chief when slave trade was finally abolished. It was an eye opening experience. Unfortunately, the first story building isn’t open on Sundays so we couldn’t visit it.
We took a boat across the river located opposite the museum to make the trip to ‘’The Point of No Return’’. This is the route that slaves went on towards the Atlantic to make their journey to the ‘’New World’’. The Attenuation wellis located on the walk path that leads to The Point of No Return. Legend has it that when the slaves drank from the well they forgot their past and where they were coming from, we were going to test this out, but there wasn’t any means to draw water from the well. 

We walked and sang man-o-war songs to keep our spirits up. ‘’The Point of No Return’’ is a peaceful beach and I wonder how many people went passed this beach to embark on a journey filled with uncertainties.

Our last stop was Alpha Beach, where I became the photographer and everyone enjoyed the waves. I will definitely visit Badagry again, to soak my feet in the beach and learn about the history of the place. I forgot to mention the beautiful statue of a fisherman located at a roundabout in Badagry.
Enjoy the photos




2017, 25,

A Day In My Life: 8th October 2017

I have wanted a camera for a while now and I guess Mr Abidoye got tired of me talking about it all the time so he got me one for my last birthday. 


The new camera birthed the series ”A Day In My Life”. I will be sharing photos I take from time to time and giving a little background of the day I took them and why I want to share it. 

The photos in this post were taken on Sunday 8th 2017 at Yard 158 and edited by my good friend Tolu who manages Lifegiva website and Lifegiva Radio. We were just happy to be alive and decided to take photos. 

I hope you enjoy following me on my photography journey. 
2017,

Dauntless Conference: 27th August 2017

I wasn’t going to attend to Dauntless Conference, but my friend surprised me with a ticket a few hours to the conference and I a very grateful that she did. I was blessed by the testimonies shared by the women and their stories I will carry with me for a long time. 

I took a few photos at the event and they are below. I hope you enjoy them!! 

P.S I am a photographer in training and I still have a long way to go.