Monday 26 December 2016

How 'Clean' Are Your Hands?


Hi Hi,

Hope you guys are having a good holidays. We have just a few days to the end of 2016, and my heart is filled with gratitude. This year has been filled with ups and downs, mostly downs for me, and the climax was last Saturday, but God came through for me. 

Friday 23 December 2016

All About the #Headies2016


So, The Headies, our own version of American Music Awards, or one of such, was held yesterday in Lagos, and as usual, what's an Award without a hint of scandal or two? Especially one that involves our music stars and their over-inflated egos. I've been in my village enjoying the holidays and I didn't get to watch it live, but when I saw the hashtags on Twitter, I read and decided to watch the award online before I made my observations.

Monday 19 December 2016

A Little Empathy Is All We Need



Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone…just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.- F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Hello everyone, how was your weekend? Hope it was a good one? Are you set for the holidays? I know things are tough in the country right now, but we always have reasons to be thankful and celebrate, at least we’re alive and healthy, right? I’m good and rearing to go. I always travel to my village for the Christmas holidays o. I haven’t quite matured enough to spend the holidays alone in the city, lol. Just the thought of being away from Abuja for 2 weeks is good enough for me. Oh, the lazy, fun times ahead! Hahahaha… don’t blame me, I’m a village girl at heart.

Friday 16 December 2016

To Be A Mother or A Best Friend



Parenting is not an easy skill. I remember a friend of mine, who is also a parent, while discussing challenges in raising kids in this modern age, asked me ‘who taught you how to be a parent?’. I laughed and replied that nobody teaches you how to be a parent; you just become one and learn on the job and hope you do the best. I don’t know how my grandmother did it and raised 10 of them, or how our parents coped; could it be that the times are different now?

Wednesday 14 December 2016

My Wish for Christmas


If you’re one of those that grew up in homes where you had Christmas trees with beautiful decorations and gifts neatly wrapped and placed underneath the trees which you get to unwrap on 26th morning, screaming in delight, I envy that! Growing up we didn’t have Christmas trees, and I had always admired the trees and now that I’m grown and have my own house, I keep saying I’d decorate my house for Christmas every year, but somehow, I’ve never gotten round to doing that.

Monday 12 December 2016

It is Not Always About you.

www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk

Happy Holidays everyone.


Let me start by wishing our Muslim brethren a happy Eid El Maulud. As you celebrate the birth of Prophet Mohammed, may He bless you and your family with happiness and grace your homes with warmth and good tidings. 

By now, most of us have heard about the tragic event that happened in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, where a church auditorium still under construction collapsed during an important ordination service which had the Governor of the state in attendance, killing between 25 and 200 people (depending on the news outlet you get your information from).

Friday 9 December 2016

Customer Service

Hello guys,

Hope you're having a good day so far. Thank God It's Friday, even if you have no exciting plans for the weekend. I'm having a restful day, school has closed for the Christmas holiday, I'm on my annual leave from the office, so, it's been good spending time with the lil munchkin.

I wanted to write about something else today, but an encounter with the cashier at a departmental store this afternoon made me change my mind.

Wednesday 7 December 2016

On Religious Courts




Hiiii,

It's been a while, right? I'm very sorry for my absence for days now. Notice that the blog looks pretty now? Hehehehe... got some young sharp lady to do this for me, and I had to give her space to do her work. Who says the blog can't look pretty while I'm having fun? I like it, do you?

So, what have I been up to? and what has been happening in Nigeria; never a dull moment, right? Let me start with moi; I travelled to Lagos, my gorgeous niece got dedicated in church. Now, I do not like Lagos, Yes, I don't, and each trip gives me more reasons not to like the city/state.

Thursday 1 December 2016

Misery Loves Company


Good morning dearies, 

What's poppin' this lovely Monday morning?. Hope your weekend was better than mine. Spent mine in bed mostly, down with a cold. By the way, is there no cure for this bloody thing??? Isn't it about time some genius discovered a solution to this viral infection?

Wednesday 30 November 2016

Between NCC and Us


Hi everyone, good morning.

The end of 2016 is around the corner, can you believe that? Can't believe today is the last day in November, the month just flew by so fast. I'm deeply grateful to God that I and my loved ones are alive and healthy. Whatever other challenges we face can be surmounted as long as there is good health, right?

Monday 28 November 2016

These Artists Ain't Loyal


Hi Guys, how was your weekend? Hope y'all got some rest, and feel rejuvenated enough to face the new week? Good.

According to a lot of Nigerians, they hate the ruling Party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), yet they keep winning elections; the latest being last Saturday's election in Ondo State. So, who keeps voting for their candidates?? Anyway, congratulations to the winner, Rotimi Akeredolu, I hope he does well for his people. 

Friday 25 November 2016

The Enemy of My Enemy is Not my Friend


I have tried to stop following politics in Nigeria as the practise is quite nauseating, and I have been cautioned over my criticisms towards the government, but as the curious cat, I find myself still keeping up with that crap and seething inwards. I feel sad and frustrated when I see our youths trading words with one another, fighting and defending these politicians. They fail to understand that in politics, they never have permanent friends of foes, only permanent interests.

Wednesday 23 November 2016

Truth, a Bitter Pill to Swallow


I have so many things I need to get off my chest, and where best to do that but here, in my very own corner? 😊

First, someone said it seems as if I'm anti-men, with the way I attack them in my posts on Social Media. Hmmmm... Where do I start from? I'm not misandrous! I had a father who lived with my mother till his death when I was 29 years old, he wasn't abusive towards her or us, a great disciplinarian (he was a school Principal.

Monday 21 November 2016

Mediocrity and Us

Hi guys, good morning.
Hope y'all had a splendid weekend. I did, well until yesterday. Still in Enugu, one of my favourite cities, and in my bestie's house getting stuffed with delicious dishes. I  can bet my jumpsuit seems tighter this morning, LOL.

Friday 18 November 2016

Mortality Stares us in the Face

Hey guys, how has your day been?
Sorry for the late post. It's been a loooong day for me. My God-sister (if your mother is someone's God-mother, the person becomes your God-sister, ain't it?), who's also become a dear dear friend lost her mother so I travelled to their village in Enugu state for the burial today.

Wednesday 16 November 2016

Never be Quick to Defend

Guten Morgen,
So, in my quest to learn more languages, I downloaded an App called Duolingo on my phone, so I can at least learn the basic greetings because you never know when you might need them. Started with Spanish and the difference between greeting a male and a female, just like Hausa Language, which some people believe makes it easier to learn the language, but I beg to differ.

Monday 14 November 2016

Confidence Vs. Arrogance

Good morning fam. Hope you all are good and this Monday morning met you hale and hearty? Can you smell Christmas in the air already?! I can!! I'm torn between anxiety and excitement; anxiety because, well, the financial situation of this girl and most people in Nigeria right now is depressing, and excitement because it is Christmas!!

Friday 11 November 2016

The Search For Greener Pastures

Hi Hi,
How has everyone been? Hope emotions have calmed a bit over the results of the US Presidential elections?? The way Nigerians have been rejoicing and attributing it to Trump's Godliness and deep Christian roots, you'd think they all worship in the same church with the man or something like that, and they had already seen his name in the Book of Life which we've been told will be opened on the last day.

Wednesday 9 November 2016

Nigerians and Our Love for Afghanistanism

Hey guys, how you doin'? I dey o! Still in Akwanga working my butt off.

Cheer up! So your candidate didn't win in the US elections, so what? It's not the end of the world, rather see it as an opportunity to see some of your relatives who are in the US of A without legitimate documents who might repatriate themselves even before the new Government remembers them. hahahaha.... (Nneka you're wicked).

I first came across the word 'Afghanistanism' when I did my Post Graduate Studies in Mass Communication. It simply means the practice of concentrating on events happening in far away land, while avoiding controversial issues at home. Sounds familiar?? That's what we do here in Nigeria. The way we've monitored the US elections here, if we had been this conscious during our own election, maybe things would have been different for us here. This morning on my way out to jog, I saw hotel receptionists and other workers glued to the TV, watching the results come in. Very funny.

On a serious note though, Congratulations to Donald Trump, I was actually not surprised that he won, though I would've wanted Hillary to win. A good friend of mine was trying to analyse the reasons why Hillary lost. Maybe the Americans don't really trust her, maybe they're fascinated by Donald Trump, maybe they don't like Obama's policies and feel she'd continue them, or maybe for all their talk on gender equality they're not really ready for a female president. Whatever the case may be, he has won, and he might actually surprise his opponents and be great for America. 

A known pastor here predicted that Hillary would win; How far?? Hahahahaha... Nigerians running amok over what doesn't concern them. Some people stayed awake all night to monitor the election. Americans have spoken, they have taken back their country, if you hate it so much, leave and go develop yours. Let us take back our own country. If they've made a mistake, time will tell. We shall continue to watch them like monitoring spirits that we are, LOL. The West sneeze, we catch a cold, remember??

Have you seen the memes?? they're already pouring in online and trust naija people, very mischievous. Anyway, have a great day. Trump won, it's not the end of the world. It won't affect my salary or my promotion. I'd still get Visa to visit America and spend my hard-earned money. Let me face my work jor!

Hugs...

Monday 7 November 2016

Beauty Beneath The Ugly

Ututu Oma nu o! (That's good morning in my native Igbo language in case you're wondering ). Hope you had a good weekend.  Am I the only one who prefers 'hope you slept well' to 'how was your night?'. I find the former less intrusive, but hey, that's just my opinion, don't mind me hehehehe...

I had a good weekend, spent yesterday on the road to Akwanga in Nassarawa state of Nigeria and will be here for the next 5 days. I didn't anticipate the distance from Abuja; we were told it was about an hour but thanks to the bad roads and the fact that we left Abuja quite late and was driving at night, the journey took hours. At a point I was almost convinced we had missed our way, but thanks to Google map, and Adamma( That's what we named the voice that gives directions, lol), we found our way to the hotel.

On our way to this place, I was convinced that no hotel in this place could be nice enough to make me forget the uncomfortable journey I experienced, because I was so car sick and threw up in my boss' car (not a fun experience at all). Imagine my pleasant surprise when Adamma directed us to the hotel and the first thing that came to my mind was 'wow, something good can actually come of Nazareth'. I didn't know if it was relief to finally arrive at our destination, or the lights that beautified the place, but it was beautiful. I thought it was just lights and weariness clouding my judgement; but I woke up this morning and it's still as enchanting as it was last night. I'm glad. I mean if this place would be my home for a week, then it better be good. The room is lovely, the environment is serene and quite spacious and a good place for walks and runs if possible. I wish I could apologise to the city for writing it off before I saw what it had to offer.

It is the same thing in life; sometimes we judge people and conclude without even getting to know them first. I knew a woman whom everybody had written off as wicked, then I heard some acts of kindness done by this same woman and I knew that nobody could be all bad. I have also discovered that some people hide sweet hearts beneath a mean-looking face. People tell me I frown a lot, but I have the sweetest heart, hahahahahaha...(still laughing). Sometimes it's not always what it seems, beneath that ugly exterior could lie something breathtakingly beautiful. Don't be quick to conclude.

I've to go now, it's gonna be a busy day. Work work work work....
Have an amazing day and show love to one another. 
Hugs...

Friday 4 November 2016

Communication, a Two Way Street

Communication must be hot. That's honest, open, and two-way.- Dan Oswald

How're you all doing? Hope your week has been great. I'm okay too. For days now I've been having series of discussions with friends on the importance of communication. Children always ramble on and on, telling us what they want and how they feel all the time and we listen. Why then can't adults communicate effectively? 

Wednesday 2 November 2016

Women Vs Women.



When people talk about women being their own worst enemy, I always think to myself, 'those are girls, not women'. It hurts when I see or hear of erstwhile best friends who have become sworn enemies, and either of them resort to using information she knows about the other's past to shame and mock her. C'mon!! We should be adults and mature women, not school girls anymore. 

Monday 31 October 2016

To Diet or Not to Diet



If only I'd tell my stomach this when it starts to grumble or lust after that pounded yam and white soup. Sigh...

Good morning everyone, hope you had a gooood weekend? Mine was just the basic Saturday, workout, shopping, cooking. Then I took the lil' missy to a birthday party where I ate a lot of delicious cake. The boy's mother is a wonderful baker, so you can imagine the deliciousness that she brought out in the form of a cake. So, after all the cake and alcohol I made up my mind I'd eat veggies and fruits yesterday to cleanse my system and balance the junk out. Hmmmm... Na so!!

I tried o! In all honesty I tried to eat only veggies but mehnn, I just couldn't. See, I'm a foodie, a proud one at that. My taste buds love food, and I don't deny them of the pleasure of good food. My preference is local dishes, I'm not very adventurous when it comes to food, but I just gotta eat. I see friends going on different kinds of diet to loose weight and I've tried some in the past before I respected myself and decided to stick to what works for me. 

The issue with weightloss is sustainability; which most of the crash diet programs do not make any provision for. Let's say I want to loose 20kg, I go on a crash diet for a month or less, I loose the 20kg, then I stop the diet and go back to my former lifestyle. What do you think will happen? I'd just pack the weight back on! That's what I've seen with a lot of people. They drink all sorts of teas and herbs; I even heard of one that's refined charcoal, all for weightloss. I personally feel some of those things might even have some side effects. 

After due consideration, I decided that what works for me is moderate eating and regular vigorous exercises. It's not easy to wake up early and run for 8-10km, but when I remember I can't eat only veggies, I quickly put on my running shoes and hit the road. My advise is, if you want to loose weight, you must make some lifestyle alterations; change your diet and exercise. There's no healthier shortcut to loosing weight. You can do any of these crash programs, but you must combine it with exercise if you want to sustain the results. Most of the diet plans I have read about all recommend exercise,which only goes to prove that you need more than crash diet to loose weight and maintain it. 

When you set out on the weightloss journey, do not expect to see drastic changes soon, afterall you didn't pack on the weight in one day/week/month. However, keep going and you'll definitely see amazing results. If you can't run, walk, or join a group if you need motivation. Whatever you do, get off the couch and exercise. You've nothing to loose, but a lot to gain. 

That's all from me today. Have a fabulous week and don't be a couch potato, hehehehe....
Hugs...

Friday 28 October 2016

Raising Morally-Sound Children in a Morally-Decadent Society


Growing up, I remember one day I told fellow children that an old woman who lived in one of the flats in the same compound peed on her bed at night. I don't know why I said that, it wasn't like I saw her or saw the wet matress, pure mischief I guess. One of the children I gossiped to ran and told her what I said. See beating that day! Chai!! After her own beating, I was still scared because I knew she'd tell my parents and another round of flogging would follow. When my parents came back, she came upstairs and reported me to them, another round of flogging surely followed. 

Back then, it was understood that if a child misbehaved, the nearest adult should discipline the erring child and not wait for the parents alone. It kept children in line and once they saw an elder, they'd stop whatever bad thing they were doing. Therefore, it was easier to raise children back then as there were still some semblance of morals left in the society, and fewer distractions.

http://allprivatelabelcontent.com/

I look around the society today, with all that is going on, and I conclude that it is difficult to raise a morally-sound child in today's world. Difficult, but not impossible. From the cartoons they watch, to the children and adults they interact with, they pick up a lot of crap! Most parents frown at a stranger, teacher or even relatives disciplining their children as they believe they're the only ones that should do it. That's why you'd see a child misbehaving and just waka pass, afterall he/she is not your child and the parents will not find your attempt to discipline the child helpful in any way. Children will even see an adult and continue what they were doing, knowing you're not their mother and won't touch them. Sometimes when you report an erring child to the parents they'd laugh over it; some would even criticise you for reporting the child. 

The responsibility is still on parents. We definitely don't have it easy as our parents and grandparents did, but we must make the best of what is available to us. A woman swore that her daughter could never be in the shoes of the ex Miss Anambra that was recently caught in the middle of the whole sex tape drama and blackmail; I replied that she shouldn't brag yet because I believe the poor girl's parents believe they did their best to raise a morally sound young girl. The saying 'train up a child in the way he should go and when he grows, he will not depart from it', is still applicable today. When a child is properly trained, peer pressure and life may shake him, try to veer him off the path, but because of that strong moral foundation, he/she will surely find his/her way back to the right path.

I also have done some things which I'm not proud of, but having been raised the way I was, it was impossible for me to derail completely. I can only hope to raise my child with the same sense of morality with which my parents raised me. Our generation and those before us were raised right; what is wrong in trying to raise our children the way we were raised, despite living in different times? I feel the best values to instil in a child are love and kindness; every other value can be subsumed under these two.

E no easy sha, but we just gotta try, don't we? 

Meanwhile, I really need to add some spice to my life, work on improving my social life abeg. I find myself joining workout groups, but that shouldn't be my sole idea of fun. Anyone with interesting ideas should hit me up ASAP!

Have a fun-filled weekend.
Hugs... 

Wednesday 26 October 2016

Enough of the Barking...


These are indeed tough times for Nigerians living in Nigeria, I kid you not. There's no need to sugarcoat it so we'd look good in the eyes of foreigners; it is bad!! I was one of those who felt we should present our best side to foreigners in order to encourage them to invest in Nigeria, not scare them away.

Monday 24 October 2016

The Hypocrisy of It All

bom Dia,

So I've decided to add Portuguese to the languages I wish to learn, just in case I meet Cristiano Ronaldo someday and we need to converse, you know? *wink wink.  Anyway, how was your weekend? Hope good. 

Friday 21 October 2016

Many Are Called...

MANY ARE CALLED BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN

Hiya, how was your week? Hope it's been good in spite of whatever challenges you may be battling with at the moment. 

In this world, especially in Nigeria, we've seen people in various professions who have so badly derailed from the path that I doubt if they'd ever be able to find their way back to the right path. In my opinion, some professions should not be dabbled into if you do not have the passion for it.

Wednesday 19 October 2016

Stockholm Syndrome

Stop it. Do not feel safe with him. The Stockholm Syndrome is not your friend - J.R. Ward

On August 23rd 1973, two armed robbers entered a bank in Stockholm, Sweden, terrorised the people and held 5 people  (4 women and a man) hostage for five days.  At the end of the 5-days hostage situation, the captives appeared sympathetic towards their captors, which was shocking to the Police officers, considering the fact that these people were tortured, abused and threatened for days.

Monday 17 October 2016

After All is Said and Done, My Thoughts

I bet you guys have had fun with all that happened over the weekend in Nigeria and far away in Germany. We've laughed, ranted, snickered, and had fun with the memes that emanated from the fight between our President and his wife, yes, fight, because I believe that what we witnessed was just a reflection of the way things have deteriorated at the home front.

Friday 14 October 2016

My Feminism Is Not Your Feminism

"... I felt such a resentment. I thought: Are books really that unimportant to you? Another thing I hated was that I read everywhere: Now people finally know her, thanks to Beyoncé, or: She must be very grateful. I found that disappointing."- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Wednesday 12 October 2016

Unforeseen Incompatibilities?

We must have observed that during wedding receptions, the MC would ask the couple to cut the cake at the number of children they wish to procreate, and I had never seen a couple that made any mistake. They always cut the cake together at the count of a particular number, meaning they must have discussed the issue of the number of children they want to have. So you'd think it's not a big deal and every couple should have this locked down, right? I thought so too.

Monday 10 October 2016

Patience is Rewarding

Hello everyone,

Hope y'all are doing great this bright Monday morning. Your families? Hope they're well, fed, and have roofs over their heads? Then just give praise to whichever God you believe in, and if you believe you got all that through your sheer power, more grease to your knees then. 

Friday 7 October 2016

The Invasion of Reality Television


"See, I don't watch reality television anymore. I watched a little bit of it for awhile, but I found it turned my soul into a black sludge, and I just did not find it healthy or good for me at all, because I would watch it and be disgusted, disgusted."- Martha Plimpton .

Wednesday 5 October 2016

Salute to the Teachers!

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn” - Benjamin Franklin
Courtesy:linkedin.com

Today is a day set aside by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to honour teachers all over the world for their daunting task of imparting knowledge into the young minds, guiding and moulding them as they discover their paths in life.

Monday 3 October 2016

Truth Is Bitter

The truth may roar, but its roaring does not terrify the blameless. Guilty conscience needs neither a critic nor an accuser. Remember, the truth has no aiding crutches; once it is limping, its name is "a lie'. 
― Israelmore AyivorThe Great Hand Book of Quotes

Friday 30 September 2016

As We Turn 56

Courtesy:thebreakingtimes.com

For reasons I cannot explain, on the eve of my birthdays I'm always sober, no excitement or any of those emotions I believe people experience when their birthdays are approaching. Mine's this sober reflection into the past years, checking how far I have come, the way forward, mistakes made, lessons learnt, etc.

Wednesday 28 September 2016

Change is Constant

"Everything changes and nothing remains still"- Heraclitus

I wonder what the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus had in mind when he made the above post which have become famously translated into 'change is the only constant thing in life'.

Friday 23 September 2016

Aren't We All Guilty?

The first time I was fully made aware of plagiarism/piracy and it's implications was  years ago, 2009, I think, when I shared a video of the song 'Time to Say Goodbye' by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman on Facebook, a video I got from Youtube which I assumed was already in the public domain and could therefore be shared by anybody.

Wednesday 21 September 2016

Let There Be Peace (International Day of Peace)

"Let us all work together to help all human beings achieve dignity and equality; to build a greener planet; and to make sure no one is left behind." — UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

Helloooo...
I'm still basking in the euphoria of the new addition to my family; my only sister gave birth to her first child, a girl, yesterday morning and I've been so excited. I think I'm even more excited than the new mom, lol.

Monday 19 September 2016

SEXUAL HARASSMENT: WHO IS THE VICTIM, WHO IS THE CULPRIT?

Hi hi, good morning everyone. How's da weather over there where you are? Cool, I hope. I thought we were having another eclipse of something this morning, with the way the clouds darkened here before the torrential  rainfall. My only wish was that it had rained like this on a Saturday so I'd just go back to bed. Anyway, man must whack, so we all had to leave our houses despite the weather. 

Friday 16 September 2016

Mother vs Mother-in-law

Knowing Is Not Enough; We Must Apply. Wishing Is Not Enough; We Must Do.- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
In other words, faith without work is dead.

Wednesday 14 September 2016

On the Principle of Full Disclosure

Hello lovelies, How're you doing? (In Wendy Williams' voice)

Courtesy: google
The quote in the above image is one that we know so well; we claim we'd rather be told the truth than lied to. However, if that is completely true, why do we also say that 'ignorance is bliss'? 

Monday 12 September 2016

Eid Mubarak! Humanity Above Religion

Happy holidays everyone.

I doubt if anyone needed this break more than yours truly. I wish all our Muslim brothers and sisters a blessed Eid ul Adha. May your sacrifices be acceptable to the Almighty Allah. 

Friday 9 September 2016

Jumping to Conclusions (JTC)

Good morning, *long yawn....
The week has been HECTIC! Been in Minna, Niger State, again, developing some training documents for my organisation; so it's been late nights, coffee, reading, editing, etc. Well, it's all good, always grateful for the opportunity to learn, but mehn! This girl is knackered. Glad we're leaving today and we've a long weekend to recover.

Wednesday 7 September 2016

Much Ado About Mark's Visit

Bonjour tout le monde,

Hope you’ve been having a great week. To my old and new readers, I say welcome! As you must have known, I don’t do breaking news, rather I watch a news event play out, then analyse it here from my own corner and my perspective. It’s more fun that way, right?

Monday 5 September 2016

Stereotypes: Truth or Just Politically Incorrect?



Stereotypes are preconceived notions about a group of people, often used to categorise that particular group of people. People usually find it offensive or racist when they’re stereotyped, and although stereotypes can seem unfairly conclusive, is there any truth in it or are stereotypes completely politically incorrect?

Friday 2 September 2016

Doctor vs Dokinta


This month began on a good note for me as God saved my house from getting burned down as a result of a faulty cable. Meanwhile, been battling with respiratory issues since childhood with re-occurring bronchitis and its associated discomfort.

Wednesday 31 August 2016

Envy Vs Jealousy


Hola, como estas? (Practising my Spanish for that trip to Ibiza,lol). 
Hope your week has been great. Can't believe today's the last day in August 2016, it just feels like I was saying 'Hello August' the other day. The month has been good for me, mostly work work work (in Rihanna's voice). See why I need someone to whisk me away to Spain?, I'm in need of a vacation or 'baecation', as the case may be.

Monday 29 August 2016

On Being a Role Model


It was meant to be a restful weekend; the lil' munchkin is still with her grandma (God bless grandmothers, by the way), it literally rained all through the weekend, thereby keeping me indoors. You'd think I'd sleep, but somehow insomnia struck, so much that I couldn't even sleep at night. Not cool at all. So there I was with my thoughts, my music, and the Internet. Summary of my weekend. 

Friday 26 August 2016

Wednesday 24 August 2016

Devaluing Our Values


Did you know there was a section of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where the ‘national ethics’/ values are listed? Honestly, I didn’t know that till last week. Chapter 2, section 23 of the constitution says: The national ethics shall be Discipline, Integrity, Dignity of Labour, Social Justice, Religious Tolerance, Self-reliance and Patriotism. Hmmmmm… sounds simple enough, right?

Monday 22 August 2016

5 Magic Words


There are 5 magic words,
There are 5 magic words
There are 5 magic words that we know:
Please, Excuse me, Thank you, Sorry,
And the last one, Pardon me.

Friday 19 August 2016

Where Do We Miss It?


Hello lovelies,
Hope y’all have been having a good week? There’s never a dull moment on Nigeria’s cyberspace and social media. From our athletes’ performances at the ongoing Olympics, our Pilgrims allegedly getting caught with substance suspected to be cocaine, a Nigerian thief almost beaten to death in Monrovia, the story about the bride that left her groom at the altar upon discovery that the dude lied to her about working in Chevron (don't know if that is true o), and finally to the hullabaloo over my Igbo brother who named his dog (actually painted the name on the dog’s flanks) ‘Buhari’, LOL. Never a dull moment, I swear!

Wednesday 17 August 2016

We Forget Too Soon


Today I’m just gonna rant! It’s very easy to make noise, raise uproar when something happens, then what next??

We’ve had issues raised, events take place, and many things happen here in Nigeria that one would think such issues will be dealt with appropriately, but it seems once those issues leave the front pages of newspapers, they cease to matter.

Monday 15 August 2016

Success Begets Many Friends


Boy, did I have a hectic weekend! Spent the better part on road trips, and you know how ‘wonderful’ our roads are. I'm in  Minna, Niger State on official assignment, and I was so knackered when I came in yesterday, yet sleep eluded me last night.

Friday 12 August 2016

The 042 Spirit

So this foxy mama needed a lil’ ‘me’ time, and the lil’ munchkin wanted to go see her grandma, so it was a win- win situation for everyone. Therefore off we went, landed in Enugu and drove to Abagana, got them settled and off I went to one my favourite cities, Enugu a.k.a 042 (back in the days of NITEL land line, 042 was the area code for Enugu).

Wednesday 10 August 2016

Invasion of Pyramid and Ponzi Schemes

Courtesy: themerkle.com

Have you ever attended one of those seminars? Noticed how sweet and convincing they sound? I swear, if you go there with money I promise you'd invest in their scheme there and then. I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but hey, I didn't invent the term 'pyramid scheme' neither did I coin 'ponzi scheme'.

Monday 8 August 2016

Must we Settle?

Hi hi,

Hope you had a nice weekend. Hmmmm... I didn't really have a good one, for a couple of reasons. For starters, the public power supply kept toying with us, the voltage kept going high-low all weekend, thereby blowing up some appliances in my house. This led to me ponder on our situation here in Nigeria right now.

Friday 5 August 2016

Feminization of Poverty

This week has been hectic, online and offline with views and opinions on the roles of the various genders in a home, especially women, as it seems people have already resigned themselves to the belief that the sole role of men is to provide despite the fact that in a lot of households the women work, provide for the family too and sometimes earn more than the men.

Wednesday 3 August 2016

Summer Classes or not?

Courtesy: alicegorman.com.au

The holidays are upon us, Summer, as some would call it. I don't even get why we in Nigeria call it summer too since we enjoy sunlight all year round, and this period is even known for incessant rainfall. So where's the summer sunshine that the people in the Western world enjoy at this time of the year?

Monday 1 August 2016

To the Meddling Meddlers



Hello lovelies, welcome to a new week and a new month! Someone wrote that August means  "Ask Until GOD Unveils Something Tangible" (we sure do love to coin something out of anything, don't we?), lol. Anyway, hope your weekend was good? I thank the Almighty for July and here's praying our August visitor will locate us this month (whoever or whatever that is).

To the Meddling Meddlers



Hello lovelies, welcome to a new week and a new month! Someone wrote that August means  "Ask Until GOD Unveils Something Tangible" (we sure do love to coin something out of anything, don't we?), lol. Anyway, hope your weekend was good? I thank the Almighty for July and here's praying our August visitor will locate us this month (whoever or whatever that is).

Well, today I want to address the meddling-meddlers a.k.a the judging-georginas a.k.a poke-nosers a.ka. the amebos. Why won't people mind their businesses? In today's world, people aspire to get to the top and succeed in their various fields and endeavours. We all go about it differently, employing various tactics that suit us to get there. Some work their way to the top (like yours truly, *winks hehehehe..), others scheme, plot and jazz (juju, vodoo) their way to the top. Some lie, blackmail, cheat and back-stab their way up the ladder. Another group of people decide to sleep their way to the top, and this group seems to be the one that bother people the most.



What is your own? Is it your body? Is it your private part? Are they 'sexing' your 'sex'? Why are women mostly judged for sleeping their way to the top? Do you realise that not only women sleep their way to the top? Yes, a lot of guys I know have slept their way up that ladder o! Some women who are 'ogas at the top' also need to get shagged, and the young dudes are willing to do it to get favours too. If it doesn't hurt you, why're you judging? Nobody looks at those that scheme, lie, jazz, back-stab their ways to the top, but once a woman becomes successful, the story of which boss she slept with starts to materialise. Maturity is learning not to meddle in things that do not concern or affect you. Meddling and judging is very immature. So, learn to walk away. Leave people to live their lives and mind your business.

May August favour us all.
Hugs...

Sorry for the late post, been away on official assignment; this busy gal is paying da cost to be da boss someday,lol. 

Friday 29 July 2016

On the Issue of Modern-DaySlavery

Courtesy:un.org

We have heard about Human Trafficking, a.k.a Trafficking In Persons, a.k.a Modern-Day Slavery; the movement of human beings from one place to another through the use of deception, abduction/force, coercion, blackmail, etc for the purpose of exploitation. No wonder they call it 'modern-day slavery'! I mean if the purpose is to exploit the individual, then its akin to slavery, right? Some people are truly going through a lot in this world.

Wednesday 27 July 2016

#ThingsWeShouldStopSaying



There are phrases, terms, sentences we use that have become such clichés that I feel we should stop saying them, seriously. Maybe we say them because we grew up hearing them and we haven’t really paused to consider their meaning and appropriateness in today’s world, or we just feel they will help the hearer whereas I think they don't.

Monday 25 July 2016

The Endangered Religion?


Hi lovelies, Hope you had that fabulous weekend? Well, it was a wet, rainy and cold weekend here in Abuja, so I spent most of the time indoors with my lil' munchkin. Therefore I feel well-rested for the week, which I believe will be a great one, (fingers crossed).

Friday 22 July 2016

Human Beings And Our Need for Constant Validation


Xoxo
So, yesterday my lil' Miss Sunshine graduated from Nursery to Primary school, and you can bet that we Nigerians, being the people that love events and celebrations, usually go all out for any form of graduation. Be it from creche to reception/pre-nursery, from pre-nursery to nursery, etc. 

Wednesday 20 July 2016

To Cook or Not to Cook.

Last weekend I spent virtually 95% of the time in the kitchen, I like to cook a lot and store in the freezer and eat for weeks. I cook because I have to and I don't really like eating outside, not because I really enjoy it. I don't experiment or get excited with the ideas when I see food ingredients, I just do the basic. Honestly I don't blame people that hire chefs to cook for them, seriously, because it's just stressful, in my opinion. 

Monday 18 July 2016

If Nigeria Were To Be Turkey...



I guess we all know by now that there was an attempted coup in Turkey last Friday, right? Turkish President, Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan was away from the City on holiday, and top Military Officers decided to carry out a coup and overthrow a democratically elected president! Ha! In this day and age???

Thursday 14 July 2016

Nigerians And The Concept Of Monetization.

I remember when ex President Obasanjo introduced the monetization policy in Nigeria in 2003. There were mixed feelings as top civil servants had hitherto enjoyed free housing, house-helps, drivers, cooks, etc that were on the  government's payroll.

Tuesday 12 July 2016

To my Parents on their Birthday!

Do you think the dead celebrate birthdays wherever they are? I think they should. I mean, it's not like they've a lot of things to do for fun there in the land of the dead, abi?.

Monday 11 July 2016

Good Fences Make Good Neighbours?

“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall…” – Robert Frost ‘Mending Wall’

I remember Late Mrs. Ezeoke (God bless her soul), our English Literature teacher in secondary school teaching and analysing this poem in class. I really loved Literature, guess that was the reason why I studied English language and Literature in the University (okay, that and the fact that I didn’t make the JAMB cut-off mark required to study Law).

Friday 8 July 2016

#blacklivesmatter EVERYWHERE!!


I am not one to shout 'racism' over every post, joke, advert, or event that people feel are aimed at insulting the black race and its people. I sometimes think we as blacks tend to exaggerate and overreact to certain issues, tagging every act as ‘racist’ even when no harm was intended.

Wednesday 6 July 2016

Eid Mubarak!!

Happy Eid ul Fitr to my Muslim brothers and sisters. May joy and peace fill you hearts and homes. 

To my fellow workers, don't you just love the extended holidays?? I don't really care about why the holiday was extended, sighting or non-sighting of the moon, but boy, am I glad? Someone said to me this morning that it'll affect our economy; say what?? One extra day of holiday will worsen our economy? Na so!!

Monday 4 July 2016

While They Deliberate...




Who else had a restful weekend?? I sure did, and I'm glad it's Monday! Strange right??, I know!! The thing is, once I'm working I have this feeling of satisfaction that I'm working for my money (though the money is never enough). Hmmm... Well, I heard they've started deliberation on the minimum wage. I find it annoying that they just started "deliberating" on the increment in our minimum wage, really. 

Wednesday 29 June 2016

Respecting Our Differences


We live in a diverse world made up of people from different backgrounds, cultures, religions, beliefs, etc. In as much as you don’t practice or believe the next person’s culture or religion, you need to respect it. If you doubt me, go to marry a Yoruba girl and don’t prostrate to greet your father-in-law and see what’ll happen to you.

Monday 27 June 2016

The West Sneeze, We Catch a Cold


I usually don’t bother myself much with what the US or UK does, except if it directly affects Nigeria (although I must say that most of the things they do indirectly affect us here). When the vote was underway in Britain, I was quite surprised I didn’t see a lot of mentions about it by Nigerians in Nigeria, unlike what it’d have been if it was the US voting for something

Thursday 23 June 2016

Misplacing our Priorities


The story of  Eli in the Bible should be a lesson to all of us. Eli was a Chief Priest of Shiloh, the then-highest place of worship; a good man who loved and delighted in God’s service. He was one of those described as 'pure', gave his all to God and served Him faithfully. Yet he failed in one very important aspect- raising his children right.

Tuesday 21 June 2016

Should we say No to Immunity?


Some days ago, news broke about the Immunity and Life-Pension Bill being proposed for Principal officers of the National Assembly. This means that they would get paid till they die (bearing in mind that some of them already enjoy some sort of pension from their states, being ex-governors), they’d also enjoy immunity from all sorts of probe, arrests, investigation, jail. Hmmmm…

Sunday 19 June 2016

Happy Fathers' Day


Whenever Fathers' Day comes, I always dedicate my post to real Fathers, not sperm donors as some men are. This year is no exception. Happy Fathers' Day to all Fathers, who make their children a priority in their lives, who love and protect the mothers of their children, bearing in mind that doing this will make their children feel secure also.

Friday 17 June 2016

On allegations? of sexual misconduct

Hi lovelies....
So I woke up this calm, bright Friday morning to read news of alleged sexual misconduct by three of our 'Honourable' (I've always had an issue with referring to them as honourable) members of the House of Representatives in the United States of America when they went there for an official assignment in April of 2016. Hmmmm....

Wednesday 15 June 2016

Get those boys domesticated!


It not uncommon to hear women complain that their husbands are not domesticated at all! They don’t help around in the house; they expect the women to work, cook, clean, raise babies, and still remain fabulously sexy. O di egwu!! Wives complain that their men are like that probably because their Mothers-in-law didn’t do a good job of getting them a tad domesticated.

Monday 13 June 2016

The Nigerian Youth and increasing restlessness

My office is on the same street with the People Democratic Party's headquarters, and it wasn't easy when PDP was in power, as the road was often blocked to our own detriment. When PDP lost to APC we heaved a sigh of relief (or so we thought), as once in a while you'd still see small 'rented' crowd cheering one politician or the other.

Friday 10 June 2016

Who is watching the kids??

Pedophilia is not new to us, children have been sexually abused for decades, however the culture of silence predominantly in existence then didn’t let people know much about it. As an 8 year old, I remember my late grandmother’s houseboy, Friday, carrying me on his laps and I could feel a bulge (which I didn’t understand then, but can deduce now). Sometimes he would actually ask me to touch his erect penis.

Wednesday 8 June 2016

The futility of it all...

Daily we wake up to hear news of people dying. Death itself is not news, the news is usually the circumstance surrounding the death. Whenever someone dies, I always ponder in my heart: did he/she see this coming? What were his/her last thoughts? It's really sad when people people die alone with no loved one to say goodbye to, in my opinion. 

Monday 6 June 2016

Social Media: a blessing or a curse??


Someone like me might not survive without Social Media, seriously! I feel like I'm in darkness if I can't access the Internet. I don't know what I did with my time and my life before Internet came to naija. I know a lot of people also feel this way. However, with recent happenings especially in Nigeria, I have come to see social media as more of a curse than a blessing to us.