Uncertainty can be fearsome at times, other times it can be hopeful or anything you want it to be. In my very early twenties, I found myself regretting a lot of things that I wish I had done when I was a teenager. While these things might not seem like much, they're quite important to me and learning them now is harder than it could've been if I had started earlier:

I wish I had -

1. Learned to play an instrument
This is one of the things I'm really regretting. If I had paid more attention to music class, I probably would've had a favorite musical instrument and learned to play it (For the record, when I mean "favorite", I mean the piano). I want to learn beat making, it's coming up so much and this girl knows nothing about reading music! Right now, my head is clogged with too much, I doubt if I would even have time to learn something new.

2. Learned at least one sport
One of my lecturers in University used to say that I was useless for sports because apparently I had the right height and I couldn't even play any one of the sports she mentioned. She was right, I do not know how to play any sport. I have, however found basketball interesting, but that's all there is to it - I find it interesting. I don't know anything about the sport, I don't even watch the games, nothing. I did visit a basketball court once and was more scared of the ball hitting my face than actually learning anything, so..

3. Kicked my career off earlier
I knew at an early age that I loved writing I have always read from an early age, but somehow, I just told myself that writing wasn't a thing. So I decided to be a doctor, then a lawyer, then, nothing yet till I got into University and was admitted for Human Resources Management (which I was hearing about for the first time then). I totally ignored writing and focused more on becoming a Management Consultant, but writing wouldn't leave me alone and I'm now just getting around to calling myself a writer. I wish I had realized this earlier.

4. Faced my fears earlier
I'm one to succumb to fear easily. That courage thing came for me much later. I'm glad it's far away from being as bad as it used to be, but I wished I had challenged certain things earlier. Maybe now, I would've moved ten times forward compared to where I am now, but Alhamdulillah for the journey so far.

5. Learned to drive earlier
I really wish I was like those people that just put a car on the street and drove. It's probably not important, but this is one thing I've spent too much time than necessary, trying to learn. I'm actually tired as it is. One would think I know how to ride a bicycle, but no. That one too. Let's just move on.

6. Lived more in the moment
I was too conscious of tomorrow to even think about today. I'm not saying it's wrong to think about tomorrow, I'm just saying as a kid, one could be easy on themselves, but I wasn't doing that. I missed out on a lot of things I could've worried less about and even now, I still haven't been able to reach those things that made me worry so much.

7. Traveled more
This right here! Rather than go anywhere - even if it was just three blocks away from my house - I'd prefer to just be in my house or my comfort zone. I remember at some point, I wished I had everything I needed in my room - shops, class, everything - so I wouldn't have to ever leave my room to go outside. Of course, at a point it started looking ridiculous to me.

8. Been responsible with spending
These days, I'm a saving queen when I can. I wish I had started way earlier though. Maybe my current "broke" fate would've headed in a different direction.

9. Made more friends
I absolutely LOVE my current friends, but somehow I wish I had made more friends. Not for the crowd, but for the concept of friendship. It can turn out to be something amazing at times and it's great for understanding the different views of different people.

10. Learned a language
This one is just very funny because, I took french classes from Primary School to University and still hated it. So, let me rephrase, when I say "language", I mean Spanish, Igbo, Hausa, Arabic, Hindi and German. Just that, nothing else. This is not to say other languages aren't good enough to be learned, I just think the way they sound is fascinating for me.

Do you have any regrets? Let's talk in the comments below!

Image source (except poster): Google images

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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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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