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...