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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!!
February 9, 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




December 3, 2017
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. 
October 17, 2017
2017, 25,

Raining Season Reading List




I don’t enjoy raining season. I hate that my nose and chest don’t function right once the season starts and how this lingers till the dry season. Because of my poor nose and chest, I hardly go out so this leaves me with the burden of entertaining myself. On the plus side I get to binge watch series and read a lot of books. 
I love reading and each book takes me on a different journey and they have a way of staying with me long after I am done with the book. The emotions in the books linger and this makes me see the people around me differently understand and appreciate their struggles.
I am subscribed to a number of Reading Blogs and they release their ‘’Summer Reading List’’ about the same time the Raining Season starts. But for me it isn’t warm days where I get to go to the beach, I am curled up in bed reading and letting the stories take me on exciting journey.
I was making a list of the books I have read in 2017 and I thought why not share my list and get my book-lover friends to share their own list and thus the ‘’Raining Season Reading List’’ was born. I really hope you enjoy these lists and you discover great books to add to your reading list.
So let’s get into the list.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Fun fact about Ore; I was a science student in secondary school (not by choice) and I choose to study Literature and I believe this is one of the best decisions 14 years old Ore made. The classes were my first lessons in appreciation of books and the beginning of my love affair.
Things Fall Apart was a required text for my exams in my final year in secondary school and I don’t believe I really understood the ideas the author presented in the book or even appreciated the fact that it is a love story to precolonial Nigeria. So a few months ago I decided to buy a copy of the book and read it again. I am happy I made this decision and it was a good experience, I spent my morning drives discussing the themes of the book with my mum and learning about the Igbo people. I think it is important we take a walk into the past so we don’t make the same mistakes in the present.
Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo

I read this book in a day, it is one of those books that when you start you can’t put down till you get to the end. I fell in love with Yejide and Akin and I carried them around with me for a few days wondering about all the different way their story could have played out. At the heart, the book is a love story but, one marred by selfishness and desperate decisions.

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

I know you have seen the movie but, the book isn’t like the movie, for starters it ends differently. It is more of an emotional roller-coaster because the author makes use of the multiple narrative technique so you get a peek into how each character is feeling and picking sides is much harder. I had questions about motherhood, how much love is too much and when a mother needs to stop and listen to her children. Safe to say I cried my eyes out at the end of the book. You can skip this on if you have no tissue.
The course of Love by Alain de Botton

My friend Derin recommended this book to me in January and I am glad he did.  It is a realistic view on love, how a lack of understanding of our individual histories affect the love we share with our partners. How domestic routine, poor communication can lead to the death of love. Most important of all it was a challenge to me to examine myself, take a look at how I react in situations and do an over haul of the relationships in my life.
So that is my list, I hope something interests you, before I forget, there are a few books I picked up to read during the month of August and they are;

The Right Kind of Crazy by Adam Steltzner with William Patrick

Opening Spaces: Contemporary African Women’s writing

Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi

The Shack by William P. Young

Don’t forget to recommend a book in the comments below

August 5, 2017
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