I’m not even sure if it’s 365 days or 366, but I saw 365 on many people’s status earlier today & I’ve decided to follow the crowd. If we’re wrong, we’re wrong together.
Hiiiii investuuurrrr
Before we really get into it, lemme share something I saw on Twitter that had me like “hmm, makes sense”.
Someone shared this
At a glance, it’s easy to nod & say “yea what’s the big deal with completing NYSC anyway”.
But then another ‘tweep’ quoted it with how difficult it was for her to get into school and complete school ‘cos of ASUU strike & everything in between.
This quote by Chimamanda Adichie also came up:
Privilege blinds because it’s the nature of privilege to blind
Basically meaning that people tend to lack empathy towards others especially when everything has been made easy for them.
And I think this mentality fits the season we’re in currently. The end of the year reflection many people go through trying to quantify their wins & failures. How some wins don’t feel like wins especially when compared with another person’s wins.
It’s important to note that everyone is privileged in some way than the other person is.
So even if all you achieved was a 70-day Duolingo streak or a 5 book completion rate, it’s fair enough & 2024 is another time to aim for higher instead of mentally going ‘boink! boink!’ hitting a hammer on your head.
Rise up.
❓ Anonymous question of the month
“yo zee what was your favorite moment of 2023?”
sksksksk I’m excited answering this because my favorite moment happened not too long ago & it was the fact that I traveled out of this country for the first time.
Nothing dramatic though, no planes involved even but in the spirit of blinding privilege & whatnot, I would think it’s a pretty big deal for me.
Checked my journal last year & saw a part where I wrote that I’d love to go on a vacation to another country “sometime next year”. It happened this year, this month, & it was so fun!
That was a pretty cool moment. More gist later in the letter 🤭
🚀 P for December
I say P for December because like Pluto, December was very active (as stated by renowned astronomer Shallipopi).
For the first time, I think I checked out my version of ‘Detty December’ off the list. To be honest, it was more of an active December than a detty December but I’m going to work with what I have. It’s detty if I say it’s detty.
🚓 On Driving
In my last letter, I mentioned how I started taking driving lessons so I could tick that off before the new year.
Well, it is with pride & joy that I announce to you that I am now officially a certified rookie driver. If you see me on the road, just help yourself & move to the opposite side. I will not be responsible for any damages caused & I have my learner’s permit to defend myself.
On a more serious note though, this girl now knows how to drive a car
At the beginning of the year, all I could do was turn the key to start the engine but now I can identify the brake, the accelerator, I can turn, & I can reverse. The only thing my teacher complained about was my steering control. I still struggle with knowing how to handle the wheel to flow with the road.
Not a big deal though, once I open a GoFundMe to buy me a car, that would be a thing of the past.
I also said I’d write a book on How to Drive & sell it for N1,150. Plans paused for now, but delay is not denial.
🎊 Detty December
Err.. first of all, I didn’t even do anything that crazy so keep your expectations the height of a Chihuahua, very low.
But then December started out fun & ended with even more fun!
On 2 different occasions, I went on a planned outing with friends. We ate, gisted & laughed. Normally, 2 outings a month is the max I would do but I took it 2 steps further.
The 3rd was the live show of my best babes at I Said What I Said on Christmas Eve. It was 4 hours of epic fun, aproko, & laughter.
The ‘gbegborun’ was elite, the bouncing castle was very bouncy & that chicken rasta pasta I had hit the right spot. A good time.
✈ Trip to Benin Republic
And to crown it all, I went on a 2-day trip to the French-dominated country, Benin Republic alongside 13 other people. Quite a number to be honest but the beauty was in the numbers.
2 weeks before leaving, I said let me learn French basics on Duolingo so I can imposter properly. I failed. Only thing I kept saying was Bonjour & Merci. My dangerous combo.
Asides the language barrier, Cotonou was an interesting place to be. First day we landed, we casually strolled to a beach & enjoyed the energetic waters. No payments involved unlike in N…
The roads were quiet & free, it’s like they don’t have car horns.
The bike men/women all use helmets & carry a lot of road discipline. No unnecessary ‘gragra’
Friendly people too & it was quite interesting to see that asides French, many of them speak Yoruba more than they speak English.
I have a problem though, with their bread. That thing is not sweet. It’s just long & light, nothing like what I’m used to.
They have many wonderful places to see & admire. Wasn’t at all bad for my first outside +234 trip.
🐈 Kimiko
See this guy pissed many people off in this house this month. I’m working overtime as its lawyer trying to defend it. I’m overworked & underpaid fam.
One instance is not wanting to stay indoors overnight. What Kimiko does instead is to meow loudly for you to let it out, then in the middle of the night, its friends will come over & they will make loud noises disturbing the neighborhood.
Kept this up until recently when the neighbor decided to sell their cat (Kimiko’s friend). Finally, some peace. Then idk if it’s heartbreak but it rejected food for a while.
Only for a while because it’s back to eating eba & egusi. Smh
💤 Drawing the curtain on 2023
Sidebar update, but the winner of my last shirt giveaway has received his shirt 🎉
If you guessed ‘Suki, the bird’ as the answer to the question asked, you are correct 💯
Next year when I run another giveaway to mark 2 years standing, I’ll make a drawing of the winner 🤞
Sit tight.
💤 Semi-last thing
Aproko Doctor dropped an interesting video for carrot eaters.
He said we’ve been eating it wrong by simply washing & chewing like a rabbit. He said the best way to get the nutrient (carotene) in full is by boiling it a bit first, before eating. That way, the carotene will come out in full force & help your body.
We might be sacrificing crunchiness though but I’m not sure ‘cos I haven’t tried it yet.
You can try it & see though. Might as well be getting the full value for your money innit.
💤 Okay last thing
Thank you for 2023 investor 🎉🎉🎉
I hope you had a fruitful year. If you didn’t, let me know, I’ll come hug you if you send money for tfare.
I hope & pray that 2024 is an even better year for you & me.
I hope to make you laugh more & give you reasons to open my letters.
Which speaking of, will be sent out twice a month instead of once starting next year.
One in the middle of the month & it’ll be a summary of an insightful book or podcast I’ve listened to.
And the other at the end of the month, just like this one.
Cheers to a brighter month/year ahead investor 🥂💜
