belletammy

She stood there speaking to herself with a myriad of questions for just one person… What if I suddenly discovered that everything I ever believed in was false? What if the ones I hold closest to my heart end up being the ones who have spent their entire lives keeping secrets from me? What if the one thing I want the most always seems to elude me? What if the things that were once precious have made me ask… what truly is happiness, and how can it be measured? What if my whole life has been built on a lie? What if the concept of faith and belief, is all a farce? What if love does not actually exist? What if I am beginning to question my very existence?

Uh oh! On hearing that exclamation and a scream to follow, his mother instantly knew that there was trouble! As harmless as that exclamation sounded, her oldest son only used it when he had a serious situation in front of him. They were a family of six, very closely knit. Mrs Idoko stopped at having three children initially, but years after , she wanted another so badly, a girl. She was tired of these three soldiers staring back at her with hard faces all the time. She wanted to be able to dress her girl in pink, use ribbons on her hair and eventually when the girl would grow up, she would have someone who would whine to her. Every girl would run back to her mother at some point she liked to believe. Well, she did. A lot!

Something that’s fast becoming a favourite for me is watching people.  I’ve been doing this for some time, but I am realising more, how much I enjoy it. At airports, social gatherings, it’s amazing the stories the mind could form from just observing. Airports make a great scene – raw impatience, politeness, lateness, cluelessness, all forms of emotions are usually displayed. Have you witnessed any extreme reactions from someone at an airport? Intense!

Drops of lime Beats of fame Wrong decision No one knows the pain Drinks, laughter and joy Blood, sweat and tears Bawling uncontrolled Darkness enveloping Shutting the world out Nobody knows the pain Just there for the gain Around only when it's rosy Loved ones become the enemy Angels are the least respected One moment is life changing Bringing with it joy abounding Healing words from total strangers Hurtful ones by the ones called friends Shifting notions A price too heavy to pay Counsel once given Caution thrown to the wind Riding wild horses Bitter sweet memories to cherish forever Blood is thicker than water The saying as true as can be Time may heal But the layers thicken

On my way home one day, the whole place started to darken. A storm was on the way. It started lashing down, the heavy downpour was the heaviest in a few weeks. The street hawkers ran for shelter under a bridge But a few remained hawking right there in the rain I saw someone buying a drink from a guy who was completely soaked. The person rolled down his glass just enough to take the drink and took the glass up so quickly. I could see the rain pouring but like I was not convinced, I rolled my glass down just a little and the rain slapped me to wind up quickly. And as is normal with rain, traffic slows down due to poor visibility.

This post was written by Abj Loving, Abuja Living about my sister here . First published on Monday, October 6th. I just had to share :-) Young and In Charge: Odachi Abah Over the course of the last four weeks, we have met young people with an interest in acting; this has shown that Nollywood is an industry that has come to stay one that is providing jobs for the younger generation, one that keeps them away from crime and one that should be encouraged. Our young person of the week today followed her love for theatre, but eventually her love for making people look beautiful took centre stage. What our young persons of these last four weeks have taught us is that, parents are becoming more and more supportive of dreams that were hitherto seen as unconventional, today we see our person of the week’s dad come up with the name for her company and even helps with the registration. The time to start working on your dream is now, it is never too late, today I am proud to present our y

Yesterday was my birthday and I am thankful for all the love and good wishes that I received. I received an early birthday present that had been on my bucket list for some time. Thanks to the long Eid weekend, my very special someone whisked me off to Obudu, then Afi Drill Ranch in Cross River state. We had two working days as public holiday, so we were gone from Friday 3rd October, to Tuesday, 7th October. I had heard wonderful stories particularly about Obudu Cattle Ranch/Mountain Resort but what greeted us was amazing. Although it was a long drive, the journey up there was smooth, we went in a group and contrary to what the other travellers thought, they found that the road was in better condition than they expected it to be. As we drove into the famous Obudu Cattle Ranch/Obudu Mountain Resort I could not contain my excitement, it was beautiful. I thought I would be terrified by the winding road but going up, the view had my total attention.   The Mountain Resort

So my sister, Odachi Abah was featured earlier this week on this post . But yesterday,   08.10.2014, she got asaulted by a Police woman in Lagos. I was having lunch with a friend when a picture came into my phone. I screamed and my friend with whom I was having lunch kept asking what the matter was. I simply showed her the picture, she became so filled with rage. It was a picture from my sister with a caption: ‘ I was assaulted by a Police woman this afternoon’. It didn’t look good! I tried to speak to her but she could not talk, she was at the Police station, the unit where the woman in question works. She went to file a complaint. Eventually Odachi wrote her account of the assault below: "On the 8 th of October 2014 I got assaulted by a Police Woman. This is what happened.  On my way home after my NYSC clearance from Oshodi-Isolo LGA, Lagos State, Nigeria, with a friend, Maduka Benson, our vehicle (Maduka was driving) entered a hole which pulled part of the

First it was the ALS ice bucket challenge. Now it's the gratitude challenge she said! Her statement got me thinking. The ALS ice bucket challenge became so popular on social media. People from all parts of the world had fun with it. But what is this ALS all about? The ALS Association is the only non-profit organisation whose mission includes providing care services to assist people with ALS and their families through a network of chapters working in communities across the nation and a global research program focused on the discovery of treatments and a cure for the disease. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain t

Mama Itohan was in the kitchen singing as she always did while carrying out her chores. She heard her name being called from outside so loudly that it made her jump. "Na who dey shout my name this afternoon" she answered. She ran to hug her friend whom she had not seen in at least three years. "Ivie na so you just waka comot from village, I no come see you since?!" Ivie looked good and somewhere in Mama Itohan's heart she wondered why the gods had not yet smiled on her. She had been in the same village with Ivie until her disappearance three years ago with no forwarding address. The two women spent time catching up and laughing heartily like old times. They grew up together and had been closest of friends for as long as they both could remember. When Mama Itohan asked Ivie where she had been, Ivie only told her that she had moved to the city and quickly changed the topic. A secret she intended to keep. Mama Itohan's children returned from sc

Remember my post Something's gotta give ? I got a message from a follower asking me to look at the sequel he wrote to my post called Something Gave, Something Remained . It's so nice to get this sort of feedback :-) Here it is: His Version (Part One) He gently sat by the cement block, eyes squinting as he flinched from his aching bones. The pain subsided to the smell of seawater as he stared at the sunset, the sea waves clashing in the distance a soothing to his ears. Closing his eyes, he folded his hands and leaned back. A ritual he had always performed was about to start. The plane's shadow quickly cast over him, its engine roar a familiar sound as it climbed higher in the air. He could hear behind him some kids running drunk with excitement and vigor. By the time he counted up to ten, he opened his eyes, and the plane, no bigger than a water drop, entered the clouds, vanishing from sight. It was always at this juncture, once every 4 or 5 years, th

Remember Anthea and Chris? The story in pictures: TRADITIONAL WEDDING, JULY 26 2014 Anthea was dressed in this attire and taken out by her lovely friends to be identified by her husband-to-be.

Things are not as bad as I expected them to be in Maiduguri, Borno state. I expected to meet a war torn and destroyed place, I was disappointed…there are new structures, good roads and business is thriving for some. It is life as usual. The part of the journey that was most scary was between Potiskum, Yobe state and the outskirts of Borno state. There were numerous check points at every few kilometres with different categories of people: soldiers, police men and civilians who make up a part of the Joint Task Force.    Our driver showed us places where attacks had taken place, we saw burnt cars, burnt buildings, deserted areas, holes in the roads from bombs. There was this particular place that had the saddest story…over a hundred and fifty people were ‘slaughtered like chickens’ the driver said. He was very vigilant as he drove, he knew the terrain. He mentioned that the attackers would appear dressed in military uniforms and attack the real military with such sophisticated we

It has been 100 days since Nigerian girls were kidnapped from Chibok as they sought to be better people by going to school. Unfortunately, these girls are yet to be rescued and the #BringBackOurGirls campaign has brought world recognition to what is happening in North Eastern Nigeria. This post is dedicated to those innocent girls who await rescue as we keep hope alive and stand with their parents asking for them to be brought back alive.

They sat and talked, laughing and smiling, looking into each other's eyes and kissing like lovers always do. He was crazy about her. He loved her so much she got frightened sometimes. She loved him, she did, but she wondered if she would remain happy if she spent the rest of her life with him. She had so many questions...she didn't want to give up her career and fun in the bid to be married. She knew something had to give but she wasn't sure what it would be. She had friends complain, not once, of what they could have been but children came along... Were these friends happy being married? That she could never tell. She wondered if she could not have it all: love, fun, marriage and a career. How could it be balanced properly? But they all say something's gotta give... He couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life without her. He loved her and would do his best to keep her happy. It was fast becoming his priority. Sex with her was mind blowing! She

So I was asked today by my friend who does not live in Abuja how I feel about the insecurity in Abuja . My answer to her was simple. I have chosen not to live in fear, anywhere could get hit. Besides, if I were marked to die today, death could meet me even on my bed. Nevertheless, I will not put myself at risk or ignore warnings that may be sent out. She agreed to that opinion and mentioned that she has a burden to pray for Nigeria . I encouraged her to please pray as I know that prayer goes a long way and I pray with pain and tears for my beloved country also. However, everybody in Nigeria is praying and that is part of our problem. We spend all the time praying and forget to think…the same God who is being prayed to, created brains for a reason. Religion, the cause of so many woes? Violence is being perpetrated in the name of religion, everybody claims to be praying, so who is thinking and who is acting? The Nigerian government cannot solve all our problems, many h

If you missed the first part, you just have to read it  here. For those who have followed the story, thank you for being patient ;) Chris asked Anthea numerous times what her plans were for her birthday (August 2013). Anthea didn’t have any real plans so he scheduled dinner for two. . Earlier in the day, Anthea’s brother, Mark and a friend, Ogba, went by to see her. Some of Chris’s friends and his sister, Tima, also checked on her to give their birthday wishes. Her friends suggested that they go clubbing after the 'romantic' dinner so Anthea was made to promise to call them afterwards. At 7pm, Chris picked her up.   On their way, he suddenly stepped on his brakes stating that he forgot to get Anthea’s cake because he had ordered a birthday cake for her. They were already late for dinner so they decided that it would be picked up the next day as Anthea ordered a cake for herself also.  When they got to the venue, a Chinese restaurant, he asked to g

The Meeting 2 nd July, 2012. They had spoken twice before then. Anthea was looking for a flat to rent in Abuja and Chris happened to be the real estate agent. Her version During the house hunt, we chatted and laughed through the house inspections and the drive. It was like we had known each other for a long time. I am normally quite reserved so I even surprised myself on meeting this ‘stranger’.   A week later, he called me to inspect some place which I liked and I currently live at. He was very helpful as he always checked on the progress of the work being done in preparation for my moving and assisted where necessary. He asked a number of times to have drinks but I would never avail myself. I was single and not searching after the experiences of my previous relationship. Cherish! She was my neighbour and a little friend of ours, " OMG, where is Cherish! I need to thank that girl!" This is what Chris says to me every now and then (lol) as he bel

From my last post , I got a very detailed reply via e-mail from a friend. Waking up to that was such an amazing thing, that I decided to write a follow up post with his comments.  I say a very big thank you to all of you who follow my blog and come here to read whatever it is I have to write. Please keep the comments coming, they make it all worthwhile :-) That was a very great piece by Ene and I thought I should lend my thoughts to some points she raised. Yes, Nigeria just reached her centenary year as an entity and quite frankly, many aspects of her nationhood leaves a lot to be desired. However, there are many contributing factors to this and I feel obliged to respond to two main issues: History and the state of historical artefacts. I would not mention much about the economic aspect as that can be an article on its own. What I may want to clear up is that Nigeria was not referred to as a ‘giant of Africa’ because we had actually attained that status. It was in recog

Have you ever travelled around Nigeria with the motive of appreciating the diversity in the different cultures, ethnicities and complexities that make up the country? These are things worth celebrating. Nigeria has so much that is yet to be tapped, Nigeria has so much potential, Jim O'Neil's MINT theory states that the concerned countries economies have the potential to grow rapidly in the next three decades. This has been said about Nigeria over and over though. Nigeria has been called the giant of Africa, it is the most populous black nation. But does a country not need to appreciate what it has and its past to move forward? Nigeria celebrated the centenary of its amalgamation this year, but I have to say that there was no real impact on Nigeria despite the series of events that were held for certain people in Abuja. I would have thought that this would be a time to dwell on the things that haven't worked, and what makes Nigeria the country it is, then come

Precise steps, no distractions, attentive, speaking when necessary, bold decisions… Open to learning, networking, set goals to achieve, sleepless nights, blood and tears… Courage and self confidence, Belief and accountability, Failure and enthusiam, Creativity and planning, Curiousity and hard work, Living in the moment… Anxiety and patience, Accomplishment, Humbling, Springboard for more… Chasing dreams…

I have been unsure about many things lately… About what to write, about how to add value, about where the world is heading. Too many bad things are happening, too much hatred and anger is tearing our world apart. My beloved country has been thrust in the spotlight for horrible things lately, it is frightening. There are wars all over the world and for those who are students of the bible, I am unsure if these are those times when there would be wars and rumours of wars that the bible talked about... I am unsure of even some of the people around me, unsure of what to expect, unsure that I can be the change I want to see, unsure that the little things I do to make a difference matter, unsure about my future, my career, my plans... I am unsure that in the near future we will have a world where children would play freely with other children, unsure that a child could walk into a neighbours' house with no fear of harm, unsure that the future generation