“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” - Luke 6:38 

The concept of Lent to me has never been something I've ever observed or even taken into consideration - probably because it wasn't part of my upbringing. Then I stumbled, quite literally, across the movement that is '40acts' started by the Christian charity 'Stewardship' - with an aim to challenge people in the everyday to give more freely. Some of the acts are seem really small an example being on Tuesday the act of giving joy to someone in the form of chocolate - Andre Spence documented his act of giving on his Instagram if you're interested in looking. Chocolate can literally cost pennies and yet has the ability to bring a child like joy to people - which has reminded me to appreciate the small things life has to offer a lot more. Usually, you hear a lot of people giving up chocolate for lent and failing then feeling a way about it - the act of giving then gives you the ability to share more.

Yesterday, the 8th day of Lent, the challenge was to 'Bring life' in the form of blood donation. This has always been something I've been intrigued by over the last year - I couldn't give prior because of my tattoo then this triggered me to look into it again. Giving blood within the black and other ethnic minority groups isn't practised as much with less than 5% of donors in the last year being from these backgrounds - yet we form almost 15% of the population. This number is crucial in light of the number of patients that require constant blood transfusions - particularly those with Sickle cell from the black community and Thalassaemia in the Asian and Mediterranean communities. Some blood groups are a lot rarer to find and have been seen to be most prevalent within the black community - so surely we should collectively aim to give and give freely if we're able to.





The act of giving challenges you to put yourself at a lower place to humble yourself - knowing that all you have within you has the ability to be shared and used by people who desperately need it. If I was being completely honest, the thought of blood makes me sick as in the anxiety that built up in me to donate was overwhelming. In reality, the blood that you donate replenishes itself in less than a month - which you won't even notice go by if you really deep it. The average person can give up to 6x a year - why don't you start with giving once?


Check if you're eligible to give at www.blood.co.uk  - if there's anything to take away from this post is to give and to give freely. You never know what your giving will do. 

Photographer - Ezekixl Akinnewu.

8th March. International women's day. A single day for the appreciation of women.


To think this day has existed for over a century is almost unfathomable knowing how far women have come since then - yet acknowledging how far we have to go. This day was created by the Socialist Party of America, although it's unclear what the purpose of the day ultimately was, allowing for the celebration and acknowledgement of women. Our history as a gender teaches us the lengths to which those before us had to go for things we now take for granted - from the vote to the roles we have been able to take in society. Unfortunately, what's clear is that the equality that we are working towards fails to be acknowledged on a global scale - with many women still struggling to find a voice. This day for many is a time to honour womanhood and everything that it encapsulates yet, some don't even know the day exists - or see it as their only time to be vocal and protest.

Women's day to me goes beyond celebrating and appreciating the women around me but realising the steps that need to be taken for a 'balanced society'. #Balanceforbetter, as a campaign, is exactly what needs to be brought to light for this years Women's day as shown by the IWD organisers. A balanced parliament, a balanced boardroom across the financial districts of London, a balance in our wealth and ultimately a balance of rights. What makes me proud as an ethnic woman, is to know that non Caucasian nations are leading the way in establishing a balance in government - the center of change. Rwanda, a country that has faced atrocities in the past decade, leads with women forming over 60% of their government. Growth is happening and what is ironic is it's Africa paving the way - showing that this is possible. Let's not even get into that...



Although today collectively celebrates all women, black women raised and made me - today I celebrate you. Black women's influence on current pop culture, fashion and ability to shift the routes taken isn't acknowledged. Trend setters in our own right - yet when such 'trends' are seen on us they can be seen as 'ghetto' and ultimately socially unacceptable. From the long acrylic nails auntie from church has been having since the beginning of time to the art of wig wearing - black women have caused a new evolution in the paths of pop culture.

I applaud all black women for their boldness in being carefree - embracing the roots of their heritage wholly and in such a wholesome way. The diversity in our melanin should be celebrated not just for the beauty in it's appearance, but for the stories and history that are embedded in the tones. Dark skin women are only glorified on social media and almost made into a fetish - depleting them of their worth and richness. Patricia Bright puts it simply 'rich in colour, rich in life'.

Uganda // photographer @dazzle_jam

Learning to embrace what makes me a black woman was shown to me by other black women in my life - so to honour that here's a short piece:


A Letter To My Women.

Black woman, may your crown flourish in length and achieve bounds you couldn't imagine -
your 'fro exceed the power it already holds.
Black woman, may your roots ground you - hold you. Since the world does not.
Black woman, let your skin glow - your shea butter reflect the light you are.
Black woman, be bold and hold no regret in being unapologetically you.
Black woman, without you - where would we be?
Black woman, the bigger the hoop the bigger the goals.
Black woman, continue to overachieve - our army is rising.
Black woman, you are magic. Majestic.
Black is beauty.
Black is change.
Above all, black is you.


If anything, I pray that the daughters that God blesses us with have the ability to be carefree and unapolagetically black women in society. To be able to experiment freely in the journey that is embracing everything that is being a woman.

What remains wild and incomprehensible to me at this moment in time is the fact that we are 3 months into the new year already - almost hitting our first quarter. Taking time to reflect is usually a norm for me, however at the rate I've noticed the year going at it's made me notice that time to take a moment to breathe is becoming less frequent. 2019 for many people began as a year that had a type of significance to them, whether that be self growth and development or a year of fresh goals and aspirations. As a Christian, I know that I'm not alone when I reflect on the space I myself have created with God. Instead of pondering and reflecting on whether I've created to large of a gap it would be more logical to take this time to bring not myself to a point of reflection but you reading this too.

Happy new year to all of you - it seems like January is literally slipping away as if Christmas wasn't yesterday. I don't know what you're hoping for this new year but what I do know is that this is going to be of blessings and new beginnings - my prayer for this year was that 2019 would be a year of an abundance of growth. Setting new years resolutions hasn't ever sat well with me, purely because I know once they're set we usually only look at them for the first couple of months if not weeks of the year. Setting goals instead for me appears more systematic, allowing for me to divide them according to each season of the year. But, what I do know is more people are getting married and engaged - awaiting probably one of the biggest days in life which of course is your wedding day. Next month is observed as one of love and romance, so I've teamed up with the people at OKDress - https://www.okdress.co.uk/ - to help any of you browsing for your dress.

OKDress is an online wedding boutique showcasing a huge range of dresses to fit every brides style - from the traditional to the modern they've got a huge catalogue to choose from. Their size guide helps to take the ease off of ordering a dress online and allows you to find the right fit of dress - you can even chose to have a custom size of the dress which I would recommend to ensure the best sizing. If you don't want the typical white/ivory for your dress, what's great about OKDress is that you have full power over the making of your dress even down to the colour. Online shopping has become so normalised now that getting your wedding dress online just doesn't seem that out of the ordinary.To chose a dress online I would recommend collating a collection of ones that you gravitate to - envision what styles mirror the kind of person you are. I've pieced together some of the styles that pop out to me, all under £500 which is hard to find. If it's not your wedding day then the site also has a collection for wedding guests and bridesmaids too. The struggle of looking can be hard so here are the picks that popped out to me:

Champagne with church train - also comes with a detachable skirt - soft lace allows for more movement with this style of dress. Modern approach to the traditional dress.

This beaded lace applique dress accentuates the silhouette, the champagne and blushing pink options would look amazing against medium/dark complexions

Traditional white applique tulle dress allows for your figure to be a prime focus, with the drama of a ball gown still in the dress.

A line Bardot Style Dress - The fit of the dress is beautiful coming out at the waist with the applique bringing it all together. I picked this one out for a more conservative feel but with a bit of shoulder clavicle - which I love as a cut in general anyway.

This summer I travelled to Kenya with family for six weeks - which has been the longest I've been to Kenya in my life for any one time. Going home, as I do consider Kenya to be home, is always warming - feeling a part of something bigger than yourself. Saying that, the thing that comes with that is culture shock - which runs pretty deep after hearing things like 'have you ever been sent home because your parents haven't paid your school fees?' isn't the norm in the UK and other western nations. I feel like most young Africans in the diaspora can relate in that our parents and family almost feel the need to constantly bring up the hardships of living in what is seen as third world standard. Understandably, my cousin assumed we too pay for our school fees and go to boarding schools - yet here to go to a boarding school is a sign of greater privilege and assumed intelligence.





Whilst there, I saw kids under the age of 10 building or assisting in manual labour jobs that I don't see myself doing in the foreseeable future - let me not lie to myself. I saw what my life could have been and that's not to say it wouldn't have been great, knowing the freedom Africa allows for and the experiences I know are only available there too. But I saw the differences in personal development, skill set and also what it means to have actual responsibility. My great grandmother passed just before we arrived in Kenya - she lived near the border of Kenya and Tanzania with Mt Kilimanjaro at her doorstep. Whilst we were there to lay her to rest we went for a family 'hike' - to us it was a literal hike for professionals - to where the water for the locals is. If I could describe what it was like I would personally class it as a beautifully enclosed deep necessity. Duke of Edinburgh does not equip you for the type of raw treks that some people take on a day to day. I learnt about persistence and the art of climbing rocks upon rocks.

Throughout my time there, among family and generations who had more to share about my heritage than I could ever learn from a textbook or Google - the one key element I learnt is that we are all fortunate in different aspects. From a western perspective to have a certain level of wealth immediately means that you are fortunate, yet from what I saw wealth doesn't mean everything if anything at all. The sense of community in regions of Kenya and arguably the Kenyan people allows for self reliance to not be at the top of your agenda instead unity and love for your neighbour prevails. In that instance, what's key to the growth of us as a people is to realise that in the end is it more important to be known for your wealth or the love you were able to give and lives you were able to influence without the use of any type of currency?

The beauty of Africa which western media chooses to destroy is the beauty of its people - who are what community is and should be represented as such. Currently on twitter I've noticed a couple of humour posts 'Kenya and Nigeria' - of which some I have seen as a step too far if I'm completely honest as I know at some point it may get twisted out of proportion by someone. But outside of that, there are countless times western African culture has fused with East African culture revealing our similarities - which makes sense since the bantu people dispersed from the West African region.




From this all I've learnt an important life lesson - to see the beauty of differences. Our differences. My differences.

You know what I've realised recently? Being Kenyan entails more than being a long distance runner or jumper like the Masai as portrayed in Western media - at the route of it all is a sharing of a beauty and essence like no other nation in Africa. Today's post is literally me obsessing with how much I love my country and how I aim to carry it with me in everything I do. Recently, I was with some of my other Kenyan friends meeting up to catch up - laughing and enjoying each others company. It was in those moments we all realised the humour and overall character of Kenyans compares to no other. My Mum is one of five sisters and I've grown up knowing the amount of noise that can come out of our people - to others it sounds hectic and I know that now reflecting on inter racial marriages into the family, it can be quite intimidating. But I mention the noise because it's the one thing that feels like home and safety - even at times of sadness it seems that we are able to turn everything into a joyous occasion. Have you ever heard a Kenyan laugh? If you have you know why I've mentioned it - that in itself is enough to make you laugh too - our laughter carries and most times I laugh at my aunties laughing. We are a happy people.

As a Black British female of Kenyan origin, I've seen the turmoil of tribalism in the UK and the negative cultural norms being carried from Kenya into the diaspora. Quite bluntly, divide is no longer according to the tribes of your parents but instead a divide based on social class or grouping within the Kenyan community on a national scale. What's unsettling to me is that it appears that tribalism has mutated into a hierarchical system operating from within - almost symmetrical to a patriarchal system. Don't get me wrong - I'm so proud of how far we've come but sometimes it appears we're making progress then ultimately take a step backwards. We celebrate the accomplishments and forthcoming greatness of younger Kenyans - yet it appears the foundation for us to take on the baton from our parents who started the journey has been built lopsided.

The Kenyan people are charismatic and most importantly loving - joining together in the spirit of 'Harambee' to support their own, the word itself directly translates to mean 'pull together'. If that's not what being Kenyan is I don't know what is. The heart of the people is pure but changes are being made from the roots up - getting rid of division and corruption that the country is known for. I strongly believe that a new generation of Kenyans will have the ability to 'pull together' to rebuild the image and sense of community I believe is at our core. I feel it coming, do you?

It's really been a minute hasn't it. I'm really not gonna try and front but exams really took it out of me causing me to put them above everything and anything else I was doing outside of them - if anything I'm glad I did but I'm here in full force ready to create new content. Today's post:

Quite blatantly, I got a tattoo. It's crazy to actually write about it almost 3 months post because it has honestly become a part of me and I don't think about it being on me anymore to be honest. Don't get me wrong - the permanence is such a huge thing to take into consideration that it wasn't a decision I took lightly. As a Christian girl, the concept of tattoo's is seen as a taboo topic similar to that of what we should and shouldn't eat based on scripture in Leviticus 19:28 which states that "you shall not make cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves" - which is what I constantly found myself referring to. I won't go into it but the context of it goes back to God trying to protect His people from pagan practices - of which were surrounded by idolisation etc. From my own understanding and thoroughly asking for God to reveal to me if this was the right move for me - I saw that this move was and is right for me, I took time to meditate on scripture and depict it piece by piece and reference other scriptures and talk to people for advice. I know it sounds a little excessive but you're the most expensive thing you own - to mark your body is to make a full commitment.

For me I came to the conclusion that it doesn't matter how I choose to 'decorate' my exterior but instead what matters is how I choose to devote my interior to God - you know? If you're even considering getting a tattoo ask yourself why you're getting one, check your heart and also reflect on if this is really a reflection of what you want people to see of you. Personally, it appears that no man is more righteous than the other based on their choice of not having tattoos or having them but only through the redemption of Jesus - by grace alone.

If you're not religious then cool - but I still believe the same kind of principle applies and I know there is something you can take away from all this. In terms of pain - sis I've had aunties doing my hair hurt me more than the needles. Honestly, it really didn't hurt but then again it was quite a nice first spot. No, I'm not planning on getting a sleeve but I am considering others but that's not gonna be for a while.

In terms of aftercare my artist suggested a cream from the shop or coconut oil and a fragrance free soap - I personally opted for the natural approach and it pretty much healed completely in about 10 days. This is it in it's worst state during the healing process, I really expected worse - completely raw image no retouching:




I know it's something I'll love and honestly not one I can or will regret - for reference it's the verse John 1:16 - "indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness".

As all women do, I'm currently in a phase of trying to make myself healthier and embrace a positive mindset. But - I'm praying that this is not just a phase but soon becomes a lifestyle as exam season creeps upon us I know the feelings that tend to be attached to it and I really refuse any part of it. My friends laugh when they hear me adding a new thing to my daily routine or a new found favourite of mine - purely because I will go to any length possible to ensure I'm at my best 365 days a year especially when it comes to dealing with school and associated 'stress'.

'Stress' as a word is one I absolutely hate and avoid at all costs based on my belief that whatever you speak out is what you become - for example if I constantly say I feel sick or something gives me a headache I become it. Many people are starting to discover this after reading 'The Secret' and the idea of 'law of attraction' - that's not really what I'm on about but if that makes more sense then you get the gist. Whether you're at school, work or university there comes a time where you do become overwhelmed and truly feel the effects of fatigue. Over working yourself is definitely one of the things I do to myself, resulting in cold like symptoms and overall angry moody Tiffany. Which if you know me personally, isn't the best version of me. So, is there really a way to tackle fatigue? Sleep, duh and a little bit of coffee 4x a day? Come on sis, do better.

I received the Vitamin B-Complex supplements from the lovely people at Incite Nutrition (click here) which:

• helps maintain normal mental performance i.e. keep your brain at its best 
• reduce tiredness and fatigue

Being proud of our uniqueness is one thing, surely we should continue this educating to others and be understanding when people don't get it. Maybe hair is hair? Art is Art?

That's my two pence. 

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