Hi Anomalies! Merry Christmas Eve, I hope you all are enjoying it.

I want you to pause and think about this for a minute - What if you woke up today with only the things that you thanked God for yesterday?


As the year is gradually coming to an end I think it's important that we talk about gratitude. The question above already says a lot. How many things will you have today based on what you were thankful for yesterday? Will you still have your parents? your friends? your house? food ? money? clothes?

Gratitude is expressing appreciation for something. It's basically just being able to count your blessings and you showing thankfulness for everything in your life - the big things, the littlest things and the things in between.

A great deal has happened this year, there's been a lot of ups and downs. For some more ups than downs and for others more downs than ups but amidst the chaos there will always be something to be thankful for, always.
I feel like most times we get caught up with everything going on around us that we forget to just stop and say "Thank you God" and sometimes it's that we're so bent on getting other things that we forget to be thankful for the things we already have. In some other cases people, because of their current circumstances, don't think there's a need to be thankful and can you blame them? This world is tough but there'll always be something to be grateful for.

In life, negative events often overshadow positive ones and this stops us from being grateful a lot of the time. In situations like this I think it's best to have a thanksgiving journal where you write or type all the things you are truly grateful for (literally count your blessings one by one). This is actually scientifically proven to make you happier but other than that I can guarantee you that you will be amazed at how much you have. Focus on the good and forget the bad for sometime and just go over all the great things that have happened to you this year alone.

simplereminders.com

Happy Holidays Anomalies! 
Hope it's going great. Today's post is another feature with a young amazing photographer and the creative director of XLT Media, The Fifographer. Hopefully you find this helpful and inspiring.

Tell us about yourself
You're a photographer right? Who or what inspired you to become a photographer?
Yes of course I am a photographer, well I have been in love with pictures for as long as I remember. I collect pictures of any kind. Been doing that for almost 10 years. And these pictures told stories to me, they expressed moments and that thrilled me, so then I thought to myself that creating my own moments would be appropriate.

How were you able to make a name for yourself?
Do you have the support of your family?
Moral support yes, financial support, not really, my parents love to see you earn your rewards from hard work, its one of the things they've helped me with as a young person, they give me a lot of moral support but make sure I go out then and earn my own money.

Is it difficult being a creative? What challenges have you personally faced?
I wouldn't say its difficult being a creative. There are ups and downs. I think my most challenging situations are when I have an idea in my head and implementing it seems like an overly difficult task, various factors might influence this, sometimes even our environment.

What motivates you to do what you do?
Where do you see yourself in the next 5-10 years? Will you still be into photography?
In the next 5-10 years, tbh I'll rather you guys sit down,relax and see all my plans unfold. Trust me you'll be excited. I will definitely be into photography still. Its a part of my life that can't be removed. But there would be a lot more businesses I would be involved in that would integrate photography.

Do you have any advice for aspiring creatives ?
Advice for aspiring? I am still aspiring too you know. But hard work, is too essential, planning too, learning new things every single day, discipline and God.

See more of Fifolu on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook - @thefifographer and his website thefifographer.com. 

Hi Guys!

Earlier this year we went to GEMS Preparatory School in Ilasamaja, Lagos for Community Service as part of the Challenge 2020 program (I'll tell you more about this program but not today)
in our school. Visiting the school is under the Challenge 2020 'Education For All Project'. GEMS Preparatory School is a free of charge first class educational institution for children of blind destitute run by GOD Evangelical Ministries. The school was founded by Oluwafunmilayo David in September 2009.

simplereminders.com

Hi Anomalies!
Hope you all had a great week. Today's post is another feature, you can check out our first feature here. We've decided to do 'Features' on the blog more often and mostly with young Nigerians who we find very inspiring. Today's feature is with singer and songwriter, Jinmi Abduls. Enjoy!

Tell us about yourself 
I am Oluwafeyijinmi Folarin Abdulsalami, I'm an 18 year old singer and songwriter. I attended Chrisland Primary School, VGC and then Pinefield Montessori School, Lekki. I had my secondary education at Whitesands, Lekki. Right now,  I'm an International Law student and a full time performing and recording artist. 

Hi Anomalies!
Sorry we haven't posted in a while. Fayo and I attended the Global Young Leaders Conference in Washington, DC and New York City. the experience was so amazing and one I'll never forget in a lifetime.
we got to meet and interact with new people from diverse cultures as well as learn many leadership skills not only from participating in a model United Nations but from several speakers that came to talk to us.

We'll be doing a "GYLC Series" on the blog which will include photo journals, sharing what we learnt and our experiences with you. We hope you learn a thing or two.
 So for this post here's a photo journal from our quick visit to the White House.