My old English teacher once said that the -cide in the word decide is the same as the one in homicide. 'To choose one future is to murder all the rest,' she warned. 'Deciding is a ruthless act.' - Esso, The Upper World

Someone once told me that how you start your year dictates how the rest of the year goes. I still don't believe it but this year gave me enough reason to contemplate its validity. I had the most social year of my adult life that I can remember, it even beats me speaking at several events. This year I was outside; sometimes on purpose, sometimes reluctantly but most times because I somehow just said yes. My extrovert friends loved it, my introvert friends were shocked and I? I was just meh up until the last months of the year when I started getting exhausted. I definitely dont’ regret being active but I don’t think I want to repeat it again.

The year started on a high note in January with weddings, events, hobbies and my birthday. Like most Januarys, I went in with my hobbies, I focused on crocheting and gardening and currently I have 5 different species of mint. Why do I like mint? I have no idea but I have it. Roxxane is also doing well. Roxanne is my snake plant. My plan was to crochet more and keep a daily journal of my activities. As for weddings I had one every other week. I enjoyed dressing up and watching other people dance. I currently have 2 ongoing projects, one is a velvet blanket for myself and a pillow case. Will it be completed soon, I can’t say but we shall see. That blanket is now a year ongoing.

Along came February with its usual quiet. The highlight of this month was my friend's wedding and the completion of a baby blanket which I had promised my Dessert Maker I'll make for the next dessert she had in the oven. I completed my first book of the year A Thousand Splendid Suns and started a new one. Looking back at my monthly recap, I remember February as a blur and was late in the review but I had one certified weekend of wedding fun from Suleja to Keffi and that counts as a win.

In March I understood the reason fasting is between you and your lord. The weather was hot and then some. It was Ramadan and I really tried to focus on worship and I believe I did a good job and hope to do better next year (It's actually in my resolutions). During this burning month, I travelled to Minna and if I thought Suleja was hot, It was an understatement compared to Minna. I spent a few days in Minna and took the time to celebrate Muffin's birthday. My gardening took a back burner and after my return to Suleja, I got to enjoy being ill during Eid celebrations. Helped me get a great Eid Nap though 🙃.

And then April began my descent into socialising. I had an event every weekend and I was actually loving it. I had bridal showers, three weddings and an IWD event. I should have slowed down here but Nahh I was on a roll but didn't realize it then. Though April wasn't all rainbows because I had to fix Atlas and was stuck with Hephy for a while even though now I've decided that both Atlas and Hephy need to start doing their own different tasks. I took a few pictures that I was proud of too (You can check them out in April's review) and enjoyed the season of my favorite flowering tree. I completed two books; one poetry book and a sort of homicide fiction. This was when I realised I had three homicide themed books and I decided to give my next few reads a theme. Imagine Reading "How to Kill your Family" at a family event 😅. PS: It wasn't planned. Then I slept, I slept all my peopling exhaustion away. Do you guys actually get tried too after social events.

Then it was May I reviewed a book at SLS, then riding that feeling, I volunteered to be part of organising a spelling bee competition to mark children's day. Maybe I felt like an adult but I think I just missed doing community stuff like I used to in Minna and so even if it wasn't tech I decided to do something. It was a fun but hectic few days but the reward was worth it. Kids calling me "ma" will always make me laugh, like I'm an adult that they can actually ask stuff 😂. There was another bridal shower this month and this was when I got Roxxane, she's doing quite well now even though she's not growing fast enough. She also has a sister Rebecca but there’s someone that refuses to acknowledge that 👀. Also Yes, My snake plant has a name, but my mints don't. I don’t make a habit of naming things I eat.

June was quiet and slow, I went out on walks (even though I've lost my cycling streak by then), I looked at the sky, I saw butterflies which for some reason felt like I hadn't seen them in a while. I completed the second book in my homicide theme and began the last one which took a while for me to complete. I went to the cinema and wondered how people could take 8 year olds to watch gory movies and also why Nigerian cinemas don't have a strict PG check. By June, I was starting to wrap up my masters thesis which yes, I know, I've been at it for a while now – We all know me so let's get past that 👀.

July was worse than June in the sense that I don't even remember it. I was moving on autopilot. I had a few sessions with some kids, my dessert maker had a birthday and then I just lay in bed doing nothing but doom scrolling. This was when I lost my journally streak for a while.

August came pouring in with one of the things I can lift my mood instantly; Rain – in August it poured. It was raining droplets and babies because it felt like people around me had a meeting and decided, Let's just give birth in August. This was the month Pudding arrived and guess the first blanket she was put in; the one I made 😁. Of course I was in Minna for this. I took time off work to focus on family but also my thesis document. I had to do the AI review checks and whatnots. Due to the fact that I was in the rain constantly going from home to the hospital, I caught a cold that lasted almost 2 weeks but it was worth it.

Remember how I said I was in a community mood thingy? Well the main and largest social project for me started in September. It was a bootcamp where I was very involved. Before I continue I would like to complain about how Maulid people made me walk for over an hour because they blocked all roads. I was exhausted and angry. Anyhoo, I started my almost daily trips to FHCDI for the bootcamp classes. I submitted and presented a conference paper, revived my daily journal, worked on a new project and still had time to prepare for my friend's wedding. In September, I had a rhythm and somehow I stuck with it.

Then October happened and I lost all of it. It started with a wedding and I had some fun then I went back to wrap up the bootcamp and then continued on with my work stuff. I delayed a lot but somehow got things done. I got Temu-ed and received a nursery pot rather than a normal sized flower pot. I still put my plants in the tiny pots, pending when I get normal sized ones. It seems I have to actually go out and buy them myself and that means it will take weeks. The most interesting thing about October was seeing the beginning of my favorite flowering weed plant. I think it's called a "Mexican sunflower". It usually indicates the start of the last quarter and I just love how it lines the side of the road with yellow. Always somehow far from reach. Then I really got into vertical Dramas. Those cliche repeated plot type dramas on youtube preferrably with chinese actors. I am addicted, judge me if you wish. I won't even defend myself.

By now I was starting to feel the effect of my peopling and once I got into November which is my original Social Month, I was exhausted. I was going for devfests after giving myself pep-talks. The best part of November was completing my thesis and getting a date for my defense even though it seems my supervisor wants me on more stuff but I don't even have time to start talking. I went for Three Devfests this year, which is the same number just this time I moved zones (I was in Kano). I had to force myself to go for one devfest but I’ll say it was an overall successful tech event season for me.

And so the 2025 season comes to an end. In December, I had one session with some kids before going to Kano with friends for devfest. I had a good time in Kano and forgot to journal. I will remember that karaoke night 😂. Then I returned and there was an event in Suleja where I was a rapporteur and then the Desserts came and wrecked their usual welcome havoc. Atlas belonged to them at this point or at least to Cookie. Muffin is a gamer but I refuse to give up Zephyr. The last days of December were quiet. I was home alone a lot. I had time for some reflection. I started a substack for my random thoughts and one of them is about how December is hot. I don't think I've ever experienced December with temperatures in the late thirties. It seems more like March than December and today being the last day of December, we had a temp of 38 degrees. Global warming is real.

I am not one for resolutions but this time I decided to write one. In December I came to a realization that there are habits of mine that I would like to change and I also have some goals I want to take seriously. So I'll write the resolution and see how easily I can achieve it. One of them requires shaping my character a bit and I think that would be the hardest one. Though we'll see how everything goes. At some point I realized I somehow lost my vanity (in the self appreciation and love type of way), somehow I stopped trying, no dressing up, barely any pictures; Shout out to the friend that kept requesting fit checks because it made me try harder and now I have several pictures and want to continue it in 2026.

2025 as a year was more about me doing things I wouldn't have done normally and then overthinking it in bed later but this has also helped me view some aspects of myself and attach priorities to what I want to keep, what I'll modify and what I'll cast out. So with this few points of mine, I hope I've been able to convince you and not to confuse you that I was an EXTROVERT IN 2025 🙃.