HAPPY NEW YEAR

This is wishing you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

A year of new things
A year of better things
A year of dreams fulfilled
A year of prosperity
A year of success

This is going to be my last post for the year and I leave you with video(s) (depending on your mood) from one of my favorite artists.

A New day has come - Celine Dion



A New day has come (slower version)- Celine Dion



Be safe people!!

Welcome 2007!!!!!

A post to clear the last post..

..the previous post had to be shifted from the top position @ a particular time.

I’m still a little bit down with the cold, so I decided to write a short poem (actually work on my poetry writing skills) on the yeye cold ....lol. Here it is:

This Cold

The audacity of this cold!
Trying to put me on hold
Alas I am more than bold
For I refuse to fold.

Yes Oh! this cold did not stop me from pampering myself a little…after all how many times do you turn ….(see the previous post and do the maths). And this weekend cold or no cold, I’m going to have mad fun!

I still want to say sosongo (thanks)
To all those that dropped by to say Happy Birthday!!
It meant a lot and it made me happy

Thanxxxxes

Of all the calls I got yesterday, the one I was excited about the most was that of my sister. She is one of the most unreachable people ever. If she doesn’t want to be found you best believe you won’t find her. I mean my sis is not a celebrity but yet she is so unreachable. Thank God for birthday oh!...I heard her voice again. I miss her so much..it's funny because we were always fighting when we were together...I guess its true what they say, “Distance makes the heart grow fonder”.

Happy Buffday to Me & Others

Yay!!!
It's my birthday today and I'm feeling mighty dandy today (even though i got a cold).

Special shout outs to all my birthday mates:
Miss E from my secondary school
Miss C from my College

and also these celebrities ...

Denzel (how many Denzel's do you know :-)) - he's cute just like moi...LOL

and also

John Legend Music Video Codes

Now Playing: John Legend - Save Room
Brought you by: Music Codes

Yeah its John Legend...and I've got a great voice just like him....LOL

Happy buffday to all the other December 28 babes and guys where ever you are!

And I'm turning......the # of hours this post would be up here @ the top :-)

The Pursuit of HappYness

First things first...

I hope you all had a nice christmas? I did.

It was sad news though to hear about the Pipeline Explosion in Lagos...I'll like to observe a moment of silence for those that lost their lives.
I also pray for the families that lost loved ones.

I saw The Pursuit of Happyness over the weekend, and it is GREAT. It's a movie for all to see. If you haven't seen it yet, plan on doing so and you won't regret it.
While on the subject of Happiness....My Recommended Blog reading for today is On Happiness by BOA

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THANKSGIVING

Its 5 days to the end of the year and i thought it would be nice to just thank GOD for a wonderful year.

-I thank God for family, friends and relations

-I thank God for seeing me through school

-I thank God for my job (most of you know how hard it is for international students to get jobs over here)

-And finally I thank God for loving me .

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NEW YEAR's RESOLUTION

I won't even make it long, cos i hardly keep them. But I'll really like to..

-get @ least 7 hours of sleep @ night

-eat more salad

-and last but not the least, walk in happiness and not pursue it.

Have Yourself A Merry Big Christmas!

I believe people are actually in the holiday spirit when they start singing christmas songs. So Play the video and sing...you can freestyle or follow the slightly modified lyrics below..



Have yourself a merry little (big) Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little (big) Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are near to us
Gather near to us once more.

Through the years
We all will be together,
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself A merry little (big) Christmas now.


I also got this xmas luv and prayer in my mail today, and I'm passing it on..
Prayers for special people like you,

(1) You will find favour with someone you don't expect, Amen

(2) You will be too relevant to be ignored, Amen

(3) You will encounter God and you will never remain the same, Amen

(4) The grace for completion will come on you. You shall be blessed till the blessed call you blessed, Amen

(5) The hand that will send this message to others shall not labour in vain, Amen

(6) The mouth saying "Amen" to this prayer shall laugh forever Amen.

Very Very soon, I say Very Very soon, God is going to
do a miracle that will make you halla, "ah! Father,
You are too much!" Remain in God's love as you pass on
this prayer!!!!

Have a very Merry Christmas people!

My day....

...it started out ok.
As had been my daily routine for the past week, I had to go put air in one of my tires before heading to work. I’ve been doing this daily since late last week when i woke up one morning and one of the car tires was down (I have no clue what happenened to the tire, all i know is every morning it's flat again).

...Then it became great.
Some time before lunch, I got a christmas bonus that was totally unexpected and started dreaming of all the things i could get with it. In the end though i decided it would be better for my savings to take care of that!

...And then lousy
After work, i finally decided it was time to get my tire done once and for all and i headed over to Walmart. I spent over 2 hours waiting on just one flat tire, needless to say i wasn't too happy about that.

..Finally it ends well..
I got home still in a lousy mood i chatted with a friend online and he sent me this song that some how managed to make me feel better. It's a fusion of jazz, rap and gospel. I loved it and i'm sure you will too.

Presenting Michael Franti & Spearhead in "Every Single Soul"

this player has a mind of its own (or maybe its just me not doing it right :-)), so you'll have to click on it twice and wait for about 20 seconds...no vex sha, its worth the wait.

This Zoning Thing..

...are we sure thats the best thing for Nigeria.

Given that a zoning arrangement was made in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party for the Presidency to rotate between the North and Southern parts of the country, the south is to allow the North to have a shot at the presidency in 2007 in the spirit of fairness, justice and equity.

But what does this zoning formula really mean for Nigeria - I think it means we would miss out on opportunities for us to have great leaders.

Never mind what I think the zoning formula means, Is zoning Nigeria into north and south good enough? Should'nt there be more zones?

Anyways those are just my thoughts!

Recommended Blog Reads on recent election happenings..
The Man Who Will Be King
Fight For Your Right Not to Party
Case of Bad Luck
Are We Lucky
Goodluck Nigeria
Nigeria 2007 Presidential Election: The Yar A'dua - Jonathan Ticket

Modified: Additional Recommended Blog Reads on Recent election happenings
Yar Adua Picks Jonathan to Pacify Niger Delta

LITTLE THINGS we take for granted

Hello People,
Hope you're all having a fabulous weekend!

Do you take little things such as laughter; giving a hug; telling someone you love them; checking up on friends and families; etc. for granted?

I love the quote below...

We take so much for granted. We do not appreciate sometimes the simplest things
in our lives that bring us so much pleasure. We do not seem to realize that we
have so much more than most people in the world.

We must understand that
we must appreciate our lives and the things that bring pleasure in our lives,
like love, friendship and shopping. We must appreciate the things in life that
bring smiles to our faces and warm out hearts with pleasure and happiness. Only
then will we all be able to appreciate and love the life we live.

The
things we enjoy to do cannot be taken away from us. The things we enjoy to the
most are tools to help heal and cleanse the soul. Unfortunately as people, we do
not carry ultimate perfection. We all carry with us some types of flaws, what I
call old wounds. But to live positively in a society of imperfection we must
focus on things we enjoy, and overlook and discard our inner and outward flaws.

By Stacey Chillemi

What are the little things you take for granted?

As you think of the little things I leave you with this video from one of my favorite artist - INDIA ARIE

India.Arie Music Video Codes

Now Playing: India.Arie - Little Things
Brought you by: Music Codes

Have a great day and appreciate more the little things!

Surreal?

Ok surreal is not really the word I was looking for, but I guess it’s just going to have to work…

How surreal is Cyberspace?

Apart from Online Forums where you get to fight and make friends with a couple of people, you have the ever increasing bloggers…about 60 million now!

Blogosphere / Blogsville / Blogsburg… (Whatever you choose to call it)
Can you imagine the number of people you bond with, known or unknown?
Do you realize that someone dropping a comment on your blog or just reading your blog is probably going to be the president of some country, first lady of some sort, the next big thing, etc? Wow it’s almost unreal. Some might remember that they actually came in cyber-contact with this person in the past, while some might not.

Do you guys ever click on the “next blog” link on your navigation bar? I actually do that at least once a day (I call it: checking on my “at-the-moment neighbors”), and I’ve seen a Portuguese blog, an Arabic blog amongst others. But there are some disadvantages to seeing who your neighbor is – some blogs have annoying pop-ups. So I don’t think I’d be doing much of that anymore.

Blogsburg is surreal and its powerful.

A time for everything

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the
heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a
time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to
heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and
a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast
away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time
to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to
keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time
to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to
hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Poem-athon (4)

A continuation of the series of poems by friends. See previous Poem-athon (3)

Love’s Wits - by Macalurs

Love has its degrees and extents.
A man might not be hooked yet
But when he feels even once
That tugging in his stomach
The appreciation for someone
He got the pretty tiny little whiff
And he should be good to go
With his luck in one hand
And his guts in the other

Copyright © 2006 Macalurs

3 "R"s of the day

RAMBLINGS
I finally got my lazy self to go Christmas shopping yesterday evening; it wasn’t funny, not even in the same zipcode as funny. Why am I lamenting so much … well it so happens that my shopping list also included plane tickets for me to go see loved ones. And if only I wasn’t so busy I wouldn’t be lamenting because I would most definitely have gotten a better deal, than what I have now. Ok enough of the pity party…lol. It’s loved ones right so it’s ok, and next time early planning.

RECOMMENDATIONS
If you’re yet to go shopping here are my recommendations for Christmas gifts:
1. Christmas Hamper: My advice is to make it yourself, instead of buying the ready-made ones. You can buy the ready-made ones though if you are really pressed for time. You could make it a food hamper, cosmetic hamper or something else.
2. Perfumes: I think its one of the easiest gift to shop for, just make sure you don’t get anything that smells awful (And yes some perfumes do smell horrible...lol).
3. Gift cards: This is an even easier gift to get. But make sure it’s a gift card to a place the receiver frequents or would appreciate.
4. Cards: This is a must, because they last long (here we are assuming the receiver doesn’t trash it in the nearest bin..lol). Also the words mean something to somepeople.
5. Cash: Can be good or bad. Good, because every one needs that extra cash. Bad, because it shows you didn’t have the time to go pick up something.

RECENT NEWS
Meanwhile in the news today the official World Oldest Woman, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden is dead (At the age of 116). According to family, she had had 40 grandchildren, 75 great-grandchildren, 150 great-great-grandchildren, 220 great-great-great grandchildren and 75 great-great-great-great grandchildren.

Poem-athon (3)

A continuation of the series of poems by friends. See previous Poem-athon (2)

The Hunt - by Genial

The stalk

Blackness, balance, baited breath
Sight slitted, fervent focus
Limbs nimble, trigger eager
Mind primed, ears geared
Shifting, silent, shapeless shadows
Crouching, crawling, creeping, controlled
Looking, lusting, learning, listening

The chase

Spring suddenly! No time to lose!
Fury, fury, fury let loose!
Galloping, leaping, eyes focused
Crashing, crushing, to the purpose
Time flashing past, speeding
A blur of earth, sound and green
Getting closer, closer, closer
The smell of blood, fear, bile, ochre

The kill

Time hangs, suspended
Muscles stretched, distended
Soft flesh tearing at the claws
Blood, blood, blood, more blood!
Growls, screams, high pitch, low pitch
Struggles, throes, agony, teeth
Death, death, death, death!
Slowly, surely. . . slumping. . . silent.

It is finished.

Copyright © 2006 Genial

Poem-athon (2)

A continuation of the series of poems by friends. See previous Poem-athon (1)

Love? - by Macalurs

Is Love that lady in your bed?
That thing of beauty next to you
Is Love that mystery in your head
That clouds your mind with words unsaid?

Lov's The girl men love so much
She's the man girls dream to kiss
She's everything from cramps to blush
I behold love, I feel malaise

Lov's the conqueress of kings
The valiant wordless touch of death
With words unspoken, the brute she tames
Love is death, the incarnate

Lov's an illusion to my brain
Lov's a feeling or a place
Lov's where I go to catch a train
Lov's what I do to keep mundane.

Copyright © 2006 Macalurs

419 scams: headline news again!

Blogging on this wasn’t on my mind, but seeing as many Nigerians are really upset about it and some of my friends weren’t even aware about what’s going on, I decided to.
There are couple of blogs on it with lots of interesting views and comments see Biodun, Grandiose Parlor, and Davidylan, they’ve virtually said almost there is to say about it.
I got the comment below from one of Grandiose Parlor’s links and it caught my eye, because there were lots of things to it. Make of it what you will…..

PLEASE READ TO END, AND HAVE A LAUGH.....Everyday we get pop-ups telling us we
have won millions of dollars if only we click on this or that, or some say send
$29.95 to receive your million dollar, and what do we call this? The ENRON CEO
scammed his own employees…etc, etc….I CAN GO ON AND ON……are these not all scams?
Your own President scammed you into believing you were fighting a JUST war and
killing all your innocent children, AGAIN ALL SCAMS TO GET OIL! and you guys
think we are fools, you are the fool for falling into such an outplayed
scam......this was going on before my great-grandmother was even born, so please
try some other news. Focus on the HUNGER in DARFUR, and other places in the
world like OPRAH SAID, Focus on health issues around the world, and you are
focusing on NIGERIAN SCAMS??? This news was a BIIIIGGGG JOKE! I cannot believe
that 20/20 dedicated it's precious time on such a documentary, this shows how
foolish (MUGUISH) the american media is, always trying to impose their way of
life on others. How ironic that you did a documentary on North Korea and their
way of life, then right after that on Nigerian scams....FACE IT! YOU DO NOT OWN
THE WORLD!!! PEOPLE have their own way of life, and if making you guys the MUGUS
is part of it, then there is no one to blame. I WONDER WHY ALL OF A SUDDEN THIS
IS AN ISSUE, WE KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE TRIED TO SUCK IRAQ DRY FROM THEIR OIL, PLEASE
DO NOT TRY THAT IN NIGERIA, BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL. NIGERIA
HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF THE TOP OIL PRODUCERS, AND WE KNOW WHERE YOU GUYS ARE
GETTING TO. IT'S AN OLD POLITICs TRICK, BUT WE ARE IN THE GAME, SO PLEASE TRY
TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT IN THE NEWS!!!!! WE WILL NOT SHARE OUR
OIL!! MUGUS!!!!!!
Posted by: MUGU:-0 Dec 9, 2006 5:42:24 PM

And the stereotyping continues…Nigerians – scam artists, Muslims – Terrorists. I wonder what the combination of these 2 will do to Nigeria in the future.

Come on you guys cheer up, what’s there to be embarrassed about, if people want to be stereotypical that Nigerians are 419 scammers, I think Americans should be embarrassed too for being greedy…abi is it not so.

But at the same time we still need to do something about it, because all of us are paying the price in one form or another. Just this week one of my friends was told by her Palestinian friend to leave the room when he was about to make a purchase with his debit/credit card online. A while back another of my friend was involved in a case of mistaken identity.

For all non-Nigerians, scammers are not celebrated in Nigeria, only the scammers celebrate what they’ve achieved.

Poem-athon (1)

Hello people, I said I was going to put up some of my friends poems. I'll be putting up one every day, starting now.....


The Battle - by Genial

It begins at the place of words
With the touching of swords
Shivers, itches, heat, passion
Limbs entwined, planned confusion
Breathing faster, pulses racing
Feverishly groping and tracing
Frenetic madness, facing paces
Faster, faster, ever faster
Engine revving deeper, louder
Pistons labour higher, harder
Blood, sweat, tears, groans
Voices low, gasps, moans,
Building up to a crescendo
A wail of victory, no more innuendo
Sounds of triumphant labour
Visions of paradise to savour
Sunshine, moonshine, rainfall. . .

Silence. Oblivion. The end.

Copyright © 2006 Genial

For your country

...ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country...
By John F Kennedy

This was part of JFK's inaugural address to Americans, and its one of my favorite quotes.
To see the full speech click here

Hence my Naija people...we already know our country isn't going to do much (if anything at all) for us, so lets do something for Nigeria.

My first 3 poems

I remember taking poetry classes in secondary school and hating it, but now I'm addicted to poetry (nice, captivating and interesting ones). I disliked poems then because most of the ones I read were either too complicated (forgive my simple brain...lol) or just boring.
My re-introduction to poetry happened in Nairaland, but thats a story for another day (hopefully).

Anyways, here are my first 3 poems. Right now I'm still an amateur, but getting better :-)


NIGERIA

Oh hail Nigeria
Land of multiple languages
Land of multiple cultures
Land of variety and diversity

You may say its troubled
You may say there is no hope for it
But I urge you, think again
For its the dawn of a new era

No other place would you find such uniqueness
People are happy regardless of adversity
Grace, style and perseverance is their hidden name
Always colorful in exotic outfits

Oh hail Nigeria, my home
Can't love any other like i love you
Love undisputed
Value priceless.


This second one was a dedication to the poets on a particular thread in Nairaland.


TASTE OF POETRY

Remembering how dull life past was
Only to discover the beauty of poetry
Truly a wondrous delight

Sometimes it leaves my eyes with tears
Sometimes it leaves my lips with a smile
Sometimes it even leaves me ecstatic
But every time my day is refreshed
As I begin to look at things with an artists eye

So I say thanks to all
For adding something good in my life
You have given me a taste of poetry
And now I can’t live without it.


PEACE

Looking up and pondering
With broken hearts and broken spirits
Its been a struggle
Sighs heard all around
Waiting, hoping and praying for that day
When pain, suffering and hunger would be history

Looking up again
This time with dizzy eyes
Barely seeing the bird
Idle gaze suddenly disrupted . . .
A dove with an Olive branch
At last it will be well




Will be posting more of my poems (as i write them) and also those of my friends (once approved by them ofcourse).

REMINDER...

“Tis” the holiday season again, a time of joy and peace.
But for quite a number of people in a couple of places, peace is something they either know little about, or haven’t seen or felt in a long while.

..Just a little reminder as you make your Christmas list or go Christmas shopping…

- Imagine a life where you are not sure of your next meal, etc….(basically all the things we take for granted are lacking).

For those of us that have, giving should not be an option; it should be a moral obligation.
I know if I were a little child living in anyone of these places, I would be grateful to the people that did something about my situation.

It really doesn’t take much to make a donation. What ever you give will go a long way.

You will definitely be putting a smile on a face or faces.

You can even give the gift of sponsoring a Child or just make a donation to any charitable organization of your choice.
Have nothing? Say a prayer.

Did I set you on a guilt trip yet?
I’m sorry I didn’t mean to….I’m just spreading the Christmas cheer.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Little Bits of ME

Thank God

Finally done with my finals (wow, what a relief). Yeah you'd be seeing more of me now.

I'm going to be talking about anything that I'm comfy with, think its important, fun, hilarious, inspirational, motivational, etc.

I read a lot of blogs, so even when i don't have anything to write about, I'd be recommending.

Target audience: Nigerians, Africans, Everyone else.

About me...
Just an ordinary girl. Well not really.... more like a star. I believe everyone is a star.

I'm from the red area.

I Love laughing, Love reading novels, Love movies, Love music, Love games, Love dancing in my bathroom (good exercise), Love good food..... I could go on and on and on.

Terribly miss home, my family, my boyfriend...

I better stop now, I said a little bit of me right?

And before I forget, a big thank you to all the bloggers that welcomed me to blogsburg!To show my appreciation, here is a big hug for all of you.

New Blogger on the Block

hi all,

Just want to say welcome to my blog.

Will tell you more about me later. . . or better still, you'll get to know more about me from my blog.

For now, gotta run. . . .got finals to prep for.

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brillant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are we not to be.
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us, its in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconciously give other people permision to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates us.

by Marianne Williamson