https://3speak.tv/watch?v=princessbusayo/aqhtocpq

Last week, on Thursday, I travelled home for a wedding of one of our relatives. The groom is on our side, but I don’t know him except for his younger siblings and his parents. The groom’s mother was taken care of by my late grandmother when she was young. She went to school, graduated and married under her roof. So, we became family.

When I was told about the wedding, I felt excited and decided to attend, particularly to represent my siblings who weren’t available. It was a sweet wedding ceremony, and everyone who came had enough to eat.

The engagement was on Friday, and above is a snippet of the event centre that was used. Food wasn’t served on time, and so I was hungry. I decided to step outside; maybe I could get something to snack on before the arrival of the meal. I found roasted corn and bought some for my cousin and me.

Thirty minutes later, the food was served. We ate pounded yam and egusi (melon) soup. After some minutes, I left the hall to rest at the hotel we were lodged in. The next day was the wedding. The church wedding happened at 10 am, and before then, everyone assembled at the event centre to eat breakfast before leaving.

The church wedding went amazingly, and then after two hours, we moved to the reception to eat and watch the rest of the event. The video is a recording of the dance by the asoebi ladies (bridesmaids) and groom's men, followed by the latest couple, Timileyin and Oluwaseyi. It was fun to watch and I enjoyed the programme.

All images belong to me

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=princessbusayo/glnlghxp

I learnt something new yesterday and am excited to share with you guys. It's Hive Learners Creative Sunday and I thought to share my creative work with you.

It might not be new to some of you because you are experts and know about it, but for someone like me who's just getting to do this on my own, I feel it's a big achievement for me this year. If I am called to share my achievements this year, this wouldn't be excluded among many others.

A few days ago, @nkemakonam89 shared a link to a free tutorial on video editing with me. I joined and was determined to take the lesson seriously. It's for 2 weeks and just started two days ago. On the first day, we were taught 'Video Editing' and the softwares used for it.

The first two introduced were the Legend Maker App and Inshot. With a few practical examples, I decided to give it a try and that's the result in the video above.

What I did was to turn words into motion with the Legend Maker App and Inshot.

The Steps and Process

The first step was downloading the Legend Maker App (I have Inshot already).

After installing the app, I opened it and it brought me here. Here we have 4 options: Start. Videos. Gifs. Privacy.

To create a new one, I clicked the "Start" button which brought me to the first image. I typed my words I want to make into motion, then click the [✅️] button which takes me to the next image.

I click the number 3 option and it brought me to this last stage where I picked my choice of theme and background to suit the purpose of my work. There are lots of themes and background colours to choose from when you swipe forward.

When I was done, I clicked the download option, which is the last icon. There are two options: Save to Video or GIF (whichever you like). Then it gets downloaded to your gallery.

I repeated the same process for the rest of the words, and after I was done. I opened the Inshot app to do the necessary things.

I merged the videos together. The laptop image in the video is mine, while the rest of the images used were generated from ChatGPT, including the "Hive Blockchain" logo I used.

I added a voice-over using my voice to speak in the background. Then added music to flow along, and I exported. The result is what you see in my video.

Did I try?

This is just the beginning, and seeing my work, made me excited. The next day, we were taught Whiteboard animation which I practiced at 12 midnight today, and I love the outcome even though it was of low quality.

I was told to subscribe to get a higher quality, but that would be later, when perhaps it's something I will be making use of, particularly to generate income.

Screenshots from my phone and images generated from ChatGPT

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=princessbusayo/wbogrpuc

I don't know, maybe because I'm just scared to order something online or I just prefer to go to a physical store and get my stuff without having to complain about it or just to save me the stress from lodging complaint and waiting for a rectification.

But do you know it's possible you get something at a physical store and still get scammed? Or end up being sold a fake product? No place is actually safe if you'd think of playing it safe. One way or the other, we've all fallen victim to scammers and getting what we ordered versus what actually came. I have had hilarious laughs in the past with numerous "what I ordered vs what I got" scenarios, and perhaps this added to my anxiety and made me decide never to order something online just to avoid stories that touch.

There was a time a student when I was in school complained to my friend how she had to change it for them online when she ordered something on Jumia and when the item arrived, she felt sad because it wasn't something she thought she saw. It was a bag! She'd been deceived to think it was a big bag just from a picture, and it looked very beautiful. But when she got it, it was very small.

I actually had the same experience last year, but it wasn't something I ordered through any of these platforms. I got it from a colleague I met during my service year, and she was into selling online. She'd posted this beautiful bag, the picture made it look big, and I thought it was cool because I don't actually like small bags. Like, how do I buy a small bag at an expensive price and it wouldn't even contain my phone, charger, or even Bible when going to church? And all that would go in is my key? I don't get it.

So, I ordered the bag and paid my money. It was my first time patronising her. But when I got my bag, I couldn't stop feeling sad, but I didn't want her to know because she saw it as an honour for me to buy from her for the first time. Well, I'm still using the bag but not to my satisfaction, because how would I pay 8k for that small bag? Eww.

Alright, fast forward to the present.

I actually faced my fear, and I think it was kind of cool. I ordered some items from Jumia last month. They were a blood pressure monitor, blood sugar level monitor, and a rechargeable BT intelligent weight scale. These were items I needed for my body checkup since going to the hospital every time wouldn't be possible and also to save cost.

When I ordered them and saw the amount, I became scared again. Like, how do I do this for the first time? What if they carry my money away? My over one hundred thousand naira. But with a strong mind, I pushed forward. My mind was made up, and if my money was gone, all well and good. There's nothing I would do. But within me, as I was filling in the details, my heart was beating. I made sure every detail was filled in correctly to avoid any mistakes. I even had to call a friend to confirm how to go about it.

And so, my first order on Jumia happened, and I was told the items would be delivered and ready for pick up within the 9th and 14th of April. Last weekend, I got different messages saying my three items were ready for pick up at the University of Ibadan Bookshop. Guess what? There were two options for payment: pay online or pay on delivery, but I chose to pay on delivery, which means it's until I get to see my items that I would pay. Actually, I was just trying to be safe. But wait, why the heart racing when my money was still with me? Lol.

But this post is all about my first order online. I could have ticked the option to be delivered at my doorstep, but no, I needed to go out more. I wanted to know new places, and so, I got to know the location where my goods were.

And the fear of ordering for any item has disappeared. I realized it isn't so hard, but I took the step. I made my first order, and I felt good about it. Right now, I have added some items I found nice to my cart, and when I'm ready, I will order for them.

All images are mine

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=princessbusayo/zdhixrex

Woooh! I must say it's been a long while since I have done this last. I can't remember the last time I sang on Hive, and this was something I enjoyed doing back then until life happened. Yes, a lot has happened during that time, but I am always grateful because I get to do this again.

Thanks to my friends who actually pushed me to return to singing, I decided to test my voice again, and this was due to creating the time for it, and yes, I want to start doing this every week again. So help me God! Amen 😁

I've always been behind the scenes listening to different entries for the Vibes Web 3 Music Competition every week, and all I would say is, "Princess, when are you coming back?" I do appreciate every winner weekly, and I can see the excitement in them every time winners emerge and get those amazing prizes.

Truth is, this Vibes music competition is creating that space for Web 3 to keep soaring and also to appreciate every artist. Thanks to the team behind it, @lordbutterfly and @verbal-d, for making this consistent and also encouraging even outsiders to try the Web 3 space, showcasing their skills and talents, and being rewarded for their efforts.

So, for this week 32, I decided to do a cover song of "You're Still God" by Phillipa Hannah.

Sincerely, I have been through a lot and most people would think nothing is going on with me but the difference is how I only choose to talk to God rather than sharing my problems with everyone except for my siblings and a few trusted friends, amidst all these, I trust in God because there's this one truth I have hold onto which is that He still reigns and still God.

This song, when I listen to it, keeps my hopes high and always reminds me that no matter how huge my problems are, God is always there. He is present every time and that's why He is the Omnipresent. This song is a soul-lifting one that, anytime I switch to it, gives me a kind of courage to keep doing my best while also waiting on God for the best.

I chose this song as my first since I have been here because of the various meanings I give it. I also encourage my listeners that while they might think their problems are impossible to overcome, God can level them to the ground, and all we have to do is believe in one truth: He's still God, and He reigns forever.

Here is the chorus of the song, while the rest can be found by clicking this link.

Though I can't see what's before me

Also, I shared my promotional video on different social media;

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=princessbusayo/kkwqpahj

Last week Friday, I satisfied myself with a long time soup. When I had to flash back to the last time I ate this soup, it was over 15 years ago. I could still remember those days when mom would either cook this soup for us or when she would send us on an errand to go buy her food (Amala) at a popular canteen joint. She would emphasise being served Gbegiri soup with it, and if not, I shouldn't buy it at all. She loved the soup and made us enjoy it, too, as a family.

Gbegiri is a soup made with beans and this is why, in English, it's called "beans soup". It is a healthy soup rich in protein. There is another name for it in my tribe called "Abula" which is the mixture of Gbegiri, Ewedu and Stew. This is what I prepared on Friday to satisfy my cravings and I did enjoy it with Amala, a Nigerian solid meal made with yam flour. The next day, I tried the Gbegiri soup with Semovita as suggested by my sister and it turned out to be a delicious combination 😋

Gbegiri is an easy-to-prepare soup, and the ingredients aren't very expensive. Most people prepare this soup in different ways and no matter how you prepare it, you will still enjoy the outcome.

So, let me take you through how I prepared mine.

Ingredients for Gbegiri:

The first thing I did was to soak the beans for a few minutes to get them soft. Then went ahead to peel and remove the shaft. After that was done, I transferred the peeled beans to the pot and sliced some onions to cook until it was very soft.

When the beans are soft, I mashed with a broom till it's smooth. You can also use a spoon or spatula instead of a broom. Then next was sieving to remove the particles.

I transferred the sieved beans back to a pot and added palm oil, seasoning cube, salt and dried pepper. I stirred and cooked for a few minutes, and the Gbegiri soup was done.

I moved on to prepare my ewedu soup. It is called jute leaves in English.

I removed the jute leaves from the sticks and washed them thrice. I put the locust beans and potash in a pot where I boiled. Then, I poured my jute leaves into it until it was soft. I mashed with a broom until soft and cooked for a few seconds.

The next thing was preparing my stew.

Finally, Gbegiri soup is ready with others served with my Amala.

You can also view the whole process in the video I made.

All images are mine

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=princessbusayo/cxuyveehsq

It was a fun day and time with my childhood and best friend as we tagged along on the 18th of January which was last weekend. My sister had recommended that I go to the event, which was happening in Lagos, and I had to travel down to the city while also informing my friend beforehand to get ready. The fee was #16,000 ($9.5) and I paid for two; my friend and I.

The venue was over a 3-hour journey from my friend's place, and we had to take off as early as possible so we weren't hooked down by traffic. We arrived at 12:55pm, and the game was to begin at 1:00pm; we arrived early.

When we got there, we were given a hand band to identify that we came as a team (D'unwinder) for the game. One of the hosts, who is also my sister's friend, took us to our seats and brought a small game pack for us to entertain ourselves while waiting for the others.

I didn't know how to play this game until the host taught my friend and me. At first, I thought it was a hard one but along the line, it became simple and fun. The idea is to remove individually without letting the others fall. My friend lost twice. After that, we moved to playing the ludo game.

There were lots of games played by everyone. Many came as a group which was much fun than coming alone. We did a variety of games which are in the video. You can entertain yourself with the games and enjoy.

All images are mine

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=princessbusayo/aluzeremei

In my country, when an individual, most especially the lady, gets wedded, we say she is out [off] of the market. She is off the market and is now hooked to her betrothed husband. Such is the case with my friend.

Her name is Tosin and she got married to a Yoruba guy, same from her tribe and town. I've known them together since we started the journey at the same university. We are three friends; the other one got married two years ago and here comes Tosin, who is now legally married to the love of her life.

The preparation started in April this year when she told me of her introduction ceremony. I wanted to go but she told me not to bother because it's a long trip from my place. I insisted on coming because she is my friend, but she declined and said I should make it to her wedding instead which is the important thing.

Two months later, she talked about doing a bridal shower and the native outfit called "asoebi" we would be putting on. I spent lots of money on this stuff, but I wasn't bothered because she is my friend and also a one-time expense. I kept looking forward to her day and also praying for the success of the wedding.

The day finally came and I was happy to see my friend after over 2 years of graduating from school and just talking on the phone. She looks so different from the last time we saw and I'm glad she is doing fine. Our third friend couldn't make it. Even though she'd planned to show up, she lost her mom last week, and it was a painful one for us. Her mother had been sick for some years now and didn't survive it. How I wish I could see her again but I guess fate had different plans for us.

I was on the bridal train, and it was a beautiful moment on Friday night as we came together to pray for our friend and wished her the best in her new home. It was an emotional one for me because I kept wishing it was me on the day, but you know, all I have to do is wait for my time. Everyone took turns for different tasks; I was called upon to do the opening prayer; we danced, sang and had an amazing moment together with the bride.

Enjoy the video and photos.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=princessbusayo/qkcjmhmi

It was on Thursday, this week that we got a message notification from our Local Government Inspector (LGI), the one coordinating the corp members in the LGA in one of the western regions, that there would be a nationwide sanitation day on the 1st of June, 2024. As we were being told, the order was from the Director General for NYSC (National Youth Service Corps), a programme mandatory for Nigerian Graduates below thirty (30) years old.

For each state with 774 LGA, all corpers were to partake in this programme and as supposed, everyone did their best. June 1st fell on Saturday which is today and also the beginning of a new month, we were told that all corpers in my state and LGA should be present on the day by 7 am so we can help serve our country and humanity. I was annoyed at such a meeting because I had plan resting after the stressful work during the week. I planned to sleep all through the day and of course, eat too.

This was something I couldn't escape from as it was also included that our monthly clearance would be done after the sanitation. This was just a trick to lure every corper to the said venue because, if not for the clearance, the majority of us, yes, I included myself, would not get out of our homes.

I dragged myself to the venue which was the biggest market in the town where we would be helping out to sweep and make the environment clean for the traders. The sanitation was supposed to begin at 7 am as told but we started at 8 am after our LGI had given his speech, dividing each of us and assigning a particular location for each group where we would make it clean and do our best.

We all converged differently to our assigned duties and did all we could. Everyone in the market including the elderly ones appreciated our efforts, prayed for us and were happy that we helped out with the process. At first, the whole thing was kind of boring but a colleague in my group spiced things up with his humorous behaviour and words. We laughed while sweeping, those with rakes raking, those holding the dustbins for us to pack the dirt inside, we all enjoyed the fun of it.

After the whole stuff, we met at another different spot where the LGI ordered us to write our names down as attendance and then go home. We knew the clearance was just to make every one of us come for sanitation because we weren't daft to understand that such biometrics process cannot be done in the market thereby disturbing the market sellers from selling their goods. Besides, there was no space allocated for us to do those things, still, we came, enjoyed the fun and went back home. I used the opportunity to get some ingredients to make my meal the following day which is on Sunday so I don't run out of them when I need them for my delicious meal 😋.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=princessbusayo/qbqsyxjise

Here comes the Vibes Web 3 music competition week 7. The Web 3 music hosted by @lordbutterfly keeps growing and more people keep coming in bringing their talents to the blockchain. As usual, it's Princessbusayo again on the chain with another sweet cover song by Alec Benjamin, titled "Devil Doesn't Bargain". This is one song that has been a favourite since I added it to my list some weeks back.

The song was recommended by a friend on the chain @funshee where she narrated an experience of a friend going through a toxic relationship in which she took her time to advise her and suggested that her friend listen to this song. I was curious to listen to such a song that did magic to her friend of opening the truth to her and what I found changed the concept for me.

There is no one that hasn't experienced a bad relationship before and sometimes, it's always hard for the victim to let go of the relationship when the love has blinded their eyes. They knew the relationship was hurting them but they turned deaf ears to what people were telling them and remained in it thinking they could change their abusive partner. When a girl is dating an elusive partner — one whom you don't understand his movements, one who quickly changes his words without standing his ground, it is necessary to leave such a relationship because it's obvious he doesn't love you as his only intention is to abuse and maltreat you like you mean nothing to him.

Listening to this song has made me value myself and understand that I don't deserve to stay or be in an abusive relationship or fall in love with a guy who doesn't respect me. When a guy is being abusive, elusive and there is no truth in what he says, the devil takes over him and you know what? The devil doesn't bargain, he doesn't compromise at all but to inflict pain on an individual. The devil tells lies and makes you suffer in his hands.

A lot of ladies are in a toxic relationship and they aren't ready to leave with the belief that they will change him. No, you can never change a bad guy, he will never settle for you but keep treating you like trash — no, you deserved better. Move out of such a relationship. This song keeps me stronger each day I listen to it and helps me value myself, making sure not to settle for less or for an abusive man.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=princessbusayo/ooitxlurgz

It's Vibes Web 3 music competition and week 4 already by @lordbutterfly

The good thing about music is how much one goes into learning new songs, rehearsing, and then practising them just like the way it is sung. I decided to do the cover of "All of Me" by John Legend after it was suggested to me by a friend, @hopestylist and I thought to try it out. Although this is not a new song that I'm just hearing for the first time, but taking my time to decode the lyrics and their meaning makes it more fun to me.

Just like this song, it is one of the most beautiful love songs I have ever heard of as there is truth in everything there. Love in those days is not how it used to be now as the world is filled with lies and pretence and this doesn't keep a relationship moving because there are cracks in the wall of love for some people, any further crack could break the wall down.

The song admits that there is no perfect relationship anywhere as there would be issues, but one can overcome them as long as both partners accept each other and give it their all. Love isn't just a feeling; it is a sacrifice and the willingness to be committed and dedicated to your partner. Loving your partner means making them your priority, seeing that they are happy all the time and you will discover the joy in your heart.

As long as two lovers give themselves to each other, nothing will ever come between them. This also means taking away all egos and setting aside each other for perfection. Love means sticking to each other no matter how bad they feel, no matter what they are going through, and being there for each other knowing that they are unstoppable.

Lastly, when it comes to love, it takes giving it all in exchange for deep love and eternal happiness with each other that matters.

Cover image created on Bing AI