WAKE. PRAY. SLAY.

I have literally been going back and forth in thoughts on these past couple of weeks and its events. My people are dying, because of the colour of their skin. Let me repeat that, incase you didn't catch it the first time. My people are DYING, because of the COLOUR of their SKIN. As you probably already know, there have been reports of shootings going on in America of black males by those meant to serve and protect ALL civillians - The Police. 

Another Day Another Hashtag

#SAYTHEIRNAMES

It started with Alton Sterling, and in less than 24 hours, Philando Castile. Following these came Boston shootings and an attack against the police in Dallas. The black community was outraged. The black community was frustrated. We had had enough. For a long time Americans have been protesting, both peacefully and violently. Its sad to admit that they have been on their own all this while. Recently, a movement has been sparked in the UK. And I have never been more proud. 

BlackLivesMatterUK

We've always supported our brothers and sisters, but this is the first time we are actively moving from twitter, to expressing our concerns in the physical. Peaceful protests have been organised over the weekend involving marches all over London. Important places such as the BBC and the embassy have been visited. I am glad our voices are being heard as our people in America were touched by our support. This is the aim. We will love you with both prayer and action. 

WEAREWITHYOU

Now the main aim of this blog. We understand that the issues are deeply rooted in the establishment of white supremacy, over our forefathers, that has never gone away. Integration. This was the word used to trick us into believing equality had been achieved. The Martin Luther Kings and Malcom X's fought and fought for us; in the process losing their lives and for what - to achieve a lie...

Do not get me wrong, we have moved FAR forward. There is no slavery. At least not outrightly. Racism has become that silent but deadly virus. Everyone knows about it, but not everyone speaks about it. They (Racists) spread it discretely, when they teach young kids to hate black children, but not make it obvious. This develops into adulthood. This is the world we live in today. 

WAKE. PRAY. SLAY

I don't have all the answers. I don't necessarily have a solution. However, I do have a piece of advice for you. Beyonce knew what she meant when she said 'Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper'.

Racism, will probably never fully end. As sad as that sounds, it is the reality. However, we must keep standing up to it. And whilst we stand up to racism, there is work, amongst ourselves to be done. 

I believe each and every individual has something that God has deposited in them. A gift. A talent. A Passion. A Craft. Be it your education, your hobby, or what you give back to people. Now more than ever you need to WORK on these. WAKE. If you wake up everyday telling yourself you will work in purpose, I can guarantee a shift in the universe around you. PRAY. I believe in God. He gave me my talents, and therefore I pray to him to help me fulfil the ideas he has placed in me. SLAY. Do you know what it means to SLAY. As in SLAUGHTER those plans. You need to execute them to the fullest. This is me urging you to be the BEST you can be, in a world that hates you. 

"Twice as hard, to get half of what they got"

Okay. Challenge accepted. BUT, remember, it is not by your power or might. You see my brothers and sisters, FAVOUR of God takes you to place opportunity can not. Let that sink in. To conclude, I want you to stay WOKE aka be aware of whats going on around you. Now turn that negative into a positive. 

You can do it. 

In the words of Hayley Mulenda 'You are a winner'.

Thank you for reading,

Peace and Chunks 

xx

Some love and encouragement ❤️

Hello beautiful people,

If like me you have never needed God anymore than right now and in moments to come, then you need to read this post.

I literally want to send you guys some love and encouragement as you go through exam season these next few months.

Before I start, I hope you are not still stuck for revision tips at this point - but if you are, do have a look at the revision techniques video I did a while back. Link: https://youtu.be/f5r8hKDaRvI

I've had what you might call creative block for a bit - I have been creating content but one thing or the other has arisen to set things back. It really feels like this year so much is happening (with Easter being so early) and its all happening very fast. If I'm honest I have been feeling a little bit overwhelmed but God is seeing me through. Also, the sun has been out lately which has really helped to brighten up my mood ! 

I want to briefly touch on a few experiences which reminded me how much God is in control of things pertaining to our lives.

Situation 1: At the very beginning, during the Easter holidays I fell very ill. I was behind on my schedule and was just not feeling like myself. I thank God that I am now feeling much better and up to speed.

Situation 2: This might seem trivial but ..I bought a dress that didn't come as expected - with a few moments to spare that particular day I managed to work some magic on it with some pins and it turned out even better than the original. I have a blog post about this. Link: http://mochunks.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/by-his-stripes.html?m=1

Situation 3: which really blew me away..On Saturday night I kept waking up and God just kept telling me to pray.. And I did. I didn't know what I was praying for but I just tried to stay in the spirit. Turns out my Sunday was going to be very eventful - I can't give away too much detail but just to cut the long story short I had to leave uni to go on an unexpected journey. Not the most ideal situation especially in exam season but it had to happen. The funny thing about this is I wore a head-wrap; my hair was plaited down in cornrows and to get that big look I thickened it up with my pyjama top and bottom.

Where am I going with this ? That afternoon/ evening after church.. everything happened so fast that I couldn't even pack properly - but thank fully I had my pyjamas (in my head wrap😂) ready for me.

 Further more, if you know me you know I take a suitcase to the library with all my books inside for convenience purposes - so again all my study material was just there ready for me - I just grabbed everything and was off...

On my train journey, I was just in awe of God. He was preparing me all the way from the middle of the night to that very moment. And I had no idea!

All of these little situations just kind of put things into perspective for me. The main thing I grabbed from them is God has a way of ordering our steps (like with my journey) ! 

It may not always seem so obvious but God knows exactly what he's doing. 

Things may not always turn out the way we plan or anticipate (like the dress) but the final outcome (where God is taking you to) is better than anything our human minds can propose. 

Even when we have setbacks (like with my illness) it's almost like a preparation for further projection to a place that's even higher than we ever expected. 

God is omnipresent, he is all knowing and ultimately he controls everything. 

So as you go into this season and any other season in your life, that you might feel overwhelmed by.. 

Try and shift your focus from yourself and how well you can plan things, or how much confidence you have in yourself, to the one who has conceived and is the one who will execute the overall plan for your life. 

Trust him. 

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Thank you for reading

Peace & Chunks

xx

Happy Fathers Day | Assuming the position of Love.

Happy Fathers Day..

Father's Day as we all know is a day set aside to celebrate the fathers in our lives. Key part of that phrase being 'in our lives'. 

Father's Day does not get as much buzz as Mother's Day both on a social level and even in the media. Less people splash out in their dads as they normally would for their mums. Less people want to appreciate their dads in person and on social media. 

Let me be honest I was more than eager to write my mother a long paragraph on Mother's Day than I was for my dad on Father's Day. That's not because I don't love him but it would be pretentious of me. I just wasn't sure what exactly I wanted to say. "Happy Father's Day" and that was all. 

And I think a lot of people also felt this way. The 'Happy Father's Day, Mum' tweets were still being posted because for many their mums have become both parent parties in their life. 

'Wait till Mother's Day' is the typical response to those posts. This is usually from people who have their fathers active in their life. I'd rather not comment on those things because you don't know each and everyone's struggle. So if someone wants to appreciate their mum for being their father, I say let them. 

So where was I going with this. 

Fathers, future fathers, men. 

You have a huge responsibility. You see that quote 'Work twice as hard, to get to half as here they are', it also applies to you. No not in terms of race, rather in terms of your role in your children's/ future children's lives. 

Talking from experience, children are more forgiving of their mothers than fathers. No one is perfect, but one wrong move and a lot of people will dismiss their fathers forever. 

Why ? 

That woman carried us for 9 months, then went through the struggle of birthing us. She nurtured us, breastfed us, intimacy like no other. 

Now I'm not saying our fathers didn't help out when we were born. . In fact there are many dads who had to nurture their Children alone. They are the real MVPs. There just can never be that level of intimacy between and father and child, when the mother is still around.

As harsh as it sounds, we love mummy more. 

So when she wrongs us, we still have those factors to fall back on. The reasons to love her against all odds if you will. 

We have to learn from the older generation, rather than make the same mistakes they did. 

A lot of men assume their positions once married. The leader, the head type thing.

You bring home the bacon, but sometimes forget to feed it, to your child. Literally and hypothetically speaking, that is.

Money is not love. Love is love. 

It seems so simple, but it's easy to forget. 

Fathers to daughters 

You are her first 'love'. The first man in her life. Your actions will have somewhat of and impact on her future relationships and life in general. This impact varies because every individual is different. A lack of fatherly love can lead some to having 'daddy issues', a void which they try to fill with anything that looks like love, for example sex from any man who pays them attention. Others shut down completely and despise even the mention of a man. Some simply take the middle ground. It really depends. 

The point is, you do not want your actions or inability to fulfil your role of displaying a positive version of love (true love) in her life to be the reason why she loses herself. 

She is a princess, treat her like one; so she never forgets. Let her know she is special in case someone tries to tell her otherwise. 

Fathers and sons

You are his first image of what a man should be. He WILL copy you. 

He will remember the way you treated his mother. He will harbour in his mind that moment you decided whether or not to stay in his life. He will learn from you the secrets to success and even failure. The decisions you make and the moves you take will determine whether or not your son will Also invest in his own future. 

Ambition is innate. It is at the centre of our hearts BUT will your actions fuel the fire of ambition in his life or simply put it out. 

Ambition is not just for men mind you, this also applies to women. But for all intensive purposes, let me not digress. 

Will you teach him how to be faithful to one woman or spud Him for sleeping around and ruining other women's outlook on love? 

The way you run your family. You are giving your sons ideas. Good or bad, traditions and family practices never really seem to die. So which will you bring to life? 

Once again you do not want your actions to be the reason why your son does not know how to love.

I guess it all boils down to love. And this is not just in Romaric relationships. God is love and if we and in his likeness and image we should also desire love. Being emotionally detached as a father can taint the image of love for the child which tends to continue for more generations. 

However, our foundations can only be an excuse for out wrong doings for so long. It's time to come back down to earth. Break the cycle type of thing. A lack of a role model in your father does not mean positivity cannot be found else where, neither does it mean you cannot live a positive life and BECOME that role model you really longed for. 

You want you daddy but he didn't want you. Then make sure you make your child feel like the most wanted person in the world from the moment they are born.

You wanted daddy's attention but he just didn't have the time. You make sure you never work to the point you don't have special time created for your future children. 

You wanted to make daddy proud but he wasn't there to see your achievements. You make sure you're ready to show up to every pop quiz, parents evening, sports day etc and make sure you are the LOUDEST cheerleader. 

Fathers you are our heroes. Never become the villain. Start making positive changes to really become 'that guy'. 

Once again it boils down to one of my favourite sayings. 'LEARN to find STRENGTH from your PAIN'. This isn't an innate skill, it is acquired by force. It is not human nature but can be implemented as a form of self nurture. 

Show love, so love can proceed our future generations. Fathers, future fathers, men. The choice is yours.

Thanks so much for reading this post, peace & chunks x

World Sickle Cell Day.

I was excited to wake up today and discover that today the 19th of June, is world sickle cell day. 

Sickle Cell Anaemia is often described as the 'silent disease', due to lack of knowledge about it. You may or may not know, I am a Scientist in training. Physiology modules which I have taken have given me the confidence to write this blog post.

Raising awareness about Sickle cell Anaemia is important in order to minimise it's impact on future generations. There is no cure for this disease, it is only Medically managed. Sickle cell is prominent amongst individuals of African/ Carribean descent. It is increasing in occurrence in the UK due to the diversity of ethnicities we have.

So what is Sickle Cell? 

Its is a disease of the blood, in particular the red blood cells; in which they 'sickle' or form a crescent shape. 

What does Haemoglobin have to do with it?

Red blood cells contain a quaternary (four subunit) protein called Haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is the substance oxygen binds to, then transports it to the respiring body cells and organs. Out of the four subunits there is a further division into Alpha-globin and Beta-globin. There are two A-globins and two B-globin assembled into the final haemoglobin structure. 

So what could possibly go wrong? 

A mutation occurs. Proteins are formed from amino acids. Amino acids must be in the correct order (Primary structure). This is because they have properties e.g. carrying a negative charge, allowing it to interact with other amino acids by form of for example attraction or repulsion; just like a magnet. So when everything is going smoothly, amino acids interact appropriately, correct folding occurs, Haemoglobin is assembled perfectly and can transport oxygen. 

An Amino acid substitution, can occur, for example a Valine to Glutamate on position/codon 7 in the chain. Valine has no charge, but glutamate carries a charge. CRISIS. Clumping or aggregates start to occur. 

Haemoglobin becomes inefficient in carrying oxygen. This leads to many physiological problems for an individual affected such as difficulty in breathing, quick tiredness and weak bones.

Whats the difference between an affected person and a carrier?

Okay ill try to explain this as simply as possible. 

Protein= Haemoglobin. Symbol=Hb/ H

Genotype 1 (gene inherited) = Normal. Symbol = A

Genotype 2 (gene inherited) = Sickle cell trait. Symbol = S

We always inherit two genes, one from our mother and one from our father. 

Sickle cell is a recessive gene, meaning for you to have sickle cell you have to inherit two sickle cell traits i.e. SS. 

Those who are carriers do NOT have the disease. They are AS, but have the risk of passing it on to their children.

Those with genotype AA are normal and unaffected.

Why should carriers be worried?

Let me place this chart for you. This is a cross between two carriers (AS) and the possible genotypes their children will inherit.

For more visual effect:

Ofcourse, there is a chance that sickle cell carriers don't have children with sickle cell. It is very possible, however the chances are on the low side. (One out of four)

Other possibilities:

Two sickle cell affected mating will unfortunately always give rise to sickle cell children. 

Those without sickle cell cannot have children with sickle cell. EXCEPT, if their partner is a carrier but even then they simply pass on the trait.

So it is now our responsibility, to make sure we know our blood types and that of our partner. In situations where both partners are carriers, or affected, genetic counselling can occur. Both parties can make informed decisions about reproducing.

I can't help but think about genetic engineering and the evolution of so called 'designer babies'. Scientists are proposing that soon, they may be able to genetically modify babies to become, smarter, more beautiful and in simple terms have more desirable traits. 

A lot of people are against it. But in my opinion, if these designer babies could be modified to be more healthy, then they should give it a go. Especially in life threatening diseases such as Sickle cell anaemia. Just my two pence piece.

Anyway, I hope you have learnt a thing or two from this blog post. Apologies if it was overly complex.

Thank you for reading! 

Peace & Chunks

X

Let's Talk: Celibacy, Abstinence & Reasons why I wait.

Sex sex sex 

Our world is filled with sex 

How to do it, how to get better..

Whilst there is practicality in finding out what you like and don't like, there is also beauty in waiting. 

This is something we're not necessarily taught in social media

Valuing your body, holding back a little, intimacy with the absolute right person. 

We're taught it's okay to sleep with several people so we can find out our G Spot, learn the moves that make us cum quick

But what about patience 

What about understanding the fact that not every new guy we meet deserves access to our naked body. 

No one is perfect, and decisions to either hold back or not don't make you better/ worse than anyone.

To my virgins:

Please don't be discouraged 

If he leaves you because of sex, then he probably wasn't worth it in the first place.

To my non Virgin celibates:

Keep on going 

You left that life for a reason 

Never forget it

This video was so personal for me, because it is something I have struggled with and still struggle with to an extent on a day to day basis. Something i've realised is celibacy requires discipline for all practical purposes. It is also a physical battle, which requires an even stronger force to combat it, this being the spiritual. Hence why I was preaching a little in the video lol. Its a gradual process, have a listen to some of the tips I offer in the video below!

Hope you enjoy this video ! I kept it as real as possible. Thanks for reading !  #Peace&Chunks 

Our Natural Hair Experience!

Our Natural hair Experience

From the left: YouTubers LoveisinthehairNolye, MoChunks Show (myself)

KelechiCeri and ChiakaValentina

Really happy i got the opportunity to collaborate with these gorgeous ladies. From the video you'll see that going natural is one heck of a journey. We all share our experiences, from how family reacted, to comments at work and in a school environment. 

Something we all had in common, was that our natural hair has not been considered professional, an idea which stems way back when slaves first arrived in the western world. In order to be accepted in a cooperate sector, we had to adapt the European look. 

This has been masked in modern day, people believe relaxers were made to ensure hair is 'manageable'. Manageable for who though? Even our first lady Michelle Obama, only wears her hair straight. Very Sad. We were doing just fine with our hair back in Africa until the white man had something to say about it. Rather than fight back, we conformed. 

Remember these? No matter how hard we tried, I never looked like the girl on the box lol.

As harsh as it sounds it is the truth. However, as stated in the video the relaxer industry is depleting drastically. The natural hair movement has begun. This could be the generation that reverses, the cycle us black females (sometimes males) have found ourselves in. 

One thing we forgot to mention in this video, are the men in our lives. How do they react to this natural hair movement? I think in general, a few of our black men are still sceptical. They are so used to seeing their mothers, sisters and other female family members relaxing their hair to the straight form. This is all they know, so they believe it is better. It is important to no just educate our young girls, but our men also. The mentality that straighter is better, has to change, sooner or later.

Hope you guys enjoyed the video and thank you for reading this post, till next time..

Peace & Chunks !

The pursuit of happiness☺️👈🏃.

Hi guys hope you're good, thought I'd recap my latest #CCWC discussion. I decided to keep things simple (you may have noticed I didn't post on Twitter), due to my intense work load. 

But here's my summary:- 

I noticed happiness as a topic received less responses compared to the other topics which I would label as negative or uncomfortable. This perplexed me, but then it made sense. We're all in search of something we may not fully understand, therefore the moment we are prompted to describe it; were stuck for words. It's kind of like love, I actually started a project with a few females, called 'why do we love love?' That's not a typo btw lol.. To start the video I asked what is love? And in the same way there was a huge pause. This video will be on my youtube channel when I have all the content I need, just wait on it ;). But anyway a few people summarised happiness beautifully for us, this is my favourite..

I want to lay emphasis on the 'happiness is not something that can be generalised' which is very true. Many are content with where they are in life, and many are not. I believe self contentment and happiness go hand in hand. Once the stage you are at, makes you comfortable all your stress is wiped away. Which is why I descibed happiness as a warm summers day, exams finished, no work, just pure relaxation. This isn't to say one cannot be happy if it isn't summer; it's just the first visual which popped into mind. 

So what about you ? How do you describe happiness? 

As we go into the last month of 2014 I wish everyone pure happiness to enable them to finish strong ! 

Thank you for reading; peace & chunks ❤️

Lets Talk Beauty And Self Confidence. #CCWC

Beauty, something which as a human at at least one point in their life has tried to understand. Such a simple word, yet so many connotations. What could it truly mean? We live in a world where beauty is now so diverse. The nature of DNA has now become so complex, that the human features are becoming more and more unique. Whether we like it or not doesn't mean this change will stop, in fact, it can only progress. 'The only way is up type thing'. I myself, have battled with what beauty truly is. At first I thought beauty meant: a narrow nose, perky lips, Chinese eyes, and a slim body. 'Nobody wants a big girl' my 13 year old self thought. Well growth has no occurred. Mentally and physically I have developed over the past few years. I realised beauty has no correct definition, but is defined by the eye of the beholder itself. It is fundamentally how you view yourself or allow yourself to be viewed that determines the substance of your beauty. How you feel on the inside also has an effect. Yes. Have you ever wondered why someone you may have considered ugly manages to form more successful relationships than one proclaimed to be beautiful by many? Confidence. That is the answer. You see the universe is very simple. What you believe in, the world eventually believes in it along with you. At first you may be on our own, but the more you act upon it the more it comes into existence. There is no true face of beauty. There are many which the world is yet to experience. Are you ready to expose yours to the world? Like everything great, it takes time to grasp the mechanism. But I assure you, believing that African nose of yours is a selling point can well be the reason you meet the man of your dreams. So three things. Think,Believe,become! Peace and love ; peace and chunkz😘❤❤