Groundnuts and Gossip.
Menascum.
“Of all bitches dead or alive, a scribbling woman is the most canine. If that should be true then this author will like to show you her teeth.”
Disclaimer: Disregard the subtitle. This newsletter has nothing to do with men, I just wanted to take a dig at the gender Eve was thinking about when she ate the apple.
Hi, my amazing newsletter audience. I'm so glad that I get to write to you, I can't always yap on my WhatsApp status. There's no moral lesson at the end of this. Stay with me.
It's late evening and I'm listening to Blession croon about his longing for a certain somebody. I'm in main character mode. This song was made for me and only me.
ON FOOD
I have a strange, toxic relationship with food. Sometimes, I can go a whole day without eating anything. While on some days, I eat every two hours. I don't understand it either. I have a large appetite and I still manage to be extremely picky with what I eat. I was the child that made her mother cook twice because she doesn't like what everyone else is eating. The child that refused to eat whenever she was angry until her father begged her to eat small naa. I’m also the stress eater that never gains weight except in her cheeks?
Food makes me very happy, and it reminds me that there may be joy in this world for me, afterall. Ironically, I don't enjoy cooking.
While I don't have a favourite meal, I would kill for Amala and Ewedu. I'm also grateful for small joys like boiled groundnuts, roasted corn, and zobo. Shout-out to Tinubu for removing soda from my diet.
ON CLOTHES AND COLOURS
Nigerians are a very superstitious lot, and I think we like to make a fuss out of nothing. Something as simple as colour is spun into a yarn of complexities and bizarre beliefs.
Tell me why this guy stopped me on the road while I was minding my business to ask me if I was mourning just because I was wearing black. If not that I was in a good mood, I would have knack something on that his lapalapa¹ head. The audacity????
Sha, I gave him a befitting response and moved.
ON INTROSPECTION
I love how easy it is for me to let go and forgive people. I can't actively hold a grudge against a person. I have tried multiple times to keep malice but I end up folding. I absolutely love the softness of my heart.
I think this compensates for the way I feel things deeply. Whatever emotion I feel, I feel it profoundly. Oftentimes, this results in overreactions or under reactions. Sentience is my curse.
ON MUSIC AND MOVIES
June has been a beautiful month for me. It was rocky in the beginning but thank God. There's a lot of new music to consume and I’m so excited about it all. I have been listening to Tems’ Born In The Wild and it's everything and more. I think it has this serene and elegant vibe that is intrinsically Tems. Born In The Wild is a refreshing experience and Tems always delivers.
Victony’s Stubborn is fresh like today's bread and the melody is insane!! His vocals make me curl my toes in sheer delight. Stubborn is an amazing work of art, and you should check it out.
There's more but I will leave you with these two. The things we do for love.
Movies
I don't watch movies and I don't think I even have the right to talk about movies. The opening quote of this newsletter is from Bridgerton season 3. Yes, I watched Bridgerton season 3 this month!! Penelope Featherington is breathtaking and she is a profound character. But my favourite character is Eloise. I like the way she talks, the way her words just seem to rush out of her. It's amazing.
I rewatched season 1, The Duke and I series. Let me mention that I read the book years ago, and I think the book is better but it's a beautiful movie. The Duke is so hanzzzzz². He’s my plot.
ON BOOKS ET CETERA
June in books has not been so good. This year I have read 23 books, and at least 15 of them are intensely traumatizing African books. I need a break. I want something light and sweet but I can't seem to find it. So I have worked myself into a reading slump.
I started reading The Girl With The Louding Voice. I can't stand the way it was written, but I gave it a chance until I started perceiving trauma. Then I dumped it. Same thing with The Middle Daughter. It's exceptionally written, but immediately I sniffed the abusive husband and despair plot, I dumped it.
Someone recommended Ginika’s Bridesmaids and I have started to read Book One. Hopefully, it keeps me hooked.
One of the most amazing things I read this month is I'm Still Waiting For Kainene by my friend, Joseph. It's an immensely intense piece that somehow tugs at my heart strings. I think it's amazing that words can do that. If you like to read all the good stuff, you should check it out.
I have been reading poetry too. I'm a sucker for poetry, lol.
There's a lot of school books to be read too!!
It's crazy how fast the year seems to be moving. In July, I have exams, and it might be a while before I write to you again. This is a spontaneous and laidback newsletter because Bisii is a creature of impulse.
Lapalapa - Ringworm
Hanzzz - Short form of handsome.
Anyways, till I write to you again.❤️
You should see more movies.
I mean real movies!
I so much loved this piece and I absolutely resonated with the eating thingy, I'm in a love hate relationship with food