Beulah's Page...

Back again + Randoms...

2011-12-17T21:27:00.007+01:00

I haven't been here in decades, Ok, in months but it feels like years..lol. Thanks to all those who checked on me, don't mind me, its sheer laziness that has kept me away. A lot has happened this year, i have moved to another continent, gone back to school (adult education), made new friends, had new experiences and the saddest, lost my dad (really,really sad). I cherish the memories we had together and the fact that he gave his heart to Christ before he passed, gives me so much consolation.

Onto a few randoms, I attended a friend friend's husband's birthday party recently & i must say i was really impressed. At his age, the guy had done so well for himself. It felt bad to know that there are lots of equally intelligent aspiring young men his age everywhere without half the opportunity this young man had. Opportunity well utilized pays off really well. Ok, so in trying out new foods, i had this burritos from Chiptotle, before now i had heard a lot about Chiptotle and how great their burritos were my God!!... i almost choked.... TFC's burritos tasted better, not kidding!! (atleast in my mouth ohhh), oyinbo people's food can be over-hyped sha. I never knew a time would come when i would need to learn programming but right now i have to!, anyone ever used Matlab?

Going back to an issue that has been over discussed & over analyzed on the web- the FG's ban on same sex marriage, i am in total support of it. The jail term attached to it is a bit extreme though (Truth is, Naija peeps are not very good with keeping laws except there's a fine/punishment attached with it) so let me give them the reason of doubt that the jail term was put in there to totally discourage people from going into it. Nigerians especially in diaspora have disparaged and talked & said all sorts about this, i don't seem to understand, these days it seems speaking against gay people translates to ignorance, i don't understand, face it, its not natural to be gay!!, God created Adam & Eve not Adam & Mike!!... (joking) but seriously, homosexuality is not of God , yea science has come up with some plausible explanation as to why some people are naturally inclined to people of same sex, yes but that doesn't make it right. It's like saying people who like stealing (kleptomaniacs) should be condoned because it's a natural inclination they have?... No!. I'm happy about the bill & kudos to the FG but they need to Up their game on all the other pressing issues in Nigeria.

Again, why are Christians always so quick to criticize, cast slur & speak against fellow Christians???..... United we stand divided we fall (we can't even fall because God's word can't fail). I'm not saying it's ok to condone and endorse wrong things other are Christians doing, but blowing it all out rather than praying for the person is not the way to go. We have become this critical group of people, who don't see anything good in fellow believers, even non-Christians are not half as judgmental! It seems people are more quick to identify problems than suggest ways or even try to fix it, i guess it's the same reason we don't waste time in lashing out at our government without trying to help out or even praying for them. Ok, enough of the ranting....

It's a beautiful season & my favorite time of the year. 2011 went very fast howbeit it was a great year. I thank God sooo much for his faithfulness and how far He has brought me & my family this year (my sister miraculously got a new job, my brother came back home safely, my younger brother got admitted into the university, e.t.c.). In this season, remember to count your blessings and name them one by one & you'd be surprised how much God has done for you (this is no cliche, try it & you will see).

I wish everyone a merry Christmas in advance & a prosperous New year and i hope to be more loyal to my blog next year God willing. Take care now and remember to show Love to someone this season!!!

Discovery

2011-03-04T17:52:00.000+01:00

I am at a place of awareness in my life right now…… awareness of who I am, awareness of who God is, awareness of my relationship with others. I have received the boldness to face life and all that comes with it. I really no longer cower in the face of opposition, I see myself a more confident and a more at-peace-with-myself kind of person. I no longer crave for the acceptance of others, I’ve come to realize that I am special, unique and different in my own way. I’m no longer under any form of pressure to please (yea, I have been a people pleaser all my life!). I hope this feeling never goes away…. I’m loving it...

That been said, how come what seems so right can end up being so wrong???..... little wonder the bible says “there’s a road that seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death”. It seemed oh so perfect, oh so right, oh so good, but see what it’s led to! **SMH!!** A lesson learned is forever cherished. Can’t make the same mistake twice

My first post for the year, Happy very belated New Year blogfam!.. Hope the year has been good so far?

Chukwu dalu

2010-12-22T15:39:00.004+01:00

Once again, i sneak up here to make my usual end-of-year thankful post...where have i been all this whyl?...smh!. So I recently discovered i prefer reading to writing (seriously!!...lol) I can spend all day reading books/magazines,twitter/Fb statuses, blog posts and not have the strength to leave comments much more update my own blog...aaarghhhh!.... Dunno what this means- actually thought reading and writing go hand in hand abi?.....

2010!!!.....A unique phenomenal year. A lot happened... i shudder when i think of the things i went through, don't know how i managed. I came out (eventhough still reminiscent of the experiences) stronger, braver and more courageous. I thank God for being my strength and support during those times, i thank him for rasing friends/family who helped me get through it all.....Baba you are worthy! I thank God for the visions he' s put in my heart and how he's gradually helping me realize it, i thank God for my family members (My sister esp. and her family, for providing shelter over their heads), I thank God for moving me to a better place, I thank God for divine health, strength, guidance & protection for me, family members & loved ones. I thank God for making me a partner with him in reaching many all around the world, i thank God for putting in my heart a deep hunger for him, these days, i can't seem to get enough of him :D.......To all of these & much more, i say Chukwu dalu, Nagode Jesu, Ose Olorun, Thank you Lord!!!

It's incredibly hot right now & NEPA knows just how to be at their best at times like this(if you know what i mean)...lol. My friend's FB status made me laff, she wrote: "Dear PHCN, in the Spirit of the season, it won't be too much to ask you to release the power a few hours a day instead of holding on to it permanently" i thought it was very funny...and laffed so hard, heheheeee!!!, Seriously, NEPA is hoarding power so much now? don't know what they're saving it for!

Special Prayer: I pray for the salvation of family members who have gone astray or have run away from home, that God by His Spirt will touch their hearts & bring them to the knowledge of his son Jesus Christ most especially at this period of christmas, that they will come to know the true meaning of the season, Amen

Merry Xmas in advance....!!!

The Basket Sandals

2010-05-28T09:18:00.002+01:00

I love the beautiful pattern it left in the dusty brown sand. They were tiny fragments of square & circles intertwined. All around the school compound, you could see them splayed across sometimes intersecting one another. It stood out from the rest, it was unique. Those were the sole patterns of the basket sandal.

I loved the basket sandals. Back in the days, they were the raining rubber sandals in school. Everybody had them, I mean, everybody. Ify had them and you’d often see me trail behind her as we trudged home together from school under the hot sun. I loved watching the pattern it left in the sand. Ify will wear hers with a set of sparkling white socks which always made it look grander. My own sandal was a brown ugly one which was bigger than my feet. I wanted the basket sandal too, all the girls had it, I loved the beautiful pattern it made on the earth. My Mum said I didn’t need it because I had a very good one which will last me for some years. I was desperate, I wanted the basket sandal just like all the other girls, I wanted to wear it with my socks and look just as smart as Ify. I will go the extra length to get it! So I began to wear my ugly school sandal everywhere I went, to church, to play, to visit, even at home I would wear it, the faster it wears, the quicker I got another one. One afternoon as I was coming from school, “plap!”it snapped. It cut from the sole, I was glad! I knew I had to work extra hard in convincing my mother that what I needed wasn’t a repair but a new one, alas I did and she conceded. Guess what I bought? – The beautiful basket sandal!!!..I still think of this & smile- the frivolities of growing up. Can’t believe I lost sleep over I think so little.

I’ve been following a lot of amazing blogs on the Ville lately eventhough the Ville has been generally kinda quiet, I’ve been having fun. I miss Original Mgbeks soooo terribly, sisto, update more often now!!!, Olufunke, Enkay, where are you galz???. Thank God for ExSchoolnerd, for delivering her from evil. There’s no need apologizing for my usual disappearance, it sounds all very cliché now. Hooray to the Naija Bloggers award, can see a couple of my favorite blogs there. Will surely vote for ‘em.

Yáll have a nice weekend!!!

Chimamanda Inspired...

2010-02-04T12:19:00.003+01:00

Happy New Year everyone …I hope the year started out well for you like it did for me. It’s been a good year so far, can see the hand of God already. It’s going to be the year of the greater Light!, Amen.

I just saw Chimamanda Adichie’s talk on the danger of a single story & I was totally blown. Sheeez!, that girl is good. I love her diction, her composure, the passion with which she spoke & she’s sooo down to earth (or so it seems). She narrated how she grew up reading British & American story books and how those books influenced character choices in her early writing. I would say that was my case as well. I grew up reading Enid Blyton books (Mallory Towers, Famous Five, Secret Seven, St Claires, e.t.c.), Sweet Valley High, Keepsakes, Babysitter’s club, e.t.c. Those books formed my thinking, my mindset, my paradigm. For Chimamanda, it was just her writing style but for me, it was my life. I wanted to eat strawberry, I wanted to eat cupcake & scones, I wanted to own a dog, I wanted to be popular in school, I wanted to have a best friend, I wanted to live the kind of life I read in the books. I remember my first story book, it was about a nineth grader named Thomas Thrackery, he was the finest boy in Wellington High school, all the girls had a crush on him, Yes, I had never left the shores of Naija but I knew enough to write a story about an imaginary High School in Los Angeles…LOL

TV did not help matters either because I watched a lot of it, I fantasized about being a “Huxtable”- (The Cosby show), had a huge crush on David (The wonder Years), wished to be Laura (Family Matters) and wished that uncle Phil was my uncle (Fresh Prince of Bel Air), I wanted to live like them….I just couldn’t understand why my parents made me do house chores. On TV and in the books I read, children didn’t have to do house work, they got hugs & kisses and had bedtime stories read to them, children were not flogged, they only got grounded when they misbehaved. I fantasized about my sweet sixteen birthday, how my parents will throw a big party for me, Aha!, only in my dreams, in Nigeria such things never happen (or maybe was just my family). I spent my sixteenth birthday at home doing normal house chores. I wanted to have a room all to myself because all the characters in the books I read had nice pretty rooms all to themselves but ofcourse I didn’t get any of that because I had sisters who needed shelter as well.

TV, books, (The western media) affected my childhood a lot, I spent most of my childhood with my head pretty much in some faraway dreamland than on planet earth. I have long come to terms with reality though but I wouldn’t deny that those books helped me get past most of the tough times in my life, those times my elder sisters were mean to me (not that they are wicked …they just loved bullying me), those times when my parents punished me (for a good cause ofcourse becos I was naughty), those times when I was just sad (happened once in a while), I’d lose myself in the world of those imaginations and nothing else will matter anymore.

What led to all of this rambling sef??...Chimamanda’s danger of a Single Story!, great speech.

On my mind....

2009-11-30T14:33:00.003+01:00

I have purposely been away for a while. I was starting to get distracted with all the wunnerful happenings on blogville. I realized I spent more time blog-trotting than doing my work/ even studying (ok, I’m preparing for an exam). To make things even easy for me, my company restricted use of internet during work hours & as I nor get internet connection for house it completely left me having no option to come on air. In all sha, I’ve missed blogville. Thanks to all my wonderful blog-sistas who checked on me (y’all kno urselves)…thanks, thanks, thanks for caring…Luv ya all!

Was it 31st Dec. last year when I sat in church thanking God and soaking in every word of prophesy the man of God spoke concerning the year 2009 & by jove another 31st Dec. already approaching?!, How time flies especially when you are getting old …..LOL, sometimes it’s scary. It was a very challenging year & by all means, a year I grew the most. I remember my pastor in one of his messages say – “Welcome Challenges, don’t run from troubles, welcome troubles because they will make you stronger”. Truly, this year, I saw it. As I look back now, I wonder how I was able to make it through those tough, difficult, hard times….it could only have been God. I feel refined, processed & improved, just like that solid mass of raw gold that’s chunked into a hot blazing furnace & the end result a high quality refined gold, that’s the way I feel. This year I grew, & grew & grew…..my values changed, my dreams got bigger & my faith in God soared.

I want to specially thank God for everything, specifically want to thank him for:

1) Life – mine, my family members & luved ones
2) Protection & guidance – When the road seemed tortuous & un-ending, he was there with me, guiding me every step of the way
3) Divine Health – Healed my dad & has kept us all in good health
4) Provisions – provided all my needs
5) Promoted me on my Job this year
6) Provided us with a new accommodation
7) My sister finally graduated & is billed for nysc feb. next year
8) Journey mercies in all our waka waka dis year
9) Wonderful friends
10) Everything, every single thing!

On a final note just have to say this- Stay away from people who belittle you. Stay away, Stay away, Stay away!!!!!.....Don’t think because they are popular, rich, pretty, influential you have to stick with them just because you want to be identified with them. Because you want to be identified with them is not enough for you to stick with the torture they put you through. They find every reason to shine at your expense, to discredit you, to run you down in front of others & worst still they feel you have to be in their good books to get it going. Fa-fa-fa- Fouuuuuuuuul!...Keep away from such! (now doing the cross sign with the finger) ‘cos if you continue with them, you’d soon lose the true essence of who you are. You’d lose confidence in your abilities & soon enough, you’d lose sight of your purpose in Life. Make friends with people who will nuture & spur you unto greater works. Not someone who thinks you are in a lifetime competition with them…oh bother!, pls move on....

Randoms.....

2009-06-18T09:13:00.003+01:00

I really need to repent from this my “one- post –a- month” behavior!...I have been AWOL as usual, I’m so sorry....no excuses. Qmoney, please oh!, if they start charging for absenteeism, na wahala ee go be oh!, which e-currency person go take pay sef?

I am totally rocking my new ipod TOUCH!, beaurriful piece of something, oyinbo, una too much!, the thing is totally taking too much of my time- downloading songs, movies, e.t.c…..i carry it everywhere, have it plugged to my ears as I type now…lalalalalala…lol.

God bless Nigeria, God help NEPA!. Those guys are so wicked, there’s absolutely no light these days…..morning, afternoon, night, no light! All you hear everywhere are crazy generator sounds. From the “I pass my neighbor” generators to heavy duty generators, all of them work overtime. Generator business is a cash cow business now so if you are looking for a viable business to start, think generator…lol!. It’s a true saying that those who live near a rich man’s house suffer the most. There’s this rich man that lives directly opposite our house….. he has this big old generator that makes so much noise, infact the kind of noise it makes can bring a dead man back to life & it churns out smoke like no man’s business & the annoying thing is it’s always on 24-7. We’ve gone to beg the man to atleast buy a new generator or service that one so it doesn’t add to people’s problems, for where?....the man has completely refused. Good thing is we’ve learnt to live with it. We’ve become so used to it that when visitors complain, we are surprised…

This issue has been bothering me. …Is it easy for men to move on with their lives so quickly??, Ok, I have this friend who recently met this guy through a friend, they were casually introduced and since then, the guy has not let her rest, he’s been calling, said he likes her and would like to know her better….guess what we found out?... the guy lost his wife in February just a few months after their wedding and that’s like 3 months ago, and I’m like what???... he’s already looking for another woman?, I mean it’s not bad for him to carry on with his life, but I think it’s rather too soon for him to begin chasing another woman, there should be some mourning period for the blessed memory of his wife abeg!, Men!!!

My Company recently restricted us from Facebook-ing ……”F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-N-G!!!”. Imagine seeing requests from long lost friends and you can’t accept!. It’s so annoying. I guess I’m left with going the Starcomms way, (i.e. getting my own personal internet connectivity). But seriously?, what is it about Facebook that addicts?, I really don’t know…. what I do there if not post/check out pictures is update my status. Facebook isn’t the only social site that offers such service, yet I wonder why the hype is with face book, maybe it’s in the name, who knows?....A name is so very important, it forms people’s initial perception of you. If I said my name was Linda you’d probably perceive me differently from if I said my name was Cynthia. Names are like labels (a lot of people don’t believe this but it’s true), I’ve seen some exceptions sha, but if you say your name is Blessing chances are you’d live a blessed life. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and he became the father of many nations. My friend recently changed his name from one obscure native name to a bible name, I thought it cool but he got enough yabbings from people, and guess what?, that name is working for him already! Well, Little wonder my name’s Beulah, ‘cos I am God’s special….lol

On Everything Else...

2009-04-27T11:21:00.004+01:00

Yippeeeee!!!!....feels so good to be back on my page….I’ve been too lazy to blog, even been too lazy to drop comments on my favorite blogs. I‘ve been doing a lot of blog-trotting, believe me, there are lots of fabulous blogs in blogville. Kudos to y’all bloggers. Yes!, Original Mgbeks, you shattered my heart by deleting those lovely blogs on your blog roll (including mine ofcourse **fluttering eyes**) There were blogs I never bothered adding to my blogroll, I get to them through my favorite blogs (yeah selfish , I know…)

I have a lot on my mind , a lot of thoughts in my head and happenings around me, I hope I don’t stop halfway before I’m through, this thing called laziness ehn? is so alluring (Olufunke, this is why I’ve been MIA). Nywayz, let me get down to it. Remember like the children of Israel when they had tarried on the plains for so long and Moses told them it was time to move up?? That’s the way I feel now.. I feel some voice telling me it’s time to move up. And I feel so obliged to obey that voice, Up I am moving!

Like I narrated in my previous post, I’ve been back in my former unit for over a month now & really, things have changed. It’s never same returning to a place you used to be. For instance, if you left home for a while, traveled for business or to school , most times when you get back, things are usually not the same. It’s either Joy has matured some and is no longer the gullible 7 year old who would jump at your commands or she has shifted her attention on someone else other than you. Things are never the same. In the two years I was away from my unit on some project, a lot of things have changed. some people I left behind in the unit moved on to greener pastures, some got married, some had children,, some got new jobs, in two years. Anyway, I wasn’t exactly wasting myself those two years ‘cos I grew, got experience, got promoted, got promoted again., I was doing well for me but being thrown back to the same old unit leaves me wondering.… I guess I need to de-clutter my head of the way things used to be & just re-adjust to reality. Is the saying not true that goes – “Change is the only constant thing in life.

I am a classic example of “Miss Goody-Two-Shoes”. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t as nice as I am. I like making people feel good about themselves even at my own expense, I feel very bad when I know someone is sad or unhappy because of my action/attitude towards them & it’s made me an extremely polite & and courteous person. I look back at my life and see a couple of steps I’ve taken not for my sake, but to make someone else feel happy or pleased with themselves. Vee called me up Saturday morning to invite me for her hubby’s surprise party, I went for an all-night-church service the night before and was deep in sleep when I heard my phone ring. I ignored it, turned to the other side and switched the sleep to gear 5. The phone rang again. With tired frustration I picked it without looking at the screen. “Hello” I muttered yawning..”Hi it’s me Vee, it’s my husband’s birthday today, and im organizing a surprise party for him, I’d like you to come..bla bla blab la..” she kept on & on & begged me to show up. I nicely told her I was coming from an all-night long service & was still trying to catchup on sleep..”No…you must come oh!, u know you are my friend!”, Nyways, it ended with me agreeing to come but might be a bit late because I had another program planned for the day. Long &short of it, I ended up not making it, my program ended late & there was no way I could make it across town. I tried calling Vee on Sunday to apologise for not coming, she did not pick my call, called & called her two lines, sent text no response & I began to wonder, was she angry at me??: (1) I agreed to go not because it was convenient for me because her invitation notice was short but I was going to sacrifice my “long-awaited” Saturday for her just to make her happy (2) She wouldn’t do same for me if I was in her shoes. I feel so angry that she would even dare be angry at me!...I wish I had told her straight up there was no way I was going to make it. . It is always like that. It’s not as it it’s cool to abandon your friends and not be there for them when they need you., but it shouldn’t be at your own expense because the funny thing is the same person/people you try to please by making sacrifices for, throw it back at you in your face!, it’s as if the nicer you are, the more people take you for granted. Human beings are not worth it really, you’d never be able to please everyone.

Am I the only one who feels the year is running at light speed?...i need to catch up fast, 2009 must never pass me by! It’s gonna be a good week, I can see the signs already. Today’s Monday & I’ve got to de-clutter my desk, I wish I could continue, but I need to face work now before I am caught!

Randoms...

2009-03-13T13:26:00.004+01:00

Ok, I needed to change my wardrobe and went shopping last weekend. These days, you don’t have to have money to go shopping. With a cheque book and a pen in your hand, you could scribble out cheques for future payments and leave the shop with both hands full. So I went to this nice shop in Ikeja (actually, a friend’s friend’s shop) tried out suits/shirts , what????????.....i couldn’t fit myself into size 10 clothes anymore.....what in the world is happening to me?. I used to be an 8 size, whatever happened??....right now, I’m a confirmed size 12!, can u imagine?...I hope a few years from now I wouldn’t be reminiscing being a 12....i have to watch what I eat!

I’m so glad one phase of my life/career is ended. I’ve been on this project in my office for what..2 years? and finally it is over Halleluyah!...Actually I expected it to end on a certain note but it ended differently but thank God it’s over. Now, I’ve been re-deployed to my former unit….(after making so much mouth I will not return there, enough yabbing for me) but yeah, things happen….and I know it’s working together for my good. Sincerely, I need a career break. Why do we have to work anyway?, same ‘ole crazy cycle everyday….Work-Home-sleep-Work…..everyday!!!!!... I don’t have a choice I guess, so I’d have to settle for a few weeks break.

I always had this ill feeling that Rita was weird and didn’t really like me but after speaking with her yesterday, I felt so inspired, she’s really a good person deep down….yeah. PP birthday is coming up very soon and we are planning a big surprise for him. He deserves it so very well.

Thank God it’s Friday!!!....iT’s gonna be a terrific weekend…

Twice bitten...

2009-03-11T12:27:00.003+01:00

“Are you sure of this??” Yemisi quizzed. She had seen it done differently on Maggi kitchen.

“Yes now, that’s how it’s done” Mary intoned “When you wash it and it’s dried then you put it in the pot, it comes out nice and delicious”.

Yemisi having no reason to doubt her friend did exactly as she was told, she put in all the sliced bitter leaf (onugbu) into the pot, stirred and inhaled the aroma stifling from the pot….hmnnn..it smelled delicious!..Dozie would love it!, she was making him his favorite Igbo dish, he will bite his fingers today.

She and Dozie have been married for three fantastic years and he's been a very sweet husband. He doted on her & spoilt her silly. Because of her several miscarriages, her doctor advised that she stayed clear from strenuous physical exertions and because of it Dozie employed cooks and maids to cater for and take care of the house while she merely supervised. She’s experienced marital bliss in every sense of the word much unlike what her parents had. She was barely seven when they separated, her mother went with her brother while she stayed on with her father. Till date, she never knew the reason for the separation, few times she tried asking, she got rebuked and seriously scolded by her father.

Recently, however she noticed that Dozie had been complaining a lot about food. It’s either the food is too salty, or there’s no pepper or it’s too watery….she wondered when he started taking particular attention to food. Dozie was not a food-food person, he could whatever was been served him. She remembered when they just got married, she would serve him anything ranging from gbegiri, to ewedu to efo and he would eat with relish without realizing the difference between it and his local igbo soup. All of a sudden, he wakes up one morning and begins to insist that she must start doing his meals again. “Honey, I am tired of all these food I’m served”, I want you to start doing my meal again”.

“See me see wahala oh!”, she complained to Mary during their early morning exercise at the gym “ Dozie doesn’t eat anymore oh!, , he says I must cook his meals otherwise he wouldn’t eat, must I when I have maids and cooks??...his complaints are becoming tiring. “It’s your duty as a wife to cook for your husband so you must, you can win his heart more through his stomach,” Mary was always the voice of reasoning. So she went ahead and sacked all the cooks and made up her mind to start cooking for her man.

Dozie had called from the office earlier that day to say that he was coming home with a friend. She wanted to surprise him hence the cooking thing she was doing. She gave the soup a final stir closed it and turned out the burner.

Minutes later, Dozie’s car pulled into the compound. She hurriedly set the table and went on freshen up. She greets Dozie with a light kiss on the check

“Welcome honey”, hope your day was good.
“Sure,”...here, he quickly introduces the middle-aged man with him, “meet Mr. Wilcox, he’s the new head of finance ”

They exchange pleasantries and she soon gets them seated around the table. The soup melt so good. “My wife is such a great cook”, he bragged to Mr Wilcox who seemed all too eager to start with the meal. She sets the food before them. At first, she thought she imagined her husband’s expression when he contorted his face after he swallowed the first ball of eba, then Mr. Wilcox exclaimed “tufiakwa!” and spat out the portion he had put in his mouth….

What was wrong??...this was the meal she spent time preparing…”Honey what’s the matter?” she anxiously walked towards them…

Dozie’s eyes were full of embarrassment, “Yemi, what is this??..pls take this poison away!,”

“Poison??, Poison?, how could Dozie call her food poison, the food she spent so much time and effort making for him.

Dozie apologized profusely to Mr Wilcox and led him out through the door and they went away. Hot tears stung at her eye. What has she done wrong?..why would Dozie treat her so callously like this…

She was dabbing away the tears clouding her vision when she decided to taste the soup, she had not tasted it even while cooking. As scooped it into her mouth, she almost gagged.

“Arggghhhh,”!!, she spat it out, what is this??.....the soup was bitter!!!!...whatever happened?, she followed Mary’s advise ….. then all of a sudden, it dawned on her. She had been misled again. Mary had done it to her again. When will she ever learn her lesson?.....

What If....

2009-02-25T13:32:00.003+01:00

I saw his name on my facebook live feed. He became friends with a friend of mine. My heart skipped a beat. I clicked on the hyperlink to view his profile, he was restricted. Immediately, I sent him a friend request. I was excited and anxious at the same time. What a way to re-unite back with him. Is he married?, engaged, divorced, or still searching??..i wanted to know. He accepted my facebook request several days later. He was getting married in a week’s time!, I was happy for him but I was also filled with “What ifs”.

T.E. was my first baby crush!...We were in primary three/four then. He was very intelligent , from a rich home and was very handsome too. All the teachers loved him and ofcourse all the girls, I still wonder what we knew back then ‘cos we were so tiny yet….we had eye for fine boys. I sat a few seats behind him and always wished he would talk to me. I was too shy and timid to even try. I would day dream and see us getting married and having children in the future (daydreaming was my second nature as a child....). There was this game my sister taught me, if you wanted to find out if someone liked you or not, you’d write down their name, divide it by your name and strike out similar alphabets, whatever number of alphabet was left would determine whether it was love or hate..lol, One day, I tried it, using his name and my name and was grinning ‘cos it turned out positive. My sister saw the look on my face and snatched the paper from me and screamed with glee
“Ehhhhh….everybody come and see oh!, MOI & T.E. like eachother oh..”
I almost passed out. Till date, I’m still teased about it at home. Anyway, we finished primary school and moved on to separate schools for secondary school. I never stopped thinking about what became of him ‘cos I never heard of him. Many many years down the line, I see him on Facebook (thank God for facebook). And I thought to myself, what if I had connected with him much earlier than now what would have happened?, would we have hit it off again (not like we did before sha)?, Well….I guess I am only left with my imagination, “What if”…. Somethings are just never meant to be. No matter how right they seem…..

Happy married life T.E. May God grant you Joy, peace, Happiness & plenty of goodies in your marriage….

2 Truths, 1 Lie

2009-01-27T10:07:00.002+01:00

I've been tagged by Olufunke in the 2 truths, 1 lie meme and i obey the tag

Let me go straight to the game,

1) I am extremely petrified by Earthworms & Wall geckos. The sight of them leave me gasping for breath. Once, i refused to use the bathroom the whole day because i saw a gecko in it, yuck!

2) I once won an award in school for singing. Music is my life and i'm a great singer

3) I'm terrible with faces and names. If i've just met you, you'd have to tell me your name atleast seven times before it sticks - (embarassing)?!

I hereby tag the following people, hope you've not been tagged already sha,:

ECHOES

Stuck in my throat o

Simple gal

Ebony

Original Mgbeke

Aijay

In case you don't know the rules of the game, here they are -

1. You have to tell us 3 things about you, 2 truths and 1 lie
2. Link the person who tagged you.
3. Mention the rules in your blog.
4. Leave a comment on the blogs of those you have tagged
5. Tag 6 following bloggers, link them.

Thanks yáll for your concern over my lost phone, i have long gotten over it and totally rocking my new one.

Lagos na Wa...!!!

2009-01-12T14:59:00.000+01:00

Happy Newyear people!!!.....

While people are making new year resolutions and seeking for how to become better people, someone is there stealing another person's phone! See me see wahala oh!, that was how one morning, i took a bus from CMS (thanks to Okada 'element' wahala, i have sworn never to put my head inside any of those things, i'd rather enter a rickety roach-infested bus than take okada and stand the risk of wearing those scary things), my phone was jejeli tucked safely inside one of the side pockets of my bag, i had earlier received a call and carefully put it in there. No one in the bus looked suspicious as they were all decently dressed men and women clad in suits of all shades and fabrics impatiently waiting to get off the bus to get to work, the conductor however, was very obnoxious and talked way too much. He kept trying to pick quarrel with everybody in the bus, i remember he was eyeing my bag but i took no account of it ‘cos i was actually rummaging through it to bring out change for him. As soon as we got to our bus stop, the stupid boy did not wait for us to pile out first before calling on to passengers for his back trip, he started calling and people started rushing in. It was a struggle to come out of the bus. I managed my way out all the time clutching my bag tightly to my chest.

"God punish you!, comot for road jo!," one passenger cursed as he struggled to get off the bus. Poor man, the vehicle had started gaining speed while he still struggled to jump out of the bus. I was going to be late if i didnt hurry up.

When i got into the office, i exchanged warm pleasantries with my colleagues and suddenly remembered i had to make a quick call. I dipped my hand into the side pocket of my bag to retrieve my phone, my phone wasn't there, maybe i put it in the main bag after i took the the call in the bus, i opened the main bag and checked, for where?, it wasn't there, i emptied everything, there was no sign of the phone. Yayparipa!!...my mouth opened and closed, i couldn't believe i had been mugged. I felt as if someone ripped my heart apart

One of my colleagues tried calling the line, it was ringing and the “ole-ajibole” kept cutting it, i was so angry that i sent him one evil text message to return the phone otherwise....for where??..the person na 'ogbologbo' he/she ignored the text. I keep on calling the phone till he/she apparently got vexed and switched it off!

My beautiful enviable phone gone!, with all the personal info., contacts, pictures and all that i had on it!, it was terrible, i felt bad, i would have sworn for the person, but i pardoned him/her knowing that my words are powerful, i wouldn’t want a curse to follow him all through the year. i have got another phone and retrieved my SIM but i have lost almost all of my phone contacts except for the numbers i backed up somewhere. Now, i am left with a lot explanation to make when people call and i say,

"Hello, who am i speaking with?".....

"So, I'm no longer important ehn?, that’s why you deleted my phone no. abi??"

And na so so explanation I dey make...

This is to all Phone stealers & Thieves all around the world,.....you can hide from everybody, but you cannot hide from God so repent while there's still time before it’s too late!!!!

BTW, I'm so excited about the year, its gonna be a great year. Things are gonna turn around for many, Lives would be changed, people will see and know the joy, peace and happiness that has long eluded them, even in the face of the world's crumbling system, it's going to be the year of SevenFold Increase!

Landlords & Money....!!!

2008-12-19T14:41:00.005+01:00

Landlords and money!!!!...I have lived with my sister for like four years, however, she and her family just moved out of town and i need to get a place of my own. I didn't know how darlyn precious my accomodation freebie was until now. I've been looking for an apartment for like two months and i have seen all sorts. From exotic houses to way too downhill apartments and the annoying thing is that landlords are greedy!, they will be asking for money as if you have a minting press at your backyard.....See one ramshackled make-believe mini-flat my agent showed me the other day...he said it was N250K p.a., infact, he said the landlord was asking for N280K p.a., can u imagine! Some of them, old houses that even if they dash you to come and live in free of charge you will refuse, theywill say it N400, N500....N600K p.a.!.....2 bedroom, not even three bedroom or duplex oh!, the thing tire me. At this rate, people will just pack their loads and go back to motherland. This is my situation.... i dey look for a nice, warm, cosy apartment that is neat & affordable!

Stock market no perform again, Real property is the way to go...Landlords are making a kill!!...If i have money, i will buy all the houses in my area....lol..

Help!!!!!!

2008-12-04T18:09:00.006+01:00

I am sulking right now 'cos i'm tired of my monotonous lifestyle. It's Work, Home, Church - Work, Home, Work.......aaarghhh!!!...i'm tired!!!!!!!, i need some excitement, i need some action, i need some spontaneity, i need something out of the ordinary happening abeg!, i need some new beginnings.......i'd like to wake up and choose whether to go to work or not, whether to go to church or not (noooo...i have no choice in this one oh!...it's what keeps me going), whether to come back home after work or not (haaa!, i no fit do this one oh!)..... I sha need something diffrent from my ordinary schedule right now!!!!!!

Pls someone help!!!!

My Christmas Story...

2008-12-03T12:27:00.004+01:00

Hey peeps, it's been a whyl.... i'm sorry i thinned out like that, i had to sweat out the 2 weeks vacation i got earlier (ok, just exaggerating), but really, i've been quite busy with a lot of things. My boss thinks i function a bit like robo-cop, what is it they say again about women being able to multitask?, anyway, so he gives me like ten tasks all at the same time and begins to count down for me!.....i ain't complaining, cos it's training oh, believe me....

I smell Christmas in the air!!!!....Christmas is here again!!!!...after a long Jan. to Nov., Dec. is finally here and Xmas is slowly creeping up. I so love Xmas- everybody loves Xmas even atheists, there is magic in the air, joy in the eyes of people, oh!, if they knew the true meaning of the season!

Ok, my most unforgettable Christmas ever!. I must have been about Seven years old then, we had travelled to the villa for Xmas celebration. Back in those days, it was a family tradition, everyone came home for Xmas, uncles, aunts, cousins, relations, e.t.c. we all came back for the celebration. Our house wasn't a family kind of house where everyone lived together under thesame roof. My grandfather was a great warrior who conquered and claimed so many lands such that he left a lot in estate for his children, so everyone had their own land with their abode graciously built with enough rooms to contain their children. Amongst my immediate relations, we were the most admired because we lived in Lagos! Before travelling, me and my sisters would have rehearsed certain line of conversations so that we could oppress people, we would not speak a word of Igbo language but rather put up fake american accent!, and confuse our cousins that lived in Onitsha or nearby towns....lol, those were the days!

Anyways, this was the period when "knock-out" was the crux of Christmas celebration (still is though...) My brother would have stocked his bag with loads of it from Lagos and in the evenings everyone was out, throwing it, watching masquerades and having fun. On this Xmas day, a group of young boys started getting violent with the "knock-outs", they were throwing them at people, one incidentally landed on my cousin's hand and exploded, she shrieked and rolled on the floor, we all went to console her and at thesame time, they threw it at a masquerade well armed with a costume of dry raffia and palm fronds and performing for people who threw out money for him, the thing exploded and caught fire fanned into serious flames by the dry harmattan wind. It was a sight!......a horrifying one, the masquerade was on fire, everyone was screaming, immediately, i pictured how the biafran war could have been for those who witnessed it, pandemonium broke loose, my cousin who was formally writhing in pain forgot the pain temporarily, we all took off.

My stomach wrenched. That day was the gloomiest Christmas day i had ever experienced. Parents who had heard news went in search of thier children. thank goodness we all made it home safely. My cousin was taken to a nearby village pharmacy were the wound was treated and dressed. Much later in the night, we heard that the masquerade died. It was very sad. Through out my stay in the village that year, i refused to go out or have anything to do with outdoor games, it was terrifying. This led to the ban of "knock-out" in my village for a very long time.......oh, what a Christmas! That was many many years ago. I have had many exciting Christmases since then and hope to have one this year!

This is my Wish for you.....

May you find love this season

May you have your deepest wishes come true

May you find fulfillment in all that you do

May your footsteps be filled with God's grace & warm favour

May you find the reason for the season

And May you have a very merry Xmas & a greater New year...

Good to be back!

2008-09-12T15:51:00.003+01:00

Mheeen!!!!!........it's important to be sure of the kain blog wey you wan view for dis our blogville o!, that was how i stumbled upon this blog say make i check am out (blog name withheld & no pun intended.... i mean, people write what they feel comfortable writing, it's their blog anyway), the page that came staring at me threw me off balance. One very obscene picture like this ehn! & just at that moment, one babe just pass my side....... God!!!!!!!!!!, i wan faint!....the girl just look me one kain eye, waka comot. I was very embarassed, i no fit talk sef, to call her back and try to explain would simply seem like a cheap attempt at covering up my sins! Na wa ooo!!...na so i for take enter trouble if na my oga come catch me!......o ti o!, me i don learn my lesson.

I feel so refreshed, energized & healthy. I took 2 weeks off work to cool off. A lot of people have been complaining about my weight so i really exercised (trust me, exrecise works). Nyways, i'm back to work, no joke at all o!, back to the monotony....can be boring at times but what can a girl do??

The year is gradualling winding up ooo...like few months ago, it was january, now it is Sept...ember!, how time flies. The year has been good for me sha, but i still look foward to loads of goodies before it ends. Baba God too much!,in the midst of those challenging times, he proved himself strong. I'm so looking foward to writing my GMAT exams, can't wait, ee don tey wey i write exam last. Hmmmnnn..another big one, "Reach out Nigeria", that one na major blockbuster wey dey come soon, i can't wait.

I just say make i show face here, ee don tey!, i've missed my page. **sigh***, it's going to be a very busy weekend....

tHe bEsT tHAt I cAN BE!!!

2008-08-20T08:51:00.002+01:00

I was thinking to myself how much my needs have evolved. How when i left the university, all i wanted to do was work in an oil company, enjoy the plenty travel benefits, fat allowances, salary, e.t.c. For me, success was working in an oil company, anything less than that was failure. I thought one of my friends who resigned from her oil company job here in Naija to go and be with her hubby in jand to be crazy. What????...leave an oil company job for what?.....that'd be a joke!

"Oh common girl!, family comes first before career!" she said to me when i wailed and ranted to her, i thought she had lost it! It was a silly thing to do as far as i was concerned at that time.....now, many years down the line, i don't think so anymore. Success is relative, one man's success could be another's failure.

I spent precious years writing every oil company test, attending all oil company interviews (atleast the ones i was invited for, tho not many sha.....woreva!), Praying & trusting God for oil company job that i forgot to appreciate where God put me. If God knew i was going to be here, then why did he allow me spend five years of my life in the university studying Engineering!....didn't make sense to me at all!. Didn't make sense to Joseph either that he was sold into slavery by his own brothers, how were his dreams to come true?? God is all-knowing, He sees beyond the now...

There has always been an urge, a pull in my soul to excel (well...you could say everybody has that pull) but for me it's something deeper, something like it's my make-up, most times, i get all lazy and laid back, i try to push it back but it keeps tugging at my soul. I was made for the UP life!, i can't live the life of mediocrity, i was made to SUCCEED! Nywayz, now i'm constantly trying to improve my self. I want to be the best at what i'm doing, i want to set new records, i want to discover new heights, i want to be an industry shaker...yes!, that is what i want to be. I admire my boss, quite intelligent. the way he carries the crowd......commendable!, i want to be able to hold people's attention like that when i give speeches, when i make presentations....oh well, it comes with practise & i've decided to practise & give myself the best of opportunities.....Really, in all these things, i have the advantage of having Christ in me, it makes the whole process easier....

A young girl's palaver...

2008-08-12T11:14:00.003+01:00

Nkechi was totally drained. The hot afternoon sun drummed into her ears. The walk from her school seemed longer than usual, the long winding path was unending. The relief she felt when the cool water from Mr Mondi's tap streamed down her head could not be explained. She dropped her back pack & leaned against the white washed wall of Mr. Mondi's shop.

"Good afternoon ", she greeted startling Adaku, Mr Mondi's eldest daughter from sleep. Adaku always does what Igbos call sleeping muranya with her head straight up and her hand supporting her chin resting against the counter, she would sleep, unless you look well, you'd never know she was sleeping. "How are you?" she stuttered recovering from her slumber. Nkechi muttered a fast response and quickly walked past to the gate leading into the main house. She wasn't ready for Adaku's incessant complaints. She complained about everybody in the compound. She was a school drop-out who did nothing but stay in her father's shop catching the latest gossips and news. She had more issues to deal with.

Mr Kweku caught her cheating in the physics test today. Funlola had shown her the test questions & answers, she said she got it from a form one student. She was totally lost in the act when Mr Kweku crept up behind and caught her red handed!, A lot of oohs & aahs arose from her classmates, she tried hiding the paper but it was too late, he collected her answer sheet, tore it & dragged her to the principal's office. The principal demanded to see her parents. She will never forget the looks she got from her classmates when she got back after seeing the principal, everyone frowned and looked at her as if she had committed murder. Even funlola hissed at her!, she couldn't believe it, the same person who gave her the expo?, it was unbelieveable! How will she explain this to her father??, she was in soup, he’d kill her!

Nkechi missed her mum so much and at moments like this, she missed her even more. She died during childbirth. She was the only child of her parents for a very long time before her mum conceived but died during child birth. She and her father lived together alone, he refused to re-marry. Out of desperation, she tried calling Funlola but her phone was switched off. She needed to speak with her, she had long legs, she could pull strings and things would happen. She was dating the senior prefect who had his way with most teachers. She knew Funlola deliberately switched off her phone to avoid her. An idea came to her, she would feign illness and skip school for few days, maybe when she gets back, the whole incident would be forgotten. The plan worked perfectly, she succeeded in deceiving her father and skipped three straight days of school but by the time she resumed, her fame had spread across the entire S.S. 2 block - The girl who cheated!. Funlola did not make it any better, she ignored her and carried on as if they were never friends.

"Nkechi Chukwu!", Mrs Owolabi, her class teacher came in and called. The principal wants to see you now. Everyone turned to look at her, cold beads of sweats broke out on her fore-head, she was shivering, her throat constricted. She got up slowly and trotted towards the front. Kudirat squeezed her hand and gave her an understanding nod as she walked past, she felt better, somebody pitied her. As she got into the principal's office, her heart stopped beating. Seated backing her, was her father!. The principal had summoned him. "Goodafternoon," she greeted in a quirky voice gaining their attention. "Yes, Miss Chukwu, how are you". Mr Lawrence the principal spoke. She refused to look at her father who was throwing daggers at her. "You have brought shame to yourself and to your family, science students are known to be very responsible people..…....” he went on and on admonishing her. Hot tears stung at her eyes. If only she had refused attending Bola's birthday party, she would have read and not involved herself in this, if only she did not always look for the easy way out.......she was ashamed of herself. Her father did not talk to her but gave her a long hard stare before walking out after Mr Lawrence office. She was given two weeks suspension and it was going to appear on her testimonial. How would she ever live through this period of her life???....

Feeling so loved....

2008-08-08T11:25:00.002+01:00

Yesterday was my birthday & gawd!!...was it wonderful?. In my twenty something long yearsssss....i've never had it this good. I felt loved, special, honored, appreciated, doted on, cared for, pampered, e.t.c. My buddies threw a surprise parry for me, they took me totally unawares, did a good job in concealing it from me, goshhhhhhhhh...do i love them?.....Nyways, i thank God mightily for adding another year to my life, it's gonna be a year of fulfillment, a year of new experiences, a year of greater exploits, e.t.c. I so look foward to it.

I realised that as we grow, we mature & as we mature, we begin to see things differently & understand life better. I used to fantasize alot growing up. At one time, i imagined i was an oyinbo girl with long hair and very rich parents (thanks to the good 'ole American novels- Sweet Valley High, Keepsakes, e.t.c.). At one time, I fantasized i was Winfrey Oprah's adopted child, i fantasized about marrying Will Smith and going to live with him in his million-dollars mansion, i fantasized about singing alongside Pavarotti in an Italian Opera house. There was nothing i didn't fantasize about.....hmmmnnn...those were good old dayz sha. As i grew older, my eyes opened, my many many fantasies died, they drifted away from my consciousness. I had other distractions......other things occupied my mind. I was learning the game called life.

Life doesn't always give to you what you planned for all the time, it throws up new surprises, some pleasant, some sour......you've got to be tough, you've got to be prepared, you've got to be brave. You've got to learn to lean on a greater & higher power- GOD. I have seen a fifty something old man who lies to himself that he is an American , meanwhyl, he's never been to America before. Because of the frustration of being denied American visa for many years, he settled for living the American dream in NAija...how pathetic!, meanwhyl, he's an urhobo man ooooo.....lol

Longtime ago, I set out goals for myself. Things i wanted to achieve, and at what age to achieve them. I'm looking at myself right now & saying "Girl, you've not done badly at all!", i have come a very long way! I haven't achieved it all, there's still a whole lot to achieve but i've tried. I'm not complacent, i'm not slipping, i am ever so determined. I want to thank God for bringing me thus far ..... I thank God for the friends & family he put around me.....my spiritual leader p.p. & his wife, they have contributed in making & moulding me into who God wants me to be....I'm grateful!

Just can't stop beaming.....

A Time for Everything...

2008-07-29T10:23:00.000+01:00

As i was going home from work yesterday, these thoughts persistently lingered on in my mind....and i felt like writing it down... I guess this is reason for the saying that goes "no condition" is permanent.

One day, i will leave my sister's house..

One day, i will leave her street..

One day, i will get married..

One day, i will have my first child..

One day, i will build my first house..

One day, i will float my first company..

One day, i will count my first billion..

One day, i will sponsor my first crusade..

One day, i will host my first talk show..

One day, i will buy my first jet..

One day, i will feed millions..

One day, i will grow old..

One day, i will be raptured..

One day, i will see Jesus....

Christ in me, makes these things a certainty...

Hmnn..finally, i join the blog-world!!!

2008-07-24T13:30:00.000+01:00

For two years, i've followed people's blogs, read their thoughts, followed their minds, admired their style but never mustered enough courage to start my own....I've always loved writing but you know sometimes, it's not so easy keeping up with it believe me! It could be tiring putting your thoughts to words....i hope my page doesn't suffer, it won't sha...it will definitely experience many glorious years of wonderful updates.

Have you ever had a strong hunch that something good was about to happen to you??..well, that's what i am feeling right now...hmmnhmmnnn...that's it!