Delayed Post

I was supposed to put this post up almost three months ago but for some unknown reason I didn't and its been sitting in my email! Anyway here it is now as I attempt to resurrect my blogging skills. 

While sitting in my office, I find myself multitasking with my hands, mind and ears. Its Christmas time and I’m listening to a Christmas CD by Josh Groban on youtube, busy printing tons of technical drawings and lost in thought about different things.. The office is relatively empty this period with most people saving their miserly 10 to 14 vacation days for this time of the year which by the way is my favorite time of the year. I can’t help but feel mixed up with different emotions ranging from happy, content, sad, lonely, bored but thankful! Yep, that’s often my state of mind these days!

Maybe I’m just miserable about the fact that its Christmas and sadly I don’t get more than 2 days off because I just started a new job less than two months ago and technically I’m not yet entitled to any personal or vacation days, but  y company in the spirit of Christmas decided to let me have two days. Don’t get me wrong I am more than thankful for this but at the same time it reminds me of one of the reasons I miss home, Nigeria, where I always had at least 10 days off from work for Christmas and I always had something fun planned out for the season with a trip to my peaceful eastern Nigerian village or a trip to cold and wet London where my twin sister would be waiting for me. Oh well, guess life can’t always turn out the way we want it to. On a brighter note though, it’s the first Christmas I’m spending with the love of my life, my angelic husband whom just became my husband about 6months ago. So if I have anything to be happy about with my life in cold, snowy,  boring and traffic filled New Jersey, it’s that the most important person in my life lives with me and will be there to give me a loving hug and kiss when I’m feeling down.

Speaking of new jersey, I have to say that the US of A is one highly overrated and exaggerated place. I came here six months ago and I often find myself missing London where I got to live in for just a year. I don’t know what it is about here that hasn't quite appealed to me. Don’t get me wrong, there are beautiful places and nice things to do but something is missing… Maybe it’s the fact that I don’t have my family here, save for a brother who is in faraway Texas, and so very few friends whom I only get to speak to on the phone or chat with every other week; whatever it is I don’t know how long I’ll have the desire to live here. I always tell my husband we’ll move someday, maybe not back to Nigeria (story for another day) but to another country in North America or Europe which strangely I have come to like. 

I also have to say that the first time I came into the US of A I wondered why my people are so desperate to travel here and make a life here?! Nothing is quite ever as it seems… America from a distance and in TV sounds and seems like the best place to live on earth but I tell you the honest to God truth, IT IS NOT! I won’t even bother going into the gun violence occurring in this country on a daily basis or the intense sexual immorality among seemingly normal people or teenage suicide borne out of bullying or young kids committing atrocious crimes. This is a country without a soul and a proliferation of immoral acts too heinous to fathom. So I’ll save these topics for another day for you see these are some of the things that make this place unattractive and yes I know every country/society has issues but trust me a lot of people in this place are sick!

Anyway I won’t rant any longer and I desperately need to get back to work as my to do list is getting very long contrary to my hopes considering my boss will be out of town till the new year. 

This blog entry is to intended to debut the start of my life in the US, so watch out for more posts on what living in the US is truly like (assuming I get around to having the time to blog).

Merry Christmas everyone, go out and make someone smile today! Remember the reason for the season and always give thanks!

Till next time, hasta la vista!

Pastors and Scandals; a tale of adultery!

I haven't blogged in over three months and its not out of a lack of what to say but rather where to start from! So much has happened in my life in the last four months (ALL positive) that it has been excitingly overwhelming and I haven't had the time to publish some of my thoughts on it. Well I can't say all of what has happened but I'll just summarize and say some; I got married, moved continents, started a new life as a married woman and have been trying to settle into my new home and its been an absolutely an amazing and blessed journey. Super grateful to the almighty for a wonderful husband and friend who gives me a reason to smile everyday! Love you Mio..

Now onto other things outside of me, the blogosphere world has been abuzz with the story of the sex scandal between Ese Walter and some Pastor Bidoun Fatoyinbo of a church called COZA in Abuja Nigeria (click the title “My Affair With Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo of COZA").
When I read her story I was flipping mad!! First of all several things stuck out to me from this story the first of which is the kind of reverence Nigerian congregants tend to have for their pastors. And let me seize this opportunity to remind us that not everyone who calls the name of God is of God and this is why we must test the spirit to see if it is genuine. Acts 17:11 the Berean Jews were said to be of more noble character because they didn't just take the word of God hook, line and sinker when heard from men, they took the time to search scriptures and if as a Christian you are not doing that today then you are on your own! Back to the issue, these pastors are human beings like you and me and guess what??! They are NOT infallible! In fact I believe men of God are more prone to committing atrocities because their level of temptation, I dare to say, is most likely higher than yours or mine as a result of their spirituality. The saying goes that he that is down need fear no fall but what of he that is up? He definitely needs to fear to fall because when you are high up there are many forces, physical and spiritual, trying to bring you down and if you have no protection you will fall hard. Transfer this theory spiritually and I'm sure you can paint the picture for yourself. These pastors are men first before they are servants of God and this means that they have two sources feeding into them; one is from the world and all its garbage and the other is from the heavens with all its weapons to quench the darts of the world. Now we all know no one is perfect and hence we all feed off these two sources including pastors and therefore this means they get to experience temptation in all forms, shapes or sizes as the case appears with this story. The big question though is how do they resist it and when does their conscience stop them from doing wrong and acknowledging their sins saying "I have a problem and I shouldn't be in front of this pulpit because I have failed God and I have failed you (the church)"? Um, NEVER! Why? Let me ask you when last you came out in the open to confess an atrocity you committed? Thinking? I can guess the answer is Never! So you see why Pastor Biodun had to wait to be caught and not to confess! We all have secrets and we all go on our knees and try to resolve it personally with God and sometimes if we are daring enough we let someone or two in on our problems and hope we can find a solution. And sometimes we do find a solution and with the grace of God abounding can move on and not repeat the atrocity while sometimes we fall again! Many fall along the way and rise; while many rise along the way and fall again! Its in the human nature. Don't get me wrong I am livid with the abuse of power by this so called pastor because he has used his position to hide his shame but at the same time I am not blind to the fact that he has issues and needs help! So I will not pass judgment on him but I can say this he better confess and repent or face the wrath of God and that is a fact!

Second thing that stuck out to me is this Ese girl, I mean how stupid can one get that you don't know when to draw boundaries when its so obvious that something morally and atrociously wrong is about to happen and you are a part of it?! Its people like this that throw the term 'commonsense' out the window! Or should we assume she under some negative spiritual influence that led her to the arms of an adulterer and a so called man of God (very questionable) for that matter! In fact I'm bewildered to put it mildly. I wish I had more to say about this girl but fortunately I am in no position to pass judgment and so I rest my case. However I commend her public confession because it can't have been easy doing it even though I don't know whether or not she may have confessed publicly if she hadn't gone around telling several people who were already spreading the story. By telling her story she has exposed a harsh reality going on in the church and hopefully other women who have gone through similar experiences can find a way to forgive themselves and their cohorts in this heinous acts and move on.

Its just a pity and sad that so many so called Christians are practicing religiosity and carnality, not Christianity. I bet God is shaking his head and wondering what more He can tell us that is not already in His word. All I can say is fix your gaze upon what is right, honest, just, righteous, lovely and clean and invite the spirit to give you the strength and grace to quench all the fiery darts of the enemy and you will surely defeat the devil by the word of the Lamb and the word of your testimony!

Peace and Love to you!
Coco C

Ability+Capacity= Territory

A child still learning to crawl is limited in movement and in area or territory covered until he learns to walk. Consistently and perhaps painstakingly he pushes on in his quest to conquer new distances and to pick up the colorful toy ahead of him, all the time doing so while crawling on his tiny belly. One day though he realizes its time to take things to the next level and so he jolts himself to his feet and takes a few courageous step forward, while holding the armrest of the chair so his feeble legs do not give way under his weight. He does this for a few more days or weeks or maybe even a month, all the time being encouraged and cheered on lovingly by mum and dad, sometimes falling on his heavily padded butt. Then suddenly, the day arrives when his training is over and he is equipped to move to new grounds. Putting one foot in front of the other he begins to walk from the living room, down the hallway until he gets to mum and dad's room and to their surprise he smiles knowingly because his capacity had been expanded and hence he gained new territory! This is mine and your story in the desire for territory. 

The Lord promised the Israelite's that He would take them to new grounds but He knew they did not have the ability and capacity to take the territory He wanted for them. So He told them in verse 29 and 30 that it would take time but the time was dependent on their increase in ability and capacity. Increase in ability and capacity is up to us under the guidance of God's word which has been given to us as a lamp unto our feet and a light to our path. 

Ability plus capacity is vital to taking new territory because with new levels come new devils! No one is promoted to MD or CEO without a story of a journey of patience, persistence, hard work and diligence. Often times we pray and make incessant requests of God and while his desire is to grant us all we ask of,though permissible, He knows better than we do that it is not all beneficial. 

So ask Him wisely and in accordance to His will,then build yourself up as best as you can with the tools necessary to take the territory you desire, and finally trust Him to do it at the appointed time for everything under the sun has a time and a season. 

Lord, teach me to be patient in my desire to take new territory and while doing so, give me the grace and strength to build myself up in line with your word so that when you are ready to give me new territory I may not be found lacking in Jesus name. Amen. 

Speaking of territories, I recently took territory and got married to the one whom God destined to be my husband!! ;)..hehehe

Coco C a.k.a Mrs E! ;) 

Demystifying 'emotional' women

Women are complex creatures. I'm one so I know better! We get moody when we have no reason to, cry when we shouldn't, worry over things that always have solutions, etc etc etc..the list is loooong! On Saturday a bunch of kids came over to my sisters house and they were lil girls. Her hubby couldn't help but notice that the lil girls weren't playing with each other and he said so stating that guys behaved differently. In hindsight this is true as it happens in adulthood. Two women sit beside each other at a mutual friend's party and none says hi to the other because they are both wondering who will say hi first or if the other person is a social snob! I've done it before so I know this is a common occurrence and I wonder why?! Ladies any input on this one?

Anyway my main focus for this blog entry is to talk about what a lot of women want in a relationship! Yes, thousand+xxxx  'relationship experts' are my predecessors in this field and yes they have most times written accurate stuff but men can never hear enough of what women really want because truth is half the time they aren't paying attention!! So, just like she always does when she asks you five times or more to please remember to buy xxxxxx on your way home, I'm gonna add myself to the thousand+xxx1 people who have reiterated many times what women want and in doing so I'm going to use myself as case study! Don't judge me o, here goes: (P.S: Disclaimer: Please note that the following does not apply to every woman as some women are logical and not emotional creatures and hence the title of my post)

1. Communication- I'm a big communicator in the sense that I like to 'talk' about issues when they happen because that is my way of releasing inner anger. To deny emotional women the privilege of communicating is to slowly turn up the dial of an incinerator! One day the dial will go beyond the scale and when it does the door will explode and all hell will break loose and hell with have no fury like a woman scorned or rather shunned! Men talk to us, its part of our motivating fuel to be better girlfriends/wives to you.

2. Attention- I'm clearing my throat on this one because its an Achilles heel for me. I don't know if its because I'm a Leo and we live for attention or if its just my genetic wiring, but a few hours of not giving me attention can send me to moody land for a day!! Now don't get me wrong, we're not asking to be followed around or to be called every hour but just 'feeling' like we're your numero uno thought is all it takes! How do you achieve it? Its up to you guys, what does your woman like? Does she want to hear your voice every hour (whether she or you calls) or does she want to see a text from you? Or does she want you to be involved in the design of the wedding cake for your wedding too? Whatever it is SHE WANTS and you can easily provide, knowing it will make her happy, then please by all means try to do it. Some argue that should he do what she wants even when its not genuinely from his heart and he's only acting out because it'll make her happy? My answer? Yes. Would it make you happy if she isn't a football fan but she sits down to watch it with you anyway because you like to talk while watching it and at least she can keep you company? If yes, then there goes your answer! If no, then this my blog post can't help you... waka go the next one, maybe they'll have answers for you! There is a thin line between genuineness and pretense and finding a way to balance the two in the interest of all parties concerned is all it'll take for moments of peace if not be prepared for lady moody to make an appearance.

3. Femininity- We want to see your feminine side dude! One of the biggest turn-on's for ALL women (emotionally or logically inclined) is a man who can cook and clean! They are like diamonds, rare to find; gold,  hard if not impossible to tarnish; cake, sweet to eat; chocolate, perfect aphrodisiacs! You see the thing is we know its part of our responsibility to 'look after the man and the home' but to see a man who doesn't conform to the world's rules but who makes his and lives by them is epic!! Men, it wouldn't hurt to have dinner ready for two of you every now and then or to help out around the house, after-all she helps with the bills so why can't you help with the chores? You didn't marry your mother, a nanny or a housemaid. You married a wife, a partner, helper and teammate! Treat her as such and she'll literally lick the ground you walk on if you ask her to.

There are so many more issues I could address but this for me are the three which stand out the most especially coming from a masculine culture where women are defined by their social responsibilities!

So, dats all! Share your thoughts if you wish...

Ciao..

Coco-C

2013 random happenings

The first quarter of this year is almost gone and I'm sure everyone would agree that a lot has happened. From deaths to weddings to comical viral sensations (my oga at the top) to the usual political brouhaha and drama, it has been one heck of a year. Personally I have felt a little overwhelmed with things happening this year and have spent many moments processing it mentally and spiritually. We all entered the new year hoping for better things to come this year and thankfully for some people that has happened while for others the reverse has been the case.

Starting with death, it came 'close to home' this year with the loss of a cousin, a family friend, a sister-in-law and an acquaintance from secondary school. Four deaths in two months, most of which were within two to three weeks apart, that the "RIP" status on my social media page became the order of the day and at some point was emotionally exhausting. What can I say if not that the feebleness of life is a reminder that we really are chasing the wind and that everything outside of God and a purpose driven life is vanity. Just like you and me, these four people made plans as each day passed by. They planned for the present and the future and imagined they would watch their kids get married and someday they would grow old. Somewhere in the recesses of their mind death was an option someday but not anytime soon as they couldn't imagine dying young and unfulfilled but sadly death doesn't respect plans and so before they had time to catch their breath, the inevitable quiet end came knocking on their doorpost. How sad.. May all the souls of the faithful departed be with God.

Onto weddings ;).. I've attended ONLY one wedding this year (for a Nigerian that is a poor statistics in 3 months, we too marry) and might I add that just like a typical Nigerian would do, I went uninvited! Which brings me to the subject of the 'collectivist' nature of our society, is it a good or bad thing to be this communal that we can freely walk into a strangers special moment and partake without contributing anything? My masters dissertation was about culture and one key subject raised was 'collectivism' which is basically the level of social interactions in the society. While it has many advantages as you can rely on your friends or neighbors and sometimes total strangers to be there for you in times of need, are the disadvantages more when it comes to thinks like planning a wedding? Ideally you want 300 people at your wedding but knowing the culture you are from you end up planning for 600 people, irrespective of your financial capabilities, because it is expected that "extra mouths" will be there (without gifts if I might add!!) and they should be fed. Oh well I guess we can't blame people who now do weddings strictly by invitation to avoid stories that touch! And on a final note for this wedding subject, mine is coming up soon and just like I crashed someones wedding, I expect mine to be crashed too so feel free to bring yourself to eastern Nigeria (if you can find a commercial airline in naija to fly these days)! lol..

Comical viral sensations, my oga at the top!!! Now this is one man who made an entire nation, home and abroad, laugh their heads off for over a week! Talk about national comic/embarrassment.. I won't write too much about this because the story has been exhausted in all forms with music videos, tees, mugs, etc.... People couldn't get enough of the joke of an interview captured on national television by Channels TV station, discussing the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC). When I first saw the video I was mortified and embarrassed at the man's supposed 'ignorance' that I didn't notice the epic line 'my oga at the top', until the slogan broke out! Well all I can say is "well done Mr Shem for publicizing your organization in the most comical way ever,....dats all!!"..lol..

On the political front, GEJ should please revoke his presidential pardon of Alams so we can hear word and so we can believe once more that the battle to fight corruption has hope! How did we get to this point where we are defined and judged globally by how corrupt we are??! Lord help!

Three eventful months gone and nine more to go. Personally I want weddings and more comical sensations to happen but no more deaths please, enough for a season already.

Just my morning musings and now its time to carve out my JD at my new job where I have no structured JD!!!(another fundamental gbese with Nigerian companies, smh).

Ciao!

Coco-C

He's just not worth it!

This post is inspired by the heart wrenching, jaw dropping, mind boggling story which I just read on BellaNaija's blog, about a 20 year old girl in a sexually, emotionally and physically abusive relationship. I have to say that I was too shocked to even have comments to drop because its hard to believe what human beings are capable of doing to another human and also harder to believe that the victims feel trapped and don't know when its time to walk away.

I've never been in an abusive relationship and so I cannot begin to fathom the intense and immense emotional and physical turmoil which people who are in such go through. At the risk of sounding judgmental I believe that victims of an abusive relationship, especially when unmarried, are unable to walk away because in the recesses of their mind their self-esteem is so low that they believe they cannot find any man better than what they already have and so they are dominated by fear of the known and unknown. Men who raise their hands on women and who degrade women sexually are demented and need to be exorcised because they are surely not worthy to bear the title of manhood, shikena! Its despicable and disgusting to even hear such stories that its borderline unbelievable. Unfortunately, because I know victims of such relationships I have to believe that of this unfortunate girl and I wish to God I knew were to find this 20 year old girl because I would take her matter personal o!

No man born of a woman, who has sisters, who is raised to fear God, who understands the value of women and who is worthy of the title of manhood would ever raise his hand or his voice or treat a woman in a way which can be described as inhumane. I am surrounded by such men and so I know that real men exist. Some of the women who are victims of abusive relationships are being fed lies in their hearts from the devil, lies that tell them that they are worthless to every other man and worth-full to their abuser. They are being fed lies that their abuser loves them and acts inhumane only in moments of weakness whereas unknown to them the blood flowing through his veins is infected with crude oil! They believe that the abuser will change someday because sometimes he is loving and so they forget so quickly that he is a nothing but a swine in clean clothes! I could go on and on but I'll stop here for now because I don't want to lose my temper and risk smashing my laptop against the wall! *exhaling deeply*.

If you are a victim of an abusive relationship or you know someone in an abusive relationship, please act fast.  Notice I used the word 'act'? And I don't mean 'talk' or 'advise' or 'try to reason with your friend' fast, I mean literally drag her by the ear away from her predicament if you have to and if possible! I mean get family involved if that's what it takes and don't worry about what they'll say or think of you, they'll get over it quickly and get into "action/eliminate the enemy mode" immediately. So please speak up and save yourself or shut up and kill yourself, because that may just be the final and unfortunate means through which you are able to get yourself out of such a relationship.

God loves you and made you fearfully and wonderfully and don't let any man treat you as any less. Real love is not violent, jealous or scary. Real love doesn't destroy self-esteem or intimidate. There is NO FEAR in love. Perfect Love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). So if you are in a relationship and you are scared then it is NOT love.

Remain blessed!

Coco Chinny

  

Memories of 2012

Wow, today is the last day of 2012 and what better way to end it than to blog about the wonderful blessings I received this year?! Where do I start from? Probably the most amazing gift I have received this year is the gift of LIFE! Life is something a lot of people, without realizing it, take for granted. OK every now and then we wake up in the morning and thank God that we are alive and we may say it so often that it becomes cliche. If you however take a few moments, pause and think about all the people who lost their lives this year either through accidents, ill-health or being in the wrong place at the wrong/right time, then perhaps your perspective on being alive till 31st December 2012 will change. We live in a world where terrible things happen on a daily basis to people around us, be it strangers or friends. And while we can sometimes relate with the sufferings of those around us, to be completely removed from calamities, disasters or a state of mourning calls for a celebration of life and shouts of thanksgiving to the giver of life! And so I start the first half of this post by dedicating this poem to my maker (PS: writing poems ain't my forte so don't cringe if I don't quite rhyme, God still loves it! :) :

As I sit and ponder at the love you give
My heart wonders why I live?
I believe you have a purpose for me
One which only you can let be
Saved by your amnesty 
I stand in awe of your majesty
Alive to sing of your praise
I will worship you all of my days! 
Selah!!!

My second blessing for the year is for the gift of family. Family are the earthly beings who define what unconditional love is! Whether a good egg or bad, sad or happy, poor or rich, fat or thin, ugly or beautiful, family will love you unconditionally. I dedicate this next poem to my family:

Family are like diamonds, they shine bright as long as you got them
Family are like precious stones, they remain precious by defacto
Family are like love, they last forever!

I love my family; Papi Ray, Arukakwa, Papa Dozy, Och, Charlo, Miana and Chiro! We are entering 2013 as one formidable force set apart to make a difference in our world!

My third blessing for the year is for the gift of love. I need not define love to you for the definition of love is summed up in 1 Corinthians 13. From this scripture, my favorite verse is ^{13 "}And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love". Love is the greatest gift God has given to us and I am blessed to say that I have found love and love has found me! Love found me in a man who has been pivotal in teaching me what unconditional love means. Patiently and lovingly, he has waited for a looong time for part of God's will and purpose to be discovered and achieved in our lives and that patience has persevered and paid of because............let's just say 2013 is full of many pleasant surprises and even more knee humbling memories! So this next poem is for you Mio ;)

Long ago you came my way
Far away you lingered day by day
One to eight you patiently sought to wait 
Now today I'm yours to take :D
Te amor mi amor!

And lastly my final blessing for 2012 is my Msc. in Engineering Business Management with a "Distinction" from the University of Warwick!!! Wooohooo! Awesome God, thank you for showing the world that the fear of You, determination or faith and hardwork are the keys to succeed and achieving goals!

On this note I can end this blog post which by the way took me over 12 hours to compose considering I've had my laptop open the whole day and been distracted most of the time, whew!

I wish everyone a blessed, fruitful, happy, prosperous, peace and hope filled 2013 and I pray that Proverbs 3: 5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in ALL of your ways and He shall direct your path".

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!!

Dilemma of a pretty girl

A friend of mine was telling me a story of a hookup gone cold because the guy she was being hooked up with, thought she was "too pretty to be single" and hence he was potentially wasting his time!! I was deeply perplexed on why pretty girls seem to scare men off! Guys, what's the problem??

So she's drop dead gorgeous but does that mean she has a boyfriend? No. The dilemma of pretty girls is that potential boyfriends or even husbands make assumptions about their relationship status and no one dares to make a move because of the fear of rejection. Newsflash guys, a pretty face is not licence to a lineup of suitors. Not to blow my own trumpet, but I could relate with my friend's story because a couple of times I got to hear the same thing about myself and I remember being slightly peeved as to why a guy could not approach me to ask questions instead of making assumptions. Now I know that some pretty girls look unapproachable and this does not necessarily have anything to do with their character. I'll use myself for example. In university I was told by many that I often had a "shove off my face" expression and so guys were skeptical about coming to talk to me. I found it to be news to me as I was not aware that I was expected to go around with a smile on my face!! Lol.. Now that is taking it a bit far but what I am trying to say is that my facial expressions when walking are not suited to a specific mood and because I was not deliberately trying to get hitched, there is no way I was going to go around with a look on my face that says, "hey dude, I'm single and available so feel free to try your luck". My expressions were just my expressions and nothing more! Anyway, not to digress from the subject, the introduction of facial expressions was to allay some of your likely assumptions that pretty girls remain single because they are either already hitched or unapproachable as a result of their character or facial expressions.

I know this is not such a serious problem because any real man who sees and knows what he wants will go after it like a deer pants for water! I can testify *winks* :)...

A word to the guys...... if you see a pretty girl whom you are attracted to please walk up to her and try your luck, you just never know! ;).. And if you are too nervous to ask her, look for her friend and ask questions, don''t make assumptions! As I normally say, "assumption is a termite"! (Don't ask what it means, think about it for yourself with your God given brain!)

Tots,
Coco Chinny aka Mrs E ;)

The power of your words

The world is a very superficial place.people will often judge you based on what you look like; the clothes you wear,  your hair, legs, nails and even the shape of your nose! It amazes me how callous people can be when talking. Recently I've heard all sorts in the form of 'joke' and I'm thinking that surely people should know when to draw the line on a joke. Let me share my stories and that of others and judge for yourselves if its insensitive or not:

"When you're pregnant na only nose we go dey see for your face"

"I'm sick of your hair, we gave up on that hair 12years ago please"

"Wow you're fat, where is that your small husband"

"Your legs are like broomsticks"

"When are you going to get pregnant, its been several years already" 

"You're getting too fat, lose some weight"

Etc etc etc
While these jokes are funny initially, they are utterly insensitive. First of all, Neither you nor I created a person, so what gives us the right to judge them? Secondly, did it ever occur to you that the recipient of your unkind words already feels conscious about their so-called "imperfections" and would prefer to be different? Thirdly, just because no one has told you that you have body odor, your mouth stinks or your teeth looks like something out of "Jaws" doesn't mean they haven't noticed!
The truth behind "jokes" is that it's a form of bullying and it affects some peoples self esteem. Saying crude jokes is also a way to personally validate yourself by putting someone else down, so guess what? You probably have self-esteem issues! I had a friend tell me recently that I should please make no comments when I see her because she's gotten way bigger than she used to be. While I'm not one to run my mouth before thinking, I wondered at how many of our mutual or her friends had made insensitive comments about her size to get her to warn me in advance!! Clearly her self-esteem is bruised and it got me upset. People just don't think before speaking and its a sign of foolishness.

God wasn't sleeping the day he formed me or you,  as a matter of fact He said that "You and I are fearfully and wonderfully made, MARVELOUS are HIS  works and this our soul knows very well (psalm 139:14)". Now it's up to you to interpret fearfully whichever way you desire but fearfully to me means that everyone should respect and fear God's creation. So next time you feel like running your mouth in a haste, stop and think for a moment how your words may affect the next person.

I won't extricate myself from having spoken callously before and I regret how my words may have hurt someone but I guess experience is truly the best teacher because I have come to a place of understanding and I'll never do it again nor tolerate it from someone else.

Food for thought people, get thinking before speaking.....

Coco C

Letters to God

With so much time on my hands, I spend my days in front of my PC and the TV. Life can be ironic. Only a month ago, I was too busy to find time to watch TV and now I'm tired of it. Oh well, c'est la vie..

Now unto my thoughts for the day... I saw a movie today called "Letters to God". This movie is based on a true life story about a little boy struggling with cancer but living with remarkable faith, hope and love in spite all of his pain. This 10 year old kid wrote letters to God everyday and after writing the letter, he would post it through the mailman! Post it to where?? Even if man wanted to create the fastest rocket and come up with a way to reach His house, God is in a physical address that is physically unreachable! I wondered where this kid thought his letters would go to. The mailman stacked the boy's letters and held onto them for weeks, not knowing what to do with it. He dropped it off in a church but the preacher caught him doing so and told him to go with it because perhaps God wanted the mailman to have the letters. Finally, he read the letters and got saved because of this little boy who selflessly talked to God about everyone who loved him. Another irony is that in his letters, the little boy wasn't praying to get better or questioning God as to why he had to go through the suffering, he rather talked to God about the seemingly mundane things of life.. He told God to help his friends, help his mother, he talked about the things he did everyday...He put aside his fears, frustration and pain and he embraced faith, peace, love and joy! He told his mother "that if he died he was thankful God allowed his neighbor to give birth to a cute baby boy who would be his replacement on earth". He said so he because he believed that for every death, there would be a life.. He had a childlike but wise spirit. He finally died but not before leading many people to God through his letters which inspired them to start writing their own letters to God and posting them...

It got me thinking about the way we pray these days, its often a quick 5 to 10 mins affair and if we're feeling generous to God, an extra 5 mins thanking God for everything but most likely putting in a request list that is longer than the gratitude list. Nothing wrong with it but I believe we can do more. What if when you got to your office, you take a few extra minutes and write God a lovely letter. Talk to Him about anything you want to, but just make that time, thoughts and paper, His own. Its a pity the postal system in this country is messed up if not I'd have suggested you post the letter! It'll probably get thrown out or maybe someone would open the letter and get inspired or saved. You could also write the letter and leave it on a colleagues table (if you're gonna do that, remember to pray for the colleague). Whatever you decide to do or not do, just remember to write God a letter as often as you remember.

To inspire you, i'll start with one;

Dear God,

I believe you wanted me to watch this movie today so that I could shed a few sympathy tears, and get inspiration to write on this blog which I keep remembering but being lazy to attend to. I don't know how many people read my blog but even if its just 1 person, I would like it Lord if you can speak to that person today. Remind them Lord, of who You are and of your purpose for their life. Let them understand and remember that they are letters, written not with ink on tablets of stone, but with the Spirit of the living God on tablets of human hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3) in the form of their families and friends, including me.  

Thank you Lord for your unconditional love and remind us to write letters to you as often as we can in Jesus name. Amen.

Your daughter,

Chinny.

For the love of money

Dear Readers,

I saw a movie today called "The Box" and I remember thinking what an odd title for a movie.. What was even more odd was the movie itself by the time it was halfway through. I was sitting in front of my pc in the living room battling with the internet (Nigerian internet connection is story for another day) and job applications when my eye caught the movie. I really wanted to get on with the job application but then something about the movie drew my attention and I called it quits with the internet. 

To summarize the movie, a regular couple with a kid fall prey to the clutches of greed and the lust for more than what one should have, especially if not obtained through credible means. Imagine you wake up one morning and a package wrapped in a box is in front of your door, you open the package and you find an even more exotic looking box and all you see is a button to press. The box comes with a note telling you to expect a visit from someone at a certain time of the day. Your visitor shows up and you open the door to the most scary looking man you've seen in your life. He's scary but his manners precede his looks and so you invite him into your house because your curiosity gets the best of you (after all, we're only human) and you want to know why this box has been delivered to you. The stranger tells you that you have 2 choices: "you press the button and somewhere in the world, a stranger unknown to you dies and you receive a million dollars!!!" OR " you don't press the button and you don't get a million dollars, and he comes back the next day to retrieve the box and its as though the event never happened". What would you do? Option #1 or option #2? Think about it carefully before you answer within yourself... Imagine that this money would: pay your child's school fees, take care of your mother's hospital bills because she's ill with cancer, you'd be able to get rid of your rickety second hand car which you've driven for as long as you cared to remember, your wife could afford new clothes and a holiday which she's been nagging you about and lastly your landlord wouldn't have legal right to kick you out of his house because you've been living in it rent free for 6months!! Whew, talk about a 'blessing' in disguise right?? 

So you and your wife have 24 hours to make the decision and you tell yourself "there's no catch to the offer because someone unknown to you somewhere in the world would die anyway and besides, we're all gonna die someday right?!"... So you did it, you pressed the button and guess what happens next?  You get the million dollars and instantly you can't believe what you've done! Your conscience eats at you and you don't want the cash anymore but its too late, Pandora's box has been unleashed! Your life for the next couple of days is a living hell, you can't make sense of what is going on, the voice of conscience and morality speaks through strangers to your soul, you can't spend the money because its ill gotten, the strange man won't stop calling you and you feel like you're soaking up the heat from hell. You want OUT of this nightmare, you wish it was a dream but its real, so real that your son is kidnapped and when he comes back to you., he's blind and deaf and there's only one way to undo this mistake.. "kill your wife (she pushed the button, go figure!! its always the women bringing the men down aye? thanks eve!) and your son's senses are restored OR enjoy the million dollars for the rest of your life but live with the consequences of your actions at the peril of your son's sanity"... Wow, talk about "everything that can go wrong, going wrong", all because you made a mistake...

This movie was kinda scary but it was deep and soul searching and those with a third eye can appreciate the moral of the story.. And so I ask this question, "how far would you go for the love of money?"... Its easy to think that you could never do something like this, and yes you're probably right to think that you wouldn't go as far as indirectly taking another human life for money. What if it wasn't a life at stake but someone's job, or a company's financial stability, or even your job? Worse still, what if your soul was at stake all because of your desire for more money?....

This movie is not just about money, its about the choices that we make and the waterfall effect they have on us, other people and outcomes. Think about how the way you live your life reflects on other people and more importantly on your soul.. Where do we draw the line between our desires and our conscience? 

Food for thought... 

Coco Chinny. 

The Best Things in Life Are Free

Hello fellow bloggers and blog readers! Been awhile I came on this blog I sadly must say.. The last two times I visited MY poor abandoned blog, it wasn't pleasant.. Anyway I am here on a lighter and pleasant note and from the title of this post you should be able to tell!

Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson knew exactly what they were talking about when they said "the best things in life are free"! I'm beginning to think everyone should have a poster up on their wall which says so! Yesterday I was at the train station waiting for my friends to buy their tickets so we could head to a Ballet, when someone comes up beside me and taps me.. I look down from my elevated height (4 inch purple strap suede shoes) to see a tiny little princess (probably 3 or 4 years old) with her blond hair and her pretty little pink dress smiling at me.. I smile back and try to make out what she's saying when her mum says "she's saying she likes your shoes"! And then I start to smile and say thank you when the princess smiles at me and with arms outstretched and her eyes locked on my shoes says in her cute American accent "I like your shoes"!! I tell you that was the highlight of my day!!! My heart completely melted.. Not because she liked the shoes but because she knew what she liked and she had the courage to say so to a stranger because it would bring her joy! I told her thank you and would have scooped her up and given her a kiss if they were not walking away..

That little act jogged my memory to my thoughts 2 days ago when I thought of my family and wonderful friends and then I said to myself, "the best things in life are free".. They are free because they are so simple and so easy to put smiles on our faces; they cost nothing to receive and nothing to give; they are just free!

It's all about;

The smile of my gorgeous little niece with her big gooey eyes which melts your heart,
The sound of my tiny nephew's voice calling me 'Chika' (which is my twins name and is easier to pronounce than mine)
My mum trying to feed me three meals in one on my recent trip to naija (perhaps she thinks I'm too skinny?")
My twin sending me a blackberry smiley emoticon to say good morning
The inspirational music on my iPad which brings me peace in the midst of a storm
The phone calls from my older sisters who want to know if I'm doing OK in school
The unexpected pleasant gift filled email surprises from my bf 
The messages of appreciation from friends who love me just the way I am

And so on and so forth.. The list is endless but I don't wanna bore you ;).. But you get my drift by now right?!

I'm just happy and I had to share it because happiness is FREE too and should be shared so that we all can truly know and believe that "THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE"!!!

Woohoooo!!!!

Cheers everyone! Enjoy your life, appreciate the little things and be thankful for the big ones!! Caperdiem!

The Inevitable Unknown End

As I sat on a high stool overlooking a busy street in Paris, I stared at all the people old and young, black and white and mixed going about their business....A pretty girl smiling into her phone and crossing the road, a tall blond haired guy in jeans and a blazer briskly crossing the road dragging his suitcase. An asian woman rushing as though her life depended on the speed with which she could go across the road.. A couple walking hand in hand and smiling into each other's eyes, a black blind woman using her stick to make her way.. As I watched them, I thought of Ayoola.... She didn't see what was coming, she was gonna go about her usual business when she got home. Looking into her fiance's eyes and telling him she loves him; rushing off in her car to sort out last minute matters; calling her parents to ask them not to invite half of lagos to her wedding in August and of course attending church gatherings to express her love for her God.

 As I look at this people going past me as I peer through the glass in a boulangerie (breakfast diner) I wonder who'll drop next.. It could be me, but God forbid my life or that of anyone I know to go prematurely.. I don't know the people who go past me but someone else does and someday they'll feel the pain we all do now at this grave loss.. I've asked myself so many times since 3rd june why I checked her status on that fateful grey day... I hadn't chatted wit her since 8th may but in my mind I believed I had.. You see someone else on my phone had a similar name and had pinged me on Saturday so I was certain it was Ayoola.. She said she wanted to travel to paris too and I said she should make sure she does someday. Later, I realised I was chatting with Deola not Ayoola. I don't know why I mixed it up.. I told myself I would check up on Ayoola later. I eventually did, but when I did it was too late and I never got a response. Ayoola was gone..

 We weren't the closest of friends.. But in the short time I knew her, I loved her like I would any other friend. Ayoola was thoughtful, kind, considerate and cheerful. What I remember most about her is her smile and her simplicity. We also shared an appreciation of growing natural hair and she inspired me to grow mine! She always cared that I got bored in Lagos and didn't have as many friends, which shows to me her value on relationships.. My last conversation with her, she thanked me for spamming a bb message that made her laugh. I apologized in advance for missing her wedding and she mentioned my sisters would be there so it was all cool. She made plans and she most likely lived everyday not thinking the inevitable unknown end would happen when she was still 30. But it did and those plans are up in smoke. C'est la vie, as they say in french.. I feel so sad and yet I'm not her family. How deep must their pain run through? How many tears will their eyes produce? Sleepless nights? I can only pray for them as not enough words can be said to heal their pain. God will turn their ashes to an oil of gladness and healing will be theirs eventually for he is the comforter of those who mourn. Let the inevitability and unknowing nature of death stir in us a desire to set our priorities straight and to make amends where necessary. Goodbye Ayoola. You were loved. ------------------

A day I won't Forget

I woke up this morning and like the first thing I do every morning, reached for my phone on top my bedside drawer to check the time and to see what life has been up to whilst men slept! I was in for a rude and emotional shock, a message on my blackberry saying "Whitney Houston is dead"!! My first reaction was physical, my mouth dropped open! I quickly scrolled through the status updates on my phone to see how through this was and typical, display pictures and messages were abuzz with the words "RIP Whitney".. I then checked my social feed from 'Reuters' and the first news on entertainment was that of Whitney's death. Sad, sorry and sympathy are three words I can't help but feel...

Just like so many others may have wondered or thought, I was judgmental in concluding that "drugs have done it again". God forgive me for passing judgment, but sometimes when you see Hollywood and celebs, that's all you see...the devil passionately and successfully clutching the children of God away. I think it would be fair and right to say that EVERY living soul on this planet who has access to technology has at some point in their life sang "A Whitney Song"! She was like the female version of Michael Jackson. I can't count how many times I've sang Whitney's song.. I even have a very funny video of a friend and I dancing our hearts out to "I wanna dance with somebody", we recorded it in 2008 and just recently while cooped up in my 3x3 square inch room on campus I've played the video for good laughs! Its really sad I must admit that Whitney's life and talent is over so soon.. I wish she sang for God alone, perhaps things may have turned out differently. Then again, trials and problems come into our lives as stepping stones to higher ground..

Reminiscing on her songs, one of my best is "Greatest love of all", such an inspirational voice.. And of course the legendary "I will always love you",.. Its funny, most musicians try to switch to movie and appear to be struggling or forcing talent that doesn't necessarily exist. But Whitney was one person who effortlessly made the switch, the success of "I will always love you" is evidence of this.. Indeed she was synonymous with beauty, fame, voice...Raw Talent at its best, that what she was!

Whitney, the world will always love you no matter what. You gave us good entertainment and your songs will forever be heard from our lips and on our radio players.

Whitney laughed, lived, loved and was loved by all regardless of her troubles. I pray God embraces her and says "welcome home my child, please, join my choir of angels and sing to my glory"... Who knows...

If you loved Whitney then pay tribute to her by letting wonderful memories of her into your heart today..

Check out this playlist and reminisce... Also, if you feel up for good laughs, enjoy my dance video below to "I wanna dance with somebody"! I was never gonna show this publicly, but hey, what the heck! Life is too short and in Whitney's words, "I'll live my life the way I feel"!!!

 

:) Alice, I'm sure you don't mind ;) 

THE LINK BELOW IS A PLAYLIST FOR WHITNEY'S ALL TIME CLASSICS!

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL649425759FDDFF7D

Who would've thought....

Who would've thought that a time would come when I would be too busy to faff around?!...

Hi guys! Indeed I've missed this blog but I know you guys have missed me more! :(.. Sorry for the long silence, I've had a crazy term!!! I can't even begin to talk about it because within such a short time I have reached the point where I wish I could literally blank out school from my mind, head and from my 16hour daily schedule! If i ask God for more time in the day, say like 26hours, it still wouldn't be enough to get all I need to get done! That's the story of my life now....smh

So I know today's blog will please a few dear friend's who have logged on here and refreshed their browser ever so often hoping that coco-chinny would have some mental pleasurable ramblings! lol.. Well unfortunately, I haven't got stories to tell but at least you should be happy to know that I am alive and well and that 'spititout' is not out of mind! :).. Its Christmas time and aside from the songs and carols I hear walking by, it barely feels like a holiday thanks to the impending thoughts of books on my mind.... its a sad sad situation, but what can I do, I signed up for this so I'm stuck with it for the next 9months! Speaking of which, yesterday was my 3 months anniversary living here, yipee!!! I only remembered by midnight and mentioned it to my twin who thought it funny that I am keeping tabs of my anniversary living here, well..... :).....

So I'm about to hit the books and remembered that I made promises to blog.. While I ain't storytelling just yet, enjoy my ephemeral presence and keep fingers crossed for more when time permits ;)..

Merry Christmas guys,

Love you all....




Coco...

P.S: In the spirit of lights, birth of redemption and love, give and let others smile! :)...

1 MONTH ANNIVERSARY

Wow, na my blog be this??? Gee, its been only 2 days short of a month since i blogged last! Oh dear, could this be the end of my social writing pastime? I hope not! I miss blogging but unfortunately i don't have the time of day to be consistent at it... I definitely hope my readers have missed me cause I've missed you all too! :)..

So today is my 1 month anniversary of officially living in the UK, yay! Can't believe its been a month already! How time does fly!! Oh one thing i must say about this place is that time definitely does not stall here! Its unbelievable.... I'm literally crying everyday for time to crawl so i can get to the end of the day and feel like it was productive and no man-hours have been lost. My schedule is crazy busy that it doesn't permit room for the blogosphere, or facebookspehere or any other sphere at all! Heck I'm barely finding time to eat (but maybe that's just a function of my personal irregular and bad eating habits). God help me here! Everyone's been asking me how school is, and all I can find myself thinking is......what did I get myself into?! Masters ain't for the lighthearted at all! As we say in naija, "no be beans", speaking of which i wonder why we use beans as a yardstick of measuring something difficult, seeing as beans takes so much time to cook! Lol.. Ok I'm not here to talk about beans so let me not digress too much. On a more serious note, school is interesting! I'm amazed at how quickly I've been able to settle into life here, maybe because its not my first time in the UK or maybe because I came here with only one goal in mind......to put to good use my brain to justify the bloody (excuse my french) expensive fees I'm paying... Nonetheless its a wonderful and life changing experience and I'm grateful to God for the opportunity to be here. Its tough getting back to the books and having so much school work thrown at you in just a week of lectures but thank God for Jesus that He died on the cross! (if you don't understand what i mean, check ya bible :D)..hehehe
Its 12:46am and I can't sleep! I should probably study, but if I have to read 'Capacity Management' one more time, I could have a brain freeze! Why do we even go to school? Does an Msc determine my future? Certainly not! So why did I decide to study? I'll leave my answers to myself.... But just in case you're reading this and you're considering doing a masters, my dear think am well o!! "Its not for children" as my dear mother would say! I'm not discouraging you o, just enlightening you.. I was warned but you never know until you're in it! But by God's special grace this time next year, I'm gonna be sharing the news of my Distinction with y'all, so watch this space!!

Anyway I should try to get some sleep, have to continue reading 'capacity management' tomorrow as I already have an assessed oral defense next week! Pray for me,  I have to ace it!

Hasta luego people!
Coco-C!

Just incase you're wondering what i look like, see me below ;)

I'm not as fat as i look, the winter coat is like 4sizes bigger than my size! (a girl's gotta stay warm) lol

Life In a New City

Day 2
Sitting on the living room couch in my PJs, its 4:30pm and yours truly hasn't showered! lol..... Consequences of living in a new city with a different climate! Anyway its day two here and I'm still in the faffing committee and loving it, for i know what lies ahead of me in a week to come will be no joke nor will i find the time to blog! So enjoy me while you see me or rather, hear from me...

So as a foreigner in a new city it can be hard to adjust to the new environment; the roads, streets, shops, what to buy, what phone network to use and then which plan to subscribe to, which bank to open an account with etc etc etc! It can be all so overwhelming and confusing especially with no one to guide you.. But lucky for me I'm surrounded by family and friends who have been more than helpful in filling me in on whats great and what's not, so thanks guys!
I have quite abit of shopping to do and i don't want to do it alone, so who's game in joining me ladies? You never know what present might come out of it ;)...
Onto other conversation, looks like i'll be opening a second blog soon enough but this will be on my school's blog portal so unfortunately my spititout readers wont be able to have access to it :(.. But i won't completely abandon spititout, so fear not...

Its now 5:24pm, im still in my PJ's, still struggling to finish this post, half-watching a movie "Cop Out", chatting on blackberry and eating a bag of Doritos chips! This is "extreme faffing" at its peak! Lol, maybe that should have been the title of my post!

Anyway let me not bore you guys with my idle ranting, I'll go shower now and see what meal i can cook for myself for dinner! My lovely twinnie just sent me a bb msg telling me to cook her 'special ukazi soup'... i had to laugh and remind her ever so humbly and embarrassingly that yours truly is yet to make an "A"grade in the kitchen department! in other words, I can't cook Ukazi! But I'll learn........someday... ;)...

Ciao guys
Me!

THAT DAY

Hey guys, i'm just as shocked as you are that i haven't been here to blog in almost a month!! I haven't even started school and i'm already MIA!!! Oh dear, forgive me...
So i came to let you guys know briefly that, the day is finally here..... The day when i say goodbye to my folks and i leave home to start a new life in a new place with a new person, the day of my........engagement! Lol... ok i'm just kidding... Today is my departure day from the city of Eko o ni baje,  the city of Lagos!! Its been threee interesting years but finally its time to say goddbye or maybe not goodbye but 'Hasta Luego' (see you later in spanish)...
I feel kinda numb! Its weird...everyone has been asking how exxcited i am but i've truly got no answer to the question! Maybe cause i've been overwhelmed with preparations that i haven't had enough time lately to be euphoric about it all. However it is an exciting new opportunity and i'm thrilled to be at this point in my life filled with new beginnings!

Wish me luck guys and you bet i'll be back soon with more tales by daylight! ;)

"Talking the Talk OR Working the Talk?"

Its 11:34 pm, way past my bedtime and guess what I'm doing? Playing 'Angry Birds" on my ipad while desperately waiting for a ridiculously slow game download of 142MB to get completed! What would that make me?? A game addict? Playing games by 11:34pm, when i should be in bed and then waiting for another download to complete! Oh dear!! Well truth is I'm not waiting for it to complete so i can play more games, simply waiting so i can shut down all my gadgets..

I'm sure most of my ardent blog followers are wondering why I've gone silent lately....I can't say I haven't, I think I've just been preoccupied with recent happenings and my impending relocation to a different country! Anyway that's not what I'm here to talk about! I'm here to talk about...................um...........I don't know! Lately I've been wondering "what da banana's happened to my inspiration?!".. Sometimes i have a million things i wanna talk about and at other times, my brain cells seem fried! Maybe i should talk about the recent bombings in Nigeria and its impact on the lives of the people....? Or maybe i should talk about what we can do to help others in difficult situations?! 

I think that alot of times when people are far removed from disasters, they don't really identify with it and as a result have a limited level of empathy to those who weren't as lucky. What I'm trying to say is that its easy to talk about accidents and events 'in passing' and to proffer a million solutions of what we think the president should say or what the government should do, because we know better sitting our behinds in our comfy swivel chairs at work or couches at home, reading the papers, Internet and watching CNN! How about we start talking about what we can do? And after talking about it, actually get up and DO SOMETHING! Or do we not think we can make a difference in influencing our environment and changing the lives of people around us? I just read an article about a 13year old boy who when he was 5 was inspired to send all his toys to a little girl whose house got burnt and whom he saw on TV (oh the sweet innocence of a child). Well, eight years later, a charity organization has been formed with thousands of volunteers, rebuilding homes and lives and making a measurable difference across state borders in the US all because the little boy saw a need and decided to meet it. Why can't we be like this boy? Now here's inspiration for me to write! Don't get me wrong, I do not ostracize myself from those who talk the talk but can't work the talk! I'm just like you, wishing in your heart that you could sacrifice your time and resources and actually do something; I'm just like you thinking that sending a donation across to the less privileged is doing my own 'biblical CSR' (CSR in this context meaning Christian Social Responsibility)-By the way my download just finished so I'll be wrapping this up soon- and Yes, maybe sending a cheque is good enough but is it "best"?

I strongly believe we are called to do just more than sit in our comfy lives and send cheques or talk the smart talk without doing the work.. There's work to be done, alot but the laborers are few... Its time to step out of our comfort zones and get our hands dirty volunteering to make a difference in people's lives. It could be volunteering at an old people's home or at an orphanage teaching kids or just playing with them and making them feel loved, or raising funds to help out those in dire need of financial assistance to solve real problems or sending relief materials to victims of the crisis in Jos, or spending your next vacation in Sudan or Somalia instead of the UK or wherever else you go (i say this to me inclusive) or even sacrificing the vacation money and raising funds to send across borders! After all true love should be without borders right? People, it could be anything, just start "working the talk"!! Lets do something that counts in other people's lives!

My prayer is that this week God will help me meet the need of someone truly in need... I ask this not with expectations of receiving blessings for myself later, but i ask selflessly with the desire to see someone smile. :)

So i urge you readers, lets get people smiling this week :).. God bless you as you touch a life and as you "work the talk"!!

Now its beyond way past my bedtime guys! Adios!!!!

Letting Him in "On D Plan"

I'm not sure what exactly i came here to blog about today! Its been 15days since my last post and in those days a lot has happened! I'm now a year older and hopefully wiser (winks), I've sort of moved houses temporarily (gist for another day) and my future has just been set in stone by the good news i received yesterday! However before I go onto the news, let me tell you about my birthday! I had a wonderful day in the midst of colleagues, friends and family. I got gifts and 3 cakes in total, 1cake i bought and 2 as gifts! Any more cake and i'll be blowing out cake from my nose! lol.. In my company when its your birthday, you get to spend your money on the company instead of the other way round; funny right? Anyway your's truly had to buy drinks and a cake for the office to feed over 80+ people, so getting an extra cake for this feat was more than welcome! After work, spent the rest of the day and night at a bar called SS lounge (i don't know what SS means) where there was a live band and comedy on air.. Loads of friends came (of course with their own friends as is customary naija practice) and we wined and dined! So that's how my birthday was.
Now onto the good news.............drums roll............ your's truly is relocating from Naija!!!! (Mixed feelings).. I'm leaving to the UK to start a masters for the next year and i'm excited and overwhelmed with the number of things i have to do pre-and during study! I've wanted to do a masters for the last 2 years but somehow it never quite worked out before due to circumstances beyond my control, and now its here it feels surreal. On the other hand a part of me is ambivalent about my departure cause i get the feeling i wont be back to stay in a looooong loooong time... don't ask me why, its just a hunch (winks).. Anyway "life is a beach; and then you dive" (slogan on my sister's t-shirt when we were kids)... Life comes in various shades of colors and mine just took on ALL the colors of the rainbow! Yippee!!!
So that's the story of my life lately.. Makes me think back to when i was in secondary school and what i envisioned of my life post secondary education...um..to be honest i can't remember what i thought i would be doing or where i would be! lol.. kinda silly not to remember but hey! Life takes us by surprise, we move onto places and phases we never thought we would be; and in all of it we hope we can look back and be thankful for our blessings.
For me i feel like who i am, where i am going to and all my plans has got absolutely nothing to do with how much effort i put in, its more about how much "in the plan" i let the Big Guy upstairs in on and take control of. For you see, my life is not my own to do with as i please so no matter how much i want something when i want it, he's not gonna let me have it if its not in his own timing! In my place, we say "Oge Chukwu ka mma" meaning "God's time is the best"; my life and my experiences so far is a clear indication that this phrase is true.
What of your's? Are you patient enough to let Him lead and you watch?

Toodles people!
Who else?!