Hello all, I know it has been a while since my last blog post but today I am coming to you with the latest post of my PhD Chronicles series which is a life update with everything that's been going on with me over the past couple of months of this crazy 2020! The main reason why I have been away from Thoughts of Chi is because of my beloved PhD and boy let me tell you about my PhD journey so far. Firstly, if anyone told me I would’ve started my PhD during a worldwide global pandemic I wouldn’t have believed you. Nonetheless, whilst my university was closed because of the first lockdown, I was somewhat been able to cherish time at home being at home and subsequently adjusted to life without the lab. Right now, I am focused on getting to the next checkpoint of this degree — my dreaded transfer report and viva next year. Experiments The lockdown literally came just as I started to get into the flow of my experiments and I was finally producing some decent results. It wasn't the ...
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Dismantling the Strong Black Woman Trope
Hello all, I know it has been a long time since my last post but your girl was swamped with a hefty progress report which is now done. A lot has been going on for the past few months but today’s blog post is about something that has really been on my heart for the past few weeks. Today, I am here to discuss a few myths and sentiments around the strong black woman narrative. Over the past couple of weeks, I have seen attempts online of black men to uplift black women and alarmingly the recurring traits of what black men seem to love about black women is that that we are “strong” and “fearless”. Whilst I’m very sure that the intention of citing these characteristics was to uplift, it can come across as problematic where it seems as if black women are appreciated when we are able to take on the load of the world. The fact that I always see the topic of protecting black women and baffles and astounds me the very few ignorant men are unable to comprehend that you should have respect for ...
Valentines Day in Gothenburg
Hello all, I am pleased to come to you all with another travel blog post about my birthday day trip to Gothenburg, Sweden. Travelling for my birthday has definitely become a newfound tradition of mine and my 26th birthday was no exception. Similar to Milan, Gothenburg has been on my bucket list for a while after a recommendation from one of my good friends and the flights were ridiculously cheap (£27 return). Therefore, I booked the flights without any hesitation in November using Skyscanner. I was also extremely lucky to be provided with a complimentary pass from Göteborg & Co to explore Gothenburg's most iconic sights thus forming the foundation of my itinerary. Friday 14th February My flight was at 8:15 am at Stansted and yet again I didn’t sleep much the night before because I was doing some last-minute prepping for the birthday slay. My flight was unfortunately delayed for 45 minutes which meant that my time in Gothenburg was essentially cut down by 1 hour. Nonetheless, ...
Should I Give Him a Second Chance?
Block him sis! Until next time Chi xo ...
My 5 Sentiments About Feminism and Misogyny
Hello all, today I am here to talk about my stance on some of the misconceptions I have seen online about women, feminism and misogyny both of which are topics that I do have somewhat strong opinions about. Before I crack on, I want to put these definitions out there. Feminism The advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. Misogyny The dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. Misandry The dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against men (i.e. the male sex) All definitions from Oxford Dictionary Calling Out Men’s Behaviour Doesn’t Make One a Feminist or a Misandrist Just because somebody is pointing some of the things that women go through the hands of men doesn’t necessarily mean that the individual identifies as a feminist or is a flat-out misandrist. Sometimes, speaking on an experience that we as women go through is purely to raise awareness of our plight and hopefully to come to a ...
Birthday Season Lookbook
Hello all, I am pleased to come to you today with my latest blog post which is a look book showcasing outfits I wore over the period I like to call my birthday season. I saw this as an opportunity to experiment with new wigs over the course of my birthday month when attending different events whilst still implementing my habits from my previous lookbook post! Since I was entering the new age of 26, I wanted to go all out with my looks by switching up my hair for every different motive during my birthday month and accordingly putting together outfits depending on the vibe of the event. I finally gave some of my unworn clothes a chance to shine and I truly do believe that it is good to go through your wardrobe to see some of the hidden gems lying dormant. I again opted to shop in more student-friendly priced shops whilst utilising my student discount shamelessly and I have finally gotten around to wearing an item I purchased from AliExpress (I highly recommend for ladies to do this ...
