Decades: Chunks of Time

Mr. Takiti returned hom after work, one hot day, to meet his two sons fighting and arguing. He was extremly tired but he took the time to ask them what the problem was. "Toni and Tosin," he asked, as he drank a glass of cool water, and wiped his brow. "What is the matter? Why are you fighting?" "Toni hid my Ben Ten watch!" exclaimed the older Tosin. "Toni why?" asked their father, as he placed the glass cup on the table. Then he changed his mind. "I don't want to know why," he added. "Just give the watch back to your brother." "Yes daddy" the six year old muttered. One hour later, Toni was still looking for the watch, as he had forgotten where he hid it. Tosin was getting more upset and shouting so much, that their father woke up and called them again. Toni was again instructed to give the watch back, while Tosin was told not to make any more noise. Two hours later, Mr. Takiti woke up in a smoke

I know I know.... Its been sooo long. My life has been in the Master Tapestry-maker's hands, being woven in intricate patterns, far far far away from where I thought it would head to... It is well. So, I am back. I will rant, weep, praise, exclaim, despair, then start all over again. This is a return to chunks of time.

I wrote this piece while waiting for my flight on Saturday June 2, 2012. I had to stand for about five hours, and I was too angry to even smile. Little did I know that a tragedy was due to grace our country the next day...May the victims' souls rest in peace.... I am so angry right now. My anger surpasses the physical, because it is not about my present issues, but about the whole country in general. I booked a return flight to Lagos from Abuja from a popular airline here in Nigeria, some weeks ago. A day before the flight, I got a message that the time had been postponed to about two hours later, so we set out for the airport an hour later than planned. We are one of those people that love getting to the airport and checking in exactly when the airlines say - two hours before. We spent the better part of the first hour in traffic. We got so frustrated that I came down from the car and began walking towards the toll gate. Now those who are familiar with Abuja airport road

Hey mum, I just wanted to thank you. I thank you for deciding to get married - some women didn't see the need. I thank you for deciding to have kids - some women didn't want to mess up their figures. I thank you for going through discomfort all through the pregnancy. For going through all the pain. I will be forever grateful to you for allowing God to use you to bring me to this world. But that's not all. You didn't give me away - some women did that to their kids. So I thank you for putting your needs, your wants, your career aside, to raise me. I thank you for taking the time to teach me the Lord's way. I thank you for loving me with all my faults. I thank you for ensuring that I had the best you could afford. You are a mother, and blessed are you amongst all women. I LOVE YOU

Ever heard of a website made completely from Chocolate? Yes, you read right! Every tiny itsy bitsy details made entirely from chocolate. And the best part is the pieces are for sale too! Read about it here

I just got an SMS from Vicky, about Mobile Money provided by MTN. As a typical Nigerian, the first point of call on the mobile money site for me was the Tariffs section. According to the tariff page , to deposit, register, buy airtime, check balance and pay bills is free. To withdraw by an unregistered customer is free as well as the accounts subscription, and SMS traffic generated by transactions. But after that, the charges start piling up: Mini Statement = NGN10. Registered customer's withdrawal of NGN3,000 and less will cost NGN50. Registered customer's withdrawal of between NGN3,001 and NGN6,000 will cost NGN100. Registered customer's withdrawal of between NGN6,001 and NGN9,000 will cost NGN150. Registered customer's withdrawal of above NGN9,000 will cost NGN200. To send to a Registered customer, it will cost you NGN50. To send NGN3,000 or less to an unregistered customer will cost you NGN120. To send between NGN3,001 and NGN6,000 to an unregistered cus

As I write, a revolution is ongoing in Nigeria. The Youth have finally woken up and realized that they cannot depend on the current 'elders' to secure their future. The youth have finally seen that they cannot just sit on their hands. But while we are all pointing fingers at the Senators, House of Rep members and the President's cabinet, we need to also look into ourselves. Are we also not corrupt? Are we clean? Are we sure it is not a case of the pot calling the kettle black? For those of us that might say, 'I am not corrupt', we need to really do a reality check. Corruption should be eradicated at ALL levels, from the nursery school child to the oldest Nigerian citizen. Here is a brief checklist - not exhaustive but it should clue you in:  - If you sell anything [from garri, to marykay, to land, to flash drives], and you make more than 50% profit margin[profit not selling cost o], YOU ARE CORRUPT.  - If you help someone to get a job, and you expect a p

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