♥nyemoni♥

John Mayer - In Your Atmosphere (Live in LA) [High Def!]

2011-07-01T10:11:00.002+01:00

There are just no words to describe the muscical genius of John Mayer....I think this is one of his finest works yet. I just can't understand his falling out of fashion with this song at all, although he did say it (the song) fell right back into fashion with him......Such talent!! I wish I could at least play a guitar!! Oh well, there are things I can do that he can't I'm sure!! :p

And I can't believe I've had this song in my library for 2 years and was still stuck on Daughters, Say and Neon. With this song though, the highlight for me is from 4:31 to the end...can't get enough of it!!

Anyhow, I thought I'd take baby steps back to blogging by starting off with one of my passions - Music that is - and see how it goes from here...

Keep the peace!
'moni

Maxwell - Pretty Wings

2010-05-12T16:27:00.001+01:00

Music that makes me glow!!! Maxwell described pretty wings as "a bittersweet love song about meeting the right girl at the wrong time"....

Enjoy people!!

1 love,

moni

Sherlock Holmes - Official Trailer [HD]

2010-01-29T11:07:00.001+01:00

Awesome movie! Just had to say!!

Guess who's back?

2008-08-22T07:51:00.000+01:00

Hi Peeps!

Its been far too long. Again. Some of my blogfam know that I put to birth on 15/05, some don't. Anyway, for the record, I had a beautiful baby boy and have been on a 3-month Maternity leave, just resumed work on Monday the 18th. Have a lot of catching up to do, my office seems so strange to me after so long.

Thanks to my blogfam for your calls, mails, lines on my blog and elsewhere on the www, your visits, prayers, good wishes.....GOD BLESS Y'ALL! May He be there for you as you were for me. I'm really grateful to y'all..

It's been far too long, y'all know I have to do a play list! Here are a few of my fave songs right about now....
- Rihanna- Take a bow, Disturbia
-RayJ ft. Yung berg- Sexy can I
-Chris Brown-Forever
-Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown- No air
-Jay Z- Roc boys
-Usher- Love in this club
-Alicia Keys- Superwoman, Teenage love affair
-Plies ft. Ne-yo- Bust it baby
-Keri Hilson-Energy
-Madcon-Beggin'

Now I know most of these songs aren't new, but I've been out for 3 months so I gotta lotta catching up to do, so bear with me OK?

I'll be back soon...for now let me leave you with a mini-pix of my baby, taken when he was just 2 weeks old.

Have a good weekend people!
'moni....

Keyshia Cole - Heaven Sent

2008-05-13T16:14:00.001+01:00

Guys,
I'm really sorry for the loooong overdue absence...Work has been so HECTIC!! I've moved houses and I'm not due to have my baby - not today at least...Thanks y'all for checking up on me...hope I can resume blogging soon cos I miss all my blogfam...

Enjoy this song by Keyshia Cole...she's something truly...

Bless y'all..
'moni

Love your neighbours!

2008-03-12T17:54:00.001+01:00

** This was supposed to be put up on the day I put up my last post but well, here goes!**

It's such a pity when I look back to yesteryears and remember with nostalgia the relationship we had with our neighbours while growing up....we lived in an small estate with 3 flats. Tere were 3 families living in them and they were allocated to staff of a particular company...the first flat belonged to a Yoruba family, they were Muslims and the family was young......their first kid was younger than the last child in my family by about 3 years and they were 3 kids in all....the second belonged to an Ibo family with 3 kids and a step-sister...the eldest daughter was as old as my eldest brother, the second was the same age as my immediate elder brother and the third was my age......my family lived in the last flat. We had 4 bedrooms and a living room.

I recall that no matter how much my mum reminded us not to eat at the neighbours or anywhere else for that matter, we still ate at the neighbours and we all played around together like one happy family. Of course we ran indoors, each to our separate homes when we heard the honk of any of the parents' cars but we were sure to resume play in the bus on our way to school the following day.....

Even our parents were on friendly terms with one another....the man in flat 1 and my dad worked at the company's head office in Port Harcourt and the mum in flat 2 was a nurse at the company's clinic. This was all in the '80's...

Nowadays, relationships with our neighbours are cordial at best and conversations with neighbours are such a drag! Everyone wants to have their own space and every one's mantra seems to be "keep your nose outta my business"...Such is the relationship between my family and my neighbours......try hard as our kids did to forge a bond, us parents kept tugging at them, get back in! and discouraged any friendship between the girls....we even got to the point of having silly issues because of this and that...

My neighbour is a single mother of a 1 year old, and in true Island style, we do not speak to each other. Only to the children, and then to offer an exaggerated Hellooo and Byeeee! I rarely even give a second glance or wonder what is happening in her home and I'm sure the same indifference is accorded to me and mine.

From the little I can claim to know of her, I see her as someone whose priorities do not happen to be her child but rather are elsewhere.....far, far, away in a place I know nothing of. She rarely sleeps at home - ask me how I know? Her car's usually not at home at nights and she comes in the evenings for a bit and takes off after sometime. I happened to notice on a few occasions that her help left late in the evenings and came back to work in the wee hours of the morning, say 5:30am. I saw that happen about 5 or 6 times and thought nothing of it. Fast forward to last week Thursday. My neighbour came home in the evening as usual, did her thing, left.....she returned again very late, say about midnight 'discovered' her daughter was alone at home..... checked everywhere, didn't see her help. She settled in for the night and Miss. thing returns at 5:30am sharp the following day......to welcome a very unlikely sight....her madam's car!

Drama everywhere.....girlfriend comes out...yelling...so this is what you do eh? I pay you and you leave my baby at home at go out to sleep with men! I will kill you today! You want to destroy my life....So much drama.....That was when the pieces of the puzzle fell into place for me....so the girl wasn't a come in the morning, leave in the evening kinda help? And the baby was in the house all the time when she went out? I really felt like an evil person when I pieced all that happened together, I knew that it would never have happened if we were more cordial to each other and the girl took advantage of the fact that we weren't friends with her madam and threw all caution to the wind...but even my neighbour herself was partly to blame! How dare you leave your child to the maid like everyday? I'd always assumed her daughter was wherever she was putting up, never for a moment thought she was left at home with the help....

So many what ifs clouded my mind but the one that struck the most was the decline of good relationships with our neighbours in so the called high brow areas....it's sad really, to think we live in a time when your neighbour would see your child going astray and instead of correcting him or her, would look the other way. It's such a crying shame!

What is the meaning of a neighbour I ask? It it merely the person who lives a little distance away from you? Shouldn't it mean much more than that? I remeber while growing up, we didn't dare to be naughty around my neighbours parents because they could discipline us as good as our parents, but nowadays? The essence of the word Neighbour seems to be extinct!

His grace..............

2008-03-05T13:00:00.007+01:00

I had a post all typed up and ready to put up today, but that has to wait....I just wanted to drop a line to ask my blogfam to thank God with me....

Men of the underworld broke into my home last night and did what they usually do. I just want to bless God that my family and I were unscathed at the end of the about 30 minute ordeal....I also bless His name that my neighbours were also unscathed...I'm sill quite shaken up by the whole shebang and I'm particularly sad that my daughter had to witness such drama but I also know God can and will make her forget....We all are, just because He is. Occurrences like this make you remember that life is so fragile, nothing is constant and we are all living in uncertainty.

It is really sad when men who you have no knowledge of break into your home in the dead of the night, threaten, push you about and ransack your property as if they belong to them and then look to you as though they deserve a thank you after they are done creating the stuff that nightmares are made of in your head.....it's sad to know that even if you screamed or called the police, it would take forever (if ever) for help to come to your aid......sad to know that these miscreants feel so comfortable in your home with the assurance that the noise from the generators outside is enough to drown out whatever commotion that could arise from their unannounced entry into your home...it's all such a crying shame!

This quote by Peter Henry Abrahams pretty much says it all for me.....
"To live with the conscious knowledge of the shadow of uncertainty, with the knowledge that disaster or tragedy could strike at any time; to be afraid and to know and acknowledge your fear, and still to live creatively and with unstinting love: that is to live with grace"

May His grace surround us all everyday of our lives!

1love,
'moni

fuel pump conspiracy

2008-02-28T08:19:00.006+01:00

This is a major rant!!! I'm tired of this country sha, I no go lie!!!!!!!!

On Friday last week on my way home from work, I stopped by at a filling station on the Lekki-Ajah Expressway to fill my car's tank with petrol in preparation for this week as is my usual tradition. I bought the petrol and drove home.....

My car is relatively new and I have never had cause to visit the mechanic since I bought it except to service it. My Mr. checks the oil and water on my behalf regularly so I never need to open the bonnet myself and the batteries have been OK since.. Imagine my surprise when I started the car on Monday morning and it refused to start! I checked the battery indicator on the dashboard display and saw everything looked OK but the car just wouldn't start!

Being that the car is a manual car with the a, b and c (accelerator, brake and clutch) I asked my maiguard and some other guys around my neighbourhood to push the car while I drove, thinking that would jump start things and I would be on my way....no luck! I had spent about 30 minutes doing this and realized I had to move on in order to arrive early at work. Now my hubby left the house before was done packing my stuff up so I had to find my way to work....

On getting to the office, I was surprised to see only my MD and supervisors cars...when I got in I found out that my other boss had the same problem...his started on Sunday when he was on his way to church and our Financial controller realized her car wouldn't start that morning as well....My mechanic went to my house about an hour later and told me my fuel pump was bad....My 2 other bosses took their cars to Briscoe Ford (company cars) and their drivers were told the fuel pumps were bad.....Unlikely coincidence eh?

Yesterday, my hubby called me to say 8 of the Toyota Corolla's in his company car pool had packed up and the problem? You guessed right! My sisters hubby also told her a number of cars in his company's pool had THE VERY SAME PROBLEM! FUEL PUMP!

Now I've been hearing this rumour that the fuel being distributed around Lagos is of bad quality....I wonder why the regulatory bodies did not discover this? Is there no means of checking that the petroleum products that get distributed are quality controlled?

I really am tired of the seeming lack of control in Nigeria, most anyone can get away with anything! now I'm quite skeptical about mentioning the name of the gas station from where I bought the petrol although my M.D says name them and shame them....anyway, I'd advise everyone to keep their ears to the ground before purchasing petroleum products....a word is enough for the wise!

Say- John Mayer

2008-02-26T13:37:00.001+01:00

Hi people.....
This is one of my new best songs. heard it first during the christmas season and knew right away it was the genius John Mayer who was singing....Heard it again on the radio yesterday and I just had to share. This song is tres fab! Enjoy people!

One love
'moni;-)

Update by force...

2008-02-22T12:44:00.004+01:00

I have been forced to update by members of my blogfam....lemme think, lemme think...This update shall be based upon questions I have been asked by my blogfam and shall on the whole have no direction per say...

My pregnancy is going very well by God's grace, I still have no clue as to the sex of the baby is let's just say fear no let me check...lol...I actually tried to check 2 weeks ago and the baby kept its legs crossed the entire time...no amount of prodding and poking was sufficient to move the baby from it's position and I just had to leave...I would go for another scan in two weeks so let's keep our fingers crossed!

Still on the subject of the baby's sex, I would obviously like this baby to be a boy 'cos I already have a daughter but my hubby says 'girl or boy, this one is the last one unless you want to turn yourself into a baby factory... I have always - subliminally at least- wanted to have three so I reckon I shall trick my way to the third one i.e. if i haven't changed my mind by then....

Moving on to valentines day...how was my valentines' day spent? I spent the working part of the day at work....got into mad traffic at Kofo Abayomi Street on my way home from work and spent about 2 hours+ before I got to Mobil at Lekki Expressway...from there on it was a breeze getting to Lekki but my hubby who had been waiting for me at some 'joint' got tired of waiting and called to say we should meet at home...I wasn't disappointed in the least as I already had a headache plus my left leg was tired from pressing down on the clutch. So that is the end of that story...

My afrobabe asked me how it went the first time...My question is first time doing what? I have a lot of first time stories:

First day in school (a distant memory)
First fight
First grown up party I went to
First time I blogged
First time I kissed
First time I had sex
First time I had a baby

Now I'm going to pick the one that I feel like blogging about so there!

MY FIRST KISS

I was in the University (wouldyoubelieveit?!) and there was this guy who was soooo into me...lol...I didn't like him or hate him...to me he was just there. He'd asked me to be his girl and there I was wondering, 'Am I supposed to say Yes to this or just let things flow?...' anyway we went on our merry way and on some days I acted like his girlfriend and allowed him hold my hand or put his arm on my shoulders in public (that was eons ago, when an 18 year old acted 18, not these days, with 18 year olds acting 30!) and on other days I acted like I didn't know him.....It was quite funny in the beginning cos we had yet to define what we were doing...I was playing hard to get and he was feeling like a chaser....anyway at some point it was clear that we were officially dating or going out as we liked to call it and he'd been trying to kiss me for a while....a really really long while.......

One day anyhow we had been in his room chatting about everything and nothing and I just knew he was going to kiss me...looking back, I think I wanted him to kiss me cos I wanted to know what it felt like......anyway, he acted like he was trying to get something out of my hair and I played along... It was so clumsy and awkward and silly! I felt like YIKES! Ewww someone Else's saliva in my mouth!....gross....lol...anyway, all in all, I didn't have an earth-shattering, toe curling, mind blowing kiss 1st time around....that's the first time experience I'm willing to share for now so it will just have to do!

It's been quite a long time since I had a song list up,there are quite a few songs rocking my boat at the moment so here goes:

My play list

- Living Darfur - Mattafix
- New soul - Yael Naim
- Bubbly - Colbie Caillat
- Love like this - Natasha Bedingfield feat. Sean Kingston
- Sweetest girl - Wyclef Jean feat. Akon and Lil Wayne
- Apologise - One republic feat. Timbaland

I don try o! Guys take care and have a blessed weekend...See you next week!

One love,
'moni

Happy valentine.....

2008-02-14T17:25:00.003+01:00

Hey people!

This is another one liner.....just to wish y'all a Happy Valentine's day! Please play safe....don't forget to use raincoat oh! Anyway...Just to wish my blogfam a blessed day 'cos you all are my Valentines......

one

'moni.............

I'm feelin.............

2008-02-11T10:05:00.000+01:00

Gongo Aso by 9ice........this song is off the shizzle for hizzle! If you haven't heard it, help's here....check out the right side of my blog for my playist. It's the only song there and I'm mos' def rocking it!!! I don't understand a word of it but who cares? Will be back sooner than you think! ;-)

5 years of married life later...

2008-01-11T15:30:00.000+01:00

So exactly 5 years ago my Mr. and I took a leap o' faith at some small church in Port Harcourt and said 'I do' to the officiating minister in answer to some questions I don't care to remember...
It's been ten whole years and some since we started this journey, not knowing where it would lead...
Now a 4 year old and another on the way later we have come to this point...
It has been fraught with highs and lows, blessings and disappointments, happiness and sadness but on the whole, I thank God for us, we're not perfect but we do try to get by and make the best of 'us' in this imperfect world...

I'm hoping that the next 5 years will be better than the last and that God will meet us at our every point of need...
I earnestly pray that God helps us renew our unity through Christ and that we continuously find satisfaction in one another.
I pray for the grace to bear each other's weaknesses and the compassion to help each other out in times of need.
I also pray to our Father in heaven to equip us with every necessity to raise our children to His glory...

This is my thanks giving....please join us in our prayers...For everyone out there who is seeking for a life time partner, fruit of the womb or any other blessing, I pray that God will show you His face and you will have cause to sing a new song this year.

God bless you!

Happy New year!

2008-01-10T14:42:00.000+01:00

Happy new year people!
I know I promised to post pictures I took while in Dubai Eons ago...pls forgive my late posting (as usual). Anyway, better late than never abi? Enjoy! (or not!)

Dubai through my eyes...............

1. Sign outside the Dubai Museum -Al-Fahidi Fort (can you see the spelling error? lol!) The Al-Fahidi Fort is thought to be the oldest building in Dubai and is so named because the fort was used to defend the town from warlike neighbouring tribes...it has also been used as a jail, the ruler's residence, a store for ammunition
2. Entrance of the Al-Fahidi Fort
3. One of the photographs in museum showing Dubai's urban expansion between 1960 and 1980

4, 5 and 6 are replicas of the famous Al Abras (ferry boats) used for transporting passengers across Dubai's river creek. Pixs taken in the Museum as well...

7. More literature regarding Dubai's urban expansion
8 -13 show pictures which were taken at a water front during a tour of Dubai...

14-16 are pictures of the Jumeirah Mosque

Pictures 17-19 show the The Burj Al Arab, the famous 7 star hotel in Dubai. It is rated as one of the world's finest hotels and is designed to resemble a billowing sail..with an impressive height of over 300 metres, it is surely a sight to behold.

Pictures 20 - 24 are random pictures taken whilst in a moving car...They show random town houses and estates

Picture 25 was taken in the indoor ski slope (Ski Dubai) at the mall of the emirates, currently the largest shopping mall in the United Arab Emirates.

The last pix is yours truly...taken at the Museum....

Hope the pixs don't bore you too much...most of the good pictures have me in them and I really am not yet ready to 'out' myself...

Here's wishing you all a happy new year...I hope all your wishes come true this year...God bless!

1 love,

'moni

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 27

2007-11-27T15:09:00.000+01:00

Oi! I know I'm supposed to post up pictures of my Trip but that can surely wait for my next post...this is way more important...I have been tagged by a few of my blogfam and what better time to do it than now?

I am thankful for:

The gift of life....of freedom, of the ability to function well...to be able to breathe, to praise Him, to just be....

God's many blessings upon my family and me; our health, our finances, our relationship with Him, our security, provision, time at work, at school and during our leisure.....

His gift of family and friends....the ones who stay by us through thick and thin to remind us that He is who He is....

His promises that He will finish the good works He has started in my life!

The gift of another life....His angel who he has sent to the world through me...

New beginnings at work....for giving me a double portion as He promised..(He knows...)

Promotion

My blogfam...believe me, I'm thankful when I know there are people out there who care, regardless of the fact that we are all living in the www...

I'm grateful for far too many things....I just want to end this by saying I am thankful that God is...His blessings are just too many to mention and I'm overwhelmed by them....Thank you my Maker!!!

'moni

I'm tagging all my blogfam who have not given thanks yet...for tomorrow 28th November 07, use the header 30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 28....Please don't break the 30 days chain! God bless you!

To Dubai and back....

2007-11-26T14:05:00.000+01:00

Hello my friends...I'm sorry I keep doing this...I was really really due for a break at work and I had to up and leave like that....I got a week off and traveled with my sister and her son, we returned last Wednesday...I was unable to blog before the trip because of work commitments and I appreciate your concern...Thank you!

Anyway, I went to Dubai and had a funtastic (yep, I said funtastic) time... It was nice to hang with her (plus one) for the week and we really really had a swell time...
It started off with my camera getting stolen from my suitcase which was not very good for me, but I bought another and have some pixs and gist to share...will do that in the next post, promise!

Just wanted to say I'm back for good...and thanks, my baby's kicking well by His grace! To my blogfam, thank you!!! I will be doing my blog rounds today so see you at your spots!

1 Love,
'moni...

still here peeps..............

2007-10-23T10:39:00.000+01:00

Hello bloggers!

This girl is still here! I may be away from blogsville but I dey o! Nothing much happening but works been piling up on me....

As per your request for a feedback regarding my last post, here goes: The said lady has left the company! She left unceremoniously and did not even give them a clue until the day she was to leave... she'd told me she was working on going to the UK for her Masters degree and had been refused a visa before (last year) but she tried applying again and was lucky this time around...She came to my office to bid us farewell shortly after the whole shebang and she just 'up and left'- using my supervisors words...by the way, my office is looking for an accountant cos we now realize the importance of having your own staff rather than depending on 1-(wo)man-owned-consulting firms...We basically need someone young, with about 2 years of experience and do not mind someone with a HND...please send your resumes to me at kalabari@gmail.com .......I shall not fail to pass it to to the peeps in charge...

On a personal note, my little girl turned 4 on October 7 so it was yet another reason to thank God...Here's my shout out to my creator "Baba God I thank you O!!! We thank you wellu wellu!"
Secondly, this yer girl here is expecting No. 2 so there you have it! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ;-) - That means I'm excited...lol.....hehehe!
I'm very glad about this but it's not easy coping with driving 2 hours to work and 2 hours back home everyday, work-related stress, and although they say (my sister esp.) no two pregnancies are alike, for me I reckon the first three months are really Uuuugh!!
Anyway, I'm still tryna hide it from my office cos the end of this month makes me 1 year here and here I am fighting for increase in salary for next year bla bla bla...wouldn't do to let on that my productivity next year wouldn't exactly be 100% would it?

Anyway, I just wanted to drop a line to say hello to all my blogfam and to share my joy! For my peeps who dropped a line asking about my whereabouts thank you for taking out the time to check up on me...I truly appreciate...Now let me do my round of blogville so ya'll will be seeing me at your spaces!

Playlist
I can't get over the Fray...really, really can't..I'm listening to 'How to save a life' and 'Over my head' like always! I've also been listening to Mark Schultz a lot lately...'He's my son' and 'I am' are two of my fav and a lil T-pain never hurt anybody! I think I've done well considering I only wanted to drap a line or two before......Take care guys...keep well!

The set-up

2007-10-04T17:43:00.000+01:00

Wow, it feels like ages since I last came by here...don't blame me too much but it's the usual excuse..I've been swamped with work! LOL...Anyway, this time, it's not really the usual excuse...We moved offices so everything has been crazy for the past week or so...I have to travel further to work now, more traffic, more wahala....anyway. we're settling down in the new place now so it's going to be back to the old swing of things for me soon....

Anyway, I want to blog about something that went down in last week/this week...it was quite an interesting and surprising thing that left a bad taste in my mouth....it relates to a staff of a consulting company that provides accounting support services to my company, their work basically covers preparing our payslips and remitting PAYE to the govt. within the stipulated time, calculating WHT of the suppliers and remitting and generally helping out with our accounting using a software of some sort...but that's not the gist. Well, this staff of theirs was posted to my office and she comes in regularly, in fact she's here three times a week and we've gotten quite friendly over the months.

Now Angela (not real name) confided in me that although they (her colleagues and her) raked in a lot of money for their company, they are very poorly paid and she earns next to nothing. I was surprised to learn the actual amount because I happen to know how much her company gets from my office monthly (though it's based on the number of hours worked, I have a pretty good idea of the average) and thought it sad that she was treated so poorly in terms of remuneration. Anyway, I encouraged her to look for a better job being that she has 5 years of experience as an accountant although she's not Chartered. I took her resume and helped her send it to a few places, and she also passed it around through her other contacts. The idea was to push it around in the hope that she would go for interviews and eventually get a job that would raise her earning power.

Last week, she got a call from a certain "Charles"(not real name) who introduced himself as a staff of XXX Company, asking her to send him her profile and telling her he had heard of her and that he wanted to meet with her for a chat about possible employment with his organisation. She told him she wasn't free during the weekdays, and they fixed an appointment for Saturday, it was planned to be an informal interview... She wondered how he got to know about her and asked him when she met him for his 'chat'. He told her he knew someone who knew her and gave him her contact details and in the course of the meeting/interview, he asked her questions like how much she was earning, and all sorts of interview questions and told her he'd get back to her as soon as....

Well, well, well... on Tuesday this week - she comes to our office three times a week i.e Monday, Wednesday and Fridays and reports at her office on Tuesdays and Thursdays- she went to her office and was surprised that a Management meeting was to be held -and yes, she's supposed to be management with that dirt cheap salary - and she was the subject of the meeting. Her M.D told her she had been found out, and that they all knew she was up to something and so she wanted to leave eh? Turns out the whole interview was stage managed by her Madam and she told me yesterday that she finally understood the meaning of wanting the earth to open up and swallow me.

I wonder why her boss and her colleagues had to go to such measures to find her out...I thought it was very low and then, is there anyone who doesn't wish to change his/her situation for the better? What was her crime? To attend an interview in her spare time.. I just don't know what to make of this but to say I am disappointed is really an understatement. Anyway, that's the gist for today! I'll be back soonest with berra gist..Take care!

P.S
Pamelastitch, wassup? How come I cant view your blog? Na wah, I go vex o!

We are grateful!

2007-09-21T08:43:00.000+01:00

I'm writing this post on behalf of 3.

The first is my girlfriend Ms. K, we went to the same primary school....grew up in Port Harcourt, attended the same University, studied the same course, were room mates for three of our four years in the University... Now, she lives in the U.K and I live in Nigeria, continents apart but still tight friends... we don't get to see every year but I love her for all the memories we share, for the times she had my back and for the times she stood up for me when I couldn't do things my self...this one's for us...

The second is my blogger pal believer who I haven't had the pleasure of meeting but whose posts on her blog encourage me immensely. A lot of the time I just go to her blog and read her posts and I leave encouraged... His word says we should worship Him in the days of our youth and she really is a motivation to do so. I hope we get to meet someday girl...this one's for us...

I am the third of the trio. Yours truly, Nyemoni. I will leave you guys to make up your minds what to make of me, but this one's for us....

We three share the birth date 22/09. I'm doing this for us all, because we are all grateful to God....for allowing us reach yet another milestone in our lives..I may be doing it different this time around, but the point is that we are grateful...

Father Lord, we thank You
We thank you because of your Grace upon our lives
We thank you because of unwarranted favour on our families and ourselves
We thank you because of the Good health you gave me

God, we bless you
We bless you for your provision
We bless you because you are our help
We bless you because your Angels have taken charge over us

Abba father, We glorify your name
We glorify your name because You are the God greater than all other gods
We glorify your name because You are the Father who answers
We glorify Your name because of your promises to us

We Praise you because we know that no matter how much or how little we say You know what is good for us and You know even before we ask that which is important for us...
We are Grateful...

Guys please join us as we cross another milestone tomorrow... will not be here to post but my girl believer will be... Join us as we cross over to another year! Let the party begin!!!!

Chicken Soup: The Baggy Yellow Shirt by Patricia Lorenz

2007-09-12T09:01:00.000+01:00

Hi guys,

This is another entry from Chicken soup for the soul. Enjoy!

The Baggy Yellow Shirt by Patricia Lorenz

The baggy yellow shirt had long sleeves, four extra large pockets trimmed in black thread and snaps up the front. Not terribly attractive, but utilitarian without a doubt. I found it in December 1963 during my freshman year in college when I was home on Christmas break.
Part of the fun of vacation at home was the chance to go through Mom's hoard of rummage, destined for the less fortunate. She regularly scoured the house for clothes, bedding and house wares to give away, and the collection was always stored in paper bags on the floor of the front hall closet.
Looking through Mom's collection one day, I came across this oversized yellow shirt, slightly faded from years of wear but still in decent shape.
Just the thing to wear over my clothes during art class!" I said to myself.
"You're not taking that old thing, are you?" Mom said when she saw me packing it. "I wore that when I was pregnant with your brother in 1954!"
"It's perfect for art class, Mom. Thanks!" I slipped it into my suitcase before she could object.
The yellow shirt became a part of my college wardrobe. I loved it. All during college, it stayed with me, always comfortable to throw over my clothes during messy projects. The underarm seams had to be reinforced before I graduated, but there was plenty of wear in that old garment.
After graduation I moved to Denver and wore the shirt the day I moved into my apartment. Then I wore it on Saturday mornings when I cleaned. Those four large pockets on the front-two breast pockets and two at hip level-made a super place to carry dust cloths, wax and polish.
The next year, I married. When I became pregnant, I found the yellow shirt tucked in a drawer and wore it during those big belly days. Though I missed sharing my first pregnancy with Mom and Dad and the rest of my family, since we were in Colorado and they were in Illinois, that shirt helped remind me of their warmth and protection. I smiled and hugged the shirt when I remembered that Mother had worn it when she was pregnant.
By 1969, after my daughter's birth, the shirt was at least 15 years old. That Christmas, I patched one elbow, washed and pressed the shirt, wrapped it in holiday paper and sent it to Mom. Smiling, I tucked a note in one of the pockets saying: "I hope this fits. I'm sure it will look great on you!" When Mom wrote to thank me for her "real" gifts, she said the yellow shirt was lovely. She never mentioned it again.
The next year, my husband, daughter and I moved from Denver to St. Louis and we stopped at Mom and Dad's house in Rock Falls, Illinois, to pick up some furniture. Days later, when we uncrated the kitchen table, I noticed something yellow taped to its bottom. The shirt! And so the pattern was set.
On our next visit home, I secretly placed the shirt between the mattress and box springs of Mom and Dad's bed. I don't know how long it took her to find it, but almost two years passed before I got it back.
By then our family had grown.
This time Mom got even with me. She put it under the base of our living room lamp, knowing that as a mother of three little ones, housecleaning and moving lamps would not be everyday events. . .
When I finally got the shirt, I wore it often while refinishing "early marriage" furniture that I found at rummage sales. The walnut stains on the shirt simply added more character to all its history.
Unfortunately, our lives were full of stains, too.
My marriage had been failing almost from the beginning. After a number of attempts at marriage counseling, my husband and I divorced in 1975. The three children and I prepared to move back to Illinois to be closer to the emotional support of family and friends.
As I packed, a deep depression overtook me. I wondered if I could make it on my own with three small children to raise. I wondered if I would find a job. Although I hadn't read the Bible much since my Catholic school days, I paged through the Good Book, looking for comfort. In Ephesians, I read, "So use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will be standing up."
I tried to picture myself wearing God's armor, but all I saw was me wearing the stained yellow shirt. Of course! Wasn't my mother's love a piece of God's armor? I smiled and remembered the fun and warm feelings the yellow shirt had brought into my life over the years. My courage was renewed and somehow the future didn't seem so alarming.
Unpacking in our new home and feeling much better, I knew I had to get the shirt back to Mother. The next time I visited her, I carefully tucked it in her bottom dresser drawer, knowing that sweater weather was months away.
Meanwhile my life moved splendidly. I found a good job at a radio station and the children thrived in their new environment.
A year later during a window-washing spurt, I found the crumpled yellow shirt hidden in a rag bag in my cleaning closet. Something new had been added. Emblazoned across the top of the breast pocket were the bright green newly embroidered words, "I
BELONG TO PAT." Not to be outdone, I got out my own embroidery materials and added an apostrophe and seven more letters. Now the shirt proudly proclaimed, "I BELONG TO PAT'S MOTHER."
Once again, I zigzagged all the frayed seams. Then I enlisted the aid of a dear friend, Harold, to help me get it back to Mom. He arranged to have a friend mail the shirt to Mom from Arlington, Virginia. We enclosed a letter announcing that she was the recipient of an award for her good deeds. The award letter, on official looking stationery printed at the high school where Harold was assistant principal, came from "The Institute for the Destitute."
This was my finest hour. I would have given anything to see Mom's face when she opened the "award" box and saw the shirt inside. But, of course, she never mentioned it.
On Easter Sunday the following year, Mother managed a coup de grace. She walked into our home with regal poise, wearing that old shirt over her Easter outfit, as if it were an integral part of her wardrobe.
I'm sure my mouth hung open, but I said nothing. During the Easter meal, a giant laugh choked my throat. But I was determined not to break the unbroken spell the shirt had woven into our lives. I was sure that Mom would take off the shirt and try to hide it in my home, but when she and Dad left, she walked out the door wearing, "I BELONG TO PAT'S MOTHER" like a coat of arms.
A year later, in June 1978, Harold and I were married. The day of our wedding, we hid our car in a friend's garage to avoid the usual practical jokers. After the wedding, while my husband drove us to our honeymoon suite in Wisconsin, I reached for a pillow in the car so I could rest my head. The pillow felt lumpy. I unzipped the case and discovered a gift, wrapped in wedding paper.
I thought it might be a surprise gift from Harold. But he looked as stunned as I. Inside the box was the freshly pressed yellow shirt.
Mother knew I'd need the shirt as a reminder that a sense of humor, spiced with love, is one of the most important ingredients in a happy marriage. In a pocket was a note: Read John 14:27-29. I love you both, Mother."
That night I paged through a Bible I found in the hotel room and found the verses: "I am leaving you with a gift: peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really love me, you will be very happy for me, for now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do, you will believe in me."
The shirt was Mother's final gift.
She had known for three months before my wedding that she had a terminal disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). Mother died 13 months later, at age 57. I must admit that I was tempted to send the yellow shirt with her to her grave. But I'm glad I didn't, because it is a vivid reminder of the love filled game she and I played for 16 years.
Besides, my older daughter is in college now, majoring in art . . . and every art student needs a baggy yellow shirt with big pockets for art class!

Another A-Z meme

2007-09-07T15:51:00.000+01:00

Hey guys, thanks for all your comments to my posts...I appreciate the responses.. I meant to put up this meme for a long time now, but I never got around to doing it. I can't even credit the blogger from who's blog I got this 'cos I've forgotten. I tag all my regular blog visitors.... Have a nice weekend guys!

Accent: Dunno! Ask My friends..
Booze: Can’t abide by it, so no booze for me, thanks
Chore I Hate: Tidying up and scrubbing the toilet
Dogs/Cats: Hard to decide cos I grew up with both! But dogs, I think...
Essential electronics: Radio, Portable music device, TV..
Favourite Perfume: Organza by Givenchy & Poême by Lancomê
Gold/Silver: Gold.
Hometown: Abonnema (Nyemoni), Rivers State
Insomnia: Hardly ever!
Job title: It’s too complicated!
Kids: 1 for now and hopefully 2 more!
Living arrangements: Pretty comfy apartment…
Most admired trait: I heard them say they can confide in me and I am fun to hang with!
Number of sexual partners: And how?
Overnight hospital stays: Typhoid Fever and after childbirth.
Phobia: Electrophobia
Quote: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:8-9)
Religion: Christianity
Siblings: 5- 1 sis, 4 bros
Time I usually awake: 6a.m
Unusual talent: I’ve still not discovered it…
Vegetable I refuse to eat: Can’t think of any..
Worst habit: Delay…
X-rays: Age 6 when I swallowed my dads’ little key!
Yummy foods I make: Okra soup, Spaghetti Bolognese, Kekefiyaye
Zodiac sign: Don’t believe in those things..

'moni..

Play list
I'm loving Justin Timberlake so much right now so I leave you with two of his songs from his latest album FutureSex/LoveSounds.. Songs are Lovestoned and Losing my way (Hawt! Hawt! Hawt!) Enjoy!

Grass to grace....

2007-09-04T19:05:00.000+01:00

We all know that the only thing constant in life is change. But it is also one of the things we dread most. It's because we do not know exactly what the wind of change will blow our way. If the change which comes our way is positive change, one that elevates us financially, socially and indeed in all ramifications we would be all for it, but when it is an ill wind that blows our way we almost know for sure that dire consequences await us.

Such is the plight of some of us, who rather than take the hurdles we come across in life as lessons and try to pick up the threads of our lives would fall deeper into the clutches of despair, despondence, depression.

My father has this theory: Constant wrong decisions = Failure
Time

I don't know where he got this but I believe it.. It's a formula he swears by and has instilled in all his children. I like this formula because it seems sound to me.... of course that does not necessarily mean that all who fail have constantly made wrong decisions or that making constantly right decisions if the fool-proof way to success but in a nutshell, the theory seems pretty concise to me.

This leads me to my post for today.... I was pondering about certain acquaintances of my husband and I who were very well to do in the late '90's and now live like paupers. I am in no way celebrating their lot but I spent a lot of time in thought about the term "falling from grace to grass". It hit home when we paid a visit to this couple.....

Case Study:
Joel (my hubby's childhood playmate)and Mariam (not real names) got married in the late '90's.... then it was all rosy as Joel had a lot of money from his "Oil Bunkering business" -the most legitimate of all illegal businesses- and he had so much cash to spend then.... they always had parties for absolutely no reason and Mariam was always off to some distant country to buy goods to sell.... They lived a fast life, spending, partying, having fun, I used to wonder then just how rich I would have to be to spend without planning- that was how it seemed to me. She had two kids in quick succession and life seemed like it was going to be eternally blissful because they were living the life!

Fast forward to 2003....my hubby was away in school so I basically lost contact with his 'friends' some of them called occasionally, others even visited. I lost all touch with Joel and Mariam. In 2005, we ran into them at an event and they look like a shadow of their former selves... No nice clothes, no bling and just plain simple... I had to ask my sis-in-law if she noticed. Of course she did and we wondered, but left it at that...
Moving on to this year I got a call from Joel that Mariam had just put to birth and he wanted us to know... being that the Christening fell on a week day, we were unable to attend (because of work commitments and hubby and I decided between ourselves to visit them on any given Saturday.

Two Saturdays ago, we decided to visit them and called to let them know we were on our way. Wifey reluctantly gave us sketchy descriptions to their place... we got to the general area and called...believe me, it took about 5 calls before she answered and gave some more directions. We eventually located the place and parked on the street because we were not told which house it was....It took an over 20 minute wait and our having to question some security guards with descriptions of the family and the fact that a new baby was born recently for them to identify the house were looking for. Hubby wanted to go in, but I dissuaded him and told him to be patient....after all, we didn't give them the benefit of telling them beforehand that we planned to visit....

Finally Mariam made her exit from the compound- as we say in naijaspeak- and ushered us in...she was a shadow of her former self and she looked so embarrassed.... we got in and were all trying to act normal and all, Joel initially claimed to be sleeping, but later came out and it was on the whole a painful visit.... I felt so bad and I just wondered what went wrong...we all chatted for a while about old times and then Joel took hubby aside and confided in him about his situation. He alluded to the fact that his wife and her family ran him down...He said he spent millions for her dads burial, she never brought a penny in from her business, kept demanding for money for more...How very easy to apportion blame! They never saved for a rainy day....How about the houses you were building, my hubby asked? Which house? Apparently she spun tales about that and a lot of other things as well...bla bla bla...but where do they start? With 3 kids and no income, what do they do?

Our analogy on our return home was that they did not invest.... they thought that whatever their source of income was would last forever.... I recalled the days when I would see Mariam and she would go, Joel's building 2 houses now...One in Lekki Phase 1 and the other at VGC...where are the houses? I'm going to the UK next week to buy things for resale... what happened?.... She never even completed her Law degree at the University because she dropped out of school after her wedding...why oh why? Even the business she was doing never brought any money in, she went back for more and more from her hubby for every trip, Whatever happened?

I mourned their circumstance but I took the lesson with me. It pays to live with an uncertain tomorrow in mind because change will come and then, what happens?.... What do we do if an ill wind blows our way? Of course the average Nigerian will bind and cast and say tufiakwa! But still we know that He who fails to plan has planned to fail. As for me and my house....God help us, we're planning for our tomorrow today!

'moni

GSM Wahala

2007-08-28T18:49:00.000+01:00

The inception of the GSM in '01 was of course a welcome development in Nigeria and a lot of us folks felt that we were 'getting there' upon acquisition of our own lines and phones... But of course, the gsm has come fraught with its attendant wahala as well...
It has wrecked relationships/marriages, caused people to lose jobs and caused untold embarrassment to lots of people.
Am I making sense here? I'm willing to bet I'm not, but let me share some stories with you...

1. I have these friends from Secondary School, we all know each other and I recently found out both of them are not so cool with each other anymore, they're only on Hello-Hi levels... Caused some surprise I tell you, so I enquired from them separately as to what the matter was...I asked the girl first and she went, "don't mind him jo...I saw him at a wedding and he was being very cold so I just decided to give him space since then..." Humph...nothing there...I asked the guy and he was like "I saw her at a wedding...some of my friends I went with were admiring her from afar so I told them, OH, I know that babe now, we were in school together, bla bla bla..she's my buddy"... he further decided to call her to prove "tightness?" to his guys and they all watched her from where they were seated....He saw her reach into her bag.....take her phone....look at the caller name... make a really nasty face and return the phone into her bag...he assured me it wasn't funny as his guys still yap him about it to date... Of course they 'ran into' themselves at the wedding but he was not as warm as she wanted him to be...

2. I was driving out with my hubby one weekend and he got a call from one of his Oga's at work... he was supposed to be at work that morning but did not go thanks to my *clears throat* persuasiveness.. anyway, he checked his phone and saw his oga's number and asked me to answer and tell him he had gone out and left his phone at home. Here's how it went:
Me- Hello?
Mr. T- Hello Madam, how are you? Give the phone to Mr. Nyemoni, tell him it's Mr. T
Me- I'm sorry but he's not around, he.....
Mr. T- (laffing really hard) Hahahaha...Tell him I'm driving behind him...so he's sending his wife to cover up for him eh? Hahahaha
Let's just say we're glad the guy is an understanding Oga or else....

3. My daughter has on countless occasions tried to embarrass me when I do the "my husband left his phone at home thing"...she always screams, my daddy is at HOME!!! lol..Now when I want to lie, I run of her earshot....

4. There are countless incidents of people reading their partners text messages and finding out what they really did not expect... I don't want to go into that because I heard too may horror stories... People please...share your GSM gist! Laterz!

`moni

It's all in the Jazz!

2007-08-24T17:00:00.000+01:00

Let's face it. Some of us pretend we like some genres of music just so we can be seen as being "in the know". We are all guilty of this. Some people choke down food they don't like, others read a book or watch a movie they don't like and because everyone else is raving about it, they go- that book was Faaaab! I couldn't wait to get to the end.....Uh, wait a minute....maybe so, but for entirely different reasons. Some go, "How I loved that movie, my favourite scene was bla bla bla.... I could watch it again and again.." Like really?

For me, it was all about the jazz! I have deceived myself for as long as I can remember that I like jazz, probably because the rest of my family does and have even gone as far as buying a jazz CD or two....I finally faced it last 2 weeks or so when I was in training and had to listen to jazz every morning before the training session began. This went on until....Lord...I couldn't take it anymore.....the last day of training, I actually asked the guy who set up the projectors and all to kindly play something else.....lol! I finally accepted the fact that Jazz doesn't soothe me, it doesn't calm my nerves, it doesn't do ANYTHING for me! I'm sorry Kenny G, but what I do like are instrumentals, I like the piano, the guitar, the cello, the harmonica, and the drums...any kind of drums...but the SAX does absolutely nothing except annoy me! I've decided I'm going to give out my Jazz CD's to true lovers of Jazz, maybe my sister or one of my brothers. Let's just hope they really love jazz and aren't kidding themselves ;-) As for me.... I've decided to come out of the closet... I DON'T LIKE JAZZ!!!

By the way, I'm reading.....

Think devil wears Prada...if you like chic, witty books you'll like this one! I'll fill you in on this one next week! Laters people! ;-)

'moni

EUREKA!

2007-08-17T12:53:00.001+01:00

Guys, I found the vid.... Enjoy!!!

'moni

TY Bello - Greenland

2007-08-10T11:15:00.000+01:00

*pix courtesy this blog

I'm not usually one to do this, but I just have to cos I'm sooooooooo feeling this girl... I'm talking about TY Bello. She used to belong to the girl band KUSH which comprised Lara Bajomo, Emem Ema and TY Sokefun and they had the popular hit: Let's live together.

A graduate of Economics from the University of Lagos, TY also belongs to Depth of Field, a collective of six Nigerian Photographers: Kelechi Amadi Obi, Emeka Okereke, Uchechukwu James-Iroha, Zaynab Odunsi, Amaize Ojeikere and TY Bello. Their aim? Creating a complex portrait of the Lagos and its multitude of dimensions....from what I have seen of them, they have done very well...

The girls from KUSH have gone on to do their own things and TY Bello's new album Greenland is one of the products of the disbandment of the group.. I have so far heard only one song from the Album: Green Land and I am completely blown away! I heard it about a month and a half ago on CoolFM and I heard it on and on.... yesterday I was watching MTV Base- which is usually not my fav spot on TV- and I saw the video..It was simply a breath of fresh air!! I was so impressed by the video, I just kept dancing and singing along....I will SO buy that Album the minute I see it!!!

Anyway, everyone should look out for it cos it's really a nice song and I'm not going to list any other song as is my tradition on Fridays...

Guys, enjoy your weekend, stay safe and don't do anything I wouldn't do!!!

One love my people...

`moni

Monday Update

2007-08-06T11:35:00.000+01:00

I'm back to work! Yeah so United won Chelsea yesterday in the fight for the Community Shield at Wembley. Yay!! Edwin van der Sar was the man... Big ups my fellow United suppoters and OUCH you blues, try again! Our next challenge: Glentoran FC on the 8th... Let's give it all we've got!
ONE UNITED!

This PHCN sef.....
So it's possible to have almost constant power supply in Nigeria? Who would have thought. Can someone please tell me why PHCN always supplies light in Lagos these days? I say Lagos cos I don't know for sure about the other states of the Federation but everywhere I go, everyone says the same thing: There's amost always light - at least 70% of the time. I am scared cos I think they're going to get ugly real soon...some one tell me to be more optimistic cos I fear I'm being a pessimist

Who gave the order?
What's up with the fashion police? Who appointed anyone Lord over outfits Lagosians wear? I've been hearing this "confirmed" rumor that people are being picked up because of their attire. Guys with dread locks and earrings on are being arrested, as well as ladies who show off more than they care to see..... I want to know if anyone can confirm what I heard on the radio today, that they take these people they arrest to an undisclosed location in Lagos and force them to Learn a trade...I'm concerned because we have serious security issues in Lagos with Armed men controlling a lot of places in the Lagos Metropolis, e.g, Akpongbon Bridge, Lekki- Ajah Expressway, Oshodi Expressway, Orile -Mile 12 Route, etc and nothing is being done about this... Pray tell, is fashion the most pressing of our issues? Tell me, WHO GAVE THE ORDER?

Big Brother Africa
BBA is back with the second edition... it features 12 people, 6 guys, 6 gals from 12 different countries in Africa: Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe..
Nigerian Ofunneka is repping for 9ja... I watched it for a bit yesterday and so fa? I'm not so impressed, well lets just watch and see shall we?

Take care....
'moni

In training................

2007-08-02T19:38:00.000+01:00

Hello Blogfam,
Thanks for all the love as per my Blogiversary lol.... I have been at some random place on the Island for a training programme... I'm supposed to come back with more skillz to equip me to give better service to my employers bla bla bla... just came in to the office now to write a report and couldn't resist dropping a line...anyway, I have a helluva catching up to do on all your blogs...

My sister who gave birth on May 15th is in Nigeria with her baby for her maternity leave - in Canada, they have 1 years' maternity leave - I get to see her this weekend after almost a year, plus she has a thanksgiving service on Sunday! I'm super excited! Anyway, spoke to her earlier today and she was asking about my blogfam... she sends her love!
I'll be back in the office on Monday 6th August so expect a post then...Until then, have a lovely weekend!

Mad love!
'moni...

P.S

Music I've been listenin' to....
Plain white T's -Hey there Delilah
KD Lang - Crying
The Fray - How to save a life
Green Day - Working Class Hero

1st Blogiversary!!

2007-07-25T18:25:00.000+01:00

Hey! It's my 1st blogiversary! I started blogging on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 and it's been quite an experience! Blogging has opened a whole new page in my life and I tuly have no regrets starting this blog... I've made many friends and some enemies too but Hey! It's mostly been worthwhile... Thanks to blogging, I now have these group of people who I call my blog fam...

It took me quite a while before I decided to start this blog mostly because of my desire to remain anonymous and also because I thought it would be too much quality time spent killing my eyes, but I'm glad I took the leap O' faith and ventured into the blog world.

I remember the very first blog I stumbled upon, sometime in June last year. The layout was pink and I saw the eyes of a young lady staring at me...I'd been trying to get some info on coolfm and I was led by google to this post... I read through a lot of her posts and left with tired eyes, didn't go back for another month...but then I returned.. opening link after link and I discovered a whole new world...

The journey's been fun so far, sometimes I come to blogsville just to get away from reality for a bit and to have a laugh.... I'm just really glad I started this... Here's to many more blogiversaries! Guys, thanks for taking this journey with me and I hope blogging has been as much fun for you as it has been for me.... Cheers y'all!

Me-me

2007-07-19T16:09:00.000+01:00

I am …NYEMONI
My ex-boyfriend ….turned out to be my husband..... Maybe I should …get another job? I love …Music! I don't understand.....accounting! I'm not even interested in the least! I lost my....toe ring last year My current boyfriend is …my husband People say I'm ….fun to be with Love is …diverse Somewhere, someone is…getting murdered
I will always... love books Forever is....eternity I never want to…have to kill anyone I think the current President is….a subject under review
When I wake up in the morning….I thank the Lord for yet another day Life is full of....mysteries My past is.....incredibly bland! I get annoyed when….I see bad quality customer service Parties are for...having fun! Girls are ...complex creatures Sex is…. overrated I wish...I had more financial prowess Tomorrow I'm going to…..take my daughter out! I really want some….more of God in my life! I have low tolerance for people who….are pathological liars If I had a million dollars... I’d never be broke again My job makes me…. wanna go crazy!

What's on my playlist? Robin Thicke - Lost without you (finally caught the bug) Rihanna - Umbrella Gwen Stefani - 4 in the morning Justin Timberlake - Ayo Technology Ciara - Like a boy Beyonce - Get me bodied Akon feat Bone Thugs n Harmony - I tried Nickleback -If everyone cared Fergie - Glamorous (This is cos of my daughter!)

Have a great weekend everyone! I'll try to post something "sensible" next week... It's been really tough at the office these few weeks...and all ye reading this are hereby tagged! CIAO for now!

'moni

Friday the 13th

2007-07-13T15:58:00.000+01:00

"The superstitious man is to the rogue what the slave is to the tyrant." -Voltaire

They say Friday the 13th is an unlucky day.... True, for people who believe in superstition but I don't belong to that category of people. I however want to blog about Friday the 13th and also list some superstitious beliefs I've heard....

Friday the 13th
As we all know, the 13th of any month which falls on a Friday is considered Friday the 13th. The number 13 is considered an unlucky number and Friday is considered an unlucky day, I think this has a lot to do with Friday the 13th theory, i.e. two unlucky factors...The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia.

Other superstitious beliefs

- The number 13 is unlucky. 12a is sometimes used as a substitute and some buildings skip floor 13 completely. Other superstitious beliefs related to the number 13 are:
More than 80 percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor.
Many airports skip the 13th gate.
Airplanes have no 13th aisle.
Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13.
Italians omit the number 13 from their national lottery.
On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12
and a half.
Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue
- Breaking a mirror will result in 7 years of bad luck.
- The numbers 7 and 9 are "lucky."
- It will bring you bad luck if you step on the cracks in a sidewalk.
- Expectant mother should throw salt three times behind herself shortly before her 'Due Date'
to ease her labour
- Placing a hat on a table is bad luck.
- In the United States, many people believe that two-dollar bill brings bad luck. Gamblers
sometimes call it a "deuce", a term for two which also means "devil."
- Black cats are generally considered unlucky; when a black cat crosses one's path, something
bad will happen
- Wearing clothes/ Underwear inside out brings good luck
- A penny is found heads up, it will grant good luck, however, tails up will grant bad luck.
- If one walks underneath an open ladder it brings bad luck.
- It is considered bad luck to open an Umbrella indoors.
- If your right eye twitches you will soon have good luck. If the left eye twitches the reverse
applies.
- To drop a fork means a man is coming to visit.
- If the palm of your right hand itches it means you will soon be getting money.
- If the palm of your left hand itches it means you will soon be paying out money.
- A mirror should be covered during a thunderstorm because it attracts lightning.
- All wishes on shooting stars come true. (Star light, star bright First star I see tonight, I wish I
may, I wish I might Have the wish I wish tonight)
- Knock three times on wood after mentioning good fortune so evil spirits won't ruin it.
- If you make a wish while throwing a coin into a well or fountain, the wish will come true.
- For a lucky bride: Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something blue and a
lucky sixpence In her shoe.

Do share the superstitious beliefs you've heard, whether you believe them or not!

`moni

Random Wednesday

2007-07-04T08:26:00.000+01:00

MICHELIN MAN DENIES PATERNITY SUIT... Claims child is not his

What do you think?

What my mother taught me

2007-07-02T17:55:00.000+01:00

My mother taught me Endurance. Her words were “what cannot be cured must be endured” She taught me to endure whatever obstacle life brings my way such that it would not bring me down; rather I would learn a lesson and be better for it.
My mother taught me resilience. She taught me to get up if and when I fall down.
My mother taught me kindness. She showed me how to look at every man as an equal and not to think that I was better than any just because I had certain privileges they didn’t have.
She also taught me humility. That’s the only thing one cant brag about having so I’ll leave it at that and let someone else say it on my behalf!
My mother taught me perseverance. She made me understand that the road may be long and I would be weary, but showed me that I’ve been equipped to handle all of life’s challenges.
She taught me to live well beneath my means. That way, I’d be able to manage most of my affairs (if not all) without having to borrow unnecessarily and thus compromise my stability.
My mother taught me the beauty of giving…… I now understand what it means to give without expecting anything in return and I love the feeling I have when I give, no matter how little it is………
She taught me Laughter. She taught me how laughter can change situations no matter how bad and she taught me how to take a joke. She taught me to pay now, play later… that’s the way I learned responsibility.
She taught me how to earn trust. It showed in the way I was alone and unsupervised for four years in the University paying all my fees, going to classes religiously, studying, earning my grades and graduating. All that was done without one visit from my parents to my school, from my matriculation day to graduation day.
My mother taught me Faith. She taught me the word of God which says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…..
She taught me the power of prayers…I’ve learnt that its power is immeasurable………she also taught me hope… sometimes it’s all some people have got……most of all, my mother taught me love. She taught me to love beyond reason, without reason and to love just because God says so.

My mother taught me all these and much more… I cannot imagine my life without her guidance, counseling and direction. She’s played the most important role in my life by miles and I cannot thank God enough for giving me to her … I wish that I be wise and patient enough to teach my children as she taught my siblings and I and pray that her children are able to show her how much she means to us… She may or may never get to read this but I just hope she hears the song of my heart… Mummy, I love and appreciate you… May God bless you with long life and show you His salvation.

‘moni

it's da weekend.......

2007-06-22T15:06:00.000+01:00

Hey Guys,

It's been such a long minute.... and it's not just about the strike... Yeah, the strike has taken it's toll on me but it's not just the strike... it's something in the air.... like the world has come to a standstill... but then I know the world's not at a standstill.....but what with No Power supply, No fuel for my car or generator and to top it all, I went to the market today and things were three times the usual price! I'm not talking about tinned food or cleaning items, I'm talking about the kind of food I like to eat- Plantains, Yams, goat meat, etc... Plantain was sold at 400 Naira for four fingers.... Oranges were 25o Naira for a dozen, everything was so expensive and when you complained, they went... "no be me do o! Na fuel cause am... transport wey I carry come market today...." Na wah o! Nigeria na wah...

I asked a friend who is coming from obodoyibo to buy me a pair of these slippers below...

I had them when I was younger, and they were so comfy... I kept reminding her to buy them and she was like "no be dat skoll? No worry now, I go buy am" And I remembered that I used to call them skolls as a child.... in fact everyone in my family used to call them that. I realized that we found a way of twisting the name Dr. Scholl around to suit us and the name skoll was formed, and it was not just us, everyone around was calling them skolls. I printed out a copy of the lovelies and took them home to my hubby and asked him if he had seen those around in the late '80's and he went.... those are skolls now, my mum and sisters used to have them then! lol...

It got me thinking of other names Nigerians had reinvented..... I have a few lined up for you....

Real Name..........Nigerian version
Scribbling.......................Jagajaga
Slides..............................Jangulova (Ekpu Motor)
Bottle cork.....................Counter
Platforms.......................Secretariat
briefs..............................Soccer pant
rouge..............................rosy cheeks
Clean shaven head.......Gorimapa
albino..............................opulo pulo
the words
move over......................dress or shift
the day after tomorrow..... next tomorrow

LOL....there are so many others... I just can't think...feel free to remind me! I just needed to put my thoughts down for some comic relief....

Songs I'm feeling
I wanna have your babies - Natasha Bedingfield
Lil Star - Kelis ft. Cee-lo
Who knew- P!nk
Break it off- Sean Paul and Rihanna
Buy you a drank- Tpayne
Lost one -Jay Z

This is all for the weekend guys..... stay safe y'all.... have fun!

Cheers,
`mon!

Blogville Idols...and more

2007-06-15T07:43:00.000+01:00

Hey guys, wassup? Nothing new is happening oh! I've been too busy to blog, but I've been around blogville dropping comments here and there... Wow, so much is going on in blogville, most importantly Blogville Idols, an initiative of Pink Satin and Naija Opeke and hosted by Cheetarah..... check it out here.

So yesterday, we saw Naijadude and Nigerican leave.... it was so sad, but well, people had to leave... I see a bright future for them cos I think they've got what it takes to make it...lol! Well done guys! The show is now down to 12 contestants...Bimbylads, 2nd Corinthians 5:17, Abujababe, Bobby, Chicala, Diary of a G, Everybody loves a 9ja girl, I am a Babe, Idemilli, Lurlar, Mimi, Sparkle & Taureanminx...let's see how the next e-LIVE show will go!

In Nigeria, there are two major things making headlines...Mujahid Asari Dokubo has been released medical grounds.. You may read more here

Peter Obi has also been reinstated by the Supreme Court as the Anambra State Governor. The court ordered Obi to remain in office till March 17, 2010, when his four-year tenure would terminate. Obi’s reinstatement came just 17 days after Andy Uba was inaugurated governor following the controversial April 14 gubernatorial election in the state.In a landmark unanimous judgment, the apex court ruled that since Obi was sworn as Anambra State governor on March 17 2006, the constitutionally guaranteed four-year tenure must be respected. The reinstated governor had gone to the Supreme Court to appeal the earlier ruling of the high court and court of appeal that had declined jurisdiction to hear the suit."The Independent National Electoral Commission was wrong to have conducted elections to fill a non-existent governorship in Anambra State," Aloysius Katsina-Alu said in the unanimous judgment of the full complement of a panel of seven Supreme Court justices.

They ordered Uba to vacate office immediately. In Awka, the capital of Anambra State, Uba, the erstwhile governor, was addressing a gathering of traditional rulers when one of his aides handed over the phone to him. After receiving the call, his countenance changed. He quickly ended his speech, drove straight to the Government House and hurried out of the premises 20 minutes later at 2.45 pm with his personal aides in a convoy. The special adviser on media and strategy to Uba, Okey Ifionu, said that they were taking the judgment with "philosophical calmness".

Former governor of the state, Chris Ngige, while congratulating Obi "on his victory" said the judgment will mark the end of the crisis in the state.The pan-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze nd’Igbo, praised the judiciary for upholding the ethos of the democratic process. Dozie Ikedife, its president general, said: "This has gone to show that the judiciary in Nigeria can be trusted and this has also shown that Anambra State remains a reference point in the political permutations of Nigeria. It has in a way proved to us that our democracy is growing and we in Ohaneze congratulate Obi for ensuring that the due democracy is growing."

Obi’s deputy, Virgy Etiaba, who was at the court when judgment was delivered, could not hide her joy as she danced and sang praises to God. Uba who was declared winner of the controversial governorship election in the state ran under the platform of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), while Obi, representing the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), won the 2003 election but could only assume office after three bitter years of legal struggle.
In Onitsha, Awka and other towns in the state, it was celebrations galore on the streets when news broke on the Supreme Court judgment. Ike Olisa, an Onitsha-based trader, told Business Day that justice had been done to the people of Anambra State. "The whole election process that brought Andy Uba was a farce and magical," he said.

Reacting to the judgment, Olisa Agbakoba, the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and an indigene of Anambra State, said it was a fantastic decision. "I am delighted that Andy Uba is out of office. He rigged his way into office. Anambra people did not vote for him. There was no election in Anambra State. Andy Uba should leave office immediately", he said.
Commending the judgment, Agbakoba said the judiciary had been the "saviour of the 2007 election. At every point that government and its machinery tried to undermine the process and subvert the will of the people during the last general election, it is the judiciary that intervened to bring justice and restore confidence of Nigerians."

Lagos lawyer Femi Falana hailed the judgment, saying last April’s election where Uba was declared winner was a nullity, adding that there was no need for an election in the first place.Mike Ahamba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said no governorship election would be due in Anambra State until 2010 when Obi would complete his tenure.

Info on Anambra State Courtesy Businessday....

More to come...

`moni

Happy Weekend Everyone!!

2007-06-08T18:44:00.000+01:00

Thank God it's Friday!!!!!

So I got off work late.... so what? I'm grateful to God that He has taken me through this week without any mishaps and everything concerning me is well by His grace!

I pray that next week will be better that this week...Amen...

and the week after that will be better than next week... etc...Amen...

I just want to wish everyone who reads this a lovely, fun filled weekend!!! May the hand of the Almighty always be upon your lives... Enjoy your weekend! Mwah!

xoxoxoxoxo

`moni

Did I read that sign right?

2007-06-07T14:59:00.000+01:00

TOILET OUT OF ORDER. PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW

In a Laundromat:AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT

In a London department store:BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS

In an office:WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN

In an office:AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD

Outside a secondhand shop: WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?

Notice in health food shop window:CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS

Spotted in a safari park:(I sure hope so)ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR

Seen during a conference:FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR

Notice in a farmer's field: THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES.

Message on a leaflet:IF YOU CANNOT READ, THIS LEAFLET WILL TELL YOU HOW TO GET LESSONS

On a repair shop door:WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR - THE BELL DOESN'T WORK)

LOL!!!

`moni

Breaking News: Paris Hilton Out of Jail

2007-06-07T14:52:00.000+01:00

I don't usually do this, but I just couldn't resist!

US celebrity hotel heiress Paris Hilton has been released from prison in Los Angeles after serving just three days of her 23-day sentence for a probation violation, it was reported today.Website TMZ had learned that Paris Hilton has not only had her sentence cut short, she was already out of jail."Unimpeachable sources tell TMZ the deal was sealed yesterday, and that Hilton made her exit early this morning," said TMZ.She was originally sentenced to 45 days in jail, but that was reduced to 23. She served a total of three days.

Read more here, here and here

Why am I not surprised?

`moni

Introducing Nigeria's first female Reps Speaker!

2007-06-06T11:13:00.000+01:00

Mrs. Patricia Olubumni Etteh, representing Ikire/Irewole Federal Constituency in Osun State, made history by becoming the first female Speaker of Nigeria's House of Representatives.
And, recognising the historic occasion, she pledged not to disappoint womanhood.

The new Speaker, whose election was unopposed, was the Deputy Whip of the House at the last dispensation. She pledged to use the position to quicken the delivery of "democracy dividends" by ensuring a smooth relationship between the House and other organs of government......

(read more here , here and here!

This is such a milestone for Nigerian women in politics!!

What do y'all think???

`moni

7even Things Me-me

2007-06-04T17:46:00.000+01:00

It's June... thank God!! For my first June Post, I've decided to catch this 7even things meme bug which has been going around blogville...Yeah, I know I've not been tagged, but who cares??? I don't!

1. I studied Geology in the University... Yeah... that's my brand of science... I like all them talk of liquid Gold!!! Talk about seismic interpretation, petrophysical evaluation, etc and you'll certainly get me interested!

2. I'm extremely secretive.... tell me something you'd like to be kept under wraps and even my hubby wouldn't hear it... a lot of my friends trust me with things they would tell no other!

3. On the contrary, I detest talking about my very personal life to all and sundry... I hardly even discuss it with family! maybe that's why I find it difficult to go the whole hog with blogging! I like to seperate blogging from my real life although sometimes the two interwine when someone who knows me discovers my blog!!! Everything for me is on a need-to-know basis and you don't need to know!

4. I am proud of where I'm from...I am from NYEMONI, i.e. Abonnema, one of the small Islands that make up the Kalabari kingdom...That's where I got the name of my blog from...I love my people, the language and the food...NYEMONI 4 lyfe!

5. I dislike the sports golf and cricket.... I think they're painstakingly boring!!! Too long! A friend has explained the rudiments of golf to me before so I understand it a bit more but I refuse to give it a chance to grow on me!!

6. I'm an information junkie... I like to know a bit of everything!!! I love to watch TV shows like "The Weakest link" and "Who wants to be a millionaire" so I can test my general knowledge.....

7. Photography is an untapped hobby of mine.... I would like to delve into it soon!!!

P.S
I hereby tag the 7even peeps underlisted:
april, mimi, pamela, solomonsydelle, jaja, believer and beyond... Get to it guys! End of!

`moni

Nigerian Politics....my views

2007-05-31T16:37:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone! I've been out of it for a bit... not that I've been I'll, but I just stayed off the internet for a while 'cos I wanted to rest! Now I'm back and feeling more tired than before! Does anyone feel me? You take a break of work for 1 week and you're expected to return with renewed vigour... instead you come back lazier and more tired than before....Phew! Life seems so hectic sometimes!

Now a lot has happened during my absence and I have had to go round my fav blogs and fill myself in on what's up....not that I'm done blog-trotting anyway...

In Nigeria, we watched history unfold on Tuesday the 29th of May as Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and his deputy Goodluck Ebele Jonathan were sworn in as the new President and VP at the Eagle square in Abuja in the first civilian handover of power since Nigeria's independence....Interestingly, it was reported that tens of millions were spent on the handover ceremony alone.... that aside, Former President Olusegun Obasanjo in a public broadcast on Monday 28th May said...."Tomorrow, May 29th, will usher in a new and glorious dawn for our country. A new generation of Nigerian leaders will take over the great responsibility of running this great and diverse nation."

Overall, I would say that OBJ did a fair job as our president (my view, so shoot me!) I feel it is not an easy task to control the affairs of a country like Nigeria with diverse minded people, who can be so unreasonable to the point of committing murder (think Reverend, Dr. Pastor King), people who can be so indiscipline (You! yes, you jumping that queue to fuel your car..) and also people who dare to stand for what is right to the point of risking their lives (Prof Dora. Akunyili) We have them all in Nigeria..the good, the bad, the awful, the awesome!

In the beginning, i.e. the early part of the first four years, he was on a constant high- I mean air-bound.... I remember he was reported to have spent half his time flying from one country to the next.... we are all witnesses....

Later on he started to make positive changes....his government made NAFDAC a force to reckon with, his government introduced the GSM, therefore making communication easier for all Nigerians, EFCC started with initially good intentions which turned to bad when they were used to witch-hunt the enemies of his government....more good changes in between with the hiring of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who helped the country secure debt relief from the Paris Club....major draw-backs were experienced in the security sector as Nigeria experienced an all time high crime rate in the Niger-Delta region as well as in the Urban areas...

The power sector progressively declined to the point where people have lost hope in getting 24 hour electricity...Traveling by land or air became a source of major concern as we all witnessed numerous Plane crashes and Road accidents.... We lost so many Nigerians to accidents in the last few years and these need to be addressed i.e. AVIATION and ROADS.... the Health and Education sectors did not fare any better as we had strikes on the regular from healthcare practitioners and Teachers in Primary, Secondary and Higher Institutions.....

Just before the expiration of OBJ's tenure, we saw his government in what seemed to me as a desperate bid to line the pockets of the powers that be conduct a bid round in a very wishy washy way, the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries were 'sold' to the friends of the government with one getting a 51% stake in the Kaduna refinery and the other acquiring a 51% stake in the Port Harcourt refinery....

In what some have described as a final parting gift to us, the price of petrol rose from N65 to N75, the VAT in Nigeria was hiked from 5% to 10% effective last week, and a new tax payable by oil companies was introduced whereby they pay 1% of their profit after tax to the government...pray tell, what's the tax we pay used for? Healthcare? Road rehabilitation? Fuel subsidy for the citizens? what???

Whoa! Let me take a very deep breath here.... this government was also one that 'made' a lot of unknowns....and generally a lot of love was spread all around... left, right, centre, people were getting rich!

At this point, I'd like to say kudos to the bloggers who initiated and were a part of the Nigerian bloggers proclaimation....You go peeps!! Let's make our voice heard... let's leave our mark in the sands of time...

For our new President, I have Hope......very unlike me because I'm usually a skeptic when it comes to Nigeria..... call me foolish, but I am indeed hopeful now.... Let me recall the words of our former president...."Tomorrow, May 29th, will usher in a new and glorious dawn for our country. A new generation of Nigerian leaders will take over the great responsibility of running this great and diverse nation."......let's just hope that by the year 2015, I would not have cause to regret because take it or leave it, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's going to be here for another 8 years!

`moni

And then there were three...

2007-05-21T17:28:00.000+01:00

Hey Peeps, thanks for all your love as regards my last post.....I am truly grateful for all your prayers and comments, one can never have a thing as too much prayers can one???? And thanks from my sis as well, guys!!!

In about an hour or so, we'll know who the Top 2 Idols are, but first.... a run down of the performances of the Top 3. Yesterday, the idols were given the opportunity to sing whatever song they wanted in any music genre..... they basically were given a free hand to make or do themselves in! Here are the highlights....

Timi started the first show with Lemar’s ‘If there’s any justice’ , Temitayo was next with ‘I’ll be there’ by Mariah Carey. Omawumi followed with “I don’t want to wait in vain” by Bob Marley....

I thought Timi played very safe on this one... he does Lemar very well as his voice is uncannily like Lemars' and he nailed the song... Temitayo had a few hiccups but there were no major issues in her singing and she delivered it well... Omawumi I would say took a risk singing this song... she gambled and it paid off 'cos she rocked the house with her sassy attitude as usual..

For the second group of songs, Timi sang ‘Everything I do, I do it for You’ by Brian Adam’s. Temitayo followed with ‘He lives in You’ by Diana Ross and Omawumi ended the show with ‘Ain’t No Other Man’ by Christina Aguilera.

Timi, I felt did not deliver on the song... he should have, but somewhere along the line, it did not work for me... He didn't fall flat, but I would say he has not upped his game...Temitayo sang OK, but I was not blown away by her performance....all in all though, it was fair.... Now Omawumi was something else.... she totally rocked that song... No one could have done it better than her and I liked the fact that she took a chance with singing a particularly difficult song and delivered it so well.... I wonder how the votes will swing??? Only time will tell.....

I cannot say at this time who will leave and who will stay, but I daresay I will be SHOCKED to say the least if Omawumi goes home.... I wouldn't like that at all.....

That's my 2 cents on this post.... for more on the Idols, check this link out!

Take care fellaz!

`moni

It's a boy!

2007-05-16T13:23:00.000+01:00

I'm so happy today, I could burst!!!! Remember I posted something about my sister being pregnant and all a while back? You may read it here.. Well, she gave birth to LeRoy (not real name) yesterday!!!

I just bless God for this little miracle....I pray that God will equip his parents with every thing they need to cater to him... that he will Grow up in the fear and understanding of God, that he will find favour from God and mankind all his days..

I pray that to everyone who knows him, he will be a bessing, that He will always excel in everything he does, that the hand of the Almighty will always be upon his life and that God will satisfy him with long life, to see his children and their children...infact, words fail me...

Here are pixs of my 'lil LeRoy.....

I'm just so excited about my nephew No 3!!! Anyway, laters.... God bless y'all....

'moni

Idols WA Top 4 update....

2007-05-14T17:18:00.000+01:00

We all know that Jerrilyn left at the last eviction, so at yesterdays' show, we had the Top 4 perfoming 2 songs each........Temitayo, Eric, Omawumi and Timi...

Temitayo was first with ‘Like a Prayer’ by Madonna. Eric followed with ‘Uptown Girl’ by Westlife, Omawumi was next with ‘I Bruise Easily’ by Natasha Beddingfield and Timi ended the first set of perfomances with ‘Faith’by George Michael.

I felt everyone did well with the first set of songs, Temitayo is improving stadily as the weeks go by and I used to be so opposed to her, but now I can see that she can sing... I fear that Eric is the weakest singer (in my opinion) in the top 4, but he greatly improved from last weeks mess! Omawumi did okay on her song, but there was a bit towards the end that she missed a note...she came out slightly nasal, but it wasn't as offensive as her first perfomance last week... Timi was classic with his perfomance and he surprised the srowd when he jumped to the judges area....all in all, he did well...

For the second part of the show,

Temitayo started with ‘True Colours’ by Cyndi Lauper, Eric was next with Boyz II Mens' ‘I’ll Make Love To You’, Omawumi followed with ‘The First Cut Is the Deepest’ by Sheryl Crow and the last perfomance was by Timi who sang Give me the Night’ by George Benson

My best perfomance from this set was Temitayos'... I liked that her perfomance was so controlled and I didn't notice any mistake... she was on point from start to finish... I really thought she did very well with that job......Eric did okay on the whole, Omawumi also did well but TIMI!!!! On this second set, Timi messed up big time! This was his worst perfomance by far... he forgot his lines and the only lines we heard from him after the first verse was "just gimme the night", "just gimme the night", "just gimme the night".... It was awful!

Let's just see how the voting will swing because at this stage, the votes could go any way because sadly, it's all a question of who's got more friends, fans and family voting for them, not about excellence...anyway, we'll know by this evening...

Here's wishing all the contestants the very best!!!

On a side note... (this one's especially for my blog sister ~MIMI~) It was Dede's birthday on Saturday (I am not even sure if it's Saturday or Sunday cos the supposedly LIVE show is actually recorded on Saturday and aired on Sunday) Anyway, it was his birthday and the Top 4 sang a surprise "Happy Birthday to you" to him.... It was actually shown at the close of the show...Dede was quite surprised that they did that for him, or at least, he looked the part....You may read more here... That's almost all folx! I have here a pix of the Top 4 for you!

`moni

TAG-IT....

2007-05-09T18:19:00.000+01:00

It's not to surprising, I don't have anything to say today! I am going to post an old draft of mine... some of you may remember it from last year cos I saw it on quite a few blogs, made a draft response and never posted it... maybe one or two of the newer bloggers might have a go, who knows?
Here goes nothing!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6.00am as always
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Pirates of the Carribean: Dead man's chest
4. What is your favorite TV show? 24
5. What did you have for breakfast? Didn't have any
6. What is your middle name? starts with a D and is 12 alphabets long!
7. What is your favorite cuisine/meal? Native lol Eba and some native soup I think...
8. What foods do you dislike? Egusi soup, boiled eggs, beans
9. Your favorite Potato chip? Any kind will do
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? The Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani
11. What kind of car do you drive? Peugeot
12. Favorite sandwich? Club!
13. What characteristics do you despise? People you can't trust
14. Favorite item of clothing? Denim!
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Heaven
16. What color is your bathroom? Bland- ok, tan
17. Favorite brand of clothing? Maybe Abercrombie and Fitch?
18. Where would you want to retire? Who knows? it wont be for another 30 something years!
19. Favorite time of day? 6.00pm, I get to go home then!
20. Where were you born? Port Harcourt
21. Favorite sport(s) to watch? Football and Athletics
22. Who do you least expect to respond to this? Anyone who likes me-mes
23. Person you expect to respond first? No one
24. What laundry scent do you use? Comfort
25. Coke or Pepsi? Neither
26. Are you a morning person or night owl? Morning person
27. What size shoe do you wear? 8 and a half (American)
28. Do you have pets? No
29. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? Not yet ;-)
30. What did you want to be when you were little? Rich!
31. Favorite Candy Bar? Too many to mention
32. What is your best childhood memory? getting New books every weekend!
33. What are the different jobs you have had in your life? Database Admin, Contract rep and my current job...scientist!
34. What color/type underwear are you? red
35.Nicknames: Fresh
36. Piercings ? Ears 1 each
37. Eye color? Brown
38. Ever been to Africa? Oh have I?
39. Ever been toilet papering or rolling? Nope
40. Love someone so much it made you cry? Yes
41. Been in a car accident? Never
42. Croutons or bacon bits? Bacon bits
43.Favorite day of the week? Friday
44. Favorite restaurant? None for me thank you!
45. Favorite flower? The Red Rose.
46. Favorite ice cream? Vanilla anyday
47. Favorite fast food restaurant? TFC
48. What color is your bedroom carpet? Have tiles not carpets
49. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Never had one! lol
50. Before this one, from whom did you get your last email? My brother-in-law
51. Which stores would you choose to max out your credit card? Duh?
52. What do you do most often when you are bored? Solve Cross word puzzles or Sudoku
53. Bedtime? 11 ish
54. Who are you most curious about their responses to this questionnaire? Dunno
55. Last person you went to dinner with? Hubby
56. What are you listening to right now? Lionel Richie - I call it love (thank you limewire!)
57. What is your favorite color? Orange
58. Lake, Ocean or river? River-its more manageable
59. How many tattoos do you have? None.
60. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? God created the chicken on the 5th day. lol

`moni

Idols Update

2007-05-08T10:46:00.000+01:00

Hey guys, it's been a while... I have here an update after another eviction of one of the idols... I'll save that bit for last...

Everyone knows by now that Jodie (OMG! What were we thinking?) left last week, so they are down to five idols.....Omawumi, Timi, Jerrilyn, Eric and Temitayo

The idols sang two songs each, and so we had ten perfomances in all...

Jerrilyn opened with ‘Never Too Much’ by Mary J. Blige and Temitayo was next with ‘I’m Your Baby Tonight’ by Whitney Houston. Timi followed with ‘Flying Without Wings’ by Westlife, Eric then sang ‘Kiss from a Rose’ by Seal. Omawumi closed the first set of perfomances with ‘Be Without You’ by Mary J. Blige

My take on the 1st....
Jerrilyn was much better than last week with this song but the judges gave her bad reviews, which made her cry and say she hoped she would impress them with her next song... Temitayo was very controlled with her perfomance and seems to have improved in the area of perfoming and singing.. I think she did well with this one..Timi did OK on this one, though I didn't feel it as much as the crowd and the judges were feeling it, Eric was at his worst to me and I didn't feel him at all..lai lai! Omawumi was Awful with her song.....I swear.... this girl had a nasal perfomance... she sang from scratch to finish through her nose and it did not just work!

For the second set of perfomances, Jerrilyn sang The Voice Within’ by Christina Aguliera, Temitayo was next with ‘Reach’ by Gloria Estefan, Timi then sang ‘How Am I Supposed to Live Without You’ by Michael Bolton, Omawumi followed with Gloria Gaynor's ‘I Will Survive’ and Eric drew the curtain on the show with Lionel Richie’s ‘All Night Long’

My take on this was... Jerilyn came through by singing her heart out...and the judges told her as much, Temitayo gave a soulful perfomance which I also liked, Timi was out of the world because he chose a song that he has obviously mastered and he just rocked! Omawumi brought the house down with her perfomance... Now this girl has ATTITUDE when she wants to rock the house, which she did and Eric was sadly dissapointing on his 2nd song..

Overall, I felt the judges were on point with their critique yesterday, you may read more about the top 5 show here

A pix of the Top 5

I felt Eric was the weakest performer last night but the voting public did him well and he made it to the top 4... and for our cat with 9 lives Jerrilyn, it was good bye yesterday... I truly felt she was not the worst in the last show but well, what can I say? The public has decided.....you may read more here.... Next sunday, it would be the Top 4.... stay tuned...

`moni

Mayday! Mayday!!

2007-05-02T19:12:00.000+01:00

It's a tad late for this Mayday post, but I have a few things on my mind now...hmmn, a lot of things have been weighing me down but the the thing that bugs me out the most is the fact that my church lost its Pastor, Pastor Eskor Mfon early this week.... I was truly saddened to hear this, after all we prayed for God to restore his health...I even heard that he was planning on returning to Nigeria after his treatment and he was doing very well, but I was so shocked to say the least when i heard yesterday morning that he had passed away.....

He was only 53 years old, full of life the last time I saw him and he just knew how to hold a service... We will surely miss him, he was an inspiration to lots of people, a teacher and he welcomed people from all walks of life to our church...He was such a simple man with a practical approach to christianity....

The song that reminds me so much of him is

Holy Spirit, move me now.....
make my life whole agin...
spirit move....over me....... 2x

and I also remeber the Psalm he taught us to pray and to love, Psalm 92 which goes,
1
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD,
and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:
2
to show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning,
and thy faithfulness every night,
3
upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery;
upon the harp with a solemn sound.
4
For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work:
I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
5
O LORD, how great are thy works!
And thy thoughts are very deep.
6
A brutish man knoweth not;
neither doth a fool understand this.
7
When the wicked spring as the grass,
and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish;
it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:
8
but thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.
9
For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD,
for, lo, thine enemies shall perish;
all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
10
But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn:
I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
11
Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies,
and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.
12
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree:
he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13
Those that be planted in the house of the LORD
shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14
They shall still bring forth fruit in old age;
they shall be fat and flourishing;
15
to show that the LORD is upright:
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

I have come to accept that the Lord has taken him to a better place...
May his gentle soul rest in peace...

`moni

WEST AFRICAN Idols update!

2007-04-30T09:49:00.000+01:00

Hi Guys....Twas a busy weekend for me... I really feel like going back to bed, but of course I can't....yada yada yada....Just wanted to blog about the West African Idols show last night....

It was down to six idols last week, as per Mercy was voted out after the previous show.. Idols took a different turn yesterday as can be seen from the picture below...

If you're wondering, the Idols did African songs yesterday so the show took a sharp turn....anyway, it's called West African Idols isn't it? It was basically a night that made me rember Angelique Kidjo a whole lot.... you'll see why!

Eric was first this week with ‘Olo mi’ by Tosin Martins, Temitayo followed with ‘Agolo’ by Angelique Kidjo, Omawumi then sang ‘Ekwe’ by Onyeka Onwenu, Jerrilyn was next with ‘Wombolombo’ by Angelique Kidjo, Timi then sang ‘Oruka’ by Sunny Neji and Jodie ended the show with ‘Adouma’ by Angelique Kidjo....

My take...

Sooo much Angelique Kidjo!!!! There's nothing wrong with that anyway...although I would have preferred that everyone did a different artiste.... don't blame me... Variety is the spice of life as they say!

Oh Okay! Well, Eric started the show on a nice note and gave an overall okay perfomance... I've seen him do better so I'm not going to say more than that...the judges to me did not critique properly as Dede and Nana got it wrong... I think Dan was spot on this week with Eric when he said he lost it somewhere in the middle, but the thing is, he says it all the time to Eric so it did not have much weight, with him getting it actually right with his critique for Eric this time...I do not think he was the worst by any standard though...

Temitayo I felt did not give such a good perfomance.... as Dede said, she gets so carried away with her perfomance that she forgets vocal quality... he was sooo right! She was out of breath a lot of the time and that didn't do her good... The perfomance was very energetic though and I don't think we should say good bye this week...

Omawunwi was a killer last night! I enjoyed her perfomance the most....She gave it her all and then some!!! This perfomance reminded me of why she was in WA Idols in the first place..... she chose a very suitable song for her voice and she rocked the song for real....I mean, she brought down the house...her outfit, make-up, everything just worked for her yesterday for real...

Jerrilyn Jerrilyn Jerrilyn, I know I soumd like a broken record each week, but I can't help it, I'm just keeping it real here....First, the positive... she looked good! She is truly a beautiful person and I like her accent - I'm sure she'll get a lot of gigs to do after Idols is over if she can up her confidence...Now for the music.....? That I didn't like... her perfomance was just too Karaoke for me.... she was too bland yesterday...

Timi gave the song 'Oruka' a new twist, and to me, it was like something he did on the spur of the moment... It lacked his usual energy although, but it wan't altogether a poor perfomance... he tried sha....it was above average.

Jodie as usual gave a lot of energy to her song and her perfomance and she really knows how to strike a balance between singing and perfoming... good, good, good.....

The eviction starts at 7pm, let's see who doesn't make it! I wish 'em all good luck!!!

My three year old wonder....

2007-04-26T16:55:00.000+01:00

Today, I've decided to blog about one of the loves of my life, my own flesh and blood, my bundle of pride and joy, my cutie, my little girl.....my very own miss thing! (some call her AA) She truly lifts my spirit when I'm down, I can talk to her about anything wheher or not she understands exactly what I'm saying- it's like teraphy, she is like my best friend cos she's always there for me!

Looking back at the day she was born - October 7 2003- I remember the huge relief I felt after she popped out! Phew! I mean she literally flew out after I gave my hardest push- the Doctors named her Paratrooper! I wondered whether I could raise a kid without help - then my hubby was in the U.S for his MBA and he only came to visit us that christmas/Newyear after which he returned... now that's another story for another day...

I remember changing messy diapers, breast-feeding (oh I loved it - honest, it's such an experience in bonding) waking up at night just 'cos she was on baby jet-lag, teething, her learning to sit, crawl, stand, walk, run, CHASE!
I remember her crying for no reason and me being like really mad cos I was soooo tired...
I remeber checking in on her in between naps cos I was scared she hadn't moved...
I remember the first time I saw her smiling in her sleep, my mum said she was having a good dream ;-) I remember the first time she said Mummy- I was in awe and made her say it again and again, I remember when hubby came back from school finally in 2005 (second time of his seeing her physically) and she wouldn't sleep all night, I read her eyes and she was like mum who's this man and WHY IS HE SHARING OUR BED? But blood is thicker than water as they say and in less than one week, she understood the meaning of one of the words I'd taught her- DADDY.

I remember the first time she went to school, I cried cos I felt a part of me was growing up and I was scared she wouldn't cope...but she showed me she could..Now she's 3 and a half and learning new things everyday, taking form just as God intended.. I know the job is far from finished, but I can proudly say that with the help of our Father, so far, so good! Everything's turning out well! She's grown from the baby who was so little, so frail to a little woman....

some eye candy for real below...

@ 2 months with my mum..

taken 2 weeks ago..she's the one on the far left.....
What's she reading?

I'm teaching her to love books like me, so I read to her a whole lot! She's trying a little experiment here, she took these last 3 pixs of her book herself using my phone!

A lil kiss for my gal..... Yeah, that's us... taken in her room some night about a month ago!

Enjoy!

The faces of the President and Vice-President elect...

2007-04-24T18:53:00.000+01:00

Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (born 1951 in Katsina) is the President-elect of Nigeria. He has served as governor of Katsina State in northern Nigeria since May 29, 1999. He won the Nigerian general election of 2007 on April 21 and is due to be sworn in on May 29. He is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) and is married to Turai Umaru Yar’adua.

Yar'Adua was born into an aristocratic Katsina family; his father, a former minister for Lagos during the First Republic, was also the Mutawallen of Katsina.
He started his education at Rafukka Primary School in 1958, and moved to Dutsinma Boarding Primary School in 1962. He attended Government College, Keffi, from 1965 until 1969, and received his Higher School Certificate from Barewa College in 1971.
Yar'Adua attended Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria twice, once from 1972 to 1975, and once from 1978 to 1980. He left the first time with a B.Sc Education/Chemistry and the second time having gained an M.Sc Degree in Analytical Chemistry

During the second republic, he was a member of the leftist People's Redemption Party, while his father was briefly the National Vice chairman of the National Party of Nigeria. He contested the governorship election of Katsina state under the banner of the Social Democratic Party, but lost to Saidu Barda, an ally of President Ibrahim Babangida. In 1999, he ran for the same position and won.

On December 16–17, 2006, Yar'Adua was chosen as the presidential candidate of the ruling PDP for the April 2007 election, receiving 3,024 votes from party delegates; his closest rival, Rochas Okorocha, received only 372 votes. Yar'Adua's success in the primary was attributed to the support of incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo; at the time of his nomination he was an obscure figure on the national stage, and has been described as a "puppet" of Obasanjo who could not have won the nomination under fair circumstances. Shortly after winning the nomination, Yar'Adua chose Goodluck Jonathan, governor of Bayelsa State, as his vice-presidential candidate.
Another view of the support he received from President Obasanjo is that he is one of few serving governors with a spotless record, devoid of any suspicions or charges of corruption.

He also belongs to the People's Democratic Movement (PDM) - a powerful political block founded by his late brother, Shehu Musa Yar'Adua.
Yar'Adua, who suffers from a kidney condition, challenged his critics to a game of squash in an endeavor to end speculations about his health. On March 6, 2007 he was flown to Germany for medical reasons, further fomenting rumors about his health. His spokesperson said this was due to stress and quoted Yar'Adua as saying he was fine and would soon be back to campaigning. Another report, which was rejected by Yar'Adua's spokesperson, claims that Yar'Adua collapsed after suffering a possible heart attack.

In the presidential election, held on April 21, 2007, Yar'Adua won with 70% of the vote (24.6 million votes), according to official results released on April 23. The election was highly controversial; it was strongly criticized by observers, and the two primary opposition candidates, Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar, rejected the results, considering it rigged in Yar'Adua's favor.

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (b. 1957) is a Nigerian politician who has been governor of Bayelsa State since 9 December 2005. He is also the Vice President Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP).
Jonathan replaced Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who was impeached by the Bayelsa State Assembly after being charged with money laundering in the United Kingdom. He was previously the deputy governor of the State. Recently, his wife was indicted by the Nation's anti-crime agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for money laundering related offences. In December 2006, Jonathan was selected as vice presidential running mate to Umaru Yar'Adua for the ruling PDP presidential ticket in the elections planned for April 2007. On April 20, shortly before the election, a militant attack in Bayelsa State occurred that was described by police as an assassination attempt against Jonathan.
He holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Honours in Zoology with a Second class (HONS) Upper division, an M.Sc. in Hydrobiology/Fisheries biology and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Zoology from University of Port Harcourt respectively

...info courtesy Wikipedia

Idols show 22nd April 2007

2007-04-23T18:18:00.000+01:00

Heya, this is such a late Idols update, but you know what they say, better late than never eh? Let me give you the rundown of yesterdays' show....

Yesterday, we had some oldies from the contestants...Mercy was first with ‘Part Time Lover’ by Stevie Wonder, Omawumi followed with ‘The Rhythm of the Night’ by Gloria Estefan, Timi was next with ‘Stuck on You’ by Lionel Richie, Jerrilyn with ‘All By Myself’ by Celine Dion was next in line, Eric then wowed us with ‘Killing me softly’ originally by Roberta Flack, and most recently by the Fugees, Jodie performed Tina Turners hit ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’ and finally Temitayo closed the show with Irene Cara’s ‘What a Feeling’ (remember FLASHDANCE anyone?)

Anyway, they all generally did well... My opinion may or may not come to pass, but hey! I think Jerrilyn is the one to say Goodbye tonight.... It's always a close call for her and Mercy, and you never know what the voters are thinking.... I am sure she has the benefit of being the only one from outside Nigeria so all the Africans in the diaspora who watch may just be rallying their votes solely for her... this is what I think though... it's either her or Mercy, but I admit Mercy did quite well compared to other Sundays this time...

For Omawumi, I feel it's now all about her perfomance, you lose yourself in her perfomance so much that you may forget to listen to the voice and for me, yesterday was not so spectaculare for her, voice-wise if I may use that word...Temitayo also upped her game from last week and everything generally went well for her, and Jodie did not surprise me with her good perfomance... Eric with his good voice generally chose a song that's well suited to his voice and the judges complained about it, but well, I guess everyone has to do what works for them... I mean, better a song that's easy for you to deliver than a hard song that you fail to deliver on abI??? Anyhow, that's the way I see it...

Now to Timi.... That guy pulled all the stops.... he finished the song, I mean he wowed everyone present so much that Nana even had tears in her eyes... i gave him a standing ovation from home... That boy is the shizzle for hizzle ma fizzle....now, that's me tryna be funky!!!

The results are going to be out in another 20 mins so lemme rush home for the live show.... Who do you think is off tonight Who's not gonna be in the Top 6???
Take care guys!!!

`moni.

P.s,
Tomorrow, I'll try and find the time to blog about our new president, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua..... God bless you guys!!!

Update on Atiku Abubakar

2007-04-16T16:03:00.000+01:00

Nigeria's Supreme Court has ruled that Atiku Abubakar is eligible to contest the Presidential Elections.. read more here

That's it for today... I'm out!

Elections brouhaha

2007-04-16T12:53:00.000+01:00

On to other issues, in the making of the very first handover of power from a civillain government to another civillian government in the history of Nigeria, the gubernatorial and state houses of assembly elections were held this past Saturday. Some results are out, but most are not. A run down of the results are as follows:

State Governor-Elect Party
Abia Theodore Ahamefula Orji PPA
Akwa Ibom Godswill Akpabio PDP
Bayelsa Timipre Sylva PDP
Borno Ali Sheriff ANPP
Delta Emmanuel Uduaghan PDP
Ebonyi Martin Elechi PDP
Edo Osarhemen Osunbor PDP
Ekiti Segun Oni PDP
Gombe Danjuma Goje PDP
Jigawa Sule Lamido PDP
Kaduna Namadi Sambo PDP
Katsina Mohammed Shema PDP
Kogi Idris Ibrahim PDP
Kwara Bukola Saraki PDP
Lagos Babatunde Fashola AC
Nasarawa Aliu Akwe Doma PDP
Niger Babangida Aliyu PDP
Ogun Gbenga Daniel PDP
Ondo Segun Agagu PDP
Osun Olagunsoye Oyinlola PDP
Oyo Adebayo Alao - Akala PDP
Rivers Celestine Omehia PDP
Sokoto Magatakarda Wammako PDP
Yobe Mamman Ali PDP

Contrary to what INEC said as can be viewed here, piece meal results are the order of the day.
Looks that PDP has won most of the states as expected..... For states like Kano, there is so much furor and the results are yet to be announced. For Imo and Enugu States, the results were cancelled due to massive rigging.. hear them... alleged irregularities (yeah right!) In Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola(SAN), won the gubernatorial seat in a landslide defeat. As announced, Mr. Fashola polled 828,484 votes against the PDP candidate Musiliu Obanikoro who polled 389,088 votes. AC also won 27 House of Assembly seats.

In Rivers State, Celestine Omehia polled 1,85,217 out of the 2,038,726 votes cast. There was a lot of violence in the State with the burning down of police stations and the killing of policemen and civillians.
On to the Federal news and the real reason for the last public holiday, judgement is expected today for Atiku Abubakar's appeal to the Supreme Court today against INEC's (read OBJ's)decision to exclude him from the presidential race. His allegations? Corruption. Anyway, lets hear what the Supreme Court has to say.

I'll be back with more updates- hopefully!
Ciao!
`moni

Busy Monday

2007-04-16T09:42:00.000+01:00

Hi people, its been a long moment since I posted anything up.... I really wasn't at my blogger-best last week, my duties doubled at the office and I really have a lot on my plate at the moment... maybe I should just delete my blog already!!!! Hmmmmn... not just yet!!!

So there was another Idols show yesterday, but let me back up for a bit... Last week, I'm sure y'all know that Joan was voted off... I thought she had a lot in her but well, it's the votes that count so there! I wish her all the best.....

Yesterday, we saw perfomances from Omawumi (‘Cry’ by Faith Hill), Jodie (‘These Words’ by Natasha Beddingfield), Eric (‘Walking Away’ by Craig David), Mercy (‘If I Ain’t Got You’ by Alicia Keys), Jerrilyn (‘Work it Out’ by Beyonce), Temitayo (‘I Turn To You’ by Christina Aguilera), Timi (‘Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me’ by Elton John) and Uche (‘Lonely No More’ by Rob Thomas)

My take on last nite's show

Overall, the Top 8 did Okay.... Omawumi sang a nice song and she did ok although there were moments where she didn't quite hit the high notes... I expect to see her next week though... Jodie was excellent as usual, I mean - she took the song apart and I loved her delivery. Eric swayed the srowd with his charm and good looks.... he also sang well... Mercy has upped her game and she sang better, but her facial experessions are such a distraction... for me, the thing she lacks the most is attitude... there's no telling if she'll stay or go though. Next up, Jerrilyn. Now, she sang a Beyonce number and dressed to type for the song... she also shook her booty so much!!! Anyway, I'm sorry to say that her perfomance didn't quite work;-) for me.... Temitayo sang a very difficult Christina Aguilera number and she did not impress me too much... I thought her overall perfomance was a bit flat and I did not feel the perfomance at all. Timi sang an Elton classic and brought it home... The guy was smoking fo sho! Last bu not least, Uche. He tried way too hard o! In my thinking, Uche has a smokey voice which has limited his music genre... not that the voice is bad, but it's special and he hould not be doing pop songs like that... I think he should stick to ballads and soul... my 2 cents o!

Here's a pix of the Top 8 for the record!

I'll be back with other issues later today, promise!

ciao!

`moni

Idols and other stories....

2007-04-03T18:21:00.000+01:00

OK Peeps.... So Omodele Fatoki got dropped from the Idols game...Se says she saw it coming here...You may read more about the results show here... Now it's one down, nine more standing....She did well during her stay in idols...I wish her all the best in lifes' endeavours... She's only 19 and I think the only way she can get is better!!!

I saw this meme at Uzo's and decided to indulge myself cos it's been a whyl...

1. Yourself: Me
2. Your partner: Ace
3. Your hair: Nappy
4. Your mother: Awesome
5. Your father: Drama
6. Your favourite item: Nothing
7. Your dream last night: None
8. Your favourite drink: Malt
9. Your dream car: None
10. The room you are in: Office
11. Your ex: Awhoo?
12. Your fear: Fear
13. What you want to be in 10 years: Happy
14. Who you hung out with last night: Family
15. What you're not: Perfect
16. Muffins: Tasty
17: One of your wish list items: Baby
18: Time: Evening
19. The last thing you did: Work
20. What you are wearing: Clothes
21. Your favourite weather: Rain
22. Your favourite book: None
23. The last thing you ate: Dodo
24. Your life: Evolving
25. Your mood: Stable
26. Your best friend: Unsure
27. What you're thinking about right now: Home
28. Your car: Neat
29. What you are doing at the moment: Typing
30. Your summer: Here
31. Your relationship status: Married
32. What is on your TV: Dunno
33. What is the weather like: Cloudy
34. When was the last time you laughed: Today

That's all folks... Try this meme, it's fun!

`moni

Idols WA!

2007-04-02T10:56:00.000+01:00

OK Fellas!! How was your weekend? HAPPY APRIL!!!!!!! The Top 10 of Idols West Africa performed yesterday..... The show was generally OK. It started of a bit slow, but picked off from about the middle of the show.
First a pix of the Top 10!

We heard songs from Temitayo, Mercy, Jerrylin, Joan, Omodele, Uche, Timi, Jodie, Eric and Omawumi, in that order. The songs they sang are as follows:

‘River Deep, Mountain High’ by Tina Turner (Temitayo)
‘I Have Nothing’ by Whitney Houston (Mercy)
‘Unbreak My Heart’ by Toni Braxton (Jerrilyn)
‘Save The Best for the Last’ by Vanessa Williams (Joan)
‘Here and Now’ by Luther Vandross (Omodele)
‘Used to Love You’ by John Legend (Uche)
‘Dance With My Father’ by Luther Vandross (Timi)
‘Natural Woman’ by Aretha Franklin (Jodie)
‘End of the Road’ by Boyz II Men (Eric)
‘Dance With Somebody’ by Whitney Houston (Omawumi)

My take:

I was generally impressed by Uche, Timi, Jodie, Eric and Omawumi. Suprisingly, they were the last 5 to perform. Uche impressed me because he gave a nice upbeat perfomance and I was one of those who did not believe in him from the very first. Well, lets' just say he made me believe in him. For Timi and Omawumi, I expected what i got from them and was not so surprised they did well... Good job! As for Eric, I know this guy has the looks and he can sing but I felt he knew what he was there for and he took his perfomance up a notch.... as for Jodie... That girl is dynamite! She can do her thing and do it well!

Now for the first half of the group Temitayo, Mercy, Jerrylin, Joan and Omodele - I would not say that they did not do well, but I think they could do better. Joan for one could easily be the last (wo)man standing but i felt she did not sing her heart out... the judges also told her the same. I hope she remains to prove her onions... Temitayo as usul gave a good perfomance Tina style, but as we all know, that kinda perfomance can take away your breath! Omodele sand in this nice husky voice; she didn'tr stsrt off too well, but picked up later and was generally ok, Jerrilyn was ok as well and Mercy had this look on her face like she was concentrating too much on getting her voice and forgetting to give a good perfomance! I think she doesn't carry herself too well, shes abt 6 ft 3 and she doesn't have the carriage i would have liked to see.

Overall, I would say whoever their clothiers are need to do better cos they were all similarly dressed, i.e same general style of strappy sandals and dresses and the make-up is like an attempt to make the gals all look the same... dem dey try sha o!

Tonight, there'll be news as per who's out... I'll be back with the results tomorrow then... meanwhile, i wish the Top 10 all the best of luck... Vote, vote, vote ppl! Ciao!

`moni

Idols results... and Top 10!

2007-03-27T17:08:00.000+01:00

The results for the Idols Group four were announced in the show yesterday... Joan Ekpai made it to the Top 10 alongside Temitayo George... We therefore had a Top 8 after that announcement, i.e the best 2 from group 1, 2, 3 and 4.

There was a twist however, and it turned out the rest of the Top 24 were also in the studio. The judges had been given the mandate to chose any 2 from the 18 people left and they ran their way through all the groups from 4,3,2 and 1. At the end, Omodele Fatoki from group 4 and Uche Ume from group 1 were chosen by the judges to complete the Top 10.

Fellas, here's the final 10! Let's wish them luck in their pursuit of the title 1st West African Idol..

Cheers,

`moni

Idols Group 4! My opinion...

2007-03-26T08:47:00.000+01:00

Okay... So this is my breakdown of perfomances from the last group of six...overall, this group rocked!!! I mean, I was tired of bad perfomances from groups 2 and 3 and wasn't looking forward to anything spectacular from this group, but they blew me away! I mean, they were that good! Baaaack to the topic but first of all, a pix of the group!.....

The first performance was by 27 year old Tony Ighofose from Delta State... He sang More than words by Extreme.. His perfomance was lovely as he was so composed and he acted like he was used to being on the stage.. His voice quality was excellent as well... The judges all gave him a thumbs up and he was a good start to the evening... My vote: I liked him!

The second in line was 19 year old Ogun State indigene- Omodele Fatoki. She sang Love is all around made popular by Wet Wet Wet (The song is not their song..) She had a good perfomance as per she danced her way around the stage but I did not enjoy her version of the song. She did not do it for me as per voice quality. The judges told her she did well, but overall for me, I don't think her perfomance qualifies her to go through to the next round.

The third perfomance was by my very own Sokari Briggs. 27 years old, from Rivers State. I say my own 'cos we are from the same villa if you know what I mean... Hmmn, now my sister did not do very well.... She sang You're still the one by Shania Twain. My take is: she did not hit the notes as she should have though her perfomance was ok. If looks could win the Idols thingy, I'd say she has a very good shot at winning, but Alas! her rendition of the song was not very good and the judges told her as much...Dan commented on her looking great, Nana said she was better from the last round and dede told her not to be shy.. I don't think she deserves to get through to the next round...

Next, we had 21 year old James Brendan from Akwa Ibom. He sang Show me the meaning by the Back Street Boys. His voice and perfomance were above average but I knew he did not give it his all.. I watched his first audition where he sang Reuber Studdards' I need an Angel. I knew he had star quality then and was looking forward to watching him yesterday. He had this laid back approach to his perfomance and it was like he didn't give it his all. The judges told him so too but I think it will be a tough one for him.. I would like to see him go through to the next round.

The fifth perfomance was by 27 year old Joan Ekpai from Cross Rivers State. In the pre-perfomance interview - if I may use the word- she had this r factor going on.... she kept slurring in her speech and I was like, 'this girls R is going to do damage to her singing o!' She sang Show Me Heaven by Maria Mckee. Her perfomance was THE BOMB!!! This girl NAILED the song men! I don't know how to describe it, but I was speechless while I watched her perfomance. She was gracious during her perfomance and her voice! I felt it was Maria Mckee herself singing....I no fit talk abeg.. The judges said the same thing. Nana asked her if she was coming from Heaven, Dan Foster said he closed his eyes during her perfomance and saw Mariah, Whitney and Celine rolled into one and Dede said Na wah for you... I think she was the best of the Night! In fact... I have voted for her already.

The Last perfomance was by 25 year old Temitayo George from Ogun State. She sang Searching my soul by Vonda Shepherd (Theme song for Ally McBeal) She was Okay... She sang and performed okay, but you know how hard it is when a wonderful perfomance is just before yours... It's a bit hard to impress then.... Anyway, Temitayo tried.. she gave a pretty good perfomance but I can't say for sure if she'll get in to the next round.. Remember, popularity also counts and I figure she's a tad popular cos her mum owns and runs the very popular Little Saints Orphanage in Lagos... just a 'lil bit of trivia...

The results for this group will be announced today, so guys please let me know what you think! I'll hit you back with the results tomorrow.. Stay blessed y'all!

`moni

Its the weekend fellas!

2007-03-23T19:01:00.000+01:00

Hey! Its the weekend! Not to much to blog about, I'm just happy the working part of the week is over!

I may blog about the book I just bought 26a Diana Evans by sometime next week....you may read an extract here (Oh my God, It's the first Chapter!)

See the cover page below..

It promises to be an interesting read!

Anyway, I had such a stressful week at work, so this weekend I'm going to totally chill out! and enjoy my music.

Here's a sample of my playlist:

Kiss from a rose- Seal

Sunday Morning - Maroon Five

The miseducation of Lauryn Hill- Lauryn Hill

Daffodil lament- The Cranberries

Thank you- Alanis Morisette

Your Song- Elton John

Kiss me- six pence none the richer

Run away - The Corrs

And lastly, I just wanted you guys to check this cool site out! Hit me back! I'm OUT for the weekend.....Stay safe y'all!

`moni

Moments to glow...

2007-03-21T12:35:00.000+01:00

There are times when you feel so good that nothing is gonna get you down.. on those days, it's not about the money (or lack of money) in your bank account, it's not about your looks, the car you drive, you job or even your future.. all you care about is the fact that you feel good NOW. A wise man once said, "Every once in a while life hands you a moment so precious, so overwhelming, that you almost glow" Yesterday, I had one of such moments... it was a long moment and it still makes me glow...

You see, I have only one Sister TD, the one I put up this birthday post for.... Now before yesterday, only my elder brother A knew about my blog, but he doesn't know it's name i.e. nyemoni or even the blog. My sis didn't even know of it's existence... Anyway yesterday, we got to sending mails back and forth and I happened to tell her I put up a blog entry on her birthday and she was wished well by my blogfam. Her response was:

Hey Imbra (means my sister in Kalabari)
U did not tell me what the responses were. Haba. How u dey sha.. I finally braided my hair again this weekend and look a bit cheerful and not miserable and like a begger. I have not retouched my hair too. The under growth nah die and u know they discourage us from using relaxer on our hair when we are pregnant here. So its all good. No wahala the date is (insert date here) so we are looking on to God.
Love ya and love to (insert my daughter's name here).
TD

I decided to humor her. In response, I sent her the link from that day's post as well as the responses to the link as can be seen here.. 4 minutes later, she responded with this:
Oh Lord this is might sweet of you and I'm in Awe. I bless God for givin you a Sis like you and I pray we are like this to death. I will cherish this for Life. God bless you. U make me 6 feet tall and more beautiful than I am.
God bless you. I am taking my drugs and I know my Child will Rock in Jesus name and for Jesus Love TD

Whoa! I felt so good to have made her feel good like this... I responded in like manner:
jeez....Whoa.. oh my! now I'm blushing! like really! LMAO! No wahala... so you have seen my blog? Interesting or no?
I'm glad I was able to make you feel good! It makes me feel good as well...And yeah LeRoy will ROCK You in Jesus' name!
Love,
`moni

It felt so good to make her happy cos I know she's been lonely and the pregnancy blues aint helping... it was really a moment that made me glow... Thanks to y'all who put up posts for my sis, may God bless you guys. I thank God for my sis, I know we're not perfect, but I wouldn't replace her with another -even if I could.

P.S
LeRoy is gotten from Archie® I used to read them comics a lot when I was pregnant and my sister and I were together a lot-(Hubby was getting his MBA in the U.S for the most part of my 9 months and even after delivery) Anyway, LeRoy is Veronica's cousin in Archie® and my sis decided to name my unborn LeRoy...male or female. Now she's pregnant so I call her baby LeRoy, i.e until she puts to birth..

`moni

Idols West Africa Group 3: Perfomances and Results

2007-03-20T08:20:00.000+01:00

So the Group 3 perfomances were on Sunday 18th March and the results were announced Yesterday, 19th March... Here are my views:

The first performer Ama is an 18 year old Ghanaian... she sang Strong Enough by Cher... My take: Easy on the eyes, weak perfomance. She did not do justice to the song at all... The judges told her as much, and I was not surprised to see that she did not make top 10.

The second was Confidence Rufai, from Lagos State, Nigeria. She sang Thank you by Dido.

My take: Not a nicer perfomance. She was overly confident, and from my years of watching other reality TV shows, I know the public mostly favours the not-so-in-your-face people who no doubt can sing or low-key people in the case of Big Brother. Its all a sympathy vote thing sometimes.... Think Lindiwe of Project fame, Cherise from Big Brother Africa, Anke from the South African Idol of 2003, Carrie Underwood of American Idols, the list is endless. Back to Confidence. The perfomance was an ordeal of someone singing in Falsetto. I thought her appearance could have been better too..she wore a dress that reminded me too much of a bridesmaids' garb... The judges liked her perfomance by the way, but the voting public did not help her... she did not make top 10.

The third perfomance was by the Tallest person in the Top 24- Mercy John, a Deta State gal who performed Nothing Compares To You by Sinead O’Connor. My take: I did not like the perfomance o! She had this facial expression which I could not stand, besides, she's so tall, and she did not have a good carriage... she was bending forwards most of the time like her chest was hurting her and I felt she would havelooked better standing upright. The judges told her 'Nothing compares to you' and she basically had good reviews from them... The voting public put her through to the top 10.

The fourth perfomance was by a 27 year old Ghanaian by the name Ernest Darkwa. He sang Amazed by Lonestar... I must admit I have no recollection of having heard the song, but his perfomance blew me away. His was truly the first perfomance I enjoyed. The judges gave him good reviews, but the voting public were not kind to him... he was placed third in his group...

The fifth person to sing was 26 year old Michael from Ibadan, Nigeria. He sang Madonna 's Take a Bow. Now, what can I say? His looked Eewwww, he had dyed his hear gold and it looked like the dye was going to run off his head and onto his face at any second. He truly looked awful! As for the song, he truly murdered it.... He over ad-libbed the song to the point that it did not sound anything like Madonna's classic and his own rendition was on the whole wack. As Nana would say, "it didn't quite work for me".... Bad reviews from the judges + lack of votes from the public = End of the road for him.

I'd like to use this phrase for the last performer: The best was saved for last. Jodie.. Delta State born Jodie sang Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman by Bryan Adams. For me, she NAILED it! She performed well and her voice was wonderful... It was truly the best for the evening, the judges gave her a loud ovation as did the audience, I thought she deserved to make top 10 and she did! She was rated the highest in her group!

Overall, I thought this group was ok, they did not hit me as much as group 1, but they were far better than group 2 to me. You may read more about the show here

Here's a Pix of the 2 who just made top 10

That's it... you have it... the fourth group is next and the show is aired on Sunday 25th..I'll be back with my review, but before then, I'll put one or two posts up!

arrivederci.....

`moni

Open letter to my big Sis TD!

2007-03-14T18:05:00.000+01:00

Dearest TD,

Happy birthday! Today, you turn a day older... I wish you all the hapiness your heart can hold...I know it's hard in far away Canada with no family, all on your own; especially as the time draws nigh for you to have your baby.. We love you and don't you worry about your hubby cos I'm taking care of him until you move back! (Ah! the money I have spent on cooking soup and stew for him alone!- Kai!)

Being your only sister, you know I love you very much! Please remember to take all your vitamins and your Iron tablets, and always put your feet up! (I remember those were your very words when I was pregnant - hard pill to sawallow you say?) You know I always want what's best for you ;-)

Anyway as I was saying...I wish you all the best my dear... in about 3 months' you'll become a Mama by His grace so enjoy your last "sane" birthday alone... (fast forward to next years' Birthday... You would be in 9ja catering to your man and a less than 1 year old baby and probably doing the cleaning up after your guests have left..)

Here's a lil e-cake for you...

Enjoy your day girl! I love you!

Your lil' sis (as you always say),

'moni

oddities...

2007-03-13T13:45:00.000+01:00

Hi peeps!
So yesterday, there was a 'lil twist to the idols tale... it pretty much went down tupsy turvy... I knew there was going to be a lot of sentimental reasons anyway, but I never knew it would turn out quite the way it did. Anyway, It's all good!

Eric and Jerrilyn made it to the Top 10... Here's a pix of the duo

Jarry, David and Oluwadolapo were the bottom 3... I mean, what were the voters thinking? You may read more about the whole shebang here
Oge says she doesn't know why the reults turned out the way they did here and Oluwadolapo says she dissapointed her fans somewhere here (can't find the exact page!)
Anyway, congrats to Eric and Jerrylin would you believeit!

On another note, got these in my mail and decided to share.... Enjoy!

A mother passing by her daughter's bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then she saw an envelope propped up prominently on the centre of the bed. It was addressed, "Mom"
With the worst premonition, she opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands:

Dear Mom,

It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you.I had to elope with my new boyfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Dad and you.
I've been finding real passion with John and he is so nice-even with all his piercing, tattoos, beard, and his motorcycle clothes. But it's not only the passion mom, I'm pregnant and John said that we will be very happy.He already owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. He wants to have many more children with me and that's now one of my dreams too.
John taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and we'll be growing it for us and trading it with his friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want.

In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so John can get better; he sure deserves it!!
Don't worry Mom, I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Some day I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grandchildren.

Your daughter,
Judith

PS: Mom, none of the above is true. I'm over at the neighbour's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than my report card that's in my desk centre drawer.

I love you! Call when it is safe for me to come home.

(Nyemoni says:LMAO!! I loved this!)

Here's another ...

heard in the cabin
You're cute when you're drunk
--Says he
No, you're cute when I'm drunk!
--She retorts

Take care fellas!

~moni

...another Idols update!

2007-03-12T11:27:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone, what's poppin? The second group of the Idols performed yesterday and I'm here with my take on how the show went down.. Mind you, this is all my opinion so please - no judgement o!

The first performer was Eric from the Abuja auditions. He is originally from Delta State and he has the looks of an idol, definitely has a voice but his performance - Using someone's words- didn't quite do it for me. He sang 'Angels' by Robbie Williams. I have seen one or two people performing in the Idols WA who I think will give him a run for his money. I think he's good, but not quite the idol. I am not willing to place a bet on whether or not he would make the next round.

The second performance was by Oluwadolapo from Oyo State. She's popularly known as duracell bunny by her fellow contestants 'cos they say she has a lotta energy. She has strange looks, and she's what I call 'beautiful in a different way'... She sang 'I Swear' by All 4 One. Her performance I'm sorry to say, was bad. She was hoarse and really had no voice control.. I think it was the nerves cos I saw her do better in her Auditions. I am quite willing to bet that this is the end of the road for her.

Oge's was the third performance. She's this sassy chick from Delta State and she was easy on the eyes, and generally gave a nice performance. She sang 'Crush' by Jennifer Paige, which I thought was a mistake 'cos I think quite a lot of the voters do not know the song and as a result would not be able to gauge how well or how poorly she interpreted the song...For me though, she did quite well as that song is not an easy one to interprete. As for making the top 10, I really cannot tell 100% for this group cos there will be a lot of sentimental reasons for the voters to vote. I would give her a chance though.

The best performance last night for me was by a young man by the name Jarry. He hails from Liberia and currently resides in Ghana. He had such a sweet, sweet voice and his performance was just Awesome! He sang 'Foolish Games' by Jewel and he did justice to the song as far as I am concerned.. I guarantee he has a spot in the top 10.

Next, we had David from Rivers State who sang 'Change the World' by Eric Clapton. His performance was Ok, and I think he has the ability in him to give more... He sang in a happy-go-lucky kind of way and I felt he took things too much for granted. It's 50-50 for me whether or not he would go beyond this stage, but I would vote him on account of the fact that I think he has a lotta potential.

The last performance was by dynamite Jerrilyn from Liberia. Her story is a unique one of war, family displacement and finding her mother after years of her mum searching for her. She sang the popular hit 'Don't Wanna Miss A Thing' by Aerosmith. She really has a voice but I did not particularly feel her... I think in this round, there'll be a lot of sentimental voting so I'm going to step aside and watch how the voting swings... One thing for sure though... I'll be back with the results tomorrow.

On a general note, I'll say this group performed O.k. but if you take last weeks' group of 6 into consideration.... that's a whole different thing 'cos that group set a standard that is yet to be beaten..

You can read more about the auditions and cast your vote for your fave contestant(s) here!
You may watch clips of yesterdays' show here!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On another note... Our brothers and neighbours Ghana are celebrating 50 years of independence! Wow, I really did not know they are this old! Good going guys! Akwaaba!

Miscellaneous....

2007-03-06T08:48:00.000+01:00

So I was not far from right yesterday.... My top 2 made it to the finals.. read my post of 5/03/07... I'm quite happy that the voters did a great job. I only wish Ibitoru Green would join em later! Anyway, more jist to come later!

oops.... you can read about yesterdays show here

Idols West Africa Group 1 perfomances... My Take

2007-03-05T16:40:00.000+01:00

Hallo Guys! Happy Monday! So yesterday, the first group of Idols performed. As we know, the 24 finalists were grouped into 4 sets with 6 people performing every Sunday for 4 weeks beginning yesterday.. Here's how it went down:

1. Ibitoru Green - 'Like A Prayer' by Madonna: This girl is something else.... She worked the stage man! Her voice was wonderful and her all white appearance was catchy! She performed a very good rendition of the song but I really can't tell if she'll make Top 10...I hope so though cos I'd like to see more of her.

2. Uche Ume - 'Angel of Mine' by Monica: His performance reminded me a lot of one of those Bishop T.D Jakes' songs where he sorta runs a commentary in the background (think his version of the storm is over)... Anyway, he gave a pretty good performance...

3. Ekanem Esu - 'How Do I Live' by LeAnn Rimes: Okay, nice voice but I am sorry to say I don't think she'll make Top 10... There's quite a lot of competition! Plus, I distinctly remember her singing, 'How do hI hever, hever survhive.....' maybe it was all in my ears, but I swear the H Factor was present and it didn't do her any good!

4. Omawunmi Megbele - 'That Don't Impress Me Much' by Shania Twain: Now this girl was summmmmin! She was smoking for real and she had such an attitude! Girlfriend was hoooooot! Everyone in my house was screaming after she finished her performance.. I am positive that she'll make top 10 if the voters know what they're doing...You go girl!

5. Timi Dakolo - 'Must Have Been Love' by Roxette: When I heard his song, I went, 'Why did you pick that song???' But during and after his performance, I saw that he was the MAN! He nailed the song with his own version... I think he'll go far in the competition and I hope he does a Luther while he's at it!

6. Lara George - 'Its All Coming Back' by Celine Dion: No playa hatin' but I felt she didn't have the X-Factor... Her performance to me was ok, but to be fair, maybe I expected a lot more from her as per she's already been in the industry...I bet that would contribute positively towards her being in the top 10 though...

If you wanna watch the songs, Just go here!

Random Word

Yesterday, I slept off solving cross-word puzzles and woke up with the word Paraphernalia on my mind this morning. Problem was, I couldn't spell it.. How many times does this happen, I mean you know a word, know its meaning, you see it it books and just glide past the word but then you later realize you never could spell the word without a lot of thought?

That's all fellaz... Hit me back with your feedback! I'm out...

~moni

It's March '07!

2007-03-02T16:46:00.000+01:00

Naija has new currency! You can see samples here and a sharper sample of the New 1 Naira coin below for those of you fellas who live abroad:

Hmm, I hope we don't mess these up by abusing the Naira as most Nigerians do!

HAPPY WEEKEND & HAPPY MARCH FOLKS!!! Gotta go... see ya next week!

Mood Music
River -Robert Downey Jnr.
Rise and fall- Craig David and Sting
I don't wanna miss a thing- Aerosmith
Iris- Goo goo Dolls
Daysleeper- REM

~moni

The 79th Academy Awards

2007-02-26T16:09:00.000+01:00

The 79th Academy awards took place at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood last night and was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres.

And the nominees were:

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Leonardo DiCaprio in “Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.)

Ryan Gosling in “Half Nelson” (THINKFilm)

Peter O’Toole in “Venus” (Miramax, Filmfour and UK Film Council)

Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happyness” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of Scotland” (Fox Searchlight) (Winner)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Alan Arkin in “Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight) (Winner)

Jackie Earle Haley in “Little Children” (New Line)
Djimon Hounsou in “Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.)Eddie Murphy in

“Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount)

Mark Wahlberg in “The Departed” (Warner Bros.)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Penélope Cruz in “Volver” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Judi Dench in “Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight)

Helen Mirren in “The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) (Winner)

Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada” (20th Century Fox)

Kate Winslet in “Little Children” (New Line)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Adriana Barraza in “Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)

Cate Blanchett in “Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight)

Abigail Breslin in “Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight)
Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount) (Winner)

Rinko Kikuchi in “Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)

Best animated feature film of the year

“Cars” (Buena Vista) John Lasseter

“Happy Feet” (Warner Bros.) George Miller (Winner)

“Monster House” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Gil Kenan

Achievement in art direction

“Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount) Art Direction: John Myhre Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

“The Good Shepherd” (Universal) Art Direction: Jeannine OppewallSet Decoration: Gretchen Rau and Leslie E. Rollins

“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse) Art Direction: Eugenio CaballeroSet Decoration: Pilar Revuelta (Winner)

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Buena Vista)Art Direction: Rick HeinrichsSet Decoration: Cheryl Carasik

“The Prestige” (Buena Vista)Art Direction: Nathan CrowleySet Decoration: Julie Ochipinti

Achievement in cinematography

“The Black Dahlia” (Universal) Vilmos Zsigmond

“Children of Men” (Universal) Emmanuel Lubezki

“The Illusionist” (Yari Film Group) Dick Pope

“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse) Guillermo Navarro (Winner)
“The Prestige” (Buena Vista) Wally Pfister

Achievement in costume design

“Curse of the Golden Flower” (Sony Pictures Classics) Yee Chung Man

“The Devil Wears Prada” (20th Century Fox) Patricia Field

“Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount) Sharen Davis

“Marie Antoinette” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Milena Canonero (Winner)

“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) Consolata Boyle

Achievement in directing
“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) Alejandro González Iñárritu

“The Departed” (Warner Bros.) Martin Scorsese (Winner)

“Letters from Iwo Jima” (Warner Bros.) Clint Eastwood

“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) Stephen Frears

“United 93” (Universal and StudioCanal) Paul Greengrass

Best documentary feature

“Deliver Us from Evil” (Lionsgate) A Disarming Films Production Amy Berg and Frank Donner

“An Inconvenient Truth” (Paramount Classics and Participant Productions) A Lawrence Bender/Laurie David ProductionDavis Guggenheim (Winner)
“Iraq in Fragments” (Typecast Releasing in association with HBO Documentary Films) A Typecast Pictures/Daylight Factory Production James Longley and John Sinno

“Jesus Camp” (Magnolia Pictures) A Loki Films ProductionHeidi Ewing and Rachel Grady

“My Country, My Country” (Zeitgeist Films) A Praxis Films Production Laura Poitras and Jocelyn Glatzer

Best documentary short subject
“The Blood of Yingzhou District”A Thomas Lennon Films ProductionRuby Yang and Thomas Lennon (Winner)

“Recycled Life”An Iwerks/Glad Production Leslie Iwerks and Mike Glad

“Rehearsing a Dream”A Simon & Goodman Picture Company ProductionKaren Goodman and Kirk Simon

“Two Hands” A Crazy Boat Pictures Production Nathaniel Kahn and Susan Rose

Best Achievement in film editing

“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise

“Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.) Steven Rosenblum

“Children of Men” (Universal) Alex Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón

“The Departed” (Warner Bros.)Thelma Schoonmaker (Winner)

“United 93” (Universal and StudioCanal) Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse and Richard Pearso

Best foreign language film of the year

“After the Wedding” A Zentropa Entertainments 16 ProductionDenmark

“Days of Glory (Indigènes)” A Tessalit ProductionAlgeria

“The Lives of Others” A Wiedemann & Berg ProductionGermany (Winner)

“Pan’s Labyrinth” A Tequila Gang/Esperanto Filmoj/Estudios Picasso Production Mexico

“Water” A Hamilton-Mehta Production Canada

Achievement in makeup

“Apocalypto” (Buena Vista) Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano

“Click” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Kazuhiro Tsuji and Bill Corso

“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse) David Martí and Montse Ribé (Winner)

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) Gustavo Santaolalla (Winner)

“The Good German” (Warner Bros.) Thomas Newman

“Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight) Philip Glass

“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse) Javier Navarrete

“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) Alexandre Desplat

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth”(Paramount Classics and Participant Productions) Music and Lyric by Melissa Etheridge (Winner)

“Listen” from “Dreamgirls”(DreamWorks and Paramount) Music by Henry Krieger and Scott CutlerLyric by Anne Preven

“Love You I Do” from “Dreamgirls”(DreamWorks and Paramount) Music by Henry KriegerLyric by Siedah Garrett

“Our Town” from “Cars”(Buena Vista)Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

“Patience” from “Dreamgirls”(DreamWorks and Paramount)Music by Henry KriegerLyric by Willie Reale

Best motion picture of the year
“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) An Anonymous Content/Zeta Film/Central Films ProductionAlejandro González Iñárritu, Jon Kilik and Steve Golin, Producers
“The Departed” (Warner Bros.)A Warner Bros. Pictures Production Graham King, Producer (Winner)

“Letters from Iwo Jima” (Warner Bros.)A DreamWorks Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures ProductionClint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg and Robert Lorenz, Producers

“Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight)A Big Beach/Bona Fide ProductionDavid T. Friendly, Peter Saraf and Marc Turtletaub, Producers

“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada)A Granada ProductionAndy Harries, Christine Langan and Tracey Seaward, Producers

Best animated short film

“The Danish Poet” (National Film Board of Canada)A Mikrofilm and National Film Board of Canada ProductionTorill Kove (Winner)

“Lifted” (Buena Vista)A Pixar Animation Studios Production Gary Rydstrom

“The Little Matchgirl” (Buena Vista)A Walt Disney Pictures ProductionRoger Allers and Don Hahn

“Maestro” (SzimplaFilm)A Kedd ProductionGéza M. Tóth

“No Time for Nuts” (20th Century Fox)A Blue Sky Studios ProductionChris Renaud and Michael Thurmeier

Best live action short film

“Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)”A Peliculas Pendelton and Tus Ojos ProductionJavier Fesser and Luis Manso

“Éramos Pocos (One Too Many)” (Kimuak)An Altube Filmeak ProductionBorja Cobeaga

“Helmer & Son”A Nordisk Film Production Søren Pilmark and Kim Magnusson
“The Saviour” (Australian Film Television and Radio School)An Australian Film Television and Radio School ProductionPeter Templeman and Stuart Parkyn
“West Bank Story” An Ari Sandel, Pascal Vaguelsy, Amy Kim, Ravi Malhotra and Ashley Jordan ProductionAri Sandel (Winner)

Achievement in sound editing

“Apocalypto” (Buena Vista) Sean McCormack and Kami Asgar

“Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.) Lon Bender

“Flags of Our Fathers” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by Paramount)Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman

“Letters from Iwo Jima” (Warner Bros.)Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman (Winner)

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Buena Vista)Christopher Boyes and George Watters II

Achievement in sound mixing

“Apocalypto” (Buena Vista)Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Fernando Cámara

“Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.)Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Ivan Sharrock

“Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount)Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer and Willie Burton (Winner)

“Flags of Our Fathers” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by Paramount) John Reitz, Dave Campbell, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Buena Vista) Paul Massey, Christopher Boyes and Lee Orloff

Achievement in visual effects

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Buena Vista)John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and Allen Hall (Winner)

“Poseidon” (Warner Bros.)Boyd Shermis, Kim Libreri, Chas Jarrett and John Frazier

“Superman Returns” (Warner Bros.)Mark Stetson, Neil Corbould, Richard R. Hoover and Jon Thum

Adapted screenplay

“Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” (20th Century Fox) Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Peter Baynham & Dan MazerStory by Sacha Baron Cohen & Peter Baynham & Anthony Hines & Todd Phillips

“Children of Men” (Universal)Screenplay by Alfonso Cuarón & Timothy J. Sexton and David Arata and Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby

“The Departed” (Warner Bros.) Screenplay by William Monahan (Winner)

“Little Children” (New Line) Screenplay by Todd Field & Tom Perrotta“Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Patrick Marber

Original screenplay

“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)Written by Guillermo Arriaga

“Letters from Iwo Jima” (Warner Bros.)Screenplay by Iris YamashitaStory by Iris Yamashita & Paul Haggis

“Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight)Written by Michael Arndt (Winner)

“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse)Written by Guillermo del Toro“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada)Written by Peter Morgan
Here are pictures from the Big event.

So what do you think of the winners, outfits, etc? Lemme know!!!

the 3 things meme

2007-02-20T18:56:00.000+01:00

Saw this meme on Uzo's blog and decided to have a go.

3 things I do not want to experience:
- An auto accident. I have heard so many testimonies; I don’t want to experience one myself
- An armed robbery attack. I live in Lagos so that’s self explanatory
- Rape: the word says it all.
3 people who make me laugh
-My big brother, A. He cracks me up on the reg….
-My mum. The family stand-up comedienne. I swear, we got our laughing genes from her.
-On TV, Ally McBeal. She is something!
3 things I love
-Books - Its pays to have WORD POWER!
-Music – Can’t live without music.
-Jewelry: I love my bling!
3 things I hate
-Violence – seriously I can’t condone violence of any sort.
-Snitches – I cannot stand snitches!
-Dishonesty – There is no end to a dishonest pal…
3 things I don’t understand
-Hades.. I believe in it, but I just don’t want to understand.
-Abnormal body piercings: Do people really have to pierce them selves in ridiculous places?
-Nigeria. Serious. Nigeria is a story for another day.
3 things on my desk
-My phone
-My CD- Stars- the best of the Cranberries
-My flash drive
3 things I am doing right now
-Typing
-Thinking
-Listening to the cranberries
3 things I want to do before I die
-Change someone’s life positively (a can can make a difference)
-Sew an outfit and wear it!
-Go on a spending spree with loved ones!!
3 things I can do
-Work, work, work
-Read, read, read
-Be a good wife and mother.
3 things you should listen to
-The word
-Your head
-Alternative music!
3 things you should never listen to
-Bad advice
-Overly critical people
-Metallic rock: That stuff is just crazy!
3 things I would like to learn
-To swim! Wouldjabelieveit! I can’t swim..
-French
-To sew on a machine
3 beverages I drink regularly
-Sprite
-Juice
-Malta Guiness
3 shows I watched on NTA as a child
-Rent-A-ghost
-New Masquerade
-Things fall apart
3 books I read as a kid
-Enid Blyton: The Enchanted tree, Naughty Amelia Jane, The naughtiest girl is a monitor, Mr. Pink whistle's party, etc
-My father’s car by S.M.O Aka
-The passport of Mallam Illia

The life and times of me...

2007-02-19T14:14:00.000+01:00

It's been ages since I posted something up.. I would like to say I've been busy, but haven't we all? It's just that I prefer reading other peeps blogs...tsk, tsk, tsk. Here goes nothing!

I've decided to blog about the things I'm loving right now:
My house
My hair
TV
Books
Music

I've just moved into a new house - more spacious than the last, same neighbourhood. Everyone knows the feeling of moving into a new house right? Hellish when you're moving in (started the process two weeks ago and although we've brought everything in, we are yet to unpack everything) but wonderful when you've settled in. The house is painted off-white on the inside (except for my daughters room which is painted pink and light blue) and 2 shades of P!nk on the outside.. Sounds crazy, but it's beautiful. You gotta see it to believe it!

I'm loving my hair right now... Yes! I have natural hair.. I thought, 'what's the point wasting my money on relaxers and salon visits- not forgetting the dreaded hair dryer- when I never carry wear my hair?' so I decided to let the perm grow out.. It's tough (painful, OUCH!!) getting braids done but I think it looks cool....as India.Arie put it, I AM NOT MY HAIR! lol!

TV: I used to be a TV buff when I was much younger but going into the university kinda killed it for me... I have rediscovered my love for TV and getting my eyes off the TV is a task.. What with Idols West Africa, Prison break, Yo Mama etc .. life's a roller coaster!

As usual my library is growing and I have acquired more books-
-Chimamanda's half of a yellow sun
-Aesop's Fables: I admit I bought it for my daughter but it is an interesting read
-The famished road by Ben Okri (this book is about Abiku and the likes, very witchy!)
And yes, I have read 'em all!

Last but not least, Music!!!! I have discovered some songs and rediscovered some others. Here's my current play list:
- Message in a bottle by Sting: This song is WOW! I had heard it in the past, but watching the MTV unplugged version of it absolutely took my breath away and gave more meaning to the song.
- Your song by Elton John: I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind, that I put down in words.. how wonderful life is when you're in this world.....
-Gallery by Mario Vasquez: I just want to dance every time I hear this song!
-Sexy Love by Ne-yo: A sexy, sexy song.
-Daffodil Lament by the Cranberries: Mmn, Mmn, Mmn.
-How many times by K-Ci and Jojo
-Trying Times by Boyz II men
-Human nature by Michael Jackson
-The remedy by Jason Mraz
-We fall down by Donnie McClurkin
-Ain't no Sunshine by Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Des'ree
-Anivessary by Tony Toni Tone
-Summertime by Fantasia

Thats all fellas!!!! More to come l8r... 1 love!

cos unnaked soul asked!

2007-01-24T10:27:00.000+01:00

Check the questions out at unnaked souls'. Here are my answers...

1. Honestly, I see it coming from somewhere up in the skies…

2. Light Brown

3. It is cleansing, Its is relaxing to be in and the sound of it rushing makes me calm

4. Orange- Its bright, It suits my complexion, It matches a lot of other colours

5. The Dog- It’s good company, it's faithful and can tell when you want some quiet!

6. 1st reaction think… 2nd reaction search for an opening somewhere and YELL if I think I'm stuck!

7. a. Mr. A b. Mr. D

8. Mr. Ae

9. Ms. K

10. Chariot, He’s calling you, Supastar, When you praise

11. Nyemoni, PHC, Eko, Accra?

12. Sheep, Cow, Monkey, Tiger, Eagle

Update: Check out the questions below:
Question 1:Imagine you are in a desert (are you there?);Now imagine a ladder (are you seeing it?);Now what is the position of the ladder? i.e Lying down, Resting on something, Standing alone...

Question2:Image a horse in that same desert (are you there?);What is the colour of the horse?What is the horse doing?

Question 3:Come back to reality...Give three reasons why you like water.

Question 4:What is your favourite colour?Give the three reasons why you like that colour.

Question 5:What is your favourite animal (Even if you don't like, what would it be if you do?)Give three reasons why you like/would like that animal.

Question 6:Imagine you wake up in a white room with no door, and no window.What will be your first reaction?What will be your reaction afterwards?

Question 7:Without thinking, name two opposite sex names that are not your family member.1?2?

Question 8:Without thinking, name someone from your family member.1?

Question 9:Name anyone, same sex or otherwise, that is not a family member.1?

Question 10:List four of your favourite music title

Question 11:List four of your favourite location/city.Last One:Arrange these animals according to your preference:Tiger, Sheep, Cow, Monkey, Eagle

Flowers in the blood

2007-01-18T18:22:00.000+01:00

I'm currently reading Flowers in the Blood, by Gay Courter.
It's set in Calcutta and is primarily about the Jews of Calcutta, India.

The book is set in the late 19th century and the name 'Flowers' refers to the flower, poppy from which opium is derived.. The part of the title '.....in the blood' refers to the fact that the main Character Dinah had opium in her blood, but that is not to say that she partook of the ills of opium. It merely alludes to the fact that she was born into a family of Opium Traders.

The book began with the 6 year old Dinah's mother being murdered at their home by her lover and Dinah having to live with the stigma of having had an adulterous, opium addicted mother murdered.... the result was an introspective, intelligent girl who had the clout to fight her personal battles both within and outside her family..

As a result, she had no proposals for marriage when she was well past the marriageable age despite the fact that she had a huge dowry and had her '1st crush' stolen by her aunt for her daughter...what results is anyone’s' guess.

I advise anyone who has a passion for drama, a good story line and interest in learning a 'lil bit more about the Jewish religion to read this book. My mum actually sent this book to me so here's a toast to my mother Daba, 'I wish you many years of laughter, more grand-children to look after and more blessings than you ever imagined!" Thanks Mum, you're the best.. Mwah!

Too busy to blog?

2007-01-16T19:59:00.000+01:00

I know you've heard it like milliom times from me but I am soooo busy guys... Its like the people in my office think I'm made of some materials other than flesh and bone. Please bear with me! Do you guys get this at work? I mean, when your employers see you are willing to work, they just pile up all the stuff on you and expect you to do something which would normally take an hour to do in 10 minutes flat? I mean what the crap? Gimme a break guys! Talking about breaks - I hardly have time to go out for lunch! As soon as I step out the door, someone calls my mobile to say the MD is looking for you or something... I mean what the!

I have had time to view all my fav blogs however and I saw ONB cooking up a storm on her blog, Calabargal has lovely pixs of the carnival, TMinx had some drama with an Okada man..., Chxta finally got his hair cut, "Lagos" Buki should be back in London and hopefully without malaria, 9ja bloke is beefing women somewhat, 9ja dude ponders about being a not-so-anonymous blogger, Uzo is worried about the future of Nigeria, some of our fellow bloggers lost some lost ones -the list is endless...

On a personal note, it was my wedding annivessary on the 11th! Yay! Nothing much happened sha... I give God the glory for letting hubby and I add yet another Year of what??? I can't exactly say marital bliss cos it certainly hasn't been 100% blissful as the fairy tales go but well, I am thankful all the same... Its been 4 years and 1 daughter so I know God still aint finished with us yet!

I have nothing much to add to this for now so let me end by saying Guys, blog on and remember - If you don't have time to blog, read someone else's!!

Life Before the Computer

2007-01-04T17:01:00.000+01:00

Got this from my bro-in-law and decided to share. Hope you enjoy....

An application was for employment
A program was a TV show
A cursor used profanity
A keyboard was a piano!

Memory was something that you lost with age
A CD was a bank account
And if you had a 3 ½ inch floppy
You hoped nobody found out!

Compress was something you did to garbage
Not something you did to a file
And if you unzipped anything in public
You'd be in jail for awhile!

Log on was adding wood to a fire
Hard drive was a long trip on the road
A mouse pad was where a mouse lived
And a backup happened to your commode!

Cut - you did with a pocket knife
Paste you did with glue
A web was a spider's home
And a virus was the flu!

I guess I'll stick to my pad and paper
And the memory in my head
I hear nobody's been killed in a computer crash
But when it happens they wish they were dead!

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!

2007-01-02T14:34:00.000+01:00

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!

I wish everyone a year of unlimited blessings, new beginnings, answered prayers and immeasurable joy!

God bless you!

Merry Christmas y'all

2006-12-27T10:34:00.000+01:00

Dear Blogpals,

This is just to wish y'all a Merry christmas and a Happy new year... Nothing much to write, just wanted to send my christams greetings...

Happy birthday to Calabargal and Biodun by the way...

God bless y'all

~Nyemoni

Back Again.....

2006-12-21T11:30:00.000+01:00

Hi Peeps,
Man, It’s been ages!!! That's not to say I haven't been in the blog world, I have been reading other peoples blogs for over a month and a half and I think it's time to update my own...

Calabargal had a post driving safely always which really tugged my heartstrings...
The overwhelmed babe kept me busy for soooo long and what struck me most besides the fact that I felt sad while reading her write-ups was the honesty in her posts, maybe I should take a cue from her and give a ‘lil more..
Tminx has this poll thing going.. I would love to see what the results would be!
And for my dear Life thru rose tinted glasses, I'm taking the baton off you now with this post; maybe I can give you a 'lil insight as to my absence...

It was a Horrible horrible November for me, I had so much drama and the last thing on my mind was blogging about it then, but I feel much better now about the turn of events so maybe I can blog about it now...

First off, It was the infamous chicken pox, then I had malaria, then I went off to Ghana to 'take a chill pill'...btw, I left my job sometime in-between the Chicken pox and Malaria... Got back to 9ja on the 19th ‘cos I had to start my new job on the 20th and on the 21st it was another story...

My house help poured 'HOT WATER' on the right side of my daughters' face, her right ear, some parts of her head and it even got up to her eyelids... The 1st Miracle was that it did not get up to her eyes. Now, that was my second day at work, and I had a kid with a first-degree burn on my hands and of course the tart ran away ASAP..... Claimed it was a mistake, she did not see my ‘lil girl (with whom she was in the living room) bla bla bla...

Anyhow, I took her to the hospital for dressing, which meant I was late to work, thereby causing raised eyebrows at my new office and had to call my bro-in law to come get her for the rest of the day. I have been a full-time working wife, full-time mother and house wife all in one. Of course my little girl could not go to School for the next week or so, so she had to shuttle from family member to family member for the interim.... She resumed school shortly after but I was living life in a whirl! I hardly knew what was happening because I was so busy picking up after everyone…. Anyhow, the second miracle was that she has healed rather nicely... One can now only see only faint traces of her date with hot water. Thankfully, I finally got another help last Friday who seems pretty O.K (let's pray she remains that way) and so things have really slowed down for me and I can take time to smell the rose...

Phew! There's the story of my life in November in a few short paragraphs...

I bless God for Healing my daughter, for bringing a new helper (necessary evils I call 'em though!) to lighten my burden, for my new job (oh yes, it’s much better than the last!) and generally for His grace which abounds bountifully in my life...

~nyemoni~

I had CHICKENPOX!

2006-11-10T12:25:00.000+01:00

Hi guys,
This is going to be a really short one....
Your girl has been down for weeks and I had malaria and then chicken pox! Would you believe it? At my age? Man, this thing is no respector of persons oh! I was so ill....
It started with the malaria and that I could handle.... I mean, I'm a Nigerian living in Nigeria and all.. I must have had it at least 15 times in my life.. then these blisters started to appear all over my body....

I thought it was a case of misdirected pimples of some sort! Next thing I know, it's all over my face and back, legs, arms, everywhere! It was official! I had to be quarantined.. I couldn't even see my daughter or hubby for fear of passing it on and I was forced to bathe with the loathsome IZAL and rub Calamine Lotion within every inch of my body! God... I smelled and looked awful!

So here I am now guys... same 'ol NYEMONI but with some scars to show for my date with chickenpox! I'm sorry I've been away but will do my best to keep blogging...
Next week, I'm off to Ghana for a week or so and then I will be back fully.... Many thanks to Calabargal and the Overwhelmedone for missing me.. I missed y'all too but I was so outta touch with everything! I have some much work to do now.. you know getting back to reading the previous blog entries of y'all......

Phew! I have no more words at this time.... Have a fun weekend y'all!

TAG-A-LONG

2006-10-20T12:50:00.000+01:00

Thank God it's Friday!!! Happy weekend y'all... overwhelmed babe tagged me so I gats to play along....

FOUR JOBS YOU'VE HAD IN YOUR LIFE
1. Shop keeper (Mum's Hair & Cosmetics shop)
2. Industrial Trainee
3. Database Manager
4. Contract Administrator

FOUR FICTIONAL JOBS YOU WISH YOU HAD
1. Queen of the World
2. Batwoman
3. Superwoman
4. Lara Croft

FOUR MOVIES YOU COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN
1. The Untouchables
2. Pirates of the Carribean
3. Lord of the Ring
4. Crash

FOUR CITIES YOU'VE LIVED IN
1. PHC
2. Benin
3. Lagos
4. Haven't lived elsewhere

FOUR TV SHOWS YOU LOVE TO WATCH
1. The weakest link
2. 24
3. Friends
4. Ally McBeal (Calista fan Alert!)

FOUR PLACES YOU'VE BEEN ON VACATION/TRAVELED TO
1. duh!
2. duh!
3. duh!
4. I've never been on vacation!

FOUR WEBSITES YOU VISIT DAILY
1. www.blogspot.com
2. www.people.com
3. www.mail.yahoo.com
4. www.google.com

FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE FOODS
1. Eba and Okro soup
2. Boiled unripe plantains with loads of snails, dried fish scrumptious! (kekefiyaye)
3. My mothers special fried Yams (like biscuits!yummy!)
4. Club Sandwich anyone??

FOUR THINGS YOU WON'T EAT
1. Dog meat aka 404
2. Akpu aka Santana
3. Gbegiri
4. Fried insects

FOUR THINGS YOU WISH YOU COULD EAT OR DRINK RIGHT NOW
1. A nice glass of chapman would be fine
2. Chocolat' Royale's Palmier
3. Fresh fish
4. Pepper soup

FOUR THINGS IN YOUR BEDROOM
1. Electronics: TV/DVD/Stereo/Fridge etc
2. A ranting three year old who calls me mummy!
3. My man....
4. Loads of books and CD's (sorry, I cheated)

FOUR THINGS YOU WISH YOU HAD IN YOUR BEDROOM
1. A baby..... (I'm craving for No. 2!)
2. The new book by Chimamanda Adichie- Half of a Yellow sun- come hither payday!
3. More space
4. More clothes....do we ever get tired?

FOUR THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW
1. Tims
2. Jeans
3. Tank top
4. Underwear

FOUR PLACES I'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW
1. In Canada... with my sister for an hour or so
2. In PHC, eating from my mama's kitchen and gossiping
3. At my 'new' job
4. In Heaven hehehe

FOUR FICTIONAL PLACES I'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW
1. Neverland
2. Wisteria Lane
3. Gotham City (Cos Batman would save us from all ills!)
4. Planet Krypton

FOUR PEOPLE YOU’D REALLY LOVE TO HAVE DINNER WITH
1. Anne Robinson (I'd love to pick her brains)
2. Alicia keys (she will sing until she croaks)
3. Callista Flockheart
4. Sean Connery (A gentleman and a half)

FOUR THINGS YOU ARE THINKING RIGHT NOW
1. Will this link thing work?
2. Lord have you selected Angel No. 2 yet?
3.When do I become certifiably rich?
4. When will these questions end?

FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE THINGS
1. My family- If they count as 'a thing'
2. My book and Audio Library
3. My car (for now)
4. My blog...

FOUR PEOPLE YOU TAG
1. igo
2. jem
3. tp
4. l*i*g*h*d*e*h

News from around the world.....or something like it

2006-10-19T13:24:00.000+01:00

Today, I have some news from within and outside Nigeria, most important of course is the one about Nigeria. My, is this country getting crazy or what? I wonder why he did not declare a state of Emergency in Oyo and Bayelsa States then when the Govs were impeached on corruption charges. Or maybe it’s because the furor was not as much as in Ekiti State. Tsk tsk.

NIGERIA
President Olusegun Obasanjo today declared a state of emergency in Ekiti State following the unconstitutional impeachment of the State governor, Governor Ayo Fayose and his deputy over corruption charges.
"I hereby declare a state of emergency in Ekiti state," he said in a National television broadcast."It is a clear case of usurpation of power. It is dangerous for our democracy ... to allow this flagrant violation of our constitution to go unchecked," Obasanjo said.

Governor Ayodele Fayose and his deputy were impeached on Monday by lawmakers after a judicial panel found them guilty of corruption. The lawmakers had earlier removed and replaced the chief judge who headed that panel; a move which Obasanjo (and the NBA) said was illegal.
Fayose, who was/is in hiding, insisted that he was still the governor. His deputy said she was the acting governor, while the lawmakers named their speaker as the new governor.
The President said this situation could not be allowed to continue as it risked causing a breach of order and safety in Ekiti and elsewhere in Nigeria. He suspended the governor, his deputy and the state house of assembly with immediate effect.

Obasanjo appointed a retired Major-general to run the affairs of the state for the next six months and said the move was to prevent Ekiti descending into anarchy and threatening security in Africa's biggest oil producer.

~OTHER WEIRD NEWS~

NEW YORK
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's car was stolen on Wednesday and his assistant was punched in the face during the carjacking, police said.Bloomberg was not in the 2001 Lexus, which was stolen while the aide was running an errand in Hackensack, New Jersey, local police said.About 9 a.m., a woman approached the window of the car and asked Bloomberg's employee for money, Hackensack police said. When he refused, a man opened the car door and began to argue, they said.
"He punches the driver in the face. She reaches into the car and starts grabbing at the driver and at some point ... they wrestle (the driver) out of the car," a Hackensack police spokesman said.The car was found about two hours later, abandoned by the side of a road in Fair Lawn, N.J. Police said they were still searching for the two suspects.Police said the employee, who helps look after Bloomberg's personal business, was not seriously injured. Police declined to give his identity but said he was 62 years old.

BRUSSELS
BRUSSELS - A Belgian court has sentenced two 73-year-old grandparents to two-year suspended jail terms this week after they were convicted of dealing in heroin and other drugs, the tribunal said on Wednesday.The elderly pensioners had taken over the business of their grandson, who himself had been imprisoned for selling heroin, cocaine and ecstasy.The court established that the couple had sold a variety of drugs to people, including one minor, who dropped by their apartment near the northern town of Aalst. Some even came by to make large orders, the court said."The only thing that counted for them was to continue the profitable drug dealing business of their grandson," the judges wrote in their ruling on Tuesday.The couple, who had no prior criminal record, were also ordered to pay fines of 1,000 euros each.

RIO DE JANEIRO
Brazil, Oct 18 - A 67-year-old Brazilian grandmother who shot and wounded a bag-snatcher in Rio de Janeiro will get a medal from the crime-ridden city's legislators even though she faces trial for illegal gun possession.A spokeswoman for the municipal legislative chamber said on Wednesday deputies had voted unanimously to award pensioner Maria Dora dos Santos Arbex with the Pedro Ernesto Merit medal, for exceptional service to the city of Rio de Janeiro.On October 8, the retired nurse was walking her poodle in the middle-class neighborhood of Flamengo when a thief tried to take her cell phone and purse.Dos Santos Arbex, who said it was the fourth such assault she had faced, took out a .38 calibre revolver and shot the thief in the hand. The man tried to flee but was caught by police, who also charged her with illegal gun possession.She has been released on parole but is awaiting trial. Her case has caused a barrage of criticism against the authorities for doing nothing to contain street crime.Police argue the award sets a bad example, especially since the gun had not been legally registered.

The Fortune Cookie Prophecy

2006-10-16T16:02:00.001+01:00

I am a fan of Chickensoup for the soul.....got this off em. Hope you like it.

I was married three times before I was seven years old.
My older brother Gary performed the ceremonies in our basement. Gary was good at entertaining the family and neighborhood kids with his creative ideas. Since I was the youngest boy in our group, I was often on the receiving end of his creativity.
What I remember most about those weddings is that all the girls were at least five years older than I was, and they all had beautiful eyes that sparkled when they laughed. Those weddings taught me to imagine what it would be like to find my soul mate one day and to be sure that I would know her by her beautiful eyes.

Puberty hit me late. I was still afraid of the opposite sex when I was fifteen, and yet I prayed every night for the girl I would marry. I asked God to help her do well in school and to be happy and full of energy-wherever and whoever she was.
I first kissed a girl when I was twenty-one. From that time forward, I dated many beautiful and talented young ladies, searching for the girl I had prayed for in my youth and still certain that I would know her by her eyes.

One day, my phone rang. "Don," it was my mother. "You know I told you about the Addisons, who moved in next door to us. Well, Clara Addison keeps asking me to invite you over for cards some night."
"Sorry, Mom, I've got a date that night."
"How could you? I haven't even told you what night it is?" my mother responded with exasperation.
"It doesn't matter when. I'm sure the Addisons are nice people, but I'm not going to waste an evening socializing with people who don't have any eligible daughters."
That's how stubborn I was-I was positive that there was no reason for me to go to visit the Addisons.

Years passed. I was twenty-six, and my friends were getting nervous about my prospects. They kept lining up blind dates for me. Many of these dates were fiascoes, and they were interfering with my social life. So I made up a few rules about blind dates:
1. No dates recommended by my mother (moms don't understand the sex-appeal factor).
2. No dates recommended by a female (they're too easy on each other).
3. No dates recommended by a single guy friend (if she's so awesome, how come he hasn't asked her out?).
In three simple steps, I eliminated 90 percent of all my blind dates, including one recommended by my old friend Karen. She called one evening to tell me that she had become good friends with a beautiful girl who reminded her of me. She said she knew we would hit it off. "Sorry," I said, "you're ruled out by rule number two."
"Don," she said, "You're crazy, and your silly rules are eliminating the girl you've been waiting for. But have it your way. Just take her name and phone number, and when you change your mind, call her."
To get Karen to stop bothering me about it, I said I would. The girl's name was Susan Maready. I never called her.
Just a couple of weeks later, I ran into my old buddy Ted in the university cafeteria. "Ted," I said. "You look like you're walking on air."
"Can you see stars under my feet?" he said, laughing. "The fact is, I just got engaged last night."
"Hey, congratulations!"
"Yeah," he said, "at thirty-two, I was beginning to wonder if any woman was going to have me." He pulled his wallet out of his pocket. "Here," he said, suddenly serious, "look at this.
It was a thin strip of paper from a fortune cookie. "You will be married within a year," it said.
"That's wild," I said. "They usually say something that would fit anyone, like 'You have a magnetic personality. They were really taking a chance with that one."
"No kidding," he said. "And look at me now."

A few weeks later, my roommate Charlie and I were eating dinner at a Chinese restaurant. I shared this story about Ted's fortune cookie prediction, and his subsequent engagement. Just then, the waiter brought over our postmeal fortune cookies. Charlie laughed at the coincidence as we opened our cookies. Mine said, "You have a magnetic personality." His said, "You or a close friend will be married within a year." A chill ran up my spine. This was really strange. Something told me to ask Charlie if I could keep his fortune, and he handed it to me with a smile.
Not long afterward, my classmate Brian said he wanted to introduce me to a young woman named Susan Maready. I was sure I'd heard that name before, but couldn't remember how or where. Since Brian was married, and therefore I wouldn't be breaking my "rules" about being fixed up by single guys, I accepted his offer to meet Susan.

Susan and I spoke on the phone, and planned a bike ride and a cookout. Then, the meeting-and as soon as I saw her, my heart started beating hard and wouldn't stop. Her large green eyes did something to me I couldn't explain. But somewhere in me, I knew that it was love at first sight.
After that wonderful evening, I remembered that this hadn't been the first time someone tried to fix me up with Susan. It all came back to me. Her name had been popping up all over the place for a long time. So the next time I had a chance to talk to Brian alone, I asked him about it.
He squirmed and tried to change the subject.
"What is it, Brian?" I asked.
"You'll have to ask Susan," was all he'd say.
So I did.
"I was going to tell you," she said. "I was going to tell you.
"Come on, Susan," I said. "Tell me what? I can't stand the suspense."
"I've been in love with you for years," she said, "since the first time I saw you from the Addisons' living room window. Yes-it was me they wanted you to meet. But you wouldn't let anyone introduce us. You wouldn't let the Addisons set us up; you wouldn't take Karen's word for it that we would like each other. I thought I was never going to meet you."
My heart swelled with love, and I laughed at myself. "Karen was right," I said. "My rules were crazy."
"You're not mad?" she asked.
"Are you kidding?" I said. "I'm impressed. I've got only one rule for blind dating now."
She gave me a strange look. "What's that?"
"Never again," I said and kissed her.
We were married seven months later.
Susan and I are convinced that we are true soul mates. When I was fifteen and praying for my future wife, she was fourteen and praying for her future husband.
After we had been married a couple of months, Susan said to me, "Do you want to hear something really strange?"
"Sure," I said. "I love to hear strange things."
"Well, about ten months ago, before I'd met you, my friends and I were at this Chinese restaurant, and…" She pulled a slip of paper from a fortune cookie out of her wallet:
"You will be married within a year…."

The Fortune Cookie Prophecy by Don Buehner
culled from Chicken soup for the Romantic Soul

Auto-Manual: Tales of the lazy left foot and right hand

2006-10-14T07:20:00.000+01:00

For the past 4 + years, I had been driving an Auto(matic gear) car and driving was pure bliss, infact it used to be a way of release for me. I actually went to driving school in early 2001, where I used a manual (stick) beat-up volkswagen beetle in my attempt to learn the art of driving in Lagos. I did not even complete the course. Well, what happened was I went for 5 days out of the 10 days course and since I could already move the car, I felt I was good to go.

I got my first car a few months later and it had an Automatic gear so I promptly forgot everything about my fiends, "the clutch" and "the gear stick" I was living the life!!! I felt, driving is way too easy! and I thought that was all there was to it.

Fast forward 5 years later. My S.O and I decide it's time to get yours truly a new care and we decide on this cute thing. For a manual of the same car, it's say Naira x and for an automatic gear it's Naira x + some. The price difference is actually over a Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira more, so we decide to do the Economy thing and get the cheaper one. Then came the challenge. How was I, a die hard Auto driver going to make the switch to a manual car? As usual with me I psyched myself "if some 16 year old kid can do it, so can I!" (same thing I thought through pregnancy and delivery btw)

There I was a few days later, a 5 year old driver turned Learner (I didn't put up the big L sign, mind you) struggling on the streets of Lagos to get to work and back home. It's like learning how to run without first walking. Oh how may times I forgot to clutch down or change to a higher gear! Anyway, all that is past me... I am now a fully certified Class B driver -According to my drivers' license!

My next challenge will be learning how to swim... How on earth did I, a girl born and brought up in the Niger-Delta miss learning that throughout my youth?? Phew!

The Bookseller of Kabul

2006-10-13T17:21:00.000+01:00

This is the book I am reading now.... I am halfway through it and would finish it tonight! It's a true life story of a book-seller and his family in Kabul, Afghanistan written by Åsne Seierstad a Norwegian journalist, who moved in with him and his family for three months with the primary aim of writing a book about them and Afghanistan as a whole.

In her book, she mirrors the traditional family life of the Afghans, their communal living, their religious and socio-political life, the rise and fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan and above all, the bookseller.

She wrote her book based on her take on the words and actions of the books' main character Sultan Khan, his wives Sharifa and Sonya, His sister Leila, His sons Mansur, Eqbal and Aimal and daughter Shabnam.

It's sad that although this book is the Norway's biggest Non-fiction bestseller in history, it also caused a lot of fury from the real Bookseller Shah Muhammad Rais and his family, the models upon whom the novel was based.

He described the book as containing "...defamations of myself, my family and my country contained in her book "The Bookseller of Kabul" involving questions of honour and truth that extend far beyond the lies and distortions committed in this particular case..." he also brought legal action against the author.

Whatever the verdict was, my take is this: Forget the book was based on "the book seller" - although that is the title. Just try to read the book. It is worth a thousand words.

For all the Ladies....

2006-10-11T13:37:00.000+01:00

Hi every one.. Its been a long time, if I may say so myself... I got this in a mail from my sister and decided to share it will all the ladies....

Enjoy.

THE SILENT TREATMENT

A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day,he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 am for an early morning business flight. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 am” He left it where he knew she would find it.The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 am and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go andsee why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper bythe bed. The paper said, "It is 5:00 am. Wake up." Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.

WIFE VS. HUSBAND

A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?" "Yep," the wife replied , "in-laws

WOMEN'S REVENGE

" Cash, check or charge?" I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase. As she fumbled for her wallet I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse. "So, do you always carry your TV remote?" I asked."No," she replied, “but my husband refused to come shopping with me, and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally."

UNDERSTANDING WOMEN (A MAN'S PERSPECTIVE)

I know I'm not going to understand women. I'll never understand how you can take boiling hot wax, pour it onto your upper thigh, rip the hair out by the root, and still be afraid of a spider. W O R D S A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day... 30,000 to a man's 15,000. The wife replied, "The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men... The husband then turned to his wife and asked, "What?"

CREATION

A man said t o his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time. " The wife responded, "Allow me to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!

WHO DOES WHAT

A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning. The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee." The husband said, “You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee." Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee." Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me." So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says........."HEBREWS"

God may have created man before woman, but there is always a rough draft before the masterpiece.

The Nigerian Independence Celebrations

2006-09-29T09:13:00.000+01:00

I was at my daughter’s school yesterday for their Independence Day celebration. The whole week has generally been a buzz of activities with them doing cultural things like tie and dye, viewing artifacts and Nigerian coins and such. Yesterday, all parents were asked to dress their kids up in their respective cultural attires and also bring a local Nigerian dish which would be tasted by all the kids. The parents were also invited to the school for a fashion parade, food-tasting and also a presentation by the children.

I dressed my daughter up in her (I’m not from her state) traditional attire of a wrapper with beads on her neck and head. Not enough beads, she’d have worn some more on her wrists. My, did she look like a princess! I decided to go my way a bit and cook something from my locality. I made Boiled unripe plantains and a vegetable sauce to go with it and off we went to school!
Boy was I glad when our efforts were applauded with cheers from her teachers who called her a princess and all on seeing her! Anyway, the festivities began with the food tasting where all meals were opened, described by the teacher, and tasted by the kids, and a presentation of “greetings” by the children in the 3 major languages.

The people we see and their languages too, are different you know, are different you know (2x) Ekaro ma, Ekaro Sir…… you know the drill!

What followed was a fashion parade and our little ones paraded out with the moderator announcing the state each kid represented amidst a lot of applause from the parents, picture taking and hugs and kisses for the kids! It was all so sweet! It ended with the presentation of a brief history of Nigeria, the singing of our National Anthem and the pledge.

Pity I can’t put up a pix of my princess, I wouldn’t want to violate her privacy! Anyway, I salute my fellow country men as our nation Turns 46. May we grow from strength to strength, and may our Leaders lead us aright!

The Nigerian National Anthem
Arise, O compatriots,
Nigeria’s call obey
To serve our fatherland
With love and strength and faith
The labor of our heroes past
Shall never be in vain
To serve with heart and might
One nation bound in freedom, peace and unity.

Oh God of creation,
direct our noble cause;
Guide our leaders right;
Help our Youth the truth to know
In love and honesty to grow
And living just and true
Great lofty heights attain
To build a nation where peace and justice shall reign.

Counting my blessings

2006-09-27T17:30:00.000+01:00

This is going to be the first post about ME!

I turned Twenty something last week (I've been Twenty something for over 5 years now, mind you), and I wondered about my life’s very essence. I mean most of us l have various things lined up in our 'Things I'll do before I hit 30' (or 40 or 50) list, and I worry that I've not been a super-achiever these past few years! My birthday was fraught with worries for some hours, until I decided to make myself happy and turn to the blessings I've got.....

Sometimes we feel so down because we feel we have not attained whatever goal we set for ourselves and we forget all the blessings God has given us in those moments. Rationalizing this thought more closely shows that we measure ourselves against phoney standards, mostly because of where our peers are at.

I want to use this post to remind myself of my success, rather than my failures; my capabilities rather than my inabilities and my blessings rather than my 'hard-luck'. I also want to thank God for being faithful to me against all odds. I may not be the queen of the pack, but I know I’m richly blessed.

Lastly, I want to remind everyone who reads this post and is a believer in Christ no matter how sinful you are: "God always answers your prayers, but sometimes the answer is NO"

P.S
I also want to thank God for Manchester United's win against Benfica yesterday... We may not be at the top of the English Premier League, but we may just make it No. 9 this year!

P.P.S
All you United haters, get a life!!

Nigeria' s President 2007: Who da man?

2006-09-21T11:39:00.000+01:00

The Intro…..
I have so much on my mind yet so little to blog about. I am guilty of reading other blogs rather that writing in mine, but I have no apologies. I guess I’m still young at this blogging thing but I promise to do my utmost henceforth. Now back to today’s entry.

The Entry
I have often pondered about Nigeria's future, and what the tide will bring come 2007. We all know that a change of power usually leads to Violence, Riots, Kidnap, Political rallies, Debates, manifestos and all-what-nots, but the most mind boggling thing is the big Question: “Who will be our next president?” Besides watching the progress to the elections 2007 on local TV and forming my own opinion about who the likely President may be, I've asked people around me the question time and again, and the answers I get vary from “Dunno”, “Don't care anyhow”, “Na them know”, and some other lousy answers which make me wonder if we really care about our country's leadership? Have the future leaders of Nigeria lost all care?

Now, don’t get me wrong. There are also the other1/2 who are interested in the “So who’s next?” They have come up with names like:
Donald Duke, Dr. Peter Odili, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, I.B.B, Pastor Chris Okotie, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Professor Jerry Gana, Professor Pat Utomi, Abubakar Atiku, Dora Akunyili, etc. Mind you, some people name candidates according to their geo-political zones rather on their conviction that he/she will do a good job!

I can’t tell whether the next President is even on this list, or if he (that’s the one thing that’s definite!) has come out to declare his intentions even, but I hope and pray that our next leader will be one who will conscientiously try to move Nigeria ahead and appoint like minded people in his cabinet regardless of gender, tribe or religion.

I got this in a mail I received today and it’s going to be The Outro….
“Never doubt that a group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

P.S
Do tell me what you think about who the next Pres will be. I appreciate feedbacks!

Tupac Amaru Shakur: From the cradle to the grave

2006-09-13T11:26:00.000+01:00

The first time I heard Tupac’s “Brenda’s got a baby” I was blown away by the lyrics of the song and I wondered who’s song it was…. Then I watched the movie “Juice” shortly after and didn’t know whether to love Tupac or to hate him, because the role he played in the movie Juice was so intense, it left such an impact in my young mind.

From then on, I began to follow his career, and he wowed me more and more with songs like, “I get around”, “Bury Me a G”, “Pour Out a Little Liquor”, “How Long Will They Mourn Me?”, “Cradle to the Grave”, “Me Against The World”, “Lord Knows”, “Dear Mama”, “Life Goes On”, “California Love”, “I Ain't Mad at Cha”, “Picture Me Rollin”, “Ratha Be Ya N____”, “All Eyez on Me”, “Just Like Daddy”, “To live and die in L.A”, “Krazy”, “Against all Odds”, “White man’s world”, “Me and my girlfriend” and lots more from the albums “Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.”, “Thug Life Vol. 1”, “Me Against the World”, “All Eyez on Me”, “The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory”

Tupac Amaru Shakur was born Lesane Parish Crooks on June 16th 1971 in Brooklyn, New York to Afeni Shakur, a member of the Black Panther Party. His mother changed his name from Lesane Parish Crooks to Tupac Shakur. The name is from an Inca Indian tribe and means ‘shining serpent’, and his last name, Shakur, means ‘thankful to God’. While a young child, Tupac discovered his love for dance and music. His mother encouraged him and as a teenager, his family moved to Baltimore, MD.

While living there, Tupac started attending the Baltimore School for the Performing Arts, studying acting and ballet. He began his career in 1991 as a member of the group Digital Underground and in the same year he received individual recognition for his album “2Pacalypse Now”.

Tupac always shared his life experiences through his music. Every song was about his journey through life, and to me, he was a poet. I also saw him as a regular kinda guy, and he seemed rather like someone I could hang with. He was very out-spoken and his music reflected his many sides, some lyrics were motivated by love, some sought self-understanding and others were angry responses to the cruel injustices of life. He was also an actor having acted in movies like Juice, Poetic Justice, Above the Rim, Gang Related, Gridlock'd and Bullet.

His life was filled with a lot of drama and he has been romanticized to the level of a martyr. During his lifetime, he was seldom out of the spotlight with a 15-day jail term in 1994 for assault and battery, a conviction in 1995 for sexual assault of a female fan, his influence in promoting gangsta rap, his war of words with the Notorious B.I.G aka Biggie smalls/East coast rappers/Bad Boy Records and his constant talk about his death and funeral.

There are mixed views from people regarding Tupac, with people seeing him as Inspirational, a thug, a poet, a gangsta, and a realist. To me, Tupac was the Ultimate. His lyrics, beats and poetry are second to none and it was sad when he died exactly 10 years ago today, following a drive- by shooting after a boxing match in Las Vegas 6 days earlier, from which he suffered severe gun shot wounds. He was only 25.

I remember him today and hope that his music positively affects all those who listen to him.

……..Rest in Peace Pac!............

My A to Z of Music

2006-09-12T11:24:00.000+01:00

Saw this on a blog and decided to do mine! Here goes!

A. Alanis Morisette

B. Boyz 11 Men, Beyonce

C. Coldplay

D. Donnie McClurkin, Des'ree

E. Enya

F. Floetry, Five for fighting

G. Gavin DeGraw, Goo goo Dolls

H. Hoobastank

I. India. Arie

J. John Legend, Jill Scott, Jodeci, Jason Mraz

K. Kanye West

L. Lauryn Hill

M. Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey

N. Nelly Furtado

O. Outcast

P. Pharell

Q. Q-Tip

R. Robbie Williams, R.E.M

S. Steele Pulse, Sound Sultan

T. The Cranberries, Tupac Shakur

U. Usher, U2

V. Vanessa Carlton

W. Whitney Houston

X. Xhibit (Just cos there's no one else)

Y. Yolanda Adams

Z. Zhane (same reason as X above)

Anyone who reads this has been tagged! That's it! I'm out :-)

Shadows of 9/11

2006-09-11T12:32:00.000+01:00

Today is the sad anniversary of 9/11 2001. It’s been 5 years since the world was thrown into Terror after the attacks on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon by nihilistic radicals.

On that unparalleled day of sorrow, 19 suicide bombers hijacked 4 American jetliners American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77 and United Airlines Flight 93, five on each, except for United Airlines Flight 93, which had four hijackers and then flew the jets into the aforementioned locations as well as into a field near the town of Shanksville in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania (which is believed to have resulted from the hijackers deliberate either crashing of the aircraft or by losing control of it as they fought with the passengers)causing the death of over 2,900 people and damage to public property worth Billions of USD.

The United States claims that Osama bin laden and al-Qaeda are to be held accountable for the attacks. It is claimed also that he has declared a Jihad (holy war) against the US, and a Fatwa calling for the killing of American civilians, their motives being U.S. support of Israel, U.S. military occupation of the Arabian Peninsula and U.S. aggression against the Iraqi people.

Over the past five years, the fight against terror has become increasingly desperate, with the raging war in Afghanistan and Iraq and the global fever of the “War on Terror” as well as the fear of Islam. Intelligence has improved and much of al- Qaeda’s command has been destroyed, but the al-Qaeda franchise or should I say, brand-name has gained a lot of publicity. We have had the introduction of desperate measures by the authorities to reduce the risk factor as well as educating the public about the threat we face by the over usage of words like nine eleven, burqa, jihad, Taliban, ground zero, Let's roll, Homeland security and Weapons of Mass Destruction aka WMD. Whatever name we call it will not change the face of terror. Let me summarize it by stating this well known fact- Intelligence and security measures alone will never close the gap on terror.

I want to use this medium to pray that God protects us all from terror, and may He give the families and friends of the people whose lives were lost in this heart-breaking episode the fortitude to bear the loss. Amen.

Female Drivers in 9ja

2006-07-25T11:48:00.000+01:00

Well well well! My first post in my blog! Yipee! I'm listening to Mariah Carey's When I saw you - God, I love her music, especially this album. Its 12 noon on a Tuesday and I'm looking forward to reading the Guardian. All Nigerians mos' definitely know what the Guardian on Tuesday is all about..... Yeah, I have a job, but I'm seeking a better one, as is always the case.

Now, this is something I've always wanted to write about. Yes, you know- Female Drivers. I don't mean women who have the job title - Driver, but the everyday chic driving. Why are a lot of us soooo agressive? We act like someone is tying to take our birth right when they try to get ahead of us...... Last week, there was a nasty hold-up on my way home from work, and I noticed the lane beside me was moving faster than mine, so I decided I had to move over and join the moving train.
I indicated to my left and also stuck out my hand to let the fellow sistah on that lane know that I wanted to get in from of her. Voila! She accelerated so fast, she almost hit me. I had to keep to my lane for the time being.
I eventually suceeded in getting the desired lane, but I kept wondering, "why is it that women tend to be agressive behind the wheels?" I have tried out this changing lanes thingy a couple of times since then, and the result is almost always the same. On the contrary, I most certainly do not drive that way! I almost always make sure to let people(be it male or female) who indicate their desire to get ahead of me get ahead...
Anyway, that's my 2 cents on this first post!