11 THINGS and LIEBSTER BLOG AWARD

I have been tagged severally for these rotations (isn’t that what they are?). There’s an excuse for not doing it sooner, I have been living in the real world where there are deadlines and contingencies.

Thanks to everyone who tagged me, I can’t remember everyone (covers face) but I remember those who hounded/hunted specifically came knocking on my door Toinlicious and SingleNigerian.

 Now that I’m here, see below:

1.    I love football... make that sports. I instantly become one of the guys on and off season; however, I’ll never go to a viewing centre just to see a match, NEVER!

2.    I love plantain ****PAUSE**** oh, I said it before? Really? Where?

Oh... here right?

That means you know the other things?! Let’s move on then,

The questions are:

1.    Last book I read: Insights to help you survive Peaks and Valleys by T.D. Jakes (It’s been a busy year for me, I have been reading this book for weeks now, not because I am that slow but because to really survive peaks and valleys you have to drop the book and actively pursue goals... and I have been doing that)

2. If I could listen to any song for the rest of my life, right now it would be Each Tear by Mary J. Blige (it spoke to me in one of those phases and I have refused to let it go)

3. Countries visited asides from my awesome country Nigeria would be NONE... yet!  (soon, I’ll set out to explore the world)

4. If I could have any job in the world with all the resources I need, I would be a Counselor/Teacher. I just find peace and fulfillment in making others feel better!

5. Why do I blog? I started because I wanted to improve on my writing. However, it’s beyond that now. I have realized that with this e-house of mine I can achieve Pareto Optimality!

6.  How old am I?  Old enough to achieve any and everything I set my heart to (with the God factor ofcourse) and to take responsibility for my (re/in)actions.

7. My favourite part of the opposite sex would be the brain, there’s just something sexy about a brilliant/witty/intelligent man!

8. When was the last time I had relations? Please what does this mean? I wouldn’t like to assume I know what you were trying to ask so, my answer is, I’m not an only child. I have a closely knit nuclear family and a large extended family comprising of some gorgeous people I still haven’t met and some dramatic ones I don’t look forward to meeting. So there you have it – my relations!

9. My least favourite food would be Pounded Yam. Infact I have NEVER eaten it!

10. Do I have any pets?  Only in my name

11. One thing I have been dying to tell you? Oh yes... Jesus still saves!

****THE END... well, until I found out I didn’t answer SingleNigerian’s questions, so here we go...

1. Who started this thing biko? SN, let me know when you find out!

2. What drives/motivates/pushes you in life the possibility of achieving that which is termed impossible

3. If you could pick one place on earth to be at the moment you answer this question, who/where will it be Nygard Cay in the Bahamas

4. What is your favourite blog, top blog online (Don’t lie, God is watching you) I don’t have a favourite, none provides a full doze of everything I move around to get!

5. If God were to close his eyes for 10 hours and grant you a hall pass, what would you do with it? Still thinking... what would a single girl do with a hall pass? Especially one who calculates the long term implications of her actions... forget it, that thing wasn’t created for everyone!

6. What makes you happy? (If you tell me God, I will swear for you. I said what, not who) SUCCESS

7. Do you have a daughter? If yes, how old? NO

8. Would you let your daughter marry my son? Keep in touch, I’ll revert in about 3 decades or less from now

9. What is the one thing you wish for more than anything else. To make heaven, one shouldnt live in Nigeria  on earth and still end up in hell!

10. At a scale of Hulk to worker ant, what do you do when you are angry? Fox! I strategize on ways to prove I’m above all the crap thrown at me – NOTE: this doesn’t include revenge!

11. What is your favourite animal? Hen, for obvious reasons!
    
    
    
    
    
    Everyone has been tagged, so if you haven’t blogged for a long time, 
    jump on this and make a comeback!
     

Create your own rules!

‘At your age, I had had you and all your siblings’!

By now you should be married with kids or in the least, have a steady relationship’!

‘You shouldn’t have to work for someone all your life, many of your classmates are now business owners’!

Words…

Words that depress some and make others cry. From mothers to peers and even strangers; people drawing the schedule for the lives of others!

WARNING: Do not use my watch to set your time!

There is enough pressure in the world, enough to make you lose your mind if you’re not determined. No one should ever be subjected to the catch up race. We all have goals we strive to achieve; asides from God and hard work, all other factors are relative.

It is sad to see how many people are driven off the cliff by standards set by a group of mostly faceless people. Young men and women trying so hard to conform just so they can fit into an already disjointed society!

We must look within ourselves and find what truly makes us happy and fulfilled. Most times, our friends and families do not understand what our innermost desires are. Do not be surprised if their actions, inactions or reactions all aim either consciously or unconsciously at sabotaging your goals.

Keeping up with the Joneses only leads to an endless rat race, the rat eventually gets eaten up by the cat! It is important to be abreast with what obtains in one’s area(s) of interest, infact identifying, understudying and learning from others is highly encouraged but know where to draw the line.

No two persons are exactly the same; while some go through life with ease, getting everything on a platter of gold; others have to put in a lot more effort. In the end, victory is all that matters but be careful of whom you allow to influence you.

No rule says you must be married at 30, girls are children too, we can’t all be size 10, not everyone would succeed as an entrepreneur, there’s life outside the oil industry, owning a house is good; but for some, renting an apartment is better! There is no universal scale for measuring success, or is there?

Traditions are belief systems created by a few people and transmitted from generation to generation, times are changing; don’t let irrelevant things hold you down! Success is achieved only after some rules (mostly norms) are broken, heck, some rules are made to be broken!

Serve God, work hard, improve your skills and personality, make good friends, be true to yourself and watch all things fall in place in the end.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Who has seen Jacob?!

*Disclaimer: the errors in this post were caused by human nature and technology. Blogger needs a mobile app and I need to sleep!

So I decided to attend a midweek service recently, I've been feeling bad about being a Sunday-Sunday Christian but it’s all because my boss won't let me close at 4pm.  So I always end up getting there after the last amen, usually between the announcements and people's retreat to their cars.

I was out of town visiting my family recently and I decided to go to church - their church. Now I've always known the service schedule but I wasn't aware things had changed a little, so off I went and ended up in the 'indigenous service', well that's not exactly the name but the deal was, different services were held simultaneously using the 3 major Nigerian languages – Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba and one pidgin session.

At the entrance the ushers helped me choose the right auditorium; apparently the essence was to teach people to read the bible and pray in their mother tongue. So with my English bible, I settled in, ready to prove to myself my B in the language at WAEC was well earned.

All was going well with my note taking until the preacher asked us to turn to Jacob Chapter 3! I know all the books of the bible off script and there’s definitely no Jacob on the list or so I thought.

I waited for him to correct the slip but he said it again and again; I quickly looked around and when no one was looking worried, peeping into their neighbour's bible or  murmuring, I knew the exact reason why that B wasn't an A grade!

Officially, I was stranded. I quietly recited the bible books to be sure Jacob had not sneaked into the midst of the 66 other books while I wasn’t in church! After almost ripping my bible looking for Isaac’s favourite son, I heard him read what translated to “Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing...” in English. At that point I knew the book of James was where I should have been all the while! *whew*

How couldn't I have known all this that? Anyway, I've decided this would never happen again so I'm taking time out to get friendly with a Yoruba bible. BTW if you know any apps for bibles in Nigerian local dialect, do share. Thanks.

Finally the preacher said we think in our first language / mother tongue and the brain translates into the lingua franca for the mouth to deliver, I found that funny but then it’s probably why you hear things like 'who open the door down?', what's doing you?

Shout out to everyone who is not ashamed of their mother tongue!

Source: http://www.mothertongueblogs.com/

Today In History...

Hi people,

Happy *sneezes* excuse me, *sneezes again*

Its Good Friday hope you all have had a beautiful day thus far *sneezes*

So, this day in history: Judas Iscariot had concluded plans to plant that evil kiss, I just wonder if he remembered to brush before leaving home that morning?!

Living Healthy is Key

And finally a new week begins. We are back to normal programming! Last week was all sorts; ‘Valentine’s Day’ week must be the most pretentious all through the year! People going beyond their means to surprise/please their lover/spouse/friend with benefit.

While I have nothing against those who believe in idolising the day and concept, I respect those who are truly in love and show it irrespective of season! And by show it, I mean, respect, care for, cater to and stay faithful to their partners.

That being said, I still look forward to the babies that’ll arrive between October and December; I’ll be ready with my knowing look for the parents. You can be sure they are products of Occupy Nigeria stay home and valentine’s week!

Moving on...

Now that the lover’s day celebrations have winded up and the chocolate/cake boxes are empty, how many of you have made plans to get yourselves checked for the first quarter? No one? *smh*

It’s more likely that people worry about the possibility of adding one dress size or more after all the merriment without even taking into consideration the effect on their health. It’s no longer news that people who are seemingly happy and fit can collapse during the least stressful activity and consequently pass on, why then do we pay more attention to our fashion statement and bank statement while our health takes the back bench?

When last did you get yourself examined? Blood pressure, blood sugar, dental checks, and for you in Nigeria, malaria, typhoid? Do you conclude you’re fit just because you multitask; combining work, education and home making? Do you even know that your exercise regime, no matter how strictly you adhere to it doesn’t preclude you from certain ailments?

Ladies, have you ever done a Mammography? Or do you find such process intrusive to your privacy? In that case do you do the monthly physical examination?  Do you know that exercising may help you keep in shape; but it doesn’t reduce your blood sugar level?

Medical doctors advice that certain tests be taken quarterly, half yearly and others yearly from a particular age. They say it’s important to also identify ailments that are hereditary in one’s family and begin to guide against them early. An example of such is diabetes and hypertension.

If there’s any ailment one or more relations from the generation(s) before you are battling, it would only be wise to have yourself checked. You may come out with a clean bill of health and then embark on the journey of prevention; if not, you’re better off knowing and managing it before it gets out of hand.

Cost is one major reason people shy away from these tests, however, they really do not cost an arm and a leg. Most companies have HMO plans for their employees; don’t just decorate your wallet/purse with the card. Plan a visit to the hospital, get checked, ask questions and start living healthy.

Go a step further, make friends with doctors (they are everywhere, even on twitter), eat right, exercise and do not forget, when it comes to your life and health, all the wealth you’re working so hard to amass would mean nothing if you drop dead or become incapacitated.

WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR WELL BEING, DO NOT COMPROMISE!

N.B: if you’re a medical practitioner or dietician and you’ll like to do a guest post on healthy living, please send an email to the.pet.projects@gmail.com

Certainly, Its Over!

Can someone please get me an application that’ll scribble down my thoughts through the day so I can posts frequently? Please...

There’s always a new idea for a blog post every now and then, but I’m probably in some meeting, walking through the crowded streets of Lagos Island or half asleep. The workload during the day is overwhelming I hardly have time to eat let alone prepare a proper post; I know this is bad blogging behaviour but what do I do?

My day starts as early as my eyelids open – put that somewhere between 4am and the next o’clock – and between that time and 10.30pm, I’m involved in one energy sapping or mentally tasking activity or the other.

I want to stop blogging all together because I’m not sure this workload is going anywhere until at least August next year but I love it here; so again I ask, what should I do?

In the midst of all this I realise the reason this is proving tough is because of the OVER syndrome. Once upon a time, I was in a group discussing SWOT analysis. I mentioned that my weakness was the perfectionist syndrome and everyone practically laughed and ‘commended’ me. I didn’t think too seriously of it until a friend recently mentioned it. For me, it’s okay to ignore the comments of random people but when someone who should know you a little more points out a trait – in this case a flaw, then work must be done.

It is important to be thorough/detailed/meticulous at work and in daily decision making, but when the word ‘OVER’ (overanalyse, over scrutinize etc) shows up too many times, there may be trouble. While I do not have problems with meeting deadlines and producing excellent results, I am almost never satisfied with the face value of anything. I always want to think decisions through over and again, creating many more options than needed.

A clear example is the previous paragraph, one of the words in red would have sufficed, but my brain thought up about 5, I ended up typing those 3 just so you see what I mean. The end result is a body that never gets enough rest because its operating system (the brain) is constantly multitasking!

Going forward, I plan not to ‘over – anything’... well, as long as it’s not a life-changing/destiny-altering decision; I can’t jump right in just like that or what do you think?

 

Note: SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

No Rain on My Parade!

Hi Lovelies,

It’s the last day of the first month of 2012, Happy New Year!!!

Yes, I know I’ve been MIA for quite awhile, there has been so many issues to deal with within every 24hours – work, state of the economy (Nigeria), traffic, personal development programme etc. I haven’t had the time to catch up with you all – my apologies.

This week started on a bright note for me, hope rising in many directions, I’m just happy for where my life is heading right now, no one, not even the rogue who made away with my phone this morning can rain on my parade! My contacts, my notes, bookmarks, devotional articles, semi-finished blog posts etc all gone.

My colleague says I’m too calm for someone who was robbed; what should I do? Some people lost their lives trying to get to work via the same route! In case you’re wondering, I’m referring to the chaos caused by hoodlums (a.k.a area boys/agbero) around the High Court (Igbosere Street) and Moloney area of Lagos Island. Kam Salem House (Police Headquarters) was only a stone through away, this didn’t stop them from shattering windscreens, burning shops, breaking bottles and attacking people with machete.

I’m alive and unhurt that’s why I have a story to write. Every other thing is secondary.

I’m going to need a few days to catch up, but I’ll be back, see you soon!

P.S: I would start receiving Valentine gifts from tomorrow, 1^st February. Please send me an email or a DM on twitter if you do not have or have misplaced my mailing address. *big grin*

Happy Holidays

They had just returned from the Sallah break that day, it was early September and a rainy day too, the girl from the adjoining office in her usual loquacious nature had come in to gist. Minutes later, they set out to Marina. Lady T wasn’t too eager to make the 15minutes walk but conceded only after her boss called in to say he would turn in late.

Off they went to the General Post Office and then the Bank; while she moved from desk to desk exchanging pleasantries, Lady T sat quietly in one corner doing all she could to avoid the stare of the afro spotting Teller behind the counter. Moments later they were back on the streets making their way back to the office when shouts of excuse me rang through; it was the afro guy from the bank.

Good morning, he said, almost breathless from the chase.

Yes, good morning, she responded in giggles.

Excuse me, can I talk to your friend, he asked, looking across her shoulder towards Lady T who was standing within earshot.

Me? Came her reply, a little bemused too.

Yes, you. I just want to introduce myself, do you work around here?

Getting a little uneasy she responded in the negative, gave him a rather vague excuse and began the return journey to the office, leaving her partner behind. Later that evening, an uninvited guest showed up at the office – it was him again, afro guy! That snitch had told him where she would be!

Against her wish, he walked her halfway home that day, telling her his life history and how he liked her appearance and would want to date marry her. Many more after-office-hours strolls later, defying the Aguda Vs Saro marriage taboo myth, they tied the knot on 29^th December that year – yes, your calculations are right, 3 months after.

Over 3 decades later, Lady T and Afro guy are still happily married with yours truly and the rest of the Charlies Angels to show for it. And that is the end of my story.

Happy Anniversary to my parents!!!

*******

Happy holidays to you all, thanks for sharing my thoughts through the year. Hope you all found your points of elevation during the year? If you didn’t, not to worry, delay is not denial, those goals can still be achieved, only if you do not give up.

Here’s to a more rewarding 2012.

Cheers!