Green Smoothies

I have recently been researching the benefits of green smoothies and I have tried making a few. In today's world where almost all of our food is processed, it is nice to add some sort healthy snack/drink to our diet. Since making and drinking green smoothies, I have noticed some great changes to my skin and energy level. I also noticed an increase in my energy level. This is something I definitely would have as a permanent addition to my diet.

Below are some benefits of green smoothies:

1. They provide a high amount of vitamins from natural sources
2. They are quick and easy way to eat your veggies without realizing it
3. They are delicious and you actually don't taste the greens 
4. They are cheaper than the store brands (if made at home). Jamba juice a'int got nothing on my home made green smoothie.
5. It helps improve bowel movement and is great for the skin. Yes, this is very important!
6. Easy to digest and keeps you filled therefore, it is great for people looking to lose weight
7. It aids in mental clarity and focus
8. Drinking green smoothies provides nutrients that provide energy naturally so you can put down that cup of coffee.

Having said all of this, why wouldn't you want to try some? 

Here's a video explaining how I made my first smoothie. Enjoy!

The Complete Idiots Guide to Green Smoothies By Rinaldi, Bo (Google Affiliate Ad)

Tag: That's that Stuff I don't like

There's a really fun tag going around YouTube and since I am too shy to get in front of the camera (at least for now) I decided to write about it. This is all for the fun of it so don't take it too seriously. And in no particular order,

• Smacking your mouth while eating food, gum etc. I don't like the music or should I say noise that your mouth makes so please let my ears and your mouth agree to disagree about that noise. 
• Nail biting... Grab a snicker if you're hungry. Enough said.
• Not returning borrowed stuff in the same condition you received it. This actually annoys me A LOT. I always seem to make it a point to treat other peoples things respectfully but if you're gonna mess with my stuff, don't ever expect to get anything else from me. 
• Scenario 1: 

Him: Hey girl, can I have yo number?
Me: uhm, No!
Him: Can I take you to dinner?
Me: *getting uncomfortable* I have a boyfriend.
Him: Can I give you heaven and earth on a golden platter?
Me: *Rather angry at this point* No, thank you.
Him: You ain't all that anyways! *Sad face*
Me: *grabs a gigantic stick*

•  If you know me already, you'll know that I really hate being cold. I would rather have the heater cranked all the way up and be sweating than stay in the cold for one minute. 
• Unnecessary abbreviations. Is Happy Birthday seriously too much for you to type? And what is LLNP? Please don't wish me a happy birthday next time. Thank you very much.
• Ashy skin on people. If lotion is too expensive, there's Vaseline at the dollar store sold for LESS than a dollar. 
• Mothers that look all pretty and fly with their hair done, nails done and everything done. And then I turn to look at her child and he/she looks crusty and dry with clothes looking like it was borrowed from a family friend that hated them. I shake my head in shame. 
• Reading my text from behind me. I almost always feel like asking those that do it if they would like to be my personal assistant. That way they can also take my notes, phone calls, carry my bags, be my chauffeur and even sing me a lullaby before bed since they are so interested in my life and conversations. VIP access to the life of Oshkik.  Oh this one drives me absolutely insane!!!  
• Eating a piece of chicken or meat till there's absolutely nothing left. Naija people!!! We are mostly guilty of this in one way or the other but there are some extreme people hahaha. You have a piece of chicken. You eat the meat on it, then you eat the crunchy part of the bone after which you suck all of the juice in the bone. You don't stop there hahaha... You then crack that sucker and chew the little pieces that you have cracked and spit the parts that can't be swallowed onto the plate. All of this is done while you are out in public. Hahahaha... I shake my head in embarrassment. 

I'm sure there are a lot more but these are the few I can remember. Again, this is all in good fun and if you do any of these, I rest my case hehehe. What are the tings you don't like? 

Have a great week!

Gratitude

Gratitude... The littlest of all virtues and the greatest of all vices. My high school principal taught me this! At that point in time, I really didn't understand what she talked about. I just memorized it like I memorized every other thing we learned at assembly every morning.

Now I understand what she means. I found out last night that one of my acquaintances died. I doubt that he remembers me but I surely remember him. I met him once or twice but he definitely left something in the hearts of people he hung out with. He had such a kind and gentle soul and didn't deserve to die at such a young age. He was a leader and was selfless in his style and I feel honored to have met him. He seemed joyous and grateful at all times.

This got me thinking about the number of people that leave this world on a daily basis. It got me thinking about how many people are actually as joyful and thankful for each day that they are able to see. We are all so caught up in our daily lives that we forget to take a minute to stop and say THANK YOU to God. By saying thank you, we place a high value on the things we have and are grateful for no matter how small. Therefore, I would like to use this opportunity to say;

I am grateful for:

• being able to see this day, hour, minute and second.
• my family, my friends and loved ones.
• the opportunity I have to be where I am.
• Sister Rita for teaching me that working hard is important and being grateful is even more important.
• the wrongs that help me learn and the rights that humble me ,       

And lastly,
             Seun, I am thankful for the life you lived and I pray that your gentle soul rests in peace.


What are you thankful for?

Oh dear Nigeria!

Where do I even start from?

I am so overwhelmed with emotions right now. So there are pictures floating around on different social media sites about the killings of four University of Port Harcourt students in Nigeria. The claims were that these boys stole blackberry mobile phones and laptops in an off-campus hostel of the university. Some others claimed that the students were actually cultists who terrorized the community and at the time they were caught, they had dangerous weapons on them. The students were paraded naked, beaten mercilessly and eventually burnt to death. Please note that all of this happened in broad daylight!

My heart skipped a beat when I saw pictures and I couldn't bring myself to look at all of the grueling images but to discover there is also a video showing the act being done? I am terrified, irritated and just plain angry.

How heartless can a human being be? There is no regard for human life, no compassion whatsoever. How can one be numb enough to actually set another individual on fire and leave them to burn to death? And to think that there were people standing by taking videos? How do they sleep at night? Did people not intervene? Did anyone try to report to the authorities? Where was the police? Why do people take laws into their own hands? So they stole phones and laptops but what happens to the people in government that steal billions of dollars? What happens to the people bombing other people here and there?

Don't get me wrong, I know that even if the case was reported to the police, nothing would have been done but that doesn't justify people taking laws into their own hands by killing them! It is wrong to steal and thieves should be punished but it is even a greater crime to kill not only one person, but four people! I am quite disappointed and angry that people actually stood by, took pictures and even recorded a damn video of lives being taken away! How insensitive can we be?

The reasons behind these killings make absolutely no sense to me. I bow my head in prayers for my country. We really need help.

Girl Problems: That time of the month... How I helped myself.

I was a little reluctant to write about my dear friend, Ms Reddengton but I feel like this needs to be shared. It might be helpful to someone who is in the same situation as I was.

I was at the school bookstore going about my business when, all of a sudden, I felt dizzy. I called on the manager and told her I didn't feel so well. She took me into her office and asked if I was alright. I told her I was weak and was nauseated. I was too weak to make any more comments. Ugh, it seemed like the motrin wasn't working. My hands were shaky and I was cold. The pain I felt in my head was comparable to the tune of pounding of Iyan done by the women of Ondo state. My mid section was throbbing and felt like it was getting ripped apart by some unkind and unnatural force. Was that a number 2 I felt or just an illusion? I couldn't feel my legs and I was sweaty. I felt like I was going to pass out at any minute.

I laid on the floor and thought I could wait it out like I normally did but it only seemed to get worse. I was beginning to cause a scene and asked for help with getting back to my dorm room but to no avail.  A few minutes later I heard voices. It was the paramedics. I tried to stall because I didn't want to go to the emergency room. Besides, I didn't want to be the girl that went to the emergency room because she had menstrual cramps when there were more important cases to be dealt with. After a while of fussing about not wanting to go, I eventually gave in. I knew at that point that something needed to change. I am not about this kind of life.

My visit to the hospital seemed short. I didn't want to be there. The doctor checked on me and prescribed some powerful pain killers. They left me for a long time and no one seemed to notice I was there until I went and asked if I could leave. I realized that if I stayed longer, my bill would be unbearable. My thoughts were filled with all the homework that needed to be finished, and an exam that needed to be studied for. Ugh, I absolutely hated the smell of the hospital. It made me feel worse than I already felt. "This can't be the life", I thought to myself. I was released after paying the last $50 in my account. I went to the pharmacy and got my medication and my friend took me home.

On getting to my apartment, I felt a lot better and decided it was time to make a few changes. The first thing I did was to see a gynecologist to ask for some solutions. She said I had an imbalance in my hormones and mentioned birth control as a way to regulate it. I didn't like that idea and asked for other options. I told her I was worried the pill will mess with my system and her response was, "Let me worry about messing up your system and fixing it if it gets messed up". I was shocked! It's my body and I don't want it messed up. I stood up after giving her the side eye, thanked her, and was on my way out. I did some research on simple healthy and natural ways to relieve menstrual cramps online as I refused to put any more pills in my body. I started by drinking a lot more water. I added more fruits and vegetables to my meals and started doing some simple body stretches.

The next month came along with my $300 hospital bill as well as Ms Reddengton.

With Ms Reddengton, I felt the exact same way as always but without the nausea. I was excited that something was working. I got up, stretched and went for a quick run, and continued my activities like normal. I noticed that I didn't totally lose the cramps but it wasn't as bad. I didn't feel nauseated or weak. I was energized and was ready to take on the day. It wasn't until then and $300 later that I realized that I may have found a solution to my ultimate enemy.

The changes I have made:
1. I try to run about 3 times a week. (It's been a struggle, but I try).I might be looking at a 5K pretty soon
2. I eat more fruits and vegetables.
3. I drink at least 64oz of water or more per day.
4. I cut out the sodas. I'm not a big coffee drinker but I have cut the little I drink out too.

5. I use a hot water bottle when I lay in bed and drink warm water.

 These changes have not only helped with the cramps but also with my health in general. I feel great and my skin is gradually being thankful. It only took me about 11 years to realize and put into action a solution to this problem smh.


Let me know what works for you if you have ever had this problem.
Much love!



"Worry looks down, faith looks up"

Simple Battery Saving Tips for the iPhone 4/4s

My iPhone happens to be one of my most prized possessions. I don't go out without it and I surely do not let anyone touch it unless necessary. I often ask myself how I lived before this amazing gadget came into my life but the good news is that I survived.  I have a good number of apps and I seem to always need my phone for something ranging from my music to the flashlight app (in case of emergency).

Now imagine that I'm desperately in need of my iPhone and all of a sudden, the most dreaded incident happens! MY BATTERY JUICE IS ALL GONE! Ahhhh *screams* *pulls hair out* *runs around like a maniac* *flip tables acting like the incredible hulk*. That would be a disaster. In order to prevent this from happening, I have learned, through research and personal experience, how to preserve the battery life of my precious little gadget and here are a few of them.

1. Kill the apps running in the background - 

To do this,

• Double tap the home button
• Tap and hold one of the apps you would like to close. Your screen should look like this.

• Tap the minus sign on the top left corner of the app icon
• Do this for all the apps you would like to close 
• Tap anywhere on the screen above

... and you're done... for now!

2. Turn on Auto-Brightness

Auto brightness helps adjust the brightness of the screen accordingly and as needed. To do this, do the following:

Settings -> Brightness -> Auto-Brightness( ON)

3. Turn off Location Services

Location services seems like a great feature and almost every app seems to use it. However, location services use the GPS feature which drains the battery drastically. I know... I know... your friends on Facebook and Instagram need to know that you took that picture at the peak of Kilimanjaro. However, if you're not on Kilimanjaro, you really don't need to have the locations services feature running. Here's how to disable it.

Settings -> Location Services -> Location Services (ON) -> Turn everything you don't need off
I typically leave the map app running as I tend to need it more often than normal (I get lost all the time haha). I also leave the Find My iPhone feature on and turn others on as needed.

4. Turn Wi-Fi off

When you have wi-fi on and you are not connected to any particular network, you are banishing you battery to ultimate doom. To turn wi-fi off, go to Settings -> Wi-Fi->  Wi-Fi ( OFF)

5. Turn Bluetooth off

When you don't need it, turn it off. Settings -> General -> Bluetooth ( OFF)

6. Use Airplane Mode

If you like to play games on your phone when you are up in the air, then this feature would be helpful in saving your battery life as it shuts everything that needs cellular connection down. To turn on Airplane Mode on, go to Settings -> Airplane Mode->  Airplane Mode  ( ON)

7. Fetch Less Mail

I understand that your e-mail is important and you need to get that Facebook notification email as soon as possible however, the less your phone has access to a network, the less battery it uses. Check for mail every hour or even manually. Follow the steps below to do this:

Settings -> Mail, Contacts, Calendar -> Fetch New Data -> Select your preference 

8. Let your phone go to sleep: Auto lock

The sooner you set your phone to sleep, the less power it uses to run the different services. 

Settings -> General ->  Auto-Lock-> Select your preference 

9. Turn Data Push Off

Data push allows the iPhone to automatically access and suck email and other data from different servers whenever new data is available. Turning this feature off reduces the number of times your phone connects to the networks hereby extending your battery life. To do this, go to 

Settings -> Mail, Contacts, Calendar -> Fetch New Data -> Slide to Off 

10. Don't play games for hours on end

It's a no brainer that playing games, watching movies and browsing the web are total battery drainers. Limiting the use of these apps though, will help save your battery a great deal. 

So I Went Natural

As I was looking through the pictures posted by the people I follow on Instagram (my latest obsession), I have discovered more and more beautiful women with long natural hair showing off their curls. These lovely women have really gorgeous hair and it made me ask myself, "why not?". It's their hair and it's meant to be beautiful.

Since cutting my relaxed ends, I have discovered that I have been able to overcome many different personal hurdles that have to do with how I look. I am a lot more comfortable in my own skin and I'm not afraid of what others think. I can wear my hair curly, straight, pinned up, flat twisted, corn rowed, braided up etc with some sweat pants and not really be bothered as long as I felt comfortable with myself. This doesn't mean that I strive to look rough or unkempt; I just appreciated being comfy in my own skin. I believe my decision to go natural was not fully conscious like most people make it seem. I basically was done with my hair breaking off in large chunks. My hair story is as thus:

Being born and raised in Nigeria, my hair was chemically straightened right from Primary School. I was one of those girls with the long hair and the pink barbie backpack. As much as I loved my hair, wash days and relaxer touch up days were hell but hey, everyone had straight hair so I thought that was normal.

My mum took care of my hair and it continued to grow beautifully until I turned ten and had to move to boarding school. At school, we were required to wear our hair short and by short I mean "cut it all off" type of short. Reason? "It was a low maintenance hairstyle and it made everyone look uniform".  I hated those days because I believed that I looked like a boy but I really had not choice. I looked forward to the holidays when I could get the little hair that I had grown over the course of 3-4 months relaxed or braided. After my high school graduation, I went bizarre with the braids, relaxers etc. I was never really a fan of weaves or wigs.

I moved to the US a few months after graduation and had to adjust to everything. This included dealing with my hair on my own as my mum had always been my personal stylist hahaha... I went to the salon a couple of times but then I became broke and began looking for alternatives. I wore my hair curly at times using texturizers but most of the time, I had it straight or braided. I remember once, I was running very late for an event but I needed to take my braids out. I successfully took the braids out and jumped in the shower without combing out the knots. That obviously did not end well. I had to rip out chunks of hair that evening because my hair matted badly. Ugh horror hair story. I shouldn't have been trusted to handle my hair then as I had no idea of what I was doing.

As time went on, I little to no time for my hair as school got more difficult and stressful.  I was also really busy so sitting for hours on end at the salon was not something I had the time or money for. I believed my hair was fine as long as it was clean, moisturized and in a ponytail. Simple life right?! Yea, and I loved it that way until the dreaded began to happen again. Large chunks of my hair started breaking off when I washed or even combed it. I freaked out but did not know how to stop it from happening. I stopped relaxing in March 2011 hoping to go back once my hair grew some more.

I guess that was my transitioning stage... I did not have a clue of what to do so I turned to the internet for help. I was overwhelmed by the amount of information on there but I found it very helpful. I started watching youtube videos and learned how to style my hair while transitioning. I loved the styles I came up with and got so many compliments.

And then, the time came in April, 2012 when I cut off all of the relaxed ends off. I would have transitioned a little longer but my ends annoyed the crap out of me. They looked stringy and lifeless as compared to my new growth.

My hair has grown a lot more and I absolutely love the way it looks. I have learned so much also and I don't think I would ever go back to the relaxer. Growing my natural hair has helped me more conscious about my health and well being. I have learned to love and care for myself and I have seen huge changes. This has become a lifestyle change for me and not just some escape from my breaking hair.

Much love!

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going" - Jim Ryan