seunfunmionalaja-blog
seunfunmionalaja-blog
L'ÃWÔ: Eat live explore
98 posts
An avid photographer and university student sharing experiences and tips from the places I go, things I see & food I eat!
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 7 years ago
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People & Places: Afrah, Durham
People & Places is back!! After the engagement received from the first few shoots in the series, I decided to bring People & Places back in a city that has the amazing scenery, Durham.
For the first shoot, I had Afrah on the other side of the lens. In case you recognise Afrah, I have taken her picture before but I decided to get her involved in the series just because she’s a lovely person!
Afrah is from France and is currently studying towards a Finance Degree at Durham. My shoot with her was so much fun as she kept smiling all through!
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 7 years ago
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When dealing with stress: Uni Edition
I decided to do this post as a stress reliever for myself and also to help anyone going through similar university stress.
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I’m one of those people that constantly keep busy, and while that’s good, it can also be a bad thing in the sense that I can easily forget to check in with myself in the midst of activity. When I say check in I mean actually pausing and asking myself ‘hey are you good?’.
It can be so difficult especially in university when you feel pressured to do so many things and be involved in things and even the commitments you made to do certain things but then realised you have no time! This is when it’s important to stay rooted in something so you find your balance and don’t crack under pressure.
Everyone has their own way of getting back to their roots, be it through meditation or even a self love day or session. As a Christian, I find my roots in God and always ensure that I check back with Him to make sure I’m on the right track. I also do other practical things to ensure I take time to revaluate my life or actions and here are my top 5 tips:
- Take a moment to breathe: this sounds so cliche but it’s the truth. Sometimes with uni life and pressure we can forget to breathe. By breathing I mean putting your work away, distractions and people who put pressure on you, and just take a second to relax and breathe.
- Read and listen to music: Reading honestly helps take my mind off things personally. This can be reading my Bible or a great novel. Even if you feel too lazy to use your eyes to read ( I can relate ), you can always turn on an audio book or play some soothing music.
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- Work out: This seems odd but exercising can really take your mind off things or clear your mind to think about important things. Even if you just go for a 30 min run or slow paced walk, it can really help you take your mind of stress.
- Do something special for you: Always remember to love yourself and don’t feel bad treating yourself. If you’ve had a long day or week go ahead and paint your nails, get a cupcake or even just watch a movie!
- Pray and talk: this is a big one for me, and it’s tried and tested. Prayer honestly is my greatest support in life and just chatting with God randomly helps me take stress off and keeps me rooted. Another big one is talking to close family and friends. Never for once think you’re alone in any situation in life. God has planted so many wonderful people in your life to speak to and He did this for a reason so talk to them about stress and struggles and ask for prayers and pray with people as well!
I hope these tips are useful and if you’ve got any other tips on how to stay rooted drop me a message or comment under this post or my Instagram! However you choose to stay rooted I pray God helps you and I pray you’re on the road to becoming the best version of you!
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 7 years ago
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The Grand Canyon
Even as I write this, I can’t even believe that I got to experience it.
I’m not really one of those people who have a physical bucket list written down, but I definitely have a mental note of places I want to see in the world. Yesterday, I was so blessed to see one of them and it was The Grand Canyon.
Located in Arizona, The Grand Canyon is one of the many testaments of God’s greatness and His role as an artist. It is such a beautiful place to look upon and it’s all natural too.
Despite the scorching heat up there and the fear of falling as you dangle off the edge, the Grand Canyon is definitely a place to visit.
It’s so massive that I only saw the west rim. There are other entry points but I saw the drying up river than runs through the Canyon which was amazing.
It’s actually private land owned by a Native American tribe so while you do pay admission for it, it includes bus rides through the Canyon scenic points and it is worth it as you get a great view and contribute to their source of living as well.
Here are some Grand Canyon pictures! Do like the post and share it with your friends and do give me a follow on insta to see more pictures!
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 7 years ago
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The Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada
Currently in Las Vegas and I feel so blessed to be able to capture the lights and beauty around me. For a city which is basically a desert, they’ve made so much from it by strategically placing certain buildings and working on areas such as the strip and Fremont street to make it a tourist destination. I’m not one for gambling but there are so many casinos and so many people are glued to the machines.
It’s such a different city by day and it’s only after dark that people start flooding the streets. On The Strip, there are so many shows to see at every corner and so much food to eat as well. I’ve found it a bit difficult to find healthy food but I’ll save that for another post.
Hope you enjoy my pictures, and give them a share with friends! I will be posting soon from another adventure I cannot wait to go on!
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 7 years ago
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“Knock & the door will be open”
“Knock and the door will be open”
This is one of the most well known Bible verses by Christians worldwide, even non Christians seem to know it.
I always translated it to say to: “if you knocked on any door as a Christian in faith, it will open”. So all my life I could never understand why I’d knock at doors in faith and they wouldn’t open. By doors, I mean life opportune such as jobs, certain relationships or academic aspirations. When these doors didn’t open when I knocked, it made me doubt the concept of faith as I always believed that faith could open all doors.
After years of knocking with no response on certain doors, I decided to look at the verse in more context and flipped my Bible to Mathew 6&7.
At this part in the Bible, Jesus was giving a sermon on the mountain. In this sermon, He spoke about anxiousness, fasting, us being the salt of the earth and then went on to talk about asking, knocking & seeking. In all this, the general theme is clear and it is that God wants what is good for us and He confirms this when he says “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:11‬. I decided to look at certain ‘door knocking’ rejections in light of this verse and this made me wonder, ‘am I knocking at the right doors then?’ By the right door, I don’t mean the right one for me according to me, but the right one God wants for me. As seen in Mathew, God seeks the best for His children and so when we knock on doors that have something other than the good God has planned on behind them, then God will work in His mercy to make sure it won’t open up. Though at times this may seem tough (trust me i still struggle with this) especially when it’s things i want and pray for, things that seem so good for my life, like that job i’d what at that too firm, or that relationship with that guy, or even just that seminar we want to get into.
God loves us so much that He will always give us what is better for us that that what lies behind that closed door we so badly want to push into.
To get to where God wants us to be can seem so tough, but unlike our own desires and wants, there is no striving in God’s grace and when the time is right, God will open the floodgates of Heaven and doors won’t stop opening. The journey is worth as much as what lies behind the door as God puts us through experiences to provide us with all the tools to face what lies behind the doors.
This is something I’m reminding myself of, especially as I go into second year and have so much I need to do, but one prayer I keep saying is for God to show me the doors He wants me to enter so when I knock, it opens.
To keep it plain and simple, I ask God to help me make sure my will is aligned with His will, and the best person to help do this is the Holy Spirit.
So I hope this shines some light on whatever you’re going through and whatever your day may be like right now, I pray God guides you to the doors He has in store for you, so that when you knock and it opens, you walk through it with peace and all the tools to meet what’s on the other side.
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 7 years ago
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A Student, A Scale & A Smoothie bowl: Health and Fitness tips as easy as ABC
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist, dietician or medical professional of any sort. I am just a young lady who loves herself and wants the best for herself & you should too!
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Scrolling through my Instagram feed a few months ago, I’d see an elaborately decorated smoothie bowl or someone showing off their carb substitutes and think “yeah... that’s for fit extra people, people with allergies, not for me”.
Now, I see myself spending my mornings decorating fruit packed smoothie bowls before spooning them into my mouth.
So what changed?
For the past few years, I felt nothing was wrong with the way I ate, and was happy with a large breakfast, a lovely lunch and snacks to keep me happy during the day. I never really cared so much about the nutritional content of my food. I felt the whole 5 a day talk was just science gibberish.
Earlier on this year, I had an epiphany and decided to just take a look at what exactly I was eating. I had heard of apps to track calories and nutritional content but one that kept popping up was under Armour’s app, ‘MyFitnessPal’.
In fact one of my family members used it and it changed their health completely.
I decided to download it and I tracked my food for a day.
I had my usual sugary cereal, pasta, chocolate bars, and because I used to skip dinner occasionally back then, I had a piece of chicken and tea.
What I saw on the app shocked me. I was getting in way more sugar than I was meant to in my diet, too little protein, iron and fibre & too many carbs. Worse off, the app had estimated if I ate like that everyday with no regular fitness regimen, I would gain weight.
No I have not really been what one would describe fat by cultural standards or generally, but for me I always focus on being the best I can be, so this app basically pointed out I was not at my optimum level.
I decided to make a change in my life and luckily I had the support of family and also the support from prayer.
I aimed to start over summer and make an active change. I wanted to shed a bit, but I also wanted to get the right quantity of nutrients in each day as I noticed I got tired easily and felt completely drained after each day.
I started off by introducing a fitness regime and put my Apple Watch to good use. I also used apps like NikeTraining for rainy day full body workouts, and C25K which is great for getting back into the swing of running or starting from basics. Apps like Pinterest are great for meal ideas and of course MyFitnessPal helps puts things into perspective.
I always thought I couldn’t eat healthy when in Lagos cause most of the food comprises of carbohydrates and has a lot of oil. Luckily for me, we cook with little oil in my family home so that removed that worry. Next up was the carbs. Although I had stopped eating starchy foods from Nigeria years ago, I still love the occasional rice as it is a uni time staple for me I wanted to keep this in my diet.
MyFitnessPal helped me keep the food I loved in my diet and helped me ensure I was eating the right amounts for my health. I started cutting down on my chocolates as I soon realised I couldn’t use a chocolate bar to substitute a meal (something I was guilty of doing while studying). Instead of 4 squares of dairy milk at a go, I’d take 2 on a treat night and have fruit and measured nuts (with a scale). While this may sound like suffering and stress, it actually takes low effort once planning is done, and after 3 days of cutting down on my chocolate, I couldn’t stomach a lot of it.
I also consumed more green veggies to get my iron up, and filled myself up with tasty salads along with my meals.
I ensured my breakfasts where high in fibre by having fibre cereals such as shreddies and I paid attention to nutritional info. MyFitnessPal also has a feature that lets you scan barcodes so this helped input food faster. I added in chia seeds to my smoothie bowls which became really easy to make as I knew how to make smoothies. I just had to make it thicker with fruit and lower the liquid. I found Alpro coconut milk and also made homemade unsweetened milk (low in calories, high in vitamins) as a great substitute to fruit juice in smoothies.
In terms of my uni cooking, I altered favourites such as my potato chicken curry, MyFitnessPal enabled me to input recipes and get the nutritional info so I was able to substitute the high fat coconut milk for my lovely Alpro unsweetened (which I’m working towards replacing semi-skimmed milk in my cereal). I also put in more veggies in my meals as well.
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With inputting my daily meals and exercise into my fitness pal, I would get encouraging notes telling me how much weight i’d lose if I continued, as well as charts daily showing me my nutrients. I learnt not to beat myself up too much on days I hadn’t eaten so well and I learnt not to expect fast results so I would wait weeks before weighing myself and ensure I stopped underrating. Most importantly, I learnt to block out negativity.
However without weighing, I loved how I felt, I felt lighter, healthier and less tired. I saw an improvement in my health and my mood and very soon I couldn’t go a day without getting some form of activity in. All in a short period of time. They say if you do something for 3 weeks consistently it becomes a habit, and I saw it happen.
Very soon the results showed forth in my appearance. Healthier skin and inches off my body. I loved being able to run and not have to wheeze and eat and not feel guilty.
However the most important thing to take away from this is not weight loss, but the health benefits of eating healthy and starting a fitness journey. If you do decided to go on one, I’ve got a few short tips:
- just start: Don’t wait for tomorrow or you won’t do it. Wake up and go for it but have the right reasons. Make sure you’re doing it for you and do not listen to people who tell you ‘you look fine’ or even ‘you’re big, you need it’. Do it to be the best version of yourself.
- Keep it interesting: get the good playlist out and alternate your workouts. Make new and interesting salad recipes and food recipes each day.
- Do not be afraid to fail. On the days that are not so good do not beat yourself up, learn from mistakes and get better and don’t feel bad on treat days.
- Most importantly, stay honest with yourself. While apps like MyFitnessPal are not 100% accurate and do not claim to be, they work best of you enter what you eat and how much you eat. This is why I prioritise using a scale to weigh your food, you can get one from ASDA for like £5. Accept your current state and know you’ve still got a journey ahead.
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Whatever fitness journey you’re on or planning on, I hope this helps you out & I hope you get to be the best version of you!
MyFitnessPal: https://www.myfitnesspal.com
Alpro: https://www.alpro.com/uk/products
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 7 years ago
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Places & Faces: Ewa, Lagos
My quote of the day is “I only stand in the rain for nice people”, and it was something I repeated to my self mentally today.
I did two shoots today and they were both in the rain. I was initially reluctant, especially with having people cancel on me today, but after Ewa and Elsa (other participant) told me they were on their way, I felt motivated.
Ewa reached out to me on Instagram to get involved in a shoot & I soon realised she was the little sister of an old classmate. In fact both shoots today reminded me of how small the world is!
Ewa is a Yoruba Girl from Nigeria, hence the wonderful name Ewaoluwa.
She was absolutely lovely and natural during the shoot and I didn’t need to say much as she knew how long to hold poses for and when to change them. I enjoyed meeting her and I also enjoyed the shoot.
Between the monkeys around the venue and the camera getting wet, we were able to get a few shots that give a glimpse just how beautiful and lovely she is.
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 7 years ago
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Places & Faces: Archana, Lagos
I met Archana for the first time on the day of the shoot.
She had seen my previous work from my first shoot with Sai and came all the way to the venue for a shoot.
Like Sai, she was very enthusiastic and I enjoyed her varying facial expression. During the shoot, she got an injured on one of the rocks and I was surprised when she wiped off the blood and kept going.
I really enjoyed my shoot with her and although I have posted a few of the shots from it on Instagram, here are a few more that are absolutely beautiful.
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Also, if you’re in Lagos, there are still one or two spaces left for a shoot early next week so get in touch to make magic happen ✨✨✨
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 7 years ago
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Places & Faces: SAI, LAGOS
For this next shoot in my Places & Faces series, I set my camera on Sai, who I first met during Secondary school. Sai who is an aspiring medical student and an amazing dancer (Zumba qualified too), is also one of the sweetest people I know. Originally from India, Sai came to live in Nigeria years ago.
When Sai asked for a shoot, I was really excited cause I enjoy taking her pictures.
My last shoot with her involved a lot of outfit changes and huge smiles.
One thing I enjoyed about this shoot so much was Sai’s enthusiasm. This shoot was done on a beach and despite the wind in our eyes and the difficulty to hear commands, Sai was enthusiastic and was quick to change poses. Even when we swapped to hand signals and I feared as she kept going down the rocks, she kept a big smile on and made the most of the shoot.
Some pictures will be uploaded on Instagram, but here are a few shots that are absolutely stunning and showcase her beauty.
The wonderful thing about her smile is that you can see how genuine she is and hopefully you’ll enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking it.
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 7 years ago
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Places and Faces: LOTTA, Lagos
For a while now, I have intended to return to working on my portrait photography but I could never find the time or the right model/subject.
I finally found the perfect model to begin with and I proceeded to set my lens on Lotta who is a 20 year old Law student from Nigeria.
As a Nigerian I have always loved how versatile Ankara is, which is why we alternated between the headgear and no headgear go ensure it featured. I also aimed to maintain the background theme on my Instagram this summer which involves a lot of nature and greenery. 
I included some dramatic black and white shots as it enhanced the beauty of her skin and hair. This was a makeup free shoot and the photos came out lovely as her natural beauty was more than enough.
Although I have posted some of the shots from the session on my Instagram, I hope you enjoy viewing some other shots as much as I enjoyed taking them
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If you would like to participate in a free session, contact me to arrange something as I am still on the lookout for portrait models in Lagos ✨
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 7 years ago
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 7 years ago
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Don’t take love out of Christianity
I am a Christian, not a Pentecostal, Anglican or Catholic, I am just a follower of Christ. I was born into a Christian home, but truth be told, as time went by, I stopped identifying as a Christian due to the fact that I did not know Jesus personally.
I could never see myself as a Christian because I didn’t have a connection with Christ other than Him being the God of my parents, and quite frankly, when I saw other Christians my age or even older back then I did not want to be like them for various reasons I will address.
My close family members were always good examples of Christianity to me, but once I left the confines of my home, I saw different types of Christianity that left a bitter taste in my mouth and one predominant type was the message of judgement and fear.
I became a Christian myself when I left home to do my A levels. I was about 16 and I had searched far and wide for God, ran away from Him, and denied him till it came to the point when I needed to know him because I knew that a life where I did not aim to be in His will was not a life worth living. I realised that His will was ultimate and I needed to get on it and be able to have a relationship where I wasn’t ashamed to tell Him anything, knowing fully He knows it all. 
It was around the age of 16 that I really started hearing the message of love in churches such as Hillsong and it was one that I couldn’t believe given all that I have been through. I had been through so much pain and hurt from the world, from bullying, rejections and lies, and I found it so hard to believe there was a God who thought I was the best thing in His eyes, who could wipe away every lie people had told me and every tear and make me new.
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I allowed God come into my life and take control and He showed me so much unconditional love that it made me be proud to be a Christian. The moment I began to see God as a best friend, lover and a father my perspective began to change.
But it still did not stop me from seeing or hearing the message of judgment and it makes me sad that it’s still the type of Christianity that people preach these days and it’s something I would like to address.
A lot of Christians I saw back home and occasionally in the UK were the type to say ‘you are a sinner’, ‘you will go to hell if you do this’ ‘you need to repent’, ‘you lead a life of sin’ or ‘how can you say you are a Christian and do this’.
It was a message that made me feel like God hated the sinner. Although I am sure people did not, and still do not do it intentionally, it’s a message that scares people away even though there is some truth behind it. At the end of the day, the God that I know came to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10), and to show us love even while we were sinners (Romans 5:8) which means that when evangelising to people who are not yet with in sync with God, they still deserve the love of God (even more, remember the lost sheep) and not condemnation till they repent.
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Jesus never came to preach a religion/relationship of fear but of life which is why we read of him eating with tax collectors and sinners and showing them love rather than just hounding them and telling them how sinful they were and how they needed to change or face destruction.
Jesus invites us all in with love and not condemnation.
A lot of churches and people condemn people for their outfits to church or various ways they carry themselves, but Jesus tells people come and he will be there for them (Rev 22:17). Rather than gossip and say ‘she swears but calls herself a Christian’ or ‘oh she’s in a Christian phase’ or ‘look at how she’s dressing’, why don’t we just show people about God’s love and say ‘God loves you so much that He wants you to be the best you can be’ and go from there. You can plant a seed and nurture but it is God who will grow it, as it is Him who holds bears in His hands.
At the end of the day, as Christians evangelising, we are meant to be God’s messangers and not God, as only He can judge.
I always used to feel insecure about sharing the way I saw Christianity cause I felt like I wasn’t Christian enough or doing the right things, but as time went by and I got to know God, I realised that I was and will always be enough for God and I was not practicing a religion but rather was in a relationship with God. As Christianity is a relationship, and not a religion, God knows us all by name and therefore your relationship with God will be different from your best friend’s relationship with God. Never compare it in a negative way, or let anyone make you feel you are not Christian enough. The only race in Christianity is to make sure that you grow closer to God every single day.
My point in all this is to emphases the importance of reminding ourselves what Christianity is all about, and that is love. God is love, He has always been and will always be love. If as Christians, we truly believe this, we should share this love with others rather than preach the message of judgement and fear. After all, if God welcomes you with love and open arms, why not extend that same welcome to others?
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*all photos from the amazing YouVersion Bible app*
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 7 years ago
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Why cooking at university doesn’t have to be boring
Over my past year at university, I have witnessed and gone through cooking fails and boring meals. With deadlines, lectures, and societies, it can be hard to make interesting, tasteful and healthy meals with so little time. If you are like me and love going out to eat, doing that at university on a student budget can be hard, so it’s great to pick up great cooking skills and spice it up a bit so you save and still eat fresh and healthy meals.
Although I’m someone that loves cooking, and is pretty decent at it, even i struggle to make my weekly food interesting, but it is is something i have had to learn to do as a student, and I am going to share a few tips from my experience that can help you save money and enjoy healthy, tasty meals!
One: Do your grocery shopping online
This is the first on my list because in order to make good food, you need good ingredients. 
When I first joined university, I shopped at different stores, and spent a ton of money. I focused a bit too much on brand names for all my items and did not consider store brands. After the large grocery spending for about a term and a half, I decided to look into online grocery shopping and it saved me an average of 20GBP per shop due to the fact that I could compare the prices of different items better online by refining my search. Also, being able to see my total per item added kept me in check so I didn’t spend too much and bought just what I needed. I also started buying store branded items for certain things like tomato puree, pasta, eggs and butter cause they are really the same as the branded ones.
Personally, the best store for online shopping is ASDA, as they have great prices, only a 25GBP minimum for delivery, and you can edit your basket up to 24hrs before delivery, and your veggies arrive fresh.
Two: Prep and vary your food prep
This saved me a lot of time and stress in my first year. Initially, i would make my lunches during breaks between lectures, then make dinner before I went to the library so I was always rushing. However, i soon learnt that prep was the best way forward. I would put aside Saturday mornings to make my meals with time and care, and would cook a wide variety from Salmon and Potatoes to Chicken with Jollof, and put it in my fridge along with veggies in individual Tupperware, so all I had to do for lunch was pack my Tupperware and go, and i had dinner in Tupperware ready whenever i spent long in the library and needed a fast meal. 
Three: Be creative and host meals
It’s amazing what you can do when you are creative with your food. Either through the plating or the actual meals. I love creating recipes and making new dishes so I would often try out a Red Thai Curry, or a seafood pasta dish, or make Nigerian vegetable soup using spinach. I also put effort into sourcing my ingredients, be it from making a trip to a nearby local store to buy okra and palm oil or getting curry leaves for a chicken curry. This made my meals interesting and tasty and I would also have friends along which was great for practicing plating food and spending time together.
So those are my 3 top tips for making university food interesting, or food in general! Try them out and let me know what you think. Also, don’t be afraid to fail, as I often tried recipes or methods out 3 or 4 times before they were perfect. If you’ve enjoyed reading this, give it a like and share it with a friend you think it may help out! Till next time! 
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 7 years ago
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My 5 top tips to the first year of university
I’ve recently completed my first year at Durham University studying towards an Accounting & Finance degree and I have enjoyed the experience so far. It is a bit strange considering the fact that I wanted to study pure Economics at university. 
When I applied for university, Durham was the only place I did not apply for pure Economics at, as I applied for Finance there. I got the offer and I accepted it thinking I would stick to it as Finance had Economics and statistics modules. However, I had two Accounting modules which I enjoyed a lot so I decided to switch to the combined Accounting & Finance course. Looking back, I probably would not have enjoyed to study pure Economics and that goes to show I ended up where God wanted me to be.
So given my experiences over the past year, here are my top tips for your first year at university and not this is not specific to Durham:
One: Be ready to try new things
You’ll probably hear this from any university student, and that is because it is important. I was someone that ever tried sports or got too involved during my A levels, and prior to that i never really stepped out of my comfort zone. When I got to university I decided to change that cause I wanted a way to stand out positively in a university full of thousands of people. 
The college system at Durham University made this easier as I was able to get involved in sports and societies at collegiate level with lower pressure. I started rowing, played basketball, ran for a college representative position and got involved in the student charity organisation. All these experiences lead to me settling in better and really gave my CV a push in a genuine way. 
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Two: Have fun, but make sure you are comfortable
This is an important one and one that helped me get through the year. It can be really stressful making friends and connections and that’s what social gatherings like nightclubs or parties are great for, but in the middle of this, it is so important not to lose yourself. A lot of university social gatherings involve alcohol and when you get to university, you are an adult and so it is important to be responsible with your drinking. Always be aware of your surroundings and if you feel uncomfortable in a place, or you don’t feel comfortable with certain people then feel free to go, or cut people off. Better to stay true to yourself and stay safe than wake up the next day with regrets. The right friends will always come!
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Three: Keep your eye on the goal: FIRST YEAR COUNTS
Although university is great for making great social connections and memories, it’s important to remember why you are there, which is to get a degree, and a good one. At the end of the day no matter what university you are at, it is important to put in the maximum effort towards your degree. 
Make sure you keep great company that don’t distract you as well, if you have like-minded friends it helps your goal. I was very blessed to have great, focused friends so it helped, but ultimately the hard work you put in and long hours way ahead of your exams, and lots of prayer will pay off. 
A lot of people will tell you that first year doesn’t count, and thats partly true. Partly because it won’t count to your actual grades, but false because you need first year grades for placement year applications and internships, and it’s better to say “i got a 2.1 or a 1st” in your first year than to have to go red in shame at that internship interview. So put in that work and prayer!
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Four: Jump at all opportunties
When I started university, I was hungry for jobs and other opportunities. I applied for a lot of jobs, got a lot of rejections, cried so much, but made so many connections. 
At the end, by God’s grace, I was able to secure 2 part time jobs and one more for my second year, as well as go for numerous insights days at reputable firms. If you are hungry for it, help will be there. I checked the careers site every day and I spent time doing a lot of research. When I could not get corporate jobs, I settled for smaller part time jobs and ended up loving them, I also got to work within the university which has been really cool so far. 
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Five: Stay close to God
This is a really important one for me and it’s one that helped me get through my first year. Regardless of all the work and fun, if you don’t have God, or know God then it’s a waste. A bit drastic to say, but the hard truth. My first year of university involved me knowing God a lot more. When I started, I went to church and for the first time in my life got involved in church. I joined smaller cell Bible study groups, went for Christian Union meetings and just put myself into diving deeper with God. It paid off. God kept me sane and happy and opened so many doors for me, and honestly I would recommend investing time in God in your first year (and all through) and He will not fail you. 
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Well, those are my top 5 tips from my first year at university, and I hope it helps! If you are starting university and would like more tips get in contact with me! Especially if you are coming from Lagos and need advice. 
Wherever you decide to go, I pray God keeps you all and I wish you the best!
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 7 years ago
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Where have I been?: Life in a year
It’s been a year since I have uploaded any content to this site, and so much has happened in the year that has lead to my absence.Following my A levels, I headed off to Durham University to pursue my degree. I have had an eventful first year filled with so many memories, new friends and a lot of adventures. My main goal was to hit the ground running and focus on ensuring I put in the maximum effort into my first year, both academically and socially.
So now that I’ve finished my first year at university and have settled into the swing of my somewhat adult life for the next few years, I decided to come back on my site and post a bit more. I had often used schoolwork and not travelling as a reason to post less on here but I came to the realisation that I just needed to broaden my content and share my experiences in life generally, cause every day lived is an adventure on it’s own.
So stay tuned for more and regular posts on student life and life in general!
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 8 years ago
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Urban Fuxion Update: Final Verdict on their fries
So this time last week, I had Urban Fuxion and posted a review in which I mentioned that their Crinkle fries lacked salt, but had faith in other types of fries. (Link:http://lawoeats.com/post/163361829023/urban-fuxion-my-first-food-truck-in-lagos)
I ordered the Potato Waffle Fries today and this is what I got. Waffle Fries are meant to look like mini waffles and are thicker than these, these fries were thin and super oily. Although they had salt, some of them were dry. As a result of this, Urban Fuxion fails in making good fries in my opinion. 
However, I must note that the Chicken Wings were still of amazing quality and I would definetely eat them again.
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seunfunmionalaja-blog · 8 years ago
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