I Killed My Blog....Again

I already told you I was horrible at blogging. I'm getting better. Rome wasn't built in a day.


So... The last time I was on here I was trying to read 100 books..*sigh* Didn't quite work out that way BUT I definitely read a lot more books than I would normally and I got introduced to some lovely authors, read genre's I wouldn't usually pick up and gained some knowledge on some really interesting stuff.


So now the year is coming to an end..it's been a really interesting year I must say..I'll save it for another post *I'm gonna need it if I really want to revive this blog* I need to figure out what I'm gonna do next year....the 100 books is not gonna work again...


Any suggestions?!

My Happiness Project - Secrets to Adulthood.

Hey!!

So it's been about 2 weeks since I started my Happiness Project and I'm loving it. I find myself checking myself very often 'be nice', 'did you really need to snap?' Makes me sound a little crazy but I find it works for me.

The Secrets of Adulthood are not essentially a huge part of making myself happy but they are lessons I've learned growing up and I've come (past 2 weeks) to embrace them so I'm not in denial. When I was coming up with these, which I also had fun with by the way, I realized that understanding and accepting these things have made me view situations differently. Some of them.

Secrets to Adulthood.

1. No one really cares!

2. Seriously, Its okay to say No

3. Don't expect too much from people. 

4. Do good, feel good

5. It's important to be nice to everyone

6. If you can't find something, clean up

7. Not everyone is like you

8. Put yourself in other people's shoes

9. No one likes a selfish friend

10. Talk less about people

11. Cook more. It can make you happier

12. Lists work wonders

13. Your 20's are for experimenting!

14. Having a good support system is better than money. Sometimes

15. Exercise if an effective way to snap out of a funk

16. Great thoughts are conceived while walking

17. Never dress for him/her/them. Dress for you.

18. Junk attracts more junk. Spiritually, in friendships and in closets.

19. Do it now! Apply the one-minute rule. Anything that requires less than a minute, do it now

20. Sharing. Easier said than done.

21. Always have a pen

22. Everyone loves a little extra love/attention. Not just on birthdays.  

Done with the lists! Now to move on to my resolutions! 

My Happiness Project - My Commandments.

Hey!!!


So after reading "The Happiness Project", I decided to start my own project and one of the first things I have to work on are the "CharlieCran Commandments" and my "Secrets to Adulthood"


The commandments help to identify the principles that you want to guide your actions and thoughts. 

CharlieCran's Commandments

1. Pray! Worry less, pray more.

2. Be grateful always

3. It's never that serious, lighten up (I'm working on it)

4. Do it now 

5. Be polite. To everyone

6. Learn to say NO

7. Be patient

8. Love more, Love Harder

9. Relax, Have fun

10. Be healthy

11. Plan!!!

12. Read more, Write More. 

I had so much fun coming up with mine that I wanted to get more and more but I figured it might be too much. Lol. How does this tie in with the happiness project? Well, you have to pretty much understand the person you are and figure out what makes you act the way you act. It will all make sense soon.....


For Further Reading Check Out The Author's Blog Here

# 28 The Happiness Project

Hey!!!

So I kinda took a break from reading but I'm back now and I'm determined to complete my 100 Books. (I'm so behind)

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. The Happiness Project is the account of the year she spent test-driving studies and theories about how to be happier.

I Love this book. Its very easy to get distracted with day-to-day activities; jobs, kids, marriage, family and so many more that sometimes we forget to have fun and forget to realize what makes us happy...or happier. Some of us wait to have bad things to happen before we realize that we're not happy or we're focusing on the wrong things which is why I love this book. Gretchen isn't waiting for that. She sees that there is more she can and should be doing about her happiness and is working on that.

So am I! I've decided to take on my own version of the project. I'm going to copy a lot of ideas from her book but at the same time make it work to fit me.

Its an interesting read so if you need a book to read, go ahead and pick one up!

Lagos Readers **The Bargain Wordsmith can hook you up!!!**

Back To Reality

Hola!!!

So... Back from my 2weeks vacation which I LOVED. One of my good friends/Older sister got married in Atlanta, Georgia and I had the honor of being a bridesmaid. It was so great going back 'home' after a year and a half. I thought things would feel different/weird but from the moment I stepped out of Hartsfield Jackson, I felt like I was truly back home. Of course, being me, I lost my purse in the airport... barely an hour and I'm already loosing things. Thank goodness I found it!

The wedding was a blast, got to see some of my old friends, did a little shopping and I truly did not want to come back...just yet, but I had to.

So here I am...Back. Still looking for a job which isn't going quite as smooth as I would have liked it to but I guess that's life. Trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my one and precious life.

I'll keep you posted! *mwah*

# 16 Purple Hibiscus. Finally

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

I think everyone that saw me reading this book said to me ''You're JUST reading this?'' always emphasizing the 'just'... yes yes I know, I'm like years late. I'd heard about the book and I always had it in mind to read it until my friend dropped it on my desk one morning at work. Thanks Mr. SMH.

Synopsis.

Fifteen-year-old Kambili's world is circumscribed by the high walls and frangipani trees of her fathers compound. Her wealthy Catholic Father, under whose shadow Kambili lives, while generous and politically active in the community, is repressive and fanatically religious at home.

When Nigeria begins to fall apart under a military coup, Kambili's father sends her and her brother away to stay with their aunt, a University professor, whose house is noisy and full of laughter. There, Kambili and her brother discover a life and love beyond the confines of their father's authority. The visit will life the silence from their world and, in time, give rise to devotion and defiance that reveal themselves in profound and unexpected ways. This is a book about the promise of freedom; about the blurred lines between childhood and adulthood; between love and hatred, between the old gods and the new.

Yup. Definitely another must-read. I really enjoyed it. Parts of the book were painful for me to read because I tried to put myself in those positions and sometimes, I couldn't imagine myself going through such hardships or as an outspoken person, not being able to respond the way I usually would. Kambili, being fifteen, wants nothing more than her fathers approval and love and would go to any lengths to make sure that this happens which sometimes might not always be the best (in my opinion, of course).

I don't know how to really share how I feel about the book and my views without spilling so I'll leave it at this. If you haven't read it, You should.

Moving On

My birthday went well!!! I did freak out a couple of times before we got to the venue cause we were running late but after we got there... it was smooth sailing from then on! I had a fantastic time!!

So...in other news, I have 3 more days with the Bank..(NYSC) year is pretty much over and I think I need to move on. Its been a great learning opportunity but I'm not sure if thats where I want to stay. I don't have another job lined up, unfortunately but I'm patient and I have faith that God will work it out for me.

It's THAT Time Again!

It's my birthday in a couple of hours and I am majorly excited! I get like this every year even though I never make plans or do anything special.. it always ends up being just a regular day but that doesn't stop me from getting crazy excited! I guess it's just knowing you only really get 1 (one) special day a year... Yea yea everyday is special but its not as special as your BIRTH Day! That's major!!!


I made a Birthday wish list (Like I do for every major holiday, #dontjudge) but the only thing I REALLY want from it is an iPad 2!!! Every time I see one I go gaga! I'm not really techno savvy but I figured it can't be that hard to use...right?


Anyways, I have to head home to look for a birthday outfit., The Mr and my sissies are taking me out for drinks tomorrow, we've invited a couple of friends to join us so hopefully I'll end up having a really good day after all!


Happy Birthday, Bex! Here's to another twentysomething years!!!

#7 - Handle With Care

Handle With Care (Jodi Picoult) is Book #7 on my '100 Books to Read This Year' *see previous post* I absolutely LOVE this book and would encourage anyone to read it.



Synopsis
Charlotte O'Keefe's beautiful, much-longed-for, adored daughter Willow is born with osteogenesis imperfecta - a very severe form of brittle bone disease. if she slips on a crisp packet she could break both her legs, and spend six months in a half body cast. After years of caring for Willow, her family faces financial disaster. Then Charlotte is offered a lifeline. she could sue her obstetrician for wrongful birth - for not having diagnosed Willow's condition early enough in the pregnancy to be able to abort the child. The payout could secure Willow's future. But to get it would mean Charlotte suing her best friend. and standing up in court to declare that if she would have preferred that Willow had never been born.


I'll try not to ruin it for anyone but this book is a must-read. Before this book, I had never heard about Osteogenesis imperfecta (something learned) I cannot imagine what a mother with a child with OI has to deal with. It is tasking and it requires so much attention, it also can take its toll on the other members of the family. You never know the hand you're dealt and this book shows the love and dedication from a mother to her child despite all the challenges that come her way!

100 Books Challenge

So I recently started a "100 Books to Read This Year" Challenge... I love reading and learning stuff from them so I figured, instead of wasting my life away watching 'Kim and Kourtney take New York' even though I LOVE the Kardashians, why not pick up a book to read... that's how it started.


I love that I can learn a lot from books, whether its just a word I'd never seen before or an illness or something about slavery, it makes me more interested and makes me want to get another book to read! Reading and Learning is great.


Thanks to my good friend who owns the company 'The Bargain Wordsmith' I get to borrow tons of books for low prices and I even get bestsellers... This is where half my salary goes! http://thebargainwordsmith.wordpress.com/



I'm currently on book #17. Some of the books I've read are; The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Steig Larsson), One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez), Room (Emma Donoghue), and one of my personal favorites till date; Handle with Care (Jodi Picoult).


I'll try to blog about some of the really good ones I've read and some of the ones I'm hoping to read!