Same message twice + One Lovely Blog Award

I'm so motivated right now. I mean every thing just sent me that clear message today. I woke up feeling like I needed to make some corrections which I couldn't figure out (tough one, right?)

Today was different in a way. I checked through what could have been the potential causes. No clues.
I guess some days are just like that or maybe not. Anyways after all, I decided to share with you what I learnt today from Victor Cheng on dealing with overcoming rejection.

Whenever you feel demotivated remember:

The difference is in that final second... when one decides
to stay lying down or to make the extra effort to get back
up... the most determined people in the world, get back up.

So get back up!

And to my second post in this place YAY! *Now dancing Alanta in slow mo*
Okay Relentless2011 gave us the One Lovely Blog Award to participate in. Enjoy~!

Ground Rules: 
- Link back to the person who gave you the award
- Complete the form below
- Tell seven random things about yourself
- Nominate 15 bloggers

Name your favorite color: None actually. Light Brown and White sometimes.

Name your favorite song: It changes but at the moment it's 'Gbesoke' by Emmanuel Edunjobi

Name your favorite dessert: Chocolate Ice-cream

What pisses you off?: Saucy people,

When you are upset you: Bone face! Lol! I love ironing things out when fresh, so I confront also.

Your favorite pet: Ostrich..LOL! Of course not. Dog anyday!

Black or white?: White rules!

Your biggest fear(s): I added an 's' cuz there are 2 main things. 1. Missing heaven and 2. Failed Marriage


Everyday attitude: Me and my God all the way.

Your best feature: My hair

What is perfection?: God is.

Guilty pleasure: Food

7 Random things about myself:
Could be seen from afar as too serious.
I love singing (in the shower) and dancing (in front of the mirror)
I hate dust. arrghh!
I am scared of heights.
I want to learn to play an instrument in my lifetime.
Mr procrastinator here
I have big feet. (Size 45)


Blogs I'm passing it on to
Okeoghene's blog
Myne Whitman Writes
Le Dynamique Professeur
NaijaMuminLondon
9jafoodie

I got tired listing. Bear with me and have a nice day!

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Can I cope?

That has been the question these past weeks. As I told you in my previous posts, I've been on a busy schedule this past week and its been hectic to say the least.

I hardly have time to think to write and that scares me. I mean whatever drains that much isn't worth it in my own opinion but then again, you don hear wetin them dey call DETERMINATION!
I refuse to be overwhelmed, lailai! So imagine a schedule of 8am-6pm where you then spend 3hours in Lagos traffic, get home tired and can't even eat and just hit the bed for another cycle of routine duties. HIA! Not me.

This is my schedule and I have decided to allow it work in my favour. How?
The word is 'Maximize'. I think the mind is a great asset which I never joke with.

Apart from our innate abilities to adapt to situations, a spicy addition of Determination goes a long way. Imagine spending 3 hours in traffic daily. In a month, that's how much? For 20 days, we have 60 hours.(Tell me I've started again with numbers) Yes ooo. Time is Life. We waste time, we waste life. Back to the gist.

I finished a book in a month of my time spent in traffic. I notice that when I plan the time, I maximize it. Its only when you have a poor mindset that you think 'that thing' cannnot be done.
But let me share things that are worth spending your time on:

- Quiet time with God
- Things that advance your life purpose
- Time invested in helping others
- Things you've always wanted to do or are scared of doing.

The 1st is very important to start your day. I mean...it only makes sense to acknowledge the one who gave you the life to even get up from your bed every morning. If you've had a break in this area, I encourage you to please continue. You'll be shocked at how refreshed you'll feel the whole day. So that's all folks.

P.S. I will still publish that post on unemployment. Already reached half-way.

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Into the new week+Ironies

I wish you all an awesome week ahead!
Well, I will be posting the Ironies as promised. I'm already counting down to the end of the 3-week program.

I wanted to post something yesterday but got so engrossed in reading the latest debate that has caused heated arguments in Blogsville. *SMH* It's quite controversial so to say but I still think if you want to seek people's opinions on a matter, then why go ahead to castigate them for giving their own 2 cents. Nuff said on that.

So while checking and replying to comments here yesterday, I was told by RB11 (Relentless2011) in one of the comments to expantiate on my views on the Job situation in Nigeria. In line with that request, I just did an opinion poll on FB on the matter. I should put something together soon. And now the ironies of life:

- A man without a job craves for one; the one with a job needs a break.

- The poor want to be rich; the rich crave for a simple life.

- The unpopular want fame; the famous need their private lives badly.

- This one gets at me: The proud pray to be humble; the humble are proud of their humility. LOL!

- This one reminds me of why I shouldn't be in a haste and make every moment count:
   The young at heart want to be mature and grow older; the old and wise long again for their youthful days.

- The single want to get married, have kids in a big house; the married are tired of the big house, rather, a big home matters.

So just in all we do, let's remember to make the little minutes count. Success is an everyday thing. Love you guys.

***************************************************************
As I was about to start my day, this video below just confirmed my post yesternite. Would love to share with you!

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Borrow borrow+ Trade Offs (Final)

Blogging from a borrowed PC/Modem. ARRGGHH!!!


Anyways, while on my way to the programme I told you about, my thoughts drifted a bit to some ironies of life.
You know those moments when you just start having doubts about decisions you're about to make and all. MY final resolve was to Let Go and Let God, cuz on my own, I'll just mess things up.

I wrote them down in my 'big notepad' since I couldn't type at that point. At the same time I was just thinking of what I've missed so far from my longest disconnection from cyberspace. It's quite a lot ooo.

- My daily John Maxwell videos
- Consulting Tips and Guideline mails from the famous Victor Cheng
- Project Mgt Newsletters and Forum Discussions from professionals
- My Google Reader, Blogsville...arggh! Don't bother analyzing. A lot!

At some points in our lives, the most valuable assets will be our PCs. It's a big shift and though I'm really a strong proponent of being IT-savvy, I also believe things should be done in moderation.
Heard of a certain story of a Pastor that wanted to preach and was about to do so, only to discover that his I-Pad had frozen.
So for 20 minutes, they battled to restore it before the message could begin.

Remember those days when they say wave your bibles in the air?
Hmmm...you will then see bibles of all sorts. Neat ones (note, I didn't say 'New' ooo), Tattered ones, Coffee-stained ones, Battered and Dog-eared ones. But now, things haf shange, we raise up Tablets, Smartphones, I-Pods...even my Nokia 7610 back then can boast of being among Intelligent phones too. It had one bible app like that. When you type 'Genesis', it loads fast o, but if you mistakenly type 'Exodus', you will have to wait for the Israelites to leave Egypt and come back. LOL! It will load ehn! hmm...Let me just concentrate on today's post.

I'll post the Ironies of Life in my next post. I just remembered I haven't finished my series on Trade-offs. I finished the book by the way.
Hoping to squeeze in some time in between the 3-week busy period to read another book (The Man God Uses). I feel I need to 'absorb' (my term for reading a book twice over) the book.

7) TRADE SECURITY FOR SIGNIFICANCE
The great men and women of history were great not because of what they owned or earned, but because they gave their lives to accomplish greatness.

8) TRADE ACCEPTABLE FOR EXCELLENCE
If somethng is worth doing, either give it your best or don't do it at all.

9) TRADE ADDITION FOR MULTIPLICATION
When you invest in others, you multiply your efforts - every person you assist becomes a fellow workmate

10) TRADE AMBITION FOR GRATITUDE
Anyone who succeeds does so because of the help and grace of others. Be grateful for everything you have, and share it with others.

I hope you picked something?

Will tell you about the Ironies I observed in my next post. Join me same time same station next week.
I want to add a nice ending like my favourite radio station does before & after every news programme(won't tell you which :-D). Here goes:
"Help keep the world green, support efforts to protect animals and nature...Plant a tree today"

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Incommunicado

I guess I must have offended someone with the hair analysis in my last post. I'm on my knees ooo.:-))

So immediately I put up the post, my Internet connection went offline. I did the basic restarting of the modem and PC. No show. I then resolved to put my techie skills to work. Went to my Windows Host file to return some tweaked settings to the default. No show. By then, I was vexed, a little PC trying to intimidate me. lailai.

Then I started an in-depth network troubleshooting. Checked my proxy server settings, manually configured the Windows dialup settings to sync with my modem. No show. Hia! I then started suspecting higher powers at work. You know, the kind that is against any hair post/analysis. LOL, u would know why soon.

I checked my Antivirus settings and discovered it was actually expired. *hiss* how could I have missed an obvious detail. So I checked the firewall and network settings on it and found out they were actually disabled. Phew! Finally. I overcame those anti-hair-post powers. Lol!
So I tried uninstalling it, I did not see it at all in my list of installed programs. Haa! I then rebooted my PC into 'Safe Mode' by pressing 'F8' at the boot screen, manually deleted the antivirus folder and all resemblances of it. HAHAHA! In your face!

Happily, I restarted my baby to gist you guys of my victory...

It started up...

Showed the boot screen...

And after waiting for the longest seconds of that night...

It showed the 'Blue Screen'. My PC had crashed!!!

So I'm currently going to be incommunicado for a brief period till I fix my PC+ I'll be on a three week program me. Argghhh!
I put up this post from a very unusual location. Currently blogging from 'Cafelicious' and just had a nice meal. It just goes on to confirm the fact that I love blogging/writing. Maybe I'll upload pictures for you to see or maybe not. hope to blog soon though.

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Hair matters + Trade-offs in Life 2

Today was quite interesting as I learnt something new, how to loosen attachments from braided hair. YAY! :-))
Twas quite fun but very tiring at a point. I mean why would I loosen a long braid only to discover just little hair attached.

No wonder women spend plenty hours at the salon. Na wa!
Think of it, I heard ooo and I still don't want to believe that Ghana weaving could take 8-12 hours! ISI GINI???

Let's do some Math here.
Assuming Lady A does hair for 10 hours (2 night's sleep), which can be, say, once a month.
In a year, that's 120 hours! = Three 40-hour working weeks. Hm.

Now let's do a comparison.
How long does it take for Guy A to barb his hair?
Trimming afro- 30 minutes
Friction alone - 10 mins
Barb+Friction+Treatment - 35 mins max.

So by the time 19 guys haf barber dia hair...Hm!
I challenge you all to try LOW-CUT, you know, the African-Queen concept. LOL!

WHO WATCHED BARRACK OBAMA's SPEECH on Job Stimulus Plan. It was really nice.
Imagine this analysis that Warren Buffett pays lesser tax than an average secretary. hmmm.

So we shall continue the second part of our series of 10 trade-offs that are worth making in life. Hope you pick something.

4) TRADE IMMEDIATE PLEASURE FOR PERSONAL GROWTH
An oak tree requires decades to grow but a Squash only takes weeks. Which do you want to be?

5) TRADE EXPLORATION FOR FOCUS
The younger you are, the more experimenting you should do. But once you've found what you were created to do, stick with it.

6) TRADE QUANTITY OF LIFE FOR QUALITY OF LIFE
Your life is not a dress rehearsal. Give it your best because you won't get another chance.

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Trade-offs in Life 1

I'm supposed to put up a post soon on this current job situation in Nigeria. The inspiration hit me while brushing today and I just kept pushing it forward.
Its very easy and logical for one to say there's no job in Nigeria.
Its one thing to get a job and its another thing to like the job. If you now get a job you like, that's a rare case.

I personally believe it's a problem of packaging and the mentality of a typical Nigerian graduate. Well, I'd just share these nuggets from the book I'm currently reading with you.

It talks about TEN Trade-offs worth making in life. I'll share 3 with you now...Stay tuned for the rest.
These are excerpts from Leadership Principles for Graduates by John C. Maxwell.

1. TRADE THE FIRST HALF FOR THE SECOND HALF
Much of the first half of life is spent paying the price for later success. The greater dues you pay now, the more they compound, and the greater the potential for a successful second half.

2. TRADE AFFIRMATION FOR ACCOMPLISHMENT
Accolades fade quickly, but your accomplishments have the potential to make a positive impact on the lives of others.


3. TRADE FINANCIAL GAIN FOR FUTURE POTENTIAL
The potential is almost always to go for the "big bucks." But seeking to have greater potential almost always leads to a higher return - including financially.

I hope you picked something?
(Will post the rest later)

Also, I found this heart-rendering story on LI's blog and I decided to throw it open to others that haven't seen it. It's the story of a young lady, Kemi, with Colon cancer that needs your urgent help. You can help save a life!

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The remaining pictures + BB pressure

As I talked about here on the pictures for the Creative Writing session for the students, they're below.
The pressure to get a BB has never been more than now like its a requirement to breathe or what sef.

At work, there's phone-seizure threat by my friends if I don't get one ASAP.

Even FB. LOL!

Okay I will get one soon before the year runs out.
Before the pictures, let me share a short wonderful video from one of the people I rub minds with regularly through books and media like this; speaking of John C. Maxwell. ENJOY!

Semirah and I - Creative Writing session

L-R: I, Bassey, Lady and Guy(don't know their names jare)

Question & Answer time...

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Latest happenings

Quite sad, I was supposed to do a round yesterday but my internet subscription ended without me noticing.

So it's been really nice this past week.
But before I go on, I'd like to wish a wonderful sister, friend and fellow blogsville neighbour a Happy birthday; speaking of Dolapo Adeleke (Lowla Dee). She's really inspired me with her stories times without number and she is also the Chairperson of a recently launched Monthly Writing competition, tagged 'PEN IT' in which I'm privileged to be part of the panel. It kicks off September 7th, 2011 and hopes to feature about 12 upcoming writing talents anually.

Also, I recently took part in a workshop/Leadership programme for Secondary Schools and it was awesome.
Nigerian youths really need a lot of 'working on'.
There were different sections in the program such as Sex Education, Personal Development, Creative Writing, Car Design (yes, and the guy that took it was superb), Computer Literacy and a few others.
Well, you don't need to ask which one I featured in. Creative Writing nah!

I tell you point blank, Public/Government schools need overhauling but it was refreshing to know how enthusiastic these people are to learning.
So, we (a lady and I) talked about Writing basics, New forms of creative writing (blogging, Tweeting, etc) and had interactive sessions to hear them out. These kids want to learn but there's no one to teach them quality stuff.
Here are some of the pictures:

Bassey - Computer Literacy Facilitator

Sex Education Segment

Unfortunately, I'm still expecting the Creative Writing Session pictures. Will upload soon.
Everytime I remember these day, it only re-iterates the fact that Nigeria's Education Sector needs urgent reforms. I'm proud I'm going to be a part of it. It's a strong conviction.

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My poem + highpoints

Okay, this was a late night one. Today was mixed; talking of high-points and low-points.
A typical Lagosian's low-point is most likely when he gets stuck in crazy traffic.
As for the high-points, I get to share a poem I wrote with you (Link below). Then also, I was able to read some pages of the current book I'm reading in the jam.
The book's title is Leadership Principles for Graduates by John C. Maxwell (2nd time this year I'm reading it though).

A particular page in the book got me and I'd share with you. Before I do that, one of the things I learnt/re-learnt is that success is created one day at a time.
So here's the page in the book of a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"To laugh often and much; 
to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; 
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; 
to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; 
to leave the world a little better; 
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; 
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. 
This is the meaning of success."

Really simple words that convey a wonderful perspective of how success should be viewed.
I wish you all a great weekend!
TRENDING NOW: Truly Love

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Do you believe in Paying Tithes?

Happy New Month to you all!
More blessings are definitely coming your way this September by God's grace.(Amen)

hmm...by the way Blogger's new interface is quite interesting. The orange interface is kinda shouting though.

I was a lil unimpressed with Linda Ikeji's post this morning. Why?

It's okay to have reasons for not doing certain things but I believe if you're going to provide any information on anything, it should be with valid facts with data to support it.
Saying you won't pay tithes because most churches use the money in building schools which are expensive to attend and totally unaffordable for the common man is totally an excuse in my own opinion.

But then again, I tried to see from her perspective and could actually understand what she meant a bit. But I personally don't consider that enough reason. The fees posted on her blog are totally wrong! At least for one of the schools I'm 100% sure of. But that is by the way.

So I decided to throw it open to hear from various perspectives. Please share your opinion on Tithing.

1. Do you believe in it?
2. Why exactly do you pay tithes if you believe in it?
3. If you learnt tomorrow of misappropriation of funds generated from Tithe-payer's money in your church, would you stop paying?

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