3 Fun Things I Realized Playing Pokémon GO
I downloaded Pokémon Go, the day after it was released. I really only downloaded it as a tribute to the fun stickers I had as a child and because I like Pikachu (because it's yellow). The game is visually engaging and at the start, allows you to choose an avatar who helps a researcher on a creature-capturing project. I think. I never read the preamble before games. Ike, does this also mean you don't read terms and conditions?
*crickets* What's your point?
Anyway, your quest is to capture the creatures. The fun part- the game gains access to your smartphone camera (with your consent) and finds creatures around you, using your camera! It usually appears like you are about to take a photo of the outlandish creature which just made its way to your pillow.
Pillow talk with this angry bird
Once you've captured the creature, you collect them in a Pokéball. You then have to walk around physically to get more creatures and Pokéballs. I love that the game gets me to move and encourages me to get active in my real life. Great fitness incentive.
3 Things I realized playing Pokémon Go:
1. Canals aren't that deep (not when you are chasing this cute, yellow tubby creature, at least)
Worth splashing for.
I found one of my creatures in a canal. How delightful, I thought, this game is really putting things in virtually-realistic places. The cute creature splashed around in the canal as I was on my way to grab some tea at a local coffee shop, soon I found myself inching closer to the banister, which I believed was installed to prevent people from falling in. Next thing, I found my hand over the railing. It was then I realized...I had become a Pokémon Go zombie; my eyes riveted on my screen and completely unaware of my environment. You could have taken my shoes and my glasses and I wouldn't have minded one bit. That cute yellow thingy just needed to fit into my catcher! I leaned over...just.an.inch.moooore...
2. I can't be tricked to exercise
Nice try, Pokémon. This girl can't be tricked to exercise with virtual offerings and incentives. However, set me, please on a glorious high street lined with shops with show glasses exhibits of books and handbags. All the eye-tingling offerings. I would gladly walk 10 miles. Ask my Fitbit. It knows.
3. Pokémon can't work in Nigeria
Lol! To any African, you know how we really aren't about bats. Even worse bats that appear in our rooms at night. There I was getting ready for bed and I checked my phone for a Pokémon. Behold it was a silly black bat floating around in the dark area of my dully lit room. I'm like nah-ahn.
I don't do bats. Cute and yellow things. Yes. Black bats, no.
I eventually gave up on the game when the creatures became even more difficult to catch. Apparently, if you go up a level, the creatures become more difficult to catch and for me, that would mean- me, in a canal.
Do you have the Pokemon Go game installed? What's your highest level yet? Any misadventures like the players below? Lol
Funny stories about Pokemon GO players:
Man goes hunting for Pokemon creature at 3am, gets rounded up in a "drug deal"
This could very easily have been me, if I was hunting handbags.
Man falls into Manhole playing Pokemon Go, claims Candy crush was a safer bet
Aww, I miss Candy crush.
Fugitive caught in his pajamas as he walks to the police Station to catch a Pokemon
Is that guy kidding me right now?! Lol. Move to Brazil, man! Play Pokemon there! *Thinks Zika* Move to Alaska, man!
Woman plays Pokemon and walks right past Beyoncé as she performs. Beehive, not glad
Ok, that one cracked me up! Lol! The Beehive doesn't take kindly to anyone ignoring Bey.
Cover photo: D.H Bragdon
Travel light: Your Relaxed (Glam) Weekend-Away
At first.....
Conversation with myself as I stand in my closet.
Me: Do you really need a lint roller on a weekend trip?
Me: Yup. Even though, I'm taking zero dark colored clothes.
Me: How many bottles of perfume do you need?
Me: Two
Me(gives me the look)
Me: OK, one.
Me: What else do we need?
Me: Lotion, shoes and bags- for every occasion and there may be 4 or 5 occasions, 2 cameras, a towel and 2 changes of clothes per day and also two changes of pajamas.
Me: It’s just two nights.
Me: *blank look* So?
I don't travel light. It's just not something I do. If you travel light, I'd like to praise your skills of prioritizing and decisiveness-please, be very proud! I'm currently trying to join the club. I've been slowly moving over to the minimalist camp, ever since I married Ed, who is chronically allergic to people bending over at airports, to rearrange their overweight luggage! Lol!
I've embraced minimalism all around- less furniture, less junk in my bag (Yeah, right), less stuff on my desk and in my drawer, less keys and cards on my key-holder, less carbs on my plate (carbs-control), fewer shoes but MORE bags *grin* Can't go minimalist there, sorry. I'm a bag hoarder.
Minimalism is really refreshing. It reduces clutter, provides more space, better time management because I don't spend ages looking for my keys in a near-stark living area and I don't spend the end of ages looking for the right key on my bunch. It also helps you relax and think clearly. When traveling, it helps to have the exact items needed for the trip, no knick-knacks. It makes you feel more organized and less worked-up. A study actually shows that, having too many options for one event may lead to depression.
I'm definitely learning to travel light with the least minimum number of functional items possible. God help me.
I decided to make a weekend-away travel items list, so that I don't have to have this conversation with myself every time I have to go on a trip, convincing myself to take just one bottle of perfume.
Downsized a little...
Relaxed Weekend Away (with no chance of glam)
✔️Comfy shoes
✔️Liners/socks
✔️1 sling bag (how generous of me *pout*)
Bedtime
✔️A pair of PJs
✔️Head scarf (if needed)
Toiletries
✔️Toothbrush
✔️Toothpaste
✔️Mini mouthwash
✔️Mini Floss
✔️1 bottle of Perfume/body splash
✔️Day face cream/ Night cream
✔️Nail hardener (brightens manicure/doubles as plaster/band-aid)
Clothing
✔️Hand towel**
✔️3 changes of underwear (plus 1, just because)
✔️2 bottoms (including a pair of shorts)
✔️2 tops (including a tank)
✔️1 dress
Electronics
✔️Phone charger
✔️Phone
✔️Earphones
✔️Camera
Entertainment
✔️1 book
✔️1 magazine
Personalize your experience
✔️Your favorite snack
✔️5 individual packets of your favorite beverage (mine is mint or berry infusion tea) 😍
✔️3 capsules of your Multivitamins
Relaxed Weekend-Away (with a chance of GLAM) add-on items
✔️Cocktail ring
✔️Earrings
✔️Heels (this kills the "relax" factor, for sure)
✔️Clutch purse
Are you a light traveler? Please share your secret! Are you are heavy traveler? When last did you have to open you luggage and rearrange at the airport? Lol! What items can't you live and leave without? Are you taking your vitamins? (in mum's voice)
** I like to travel with my own towel but a bath towel is frowned upon by light-travelers, so a smaller hand-towel will have to do. Sniff.
Why You should go dancing this weekend
It's Friday, Monday's desirable cousin! What to do? Umm. Go dancing, of course. Here are 3 reasons why you should:
#1 Dancing promotes physical fitness and is a great from of aerobic exercise. Personally, it's my go-to on those days of full-fledged gym truancy (which are usually during the weekends). I turn on the TV or listen to an upbeat playlist using my headphones and dance, works like a charm.....on a treadmill.....going at 8 miles per hour.
#2 Dancing as a frequent activity is also associated with self-confidence which, you'll need on Monday morning....and really every other day....but those Monday mornings, especially. They need all the help they can get.
#3 Dancing makes you smarter by increasing the number of neural pathways in your brain and who wouldn't want that! A study shows that dancing protects against dementia, improves cognitive acuity and optimizes the use of intelligence during decision-making. After reading that, I would often remind myself to break into a dance randomly. The trick though, is to be creative with it, according to this article by Richard Powers of Stanford University.
If you don't feel like leaving your home, all you need to do is dance along to a music video or your favorite playlist. I have a video of myself dancing to Psquare's Shekini lol. It's not flattering but it sure built up those pathways, made me feel better about skipping the gym that day and probably boosted in me some self-confidence!
Are you a dance-enthusiast? How often do you dance? Are you dancing this weekend?
Hey, City Bling!
I grew up in good ol' Ibadan with a population of over 3 million people. Ok......sigh.... I'll take all your Ibadan-girl jokes and memes now. Thanks. Lol. Anyway, 3 million people! 7 weeks ago, I moved into the most adorable town with a population of 100,000, still the moment I crossed the borderlines, I fell in love with the city.
Of course, I had given up on finding any Nigerians in such a small town or any Nigerian ties at all. Then two weeks ago, I stumbled on this record store, and there resting languidly against eachother were two records; Commander Ebenezer Obey's Operation Feed the Nation and an album from King Sunny Ade! I was a little too excited. I screamed a little and the guy across from me was mildly worried. Lol! I couldn't believe I found those records here. A piece of my identity as a Nigerian was just waiting there for me to find it. Hello, hidden city-blingy treasure!
Before this, we lived in Madison, Wisconsin, which has about 200,000 people. People still find it amusing that we lived in Madison but, goodness, did we make the best out of it! I can say with all of me that Ed and I ransacked that town; restaurants, fairs, lakes, zoos, rinks, bars, adorable roadside breakfast places, almost snuck into a college party(covering face), almost ice-fished, African parties, Afghani restaurants, street markets, fancy dining, woodsy hikes, gun range shooting...everything! EVERY.
Wherever you are, you are there for a reason and you're probably sitting on a goldmine of experiences. Explore, meet people, dig like a rabbied dog till you find the city's core, till you discover hidden treasure! (I know, rabied dogs aren't cute; they aren't, ok, dig for golden experiences like a healthy dog!)
I've only been in this town for about 7 weeks and everyday has its thrill. I can't wait to find out what else might be hidden behind these brick walls ❤️
Where is your city? Have you found its hidden, crazy gems?!
Source: Wikipedia
Credit: Ian Britton
Source: Alchetron
The Thin Line between Fleek and Alien
Makeup! I've never been a makeup person, I'm more of a get-up-and-go-go with lipstick and penciled-in brows. Truly, you can get away with many things once your brows are filled in and your lips are colored or moisturized. Now, foundation, concealer, pink-chewy sponges, all the 900 types of brushes, luxury powder, contour sets...... those are another ball game entirely. However in 2016, I promised myself to try something new. Something excruciatingly, painfully new! Plus Ike, PGI's November girl kind of kicked me out of my comfort zone.
Hence, I began my makeup journey, watched a bunch of YouTube videos, insta-stalked some Makeup Artists (MUAs) and here I am, still learning, painting and mispainting. I won't stop till my good is better and my better, best! Anyway, here are 13 things I've learnt on this Makeup journey:
1. It's a thin line between being on fleek and transforming yourself into an extra-terrestrial look-alike
2. My teeth = lipstick Magnet (here's how to fix that!)
3. The pink, chewy, squishy thing (Beauty blender) is not edible and costs more than a tube of lipstick
4. Sephora is pretty cool
5. Makeup is an investment and with the exchange rate all crazy, must be strategically used to maximize utilization (she must not waste lol)
6. I am beautiful with/or without makeup
7. MUA's, a couple of salutes and new respect! Let's be friends.
8. Apple cider vinegar is the new water! You can use it as a toner, as a weight loss beverage, as a cleaning agent, for your hair, to treat constipation, to solve the Bermuda Triangle mystery.......
9. Sometimes, "moisturize and go", not every time "foundation and cake"
10. My lips get crazy when I wear mascara, they bend into this unnatural shape for some reason (photo 2 below) Does this happen to anyone else?!
11. Making up is actually a great opportunity for "Me-Time". I just turn on my favorite Spotify playlist and sing with my powder brush (which explains photo 1 below). Then I drop the mic....the brush.....the mic-brush 🎤
12. My eye bags need to go (Here's how to get rid of bags, I'm trying ALL of them!)
13. Along with Apple Cider Vinegar, honey and lemon seem to be the solution to the problems of the world
Stuff I haven't tried : False Lashes, contouring, brow waxing, contouring my collar bone (I did not know that was even a thing!)
Do you wear makeup? How's your journey? What discoveries have you made?
