The Dawning of a New Day; My heart is so filled with joy

 And guys!!!!!!!!!! It's my birthday🎉🎉🎉🎉

Whenever you come across this blog post, take a moment to praise God on my behalf. God is too faithful to fail. When it looked as if it was over, He made a way.

1st visa refusal, I chop am, I use am do cream for my body

Second visa refusal, as per regular customer, I chop am again, this time around I used peppersoup to wash it down.

You might be wondering, shey na by force to relocate? What's the big deal? My sister!!!!! Na by force ooo🤣🤣 I wanted it and I put in the work like my life depended on it. I put so many things on hold for it. So every refusal was as if someone was stabbing my heart. Like someone just washed all of my efforts down the drain. I cried!!!!! I'd done everything I know of and I'd gotten to the end of my human knowledge.

So I decided, tor, when it is time, it will come with ease, right now, I am tired. I am just going to enjoy my life and have fun. Enough of having my hopes raised and then dashed. 

The Lord must have looked at me and wondered, Am I a joke to this my daughter? The testimony she wrote down in March 2022, does she think it cannot happen again?

Where there was initially no way, God made a way. Then He decided to show me that when He comes, he comes correct leaving no stone untouched. You see that visa that made me cry so many times, He gave me in two days with a standard application. He said no need to keep you waiting for 15 days, you've waited years already. Then I prayed for a soft landing and He positioned The Ahambas here for my family. Made it feel like we moved from home to home.

Guys!!!! There is a God in Heaven who rewards every effort. There's a God who always comes through. There's a God who never fails!

God is never late, He comes right on time, and truly, when it is time, it comes easily. 

I hope this gives strength to someone's weary heart. Yours might not be relocation, it might be a job, a promotion, increase in your business, marital breakthrough, academic breakthrough...whatever it is, I want you to know there's nothing He cannot do. He will do it, right on time.

I'm going into this new year with some much gratitude in my heart to Him alone who makes all things possible.

Happy Birthday Iretioluwa Toluwalase Oyediran -Oluwalusi

JUST DO IT

 Hi guys🥰 welcome back to my blog.

Guys, I've hoarded sooo much that I don't usually know where to start sharing 🤣. 

Lemme start from the latest gist. It's probably going to lead to the other gist. So guys, sometimes in March, on my faculty Whatsapp group chat, someone posted that there was vacancy for student ambassador role and interested students should send a mail to the email address attached. The message was forwarded so I was a little discouraged to even give it a try. “A lot of people would have applied jare, I do not stand a chance plus it's not even for my Faculty so why bother” so I thought. However I asked myself “what's bad in giving it a trial? Getting a No isn't the end of the world naw” and with that I sent the mail, I didn't even write so much story.

Some days after, I got a mail that I'd been scheduled for an informal chat in a month. In my mind, a month lon lon.

Like my people will say “oju lope si”. The day came, I went and I got the role. So guys, permit me to re-introduce myself🤣 I am Iretioluwa Oyediran, a postgraduate Student Ambassador at the University of Salford.

My first duty is to attend a conference where I'd also speak about my postgraduate journey. Literally, I'm getting paid to tell “my story”.

I'm excited because this is me leaving my comfort zone. I've always been the girl backstage. I usually say I communicate better by writing than speaking but here is Salford saying “Iretioluwa, the stage is yours, do with it whatever you deem fit”. This is me harnessing the opportunity in my community. My postgraduate journey is a testimony, and I didn't think I'd be sharing it past this blog. You can imagine my excitement. I do hope my story will give hope to someone to keep on holding on.

Today's motivation will be JUST DO IT.

Oba ni Jesu: Jesus, my living hope

Hallelujah, praise the one who set me free

Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me

You have broken every chain

There's salvation in your name

Jesus Christ, my living hope

Oba ni Jesu by Emma OMG has been on repeat since I woke up today, and it had me reflecting on how God has been so good to me.

This time in 2021, I was already slipping into depression, but I also had to keep showing up. I had to attend a friend's wedding, and I knew I'd meet our mutual friend there. This mutual friend(let's call her Sola) and I had unfinished business that my friend getting married didn't know, and I was already wondering how awkward our meeting would be. I really thought about not showing up, but I couldn't do that to my friend.

Surprisingly, Sola didn't bring the matter up or give me any attitude. She was happy to see me, and we enjoyed the ceremony together.

Sola, I know you'd get to see this, and you'd know you are the one; I want to say a big thank you for how you handled everything; I'm very grateful.

On my birthday in 2021, my Mum did a lot for me, I jokingly mentioned that I wanted paranran as that was the rave of the moment, and she did TWO for me. My sister(Oluwatosin), My aunt(mummy Sydney), my dad, my Husband(then my boyfriend🥰), my friend Folake, and The Oyetayos planned everything, and I sure had a great day that day.

I'm not sure I thanked every one of you enough. You might not know then that I was slowly slipping into depression as I tried my best just to show up every day, but you all went above and beyond for me. God bless you real good.

This is 2023, two years after; God has really really done me well. Do I have it all sorted yet? No, but I'm wayyyyy past where I was then.

I am grateful to God that he set me free from self-condemnation, I am grateful that depression lost its grip on me, I am no longer in that space where I felt nothing was working in my life, and I am grateful for renewed hope.

Thank you Jesus for setting me free! Thank you Jesus for answered prayers! Thank you Jesus for all you have done for me.

It's 28 days to my birthday, and like never before, I am looking forward to it. I won't have a lot of family and friends around this year, and I’d surely miss celebrating with them, but I am grateful regardless.

Have you heard the song? Does it resonate with you in any way? Share with me in the comment section.

Till another time, cheers✌️

2021: Post Covid

 Hello Everyone! Welcome to moments with Tirzah😍

It's officially 61 days until the end of the year and 54 days before Christmas, so welcome to the new month! 

What are your thoughts right now? 

Is everything going as planned for you this year? 

Have you had to make any last-minute adjustments to your plans? 

Do friends or social media put you under pressure directly or indirectly? 

What kind of coping method have you used in the past? 

Allow me to speak first; I'll read yours in the comments section. 

Hmmm! 

2021! 

People said hype killed 2020's shine, so I made a point of not hyping 2021 at all so it could glooow😂. 

I kept a low profile, followed the rules, and put my best foot forward, yet I still couldn't cross everything off my 2021 to-do list. This year, I've wept a lot, had my highs and lows, and my share of sunshine. 

I thank God for blessing me with beautiful people, my family. They've been assisting me in dealing with difficult situations, and their support has kept me sane. Right now, I don't have everything sorted out, but I'm optimistic. 

“you can’t give up cos we aren’t raised to be losers or quitters. Pick yourself back up and make this next year count”

I'll wrap up today's discussion with a Bible quote.

Romans 12 vs 12: Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying.

Sunday puff puff and zobo😋

 Growing up, We used to go to a large church where we had to wait a long time for cars parked after ours to move so we could go home after worship. That waiting time is puff puff and zobo time for my family. We no dey carry am, na 6-unit course🤣. 

I switched churches a few months back and was delighted to see a puff puff and zobo vendor outside the church. Every Sunday, just like in the old days, I mark register there. 

Today, I had already set aside my #200 for puff puff and zobo as usual and I was only waiting for closing prayer. Rather than leaving right after we said the grace, I opted to wait a few minutes for the surge to subside. That's how someone noticed me and offered to drive me home. I wanted to cry!It was someone I couldn't refuse at the same time someone for whom I couldn't wait for puff puff and zobo sake. I was deep in thought as I sat in the car, "so na like this I no go chop puff puff today😭." I reason am until I got home. Even as I dey type so I still dey reason am🤣. 

What's like my Sunday puff puff and zobo to you? I’d love to hear it. Happy Sunday, and may your new week be prosperous. I adore you all❤️.

First born child: The travail

 I went out to grab something, and as I walked into our compound, I noticed my next-door neighbor's three children outside. The oldest was putting away the clothes that their mother had washed earlier in the day. She was also assisting the other two siblings with their assignments at the same time. 

While passing I thought about the struggles of being the firstborn; The duty, parents and society's high expectations are all so great that if one isn't careful, they lose their willpower and simply do what is required of them. I'm sure she had her own assignments that she'd have to complete almost entirely on her own.

Parents sometimes hold their firstborn children up as role models for their younger siblings, which can be a lot of pressure. They are expected to mature into more responsible individuals at an earlier age than other children. Some of the challenges and stressors that first-borns face are:

* They are occasionally chastised or yelled at for anything the younger children have done incorrectly, they constantly hear words like "where were you when..." or "why did you allow..." As a firstborn, I believe our parents forget that we are just as much children as our younger siblings. What difference does it make if you're a year or two older?

* They are expected to teach stuff they were not taught and had to figure out on their own. Isn't that cheating?!

* It's exhausting and frustrating to be constantly reminded of your responsibilities. For example, I can't tell you how many times my father told me as a kid that "firstborn isn't for enjoyment alone, it's for responsibility" and I couldn't even point to any special thing I was enjoying as a first born at that time.

* And, once you start earning money, you must meet all of your siblings' demands, regardless of whether you have any because you are the bigger person in their eyes, and money shouldn't be an issue for you.

These and other factors contribute to the tendency of first-borns to be perfectionists; they were raised with the expectation that they should always know what to do, with no space for mistakes, and that everything must be perfect. Instead of continuously berating a firstborn for not doing something perfectly, commend them for putting in the work next time.

Do you have a younger sibling? Have you ever had to take care of them? Or do you think the pressure/responsiblity is not much of a big deal? 

11/10/21 MY FIRST POST ON THE PREVIOUS BLOG

 Hello everyone ✌️,

Welcome to my Travel and lifestyle blog. I'm Iretioluwa Toluwalase O. and I'm from Nigeria. You can call me Tirzah. I'm a biochemist, a baker @tirzahpastries and I tells stories too. I am a fun-loving person, which is why I started this blog: to keep track of all of my fantastic personal and professional events, as well as my travel adventures, in informal but honest blog postings. I hope you enjoy the voyage, and please remember to share this blog post and subscribe to the site for regular updates.

Thank you very much!

07/02/23

Hi everyone, 

Every details still remains pretty much the same just a little bit of changes here and there. e.g 

Your girl is a married woman😂(Omitted initially)

The Tolu Brand is the official name now, registered and stamped

I'm a biochemist, currently doing my masters

Ermm, I'm now a retired baker (hopefully, someday soon, I'll pick up the whisk again)

I still love telling stories.

What would you like to see on this page?