Why Christian Music gets Boring
Honestly, sometimes i get bored with christian music but that's only because i latch on to a particular playlist and i refuse to let go until i have Ed looking at me from the corner of his eye and he's like -Seriously? (He can sing Chris Tomlin’s Love Ran Red album backwards, thanks to me).
I know the solution would be to explore new playlists but i am a creature of habit with music and nail polish. Also, if you are like me and you like to sing along, play invincible strings at the bridge of the song or anticipate the build up and scream your head off in your living room in a praise cry (Think "With Everything"- United), you probably stick to the songs you know. However, recently, i just discovered a playlist on Spotify called “Why Christian Indie Music Doesn’t suck (with Folk and Acoustic music too).” So, it’s very indie and very folk-y! Love it, especially now that Fall is here. Check it out if you can.
If that's not your thing, try looking for new songs, so you don't get tired of your regular songs. One of the best sources for this, better than Spotify is - you! Yes, stop looking around. You. Try singing a song to God all by yourself. I mean one you composed. Before you panic there, it's pretty easy. Think of him and what he is to you, think of all the times he saved your butt! He fights our battles, most of them we don't even know about. He doesn't care about skill and the way your voice sounds. I've been doing this for a while now and let me tell you, if i ever appeared on a talent show with any of these songs, i'd quickly go viral as a meme but it doesn't matter one bit to God. He doesn't care that you think you sound weird. He really just wants to hear and feel your spirit worship. He doesn't care if you have a tech team and microphones. I mean Paul and Si were singing in prison and check out the response. Just sing how you feel!
Try throwbacks too. Sing old songs from different phases of your life that remind you of how strong and relentless his love for you is. It's usually an intense experience.
Still on this singing thing, I discovered one of the coolest, dopest things about God, which my mind is still unable to comprehend- God sings to us (Zeph 3 vs 17). Pause and try and imagine that. Whenever I imagine it and his mouth opening up to utter something.... I'm thinking, what is he saying? What does his singing voice sound like? Does he have back up? Is it Reggae? Why is he singing over me?!!! Honestly, it makes me uneasy but it also makes me wonder. I love that I have a God who SINGS for ME! And something tells me that sometimes he sings a new song and sometimes he does throwbacks; sometimes Reggae and sometimes he rocks an imaginary guitar!
Do you get bored with christian music sometimes? How do you get over it? Do you have an imaginary guitar?
Workout playlist: Pain, Itch and Etighi
Exercise hurts. If you haven't exercised in a while, it hurts AND it itches!!! This itch is popularly known as runner's itch. No one really knows for certain what causes it; histamine, lactic acid, tight gym clothes (cat-call*). I don't know what it is but i could tell you tales about it, about when I used to run outdoors; tales about dodging behind trees and in public restrooms; tales about odd looks and impromptu modifications of scratch techniques. The thing makes you want to grow wolverine-claws and scratch those thighs off. However, I bring good tidings (as always). According to Scientific American, music distracts us from pain, maybe not itching but definitely pain, so we are able to focus more on achieving our gym/outdoor goals. With a great playlist, you wouldn't even notice. Ok you will, that itch sucks.
Another great thing about music and working out, music makes you go harder, faster and conserves your energy. Counterintuitive but you know science....they always have an explanation for everything. Apparently, music conditions the body to move in such a way that we use just the right amount of oxygen to achieve our workout goals, sometimes it even causes us to use less! To aid this process, it's actually advisable to have your movement synchronized to the beat of your music, of course not to the tee, otherwise, that would be another sport entirely. Most people have the ability to exercise to the beat of a song. If this is true (and it is, I can prove it) and you came into my gym (about to prove it) and you looked around, this is what you'd see:
The girl who I'm sure listens to rock as she sprints, she's so energetic and fiery. She definitely goes harder and faster. She inspires me from a distance. A long distance. Then the other girl who runs about 8 miles (not kidding), she definitely listens to raggae or something, sometimes, it's like she double steps on one leg! Then the hip hop boys with the weights. There's the guy who runs in slow-motion, I don't know what that guy listens to, some Bach maybe. Then me.....you'd see me trying desperately trying not to do Etighi on the tread mill while listening to Iyayan's Away or Yemi Alade's Johnny. It's a very diverse gym as you can tell.
Anyway, here's my work out playlist. How i endure the pain, the itch and my run-dance soundtrack.
My Playlist
Alive- Hillsong Young&Free
At the beginning, I work with length, so I go with a fast-paced Hillsong song. These guys do an average of about 8-9 mins on one song! They are amazing. If you can break through your first 7 minutes with a Hillsong song or two, great!
Speed of light- Owl City (it's hilarious running to the beat of this song, it's almost cartoon-like)
Hall of fame- The Script
Flares- The Script
Burn- Ellie Goulding
Outside- Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding
Watch me - Silentó (this song gets confusing. I literally want to stop running and whip! Who feels this way too?!)
For mid-way endurance, I switch to African music. This would probably be the time you'd walk in on me; dance-running.
Away- Iyayan
Million pound girl- Fuse ODG (this is great for that moment when you are sure you are going to walk off the treadmill without stopping it. That "forget-this, I'm-done!" moment.
Johnny -Yemi Alade
Surulere - Dr. Sid & Don Jazzy
[Gym trick: Put you favorite workout song in the middle of your workout playlist. Or at the end. So you work towards the "goal" of your favorite song. It works! I went from a gym 1.1 mile-r to a 2.2 mile-r!]
What's on your playlist? Do you dance-run? Do people at your gym do the Etighi?
9 Unusual but Effective Couple Habits
Besides holding hands, staring deeply into each others eyes while sharing a giant tub of ice-cream and listening to Savage garden on shared earplugs every Saturday afternoon, besides going to the movies on Tuesday nights and flooding Instagram with Usies, there are tons of other couple habits that help build a healthy relationship. Here's a list of not-so-ordinary habits that can be adopted to build a fun, deep and healthy relationship. #1 is the hardest pill to swallow and maybe #9 too. Probably #7 too. #2.....takes some self-disciple. Ok...just read and let me know. Enjoy!
1. Tell each other about attractions to other people (cringe, told you)
Why: It eliminates insecurity, builds honesty and accountability
Before anything else, your partner should be your friend and communication should be very much embedded in your relationship. Being honest about attractions to other people is a very rare habit that can only work in a relationship that is very secure and with equally secure individuals, who have the same goal of making their relationship work. If that's in place, then the announcement of a crush doesn't seem so doomsday-ish, more like a teeny obstacle to be managed. Being able to talk about attractions sets your relationship several levels higher than the average and the wise and effective management of the situation, sets it echelons higher than excellent.
2. Laugh 95% of the time
Why: Why not?
Laughter is rumored to be the best medicine. Now, the medicine is not really the laughter itself, but the feel-good feeling derived from with the company you are with. Laughing with your other half creates a deeper social bond and release endorphins. In fact, laughing produces the same effect exercise does! It increases your heart rate and blood flow, increases your immune response. And best of all, laughter burns calories.* It's like working out with your partner without lifting a finger.
3. Resist the nag bone
Why: Studies show nagging reduces your partner's lifespan
I bet you didn’t know that. So if you want your partner around for longer, i suggest you stop nagging. He heard you the first time. As for men who nag, (lol, I know you exist) just stop it. STOP. It completely negates the effect of #2, in fact it negates this whole list. If your spouse nags, you need to get them to stop, your life is in danger! Send them this post!
4. Solve your disagreements in less than an hour
Why: prevents anger and hurt from festering
While researching for this post, i discovered quarreling too frequently might result in early death (I guess the grim reaper is generally drawn to couples, aye?) Even more interestingly, the unemployed spouse (namely the housewife, in most cases), is who dies first. What?! This is so unfair. Women always get the short end of the stick. If you are a nagging house wife, please stop. #3 promises to kill your husband and #4 promises to kill you too. Fights are healthy as long they are infrequent, don't involve physical or emotional bullying and as long as they are resolved with a timely, concrete "how-to-move-on-from-this-situation" solution. Like any other situation, fights need to be managed properly, otherwise, the anger festers and the resentment grows, stuff gets weird and then casket. Not worth it.
5. Imbibe the "Aphrodisiac diet"
Why: to increase the kink
Here's a list of foods to add to your daily meal schedule for increased hankipankiness: Avocados, Hot chilies, Bananas, Dark chocolate, Oysters, Pomegranates, Red wine, Salmon, Walnuts, Vanilla, Watermelon.
6. "Us time" = 5 X Social Media time
Why: Because Social Media is not going to get you any
The average person spends about 2 hours per day on the internet. 28% of that time is spent on social media (SM) platforms. That's about 33-45 minutes, roughly. Most of this SM time is spent in the presence of a spouse and that's expected because you can hardly do it freely at work. So on the couch you plop, with your screen in your face and her all blurry in the background. All this is fine, i'm not going to campaign that social media time be reduced. I'm however going to suggest that the time spent with your spouse matches this Facebook time....by 5. Let's do the maths, for every 45 minutes of Facebook time, you give your partner your undivided attention (without your phone) for 3hours 45 mins. Not too bad, right?
7. Talk after the big 'O'
Why: Because pillow talk matters
Pillow talk matters because right after orgasm, oxytocin (the love drug) floods both individuals making them feel a heightened level of trust and intimacy, setting the atmosphere for deep, future-planning and concrete conversations. Most people are very likely to confide and feel secure after pillow talk. In general, this leads to a healthier and blissful feeling of security (....until he falls asleep). Some even suggest that pillow talk might be as important as sex itself. Who knew?
8. Speak life into each other's lives
Why: Because it loads your minds with confidence and beastly determination (and who doesn't need that)
The only thing worse than cussing out your partner is not speaking anything at all. Some of us let life happen to our partners, we don't pray for them, we don't confess scriptures into their lives. Speaking into his life assures him that you have his back and most importantly God has his back. Positive encouragement also makes him more coordinated and efficient in executing tasks, which explains why your company insists you go for those motivational seminars and listen to that man with the brown tie for hours. Instead of letting your partner get all his motivation from a book or the man in the brown tie, be his life coach. Speak and Sustain.
9. Hang out with him while he's on the toilet
Why: there is no good enough reason for this
I don’t even know where this idea came from! I'm not sure if gisting while on the toilet makes you closer. Maybe it does, maybe not. You should try it though, even if it’s once, in a bathroom with an open window and maybe a fan and some air freshener and some scented candles and a gas mask.
Do you know any more unusual but effective couple habits? Or do you already do these?
*Note that 10-15 minutes of laughter burns just 50 calories. Yup, the only way to burn away that 700 calories you just had, is to laugh for over two hours.
Weekend Plans!
Hey! Friday is here! Thanks for hanging in with me all week. If you are visiting for the first time this week, hey x 5! I hope your week was pleasantly eventful. Mine definitely was, so this weekend i am kicking back and getting in on some organizing projects (fun, bleh). What are you guys up to this weekend?
The rest of my weekend plans:
See "The Intern" with Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro
Make some awesomely moist banana bread
Shopping date with my friend, some fall boots are in order
Throw out most of my makeup
Go down town and check out the Sharwama in that little Meditterean restaurant
Ignore my pedometer (kidding)
Organize my email before Monday, I have altogether like 9000 emails across all my boxes, tut-tut-tut
Talk to somebody about Christ
Trying one of these
A bit of spring cleaning in September and some wall art shopping
Paint my nails an interesting shade of rose pink
Find some new blogs to read! If you are a blogger, please drop your url below or if you have great recommendations, please suggest below! Thanks!
So, what are you doing this weekend?
For de Men dem: Becoming Drogo
Two of my guy friends are growing their beards!!! Whohoo! I know.......they need coconut oil. That's what i told them too!
This is some Khal Drogo biz. I'm pretty sure Drogo uses coconut oil, guys. I like to imagine that after he runs around all day cutting out tongues of disloyal subjects and raiding and looting villages, he has some alone time with his beard, grooming and massaging with coconut oil. Some manly time.
So to all the men dem, growing a beard, get a jar of coconut oil. Its great anti-bacterial, anti-microbe properties keep your beard healthy! It's high in triglycerides which is great for growth. Also, it gives it a luxurious shine. If you'd like a bit more intensity in this care process, click on this link.....before I give you the link, if any of you guys have mocked the natural hair journey of your girlfriends or friends or sister or mum, or the hustle in general, i want to say with all the smug my face can contain......"In your face!" Literarily.
Alright, here's how to make awesome beard balm, with just oils. The same oils the natural girls use. You'll love it. You'll also love smelling like coconut. You'll smell like a dessert. I know you'll complain about how you smell but I know you secretly love it. I see some slathering some on their legs and ashy ankles, using it to treat baldness (it has been said to help) and as a lip balm. All that good stuff.
If you haven't considered growing a beard. Think about it. Girls love a good beard. They do. Maybe not all, but most. Studies prove it. So hey, the girls love it, Khal has one. Let it grow!
Please remember: Kissing a guy with facial hair is interesting enough, please ensure you clean your beard often enough when food gets stuck in it. No one wants to know you had Oatmeal for breakfast and Edikaikong for lunch.
All the best and please share with a #beardgang friend
xx
Ps: Jason Momoa has not admitted to these coconut-y allegations
How to avoid a "*Bleep* Better Have My Money" incident
If you have seen Rihanna's bbhmm video, you'd conclude that she is a bit much. But then again, we already knew that. Moving on. You'd also conclude that you don't want to be owing her any money. Owing the Pied Piper as well, not such a good idea . Let's face it, when you owe people money and you are constantly taking a piss, someone is going to get missing!
No one likes to talk about debt, me inclusive. In fact, my heart rate just got a little faster. I'm one of those people who can't sleep after borrowing. Lol. I see the person in my dreams and whenever I think about going window shopping on Kate Spade's website. However, let's talk about it.
Most people aren't going to show up at your doorstep, kidnap a relative of yours and ask for ransom like Badgalriri or kidnap all your children like the Pied Piper. But then again, you never know. One day, the person might just see you at the mall, clearly out of equilibrium with your new, shiny red soles and your numerous shopping bags. She watches you, stalks you a little. You go down to the food court, where you get a seat and take up 4 chairs arranging your shopping bags. Then you have a nice hearty meal of Thai Khaw Na Pet, a little duck after a long, arduous shopping session. You briefly think about the money you owe her but you just push it aside. "Next pay check", you think. All along she's watching you. Trust me, by night fall, your mum will be missing. No joke. Do not owe people money for extended periods of time and think it's ok to travel on holiday or buy a new car or eat duck. Don't. Especially the duck!
So how do you avoid an incident where Rihanna or a similarly disgruntled debtor appears at your gate and kidnaps your loved one because you owe them money? Here's how:
- Before you borrow, evaluate and ask yourself if this purchase is an absolute necessity or just a craving. If it is absolutely essential to your livelihood; like borrowing for your kid's fees or dinner or some change to get to a job interview, that might be ok. Louboutins and Kate Spade purses don't make that list
- While borrowing, be appreciative and ensure your lender that you will pay back. Make sure there is a witness to whom you are accountable. A mutual friend would do. Or make a video of your promise. Gotta love the tech-age
- Set a return date. Make sure there is a chance of return! Never borrow if you have no intentions of returning. It's more noble to you ask for a cash gift than trying to trick your lender
- Once you get an inflow of money, pay up your debt. Immediately. Like seriously, here's the order, seriously (think about BadgalRiRi...)
1) Pay your tithe
2) Pay the debt (s)
- If you haven't gotten any money by the return date, make an appointment with your lender or call them, so they know you still have it on your mind. Don't act like you forgot!
If you don't remember anything at all from this post, remember this, it is better to give than to receive from RiRi and do NOT get into debt if you don't have to. Avoid it like a plague. It's not fair to hold on to other people's sources of income, even if they are wealthy and wouldn't miss the money, pay back immediately. It only puts you in a fabulous light.
xx
Vent below :)
10 gifts (+another 10) to take to a bridal shower
Going to a bridal shower? And have no idea what gift to buy. Well, relax, I'm about to bring more than 10 ideas your way.
I am pretty sure I have goofed everytime I tried to buy a bride a gift. Simply because I usually buy her what I want. Hehe. There's nothing more demoralizing than seeing the gift you bought her, dusty and unopened, seating in her junk closet, after her third child. So let's try some personality linking to our purchases. What's her personality like? Is she adventurous or a couch potato? Is she glam or a jeans and t-shirt kinda girl? Does she live on a treadmill, does she eat oats and quinoa all day long? Is she a foodie or an artist? Pick out which of these the bride is and check below! If she's not on the list, drop a comment below...let's brainstorm together!
The Daisy bride (1)
The Musical bride (2)
Headphones (an upper grade Sennheiser, she will love you for life. Bose, if you can. Beats, if she loves color. Sony, if you are on a budget. )
The Foodie bride (3)
A cookbook or a paid trip to a chef's kitchen to learn new dishes, or simply lunch (as a foodie I know I'd rather just eat it. Away with any cooking!)
The Sexy bride (4)
The Health enthusiast bride (5)
A pedometer and/or a smoothie maker
The Bride who actually cares to wear an apron (6)
The Satchel-lover bride (7)
A purse of any kind!
The illustrator Bride (8)
an illustration of the couple or of both of you
The make-up on-point bride (9)
Of course, more makeup. And some makeup remover. Am I the only one who thinks everyone needs a good makeup remover?
The Shoe-lover bride (10) this works for most brides, it's a no-brainer
The bride who has now morphed into bridezilla (11)
Space (I'm kidding, I honestly don't know what would please a bridezilla) Any ideas?
The Adventurous bride (12)
The Stressed-out bride(13)
A spa voucher (she will need this the week before the wedding)
The Nerdy bride (14)
A Journal/book, not this book
That moderately Sexy bride (15)
Moderately Sexy PJs
The Bejeweled bride (16)
The tipsy bride(17)
A bottle of red wine
The Gym-junkie bride (18)
Gym gear or Boxing gloves and pads.
The student bride (19)
Money/ Some investment too
The blogger bride(20)
I'm stuck here. What do blogger brides want? A paid session with a pro photographer for her blog, maybe. A session that probably lasts a week!
What kind of bride are/were you or will you be? What would you want?!
“You are blessed when you’re content with just who you are - no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourself a proud owner of everything that can’t be bought.”
Matthew 5 verse 5 (MSG version)
Bet you didn't know Jesus' diction was so hot!
Remember to share with a friend!