Hello everyone, welcome to my blog. It's a beautiful Sunday, and for this edition of the Neoxian City Talent Hunt, I am excited to share one of the African soups (Egusi) we do enjoy in this part of my world.

Egusi soup is one of the soups I grew up loving a lot. I think it is loved by many people over here too because for several events I have attended, a lot of people choose the soup as their favorite.

It can go with different swallows such as pounded yam, garri, or what we call eba, somovita, and wheat as well. For this soup, different people have different ways of preparing it. Some people choose the frying method, while some prefer non-frying method of preparing Egusi soup.

While growing up with my grandma, she taught me only the non-frying method of preparing Egusi soup, but I later learned the frying method and can prepare any type in my home as it pleases me.

In this video, I prepared the non-frying Egusi soup, showing the steps involved. It's very simple to prepare, nothing biggy. I made this for our dinner last night, and the taste is so delicious.

Thank you for watching!!!

I could vividly remember the event of this day, and all I could do is laugh out loud, hehehe. Right from my teenage age, I loved being natural. Anything serious make up is not for me. Not that I can't afford the cost, but it's just not part of my vibe. I simply love appearing natural; no serious face applications of diverse materials, but just my cream and a powder are enough, and maybe an eye pencil on my eyebrows—that's enough.

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When I celebrated my 35th birthday last year in the month of June, a good friend of mine called me a few days before the day and said, "Nkem, how are you planning for your birthday?" It was the least question I expected because prior to her call, I had zero plans about my birthday. I wasn't in the mood for anything birthday. I was literally passing through a bunch of stress to think of a birthday. But then, Flora insisted, she said, "Kindly go to any local makeup artist and bill it on my head."

She chose a local makeup artist because that was where she could afford the cost at that time. She just wanted me to look different and have one or two studio pictures too as a simple birthday gift to me. She convinced me to drag myself out and had all that figured out before my birthday.

It was my first time having serious makeup on my face. Sincerely, I didn't understand what my face was turning into when the lady started applying stuff on my face, hahaha. She kept rubbing different things on my face, and it was quite uncomfortable. Flora, my friend, was calling her on the phone in the process, directing her on how she wanted it and all that. I remember asking the makeup artist to wipe out all the makeup, as I looked like a masquerade. 🤣

At one point, I gave up on the makeup; I preferred my natural look, but then, one part of my spirit was encouraging me to endure and have a different look, at least for reference purposes, lol. At the end, it was not that bad of an experience but wasn't a great one either, but I had fun in the studio, taking different shots, bill on Flora's head, and my darling friend who just wanted to see me smile regardless of what I was going through then.

I felt lighter, to be sincere, leaving home, doing the makeup, and taking the studio pictures. I spend hours outside home doing all of this without having to worry about anything; it was a win-win after all.

Recalling this event just gladdens my heart. Ever since that day, I have not had another makeup again, lol.

I still stare at the birthday photoshoot I took that day, and sincerely, the makeup made me look different.

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Please note, this is all a throw back and not my birthday today , hehehe .😍

All Images are mine!

Two weekends ago, I attended a special event in my kids school. It was Parents vs. Teachers Football Fiesta, where male parents competed against male teachers, and female parents competed against female teachers. It was a fun and exciting event where we didn't only keep fit but also had fun memories with fellow parents and a fun time with our kids teachers. More of a parents-teachers fun time, it's a win-win.

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This type of event usually comes once in awhile and so far , I have been participating, each year, it kept getting better and better. I think I love this idea from the school, where once in a while, parents will be invited to come have a fun time amidst the hustle and bustle of life. It's not as if the school had inter-house sports or a different special event; no, the school proprietor thought that most parents were almost busy with work and might never make it out to exercise and stay healthy. So as a way to encourage fitness and also for parents to have this social relationship with each other, she usually hosts this healthy, friendly match once in a while.

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This time around, every parent who attended the event was given a free jersey, fruits, water, and food. I think it's nice from the school without having to task us for it. Of course they can chose to keep their money to themselves, but they were thoughtful to always hold this kind of event for the benefit of interested parents and teachers.

The event proper

Male parents and male teachers started first, while we, the females, were warming up, feeding our eyes, watching them play, and shouting out for them in excitement. It was simply fun even though the male teachers scored 6 against the male parents, who scored 3, hahaha. It's understandable; parents have lots of responsibilities, so not much strength to play the game and win, hehe😃

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It was our turn to play, and we all marched into the field with confidence that we were going to win the game against the female teachers. I should have known that those people were prepared for D-day, hehehe 😃. I think the most important thing is that we had fun; it doesn't matter who won. Hint: Don't ask me who won this round.. lolz.

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Our coach gave us the needed instructions, and we began the game. It was not in anywhere close to a professional match as my gender was busy pushing each other and even playing when the ball was behind the bar, all joined. 😃.But then, there's this little girl who I call small but mighty... see her below.

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She dealt with me during the match; that's me behind her in the image, lolz. She is simply very good at playing football, obviously, she has been training well. She was everywhere, always attacking my team, especially me. 😃... I was surprised the camera man captured every move on how she snatched the ball away from me. I feel shy like this, hehehe.

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My fellow parents did well; I wasn't expecting how heated the game was. Even though the teachers won, it was almost at the eleventh hour when we were tired running around the field.

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Overall, the main idea of this event is to encourage parents to keep fit despite their busy schedules and also to build social connections. It was an exciting and memorable event, just as anticipated.

Images are mine.

It's #tbt today and I bring to you memories with my family worth remembering. Sometimes, it takes a long time to have the full family around, but whenever there's a special event, then it becomes an opportunity for most family members to visit and merry together.

I remember sharing the kidnapping incident that happened to my mom in October last year and how she survived from the kidnappers den. So last month during the festive season, my family held a thanksgiving service to express gratitude to our Creator for everything that transpired.

It was a day filled with both gratitude and emotions as we reflected on the incident and how long it took before my mom was rescued. Family, friends, in-laws, and neighbors were all present in our church as we danced to the altar, appreciating God for life.

There were moments of partying after the church service with food, drinks, dance, and catching up between our relatives. No doubt, the opportunity brought both our far and distant relatives together.

A lot of people who heard about the incident and how Mom was rescued came to really see Mom, gave her a warm hug, and kept thanking God for her life.

The part that got most people thinking was when Mom stood up in the midst of many people in my house to explain in detail how she survived from the hands of the kidnappers. It looked strange and clear that God was totally involved in her case.

You see, I used to read testimonies of people and how they survived similar incidents, and I kept wondering about the wonders of God until it happened firsthand in my family.

Reflecting on the experience, it reminded me to trust our Creator completely for any kind of storm we may face and also to always express gratitude even in a little thing.

It was fun and exciting having my aunt around, my uncles, cousins, in-laws, and many others as we dined together, made merry, danced, and unwind, creating long-lasting memories together.

Each time I lay on my bed to watch the videos and some pictures I struggled to capture on the day, I smile and laugh, craving such a gathering again in the future.

All images are mine

Thanks so much for visiting🥰

Good day, Vibes community. It's with great pleasure that I welcome you to my entry for the Vibes Web3 Music Competition Week 5.

Each week I go through the entries of others,I see new users joining this competition, and that speaks of amazing progress, which I cherish a lot. What a great way for them to learn more about the hive platform! I am sure they will love the system and even reach out to others, and we will keep growing together. So far, I see that the purpose of this music initiative is coming to fruition, all thanks to @Lordbutterfly and his team for their effort and the incentive to encourage the winners. It sure has motivated most people to keep going and doing their best.

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For this week's entry, I chose to share the cover of *"You are Yahweh" originally sung by "Stephen Crown" . This is one of the songs from this artist that throws me into a deeper connection with my creator each time I dive into worship songs. When you look closely at the lyrics, it reminds us that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow; he never changes and never stops doing miracles. He has plans for everyone, and if you don't give up and completely trust in him, he will surely open your chapter. Sometimes, we find ourselves in that difficult situation of life and begin to question his power in our lives, but then all we need to do is completely lay it all before him and trust him to come through for us. I usually feel like a weight is lifted from me each time I sing along with Stephen Crown on this worship song.

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Here is some part of the Lyrics

You are the God
Who was, Who is and is to come
Jesus, Jesus
And in You I trust
My life is in Your Hands
Jesus, You are the Miracle working God

You are Yahweh, eh eh eh
You are Yahweh
You are Yahweh, eh eh eh
You are Yahweh
You are Yahweh
Alpha and Omega
You are Yahweh
Alpha and Omega

_{Lyrics Source}

Let's continue to bring in more vibes to this space, reaching out to more people from Web 2, and keep growing Hive as we have been doing. I hope you enjoy my entry.

Thanks for visiting ♥️♥️

Hello vibes musicians, I am so excited to be joining this awesome competition once again, where lots of talents are unleashed. With great pleasure, I welcome you to my entry for the Vibes Web3 Music Competition Week 4.

This week, I decided to do some reflection, and then I remembered one of my relatives who stopped believing that God could take care of his problems. In his words,he said that for years, he kept on practicing Christianity, but nothing positive changed in his life. Instead, he kept jumping from one trouble into another, and God never cared to save him, so what's the essence of praying? At last, he stopped believing in God and even tried discouraging others from believing that God exists and that He is capable of changing situations in his own time. Only if he preserves and draws himself closer to him will he surely encounter him. This reflection pushed me into choosing this song, Draw Me Close to You by Michael . W. Smith.

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Sometimes we feel neglected and rejected, but remembering we have a God just gives us this assurance that everything will be fine. When you feel overwhelmed with the troubles of life, just lay it all down to him, and he will help you find a way. The wording of this song is thoughtful and makes me feel emotional, and there's this connection to my creator that comes with it as I meditate and sing along.

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This song will help you know that God is all you need, and even when you feel lonely, it will help you realize that He is just near, seeking your warm embrace.

I really do love the song and what it teaches us, and I'm hoping that someone appreciates this song as well and takes the time to listen to the lyrics. Below is part of the lyrics, with the link embedded HERE.

Draw me close to you
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear you say that I'm your friend
You are my desire
No one else will do
'Cause nothing else can take your place
To feel the warmth of your embrace
Help me find the way
Bring me back to you

You're all I want
You're all I've ever needed
You're all I want
Help me know you are near

Thank you for visiting ❤️❤️❤️

Vibes Web3 music competition week 3

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I feel delighted to join the Vibes community for the first time 🎧🎶🎵. I have been overwhelmed with the amazing presentations from our great musician in the blockchain for the the past two weeks. Their performances have been contagious,ous and thus my presence in this community of singers and music enthusiasts, where I can showcase my little ability and learn more alongside.

I will like to shout out to @lordbutterfly and his team for introducing this amazing music project not only to the hive blockchain but to the web3 space at large. I have no doubt that this move will promote Hive as well as attract great singers from Web2 to Web3, and it will be a win-win for us.

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For my week three entry, I'll be performing "Pages of My Heart" by Owie Abutu. The song was released since 2016. The first time I listened to this music,the lyrics got me so captivated that I paid close attention to the song and played it repeatedly until it sank into me. The music is a worship of God, acknowledging the majesty of our maker, searching through the pages of your heart, and adoring him for his wonders. It teaches me that if I should count God's goodness upon my life, my worship of him should have no end, and that's what it's supposed to be. He is indeed indescribable and deserves all the worship from the ones he created.

Check out the full lyrics here.

Thanks so much for taking time to listen🤗

Do have a great week.

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Extracurricular activities are one project many schools in my country have come to embrace, and my kid's school isn't exempt from this move. Lots of talents are being nurtured through these activities and in the early stages of the child's life. Due to the fee involved, the school usually makes it optional for students, but many parents, including me, will always subscribe termly due to the impacts it makes on my kid's life. Aside from the biannual inter-house sports festival held three days ago in their school, every Friday has been dedicated to a talent hunt, and I am indeed impressed with the performances of most of the students so far, including my growing-up kids, who have taken their position in the desired skills they have an interest in.

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_{That's my son in red, drumming with other kids as the students do their march pass}.

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This year's sports festival was unique. It's the second time the school is hosting such an event. The last two years were their first experiences, and this time around the activities got better with extraordinary experiences by both the parents and the students. I couldn't have covered the whole sport's activities in the video; otherwise, the video would be too lengthy. However, in the video, you will experience the dance skills of different teams and see how the students demonstrated their amazing skills. Who knows, they could nurture an international dancer from the school. It was such a colorful session that got parents entertained and proud to watch our kids perform excellently.

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From the video, I also covered the march pass from a few teams. Watching how the commander instructs the students and how they uniformly take action was super exciting. The little babies aren't left out of the game. There was a slipper race for them. A game where the babies wear oversized slippers and run to the finish line—haha, it was fun to watch. I also captured the filling in the bottle game, this one with my son. They tested how fast each of them could fill an empty bottle with water from a distance. We all admired a child who didn't want to give up when his bottle fell twice and he had to refill it. We admired his resilience; he didn't bother to stop doing the task to the end, even when others had submitted theirs. His actions convey a lot of messages to the audience. It doesn't matter if others have reached a particular level before you; just work at your pace until you achieve your goals. The encouragement and cheers from the parents and the audience made the session so exciting that even as the kids made some mistakes in the game, they all joined. I couldn't stop laughing when the kids were to dress themselves in native attire;, you can alson find it in the video, and that's where I ended the coverage.

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There were varied sports activities by the kids that I didn't cover, like the relay race where the kids demonstrated teamwork, the high jump, the sack race, aiming the basket, and lots more. The school also invited students from other schools for a friendly competition. It did add spice to the event; the representatives from other schools were given a gift after the event.

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Do you know that feeling of watching your child emerge as a winner in a game? Awww, the feeling is extraordinary. I had so many butterflies in my belly as I watched my second son emerge as one of the winners in the basket game.

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Parents, on the other hand, made the sports festival so lively by participating in the 100-meter race, the march pass vs. dance session, and the tug of war game that happened between mummies and daddies. Oh no, I usually laugh out my worries watching the video where we mothers drag the daddies to the ground. The daddies couldn't withstand our population, and it did make us mothers win the game. To say that I was excited all through the event is an understatement. I did have a great day, participated actively in the parents sports, and won myself a beautiful bedspread.

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Overall, it was a fun-filled event for both the kids and the parents. The presence of the parents and our enthusiasm made the event memorable for everyone involved.

Finally, I commend every parent who is always there for their kids. Being available for our children on their special day like this goes a long way in encouraging them, showing them support, and making them feel loved. They will always remember that their parents are always available for them. Sometimes what they need is our physical presence, not our monetary support. So cheers to all the proud parents out there doing their parenting duties diligently 🤗

All images are mine

To support our children and make their biannual sports festival memorable, all parents were encouraged to participate, as our presence and enthusiasm would make the event memorable for everyone involved.

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It was a fun-filled event, not just for our kids but for parents too. The event started from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, so you can imagine the long hours spent for this sport festival and the games covered by both the students who are the main center of the event, the invited students from other schools who came to compete with Ennyston school students, and then the proud parents.

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This video highlighted only the games played by parents in the event today, which are: tug of war;this session was a game between mommies and daddies of the school, and you will see in the video how my able co-mothers defeated those hefty men. Haha, it was fun as we dragged the men to the ground. History has indeed repeated itself. This is because, the last two years, during the same sports festival, we mothers won them; obviously, because we are more in number, daddies hardly show up at school events. We understand their responsibilities anyway, but being there for our kids is still part of parenting. The kids will grow to tell the story of whether they were there for them or not.

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The second part of the video highlights PARENTS' MARCH PASS. We visited the school last Saturday for the rehearsal, and today we did it to our capacity vs. the dancing session. It was fun, and I am sure most parents loved the experience.

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The last part of the video is the 100-meter race by mothers. Wow, it's been a while. I ran a little distance, but then I was so surprised at how I won the race🏆🏆🥇🥈🥉🏅🎖️🏆. The captain was just screaming my name, Mrs. MBA, and I got more encouragement to keep racing 🐎 until I reached the finish line and collected this awesome medal and a gift that follows it.

I opened the gift, and behold, it was a beautiful bedspread. I love the color so much, and I felt fulfilled and excited. My kids watched me run, and they were so happy seeing that I won the race. I equally felt like a proud parent. The feeling of emerging as a winner is always extraordinary. I couldn't hold the excitement, but I kept expressing my joy in different shots.

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All images are mine!

Finding time to go out with my family for some fun activities is something I practice once in awhile, not only during the holiday season but occasionally as we deem fit. This practice gives us another kind of bonding and relaxation, and I simply love the lifestyle. My kids and I visited the fun world here in Lagos State, Nigeria. It was a day filled with different game activities, from basketball games to horseback riding, table tennis, bumper car rides, swings, etc. It's simply a nice place where kids can have fun as much as they can with different game tools in there. The environment is such a calming one that it was irresistible to take some shots prior to our entry.

Accessing the Fun World Center entails that parents subscribe to their card first before the kids can play the games there. Each game has different prices and time durations. It's interesting to always meet a good number of parents in the fun world with their kids each time my kids and I check in there.

After I subscribed to the games, the kids began with the horse ride together with other kids at a go. The last time we visited, my last baby was so scared of riding, but this time around, he seems to have matured a bit; however, my cousin Sis was there to grip him firmly while they rode along. You could point that out in the video. I was excited to see them enjoying the fun moment. At a time, I rode with them as well before our time elapsed.

The bumper car ride seemed so difficult for them to control. I didn't know how to ride it either, I would have assisted them, but fair enough, they tried with it before moving to other games.

The place is indeed equipped with a variety of games the kids can lay hands on. At some point, I got exhausted, but they ensured that I played up to eight different kinds of games, which I couldn't capture. Till tomorrow, Fun World remains one of the hot spots for kids in Lagos City. If you plan on giving your kids that exclusive moment, I would recommend it over and over, and the fee is not that expensive.

We didn't hesitate to get ice cream while checking out to bring some calming effect on our body 😃.
Overall, it was three hours well spent in the fun world.
Thanks so much for viewing.

Do have a blessed week.

There is nothing as beautiful as losing yourself to nature's embrace so it can bear your stress and pain, giving you an unexplainable feeling in return. It's the holiday season where a lot of people catch up with different activities to feel more relaxed after the year-to-year bustles and hustles of life. One of the hot spots to relax in Lagos State, Nigeria, is the beach and resorts.

There are a good number of beaches here in Lagos State, Nigeria, but my family and I visited the Barracuda Beach and had a nice experience with nature. I could visit this same beach over and over again without getting tired of it due to how unique it's designed.

My sister-in-law, who also resides in Lagos State with her husband, was excited to join us for the outing when I informed her of my date with my family. It was a lovely experience with her, including my cousin's sister, leaving with me.

We had lots of fun in the water dancing to the music from the beach DJ while running away from the waves of water when they came close to us in full force. Hahaha..to be sincere, I was scared at some point, but I had to overcome my fears seeing lots of kids and adults playing in the water as well.

What I didn't fail to do this time was experience a horse ride. I have been to beaches but was always scared to ride the horse. However, I did this time together with my kids and the rest of my family. We all had a fun experience riding on the horse.

That feeling when you are on top of the horse, ready to embark on an adventure, hahaha. It was my first time, and I loved every moment.

The kids went swimming as well at the beach, with other game activities available for children. The fun was simply overload, to the point that I didn't want to go home anymore.

Overall, it was a fun-filled day with an unforgettable experience at the beach, embracing nature and enjoying the tranquility of the environment. A nice family day out is a great way to enjoy the holiday. Some families lodged over there for days, and I craved such a relaxing kind of rest😍

We didn't fail to get popcorn, suya, and drinks to relax a bit after the fun. The 4 hours spent there were worth it, and I am glad to see everyone in my family happy with the beach experience. I hope you enjoyed our beach tour. This location is also a good place to enjoy nature if you find yourself in Lagos State, Nigeria, someday.

Until next time, thanks for viewing.
I wish you a happy new year in advance.😇🥳