Decades: Chunks of Time

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.

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