Saturday, November 22, 2008

Love story (1)



I remember, it was late summer…………, some years ago
I was sitting by myself, tired; he walked up to me, asked me something and we got talking.
Now, I faintly remember what our conversation was about, but I knew that that day, my heart had found a new interest! and I could feel the excitement building up.
I found myself looking forward to every opportunity to see him, to seat with, to talk with and to eat with him.
I know I have an adventurous part of me that loves to go on journeys; I guess I just decided to take this trip ‘cos I had no idea how far this was going neither did I know how overwhelmed I was going to be.
I just knew something was happening to me………and I liked it!


Its his voice I hear when people laugh around me,
Its his face I see on every interesting person round and about me
I went to bed with his thoughts lingering on my mind, and would often wake to hear echoes of his voice.
I spent my days planning with passion, and hoped all my plans and me were really his choice.
I cherished his quiet presence, it always made me ache and feel at peace at the same time.

When I want to call him, just looking at the phone and the anticipation of his voice at the other end of the line makes my heart skip beats
When I exclaim, it’s his name my on my lips, when I exhale, I mutter his name

I could travel nine seas and eight mountains just to catch a glimpse of him.
I could stay awake for endless hours, for my ears to feed on his enchanting voice.
I could never say enough with him! talking to him always made my heart flutter.

When my phone rings and the caller ID is his name….my world goes still. Stock still.
When we discuss and agree on an issue … for me, that issue is sealed, Dead sealed.

For me, it didn’t matter what I was doing or where I was, when I hear his voice, everything else just stops!
Our thoughts seemed to intertwine; our ideologies seemed to align, our future seemed to correlate.

We could talk for hours unending, play and taunt our friends together;
We exchanged views, visions, shared victories and enjoyed time together.

In my dreams, I saw a partnership that was effortless; everything was going to be OK.
My longing, my aching, my waiting to make our ballad a permanent reality made me go to God every time and ask…..….God, when would this be? How would it be?
I believed He always said, all was OK, that it was happening, and the wraps were unfolding just for me…
I had labeled him ‘Alaafin’!! the king of the palace of my heart!

And came that day, that night …………..
I knew my life was going to change forever, I thought… I would never be the same!
I knew my dreams were crashing before me, I thought …I had wasted my life!
I knew my years with him were reading ‘fiction’ I thought… I had been stupid!
This love was never going to be, this had always been a charade, all a sham!
I had loved and lost, given and had been denied, I dared to believe and was dammed!

But have I stopped to believe in love, NO! God said to me....He himself is love!
I still believe in panting hearts that beat at the same rhythm,
I still believe in love that lights up a face like a candle even in darkness,
I still enjoy sharing an umbrella ‘together’ in the rain,
I still believe in being speechless……..just in your presence…......
I still love the exchange of meaningless nothings, sweet nonsense and just nothing!
I still believe in kisses that cause the heart to miss beats..and beats...and beats...and beats
I still believe in playing in the sand, running by the beach, cruising on that private yacht,
In crying, laughing, shouting, screaming and being silent all at the same time,
I still believe in growing old together in love, holding those creased, wrinkled and worn hands, looking into and getting lost in those eyes filled with tales of older times
I still hold on to love, to life, to romance, to giving, to sharing, to helping, to sacrificing and I would continue to …..till I go to be with my first love, the one who first loved me, He who loves me most and loves me with an everlasting love!
I loved, I love and I will continue to love!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

The Nigerian Uniqueness




I have some really serious issues to post, but still sorting them out on my mind (trust me as usual), so I decided to do something less serious, came across this joke some time ago, I had fun reading it again yesterday… and I could not help but mutter ‘Naija no dey carry last’
On a positive note, I want to say (please pardon me to say something good about Nigeria for a change) Nigerians just always find their own unique way around situations. No matter what, we survive, in almost every/any situation.
The story might sound like its far from being possible ……., I hope you’ll enjoy reading it
There were three men living together in London. An Afro-American, a West Indian and a Nigerian. They were all starving because they didn't have money to buy food. However upon coming close to a posh London restaurant in this classy neighbourhood, they decided to come up with a plan.
The Afro-American went in first. After being seated, he ordered a three course meal with white wine. When he had finished the meal, the waiter came by with the bill. "LISTEN MY MAN, I ALREADY PAID YOU!" - the Afro-American shouted! The waiter was very confused because he could not remember being paid. But because he did not want to cause any trouble...he let the brother leave.
Five minutes later, the West Indian walked into the same restaurant and ordered a five course meal with red wine. When he was finished eating, the waiter came by to collect the money for the food. "HEY, HEY, LOOK AT ME CROSSES. BUT AH PAID YOU ALREADY!" - the West Indian shouted. This time the manager came and had to calm down the West Indian, because he did not want anything to upset the other customers. He let the guy go.

Ten minutes later, the Nigerian walked in. And you know how we are. He sat down. Lit up a cigarette, and ordered the most expensive meal on the menu, plus two bottles of Guinness. After he had finished, the waiter came to collect the money for the meal, But before the Nigerian could say anything, the waiter spoke to him. Sir...I have been having all sorts of problems all day and I can't understand it. Two other people like you came in earlier and ate, and they say that they paid me but I don't remember getting any money from them so...." Before he could finish, the Nigerian interrupted, rather emphatically, "OGA I SORRY FOR YOU OOOO. BUT DAT NA YOUR PROBLEM. I JUST WANT YOU TO GIVE ME MY CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

When He appears!

A friend sent the write-up below to me yesterday, reading it I was thinking...'Jesus! my soon coming King' I've been praying that God would help me always remember that a time would come when nothing else would matter.....NOTHING! none of the issues that I hold very dear (or maybe they are holding me), none of the things (legitimate things though) that I am running to achieve today would matter

You know, sometimes in our bid to make a success out of our lives (which I believe is GOd's purpose for us) we run to get all sorts, we loose the ‘real’ focus and tend to forget that we are here temporarily, and that whether we like it or not we would exit this world sometime and give up all ‘these’ things.

I'm praying God would help me live today and the rest of my days with the consciousness that Jesus is coming, and that everything (that I am so consumed in) else will pale in the light of eternity!
and I would hear the words....'welcome faithful servant and daughter'
Enjoy the read.................


"You are in your car driving home. Thoughts wander to the game you want to see or meal you want to eat, when suddenly a sound unlike any you've ever heard fills the air. The sound is high above you. A trumpet? A choir? A choir of trumpets? You don't know, but you want to know. So you pull over, get out of your car, and look up. As you do, you see you aren't the only curious one. The roadside has become a parking lot. Car doors are open, and people are staring at the sky. Shoppers are racing out of the grocery store. The Little League baseball game across the street has come to a halt. P layers and parents are searching the clouds. And what they see, and what you see, has never before been seen.

As if the skies were curtains, the drapes of the atmosphere part. A brilliant light spills onto the earth. There are no shadows. None.From every hue ever seen and a million more never seen. Riding on the flow is an endless fleet of angels. They pass through the curtains one myriad at a time, until they occupy every square inch of the sky. North. South. East. West.Thousands of silvery wings rise and fall in unison, and over the sound of the trumpets, you can hear the cherubim and seraphim chanting, Holy, holy, holy.. The final flank of angels is followed by twenty-four silver-bearded elders and a multitude of souls who join the angels in worship. Presently the movement stops and the trumpets are silent, leaving only the triumphant triplet: Holy, holy, holy. Between each word is a pause. With each word, a profound reverence. You hear your voice join in the chorus. You don't know why you say the words, but you know you must.

Suddenly, the heavens are quiet. All is quiet. The angels turn, you turn, the entire world turns and there He is. Jesus.Through waves of light you see the silhouetted figure of Christ the King. He is atop a great stallion, and the stallion is atop a billowing cloud. He opens his mouth, and you are surrounded by his declaration: I am the Alpha and the Omega.
The angels bow their heads. The elders remove their crowns. And before you is a Figure so consuming that you know, instantly you know:
Nothing else matters. Forget stock markets, office reports, and your family even, nothing else mattersAll that mattered, matters no more.... for Christ has come."

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

DO IT! ...dont just think it

Some months ago, some persons did me a real favour, they actually went out of their way to help me, and I know they must have sacrificed a lot.
I on my side had also spent a lot of time all these months thinking of how to show my gratitude, what to do for them, I’ve spent days day-dreaming of giving them something wonderful that would bring smiles to their faces, I have at different time thought of 'I will do this' and 'I would do that'...................but I never did! ……….I guess I didn’t feel it was time to, or I was waiting for a more appropriate time, atmosphere or occasion.

But 3 nights ago, one of them strongly expressed his displeasure and that he was disappointed that I never said thank you!
I was shocked, I was embarrassed! I felt like the ground opening up and swallowing me up!
I left the place ashamed, confused, sorry, and at the point of tears

Right now, I remember that incident with a heavy heart, I might be a lot of things, but I am not an ingrate!

In as much as I feel sorry for myself, (I still feel like and think I might cry again too)
I am trying to put the incident in perspective, I decided that day to post my thoughts,
I learnt from that incidence………they're lessons we all know: but I am reminding myself that;

- No matter how good or honorable one’s intentions are, its of no use if we do not carry them out.
- PEOPLE CANNOT READ MINDS! We need to be expressive, we should let people know exactly how we feel and what we think (and we should do that at the right time!)
- Its immaterial how grand or fantastic one’s plan is, they are still useless if not executed.
- Time, is of great essence, like the holy bible says ‘there is a time for everything’ we should not miss our times and chances for doing things………else we might loose that opportunity. I like to be like the men of Issachar of the Holy Scriptures ….”they understood the times” and "knew what Isreal should do"

As more thoughts come to my mind on the incident, I will post them. I saw the following thoughts and would like to share with you.

Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season.It is today that our best work can be done and not some future day or future year.It is today that we fit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow.Today is the seed time, now are the hours of work, and tomorrow comes the harvest and the playtime. W.E.B. Du Bois:

Don't strew me with roses after I'm dead.When Death claims the light of my brow,No flowers of life will cheer me: insteadYou may give me my roses now! Thomas F. Healey:

I don't wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work Pearl S. Buck:

The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would not reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall replied, 'In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon!' John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963)

Friday, November 7, 2008

and 'OUR' Obama won!!

............. and Barrack Obama won!
I really wanted to post something else today.....but I cant!
I thought of ignoring all the excitement, disscusions, euphoria &celebrations of Obama's win....I cant!
I wish I can pretend I am not infected with the Obamamania........I cant
so, I decided to help my self with some dose of Obama's positivity.... Yes! we can! Yes , we can! Yes can!

so....I am also commenting on the win! and......... yes! I can!
When I started to watch the drama series '24', (24 is an award-winning American action drama television series. Broadcast by Fox Network in the USA) and the way senator David Palmer (played by Dennis Heysbert), the democratic presidential candidate suprisingly won the elections, against all odds and became America's first black president, I kept telling myself that America would soon see a black man as president, even though I didnt know Obama then (though I must confess here, Obama was not my choice candidate initially) and in all the series that has been aired till date, President Palmer has been the best leader American has had...
and now I can see that the 7th season that woudl be aired, would feature the first female president (and she is white!.............I am not suggesting anything o)

A lot of people have been writing, and sayign a lot, all night parties, rallies, speeches, artists relasing new songs for Obama, I learnt kenya govetment declared a work free day to celebrate, and trust Nigerians....Naija no dey carry last! everybody is now Obama's friend and brother, saying they knew he would win and I have gotten a lot of mails and SMSs from people 'attaching' to Obama, now they know thier father's first cousin's wife brohter is a step brother to Obama, this is an exmapleof an SMS I got yesterday:

" Swearing- in party for our son at 'our' family house in Washigton
Aso oke + Ankara = $6,500
Fila (cap) only = $2500

( no credit sales)

Olufunmi Obama for the family"

while I am enjoying the whole drama......all over the world, there are 2 major things I have learnt from all of this:

- I totally agree with the saying that if you can conceive something, you really can achieve it, All things are possible ( interestingly that has been the sermon in my church for the past 3 weeks that.....with God, ALL things are possible).
my faith is rekindled, my hopes are renewed..........I'm working on my faith walk.

- When its your time, everything, would work for your good , the present econmic crises, some of Obama's competitors errors (I am not taking away the credit from Obama, he is really a great person, I respect him) and American's displeasure ( I should say depression) with the present admisinistration/the Republicans found them looking for anyone that could promise them change and give them something different to look forward to.

Although there are some skepticisms here and there; if his presidency would really make any difference, some are wondering about his foreign policy experience, etc.
I choose to look at the bright side and be hopeful and we congratulate 'our brother' president Obama.
Nice weekend!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

My Life, my career???????????????? (part 1)

Laughing at my self……..noticed my new habit of writing things in parts; well…..what can I say? its just that when I start to think of an issue, ideas swell up in my mind of how/what to write, I think of this, …and then think of that, before I know it my mind is overwhelmed with all sorts, and to be able to put them all down, I try to sort and write out bit by bit……..

Am I doing the right job? Is this what I would want to/should do for the rest of my life?
These are lyrics that have been over sung over the years I’ve also found myself, friends and others ponder, wonder and ask…..am I on the right career part? Am I in the right industry? Am I marrying the right person? Am I doing the right business? etc
While there are a lot of reasons for these uncertainties, I have tried to sum up the major concerns; which are;
· financial security ( for ‘ever’ and ‘ever’ and ‘ever’)
· for some its fulfillment ( especially with all the motivational talks and preaching on ‘life of purpose’ ‘destiny’ etc)
· and some are concerned about job security /the continuous relevance of their field or industry, business or ministry
· Social acceptance/relevance ( which in my opinion stems from the above issues)

My first comment is one that is very obvious and probably over flogged;

1) If we really have the desire for change, if we’re convinced we should leave our comfort zone (if there is need) to pursue what we think we should/would like to have (ironically a lot of intelligent people I’ve met know this fact but have rarely taken any step towards anything in recent years)………….and that brings me to point number 2

2) Have we been able to ‘know’ what we want? What to pursue……….,?

We all don’t have leave our present jobs for another job, we all also do not have to resign from paid jobs to be entrepreneurs or go into full time ministry, we all do not have to start that business or marriage proposal now nor have those children now, but I think WE ALL HAVE TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER OURSELVES! (And I think our creator too) THAT WE’RE WHERE WE SHOULD BE AND DOING WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING ‘NOW’!

(I’m laughing, looks like I have written too much ‘grammar’, I should stop here)

I read this long ago (don’t remember who the author is), I edited it a bit, mine in italics

“Do you feel like there's a huge gap between your present job and your ultimate career destination? You say, "Yes, I'd like to be a teacher, but that means I'd have to go back to school and finish my degree. That would take years!" "Sure, I'd love to switch careers, but this job has security; I don't think I could take the risk." "It would be fun to try and market my own product, but I don't know how to get started." The excuses pile up like dirty dishes in a sink; it feels like it would take too long, cost too much, require too many sacrifices to get from point A to point B. Whether it's going back to school, starting your own business or entering the ministry, the temptation is to always put it off until another time. Maybe when my wife gets a job, maybe when the kids are grown, maybe when I get this promotion, maybe, maybe etc

How do you overcome the fear of starting? You reach big goals by taking small steps! While it's tempting to think that the amount of time required is too long, those days and years will pass - whether you're pursuing your goal or not! God wants you to heed His call, to show up for duty and leave the provisions - including the time, money, open doors, favorable relationships and material resources - to Him. If you do your part, He'll do His. The Psalmist writes: "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps 84:11). Just trust God and take the first small step!”


What do you think? I would continue my own thoughts in part 2.........................................