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!

Poem-athon (5)

A continuation of the series of poems by friends. See previous Poem-athon (4)

A Fool As Old As I
By Kola Tuboson (aka iGwatala)

Looking around alone
while others strive
marks me out
from this human race
as a swollen face.

Contacts made and doggedly kept
through thick and thin
stands tall in made truths
of my still, staring stance.
with sparse naira chance

Regular looks of piercing blur
and charming gleaning dents
or hands promptly stretched
are doors closing yet
as I look between this net.

I wave a lone flag
at a long, flowing crowd.

"The secret of genius lies in the clear and impartial perception of the objective, the essential and the universal. By seeing so far, he doesn't see what is near he is imprudent and queer; and while his vision is hitched to a star, he falls into a well" - Arthur Schopenhauer

This can also be found on Subjective Substance online journal of poetry
He also has a collection to be released soon.

All rights reserved

My own blogger choices

HAPPY NEW YEAR once again people!

There was a blogger award at the end of last year on Taurean Minx's blog.
At first i didn't want to vote, but after seeing the invitation on Bella Naija, then Overwhelmed Naija's and finally Naijadude's blog, I decided to vote.

I wasn't satisfied with some of the results...almost regret voting sef :-(

Anyways I decided to post my own list here! These are just for the blogs i've been to in my short time here.


Best blog overall: Bella Naija

Most inspiring blogger: Segun (Be Inspired), Jaycee, Naijadude

Funniest blogger: NaijaBloke, OWNB

Blogger I would most like to meet: Almost all bloggers :-)

Best writer: Miguel, Atala Wala Wala, Chxta, Naijadude, Onada, BOA, Azuka, Boorish Male, Vera

Most thought provoking post: Naijadude – Too bad I have to continue living a life of a lie!

Dedicated blogger award-updates blog most often: Too many to list.

Best every day read: Bella Naija, Naijadude, Atala Wala Wala, Jaycee

Best country centric blog: Too many to mention

Best genre centric blog: Atala Wala Wala, Bella Naija

Best fashion blog: Bella Naija

Best foreigner in Nigeria blog: Maphelele (If she’s not Nigerian), Blublood

Best poetry/soulful blog: Answer later

Best intellectual blog: Too many to mention.

Sexiest blogger: Guy – Naijadude; Lady - Icy

Mr Macho blogger: ??

Most annoying blogger: Anonymous spammer

Random blog- What’s he/she on about: ??

Best non-blogger commenter - for someone who is not a blogger but consistently comments on blogs: Anonymous

Most scandalous blog: OWNB

Most entertaining blog: Naija Vixen, Bella Naija,

Best political blog: Chxta, Grandiose Palor, Veracity, Atala Wala Wala, Chippla, African Shirts, Ijebuman, Davidylan.

Best religious blog: Diamond Hawk, Jaycee

Best designed blog: Bella Naija, Icy, Jaycee

Blogger who achieved the most in 2006: ??

Additional Categories
Best New Blogger: Jaycee, Naija Vixen, Nilla
Best Well-mannered Blogger: Too many to mention
Best Blogger/Blog name: TaureanMinx

Those in italics are the ones I missed in my original votes