Decades: Chunks of Time

Hey Everyone! Yes I know I deserve some spanking for having such a long haitus, and will turn around for it as soon as I finish typing this, I promise [fingers crossed at my back]. I just had to share this great find - I have not seen words of wisdom for Startups and Aspiring Entreprenuers this brief and to the point yet. Its about Fab.com, and their instant success since starting 130 days ago [yes you read right!]. They presently have 750,000 members and 3 million hits on their site per month [I just added to that list, so make it 3 million and 1]. And most importantly, they have $100,000 sales days - very important to the Nigerian Entrepreneur I am sure! They share a set of slides for us to learn the major 21 things they have learnt so far, that keeps them growing. I am sure my Entrepreneur friends and family members will appreciate this. Please take the time to read through - its just 21 points after all :) Click this sentence

This is a poem I wrote for a friend that is having issues....she enjoyed it and has permitted me to share to the world as well - someone out there probably needs the upliftment.... Its family thanksgiving day. Everyone is in church, seated with their families, children, grandparents and all. The pastor calls out all the couples that are a year old, and my husband and I file out with the rest. 10 couples in all. And only one couple is without a baby. Us. It felt like the sore thumb, always sticking out. It doesn’t help matters that both my sisters-in-law are among us. I can’t help but feel like everyone is staring at me, wondering why, wondering when. Well, I don't know too! And I don't like it either! I don’t like not knowing when God will finally answer my prayers and give me the twins I want. I don't like not knowing whether I will menstruate or even ovulate each month. I don't like not knowing how my body could fluctuate between weight levels so rapidly and often. I

Sorry folks, I know this has been long over-due. You can read part 1 , part 2 , part 3 and part 4 first. =-------= =-------= "Mummy, open the door!" Ajibike shouted as she jumped up and down excitedly at the entrance to her home. She had just come back from a photo session with her best friend, Lanre. They were neighbors- the Adekomi's stayed on the ground floor while their family occupied the upper flat of their building, which was among the staff quarters on campus. Ajibike had been scared at first when her mother had told her Mr. Adekomi would be taking them there, a man so tall that all she ever saw were his long long legs. The only time she ever saw his face was the one time he had carried them all to school, when he yelled that she had not closed the door of his VolksWagen Beetle car properly, and after that, she had cried that she never wanted to follow him to school again. It didn't help that his cheeks were lined from one end to another in tribal marks

Sorry folks, I know this has been long over-due. You can read part 1 , part 2 and part 3 first. =-------= "What do you think happened?" asked her husband as he joined her on the balcony to watch the coming procession. "I don't know," she replied, "but it cant be good for 7 people to be carrying our daughter home." "She's alive isnt she?" the father mused. "Then it can't be that bad. Just calm down." Thirty minutes later he wasn't sure of his conclusion anymore. The crowd had arrived and were taking up the space in his living room. When he asked what the problem was, they all tried to explain at once. "Silence!" bellowed Daddy Eko. "Only one person should talk." "She has a bead stuck in her nose." the sunday school teacher said. "Is that all?" her mother asked, sighing in releif. "She didn't beat anybody? Didnt steal anything?" "No Ma." replied the man.

Well, I never thought I would do this, but here I am. I had an 'eureka' moment while watching....wait, let me start from the beginning. In 2006, I looked forward to graduating with the rest of my class, only to find out the hard way that my name was not on the list of graduands - yeah I found out by checking the late brochure, while sitting in the graduating hall, while my family were waiting to start eating (get the full story here). Anyway, that was ages ago, And I wont rehash the pain and agony I went through trying to rehash the recent past then, trying to find out what I could have done to the department's results coordinator, my course adviser, favourite lecturer and mentor, Mr. Sawyerr. Needless to say his singular action of excluding me from the list caused me a lot of delay in my life's plan, but - I digress. While I was watching 'Being Erica', it all came together for me. You know, when you sit/stand somewhere, and something flashes in your mind from t

This is my first post this year and to my readers I apologize. I apologize because it took a threat from one of you to come here. Its been hectic - Getting adjusted to 'After-The-Wedding' life and new working environment and all that. Although someone will say that working from home isn't a new environment but believe me, it is. I spent Primary 5 and 6 and all of my Secondary school education as a Boarding student. My Mum usually had to resort to threats to get me to come home when I was in the University, so for me it is a new environment. The daily routine is ...different because I spend more time working unconsciously. Normal working hours are 8 to 5, but I find myself working longer because I never really leave work. I didnt really see it in this light until my mother came visiting. "What is your husband having for breakfast?" she would ask, to which I would just point to the fridge. "What will your husband eat when he returns?" my Mum would as

Its here. The D-Day is here. Well, almost. By sunday night, I am going to be a married woman. My name will change, everything will change, even my body. It seemed so far away six months ago. All the shopping, all the mother and daughter fights, everything looks so trivial now. The cake isnt ready, the gown is ready. The bridesmaids dresses are alright, the chief bridesmaid's dress has not even been sewn yet. The flowers for everybody has not arrived yet. And my hairdresser wants to rob me blind, but its too short a notice to get another. I cannot remember where I hid the marriage license and I am looking for some of the gift money. One of my bridesmaids is acting very funny and we are thinking that the service boys from the caterer might not cover the whole event. Why do I have to fix artificial nails? And must my hairdo be gel? Can't I just set my hair in a curl or wave? The video guy is bugging us for his advance payment, and I still have to pay for the hair pieces for the br

Tis amazing what we take for granted everyday...Got to church yesterday in less than 10 mins thanks to Bikermice from Mars [I'll miss them when I move to Abuja!]. As I went up then down the ped bridge briskly, all that was on my mind was getting to church. I stepped into Church and all that changed. It seemed my hip had shifted. I could barely put any weight on my right leg. It was awful. I developed a limp as I entered the church. I gunned for the very first available seat at the back. I could barely put pressure on the hip even while sitting. I wondered what I had done to cause it to happen. Was it my diet? For two weeks I have stayed away from rice, white bread, and yam. Considering that that was the staple in my household, you can understand that it was with supreme effort that I was sticking to that regime. I am loving the effects already as my clothes are really loose around my body, but I am lacking carbohydrates - it would have been total if not for the spaghetti I consume

I watched the movie, Seven Pounds, recently and just had to write a tribute to it. Everyday, he sits at his desk, glad to have a job, glad to be able to cater for himself. As the phone rings, he picks and says, "Hello, Customer service, how may i be of help to you?" Blind Ezra never hurt anyone, was never cruel or unkind. Everyday, she watched the children run down the street, She could barely keep her dog from running too fast. She knew her business was about to close, but with the uncertainty in the time she had left, her mind, her heart was no more into work. Emily, the girl with a failing heart. She sat in Child care services everyday, always trying to reach out, always praying her friendly smile would convince the next child, the next victim of abuse that she was there to hold them, to provide another way for them. No one knew of her pains, no one could tell that her liver had failed. Holly, always smiling, always ready to help. She kept the children in doors, She never

"My Daddy Eko is coming to our house today!" Four year old Ajibike whispered to her friend. They were at sunday school, and even though the teacher had warned her to keep quiet twice already, she could not suppress the good news. Nothing could suppress her excitement that day, not even the fact that her sunday black shoes had cut that morning on the way to church, because she had run at the site of a giant millepede. Her best friend, Lanre, had laughed at her, calling her a sissy, but his words did not have their usual effect that day. All she knew was that her Daddy from Lagos was arriving that day, and that was enough to keep the sun shining all day for her. One would think that the man's visits meant lots of sweets and gifts for her, like any other child, but for Ajibike, it meant she had a listening ear to report all her troublesome younger brother had done to her since his last visit. He was always patient enough to listen, unlike her father and mother, who expect

"What is the issue now?" the man asked. "Haven't you taken enough for the tests?" The child was crying silently, in her mother's arms.The nurse glanced nervously at the couple. How was she to tell them that the pathologist was out for his noon day drinking break? "Er...the samples have been sent to the Lab sir," the nurse stuttered. "But that is what you said twenty minutes ago!" the man exclaimed. "We are waiting for the results sir, before we can proceed." the nurse repeated again. " The man glared at the nurse before turning back to his wife and child. Suddenly two doctors rushed into the room and asked for the referred child. The nurse pointed towards the watching couple. One doctor quickly collected the sleeping child from its mother while another began explaining that the child had to be operated on because they believed any more delay would jeopardize the child's life. "No!" exclaimed the mothe

The man rubbed his head again in anguish, then rubbed his aching eyes, before resuming his pacing. Back and forth he paced in the waiting corridor, ignoring the pitying glances that passersby sent his way. Everytime a doctor approached he looked at their faces intently, dreading bad news. They had already lost one baby. This unexpected one had been a God - given miracle, and now it seemed it was only a teaser. He smiled as he remembered his wife's facial expression when the doctor had told her that her illness was another baby, not malaria. But that was four months ago. Now he had had to rush her to the emergency room because she had fainted. He had stepped down to the car to pick something, only to return and find her on the floor. "Hello sir," the approaching doctor asked. "Are you the husband of the woman in the theatre right now?" "Yes, Yes," he said in a rush. "I am. What happened?" "We are sorry about the.." the doctor began,

Since friday I decided not to comment on what was going on in the banking industry here in Nigeria, partly because I was three busy, and partly because I really do not 'vent' about politics. Yes, I vent about the upcoming wedding, the office, and other things but not really about politics. But this one, I have to vent . I read a post on 234Next about the banks crisis and the moves that CBN has made to try to change things, and it was alright. The information was shocking but still Nigerian. Then I read the comments. I encourage everyone to click the link above and read the comments thoroughly. It appears that there are some Nigerians who don't realize that every decision-making office in Nigeria is rapidly being filled with underqualified [or in some cases, unqualified] Katsina and Kaduna state people. I started with 'it appears' cos I do not want to believe it is true. I encourage everyone to read through THISDAY newspaper, yesterday's edition. Meanwhile this