Off To A Good Start

I couldn't have imagined a better way to start my week. I got my marks back from the group assessment i had last week and it was absolutely phenomenal, i certainly didn't expect to get the scores i did and it has boosted my confidence for the remaining assessments i have this week including a presentation on Thursday evening. My first test for the week was at 11.30am and although i went in with some nerves fluttering, i think it went alright. Unfortunately my tummy wasn't happy with the fact that i had sesame baguette for breakfast cause it kept growling like i'd consumed something with a high amount of lactose :(

I'm currently very tired but still pushing on. My next test is at 8.30am tomorrow morning and this is one of the most tricky subjects i've done to date because usually, all the options given for an answer are correct to a certain degree. So you need to be aware in detail of what you're being asked or you could end up losing a few precious marks. But i'm going to keep studying for about 2 more hours before heading off to bed. I'm hoping to get 8 hours of sleep tonight as i did that last night and it was so refreshing.

I'm desperately in need of some coffee as i haven't had any in about a month now. I'm going to try my best to avoid it but i have a feeling i might cave in with all the stress from uni work this week. Oh well, what can i say? 

I hope your week has gone off to a good start. Monday is almost over here and i know there are some around the globe that are just beginning their Monday. So, happy Monday everyone!  

One Step At A Time

As the days go by, or should i say as i get a little bit younger, i'm learning that one step at a time works much better. I'm one of those people who need to see a result within 2 weeks in order to keep my motivation going. I lost interest way too quickly and i have a very short attention span, i also get irritated at the speed of light when i find that all the effort i put into something has turned out fruitless. I currently can't think of anything more infuriating than that. I guess that's the best part of being a student; when you study really well (not necessarily hard) for an assessment, you end up with good results.

My knees popped out of their socket on 2 different days this week so i haven't been able to work out as much as i'd love to. Let me just say that i absolutely hate working out, i would eat spinach for the rest of my life if it meant that i didn't have to work out. But i do it because i know my body needs it and because it's another way to stay healthy without any medications. My right knee is currently still sore so i can't really do much until next week hopefully.

Having PCOS has taught me to be much more patient i think. I remember when i was in England and went to the gym religiously whilst working with a personal trainer and dietitian only to lose 2 pounds at the end of the year. I immediately cancelled my gym contract and that was it. Now i'm just learning that it's all slowly but surely, my world certainly won't end if the numbers on the scale doesn't reduce. I'm trying to accept the here and now and just deal with it one day at a time. Sure, i have my days where i'm beyond down and it would take aliens to get me back in the groove, but i guess that's just another part of life.

Now i'm trying to go by the mantra of 'One day at a time'. One workout at a time. One issue at a time, all in a day's work. So everyday this week, i've been doing my best to put a smile on my face and go about my daily innings and i have to say it's kind of worked. Of course, sometimes i've had to force myself to smile but you know what they say 'fake it till you make it'. And even though i've been wearing the same thing i always wear which mainly consists of something black, i've gotten more compliments this week than i have since the beginning of the year. Go figure!!!!!!!!

Right now, my head and eyes hurt from studying. I have 5 assessments next week within the space of 4 days but after that i have a 2 week break from uni and all i need to do during the break would be attend group meetings for the remaining assessments we have after the break. And if my knee doesn't feel better by Thursday, i might have to go see a doctor (i hate going because he already knows me by my first name!)

Happy Saturday everyone :)

A Welcome Break

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As i type this, i'm having home made hot cocoa. I'm yet to find a whipped cream that is diary or lactose free, but if you know where i can find one in Australia, please do let me know. I'm done with all things assessments for this week; got an awesome grade in my tests and still waiting for the feedback from my presentation on General Electric.

Next week i've got 4 tests and a presentation all from Monday - Thursday, that should be a lot of fun. My glasses will certainly be happy cause i've been using it to study for the most part of this semester. But this evening, it's all about sitting down and relaxing; enjoying some down time without having to calculate any financial ratios or determine strategies for firms that have no idea i exist. I'm definitely going to be watching a few episodes of Grand Designs Australia tonight, i must say i'm proud of some of the houses i've seen on the show and for its first season, it's pretty solid.

Tomorrow i'll be back to being a student and searching for grad jobs online. It just feels like my week so far has been defined by journals, case studies and textbooks! I can't say i'm looking forward to the weekend, but i'm definitely looking forward to Friday next week :) Hope you all are having a lovely Wednesday

The Luxury Of A Good Night's Rest

I haven't had the luxury of a proper night's sleep and i'm really looking forward to it. I had my presentation today and my weekly test; both went awesome and i'm so happy about that. Now that i've got those out of the way, i've got a 6 page group essay due Wednesday at 12pm and the rush is on to get that sorted and done. But that's the main problem with group assignments, it's pretty difficult to control what the other members of your team are doing.

We're a group of 4 and i can say that 3 of us seem to be on track. I've received all the necessary bits from 2 of my group members, done my part that needs to be included in the executive summary. All i really need to do is read through all the documents i've done and collate them in a sensible manner to yield a 6 page summary. The only problem with that is one member of the group seems to be AWOL. He hasn't replied any of our e-mails, nor has he sent his part to me to proof read and include in the essay. Being that we're getting a group mark, this worries me a lot because i feel like our score is going to be compromised by his non-chalant attitude.

Good news is that we've kept copies of all the e-mails we've exchanged, minutes of the group meeting we had and also all the information regarding how the work is meant to be split amongst the four of us. If he hasn't pulled his weight by the time of hand in, we have no option than to file a report. I'm personally not willing to do his part of the work because i already have more responsibilities than the rest of the group. This leaves the other 2 to decide if they want to split the work amongst themselves. I thought by the time people got into final year, they'd take uni more seriously instead of giving priority to getting drunk at the pub when everyone else is relying on you to do your work.

Oh well, that was quite a rant on my side. I really need a good sleep tonight because i have a lot to do tomorrow; a test and this essay/summary. I'm hoping i'd be able to sleep at least 6 hours so i can wake up a bit refreshed. I spent the bulk of my day in the library studying and doing my assignment, so right now, my brain can't seem to handle anymore information :(

I hope you all are having a good Monday so far. To my fellow Aussies, it's almost bed time right? Do have a good one everybody and speak soon :)

Weekend Break?

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Or so i thought! I was really hoping that the weekend would give me a chance to slow down and rest my eyes a bit. But it hasn't been as stress free as i'd hoped, but i'm not complaining either. I've spent pretty much the whole weekend studying for tests i have on Monday & Tuesday, a presentation i have on Monday (which i've gladly finished writing up) and another presentation i have in the upper week. So it's been all textbooks and highlighters for me. The only good thing about having such a stressful time now is that later on in the semester, i'll have less assessments due and more time to study for my finals because i chose to do my presentations earlier.

I guess the other thing that motivates me is the fact that i like reading. Luckily for me, i don't really have any boring textbooks this semester and that's really a good thing. It's so easy to get put off from studying anything just because the textbook not only looks de-motivating but is lacking in colour! That's usually where my highlighter comes in. Ok, so the main purpose of me highlighting is generally so that i can easily browse through the key things in each chapter; but using a fun colour (orange for today) makes it even more appealing.

So, enough blabbering from me. How has your weekend gone so far? I hope you've had more time to relax than i have. I'm truly looking forward to the 7th of April when i finish my 2nd presentation and finally have a proper break, sleep in all day on the Saturday and watch as many movies as i choose to (i also happen to have four tests in that week so a break is well and truly deserved)

Until next time, stay blessed :)

It's Been A While

Hello blogosphere, it's been quite a while since i posted anything. Between attending classes, weekly assessments and looking for jobs i haven't had the motivation to do anything else. I have to say i do think i needed the break from blogging, i didn't want to blog whilst lacking motivation so i just focused all my time on uni and job hunting.

I've just finished researching for a presentation i have on Monday in relation to climate change and the Copenhagen talks. It's very rare for me to finish an assessment days before it's due because i work quite well under pressure. But because i've been bothered by a few other things going on, i've just done my best to stay occupied daily until i'm exhausted so there's no room for me to think about anything and get down in the process because i'm already heading in that direction and i'm doing my best to pull myself back.

You'll notice that i've made some changes with how the blog looks. I hope you guys like it. If you have any suggestions or anything you want to see, please let me know either in the comments section or via e-mail. I finally added pages to my blog, i can't believe it took me so long to figure out how to do it...so lame of me.

I probably won't be back to blogging full time until next week; from then, i'll try to put up at least a post a week and depending on if i have much to talk about, more posts. Until then, i do hope you have a good week. I surely am looking forward to the weekend as i want to try and organise my room because it currently looks like i emptied a box of loose A4 sheets everywhere

Happy Wednesday blog-ites :)

Strong Cravings

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For some unexplained reason, i've been having serious cravings for all things sugary! I don't know why but i've been wanting donuts, chocolate muffins, cookies, brownies, juice...you name it! I read somewhere that our cravings is a way of our body communicating to say that it's lacking something...some form of nutrient. Well, if anybody has an answer to this please let me know because it's driving me crazy especially since i'm trying really hard to be a good girl while working out.

Right now, all i want is the double chocolate cookies from Subway! Either that or home made pancakes stacked with diary-free chocolate spread and some maple syrup all over it! I've been thinking of ways i can control my cravings. So far, i've been eating apples and grapes because they both have that sweet taste to it without all the fat and calories that come with actual processed sweet goods. I think the fact that i can't consume regular chocolate is even making my cravings more intense; since i'm lactose intolerant, most of the chocolates are pretty much out of my reach because i always have some sort of reaction after eating them. Of course, that didn't stop me from having Snickers on a weekend i had no where to go.

Cravings aside, i've managed to curb my coffee consumption since uni began! I'm proud to say that i've only had coffee twice in the 2 weeks i've been back to uni (both on Tuesdays after my 8.30am class); and i didn't add any espresso shots to them like i used to do last semester. I'm beginning to think those are the only days i'll actually have coffee while at uni as i've been able to survive other classes without it.

All i need to work on is incorporating more veggies into my meals on a daily basis and healthy snack ideas to help with those cravings!

Week 1

The first week on uni is always an interesting one because it sets the mood for the entire semester. Getting all those course outlines in your first lecture just determines how much sweat you have to put into your assessments, especially when it's one that involves a lot of group work.

I have to say that in the past, i rarely showed up for my 1st lectures because i can download the course outlines for each subject i'm enrolled in off the uni site; infact, i rarely attend lectures during the semester. I have a very short attention span so i usually can't stand being in a lecture theatre for 2 hours because my mind completely drifts to everything else other than what the lecturer is saying. I usually prefer to spend this time in the library reading the textbook and doing the necessary prep work for my assessments. I guess because i'm not an auditory learner, it doesn't affect how i learn. If i can't see and read what i need to learn, it never sticks in my brain.

But before this semester began, i made the decision that i'd make the effort to attend at least 80% of all my lectures. And in this first week, i can proudly say that i went to all of my lectures. Ok, for one of them, i only stayed for about 50 minutes because it was an introductory lecture. For the other 3, i stayed right till the end of class, without the help of coffee! And i didn't doodle on any of my sheets at all which is a huge surprise because i tend to doodle in lectures.

For the remaining weeks this semester, i'll be having 2 tests weekly (Monday & Tuesday) along with the usual individual and group work; mid term assessments and all. This is my final semester for my undergrad and probably my last semester as a commerce student as i'm applying to study for a Masters in Information Technology. I still haven't chosen a back up subject yet and i'm not actually sure if i will. 

I found out on Thursday that i have more credits than i actually need to graduate; so i have a choice of dropping one of my subjects as i don't need to do it. The only downside is that it happens to be the most interesting subject i'm studying this semester because it's from an entirely different faculty. I'm studying the history of France and i absolutely loved the first lecture. But this has no relation whatsoever to my degree, it's just going to be an extra subject and i feel like i'm wasting my money doing it because i already have more credit points than i need to graduate; so doing this subject would just be more unnecessary credit points. 

Oh well, i have till the end of March to decide if i want to continue with French history or not

It Looks Pretty & Soft

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Has anyone had the opportunity to try on or even feel this jacket from Miss Selfridge? I'm quite interested in getting it and using it as an Autumn jacket as Autumn starts in March for us. I don't necessarily want the upkeep and expense of leather so i've been considering opting for a PU version. This one does look pretty and i love the 'gathering' detail on the waist at the back. I'm assuming this detail is going to help it mold better on the body?

I only have memories of their jeans from the time i spent in England years ago but i'm quite unsure of their jacket. I'd really appreciate if someone could help me out on this. I don't want to find myself in a situation where i would need to return the jacket and have to bear the postal costs so if anyone has felt or even tried this on, please let me know. On the other hand, if you've owned a PU jacket from Miss Selfridge, please feel free to share as well

The Art Of Handwritten Letters

With the rise in popularity of sites such as Facebook and Twitter, the art of communication in our time has drastically changed. I remember when i was 12 years old, i used to exchange hand written letters with my Mum from boarding school. I loved receiving letters and also writing them; i remember how excited i used to get when i received one from my Mum or a pen pal that i kept then. I also loved the whole process of picking out a nice sheet of paper and an envelope in which to write and send off this letter.

But these days, it's all about e-mails, text messages and Ping-ing. I really miss the whole process of writing letters. I appreciate the fact that technology has made communication a much more speedy process and important information can be communicated quickly and easily; and also received at a speedy rate. But i'm pretty sure there are certain information shared that can wait through the time it takes for a letter to arrive at its destination.

Although i'm in a long distance relationship where Facebook, e-mails, phone calls and texts play a large role, i still make the effort to send hand written letters to Le Male. He still gets surprised when he gets them from me because he doesn't expect such in this day and age; he even teases me that i'm very archaic in certain aspects of my life but i don't care. I just love the process of using fine paper, choosing what colour of ink i want to write in and finish off my letter with a spritz of the perfume i was wearing at the time. I think it makes the whole writing process more enjoyable. I also tend to write my letters over a couple of days, i like to spread it out as it increases the depth and interest of information i share in the letter.

I'm now contemplating the idea of including hand written notes and letters more into my daily life as i find it a very pleasing and luxurious experience. The only other idea i have so far is sending out hand written 'thank you' notes and also 'invitations' to people.

What do you guys think of this lost art? Do you or do you not care for it? 

Je Ne Sais Quoi

I don’t know what it is about Paris and France in general that draws me in and begs for my utmost attention. Maybe it’s the way it’s been idolised in movies and books. I don’t think i’ll ever know until i’ve been to France. I’m not even sure if the bubble will bust when i get there, but i know i have to go there someday so that i can figure it out. Because, it feels like a part of the puzzle that is my life that needs to be solved.

Lady In Purple

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Angie Harmon looks absolutely beautiful in this purple dress; i believe it's by Alexander Wang but don't quote me on that one. She looks so good for someone that's 40+. I'm especially loving her simple makeup and glossy hair as i'm sure you all know i'm always about simplicity :) Hope you're all having a nice day

Been Working Out...

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I've been working out 5-6 times a week for at least 30 minutes since January and i weighed in yesterday only to find out i've gained an extra 2kg! I don't even know how to react right now especially since my thighs are burning from doing a Jillian Michaels workout! If you haven't read my blog long enough, all you need to know is that i'm not really a fan of her workouts but i've still been putting in the effort to do it since last week because i wanted to do something different from my other fitness dvds.

Right now i'm too upset to even react to my weight gain; considering the fact that i've been passing up on yummy cookies and brownies to stay in shape. Arrgggghhhhhhh!

I Have A Guest...

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...and a problem. My friend's fiance has a guest visiting from abroad so she's had to move in with me and she'll be here until sometime next week. The problem is that we have completely different tastes in food. Even though we're both Nigerian, i don't buy into the idea of only eating Nigerian food or only things that have the closest similarity to it. I'm a student, i don't have time or money to waste and anything that i can't find walking into Woolies rarely comes home with me. I make Nigerian food once in a blue moon and that usually coincides with the times i go somewhere else to get my hair done in an African store. I generally eat anything as long as the meat/fish in it isn't something i can't eat or something that makes me gag

But with her, it's all Nigerian food or anything bearing the closest resemblance in smell and taste. So i'm here wondering what i'm going to cook during her time here and i'm pretty much lost for ideas. She doesn't eat curry, i forced her to eat bolognaise, she doesn't eat pasta bake nor will she eat potatoes except it's in the form of chips. I made her jollof rice and chicken last night (or red rice as some people like to call it)

Right now i'm tired and not in the mood for stress, so i'm just going to order pizza for her to have as dinner while i enjoy a meal of tuna pasta bake. I'm too tired to think of any other alternatives and when she's free, i'm dragging her to Woolies to go pick up whatever she can eat because i'm not going to look for the ingredients to any Nigerian meal. 

If you have any ideas other than rice, please let me know. And if you have any lunch ideas that doesn't involve raw veggies, let me know as well. Thanks a lot in advance and do have a nice day :)

How Was Your Valentine Day?

I hope you all were able to spend it in a way that was pleasing to you; whether you're single or in a relationship. I spent most of my day alone at home, painting my nails a shade of sky blue and listening to 'Nicki Minaj's Super Bass' on replay. I was planning on making myself some brownies but at the end of the day i really couldn't be bothered as i wasn't in the emotional shape or form to even contemplate doing anything. All i wanted to do was to stay in bed all day and sleep

Even though i've been all over the place emotion-wise since last week, i had to put on my 'fake it till you make it' face and go out to dinner with my friends last night. They both got engaged yesterday and i'm so happy for them. She almost killed me when she saw me because i'd known all about the engagement all along and i never said anything, i also helped pick out the temporary engagement ring and it made me feel really good knowing that she loved the ring

Three new girl friends and several glasses of pink champagne later, i was back at home. I had no interest to read a book and TV was boring so i had a nice warm shower, put on my iPod and stayed in bed listening to Keith Urban and i actually woke up to the same music; yes, my earphones managed to stay in my ears all night! Sometimes when i'm in a certain mood, i can sleep through music no matter how loud it is, just as long as it is something i enjoy listening to

I hope you all had a fantabulous day. It's now time for everyone to check the balance of their accounts as February 14 has finally passes; oh snap, mine is still the same as it was last week :P

Do have a good day :)

Panaeng Beef Curry

Ingredients (from 'A taste of Thailand' by Murdoch books)
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons of purchased curry paste (i used red curry paste)
* 700g beef flank, sliced into strips (i used 450g of stir fry beef)
* 185ml (3/4 cup) coconut milk
* 1 tablespoon fish sauce
* 1 tablespoon palm sugar (i used brown sugar)
* 3 tablespoons tamarind puree (i actually didn't use it because my curry paste already had it)
* 2 kaffir lime leaves, sliced to garnish
* 1/2 long red chilli, seeded and finely sliced to garnish
(serves 4)

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan/ wok and stir-fry the curry paste over a medium heat for 2 minutes or until fragrant

2. Add the beef and stir for 5 minutes. Add nearly all of the coconut milk, the fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarind puree and reduce to a low heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 7 minutes. Although this is meant to be a dry curry, you can add a little more water during the cooking process if you feel it is drying out too much (i personally poured in all the coconut milk at this stage, i didn't bother adding the other half at the end; i also added my chilli in at this point). Taste, then adjust the seasoning if necessary. 

PS: although mine looks pretty watery above, remember i used less meat than the recipe suggested. When it cooled down, it thickened up more so i wouldn't worry if it looks a bit watery; except you like to eat yours immediately. I allowed mine to cool for about 5 minutes before serving

Spoon the curry into a serving bowl, spoon the last bit of coconut milk over the top and sprinkle with kaffir lime leaves and chilli slices. I served mine with rice :)

Never Say Never

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Hey guys, how's everyone doing? It's been boredom city over here so i haven't felt the need to post anything because there's nothing to talk about. It's just been work, workout and sleep! I've got 18 days left before i go back to uni so i have to do my best and enjoy the remaining of the holidays. My flatmate's coming back at the end of February and i'm so excited for that. Can't wait to start making noise and staying up late talking about nothing and laughing till my tummy hurts. Due to boredom, i've been doing a mini experiment with recipes and i'll get back to you guys on that one

Until then, stay blessed!

Quirk On

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I'm absolutely in love with Carey Mulligan's ensemble. It's a bit quirky and really cool and i'm not sure if it's a look that i can pull off/ put together but i really love it. I'm going to have to look for pants like hers to try on and see if i can replicate this look. I'm currently crushing on brogues but i have absolutely no idea on how i'll incorporate it into my current wardrobe.

Mascara Suggestions

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Keeping the theme of my previous post, i'm in need of mascara suggestions. I've tried quite a few mascaras and to be honest, my favourite has always been the more expensive ones and i don't know why! But i really want to try some drugstore brands and see if they match up to the more expensive lines. My all time favourite is the DIORSHOW mascara followed closely by Lancome's HYPNOSE. I've tried COVERGIRL's lashblast, lashblast fusion and MAYBELLINE's original mascara (in the pink tube). I wasn't impressed with any of these 3 and i certainly won't be repurchasing. I think maybe i was expecting too much. But i don't want to give up hope on the drug store brands. I'm still undecided on which one to invest in next. I want length and volume in one mascara! Not too much length like false lashes, but something to add muscle to what i already have; if that makes any sense

So can anyone please give me some recommendations? Mucho gracias :)

Need To Get My Brows In Shape

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Happy February everyone. I pretty much slacked all through January in relation to working on myself and this month that's pretty much the only goal i have. I go back to uni on the 28th of February so i pretty much have the whole of this month to do all the things i possibly can before the new semester comes in tow with a huge amount of work load. It'll be my final semester as an undergraduate (yay!) and i'm already looking forward to doing something new for my Masters. I'm one of those people who can't take a break from uni because it's quite difficult for me to get back into the groove of things.

I must say that i've enjoyed this holiday but i do miss the stimulating aspect of trying to learn something i don't know and fighting with my tutorial questions. I know when uni starts there will be some whining and ranting but overall i'm sure i'll enjoy it. Looking back at the last 4 semesters i've had at UOW, i've realised that i haven't maximised it as much as i possibly could. Well, i do have this coming semester and possibly the next 2 years to make up for that because i'm planning on continuing here with my Masters.

My hope for this coming semester is to make some new friends within my degree specialty and also just new friends in general. I believe that i cannot be overeducated! I might be wrong, but it's the philosophy that i've been brought up with and how my immediate family lives. My Mum is beyond addicted to studying! She only took a few years off from uni when she gave birth to me and she's been in uni since i can remember. She always has a new course that she wants to study and i'm always motivated by the excitement she gets from studying for something new. Even as young as she is (she's almost 49!) she's already written a research proposal for a PhD that she wants to do.

She passed her addiction to everyone in her family and also to me; i wonder if we could all collectively put our degrees together and sort of build an education tree just like you'd build a family tree.

Anyway, back to some light hearted stuff! I suck at defining my eyebrows; i barely keep up with shaping them but this month i'm going to push myself to do it. I need to stop slacking and make more of an effort with it so i don't have to visit the Shu Uemura counter often!

What are your plans for this month? I know Valentine's day is around the corner; everyone around me keeps talking about it and wondering what to get their other half. I, on the other hand, can't be bothered. I've never celebrated Valentine's day in my entire life, i've never gotten a gift either. And i'm sure if someone wanted to give me one in the past, they would have considered a book as the most important thing...ha! 

So while others are worrying about Valentine's day, i'll be worrying about getting my sleeping pattern in order before uni resumes. Yesterday i finally fell asleep sometime after 9.30am and woke up at 12.47pm. Yes, i checked the time when i woke up. I did have a nap later in the afternoon though. I'm typing this post now because i got tired of laying in bed doing nothing as i still can't sleep; if you're wondering what the time is here, it's 4.59am. Off to go drink a glass of warm milk!