Decades: Chunks of Time

If, like me, you were reaching for goals that seemed beyond your grasp, and only to grab and discover what you got hold of was a thin strand, then listen.

So I was going through my old stuff, and came across some pictures. One of them was of me and an old friend. This guy was a medical student when I met him, and he had been introduced to me through a mutual friend.

The Month of November was made magical by the sermons I heard at church. It was as if the pastors used a set of binoculars to scan through the crowd in church, then focus on me, and then tuned into what I needed to hear the most.

Its that season again, when the whole world marks the birthday of Jesus Christ . While I am not too comfortable with all the symbolism and how so many things have been commercialized about the season, I love the way December seems to draw families together. It also forces everyone to slow down their pace, rest and relax. Resting and relaxing seem like luxuries, especially in a country where taking a vacation is made to look like you are not a serious human being. Most adults tend to 'work until they drop'. Its not a good situation, as the medical reports at this stage is not good. At this time of the year, most churches have Christmas Carol programs lined up. Daystar Christiam Center was not left out. The booking takes place online. This year was no different. Something struck me though: the portal was opened at 12 noon. After 3 minutes all the spots had been taken. Three minutes!!! I was amazed. I could just imagine over 2000 people poised over their keyboards, wait...

From Inspiremore.com Two Sundays ago, I stumbled on an article about Gary Barker, who was trying out for X-Factor and got a chance to sing another song when his first did not impress the judges. The second song he sang struck a chord within me.

Nigeria 's social platforms recently got bombarded with a plea to help an ailing acting and broadcasting veteran, Sadiq Abubakar Daba. When I began seeing the various messages on Twitter , Facebook , news paper sites, and even WhatsApp , I began to wonder if it was true. I spent a while checking it out and realized, yes, the details are accurate (so far o). The need: 20 million naira The concept: 20, 000 people send N1,000 to Mr. Daba's account. This would raise the money faster than waiting for some politicians and rich people to get in touch with the 'angel in their hearts' and spare some money for him. Details: Send N1,000 to UBA account for Sadiq Abubakar Daba, 1005382276 So far, it seems to be working. As at November 17, 2017, about 1.5 Million naira had been raised and more were still coming in, particularly with the aid of activists like Dr. Joe Odumakin , and Mr. Soni Irabor. Let us all come together to help this great man. N1,000.00 is not m...

I actually did not picture that I would be adjusting back to my home city this soon. If someone had told me at the beginning of the year, that I would be in Lagos around this time, I would have asked, "What for?"

Welcome to November! This is a special month for me, for several reasons. I have special friends that celebrate their birthdays this month. I also have my cousin's wedding anniversary this month (remember that sweet cousin of mine that I had to lose weight and be fit, for her wedding ? That's the one. They celebrated 9 years of marriage this month. They have come a long way...) November also brings to us NaNoWriMo ! NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month . It has blown into a global initiative, and the enthusiasm is very very catching. Its simple really - all you have to do is write 50,000 words this month. Yes, that's all. Sounds easy right? Ok, I saw you re-read the previous line. Its 50, 000  not 5,000. That's fifty thousand. Ok, I will stop scaring you now. NaNoWriMo has a website that helps to gear you up, before November, and push you through to the end. With lots of encouraging captions, and an easy way to log your progress, the site claims...

White House , courtesy Techpoint.ng In a quest to meet up with an old girlfriend for lunch, I found myself in Adekunle , Yaba . The way I felt initially, you would think I did not grow up in this environs. Thankfully I had someone else with me, who was very familiar with the terrain.

Sunday was the 34th wedding anniversary of my parents and I wish them both joy, peace and harmony in their union. Sunday was also my big cousins birthday. My love for sis lolly will never diminish because she is a big sister in deed. Some hours ago I got fixated on Michelle Obama. After pinning many of her outfits I realised that it's not really the dress, it's the woman wearing it that makes each style, simple or sophisticated, stand out. Then I considered the source of that self assurance, and realised again that it would most likely be tied partially, to the bond. There's a certain bond between Barack and Michelle Obama, that's almost a tangible force, almost a visible aura, when they are pictured together. This force is more present when it's just the two of them. I can imagine what living in the spotlight can do to a marriage, but theirs survived two terms in office. Their partnership, their friendship seemed to get even stronger. They didn't ...

Photo credit: Pinterest Late last month, two couples came over to see my mum. They had a major event coming up, three-in-one actually: their wedding anniversaries and the husbands' school alumni hosting. All on the same day.  They wanted to cook and host the alumni meeting at the house, and needed permission to do so. They also wanted the food to be memorable. I listened as they discussed the menu, and it included cole slaw. Now cole slaw in Nigeria is boring. Most usually it's chopped up cabbage leaves and carrots with cucumber and lots of mayo slathered on it. I just had to suggest something more creative. Why not use a juliene peeler this time? I asked. It would definitely give a new twist to the normal salad recipe. They did not understand what I meant, so I went on Pinterest and found a few pics to show them. They got excited before they realized they didn't have the peeler at home.  I have been looking for a good deed to do for a while now so I told th...

I just realized I am owing my Ironblogger clan, five good deeds, or 25 Euro! With this our economy ehn, where do I want to get that squeezed into my budget? I would rather do good deeds and help those around me. So, can anyone please think of something I could do, I am live in Lagos, but not mobile. Please share ideas!

One of the results of attending CMS Africa 2016 in Kampala, Uganda , was the creation of an Ironblogger network, IBCOCO . The intent was simple: there is a huge huge benefit from having an online presence, for every business, and blogging frequently is one of the ways to achieve this.

It took me a while to understand what 'stack' actually meant. When I realized that WAMP was actually a 'stack', I grasped it immediately.

Do you remember Tales by Moonlight? Did you ever reminisce about all those folk tales that our parents and elders used to tell us, as we grew up? I remember that the tortoise was always up to no good, and the hare was always running and running and never making the finish line on time.

I'm an avid fan of TEDx event videos. It all started when my dad sent me Chimamanda Adichie 's ' Danger of a Single Story ' TED talk video link. Ever since then, I forage for more videos, especially about technology advancements, and try to grasp where the rest of the world is heading. I can't remember how I got to know, but the minute I found out I would be in Lagos around the time TEDxYaba would hold, I registered to attend.

I have always been fascinated by the fluidity one can find with one-page web themes. While common in Wordpress, one-page web templates were not the usual in Joomla! . I put the task of understanding them, and replicating such in Joomla, on my bucketlist last year, but I did not have cause to actually do either until recently when a client asked for it.

Another song that aptly describes where am at now, by Linkin park . Another tribute to Chester Bennington . Another opportunity to wonder why... One thing, I don't know why It doesn't even matter how hard you try Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme To remind myself how I tried so hard In spite of the way you were mocking me Acting like I was part of your property Remembering all the times you fought with me I'm surprised it got so (far) Things aren't the way they were before You wouldn't even recognize me anymore Not that you knew me back then But it all comes back to me In the end You kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when... I tried so hard And got so far But in the end It doesn't even matter I had to fall To lose it all But in the end It doesn't even matter Rest in Peace Chester

I'm tired of being what you want me to be Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface Don't know what you're expecting of me Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes Every step that I take is another mistake to you And every second I waste is more than I can take! I've become so numb, I can't feel you there Become so tired, so much more aware I'm becoming this, all I want to do Is be more like me and be less like you I've become so numb - Linkin park's lead vocalist, Chester Bennington . He hung himself on Thursday . Too sad. These words aptly describe me so far this year....but to hear Chester committed suicide? That's a new low. Why do these people that help us through the deep, feel terrible enough to kill themselves? Why? Too many people to count. Its heartbreaking. I'm getting over my numbness gradually......gradually.... I have too much to live for, to allow so...

Jaden presenting with his classmates In a country where the education system is in shambles, the educational options available to parents, especially those of us that are in the middle class and still run on tight budgets, are not many. There is the option of hiring private tutors for your children, to teach them extra lessons after school. Another is to look for an affordable private school , and trust your wards to their high-priced hands.

Earlier in the year, I connected my dad to the angel who ensured he had an education, thanks to Facebook . Some weeks after posting an answer on Quora , something told me to go to Facebook and check out the daughters timelines. One of them had actually posted pictures of Pastor Moon, asking that we all call him to cheer him up, as he was battling cancer. I told my dad, who insisted I ask for permission from one of the daughters, before he would call. My dad would call, and chat with the pastor for a while. Pastor Moon's health got a boost, and he was extremely happy that Dad called him (Whoever said our health is not connected to our emotions lied). That was March. This is June, and I came across another Facebook post from one of the daughters, requesting for prayers for Pastor Moon who was losing the battle against cancer, and might not even make it to his 59th wedding anniversary. I took a snapshot of the post and sent it to my dad. He decided to go visit them. The ticket ...

Some months ago, I answered a question on Quora : What's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you . Here is a recap of the relevant part of my answer below: My dad was the last of four kids by his mum, and while he was still a toddler, his rich and influential dad changed towards them all, refused to send the other kids to school and focused on his younger wife. So they all had to do odd jobs to even survive. My dad barely finished primary school as a result of this. His eldest sibling, also male, was way older than him, so he had finished his education before all this, and was working at the Seventh-Day Adventist Hospital in Ile-Ife , Osun state, Nigeria . One day he heard that one of the missionaries needed someone to help around the house (here in Nigeria we call them houseboy or housegirl), and he went and got my dad to fill the position. By then my dad had already left the rich-boy attitude behind due to the hardship of surviving, so taking the post was no big deal...

Akara and Fried Yam, Courtesty Pinterest (Nigerian Foodies) GOOD DEED: THE OKADA RIDER Some nights ago, I closed late and so I had to patronize an okada rider. For those outside the shores of Nigeria , we have what we call okada riders in almost every city in our country. Imagine someone with a motorcycle, carrying passengers for a fee. That's an okada rider. At first they were a new means of livelihood for many, then they became a nuisance, especially when they were being used for robberies and attacks. Various cities now have laws governing their working times and where they can operate, if at all. Okada riders are allowed to patronize the areas where my office is, and where I live, so its quite easy for me to use them from one location to the other. So, on that night, I hailed one of these 'transporters' to take me home. After negotiating the price, the man asked how much I was holding. It turns out he would need to break down the money he had to be able to ...

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.