Ruth Nwachukwu @bethel

Cooking that stew was like a win, and stepping out to buy bread was the finishing thing. My friend and I had eaten noodles earlier, and while I tried to convince him to stay and eat the stew, he refused. He said it was already late and with Sunday coming, he couldn’t hang around. I didn’t push too much. At least he wasn’t leaving on an empty stomach.

On the way to get the bread, we saw a rat struggling for its life in some really dirty water. It was swimming like crazy, but it was clear the poor thing wasn’t going to make it. We stopped for a bit to watch, and I told my friend, “This rat is done for, no hope at all.” He nodded and then said something that got me thinking.

He said, “That rat is just like all of us in Nigeria right now, struggling to survive in a mess we didn’t even create.” We both laughed, but his words hit deep. It’s true that life here feels like a never-ending hustle with no guarantees. Even when we laugh, it’s like we’re just hiding the weight of everything we deal with daily.

By the time we got the bread, his words still stayed with me. Nigeria is in a tough spot right now, and it’s not just about politics or money, it’s about everyday survival. Some days, we’re just like that rat, trying to stay afloat, hoping we don’t sink further into the mess. It’s a lot to process when you think about it.

After I escorted my friend home, I headed back to enjoy my stew with the bread. But deep down, I couldn’t stop thinking about his words. Just like the rat might find a way out somehow, I hope we all do too. Survival might be hard, but as Nigerians, we’ve learned to keep pushing no matter what.

The journey of a thousand miles will always begin with a step, I'm sure you're quite familiar with that phrase.

It will interest you to know that it's actually my first time trying to withdraw from the website, and to my biggest suprise the money landed in my local bank account.

It all started when I was invited to this wonderful platform by a friend. I never knew a day like today could actually come but I was determined to make it happen.

I made up my mind to save up for my Christmas expenses from this website it looks crazy though because at a point it was like one of the hardest decisions I've ever made in my entire life but as God will have it it become a reality

Going by my planes i was supposed to make this withdrawal by December but one of my biggest fear was mindviewers coming up with different forms of verifications. Honestly the thought alone made my heart so heavy that I can't continue.

My special thanks goes to mindviewers for being a major support to us especially those of us that are students.

It's been ages since I last bought potatoes. Ever since prices started skyrocketing, I just stopped buying them, thinking they’d be way too expensive. With how things are in the market these days, you can never really tell what price to expect. So, I kind of avoided it altogether, thinking it wasn’t worth the stress. But today, I suddenly had this strong craving for some cooked potatoes, so I decided to take my chances and see what I'd find.

Honestly, I walked to the market expecting the worst. I was already prepared to spend 1000 naira for maybe four or five small pieces at most. I had already accepted it in my mind as I made my way there. But to my surprise, when I handed the seller my 1000 naira, she packed way more potatoes than I expected. She gave me about eight big ones, and I was still in shock, wondering if she misheard me or if I’d somehow lucked out.

Before I could say a word, she even tried adding more potatoes! I quickly stopped her, saying, "Aunty, it’s just 1000 naira o!" She looked at me and laughed, saying she knew and that it was fine. She even tossed in an extra piece just to be nice. I couldn’t believe it. With how expensive things have been, I never thought potatoes would be one of the more affordable items. I left the market with my potatoes, still surprised and a bit amused.

Maybe potatoes are the only cheap thing left in the market these days. It’s funny because you’d expect something as basic as potatoes to be pricier, especially with everything else being so costly. But today, I left with a small victory, a bag full of potatoes, and a satisfied smile. Guess I’ll be making potato dishes for the next few days

For a while, I’d been procrastinating washing my clothes, only doing enough each day to get by. It had become a habit, but yesterday, I made a mistake. I washed my towel and forgot to clip it up on the line.

When I got back from the market, I found it on the ground, dirty and covered in dust. How could I have been so careless? I really didn't think I'll spend a long time in the market but too much bargaining later paid off for me.

Instead of just rewashing the towel, I decided it was time to do everything. I brought out every dirty clothes in my room and they were enough to make a big pillow.
Next, I filled my bucket with water, ready to go through each step. It wasn’t easy, just imagine starting something you never planned for but did it in anger and frustration 🤣

A few hours later, my roommate came back and she was shocked to see the amount of clothes I washed. I was more shocked that I was able to go that far.

It's another Saturday hangout again, but this time around things really didn't went as planned. Infact it was a wasted effort all through. Men sometimes can be really annoying self

My friend Mark had promised to hang out, and I had decided to clear my weekend schedule just for this long awaited time to come. I had a list of chores and personal projects lined up, but I pushed them aside, believing that a hang out with Mark was worth it.

As the day unfolded, I prepared myself for an enjoyable time. I picked out my favorite clothes, made a playlist of our favorite songs, and even planned a few fun activities we could do together. The hours ticked by, and I found myself glancing at my phone, hoping for a text or call.

I texted Mark to confirm our plans, but no response came. It wasn't much of a concern at first, thinking he might be busy. I waited, pacing around the house, the thought of how busy my day could have been and wasting it was the last thing on my mind got me a bit worried.

At a point I became very worried about his safety . What if something had happened? I picked up my phone again, but still, there was nothing. I could feel my heart beat very fast the anticipation had turned into a pit of disappointment.

Finally, as the sun began to set, I accepted the harsh reality: Mark wasn’t coming. He hadn’t called, texted, or even offered an explanation. I felt abandoned, left to wallow in the emptiness of a day that could have been filled with productivity and joy.

Frustrated, I sat down, staring at the wall, replaying the day in my mind. It wasn’t just about the missed hangout; it was the lack of consideration that annoys me the most. I had rearranged my entire weekend for a friend who hadn’t bothered to communicate.

Saturday remains one of those days that all ladies spend their full week preparing on how to make the weekend such an amazing one. especially when you have a deal either to go out with friends or on a dinner date with your boyfriend.

But in this case there was no sign on any of those events happening, so I was already prepared for a boring weekend little did I know that my best boy is cooking up something huge for the weekend.

It was morning and there was no need waking up I mean why should I be in a haste to leave my sweet and soft bed without any important reason and besides it's Saturday I should have a good bed rest.

Just massaging myself on my bad I received a text message, it was from my best boy, with a smile on my face I unlocked my phone to check the content of the message. And it reads " get ready we're going out on a date"

You don't want to know the type of strength that I entered me all of a sudden and in the next one hour I was ready and was waiting for him.

He eventually showed up and we left for his most preferred event center where we had fun, hosting different games to another. And of course there was lot of snacks and food to eat. It was indeed an amazing time with him once again, even though I couldn't get enough of him.

This morning, I woke up really late, just a few minutes to 11am, even though I went to bed around 3am. Right from when I opened my eyes, I could already feel it was going to be one of those lazy days. I wasn’t in a hurry to do anything, but I knew I had to get a few things done.

The first thing I did was wash my clothes. I didn’t want to wait too long before the neighbors started their weekend washing. I finished washing and spread the clothes out to dry, thinking I’ll go out later to get some fresh air.

By the time I was done with the pile of clothes, I was already feeling drained. It was more work than I expected. I decided to take a quick bath to refresh myself, but that quick bath turned into a long nap. I was so tired that I crashed and slept for about five hours.

When I woke up later, I had something to eat and, feeling even more relaxed, went right back to sleep. It was honestly one of the most peaceful, lazy Saturdays I’ve had in a long time. No calls, no need to go anywhere, just pure rest.

Last night, I decided to take Fearless drink so I could stay awake. It was my second time trying it, but the first time was during the day, so I didn’t notice anything unusual. I didn’t expect that it would mess with my sleep. I was just trying to stay alert and finish some work.

Once I went to bed, I kept waking up every single hour until morning. At first, I didn’t even think it had anything to do with the drink. I just thought maybe I wasn’t tired enough, I’d fall asleep, and the next thing, I’m awake again.

When I finally got up in the morning, the first thing I did was go to the bathroom. That’s when I noticed something strange, I was urinating way more than usual. But even then, I brushed it off, thinking maybe I drank too much water before bed or something simple like that.

By 10 am, I was so tired from the messed up night that I ended up falling asleep again. I didn’t wake up until 3pm. After I woke up, I found myself rushing to the bathroom once again, passing out more urine. That’s when I mentioned it to my roommate, and she was quick to point out I had taken Fearless. It hit me that the drink was responsible.

After that realization, I didn’t waste any time. I grabbed the bottle, and without a second thought, I threw it in the trash. I wasn’t about to mess with that stuff again, especially knowing how it messed up my body like that.
Next time, I’ll definitely think twice before buying an energy drink, especially late at night.

I’ve been struggling to make good custard for a while now. Two weeks ago, I decided to go on YouTube and learn how to make it. I watched a few videos and thought it looked simple enough. But when I tried it myself, it turned out too watery each time. I gave up after four failed attempts.

Since then, I kind of left it alone. I figured maybe custard wasn’t for me. But today, I decided to try again, this time with a friend’s help. She made hers, and it came out perfectly. Watching her do it gave me some hope that maybe I could finally get it right.

When it was my turn, I tried again, but the same thing happened, it was too watery. I was really frustrated at that point. My friend saw my struggle and gave me a little tip. She said to keep pouring hot water until the custard changes color, which is something I hadn’t heard before.

I followed her advice and, to my surprise, it worked. The custard finally came out smooth and just the right consistency. Now, I can finally say I know how to make custard, and I’m proud of it. It’s going straight onto my list of things I can cook.