iBLOG - Meeting Japheth Omojuwa and Ahmed Isah

I had the choice of attending Iyanya’s album launch or iBlog on Saturday, 24^th February, 2013. However, I had committed myself to iBlog long before so I decided to stick with it. I ran into Iyanya the day before who turned out to be so cool but yeah, there’ll be many other shows :-)

I attended the first iBlog meeting where I met an extraordinary man who had convictions and would stand by them, a man who is using social media to bring awareness and wake Nigerians up to see the bigger picture. I admire his zeal and the passion with which he drives his message. He has been told enough to discourage him but Japheth Omojuwa is unrelenting to put it mildly.

The Art of the Game

Have you ever felt like you have been played? No need to ask right? We sure all have!

You know when you feel like you’ve simply been used as an end to a means in whatever respect...most popular on the list is when two people like each other and the guy gets his hands on the cookie, takes it and runs or the lady gets her hands on the cash or the thing she needs from the guy and she dumps him without looking back? 

I have a friend who loved this guy silly, she could almost lay down her life for him and he was a total waste of time! I’m sorry to say but yeah at the time he meant everything to her but never treated her right. He was living off her and she was too blind to see. You know when people are ‘in love’, it’s always smarter to stand afar off and be the onlooker because once you get tangled in it, you become the enemy when it’s all sorted out....sound familiar?lol We called her ‘Miss mumu international’, she certainly will read this post (Pardon me my dear friend but remembering this all is cracking me up so bad). She is happily married today by the way and of course not to that guy. Phew!

GENOTYPES

I have been asked a few questions about this subject recently. Some people I have spoken to do not see any reason why they should be bothered about their genotypes. Some can't even wrap their heads around it. I am not a medical personnel but I will try to explain what I can, I will also provide links where I found useful information so you can do some research on the subject. Please correct me where I may write something that does not add up :-)

I remember being taught in Biology in Senior Secondary School the composition of genotypes, that stayed with me and this may be a little Biology lesson but it is worth reading.

First of all, genotypes are genetic make ups of cells. Some of the genotypes that exist to my knowledge around the part of the world where I am from are: AA, AS and SS...I have heard of the C heamoglobin but it is not very popular. Anyway, with the C, there are AC and SC (not sure how it works).

Pearls Support Group Abuja

I was invited to a support group for women today, the topic for the day was: 'What is wrong with me? I am still not married' - catchy huh?

Women from different walks of life were there, married, single and widowed. Everyone had something tangible to add to the discussion. It was a productive session, it was also very educative. The openess amazed me. Hurting women, happy women, we all were there.

A woman shared some of her experiences in relationships, i.e. before she got married. She had been in a few abusive relationships, she didn't know any better. Another talked of how she felt everyone only wanted to take from her, some who seemed to have lost focus of why they should even be in a relationship talked of their experiences and we all came to a conclusion that sometimes, we are preoccupied with wanting to be 'hooked up' that we lose sight of who we are and why we should even be in a relationship.

Once upon a time...

Who made you judge of anybody she retorted, tears streaming down her face….

They once were happy but now that joy seems to elude her.

Going down memory lane, she remembers how the sound of laughter always filled her home, they once were the couple everybody wanted to be like, the promise of tomorrow was bright but today it all looks bleak.

Who else could she have married if not him? They dated through university and even when it got tough, they grew stronger in love. The one true love of her life, her happy ending.

2013

Some predicted that the world would end sometime last year but here we are :-)

Passing moments….quick seconds, a life given, a life taken!

New aspirations, new dreams, fresh moments, new years…

Miracles, disappointments, break ups, pleasant surprises.

Clinging onto every bit of hope as nothing else is worth holding onto.

We were made to be ‘diamonds in the sky’ lighting up our world wherever we find ourselves for our next moments can never be predicted.

Life’s moments are not to be taken for granted…the good, the bad, the ugly all make up the experiences. It’s up to us to learn from them or not.

When you forgive, it’s not for the other person but for you because you cease to let the offender have power over you but when you do not, the offender has power over you and so many times, unknowingly, because you begrudge the person while he/she continues with life oblivious of what may be going on in your mind. If you need to have a confrontation, go ahead and move on, life is too short to hold grudges.

What you give out is what you attract, when you harbour evil, be rest assured that it will find its way out and sadly will return to you in some way.

Difficulties arise from time to time, how else would we know that we can be strong without them? Life is beautiful, life can be simple but so many times, we complicate it. We take for granted the ones who love us most and look for things that are out of our reach when what we really are looking for may be right in front of us.

Its 2013, so many woke up with new resolutions…a tweet from Kirk Franklin stated that ‘if you don’t deal with your junk in 2012, it will be waiting for you in 2013’ I couldn’t agree more! People expect miracles with the strike of the clock into the New Year but if the junk is not done away with, it will be carried over; the work needs to be done. If there is a flaw to work on, accept it and do so…after all, we all have flaws but some have learnt that working on them and exalting/dwelling on virtues makes the difference.

Whoever means anything to you, be good to them, hold them dear. When you meet people, treat them right, try not to be impolite. Things cannot always go the way you want, the world doesn’t revolve around you, there are way too many people in it. Find a balance and be considerate of other people’s feelings. Love deeply, laugh as often as you can, try something new, live in the present, don’t dwell on yesterday or tomorrow (not saying don’t plan though). It’s okay to get angry but don’t be for long and watch what you say because words are like eggs, once broken, you never get them back. Bitterness can very easily be given room in our hearts but it is so not worth it, it takes too much energy and destroys everything that has any potential to be good.

There is only one you, find the good in you and be the best you can be, it takes too much effort to live in other people’s shadows…

This goes to give you my very best wishes for 2013, hope it brings all you have dreamt of and so much more!

Frustration explained

I once read a piece titled ‘The Writers Curse’. That curse is exactly what controls me right now, I sit here not sure where I am going with what I write but I am compelled to write, and write I will do...

Chinyere and Tobi were best of friends, they had grown up together and despite being girls, they never had 'trouble' living together. These two had to move in with Nkiru, another friend of theirs who was the sweetest person, a doting mother hen as Tobi always teased.

Unnecessary issues as Nkiru called them seemed to come up every day at work. Having a boss who didn’t appreciate a ‘small girl’ (as he liked to say) standing up to him was not the easiest task. He seemed to make extra efforts to find faults in everything she did. Being human, the pressure began to get to her but the mistake she made was bottle it all up.