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tkphotos — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:04:02 -0700

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tkphotos — Sun, 19 May 2013 23:58:00 -0700

Brunch on a whim. Even though we see each other every Sunday we...

tkphotos — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:01:00 -0700

Brunch on a whim.

Even though we see each other every Sunday we don’t get to hang out that much outside of church. Making no excuses this time, we all found our earliest common free hour and decided to do brunch. Danisha (bottom left) suggested we try Kiss the Barista and that was that. Funny enough, I have passed by this place multiple times because it’s only a ten minute walk from my house but I have never tried it out myself.

While we were there we ran into Nate (top left), who also goes to our church and lives down the street from me and Angelique (top right). I’m glad that we all found time to pencil each other in. I love being around these girlies. They are so kind, funny, and warm be near. And that does include Jessica (middle left) and Mai (bottom right) even though they were not mentioned earlier.

So, if you’re ever in the Sans Souci area go check out Kiss the Barista. Great service, great food, and the view is just amaze - it’s right on the beach.

Stick around for more pictures of our girl’s afternoon out.

see the world.

tkphotos — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:02:00 -0700

I don’t think I’ll ever tire of traveling. I may take a break from it every once in a while just to get re-rooted again but I’ll never get tired of it. My love for traveling was instilled in me ever since I was a kid. I can remember my mom packing my siblings and me up just to get out of town. So whether it was a trip to the next state for a weekend or a week, I always enjoyed the adventure. Not to mention, I’ve lived in 3 different countries ( Nigeria, Australia, and America) over the span of my 21 years.

However, now that I have grown up a bit I’ve recently come to fall in love with traveling alone. It’s an extremely peaceful experience. While there are many opportunities for me to meet new and interesting people, I also love the chance I get to sit back and observe all the various things that take place around me.

On most my recent flight (from Oregon to Sydney) I was blessed to have a day layover in Honolulu, Hawaii - I wasn’t able to make it to any beaches but I still had a great time. I walked about the town, did a little shopping, ate at a place called Fatboy’s, and then retired to my room.

Although all hotels basically look the same, just knowing I was in a new environment made me awe at the realization that there are things out there we have yet to see, hear, and feel - we have so much to discover.

These are some pictures inside the The Pagoda hotel.

That forever kind of love.

tkphotos — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:27:00 -0700

That forever kind of love.

I need you so much closer...

tkphotos — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:02:59 -0700

In these past two weeks my life has become a messy puzzle of spontaneous meetings, never-ending projects, poorly-planned itineraries and things of the sort. All that withstanding, I do not think I would have it any other way. In all of it I have learned to turn to God in everything - and I mean everything. When it was me who procrastinated on an assignment and had one hour to get it together, God was there to give me the ideas to execute it; because I chose to take the later bus I missed my connecting train, but God was there to help me find an alternative and shorter route to class. There were just so many little things that turned into bigger problems but He was there to guide me through it all. It’s amazing when and how grace abounds.

Oh how He loves us. Through all that self-inflicted stress He was still there to remove it all for me. It’s love like that that makes me need and want Him all the more. It’s love like that that makes it so incredibly difficult to wrap my head around.

So, with that said, I just want to share this with you all:

“The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads” Psalm 7:16.

However, Psalm 8: 4-6 later says, “What is mankind that you are mindful of them? Human beings that you care for them?”

Oh how He loves.

This is my idea of putting off homework -making a tiny collage...

tkphotos — Sun, 05 May 2013 00:46:00 -0700

This is my idea of putting off homework -making a tiny collage of Tani’s birthday night. Now back to the more important matters at hand.

Music of the Moment 1. Ellie Goulding - Your Song 2. Bridgit...

tkphotos — Sat, 04 May 2013 08:45:00 -0700

Music of the Moment

1. Ellie Goulding - Your Song

2. Bridgit Mendler - Ready or Not

3. Hillsong - Stay and Wait

4. Matt Corby - Brother

5. Phil Wickham - Divine Romance

6. Ben Rector - When a Heart Breaks

Handmade Love

tkphotos — Sat, 04 May 2013 06:59:00 -0700

I’ve recently fallen more in love with quality handcrafted things- leather goods, jewelry, hair accessories, typography, you name it, I love it. With that said, I decided to try my hand at making greeting cards. The other day I came up with a few rough ideas of some unconventional but comical ones.

Please note, I said rough. I still have a bit more to go but at least you get the concept. Growing up as the 4th of five children, cards like these would have been perfect.

Besides those ones I also want to make birthday cards. My friend’s birthday was a few days ago so who better to practice on than her!

Next thing on the “To Perfect List” is handwritten type.

You are not alone

tkphotos — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:40:00 -0700

How many times have you heard someone say, “You are not alone?” Whether it was directed at you or to someone else, it’s probably been quite a few times right? However, no matter how many times you have heard it please don’t ever become desensitized to that truth. Don’t ever forget that it is truth.

Last week I attended a Hillsong album recording with a few friends. Although admission was free it was still sold out. By that I mean that everyone there was sold out for Jesus. It wasn’t about watching a show, showing up to meet friends, or showing off your religiosity. As the pastor said, that night was about “your spirit identifying with its creator”. That’s exactly what happened. I loved being in the midst of so many people who were so on fire for God.

It was such a humbling experience because it reminded me of how far God has brought me. My entire life I have always grown up in or around the church. As I grew older and moved away from home for college my relationship with Christ became stagnant. I allowed the things around to affect me negatively. In my eyes it seemed as though no one else was going through the same things I was. I invited people to youth group but most of the time they were too busy; I stayed in some weekends while others went out because God was calling me to be different; not to mention the ride to church was a lonely one because again, like most times my friends had other plans. After a while I found myself questioning my beliefs and asking if this was really a life worth living. It was a difficult time in my life because this new road God was calling me to walk left me feeling abandoned. Even though I had grown up in the church I seriously considered leaving it for a while (Man, let me just take a moment to say that doubt, lies, and cloudy thoughts will have you feeling every emotion God never desired for your life).

Moving on to my senior year, God brought me the most amazing set of friends. Friends that understood the lifestyle God was calling me to lead, friends that I could pray with, and most of all these same people were asking me to join in on their youth group! I remember one service I found myself crying during the praise and worship. At that moment God reminded me: “This is what you prayed for freshman year. A group of girls - and some guys - that you could grow close to so you would not feel alone as you grew up in me.” Funny how I had forgotten that prayer until then. Looking back though, I’m glad I did because it made me appreciate those God-given friendships all the more.

Long story short, this is why I urge you Christians to remember that you are not alone. The world will have you feel like you’re a crazy Christian; too religious; uncool; and amongst a bevy of other things, unwanted. There are other people out there just like you who want more people like YOU as a friend, just patiently wait on God for them. Although, even when you are waiting you still aren’t alone - you have Jesus.

Lastly, I just want to share this with you:

Romans 5: 3-5 “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

We have it misconstrued. Failure is not a justification for...

tkphotos — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 06:16:00 -0700

We have it misconstrued. Failure is not a justification for giving up.

Thank goodness for pre-made biscuits. I know in my previous post...

tkphotos — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:06:00 -0700

Thank goodness for pre-made biscuits. I know in my previous post I said that I would cook more but for those times when the cooking bug isn’t biting I have easy go-to recipes like this. In honor of Throwback Thursday, I wanted to put this up. My cousin, Segun and I were too lazy to cook something up so we whipped something up instead.

Pizza Mizza Pizza Ritza

1 can of pillsbury rolls
1 small packet of tillamook shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 small packet of tillamook shredded mozzarella cheese
1 small onion
1tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of red pepper
1 jar on pasta sauce*
1 can of tomato paste*
1 lb of Mince meat
Turkey sandwich slices

* I don’t make pizza on the regular so it’s not like I have pizza sauce at the ready all the time

Chop the onion into tiny pieces and set them aside.
Put your cooking pan on medium-high. After a few minutes, add the olive oil and then the chopped onions. Allow those to heat up for a bit before you place the mince meat in. Leave it to cook all the way through occasionally stirring it so it doesn’t burn or stick.

Set the oven to 350º f / 175º c

Pop the can of rolls (I love doing that!) and lay them out on a baking pan. You can cover it with foil if you want an easier clean-up like we did here. Just knead the dough so it flattens out into round circles.

For every cup of pasta sauce add 1 table spoon of tomato paste. The paste will act as a thickener so the pizza sauce is not too watery. Mix that together (My ingredients don’t call for it but you can add a few pinches of black pepper because the paste is basically condensed tomato and it might be a bit much taste-wise).

Take the turkey slices and just shred them into tiny pieces them using your hands. Set that aside.

Use a spoon to scoop the newly-made pizza sauce and then use the back to spread it over the dough. Take the shredded cheese and layer it on top. Following that, layer your toppings on. Throw some more cheese on. The cheese will melt over everything and will keep your meats from tumbling off after you take them out of the oven.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes and voila!
Happy eating!

Let the slew of pinterest-inspired food posts begin! Ever since...

tkphotos — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:23:00 -0700

Let the slew of pinterest-inspired food posts begin! Ever since I moved I noticed that I have not been cooking as much as I used to, which you think would be a good thing. Since I haven’t been cooking, I’ve been snacking… a lot! My tummy thanks me but my waistline on isn’t too happy. Someone once told me, “5 seconds at the lips, forever at the hips” and it’s true. So here is my ode to cooking more and snacking less. I thought I’d share with you guys my recent cooking confection, an Australian Brekkie (That’s the word they use for breakfast) Enjoy!

Breakfast Casserole

2 medium-sized white onions
6 eggs
2 egg whites (the recipe called for 8 whole eggs but removing the yolk from a few will reduce your cholesterol intake. Plus it tastes the exact same!)
4 fairly large potatoes
3 tomatoes
1 bell pepper
1 1/2 tsps of red paper - my family loves it hot.
1 tsp of black pepper
1 tsp of white pepper

Start by grading your potatoes. The original recipe said to use frozen hash brown potatoes but that’s exactly what we didn’t have so we made our own. A regular cheese grader does the trick. Once those have been prepared use large skillet to cook them. Because potatoes naturally have a little water in them it’s alright not to use oil while cooking. You can though if you want them a little bit crispier. Cook those on medium-high on until they get a dark brown (Light brown, and they are still uncooked). Then flip them so the other side can get tanned too. Don’t worry if they start sticking to one another. Cook them until they are ready as if you would eat them them then. Once they are popped into the oven with the casserole they won’t change.

Set the oven for 350 Fahrenheit /170 Celsius

Once that is done, start to chop your tomatoes, peppers, and onions and cook them until they are soft and the onions brown.

Mix all of that with your eggs and egg whites. Now you can add your spices (Use your discretion with the spices for maximum enjoyment). Then add your cooked hash browns. It’s probably best to add that chunk by chunk so you can mix them well in between. Also, because potatoes can suck up the taste of the spices, you might want to add a pinch more of the spices you already included.

When that is completed, get your 9 X 13 inch pan and coat the bottom with cooking spray. Now you can pour in the mixture. Use the back of a spatula to press it all down.

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes and voila!
Happy eating!

Sitting next to cockroaches

tkphotos — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:30:34 -0700

So I was on the train last night, trying to unwind after a long day of class, homework, and high heels when I see a cockroach. Immediate reaction: make a big fuss and freak out. Fortunately for me I quickly remembered that I was on public transit and there were people around. However this scenario reminded me of all the other “cockroaches” I’ve ever sat next to in life. There are times when certain things will happen and our initial reaction is to freak out only to later realize screaming was useless. We waste our time griping over things that will never affect us. Things that will never even come near us. Why is that? All that time making a big deal over tiny harmless cockroaches when we could have instead enjoyed a nice and (semi) quiet train ride home.

I have a few friends but don't feel bad for me.

tkphotos — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 06:40:00 -0700

It’s a process. My last two months in this semi-new place have been a process. During my time here I have been asked quite a number of times in many different ways, “How is Australia treating you?” Well, to put it simply, it’s a process. I remember on the plane ride over here I had so many thoughts, expectations, and plans for my “new” life that I forgot to leave room for reality. So 60 some-odd days later I am now being hit with the stark realization that I don’t have as many friends as I thought I would; I’m not living in the city nor do I even have a place of my own; my photography business is not thriving the way it was before; and school is a bit much to handle even along side my part-time job. As cool as it would be to say that I moved back to Sydney and landed a nice job that allows me to live a rich life in the city, I cannot. However, I don’t want anyone to feel bad for me. There is nothing to feel bad for. Yes, I don’t have many friends but the few that I do are worth more than their weight in gold . My photography business is not doing so well but maybe this is the time God set aside for me to focus less on money and more on morals. School and work may be overwhelming but when is ever not? I need to suck it up and remember that this is what I wanted. This is what I prayed countless days for. You see, to anyone - myself included - who tries to rush a process you will find yourself nowhere but at the end of your line with nothing to show for it. You will have sped so far ahead that you forgot to pick up the precious gems along the way. Things take time.

Mordecai and Hegai say what?!

tkphotos — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 03:02:00 -0700

You know that point a the book where it’s getting so good you imagine yourself to be the character? Yeah, that just happened to me.

Imagine this: So you’re going to the king of your land and your given this one chance to impress him and make you like him, right? You’re allowed to wear anything, say anything, and do anything to get his attention. You have nothing planned out and the best advice you got comes from two old guys. One of them is kinda like your dad, which if you ask me cool advice and dads don’t really coincide. The other is some guy you just met in the king’s palace - can I say stranger danger?

This is the part of the story where you can either freak out or apply the “stay calm and carry on” rule. Let’s say you go on with your first choice. Where will that get you? A one way ticket to nowhere with some complimentary stress pimples just in time for your meeting with this said king. Or you can do like the girl in the story and listen to the two old geezers because their plans might just be crazy enough to work.

If this story sounds a little familiar it’s because I’m reading the book of Esther. (Jesus, Imma interrupt you here and say, Esther is one of the best books of all time. Just sayin’) Look, you can see from the picture below - daily bible study. Plus, not to mention a perfect excuse for a huge cup of coffee and some blackberry jam with butter on toast! Yum!

Anyway, let me not digress anymore. Why I’m writing this post is to point out what we fail to realize: In the midst of life-changing moments (*cough cough* like meeting a king or any other grand things in your life) grand and great gestures are not always a necessary response. God has given you what you already need to go forth. In Esther 2:16 it says, “she won the favor of everyone who saw her”, meaning that before she even said or did anything she was highly favored. Don’t think you need to hype yourself up, change who you are, or check out the competition to one-up them. Bring yourself and nothing else. Be simple. You dah-ling are more than enough.
Plus, I like to think that being simple = no pimple.

Who cares about its health benefits or disadvantages, can we...

tkphotos — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 02:30:30 -0700

Who cares about its health benefits or disadvantages, can we focus on the real issue at hand here: Coffee gets cold too quickly. I made you all a lovely diagram to show just what I mean.

...but words will never hurt me. Yeah right!

tkphotos — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:56:00 -0700

I don’t think I’ve ever been rejected before. I mean full on rejected where my client didn’t like more than more than 90% of the work I gave them. There have been instances where I will hand in works-in-progress and the person will say tweak this or change that a bit - that’s normal right? However, today was a hard pill to swallow. After working many hours on a design, following the instructions given me, the basic response I got was: “Can you go back to the original logo and just maybe change the font?”

Initially, my mind just went 10 different directions. I was in complete mental shock. I just spent all this time only to have it rejected. However, I think this is one of the best things to happen to me professionally. I don’t expect every Tom, Dick, and Harry to love my work. I don’t even expect for people who ask for me by name to do so either. It keeps me grounded but simultaneously pushes me too.

Now back to the ~~Bat Cave~~ drawing board!

I did a few mock up designs for a company logo some time ago....

tkphotos — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:15:31 -0700

I did a few mock up designs for a company logo some time ago. The owner ended up choosing another variation I designed. However, just because these were not picked doesn’t mean they can’t get their 15 minutes -more like seconds- of shine.

Whilst I wait

tkphotos — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:03:00 -0700

Hello there!

I’m currently on the phone waiting for my tax file information. They have put me on hold for almost half an hour now. No sour grapes here because that means I get to post!

What better a thing to talk about than what to do while you’re waiting. It’s one of those conundrums that plague us everyday: I don’t want to leave the area because I may need to reference one of my papers in case they come back on the line but I don’t want to stay either because I have nothing to do and actually get a jump start on other work is just preposterous.

Alas! I have solved all your problems. I have compiled a list of interesting things for you to read, glance at, and skim through to kill the time. It will keep you entertained and more importantly it in place for when that oh-so-personable and possibly non-automated operator comes back.

1) 15 Swedish words We Should Incorporate Into English Immediately (Thanks Joanna for this)

2) The new Wolverine Trailer - I’m not a reader but I love movies that deal with comic books

3) Better yet, while you’re at it, here are all the new movie trailers that are hitting theaters soon. Get excited, there are some good ones!

4)One of my FAVORITE books (My Careers teacher in 10th grade showed me the documentary version and my way of thinking has never been the same).

5) Bruce Davidson’s Photos

6) Create the future you imagine

7) Designsperation

8) Apartment Therapy - This may or may not be more distracting than Pinterest.

9) 19 Things To Stop Doing (Not just for 20-somethings either)

10a) Hopefully by the time you have completed numbers 1-9, a 10th task won’t be necessary.

10b) However, if 10a is not true go here. Read this. and Know these words are true.