What's up with humanity?

The world couldn't get any more crazier than it is right now. With all the drama in US politics, crazy terrorist attacks every now and then, one can only worry how humanity seems to be very absent in humans these days. Like we literally do not give a hoot about people's feelings and when you do, it probably just a political move to score cheap points or win favours.

I've been following the #SaveMayowa trend, about a lady that Nigerians came together to fund-raise over $100,000 for Stage 4 Ovarian cancer treatment. Amidst all the drama that ensued, one particular thread of tweets caught my attention and it almost brought tears to my eyes. Read the thread below:

Speaking of cancer, there is a 3 year old child in Luth with cancer who was abandoned by his parents two years ago. His name is David.

— Movie Pundit (@Anyato__) July 28, 2016

David has no one in the whole world. The staff at luth barely take care of him. Sometimes he spends days without taking a bath.

— Movie Pundit (@Anyato__) July 28, 2016

This is a child that pisses and shits himself btw

— Movie Pundit (@Anyato__) July 28, 2016

There are about 40 little babies with cancer in Luth. It's the most depressing thing you'd ever see.

— Movie Pundit (@Anyato__) July 28, 2016

There's a foundation dedicated to toddlers and kids with cancer. They are doing a great job but barely any funding.

— Movie Pundit (@Anyato__) July 28, 2016

If you're looking for something meaningful to do, you could try that.

— Movie Pundit (@Anyato__) July 28, 2016

Okay for those asking, here's their web page -------> https://t.co/k2LDA7c4RX
you can also call Mrs Matilda (Founder) 08028369731

— Movie Pundit (@Anyato__) July 28, 2016

He's a little angel and he needs friends. The way he lights up when ppl come to visit will make you smile/cry.

— Movie Pundit (@Anyato__) July 28, 2016

*UPDATE to the above TWEET thread*

PLEASE GUYS, David has cerebral palsy and he's actually six years old. He was abandoned when he was 11 months. He's been in luth for 5yrs

— Movie Pundit (@Anyato__) July 29, 2016

I'm so sorry for the misinformation. It was an honest oversight.

— Movie Pundit (@Anyato__) July 29, 2016

This is definitely worth looking into as there are more Davids out there neglected by society and the government. There's so much we could do by just spreading the love.

I personally believe the mess created out of the previous issue should not deter people with good intentions from giving. Although, it is also evident that it may not have been a scam.

Comparison/Relationships
So I wanted to put up a post one time about how annoying it can be in these days of social media. I think a message I listened to by Joyce Meyer rightly described it well. In some not too distant past, we wrote letters to our loved ones [not copied templates from the web or manage to write HBD LLNP on someone's birthday], paid physical visits to friends and played outside while nature was a spectator.
Somehow, those processes required lots of connection, real socializing and emotional bonding. I mean even love letters were a thing at some point. But these days, we have it easy with technology which in its bid to connect us together actually does the opposite. We have become lazy and self-absorbed these days.

I'm pretty sure we were much happier when there were no phones because we channeled our thoughts into words and penned them down. And when possible we visited our loved ones and were much present in the moments we shared with them. No notifications buzzing, or what have you.

Another funny trend is the habit of 'checking up'. Now it seems people 'check up' these days just to measure up and update their personal memory archives of where you are at that point in time. That's pretty much it. You can read the lack of genuineness in the 'check up' the moment they drop the call only for you to discover 90% of the time was spent mining data from you like some interrogatory interview.

It's time we stop comparing. Social Media is all a facade. No one ever posts their down moments for you to see, neither does everyone have it all together. So be thankful for where you are and keep trusting God to take you to where you desire. Here's something I wrote in a Facebook post one time on the issue:


How Market?
On the business side of things, we closed two key partnerships this week and I'm mega excited to see where this leads.

Wish you all an awesome weekend ahead and feel free to drop your feedback or comments on the issues above.

 

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...A sad day in Nigeria...

Sad Sad weekend here in Nigeria. Refreshing webpages, Twitter timelines, Facebook updates and I just can't seem to come to terms that all these have happened in one day.

This morning was the reported news of a bomb blast in Bauchi killing 12 people.

Hours later, I hear over the phone that a plane has crashed in the Iju-Ishaga area in Lagos State.

Rescue operations
Photo credit: SaharaReporters

Minutes later and people are spreading rumours of the death of the 96-year old wife of the late Awolowo.
It's really sad the way we react in times of crisis. I've seen various bashings, comments against the President, system and the usual everyday reactive responses. However nothing would be as comforting as praying for the involved families.


A friend spoke of a family of 6; father, mother and 4 children being wiped out.



News report on Channels TV says, "They were 11 nautical miles from MMA*". i.e. approximately 20.372km from landing.

Scene of the crash site
Photo credit: Y! Naija

Plane was seen not to nosedive as is the common type of crash but actually struggling and moving in a zig-zag manner with the nose facing up before landing with its belly on the 2 storey-buildings.

On May 10, 2012, this same Dana Air was reported to have initiated an emergency landing for some technical reasons.

My heart goes out to the families involved. May God comfort their hearts.

Manifest of the passengers on-board the flight can be found on the Y! Naija website.

Photonews of the rescue operations can be seen on the Sahara Report website.

Here are some comforting scriptures I found that I'd love to share with all concerned:

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." - John 14:27
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." - Rev. 21:4

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Liebster Award + Mushy stuffs

First things first, I want to say a warm thank you to Relentless Builder for the Liebster Blog Award.
She made my week!

When I saw it, I just didn't have an option but to flash a big grin across my face. Thank you dear.
She's a great writer and blends her art with music reviews and her blog is very organized. One thing I've also come to know is how passionate she takes education which is one area she writes about most times.

Just in case you were wondering what the Liebster Blog Award was, here's some brief info, courtesy of JostWrite, of course: "This award we’ve discovered is given to bloggers who inspire you and have less than 200 followers. The Liebster Award takes its name from the German word meaning 'Beloved, Dearest or Favorite.'

Here's the Terms and Conditions:

1. Link back to the person who gave it to you and thank them.



2. Post the award to your blog.


3. Give the award to 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers that you appreciate and value (It’s a great way to get the word out there about other blogs!!)


4. Leave a comment on the 5 blogs to let them know that they have received this award.

I hereby nominate the following blogs for this award:

1. Apples to Cross - D-i Akhigbe
2. Le Dynamique Professor - Samuel Ekundayo
3. Nuggets for Nobles - Segun Akiode
4. Unveiling Gold
5. Okeoghene


Now to the mushy things...
*sniff*

I think I've come across too many mushy teary-eye-inducing stuff that I just could not resist sharing with you guys. No Michael No. You can't be doing this. Teary-eyes? No!

First one is so inspiring as he sang one of my favourite classical songs, 'Nella Fantasia' by Andrea Bocelli. Lovely stuff!



Second is this awesomely cute boy that just made my night again. Gush! He took me on a sailing ride with his voice mehn.

There are so many talented youth out there who just need platforms to showcase what they got inside. I hope to be a creator of such platforms basically in the field of IT and Education. So help me God.

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Double Good news!!!

I'm so happy with the news in blogsvile.

Tarararam ta! *sidesteps* *snaps finger* sways side to side slowly* *bobs head up and down* Yipee!
First good news is that @ilola has released her book. YAY!

Check out the preview here:

The book is now available for sale on Amazon. (Check sidebar)

Second good news is that Okeoghene Ighiwoto whom I did a post on a while back is now in India for treatment courtesy the Delta State Government and God's mercies. I watched the video and got teary eyed...Here's it.

So as an expresion of my joy tonight. THIS IS HOW I FEEL BELOW...!

Enjoy your weekend!

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My long pause in blogging

I really don't know how to feel tonight. Firstly, I'm very happy God made me understand the reason I've been going through some things of late.

Secondly, I'm very happy I got to see my circle of close friends today.
All these are consolations to a fact which I've been trying hard to come to terms with today.

I lost a friend.

A close friend whom we both worked in my school chapel's technical department (we call it 'Olive Media').
Slumped while jogging in the morning. I tried to convince myself it was a lie that he could make it. He was still in ICU by then. Then I got to know he had passed on. I was distraught. I've been a bit down coming to terms with the fact that Femi is no more. But God gives and He takes, BLESSED be the name of the Lord.

Also, I've been angry with myself for why I didn't blog or write. At a point, the thought of it became exhausting.
Tonight, I decided to google why people slump while exercising. While searching I came across a webpage that talked about 'Why we have slumps and how to get out of them'. I was glad I found it even though it addressed a totally different issue.

Truth is, for a month now, I had slipped into a slump. i.e. gotten to a state of exhaustion where productivity begins to drop and one tends not to do the things he would usually do. I thank God I found it because it made me realise I had been pushing my self too hard, wanting to achieve so much yet with little results.

I feel relaxed and thankful for the day and the friends whom I spent time with today. Even as I go to bed this late (12:34am), with so much mixed feelings, I know God's got my back and will help me through every phase of this journey called life.

Rest in Peace Femi. Olive Media will miss you greatly.

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A Plea for Help...

Hi everyone, it's been a while yea. Actually I had to do this post as a matter of urgency.

BLOGSVILLE I NEED YOU!

I stumbled on a particular tweet by @omojuwa (Japheth Omojuwa), which led me to a link on Linda Ikeji's blog.

Its about Okeoghene John Igwhiwotho, an ex-student of Federal Government College. He's a diabetic mellitus type 1 and 2 patient and has been bedridden for the past six years. Six years of not walking, had his toes amputated. The pictures I saw were disturbing and I just got teary-eyed over the issue.

I got his number on Linda's blog and sent him a text. Guess what...He replied!

Am I being dramatic?... or is it just the thought of the kind of pains he goes through daily I should think of...Here's an extract of how he described it:

For six years now, my legs have failed me, they cannot move me; I cannot move them. My health is failing me but I keep up all hope that I will be fine.

There are some things you do not choose in life; the family you are born into; the country you are born into; your genes; the sicknesses passed through those genes. I cannot change these. You cannot change this but, there is something you can change. Something you can save; my legs; my life.

Okeoghene John

He needs N5 million naira for a surgery in India and that's why I thought of sharing this with you if you haven't read it.
Please tweet about it, do a FB status on it, share on BBM, do a blog post and let's together save a soul that needs our help.

Here are the details:

Account Name: Ighiwoto Okeoghene John
Account Number: GTB - 0012913007
UBA A/C- 2054468076


You can call to sow seeds of encouragement on 08063255842.

There's a FB share button below. Please spread the word.
Official Twitter Hashtag - #saveOke

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An awesome vlog post.

I got a mail from my very good friend LowlaDee whose blog is one wealth of inspiration, today.
I clicked on the link and was all awww-y all through the video, We've all passed through this times at one point in our lives and it's always a beautiful moment when things are back in order.

Do watch, enjoy and drop your comments.
She blogs at LowlaDee.com

Drop your comments below.

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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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Support this cause.

Initially I wanted to do a blog post on the flooding in Lagos which has been quite a concern this past few days. Shortly after the decision, I decided to quickly scan through Linda Ikeji's blog which I do go to often and then I came across this post which I found quite disturbing at first. Disturbing because, I wondered how she still managed to smile through the pain after 77 surgeries!

It's a Fundraiser for Kechi Okwuchi, a former Loyola Jesuit student who was one of the two survivors of the 2005 Sosoliso plane crash.

Quoting Linda's blog:

"A devastating plane crash, over 60% intensive burns, up to five weeks in medically-induced coma and over 75 surgeries to date have not hampered the spirit of our friend, Kechi Okwuchi. She may have been terribly disfigured by the accident but Kechi’s determination and hope to achieve her dreams regardless, inspire us each day. We would like to share her story so that it may inspire you too.”

After the crash, Kechi was immediately transferred to South Africa for urgent treatment. Since she had to relearn to perform muscle movements, physical therapy followed when Kechi was in a more stable condition".

 READ MORE about the story here and please be kind enough to donate through the details given. God bless as you do so.

WARNING: Images may be disturbing to viewers as they contain pre- and post-surgery pictures.
View information & photos of her condition.

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