Hi guys!

I promise this was not why I missed Friday's schedule (It's however, a replacement for missing Friday's post).

How was your weekend? Mine was really eventful and quite sad as well. My best friend traveled back abroad and I got to perform three poems to my book club. By the way have you heard about them? They're also awesome and on Twitter (@MainlandBookCaf), Instagram (@mainlandbookcafe). Come join us and let's talk about books!

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Hi guys,
Happy New Week! Not too late, no?

Here's an upcoming literary event that you, my awesome book lovers would love:

The Speech House International, initiators of Grill-And-Read programme are happy to announce a call for nominations for the inaugural G&R Annual Readers’ Awards (GaRARA). The awards seek to recognize the contributions of the reading community to the socio-economic development of the nation. The awards also recognizes that readers occupy a position of influence in the society and that their collective strength can be harnessed to bring about change in the way reading and writing are perceived.

The awards, which will honour readers, authors, publishers, and organisations will come in 13 categories and will include the following:

Reader of the Year

Celebrity Reader of the Year

Readers Event of the Year

Readers Show of the Year (Radio/TV)

Reader’s Person of the Year; Book of the Year

Classic Read of the Year

Author of the Year

Book Discovery of the Year

Book Review Site of the Year

Book Club of the Year

Book Cover of the Year and

Publisher of the Year.

There will also be special awards for NGO of the Year and Spirit of Reading Award.

Nominations will be open from February 1 through to April 30, 2017. All nominations will be made on the dedicated site: www.grillandread.com/readers-award

Nominations are to be based on books and literary activities in the outgone year up until December 31, 2016. All nominees and nominated books should be resident in Nigeria. Further information on the awards will be provided in the coming months. Grill and Read is committed to putting the hip back into reading and encouraging individuals to read for pleasure through fun events and other activities.

Signed,
Abigail Anaba
Project Co-Ordinator

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Hi guys!

It's another day for poetry and this one is written by my darling friend, Samiat Alamutu. You can check her out on Twitter (@Ade_Toun) and Instagram (@lamiii.aa). I hope you like it as much as I do :)

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Hi guys!

Hope you had a fab weekend? My Saturday was amazing! My best friend is in town, so we visited Lekki Conservation Center with friends. I'll share the beautiful pictures we took in another post once I have them. Haven't had that much fun in weeks!

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On my way to work one morning, minding my business and thinking of things to do like I always do in a public transport, my attention weirdly shifts to a passenger talking about an accident he had witnessed on the expressway a while ago. Apparently, the lady had her earpiece on and was at the same time, typing on the phone. 

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Unknown to her, a large trailer truck experiencing a brake fail was coming in full speed and honking really loudly so everyone – including cars could steer clear of the road. This lady was on the phone and also had loud music blasting her ear off, so she didn’t hear the honk. That was how she died. 

While I didn’t contribute to the discussion, I heard two different opinions become a reason for her death:

Driver: The lady died because “it was her time”. According to him, when someone is supposed to die at a certain time, everything will go wrong just so that they could die. 

Passenger: The lady’s death was self-caused. If her ears weren't plugged and she was typing on the phone on an expressway, she wouldn’t have died.

What I think: A little bit of both, but I'm leaning more towards the passenger's opinion. I'm someone who loves to plug my ears with my earpiece everywhere, especially if I'm walking alone. I even love the music blasting my head off. However, I have a few rules:

1. If I'm listening to music with both sides of my earphones plugged in or I'm chatting/texting someone, once I know I'm about to get to a really busy place, I'll unplug my ears and put my phone in my bag. Come hell or high water, I won't have anything to do with that phone till I know it's safe to do so.

2. If it's an emergency and I really need to use my phone, I won't even bother crossing or walking. I'll just look for a safe place, stay there and handle my business.

3. Whoever I'm talking to or whatever I'm listening to will still be there when I get home/to a safe place where I can use my phone, so no. Highest thing I'll do is to text "brb. On foot." right before alighting from the bus, so the person doesn't think I'm ignoring them when I go silent. In any case involving my life and phone, my life is definitely the only priority.

It's really sad that lives are lost in situations like these. This is not to justify the actions of the truck driver because, he probably would've noticed that the brake wasn't in good condition before putting it on the road, but decided to go on the road anyway, thinking he could manage. 

The mobile phone is only technology that exists to make things easier for us. It's sad that it has now become something we hold on to as if our lives depended on it. Please let's try as much as possible to keep ourselves safe at every time.

What do you think? Do you agree with the driver or the passenger, or you have your own opinion?

Let's talk about it in the comments!

Till Wednesday, xx

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Hi guys!

This is one Friday I've been waiting for, yoohoo! Not because of anything, but because it's the day before Saturday.

This is one series that fascinates me. Unfortunately, the few people I've asked for feedback didn't like it that much. I also have a weird love-hate view about the main premise.

The way their team of thieves and sub-thieves were developed was clean and organized and the characters were very well strategically killed off (Well till Siobhan was killed, because I loved her so much). I also dislike it when I come to like a criminal, but this particular series made me fall in love with the main character - referred to as Lucas Hood (Antony Starr) the entire time - even when he was a complete criminal.


The police precinct was run out of an old garage, with only four officers. Four!!! I found that really interesting. Along the line, two of them (Emmett and Siobhan) were killed and someone else joined but the transition from the town being completely vulnerable to the point where even the always terrified officers became really confident that they totally wiped out this vulnerability was epic.

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This is one series where I actually was emotionally attached to 95% of the characters. They were the most amazing criminals that carried out that criminality with such ruggedness and finesse. I should warn you however, that it has loads of sex scenes in it. Two people will literally look at each other and their clothes were off in a second. It could be distracting, but try to focus on the plot.

Kai Proctor (Ulrich Thomsen) though, was weird for me. You didn't know when he would be soft or hard hearted and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why his neice's (Rebecca) death affected him so much after the incest he committed and after getting back in the good graces of his mother. We can't say he "loved" her, could we? As ruthless as he is, I can't place my head round why he would kill anyone for her, really. A good reason will be that he and Rebecca's mother were really close, which we didn't see manifest in the series.

The ultimate thing for me, about the series was that from the beginning to the end of all four seasons, we didn't know the main character's real name. He just went by Lucas Hood, impersonating someone else that was supposed to be the sheriff of that town.

Rate:  9.5/10

Number of Seasons: 4

Recommendations: 1. Daddy's home  2. Eye in the sky

By the way, have you read my last post?

Have you started watching or finished Banshee? What did you think? 

Let me know in the comments below!

Till Monday, xx.

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Hi guys!

Happy New Week! I hope your weekends were amazing? I had a tiring one, so I hope yours was better.

Remember when I mentioned I was going to talk about my "entrepreneurial business where I sell caps" in this post? By the way, there was another movie review on Friday, hope you caught it?

More Lifestyle Company is a contemporary lifestyle brand, with special interests in the mix of prints and plain fabrics. It is a brand that has its main direction geared towards art.

Currently, the main product from this brand is its Afrocentric caps/hats (sold on pre-order basis), while subsequent products will include tote bags, skirts, head-wraps, creative frames, throw pillows, wallpapers.

The caps come with customized designs (drawn by me) and are intended to project the way its user would love to feel. In essence, it is solely concerned with completing your lovely smile.

I think we deserve accessories that brightens up our faces in the best way possible and these caps are designed to do that. This is why they are tailor-made for you.

I'll be very happy to chat with you over e-mail, phone or any of the social media channels, should you be interested in purchasing one, I can't wait to do business!

Photography: Oshomah (@oshomah)
Models: Kolade (@kozlatosh) and Fu'ad (@fuadxiv)
Design: Goodman (@okunadegoodman)

What did you think?

Till Friday, xx

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Hi guys!
How are you enjoying your Friday so far?

I've always been a fan of intelligence movies/series with a hint of comedy. It reduces the tension that comes with the genre, while still maintaining its uptight nature.

While I didn't quite enjoy the new light I was starting to see Ryan Reynolds (Bill Pope) in (he literally only spent 2 seconds in the film before his character was killed), I think I loved having Kevin Costner (Jerico) replace him. It took a while for me to really feel the plot's concept, as my excitement only started with Jerico's character towards the end.

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I get that he was strategically chosen to replace Bill Pope because he apparently didn't feel anything, but I'm quite shocked that no one even thought to check on Bill's family or at least inform them that something was being done about Bill's memory (secret mission or not), instead of having Jerico spring up on them like that. Bill's daughter had the cutest lines by the way.

The only character that kept up his game throughout was Jordi Mollà, who played Xavier Heimdahl. His brutality was real and his death was epic (you should have heard his last words!). Bill's wife's transition from being really scared of Jerico to loving him like he was her husband, was sort of the beginning of "the real dawn" for me. Generally, the movie took quite a while before it really gripped me, but I was glad I waited till the end.

Rate:  5.5/10

Recommendations: 1. Barbershop The Next Cut  2. A Hologram For The King

By the way, have you read my last post on Human Trafficking Awareness Day?

Have you seen Criminal? What did you think? 

Let me know in the comments below!

Till Monday, xx.

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Hi guys!

This poem is for Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

You became an adult right after the barter,
You should remember it,
But your memory failed at the first handshake,
and it sailed away with the ship's stern,
Like every other thing after that.

You became a dirty cloth,
Whose stains are phantom than crater,
One that has now matched your skin,
Like a chameleon with its status.
So you don't feel the fabric,
Because you do not have strength left for the weakness it has become.

Now you turn to the air,
Hoping it will see you,
That it sweeps the mold off you,
Cleanses you of yesterday's filth,
Of tomorrow's slop,

You hope that this invisible substance/becomes the route/to the light/that is the only story your memory ever tells.

By Lola Ogunnupebi.

Audio:



**Have you read my last post? It's got juices!**

Till Friday, xx

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Hi Guys!

Happy New Week :)

I know some people resumed work last week, we just resumed today and it's looking good. How has work been for you since inception this year? 2017 has really started and somehow, I see nothing other than a promising path so far. I hope your year is kicking off well and your January is on lock-down? I have a post from last week on how to lock January down.

I'm not sure if some of my readers are still in school (else I would have written an entire school related post) hence, the title. For a great start at work in a new year, here are ten back to work essentials just for you:


1. Stationery

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Items like Notepads, pen, sticky notes are fantastic tools for effective role execution. They are great for recording notes and ideas that tend to leave your memory quickly. You can get a pair of creative notebooks at a very affordable price here.

2. Rubbish books

I cannot STRESS how excited these make me! Trust me, there aren't any printing companies that produce rubbish books, you just need an empty notebook where you can write thoughts and ideas and cancel things out like you don't care!

It delights me to see my note like this because it just tells me I have gone further than where I was before and there's potential for whatever I'm trying to get out of my head. You would barely see me with a correcting pen, it's just because I want to see the rubbish! Do you also do that, or am I the only one in this boat? (I hope not).

3. Jacket

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If you're someone like me with a tissue paper skin, you definitely need a stay-in jacket. They're perfect for times when the office air conditioner decides to go berserk on you, thinking you can't do anything about it. Show it what you got, a counter jacket!


4. Sling bag

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There's something my female colleagues do in the office, where they have their everyday items in the office and put things they need in their sling bags. It reduces the stress of having to carry heavy bags to and from the office. I'm quite stubborn in this department because, I might end up blaming myself for leaving something at the office when I suddenly need that thing later (even when I have convinced myself I didn't need it). I think it's a nice idea for those that will like to try it, so why not?

5. Mugs

For coffee, tea, hot/cold water, garri, anything! If you're feeling creative, you can get cool and specially picked mugs here for affordable prices too. I have a gigantic water bottle my colleagues still tease me about, but who cares? I don't use my gigantic water bottle for garri though. Just putting it out there.

6. Coffee

I'm sure some of you were expecting to see this. Well, maybe not, but like I mentioned in this post, I got initiated into the coffee society (I don't really know any cool coffee names yet though), but it is a great thing to pair with work. For me, everything from the smell to the way it feels after I've taken it, is a life on its own and I think you have a right to such magic life too. My friend @AishaSalaudeen on Twitter sells great, amazing coffee. Just give her a shout out to purchase one (This is NOT a sponsored ad)

7. Stress relief items

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Two of these items that I know about are stress balls and rubix cube. They help you to think about creative ideas, while taking you away from your current reality. We all do need to reduce the stress once in a while, don't we? Any other stress relief items you know of apart from these two? Let me know in the comments below!

8. Lint-roller

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Those annoying hairs that suddenly show up on your clothing can't stand a lint roller. It helps you get your suit prepared and sharp for important meetings that usually shows up at later times of the day, especially after you might have been stressed.

9. Mouth spray

In a typical office work space, we tend to be silent for like half of the day and this causes the mouth to emit certain odors after being closed for such a long period of time. Mouth sprays are perfect for those moments, especially when your crush decides to show up on the day you didn't expect you'd see them.

10. Events to attend for the month

At least one or two events in a month. Remember your goal is to go out to more informative events? Well, maybe not, but it's a great advantage to do that so; in light of events to attend, my friend Haneefah Adam will be having her first TEDx Talk in Surulere this month on the 27th. She's an amazing creative artist and you can learn a whole lot about her journey at the talk. Details in the flyer. I hope to see you there!

P.S: If you are still in school (whichever one) and you're a reader, let me know if you would like to see school related post here :)

What other suggestions do you have for back to work? Let me know in the comments below!

Till Wednesday, xx

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Hi guys! How are you enjoying your Friday so far?

Like I said in this post, Fridays are for Movie/Series review and today’s pick is one movie that got me actually rolling on my back with laughter. By the way, have you read my last post on 10 things to do this January? The month is still young, you could find some things that can help steer your thoughts for 2017!

Before I go on, let me say that my reviews won’t be as intense as the usual ones you see. They are SOLELY my thoughts and points of views and can sound more like a conversation than the usual review style. I’ll also leave recommendations at the end of every review for those of you looking for a good movie to watch on a Friday.

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This movie is what you can call a “wake up call”.

Jason: While I’m not a fan of Zac Efron’s, I would say he totally pulled off the role of the uptight-daddy’s-boy-and-obedient-fiancé-lawyer-guy really well. It was an absolute delight to hear him say “I get to handle SEC Compliant, LP Agreements and LLC Agreements” like a bazillion times! It seemed like that was all he could talk about, when asked what he did for a living. His delivery was spot on from the intensity of his character till the transition into the flexible, creative photographer.

Grandpa: Robert De Niro kept winning my heart with his character in this film. Well, he had already set the crazy-old-man tone for me since “The Intern”, so I wasn’t surprised that he was picked for this role at all. I wish I could write out every one of his lines, but you have to see for yourself! He wasn't like your usual grandpa; he was strong and bad-ass, definitely a grandpa I’d love to have.

Two of my other favorite oldie stars are Morgan Freeman and Harrison Ford, but I really couldn’t see them in this light. RDN was amazing in this movie.

It encompasses the need to really do what you feel liberated doing and enjoying great returns from it. I think it expressly captures the essence of family, unity, passion and growth either as individuals or as a group.

Rate: 9/10 (because I don’t like giving full marks)

Recommendations: 1. Criminal  2. Mother’s Day

Have you seen Dirty Grandpa? What did you think? 

Let me know in the comment section below!

Till Monday, xx.

                                       

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Happy New Year, guys! It’s not too late to say that, is it? As is the usual fashion, when a new year comes like this one did yesterday, most of us already have our long lists of resolutions waiting.

This year, I have chosen to do just one thing with this blog: Put up posts on Mondays and Fridays (Come hell or high water). Mondays will be for random posts and on Fridays, reviews on movies/series, depending on what I have scheduled in my Cassiedaves Blogplanner.

Before I run away from the topic, I want to give massive hugs to my readers. You are awesome people! I sincerely appreciate the love you’ve been showing me and my utter laziness towards writing. I hope you keep sticking with me.

For the “clean slate” type of people like me, here are (In no particular order) ten things to do this January:

1. Major goal anyone?

It’s January, you’ve written down your long list of goals and you have the entire year to fulfil them. Sometimes, we get overwhelmed trying to achieve these goals all at once, so the interesting thing to do in a month like January is to pick the major goal. This task could be quite herculean because, a few goals can be on the same levels of importance, but they can still be narrowed down depending on priorities.

Once you have picked the most important one, make sure you are able to set it rolling and if possible, achieve it before the month runs out. If this goal is achieved by the set deadline, you are well on your way to receiving the best striker award.

2. Save Save Save

Save in any way you can! Financially, morally, every-other-something-ally-you-can-think-of! Saving is one term that has earned its way into my favorite bank. No matter how small, saving always ends up being really useful at unexpected times. The internet, being an information hub is an advantageous tool for saving facts. Don’t be left out of news flying by every second, they can be useful in business, personal life, even financially! You should subscribe to Google Alerts, it’s great for that. You even get to choose what news you want in your mailbox.

I also came across this handle on twitter and on their website, you can save a certain amount of money (no matter how little) towards a certain period of time. It’s amazing how small numbers can magically transform into big numbers!

3. Who doesn’t love a challenge?

Challenge yourself to try new things. These things are usually the types that never make it on your interests list. Back in school, I hated Computer Science and had to even further deal with it once I got admitted into the university. I still hate it, but I’m trying to see if I can learn coding. Some schools are teaching it online for free and so far, the only one I have registered to is Code Academy. You should check it out, their website is so beautiful and easy to navigate, you would think you were about to have the best meal of your life!

4. Everyone has a brand

A brand can have different definitions, depending on the person. I have two brands – my entrepreneurial business where I sell caps (more coming on this pretty soon) and my writer/poet brand: Lola Ogunnupebi. In a month like January, you can research the different strategies, techniques, methods in which other people in the same field have employed to grow their brand(s). Check out their journey, what makes them unique and use these as inspiration to form your brand’s identity.

If you already started, this is a fantastic month for reviews and future needs/goals for your brand. Constant brand development is an essential part of brand growth and there is no better time for that!

5. Stare the year in the face

So it knows you mean serious business! Just like you did for January, assign other goals to other months in an order of priority. I’m not saying that some of our goals are more important than the others, it can be easier for execution when we plan accordingly and follow that plan the way I follow food (which is really strongly).

6. Give gifts that keep on giving

One thing I think I want to do more this year is give. No matter how little. I know Christmas isn’t going to be for another eleven months, but who says it can’t start early? There are amazing causes to support on GoFundMe, you could also register to give blood on Haemo. It’s also still a gift if you can start a campaign on any crowdfunding site. We all need to help in every way we can.

Another way to gift is to help other peoples’ voices be heard or even tell your own story (ies). You absolutely do not have to be a writer to do this at all. Stand To End Rape (STER) is one platform you can contact, to volunteer as writers or story tellers.

7. Mini Self-discovery/Rediscovery

Pick a place to visit this month. Let it be away from everything else familiar. Sometimes, there are parts of us we still haven’t been introduced to. You don’t have to travel to this place, it should just be one to give you solitude. Reflect on everything and every step you’ve taken, are taking or about to take and think of ways to better achieve them.

8. Who wants coffee?

Drink more coffee this year. Because I’m liking it and I want to initiate you into its awesomeness. If I ever get addicted to coffee, please blame Nana Aisha Salaudeen for this hehehehe!

9. Smiles don’t kill, do they?

It is super liberating to smile, guys. The internal tension a smile reduces is out of this world and it’s reception is magical. Even in situations where you can’t seem to make yourself smile, try. Take a deep breath and pop out those gorgeous babies that the English language have decided to call teeth and smile! It calms, it’s peace.

10. Let’s pick a song

We all (well, maybe most of us), have a song that takes us back to some goal or want or action we have neglected, yes? Create a playlist on your phone (with any fun name you want) and collect songs that remind you to either take things steady or never give up, songs that inspire! Listen to them often to remind yourself of where you are going. Don’t forget to have fun along the way!

What is your January looking like? Do you think I’ve left out some salient points? Let me know in the comment section below!

Till Friday, xxx.

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