Month: December 2015

Eurekanaija 2015 in review

Published by Osemhen

Hello, guys. So 2015 was a good year. I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised by the number of views I got. Thank you all for sharing this blog with your friends, for reading, for commenting, for liking. Thank you for all the love. I’m currently restrategizing for next year. I’m owing blog posts (I know!) and I really want to host at least one face-to-face event and proper giveaways. I’m also looking forward to doing collaborations with my favorite bloggers so look out, world! Your feedback is invaluable. I really need you to tell me what you’d like to see more of (or not!). So please, get in touch with the form here. Tell me what I should keep doing, start doing or stop doing. What would make you read this blog more? What would make you comment more? What would make you share posts from this blog with your friends? This is really important to me. In fact, it’s so important that I’m going to tie my first giveaway to this. Three people will …

2015 in Books: Classy, Sublime & Intelligent

Published by Osemhen

In typical eurekanaija fashion, I’d like to talk about my favourite books of 2015. My criteria for this list are: Re-readability: I’d totally read these books again in 2016. Change factor: These books changed me or helped me find/create myself. Let’s jump right to it, shall we? 1. Emily Post’s Etiquette: Why:  I was talking with one of my friends early in the year and we lamented the fact that we didn’t go to finishing school. Etiquette is the next best thing. What I Loved: First published in 1922 and constantly updated since then, it remains an enduring reference point for good manners. Before you roll your eyes, it’s not just about using the right fork or the proper way to pour wine (even though I learned that too). The book continuously emphasizes the most important etiquette of being kind to other people. From tipping service staff (waiters, salon attendants) to putting phones away at dinner tables to proper behaviour at different places of worship to introducing people to each other so they aren’t left standing in awkward …

My Pregnancy Diary: Part 1

Published by Osemhen

“Well, madam. I’m pleased to inform you that you’re pregnant.” I face the doctor, stunned. It is such a cliche moment. The day before, I nearly cut myself with a knife because my hands were trembling so hard. I thought I had a fever (or Lou Gehrig’s). The thought of pregnancy might’ve crossed my mind but I dismissed it because…Nollywood. Nollywood taught me that the first sign of pregnancy was puking your guts out, and I wasn’t puking my guts out. And a part of me didn’t think I could get pregnant without fertility drugs. Call me pessimistic but I know so many women struggling to have babies that I was starting to accept that as the new normal. “You’re married, aren’t you?” The doctor asks me quizzically. My reaction isn’t what he’s expecting, I guess. Lol. I smile. “I am. Thank you, doctor.” “You’re welcome. So come back in 4 weeks, and we’ll see if this pregnancy is viable.” In other words, we’ll see if you haven’t miscarried. So brutal, really. There are a …

5 TedTalks Every Young Professional Should Watch

Published by Osemhen

TedTalks are my second favourite podcast series to listen to, after The New Yorker Fiction Series. I think I get just a little bit smarter every time I hear one. Sadly, however I find myself with less time to listen. Going to fix that, I promise. In the mean time, I thought I’d share my faves with you this fine Monday morning. Kickstart the work-week with these inspirational TedTalks that make you want to give yourself a rousing pep-talk in the bathroom mirror. You can do this! You’re winning! You’ve got this! You’ll make it! Let’s Go! Meg Jay’s provocative message on reclaiming the most defining decade of your life: Why 30 is not the new 20. [ted id=1741] Sheryl Sandberg’s insightful talk that kind of summarises her book, Lean In (a.k.a. The Feminist Manifesto): Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders. [ted id=1040] Shawn Achor’s utterly funny talk on how happiness actually leads to success, and not the other way round: The Happy Secret to Better Work.  [ted id=1344] Nigel Marsh’s inspirational argument on how to …

"Blessed Are The Merciful": Christmas is for Giving

Published by Osemhen

Hello! As promised, I’m continuing the Works of Mercy series. But first, how did last month go? We dedicated November to burying the dead and praying for the Living and the Dead. Were you able to use some of the suggestions here? Did you come up with yours? This December, the focus is on “Feeding the Hungry.” What are your most vivid childhood Christmas memories? I remember the food. Mounds of bright orange jollof rice, peppered chicken, elbow-licking egusi and pounded yam, fried rice, moi-moi, plantain, chin-chin, puff-puff… I remember drinking so much Fanta, my stomach would be distended from all the gas. Christmas was for food. As I grow older, the tradition of endless feasting hasn’t waned. Even if I’m not cooking, I know that merely dropping in to visit someone on Christmas Day guarantees me a full belly. Not having food to eat on Christmas Day is almost an oxymoron. Not possible. And yet it’s a very real reality for some families. There are families that have no food to eat, not just …