#MondayMotivation My journey from Quality to Quantity

I got my first job while I was still in secondary school.

I saw an opening and sent my c.v. You may wonder what kind of profile a secondary school student would have? Well i threw in everything! My love for writing, promises and more. The advertiser was so amused that they offered me a job.

Since then, i have had a series of jobs- paid or unpaid, with bosses or as my own boss, knowing what i was doing or making it up as i went along, and indeed, well and terribly.

There was a time i wanted to do it all and girl did i try! Everything i did i did with energy and passion; friendships, hobbies, love.

In the end, i calmed down and began to ask more questions before doing things or accepting work. One day I wrote down a few questions to answer before saying yes to something. 

Questions like; Does this make me money? Does it move me forward? Am I doing this for the greater good? Is it beneficial, short or long term? Does it benefit my career? Does it make me or someone i care about happy? Is it for personal development?

We will have to make that distinction several times in our journey. Every time we start over, we reach for quantity first. It helps establish our presence, sharpen our skills, fill a void.

But then when we have done this, we must go back to quantity.

That's the journey.

#SkincareSaturday Before you throw that toothbrush away...

Dentists tell us to throw our toothbrush away once we have used it for three months. And that is great. For your teeth.
But, do you know when it comes to your hair, skin and face, there is so much you can use your toothbrush for?

Check out my top three favourite things to do with old toothbrushes

1. Hair brush
Keep an old toothbrush in your car or bag to help brush your hair on the move. It helps tackle those little stubborn hair strands and also beats carrying big brushes everywhere.

2. Eyebrow brush
The first trick i was taught by make up artistes? Brush your eyebrows with a toothbrush.
Of course nowadays, most of us have all the professional brushes but if you ever do lose one, keep an old toothbrush handy before you replace it.

3. Lip exfoliator
To get smoother lips that your lipglosses will love,get rid of dead skin cells on your lips by brushing with a toothbrush. First put a natural exfoliator like sugar then brush gently with the toothbrush. Rinse and enjoy the tingle!

4. For the face
You may find that sponges are great for your body but you are scared to use the, on your face because they will be harsh. On the other hand, your face does need scrubbing once or twice? That's where a toothbrush with soft or mild bristles works perfectly. Just brush your face gently and enjoy this natural scrub.

What do you think about these tips and is there anything other than brushing your teeth that you use your toothbrush for?

Answer on my instagram for a chance to win this week's giveaway- a selection of skincare and beauty products!

ABCs of a Successful Job Search

Hi guys,

Did you notice the same trend i did? People now taking to the streets to look for jobs?
Two ladies, one in Port Harcourt the other in Lekki, Lagos, took their job search to the streets. 

Twitter: @findjobng 

Your first reaction could be to laugh or wave them off as crazy, but think about it; it means these people have searched so much that they feel going on the streets is the next step! Twittersphere was naturally divided with some people making fun and condemning them while others could see why it was neccessary.

Personally, I think you should do what you can to get what you want, as long as you do not hurt others in the process. These ladies looked at the sad job situation in Nigeria, and went out to the streets to get a job, they should be saluted for this. Still it is sad. Sometimes, I really wish I could employ everyone.

However, since I cannot, I can share a few tips I have found useful over the years. So it doesn’t have to get to the extent where you carry a placard and march to the street.

1.      

      Learn a Skill

The employment situation in Nigeria is bad. Yet, there will always be jobs for skilled people. So regardless of what you studied in school, or have a degree in, learn a skill, whether or not related to your field of study. This skill can be learned while you are still an undergraduate or during your service year. ‘The craft of a man (or woman) will pave a way for him (or her)’ is a popular and very true saying.
(Kudos to the interns who come to Top Radio 90.9 all the time to learn skills!)

2.      

      Build and Use a Network

Even if you are a natural introvert, you need to learn to reach out to people, talk to them and save their contacts. Attend workshops and seminars related to the industry you would like to work in. Apply for competitions too. You will find yourself growing a network, which you can then use when the time comes.

3.       Social Media

The lady from Port Harcourt, her picture went viral, because a job search handle @findjobng on Twitter tweeted her picture, and soon people were calling her to offer jobs. 

Twitter: @findjobng

The lady from Lekki too had her picture taken and it was shared on Twitter, and soon she got a call from Andela, an IT firm. The lesson? Make use of social media networks- Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to boost your search.
Not only can you use them to search, but you can also find. A lot of people advertise offers and openings on their social media networks. Remember when a popular actress hired a p.a off instragram? Exactly!

Hope this helps you, and o, before i go off, quick one; can you do what those ladies did?

In Pictures... Everyone (and their sister) turned out to celebrate Gbemisoke shoes!

Hi all,

See pictures from the one year anniversary of the Gbemisoke shoe brand. 

The event featured notable faces like Funke Bucknor-Obruthe (my sisterrrrr), Sasha, Omalicha, Bovi, Fade Ogunro, Lamide Akintobi, Kate Henshaw, Debola Williams, Tee A, and a host of others. 

Speaking on the anniversary, Gbémisókè Shoes CEO, Gbemi Olagbegi-Olateru stated,

“I’m overjoyed and excited at the turn out. Starting this shoe line a year ago was terrifying but seeing how far it has come and the reception it has enjoyed, I am excited for the great things that are ahead. I’d like to thank everyone that came to celebrate with me, my ever loyal customers and all Gbémisókè Shoes’ supporters!”

#GiveawayPost Win a pair of Gbemisoke shoes!

Hey Bucks, hope your week kicked off well with a blessed Monday.
I personally need to sleep!

But before sleeping, it's giveaway time.

Up for grabs today- a pair of Gbemisoke shoes; a line of shoes by a radio, television and event host, Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi.

I asked Gbemi what the most fun part of running her own business is and she said, "making decisions and seeing your decisions benefit the business". As for the scariest part, it's, "the possibility of failure".

The line, Gbemisoke, was started in response to Gbemi's frustration at not being able to find big shoe sizes easily, and it turned one last week. What better way to support a colleague and a friend), than by giving some lucky readers the shoes to try?!

Cheers to Gbemi, who is a powerhouse and a hard worker, and here's to more shoes, and a bright future.

(To win a pair of Gbemisoke shoes, check out the  #WinThisWeek post on my instagram page @tosynbucknor, and tell me something that frustrates you that you could start a business to fix).

#TravelThursday Missing EgyptAir MS804

The Greek Defence Ministry says the missing EgyptAir plane travelling from Paris to Cairo made some abrupt turns before losing altitude after making a call.
This is the latest update on the story which broke this morning.

I have been travelling a bit recently and you all know how scary it can be sometime on a plane. So waking up to news about a missing airplane is even scarier.

An EgyptAir flight (Egypt Airbus MS840) went off the radar shortly after entering Egypt's airspace over the Mediterranean Sea is really scary. The plane was said to have been carrying 69 people on board; 59 passengers and 10 crew members (including security officials) .It took off from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris at 11:09pm on the 18th of May, and was expected to land in Cairo, Egypt in the morning on the 19th.
EgyptAir tweeted the plane was missing three hours after it was scheduled to land.

Some reports say there was no distress signal received, while others say one was received ten minutes before it went off radar.
Friends and family members of those on board have gathered at the airport, and now we have to pray hard concerning rescue / salvage missions.

#TosynReviews Hilton Northolme- the smallest, but still #winning

By my first night, I was sold- Hilton Northolme is one of the best hotels I've ever been!

It's the morning of Day 3 and that hasn't changed.

We got in sleepy and tired after a long flight and connection so I was happy to start my interaction at Hilton with friendly and helpful staff, and complimentary cold drinks.

The friendly staff (apart from the one chef at breakfast who never smiles) have become a recurring welcome theme during my stay, and believe it can be a shock to then go into town and find not everyone smiles when they see you. Lol.

Another big plus is the design and ambience. The scenery is breathtaking and our room has a great view (and 'sound') of the sea. There's the room and living area (with a tv yay), the bathroom and the 'verandah', so it's ideal for extroverts who just need to dump bags and explore, or introverts who want to read, write and watch television.

Breakfast is served in a picturesque dining room overlooking the sea (everything overlooks the sea here but hey), and there's so much attention to detail that if your cappuccino happens to be no longer foamy, they will replace it for you. How cool is this?! There's the fruit of the month (this month, bananas) reflected in the fruit itself, a cake and a smoothie. There's even sparkling wine!!!

I'm a lover of hotel products and I was happy to see there was no skimping on products here- lotions, sun relief creams, soaps, shampoos, cotton bud, dental hygiene products and more.

Another plus? The gifts!
Complementary massages and little gifts daily. Day one was soap, Day two was tea and I'm hoping Day three will be perfume. Lol.

Their meals are well done and tasty and they have some fabulous specialty drinks like chilli coffee and Northolme coffee. Chilli is my favourite. My friend had a cold and they were kind enough to make us some nice tea with ginger and lemon grass.

It's hard to believe this Hilton hotel is actually the smallest Hilton hotel.

But is there anything I don't like?

Well I wish their menu reflected more creole dishes. I keep having to go to town to get 'local dishes'.

I also don't get their wi-fi policy. Surely in 2016, a Hilton can give you FAST internet access in the resort. Plus, what's with only two devices can connect in a room?
(To be fair, the staff always give me an access code for my extra devices).

In all, I do decree, this is my best hotel ever!

A Tale of Two Dresses... and a flashback to the first

Us tomboys live a simple life.

Jeans? Check. T shirt? Check. A jacket or two? Check. The occasional outside-our-comfort-zone outfit? Double check.

But when tomboys get married, we have to decide if we want that tomboy life and perhaps rock pants to our wedding, or if we want to enjoy a day of being fully outside the box.

I went with a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

(P.s, for those who don't want to wear dresses, Solange Knowles wore a great outfit for her wedding.)

The first ceremony (in Lagos last year),  was more traditional so I went with champagne. Mai Atafo created magic after my consultation with him which was professional and comforting. He really knows his onions when it comes to wedding outfits. (He also made two of the grooms suits).

I told him I wanted something long that could go short so we did this gorgeous dress with a long skirt and a peplum.

Started long, ended short.
Parfait.

My third dress was a gift from a friend and my most comfy. Sasha makes beautiful outfits for the everyday girl (affordable glamour) and she told me she also likes making wedding dresses so win win!!!

My second consultation was for my third dress and was with Yemi Oshunkoya of Kosibah.
Kosibah dresses are easy to spot and always elegant. I knew this would be the one where I had to be a lady and also not breathe. I kid I kid. Breathe once in a while.
Yemi was quite relieved that i was going for a classic dress because he said he was a bit worried i would want something crazy. Na. We don't do crazy couture!

He sketched a beautiful design which was picture perfect and I was sold!

I kept my accessories simple for all, and my shoes were definitely a reflection of my personality.