Jumping sack

I never thought, for once in my life, that I would be in a position to create stuff with drawing much less animating. But that's the power of technology and kind instructors- they completely eradicate your worst fears.

So the above is a sample of one of the many amazing things I am currently doing here, in film school. It's a class project fondly referred to as "Jumping sack". Please, enjoy! He he he!

Favourite songs so far

I want to start creating a list of my favourite songs that inspire and bless me. One of them right now is Kirk Franklin's I smile. I just had to share this one with y'all because it is such a blessing and actually makes me smile. Please, enjoy!

 

Ride natty dread 2

One thing that I found out while doing my hair all by myself is that you will never know how strong you are until you are pushed beyond your limit. Mehn, that whole process took me a whole week! You need to realize that I am a wife and a mother of 2 little children and everyone requires attention. But I just thank God for the man I married because he really tried to help me with the girls while I tended to my hair- but I still had to make dinner and feed the girls.

So, the first stage was done in like 3 days or so:

But the finished look wasn't what I was going for. The parts were too big and I had to hold it in a pony-tail for it to look tidy. So, that meant doing it all over again. Oh dear!

So, while everyone else was sleeping, I stayed up at night watching "The Good wife" back-to-back while taking each part and re-dividing it up into 3-4 tiny ones. Mehn, the whole thing took me a week to do and by the time I was done, I was so tired! But it was all finally done!

So, I'll be locked for a full year this Christmas and I am so existed and amazed at how time has flown. I am not fully loced and all but it has been a lesson on patience and the acceptance of the fact that sometimes it's best to just let things be and allow time do its thing.

So, the process I used was the 3-strand braid so that I don't have to worry about it unraveling when I was my hair. Plus, I don't have issues with build-up that others who use bees wax and all other locing products use and I can style it any way I like.

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten over the need to have something other than black hair, much to my husband's chagrin. So, after watching my girls on youtube, I decided to do something about colouring my hair. I wanted to go Rihanna red but each time I applied colour, it didn't take- I guess because my hair is quite dark and all. I actually applied hair colur twice to my hair and all I got was this very unimpressive less-than-black hue and a coppery highlight when I stood in the sun. Hissssss...... That was so not acceptable!

So, after watching some more youtube, I went to the drugstore to get me some bleach! I know, right?! But my dear, desperate times call for desperate measures! So, I mixed the whole solution as instructed on the pack and this is what I ended up with:

Oops!

Well, it was quite a difference from my black locs but I soon got into it and found ways to rock my orange my locs! He he he!

Any tips for inquiring folks out there? Well, do your research so you know what is best for your hair. I decided to do the 3-strand braidlocs because I have very little patience with unraveling hair. Plus, all I do is latch- hook the roots every 2 months. I mist it with water morning and night and wash every other week. I sleep with a head wrap too. Also because, I tend to have a dry scalp, I put some oil (my mix of coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, castor oil and essential oils for scent) on my finger tips and just massage my scalp with it. Works like a charm!

For me, the downside is the fact that it isn't growing as fast as I would have liked but I am coming to terms with the fact that all good things take time. I will definitely keep you all posted on my progress and thanks for reading.

Ride natty dread

So, after weeks of researching on the internet and watching other loc queens on youtube, I decided to take the plunge and loc my hair. Now, the only snag was what to do with the new growth. I thought of doing the palm rolling/twisting thing but like I said, we were living in Saudi Arabia where they don't have products for 'African hair'. So, the only thing was to find a method that wouldn't need all that gel locing products like bees wax.

Eventually found a girl who had tiny locs on you-tube and locked the new growth with a latch-hook. So I went flying to the stores to find a latch-hook which they thankfully had and so I was free to begin my los journey. Yay!

So here's a picture of how long my hair was after it had flat ironed:

And what it looks like when it is all washed:

Yeah- not so fun to look at! African hair hair and water don't really mix like that! Basically, it causes our hair to shrink. I totally look like a harassed woman right there!  He he he!

Alright, so the teaching we had back in Nigeria that when you want to start dreads, you need to cut everything real short. But I think the truth is that because we start perming our hair quite young, any hair style that would require the presence of the natural African curl, one would need to let the hair grow out a little bit and then cut off the permed portion. But since I had my hair all natural, there was no need to cut it.

So, after soaking the hair with rich oils, I combed the whole thing through and sectioned it:

And the slow painful process of locing began...

Braids stories

So, back to my hair runs.

Told you guys, earlier, that I was working on covering my hair with braid extensions because of my damaged hair and how the extensions do not last very long because, your natural hair will start to grow from the root portion of the extensions and it makes the hair look very untidy.

For instance, if you look at the roots of my hair in the above picture, you'll see that the new growth. So that even if the rest of the hair still looks all shinny and neat, that portion of the hair isn't such a hot look.

So, the only option was to keep taking out the braids and replacing them with new ones. I should also add that I equally had to cut my hair short and start growing it all again without adding any chemicals to it to make it straight. But whenever I wanted it straight, I would flat iron it.

So, that was how I was rocking my nappy hair, mehn!

One more thing I forgot to mention was that at this point we were living in Saudi Arabia where there was no excess to someone doing my hair for me because according to them, they didn't do 'African hair' and so I was forced to learn how to work my hair all by myself. Well, except for the braids- there were some West African ladies who fixed the braids living in Saudi Arabia. However, their charges were like highway robbery by Nigerian standards.

So, there was a wedding and I needed to do something fun to my hair, so I decided to give 'em some of my University flavour by mixing different colours of the extensions.

It was all fine and dandy until I had to wash the hair only after 3 weeks or so and the whole thing started falling apart! I was like 'No more!'. I mean with what they were charging for such shoddy work, I wasn't going to go that route anymore. something had to give...

Dust to dust

One of the things that will always be constant is death- people will die. Like I mentioned in my last post, I lost my father when I was 14 years old and it wasn't a fun thing to happen to one so young.
It wasn't easy at first but we soon accepted the fact that he wasn't coming back anytime soon. We are the ones that will one day join him in heaven. But one thing kept me going and it was the assurance that God knew exactly what He was doing. Plus, the added advantage that God was now my Father in every sense of the word.

This has been my perception of death- that we will all be re-united with our loved ones when we die or when Jesus comes back for us (which ever comes first!) and so its really no use mourning too long for loved ones.

Well, that was all fine and dandy until I recently got news that a loved friend had passed from complications of bone cancer. At first, it was hard to believe- like what does that mean when you say Lummie is dead?! Then, I went into this horrible stage of grief that I couldn't shake because, you see, he left behind a wife and a little boy of less than 3 years old. Plus the fact that he he had undergone the pain and horror cancer without letting folks know about it so we could pray for him was too much to bear.

Then pictures of his funeral were posted on Blackberry and I just lost it. It was like, this was so real and Lummie is really gone. It was just too much but I guess I had to find a way to get it together and get myself back to seeing things from a less selfish point of view. I had to accept the fact that yes, we will miss him but he had truly gone to a better place, wouldn't have to keep under-going chemo and we will see him one day and never ever be separated again.

I know it sounds corny and all but the alternative is too miserable to accept. Imagine believing that this life is all there is with all its pain, disappointments and all the short lived periods of joy and happiness. I choose to believe that there is a God that is arranging things for good and one day we will be with our loved ones with new bodies and joy everlasting! So, I can go on with life in spite of all the not-so-fun things that happen knowing that this is just temporary...

                                                    Olumide 'Lummie' Oduwole
                                                                  (1981-2012)
                                                                  See you soon!
 

A lil intro

I forgot to introduce myself in my first post so you have some idea who I am and what I am about.

Alright, so my name is Chioma (nee Ibeneme) Okoye. As i write this, I am a 33 years old Nigerian, married to the man of my dreams and also a mother to 2 beautiful divas. I am a Christian and love Jesus and have loved Him since I was 8 years old. I grew up in a Christian home with both parents who were Minsters of the Gospel (my father died when I was 14 and my mom still pastors the ministry he left behind till today). Both parents are (were) Medical Doctors and have an insane obsession with the need for all their children to be properly educated as well.

I am the first of 4 children and I can assure you that it wasn't easy being the first! What, with having to bear the brunt for any mishap- something about learning the importance of responsibility. Now for those of us who grew up in Nigeria, you know what that means. If the sun forget to set on time, my behind got the whip... yeah, that kind of thing. I hated it at the time but being a mother myself now, I totally understand the Biblical concept of 'sparing the rod and spoiling the child'. I know some of you would really have a problem with what I am about to say, but it is really important for children to have some elements of fear of their parents. Get me right- healthy fear not terror. We fear being hit by a bus when crossing the street and so we look right and left before venturing out to avoid being killed, right? Well, something like that. Alright, moving on!

So, hobbies, right? Hmm... well, one thing I can honestly say I love is eating! Lol! That's right, girlfriend has serious issues with food! I used to be able to burn it all off because I used to dance in University but not anymore. So, I am just adding and adding and it does get really frustrating shopping for clothes these days... oh well!

black girl hair issues!

I've been going back and forth as to what to blog about. Finally I decided to do a dreads blog, or at least, talk a little bit about something close to home that has been a source of inspiration. Seriously, don't roll your eyes (don't think I didn't see you!) and tell me that there are tonnes of dread blogs out there. Truth of the matter is that I haven't seen any that says anything about my style of dreads and I thought I should do something about it.

First off, I had the same problem a lot of black girls out there have- the desire to have straight, long hair like white girls. Not that there is anything wrong with wanting hair like them but sometimes, maybe we need to take a step back now and then and figure out why God does what He does and just live with it. I had to come to terms with the fact that God knew what He was doing when He made me black and gave me 'nappy' hair and He will give me the grace or wisdom to know how to manage it.

OK! Let me just be honest and come out and say the truth and shame the devil! It wasn't like I received a revelation from God or heard any voice like that o! The truth is that I had no option but to accept my lot after a self-done hair dye job went awry and I lost 3/4 of the back of my beautiful shoulder length hair.  He he he!
I wish I had taken pictures to share with y'all but it's best I spare you such a sorry sight!

So the next best thing was to cover the head with extensions which I did in form of micro-sized twists. It was all nice and all. The downside to that, however, is that it can't stay in your hair indefinitely- sooner or later, you'll have to take it out. So, the solution was to keep putting in the extensions. I had just had a baby at the time and so didn't really had the time to do anything about my hair so it was perfect for a while.

I'll tell you some other time how the rest of the story went. Thanks for reading. 
                                                                                  Me with my 2 divas! Lol!