Merry Christmas

Hello Everyone,

I'm so so sorry I just disappeared on you all, it was due to circumstances beyond my control. I'm even more sorry about keeping the Nigeria Discussion Series hanging. A lot has been happening to me in the past months, much of it sad. I'll blog about it much later, but for now I'm still trying to recover from shock and spend as much time with family as possible before the holiday is over.
And thanx to all that sent mails or left comments checking up on me.

Once again Merry Christmas to you all!!!

NYSC's website

Hello People,

There is now an NYSC website.

Have a wonderful day!!

Feeling..

..Postcard from heaven by Lighthouse Family.


..What's happening in PH should be over soon.

It's sunday and we still have our hands in the air in most places in PH. Sorry the picture isn't very clear...my phone doesn't like zooming :-). Picture was taken around the civic center roundabout.

You can read more about what's been happening in the past couple of days and even watch a video HERE.

Have a wonderful week!!

In Pictures (4)

Lagos

Random pictures

The National Theater @ Iganmu

The Palms

A portrait of Samuel Okwaraji in front of Lagos stadium

At the play "Death & the King's Horseman", one of the plays during "A Season of Soyinka" produced by Laspapi. You can get more information of on-going plays at Terra Kulture here.

Happenings in PH

Picture above was taken on thursday in Woji (NB. closed stores and combat vehicle in background)

It's much safer now, but you can read more about the recent happenings here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

In Pictures (3)

Minna, Niger State

So, I went to Minna to see a friend of mine that's serving (NYSC) in Niger State some weeks back. Only stayed there 1 night, so I didn't have enough time to remember i didn't take enough pictures (in Minna). Anyways, I like that first picture because of the grass in the gutter {Me thinks it looks much better than the spirogyra in the gutters in the South :-)).

Suleja, Niger State

Random picture

Zuma rock

Zuma rock: A closer view

In Pictures (2)

Abuja

Since I couldn't get a clear picture of the stadium, here is a random picture opposite a side of the stadium.

The National Mosque

Bank marketers doing their thing

The Dome at the Games village

Roads we dream of in the south of the country.....

..And another one...

..And another one

Abuja City Gate

Have a wonderful New Month!!!

On NYSC

Hello People,

How are you all doing? Fine I hope.

NYSC to cut down the number of graduates to serve this September, Read here. There have been protests against this, such as this one here.

I think everyone eligible to serve should do so. If there is not enough funding as claimed, maybe the time for service should be reduced from 1 year to 6 months, or better still to just 1 month of camp alone.

What do you think?

PS.
Sorry I haven't been updating this blog. Will get around to doing so more often soon.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Strike & Petition

NLC suspends strike, read here.

Read and sign a protest letter here on a Nigerian citizen that died while being deported from Spain.

Have a wonderful week!!

Hello Hello - Random

It's been a while. I didn't have internet access for a few days (it felt like ages) and was busy busy. How are you all doing? Good I hope :-).

NLC starts their nation wide strike at midnight today and they don't plan on calling it off until the price of fuel is back to 65 naira per liter.

The NDS blog needs hosts for the friday series. Leave a comment there if you're interested in hosting.

Links to check out (if you've not already done so):
Blogville Idols
African Loft

A quote from last week that caught my eye:

"I thank you for your visits although I had actually wanted you to stay at home.
Well, you are the lucky ones. All those including Katsina that wanted to come
with a strong delegation to congratulate me, i told them to stay at home and do
your work, and allow me and my colleagues in Abuja to also do our work"

- Yar'Adua in response to a Kaduna state delegation of over 250 members that paid him a solidarity visit.

Can this help the situation in Darfur? This is the second time I'm actually reading about boycotting next years olympics for Darfur.

Song for the day: Africa Unite by Bob Marley.



Later people, and have a wonderful rest of the week!!

Lanes for okada?

Normally, when I get on an okada (commercial motorcycle/bike), I tell the okada man to be careful and not throw me off the bike. Sometimes they laugh and tell me they won’t throw me off, or just nod their heads. But yet, I have to continually keep tapping them and telling them to keep their stunts on the down low…”Oga, no throw me for ground oh?” Some of them actually slow down, while some of them continue moving recklessly and no amount of shouting will make any difference, like the one I was on yesterday, that had me ducking poles hanging out of a truck (like he couldn’t calculate that the poles hanging out weren’t higher than our heads…yeah right!!).

Oh, and they move in both direction even on one way roads/lanes!

I think okada’s should have their own lanes on roads, especially those areas with heavy traffic. It would reduce accidents and near-accidents on our roads.

What do you think?
Should lanes for okada be considered when designing and constructing new roads and also when expanding some of the existing roads?

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

In Pictures (1)

Port Harcourt City

On a day Aba road was completely blocked and people walking were even moving faster than those on okada.

Guys & Girls forgive me, for I can't remember whether this is Rumuokwuta or Rumuokoro. I know it was on my way to Choba sha.

Rumuola [Don't you think we shouldn't put up posters if we won't take them down :-(]

Now, this is when you want to be on Aba road (When it's FREE)

Aba road again....one of the few places people actually obey traffic signs.

Trans Amadi

Slaughter market

Slaughter River (Don't know if that's the official name of the river...lol)

The taxi I was in, was so not on it's right lane....lol

Aba Road @ Rumuola junction....You so do not want your car breaking down here when it rains.

Special thanx to Azuka, for the help in uploading the pics.

Random Strikes

Hello People,

How are you all doing?

Malaria struck and I had to take Amalar again. I guess its from all the million bites (I exaggerate..lol) a few weeks back. Feeling much better now, but my mouth is still bitter.

Even though NUPENG and PENGASSAN have suspended their strike according to this, the cost of transportation is still about 2 times what it should be. Taxi drivers will tell you they are still buying fuel for 150 naira, instead of 65 naira per litre.

If you were, and are still frustrated with the last Nigerian elections, check out The Nigerian Proclamation by Solomonsydelle. You can also read her epilogue on the proclamation here.

I leave you with Whitney Houston's "Exhale", because it just captures my mood now.

P.S.
Picture post coming up next....

Let's talk NIGERIA (3)

Following Snazzy's footsteps, I have a few questions today.

Is Nigeria slowly being sold away, in the name of privatization?

Last week 60% of Ajaokuta Steel Company was sold to an Indian company - Global Steel Holding Limited (GSHL), Read here.
Click here to see other recent sales of public companies by The Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE).

Wouldn’t we want them back some day?

Have a wonderful day!

So how is Naija?

I don’t know where to start from?!?!

Ok, I’ll start with the mosquitoes. They just felt they had to welcome me in every city/state that I stepped foot in. Lucky for me, now they don’t even bite again :-). I guess either they now see me as old blood, or they think I’ve gotten the message on taking malareich and amala (Malaria drugs) constantly/periodically...lol...And it used to be fansidar or metakalfen before oh!

I think the population in Port Harcourt (PH) has doubled in the past 5 years. Traffic is crazy most of the time [We need more roads in PH]. It's been over a month now, and I haven't summoned up the courage yet to start driving because almost everyone drives crazy - The big lorries hardly ever stop (they just keep blowing their horns and bullying smaller cars out of the lanes they are in or completely off the road...lol), the other motorists drive with rage, and well, our okada people are the worst out of the lot. Rough as they (okada) are, I sometimes prefer moving around with them, rather than spend 2+ hours in traffic, even though my sister keeps warning me not to use them at all {I hear, I hear :-)}. And to take a drop in PH, those taxi drivers think we are all oil workers :-(, or they size you up and name ridiculous prices.

But seriously with the way most Nigerians drive, don't you think we should be doing some extreme sports....LOL.

As for PHCN they are still holding POWER at least 70% of the time. I hear we are still waiting for the completion of the gas turbine in our area - ok oh! Meanwhile the power supply in the village (at least my village) is more constant.

Ok People, I have to stop here for now. Will do a picture post next time.

I leave you with "Obodo" by RAW featuring Klint the drunk. Just heard the song this week and I'm loving it.


I'm also loving "Kolomental" by Faze.


Have a wonderful week!

Check out...

...Laspapi's blog for more information on Naija Bloggers: The book.

Don't worry, my Naija gist is still coming (hopefully tomorrow, if my day ends early).

I haven't played any music on this blog for a while, so I'll leave you with "Show me heaven" by Maria Mckee.



Have a wonderful Monday!

NDS Blog

Hello People,

How are you all doing?

The Nigeria Discussion Series (NDS) blog is finally here. Sorry for the delay.

Naija Vixen and Nigeria Politricks are the other team members of the blog.

Have a wonderful day!!

NYSC info

Registration for foreign graduates begins July 1st and ends August 14th for the September Batch.

What to take with you:
* International passport (original and photocopies of 1st 3 pages including the page showing your arrival & departure)
* Degree(s) (Original and photocopies)
* Age declaration or birth certificate (Original and photocopies)
* WAEC/GCE (Orginal and photocopies)
* School ID
* 3 passport photographs

Don’t know if I missed out anything, but you might want to take your transcript as well and also make photcopies of the picture page of your passport. And you have to register in Abuja.

RE: Nigeria Discussion Series (NDS)

I'm thinking we should have a NDS blog just for linking posts with people in different time zones as team members linking, because I'm not online as often as before and would not want to put the series in limbo like Nigeria Politricks said :-)

All the team member has to do is log in to the NDS blog on fridays and put up a link to the post for that day if another team member has not already linked it.

What do you guys think?

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Nigeria Discussion Series: April 27 2007

Hello People,

The Nigeria Discussion Series is currently being hosted by Solomonsydelle and the topic is A Nigerian Recipe for Democracy.

Have a wonderful day!!

PS. I apologize for the delay in putting up a link to the post for today. It was due to circumstances beyond my control.

While...

...PDP rejoices as Yar’adua is named winner of the Presidential elections, I miss high speed internet and ponder on whether we shouldn't be focusing on making sure for the next 4 years the new leaders do what they said they will do during their campaign.

Have a wonderful week!

Nigeria Discussion Series: April 20 2007

Hello People,

The Nigeria Discussion Series is currently being hosted by Mypenmypaper, and the topic is My People Tsunami - if there has to be a change!!!.

It is reposted for a 2nd week, because the article is long (about 4 pages).

Have a wonderful weekend/week....and be safe if your going out to vote for the presidential elections tomorrow.

A moment of silence...

....for all those that died as a result of the state/house of assembly elections.

Nigeria Discussion Series: April 13 2007

Hello People,

The Nigeria Discussion Series is currently being hosted by Mypenmypaper, and the topic is My People Tsunami - if there has to be a change!!!.

Have a wonderful weekend/week.

Bye bye USA, Welcome Nigeria

Yeah, you read right!
I was MIA because I was busy planning, packing, etc. My plans changed and i decided to leave months earlier than I had planned.

Jaycee talked about a miracle....Well my miracle is that I'm alive, but I'm a little scared of flying now. The main Portharcourt (ph) airport is still not functioning/open, so I had to fly from Lagos to the airforce base in ph. And of course the aircraft was a small one since the airport is a small one too. The weather was very bad and the turbulence was something else. It was so bad that more than half the people in the plane where praying at the top of their voices and the Pilot told us we were going to have to land in Calabar (Which I'm glad we didn't, cos it would have made my already long journey longer. I flew direct to Lagos from New York cos i didn't want to go through the trouble of getting a transit visa), and they'd arrange for us to get to portharcourt by bus or something.

Since I'm now a little bit scared of flying, i don't know how i'm going to convinve myself to get on a plane and go to Abuja to do my NYSC posting thing. I plan on going with my sister and she's not doing any road trip with moi.

I'm excited to be home after nearly 5 years, but NEPA/PHCN is really showing me pepper, plus the heat is just baaaaaaaaaaad...lol.

There won't be a Nigeria Discussion Series tomorrow because it's Easter.

HAPPY EASTER everyone!!

Nigeria Discussion Series: Mar 30 2007

Hello People,

The Nigeria Discussion Series is currently being hosted by Snazzy, and the topic is Today.

Have a wonderful weekend/week!

Offtopic,
I'm still MIA, but I'll be back soon :-)

Let's talk NIGERIA (2)

Hello People,

This is part of the Nigeria Discussion Series.

We need to start getting rid of all the negativity and be more positive about Nigeria. I don't see how negativity is helping us.
We need to stop with some of the Why's, because if we continue with them, we'll keep passing blame around, and there is enough blame to go around and some extra as well. And I know it's weird to say that, since the first step to solving a problem is to identify it. But really I think we've been identifying the problems for a long while now. It would be sad if our children, and the children of our children end up having to deal with some of the same problems that we are facing now.
Hence we need to focus on the "How" and the "When". I just finished reading Dupe Olorunjo's "The Aireginan Dream" about 2 weeks ago, and I totally recommend that you all read it if you can. It not only highlights most of the problems facing Aireginan's (fictional people, but really they are Nigerians), but also shows what they did about it and how they did it. If you're interested in purchasing one you can find a link to that here. You can also read the first chapter here.
"How" is playing your own little part or big part in contributing in your own way. "When" should be now, but realistically it's only going to happen when we are serious.

Have a wonderful weekend/week!

Update again :-)

Hello People,

How are you all doing? Fine I hope!!
I'm doing fine too, but I'm still going to be MIA for a while though, because I'm doing a whole bunch of stuff right now.
Special cyber hugs to all those that have been checking up on me ;-)

I'm leaving you with "Consume Me" by DC Talk

Have a wonderful rest of the week !

Nigeria Discussion Series: Mar 16 2007

Hello People,

The Nigeria Discussion Series is currently being hosted by Lala, and the topic is Rock Bottom: Nowhere Else But Up!

Also, remember that current information on the Nigeria discussion series can always be found on the right hand side of this blog.

**I just noticed that the post for last week friday was put up 2 days ago, but I can't put up a link yet, because there isn't a permalink. I'll put up a link to it in the current discussion link (under previous posts) when there is a permalink.**

Have a wonderful day!

Update!

Hello People,

This post is for all the screams for update.

Sorry I've been MIA, but my world is kind of spinning (Ok, it's not spinning that much.....lol, but I couldn't think of how else to express myself :-)). Anyways I was reminded by something that happened (sorry I can't go into details), how true the saying below is.

Man {In my case girl...lol} proposes, God disposes.

That aside, I need me some gumption right now, because I have to make a decision on something. It's not that the decision is a hard one to make since I know what I want in my heart of hearts, but it's not always about what one wants. Don't even know whether I'm making sense to you guys :-). But hey, you wanted an update, so that's that for now ;-).

I wanted to leave you with the movie score "Gumption" by Hans Zimmer, who is one of my favorite movie score composers. But for some reason I couldn't upload it, so I'll leave you with another of Hans Zimmer's movie score. It's from the movie Gladiator and it's titled Now we are free with Lisa Gerrard. To me it's a great score for a great movie. What do you think?

Have a wonderful rest of the week!!

Nigeria Discussion Series: Interlude again

Hello People,

The host for today is Missing In Action (MIA) as of now, and I'm too busy at work to upload any music while you wait (Sorry about that).
But you can always catch up with any of the previous posts HERE, or leave more suggestions or drop a comment if you want to be a host.

I think I should update the FAQ to include - future hosts indicating if they won't be able to host the series the day before it is their turn to host, unless there is some "Act of Nature". What do you think about that?

Have a wonderful day!

Calming

Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.
- Thomas Jefferson

Hello People,

How's your week going? Fine I hope :-)

Anyways, I decided to play one of Enya's music, because I find her music calming, and I need that right now. It's "May it be".


Have a wonderful rest of the week!!

Salad weekend

Hello People,

How was your weekend?

I got to do some of the things I planned on doing (no more slacking :-)).
I even got to eat some salad, trying to keep to my new year resolution. It tasted good enough, for me not to feel like I was being punished to eat it...lol. I think I could make it a weekend affair, to compensate for some of the junk food I eat during the week.


Hopefully next time, it'll have cucumbers and tomatoes in it, but I really need to invest in an egg slicer :-)
I've been listening to Celine Dion all weekend, and its only fair that I share with you, hence I'm leaving you with "Falling into you".

Have a wonderful week!!!

Nigeria Discussion Series: Mar 02 2007

Hello People,

The Nigeria Discussion Series is currently being hosted by Snazzy, and the topic is Nigeria - The land of opportunity?

Also, remember that current information on the Nigeria discussion series can always be found on the right hand side of this blog.

Have a wonderful day!

Dreams

How are you all?

It's the end of the month already, and we are getting into the last month of the first quarter of the year. Time is really flying. Anyways, today I remembered a post I read last month titled Neglected Dreams (which I totally recommend that you read). After reading it, I made up my mind to put in more effort in accomplishing my dreams.......But I haven't. I'm still distracted with little things and have excuses for not doing all the things I've planned to do.
Hopefully this weekend I'll get around to doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

I leave you with "Dream" by Susan Cagle. Just posted it because I love her music and the title rhymes with the title of this post...lol


Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Working Late?

Don't worry you're not alone. I've got about an hour more to go :-(

I hope you're not working late like the guys below in the youtube video ;-)



Later People.

Lazy Sunday.....

Hello People,

The host for the Nigeria Discussion Series is still MIA. Next post will be by Snazzy this coming friday.

How is your sunday going? Fine I hope.
Mine is fine, except I'm being very lazy. I've been watching movies when I should be doing laundry and cooking for the week....yeah yeah, lazy ME...lol.

Ok I'm off to attempt cooking.

I leave you with Kirk Franklin's "Lean on Me". It's been popping into my head in church for the last 3 sundays.


Have a wonderful week!

Nigeria Discussion Series: Interlude

Hello People,

The Nigeria Discussion Series is currently on hold at the moment. When the host for today has a post up, I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Meanwhile why aren't YOU participating in the series? Are YOU reading them at all? It's hard to believe YOU are reading if YOU don't leave a comment. Unless YOU are trying to tell me that YOU agree with all that's being said.
I realize that YOU might not particularly fancy the particular topic, or think it's that important. So why don't YOU be a host.

If YOU can't do the little things such as this, how can YOU do big things?

Also, remember that current information on the Nigeria discussion series can always be found on the right hand side of this blog.

Have a wonderful day!


Update!
The next post on the Nigerian Discussion Series will be on 02/25/2007 (that's this sunday), as the host is currently very busy.
In the meantime I leave you with some Femi Kuti music while you wait.
Walk on the Right side
Eko Lagos
Fight to Win with Jaguar Wright

Why do you blog?

Hello people,

How is your week going? Good I hope!

Recommended Blog viewing for the day: Idols West Africa.

Reminder: The Nigeria Discussion Series is currently HERE

Anyways, back to the title of the post...Why do you blog?
Who do you blog for? For you, for others, or for both? I know some blog profiles already describe the purpose for their blog.
I'm still trying to figure out more reasons why I blog. But I know I blog for me and others (those that care to read.....lol).
I enjoy reading other blogs, but of recent I try not to read just fun, personal, interesting and serious blogs. I've started reading blogs that are related to my career. Time is money you know :-)
By the way when you read personal blogs, do you believe everything you read?

Have a wonderful rest of the week!
I leave you with Seal's "Kiss from a Rose"

Colors of my mind

It is brown
Brown like hot chocolate
When you warm my heart

It is yellow
Yellow like sunflower petals
When you make me happy

It is purple
Purple like dye
When you treat me like royalty

It is red
Red like fire flames
To show the excitment of my heart
And how you keep it burning

It is blue
Blue as the skies
Showing my calm state of mind.

Copyright © 2007 Nilla


Valentine week is now officially over :-)

I'm currently feeling the music below. It's "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap. Have a wonderful week !!

Nigeria Discussion Series: Feb 16 2007

Hello People,

The Nigeria Discussion Series is currently being hosted by NIGERIA POLITRICKS, and the topic is Nigeria - Is this the way Forward?

Have a wonderful day!

Phew!

Thank God tomorrow is friday!!!
It's been a busy week so far for me. For all those that didn't have a valentine day post (or didn't put it up early enough, when I wasn't so busy), I didn't get to say HAPPY VALENTINE'S.

So I'm saying HAPPY VALENTINES (It's still valentines week you know...lol) with these gifts straight from Godiva!!



I hope you had a good time yesterday, or are yet to have a good time.

Ok will blog with you all later, need to get me something to eat and rest.

Woke up to...

.....Bon Jovi's "Born to be my baby" this morning. And no, I didn't plan it. Just left my computer playing music before I went to bed (normally do that sometimes). It fits the mood of the week (Yay!! it's valentine's week).
I particularly like the lines below:

We got something to believe in
Even if we don't know where we stand
Only God would know the reasons
But I bet he must have had a plan
Cause you were born to be my baby
And baby, I was made to be your man

Light a candle, blow the world away
Table for two on a TV tray
It ain't fancy, baby that's OK
Our time, our way

I'm also loving Bon Jovi and Olivia d'Abo's "Livin' On A Prayer".

Anyways, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Have a wonderful week!!!!!

3's Tag

I was tagged by Jaycee

Three things that scare me:
1. The thought of loosing a loved one, even though I know death is a part of life.
2. Injections (I'd rather take lots of pills)
3. Rats (hmmmm....in boarding house one time we had these rats that used to chew on peoples feet)

Three people who make me laugh:
1. My family (Mum especially)
2. Megan Mullaly (Karen Walker in "Will and Grace")..loved her character.
3. My boyfriend

Three Things I love:
1. Music, music and more music...lol
2. Ice cream
3. Peace

Three Things I hate:
1. Pickles
2. lies (And I don't mean white lies)
3. Harsh winter weather (Causes itchy dry skin)

Three Things I don't understand:
1. Aliens :-)
2. Pathological liars
3. American football

Three things on my desk:
1. My laptop
2. Lip balm
3. nail cutter

Three things I’m doing right now:
1. Doing this tag
2. Listening to "Deep enough to Dream" by Chris Rice
3. Sitting down of course.

Three things I want to do before I die:
1. Own my company or work for the company of my dreams.
2. Go to Egypt
3. Go to France

Three things I can do:
1. Cook
2. Play 2 musical instruments
3. Swim

Three things you should listen to:
1. Your intstincts
2. Pachelbel's Canon in D :-)
3. Good advice

Three things you should never listen to:
1. People who put you down
2. Gossip (Ok that's hard....try not to listen to too much gossip)
3. The "Hyde"/evil voice in your head....lol, I couldn't think of anything else.

Three things I’d like to learn:
1. Finish learning the languages I'm already trying to learn.
2. Ball room dancing
3. Can't think of a specific 3rd answer, so in general, anything else I don't know and I have the time to learn it.

Three favourite foods:
1. Ekpan-ku-kwo
2. Jollof rice
3. Clam chowder soup

Three beverages I drink regularly:
1. Water
2. Orange juice
3. Coffee

Three TV shows/Books I watched/read as a kid:
1. Pinocchio (read)
2. Oliver Twist (read)
3. Tales by moonlight (watched)

Three people I'm tagging (that's if you've not already done this)
Elle
Azuka
Laspapi

I know the tag says to tag 3 people, but everyone on my blogroll can do the tag :-)

Nigeria Discussion Series: Feb 09 2007

Hello People,

The Nigeria Discussion Series is currently being hosted by SOLOMONSYDELLE, and the topic is CORRUPTION: THE COMMON DENOMINATOR TO ALL OUR PROBLEMS

Also, remember that current information on the Nigeria discussion series can always be found on the right hand side of this blog.
Don't forget to leave a comment, if you are interested in hosting.

Thanx, and have a great weekend!

Blogger Confessions

A couple of bloggers have been doing this, and now I'm joining them.

I confess that I'm smitten by the beauty and concept of Bab's House.

I confess that I'm in love with a couple of blogger personalities {Goodluck to you, if you're trying to figure out who they are or why ;-)}.

I confess that if I had only heard this song on Talatu-Carmen's blog without seeing the video, I would have thought it was an indian song/music.

I confess that Jola Naibi's And then there was Nollywood is really fantastic.

I confess that I'm already addicted to Diamond's "Naija Blogger Bachelorette", after seeing the Season Premiere.

I confess that I hope I don't have to remind you that the Nigeria Discussion series is currently HERE .

I confess that today is a beautiful day, and it's not just because it's ONB's Birthday......lol
Happy birthday once again girl!

It's a beautiful day - U2


Finally I confess that I don't have any more time to confess.

Have a lovely day, people.

Change

Hello People,
Hope you had a wonderful weekend? I did (for the most part). Just have a little to say, because I need to go to bed right now :-)

All through out last week and this weekend, I kept on hearing John Mayer's "Waiting on the world to change" on the radio.
I love the song.



As if hearing that song a lot in the past couple of days wasn't enough, I came across the quote below while flipping through this weeks TIME magazine.

We must be the change we wish to see
- Gandhi

Reminder: The Nigeria Discussion Series is currently HERE.

Have a wonderful week!

Don't Matter

I'm currently feeling this song. It's one of my favorite songs. It's one of those songs I'm sure many people can relate to .
Enjoy!!!

Nigeria Discussion Series: Feb 02 2007

Hello People,

The Nigeria Discussion Series is currently being hosted by Laspapi, and the topic is NIGERIA- A LOST CAUSE? (THE POLITICS...THE POLITICIANS)

Also, remember that current information on the Nigeria discussion series can always be found on the right hand side of this blog.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Sleepers

Did you ever see the movie Sleepers?
It's an old movie (Came out in 1996), but I saw the movie sometime last year and it is very very touching.

Brief summary:
It's about 4 boys sent to a juvenile detention center, after playing a prank that went terribly wrong. While in the detention center, they were mentally, physically and sexually abused by a few of the guards.
A more indepth review can be found here .

This movie kept popping up in my head while reading a couple of blogs and comments.

I finally put my scattered thoughts together, the result.....

ABUSE
Abuse be it mental, physical, sexual or verbal
Is a disease that cuts through boundaries,
It's not a respecter of gender
It's not a respecter of age
It's not a respecter of social status
It's not a respecter of profession
It's not a respecter of race
It's not a respecter of country
Abuse is not a respecter of people.
It's a disease perpetrated by sick people!

Runaway Love

Notable Comments by Nigerians - 1

"God Help Nigeria! "

You find this comment a lot on some Nigerian blogs, especially when something bad has happened (again).

Why am I talking about this?
It snowed again today (It's just been snowing every week), and so traffic was slow because there had been a multiple car accident like 15 miles (24 km) away on another highway.
Anyways, while I crawled through traffic, I started thinking (Like I'm sure most of you have thought.....) how it's good that most parts of Africa don't have snow. People would have frozen to death in thousands or something.
Focusing on Nigeria alone, with the government not even maintaining roads, who would have cleared up the snow on highways for people to move around (get to work most especially)?
While in thought, I remembered the comment "God Help Nigeria", and wondered what we really meant by that. What kind of help exactly are we looking for?
Me thinks God has helped Nigeria already. There are about 200 countries in the world, so I add, God help those countries too (they have their own problems).

While we can continue to say "God Help Nigeria", let's just remember that if we don't do anything about our problems, we will continue to say that till infinity.

REMINDER: Nigeria Discussion Series
The next post is by Laspapi - Feb 02 2007.
Current information on the Nigerian discussion series can always be found on the right hand side of this blog.

Random Things

Busy week already, so please Miss Vera, don't call for update :-)

Reminder:
The Nigeria discussion series is currently HERE
Information on the Nigerian discussion series can always be found on the right hand side of this blog.

Recommended Blog listening:
DiAmOnD's blog yesterday had music by Alicia Keys and Bono. Do check it out, it's on hope.


I first saw this on Elle's blog and did it. Feel free to do it if you want to.

Your Birthdate: December 28

You have a Type A personality so big it makes other Type A's shrink away in shame. You never shy away from adversity - and you love to tackle impossible problems. Failure is not an option for you, and more than a few people are put off by your ego. You tend to be controlling, and you hate leaving anything up to chance. Your strength: Your bold approach to life Your weakness: You don't accept help Your power color: Bronze Your power symbol: Pyramid Your power month: October

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

All I can say is hmmmmm to not accepting help and being controlling.
I accept help when necessary.
I'm trying to think of who I've controlled......{thinking}... nothing comes to mind....lol

If your birth DATE is the 28th, then it's the same for you (As other bloggers have noted)

I got this offline message yesterday:
This year, all your enemies shall be harassed like Atiku, restless like Chris Ngige, Confused like Chris Uba, Disorganised like AC, Resigned like Audu Ogbe, Sacked like Peter Obi, Disappointed like Peter Odili, Betrayed like Charles Taylor, Arrested like Sergeant Rogers, Detained like Al-Mustapha, Disgraced like Tafa Balogun, Die like Abacha, if they refuse to die, will be hanged like Saddam. Meanwhile, all your competitors shall step down for you like they did to Yar'adua, You shall be announced like Duke and Tinapa, You will reclaim what the Devil had earlier stolen like Ladoja while Goodluck shall follow you throughout the days of your life like Jonathan in Jesus mighty name. AMEN. Welcome to a Brand New Year!

Have a wonderful rest of the week. Will catch up with you and your blogs by the end of the week (hopefully sooner).

Most beautiful things

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.

- Helen Keller

What are some of the most beautiful things you can't see or touch?
I'll start first and you all can continue ;-)

- love, kindness....

Favorite Blogs

Information on the Nigerian discussion series can always be found on the right hand side of this blog.

n9ja wanted a post on my favorite blogs, and I said yes before thinking it through. The truth is there are many unique blogs, and something I particularly fancy might not have the same effect on you.
Some of them you like instantly, while some they grow on you.
Anyways since I said yes, I'll list a few. The rest of my favorites are on my blogroll and a few are on my favorite list on my PC (not that you can see that :-)).

If you want something Inspirational: Light her lamp

If you want poetry: Windmills of my mind

If you want fashion: Bella Naija

If you want Nigerian Entertainment: Naija Vixen

If you want Nigerian drama/prose: Pangolo Junction

If you want Nigeria news/politics: Nigerian Politics

If you want news in general: African Shirts

If you're looking for help on blogging, Azuka's blog has some tips.

I specifically left out personal blogs, and the blogs that are kind of random (talk about a different range of topics).


Still talking about blogs, my friend Curvyice just started blogging recently. Do stop by sometime, if you haven't already.


Have a wonderful weekend people. I leave you with the song I'm feeling now. It's "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel.

Nigeria Discussion Series

This post will be continuously updated to show the current blog post of the series

You can leave your comments, questions or suggestions HERE


Current Post
A Nigerian Recipe for Democracy

Future Post authors

* Nilla - May 4 2007

* Snazzy - May 11 2007

* Open slot - May 18 2007

* Chxta - May 30 2007 (Wednesday)

Previous Posts
* Let's talk Nigeria

* Nigeria: to return or not to return

* NIGERIA - A LOST CAUSE? (THE POLITICS...THE POLITICIANS)

* CORRUPTION: THE COMMON DENOMINATOR TO ALL OUR PROBLEMS

* Nigeria - Is this the way forward?

* Nigeria - The Land of Opportunity?

* Rock Bottom: Nowhere Else But Up!

* Let's talk NIGERIA (2)

* Today

* My people Tsunami – if there has to be a change!!

Nigeria series FAQ

What is the Nigeria Discussion Series?

It's an on-going discussion on issues that are Nigeria related, and are hosted by different bloggers.

Who is eligible to host?

Any Nigerian with a blog.

What is the code of conduct?

Respect other people's opinions.

If you have any other questions, suggestions, or are interested in hosting, leave a comment.

Overwhelmed, series & resigning

I’ll like to say that I’m still overwhelmed by the responses to the Let’s talk Nigeria post. I know I wanted to get people thinking, but I didn’t expect that many people would stop by within that short time.
Thanks to all that stopped by, linked the post, and read it.

I was thinking we could have a weekly or weekend “Let’s talk NIGERIA” series, to continue with we’ve started…or whatever name you guys think is ok.
But I was thinking we could have different bloggers host it.
I don’t mind hosting it, but it will be better I think if other people host it, because they’ll most likely get a different audience than the ones in this first post and also they’ll have a different angle of viewing things. Anyone interested in hosting can let me know. You can use a post you already had in the past.

The only person I’m going to request to do this is Chxta
Many reasons, I’ll give two:
1. He hasn’t really commented yet….
2. I started blogging because I started posting comments on his blog. And now it’s my 2 months blogging anniversary. @ Chxta, so you see you can’t say no!

Talking about blogging anniversary, I’m officially resigning from Blog STALKING, because if I continue, I might just have a blog related nervous breakdown…LOL
I did not say I’ll stop blogging oh!!
I’ll just stop discovering new ones, but will still continue reading the ones I know now.
It was fun blog stalking, because I got to discover a lot of cool blogs.

Modified: STALKING: The process of pursuing obsesively and to the point of harassment :-)

Let's talk NIGERIA

For every time another Nigerian becomes a citizen of another country, we loose something
We empower those countries that we take refuge in…..we partly develop those countries. And our own????

These things should concern us…..whether we live in Nigeria or not, because you're still always going to have loved ones, family, relations or friends in Nigeria.

Just in case for some funny reason, you’re not sure you’re Nigerian…take the brief survey below.

Your surname is Nigeria, if you fall into one or more of the following categories:
• There is naija, nyja, or 9ja in your name or blog name.
• More than 50% of the people on your blogroll are Nigerian
• Your profile picture is Nigerian-ish....lol (You get my point).
• Your always talking about Nigeria on your blog (whether complaining or positively)
• Your always commenting on a Nigerian blog.
• Some or all the words on your blog can only be understood by a Nigerian.

If I missed a category you fall under and your Nigerian, let me know :-)

Now that we have established the fact that you are Nigerian (whether you like it or not),
Listen to Femi Kuti’s Do Your Best song.
I think we aren’t even really doing the best we can for Nigeria!

One of the biggest problems is that most people don't believe that Nigeria can be better. When people have lost hope, how are things supposed to get better?

The floor is open for discussion.....

P.S. Do respond with comments, suggestion etc, because this post is going to be up here for a while. And if you scream for update, I’ll be updating in the comment section of your blog!!

Novels to read

Hello people,
Hope you're all having a great week?
It's still cold over here, even though it's much warmer than yesterday (was 2 deg F).

It's been a while since I read any novels. I used to be one of those people that spent hours in the toilet.....totally engrossed in a novel. Anyways, I've been seeing lots of recommendations on a couple of books and I decided to order some of them....and I hope they are really as good as some blog writers have made them out to be.

This first one is by a London Born writer.....




I first came across this second novel on nairaland, its by a Nigerian writer. In case your wondering what Aireginan means .... Airegin is Nigeria spelt backwards. So instead of using Nigerian Dream, she used Aireginan Dream.

The next two books are by the same author, who's also Nigerian.

The last one is also by a Nigerian.

Seems like a lot to read. Have no clue how long it's going to take me (well actually that will depend on how interesting they are).

I'm off to go read {will start with the shortest one :-)}, take care people..

Shakespeare said....

Love all, trust a few. Do wrong to none.

Martin Luther King Day

Some of my favorite quotes of MLK

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."

"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent."

To read the famous I Have A Dream speech, click here

Recommended Blog reading:
I do have a dream for Nigeria..
Letter to Dr. King

City of Angels

Having heard good things/reviews about the movie City of Angels in response to the video Iris by Goo Goo Dolls in my Icy weather weekend post, I decided to watch the movie.

It's a really beautiful movie (kleenex recommended for the not so strong hearted...lol). I totally recommend it.

It also had a bunch of nice soundtracks apart from Iris. I'm posting two of them..

I Grieve by Peter Gabriel


Angels by Sarah McLachlan


Do you believe in Angels?
Do you believe there are Angels among us?
My answer is yes to the two questions.
I already know what Naijadude thinks with this post :-)

Have a wonderful week people, with angels all around you!

Still snuggled in

The above are pictures of the pool house last night when the snow still looked lovely.

This afternoon it didn't look that nice anymore (well @ least not the driveway).

Anyways, I'm still indoors, staying snuggled under a blanket..... just the perfect weather to be sleeping, don't you think?

Icy weather weekend

It's freezing cold!!....so cold that my car refused to start until after 2 attempts. As at the time, I left for work, it hadn't started snowing yet but I had to scrape off ice from my windshield. It was taking me practically forever to get the ice off, luckily one of my neighbours who was also doing the same but with a de-icer (need to get me a gallon of that), came and helped.

I almost had an accident close to my office because my brake wouldn't catch (road was too slippery). That left me in shock for a while.

Right now it's 16 deg celsius farenheit and it's snowing.

The entire weekend is supposed to be this way in pretty much all of the mid states in the US and that means I'm going to be indoors all weekend :-(

Anyways Have a Happy weekend people....

And enjoy the song below.. It's Iris by Goo Goo Dolls

Featured Blog: Light Her Lamp

I'm recommending another blog again....

But first, what is God saying to you? Watch the youtube slideshow.

For me, God is telling me to draw closer to him.

Which brings me back to the title of my post......
I'm recomending the blog Light Her Lamp (writings of a naija lady) because it's one of the most inspirational blogs in blogsburg. It's definitely a daily read.

The blog owner is Jaycee. She usually posts daily bible verses that remind me to read my own bible. And her interpretations are so.....{You have to go there and see for your self!}

Her blog gets me thinking if I can spend at least an hour reading other people's blog. Why can't I spend more time getting to know God.

She has been a blessing to me, and I'm sure she'll be a blessing to you too.

And just in case you didn't have time to check out the last blog I featured, here is a LINK :-)

Burnt out & Well cooked

It's only midweek and I feel totally burnt out already. Yesterday I worked over 14 hours, the day before that about 10 hours (will probably do a one time blog on my job in the future and why the hours are so........). And to think I practically flew through school just so that I'd start working. For those of you still in school, just enjoy it as much as you can.

That was how I felt a couple of hours ago........

..now I feel well rested, after having napped for a couple of hours. I felt great enough to do a little cooking. I made a little afang soup (see picture below) and ofcourse some garri to go with it.

I put up a small picture so you all would'nt start salivating. That's considerate of me right? ....LOL

I'm off to go blog rolling (or better still blog stalking) for a few hours....

Have a wonderful rest of the week people!

Perfect Miracle

To me every hour of the day and night is an unspeakable perfect miracle.

-Walt Whitman

I think living in itself is a miracle......
So be thankful for the life you have,
Be thankful for every breath you take,
Be thankful for every big thing in your life,
Be thankful for every small thing in your life,
Be thankful that you can read this blog :-)

Have a great week people.

Weekender

Today, along with a couple of other movies, I watched The Black Dahlia. I was looking forward to it….I’d wanted to watch it when it was playing at the theaters, but for some reason I didn’t get to do that.

For those that don’t know, The Black Dahlia is based on a real unsolved 1940’s Los Angeles murder…(yes it’s a cold case). It’s one of the most popular mysterious crimes in the US, the main reason being the barbaric nature in which Elizabeth Short (aka The Black Dahlia) was killed. She was discovered CUT IN HALF AT THE WAIST amongst other things (still gets me shivering).
See more facts about The Black Dahlia

The movie wasn't what I really expected. It was more of a fictional account of what happened, meanwhile i was expecting facts. I won't say I recommend it, and it is so not a family movie.


Alright people, have a great Sunday…I’m off to go put away the last of my laundry (Actually did 4 loads)
I leave you with this song by Superchick titled "We Live"

Superchick Music Video Codes

Now Playing: Superchick - We Live
Brought you by: Music Codes

If it doesn't play, here is a direct Link

Featured Blog: Pangolo Junction

In one of my earlier posts, I said I’d be recommending other blogs, because I read a lot of them.

Drum roll please as I introduce my feature blog of the day Pangolo Junction. Right now I’m addicted to it so much that I’m reading all that there is in the archives (Yes it’s that good). The blog owner Atala Wala Wala (AWW) is one of my favorite blogsburg writers.

In fact why am I still talking…..People head on down to Pangolo Junction, because that’s where the fun is at.

Ehnnn...are you still here??!! Ok I'll hold your hand and take you to the Archives. You should be able to find your way around now....LOL

Have a great day people.

A Society in Confusion

As requested by Donzman, this poem is dedicated to the recent Oil Pipe Explosion Victims


A Society in Confusion - by Nilla

Lives left lifeless as repercussion
For a society in confusion
All because of a lack of obligation

Now who should be held culpable
For this circumstance so lamentable
For this circumstance so deplorable

For a society in confusion, this was inevitable..

Or how else do you explain
A series of events in repetition?
In eight years, eight explosions

Will this just be another tale
To be told at another interval?
Or will this be the last of the avoidables?

Copyright © 2007 Nilla


You can see a glossary of Nigeria Pipeline Disasters here.

Back and Sleepless

So much for my new year resolution of getting @ least 7 hours of sleep.
Its past 3 am and I'm still awake!

Just came back from my weekend getaway to Cali. My flight was delayed by an hour and i got to Kansas City after midnight!
I had fun (I wish I could have stayed longer though). I didn't get to see any celebrities, but i saw a painting of Johnny Depp (I'm a big fan) in a gallery on Rodeo Drive, in Beverly Hills.



More pictures on Rodeo Drive....

I think sleep is kicking in now, so I better head to bed...long day at work tomorrow!